Don’t Lose Heart
Notes
Transcript
Last week:
We have been made adequate as servants of the new covenant
We are not like Moses, who veiled his face to cover the fading glory
We get to speak boldly the truth that is in Christ, because His glory is forever and the Spirit is working to transform us into the same image from glory to glory
At the one-hundredth anniversary of the arrival of missionaries in Zaire, Christians gathered to celebrate from that part of Zaire that was once called the Belgian Congo. Near the end of the celebration, a very old man stood to give a speech. He said that he would die soon and that he needed to tell something that no other man still living knew.
He explained that when the first white missionaries came, his people didn’t know whether to believe their message or not. So they devised a plan to slowly and secretly poison the missionaries and watch them die. One by one, children and adults became ill, died and were buried. It was when his people saw how these missionaries died that they decided to believe their message.
The missionaries never knew what was happening. They didn’t know they were being poisoned, and they didn’t know why they were dying. Their faithfulness to the Lord convinced the people they ministered too that their message was true.
The Veiled Gospel
V.1
O: Therefore, since we have this ministry
I: Because we are not like Moses, because we are the fragrance of Christ
O: as we have received mercy
I: This mercy God has given us to remove the veil from us
O: we do not lose heart
I: we do not become discouraged
A: We have been given a wonderful, merciful ministry, so don’t lose heart, don’t despair
It can be very discouraging when we see people reject us, and clearly still have a veil. But Paul encourages not to lose heart, but understand what is going on
V.2
O: But we have renounced the things hidden because of shame
I: we are not operating in secret nor in shameful behaviour
A: We have given up things that cause shame!!
What causes shame?
5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.
When we sin, it is shameful, and we want to hide it. God wants to expose is. Because only by exposing it can we walk in the light, not the dark, not secretive
The message we have is not anything to be ashamed of, it isn’t hidden in darkness, it is light, exposed for all to see
O: not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God
I: we are’nt being deceitful with what God says, nor corrupting it
A: We should never make the word of God say what it doesn’t
God is serious about His Word
35 “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.
O: but by the manifestation of truth, commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God
I: Instead, we are revealing the truth and are making it known to every man’s conscience
A: We need to purpose to tell people the truth, not shamefully, not trying to be deceptive nor corrupting, but the pure word of truth
Not just for people’s sake, but this is in front of God
V.3-4
O: And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God
I: Satan has made those who aren’t saved so they can’t comprehend, they can’t see or understand the light nor glory that is Jesus, who is the perfect representation of God to man.
A: The world is blind to this truth, it is a spiritual battle. Think of Ephesians 6:11-12
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
O: god of this world
I: Satan is the god of this world
A: Understand that the world is in control of the kingdom of Satan
This is why they are so hostile, and becoming even more so in these days. Their god is Satan, and Satan hates God
This is why we can’t hold to worldly values, because they are demonic.
LGBTQ- Does not equal love, it is worship of Satan
Israel- God’s people and faithfulness, Satan wants to discredit God
UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON!!!
The Reality of Our Ministry (V.5-15)
V.5
O: For we do not preach ourselves but Christ as Lord
I: What we are preaching is not us, but Jesus
A: The message should never be Calvary Chapel or any other group, it should always be Jesus
O: and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake
I: we have chosen to be your slaves for the sake of Jesus
A: Just as Paul calls himself a bond-slave of Christ, he is a bond-slave to the the Corinthians… meaning he has chosen this
V.6
O: For God, who said “Light shall shine out of darkness” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ
I: God, who created light from nothing, has shone His light in us to know Him and His glory through Christ
A: This is from Genesis 1:3
3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
He is the One who brings light into the darkness.
Think of John 1:1-5
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.
5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
It is this light that shines in our hearts the knowledge of the glory of God.
