2 Corinthians 4:7-12

2 Corinthians 4:7-12  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  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, 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, but life is at work in you. 

As Christians, are we too much alive to this world?  Paul said for the sake of the Holy Spirit's blessed ministry to the world, he is like a jar of clay, that which can be easily destroyed, fragile in nature.  He said, I am hard pressed on every side; the vicissitudes of life are overwhelming to me.  It seems as if I am spreading life to everyone, but my personal life is like death.  I struggle every day in my physical body, in my emotional well-being.  My enemies are always out to destroy me, to harm me, to belittle me.  My life is like an incessant march toward the grave.  My personal desires, wants, and security are not mine to claim, for I have given them to God: I am like a dead man.  But Paul concludes, I am sacrificing my life freely that I might give life to the lost, that they might hear and see the ministry of the HOLY SPIRIT through my life.  

Is this our desire?  Is this our compulsion?  Do we so much want God's life in us that we are willing to forgo the embellishments of life or even the essentials of life such as physical safety and security?  Are we willing to live God's life rather than our own?  Are we willing to accept God's voice, God's will, over our own voice and will?  I am sure some of the difficulties Christians experience in life are a call on their lives by God to rededicate themselves to him.  Christians, because they are human, tend to concentrate on themselves when everything is going well in their lives.  When they have enough money in the bank, enough health to feel good, enough security to know that they are okay, they tend to orient themselves back into the world; the world becomes more significant to them than it should be.  The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  (John 12:25)  They start to look for that next great relationship, that new car, that next remodeling project, that next house, that exciting trip.  They start to allow self-interests to power their lives rather than seeking God's direction.  

I know I am like that.  But difficulties, sickness, insecurity tend to refocus our lives.  For sure, most of us do not live the harrowing life that Paul lived.  But even though Paul experienced such a life, he wanted us to know that through Jesus Christ, he was more than a conqueror.  He said that many times he was perplexed, persecuted, struck down, and hard pressed, but God always gave him the victory because he was never crushed, abandoned, destroyed, or left in despair.  Paul knew God was using his difficult life as an instrument to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to a sick and dying world.  Paul literally revealed the WORD OF GOD, THE BREATH OF GOD to a sinful, gentile world through his lifestyle, his choices, his words.  Are we willing to be like Paul, willing to be brought low so that Jesus Christ might be manifested in our lives?  Are we willing to go through struggles so that Jesus Christ might be glorified?  Are we willing?  Paul depicts himself as an earthen jar, that which can be easily cracked and destroyed, but which also can contain the marvelous, supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit.  We are also earthen jars, but God's glory, his voice, his breath will be manifested in those earthen jars if we are willing, if we yield control to the Potter.

2 Corinthians 4:1-6

2 Corinthians 4:1-6  Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.  On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 

If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  Many religious people want to hear another gospel rather than believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved.  Others, more secular people, put their trust in science rather than religion, believing the origin of all things rests with the probabilities of nature rather than with God.  They very much think this "Jesus thing" is for the weak.  But both groups of people have been blinded by the god of this age.  Neither camp likes the word "saved."  They would much rather believe in good acts and bad acts, good people and bad people.  Of course, they almost always categorize themselves as one of the "good" people.  When God escorted Adam and Eve out of the garden, bad things began to happen.  Bad things happened to them.  Cain slew Abel.  Adam's son killed his brother.  From that day on, sin has manifested itself in mankind.  As the Bible indicates, we are ALL SINNERS.  We have all gone our own way, manifesting self-will, self-interest, and self-desires to the detriment of others--deception and cruelty became part of our nature.  

In today's passage Paul says that he does not preach himself, his works, but the works of Christ.  He preaches that light has come into the world, and that light can enter into our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ.  By knowing Jesus we can know the glory of God, his nature and likeness.  By knowing Jesus we can have eternal life.  There is no other gospel!  We might try to make a gospel of good works, but we will never enter into the kingdom of God through good works.  That is like little children with mud-caked hands trying to clean dirt off their clothes.  They will never be successful, their clothes will always be dirty.  Christ has made us servants to others, but in the flesh we will never be able to heal their souls or to provide an eternal resting place for them.  The best that we can do is to make each other's journey on Earth a little less difficult, but we can never forgive sins or reclaim a person's soul to God.  That can only come through faith in Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit.  

