Despairing Even of Life (II Corinthians 1:8-11): Prisoners of Hope - Sermon 1

2025-03-11

The Apostle Paul, the most influential missionary in church history, a man of unwavering faith and perseverance, openly confesses here that he was "pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." This is not a casual statement. The Greek word for despaired (ἐξαπορέομαι, exaporeō) means to be utterly without a way out, completely at a loss, to feel trapped with no escape. This is deep affliction. This is the kind of suffering that pushes a person to the very brink. ...

The Apostle Paul, the most influential missionary in church history, a man of unwavering faith and perseverance, openly confesses here that he was "pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life." This is not a casual statement. The Greek word for despaired (ἐξαπορέομαι, exaporeō) means to be utterly without a way out, completely at a loss, to feel trapped with no escape.

This is deep affliction.
This is the kind of suffering that pushes a person to the very brink.
This is the kind of affliction that pushes a person to the edge where life itself feels like it is slipping away.

This is the inspired Word of God - Paul is not exaggerating here. He is describing a moment in which he and his companions believed they were going to die.

And yet, what do we see in this passage? That God had a purpose even in this depth of suffering—to strip Paul of all self-reliance and teach him to trust only in "God which raiseth the dead” (v.9).

This passage is not just about suffering; it is about where we place our trust in suffering. Paul’s affliction serves as a lesson for us: When we reach the end of our rope, the end of our strength, we discover the sufficiency of God's power.

Let’s examine four key truths from this passage that will help us understand how we, as believers, are to respond when we find ourselves despairing even of life.