Let me open up today by offering a little pastoral wisdom. If you ever get to the place where you start thinking things like, “I just have too much joy in my life,” OR, “I don’t know what to do with all this happiness inside of me,” here is a pro-tip. Get on Christian Twitter. Because Christian twitter is populated by professing Christians, you would expect it to be a place of inspiration and encouragement. Instead what it is a running commentary of what everyone else is doing wrong.
If you are excited about the reports of the Asbury outpouring, just get on Christian Twitter and very quickly you can have you balloon popped. If you find yourself encouraged by a sermon or a book you read by a Christian author, get on Christian Twitter where you will very quickly find out 300 reasons why that person has their theology wrong and you are probably not saved if you read their book. And after feasting on the nightly news and a few hours scrolling Christian Twitter, if you have any shred of joy left that want to rid yourself of, go ahead and log onto Facebook and peruse the comments section. That should seal the deal.
And at face value, when we look around the culture, it’s very easy to get discouraged isn’t it? But here’s the good news – the economy of God is not governed by cultural commentary. As a matter of fact, what we are going to look at in 2 Corinthians 4 today tells us that we should not believe everything we see. So turn with me again to 2 Corinthians 4 where Paul reminds the Corinthian believers that discouraging situations don’t have to be discouraging at all. In fact, Paul says, discouraging situations contain a paradoxical truth that should actually be ENCOURAGING to those living the Spirit-filled life.
Webster’s Dictionary defines a paradox as a statement, proposition, or situation that seems illogical or self-contradictory, but when looked at in detail, may actually be logical or true. Paradoxes often express ironies and attempt to reconcile opposing ideas. For instance, a recurring theme in Paul’s letters was that the world views death as a loss, but he describes it as GAIN for the Christian. And so in chapter 4, Paul will present three encouraging truths that should keep us from losing heart if we view them from an eternal perspective.
2 Corinthians 4:1-4
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For the last two weeks, we have been studying what it means to live the Spirit-filled (or the Spirit-controlled) life. And when the Bible talks about the OPPOSITE of the Spirit-filled life, it uses a strange phrase called, “living in the flesh.” The word flesh is typically a word that only Christians use. Don’t stand around the water cooler tomorrow and tell non-Christians that you spent your weekend living in the flesh because they’ll think you are some kind of pervert who hangs out at nude beaches. But to “live in the flesh” is the same idea as “living in the power of your own resources.” To live in the flesh is actually to live in a way that comes natural to us, that’s why it’s easy. It takes purposeful determination to live the Spirit-filled life.
One of the ways that Christians live in the flesh, is when we don’t view things with an eternal perspective. That’s where the paradox comes in that I alluded to earlier. Verse 1 starts off with the word “therefore” and let me remind you that anytime you see the word “therefore” in the Scripture, you should ask yourself, “what’s is therefore?” The “therefore” in verse 1 is connecting the truths of chapter 3 to the truths in chapter 4 and the beginning of chapter 5. Paul is saying, “because of the Spirit-filled life that is available to us in the New Covenant [chapter 3] we THEREFORE do not have to lose heart when we encounter seemingly discouraging truths in the world around us.” And I don’t know about you, but I need to be reminded that with the Spirit inside of me I don’t have to lose heart by everything going on around me.
Don’t lose heart because…
1. WE GET TO BRING LIGHT TO A DARK WORLD – vs 1-6
If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you can view the world around us in one of two ways. You can be discouraged and angry at all the sin and injustice (and judging by social media, lots of Christians have chosen this path). And here’s what I’ve seen over and over that happens when Christians chose this path – people don’t want to be around them because they’re filled with bitterness and cynicism. And when we become filled with bitterness, we stop living on mission because we begin to see people as enemies who need destroyed rather than a mission field that needs to be loved. If you live in the flesh, the natural (and likely) outcome will to become bitter and to view the world as your enemy.
But when you are living the Spirit-filled life, the way to view the world is to look around at all the brokenness of the world and to think, “What a time to be alive for Jesus. What an opportunity to carry the light of the gospel into a dark world.” Ask any young boy that gets a new flashlight for Christmas when the flashlight works the best? When it’s really really dark. Here’s what I’m getting at: Because of the Spirit-filled life, we don’t have to dread being servants of Christ in a culture of diminishing Christian influence. RIGHT NOW is the best time for the world to see the light of Jesus that spills out of our Spirit-filled life.
