2 Corinthians 4:1-5:8
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We just heard Paul make a defense of his ministry by contrasting the fading glory of Moses with the unveiled glory of the Spirit-giving New Covenant ministry in Chapter 3.
2 Corinthians 3:18 “18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Commending Himself through the Open Statement of the Truth
Commending Himself through the Open Statement of the Truth
1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
Paul is specifically referring to his ministry here but it has application to all of us
We’re in the middle of Paul the church planter and preacher and pastor, but think back to Saul of Tarsus, the church persecutor.
he had given consent and watched the cloaks as the men stoned Stephen
he had beaten and imprisoned believers in Jesus
he had been a blasphemer of God and deserving of death himself
BUT HE HAD RECEIVED MERCY and God graciously made him an apostle of Christ
and because God had sovereignly given him that ministry, he “faints not” (don’t get discouraged is one meaning in the range, in the context of these verses “we won’t be cowardly or timid”)
In verse two Paul then tells them he has disowned the things men do and hide from shame, not walking in deception, nor trying to trick them by his use of God’s word.
But what he has done is to boldly speak the truth, even to the point he was accused of boasting. Preaching honestly and letting every person's own conscience judge whether it’s true — and doing it knowing God is watching.
That convicted me a bit. I started thinking back and trying to remember since I’ve been saved “Have I bragged on Jesus so boldly I came across as arrogant?”
The Spiritual Condition of Those Blinded to the Glory of Christ in “Our Gospel”
The Spiritual Condition of Those Blinded to the Glory of Christ in “Our Gospel”
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Paul tells them, if the gospel he’s preached isn’t seen, that’s on the hearer and their condition, not the preacher. He’s only responsible for the giving and not the receiving.
And that condition is lost. blinded by Satan (the god of this world) to the glory of Christ and who He is as Lord and savior.
The Basic Thrust of Paul’s Preaching: Christ as Lord; Ourselves as Your Slaves
The Basic Thrust of Paul’s Preaching: Christ as Lord; Ourselves as Your Slaves
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul isn’t bragging on himself, he’s bragging on Jesus. Jesus the Lord or kyrios. The same greek word the Septuagint, or greek translation of the Old Testament, uses for Yahweh!
And Paul is telling everyone he’s a servant of Jesus AND the Corinthians through the power Jesus.
And all because God had showed him the same mercy he can others by causing him to be able to see the true light of Christ. Regenerating a heart of flesh in him that was once a heart of stone.
Giving life inside him where once was only death
Putting the glory of God the Father in him as the Spirit, through the work of Jesus on the cross applied to him!
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
That glory is the treasure, but we have that treasure in clay pots. Easily broken and returning to dust.
And when a Corinthian heard clay pot, they didn’t think of a jewelry box, they associated a clay pot with holding waste and garbage. Romans 7:18 “18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing:”
The container was for trash but the treasure Paul says here in a way that says it’s more valuable than any gold or silver. Priceless!
So that the only brag we have is on God’s power and ability and none of our own!
Paul goes through every affliction that it means to be human. 3 of the 4 we share constantly and the 4th many in the world today feel the same as Paul, even if we, as Americans in East Tennessee, don’t fully
troubled but not distressed: hard pressed but not crushed
perplexed but not in despair: confused but not doubting
persecuted but not forsaken: harassed for our beliefs but not left alone
cast down but not destroyed: knocked down but not ruined
That the truth of Jesus dying for us and we die as slaves to sin and death; Jesus lives and we now live in Him and shine His glory from inside no matter what’s happening outside!
11 For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
Just like Jesus was handed over to the executioners, this physical body has been haded over to death.
But just like Jesus is risen from the dead, we share in his resurrection.
We were given life from death inside and that truth of Jesus in us, grows stronger as the flesh weakens
Paul faced death constantly. He did it gladly so that the lost might be saved
Think about that:
We work hard and toil so our families have
We take one for the team at work so those that work for us are rewarded
And as a note that hit for me, the pastor is pressed and burdened so the congregation can thrive
13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; 14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.
Paul is explaining why he keeps on speaking no matter the cost
Because he has the same attitude of faith and quotes Psalm 116:10 “10 I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted:”.
He had the same belief in the message and the power of God to deliver from the afflictions the Psalmist did, and so he just keeps going!
