Treasure within

2 Corinthians 4:7-15

[These are my notes, and not exactly what was preached]

So, you’ve been following the message of 2 Corinthians over the last few weeks, and now you see that:

·        The gospel – the message that Jesus Christ is Lord – is a glorious message. It’s glorious because it has the power to bring life to the dead & light to the blind.

·        And you’ve realised afresh that God has called you to be involved in the ministry of this glorious gospel. That God has commissioned you to tell the truth that Jesus Christ is Lord. You won’t water it down and you won’t distort it.

·        But you also realise that getting involved with this ministry is risky. It will mean hard work – deliberately making time to have neighbours round for Christmas drinks; daring to tell colleagues that you were at church on Sunday and yes, you do believe in Jesus.

·        And sometimes you’ll get a frosty – even a hostile – reception.

·        But you’ve also begun to see that, though this ministry is tough, it is the only thing that can give your life true purpose, value and meaning. You know that gospel ministry can transform the most mundane life into one of joy and glory.

And you’re up for it.   And yet…   And yet you’re full of doubts:

·        How can I possibly do this? I’m not a gifted speaker. I’m shy, I clam up when I do actually spot an opportunity. I don’t have all the answers. I get muddled and confused when people challenge me.

·        I’m exhausted when I get home from work, and it’s hard to do anything other than flop in front of the TV. I don’t have the energy to spend time encouraging people at BS or spending time with non-Xns. It’s hard work.

If that’s you – and I hope it is – then you’re in good company – in the company of the apostle Paul, and  these next verses shold speak directly to you.

What we learn here is that God doesn’t want people who are full of themselves.

He wants people who are empty, ordinary, weak & fragile – people who are like clay pots.

And God wants fragile, empty clay pots because he fills them – he fills us – with sparkling treasure: v7, ‘We have this treasure in jars of clay’.

What is this treasure we have?

·        It’s the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

·        It’s the announcement of the angel to Mary, ‘You will give birth to a son... He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’

·        It’s the announcement to Joseph, ‘You are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.’

·        It’s the announcement to the shepherds, ‘I bring you good news of great joy for all the people. Today, in the town of David, a Saviour has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord.’

That is the treasure we have. We have the knowledge of the glory of God within our weak bodies.

Just pause and consider that for a moment. What greater treasure could there be than knowing the splendour & majesty of God in Christ Jesus?

Think how you treasure the knowledge of your family: perhaps you have photos of them in around the house because you’re proud of them – because they’re special.

But knowledge of Jesus Christ is infinitely more valuable than a husband’s knowledge of his wife or a mother’s of her child because he is the glory of God.

You have this knowledge. You have this treasure within you.

Now, when Paul says that he – and we – are like jars of clay, that it isn’t some kind of false humility.

No, it is God’s plan and intention. He wants us to be weak and frail – so that the gospel can be seen to have God’s all-surpassing power.

V7, ‘We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God.’

It is not the power of the minister – you or me – but the power of God that must shine into this dark world. 

We bear the gospel message in fragile, ordinary – sinful – bodies, minds and hearts. But – and here’s the key – the gospel is the all-surpassing power of God so it brings life to the dead and light to the blind.

The power to lift others out of their powerlessness in the face of suffering, decay and death does not come from us, but from God’s gospel that he has put within us.

You might be on the gifted & talented register at school; you might get straight A*s and a PhD; you might play in the winning team for England against the All Blacks; you may be the mother of three wonderful children; you might be the CEO of a FTSE 100 company… but you cannot and will never do anything as glorious as sharing the all-surpassing power of God which is the gospel.

And that’s what God wants for you. That’s what God has called you to do.

Now, you might think that having such a power within would mean that the world would give you respect and honour. That the church would be full of people with OBEs & MBEs for their services to the gospel.

Not so. Paul had this treasure within. He had seen the all-surpassing power of God at work through him and yet, v8,  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus.’

If we’re going to try to persuade people to trust the God who demonstrates his love by suffering for them, then we need to back up our words about Jesus with actions modelled on Jesus.

So we suffer willingly for the sake of others: being hard-pressed by the demands of gospel ministry, being perplexed and puzzled by the hard decisions we have to make, being persecuted by those who reject the message. And perhaps even giving our lives for the gospel.

But remember from chapter 1: we know the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. So though we’re under pressure, we’re never crushed. Though we’re perplexed, we never sink into despair. Though we’re persecuted, we know that we’ll never be abandoned, and if we die, we’ll never be destroyed.

Yes, for millions of Xns today death is a real possibility. But us?

Well, what if, because you’re burning the candle at both ends, witnessing to Jesus and building his church, you have a heart attack and die? Is that the worst thing that could happen to you?

No. “We may be struck down, but we cannot be destroyed”.

In fact, says Paul, We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, life is at work in you.

This is extreme imagery. But it only echoes what Jesus himself said. ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself take up his cross and follow me.’

But how can our suffering result in life for others?

Because our self-sacrifice is an illustration of the sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus gave his life to bring us life.  So now, we illustrate what he did  by giving our whole life for the sake of the gospel.

And, if God chooses to open the blind eyes of our wives or husbands, our parents or children, our neighbours or colleagues, they will gain life through our suffering.

All of this is God’s plan and intention. The glory of the gospel is manifested, not in the triumphalism and outward glory of televangelists or cathedrals or false claims of miracles & prosperity, but in suffering and weakness.

God does not make us into empty & richly decorated fine bone china vases. He makes us into clay jars – clay jars full of the most precious treasure.

And because we have this glorious, precious, treasure of the gospel within us, we have to speak it even though it involves hard work, self-sacrifice, generosity, rejection, pain, illness and so on.

And it’s the power of the gospel that enables us to give everything for Christ.

Have a look at vv13-14 READ

If we believe truly believe that when we die, God will raise us to new and eternal life in the presence of Jesus, then we begin to see this life for what it really is – very, very short.

In 1900 life expectancy was 45 for men & 49 for women.  Everyone knew that life was short. So to give your life for the gospel meant that you’d really done something wonderful with the brief life that God had given you.

Today, life is so much longer and there are so many more things we can do and experience – so many more distractions and so many more tomorrows – that we’ve lost the urgency and importance of the gospel – of death and resurrection.

We need to recapture reality: life is not so much present as future.

And in comparison to an eternity with – or without – Christ, life is still very, very brief.

And if this life is cut short because we’re working to bring thanksgiving and glory to God and eternal life to others, then so be it.

“For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us in his presence.”