God's incredible man

.II Corinthians 4:7-12

I believe these verses show us Paul as God's incredible man. From every

perspective, when you look at the life of this wonderful man, the apostle

Paul, you see God's incredible man. He had a very incredible conversion. You

know the story of Paul's conversion. He was a Jewish rabbi who had a rabid

hatred of the people of God. One day on a roadside, at lunch time, he was

smitten in the dust by conviction, met the Lord Jesus Christ and had an

incredible conversion. I have read some of the statements of people trying to

explain the change that took place in Paul's life. Some people suggested that

he had a fit of epilespy on the Damascus Road. Others said he had a sunstroke

and that's what caused him to do what he did. If what happened to Paul came

from epilespy or sunstroke, would to God that all of us had like-fits and had

a sunstroke too. The change that took place on that road, on that day in the

life of this man, Paul, was an incredible conversion. That's not all. He also

had an incredible life. As you read the life of this man, now converted to

the Lord Jesus, you see indeed an incredible life. He literally crisscrossed

the world in his day telling people about the Lord Jesus. He went into the

deserts of Arabia with Moses and the prophets in his knapsack. He returned

with Romans and Galatians and Ephesians in his heart. Everywhere he went he

confronted men with the claims of Jesus Christ. He had the incredible

ministry of literally shaking his world for the Lord Jesus Christ. This Paul

was God's incredible man. When you read II Corinthinans, to a large extend,

you are reading the personal testimony of this man. It is a very intimate, a

very personal book. Paul just seems to open up his heart and shares from his

heart what Jesus had done and was doing in his life. You will notice in verse

one of this chapter he has said:

We have this ministry.

Now in verse seven he says:

We have this treasure.

When he talks about this treasure he is referring back to something he said

in verse six. He is talking about what it means to be saved. He says that we

have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in) the face of Jesus

Christ. In ot r words, Paul is saying that the treasure the believer has is

the Lord Jesus Christ living in his heart and life. So, Paul is talking

about this incredible life which Jesus has given to him. What this wonderful

treasure of salvation means in his life and the incredible lifestyle it

produces. What Jesus did in the life of Paul he is also doing in the lives of

individuals. The conversion of Paul was incredible, but every conversion

experience is an incredible experience. It takes just as much of the grace

and power of God to save any soul as it did to save Paul's soul. I used to

hear these testimonies of drug addicts who were converted and gave their

testimony. I used to hear of alcoholics who were converted and then tell what

Jesus had meant in their lives. I felt a little bit intimidated. I came to

know Jesus when I was a nine year old boy. I didn't come off drugs. I didn't

come out of liquor. I didn't come out of a life of deep sin. But the further

I have gone in the Scriptures, the more I've come to understand that it took

the same love of God to save me that saved anybody. It took the same power of

God to lift me from the depths of my sin as the power of God to save anybody

from the depths of their sins. Every conversion experience is an incredible

experience. When we give the invitation in a few moments today and people

come forward and they stand giving their public testimony for Jesus, everyone

of them will be an incredible story. I wish you could know the background of

a

some of the people who stand up here on Sunday. I wish you could know some of

the things we know when we see these people stand. The stories of God's

miraculous grace. The story of God's matchless power in their lives - it's

incredible what God's doing in the lives of people today. The same lifestyle

that Paul lived by the grace of God - that incredible lifestyle is available

for everyone of God's people today. Your life can be a source of amazement.

Your life can be an object of the absolutely astounding response of this

world when they see what Jesus can mean in your life. So, I want to talk a

little today about God's incredible man as he just shares with us from these

verses the incredible things Jesus has done in his life.

First of all I want us to notice -

I. An Incredible Vessel

Look at verse 7:

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,

that the excellency of the power may be of

God, and not of us.

