2nd Corinthians Week 6: Unveiled Glory of God in Us.

  There’s a story of a young boy from the mid 1800s, who came home from school one day with a letter from his teacher. The boy presented the letter to his mother and told her, “My teacher gave me this letter, and said that only you could read it. What does it say?” The mother opened the letter and tears filled her eyes. She read it out loud to her son, “Your son is a genius, this school is too small for him and doesn’t have good enough teachers to train him. Please teach him yourself.” Years later when the boy became a young man, he was cleaning out his recently departed mother’s things and found the letter. He began to read, “Your son is mentally deficient. We cannot let him attend our school anymore.” The revelation came as a shock, but he was overcome with his mother’s love for him in sparing him from that hurtful reality. Later he would write in his journal. Thomas Alva Edison was a mentally deficient child, whose mother turned him into the genius of the century.”

Edison’s mother saw within her child something that others didn’t. That something went on to grow into genius and impacted the entire world.

It’s this idea of there being something needing to be grown and unleashed within the believer that brings us back into our summer series where we’ll be picking it back up in chapter 4 verse 1 of 2nd Corinthians. And as we do, let’s look back on the last five weeks as we enter our second section of this letter. 

The first section lays the ground work for what Paul will be addressing from here on out. That foundation is based on Paul’s love for the Corinthians that he confronted the situation with measured harshness and restoration purpose, which led to the joy of their repentance. The first three chapters reveal the hurt and process by which Paul chose to deal with the Corinthians and then rejoiced in what God had done in their repentance. 

It’s here in the second section of 2nd Corinthians, that Paul begins building upon that foundation of purposeful correction and where we pick the Scriptures back up in 2nd Corinthians 4:1, let’s read together.

4:1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, 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. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.

13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.

Paul uses a word to link the rest of his letter to his initial foundation found in the first three chapters. The word in Greek is “Dio” (dee-o), which is usually translated as “therefore,” or “because.” The word means “because something happened, we’re move forward.” Paul’s using it to say, because of the foundation of confronting the problem, approaching it with less harsh methods, with the purpose of restoration, we’re going to move forward with instruction. 

That instruction is the rest of the book, with different topics strung together with eighteen more “Dio” or “therefore” words. It’s because of this that finding a stopping point in Paul’s overarching idea is difficult. So as we move forward in the letter, we are going to stop at pauses in the thought, rather than on breaks of big ideas. 

Therefore, in what we just read, though this translation uses different connecting words, there were three uses of “Dio.” But the connection all revolves around the Gospel, it’s impact, and why Paul is doing what he is doing. Let’s break this down into three parts:

Our first part begins with chapter 4 verses 1-6. It starts out with “Therefore,” because of all that Paul just said about how he dealt with the Corinthians through this situation. He wants them to know that everything he does has as it’s focus, his mission in the proclamation of the Gospel. 

The Gospel is proclaimed through truth and the right handling of God’s word. If there is deception in the presentation, or manipulation of the word to bring people into the Church, than it isn’t the Gospel. 

The Gospel is proclaimed with truthfulness, meaning we don’t shy away from tough issues. Gospel means good news, and with that good news there is also bad news. The bad news is that we are sinners, and by our actions, we have condemned ourselves to an eternal second death in hell. We can’t be deceitful in our presentation of the Gospel, because then we are not presenting the true and full Gospel of Jesus. 

Rightly handling the word of God means that, as a believer, I am more concerned about making sure that I am not manipulating the words of God, than I am about feelings, mine and others. Though I should be gracious in teaching from the Scriptures, I don’t gloss over or change words to fit someone’s sinful disposition. Rather we let the Word of God stand on what it says, and we change based on that stance.

It’s why it can be a veil for people who reject it. Like the Israelites who had a veil of religiosity keeping them from the glory of God, people who reject the Gospel have a veil of sin, whether that would be pride, or their sinful passions, or some other sin, that they desire to continue in, rather than accept the reason for Jesus’ sacrifice.

And so, it’s Paul’s commission to bring the Gospel of Jesus’ light to dark places so that people may turn to the Lord for salvation.

 

Moving to the second part, Paul brings into focus how the power of the Gospel is working right now.

As Paul moves into the power of the Gospel for our lives, he says that it’s, “treasure in jars of clay.” In the culture, these type of clay jars were not the best quality, and could break easily, but they were used everyday for functional work; most noticeably for garbage and human waste. 

So Paul is using this imagery of garbage cans to talk about how the power of God through the Gospel is using us weak and unworthy things. And so Paul begins this back-and-forth on how the power of God works in these easy broken garbage cans:

“…hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed…”

“…we are perplexed, but not in despair…”

  “…persecuted, but not forsaken…”

“…struck down, but not destroyed.”

In other words, because of the great power of God in his people, that comes by way of the Gospel, us clay jars, once good for garbage, continue to work without falling apart from the attacks of this world.  

