Weak and weary
Series: Mission Month 2013
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 5th May 2013
Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:1-12
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 I'd like to leave your Bibles open there and bow your heads and we'll pray.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:13 Gracious Father, we thank you for the privilege of being able to meet together now.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:19 And as we look at the global task that you've given your church,
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 we pray that in our weakness and our weariness,
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 we might be filled with hope and expectation
00:00:26 --> 00:00:33 of what you might do with us for one or two or hundreds or many more.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:40 And so Father, fill us with the hope of your spirit and your purpose
00:00:40 --> 00:00:44 to bring light in amongst the darkness.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 And we ask it for your sake. Amen.
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 So how does it make you feel when you hear of things
00:00:54 --> 00:00:58 like 2.8 billion people in the world have never heard of Jesus?
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 The modern missionary movement has done a lot and achieved much,
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 and yet there is still so much more to do.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:15 How does it make you feel that 50 million people a year
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 slip into a Christless eternity?
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 That's it. 50 million people a year.
00:01:22 --> 00:01:27 Is that enough to make you lose heart that the task just seems so big?
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 2.8 million, 50 million a year.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 What can you do about that?
00:01:34 --> 00:01:34 Forget about that.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 Let's just look at something a bit smaller.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Look at the corporate vision of our church.
00:01:40 --> 00:01:45 We are hoping under God to grow to 500 in attendance
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 by the end of next year.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 That is people coming to know Jesus
00:01:51 --> 00:01:52 through the ministry of the church.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:54 Not 500 people coming from another church,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 but people who have come to know Jesus
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 in our area and ministries of influence.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 It's not 2.8 billion people,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 but maybe it's still enough to make you lose heart.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 We're talking a couple hundred people here,
00:02:10 --> 00:02:11 something like that.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 Maybe you've seen these church vision things
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 and they seem never achieve what we hope.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 We always see maybe a bit of growth,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 but nothing really spectacular.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 And at the end of the day,
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 we walk away and say,
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 we didn't really get there.
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 Seen it again and again and again.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:29 Forget that.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 Forget 2.8 billion.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 Forget a couple of hundred.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 What about your neighbour and your family member
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 or your friend and your colleague
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 who you've been representing Jesus to?
00:02:39 --> 00:02:43 And it appears that they are no clearer on Christ now
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 than what they were 12 months ago,
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 10 years ago, 25 years ago,
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 for some people, 50 years ago.
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 Is that enough to make you feel weary and weak,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 wondering what God is doing in this world?
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Why bother keep speaking about Jesus
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 and his lordship
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 and the need to repent and to follow him
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 why bother praying
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 because I've done that
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 and it doesn't seem to work
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 and why bother giving to global mission
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 because there's still 2.8 million people out there
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 who need to know Christ?
00:03:16 --> 00:03:17 It doesn't make you feel weary and weak
00:03:17 --> 00:03:21 when you think of the global task
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 that God's given us.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:26 Now let me tell you,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 it does for me.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:34 I think of the task of just seeing us as a church grow
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 so that there are pews that are filled
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 or soon-to-be seats filled
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 with people just coming to know Christ.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 The great English preacher Charles Spurgeon
00:03:46 --> 00:03:50 wrote a lecture to his ministry students
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 titled The Minister's Fainting Fits
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 and in it he describes the pressures
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 upon the Christian minister to lose heart
00:03:59 --> 00:04:00 and he says this,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 a bit of old language,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 our work when earnestly undertaken
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 lays us open to attacks
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 in the direction of depression.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 Who can bear the weight of souls
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 without sometimes sinking to the dust?
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 Passionate longings after people's conversion,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 if not fully satisfied
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 and when are they fully satisfied,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 The kingdom comes not as we would.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 The reverent name of Jesus
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 is not hallowed as we desire
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 and for this we must weep.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 How can we be otherwise than sorrowful
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 while men believe not our report
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 and the divine arm is not revealed?