Some people pick and choose what they want to believe from the Bible.  Many times they'll choose the practical, that which is easily understood, but will eliminate the supernatural from the scriptures.  Thomas Jefferson did that: all supernatural events were literally excluded in his Bible.  But the Word of God is supernatural even in the practical scenes that we understand such as the story of the prodigal son.  The supernatural aspect of that story far exceeds the natural applications, for that story is referring to God receiving wayward humanity back into his eternal gracious existence if people will only repent and return to him.  As with the earthly father in that story, our heavenly Father is constantly looking down the road to see if his beloved creation will return to him.  When he was in the pig stye, the son said by faith, "My father will receive me if I return."  And this is still true today: God will receive us no matter who we are if we will return to him THROUGH THE DOOR, WHICH IS FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST.  This is the gospel; this is the WORD OF GOD.  As Peter said in Acts 4:12, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.  The gospel is specifically Jesus Christ: there is no other door, no other religion, no other faith.  In him alone is life eternal.  Don't let any circumstance, any knowledge, any man, blind you to that knowledge.

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

2 Corinthians 3:12-18  Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.  We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away.  But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read.  It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.  Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.  But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  Where Jesus is, that is where the Spirit is.  When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, He becomes the essential part of our life: the dynamo, the fire within.  The old lifestyle is put away, and a new life spawns within.  We are no longer obligated to do religious activity to reach God, for He is resident within us.  And because of his presence, a new world of freedom opens up to us.  For where the Spirit is, there is freedom.  The veil of bondage has been lifted from OUR EYES, for we are no longer under the burden of the Law.  We now live in Jesus with an understanding that He has done the work of transformation, and because of that work we are free in our spirits, realizing that righteousness does not depend on us but on Christ.  With that understanding, we dance with joy, praise God with vigor, sing songs passionately, and pray believing.     

All Christians have their ups and downs, but in Christ, who lifts us up into heavenly places, we are always conquerors.  We just don't always realize it. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:37-39)  In the above passage, the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul that we who are following God, not under the covenant of law or under religious rituals, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory.  Otherwise, God is doing a mighty work within us every day, for we are his sons and daughters.  We are to be free as He is free--free to reflect his nature, his likeness, to a hurting world.  We have his DNA in us.  We are free to live joyously.  As Christians we should be much like the young calf who has just been released into an expassive pasture from the confines of a dark, dank barn.  As the calf would, we should run, jump, skip, turn gloriously around, for we are FREE.  We are free from the bondage of the Law and the pressures and guilt of sin.  We are free from the dread of condemnation and the knowledge of our failure to please God.  We are free to bask in the sun (Son).  Hallelujah!  

Today, appropriate your freedom by expressing God's love to the world--your world.  Let freedom in Christ, the lover of your soul, sink deep within your consciousness and bring forth joy unspeakable and full of glory.  (1 Peter 1:8 KJV)  God has made you distinct, different.  He has made you unique to reflect his likeness to the world.  He is perfecting that work that He started in you and promises to bring to completion.  Praise God, God has set you free.  You are free, and as the apostle John wrote, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:36)

2 Corinthians 3:7-11

2 Corinthians 3:7-11  Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?  If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!  For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory.  And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!

