Pictures of God's Strength

Pictures of God's Strength
   
Throughout 2 Corinthians Paul uses a number of pictures to help us gain an eternal perspective of our suffering, each of which we will look at in our sermons in the weeks to come:

1. In 2:12-17 Paul says we should approach our lives as those who are “in triumphal procession” through Christ. Though we often experience defeats and discouragements, our continued faith in Christ is intended to be a “fragrant aroma” to those around us.
2. In 4:7-12 Paul says that we are like “jars of clay” in that we are often fragile. Yet just like a jar of clay that contains treasure inside it, those whose faith is in Christ contain the treasure of God’s indwelling Spirit at all times, who brings life to us in any and every circumstance. 
3. In 4:13-18 Paul compares our present struggles to something that weighs little and passes quickly. By contrast, the glory we will experience in eternity with the Lord weighs much and lasts forever!
4. In 5:1-10 Paul describes our current earthly lives as a tent that is only intended to be a temporary structure. In contrast, God is preparing for us an eternal home, which is intended to give us hope and courage and endurance in the present. 
5. In 6:3-13 Paul pens a laundry list of hardships he has endured, from beatings to slander to being poor. Yet, in each of them he encourages us to remain faithful through the strength the Lord provides, so that we may display the patience and kindness and truth of the Lord. 
6. In 12:1-10 Paul shares how the Lord has chosen to keep a particular hardship present in Paul’s life (a “thorn in the flesh”) in order to teach him that strength is found in weakness and grace from the Lord is sufficient in any and every circumstance.