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It always humbles me and amazes me to see how God works. I sat with Deb in our office on Thursday and she told me that she prayed and asked God what to read and it was so clear that it should be 2 Cor 4:7. I then shared with her that we had read the end of 2 Cor 3 and the first part of 2 Cor 4 in our staff prayer time on Wednesday and that it is my QT reading as well as Song of Songs. The country is in turmoil, the world markets are tumbling, the times they are a changing, but God is still on he move. The Paralympic team returned, people are enjoying Spring. The Sharks are on top of the Curry cup log and and and…
We then spoke about it together on Thursday morning and came up with some thoughts which I am excited to share with you.
It’s called One degree, because that most often how we change – one small step in the right direction, one small change and shift until we are change ever more into His Glory.
As I write this we have a Bible Study group meeting in the coffee shop; art classes happening up the passage, The Mousehouse children engaged in their classrooms, 25 SATS staff involved in equipping 3800 students around the world; Mike doing maintenance, Jean getting Sunday ready and there is a buzz of shifting and moving more into God’s Glory. This church is not stagnant but it is involved in changing and shifting people. I think of you all in your workspaces doing great things and shifting hopefully, moving, changing.
What does the scripture have to say about this process. Let’s read together 2 Cor 3: 17 – 4: 15.
2 Corinthians 3:17-4:15 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 4
Treasures in Jars of Clay
1Therefore, since through God’s mercy we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[b]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[c]With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
- Shifting One degree at a time. 360 degrees and movement. It may seem slow but we are changing in ever increasing ways into the likeness and Glory of Jesus Christ. Think of this that all that God desires is that we become more like His Son in ever increasing ways.
- In order to shift, we need to engage – cogs and Joel’s bike. We went riding together around the neighborhood of Paulshof the other night and while we were riding, Joel’s chain came off because it was not tight enough on the back cog. We got home and tightened and he said. “ Heh Dad this is like having a new bike. Paul says in Chapter 4:1 “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart”. We have to engage the gears or else we will not move forward and when we are moving forward we then do not lose hope. It sometimes feels like we are going backwards, and maybe sometime we have those kind of days where nothing is going right, but even then in Christ we are going forward. So much is said about backsliders that is negative. I am not talking about going completely off the rails, but rather healthy evaluation which allows you sometimes to just say no. This is engaging.
- In order to engage we need to renounce. Paul says : .Verse 2 “Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.”. Three things that are important in engaging – Firstly to renounce secret and shameful ways – deal with them before they start to kill you. We all know what these are. Name them and then let the cogs start to turn on them. You may not have dealt with them altogether but surely you ar further along the way than you were when you started. If you are not then reevaluate. Secondly don’t try and use deception –mostly in this you deceive yourself more than anyone else. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling !!! Thirdly we can manipulate the Word of God in such a way that it is suited to ourselves and our own condition. The interpration of the Scripture has led to so much corruption, belittling and power and it’s not about that at all.
- Live your Truth. Life is at work in you 2 Cor 4:12Paul says do this, and he is talking to a church which got extremely involved in deep corruption, so that On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. Verse 2. We need to set what we believe out plainly so that other s will get it and see it in us. If we commend ourselves it’s not because we are being boastful, but because we can honestly say and show that there is a difference. I often say to people don’t be so hard on yourself, because we can see the change, even if it is just one degree at a time.
- Unveiled - 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[b]made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. This scripture is dealt with a lot by Paul and he goes back to the time when Moses received the law on tablets of stone and he came back down the mountain having been in the presence(GLORY _ SHEKINAH) of God and because His face was shining so much, he had to put a veil over it and so Paul in this scripture picks up on this and says yes not the face, but rather the Word is veiled is covered up to those who are perishing, because they don’t want to hear it. It is often veiled because of our own crazy interpretation of it and we need to look again often at the text behind the text as I say a thousand times, so that we can see and hear – “We do not preach ourselves, but Christ as Lord and ourselves as servants.” We let the light shine out of our hearts into the darkness and it is unveiled because we are face to face breath to breath touch to touch with Christ.
- Verse 7 “But we have this treasure(theasorus) in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us”. This puts all this into plain perpective and hopefully humbles us at the fragility of who we are and what we have. We are just fragile jars of clayBut we – Not only the apostles, but all true believers. Have this treasure – Of divine light, love, glory. In earthen vessels – In frail, feeble, perishing bodies. He proceeds to show, that afflictions, yea, death itself, are so far from hindering the ministration of the Spirit, that they even further it, sharpen the ministers, and increase the fruit. That the excellence of the power, which works these in us, may undeniably appear to be of God. John Wesley’s commentary.
- I want you to spend some time this morning thinking about your own life and the degrees you have turned and on your leaflet this morning we have given you a 360 degree compass. Plot your life by degrees in different areas and who how you are doing in terms of friends, business,family, personal struggles and then lift them up to God and let Him help you to change if necessary or to be softer on yourselves where change has already happened. Where you are needing to name stuff put it down there and name it.
8. I close with this scripture : 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”[c]With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