Acts 15:6-11  Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”  The apostles and elders met to consider this question.  After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.  God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.  He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.  Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?  No!  We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”  

What does Paul mean by referring to the Law as the ministry that brought death?  Isn't the Law good?  Yes, it is good but can it bring life?  Can the Law bring forgiveness of sin?  Can it bring us into right relationship with God?  Yes and no.  First of all the Law is good, but fulfillment of the Law depends on MAN'S EFFORTS.  Therefore, to be righteous, to attain godly righteousness, a man must keep the Commandments completely all of his life, for if he breaks the Law, he cannot ever enter into the presence of God because God does not tolerate sin in his presence.  Sin has to be judged, and the judgement of violating the Law is DEATH.  Well, what about the sacrifices in the Old Testament?  Didn't they take away sin?  No, they covered sin.  They appeased the wrath of God for a while, for only blood, indicative of death, can satisfy the wrath of God on corrupting sin.  The sacrifices had to be performed yearly to insure that the wrath of God, the judgement of God, would not FALL ON HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE.  Because the Jews were chosen by God as his people, which in itself is an act of grace (unmerited choice), they needed a continuous covering of blood to stay in his presence and to find favor with him.  

However, the blood of bulls and goats could not eradicate sin; the blood could only insure for a short time that God's wrath on sin would be stayed.  All of these sacrifices, all of the ceremonies in the Old Testament, were in reality a looking forward to the enduring, complete sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  His sacrifice on the cross completed the work necessary for the eradication of sin from the human soul.  His work would write the law of God on our spiritual hearts.  His work alone puts us in right standing with God, not our efforts.  We are now righteous because of him, not because of us.  Then what about the Law?  It is good, but we fulfill the Law by placing our faith in Jesus Christ's work and not our own.  He alone was able to walk this world sinless.  He alone fulfilled the holy requirements of the Law.  He alone did not deserve the wrath of God.  Therefore, He was the perfect lamb, the unblemished lamb, the sinless one.  His sacrifice forever satisfied God's wrath toward sin.  His death completed the judgement of God.  He paid for our sins by HIS DEATH.  

Consequently, those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ and his work are righteous.  GOD has purified their hearts by faith (in Jesus Christ).  As Peter proclaimed to his fellow disciples: “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.  (Act 14:38-39)  We have been set free from the Law of sin and death, the Law of condemnation.  We have been set free from our works, our striving to be holy through our efforts.  We have been set free from the Law that could only mirror our unrighteousness, and now, praise God, we have entered into the ministry of the Spirit, which brings us eternal righteousness in Christ our beloved Lord.  We are now no longer just servants; we are sons and daughters of the Most High, ransomed by the blood of our only begotten brother, Jesus Christ.  Amen!

2 Corinthians 3:4-5

2 Corinthians 3:4-5  Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.  Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Paul's competence as an apostle came from the Holy Spirit within him.  The Holy Spirit used all of Paul's talents and his personality for the purposes of God.  Paul was a man of great zeal; he persecuted the church out of that zeal, but once he found Christ, he also used that zeal to spread the gospel.  Paul was literally an instrument of God, a creative being, placed in the hands of God to fulfill God's will on Earth.  We also are instruments, better known in the Bible as servants of the Most High.  Some Christians try to ignore this fact.  They take a cursory inventory of their skills and abilities and assess that they are not competent, that they don't have anything of worth within them to use for God.  They know they don't have a voice like an angel or the talent to play an instrument well or even the ability to teach, so they just sit back and claim they cannot be used by God in any effective way.  BUT GOD HAS GIVEN EVERYONE TALENTS TO DISPLAY HIS WORK, HIS PERSONALITY, HIS CREATIVE POWERS.  We are all instruments of God in some way.  For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.  (Ephesians 2:10)  If we die to our own personal insecurities, desires, and wants, we will be HIS WORKMANSHIP for his glory.  

Paul says, He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit.  Christ has made us through His Spirit that works within us instruments of honor.  Otherwise, we are capable of displaying God to a sick and dying world.  We have the spirit of the family of God within us; we have the talent of the family residing in our bodies.  Now, how does all that manifest itself?  Well, first of all it manifests itself through the gifts of the Spirit.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  These wonderful attributes should be in abundance in our lives.  People should know that we are different and NOT JUST RELIGIOUS or people who follow the letter, THAT WE ARE TRULY PEOPLE OF THE SPIRIT.  Of course these attributes will be ours if we die to our own passions and self-willed behavior, and God will give us many opportunities for the Spirit to shine through our lives.  We will be gifted in these spiritual areas if we die to ourselves and live for Christ.   

