2 Corinthians 4:1

Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not. But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully. Instead, we manifest the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

If our gospel is hid, it is hid from them that are lost, in whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Christ's sake.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for how you have enlightened us, Lord, that you have brought us out of darkness and into your marvelous light. We pray, God, that you would reflect that glorious light from our lives to those who remain in darkness. Perhaps even some who have come here today just looking into these things, and yet, Lord, their eyes have been blinded.

We pray that you would reveal yourself through your word and that you would continue to manifest your glory through us in our workplaces and throughout this community. Lord, may people know you by what they see and know of us. So work in us to be willing to do those things that are pleasing to you. We pray in Jesus' name, and all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.

You can be seated. Amen. Goduminate. It has become somewhat cliché, having been shared a million times before this, that whenever you come to a "therefore" in the Bible, you need to look back and see what it's there for.

Here in Second Corinthians 4:1, the very first word is "therefore," which points us back to what we saw last week in the second half of chapter 3. In this section, Paul speaks of the ministry of the new covenant and its superiority over the ministry of the old covenant because of the great work of Christ on our behalf. We have been given this ministry, which Paul calls a ministry of righteousness.

If we look back at Second Corinthians 3:9, we see that Paul states, "For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory." There is a clear contrast in the second half of chapter 3 between the ministry of condemnation under the law in the old covenant and this ministry of righteousness under the gospel in the new covenant.

The law, Paul says, was a ministry of condemnation. The gospel, on the other hand, is a ministry of righteousness. The law is a ministry of condemnation because it requires that completely unrighteous individuals, like us, obey perfectly the demands of the law. As we seek to obey these demands, we quickly recognize that it is completely impossible for utterly unrighteous individuals to keep the righteous requirements of the law. We are confronted with the reality that we simply do not do it.

Thus, the condemnation of the law becomes overwhelmingly clear to us. Although the law is holy, just, and good, it reveals very clearly that we sit under its condemnation. As I pointed out last week, there is no flaw in God's law; it is perfect. The greatness of God's law lies in its ability to reveal our inadequacy. This is what is truly remarkable about the law of God: it makes it abundantly clear that every single one of us is insufficient and does not measure up. The demands of the law are far greater than anything we could ever fulfill.

Imagine if I took you down to Oceanside Pier and said, "Christian, I command..."

You can jump to Catalina Island, and you can take as big of a running start as you want, but you must make it, or else you're dead. It wouldn't take very long for a Christian or anybody to look at you with a kind of look of disbelief, like, "What in the world are you saying? That's just not possible."

That's exactly what is taking place in the Old Covenant. In the law, God has set a standard—His holiness, His righteousness. He is setting a standard that is so far above anything we could ever expect to keep. The whole point of it is not to cause us to try harder; the whole point is to show us that we cannot do it. Paul makes this clear in Galatians 3:24 when he says that the law is our schoolmaster, bringing us to Christ that we might put our faith in Him.

It reveals the condemnation that every single one of us is under. The gospel, however, is a glorious ministry of righteousness. Paul says we have the ministry of righteousness because the gospel graciously grants unrighteous sinners a righteousness that is not their own. It gives us the righteousness of Christ, imparted to us by His grace. So much so that even the prophet Isaiah, 700 years before Jesus would come to establish this new covenant, would say that God is going to robe us or clothe us with His righteousness.

The law exposes our unrighteousness, while the gospel reveals Christ's righteousness imparted to us. It becomes this glorious gospel, this glorious ministry of righteousness that you and I have been given. In Galatians 5:5, Paul says, "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." It's not a righteousness by the keeping of the law; it's a righteousness by faith—our confidence in Jesus Christ, the Righteous, that what He did on the cross is sufficient to atone for our sins and to make us right before God. So we wait in hope for this righteousness by faith.

Then in Philippians 3:9, Paul says that his desire was to be found in Him, in Jesus, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. He says, "I don't want..."

To stand in my own good works in the law, even though Paul was a Pharisee before he converted to Christ, is insufficient. When he was a Pharisee, he trusted in his own works and in his keeping of the law. However, after Christ revealed Himself to Paul, he recognized his complete inability and total insufficiency. He realized that he did not want to stand in his own good works because they were not enough; they were the minimum of the most minimum payment that could be made on this great debt. There is just nothing we can do to make ourselves right before God.

