1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:02,080 But let me just jump straight into this. 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:08,960 What do you and I have in common with a cardboard box? 3 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:13,400 I don't know if you've ever thought of yourself in those 4 00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,320 terms, but I hope that every one of you will feel encouraged by 5 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:19,960 the comparison by the time I'm finished here. 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,400 Because today I want to zoom in on one of my favorite verses and 7 00:00:25,400 --> 00:00:29,440 reminded remind us why it is such a blessing to be compared 8 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,160 to a cardboard box. I'm going to read from 2 9 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:37,960 Corinthians 4 verse 7. But we have this treasure in 10 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:43,000 jaws of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God 11 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,880 and not from us. Of course, if we really want to 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,000 dig into just one verse, we're going to need to dig into the 13 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,400 context. So I'm going to touch on the 14 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:57,920 background of that verse of Paul's second letter to the 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:03,000 Corinthians before I ask some questions like what is the 16 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:08,080 treasure that Paul is talking about and why clay pots? 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,080 And then we look at what it means for all of us. 18 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,800 But before I begin, let us just pray and ask God to help us. 19 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:21,520 Father God, thank you for Your word and for the truths of your 20 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,360 gospel that you have revealed to us. 21 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:27,880 Thank You that we can know You as our Lord and Saviour. 22 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,320 Help us as we look at your word today, to rightly understand the 23 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:38,720 message You have for US. Open our eyes to see and know 24 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:45,040 You better and to know what that means for our lives in Jesus 25 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:50,720 name, Amen. Now it is possible that the 26 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,840 first thing most scholars will tell you about Paul's second 27 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,080 letter to the Corinthians is that it wasn't actually his 2nd 28 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,840 letter to the Corinthian church. They will trace the timeline 29 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:06,800 from Acts chapter 18 where Paul first went to Corinth and he 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:12,080 spent 18 months there teaching and speaking about Jesus while 31 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,320 working with Priscilla and Aquila who were also tent makers 32 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:19,640 like him and with many people responding to Christ at that 33 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,160 time. We see the growth and the 34 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:25,080 beginning of the church in Corinth. 35 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,000 Then there is mention of a letter that came before the one 36 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:32,960 that we have in our Bibles that we know as One Corinthians. 37 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:38,440 And Paul after that makes another visit to Corinth, which 38 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,360 he refers to as the painful visit. 39 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,880 At this time he was involved in a difficult confrontation. 40 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,920 There was some particular sin in the church that needed to be 41 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,200 called out. And then after he was gone, he 42 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:55,640 sent another severe letter following up after his visit. 43 00:02:56,560 --> 00:03:00,480 So by the time we get to what we know as Second Corinthians, 44 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:04,560 there is a lot of back story to that particular context, that 45 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:09,360 particular church, and what he teaches has to do with the 46 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,600 fallout after that. And in this letter, we see it 47 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:15,600 starts with Paul comforting the church after all the conflict. 48 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,400 He's now working on repairing relationships within the church 49 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,720 and between himself and the church. 50 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:26,400 And he also covers some practical matters in the letter, 51 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,360 like explaining the changes in his travel plans and making 52 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:32,800 arrangements about a gift he's been collecting for the 53 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:34,400 struggling believers in Jerusalem. 54 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,040 But there's one other thing that's also a primary concern of 55 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:42,400 his He spends some time confronting challenges to his 56 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:46,080 own leadership. You see people in the church 57 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:49,480 have been influenced by a group who were going around known as 58 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,880 super apostles, right? I think actually super apostles 59 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:55,960 is something you'd probably feel familiar with today. 60 00:03:55,960 --> 00:04:01,360 We've got people who go around with titles and and status as 61 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:05,280 leaders in these big church movements and these super 62 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,680 apostles have been going around and expressing challenges to 63 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:14,080 Paul's ministry, saying that they were superior, they were 64 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:20,480 better in ministry than he was. And in two in two Corinthians 65 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:25,120 chapter 3, we see Paul has to now defend his ministry, but 66 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:29,720 let's look at how he defends it. He asks, do you do we need as 67 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,840 some do letters of recommendation to you or from 68 00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:36,200 you? You yourselves are our letter 69 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:40,720 written on our hearts, to be known and read by all, and you 70 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,960 show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written 71 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:47,760 not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on 72 00:04:47,760 --> 00:04:50,360 tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. 