Back in chapter 1:8, Paul had confessed to the Corinthians that his trials in Asia almost brought him to total despair. Paul was both gifted and experienced, but he was also human. It would have been really easy for Paul to think, “My life has gotten harder since I started serving Jesus.” But he wasn’t grumbling and complaining about the hardship of trying to take light into a dark world. In fact, look back at verse one: “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.” The fact that God LET’S us be light in the darkness is actually a gift of mercy. What Paul was saying was that what he actually deserved was to NOT be involved in service to Christ after all the persecution he had inflicted on Christians before he met Christ. And the same is true for us. What we deserve is to be punished and excluded because of our sin, but we get to partner with Jesus and take the light of the gospel into a dark world.
We need to spend less time taking in news and more time taking in the truth of God’s word to be reminded that the church WILL BE triumphant. No matter what goes on in the White House, Jesus is still coming back on a white horse. No matter how dark the culture around us goes, we still believe that the light of the gospel can penetrate the darkest of hearts. That’s the paradox in the beginning part of this chapter. Look back starting at verse 4: “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
One of the great paradoxes in life is that of light and darkness. If you think way back to Genesis 1:6, which is quoted for us here in 2 Cor 4:6, “let light shine out of darkness,” what we see is this great paradox on full display. In the beginning, there was deep darkness in the world. There was no light to light up the sky or provide a way for things to be seen. And then out of nowhere God spoke and everything lit up. God literally spoke the world into existence. Creation came out of nothing (ex nihilio). Creation, in and of itself, is a paradox.
There’s another paradox back in verse 4: “the god of this world [that’s a term used for Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers”. Now I know that in Baptist churches we get a little nervous talking about the devil and demons, but Paul actually says that a person who doesn’t know Jesus has had their eyes blinded to the truth of the gospel by Satan himself. And so when you look around the world and see people that don’t know Jesus, that should cause you to have compassion on people. They literally don’t know any better. So once and for all, let’s stop being shocked and angry when non-Christians don’t act and believe like Christians. Their eyes have been blinded by Satan to the truth of the gospel. But here’s the paradox to this dark and discouraging truth – verse 5 says we get to be servants in the ministry of proclaiming Jesus Christ as the light of the world. And according to verse 6 the same God who created light out of darkness can shine the light of Jesus in the darkest of hearts. Is it just me or is that really encouraging news?
The paradox is that darkness is an opportunity for light to be displayed…so do not lose heart in this great ministry of taking the light of the gospel to a dark world. Be encouraged that not only has God found you faithful for the assignment, but he has enabled you for it with the promise of the Spirit in the New Covenant. And you don’t even have to be creative or cunning to be effective in this ministry according to verses 2-3 because in this ministry, Jesus does all the heavy lifting according to verses 5-6. And so church, let’s not lose heart at sight of the darkness, because we get to bring light to a dark world – what a time to be alive and on mission for Jesus!
Don’t lose heart, because…
2. GOD STILL USES BROKEN VESSELS – vs 7-11
Let me read for you the next few verses from the Living Bible paraphrase: “If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us.”
In verses 7-11, Paul is pointing out the paradox that of having a highly valued treasure in jars of clay, which are not worth that much in comparison. One of my favorite preachers over the years has been Chuck Swindoll. Several years ago I was listening to him in my car and he told the story of a missionary who despite seeming to be a very ordinary person, had an incredible ministry.
One of the greatest privileges of my early ministry was to become acquainted with a man named Jim Petersen. Through his capable leadership and sterling character, the ministry of the Navigators expanded greatly in São Paulo, Brazil, where he and his wife, Marge, served for more than twenty years. Cynthia and I first met Jim and Marge at Glen Eyrie, the Navigators’ headquarters in Colorado Springs. I was new to ministry at the time—and far too naive—and I was looking for some type of formula for success in God’s service. “How do you do it, Jim?” I asked him. “Tell me the secret of ministering to people.” I expected him to say, “Always set the pace,” or, “Be strong no matter what,” or, “Model the truth, and stand against the adversary as he attacks you.” I got none of that. Jim just smiled and answered, “Chuck, let people see the cracks in your life, and you’ll be able to minister to them.” That’s it. That’s the distilled essence of all he told me. As we left their cabin that cool evening, I felt somewhat like the deflated, rich young ruler, who had just asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17). Like Jesus’s surprising answer to the ruler, Jim’s reply was not what I expected. Frankly, it convicted me. I was looking to minister from my strengths. Jim challenged me to serve in weakness.”