An incredible vessel. We are taking a visit over to the potter's house in

this verse. We are looking up on the shelves and we are seeing all of these

different kinds of vessels. Everyone of them is made by the skillful hand of

the potter - made out of worthless clay - now given infinite worth in value

by the skill of the hand of the potter. Paul takes that picture from the

potter's house and uses it as an illustration of the incredible power God can

put in the life of a common vessel - a person - an individual. We have this

treasure, he says, in earthen vessels - an incredible vessel. There are a lot

of different ways the Bible describes the Christian life. Sometimes we are

talked about as sheep in a flock. Sometimes he talks about us as being

children in a family. At other times he talks about us being soldiers in an

army. But here he talks about us as being clay jars - earthen vessels. This

is a picture Paul uses in other places in the Bible. In Acts 9:15 the Lord

said to Ananias about Paul - "You go over there to him, he is a chosen vessel

unto me to bear my name before Gentiles and Kings and the children of Israel.

Then in II Timothy 2, Paul says in a great house there are many kinds of

vessels. There are vessels good and bad. Then in verse 21 he describes us as

being vessels of honor, sanctified and fit for the master's use. That's a

beautiful way of describing what a Christian is. He is a vessel that God can

use. He is a container, he is a receptacle into which God can pour his

treasure and be a blessing to the world. It was common in those days to take

those clay vessels, those brittle, breakable vessels and put in them

extremely valuable treasure. Sometimes they would put their jewelry in those

clay vessels. At other times they would put valuable documents in those clay

vessels. A few years ago down, near the dead sea, in Palestine, over in the

wilderness, the mountains near the Dead Sea, a shepherd was going into some

of the caves there. All on that mountainside you will see caves. A shepherd

was just kind of wandering in some of those caves. He went in one and found a

group of vessels - clay jars. It was not unusual to find clay jars, but he

opened them up. In those jars he found manuscripts. He found scrolls. So, he

took those manuscripts and scrolls and went back into Jerusalem and sold them

for a very nominal price. Then this person sold them to someone else. Before

the thing was Over, those scrolls got into the hands of men who understood

what they were and they were what we call today - the Dead Sea Scrolls -

copies of ancient scripture that has done a great deal to confirm our

conviction of the authenticity and accuracy of the Word of God. That shepherd

never dreamed when he saw those inexpensive clay vessels that something as

priceless as the Dead Sea Scrolls would be contained in them. When a person

sees the life of a Christian, when a person sees a child of God go walking

around in this world, all he sees is an old common clay jar. But if you are

saved, there is a valuable treasure in that jar. I know what some of you are

thinking. I knew Christians were clay vessels. I know several Christians who

are rewl- crackpots. But I'I simply say-ing to you that Pau i-s describing the

Christian life as in incredible vessel. Of course, we know there is weakness

in this vessel. He's not saying that we are worthless like a clay jar. But

he's saying we're weak. Even though Christ is in your life there is still

weakness in these mortal bodies. A man is able to do some amazing things. I

was sharing with out Sunday School teachers Wednesday night the amazing

abilities of men to do things. I was thinking about gymnasts who are able to

do amazing things with the human body. Have you ever tried to figure how

these people can do all of those flips and twists and they are so limber. If

I were to try to hit one of those saddle horses and do what they do I'd be a

dead man before I hit the ground. I'd be in four knots before my body ever

hit the mat. The human body is able to do a lot of things. Men have been able

to take these old clay vessels and do some amazing things and yet in the

midst of it all, there is weakness in these vessels. Just a drop of water or

a breath of air can bring a disease or a germ into the human body and the

strongest of bodies can be dead in a matter of time. Of course, we know that

there is moral weakness in these bodies. Before I left this morning I was

watching a television special on the prison ministry. I don't know if it got

around to the ministry that our men in our church do. We have a lot of our

men involved in the prison ministry. They go to the prisons and win men to

Christ. They change lives through the power of God. As they were talking

about men on death row, they were saying those kind of men would be the kind

of folks you would meet on the street where you lived. They are just common

human being who allowed their passions and their sins to take control of

their lives. We will never until we get to heaven understand the depths and

the depravity and the potential for evil of the human life. Without the grace

of God, without this treasure of salvation in our hearts, we are capable of

the worse sin that any man ever committed on this earth. We have this

treasure in earthern vessels. There is weakness there. Yet, there is also

greatness there. God has a way of bringing greatness out of weakness. That

seems to be God's method. God is known for doing that. You think about it. It

was just a little land - a small town - a lowly handmaiden - smelly little

stable, yet out of it God brought the Savior of the world. Our of weakness He

brought greatness. It's an amazing thing what God does with common, ordinary

human beings who have Christ in their hearts and lives.