As, he goes on to say, it’s carrying the death of Jesus, that his life can be experienced. It brings Jesus’ death and resurrection story to the world. It’s experiencing the pain of witnessing to the Gospel, that others might be saved to eternal life.

Paul then connects proclaiming the Gospel to the Psalmist, who in Psalm 116:9-10 proclaimed, “I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed, even when I spoke: ‘I am greatly afflicted…’”

Because this is the calling for the Lord on all his people’s lives, from Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Jospeh, to Moses, to the prophets, to the apostles, to you and I, the proclaiming of God’s life to a death landscape as affliction surrounds us, is the call of the believer. And so we speak about his life, in the midst of pain, because this pain is temporary, but the life of Jesus, or the separation from him in the second death, is eternal. 

Paul then states that it’s this very eternal reason that we don’t lose heart. Our bodies may be failing, and we might experience pushback, persecution, trials, tribulation, and painful times, but all of it can’t compare to the eternal lives that are set ahead for anyone who has put their trust into Jesus as Savior. 

It’s here that we get our third part to this thought.

Starting in chapter 5, verses 1-11, it’s because of eternal realities that are being experienced in the midst of the pain of this world, that the aim of the believer is to please God. We as believer’s should hold onto this with clear understanding, our home is with the Lord. Our house, or trailer, or wherever we lay our head at night is not our home. Our town is not our home. Our county is not our home. Our state is not our home. Our country is not our home. Our continent is not our home. Out hemisphere is not our home. Out world is not out home. Our home is with Jesus our Lord and Savior. 

What we have now will pass away, and the only thing that matters is, have accepted Jesus, or have we rejected him? 

If we are found with out lips confessing Jesus as Lord, then we await that great day when we either meet him as we pass away from this life by way of the first death, or we meet him at his physical return. Either way, as believers, we’re out to please Jesus. Because he is worthy of that pleasure of seeing his people serve him by worship, by sharing of the Gospel, and by serving those around us.

Because, God desires that his people realize, take hold, and carry out his call on their lives. You and I have been commissioned, like Paul was commissioned, to be minsters of the life infusing Gospel ministry. It’s a ministry that begins with us being truthful and rightly handling the Word of God. It’s a ministry that sees the power of God work in us to overcome sin, and to accomplish work that we could not do on our own in our recognized weak state. And it is a ministry that seeks the pleasure of God, because his is eternal, while the pleasure of this world is dying. 

My challenge for you is to go before the Lord in at least one of three areas this week, and seek him to strengthen you in that area. First, seek the Lord to strengthen your ability in handling God’s word that his truth may be revealed to people. Second, seek the Lord to strengthen his power in you to overcome a sin you’ve been struggling with. Finally, seek to please the Lord in carrying out his will above your own.

We are called to be God’s people. That means that we are his clay jars to be used as he sees fit. And for this time in our history, that purpose is Gospel proclamation coupled with Gospel living. Let us be people who are living and proclaiming the death and life of Jesus, that others may enter into our commission, and that they may see the unveiled glory of God. Amen.

2nd Corinthians Week 5: Aroma of Freedom

Our Civil War sought to reunite the country, who’s animosity towards one another rose to such a hight that families turned against one another. In the middle of the war, as President Lincoln stood at the battlefield of Gettysburg, he gave his famous speech. Most of us have probably heard the opening, “Four score and seven years ago…” But it’s the second half of the speech that gives the whole, weight.

Lincoln proclaimed, “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Our nation was founded on the belief that God grants freedom to people. That freedom was understood as coming through Christ. It’s a call that from the cross, through the empty tomb, which shouts throughout the rest of human history. And it’s freedom that we continue to struggle with today, as our nation looks to plunge itself back into civil war.

It’s this call of freedom that brings us back into our summer series here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 2, verse 12. Because it’s only in Christ, where the freedom our fore fathers died for, can truly be experienced. And as we open up to 2nd Corinthians 2:12, lets look back on the last four weeks.

In our first week we talked about how Paul was rejoicing that his third letter, now lost, to the Corinthian Church was well received, and that they had repented. So from the greeting onward, the letter is one that is mainly about Paul’s joyfulness of that repentance. 

Paul then shares how through the process of confronting this painful situation, being the least harsh he could be, and with his focus on restored relationships, the problem has been overcome. 

And because of the process that Paul did was godly, restoration between him and the Corinthians has taken place, and they are restored to fellowship with Paul, and the greater Church of God. 

With that in mind, we read his continued rejoicing, as we return to 2nd Corinthians 2:12.

12 When I came to Troas (T-row-a-ss)  to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

3:1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

v. 2:12-17

At the start of these verses, Paul is giving us a brief glimpse into his physical, emotional, and mental state in-between sending his third lost letter and meeting Titus with the Corinthians’ response. He tells the Corinthians that though there was open ministry work in Troas (T-row-a-ss), Paul was on the edge of his seat wondering about how the Church at Corinth took his letter. Did they reject it? Did they accept it? Paul didn’t know and so he left the good work in Troas (T-row-a-ss) to meet Titus earlier in Macedonia. 