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 All mental work tends to weary and to depress
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 for much study is a weariness of the flesh,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 but ours is more than mental work,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 it is heart work.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 The labour of our inmost soul,
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 such soul travail as that of a faithful minister
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 will bring on occasion seasons of exhaustion
00:05:03 --> 00:05:07 when heart and flesh will fail.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 I think Spurgeon's words there
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 will find sympathetic agreement
00:05:12 --> 00:05:17 with any heart acquainted with Christian ministry and mission.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 I'm not just talking about those involved in vocational ministry,
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 which is what Spurgeon was talking about there.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 I'm talking about anyone involved in Christian ministry
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 and ministry mission in any form.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 The community group leader who has taught and pastored
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 and exhorted people to follow Christ
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 for months and for years
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 without any apparent fruit that comes from that.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 The disciple who has represented the Lord Jesus
00:05:41 --> 00:05:45 to their friends and their family members
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 and their colleagues at McDonald's
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 and without any apparent response whatsoever.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:54 Weak, weary, sceptical, tired, loss of confidence.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 They're the feelings which bubble away there
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 at the depths of the heart,
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 even if there is an exterior which is triumphant at times.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 And I think that no one has ever experienced
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 more of what Spurgeon describes there
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 than the Apostle Paul.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 As you look into 2 Corinthians,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 you see it in 6 and you see it in chapter 11,
00:06:16 --> 00:06:17 1 Corinthians 1 primarily,
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 a list of what you might call
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 deadly ministerial pressures
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 that were upon the Apostle Paul.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 And it's astounding what he suffered
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 in the midst of this ministry that he's involved in.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 And the list is capped off there in chapter 11,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 verses 28 to 29,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 with his concluding comment,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:36 which is,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 apart from the other things,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 there is the daily pressure on me
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 of my anxiety for all the churches.
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 Who is weak and I am not weak?
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 Who is made to fall?
00:06:47 --> 00:06:48 And I am not indignant.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:51 And the question that I ask
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 when I look at the Apostle Paul,
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 when you look at his life,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 you look at what he suffered,
00:06:55 --> 00:06:56 what he gave up,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 and the hardships and the attacks,
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 did he grow faint?
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 Did he lose heart
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 in the midst of all that difficulty?
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 And the answer that chapter 4 gives us
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 is no, he did not.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 We do not lose heart,
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 is what he says.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 He says it twice in chapter 4.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 And so when the task of 2.8 million people
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 are in front of us,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 when the task of Chatswood
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 and our friends and our family
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 are in front of us,
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 and it seems so huge,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 and I am tempted
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 to lose heart in the face of that,
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 I need to listen
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 to a bloke like Paul
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 who suffered more
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 and did not lose heart.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 And we need to do that too.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 And he says here
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 in chapter 4, verse 1,
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 therefore since through God's mercy
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 we have this ministry,
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 we do not lose heart.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:53 And I want to know
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 why he didn't lose heart.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:56 And not more
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 why he didn't lose heart,
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 but what continued
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 to propel him forward
00:08:01 --> 00:08:02 again and again
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 for God's global kingdom cause.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 The first reason
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 I think he doesn't lose heart
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 is in those two words
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 in verse 1,
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 this ministry.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:12 It says there,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 therefore since through God's mercy
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 we have this ministry,
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 we do not lose heart.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:18 And the ministry
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 that he's talking about there
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 is the ministry
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 of the new covenant
00:08:22 --> 00:08:22 of the Spirit,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 which he spent most
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 of chapter 3 talking about.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:26 And especially
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 what he does there
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 in chapter 3,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 he compares
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 the old covenant ministry
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 with the new covenant ministry
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 of the Spirit.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 And in the old covenant ministry
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 he particularly hones in
00:08:37 --> 00:08:37 on Moses
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 and Moses' ministry.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 And the surprise
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 of chapter 3
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 is that this impressive
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 old covenant ministry
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 that Moses had,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 and it was impressive,
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 you know,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 you see Moses and God
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 talking face to face
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 as a man talks
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 to his friend,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 that's impressive.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 The mountain shakes,
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 the cloud descends,
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 there's fire
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 and there's lightning
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 and stuff like that
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 when God gives
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 the Ten Commandments
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 to his people
00:09:05 --> 00:09:05 through Moses,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 parting of the waters.
00:09:08 --> 00:09:08 It's all
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 pretty impressive stuff
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 that Moses involved
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 in with his old covenant ministry.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:13 And the surprise
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 of chapter 3 is
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 Paul says
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 it ain't a patch
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 on what
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 new covenant ministry is.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 It doesn't even compare.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 It's like getting a torch
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 and shining at the sun
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 and saying,
00:09:24 --> 00:09:24 take that, son.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 The brightness
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 is incomparable.
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 See what he says there?
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 Chapter 3, verse 9,
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 if you've got your Bibles open,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 have a look at it.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:36 If you don't,
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 open your Bibles
00:09:37 --> 00:09:37 and have a look at it.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 If this ministry
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 that condemns men
00:09:41 --> 00:09:41 is glorious,
00:09:42 --> 00:09:42 how much more glorious
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 is the ministry
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 that brings righteousness?
