How do we respond when life seems meaningless? When the suffering hits and the waves of suffering we feel seems itself to be totally pointless. What then? This essential topic Pastor John took up in one of his most important sermons he has ever preached. It's one that he preached in the year 2013 and a listener named Jared sent it in to us as a clip that he loves And it's a clip many of you will recognize because it became a clip that got embedded into a Shane and Shane song Though you slay me Most of you have heard that song because the music video has now surpassed 7 million plays on YouTube.

It's an incredible song Powerful music video. I know that God has used in many of your lives Even those of you who have watched it through a veil of tears and all of it is rooted in one sermon Everyone should listen to at some point. For now, here's an extended clip from Pastor John's 2013 sermon.

Have a listen. So Paul really does experience not losing heart because of truths, realities that he puts into his head day by day day by day for renewal Now one more step. What about the four at the beginning of verse 17? Like we're gonna beat verse 16 to death if we don't move on But my there's a lot of life in there.

He doesn't give up easy. I love to pound on verses till they're dead That's an odd way to say it isn't it? Okay verse 17 Verse 16 we don't lose heart. We're gonna be renewed every day for Because This light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory Beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Verse 17 is the main Argument. It's the main because. The main thing. This light momentary affliction is doing something It's working for us an eternal weight of glory and verse all verse 18 does you say look at it You can't see it, but look at it if you look at the Fallenness of man coming at you with his guns or the the fall is nature coming at you with its tsunamis All you're gonna do is lose heart Stop looking at that Look at the unseen.

We gotta say what what I'm seeing you talking about and how do you look at something that's unseen? That's a contradiction. Can't look at what you can't look at You said it's unseen, stop telling me to see it How do you look at the unseen so as to not lose heart and So as to be renewed every day and verse 17 is the main unseen thing you look at We do not lose heart Because this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory look at this he says look at this What do you what do you see when you look at verse?

17 you see him calling His affliction which lasted a lifetime Momentary I'm 67 people supposed you supposed to retire, right? Paul suffered until the sword severed his head from his body There was no Year or two of fishing if Paul was going to have a retirement it would be post beheading So if he didn't have this he had nothing He said if there's no resurrection from the dead.

I'm an idiot That's what he said first Corinthians 15 He called his lifelong beatings and Shipwreck and sleepless nights and agony for the church. He called it Momentary you see that there in verse 17 this light momentary. He called it light and he called it momentary That's crazy. That's not what you see You look at it 60 years 50.

I'm not sure how old he was when he died long time 20 30 years of relentless imprisonments and and Persecution and he calls it momentary and he calls it light and and you see also Don't you the contrast between momentary in verse 17 is eternal and the contrast with light is weight So let's read again notice those parallels His light momentary affliction is preparing for him and eternal that corresponds to momentary weight that corresponds to light of glory So he could see See see really you can't see but he saw beyond the grave According to promise he saw glory the glory of God that would be seen and the glory of God that would be given to him and It made his lifelong suffering look Momentary and it made the weight of the pain look light Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will Give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for my yoke is Easy and my burden is light you are kidding me.

You got to die for Jesus. You could call that light. Yes Why because I look to the unseen what glory Glory beyond the grave that's gonna so make up for this brief life It will look momentary and it will look light. That's the unseen you got to look at one more thing and this I end with this because it's just so So relevant for so many suffering people and so precious to me this word in verse 17 preparing Preparing not only is all your affliction Momentary not only is all your affliction light in comparison to eternity and the glory there But all of it is totally meaningful That is a very controversial statement because of how much insane suffering there is in the world Every time something horrific happens an interviewer will say meaningless and that is what it looks like That's what it looks like See look at it.

Look at it. This is meaningless these these 23 kids in India What did they do? They ate lunch and They're dead Or more, Oklahoma or Boston It's everywhere we now we've got the internet we got no excuse for not crying every day We put those who weep, right? If you don't have a theology that can cope with the internet horrors, you just better check out or get one This text says our light momentary affliction is Preparing for us an eternal weight.

It doesn't say will be followed by an Eternal weight of glory that would be good enough That would be good enough that's not what it says Cut air gods. Oh my forgive the Greek. I just love it. I've got to like dump it out every now and then You don't need to know that the word means produced prepare cause to bring about I'll venture this every millisecond of your pain from the fallen nature or fallen man every millisecond of your misery in the path of obedience is Producing a peculiar glory you will get because of that That's a very controversial statement and I believe it so that if anybody says to me that a believers Suffering was meaningless.