Paul states that he has this righteousness which is of God by faith. In Romans chapter 1, verse 17, he says, "For therein, in the gospel, the good news of Jesus, is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." As it is written, "The just shall live by faith," pointing back hundreds of years to the prophet Habakkuk, who in chapter 2, verse 4, makes that great declarative statement upon which the Reformation was built: "The just shall live by faith," not by the works of the law, but by grace through faith.

A little further on in Romans, in chapter 3, verse 21, Paul says, "But now the righteousness of God without the law is made manifest, being witnessed by the law and the prophets." This righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference. We receive imparted righteousness from Jesus, imputed righteousness because of what He accomplished on the cross. We receive that upon ourselves as we put our trust and confidence in Him for our salvation, not in the works of the law, because by the works of the law, no flesh will be made right. The law is given to show us our complete inadequacy.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible, which we will see in 2 Corinthians in just a couple of weeks, is found in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. Paul says, "For He, God the Father, made Him, Jesus the Son, to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." Jesus, who is perfect and lived without sin, takes upon Himself all of the sin of humanity. He takes all of that to the cross and receives the righteous wrath of God against sin upon Himself so that we can have the righteousness of God given to us.

To us, we now have the ministry of righteousness. This brings us right to this passage in Second Corinthians 4, verse 1. Therefore, because of all that, because of this glorious difference between the old covenant and the new, and the fact that we have moved from the old covenant to the new covenant and have been made completely new in Christ, having received righteousness from Him, we see that we have been given this ministry of righteousness.

Not only have we been saved, but we have now been called to be servants of righteousness. In Romans chapter 6, Paul talks about this four times. He says that we are to be servants of righteousness, no longer servants of sin, which was under the old covenant, under the law. But now, in Christ, we are made servants of righteousness. This means that we, in Christ, are called to live in a righteous manner before God in this world for His glory.

If you have sought to live by the law, you know that this is impossible. God says in Matthew chapter 5 that our righteousness needs to be better than just an external righteousness, just keeping laws. It needs to go deeply into our lives, into our hearts. Our righteousness must exceed that of the most religious people in the world. We are to be servants of righteousness, no longer servants of sin. This is the ministry that we have been given in this world. The Christian, the follower of Jesus Christ, is called to be one who serves rightly, to serve in a godly way, to live in a godly manner.

Now, this may be the greatest blessing to you, or it may weigh heavily upon you. When I say that you, Christian, are to serve in righteousness and walk in righteousness, our minds immediately go back to the law. We think, "I have to do this, this, this, and this," and then we realize, "I can't do that. I've failed at that." It feels impossible.

So, when we see in verse 1 of chapter 4, "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry of righteousness," we may wonder how we are supposed to serve completely righteously. Notice what he says: "As we have received mercy, we faint not." If it were left at just that, it would be overwhelming. But we have received mercy, and that is the foundation of our service.

Saved, you live righteously. If it was left at that, every single one of us would faint; we would all fail at that. How many of you here today recognize that you fail at being righteous? I'm going to put two up: I fail at being righteous.

So, he says here, we have this ministry that has been given to us by God. Not only have we been saved and brought into the Kingdom of God, but he says, "And now I want you to live and walk in righteousness." We can just buckle under that and say, "That's impossible," until we read what it says: "As we have received mercy, we faint not." This is incredibly important.

You may say, "Well, I just didn't realize when I put my confidence in Jesus for salvation, so that I could go to heaven, that I was going to be commissioned with this call to live righteously in this world. I can't do this." And God says, "That's perfectly fine; you can't do it." In fact, he wants us to come to this recognition. We've been looking at this over and over again in the first three chapters of Second Corinthians. He wants to bring us to the place where we honestly confess, "I can't do this."

Look back once again to Second Corinthians 3, verse 5: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God, who has made us able ministers, able servants of the New Testament, the New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

So, he's called us to a service of righteousness; be servants of righteousness, no longer servants of sin. We come to the place very quickly where we just say, "I can't do that." And God says, "You're right; you can't." Not that you're sufficient of yourself to think anything as being of yourself, but your sufficiency is of God.

