Affliction viewed rightly

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 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. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18) *1/ What Paul calls "light affliction" 2/ What Paul says of it for us to consider. 3/ How we will be able, under God's blessing, to call our afflictions light, and it work for good for us.* ~~~~~~ This sermon was preached at Providence Chapel Gravesend. ~~~~~~ **Sermon Summary:** The sermon centers on the transformative power of viewing trials through the lens of eternal perspective, drawing from 2 Corinthians 4:17–18 to affirm that afflictions, though severe and prolonged, are 'light' and 'but for a moment' when measured against the eternal weight of glory they produce. It emphasizes that true faith does not seek to avoid suffering but to see it as divinely ordained for spiritual refinement, with the ultimate purpose of conforming believers to Christ's image and securing their eternal destiny. The preacher underscores that this perspective is cultivated not by ignoring present realities, but by fixing one's gaze on unseen, eternal truths—God's promises, Christ's resurrection, and the heavenly inheritance—thereby resisting the natural tendency to despair in the face of temporal trials. The message is both pastoral and convicting, calling believers to trust God's sovereignty, endure with patience, and find assurance in the fact that suffering, when embraced in faith, is never wasted but is actively working for eternal good in the life of the believer.