Be Encouraged. God Can Turn Your Trials into Triumphs

158 Pages·2011·0.76 MB·English

by  Warren W. Wiersbe

BE ENCOURAGED
Published by David C. Cook
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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced
or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public
Domain.) Scripture quotations marked are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright
NASB
1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; are taken from the Holy Bible, New
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International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; are taken from The Living Bible, © 1971, Tyndale House
TLB
Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60189. Used by permission; are taken from J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in
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Modern English, revised editions © J. B. Phillips, 1958, 1960, 1972, permission of Macmillan Publishing
Co. and Collins Publishers; and are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by
NKJV
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
LCCN 2009934570
ISBN 978-1-4347-6633-5
eISBN 978-1-4347-0094-0
© 1994 Warren W. Wiersbe First edition of Be Encouraged published by Victor Books® in 1994 © Warren
W. Wiersbe, ISBN 978-0-88207-620-1
The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Jack Campbell, and Karen Athen Series Cover
Design: John Hamilton Design Cover Photo: Veer Inc.
Second Edition 2010
Dedicated with much appreciation
to Galen and Jeanette Call,
Robert and Wilma Montgomery,
and Cedric and Jean Whitcomb
… in years past, faithful associates in
ministry; today, friends who are an
encouragement and a joy to know
CONTENTS
The Big Idea: An Introduction to Be Encouraged by Ken Baugh A Word from
the Author
1. Down—but Not Out! (2 Corinthians 1:1–11)
2. You Don’t Have to Fail! (2 Corinthians 1:12—2:17) 3. From Glory to Glory
(2 Corinthians 3)
4. Courage for the Conflict (2 Corinthians 4:1—5:8) 5. Motives for Ministry
(2 Corinthians 5:9–21)
6. Heart to Heart (2 Corinthians 6—7)
7. The Grace of Giving—Part 1 (2 Corinthians 8)
8. The Grace of Giving—Part 2 (2 Corinthians 9)
9. Ministerial Misunderstandings (2 Corinthians 10) 10. Father Knows Best
(2 Corinthians 11)
11. A Preacher in Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:1–10) 12. Three to Get Ready!
(2 Corinthians 12:11—13:14)
The Big Idea
An Introduction to Be Encouraged by Ken Baugh
The Energizer battery company is best known for its commercials featuring the
Energizer Bunny. This pink battery-operated bunny marches tirelessly, beating a
bass drum while sporting cool sunglasses and blue sandals. The source of his
endless energy is the Energizer battery. The commercial’s tagline states that the
Energizer Bunny just keeps going and going and going.
If you want to compliment someone’s boundless energy, you refer to him or
her as an Energizer Bunny—it truly is a compliment. I believe the apostle Paul
was the Energizer Bunny of the first century, and in this second letter to the
church in Corinth, he reveals what gave him a seemingly endless amount of
energy and encouragement. Let’s take a look at the things that powered Paul.
The first thing that encouraged Paul was God’s personal comfort for all who
believe. Paul calls God the “God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves have received from God” (2 Cor. 1:3–4 ). Paul was encouraged to
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have a relationship with the God who cares so much that He knows all of His
children’s troubles and brings them comfort.
The second thing that encouraged Paul was the presence of God’s Spirit
within all who believe. “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in
Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our
hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (1:21–22 ). Paul drew
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encouragement to live life to the fullest, regardless of the difficulties, because he
knew that the best was yet to come.
The third thing that encouraged Paul was the transforming work of God’s
Spirit in the lives of all who believe. “And we, who with unveiled faces all
reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (3:18 ). The
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moment a person believes in Jesus Christ as God’s Son and accepts His payment
for sin, that person is born again spiritually. From that moment on, throughout
the rest of the person’s life, the Spirit of God is transforming him or her
increasingly into the likeness of Jesus. Theologians call this the process of
sanctification. It is a wonderful source of encouragement, because it means that
God is continually at work in your life. You are never stuck in one place unless
you choose to be.
The fourth thing that encouraged Paul was to know that all those who die in
Christ will be resurrected to live forever with Jesus. “We know that the one who
raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us
with you in his presence” (4:14 ). Not only will we be resurrected one day, but
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we will also receive glorified bodies that will never again experience pain,
sickness, or death (1 Cor. 15:51–52). Then we will stand before the judgment
seat of Christ. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10 ). You can think of this judgment as an
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award ceremony for all the things you did in service to Christ after being born
again. This is not a judgment to determine your salvation; it’s accountability and
reward for your service to your Savior. Paul was greatly encouraged to endure
whatever hardships came his way in this life, knowing that his faithful service to
the Lord would be rewarded one day for all eternity.
The fifth thing that encouraged Paul was to know that heaven is real. Some
think weak-minded people who need something to live for beyond this life have
fabricated the concept of heaven, but Paul knew different: He knew heaven was
real because he saw it! In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul refers to himself as a man who
was taken up into heaven. While he was there, “he heard inexpressible things,
things that man is not permitted to tell” (12:4 ). Can you imagine? What do
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you think Paul saw? It must have been wonderful. And this confidence about
heaven encouraged him for the rest of his life. No wonder Paul was able to
endure any hardship that came his way. No wonder he could say with such
confidence, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an
eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (4:17 ). Paul knew with absolute
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certainty that this life is not all there is, that the best is yet to come. This
knowledge encouraged him through thick and thin.
Is it any wonder why Paul was able to endure such adversity in his life
(11:23–28) with so many elements of encouragement at his disposal? And here
is the one thing, the Big Idea of 2 Corinthians that I don’t want you to forget:
Every element of encouragement that Paul had at his disposal is yours too in
Christ. So be encouraged.
***
Dr. Wiersbe’s commentaries have been a source of guidance and strength to me
over the many years that I have been a pastor. His unique style is not overly
academic, but theologically sound. He explains the deep truths of Scripture in a
way that everyone can understand and apply. Whether you’re a Bible scholar or
a brand-new believer in Christ, you will benefit, as I have, from Warren’s
insights. With your Bible in one hand and Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary in the
other, you will be able to accurately unpack the deep truths of God’s Word and
learn how to apply them to your life.
Drink deeply, my friend, of the truths of God’s Word, for in them you will
find Jesus Christ, and there is freedom, peace, assurance, and joy.
—Ken Baugh
Pastor of Coast Hills Community Church
Aliso Viejo, California