I want to bring the message this
morning out of 2 Corinthians 4, verses 1-6. Let me read the
first six verses for you. Therefore, seeing we have this
ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not. but 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 and
the sight of God. 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. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake. For God, who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. Now he says in verse one, seeing
we have this ministry, this ministry of grace, this ministry of truth,
It's not a ministry of the law, it's a ministry of grace. It
is a ministry of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. It is a
ministry of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We preach Christ and him crucified. It is a ministry of how God can
be just and justify the ungodly. How sinners are made the righteousness
of God in Jesus Christ. It is a glorious ministry for
it has to do with the gospel of God's glory. Paul says we
have this ministry. God called Paul to it. God equipped
him for it and put him in it. Paul was responsible to preach
the gospel. He said in one place, woe is
me if I preach not the gospel. He wrote in 1 Timothy 1.11, according
to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed
to my trust. And then he wrote to Titus in
Titus 1.3, but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching. which is committed unto me according
to the commandment of God our Savior. The ministry is a heavy
responsibility. It's a great privilege, but it's
also a heavy responsibility because it has to do with the glory of
God. God's chief glory is his redemptive
glory, and that is the ministry we have been given. Paul says
here, now because of this ministry, that we have been given the ministry
of grace, ministry of truth. And it said because of this ministry,
as we have received mercy, we faint not. We have received saving
mercy. Paul never got over God saving
his soul. He never got over the saving
mercy of God to him in Jesus Christ. As we have received mercy,
sustaining mercy, His mercy keeps us going. Paul attributes his
perseverance to the mercy of God, not his own strength. As
we have received mercy, we faint not. That's why we faint not,
because we have received mercy. And we do not grow discouraged.
That's why he said we faint not. We do not grow discouraged to
the point of quitting. Opposition is to be expected.
If we are called to be soldiers, then we ought to expect to have
hardship. Listen to what Paul wrote to
Timothy in 2 Timothy 2. He also wrote to Timothy, This
is a warfare. This is a battle. Preaching the gospel is not an
easy business. It's a battle. It's a warfare.
But His grace is sufficient to keep us, no matter what comes
our way. In verse 2, Paul writes, We have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. We have disowned
them. We have forsaken them. We are
honest with you. What we are in private, we are
in public. We preach in private. We preach
in public. And we've renounced the hidden
things. What are the hidden things? The hidden things are the things
of the heart, the motives. Paul is saying our motive for
preaching to you is pure. It's of God. It's right. We have a right motive. God's
glory and the salvation of your souls. We're not after your money. We're not after your material
possessions. We are after God's glory and your soul. The eternal
destiny of your soul hangs in the balance here. And then he
writes, not walking in craftiness. A man's walk is his life. It
is a manifestation of his character. We are not walking in craftiness. What you see is what you get. We are honest. No, handling the
Word of God deceitfully, using trickery, being deceitful with
the Word of God, being deceitful with you in order to try to get
things out of you. Paul says, we're not handling
the Word of God deceitfully. We're not using the Word of God
in such a manner to work on your conscience to get something out
of you. We're telling you the truth about
Jesus Christ, telling you the truth about God, telling you
the truth about how God can be a just God and save a wretch
like you and like me. We're honest. That's why it goes
on to write, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Paul preached
the word of God with all plainness of speech, setting forth the
truth as Christ revealed it to him. The apostles received the
gospel directly from the Lord, and they, in turn, gave it to
the church. Paul is saying here, you know
our honesty, and God knows our honesty. Paul was not ashamed
to be examined by God or men. True God-sent preachers are not
afraid of examination, because they're honest, they have an
honest heart. But here's the problem. In verse 3, Paul writes,
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
Now Paul calls the gospel our gospel. Why does he call it our
gospel? Well, first of all, it was his
and that he was saved by it. And then he called it ours because
he was commissioned to preach it. And then he called it ours
because it was given to him by God. The gospel is of God, and
God gave it to Paul and the apostles and all who preach the gospel,
that truly preach the gospel, the gospel is given to them,
and it's our gospel. We are saved by it. It's the
gospel by which we are saved. Now, if our gospel of the grace
of God in the Lord Jesus Christ, if it's hid, that is, if it's
veiled, like the veil spoken of over in chapter three, it
is veiled to them that are lost. It is not that the gospel is
so complicated that we cannot see it. The problem is with the
state and condition of the hearer. The hearer is lost. It's not
the problem with the gospel. The gospel is simply look and
live. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. It cannot get any more simple
than that. But because of Satan and the blindness that he causes,
Men and women cannot see the gospel. They can't see it. They
can't comprehend the gospel being that simple. Lost means to be
spiritually dead, spiritually blind. It is to be without the
light and life of God in the soul. Paul was telling them that
the problem with those who oppose his gospel is that they are lost. Just because a man picks up a
Bible and uses Bible language doesn't mean that he's of God.
