We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (KJV)
We are, if we do not fight against God, troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. We do not like these events. They are contrary to what we want to have in this life. We don't want trouble, it causes discomfort. We don't want to be perplexed; we want all our decisions to work out exactly as planned. We certainly don't want to be persecuted. There is no pain that is enjoyable regardless of whether it is physical, emotional, or mental. To be cast down is to be treated like so much garbage, and that level of disrespect and disregard is not what we want either.
So first things first, we have to allow God to bring these things into our lives. They will take on many different forms and levels of severity, and each is a measure of the dying of the Lord Jesus IF it is brought by God for righteousness and not chastisement. "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you FALSELY, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Matt 5:11-12
1.) The evil and the persecution are brought under false pretenses. This happened to Daniel, his three amigos, truly all the prophets and most of them trouble to the death, Jesus, and each of the disciples. Hebrews eleven is full of the testimony of those who endured the same. They were fully serving God, walking in the paths of righteousness, hated by those which were cut to the heart by the testimony of these godly individuals, hated by those who were jealous of the good reputation and favor they may have had, and persecuted as a result.
2) This mistreatment is not only false, but brought against the Christian for Christ's sake. It's not because I am good and favored, but because they see Jesus in me. That only happens if I walk in the Spirit, and that only happens as I deny my flesh.
3) There is a great reward in heaven for those individuals. Why? I don't believe it is because of the persecution. I believe the persecution is an indication of the greatness of the reward. Why was the persecution brought? It is because God was reflected in their lives. They worked the works of Him who saved them. When my conformation into the image of Christ is apparent, those who hate Him will hate me. Those who would crucify Him will attempt the same to me (Jn 14:12, 15:18-21). My reward in heaven is based on my work on earth. Only that work which Christ did through me will be rewarded, the rest will be burned up in the fire that trieth every man's work like so much wood, hay, and stubble (1Cor 3:12-15).
This work cannot be done so long as I seek my own life, serve this flesh. I must lose my life. To do anything else would mean that I prevent the work of God in my being troubled, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. This is the situation we see in Matt 5:11-12 mentioned above. I'm not going out to make enemies and in my own flesh bring this persecution. I am going out to preach the truth in love and in love try to win people to Christ. I am not going out to beat people over the head with the word of God. I am to be salt, yes. Salt stings when it's applied to a wound (or in the case of sin, a putrid sore), but it is not applied by the one administering it out of malice. A loving mother applies the stinging antiseptic to her child's skinned knee knowing it will hurt. She applies it as tenderly as possible, and although she hates to hurt her child any further, she presses on until the wound is clean; infection won't set in, and can properly heal. We are not salt only, but light as well. We are not to condemn sin without revealing the Way to righteousness. I must serve God with a heart that is intent on serving God. I must preach the Gospel with a heart that is intent on saving men.
The trials and tribulations will be beyond my ability to overcome them. They will be beyond my ability to cope with them. They will be beyond my ability to escape them. They must be beyond my ability in order for the life of Christ to be known. And that's where this story surpasses the happiest of endings.
In these events I bear about in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus. Anybody can die. That's really not a hard thing, but taking up your own life again? Now that's power! That's glory! That's life!
"We are troubled on every side, but not distressed…" Have you ever heard someone talk about a major trauma their body went through, "but I didn't feel any pain." It may be a statement like, "I had a compound fracture in my leg, but I didn't have any pain." The person says it in a matter-of-fact way. There's no question that it happened, but they also sound as if they have a bit of disbelief, wonder, or amazement. The amazement is in the second part of the statement, "I didn't have any pain." They should have felt tremendous pain, but they didn't and they're amazed.
Paul knew why they weren't in distressed, and that, I believe, is the reason he wasn't amazed by it. Were it not for God's grace in their lives, they would have been distressed. That's the reason for sharing this with the Corinthain church. Trouble came at them from every side. Regardless of what they did, short of ceasing to preach the Gospel, there was no escaping it. Yet they were able to continue, to press on, without being distressed.
The same was true with the fact that they were perplexed, yet not in despair. "Our plans were thwarted, things didn't work out, we didn't understand it. We met a man named Murphy who fancied himself a profit and told us that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. We didn't understand, and didn't know what we could do about it. Yet we didn't despair." They knew God had a purpose; a plan, and although the circumstances were often very puzzling and it seemed like things were going way off course, they knew it was exactly what God planned. Luck didn't factor into their way of thinking.