As we have received mercy, we don't fail. This is an awesome ministry that God has called us to—not just the ministers, not just the pastors or leaders in the church, but every Christian is called to a life of righteousness, a life of living rightly before God and men. In that, we say, "Well, I just can't do that." And God says, "Well, I'm giving you mercy so that you won't faint; you won't fail." If it were not for the Lord's mercy, we would fail every time. The prophet Jeremiah, in Lamentations chapter 3, said...

Something awesome, as inspired by the Spirit of God, is found in Lamentations 3:22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness.

The context in which Jeremiah spoke this is a blessing to me because he was speaking at a time when he looked over the ruins of his city, Jerusalem, the city where he grew up. This was after the city had been completely destroyed by the Babylonian Empire, and all the people of Judah had been carried away as slaves and captives to Babylon, where they would serve as prisoners for seventy years. This all happened because of their rebellion against God. They had departed from Him and had been rebellious towards Him. As a result of their sin and rebellion, they were now being punished.

Jeremiah looks at the destroyed city and sees God's mercy in this. That is a phenomenal thing because he recognizes the punishment upon sin and the consequences of unrighteousness. Yet, he says it is because of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed. I think that when he talks about a people being consumed, he had in his mind the destruction we see in the book of Genesis upon Sodom and Gomorrah. They had been completely destroyed because of their unrighteousness, and the people of Judah and Jerusalem had been equally as unrighteous, if not more so.

Yet, God had not destroyed them. They deserved complete destruction, and yet, because of His mercies, they had not been consumed. Why? Because God's compassions do not fail. They are new every morning; great is His faithfulness. I love that! There is never a time in all of our failings when we come to God and He says, "You know what? I'm sorry, the last person was in here just took the last of the mercy, so all I've got right now is justice." He never does that. His compassions fail not; they are new every morning.

That word "compassions" could also be translated as "mercies" or "steadfast love." The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; it's an awesome truth. We have received salvation by grace through faith from the Lord. Furthermore, we have been given a glorious ministry of righteousness to be servants.

Of righteousness, we are called to walk in a right way before God and man. In a couple of weeks, we will see that not only have we been given the ministry of righteousness to live rightly before God and man in this world, but we have also been given the ministry of reconciliation. This means that we, who have been brought out of darkness and into light, are to go back into darkness to shine the light for those who are estranged from God, alienated from Him because of their own sin and rebellion. They are separated from God, and so we have been given this glorious ministry of reconciliation to bring people back to Him.

It is an awesome thing—the ministry of righteousness, living right before God and man, and the ministry of reconciliation, bringing people out of darkness and into His marvelous light. As we rely upon His unfailing mercies, we are guaranteed success in this work. Let me say that again: as we rely upon His unfailing mercies, we are guaranteed success in the ministry of righteousness and in the ministry of reconciliation. This assurance helps us not to faint, for as we have received mercy, we do not faint or fail.

If you really examine that, it's a phenomenal statement from the Apostle Paul. As you stand in the mercies of God, you will not fail in the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation. Paul said in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, "Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not." If we faint, it indicates one of two things. If we fail in the work that God has given us—the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation—it indicates either that God's word is not true or that we are not relying upon His mercy, His might, and His strength, but rather upon our own.

Which one do you think is true? Absolutely, God's word is true. Therefore, the issue is not God's word; the issue here is not God's power or His ability, but whether or not we will put our complete and utter trust and dependence in Him for the power and might needed.

After the children of Israel had been in Babylon for seventy years, God brought His people back to their homeland. When they returned, they found the beautiful city of Jerusalem in complete shambles. God had called a leader to guide them in the re-establishing and rebuilding of the city, a man by the name of Zerubbabel. I'm sure that name is going to become popular again someday.

As Zerubbabel looked at Jerusalem and the people with him, he surveyed the task before him and felt discouraged. The city was in ruins, filled with the remnants of everything that had once been there. He looked at the situation and thought, "This is impossible. This can't happen. I can't do this."

God had a word of encouragement for Zerubbabel. He spoke through the prophet Zechariah, who said in Zechariah 4:6, "Zerubbabel, this is my word to you: It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord."