Secondly, God gave each of us (all mankind) special talents.  As Christians God wants us to use these talents for him: our abilities in art, music, teaching, administration, business, building, caring for others, ministering, parenting, serving, and so much more.  These are all special talents that God will use to display his nature to the world through our actions.  If we use our talents effectively and with zeal, the world will see the attributes of God here on Earth.  They will see the music of God, the art of God, the creativity of God lavishly and lovingly arrayed.  They will see God here on earth through our creativity and daily choices.  If we work hard in our jobs, using the talents He has given us, the world will see the behavior and heart of God.  They will know God through our efforts.  In everything we do, we should strive to do well.  We should be good fathers, good mothers, good papas and grannies.  We should be like God in all of our efforts.  Paul said follow me as I follow Christ.  This was an encouragement not an audacious boast.  We don't do anything out of law or out of necessity, we do it out of love, out of the Spirit.  We discipline our minds and spirits, so that God's attributes might shine forth in our lives, for we are ambassadors of his kingdom of light and love.  Therefore my friends, in everything we do, may we do it with earnestness, with creativity, with love under the unction of the Holy Spirit, for God is worthy to be praised and to be served.

2 Corinthians 3:1-3

2 Corinthians 3:1-3  Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?  Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?  You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.  You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 

What kind of letter are we?  Sometimes I am not a very good letter.  In those troubling times, I don't want anyone reading my letter (life), for it contains too much of me and too little of Christ.  Then it seems to be loaded with a lot of my handwriting and not enough of Christ's delicate script.  The content skews towards worldliness, criticism, anger, depression, sinfulness, laziness, waywardness, and on and on.  I find my letter containing more negative thoughts than positive thoughts, more destructive words than constructive words.  When these kinds of sentences (experiences) are written, I don't want to talk to anyone; I don't want to have any interactions.  I just want to be left alone to stew in my own juice of failure.  And not surprisingly the devil quickly becomes my close companion, saying, "Tsk, tsk, what a letter you are!  I just wish everyone could read you now."  And with other wonderfully destructive words, he interferes with my thoughts.  He is more than happy to abide with me to condemn me.  

But then another voice enters the room, a still, small voice.  "Cliff, I am here.  I am with you."  Then I remember the words, For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  (John 3:17)  During those many times when I just want to crumple up the letter and throw it away, Jesus' voice comes to my rescue.  He tells me, "This is not your letter, it is mine.  I always complete the letter.  I am not finished with you yet.  Read on."  This, of course, is our hope.  He is the letter writer--He is the letter.  Paul was telling the Corinthians they are letters, they are the results of his ministry, which has allowed Jesus Christ to give them a new life, a new letter, a new story.  Paul tells them that the Spirit of God is using the transforming spiritual ink from God's fountain of grace to change their lives.  Even though their lifestyles and worshipping practices troubled Paul at times, he understood full well that God was doing a metamorphic miracle in the Corinthians.  He knew they were leaving the desires and conformities of the dark world of sin and entering the heavenly light of God's grace and mercy.  

What about you this morning?  Are you disappointed in yourself?  Do you expect more from yourself than you are capable of producing?  Is your letter straying to the unprofitable, to the worldly?  If so, I want you to hear the words of Jesus: He is not finished with you.  I want you to hear him say, "I am with you.  You are not lost, for I am here."  Remember the above scripture: we are saved THROUGH HIM.  Through your human efforts, YOU will never be enough.  YOU will never be accepted in the Beloved because of your own righteousness.  YOU NEED CHRIST AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!  That is the gospel.  As a Christian you are a letter of love.  He has planted in your heart HIS LOVE, and you reciprocate with a great love for him, with a longing for his presence.  He alone makes you right with God.  Should you sin or continue in your funk to show God's great mercy toward sinners?  No!  Out of love you bring your LIFE and your THOUGHTS under his control.  BECAUSE OF HIS WORK IN YOU, you discipline your life out of love for Christ.  