I'll be quiet probably because they're they're probably hurting really bad right now and I'm gonna wait and See when the right time is but I'm gonna come back eventually and say it wasn't meaningless I Don't care if it was cancer or criticism. I Don't care if it was slander or sickness it wasn't meaningless because verse 17 says my light momentary lifelong Total affliction is doing something It's doing something it's not meaningless, of course, you can't see what it's doing This is the main unseen thing verse 18 is talking about I think what's the unseen you're supposed to look at You're supposed to look at the the the promise of God in verse 17 that says Your pain is doing something for you You can't see it.

You can't feel it either You see it with the eyes of faith believe it because the text says it or you lose heart And I'm gonna close with John the Baptist as an illustration. I love I love and groan. My name is John I loved all the Johns in the world That's a weird thing to say in the city If I were good enough I would Um, but I love John the Baptist he's in prison and you know why he's in prison Jesus said there is no man born of woman greater than John the Baptist He's in prison.

You know why he's in prison because he looked the king right in the face and said you can't have her She is Phillips wife. You're an adulterer Well, that's a very dangerous thing to say to a king who has absolute authority over anybody do anything he wants So he puts him in jail.

He's scared of him. So he hasn't killed him But there he sits and now it's Herod's birthday And he gives a party for himself Throws in a little bonus little sexual bonus for his guests has a stepdaughter dance Really really pleasing dance turns everybody on They're all loving it.

And when she's done, he knows she's pleased to guess so To reward her. He says I'll give you whatever you want up to half my kingdom She goes to her mom Herodias who hates John the Baptist. He says what should I ask for? And her mom says ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter She walks back in everybody's listening.

What's she gonna ask for? I want right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter Silence in the room King can't take it back. Okay, he whispers to his attendant Get it John sitting there in the cell Wondering how the kingdom is gonna come and the door opens and two guys are standing there one with a sword It's just moment of silence doesn't know what's going on.

And the one with the sword says Come over here and kneel down and if you struggle we'll bind you And just what what what happened what? What's going on? and the executioner says King's daughter danced in the party and She asked for your head and we've come to get it.

We're gonna take your head That's the last thing he has to think about in the next 20 seconds What would you think? Everything in me says God What can be more meaningless than a party? Where a girl dances asked for the greatest man on the planet's? Head and within two verses of the Bible.

He's dead God God Meaningless absolutely meaningless way to die Nothing glorious about it. It stinks to high heaven I'll tell you I Hope God in his mercy put into John's head in those 20 seconds this Like momentary affliction is working for you an eternal weight of glory And so I I believe the main Because For not losing heart in this text is that none of your suffering is meaningless It'll feel that way.

That's why verse 18 says don't look at what's seen I mean you just stand there watching that happen. You just stand there watching that happen. You're gonna kill him Do anything she just dance don't do that. It's meaningless. This is totally crazy. This is a Absurd novel this doesn't happen That's what that's the way you talk right?

What you what your eyes are telling you is meaningless Don't look to what you see when your mom dies when your kid dies when you got cancer at 40 when a car Careens into the sidewalk and takes her out Don't say this meaningless. It's not It's working for you an eternal weight of glory therefore therefore Do not lose heart But take these truths all the ones you've heard in every message and day by day focus on Preach them to yourself every morning get alone with God and preach his word into your mind until your heart sings with Confidence that you are new and cared for so God come and do your mighty Work through your word and through this people in all their ministries.

I pray in Jesus name Powerful truth as an amazing sermon clip go and listen to the whole sermon at some point is titled the glory of God in the sight of eternity preached on July 26 2013 sermon on 2nd Corinthians 4 verses 16 to 18 the audio and video is at Desiring God org and be sure to go to youtube and watch though you slay me by Shannon Shane with the Piper sermon clip - if you have not it is powerful So Jared, thank you for reviving this clip and sending it to us It'll be hard to top this one But if you have a favorite sermon clip of Pastor John preaching send it to me Give me the title of the sermon and the timestamps of the audio of when the clip begins and ends Tell me why it's impacted you give me your name and the closest city to you and email me all those details at askpastorjohn@desiringgod.org Put the word clip in the subject line, please if you would and maybe we can share it here on the podcast Next up is faultless chastity faultless chastity too high of a standard for pastors To boot a pastor from their role for sexual sin.

Isn't that too harsh? Question on the minds of a few listeners at least and it's up next time. I'm your host Tony Reinke. We will see you on Friday