As you have seen over the past few weeks in this current sermon series, being a disciple of Jesus, to follow Jesus, is serious business. We must be committed completely, with no halfway measures. To be totally committed also means we must be totally dependent on Him. We cannot do this in our own power.
A true disciple of Jesus must be ready to give all, holding nothing back. That is easy to say, but in practice it is much harder to do, especially considering the world is diametrically opposed to all things belonging to Jesus. Jesus made this very clear to His disciples:
John 15:18–19 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.
Herein is the problem of many followers of Jesus today. They want to follow Jesus and yet they also want to keep one foot firmly planted in the world. We cannot live that way. It all or nothing. But many tire over being beaten by the world day after day, year after year. But the word today is about persevering. We must stay the course. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and not our own frailties.
2 Corinthians 4:7–12
ILL: Pliny, Roman Governor in Asia Minor in the early Second Century, was so puzzled about the Christians brought before him for trial that he wrote his famous letter to the Emperor Trajan asking for his advice. This was the kind of thing he found himself up against:
A certain unknown Christian was brought before him, and Pliny, finding little fault in him, proceeded to threaten him. “I will banish you from the empire.” he said. “You can’t do that,” was the reply, “for all the world is my Father’s house.”
“Then I will put you to death,” said the Governor. “You cannot do that either,” answered the Christian, “for my life is hid with Christ in God.”
“I will take away all your possessions,” continued Pliny. “You cannot, for my treasure is in heaven.”
“I will drive you away from man and you shall have no friend left,” was the final threat. And the calm reply once more was, “You cannot, for I have an unseen Friend from Whom you are not able to separate me.”
What was a poor, harassed Roman Governor, with all the powers of life and death, torture and the stake at his disposal, to do with people like that? [1]
As disciples of Jesus, we must persevere like that unknown Christian in the second century. What can man do to me?
Hebrews 13:6 so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”
Paul compares himself and us as earthen vessels. Pottery, if you will.
2 Corinthians 4:7a But we have this treasure in earthen vessels ...
Back in Paul’s day, clay jars were throwaway containers of the ancient world. Their life span were generally a few years at best. So why are we compared to them and what is this treasure we possess? The verses that precede this verse Paul talks about the gospel. And the gospel is not received by everyone:
2 Corinthians 4:3–4 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The god (small g-god) of this world is Satan and he does not want anyone to have the gospel, so he has blinded them. Look around, Satan has blinded the eyes of so many in this world. Why is the gospel, this great treasure, that Satan does not want anyone to have. Paul tells us:
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The gospel, the very power of God Almighty, has been entrusted to us, not the angels. And we are as fragile clay jars. Why would God do that? Because the power is in gospel, not us. So when the gospel does it’s work, God gets the glory, not us.
2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;
Since we have this treasure, the power of the gospel, which is the very power of God, why then are we afraid to share it? Are we afraid of being ridiculed, and persecuted? Paul tells us:
2 Corinthians 4:8–9 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
Paul is speaking out of personal experience. He has suffered so much in all his ministry and travels. In fact he gives us several lists of his suffering in this letter. Most notably in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 we read that he has been in prison, flogged 5 times, beaten with rods, 3 time shipwrecked, suffered hunger and thirst and exposure to the elements. We know from other places in Scripture that Paul had been stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19). And the list goes on. Yes, injury has been inflicted, but the work continues. We are not defeated, and Paul endured these things for the sake of the gospel.
2 Timothy 2:10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
As Jesus suffered for us, so Paul said we carry His suffering also.
2 Corinthians 4:10–11 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
When we suffer for Jesus, even to the point of death, we will also carry His life. Being delivered to death had no emotional hold on Paul. Paul tells the church in Philippi:
Philippians 1:21–24 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
So Paul tells those in Corinth:
2 Corinthians 4:12 So death works in us, but life in you.
Paul suffered for the sake of the body of Christ, bringing life to the body, not that Paul himself brought life, but through Paul life came in the gospel he brought.
Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.
We work in the body of Christ. Jesus suffered, and so we may be called upon to do so as well. But to persevere, we must keep our sight on Jesus.
2 Corinthians 4:13–14 But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.
Knowing our frailties, we must keep our eyes on Jesus. The very power of His resurrection from God will be with us. Like Paul, we live in Christ and to die is gain. Are we willing to suffer for the cause of Christ and the gospel?
2 Corinthians 4:15 For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
It is all about giving glory to God. When we are faithful in sharing the gospel and allowing the very power of the gospel to flow through us, even if it means ridicule, penalties and persecution, it will all bring God glory and perfection in us.
1 Peter 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
It is with this in mind that Paul goes on to say:
2 Corinthians 4:16a Therefore we do not lose heart,
We are not to lose heart. We are not to grow weary doing good.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
The writer of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 12:3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
But Paul is also realistic. Yes we do have physical frailties.
2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
As we grow more frail each day as we grow older, yet we should also be growing stronger on the inside, in our faith, and in our relationship with Jesus every day. We need to maintain an eternal outlook.
2 Corinthians 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
Paul who lived a lifetime of trouble and severe persecution called it a “momentary light affliction.” Our afflictions in this life, no matter how bad or how light, is nothing compared to the eternity to come and glory we will experience in the presence of Jesus.
2 Corinthians 4:18 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.
This is reality, “the things which are seen” are the things we see and experience in this life, they are all temporary. None of it last. All will go away one day. The reality is the things that are unseen. Our future rewards, the glory of being with Jesus, all these are eternal and will never go away. It is on these that we must keep our focus.
The true disciple of Jesus will persevere. Why, because the true disciple has his sights set on the things un-seen, the glories above that are eternal, not on the temporary here below. The true disciple keeps his eyes on Jesus
[1] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 993–994.