73 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:57,000 You see, Paul doesn't feel the need to prove himself as the 74 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,760 Super puzzle impossible super apostles seem to imply that he 75 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,400 should. The very existence of the church 76 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:08,840 in Corinth is the evidence that Paul's ministry is from God. 77 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,280 He continues in verses 5 and 6 by stating that not that we are 78 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:19,000 sufficient in ourselves to claim anything is coming from us, but 79 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:22,840 our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be 80 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,200 ministers of a new covenant. Not of the letter, but of the 81 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:29,120 Spirit. For the letters, letter kills, 82 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:34,160 but the Spirit gives life. Paul knows he doesn't need to 83 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:39,560 prove his qualifications because God is the one who calls him. 84 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:43,720 God is the one by this, by his Spirit, that makes him enough 85 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,360 for the task. And it is this confidence that 86 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,480 he has in his ministry that leads him into this most 87 00:05:50,560 --> 00:05:54,520 beautiful comparison between the ministry of the Spirit and the 88 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:58,040 ministry of the letter or the law which was given to Moses. 89 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,280 Now he refers to events that we would read about in Exodus 34, 90 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:07,120 and he describes how after receiving the law directly from 91 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:13,880 God upon Mount Sinai, Moses face was shining with so much glory 92 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:18,560 just from being in the presence of God and that the people, they 93 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,400 couldn't bear to look at him. And as a result, Moses ended up 94 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:29,400 covering his face with a veil until the glory had faded from 95 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:32,120 him again. So Paul says of the ministry of 96 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:33,800 the Spirit. Will not the ministry of the 97 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:37,560 Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the 98 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:40,640 ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must 99 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:45,320 far exceeded in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once 100 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,920 had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the 101 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,920 glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to 102 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:57,240 an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have 103 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:01,160 glory. If the ministry of the law that 104 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,560 came through Moses, which only ended up showing how far we fall 105 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,560 short of God's standards, came with that kind of glory that 106 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:14,440 Moses had to cover his face for days, how much more glorious is 107 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:17,960 the ministry of righteousness which comes through Jesus and 108 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,640 which frees us from any condemnation because of His 109 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:26,200 death on our behalf. And if the glory of the law was 110 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:30,680 temporary, the law acting as our teacher and our guardian only 111 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:36,640 until Christ came and fulfilled it, how much more glorious will 112 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:38,800 the unending ministry of the Spirit be. 113 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:43,960 Paul can't help but get all poetic about the ministry that 114 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,640 he's received from God. It is so much greater than what 115 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:52,280 came before, and it is his hope in this ministry, this glorious 116 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:56,000 ministry, not in his own ability, that gives him the 117 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:02,720 confidence to preach about Jesus Christ so that we all with 118 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:06,480 unveiled faces seeing the glory of the Lord, can be transformed 119 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:09,600 into the same image from 1° of glory to another. 120 00:08:10,480 --> 00:08:12,680 For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 121 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,200 Paul is less concerned with proving himself than he is with 122 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,680 helping people to see the glory of the Lord. 123 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:27,240 He wants people to see Jesus, to really see Jesus in all of his 124 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,120 glory. And he wants to see lives 125 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,919 changed and transformed by the Spirit as people grow more and 126 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,360 more like him. And this is what keeps him going 127 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:43,159 despite any opposition he faces. So I'm going to read from 128 00:08:43,159 --> 00:08:46,600 chapter 4 of Two Corinthians from verse one until we get to 129 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:51,480 our text. Therefore, having this ministry 130 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:56,160 by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart, but we have 131 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:58,800 renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. 132 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:02,640 We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. 