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 For what was glorious
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 has no glory now
00:09:49 --> 00:09:50 in comparison
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 with this surpassing glory.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 And then down
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 in verse 18,
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 and we who
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 with unveiled faces
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 all reflect
00:09:57 --> 00:09:57 the Lord's glory
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 are being transformed
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 into his likeness
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 with ever increasing glory
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 which comes
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 from the Lord
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 who is the Spirit.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 There's the comparison.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:07 Notice the difference.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 Old covenant ministry,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:09 death,
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 new covenant life.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 Old covenant ministry,
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 Exodus 33,
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 when Moses talked
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 with God,
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 he had to put a veil
00:10:17 --> 00:10:17 over his face
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 because his face
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 was just beaming
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 with brightness.
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 Had to put a veil
00:10:21 --> 00:10:21 over it
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 because it freaked out
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 all his mates.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 And here it says
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 in new covenant ministry,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 we all with unveiled faces
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 reflect the full glory
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 of God.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 That's the difference.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:33 Veiled glory,
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 full glory.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:37 So that's the first reason
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 I think that Paul
00:10:38 --> 00:10:39 doesn't lose heart.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:40 In spite of how things
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 look on the outside,
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 and it looked like
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 Paul was pretty unimpressive,
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 and the ministry he had
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 was pretty unimpressive,
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 that's the whole argument
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 of Paul's opponents
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 in 2 Corinthians.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:51 We're impressive,
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 super apostles,
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 Paul's false
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 because he gets rejected,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 he gets beaten,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 his speaking doesn't
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 amount to much,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 he's not the real deal.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 And what Paul says
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 is that regardless
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 of how it looks,
00:11:06 --> 00:11:06 the ministry
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 that he's involved in,
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 new covenant ministry
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 of the Spirit
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 is a ministry
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 about life,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 and it's so much
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 more impressive
00:11:14 --> 00:11:14 than anything
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 that even Moses
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 did in the Old Testament.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 There's another reason
00:11:19 --> 00:11:19 in verse 1.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 Therefore,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 since through God's mercy
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 we have this ministry,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 we do not lose heart.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 And so the second reason
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 he doesn't lose heart
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 is that this ordinary
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 looking,
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 but glorious ministry
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 has been given to him
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 through God's mercy.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 And so what is happening
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 here in 2 Corinthians 4,
00:11:40 --> 00:11:40 particularly in these
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 early verses
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 of chapter 4,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 is it's Paul's own story
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 being traced out.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:48 You see,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 he was an unbeliever,
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 he was blinded
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 to the glory of Christ,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 he persecuted Christ,
00:11:57 --> 00:11:58 and then on the Damascus road
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 Paul had seen the glory
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 of God in the face of Christ.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 Paul was fully aware
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 that this glorious ministry
00:12:07 --> 00:12:07 was given to him
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 at the moment of his conversion
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 on the road to Damascus
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 when he was knocked
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 to the ground
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 by the flash of light
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 of the glory of Christ.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 His salvation
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 and his apostleship
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 were solely due
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 to God's mercy.
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 And so the combination
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 of this mercy
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 at his own conversion
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 and the astonishing glory
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 of this ministry
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 kept him from losing heart.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 And not only did it not
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 cause him not to lose heart,
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 but in fact he was propelled
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 forward in this ministry.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 So see it there in verse 2.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 We have renounced secret
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 and shameful ways.
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 We do not use distortion,
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 nor do we,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 we do not use deception,
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 nor do we distort
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 the word of God.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 On the contrary,
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 by sending forth
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 the truth plainly,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 we commend ourselves
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 to every man's conscience
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 in the sight of God.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 And so what it says here
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 is that
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 in the face of temptation,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 Paul rejected all cunning,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 all manipulation,
00:13:09 --> 00:13:09 trickery,
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 nor did he tamper
00:13:11 --> 00:13:12 with the word of God,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 nor did he falsify it,
00:13:14 --> 00:13:14 distort it,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 confuse it,
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 water it down.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:17 Instead,
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 what he does here,
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 he embraces openness
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 and candor
00:13:20 --> 00:13:21 and forthrightness
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 and clarity
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 about the glory
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 of the gospel
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 of the Lord Jesus Christ.
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 There is no vague meaning.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 There is no confusing language
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 coming out of Paul's mouth.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 There is no ambivalence
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 about where he stood
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 or what he meant.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 He imparted the truth
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 without deviation.
