Home Bible Study©
Rightly Dividing
the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Established
November 2008 Published weekly on Friday
This is good and
acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
2 Corinthians (4:7-18) (Lesson 11)
Since new people are
viewing these Bible lessons regularly on the www, I
I thought I’d take
the time to insert a brief review here and welcome them to HBS.
I want to thank
everyone for being here today.
A few lessons ago,
I mentioned our Apostle Paul had left Ephesus where he wrote the 1st
letter to the Corinthians and he referred to it at one point in his letter as the beast at Ephesus. Paul didn’t encounter any wild animals in the
coliseum there; he was talking about the citizens of Ephesus, in general,
because they were so pagan-minded about their love for Diana the goddess of the
Ephesians. Paul had hoped to meet Titus,
who had been ministering to the Corinthians, at Troas the ancient city of Troy. That didn’t happen, so Paul headed for
Philippi up in northern Greece. He became
seriously ill and almost died there. He
recovered from this affliction and
made his way on down to Corinth a second time.
This is the backdrop for these next few verses, where he writes he’s
almost despairing for life due to
this great illness, and other issues related to his apostolic ministry. When we get to 4:6, Paul writes, For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the
One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Then in verse 7 he follows that up with this: “But we
have this treasure in earthen
vessels. Said another way, we have knowledge of “the gospel.” Paul’s saying every Christian has this knowledge or should have it if they are
truly saved. They carry this message in their changed heart; but what are they doing with it,
since this book says we are not saved to sit?
If we live, we live for the Lord
(Romans 12:1-2, 14:8).
God could have
called upon the angelic hosts to
carry the gospel to sinful men and
women but He didn’t. God has entrusted
us with this knowledge; He wants us
to speak His Word to those who might
“lend an ear.” Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel; use words if necessary.” This sentiment goes hand in hand with the
phrase – we want our actions to match our
words, as much as possible.
Our Apostle Paul said,
I make known to you, brethren, the
gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also
you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I
preached to you, unless you believed in vain… that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1
Corinthians 15:1-4).
This is the gospel by which men and women are
saved in this dispensation.
********
In
the spring of 1947, an Arab boy searching for lost goats threw a rock into a cave,
intending to frighten them out and heard the sound of breaking pottery
instead. When he entered the cave to
investigate, he found several clay jars filled with manuscripts – these became
known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
This
was the most valuable biblical archaeological find of our time. The oldest Old Testament manuscripts at that
time dated at around 800 AD, yet these ancient manuscripts dated to 200 years
before the birth of Jesus Christ. Liberal,
unbelieving Bible critics and scholars before this discovery had denied the
accuracy of the Old Testament saying the true text had been lost over the past
ten centuries in the process of copying and re-copying of the text. However, amazingly these manuscripts that
were a 1000 years older than the text currently available, was identical which
proved that God had preserved His Word, for
such a time as this, so that we can have an accurate Bible today (Isaiah
40:8). These ancient scrolls were truly
a, “treasure in earthen vessels.”
Please
open your Bible at 2 Corinthians 4:7.
2 Corinthians 4
7: But we have this
treasure (the gospel) in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will
be of God and not from ourselves;
Ask
any person on the street the question, “What
is a treasure?” and you’re
probably going to get a variety of responses.
Some people may visualize a pile of precious gems. Someone else may see themselves sitting atop
a mountain of gold bullion. Others see a
limitless supply of spending money; they want to be the wealthiest person on
the planet. You may meet someone who
views artwork as a treasure; owning
objects of art would fulfill a lifelong dream for them. Anyway you come at this a treasure is something of great value,
worth pursuing; such as a treasure map and the likelihood of discovering some
ill-fated pirate’s buried booty.
We
don’t have to ask because we already know the answer to the question “What is the Treasure” is it’s “our
gospel” (v3). Paul calls this message his “ministry,” i.e. “the ministry of righteousness” and “of life” (v1). The gospel of the grace of God is most
certainly a treasure because it enriches all those who receive it by faith (1 Corinthians 2:9). But we must not forget or overlook the point
Paul makes here, “We have this treasure
in earthen vessels;” in keeping with Paul’s analogy this is nothing more
than a “clay pot.” As it relates to us
Believers, it’s a fragile object, prone to breakage, and easily crushed.