133 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:05,760 But by the open statement of the truth, we would commend 134 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,520 ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 135 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,200 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those 136 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,840 who are perishing in their case. The God of this world has 137 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:18,920 blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the 138 00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:23,080 light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of 139 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,280 God. For what we proclaim is not 140 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:30,800 ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your 141 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:35,280 servants for Jesus sake. For God, who said let light 142 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,600 shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light 143 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,240 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 144 00:09:44,520 --> 00:09:49,760 But we have this treasure in jaws of clay to show that the 145 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:53,800 surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 146 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:05,800 Paul's response to the Super apostles is simply to keep on 147 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,160 doing what God has called him to do. 148 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,760 He doesn't lose heart because he knows this ministry is a result 149 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,920 of God's grace, God's mercy, and so he continues to commit 150 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,040 himself to be faithful with what he's been given. 151 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,560 He's not going to play by the playbook of the others of the 152 00:10:22,560 --> 00:10:24,360 Super apostles. He's not going to use 153 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:27,520 underhanded methods to promote himself. 154 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:32,360 He won't use deceit or trickery to manipulate the church. 155 00:10:32,360 --> 00:10:35,360 He's not going to twist God's word to say what he wants it to 156 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:40,160 say and make himself look good. But instead, people will know 157 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:44,040 that he is someone of integrity and honesty because of how 158 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,280 openly he proclaims the truth of the gospel. 159 00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:51,680 These are the criteria by which he expects to be measured. 160 00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:55,000 His credentials as an apostle have nothing to do with how 161 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:58,680 powerfully he speaks, or the size of the crowds that come to 162 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:01,080 hear him or the titles that he carries. 163 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,120 No, his qualifications can be seen in how he proclaims the 164 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:09,680 gospel clearly and faithfully and plainly before everyone. 165 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:13,920 There are many people today who gain large followings because 166 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,120 they speak the message that people want to hear. 167 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,800 But Paul relies on the gospel to commend itself. 168 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:23,920 He's not interested in promoting himself. 169 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:29,280 He wants to proclaim the message of Jesus Christ as Lord, and he 170 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:33,160 sees himself only as a servant of that in the hopes of reaching 171 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:36,800 people with his gospel. He already had said in one 172 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,000 Corinthians that his aim was to become all things to all people, 173 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,720 so that by all means he might save some. 174 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:45,880 The message is what his focus is. 175 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,560 That's what he wants to promote, not himself, but Jesus. 176 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:53,360 And while he recognises that not everyone will want to receive 177 00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:58,520 the message, he knows that this is because the gospel is veiled. 178 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:01,640 For those people, those people who don't want to know that God 179 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:06,360 revealed in Jesus, they've been blinded to the truth, prevented 180 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,000 from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. 181 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,960 But for those who do believe, he sees the powerful hand of God at 182 00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,480 work. For the same God who said, let 183 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,600 light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the 184 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:23,880 light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of 185 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:26,720 Christ. Just think about that. 186 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:32,080 The same God who spoke into the darkness on the first day of 187 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:37,640 creation and said let there be light is the one that causes the 188 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:43,040 light to shine in us so that we can see and know God's glory as 189 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:47,480 it is revealed in Jesus. The same power that spoke the 190 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:53,240 universe into being is the one that speaks into us, allowing us 191 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,760 to see and recognize His glory in the person of Jesus Christ. 192 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,240 This Jesus that was born in Bethlehem and walked around in 193 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:06,160 Jerusalem and Judea. This real person that lived 194 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:10,960 about 2000 years before we did, that history testifies, lived 195 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,120 and died and rose again from the dead. 196 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:19,840 He is the one in whom we see the very glory of God. 197 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:24,080 Hebrews one verse 3 puts it this way. 198 00:13:24,720 --> 00:13:29,280 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of 199 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:33,880 his nature. So if you want to see God, look 200 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,800 at Jesus. And when we see Jesus and when 201 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:41,640 we recognize him for who He really is, that veil is removed 202 00:13:41,640 --> 00:13:44,680 from our hearts. This is what the Spirit is doing 203 00:13:44,680 --> 00:13:48,360 through the Gospel. It is showing us who Jesus 204 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:51,920 really is. And when we put our trust in 205 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:55,600 him, we enter into a relationship with Him and He 206 00:13:55,600 --> 00:14:01,400 begins to change us. But we have this treasure in 207 00:14:01,400 --> 00:14:05,400 jaws of clay. So what is this treasure? 