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 That's what it means.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 Without distortion means
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 he went straight
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 with the truth.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 Undiluted.
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 He wanted the news
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 about Jesus Christ
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 to be absolutely
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 crystal clear.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 not vague
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 and clouded views
00:13:58 --> 00:13:58 about Jesus.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 Why?
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 I think the first reason
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 is at the end
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 of verse 2
00:14:05 --> 00:14:05 where he says
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 he sets forth
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 the truth plainly
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 in the sight of God.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:11 That is,
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 the first reason
00:14:13 --> 00:14:13 he did it
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 was because God
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 was his audience.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 He didn't give a rip
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 about what people
00:14:18 --> 00:14:18 thought of him.
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 God was his
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 primary audience
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 and he would ultimately
00:14:22 --> 00:14:22 answer to him
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 and no one else
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 and he wanted
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 to make sure
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 that that was
00:14:26 --> 00:14:26 a good day.
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 Another reason
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 is given to us
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 in chapter 4
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 verses 4 to 6.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 This is why
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 he sets forth
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 the truth plainly.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 This is why
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 he didn't deviate.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 This is what
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 propelled him forward.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 And let's start
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 with verse 4.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 The God of this age
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 has blinded
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 the minds
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 of unbelievers
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 so they cannot see
00:14:50 --> 00:14:52 the light of the gospel
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 of the glory of Christ
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 who is the image
00:14:54 --> 00:14:54 of God.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 You see what
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 he's saying there?
00:14:57 --> 00:14:57 The weight of what
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 he's saying there?
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 This is why
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 it is so essential
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 for Paul
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 that Jesus
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 be crystal clear
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 that the word
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 of God
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 be not distorted
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 that he speak
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 the truth
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 wherever he could.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 He says
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 people
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 who don't believe
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 in Christ
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 are blind.
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 They can't see
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 the supreme
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 value
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 of Christ.
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 And so they won't
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 receive him
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 as their treasure
00:15:27 --> 00:15:27 and they will not
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 be saved.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 They're blind.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 The work of God
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 is needed
00:15:36 --> 00:15:37 in our lives
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 to open our eyes
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 and give us life
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 so that we can see
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 and receive
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 and savor
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 the Lord Jesus Christ
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 so that he might
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 be our greatest
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 treasure.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 But without that
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 we're blind.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 And that's not
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 the state of some
00:15:56 --> 00:15:56 people.
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 It's not just the state
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 of two people.
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 It's the state of
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 everyone without Christ.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 Blinded.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 It was my condition
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 for 23 years.
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 Blinded
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 to glory of Christ.
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 I can read
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 the Bible
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 and I cannot
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 see Christ
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 in it
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 for 23 years
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 or for as long
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 as I can read.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 At the heart
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 of this impressive
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 new covenant
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 ministry
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 is the message
00:16:23 --> 00:16:23 of the gospel
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 in the word
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 of God
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 the Bible.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 The glory
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 of this ministry
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 is the gospel.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 And this is
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 what we are
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 blinded to.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 The gospel
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 is what Paul
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 came to see
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 and believe.
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 The gospel
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 is what he
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 wants others
00:16:40 --> 00:16:40 to come and
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 see and believe.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 But it's this
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 gospel that
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 they're blinded
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 to.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 The gospel
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 is the good
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 news that God
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 sent his son
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 into the world
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 to live a
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 perfect life,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 to die as a
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 substitute for
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 sinners,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 to absorb
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 the anger
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 of God,
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 to take away
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 our guilt,
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 to provide
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 the gift of
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 right standing
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 before God
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 and to give
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 eternal joy
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 through faith
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 in the Lord
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 Jesus alone
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 apart from any
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 works of
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 obedience on our
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 behalf.
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 That is what
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 we are blinded
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 to.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 All of us.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 We are all
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 blind to the
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 glory of those
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 facts unless
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 verse 6
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 happens.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 For God who
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 said,
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 let light shine
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 out of darkness,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 made his light
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 shine in our
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 hearts to give
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 us the light
00:17:29 --> 00:17:30 of the knowledge
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 of the glory
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 of God in the
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 face of Christ.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 Christ.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 What Paul
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 describes there
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 in verse 6
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 is the new
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 birth,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 even though he
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 doesn't use
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 the term.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 The God who
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 created light in
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 the beginning
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 does the same
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 thing in the
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 heart of every
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 human being
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 that comes to
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 Christ.
