The Conduct of a Kingdom Builder - (2 Cor 4:1-6)

David "Jay" Foley

SPRINGCREEK FELLOWSHIP

2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

2 Corinthians 4:1–6

Holiness

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“Therefore…” translates Διὰ τοῦτο - ‘Because of this…’, which connects us back to (3:6)!

2 Corinthians 3:6 (CSB)

“He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant…”

A ministry of the Spirit that gives life! - (3:6b)

A glorious ministry! - (vv.8, 9c, 10b, 11b)

A ministry that brings righteousness! - (v.9b)

A ministry of revelation! - (vv.13-16)

A ministry of freedom! - (v.17)

A ministry of transformation! - (v.18)

OUR PASSAGE teaches us four things about the Conduct of a Kingdom Builder:

I. We Must Conduct Ourselves with Godliness! - (4:1-2)

We are to LIVE like a LIVING LETTER OF JESUS! - (cf. 3:2)

And the REASON for our exemplary behavior is in the middle of (v.1), “…because we were shown mercy!”

Matthew 5:7 CSB

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Four ways we are to conduct ourselves:

1. Do Not Give Up! - (v.1c) - “…we do not give up.”

The idea is that we do not ‘lose heart’, we don’t fall back, we keep going!

You STAND on faith! BECAUSE you enjoy the FAVOR of God, the FORGIVENESS of God, and the BLESSINGS of God, you can say with confidence, “…If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31b).

2. Deal with Your Sin! - (v.2a)

Instead of being AFRAID—of wondering about our standing before God, “…we have renounced secret and shameful things!”

The word “secret” (κρυπτὰ) - has the basic sense ‘to cover, to conceal’ (either protectively or for selfish reasons). It then means ‘to bury.’

“shameful” is from (αἰσχύνης - aischynees) - ‘an act that brings (or should bring) shame.’

“Why is this such an important step for a Kingdom Builder?” Or an even better question:

“Why are so many in the church reluctant to be involved in any kind of ministry?”

I would humbly suggest that it is the secret and shameful things that makes them feel unworthy to serve the Lord!

God’s solution is to “renounce” them! To declare with your voices, “No more! I’m done with these!”

3. Put Away Deceit! - (v.2b)

“…not acting deceitfully” - used five times in Scripture:

Luke 20:23 CSB

But detecting their craftiness, he said to them,

1 Corinthians 3:19 CSB

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, since it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness;

2 Corinthians 11:3 CSB

But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Ephesians 4:14 CSB

Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

We are not ‘tricking’ people into heaven, or pretending to be better than we are!

4. Don’t MODIFY the Word of God! - (v.2c)

“…or distorting the word of God”

LIBERALISM is alive and well! The CULTS are as strong as ever!

2 Timothy 4:1–4 CSB

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.

5. Live with Transparency and Integrity! - (v.2d)

“…but commending ourselves before God” - Don’t forget that God sees everything you do!

“…to everyone’s conscience” - This takes both humility and transparency!

In fact, I think this is the hardest one of all! Anyone here know the meaning of the word, “None-ya’s?”

I’m okay with being transparent before God, but I struggle with being open before others!

“…by an open display of the truth.” - Demonstrate the truth by your life!

Ephesians 4:1–3 CSB

Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 5:6–14 CSB

Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things. Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— for the fruit of the light consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth— testing what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made visible, for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.

Philippians 2:1–3 CSB

If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

II. Understand the Nature of the Battle! - (4:3-4)

(3:14, 16) - Only Christ can remove the veil!

1 Corinthians 2:14 CSB

But the person without the Spirit does not receive what comes from God’s Spirit, because it is foolishness to him; he is not able to understand it since it is evaluated spiritually.

(v.3) - If someone doesn’t understand, is actively opposing, or is intentionally distorting the Gospel, then how should I RESPOND to them?

Before you answer, note that according to Paul, two things are true of them:

First, they are PERISHING - (v.3b) - “…to those who are perishing”

They are on their way to a Christ-less eternity!

Second, they are BLINDED by Satan! - (v.4)

Satan is doing everything in his power to KEEP THEM BLINDED—to keep them in a lost condition!

BTW - If Satan can keep them blinded and keep you “ticked off” at them in the process, then who will show them “…the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ?”

It’s a win-win for team Satan! It’s a double-play for team, “We’re All Going to Hell!”

POP-QUIZ:

Scenario #1 - If a blind person bumped into you, or stepped on your toe, would you yell at them, “Hey watch where you’re going! Are you BLIND or something?”

OR would you respond with grace and compassion?

Scenario #2 - What if a group of spiritually blind persons decided to remove a monument with the Ten Commandments on it. How are we to respond? HATE? ANGER? SHOUTING?

Do we organize a PRAYER MARCH so we can angrily PROTEST and PRAY at the same time?

OR, do we recognize that they are perishing and that they are blinded by Satan?

Ephesians 6:12 CSB

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

If they are spiritually blind (and they are) and that they are walking in darkness (and they are), then what is the remedy?

III. Our Message Must Be Clear! - (4:5)

Paul gives a negative/positive (-/+): NOT this, BUT two other things!

NOT ourselves! - (v.5a)

BUT Jesus Christ as Lord! - (v.5b)

Romans 10:9 CSB

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

BUT “…Ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” - (v.5c)

The word for “servants” is δούλους, a slave n. — a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master.

What have we learned so far? We must conduct ourselves with Godliness, we must understand the nature of the battle, and our message must be clear!

Finally…