We can sometimes look at our lives and see the shambles and ruin caused by sin and our own rebellion against God. We may say, "I cannot do this. I'm fainting. I'm failing." Yet, God's word to us is the same as that given to Zerubbabel: "It is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord." We can accomplish these things, and we will not fail or faint in this work as we rely upon His unending mercies.

Turn your Bibles to the book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah chapter 40. If you turn to about the middle of your Bible, in the Psalms, and then turn to the right, you will find it. In Isaiah chapter 40, look at verse 28. God, speaking to His people through the prophet Isaiah, says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, He faints not, neither does He weary."

That's a good thing to know: God never gets tired. He never faints, and He never grows weary. There is no searching of His understanding. He is awesome in all His power and character. Isaiah goes on to say that God gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might, He increases strength.

Even the youth shall fall and be weary; the young men shall utterly fail. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. These are the truths that we are given as promises from God.

Even the youths shall faint; they shall utterly fail and fall. But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. This is a great truth that God gives to us, and this is what He calls us to in this work. We are given the ministry of righteousness to live righteously before God and man, and the ministry of reconciliation to bring the Gospel of God to those who remain in darkness. These are the works that God has given to us. He says that as we rely upon Him, as we put our confidence and trust in Him and wait upon Him, we will have good success.

Now, there's an existential problem here. Most of us who have lived with the Lord and walked with the Lord for any length of time recognize that there are obstacles. There are things that hinder us, things that get in the way of having success in this work, this ministry of righteousness, and this ministry of reconciliation. Paul knew that, and so in the remaining verses of chapter 4, he addresses three obstacles, three problems that you and I face in the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation.

Not only does he give us the problems and identify the issues, but he also provides some clues as to how we can maintain strength, how we can meet these issues, and find success. He gives not only the problem but also the solution.

Look first at verse 2 to see what problem number one is. Second Corinthians 4:2 says, "But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." So we have the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation, and everyone who seeks to succeed in these two works must walk righteously before God.

Men who seek to bring the gospel to lost people are confronted with the first problem: the problem of the flesh, our own hidden failings or sinfulness. We are all faced with this reality as we strive to live rightly before God and those in this world. Not one of us is completely perfect on a day-to-day basis; every single one of us fails. This leads us to ask, how is it possible that we can avoid fainting in the midst of the ministry that God has given us?

Paul provides us with four things we can do to help us succeed against the problem of our flesh and the hidden failings of our sinful nature. The first is found in verse two: we renounce all hidden dishonesty. The word "renounce" means to expose, to bring into the open, to confess. We must confess those inward things in our hearts that hinder us from living rightly before God and man. We do not try to drum up strength to overcome these issues; instead, we overcome them by bringing them to God and saying, "Lord, I confess that this wickedness keeps me from your righteousness being evident in my life. Would you forgive me and cleanse me?"

First John 1:9 assures us that God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us as we confess our unrighteousness to Him. Additionally, the Apostle James instructs us in James 5 to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed. Therefore, we must renounce the hidden things of dishonesty that may reside in our hearts, for they are indeed present.

Secondly, in verse two, Paul tells us that we are to determine to walk uprightly and not deceitfully. This is something we can only accomplish by God's power and grace. As we see in verse two, we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty and are not walking in craftiness or deceit. Instead, we have determined to walk uprightly. This realization prompts us to ask God for His help, for we have already learned that apart from Him, we can do nothing, as stated in John chapter 15. However, by His strength, we can persevere.

Do all things, as stated in Philippians 4:13. This stirs us to come back to Him. Lord, I am renouncing and confessing this sin that is in my heart. Would You forgive me? Would You cleanse me? Lord, I am determining to walk uprightly by Your grace and by Your strength, to not walk deceitfully.

In verse two, He tells us that we are to handle the Word of God rightly. We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully. We must be honest in our use of the Word of God, both in our lives and in our application of it in the lives of other people. Paul said to Timothy, "Study to show yourself approved unto God, as a workman not ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth." We must rightly utilize it both in our own hearts and in the lives of others. So, renounce all hidden dishonesty, determine to walk uprightly by the grace and power of God, and handle the Word of God correctly.

Number four, He instructs us in verse two to live openly in honesty before men and God. Look at it again with me: "But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." We seek to live openly and honestly before men and God.