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 Only the light
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 this time is not
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 a physical
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 light,
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 but the light
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 of the knowledge
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 of the glory of
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 God in the face
00:17:58 --> 00:17:58 of Christ,
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 or as verse 4
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 puts it,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 the light of the
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 gospel of the
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 glory of Christ
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 who is the
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 image of God.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 God causes
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 the human
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 heart and
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 the mind to
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 see the truth
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 and the beauty
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 and the worth
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 of Christ,
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 the glory of
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 Christ.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 Not just to
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 see the facts,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 but to see the
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 glory of the
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 facts.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 Darkness
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 remains in
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 our hearts
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 and in our
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 minds until
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 God illumines
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 the heart and
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 the mind.
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 And when he
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 does,
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 darkness cannot
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 stop it.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 This light
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 that he
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 shines in
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 pushes all
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 darkness and
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 blindness out
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 and the
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 darkness and
00:18:38 --> 00:18:38 the blindness
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 cannot resist
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 it,
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 cannot prevail
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 against it.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 So then we
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 see Christ for
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 who he is.
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 We receive him
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 for who he is
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 and that's what
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 we want.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 Is it not for
00:18:51 --> 00:18:51 our children,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 whether they be
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 6 or 16 or
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 26 or 66,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 and for our
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 parents and our
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 spouses and our
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 neighbours and our
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 colleagues and our
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 friends at school and
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 for all the
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 chastardly 2.8
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 billion people in
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 the world,
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 the darkness
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 might be removed
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 in the heart.
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 We want the
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 light to shine in
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 their hearts so
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 that they see and
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 receive and savour
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 Christ.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 We want them to be
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 born again.
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 It is a mighty
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 act of God and we
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 cannot do it.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:29 But that does
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 not mean passivity
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 on our behalf.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 Just because it's
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 a work of God
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 that we can't do
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 doesn't mean we
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 sit still and
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 just kind of
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 twiddle our
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 thumbs and wait
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 for God to
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 work.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 There is a
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 human means that
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 God uses to
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 make this great
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 work happen.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 In verse 4 we
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 have the dreadful
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 plight of the
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 human condition
00:19:57 --> 00:19:57 of the heart,
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 blinded, dead
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 if you like.
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 Verse 6 we
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 have the
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 sovereign work
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 of God causing
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 sight and light
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 to break in with
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 clarity so that
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 Christ is revealed
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 and he's embraced
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 and received and
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 new life comes.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 And bang in the
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 middle of those
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 two verses is
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 verse 5 which
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 says we do not
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 preach ourselves
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 but Jesus
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 Christ as
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 Lord and
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 ourselves as
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 your servants
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 for Jesus
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 sake.
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 Paul's role,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 our role is to
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 proclaim Jesus
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 as Lord.
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 Remember I
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 said that the
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 gospel is the
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 good news that
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 God sent his
00:20:41 --> 00:20:41 son into the
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 world to live a
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 perfect life, to
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 die a substitutionary
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 death for sinners,
00:20:45 --> 00:20:46 to absorb the
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 anger of God, to
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 take away our
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 guilt, to
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 provide the
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 gift of
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 right standing
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 before God and
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 give eternal joy
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 through faith in
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 the Lord Jesus
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 alone apart from
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 any works of
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 obedience on our
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 behalf.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 But let me say
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 that the gospel is
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 not just about us
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 or even primarily
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 about us, about
00:21:07 --> 00:21:07 the good news for
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 us, about God's
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 love for us.
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 It primarily says
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 something very
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 significant about
00:21:13 --> 00:21:13 the Lord Jesus.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 Philippians 2
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 describes this
00:21:18 --> 00:21:18 great work of
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 the gospel in
00:21:19 --> 00:21:19 the death and
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 resurrection of
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 the Lord Jesus
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 to take away the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:22 sins of the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 world.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 And it goes on to
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 say this about
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 Jesus, therefore
00:21:26 --> 00:21:26 this is the
00:21:26 --> 00:21:27 consequence of the
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 death and
00:21:28 --> 00:21:28 resurrection of
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Jesus.
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 Therefore God
00:21:30 --> 00:21:30 exalted him to
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 the highest place
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 and gave him the
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 name that is above
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 every name, that
00:21:34 --> 00:21:34 at the name of
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 Jesus every knee
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 should bow in
00:21:36 --> 00:21:36 heaven and on
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 earth and under
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 the earth and
00:21:38 --> 00:21:38 every tongue
00:21:38 --> 00:21:40 confess that Jesus
00:21:40 --> 00:21:41 Christ is Lord,
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 Master, King,
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 Boss, Ruler,
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 over all things
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 for the glory of
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 his Father.