It’s after Paul meets up with Titus and learns that the Corinthians have responded positively to the letter, that Paul breaks out in praising God for the good news. In that moment, the whole weight of this painful situation was lifted from Paul’s shoulders.

Paul then uses fragrance to describe the ministry that God is doing through him. It’s an aroma, a sweet smell, that sees people saved, as the go from death to life. Paul is commenting on how seeing people grow closer to Christ, is a pleasing smell to experience.

Because for the last three weeks we’ve been talking about how we need to confront painful situations. We’ve been talking about how we are to find the least harsh way to deal with such situations, and how the point of dealing with situations like these, is to restore them. And when those relationships are restored, it’s a a sweet place to be. It’s a perfume that brings joy. 

And why? Because all this is from a sincere place. Paul isn’t peddling the Gospel as if it’s a commodity. No, it’s a lived out calling that loves God and loves the people whom God died for. It’s a sincerity of love for people who are hurt, and when that hurt is overcome, there’s a rejoicing that is sweet to smell.

But in that moment, as Paul is talking about how great an aroma the Corinthians’ restored relationship is, his mind follows a thought of the difference between people who peddle the Gospel, and those who sincerely proclaim it.

v.3-18

Peddlers of the Gospel need letters of recognition from people, but sincere proclaimers are those who live it out and see transformed lives because of godly work. A peddler will have quick results that don’t last, especially when times get tough. A peddler isn’t in it for the long term. They use people and then toss them away. They’re conmen who are out for themselves, who build their own empires, who don’t confront sin, who use and then leave, just to do the same thing somewhere else. 

But a sincere proclaimer of the Gospel works through tough times. They care for the people they are witnessing to. People aren’t projects, they are seen as beloved of God. A proclaimer is interested in the betterment of the people; in their lives conforming greater to Christ, that they might experience him in deeper ways. Paul doesn’t need a letter from an outside source to give him credibility, his credibility is the very lives of the Corinthians being transformed by Jesus himself.

And it’s with this letter language that we see the Holy Spirit shifting Paul’s thought. Paul speaks of a letter, inked by the Spirit on hearts, and not stones.  

This shift looks to show us what a sincere proclamation is, it’s the New Covenant. Paul contrasts having confidence and boldness in God because of Jesus, who brings life, with a veil that holds back the glory of God. 

Paul speaks of a veil that hides God’s glory, because of harden hearts. He tells us that there was a glory in the law, but that it led the Israelites to not being able to see God as he desired them to see him. And that veil is only lifted through encountering the living Savior, Christ Jesus. The veil hides and brings about bondage, but with Jesus, the glory that the veil tries to hide, is on full display. Those who trust in Jesus are given the Holy Spirit, and they are set free. This whole thought crescendos in Paul’s statement in verse 17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

The Corinthians are living in that freedom. Freedom to overcome sin; freedom to deal with hard situations and experience the sweet aroma of restored relationships. They are being transformed by the Spirit into the image of the Son, which they were saved to do, and Paul is rejoicing in that very fact that they are experiencing that freedom.

Can you feel the excitement in Paul! This letter is been a joyful point in Paul’s ministry and he wants the Corinthians to understand how excited he is, because they are living in the freedom that Paul himself knows. 

For myself as a pastor, I get what Paul is saying. Because when I see people get it and live out their freedom in Christ, it truly is a sweet smell. 

The people he has bled for. The people that he has wept over. The people he has sweated for. They are living out and experiencing what Paul knows, and what Jesus died and resurrected for. And he is excited. And Paul puts an exclamation point on this whole thing by giving God the glory, “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

A peddler would claim the glory for themselves, but a sincere proclaimer gives credit back to God.

God desires that we experience the freedom that the Father who sent the Son to purchase through his death and resurrection, and which comes to us by way of the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit. That experience comes through tough times. It’s why Paul would later write to the Romans these words from chapter 5 of their letter, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (v.1-5).” 

If you’re not experience freedom, it’s because the veil is still holding on. The veil that says, I need to work my way to heaven. Or the veil that says, now that I accepted Jesus, nothing bad will happen. Or the veil that says, God can’t fix this situation. Those are veil’s of bondage, and we need Jesus to rip those veils off. 

But by ripping those veils off, we might suffer, so we need to trust him. That through suffering, we’ll have endurance, and character, and hope. And through it ,we will experience the aroma of freedom that is found in Jesus.

My challenge for you this week, is to seek the Lord to reveal what veil is over your eyes. What are those things that you say, can’t be fixed. We might say, God I know that this needs to go away, but you can’t fix it. Identify it through pray and listening to the Holy Spirit. Then, this week, every time it gets brought up, say a prayer like this, “Lord, I want freedom here, I want that aroma. Do whatever you need in me to make that happen. Amen.”

Let us be a people of sweet smelling aroma. A people who live in the freedom that Jesus bought on that cross and gives to all who put their trust in him as Savior. Amen.