We have been given this ministry of righteousness to be servants of righteousness before God and men. We have also been given this ministry of reconciliation to bring light to those who remain in darkness. We can succeed against the first enemy, our own flesh, by doing the things outlined in verse two.

The first problem that hinders us from having good success in the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation is what we see in verse two: the hidden failings of our flesh. The second problem is given to us in verses three through six. Look at it with me: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

So, there are two problems. The first problem is the hidden failings of our flesh. The second problem is the enemy who has blinded the eyes of the unbeliever.

The two enemies are clear: the flesh and the devil. There is a spiritual battle going on in this world for souls, and the overwhelming majority of human souls are blinded by unbelief and by the work and craftiness of the devil. God says to the church, "I've given you a ministry of righteousness. I want you to live uprightly before Me and before all in this world. I've also given you a ministry of reconciliation."

We may respond, "But Lord, we have this flesh." He replies, "I know. Here's how you deal with the flesh." We might say, "But Lord, You want us to bring light to those who are in darkness. They've been blinded by the devil. How do we do that?" He gives us the answer in verse five: "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus's sake."

For God, who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. How do we address the problem of the enemy blinding the eyes of the unbeliever? It’s very simple: preach the gospel. The gospel of Jesus exposes darkness to light.

Turn in your Bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter one. John 1:1 states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made that was made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.

Now there was a man sent from God whose name was John, John the Baptist. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but he was sent to bear witness of that light, that it was the true light which lights every man that comes into the world. He, the light, was in the world.

And the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God.

Now, who is this light? Verse 14 states, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Who is the light? Jesus is the light. He is the one who shines in the darkness.

John chapter 3 tells us that men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. But God has brought light into this world to enlighten those who are blinded and in darkness by the enemy. That light overcomes darkness; it dispels darkness. Even though the enemy works overtime to blind the eyes, minds, and hearts of unbelievers, we have that which opens their eyes, hearts, and minds: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul said to Timothy in Second Timothy 1 that Jesus is the one who abolishes death and brings life and immortality to light through the gospel. He reveals the way to life and immortality. Paul, when he was speaking about what God called him to and his ministry to the Gentiles in Acts 26, said, "I was sent by God to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me."

How does one do this? How do we bring people out of darkness and into light? I believe that one of the answers is given to us in the book of First Peter. Turn your Bibles to First Peter, right after the book of James, chapter 2. First Peter 2:9 speaks to us, to the church: "But you, church, are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation."

And a peculiar people, why? That you should proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. So, God has called us; He has enlightened us by the Gospel. He has given us His light within us by His indwelling Holy Spirit. He has given us a ministry of reconciliation to go to people who are in darkness, who are bound and captive by the enemy, the adversary, the devil.

We are to preach the Gospel to them. Every one of us has this responsibility. This is not just the ministry of evangelists; this is the ministry of every Christian to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and what He has done for sinful man. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He took our sin upon the cross, took the punishment for our sin there, and has made the way open for us to be righteous in Christ by putting our faith and our confidence in Him.

This is our call. Now, every Christian in this room today, you have a testimony. A testimony is your story about how the Gospel of Christ has affected your life. However, we need to recognize that as good as a testimony is, it is not the Gospel. It is just a record of the power of the Gospel in our lives. So, yes, we should share our testimonies, but we should never neglect to share the Gospel. We should never neglect to share with people what brought us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

So, preach the Gospel. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16, that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. He goes on to say in chapter 4, "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."

We have this ministry of righteousness where we're called to live in an upstanding way before God and men. Although we have a sinful flesh, we confess those things and ask God for His help to transform us so that we can overcome and fulfill the ministry of righteousness. We also have a ministry of reconciliation, carrying the Gospel to those who are in darkness, who have been blinded by Satan. We have the power, by the Gospel of Christ, to bring them out of darkness.

Into light, we have a third problem that sometimes keeps us from effectively fulfilling the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation. We've already seen the problem of our flesh and the problem of the devil. What do you suppose the third problem will be? It is the problem of the world.

Look at it with me, if you will, in verse 7 of 2nd Corinthians 4: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; we are persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus's sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death works in us, but life in you."

We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, "I believed, and therefore I have spoken," we also believe and therefore speak, knowing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 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.