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 The crucified
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 Jesus Christ has
00:21:50 --> 00:21:51 been exalted
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 through resurrection
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 as the heavenly
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 Lord.
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 God's suffering
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 servant is now
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 the ruler of the
00:21:58 --> 00:21:58 universe.
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 The man Jesus
00:21:59 --> 00:21:59 Christ, he
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 exalts a God
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 over all of
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 people, over all
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 nations, over all
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 of history.
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 And Paul says
00:22:07 --> 00:22:07 you make that
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 clear.
00:22:08 --> 00:22:13 Do not distort
00:22:13 --> 00:22:13 that truth by
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 shying away from
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 the exclusive
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 claim that
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 Jesus Lord and
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 King and
00:22:18 --> 00:22:19 Master and
00:22:19 --> 00:22:20 Ruler over all
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 that is, has
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 been and will
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 be and call
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 people to
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 confess with
00:22:26 --> 00:22:26 their tongue and
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 surrender their
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 lives to his
00:22:28 --> 00:22:28 loving rule.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 He said you
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 make that
00:22:29 --> 00:22:29 clear.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:36 And proclaim
00:22:36 --> 00:22:37 it all this
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 from a heart
00:22:38 --> 00:22:38 of love and
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 a life of
00:22:39 --> 00:22:39 service.
00:22:41 --> 00:22:42 That I think
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 is what it
00:22:42 --> 00:22:43 means when he
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 says that we
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 don't preach
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 ourselves.
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 It's to make
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 that message
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 clear of the
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 Lordship of
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 Christ from a
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 heart of love
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 and a life of
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 service.
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 All self-interest
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 is laid aside.
00:22:57 --> 00:23:00 My friends,
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 verse 5 is
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 why Christ is
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 to be clear
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 and the word
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 of God is
00:23:04 --> 00:23:04 not to be
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 distorted.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 The means
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 that God
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 uses to
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 affect the
00:23:08 --> 00:23:09 great and
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 eternal
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 transformation
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 that we
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 long to see
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 across this
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 world in the
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 hearts of
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 every man,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:14 woman and
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 child and
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 even teenagers
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 is bold,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 clear, plain
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 proclamation of
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 the good news
00:23:21 --> 00:23:21 of the Lord
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 Jesus Christ.
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 As Lord,
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 from a heart
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 of love and
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 a life of
00:23:28 --> 00:23:28 service,
00:23:29 --> 00:23:30 that is the
00:23:30 --> 00:23:31 impressive
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 ministry of
00:23:31 --> 00:23:31 the new
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 covenant that
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 causes the
00:23:34 --> 00:23:34 blind to see
00:23:34 --> 00:23:38 for dark to
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 be distinguished,
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 extinguished,
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 for death to
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 be defeated and
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 eternal life
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 granted.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 That's the
00:23:50 --> 00:23:50 impressive
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 ministry.
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 Let me tell
00:23:53 --> 00:23:54 you that that
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 impressive ministry
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 is a ministry
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 that is not
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 well received
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 in a world
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 where exclusive
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 claims are not
00:24:02 --> 00:24:02 tolerated.
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 And one of the
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 great challenges,
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 not just for the
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 preacher but for
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 every single
00:24:09 --> 00:24:11 Christian, as you
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 are a witness for
00:24:12 --> 00:24:13 Christ, is to
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 dumb down the
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 exclusive claims of
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 Christ.
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 Great temptation
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 when you're
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 speaking with a
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 friend or a
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 family member or
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 Lord or a
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 neighbour is to
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 not push hard on
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 the Lordship of
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 Christ over all
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 that is.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 But just to say
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 Jesus died on the
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 cross to save you
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 from your sins and
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 you get to go to
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 heaven.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:39 And so for those
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 who are struggling
00:24:40 --> 00:24:43 with it, and I
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 think we do
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 struggle with it,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 maybe even losing
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 heart, let's just
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 keep reading.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:50 Verse 7.
00:24:50 --> 00:24:52 But we have
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 this treasure in
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 jars of clay, this
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 impressive ministry
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 of God's
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 recreating power
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 bringing people from
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 death to life.