If we are honest, we spend a tremendous amount of time trying to conceal the broken and cracked area in our lives, don’t we? But it through the cracks in our life that the light of the gospel can shine forth. It’s through our weaknesses that we have an occasion to boast in HIS strength. Look back at verse 7 in the ESV: “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not us.” In other words, God uses weak, afflicted clay pots to carry “the surpassing power” of “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” The treasure is the gospel. And the paradox is that the vessel God has chosen to carry forth the gospel is the cracked vessels of our ordinary life complete with all of its frailties and inadequacies. And if we only see things in the flesh, we’ll spend all of our time focusing on our weaknesses and inadequacies to carry out this gospel ministry God has called every Christian to.
So let me encourage you – the broken places in your life are not things to be hidden. They are actually your best opportunities to display Jesus to others. Your weaknesses are not things to be ashamed of…they are occasions to boast about Jesus’s strength. Now, if you live in the flesh, you will try very hard to conceal the cracks in your life. That is the natural things to do. But the Spirit-filled life empowers us to live supernaturally…and it takes Spirit empowerment to display a weakness to the world as an opportunity to boast about Jesus. The paradox is that within the flawed life of every Christian is a treasure – the hope of Jesus in us. But what comes natural – in other words, living in the flesh – is to try to conceal the brokenness.
I have a friend whose wife cheated on him, kicked him out, kept the house, didn’t even let him keep his dog, and yet his IG life looks like nothing but peaches and cream. So here’s a hard question to wrestle with – “how much time and energy to you spend trying to conceal your brokenness?? How transparent and vulnerable are you? And I am not shaming people for battling insecurity as we ALL battle insecurity. I am simply magnifying the opportunity to use these inadequacies to boast of a Savior who is adequate for EVERY need. That’s what allowed Paul to write verses 8-10: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.” But church, you’ll never be able to say this apart from the Spirit-filled life.
Don’t lose heart, because…
3. YOUR FAILING BODY IS A SIGN OF SOMETHING BETTER – vs 4:12–5:10
Someone much smarter than me said, “A young man will trade his health for great riches and an old man would trade his riches for great health.” In an indirect way, Steve Jobs gave testimony of that fact when he said, “At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death.” Whether we like to admit it, one day this old tent will be folded up at put away. And thinking of our bodies starting to fail is not an encouraging thought, is it?
But Paul gives us a third paradox in how we can be encouraged even in the midst of our bodies breaking down. Skip down to verse 16: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.”
Paul says it again in verse 16, “Don’t lose heart.” If we read down further into chapter 5 we would hear him say, “We are of good courage.” And so let’s be as real as we can…the thought of our outer man wasting away is a discouraging thing. An older adult recently told one of our pastors, “Getting old is not for sissies!” But here’s what keeps us from losing heart even as our physical bodies are breaking down…Paul tells us two things. In verse 2 of chapter 5, he tells us that the physical groaning of our mortal bodies should create a longing for our heavenly dwelling. It should serve as a tangible reminder that that which is MORTAL will be swallowed up one day by that which is IMMORTAL.
Therefore, the paradox is that the groaning of our physical bodies serves as a tangible reminder of the fundamental truth of Christianity, which is life…life out of death. We are united to Christ when we are saved, and this union means not only that ours sins are forgiven, but also that we join HIM in his death and resurrection. At the heart of Christianity is the teaching that life comes through death. First for Christ, then for the Christian who is UNITED to Christ. Let me read you verse 14 in chapter 4 which we originally skipped over: “Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.” Let me make this as simple as possible – the decaying of our bodies doesn’t actually lead to death – it leads to being fully alive for all of eternity.
And the second way that we are encouraged (despite our bodies breaking down) is that it means we’re one day closer to being with the Lord. Look quickly at 5:6-8: “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
We purposely saved the best for last from back in verse 16: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.” There is the paradox, simultaneously, while I am decaying on the outside, I am actually being renewed on the inside where it really matters. Some of you have had the difficult assignment of caring for someone whose body is giving way to Alzheimer’s. And I’ve listened to some of your stories, and it literally seems that the person you knew is fading away right before you very eyes. Do you know what this verse means? It means that no matter how much a person forgets, even if they forget God himself, God never forgets them. Even though they are slipping away EXTERNALLY, God is at work INTERNALLY renewing them day by day. And all the affliction we suffer along the way, Paul says even AFFLICTION should be encouraging because of what he writes in verse 17: “For this light and momentary (compared to eternity) affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” This means that the affliction of our bodies failing us is not just intended to cause us to rely on God NOW (in this lifetime). It means that today’s aches and pains have the future affect of increasing the weight of glory that we’ll experience eternally.
But to actually live out of these truths, Paul reminds us, not once, but twice, that we have to live by faith and not by sight. And church, this is possible when you live the Spirit-filled life. And the Spirit-filled life is possible to ANYONE, because Jesus is available to EVERYONE.