208 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:09,600 This treasure is the light of the knowledge of the glory of 209 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:14,520 God in the face of Jesus Christ. This treasure is the gospel that 210 00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:17,960 Paul proclaims. This treasure is the gospel of 211 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,440 Christ Jesus received and believed that transforms us by 212 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:25,440 his Spirit so that we can reflect that glory to the world 213 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:29,880 around us. Or Simply put, the treasure is 214 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:34,680 Jesus. It is Jesus and all that he is 215 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:38,320 and all that he has done for us in his life, his teaching, his 216 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:42,440 death and his resurrection. It's the Jesus that the gospel 217 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:47,000 message proclaims, and it is Jesus that is personally known 218 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,400 and loved by every person who belongs to him. 219 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,520 It is Christ in us that empowers us and enables us to live out 220 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:56,880 the calling we have as God's children. 221 00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:02,960 Jesus is the treasure, the same treasure that keeps Paul from 222 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:05,440 losing heart when his ministry is brought into question. 223 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,480 And the good news is, that same treasure is living in each and 224 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,080 every person who confesses Christ today. 225 00:15:14,040 --> 00:15:17,480 But we have this treasure in jars of clay. 226 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:21,480 Now maybe you think there are better places to keep treasure 227 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,160 than clay jars, and you might be right. 228 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:29,280 Nowadays we have banks and safes to keep our valuables secure, 229 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:35,000 but this treasure of such infinite worth God chooses to 230 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:39,600 keep in clay jars. Now, most of us probably don't 231 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,680 have too many clay jars lying around our houses, so this image 232 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,600 may be a little hard to resonate with, but for most people living 233 00:15:46,600 --> 00:15:50,400 in the 1st century, clay jars were what you used all the time. 234 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:53,960 If you could afford something more durable, you might have 235 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,880 some bronze containers, but for most people, clay was the 236 00:15:56,880 --> 00:15:59,400 standard storage method of your choice of choice. 237 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,240 You would use your clay jars to store your olive oil, your 238 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,400 vinegar, your water. You would use them to store your 239 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:09,640 dry goods like your wheat and your barley, your nuts and your 240 00:16:09,640 --> 00:16:11,600 dried fruit, your dates and figs. 241 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:13,400 They would be in the clay jars too. 242 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:16,920 They were common. Everybody had them. 243 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:23,680 But they were also weak and easily broken, so easily so that 244 00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:26,640 broken pieces of clay jars became like note paper in the 245 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:29,560 1st century. And many archaeological finds 246 00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:32,440 from that time are pieces of broken clay vessels that were 247 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:35,680 repurposed for the day-to-day use of people who needed to 248 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:39,520 write things down. Known by archaeologists as 249 00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:43,120 Ostraca, these repurposed shards of play that have been found 250 00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:46,440 include those that were used for things like receipts and records 251 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,600 of payments and taxes delivered inventories, lists of workers 252 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:53,640 and their attendants, records of deliveries and the source of the 253 00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:57,880 goods, private letters, informal notes, letters of demand, 254 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:01,160 military correspondence, legal documents, medical 255 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,560 prescriptions, excerpts from stories or poems, and even 256 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:08,079 sketches and writing practice of people who are learning how to 257 00:17:08,079 --> 00:17:12,240 be scribes. Many different things have been 258 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,400 recorded on these broken pieces of pottery. 259 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:20,240 Clay jars were disposable containers in their time, much 260 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:22,680 like our milk cartoons and our cereal boxes. 261 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,280 In many ways, the clay jars of the 1st century are more like 262 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,080 our cardboard boxes. They're everywhere. 263 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:34,600 So many of the things we buy come in cardboard boxes. 264 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:36,800 Just take a look around your kitchen and you'll find a few 265 00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:41,480 examples, from cereal to bananas to tea bags and rusks and rice 266 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:45,080 and and spice refills and many other bigger things like 267 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,440 kitchenware and all of our deliveries from take a lot. 268 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,200 They also come in cardboard boxes. 269 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,400 Cardboard boxes are cheap, they're everywhere, they're 270 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,680 useful, and when you're done with them, you can repurpose 271 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:02,040 them and pass them on to the children for their artwork and 272 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:06,360 their craft projects. And yet this is what Paul says 273 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:11,480 God chooses to use to hold his greatest treasure. 274 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,960 But here is the thing. We are the clay jars. 275 00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:24,120 We are the cardboard boxes that Paul is talking about when Job 276 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:27,560 was making his case to God. He describes himself in this way 277 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,320 in chapter 10, verse 9. Remember that you have made me 278 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,080 like clay, and will you return me to the dust? 279 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:38,800 This image appears a few times in the Bible, this comparison of 280 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:42,240 people to clay vessels, and it is a fitting one because in many 281 00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:45,360 ways we are weak. We are fragile. 