June 13, 2004
Morning Worship
Text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Subject: Suffering for God
Title: Thanksgiving in All Things
You know that one of my favorite bible passages come from Acts 16. I love the story of Paul and Silas being thrown into a Philippian jail and put into stocks in the inner prison, the deepest, darkest, and most vile part of the prison. They had been stripped and beaten and stretched out and put into stocks. And Luke tells us in his recounting the story, that at midnight, Paul looked over toward Silas,
“Silas, you OK?”
“I’m a little sore and bleeding, and these stocks aren’t the most comfortable things in the world…”
“You feel like singing?”
“What?”
“I feel like praising the Lord. You want to sing along?”
“Sure. What do you want to sing?”
“Let’s start with ‘Praise the Name of Jesus…”
They began singing. You know the story. An earthquake came. The chains fell off. The doors to the prison flew open… and not one prisoner wanted to leave. What a wonderful testimony of suffering and grace!
It was episodes like this that made Paul understand that he was nothing and that God is everything. Today we will look at Paul’s philosophy of ministry and see how it relates to you as Christians.
I. THE PURPOSE OF OUR WEAKNESS (Verse 7)
A. God Uses the Most Common Vessels. Paul considered himself (and therefore every Christian) to be an earthen vessel. In other words, you are just a jar of clay. There is nothing significant about you. You are not the best looking, smartest, wearing the finest clothes, and having the most money. You are a common person. Paul said in his first letter to the Corinthian church, “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? – For you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. – God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” The Lord himself spoke to Paul these words, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” God has never chosen the greatest to do His work. He chose a murderer – Moses! He selected a bigot – Jonah. He collected together fishermen, tax collectors and political zealots to be His disciples. We fit right in.
B. God Has Given the Most Precious Treasure. Even though we are clay pots, God has chosen to pour into us His most precious treasure – the message of hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is what Paul had just written about in the previous section of His letter. “For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” We are not laying up treasures here on earth, but are storing them up in heaven. The light that is shining out of us is God’s light. It isn’t ours. God has poured it out into us through the blood sacrifice of the Lamb. And even though we are merely the most common of household utensils, we carry the most precious cargo – the truth of the gospel. And it is not our to keep or store up or hoard. It isn’t any good unless we give it away.
C. God Supplies the Most Awesome Power. We need power to be effective witnesses. Remember when I told you last week that the baptism in the Holy Spirit gives you not only power to witness, but power to live out your witness, lest it be made of no consequence. And the people that knew you before have to know that it is God’s power working in you. Look at Paul after He was saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:21, “Then all who heard were amazed, and said, ‘Is this not he who destroyed those who call on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” They couldn’t believe that Paul was now preaching the gospel. What a change in his life! But it is not his power. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might…” (Ephesians 6:10) So if we are vessels God wants to use, and He has poured out on us the greatest treasure of all, and has given power, what is left for us to do?
II. THE POWER OF OUR TESTIMONY. (Verses 8-12)
A. Suffering in the Flesh. In verses 8,9, look at the things that Paul says are taking place in his life, on a continuing basis. 1) He is hard pressed. The word that is translated hard pressed means, “To crowd, to afflict, to narrow, to suffer tribulation, to trouble.” Not only was Paul suffering troubles, it was closing in all around him. Yet he says he isn’t crushed. 2) Perplexed… Do you think Paul understood why he went through so many trials? He asked God to take away his thorn in the flesh. How often he must have wondered why he was doing this to himself. But he was not in despair. I doubt that he understood why, yet he still wrote, “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8) 3) Persucuted… Paul was continually being pursued by the Judaizers – those who insisted that the gentiles be circumcised. They are the ones who stoned him at Lystra and left him for dead. Still Paul could write later, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He was not abandoned. 4) He was struck down, but not destroyed. Paul suffered. But he still sang hymns in the Philippian jail. Do you have a testimony?
B. Dying to the World. Verse 10 says that Paul was, “always carrying about in the body, the dying of our Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.” Do you think Paul went around with a grimace on his face, dragging his feet and saying, “I just don’t know how much longer I can do this…” I don’t think so. His life was a testimony. He never forgot what Jesus did for him. He took it with him everywhere he went. 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard form us, you welcomed it, not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.” We must be willing to die to our fleshly desires in order that Christ may live in some one else. In other words, you have the power to effectively live the Christian life so do it.
C. Working For the Kingdom. “Death is working in us, but life in you.” In Philippians 3:10, Paul speaks about the glory of knowing Jesus, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Many long to know the power of His resurrection, but want nothing to do with the fellowship of His sufferings or being conformed to His death. There are certain blessings from God that cannot be experienced without pain, so Paul rejoiced in knowing both the suffering and the glory. He knew the two were connected. Paul never worked for his own glory. “He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” The other day Jim Bourisaw and I were playing golf and Jim asked a man if he went to church anywhere. The guy is not a Christian but he had a testimony. His testimony was about to what extent God is willing to go to save a person. He hasn’t understood that yet, but I believe he soon will. If unbelievers can tell stories of God’s mercy, how much more should you be able to tell of His glorious riches?
III. THE PERFECTION OF OUR PRAISE (Verses 13-15)
A. Praise Stems From Faith. If we understand that God’s strength is magnified in our weaknesses, then our testimony becomes praise. Verse 13 says, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore we speak. I want you to understand something. Faith is more than knowing that Christ died for you and accepting the fact. Faith is being fully persuaded that because you have trusted Christ that you are a new person. Having that kind of faith changes you because you no longer need to rely on yourself, but you can trust totally on God for everything you will ever need. Verse 14 says we know that, “He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus…” Do you believe that? What is keeping you from praising God?
B. Praise Begins With Your Tongue. What is praise? Is praise singing songs at church? It can be. Is praise sharing your testimony with a friend? That’s part of it. Is praise simply lifting up the name of Jesus? That’s right too. But notice something. All of these things come from the same source, your tongue. Giving praise is very much like when you receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not force words out of you mouth. You must be willing to open your mouth and speak. Praise comes when you form words of praise on your tongue and open your mouth to speak. But Pastor I don’t feel like praising Him. I have had a tough week. Then praise Him for the good weeks you have had and the good ones to come. But I’m going through a terrible time in my life. Then praise Him because He has given grace to see you through it. When we talk about the sacrifice of praise, it does not mean that we praise Him when we don’t feel like it, but we give our praise as an offering or sacrifice to God. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Open up your mouths and praise Him. If you don’t the stones will.
C. Praise Exalts the Lord. Look at verse 15. It gives us a perfect outline of the things we have just spoken of. 1) The purpose of our weakness “For all things are for your sakes,” 2) The power of your testimony, “that grace, having spread through the many,” 3) the perfection of our praise, “may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.?” What is our purpose on earth? To exalt the name of the Lord. How are we to do that? With our mouths, with our hands lifted high, living our lives for God. Jesus said, “but if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto myself.” Let’s lift Him up.
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak but He is strong.
Yes Jesus loves me…
That children’s song sums it all up, doesn’t it?
Invitation to worship.