V.7
O: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not ourselves
I: This glory/this reality is in us and our mortal, sinful bodies of flesh, in order that the power in us will be God, not us nor our strength nor our wisdom
A: Whatever glory there is, whatever power that is present, it is the Lord, not us
V.8
O: We are afflicted in every way but not crushed
I: we experience all sorts of troubles and afflictions, but we don’t give into the weight of it
A: Don’t forget, we will all face trouble
12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
O: perplexed, but not despairing
I: Uncertain of what is coming, but we haven’t lost hope
A: When times become uncertain, we can start to feel despair, but we have a hope that we must hold onto.
The Lord doesn’t want us to despair, but encourage one another with truth and reality of what is really happening, so we will not look to the future, but the One who holds it
V.9
O: persecuted, but not forsaken
I: Men come against us, but God never leaves us
O: Struck down but not destroyed
I: We take hits, but we aren’t incapacitated
A: Think of the apostles being imprisoned and beaten in Acts 5:41
41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name.
V.10
O: Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body
I: The pain and suffering we go through is a display of the death of Jesus, but manifests the life that Jesus lived
A: Our troubles not only show the world that Jesus died suffering, but becomes an example of how he lived, not in pleasure, but for His Kingdom
V.11
O: For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh
I: We who are alive are facing trouble for Jesus, and face death for it, and this too points to the life Jesus lived, the gospel of Christ
A: Our witness in the face of death can be our greatest witness.
Think of what Paul says in Romans 12:1
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
Then what Paul says in Philippians 3:10
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
Paul found that knowing Christ was tied to the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.
If you want to knowChrist and His power, you also need to know His suffering
Paul found it to be a privilege, not a deterrent to suffer and share in Christ suffering
V.12
O: So death works in us, but life in you
I: we have given ourselves over to die so you can have life
A: What a love, one even Jesus mentions in John 15:13
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
V.13
O: But having the same Spirit of faith, according to what is written “I believed, therefore I spoke” we also believe, therefore we also speak
I: since we believed, we speak these things
A: If we believe, we also need to speak
V.14
O: knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you
I: Because Jesus was raised, the Lord will raise us and you as He did Jesus
A: This is our HOPE!!!
V.15
O: For all things are for your sakes
I: Paul says everything him and others go through is for their benefit there in Corinth
A: The suffering we face, the trials we endure, it isn’t just for us… it is for others as well, to encourage them in their faith and trust in the Lord
I was able to share with another pastor what we have gone through this year and he was encouraged through all of that
O: so that grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause th giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God
I: We give thanks to God that many are receiving the gospel
A: Our suffering brings the gospel to many, to receive the wonderful grace… this should be the primary reason we are able to be thankful to God, why Paul wants to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering
The Weight of Glory (V.16-18)
V.16
O: Therefore we do not lose heart
I: because of these things we don’t become discouraged, we don’t shy away
A: The second time Paul says we don’t lose heart, this time it is because of the fruit of our suffering
O: but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day
I: Even though our bodies are dying, spiritually, we are being made new, or rejuvenated, every day
A: This body we have is fading away, quickly
We have all experienced this outer decay, the effect of the curse on our bodies.
V.17
O: for momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison
I: These troubles aren’t permanent, and light in the weight of eternity, producing something far more glorious than what we experience
A: Our troubles here are temporary, but is producing in us something far greater
Think of Romans 8:18
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
V.18
O: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal
I: We don’t look to this world but rather, to the spiritual realities that are eternal
A: We need to focus on eternal things, not temporary
Think of what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:1-4
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
As good soldiers, we are to suffer hardships, and not entangle ourselves in civilian affairs (Everyday life).
These things are temporal
Things like government, social issues, etc
Do we ignore these things?? No, but we are looking for the eternal things, not the temporary. We are trusting the Lord and not some policy or person to bail us out.
Conclusion
Our suffering is not in vain, and we do not lose heart. What we go through the Lord uses as a tool to witness the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the World, and that is what we are presenting to them. Do not lose heart, the Lord’s light shines through us and becomes a fragrant aroma. Your circumstances are being used for the glory of God… and that is a wonderful thing!!!