God
did not commit His Gospel to kings or to His angels or archangels. He entrusted His message to fragile Believers.
I hold up Paul as our example for in Ephesians 3:8 he said: “To
me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the
Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.”
I’ve
used this verse multiple times lately, but it’s appropriate here too. In 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 Paul wrote: but
God has chosen the (what) foolish
things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak
things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base
things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are
not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man (or woman) may boast before God.
God
has chosen the foolish, the weak,
the base things, the despised, the things that are not; to nullify the things
that are, so that no man or woman may boast before God – Paul is
teaching us the very same thing in 4:7.
So that the
surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves
(7b)
- the Bible teaches us the conversion of the human heart is not accomplished by
earthen vessels or by human effort. Dwight Moody, Billy Graham, Spurgeon, Wesley,
or your favorite pastor may be persuasive speakers, but ministers of God are
frail, imperfect, and sinful just as they were in Paul’s era. God may bless their ministry and their labor
for the Lord, but it is the Holy Spirit that convicts people of their sin, of
Jesus Christ’s righteousness, and calls them to faith, through the gospel,
to be saved (John 16:8-11).
In
the story of Gideon, it was the breaking of vessels that made the light shine forth and bring victory to God’s
people (Judges 7:20). In the rest of
this chapter, Paul will show how God “breaks” His earthen vessels - so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be
of God and not from ourselves (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Let’s
go to verses 8-12:
In
verses 8-12 Paul shows us he himself was often at the breaking point, but through the power and grace of God,
he came through the affliction triumphantly:
we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not
despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;
always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus
also may be manifested in (what) our
body. For we who live are constantly
being delivered over to death for Jesus sake, so that the life of Jesus also
may be manifested in our immortal flesh.
So death works in us, but life in you.
(Remember,
when Paul uses the word “we” in this letter there’s a good
chance he’s referring to himself. However,
you could insert your name here, making it your own, and not harm the text,
because these words are applicable for every true Believer.)
Paul’s
declaration:
Afflicted in every
way but not crushed
Perplexed but not despairing
Persecuted but not forsaken
Struck down but not destroyed
Please
note the first column indicates Paul was an earthen vessel indeed, he felt afflicted
in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and
often struck down. But the second column shows us the power and the grace of God, which kept
him from “throwing in the towel,” or from “waving the white flag” in total
surrender to the enemy, for Paul was not
crushed, not despairing, not forsaken, and not destroyed.
Those
of you who have answered the call to serve the Lord in your church and in your
community have probably (at one time or another) experienced both factors, the
weakness of human nature and the love,
power, and the grace of God in preserving you in the midst of daily trials (pressure) while in His service. The pressure
probably brought you to your knees, in prayer, (been there; done that) but you
probably did not faint or lose heart (4:16a)
and quit serving the Lord.
Please
take careful note of Paul’s words, when he said I’m “afflicted in every way,” he’s saying, “I’m surrounded.” Paul’s like
a grape in a winepress; he’s in trouble, folks, yet the Lord did not permit the
pressure to smother him or to crush him. It’s like God said to his enemy, as it were,
“I have drawn a line! You may
not cross it.” If you’ve read the
book of Job it’s like that. Satan had
God’s permission to afflict Job, but
he could only go so far.
Paul
admits to being perplexed obviously
experiencing the truth of Romans 8:26: For we know not know how to pray as we
should...” Yet he was not in despair, for he understood the truth of
this Bible passage and was willing to leave the outcome in the hands of Him who causes
all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose (Romans
8:28).
Our
Apostle Paul was persecuted wherever
he went, but not forsaken. This is the same person who said, “I know how to get along with humble means,
and I also know how
to live in
prosperity, in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being
filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need, I can do
all things through Him who strengthens me.
Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction (Philippians 4:12-14).