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 We have it in
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 jars of clay to
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 show that this
00:25:05 --> 00:25:06 all-surpassing
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 power is from
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 God and not
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 from us.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:10 The great
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 encouragement of
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 that verse there
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 is that God uses
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 weak and weary
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 and ordinary
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 people, ordinary
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 jars of clay, to
00:25:19 --> 00:25:20 bring about his
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 great eternal
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 purposes in the
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 lives of people.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 God wants to
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 display to the
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 world the glory
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 of the Lord
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 Jesus Christ, the
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 power and the
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 beauty of the
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 gospel, and he
00:25:29 --> 00:25:31 does it via
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 unimpressive
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 vessels.
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 We're not the
00:25:38 --> 00:25:38 treasure.
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 And when we
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 think we are the
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 treasure, or even
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 rely upon ourselves
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 because we've got
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 some clever
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 argumentation,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 we're articulate,
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 passionate, humorous,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 bubbly, successful,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 stylish, beautiful,
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59 then we will very
00:25:59 --> 00:26:00 quickly lose heart
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 in mission and
00:26:02 --> 00:26:02 ministry.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 When we think we
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 are the treasure,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 our programs are the
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 treasure, my
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 ability to beat
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 that person's
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 argument is the
00:26:11 --> 00:26:14 treasure, we will
00:26:14 --> 00:26:14 very quickly discover
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 that we are
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 powerless.
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 This, I think, is
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 what we need to
00:26:17 --> 00:26:17 get.
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 I made this
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 box about 30
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 years ago.
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 Can't believe I
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 can even say
00:26:27 --> 00:26:28 that.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 This box was
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 made to hold
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 cassettes.
00:26:35 --> 00:26:35 For those of you
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 who don't know
00:26:36 --> 00:26:36 what a cassette
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 is, it's one of
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 these things.
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 And so 30
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 years ago, these
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 were popular
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 cassettes were
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 because nothing
00:26:44 --> 00:26:44 else existed.
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 And so now,
00:26:47 --> 00:26:47 although I've been
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 given another
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 alternative for it,
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 so I wanted to
00:26:50 --> 00:26:50 use this box,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 cassettes have
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 long disappeared
00:26:53 --> 00:26:56 into obsoleteness.
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 And in fact, I
00:26:57 --> 00:26:59 didn't even have
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 one of these in
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 my house, and so
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 where do you look
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 for something that's
00:27:02 --> 00:27:03 obsolete and no
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 further in use?
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 You look in church
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 cupboards.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:07 And you will find
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 things like this in
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 existence still, still
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 being held onto.
00:27:10 --> 00:27:12 And so I found
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 one, there it is.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 It used to hold
00:27:14 --> 00:27:14 it.
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 These are long
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 gone.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 The box is not.
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 It hasn't had
00:27:20 --> 00:27:20 anything in it for
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 ages.
00:27:22 --> 00:27:23 Why?
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 Because the box is
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 more precious to me
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 than what was in
00:27:27 --> 00:27:27 it.
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 That's anti-gospel.
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 That's anti-Christian
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 ministry.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 The box isn't the
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 impressive thing.
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 This is closer to
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 the truth.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 This is a takeaway
00:27:44 --> 00:27:44 container.
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 It's a 21st century
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 version of the
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 1st century clay pot.
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 Its purpose is to
00:27:53 --> 00:27:55 hold the spectacular
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 treasure of salt and
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 pepper calamari that
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 I enjoyed on Friday
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 night.
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 And once the
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 treasure is consumed,
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 it's meant to be
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 discarded, although my
00:28:04 --> 00:28:05 wife seems to hang
00:28:05 --> 00:28:06 onto them for some
00:28:06 --> 00:28:06 reason.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 I thought that's why
00:28:08 --> 00:28:08 Tupperware was
00:28:08 --> 00:28:10 invented, but that's
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 another whole story.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:11 Don't get me started
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 on Tupperware.
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 I cannot understand
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 why you would sit
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 around for two hours
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 discussing plastic
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 containers.
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 I really...
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 Shoot me dead, for
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 goodness sake, before I
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 do that.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 Anyway, I've had my
00:28:26 --> 00:28:26 piece.
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 I've said my piece.
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 Friends, we've got
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 to understand that we
00:28:34 --> 00:28:36 are the takeaway
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 containers.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:37 The treasure is on
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 the inside.
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 It's not the box.
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 We're not the
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 treasure.
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 And sometimes I think
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 we act and we behave
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 as if we are the
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 treasure.