So, Paul reveals problem number one: our flesh. Problem number two: the devil. Problem number three: affliction and persecution in this world. The trials and tribulations that every single one of us will face—both Christians and non-Christians alike—are inevitable. However, Christians have the added pressure of persecution and affliction for the name of Christ. Most certainly, those things can discourage us and hinder us.

From fulfilling the mission of the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation, they can come against us in such a way that it shakes us to where we almost give up and throw in the towel. If anybody evidenced this in their life, it was the Apostle Paul. He speaks about it here in this passage and gives us, I believe, some important truths as to the solution for this issue.

How do we face this world, the afflictions and persecutions of this world, and maintain success, not fail, and not faint in the mission of the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation? I think key to the answer to that question is what we find in verse 7. We recognize that our temporal being and earthly life is not the treasure we hold dear. Our temporal life, our earthly existence, is not the treasure we hold dear. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

He goes on to explain this a little bit more in verses 8 and 9. You see, if we treasure this existence, if our treasure is this life in this world, then when trouble comes, we will be distressed. When perplexing situations arise, we will despair. When we're persecuted, we will think that we've been forsaken by God, and when we find ourselves downcast, we're going to be afraid that we're destroyed.

But if we recognize that this world is not that which is to be treasured, and that we have this treasure in this earthly vessel—this body which is the indwelling Spirit of God that directs us to His presence, being with Him for eternity—then we don't treasure this existence. Paul says this: we are troubled on every side, but we're not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; we're persecuted, but we're not forsaken; we're cast down, but we're not destroyed.

You see the difference? If you treasure this life, if you treasure this existence and fail to recognize those things that are not seen, which are eternal, you're absorbed with those things that are seen, the temporal. Then, when you are perplexed, when you are troubled...

When you are persecuted or downcast, you may feel despair and distress. You might think that you are forsaken and that you will be destroyed. However, if we recognize that the abundant life we have in Christ is greater than just an earthly existence, we begin to realize that when we suffer or go through difficulties for the cause of Christ, we are experiencing what are called the sufferings of Christ.

In those moments, we will recognize that God, in the midst of our struggles, brings forth His glory through us. Look again at verses 10 through 12. Paul writes about himself and those working with him, saying, "We are always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ." We experience the sufferings of Christ—not in the same magnitude or way that He did, but on His behalf because we are His followers.

Why do we experience these sufferings? Paul explains in the middle of verse 10 that "the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." Why doesn't God just keep us from any sort of difficulty? Why is the health, wealth, and prosperity doctrine not true? God allows us to go through these sufferings so that His glory is displayed in these earthen vessels. It is as if His glory breaks forth when we experience the sufferings of Christ.

Paul reiterates this in verse 11: "For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus's sake." Because he was a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul faced persecution. You might wonder, "Why, God, don't You stand on behalf of these people and stop this persecution from coming to them?" The answer is that "the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh." He is revealing Himself through us in the midst of difficulty.

Paul sums it up like this: "So then death works in us, but life in you." We experience the suffering of Christ on His behalf because we are followers of Jesus. Although our nation has largely been exempt from any sort of persecution for the name of Christ, I don't believe it will always stay that way. There is coming a day when there will be very clear trouble because you are a Christian and you name the name of Christ.

Experience suffering and death, and you may encounter difficulty and tribulation. However, in the midst of that, God uses these experiences to bring about life in other people. It is true that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose, as stated in Romans 8:28. He is working a great thing out in and through us. He has a plan, and although we may not recognize or see that plan, He is effectively bringing it to pass.

If our whole treasure is in this world, Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." If your heart is bound up with this world, when distress, persecution, and trouble come upon you, your whole world falls apart. You will give up; you will faint. But if your focus is on those things that are not seen, those things that are eternal, you will have a different mindset.

Look at what Paul says down in verse 17: "For our light affliction." This is the same man who was beaten with rods, whipped, shipwrecked, thrown in prison, and ultimately martyred—killed by having his head separated from his body, which normally ends badly—all for the name of Christ. He says, "Our momentary light affliction is just for a moment, and it is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory."

Paul would say in Romans 8:18, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." Where was his focus? Was it on those things seen or unseen, on those things that are temporal or eternal? As a result of his focus in the midst of these difficulties, he did not faint.

