Sermon
2 Corinthians 4:16-5:7
We Walk by Faith, Not By Sight
The first word that we read here is “Therefore”, which means that Paul is saying, “In light of the foregoing....”, or “The upshot of everything I have already is....” And what is this upshot? That we do not lose heart. If I told you, my friend, I have a secret medicine that, if you take it, will make it so that you never again lose heart, wouldn’t you want that medicine? Of course you would.
And so, when Paul says “Therefore, we do not lose heart”, we naturally want to see what he wrote before this, to find out what leads to this wonderful outcome, that we do not lose heart.
And what precisely did the apostle say, to lead to this wonderful outcome?
V. 14 (read)
V. 11 (read)
V. 6 (read)
3:18 (read)
3:3 (read)
2:14 (read)
1:21 (read)
1:5-7 (read)
In light of all these things, which depict the spiritual horizon and eschatological vision of the apostle, he says with confidence, from the depths of his soul, “Therefore we do not lost heart.”
You and I need that same spiritual horizon and eschatological vision, always, so that we not lose heart.
Everything else ultimate disappoints, but this horizon only compels us forward, with alacrity and vibrant zeal, in the life of God’s Spirit and the love of His Son. Though we age physically, this horizon, this vision, renews our soul and spirit always. Which is what Paul is talking about when he writes further:
Read 16b-17.
The apostle Paul endured and suffered much, and I don’t think any of us would consider such sufferings “light and momentary”. In this same epistle, by the way, he mentions those sufferings:
Read 11:23-28.
But Paul considers these sufferings “light and momentary.” How can that be? There is only one way: to keep the Horizon of Christ always starkly in view. In short, to live by this. With open eyes, focused always on the approaching horizon.
We cannot see that horizon without faith in Christ. “Faith” means we trust Him completely, we believe His word to us about Who He is, what He means for us, what He is going to do, and how we should respond to Him. In all of this, we believe Him and commit our life to Him. Vot shto znachit “vera”. And by this faith we walk, t.e., we live day to day. And if we do so, then, yes, we do “see” His horizon, by faith. We see what the world does not see.
This is what Paul is talking about when he writes further: v.18.
“We fix our eyes”. This doesn’t mean we don’t see what is temporary; of course, we see it, but our most inward and lasting gaze is fixed on the what doesn’t change, on the unchanging truth that stands behind and under and over everything, and from this we derive the strength and wisdom to deal with the temporary, passing things of this world.
In chapter 5 the apostle, in fact, addresses the biggest, and the most obvious change that time brings, i.e., we grow old and we die. The fear of death holds the whole world in captivity. But the apostle says, “We know.” We know...(read 5:1-4)
(Note on 2: “Meanwhile we groan”—“meanwhile” is where you and I are right now, we live in this “meanwhile”, and “we groan”—has anyone here ever groaned; I think we all know what this means.)
“...so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” That is the great consummation promised to us and awaiting us on His horizon, and it gives us strength to continue, step by step, here and now, even if sometimes we groan.
And then the apostle emphasizes this critical point: all of this is God’s idea. This wasn’t Paul’s idea. It isn’t the idea of some organization called “The Church.” This is an idea—but so much more than an idea, it’s a purpose and striving—that is birthed in the very will of the living God. He is doing this. To Paul, it is critical that the Corinthians understand this. Perhaps if they grasp this, truly, the fact that they have been swept up into something transcending their capacity to shape, mold, or direct, and if they are truly ready to surrender themselves wholly to this magnificent movement of God’s grace revealed in Christ, then maybe they won’t have so many problems and divisions among themselves! We all want to be part of something that is bigger than us, like members of a vast choir, where you can’t hear one person singing as a soloist, yet every person in the choir exults over being a small part in something great. That is how it looks with us in the Kingdom of God. The glory and joy of God’s kingdom is shared among us all as His subjects, but among His subjects there are soloists. The idea, and the purpose, and power, and the osuschestvleniye, are His! Paul wants the Corinthians to SEE this. I believe God wants us all to SEE this.
When we see this, we don’t lose hope. (Read vv. 6-7)
If everything depends on me, I give up. But if I’m walking in the stream of God’s great idea and power, I can be full of courage. I can take what the world perceives as a risk, if I know that this is really the Lord’s command. The world doesn’t see the one commanding, but by faith I see. This is what Paul is talking about here.