282 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:48,080 Like clay jars, we don't last long in the big scheme of 283 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:53,040 eternity, and it is this very aspect that Paul is leaning into 284 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:56,840 as he goes forward. It is this very weakness of ours 285 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:01,680 that shows that the power belongs to God and not to us. 286 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,680 The same way that when God called Gideon to lead his people 287 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,680 in battle against the Midianites, he said, The people 288 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,880 with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their 289 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:18,120 hand too many, lest Israel boast over me, saying my own hand has 290 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:21,400 saved me. And then he proceeded to reduce 291 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:27,560 the number of Gideon's men in the army from 32,000 to 300, 292 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,040 because that way it would be clear to them that the victory 293 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,840 was God's work and not their own strength. 294 00:19:36,360 --> 00:19:38,760 This also echoes what Paul said in One Corinthians, where he 295 00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,520 reminded the Church of his own weaknesses when he was among 296 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,520 them. He spoke not with convincing 297 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:47,440 words, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that 298 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,480 your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power 299 00:19:51,720 --> 00:19:55,000 of God. The whole point of this 300 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,040 combination, the storing of a treasure of infinite value in 301 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:03,920 such a weak and common vessels, is that there is no doubt that 302 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:07,400 the power and the glory belongs to God alone. 303 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,760 This is why so often when people testify about God's goodness in 304 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,160 the midst of intense hardship, it is so impactful. 305 00:20:16,560 --> 00:20:20,520 Why when Coritin Boom is able to forgive a man who tormented her 306 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:23,200 and her sister in a concentration Nazi concentration 307 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:26,240 camp, the glory goes to God alone. 308 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:31,640 When the singer Night Bird is able to carry such joy on ATV 309 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:35,120 Talent show in the midst of fighting a battle against cancer 310 00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:38,600 that the whole world sits up to listen as she testifies about 311 00:20:38,600 --> 00:20:42,400 how God meets her on the bathroom floor, God gets the 312 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,000 glory. When you see a mother openly 313 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,840 holding on to God's sovereignty and goodness and faithfulness 314 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:55,640 while grieving the loss of a child, God gets the glory. 315 00:20:57,080 --> 00:21:02,280 The less capable we are in ourselves, the more God gets the 316 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,880 glory when He uses us. And This is why Paul loves to 317 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:10,960 boast in his own weaknesses, because he recognises that his 318 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:16,120 weaknesses add to God's glory. It is when he is weak that God's 319 00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:18,920 power is displayed. And this power isn't just for 320 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:21,880 sure. It's the same power that spoke 321 00:21:21,880 --> 00:21:24,920 the world into being. It's the same power that raised 322 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,280 Jesus from the dead. It's the same power that speaks 323 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:32,320 life into hearts of stone that enables us to persevere in the 324 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,120 hope that we have in Jesus. This is why Paul goes on to 325 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:38,800 speak about the result of having this treasure. 326 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:43,040 In the next few verses we reflected in every way, but not 327 00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:48,680 crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted 328 00:21:49,240 --> 00:21:55,920 but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always 329 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:58,720 carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of 330 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:01,360 Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 331 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,320 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus 332 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:10,160 sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our 333 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,800 mortal flesh. And Paul knew what he was 334 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,640 talking about when it came to hardship and persecution. 335 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:20,000 In fact, he lists a bunch of the challenges that he endured. 336 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:26,600 A few chapters later, in Chapter 11, he lists, comparing to the 337 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,520 Super apostles, that he's faced far greater laborers, far more 338 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:32,520 imprisonments with countless beatings, often near death. 339 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:36,200 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews, 40 lashes 340 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,280 less, 1/3 times I was beaten with rods, Once I was stoned, 341 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,480 three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was adrift 342 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:47,280 at sea on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from 343 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:49,480 robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the 344 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:53,240 Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger 345 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:56,760 at sea, danger from false brothers in toil and hardship, 346 00:22:56,760 --> 00:22:59,880 through many a sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often 347 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,600 without food, in cold and exposure. 348 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:05,800 And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on 349 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:07,920 me of my anxiety for all the churches. 