“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18 NIV)

Jesus is the image of the invisible God 

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1:15-17 ESV)

Jesus explains Him

“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1;18)

God’s invisible attributes are clearly perceived 

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools.” (Rom. 1:20-22)

Faith is the conviction of things not seen

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)

 We wrestle invisible forces 

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 ESV)

Therefore…

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Tim. 1:17)

Quote:

“Faith is like radar that sees through the fog — the reality of things at a distance that the human eye cannot see.” - Corrie Ten Boom

“Then the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (Jer. 11:9)

Conspiracy: An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or subversive act. 

A conspiracy is a negative covenant

“For they have conspired together with one mind; Against You they make a covenant.” (Psalm 83:5)

Conspiracies devour lives

“There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her.” (Eze. 22:25)

Religious leaders conspired against Jesus 

“But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.” (Matt. 12:14 ESV)

“Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him.” (Matt. 26:3-4)

The Jews conspired against Paul

“When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.” (Acts 23:12)

They conspired against God’s people

“They make shrewd plans against Your people, And conspire together against Your treasured ones.” (Psalm 83:3)

“All of them conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause a disturbance in it.” (Neh. 4:8 ESV)

Do not fear or dread

“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.” (Isa. 18:12)

Therefore…

“Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers, From the tumult of those who do iniquity.” (Psalm 64:2)

“You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:20)

“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” (Prov. 17:3 ESV)

 Be happy when tested

 “My brothers and sisters, be very happy when you are tested in different ways. You know that such testing of your faith produces endurance. Endure until your testing is over. Then you will be mature and complete, and you won’t need anything.” (James 1:2-4 GW)

 Endure and be blessed 

“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12)

Therefore…

“These little troubles are getting us ready for an eternal glory that will make all of our troubles seem like nothing.” (2 Cor. 4:17 CEV)

“So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7 ESV)

 Quotes:

“God has a purpose for trials and testings.” - Warren Wiersbe

“As I look back over fifty years of ministry, I recall innumerable tests, trials and times of crushing pain. But through it all, the Lord has proven faithful, loving, and totally true to all his promises.” - David Wilkerson

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12 ESV) 

God fights for you

“… ‘for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’” (Deut. 20:4)

God equips you with strength for the battle

“For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.” (Psalm 18:39 ESV)

Fight the good fight of faith

“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Tim. 6:12)

Therefore…

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me.” (Psalm 138:7)

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” (2 Cor. 10:3-4)

 Quote: 

“Fight the good fight of faith, and God will give you spiritual mercies.” - George Whitefield

“The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm.” (Prov. 11:17 NASB)

God desires mercy

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13 ESV)

Mercy triumphs over judgement 

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2:12-13 NIV)

Therefore…

“Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 ESV)

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:31-32 ESV)

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Amen)” (Eph. 5:1-2 NIV)

Quote:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” – Jesus (Matt. 5:7)

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” (Psalm 37:21 NIV)

God loves a cheerful giver

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:7 NIV)

Give and it will be given to you 

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38 NIV)

“A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Prov. 11:25 NIV)

Do not withhold good when it is in your power to act

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” (Prov. 3:27 NIV)

Therefore…

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” (Prov. 3:9 ESV)

“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:11 NIV)

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.” (2 Cor. 8:12 NIV)

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (1 Cor. 29:14 NIV)

Quote:

“In all of my years of service to my Lord, I have discovered a truth that has never failed and has never been compromised. That truth is that it is beyond the realm of possibilities that one has the ability to out give God. Even if I give the whole of my worth to Him, He will find a way to give back to me much more than I gave.” - Charles Spurgeon

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.” (Matt. 5:13 ESV)

Impurities can cause flavor loss 

“Jesus taught His followers to be careful not to lose the flavor of their Creator. Most of the salt used in Israel came from the Dead Sea, which contained impurities. Impurities can cause flavor loss. Right before this verse, in the conclusion of the Beatitudes, Jesus proclaimed blessings over those who are persecuted, not only for living in sake of righteousness but for living for Him. He described His followers, and believers today, as salt and light, clearly called to influence, improve and make the world a better place.” (The Moody Bible Commentary).

Don’t lose your saltiness 

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Luke 14:34 ESV)

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:49-50 ESV)

Therefore…

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Col. 4:6 NIV)

Quotes:

“We should not ask, ‘What is wrong with the world?’ for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather we should ask, “What has happened to salt and light?” – John Stott 

“Salt is a preservative and is tasty. The Christian’s conversation is to be wholesome and helpful.” - NIV Study Bible Notes

“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” (Psalm 51:3 ESV) 

God gives us what we need, not what we deserve.

“He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. (Psalm 103:10 ESV)

Confess your sins to God and be forgiven and blessed 

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer… I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:1-5 ESV)

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.” (Psalm 51:2-4 ESV)

He removes your sins 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 ESV)

“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” (Psalm 103:12 NLT)

Therefore…

“As you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:7-9)

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Rom. 8:1-4 ESV)

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1 ESV)

 Quotes:

“No child of God sins to that degree as to make himself incapable of forgiveness.” - John Bunyan

“I believe that as often as I transgress, God is more ready to forgive me than I am ready to offend.” - Charles Spurgeon

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” (2 Cor. 1:21-22)

Sealed: Certified or authenticated; Closed, firm, fixed, shut, impenetrable. In biblical times as today, is used to guarantee security or indicate ownership. Ancient seals were often made of wax, embedded with the personalized imprint of their guarantor. The Roman authorities used such a seal to secure Jesus' tomb (Matt 27:66). A signet ring was also called a seal.

You are sealed with the Holy Spirit after you hear, trust and believe

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14 NKJV)

Therefore…

“Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Eph. 4:20)

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” (John 6.27)