Let's take our Bibles and turn with me back to the book of 2 Corinthians 4. I'd like to finish that 4th chapter of 2 Corinthians that we started last time. 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

The last time we looked at it, we went through the first seven verses, and I'll just make quick statements on those first seven verses. The Apostle Paul said concerning the regenerated sheep of God's pasture, he said in verse one, therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy We faint not. We're not utterly spiritless. We're not wearied out. We're not exhausted to the point of quitting. But we have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Now, Brother Henry Mahan wrote something on that verse of scripture. And I wanted to read you what Brother Henry said. I thought it was so good. But we've renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. He said, that is, we were the same people. We're the same people in private, or we are to be, let me say that, the same people in private as we are in public. In regard to our conduct, conversation, and doctrine, we are open and above board. He said, false teachers have much to hide in motive and manners and methods. They speak one thing in secret and another thing in the congregation. He said, we do not walk in craftiness, practicing trickery, or using cunningness with people for further gain and glory and disguising our goals. There are many hucksters and merchandisers of souls who use religion and the gospel to promote themselves and not the glory of God. He said, we do not handle the word of God deceitfully, corrupting it with human work, tradition, and philosophy. We do not keep back a part of it or twist it to suit the flesh and cry peace when there is no peace. Every man's conscience is in plainness and boldness in the truth before God as it is revealed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

He said, and this is the part that got me. He said, an upright way of life and a true message of Christ crucified are all the recommendations a minister needs before men and women who know God. What he was saying was this. Paul the apostle was saying, and Brother Henry explained it beautifully, this way. God's people desire to practice what they preach. They desire to walk before men, before the Lord, with honor. We don't use the gospel. as a means to get to people, to tell people. How many times have you ever seen somebody, first thing, if somebody knows that, you know, you're a businessman and maybe you go to church or something, they may just kind of, you know, say, well, you know, the Lord's people, you know, they're going to take care of each other, aren't they? You know, Brother Henry said, we don't use those kinds of tactics. He said, we live before men in public, like we are in private. Don't be two different people.

Verse 3 and 4 says, But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Notice what Paul said in verse 3. I noticed this today. our gospel. He could have just as easily said the gospel, the gospel, and it would have been right, but the Spirit of God moved him to say, but if our gospel be hid, the gospel of God, not a false truth, it meant call the gospel, but the gospel that the Apostle Paul loved and preached, the gospel which was his, if our gospel, which was his by grace, if this gospel, if it's hid, it's hid to those that are lost, spiritually dead in sin, lost and blind because the God of this world has blinded the minds and understanding of those who believe not.

Now this is the truth of the gospel. This is the truth of God's word. If someone believes not the gospel, it's because they're blinded. They're blinded.

Have you ever wondered why you can read something right now and it makes so much sense? Read Ephesians chapter 1, talking about how God chosen people in Christ. Now a believer can read that, and it makes perfect sense. You believe it, you read it.

But someone else, Brother Henry, said this one time. He said a man came in there and wanted to take him to task on election. You've heard this before, but I thought it's so good. And so Henry said, well, let's just do something. He said, let's just turn to Ephesians 1. He said, take your Bible, turn with me to Ephesians chapter 1. He said, now just let's read it. Just let's read it. And he said, I read that chapter verbatim. And then asked the man, he said, now do you believe that? He said, not the way you read it. Not the way you read it.

If this gospel is hid, it's hid to them that are lost. Those that the God of this world has blinded

You know what it's going to take for a man to see? God's going to have to give him new eyes. You preach the gospel. God Almighty must give us light.

Look at verse 5. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. God's preachers don't preach those things that brings honor and glory and praise to man. They don't proclaim those things that gives man all the ability, or supposedly gives man the ability. They don't preach man's salvation to be accomplished by man's works, but rather they preach that which honors the Lord Jesus Christ in redemption and salvation. That's what Apostle Paul is saying, verse 5, we preach not ourselves. We don't give honors to ourselves.

Look at 6 and 7. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.

The gospel that is preached by God's servants is the gospel that declares the God who saves sinners on purpose, according to his will. It's the same God that saves sinners, the same God that spoke light into existence. Let there be light. And the scripture says, and there was light. There was light, light that shined out of darkness. And the same God who spoke light into existence is the God who must shine into our hearts, giving us the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he said, now we have This gospel, the declaration of this gospel. Here's the amazing thing. It's in earthen vessels. I am in myself nothing but a man. I'm a man. A weak, frail creature of dust. But almighty God has been pleased to give his preachers the gospel. He teaches them the gospel. And that's a treasure.