350 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:13,080 Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is made to fall and I am not 351 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,800 indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of 352 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,400 the things that show my weakness. 353 00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:26,360 Paul is able to endure because of God's power at work in him, 354 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,560 and he even boasts about these things because these things that 355 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:35,960 expose his weakness only make God's glory shine out even more. 356 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:40,200 He wants the life of Jesus to be displayed through his own 357 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:49,440 weaknesses. So his response to the request 358 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:52,600 for his qualifications, asking him to justify himself in 359 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,320 comparison to other super apostles, is to point away from 360 00:23:56,320 --> 00:24:01,280 himself and towards Christ. And if these weaknesses only 361 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:04,240 serve to display God's glory even more, he will celebrate 362 00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:08,840 them because his concern is not his own glory, but God's. 363 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:12,680 And he calls the church to join him in this way of thinking and 364 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,760 living, this turning upside down of our priorities. 365 00:24:15,760 --> 00:24:19,200 Because the upside down way of living is consistent with 366 00:24:19,200 --> 00:24:23,080 following the example of God whose character of self giving 367 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:26,760 love was revealed on a cross and not in a palace. 368 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,400 When we are content with our weaknesses, we are following the 369 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:35,320 example of the one who emptied himself of glory in order to 370 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,840 take on a weak human body and live among us and die for us. 371 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:43,400 When we humble ourselves in order to prioritize loving 372 00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:46,760 others, we are following the example of Jesus who humbled 373 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,600 himself to the point of death on a cross for you and me. 374 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:56,080 When we choose obedience to God's word instead of self 375 00:24:56,080 --> 00:25:00,120 gratification, that is following the example of our Lord who 376 00:25:00,120 --> 00:25:02,680 calls us to deny ourselves and follow Him. 377 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:06,640 And when Paul experiences suffering and humility and 378 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:11,320 poverty, he sees that as proof that he is a true representative 379 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:14,880 of Christ as he follows in the footsteps of the one who 380 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:19,360 suffered on his behalf. The world around us values 381 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:22,880 success in terms of wealth and property and career and 382 00:25:22,880 --> 00:25:26,240 reputation. But for Paul, he celebrated the 383 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:28,680 opposite. The things that make us weak in 384 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,920 the eyes of the world. Because that is where God is 385 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,720 able to work through us, and a greater glory is waiting for us 386 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:39,520 if we remain faithful in following Him. 387 00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,920 This is why Paul doesn't lose heart, he says in chapter 4 from 388 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,240 verse 16. Though our outer self is wasting 389 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:51,000 away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 390 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:55,280 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us 391 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,800 an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we 392 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,040 look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are 393 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:05,880 unseen. For the things that are seen are 394 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,240 transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 395 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,880 So what then does all of this mean for us? 396 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:19,720 Well, first I want to ask, what is your treasure? 397 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:24,680 Do you share Paul's concern for the glory of God and his delight 398 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:26,840 in and treasuring of Jesus Christ? 399 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:32,840 Is Jesus your treasure? Jesus Himself warned us in 400 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:36,840 Matthew 621 that where your treasure is, there your heart 401 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:41,120 will be also. So take a moment to examine your 402 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,680 heart. Where your heart lingers the 403 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:49,040 most is a good indicator of what it is that you treasure. 404 00:26:50,680 --> 00:26:55,720 Do you treasure success or wealth or comfort? 405 00:26:56,720 --> 00:27:00,320 Security. Maybe your treasure is your 406 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:06,120 family or your career. Perhaps it is your image and how 407 00:27:06,120 --> 00:27:09,360 you think people see you, your social status. 408 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:15,280 Or is your treasure like Paul's Jesus? 409 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,400 The gospel that we read of in the Bible is not just a get out 410 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,040 of hell free card. That's it. 411 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,160 You say yes once and you're good to go. 412 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:29,520 It's an invitation. It's an invitation to treasure 413 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:33,520 the one who will complete you, who will come and live within 414 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:38,080 you by his Spirit, who will help you and guide you and transform 415 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,720 you until more and more you are living out the purpose for which 416 00:27:41,800 --> 00:27:46,280 you are made. As Augustine said, you have made 417 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:51,000 us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they 418 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,600 rest in you. If you haven't yet seen this 419 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:58,880 about Jesus, then perhaps you are the person that Paul is 420 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:03,080 talking to when he says a little further on in his letter that we 421 00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:07,680 are ambassadors for Christ. God is making his appeal through 422 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:12,040 us. We implore you on behalf of 423 00:28:12,040 --> 00:28:19,280 Christ, be reconciled to God. Don't miss the chance to say yes 424 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:22,200 to Him and to experience Him and His glory in your life. 425 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,560 And if you want to talk to someone about this, please don't 426 00:28:25,560 --> 00:28:28,800 hesitate to find someone afterwards, whether a friend, 427 00:28:28,800 --> 00:28:33,000 whether an elder, talk to someone, but don't pass on the 428 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,320 chance to receive this treasure for yourself. 