Book of 2 Corinthians - Ch. 4, Vs. 1-18 (04/08/2001)

The Ministry of Reconciliation and the Open Truth of the Gospel

2 Corinthians chapter 4, reading the first verse,. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we think not. We have this ministry that tells us it is done. All others religions tell you to do, do, do.

But we have one that it is done. It's not enough to believe that Jesus died 2 ,000 years ago, but he died for your sins. Not only did he die, but he rose again, resurrection. 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.

We held nothing back, is what he's saying. We told you everything just as it was and is. But if our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, not to those that are saved or will be saved. Only the lost are prevented from hearing it.

They're actually prevented from hearing the word. Only the lost are prevented from believing it. Not only can they not hear it, they can't believe it. The man who preaches the gospel is a holy man or he should not be in the pulpit.

We have renounced disgraceful ways, secret thoughts, feelings, desires, underhandedness, methods, arts. This is Paul speaking. We refuse to deal craftily or contaminate his word. This contaminating the word, what Satan could not do in direct force, he is doing in watering down the word.

He gives you a different translation, almost true, but not completely. He gives you the truth, 90 percent, but not completely. But we state the truth openly, clearly and candidly. And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience.

Corinthians four, every man's conscience. To whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine into them.

He has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving only, not purpose, not. He has not blinded the eyes of those that will be saved permanently. There's a difference between the God of this world and the God of this age.

God's Sovereignty, Satan's Limits, and Human Responsibility

When we say the God of this age, it means he is running everything. He thinks. Although God is in control, he is. Let's talk about that for just a little bit. How can God be in control and Satan do what he does?

David, enlighten us. What about the bombing of the Oklahoma City building?

Those are things that we can see. We can't see everything. We don't understand everything. Yes, that's right. Yes, we need to remember every action,.

Everything passes God's desk. It is so that when it leaves his desk, it's perfect. Now, Satan tries to use what God sends to convince you that it's evil. That's all he can do. He takes everything and tries to twist it.

But in the original state, it's good. Now, if we look at everything as good, then we've passed the test. If we consider something to be bad, then Satan has won. So, it boils down to the fact that whether we do or whether we don't, it always depends upon us.

Yes, that's right.

Yes, we need to pay attention to our own sins and not the sins of the world.

Verge? On that thought, I think, Oklahoma, the way you could also look at that, if you're meant to be one of God's children, he's not going to take you before it's your time anymore. Promise me. Is that not right?

That's right. So, it goes back to what you said before, it's all in God's timing, what happens. It's not a timing like, just have a bad time for everybody, but that also is in God's timing, his timing, when each one of us takes it anyway.

That's right.

We need to not only look at the great tragedies in the world, but at the so-called good times. I wonder if we undergo something real good, do we draw as close to God as we do in something that's a tragedy?

That no matter how much we fuss and fume, we don't change God's timing. With a God of this age, not the God of the world, although sin is martyred, it still belongs to God. Satan's running this age, he runs the United Nations, he runs the amusements, he is running the whole show as far as he can tell, he is the God of this age.

But then it's only as far as God allows him to go. I shouldn't use the word allow, as far as God has for him to go. Have you ever heard someone say, I can't understand the Bible? Have you ever heard that?

I've heard it all my life and I just don't understand it. Satan has blinded them. He come out with new translations to make it easier. There's one out that reads just like a newspaper. Boy, if that's not the tool of Satan, I never saw one.

The problem is not with the Bible, it's with them. If they don't see it, it's because they can't see it. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.

Jesus the Christ, and ourselves your servant. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of his glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

It is God that commands the light to shine. It is God who causes the light to shine. It is God who shines the light in our lives. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

We have this treasure in our body, the earthen vessel, that's this body. It is here for a reason. If it were not so, it would do you no good. It must be that way for all to hear. God chose this method.

If Jesus the Christ is not glorified in your testimony, it's not worth nothing. Poor English, but good theology. When Gideon and his men got among the Midianites, they broke the earthen vessels. Now, if you don't remember that, you need to go back and read it.

