Title: Outer Man and Inner Man
Contents
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8. But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob my chosen, descendants of Abraham my friend,
9. I hold you from the ends of the earth, I have called you from the corners of the earth, and said to you, You are my servant; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
10. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11. Behold, those who were angry with you will be put to shame and dishonor, and those who contend with you will be like nothing, and they will perish.
12. You will seek, but you will not find those who fought with you, and those who attack you will be like nothing and nothing.
13. For I, the LORD your God, will take hold of your right hand and say to you, Fear not, I will help you.
14. Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you, says the LORD, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
15. Behold, I will make of you a new threshing machine with sharp teeth, and you will beat the mountains to crumbs, and the hills like chaff
16. The wind will blow them away, and the whirlwind will scatter them, but you will rejoice in the LORD, and you will boast in the Holy One of Israel.
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7. We have this treasure in vessels of earth, so that it may be known that the exceeding greatness of power belongs to God and not to us.
8. We are afflicted on every side, but we are not discouraged; we are perplexed, but we are not discouraged;
9. Persecuted, but not forsaken; overthrown, but not destroyed
10. We always carry in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
11. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.
12. Wherefore, death works in us, and life in you.
13. As it is written, I have said because I believe, we have the same heart of faith, and because we believe, we also speak.
14. I know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and that we may stand before him with you.
15. All things are done for you, that grace may overflow through the thanksgiving of many, and overflow to the glory of God.
16. Therefore we do not lose heart, for though our outward man perishes, but our inwardly is renewed day by day.
17. Our light affliction, which is for a little while, works for us an exceedingly great and eternal weight of glory.
18. It is not the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen, that we look to: for what is seen is temporary, but what is not seen is eternal
Content
Subject: Outward man and inner man
Text: Isaiah 41:8-16, 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
“One face was given by God, and the other face made by myself” (Shakespeare). Each person has two faces. It is said that there are faces that are born and there are faces that are made. Here, God refers to nature. The apostle Paul speaks of the outward man and the inward man. If we live according to the order of nature, we value the value of the inner person more than the outer person. ‘What kind of inner person do you live by?’ represents the value of life. The season of fruitfulness The autumn light is soft. Each perennial tree will have one additional ring. A year of its own will be recorded. We people will also add traces of the same life. What kind of change did you experience in your inner person as well as your outer person? It makes us think of the inner person of each of us.
The two faces mentioned here certainly do not refer to human duality in a bad sense. It tells us that there is another possibility besides the striking superficial natural order. Lyrics written by Nam-seok Paik and composed by the current masterpiece, [Autumn is Autumn Wind]. '1, it's autumn, so the autumn wind is blowing softly / The green leaves are wearing red skirts / Calling swallows to visit the southern country / When spring comes, please come back. Hearing is like gold / To feed us during the cold winter / The bread of life that God has given.' / This song reminds us of another meaning contained in the natural order. It's like a song that comes from an awareness of poetic reality. It is a song about the awareness of the Creator ‘God’ and the providence of love.
The life of the inner man begins with the realization of this Creator God. Today's Old Testament text (Isaiah 41:8-16) presupposes this realization. Human finiteness is not the end, but another possibility. It is a life that begins with that relationship with God. The ‘end of the earth’ and ‘the corner of the earth’ (Isaiah 41:9) are human limitations. At that point, you are chosen and the relationship begins. In any case, it is ‘a relationship of unbreakable love that does not dislike. That God promises to be with him and repeats ‘Do not be afraid!’ (10, 13, 14). You say to Israel, your chosen servant, ‘I will be with you, I will be God, I will make you strong, I will truly help you, I will sustain you’. These are the words that the Creator directs all responsibility as the Redeemer. The result is the complete salvation of Israel (verse 16).
The New Testament text (2 Corinthians 4:7-18) is also the faithful work of salvation of God the Creator. “We have this treasure in vessels of earth, so that it may be known that the exceeding greatness of power belongs to God and not to us” (verse 7). We called our finiteness ‘earthenware’ Even in these expressions, the love of the Creator is evident. It's the work of a creator. ‘Treasure’ is another gift, reminiscent of ‘eternal life’. It is the ‘life of Jesus’ that is to be made manifest in our mortal flesh (10:11). There is no discouragement in any case for those of Christ who abide in this grace (verse 16). Even in the midst of tribulation, we do not fold our wings of hope for eternity (verses 17, 18). “My longing for eternity is proof that I have eternal life” (Victor Yugo). “The outward man perishes, but the inward man is being renewed day by day.” Amen.