II Corinthians 1:1-11
Comfort in Suffering
II Corinthians 1:12-14
Paul’s Change of Plans
II Corinthians 1:15-24
Sparing The Church
II Corinthians 2:1-4
Effective Leadership Is Sensitive to Others
II Corinthians 2:5-11
Forgiveness For The Sinner
II Corinthians 2:12-17
The Triumph of Christ
II Corinthians 3:1-3
We May Be The Only Bible Some People Read
II Corinthians 3:4-11
The Spirit, Not The Letter
II Corinthians 3:12-18
When One Turns to The Lord The Veil is Removed
II Corinthians 4:1-6
By God’s Grace I Will Not Quit
II Corinthians 4:7-18
Cast Down But Not Conquered
II Corinthians 5:1-9
Assurance of The Resurrection
II Corinthians 5:10-13
Bringing People to God
II Corinthians 5:14-21
Be Reconciled to God
II Corinthians 6:1-10
Marks of The Ministry
Cast Down But Not Conquered
II Corinthians 4:7–18
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Driving through Texas, a New Yorker collided with a truck carrying a horse. A few months later he tried to collect damages for his injuries. “How can you now claim to have all these injuries?” ... More
God has made us the way we are so that we can do the work He wants us to do (v. 7). As a Christian we should never complain because of a lack of gifts or abilities. Each of us is a special vessel made by God for His use. The important thing about a vessel is that it is clean, empty, and available. This section is one of three sections in II Corinthians devoted to a listing of Paul’s sufferings (vv. 8-13). Paul was not afraid of suffering because he knew that God controls trials, and God uses trials for His own glory. The natural mind cannot understand this kind of spiritual truth and as a result cannot understand why Christians are victorious in suffering. Furthermore, God never abandons His own. For every trial there is a corresponding encouragement. After Paul lists some of the trials that were a part of his life and ministry, he shares how God gave him victory over all of them:
1. He was sure of Victory because of Christ’s resurrection (v. 14).
2. He was sure that God would be glorified as all things work together for good (v. 15).
3. He was sure that his trials were working for him, not against him (vv. 16-17).
4. He was sure that the invisible world was real (v. 18).
It is not wrong to care for the outward person, if you recognize that it is perishing. Concentrate on the inner person. It is the invisible that is imperishable.
Application
How does this chapter make me feel about hard times? How should I act differently because of what I have learned here?
II Corinthians 4:7-18 (English Standard Version)
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