Do you think of the treasure of possessing the knowledge of God's glory and God's salvation? Of possessing that. That's a treasure in an earthen vessel. What a treasure that God would teach you, would give it to you, teach you, and keep it there. Well, let's just pick up where we left off. Let's look at verses 8 to 12 and make a few comments here. Paul the Apostle says in verse 8, we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, cast down, but not destroyed, always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death. For Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh, so then death worketh in us, but life in you."

Now, what Paul was saying, because man by nature, desires all the glory to be given to himself for salvation. When he hears the glorious gospel of God's grace, that gospel that gives and proclaims man's works to have nothing to do with his salvation, nothing to do with his regeneration, that That man opposes the truth that presents or teaches or tells of man's need of salvation.

God's got to teach him something. When an unbeliever hears the gospel of free grace, and you can take denominations and put them all in a bucket, and shake them all up. And I'm telling you, they can all find some common ground to work around. They can all get together. I've told you about being invited, you know, when I meet on, you know, here on the courthouse steps there one time. We're going to pray for Fairmont. Would you come meet with us? And I said, no. You're not going to meet with us to pray for salvation of, no. Why? I said, because I don't want to go and meet with someone that I know is not preaching what I'm preaching and give somebody the impression that I'm associated with you, that I believe what you believe, and I don't. I didn't make a lot of friends, but that was the truth.

The Apostle Paul is set forth, and he says, we're troubled on every side. Burdened down with trouble. Troubled on every side. Look that word up. Hedged in and pressed in many different ways. He said, we're troubled on every side, yet not distressed. That is cramped with no way to turn or to escape. We are perplexed. That is often left in doubt as to what to do. But we're not in despair. We're never left by the Lord without help and support. We're frail creatures of dust. And there's many times we don't know what to do. We know that people don't agree with us. But often we're left to that point to where we just say, Lord, help me. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say.

We're troubled on every side. Persecuted, but not forsaken. God's not gonna forsake his own. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. Now, we are always bearing about in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus. Now, obviously, in the trials that we suffer here on this earth, we as creatures of his mercy, we are obviously not pressed down as he was whenever he bore the cross. Went to Calvary, sweat as it was, drops of blood. But we're all liable to the same hatred and resentment that was suffered by the Lord in measure. He was hated, we're hated. He was despised, we're despised. Being one with Him, those that know Him not treat us with the same attitude, God's people that believe God, that hold to the gospel of God's grace, I'm telling you, you're not on the same page with men, women of this world that hold to a false gospel. They may have a little few differences here and there, but with a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a vital gulf between us. We're not in the same boat with them as the Lord was accused of being a troublemaker. We are too. We're accused of being deceivers, those that stir up lies. Men hear what the gospel proclaims and they'll say that's not fair. We believe that everybody has a chance. We believe everybody ought to be given the opportunity to exercise their free will.

The only problem they don't get, and this is what I don't understand. What part of spiritually dead does an unbeliever not get? What part, when the Lord says, without me, you can do nothing. Without me, you can do nothing. Now they'll sidestep it, they'll go around the corner, they'll do whatever they gotta do to try to soften that, but man by nature will not admit that he is spiritually impotent.

So the Apostle Paul is saying this is the attitude of this world toward us. Verse 8, we're troubled on every side, but we're not distressed. We're perplexed, but we're not in despair. Persecuted, but not forsaken by him. Cast down, but not destroyed. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus. The sufferings that he suffered, we suffer. Again, as I said before, not to the extent that he suffered, but in measure, we do too. How many people do you know that don't believe the gospel of God's grace that will just absolutely bow to what they hear you saying, man by nature won't do it. He will not do it.

Look at 1314. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you."

What the Apostle Paul is saying, we've often read of the faith of the Old Testament saints. I'll read it. You have too. You take the Bible and read about Job. read about Moses, read about Elijah, and these marvelous things that were done that the Lord was pleased to bring to pass through these men. And you'll say in yourself, I know I will, I'll just admit it, but you'll say, when we hear of the faith of those that lived before, back in the times when the scriptures were being written, and we think to ourselves, They evidently have had a different sort of faith. There must have been some different caliber to these people because of how they believed God and how they acted before God.