Paul says he dies daily.  Otherwise, he brings his life under the authority of God.  When he fails, he goes back to Christ with repentance, realizing that Christ alone is the fountain of REAL LIFE.  The disciples understood this, learned this:  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness.  (John 1:4-5)  Therefore, our letters are written out of love by the hand of God, through the working of the Spirit in us. Consequently, let not our hearts be defeated by our personal disappointments or our human failings, but let us rise up in faith, for He is WORTHY to be praised.  Even though your letter hasn't been completed, it is finished in heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ, for He has overcome the world and death.  The one who calls you is faithful and he (Christ) will do it.  (1 Thessalonians 5:24)  When your letter (life) seems extremely disappointing, and maybe or for sure, not worthy, lift your head up, open up your spiritual ear, for He is near.  Feel the loving touch of his hand on your shoulder; listen to the whispered words of Christ: "I love you.  YOU ARE MINE!"

2 Corinthians 2:14-17

2 Corinthians 2:14-17  But thanks be to God,  who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.  For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.  And who is equal to such a task?  Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God. 

Do we spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him (Jesus Christ) or do we spread the acrid aroma of a wild beast, unable to be tamed even by God, expressing our will, doing our own thing, even though we have been a Christian for many years?  In our personal lives are we still unable to say I am sorry in a dispute?  Are we still unable to take the role of a servant, one who is under the complete authority of our Lord?  Do we as Christians not know that our lives have been purchased by the blood of Christ, and as believers our commitment is to follow Christ (our beloved brother) and HIM ALONE, NOT ALLOWING OUR OWN LIVES TO SUPERSEDE HIS LIFE IN ANY DECISIONS WE MAKE OR IN ANY INTERACTIONS IN WHICH WE PARTICIPATE?  Paul is telling the Corinthians that God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ when we spread the knowledge of Christ to the world, when we portray his likeness in everything we do.  Paul is saying when we are obedient to GOD'S WILL, we give off a sweet aroma of sacrifice just as Jesus, God's son, gives off that fragrance.  The smell of Jesus Christ is pleasing to the nostrils of the Father God.   

Notice, Paul states that some Christians live for Christ for their own sake.  They live Christian lives for personal gain, for profit, and sometimes for their own EGOS.  These Christians are bringing the gospel of Christ under THEIR OWN AUTHORITY for their own purposes, not bringing their lives under the authority of God, for HIS PURPOSES.  Paul says, he is not like those, for he brings the gospel of Christ with sincerity, as if sent THAT VERY DAY directly from the throne of God as his personal ambassador.  Paul is telling us always to be sensitive to our mission.  We also are CHRIST'S AMBASSADORS.  We carry the very words of God to people; we are God's living message, his epistles to the world.  When we claim to be ambassadors but live lives of derision, discord, hatefulness, or negativity, we bring a Christ of reproach to people.  We bring a Christ of anger and darkness.  However, when we bring hope, long-suffering, concern, kindness, and peace to people, we bring a Christ of love and light, one who can heal the sickness and sin of the world.  

We are the fragrance of God when we obey his command, for we display HIS CHARACTER, HIS BEAUTY, HIS PERFECT WILL.  However, when we are uncontrollable and wayward Christians, unable to captivate and to control our passions and desires, we are like untamed animals, wandering the deserts of this world for their own purposes and gain.  Paul asks us, who is equal to such a task of bearing the fragrance of God?  WELL, WE ARE, IF OUR LIVES ARE HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD!  If we daily die to our own self-will and seek God's will in everything we do, THEN WE ARE UP TO THE TASK.  We will carry His fragrance of life to a sick and dying world.  We will bring hope and strength to people who desperately want a change in their lives, but to those who are contented with their lives without God, WHO DEFINE LIFE AS EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, we bring the fragrance of death for we will remind them there is a God, and someday they will have to give an account of their willful lives.  Today, thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.  May we give forth the sweet fragrance of our Lord and bring many souls to life in him.  Love, Dad (Cliff)

(It is good to be back after a break.  Our son, Doug, told my wife that he was hungry.  I pray the Lord blesses you in this study of his Word.  You are all a blessing to me, and I appreciate your continued support and encouragement.)