J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission said one time,

"All God's giants have been weak men who reckoned on the power of God to do

amazing things."

It's amazing what God does. You remember the story in the Old Testament

of David. David went to visit his brothers. The Bible say that when he got

there the whole camp was trembling because of the giant, Goliath. There was

little David. David said, "Who does he think he is to defy the armies of the

living God." He just decided he would take old Goliath on. I like what my

friend, Adrian Rogers says about it. He says everybody was looking at Goliath

and saying he's too big to hit. Little David looked at him and said he's too

big to miss. I like that perspective. Little David goes up to big Goliath. He

has five smooth stones and his sling shot. He says to Goliath, "You come at

me with a sword, spear and a shield. I come to you in the name of the Lord."

The battle is the Lord's. Before it was over he hit old Goliath right in the

middle of the eyes. He laid him out and takes his head off. Just a little

clay vessel, but there was power on the inside and he was able to kill a

giant. Why does God use clay vessels? Why does God use ordinary people? Paul

tells us in verse 7:

... That the excellency of the power may be of God,

and not of us.

When God works in your life, when people see the power of God at work in your

life, instead of you getting the glory, God gets the glory. A vessel that is

effectively used does not call attention to itself, but calls attention to

the skill of the potter.

So, Paul, this incredible man sets before us an incredible vessel - God

bringing greatness out of weakness.

Now are are going to take a second visit looking at God's incredible

man. We move over from the potter's house to the battlefield. In verses 8-10

we find here an-

LL.- An Lnrrediible Victory.

Here Paul describes the Christian as being in a battle. The terms used

here are words that were drawn from the field of battle. He is simply saying

here that in every situation the Christian can experience victory out of what

seems to be sure defeat. It's an incredible thing. The lifestyle of a

Christian who conquers under the most unbelievable circumstances is an

incredible sight to this world. Look at the series of paradoxes here. He is

displaying the Christian as an incredible warrior. Here is a man who is in

hand to hand combat. He is surrounded. It looks like there is no way out and

he escapes. He is at a point where he doesn't know where to turn. Yet,

somehow he still comes through with victory. He's chased off the field of

battle. It looks like he's a goner for sure and an unseen hand comes and

rescues him. Then, he'c- knock-ed- dow-n and it looks like he'r- a goner for Strm.

Yet, before the count of ten he's up on his feet and he's the victor. He's

talking about the incredible victory of the child of God.

Let's look at these paradoxical statements in verse 8 and 9:

We are troubled on every side...

He's giving a personal testimony, but he's saying something that's true many

times of God's people. The word literally means - we are under pressure from

all sides.

...yet not distressed;

Paul is saying we are under pressure, yet we're not hemmed in. It's kind of

like the story I heard of the Lieutenant in battle. He said to his troops,

"Men, we're surrounded by the enemy, don't let a one of them escape."

Pressure leaned on everywhere, yet, we're not hemmed in.

Remember the children of Israel when they came to the Red Sea. The

army of Egypt was breathing down their neck. They were being leaned on by

that Egyptian army. Moses was under pressure. The Lord said, "I'll tell you

what you do Moses. Tell the people to stand still and see the salvation of

the Lord." God just reached down and parted that Red Sea. God made a way out

of no way. In the battles of life for the believer, when it looks like the

pressure is on, God always is opening up doors to walk through Red Seas.

Under pressure, but we're not hemmed in.

...we are perplexed, but not in despair.