Distress and despair can be chosen reactions to trouble and perplexity. In fact, it's often our first and immediate choice. It happens so fast that we're often fooled into thinking it's instinctual. The thing about sin is that as we perform it, the chain gets so tightly wound around us that it seems we were born that way.
Homosexuals try have convinced themselves and many others that they were born that way. Sex addicts are immediately drawn to whatever it is that drives their desire. People with anger control issues immediately fly into a rage without seeming to think about it. The truth, however is that God gave us the ability to choose how we will respond to every situation we are in.
If I'm walking along a wilderness trail and suddenly hear the sound of a rattlesnake vigorously warning me of its presence; my immediate reaction will be (I suppose) to freeze all movement. I don't have to though. I could choose to quickly step in the opposite direction of the deadly creature. Eve had the freedom to choose to trust God or believe the devil. Adam had the freedom to choose to trust God or succumb to the will of his wife.
As sin reigns in our bodies, our ability to choose seems to be depleted. If, when troubled I don't consider my choices and become distressed, or when faced with great perplexity begin to despair, where is the glory of God in those reactions? Where is the power of God in those reactions? Where is the new life, the abundant life, the joyous life, the peaceful life in those reactions? It's not there, and it's not there because I am reacting on my own strength in an effort to pursue my own desires. "Get thee behind me, Satan: for savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men." Mark 8:33.
Lest we look at Paul and think, "Wow! What a great man he is! What determination to live for God! What tenacity, what fortitude!" I have no doubt that Paul would argue those sentiments. He knew that were it not for the grace of God, he would not have labored as he did. He knew that were it not for the grace of God he would not be in the position he was in (1Cor 15:9,10). To ensure we don't look to ourselves, God lists two more reactions here that aren't those of any man. To wit; they weren't forsaken though persecuted, and they weren't destroyed though cast down.
I can't choose not to be forsaken. Thank God! When I consider my own wickedness in light of God's glory I could easily choose to be forsaken. At times we choose to live like we've been forsaken because we can't believe that God could ever accept us. "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Rom 7:24. At times like that it's hard to remember verse twenty-five. God didn't forsake them. He was right there with them, as they went through the fire (Dan 3:1-25). That's encouraging!
Jesus was persecuted. Where were his disciples when that happened? Jesus knew they would all forsake him (Matt. 26:31), and Peter would deny him (vs. 34). When it came down to the final hours, Paul was forsaken by almost all of his companions (2Tim 4:10). In the face of persecution, even the best of friends often flee. Not so with Jesus. He was right there. In fact, while Paul was busy persecuting the churches, Jesus made it clear that it was Jesus who bore the reproaches (Acts 9:3-6), and he bears all our reproaches (Rom. 15:3, Ps. 69:9).
Though they were cast down as yesterdays rotting fish, they were not destroyed. God held them up. Though men may have power over us, that power is limited to only that which God gives them (Jn. 19:11). Although the bark, growl, bear and gnash their teeth at us, they cannot break free from the chain that holds them back, or break through the hedge God puts around us. Though they can cause the loss of all our possessions and cherished relations, they can do no more than God allows. Though they may strike us down and bring immense physical pain, they can do no more than God allows (Job 1:12, 2:6). We can say with the psalmist, "Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O though most High. What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me." Ps 56:2-4
In the face of all this, God gets the glory. Men and demons brought such hardship against Paul and his team that no man could withstand. No man could persevere. No man could be victorious. Yet they were. All of the troubles were beyond their own strength to endure. All of their perplexities were beyond their own wisdom to resolve. All of their persecutions were beyond their ability to resist. All of the abuse was beyond their strength to survive. Yet they did. In spite of all of that, they were more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. It is only in the dying of our will, our lusts, our pride, our flesh, yea even our bodies that the power of His resurrection can be known! It is the power that is greater than any power on earth. It is the power that is undeniably God. It is the power that draws men to Jesus. It is the power that causes every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that Jesus is Lord.
Am I willing to die that His power may be known? It is a daily choice (1Cor. 15:31). I must choose to count all things but dung, to willingly suffer the loss of all things. It is only the process of being made conformable to His death that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection (Phl. 3:7-10).