But here's what the scripture says. God's people all have the same faith. You see, I just don't feel that I was, you know, Abraham believed God. God's people believe God with the faith that God's given them. Now, knowing that, knowing that they didn't walk six inches above the ground. They suffered, were tried, and they were burdened down just like we are. Now, knowing that, look at that verse 13, 14 again. We having the same spirit of faith, According as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken. We also believed, and therefore we speak, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you."

God's people, they don't see it in themselves. Now, I can read about Elijah. You know, and doing the things that he did, and I think, I couldn't do that. Elijah couldn't either, unless God allowed him to do it. Elijah had faith given to him just like we do. We look at them as though they were something special. God's people are given. That's what the Apostle Paul says. We having the same spirit A faith, same faith. Is that not a marvelous thing? But God's people don't see themselves like that. And that's a good thing.

Beloved, rest assured, according to the scripture, he who raised up the Lord Jesus Christ, God will raise us up that believe, those that believe the same way and bring us all together in that final day into his presence. Look at 1 Thessalonians 4, 14. 1 Thessalonians 4, 14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even them also would sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

It is an amazing thing to think that the same faith that was given unto these Old Testament saints that we always look at and just marvel at these things. We possess that same faith. We believe God. We walk before God, believe in him.

Verse 15 to 18. For all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God, for which cause we faint not. But though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen or eternal.

I want to close commenting on these last few verses. I was made to think while I was studying this, we are what I would refer to as an older generation of believers. I tried to tell somebody the other day what the average age of our congregation was I picked the number 65. I may have been light on that. I don't know. Some of us here are a little bit younger than others, but as a general rule, we're older.

But in all these things that Paul has mentioned and that we've been made to consider, these trials and these tribulations and sufferings have been given unto us Our bodily frailties are many. A lot of us here know what it's like to have to suffer some things, bodily, humanly speaking, that are tough. They're tough. But all of these things that we've gone through, Romans 8, 28, and we know all things work together for good. We've got a dear sister that's in the hospital right now. We've got different ones here. I'd go through and start naming all the frailties that I know about. I got a couple that I might be able to throw in myself, but I don't know much about it, about truly suffering. I really don't.

But all of these things that we've been called upon to suffer have been providentially ordered for the sake of the people here, for the glory of Almighty God that we might be comforted in the Lord's keeping us in the midst of these things. It is a miracle of God's grace to me that I'm standing here. I'm not so stupid. that I don't realize. I know a little bit, not much about what happened to me, but I know just enough. I know that.

But knowing these things that we've gone through and the glory that's been brought unto the Lord for allowing us the privilege to suffer a few things. Scripture calls them light afflictions, light, light. Somebody said, well, what I had wasn't light. Yes, it is. In light of what the Lord suffered, yes, it is, because scripture says it is. But knowing that, let's just read those last few verses again, and then I'll push. Verse 15, for all things are for your sakes that the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, and we are, I mean, we feel ourselves. We're getting older. We're not as tough as we used to think we were. Our outward man perish, the inward man is made new every day. You get up every morning, a believer, and they get up every morning and believe in God again. They believe him again.

Lord, thank you. Thank you for the blessed privilege that I've got this morning to just come before you, Lord, and just pray and just talk to you. Thank you for the air you just gave me. Thank you for the mind that you've allowed me to have.

Verse 17, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, Just think about this. All the sufferings that have gone on to those that we've known in our lifetime, in our generation. Brother Scott, Martha, Rob, many, many of us. Just think, it was just for the moment. But now the eternal weight of glory that is enjoyed and experienced by those that know him.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, God's people suffering, but even in whatever they're called to suffer, they're not looking at those things as being anything other than temporal. It's just for a little while.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen, these bodily frailties, perplexed on every side, you know, broken down, bodily, mind, wearied, these things which are seen are temporal. It's just, it's just, but just think, when we leave this world. Leave this world by the grace of God, knowing God, having been called out of darkness, given a new heart, to want to come and hear the same thing week after week after week. Different verse, same message. These things are an eternal weight of glory.

For we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal. but the things which you're not saying, those things are eternal.

I pray the Lord help us to remember in the times when we're put down for the sake of the gospel, thank the Lord that God's given you a knowledge of Christ and given you a heart to know Him and to love Him and to bow to Him and that we're kept by the power of God. through faith, ready to be revealed in the last time.

I pray God bless us to our hearts for Christ's sake.