Instruction
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Context
This passage comes in the middle
of a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. He has been
stressing that the gospel has been entrusted to broken people so that its power
is clearly revealed as God’s power and not our own. Paul describes the unity believers have in the
gospel and the hope we have in the face of this world’s troubles. In this
portion of the letter Paul is reminding his readers that the things of this
world often distract us from God’s glory, but they are really only temporary.
The things of Christ are what are eternal.
Teaching
The church’s reason for being is
Jesus’ resurrection. It is the confession of faith that Jesus died are rose for
us which unites all believers. We are diverse in many ways – ethnically, politically,
geographically, and more – but the resurrection and Jesus’ salvation bind us
together in the belief that there is more and better than this world offers us.
There is a life beyond that is given as a gift to those who believe.
Jesus’ resurrection also gives
us a common purpose. God’s grace extends to more and more people, and our
desire is that they will believe in the Risen One so they too may have eternal
life in Jesus’ resurrection. This is to God’s glory, and for this good news all
who believe give thanks.
But we live in a world where
these things are hard to see. The evidence that our eyes behold would cast
doubt on our hope in Jesus. To this our answer is that Christ is risen, and he
will keep his promises.
Life
In this life we often lose heart
because we can see so many things that make us question God’s salvation. We see
the guilt of our own sin. We see the moral decay of the world. We see
corruption, ruthlessness, and oppression. These things weigh us down and make
the world a hard place to live.
How then shall we respond to
this? We cling all the more tightly to God’s promises. We begin to see that
what the world perceives as real, solid, or permanent are actually imagined,
ephemeral, and transient. God’s promises are more certain than what we can see
with our eyes. Because of Jesus’ resurrection we can face the doubts and
sorrows of this life without losing heart. They cannot take God’s promise from
us, nor can they keep him from finally bringing us to the glorious permanent
life he has prepared for us.
Prayer
The theme of this prayer is Petition.
O God, it is written, “I believed, and so I
spoke.” Help your people, including me, to have the courage to speak all the
more boldly of Jesus’ resurrection. When the world resists this good news help
us to not lose heart. Fix our thoughts all the more solidly on the glory you
receive when new believers give thanks for the gospel message. And when we face
times when the world seems more real than your promise, when we become consumed
with the things of this life, or doubts rise in our hearts we ask you to turn
our eyes upon what is unseen – the work you do in our lives and throughout the
world to save sinners – and bring to mind the eternal home we have because
Jesus rose from the dead, and we will too. Amen.
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