They kept their candle or their light within an earthen vessel pitcher, and no one could see. But they broke them all of a sudden. It was then that the light could shine. We need for our earthen vessels to be broken.

Suffering, Worry, Grief, and Prayer for Deliverance

We are troubled on every side, yet we're not distressed. What's that mean?

David, I guess worry is the easiest sin that I commit.

I worry, and I shouldn't. The older I get, the less I worry. But I shouldn't worry at all. We're perplexed, but not despair. Not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken. Debbie, isn't it good that we're not forsaken?

Now, we read the word, do we always believe it? Greg, shouldn't we? When we get real quiet and sit down and read the word, I believe it. But when something comes up, and I'm running here and there, I don't run as fast as I used to, but I do run, I think I run.

Well, I walk fast. I don't really walk fast, I kind of limp along. It just escapes me how we forget. Yes, that's so true. We think of ourselves instead of the Lord. Cast down, but not destroyed. Debbie, you can be cast down.

What's that mean? Not destroyed, even in our cast downness. We will fight our way out. Always bearing about in the body of the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies.

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies. Christians, don't be afraid to suffer. Christ did, and it is wonderful to follow him.

Why is it that suffering's what we try to get out of? So we want to get out of it. A problem comes, and Lord, we pray the Lord to remove it. Should we pray for him to remove it? Give me strength. Yes, we do.

For it, yes. Start thanking him immediately in a situation. It makes it easier, and I think that's why he said, never do good things, because in the process of thanking him immediately for it, it causes you to focus on him.

James said, is there a thing to learn? I think that you can ask the Lord to remove the thorn of the problem of your life, but nevertheless, if he doesn't, ask for his will, then give him the grace to overcome it.

That's right, and we really ought to go to the last first. He brought it, he'll remove it in his own time. We can't pray for God to do something.

Yes? Isn't there a difference between worry and grieving? Yes. When Jesus came in on the donkey into Jerusalem, he grieved to the point of weeping. He didn't worry, but he grieved. When Paul went to church and knew the sin that was happening, he grieved, he didn't worry, but he grieved.

So there's a difference.

Oh, yes, yes, there is.

That your calf now is broken and a worry. That's right.

There's a big difference in grief and worry.

For those, I know that, for example, my dad, when he passed away, I mean, that was a sad time, everything. But there was even good that came out of that because of the people that was involved with us, my brothers and sisters that we've seen, the Christian side of the death.

Even though everybody was broken, but my dad had passed away, there was a bright side of the thing, even the ones, like when you're grieving or whatever, a lot of times, there's good things that come even from that because, like the church he was going to, a lot of real good friends and stuff came down to my brothers and sisters that had seen the Christian love that was there even at the time of grieving.

And I think that all good things, I don't know, I think good things even comes from death and stuff like that. Well, they do. Good things comes from everything. Yes. Did you start to raise your hand? No, Clarence.

Thank you. Yes. I think that God is good and God's way is perfect, so when we're in trouble, we need to center focus back on Him. But let's get through it. I don't think it's wrong to ask the Lord to remove the source of your problem.

Paul did, as the gentleman just mentioned, he prayed for the woman to be removed. Even Jesus, as He was leaving and going to the garden, He said that He prayed that the cup of fire be removed, but He followed up with that by saying, nevertheless, it's thy will and my will.

So I don't think it's wrong to ask for God to remove that thing which is hindering you, but I think that it is valuable for us, or for us to recognize that whether it's removed or not, that doesn't affect our ultimate destination.

It doesn't affect our, should not affect our ultimate spirituality.

That's right. If we do not stop in the removing, if we do not pray, Lord, remove this and stop.

And be offended when it's not. Yes. Because it's a petition that we're making, not a demand. And if it's God's will that He remove it, He will. And it's okay for us to make that petition, but it's not within our promise to make a demand.

That's right.

But no, everything has come for a purpose. Now, change of subject just for a minute. Does God ever get bored?

The Purpose of Creation and the Limits of Human Models of God

No? He says plenty of time to do it, but I don't think so. Who's talking? What? I said God said plenty of time to be bored, but I don't think He ever does get bored.

Well, then you would agree that. He, yes.

