Each year of the Super Bowl there is one football player whose efforts
exceed the others … he goes beyond the call of duty … and he is named
as the Most Valuable Player of the Year. Do you know who won that honor
the first two years of the Super Bowl? That was Bart Starr … two years
in a row! But honestly, I don’t think I ever heard of Bart Starr before
I looked up this information. I do remember the MVP of the third year
of the Super Bowl … that was Joe Namath! I remember him not because of
his football career but because he starred in a ridiculous commercial
for panty hose.
Some of the MVP’s from years past have names that are frequently mentioned
and have become familiar to me: Roger Staubach, Randy White, Terry Bradshaw,
Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and John Elway. But there are
others who seemed to have faded into history: Chuck Howley, Jake Scott,
Lynn Swan, John Riggins, and others. By the way, do you know the name
of last year’s Most Valuable Player? His name was Hines Ward. Through
a tremendous amount of effort and a great amount of skill in sports,
these men were recognized for “going beyond” and becoming MVP’s in their
year of the Super Bowl.
Why did these young men put out so much time and effort? Was it because
they loved sports that much? Was it for the money? Was it for the recognition?
Was it to win the trophy? Each one had their own reason I’m sure. And
then we ask … was it worth it?
But then we have to ask ourselves the question: What are we doing with
our lives? Have we invested as much time and effort into our personal
calling as they have in theirs? Beyond the call of duty! And again …
why are we doing what we do … and what do we expect to get in return?
We all have a reason for why we do the things we do. We work, we have friends,
we attend church, we give of ourselves; we live our lives as best we can. We
may not often stop to question why we do the things we do … but all of us have
a reason … we have a plan or design as to why we do the things we do. What
is yours?
We know that some people live in order to please themselves. “If I’m
happy, what do I care about how my life affects someone else?” There
are those who live for the moment. “If this makes me happy today … why
worry about tomorrow?” There are also those who don’t know there life
does make a difference! “No matter what I do, no one cares, it doesn’t
matter.”
Let’s read what the Apostle Paul thought about all of this:
2 Cor 4:14-18
14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with
Jesus and will present us with you.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying,
yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight
of glory far beyond all comparison,
18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the
things which are not seen are eternal.
NASU
Paul was well aware that the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ had changed everything. It had changed his life, his direction,
and his value system! Paul had been a radical Jew who was passionate
about destroying Christianity … until Jesus confronted him on the Damascus
road. He was a changed man! He now recognized that everything he did
had an eternal impact! Therefore he went beyond the call of duty in everything
that he did. But how did he “go beyond?”
First – Paul recognized the mortal state of his being:
Our outer man is decaying
Our afflictions are momentary
The things we can see are temporary
We are to take care of our body because it is the temple of the Holy
Spirit. BUT too often we lavish our time, energy, and money on making
our outer man comfortable, healthy, happy, and fulfilled – only to find
that our outer man will betray us! He becomes demanding and gets cranky
when we don’t continue to pamper him! Then he breaks, he begins to sag
and wrinkle, his joints hurt, and he often will not do things you demand
of him that he has done in the past! Our outer man is decaying. So Paul
is suggesting to us that we don’t invest all of our time and effort into
our outer man! Go beyond our body!
In addition, Paul saw our afflictions as “light afflictions” which
are temporary and therefore not worthy of our focused attention. We suffer
pain. But when Paul tells about his difficulties he describes physical
discomforts that most of us have not endured!
2 Cor 11:23-25 His “light afflictions” included being beaten times without
number, often in danger of death. On five different occasions he received
from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times he was beaten with rods,
once he was stoned and left as a dead man; three times he was shipwrecked,
and spent a night and a day in the deep.
We suffer pain … and some very intently, but these are for but a moment
and Paul says – Go beyond our afflictions!
So – our outer man is decaying – so don’t put so much time and effort into
it! Go beyond your body! Our afflictions are real – but don’t dwell on them!
Go beyond your afflictions! The he says the things we see are temporary.
In the last one hundred years men have learned to fly, telephones were
invented and radios began to play. The television and the computer have
both invaded our homes and we are now connected to every corner of the
world with our electronics! Instead of bringing us more joy … these things
now produce stress caused by things which happen globally! Arguments
and hatred, politics and economies, immorality, murder, divorce, and
violence all comes in stunning bursts from the media that is present
in our lives. But Paul said … These things are temporary!
What did you worry about this week? What did you get into a fuss about
this week? What upset you and caused you stress? It was probably temporary.
Paul basically is saying to us … Go beyond the small stuff!
Second – What Paul did to “go beyond” the body, the affliction, the stress!
He set his mind and his heart on going beyond to …
Our inner man is renewed daily.
While the outer man is decaying, we can “go beyond” by putting our time, energy,
money, and strength into renewing our inner man. The outer man is destined
to fail … but with Jesus Christ our inner man is destined for glory! Take care
of your body, exercise your body, don’t abuse your body, BUT emphasis the health
of your spirit and you will reap greater rewards! When the inner man is renewed
we have hope, faith, joy and peace while we live in this body!
The health of your inner man will affect the health of your outer man.
People who attend church, who pray on a regular basis, and who sing songs
of praise to God have an overall better physical and emotional health
than those who don’t! Investing in your eternal body will bring better
dividends than investing in your temporary body!
We have an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.
Investing time and energy in eternal things produces God’s glory in
us for all eternity! In heaven we are to receive a new body with no pain
or fear of death! We will dwell securely with Jesus Christ and nothing
will harm us again! We will receive rewards that are beyond our imagination
when we enter eternity!
Paul gave of his time, his talent, his money, and his life, in order
to expand the kingdom of God. He prayed, he preached, he ministered!
He declared that a crown of righteousness was prepared for him in heaven
and for all who were of like faith! We have the same opportunities that
Paul had … we can go beyond our afflictions and give of ourselves to
others!
We can renew our inner man daily, we can invest in eternal things of glory,
and: We can look at the things which are not seen, which are eternal.
Can you see things which are eternal? Can you look past the crusty
exterior of a man or woman who is without Christ and see the value he
or she has in the eyes of God? Can you have compassion on those who are
broken emotionally or physically and take care of their need as if it
is your own? Can you view the nations of the world as Christ viewed them
from the cross as He cried “Father forgive them.” Can you weep for the
lost?
A few nights ago, in a dream that was still real when I awoke, I saw
men and women from nationalities around the world … each with a smile
of joy and love on their faces. Their presence was as real as if they
were with me, the rich color of their faces, the joy in the eyes, and
the smiles on their lips were vivid even when I opened my eyes in the
darkness. I asked the Lord, “What is this?” And His response was, “These
are those who will hear the gospel through you.”
I had been talking with a couple of men this last year about presenting
an Internet site which would carry my sermons like it was a radio broadcast.
I think this is what the Lord was talking about … but pray with me for
God to fulfill His vision.
But how about you … can you see the things that are eternal? The Apostle
Paul added these words:
2 Cor 5:9-11
9 Therefore we have as our ambition … to be pleasing to Him.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that
each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what
he has done, whether good or bad.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men …
NASU
When we set our hearts on “going beyond” we see that there is no limit
to what God can do with us. We must have it as our ambition that we please
Him! A crown of righteousness awaits us! Let’s not get tied to our body,
our afflictions, and the temporary things of this life. Let’s go beyond
to the eternal things we will bring us an eternal weight of glory! Let’s
be involved in the unseen things which will bring a crown of righteousness!
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