When I first read these verses as a new Christian, the way verse 6 was formulated, in English, seemed incorrect to me. In English it sounds like this: “We are always full of courage, knowing that as long as we are in the body we are absent from the Lord.” Grammatically, the sentence is saying “We are full of courage because we are absent from the Lord.” But of course, what the apostle means here is, we are full of courage because the only thing that separates us from the Lord is this body, and that’s all! That is so little. And so temporary. We are on the way THERE.
It’s like when you are on the way to see your most beloved friend or relative, and only three kilometers remain until you see each other. You rejoice that it is only three kilometers. Paul rejoices that it is nothing but this thin film of our mortal life in this fallen world that, for now, separates us from the open presence of Christ. It is so close that the apostle already foretastes it.
And that, I am sure, was what got the apostle out of bed every morning…if he had a bed. I’m sure he often didn’t have a bed. You and I need that same driving confidence, and we will not find it in anything that this world offers. When we face dangers, and threats, and opposition, when we don’t know what will happen tomorrow, when we don’t know whether Russian tanks will roll through the streets of Zaporozhye in a week, and maybe everything we are doing for the Lord, in our churches and other ministries, will be taken away and collapse in a moment, maybe tomorrow, it is very easy to think, “Then why should I do anything today?” What is it worth, to start a ministry today, to take a step of faith today, if it can all blow up tomorrow?
What is it worth? It’s worth the joy of the Father when you take the step of faith today that He tells you to take today. Tomorrow is His affair. The faith you show today is a treasure that will last for eternity, and nothing that happens tomorrow will change that. THAT’S how we continue to get out of bed in the morning, like brother Paul, and go forward with courage.
For, says Paul, we walk by faith, not by sight.
If the apostle says we don’t walk by sight, samo soboi razumeetsa, there is something we don’t see. Otherwise we would walk by sight. And so, the Bible tells us that we don’t see. But doesn’t the Bible elsewhere say, from the lips of the Lord Himself, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life”? (John 8:12) That means that we do see.
And so, the Bible tells us that we see, and that we don’t see. Which is it? Of course, it is both. The Bible would not tell us it is both if it were not both. In one way we see, in another way we don’t see.
Some years ago, I either thought up or found, or a mixture of both, a mental image that helped me to make sense of this seeming contradiction. This picture contains three parts.
First, imagine yourself in a forest on a pitch black night. There is no moonlight, no starlight, no civilization around. It is the kind of darkness in which you can’t even see your hand in front of your face. However, you can see your hand, and more, because, for some reason, there is a pool of light encircling you, illuminating everything within, let’s say, a three-meter radius. You see enough so that you can take five or six steps confidently. That is “the light of the world”, given to us so that we should not stumble in the darkness.
But beyond that pool of light, it’s dark. You can’t see anything beyond that border. You don’t know what bogs and ditches and fallen logs and wild animals and twists and turns and valleys and mountains are awaiting you on the path ahead. You don’t even know whether the path ahead goes for five kilometers or a hundred! In that respect, yes, we definitely walk by faith, not by sight. Though you don’t know what awaits you beyond the pool of light the Lord is giving you, it is enough that He knows. And all that counts at this very moment is that you take the next step where the Light of the world tells you. That might mean starting a new ministry, or witnessing to somebody, or attending seminary, or making other major life-decisions, when the Lord gives you the light to know this is the right step. But to what will your step of faith lead, out there beyond your pool of light where you cannot see? It is not given you to know. It is enough that He knows. Your step of faith, NOW, glorifies the Father. Your step of faith NOW is fruit that will remain and also the seed of fruit yet to come. “You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will remain. (read John 15:8 and 15:16)
But I said there are three parts in this picture, and I have told you only about two of them. The picture remains incomplete if I don’t tell you about the third part.
There you are, surrounded by a pool of light in an impenetrably dark world. But that is not all. Because far, far in the distance—you can’t tell how far—somewhere there on the horizon you glimpse a glow, a burgeoning radiance, and you know: I’m going there. No matter what lies between me and that horizon, no matter what meets me on the unseen path ahead, I am going THERE. That glowing horizon is your meeting with the Son of God
We have the Light of the world in Christ Who is with us till the end of the world. As for what we don’t see, we press ahead courageously in faith. And the final meeting glows on the horizon, always beckoning, pulling us forward, in vibrant anticipation. I want to leave that picture with you today, as a gift, and I hope it will serve to encourage and strengthen you in the days and years ahead.
Amen.