So much so, in the last letter he writes to Timothy—2 Timothy, his very last letter before he is martyred—he says, "I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, there is now laid up for me a crown of righteousness." We must have this mindset that God is working something far greater than that which we see.

Paul says in verse 13, "We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, 'I believed and therefore I spoke.'" He quotes Psalm 116:10, saying, "The psalmist in Psalm 116:10 said this: We have the same mindset; we also believe, therefore we speak." We believe.

What we believe is that we will be with the Lord for eternity, and the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. Therefore, we speak boldly; nothing hinders us. Persecution, distress, temptation, tribulation—nothing can separate us from the love of God.

We speak all the more boldly, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also with Jesus and shall present us with you. We know this and have this steadfast assurance: Jesus was raised from the dead; God will raise us up too. Therefore, what would hinder us from speaking and fulfilling the ministry of righteousness and the ministry of reconciliation? Nothing. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.

For this cause, we faint not. Even though our outward man perishes, our inward man is being renewed day by day. Now, how many of you, with each passing day, are very thankful for that truth? The outward is perishing. Have you recognized that? I mean, is that true? The reality is that every single human being, from the time they are born, begins to die. Everything is atrophying. The second law of thermodynamics, the law of entropy, is true: everything goes from a state of order to disorder. It doesn't move quite as well, doesn't function quite as well, doesn't smell quite as good, doesn't see quite as far, or hear quite as well. It's just falling apart.

Everybody experiences that, but only the Christian experiences the inner man being renewed day by day and has this hope. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen, for the things that are seen are temporal.

I don't know about you, but I'm thankful that the things that are seen are temporal. There are some people in our nation today who are spending an awful lot of money to try and upgrade the things that are seen. They need to really come to terms with this verse and understand that they don't have to waste their money; it's temporal. Work on the inner man; it's eternal. Plastic melts, falls apart, and this is all going to burn. Bodily exercise profits little.

Little but godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise of life that now is and that which is to come, says Paul in First Timothy four. We look not at the things that are seen, for they are temporal, but at the things that are unseen, for they are eternal.

Church, listen. We have a ministry of righteousness. We have been called by Christ to live righteously before Him and before those in this world. It is an impossible task in and of your own strength, but under the new covenant, by the abiding power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible. We have a ministry of reconciliation whereby we are to take the glorious light of Christ's gospel to those who are in darkness by preaching the gospel that overcomes the work of the enemy and blinds the hearts and minds of those who are unbelievers.

Although we may suffer difficulty, trial, and tribulation for the sake of Christ, it only stirs us and presses us on all the more to look forward to our home in heaven. It should encourage us to speak all the more boldly the gospel of Christ. Amen.

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You for Your great word. I pray, Father, that You would work these things out in our lives. Help us to be successful and not faint when confronted with the disheartening reality that we are not perfect and that we fail. Lord, help us to bring our failings to You, to confess them, and to find in You all that is needed for forgiveness and cleansing.

God, when we're confronted with people who seem so hard-hearted and so blinded to the gospel that we fear they'll never come to the knowledge of the truth, let us, Lord, be encouraged to speak boldly the gospel of peace. And, Lord, when we face trial, tribulation, distress, and persecution for Your sake, remind us, God, that You're working through it to bring about Your glory in this life and in this world. Ultimately, You have a glorious plan in the end. Work these things in us, we pray.

I recognize, as we're all standing here now praying, that there are some who have been following the Lord but feel like they constantly fail.

Insufficient. God wants you to recognize that and cast yourself upon Him and His grace, for He is the one who sustains and gracefully maintains us. He gives us the ability to do those things that we cannot do on our own.

If that's you today, the pastors and some of the elders will be up here to pray with and for you. You may want to come down right now and just pray with them. Confess your weakness so that you can find God's strength evident in your life.

There may also be some here who have not yielded to the Lord. You are still trying to live a good life, trying to fulfill the law, trying to jump to Catalina on your own, and it's just not possible. If you recognize that today and want to put your confidence and trust in Christ for your salvation, the pastors and some of the elders who are down here want to pray with you. Step out from where you are and come down. They want you to know the grace of Christ that overcomes our sin.

Father, we thank You for Your grace. Work in us to will and to do those things that are pleasing to You this day and this week. We ask in Jesus' name. Amen. We'll see you next time. Thank you.