2 Corinthians 4b

Intro: The Weight of Glory

Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming

Young men determined to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth

For them, the ends of the earth met the Auca Indians (notoriously dangerous unreached tribe in Ecuador)

Spent months flying over jungle, dropping gifts and shouting greetings to the village

Contact

January 3rd, 1956 they landed on a narrow beach on a river near where they had spotted the Auca village

January 6th, they landed and three Aucas—one man and two women—came out of the jungle and onto the beach

they gave them gifts of rubber bands, balloons, and yo-yos, and took the man in the plane

January 8th, men return to “palm beach” miss radio contact with wives at 4:30

Rescue party finds the bodies of the men, lanced through with spears

all the men were married, 4 were fathers.

one wife pregnant at time of husbands death heard her three year old tell her new baby “Never you mind, when we get to heaven, I’ll show you which one is daddy.”

1. To be a true ambassador of the glorious gospel is to rest entirely on God’s strength.

The gospel is rightly called a treasure

Bonhoeffer called it “costly grace”

“Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price which to buy the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”-Bonhoeffer

all that he has. It is the pearl of great price which to buy the merchant will sell all his goods. It is

this treasure resides in earthen vessels (jars of clay)

the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to

stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly

they are common

grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the

they are plain (not beautiful)

door at which a man must knock.

they are weak and fragile

So the answer to Paul’s question from the previous chapter “who is sufficient for these things” is an emphatic “God!”

The weight of affliction and persecution endured by the minister of the gospel surpasses the endurance of mere human strength.

December 23rd, 1776, continental army freezing, low on supplies and men, on the verge of disaster and dissolution

Washington determined that some decisive action must be taken to save the army.

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer solider and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country.”- Thomas Paine (unaware that they would cross the Delaware in 2 days)

The trials Paul enumerates here are surely the times that try men’s souls…and what will be the verdict?

will endurance of these jars of clay reveal the excellencies of the power of God?

or will being crushed and driven to despair reveal a made-made reality?

What does this practically look like? What is the difference between ministry done in our power verses God’s?

2. To be a true ambassador of the glorious gospel is to live in the midst of dying.

This is not one of those statements that sounds cool but is incomprehensible

years ago Joe Biden gave a speech in which he said President Obama believed that “politics is the art of the possible.” The crowd cheered—but I was like “what on earth does that mean?”

Not just Joe Biden being Joe Biden, he was actually quoting Otto Van Bismarck (still an overrated quote)

It is a marvelous paradox (the outward man perishing, the inner man renewed day by day)

that being in Christ necessitates a join participation in His death and in His life!

How exactly does this inner renewal occur? What does it look like? Why should it be shocking to our world?

Here is what renewal/conformity into Christ looks like in a shocking way:

Acts 7:58–60 NKJV

and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Acts

3. To be a true ambassador of the glorious gospel is to fix one’s resolve on heavenly realities.

Light momentary affliction

(Hearkens to )

What is the character of your hope when the trial comes?

Real trial can come quicker than you might believe (see: German Christians)