He is saying we are at our wit's end, but we are not at hope's end. There are

times when the child of God doesn't have an answer. It looks like there's no

way for them to get victory in that particular situation. You come to time

sin your life when you are literally at your wit's end. Your resources are

unable to solve the problem. I've talked to a lot of Christians like that who

have problems. They say, , I don't know what to do. I don't know which way to

10

Remember Simon Peter. Herod the King had killed James. He was so

pleased with the response from killing James he decided he would arrest Simon

Peter and kill him too. In the twelfth chapter of the book of Acts, the next

Simon Peter was on the agenda to have his head chopped off. The angel of the

Lord went down there into the prison. Simon Peter was sleeping like a baby.

He was persecuted, but he was not forsaken. He was rocked to sleep in the

arms of Jesus. The angel tapped him on the shoulder. He said, "Wake up, it's

time for the early service." Simon Peter said, "This is a dream." He got to

the door and they just opened up - first automatic doors on record - just

walked through. When Simon Peter got out he realized it was not a dream.. He

simply realized he had been persecuted but not forsaken. Praise God, there is

incredible victory for the child of God.

Look at the fourth paradox:

...cast down, but not destroyed.

I like J. B. Phillips paraphrase of that. "Knocked down, but not knocked

out." That simply means that you may lose a few battles along the way, but

you aren't going to lose the war. Two thousand years ago the victory was won

at Calvary's cross. The child of God does not fight for victory - he fights

from victory. Knocked down, but not knocked out.

Remember Daniel. The king said to Daniel, "Daniel, I'll tell you what

I'm going to do. I'm going to throw you in the lion's den." He pitched Daniel

into the Lion's den. The king didn't sleep a wink all night long. When the

crack of day came, the king went rushing down there to the lion's den and in

a pitiful voice he said, "Oh, Daniel, are you alright down there?" Daniel

said, "Yep, what's for breakfast?" Knocked down, but not knocked out. The

child of God who claims the victory which Jesus has won for him is a Rocky I"

$I

II, III and IV all rolled into one. How has this happened?

Verse 10:

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the

Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be

manifest in our body.

He is saying I'm always at the point of death. I'm always at the point where

it looks like the world, flesh and the devil are going to win the victory.

I'm always dying, yet in the midst of it all I am experiencing the

resurrection power of the Lord Jesus Christ. So, when people see my life they

know Jesus is alive. Do people know Jesus is alive when they see you? If you

will claim this incredible victory that's yours, you can be a powerful

testimony to a lost world that Jesus Christ lives and lives in the hearts of

men.

We've been to the potter's house and seen an incredible vessel. We've

been to the battlefield and seen an incredible victory. Where are we going

now? Let's just go to the graveyard. We will learn about -

III. Paul's Incredible Vision.

This is a different kind of graveyard. We are going to a spiritual

graveyard. There are different kinds of deaths. There is physical death. When

people die physically you put them in a cemetery or memory garden. Separation

of the soul from the body - physical death. There is also what the Bible

describes as spiritual death. The Bible talks about one:

She that liveth in sin is dead while she liveth.

In Ephesians 2, the Bible says:

You hath he made alive who were dead in trespasses and

sins.

We are living in a world of spiritual deadness. Spiritually speaking our

world is like a vast graveyard filled with dead people.

This Paul had an incredible vision. Paul had a vision of walking

through the graveyards of sin in this world and bringing life out of death.

Paul had an incredible vision of reaching lost people for Jesus Christ and

making them alive in Jesus. Notice what Paul says about this incredible

vision. In verse 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 body.

Paul is talking about the price of winning people to the Lord. Paul is just

simply saying I died to myself that the life of Jesus might operate in power

through me. That's always the principle. Life always comes out of death. That

is a spiritual principle. For instance, Jesus is the Savior of the world. How

did Jesus become the Savior oif the world? He behave the Savi-or of the world

by pulling life out of death. Christ died for our sins. At Calvary's cross he

demonstrated by his death that he had paid the penalty for sin once and for

all. That's not the end of the story. Three days later the Bible says he

brought life out of death.

In Romans 4:25 he was raised again for our justification. He brought

life out of death. Same thing is true in the life of a Christian. If you are

going to lead people to Jesus Christ you must understand the principle that

there has to be life out of death. You have to come to the point that you are

>21 willing to die to some things in your own life. We have literally hundreds of