I don't think He gets bored unless the board of a city conferred the entire, the entire, like, lost interest in something. And I don't think He does that, so.

All right. Then what is it that God has made He does not need? Every country. Everything in existence?

Everything He's made He doesn't need. That's what I think. Did He make it for His pleasure? Well, He's made it for God.

Then did He, did He have a need of pleasure?

He said it's like painting, it's like an artist painting a picture. He doesn't need the picture, but He enjoyed it. That's a good example. Did He need to paint it?

Or at least. No, He just did. Then God didn't need pleasure?

He didn't need to be here?

Then why are we here? Well, I think it gives God joy.

To see the results of His creation. And joy, so in that way, I think it does give Him pleasure.

Okay, so He made us, even though He doesn't need us. And He enjoys us, even though He didn't need the joy.

I thought she gave a great answer when she came back with that. I'm asking you to paint a picture. The fact is, what happens so many times when we're studying God, which is what we really should be here for, is there are a lot of peripheral things we do at church.

We can talk about how to have a better marriage, a better child career, and we can all straighten each other out. We need to help all these things that are important, but the bottom line comes back to the fact that we're trying to know God better.

And what always happens when you're studying, if the deeper you go in the Word and the questions that you ask about God, you eventually will come up with a situation where you can find zero human examples of pleasure.

That's right. You know, the human artist is a great thought. If you think of it deeply enough, it still won't answer the question because the human artist does need to paint the picture. Because he's a sinner, and if he sits around doing nothing, he's gonna get in trouble.

That's right. So you can't think of a human example to explain God in this situation or any other, but this is another great example of how you, theologians, and we're all theologians, we just need to study our Father and try to know Him better.

But you're gonna come up with a place where you can't answer. Here, we've done it again this morning.

Job, God's Hidden Wisdom, and the Limits of Human Understanding

We always come to that point. Diane? In Job 42, verse three, he said, who is he that hath counseled without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understand not things too wonderful for me, which I do not.

Job, in his own pride, I guess it is, wanted to know and understand all these things, but he realized that it was even too wonderful if he wanted it, if God wanted him to know it. That's right. So just the fact that he accepted it, that God kindness comes from knowledge, and He does what He pleases when He pleases, and it's even too wonderful if He were to express it, became His repentance and brought Him back to the Lord.

Everything is already finished. Now, I say that hurriedly, but, Fred, it is. Everything is already finished. So why should we pray to change something? We can't.

In science, instead, we have a reality that we're trying to study, but we never study the reality. You know, we're not capable of understanding the reality. We create models, and we try to approximate our models to be as much like what we're trying to study as we can, and the closer our model approximates what we're trying to study, the better our answers are.

I think, as theologians, that's what we're doing. We're trying to create a model that we understand about how God is, and we're trying to approximate that model as close as we can to what God is like, but we've got to always bear in mind that it is the model that we're studying, and the model has our imprints on it.

It's got our imprints on it, so it's never what God really is. That's right. But that doesn't mean that you don't try to get your model as close to what God is like as you can. I think that's what David is alluding to, that no matter what kind of example we give, we have to model it with our imprints on it, and we can't ever look at God straight in the eye and know what God is like.

That's right. We can't understand about that.

Absolutely, absolutely, and there are those that are using the same model or almost alike. There are those that use different models. For we which live are already delivered unto death for Jesus' sake.

We are already delivered. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Now, we are already delivered unto death. Greg, everybody's gonna die or change. This life comes to an end.

Why does it surprise us so? He might be strongest when you suffer for him. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. Now, every one of us going to die, yet we're alive. Those in Christ are alive. Why can't we look at that instead of the old body?

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. We all work alike. Knowing that which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall be present and shall present us with him.

Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall also raise us up also by Jesus. Now, who was it that raised the Lord? God the Father. He shall raise us, raise us up also, us also by Jesus. Now, does that mean beside him, with him or from him?

What? Through him. Through him. Paul did not consider that death was the end. It's not. Well, we die and we hate to see others die. Death is merely one of the experiences that we have. That's the way of getting out of this life.