There are many who carry a Bible but do not preach the gospel
of the sovereign grace of God. That's why John said in 1 John
4, try the spirits whether they are of God. Now here is the work
of Satan in verse 4. In whom the God of this world
has blinded the minds of them which believe not. That's the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them. The God of this world, that's
the little g, the God of this age is Satan. He actively goes
about seeking whom he may devour. He does his great work on men
and women's minds. He blinds the mind with human
reasoning. He is the master of confusion. All men and women are born in
darkness, and Satan does all that he is allowed to, to keep
them that way. He knows human weakness. He knows
where the chink in the armor is. But here's our message. Our message is Christ, not ourselves. If you want to know if a man
is sin of God when he's preaching, Here is a good way to test whether
a man or the message he's preaching is sin of God. Who is getting
the glory when the preaching is over? Is Christ getting the
glory? Is your attention drawn to Jesus
Christ or to the messenger? Paul writes in verse five, but
we preach not ourselves, we do not promote ourselves. If someone's
trying to constantly promote their program, constantly trying
to get you to send them money, they are promoting themselves.
We preach not ourselves, but Christ, Jesus, the Lord, and
ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake. We are not the subject
of our message. Jesus Christ is the message.
His person, His work, His glory, and we are just His servants.
And the Lord will move His people to provide. He will move His
people to give and support the ministry. You don't have to beg
believers to give. God will move them to give. He
will support it. And if the support is not there,
God's not in it. Shut it down. Now, verse six,
Paul writes, 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. Paul refers
back here to creation, when God commanded the light to shine
out of darkness. Paul was saying this, the gospel
that we preach is of God. He is the one who revealed it
to us. He's the one who commanded the light to shine into our hearts.
God illuminated us. God gave us an understanding
of the gospel. We did not make this up. It's
of God. He revealed it to us. He revealed
himself in us. He taught us the gospel. When
God commanded the gospel light to shine into our hearts, we
saw His glory in the face that is in the person of Jesus Christ. When God is pleased to save a
sinner, that sinner that is dead in trespasses and sins will be
made alive. God will command life and light.
And when He does so, That sinner will see God's glory. He will
see, that is, he will understand how God can save him or her and
be a just God through the blood and the righteousness of Jesus
Christ alone. Christ alone. This is what happens
in regeneration. We see in Jesus Christ the redemptive
glory of God. We see in Jesus Christ all that
we need, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
We see that in Jesus Christ, we are complete. I do not need
to provide anything in order to be saved. God provided everything
in the Lord Jesus Christ for a sinner to stand in his presence
complete. Now, God has given us a glorious
ministry, and this ministry has to do with His Son, Jesus Christ. We are not in this to promote
ourselves. We're not in this to get rich.
We're not in this to get your money. We are in this, first
and foremost, to glorify Jesus Christ. And we pray that if it
be the Lord's will, He will command the light of His glory to shine
into your hearts and you will see in Jesus Christ all that
you need. May the Lord bless His word.