Knowing the same God that resurrected Jesus will do the same for us by the work of Jesus; and the same Holy Spirit the psalmist had, we have today
and Paul and all of us together who have been saved by the blood of Jesus, will one day stand before Jesus together. That’s the payoff!
Paul knows, and we should too, that all of it: the trials, the effort, the failures will be work by the grace of God that others will be saved for the glory of God
The Resurrection Hope
The Resurrection Hope
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 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.
All the toil and strife of Paul’s ministry, all the beatings, all of it, had taken it’s toll on Paul. It was evident to them.
Just like the normal process of aging is evident to us.
We all get older, the body gets weaker and starts to break down. We all experience sickness and some walk through disease.
Every person born into this world is walking toward death
And yet ALL of us who are saved has the life of Christ in our soul that grows and looks more and more like Jesus every day!
All of the torments Paul suffered, was just for a moment (James says James 4:14 “14 For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
and don’t run past him using light. To us we see all he went through as extraordinary, but he’s calling it a trifle
Paul’s comparing all the weight of the affliction to the weight of eternal glory and in comparison it’s nothing!
All we go through in this life that may seem heavy and unbearable to us is trifling compared to the glory that awaits us in eternity
And God is doing it through the troubles, not just in spite of them.
“Worketh” means they are what God is using not just obstacles to be overcome! Instruments of God’s plan not interruptions!
Paul says he doesn’t and we shouldn’t focus on the struggles and trials which are physical, emotional, and mental and seen
He focused on, and we have to as well, the spiritual and eternal.
We keep our eyes on Jesus and eternity and gives us a better perspective than looking constantly at ourselves.
Chapter Divisions
Chapter Divisions
Chapter divisions weren’t added to the New Testament until the 13th century (credited largely to Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury)
unfortunately they often slice right through the middle of a writer's flowing thought.
2 Corinthians has some of the most obvious examples in the New Testament
here between Chapter 5 and Chapter 4 is one of most notable
1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Paul introduced us to the unseen, eternal things we should be looking at and he starts Chapter 5 telling us what those are
He’s hammering what he’s just said again
They know what it’s like to live in tents. Their fathers had wandered 40 years in the wilderness taking down not just where they slept and lived, but the tabernacle of God
Now they know the temple built in Jerusalem in all it’s glory
He’s reminding them that what they’re giving up in temporary tents here on earth as our bodies, they are gaining eternal homes. What John calls: John 14:2 “2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”
The Corinthians saw death as the soul escaping from the body and that was the goal.
Paul is telling them he want’s more than that. He doesn’t want to just get out of the physical, he want’s all of him consumed by something better. Philippians 1:21 “21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
We can relate to Paul groaning, longing for the perfect completed body in heaven.
Trading our travel cloak for our marriage garment!
We groan from the pain and anguish of this life and long for this slow death we all will experience to be swallowed up by eternal life in glory with Jesus
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
The same God that created and saved us is the same sovereign God that has prepared us for this thing. What thing?
The changing of us from mortal to eternal.
earnest is pledge or “down payment”.
The Holy Spirit is our current guarantee of the reality to come!
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Paul isn’t saying those who are saved have no contact with God. He just reminded them we have the Holy Spirit in us
What he’s saying is that while we are alive, we can’t experience the fullness of God because of the struggles and weaknesses of the flesh.
But even so, we press on because of the truths God has promised us and given us faith to believe and not the junk we see right now
Alive, God’s always with us and watching over us but the moment we die or Jesus comes back, we will be with Him in fullness for all eternity
And Paul is not only sure of this but looking forward and anxiously awaiting it!
And so he works! One foot in front of the other, Philippians 3:14 “14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
And the first stop is the Bema or Judgement Seat of Christ for all of us who are saved
What did we do with what we were given?
there we will have all our tears wiped away for the ways we’ve come short and given the rewards for the ways we’ve looked and acted like Jesus
Conclusion
Conclusion
Every human will be judged by God
The saved at the Judgement Seat of Christ - with comfort and reward forever
the lost at the Great White Throne - with the casting into outer darkness and hell for eternity
“What does authentic spiritual strength look like? It looks like a clay pot carrying priceless treasure, getting knocked around but not destroyed, dying daily so others live, measuring everything against an unseen eternal glory, groaning for what's coming while working faithfully in what's here, and aiming to hear "well done" at the Judgement Seat of Christ.”