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 Anything eternal,
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 anything good,
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 lasting that God
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 will ever work out,
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 it's because of the
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 treasure that's inside.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 It's not because of
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 how impressive that we
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 are.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 God's concept of
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 ministry is so
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 different from what
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 this world thinks.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 our world stresses
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 the classy, the
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 top shelf, the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 polished containers,
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 not the glory of God
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 working through human
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 weakness.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 The impressive
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 nature of the new
00:29:11 --> 00:29:13 covenant ministry is
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 the great treasure of
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 the power of God
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 revealing the glory of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:19 the gospel through
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 takeaway containers like
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 you and me.
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 Sinful, broken,
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 fallen, inept,
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 takeaway containers like
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 you and me.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 And because we are
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 takeaway containers,
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 what that means is
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 you're meant to feel
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 unimpressive and weak
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 and weary, but not
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 ultimately defeated.
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 Verse 8, we are
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 hard pressed on every
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 side, but we are not
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 crushed.
00:29:42 --> 00:29:44 We are perplexed, but
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 we are not in despair.
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 Persecuted, but we are
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 not abandoned.
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 We are struck down, but
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 we are not destroyed.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 We always carry around
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 our body the death of
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 Jesus so the life of
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 Jesus may also be
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 revealed in our body.
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 For we who are alive
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 are always being given
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 over to death for
00:30:00 --> 00:30:02 Jesus' sake so that
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 his life may be
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 revealed in our
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 mortal body.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 Hardship and struggle
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 are the normal lot of
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 any sort of takeaway
00:30:08 --> 00:30:08 container.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 It's normal.
00:30:12 --> 00:30:14 The temptation is to
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 lose heart and always
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 to think it doesn't,
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 it's not meant to be
00:30:17 --> 00:30:17 like this.
00:30:17 --> 00:30:20 And so if you're
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 feeling weak and weary
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 and out of ideas,
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 helpless in the face
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 of lost people,
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 unable to affect real
00:30:26 --> 00:30:27 change in someone's
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 life, then you are
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 feeling probably what
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 you ought to be
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 feeling.
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 Pretty normal.
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 But know this, such a
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 clay pot is not a
00:30:35 --> 00:30:37 liability to God.
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 Your weakness and your
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 weariness is normal,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 expected, and not a
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 hindrance.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:47 Our ordinary lives is not
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 a liability.
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 It is in fact an asset
00:30:50 --> 00:30:52 to God's global
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 purposes.
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 That is, if you truly
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 want God to be
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 glorified.
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 On the other hand,
00:30:58 --> 00:30:58 the proud, the
00:30:58 --> 00:30:59 self-assured, the
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 confident person in
00:31:00 --> 00:31:02 their own abilities is
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 in fact a hindrance to
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 God's global mission.
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 Because they will not
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 act out of a heart of
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 love or a life of
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 service.
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 God deliberately
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 chooses to use weak and
00:31:14 --> 00:31:16 humble people, but he
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 never abandons them to
00:31:17 --> 00:31:17 go it alone.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 He puts the treasure of
00:31:19 --> 00:31:22 his gospel and gifts in
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 clay pots like you and
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 me.
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 And so friends, if you're
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 sitting on the sideline
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 when you think of God's
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 global mission, and you
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 wonder, what can I
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 possibly ever say to my
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 neighbor?
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 What can I ever possibly
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 say to my friends?
00:31:32 --> 00:31:34 What can I possibly do to
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 make a contribution to
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 2.8 billion people who
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 don't know Jesus?
00:31:37 --> 00:31:39 The 50 million people I
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 can convey about of
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 corpses disappearing into
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 eternity.
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 What can I possibly do for
00:31:44 --> 00:31:44 that?
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 I want to say to you
00:31:45 --> 00:31:45 that no one is too
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 common, too weak, too
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 shy, too unarticulate,
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 too old, too disabled,
00:31:49 --> 00:31:53 too young to be involved
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 in this spectacular
00:31:54 --> 00:31:56 ministry of God's global
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 purposes going out into
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 the world.
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 And therefore, since
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 through God's mercy we
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 have this ministry, I
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04 want to implore you not
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 to lose heart.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 And for us as a church,
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 not to lose heart.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 Let us press on in the
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 task of proclaiming Christ
00:32:11 --> 00:32:13 as Lord out of hearts
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 of love and lives of
00:32:14 --> 00:32:16 service while looking to
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 God to push out darkness
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 with the light of the
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 glory of the gospel of the
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 Lord Jesus Christ.
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 Amen.