◆“Living Renewed Each Day – 2″ (Corinthians 4:16–17) January 12, 2025

This is our second Sunday worship service of the new year. Have you shaken off the New Year’s mood yet? Since January 15 is still considered part of the “New Year’s period” in Japan, I’d like to continue with a message that reflects the spirit of the season.

For many Japanese people, the New Year holds special significance. We often set goals, and renew our desire to be well—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Today, we’ll focus on that: on living each day with vitality and unbroken faith, no matter what comes our way. Let’s listen to God and discover the secret to that kind of life.

I just mentioned “being broken.” There really are times when our hearts and even our faith feel like they’re about to break, aren’t there? When does that happen?

There’s a story that Satan once held a bazaar. Yes, even Satan holds bazaars! Various items were for sale—things like handmade bookmarks and cards, similar to what we might sell. But one item stood out—it was strange, and priced exorbitantly high.

One demon customer asked, “What is this dirty stick? Why is it so expensive?”
The seller replied, “If you tap a Christian on the head with this stick—just lightly—their faith weakens immediately. It’s incredibly effective, so it’s expensive.”
“What’s it called?” the customer asked.
“It’s called ‘Despair.’”

A Christian philosopher once said, “Despair is the sickness unto death.” When we despair, we lose our energy. We don’t want to go to church. We don’t want to open the Bible. Our faith weakens. Eventually, it’s as if we’ve died spiritually. Some say that if we fall into deep despair, we can’t even go on living.

And indeed, many things in life cause us to despair.
So how can we maintain our physical, emotional, and spiritual health through all of it?

Today’s Scripture speaks of “the outer person” and “the inner person.”
It says, “The outer person is wasting away.”

What is the “outer person”?
We first think of our bodies—what we can see, including our internal organs. And it’s true. Our bodies inevitably decline with age. That’s easy to understand.

But isn’t it also true that our hearts weaken too?
When I watch my grandchildren, I see how full of life they are. They’re physically healthy, emotionally vibrant, full of dreams, and generally trust others.

But once they start school, grades begin to matter. Later come entrance exams, romantic relationships and heartbreak, workplace tensions, neighborhood conflicts. Life becomes more complex than it was in childhood. Along the way, we gain warmth in some areas, but we also accumulate wounds.

The dreams we once held in our tender, young hearts slowly begin to feel out of reach. We retreat into resignation. In that sense, the heart is also part of the “outer person.”

And the “outer person” is wounded by sin, too.
No one wants to sin, but our selfish thoughts and actions hurt us nonetheless. Our self-image suffers. The “sinner” in us is part of the outer self. And the outer person decays.

That’s an unavoidable reality.
So God says it plainly: “The outer person is wasting away.”

But does that mean we have no choice but to grow old, physically and emotionally drained?
Not at all. The verse continues: “Even though the outer person is wasting away…”

It’s not the end of the story.
What comes next?

“The inner person is being renewed day by day.”
Even at 60, 70, 90, or 100 years old—the inner person can be renewed every day.

What is this “inner person”?
It is our spiritual life. Unlike the body, it will never perish. It is eternal. It is the essence of life. It is the part of us that can connect with God.

And this “inner person” can be made new each day.
Because of that, we can live with youthful hearts and hope, no matter our age.

But take note—it doesn’t say we “renew ourselves.” It says we “are being renewed.” In other words, it doesn’t happen automatically.

So, how can we be renewed daily?

Scripture tells us:
“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

It’s all about where we focus our eyes.
If we fix our eyes only on our current hardships, the outer person becomes weary, wounded, and powerless. We get discouraged, give up, and begin to live just trying to make it through the day.

But we are called to lift our eyes beyond the present—to the glory that is eternal.

We’re like caterpillars in a cocoon, awaiting transformation.
The word is metamorphosis—a complete change of form. Have you ever seen a butterfly’s cocoon? It looks nothing like the butterfly it will become.

Likewise, we now live in our fading outer selves. But beyond this, there is hope.

After the transformation, we will see the Lord.
Not only will our sins be forgiven, but we’ll be completely freed from the nature of sin itself. We’ll be able to fully—100%—delight in God, in others, and in ourselves.

That is the “eternal weight of glory” far greater than any of today’s afflictions.

Verse 18 says:

“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

What is seen is the “outer person”—and the despair that clings to it.
What is unseen is the “inner person”—being renewed daily.

Will you live focused on the fading outer person?
Or will you live focused on the unshakable, ever-renewed inner person?

The choice is yours.
Both are ways of living.

So let us fix our eyes not on the outer person, but on the inner one.
Not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
That is the secret to living with vitality.

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Sermon script modified based on proofreading and translation with ChatGPT.