429 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:43,240 Secondly, if you are someone who already sees Jesus as your 430 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:47,120 treasure, then what this passage is for you and me is a reminder 431 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,440 that we should have that same eternal perspective that Paul 432 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,160 has. The upside down set of 433 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:58,320 priorities should make perfect sense to us when the world says 434 00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,520 work hard to store up enough to have security in this world. 435 00:29:02,200 --> 00:29:05,400 Paul teaches us that we should be generous and trust God to 436 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,640 provide for our needs like the Macedonian church he mentions in 437 00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:13,160 chapter 8 who out of the poverty begged for a chance to give 438 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:16,080 first to the Lord and then the apostles collection for the poor 439 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,040 in Jerusalem. When the world says promote 440 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,960 yourself and your ability. We are to be humble and content 441 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:28,560 with our weaknesses because these are the areas where God 442 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:33,720 can be glorified in our lives. Our lives should reflect the 443 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:39,600 treasure that lives within us. He died for all that those who 444 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,520 live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for 445 00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:48,040 their sake died and was raised. Therefore, if anyone is in 446 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:52,000 Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away. 447 00:29:52,520 --> 00:30:00,640 Behold, the new has come and finally, once we understand the 448 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,240 nature of the treasure within us, we should also know that 449 00:30:04,320 --> 00:30:07,400 Jesus is the true source of our strength. 450 00:30:08,680 --> 00:30:13,400 When hardships come, and they will come, you also have access 451 00:30:13,400 --> 00:30:16,000 to the same power that Paul knew. 452 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:20,840 The same Jesus that was his treasure that enabled him to 453 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:23,800 endure so much is the Jesus Christ that lives within you and 454 00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:28,520 me through the Holy Spirit. In the same way that God told 455 00:30:28,520 --> 00:30:32,040 Paul that His grace was sufficient for him, His grace is 456 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:36,960 sufficient for you too. Mums, when you are sleep 457 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:41,120 deprived and struggling to manage your own emotions on top 458 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:45,520 of the emotions of your children, His grace is 459 00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:50,800 sufficient for you. Dads and single mums, when 460 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:52,920 you're feeling the weight and pressures of leading and 461 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:58,640 providing for your families, His grace is sufficient for you. 462 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:05,440 Workers, When you're facing pressures and deadlines or 463 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,720 navigating tensions between you and your Co workers, His grace 464 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:15,600 is sufficient for you. If you're in school or 465 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:19,720 university and struggling with the workload, the exam stress, 466 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:24,400 the social pressures, His grace is sufficient for you. 467 00:31:26,680 --> 00:31:30,680 Whatever pressures or challenges that you are personally facing 468 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,720 today and everyday, you need to lean into the reality that this 469 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:41,040 treasure in clay jars, that we have this treasure in clay jars 470 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:44,240 so that the strength is from God and not from yourself. 471 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:51,000 Lean into the reality of who He is and who He is for you, and 472 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:56,280 carry this treasure joyfully, gratefully, because your 473 00:31:56,280 --> 00:32:00,000 weakness is an opportunity for Him to receive glory. 474 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,800 Whatever the difficulties and challenges that come your way, 475 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:09,200 God's grace is enough. And knowing Him, walking closely 476 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:12,960 with Him, He will give you the strength that you need to 477 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:17,240 persevere. God is able to make all grace 478 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:21,520 abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at 479 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,040 all times, you may abound in every good work. 480 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:30,920 So be happy to be a cardboard box and let those weaknesses 481 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:35,160 lead you to a greater dependence on the one who makes you strong, 482 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:39,000 so that he may receive all the glory. 483 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:46,000 Let's pray. Lord, thank you for the treasure 484 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:50,920 that you are in our lives. Thank you for the way that you 485 00:32:50,920 --> 00:32:55,080 don't look down on our weaknesses, but instead you 486 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,320 choose to come near and live in us. 487 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:04,680 That you make us worthy by Jesus blood to be carriers of this 488 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,960 glorious message to everyone around us. 489 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:11,360 Help us to walk in greater dependence on you. 490 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:18,040 Thank You that your grace is sufficient for us and that your 491 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,160 power is made perfect in weakness. 492 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:27,680 May the truth of Christ in US transform and empower us for all 493 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:33,760 the good works you have called us to do in Jesus name, Amen.