It's a way of graduating. We are joined to a living Christ. He who raised up our Lord will raise us up also. Debbie, you believe that? He who raised the Lord will raise us? Sure. For all things are for your sakes.

The Eternal Weight of Glory and Living for the City to Come

That the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound unto glory of God. For which cause we think not, but through our outward man perish, though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

Greg, you're getting older. I can see it in your face. You're getting older. Why is it that you think everybody else at a class reunion has looked, why do they look so old? But why do they look so old?

You think you're the only one that hasn't changed? It's because you live in the spirit. The spirit doesn't age. This is strange. We'll feel closer to the Lord today than we did yesterday. If you don't, you've wasted it.

When I was 35, I didn't care so much for the Lord. I thought I did. I loved him as much as I possibly could. But now it seems like nothing. But the older I become, the more I care. I think that's normal and natural with every Christian.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Now, let's look at that. For our light affliction, which is for a moment, what is our light affliction?

What is affliction? Style. Did you say style? Trial. Trials. Style. Style. All right, our trials are for a moment. That's this life. Everything in it is a trial. You're on trial. You go to school. You graduate someday.

Worketh for us more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Did you realize that what you do here, what you think here, what you have in your heart here, is what you'll be like in heaven? We tend to think this is the only life.

When I die, it's gone. That's not true. Your work goes on. I'd hate to think that when I die, my work stopped. While we look not at the things which are seen, so David, quit looking at everything you see, but at the things which are not seen.

So just look at the things not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. David, can you get through this life and not look at things? All right. Down here, to have a lot of trouble, mine does seem like a long time, doesn't it?

It seems so hard. But when we begin to measure it by the weight of glory that's coming someday, it is light afflictions compared to the weight of glory. There's no way that you can measure your good life, your bad life, your weight of troubles and trials here with glory.

It just won't wiggle this needle on the scale. At eventide, it'll be light. At eventide, it will be light. We are not to fix our gaze on things we see. These things that we see all around us are passing away.

Only the things that are not seen are eternal. I can truthfully say I'm looking for another city, one built not with hands. And the closer I get to it, the more I look for it. I think back over my life.

35, I wasn't looking for that city. Oh, I was, but I wasn't. Of course, I had my whole life ahead of me. Didn't I know that, David? All right, is there anything from anybody? Have you learned anything today?

Do you wish you hadn't come? Yeah. God, David, what's he saying to us?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So then your heart's affection is up there, it's not down here. So from a pragmatic point of view, you take care of business, so to speak, but if you do it while the rain's about to cease, you're gonna have an attitude of being close to the Lord.

That's right, absolutely. Brother Ernest, I don't know if you walked to work today, if you followed things last night, but if you could see just how closely our rest of the day showed up and the things that were going on there, it would warm your heart and your spirit tremendously.

Just one example, as they were preparing themselves to die, because they were frozen, and I don't mean just partially frozen, but they were freezing to death. It was so many degrees below freezing, we can't imagine that.

But this man who was in charge, and they named every one of the astronauts that we had that are still flying and are still involved in the program and all that. So I'm not too sure the name of the man who was in charge of this, but I think it was Buzz Oliver.

But he was dying, and yet he knew that his, of the companion aircraft, the ship number three of them, was dying as well. And he put his own arms around him and rubbed him, transferring some of the heat from his body to that man, and finally breathing into his mouth, because that man needed two degrees of the hemoglobin, and he got him through that.

And when that was finished, he said, I'd like to take a minute to tell you all what a privilege it has been for me to be with you on this mission. What a gift from God I have received from both of you, because I know that we were going to a better existence.

It was a heartbreak to never have tears in your eyes after seeing that.

Verge, we've even found that the book of Esther applies today. Anything else? Then we'll stand, and Greg will dismiss us.

Thank you for another good day. Thank you for this great pleasure. Thank you for working with me. Help us now to keep our eyes on those eternal things, on what is to be described about us, and all the things about us that still need you to do.

We need your strength, your help to do that. Go off on this way as we always do. Help us to be strong. Help us always to be doing what you want us to be doing, and wanting to do those things. Let it be a flavor for us to come together.

Bless us now as we go into our other services. Let's focus on you. And praise the Lord.