Often Paul had been cast down, but not destroyed. Paul writes in metaphors often and incorporates public life, games, and the Roman world in general into his letters. Since this is true, Paul may be alluding to the “boxer” here, knocked down, but not actually out. If that’s not what he means to say, we can definitely say despite all the adversities he endured for the cause of Christ, Paul never gave in, or gave up, he preached the gospel of the grace of God to the very end, saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith…” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Verse
13:
2 Corinthians 4
13: But having the
same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I
SPOKE,” we also believe, therefore we also speak,
The
quote in this verse is taken from Psalm 116:10.
By the way the writer of this Psalm is David and he knew a thing or two
about being afflicted. It’s inspiring to see our Apostle Paul, also afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck
down… always in fear for his life for
Jesus’ sake, take his stand along with David in declaring he has the same spirit of faith adding, “WE ALSO BELIEVE AND THERFORE SPEAK.”
In
Paul’s day the Church witnessed supreme growth.
Compare that to the church today, despite the electronic age and its
best efforts through world-wide mission efforts, and it doesn’t even come close
to matching it. Back then, people were not ashamed of the gospel that
saves. Today hardly anyone talks about
their faith and according to PEW research the percentage of people who can put
in plain words the gospel that saves
in this dispensation is very low. Coupled
with that fact is the expressed command from authority that people are not to
talk about Jesus in public settings. The
fear of being persecuted by the world, especially by those who have
authority over of you is very real and acts as a deterrent. But even in a private setting there’s the
fear of being ridiculed by people you know or those you just met. Rather than be ostracized by an individual or
group, people today tend to adopt the PC attitude rather than SPEAK about their
faith, ignoring the fact that the majority of people they encounter are on the highway to hell. Bear in mind, people who reject the truth are
ultimately rejecting Jesus Christ and not the individual who delivers it.
Verses
14-15:
2 Corinthians 4
14: knowing that He
who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us
with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace
which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to
abound to the glory of God.
knowing that He who
raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with
you (v14)
– Paul didn’t despair or give up because not only did he understand this truth, he was fully confident of it. Every trial he endured was nothing more than
a prelude to resurrection power (John 5:25-29).
For all
things are for your sakes, so that
the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of
thanks to abound to the glory of God (v15). Verse 15 is actually a doxological
summary. Paul’s heart was stirred to
help the lost come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; to help them
find true peace and joy and to give God the praise (2 Corinthians 1:1-2).
Let’s
go to verses 16-18:
2 Corinthians 4
Therefore we do not
lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner
man is being renewed day by day. For
momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of
glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal,
but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Therefore we do not
lose heart – Paul’s
brought us full circle. He began this chapter with the words, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as
we received mercy, we do not lose heart (4:1). The word “therefore” points backward to everything he just wrote. He just explained his many trials actually
made for a more effective, life giving ministry for the Corinthian
Believers. Knowing this encouraged him
and made him not lose heart in the
midst of these sufferings.
But though our outer
man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day - Paul contrasts
the outward man and the inward man with this comment. Our body is merely a tent, in which the true man, the inner man dwells (Hebrews 4:12).
However, this remark takes us back to Paul’s earlier statement about us
being earthen vessels (4:7). Our mortal flesh (the outer man) is fragile; it’s
the sinful nature we inherited from Adam, and it’s perishing. We died to it when we gave our lives to
Christ Jesus and it is no longer us.
It’s still present in us to tempt us, let’s not kid ourselves, but we
don’t have to sin because the Holy Spirit dwells within us.
But
the outer man Paul mentions here is
the body and the mind, which he said are slowly falling apart (decaying). Can I get an Amen on that? When I go out for instance, it seems to be
that everyone is getting younger. I
can’t read without eye wear and I can comb my hair with a towel. I find myself walking into a room at home,
but I can’t remember why I wanted to go there.
All these signs indicate the outer
man (and woman) is decaying, growing weak and feeble and
this comes with anguish and suffering.
Paul is saying this is happening to me too… but I don’t get discouraged
because the inner man is being renewed
day by day.
