2 Corinthians 4
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
2 Corinthians 4th letter. 1 Corinthians appears to be answering questions from a previous letter, then you have 1 Corinthians. That makes the second letter. The 3rd letter is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2 and this is the 4th letter as Paul writes 2 Corinthians.
He is dealing with a few who do not believe the Gospel but is writing to strengthen those who do.
This letter balances the suffering for the sake of Christ and life in the Spirit. You will see this as the central theme throughout the letter.
Question was asked to me
The New Covenant Ministry comes with greater Glory than the Old Covenant so much so that the Israelites could not look at the face of Moses, so what does the New Covenant Glory look like exactly?
12 Moses said to the Lord, “Look, You have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’
13 Now if I have indeed found favor in Your sight, please teach me Your ways, and I will know You and find favor in Your sight. Now consider that this nation is Your people.”
14 Then He replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
15 “If Your presence does not go,” Moses responded to Him, “don’t make us go up from here.
16 How will it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight unless You go with us? I and Your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth.”
17 The Lord answered Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
18 Then Moses said, “Please, let me see Your glory.”
19 He said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name Yahweh before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
20 But He answered, “You cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live.”
21 The Lord said, “Here is a place near Me. You are to stand on the rock,
22 and when My glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
23 Then I will take My hand away, and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen.”
1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.
2 Be prepared by morning. Come up Mount Sinai in the morning and stand before Me on the mountaintop.
3 No one may go up with you; in fact, no one must be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”
4 Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him.
5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh.
6 Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth,
7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.
8 Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.
What does the Lord proclaim when his Glory passes in front of him?
Compassion (mercy), Grace, slow to anger, rich in faithful love, truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. Justice.
18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
1 Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.
Mercy: This verb appears throughout the nt, where it often means to have pity or show compassion to someone in difficult circumstances.
Frederick, J. (2014). Mercy and Compassion. D. Mangum, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, & R. Hurst (Eds.), Lexham Theological Wordbook. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
Paul was headed to arrest followers of Jesus. He was persecuting Christ followers and God met him on the way and showed him compassion or mercy.
Paul was in a difficult circumstance and God who is rich in Mercy showed Paul Mercy or had compassion on him.
I believe as Paul writes that he has deeply and personally experienced the Mercy of God. I believe the transforming power of Mercy in Paul’s own life is present and he writes that this Gospel comes with so much more Glory because this New Covenant is taking persecutors of Christ and making them followers of Christ who are showing compassion, forgiveness, love, grace and slow to anger.
Since we have received mercy, we do not give up.
Love how Paul keeps things in perspective. He does not think too highly of his accomplishments but is always mindful of the mercy God has shown him.
May we be like Paul and not think too highly of our accomplishments but always be mindful of the compassion of our Lord and Savior on our lives.
2 Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an open display of the truth.
Paul again defending himself against those who may believe that Paul is just preaching this Gospel for profit or his own benefit.
We are not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message.
We are commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an open display of truth.
Church my heart breaks during this time of coronavirus because the distorting of the truth of God’s word is prevalent today.
It breaks my heart that many are being deceived during this time as well.
One of the biggest deceptions is when we interpret the word of God through current events.
Stay faithful to the word and don’t let current events shape the truth of the Word of God. Be alert and on guard for those who are distorting God’s message.
3 But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Satan the enemy has blinded the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ.
The Jews particularly did not accept the Gospel. To them it was veiled. Paul did not change the Gospel to fit the Jews. He stayed faithful to the truth of the Gospel and recognized that the enemy is blinding the unbelievers.
Notice the end of verse 4 so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The Gospel points to Christ(some don’t believe he is the messiah) Paul is clear that it points to Christ who is the image of God.
5 For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus.
6 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
Christ was the Focus of Paul’s message and the Object of his concern. Contrary to what Paul’s accusers suggested (v. 2), he labored to advance the cause of Christ (for Jesus’ sake) and not his own interests. Jesus was the crucified Christ and the resurrected Lord. Since Paul served Christ, he also served the church, Christ’s body (Eph. 1:22–23). While serving the Corinthians, however unworthy they were, Paul was serving his Lord (cf. Matt. 25:40).
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Love this imagery of our lives being formless and empty and God said let there be light. Light shined out of darkness and in our hearts to give us the knowledge of God’s glory through Christ.
7 Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.
(The cup with a candle) The outside is broken on the clay Jar. you place the light in the jar and the Light of Jesus shines through the cracks.
We have this treasure that is the Gospel in us broken clay jars so that in our humility the power of God will be revealed as not through us but from Him and him alone.
8 We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair;
9 we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.
10 We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Paul is stressed in every direction. Emotional, physical, mental and you name it.
We are pressured in every way but not crushed...
We identify with the death of Jesus in our body so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed.
We identify with the suffering of Jesus so that the life of Jesus might be revealed
We suffer and identify with the death of Jesus so that the Gospel might be made clear to you.
This is different then avoiding suffering at all cost.
11 For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.
12 So death works in us, but life in you.
We have death in us so that life might be in you.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.
1 I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.
2 Because He has turned His ear to me, I will call out to Him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me, and the torments of Sheol overcame me; I encountered trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of Yahweh: “Yahweh, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced; I was helpless, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
8 For You, Lord, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
10 I believed, even when I said, “I am severely afflicted.”
11 In my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 How can I repay the Lord for all the good He has done for me?
13 I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of Yahweh.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people.
15 The death of His faithful ones is valuable in the Lord’s sight.
16 Lord, I am indeed Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your female servant. You have loosened my bonds.
17 I will offer You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of Yahweh.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all His people,
19 in the courts of the Lord’s house— within you, Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
14 We know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and present us with you.
15 Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God’s glory.