The inner man (and woman) is the
real you and me. It is the human spirit
inside us that has its conscious expression in the soul, that unique character,
the combination of soul and spirit which
marks mankind as “made in the image of
the LORD God” (Genesis 1:26-27). When Paul said his inner man is being renewed day by day, he meant: “made
new,” as he lives day by day. He is speaking of that kind of inner
stimulation of mind and spirit that keeps him expectant, faithful, optimistic, rejoicing, thankful, and triumphant
in his endeavors, day by day, even
though the “outward” things, his body and his mind, are gradually falling
apart. That is the hope of every
Believer per Paul. We are inwardly being
prepared for something greater to come.
2 Corinthians 4
17: For momentary, light
affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all
comparison,
Paul’s
talking about his perspective here and not his opinion because it’s based on
facts.
I
mention this because some casual Bible readers may “bump” into this verse
thinking, “There’s nothing light about
the issues I’m dealing with today, “and come away from it believing Paul
never went through any “real” trials. If
that’s the case, please skip ahead to 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. There you’ll discover the truth. Paul had an
advanced degree in suffering but he was able to refer to: stripes, prisons, beatings, being stoned, shipwrecked, perils of
waters, robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of gentiles, in
perils of the city, in perils of the wilderness, in perils of the sea, in
perils among false brethren, in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness - as light affliction.
These
were just the physical sufferings – the outward sufferings – what about the
spiritual burdens he endured and the spiritual attacks from Satan he faced? If Paul could say these were light affliction, then, what are
ours? Paul referred to them as light affliction because even the worst
one, by the measure of our eternal
glory, is but for a moment (Romans 8:17).
Let’s
look at it this way: Imagine putting your lifetime of suffering
on one side of the scales. If you want
to, you can even put your thumb down on that side of the scale and push down as
hard as you can. Then permit me to place
the eternal weight of glory on the other side of the scale, and then
you’ll see for yourself what a light
affliction you really have – this
is what Paul is saying. There’s no comparison!
Let’s
go to verse 18.
2 Corinthians 4
18: while we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the
things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen
are eternal.
Our
Apostle Paul is speaking about his life and his ministry, holding them up as an
example for the Corinthian saints and us as well. In the world’s
eyes, Paul’s life was an absolute failure, from their perspective. He gave up a position of religious authority,
eminence, and wealth to serve the Lord. Paul
was a Pharisee of the Pharisees (Philippians 3:5), at the height of his career,
and his future was brighter still. But
he walked away from all that and the promise of a better tomorrow for a life of
great hardship, persecution, and suffering that would eventually culminate with
his martyrdom. How many of us (I include
myself in this) would willingly enlist in a venture knowing it will cost us our
lives? While you’re thinking about that,
know this, Paul stepped into that world enthusiastically
and never looked back (Luke 9:62).
Not
Looking vs Looking (v18)
Please
note, Paul’s attention was focused not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; and
this is important. Paul did not fix his spiritual eyes or focus his attention
upon the things which are seen
because these things were temporal;
they would pass away. He would rather concentrate
on the things which are not seen,
and rightly so. Concerning the Lord
Jesus Christ, Peter wrote: Though you have not seen Him, you love Him.
Though you do not now see Him, you
believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and fill with
glory.
In
keeping with the same thought, Paul wrote this passage which concerns seeking things above: Therefore
if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set
your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden
with Christ in God (Colossians 3:1-3).
The
message of this latter passage is easily understood and begins with a question.
What’s
motivating us? The answer makes all the
difference in a Believer’s life. If
we’re completely occupied with the
things that are seen, with the things
of this world, our spiritual
defeat is all but certain. On the other
hand, if we’re occupied with the things which
are not seen, the things which are above, our
spiritual victory is assured.
Therefore,
always remember our light affliction,
which is for but a moment, when
compared to eternity, is producing for
us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison. So, instead of complaining and grumbling
each time you find yourself in the midst of a hardship turn it around and think
about it this way. Our Apostle Paul is
teaching us these trials are an investment in eternal glory which will be realized at the Bema Seat Judgment (1
Peter 5:10; Revelation 2:10).
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved