It's good to see you this morning.
You bear with me. My horse is just a little bit
hoarse. My voice is just a little bit
hoarse. I don't feel bad, just a lot of preaching and complications
and so forth, but I feel fine. Had very good meetings in England
and also in Ireland, and the folks there send their greetings
to you. Let's turn this morning to 2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and
I want to begin reading at verse 1. Second Corinthians chapter four
and verse one. Therefore seeing we have this
ministry, not a ministry of condemnation and law, but a ministry of life
and liberty in Christ Jesus, the gospel of God's grace. 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. God's servants handle the word
of God with honesty and uprightness and forthrightness. But by manifestation
of the truth, That is what I preach to you in this message, and every
time I stand here to preach, if you read the scriptures, follow
the scriptures, you'll see that what is being said is manifestly
truth. By this, commending ourselves
to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them they're lost. Hidden by God. in whom the God of this world,
our Savior said, I thank the Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast
revealed them unto babes. 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. To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote,
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation,
how we ought to give thanks to him every time we're reminded
of it. For we preach not ourselves, not for ourselves, for our own
gain or benefit, not about ourselves, but rather we preach for Christ
and about Christ, not from ourselves but from Christ, Jesus the Lord,
and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. Faithful gospel
preachers are the servants of God's people. They give their
lives to the business of serving God's people. They are servants
to none. God's servants will not be manipulated
or controlled by any influence except God himself. Not by deacons,
not by elders, not by denominations, not by creeds. They are your
servants, serving your soul's interest. Therefore they will
not be manipulated except by God himself. Faithful men, we're
your servants for Christ's sake. 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. Read the scriptures carefully,
and you will understand that the glory of God is that which
is revealed in the saving of his people by the sacrifice of
his son. When Moses said, I beseech thee,
show me thy glory. Show me, God, how you, a just,
righteous, holy, and true God, can be just, righteous, holy,
and true, and yet forgive sin. God showed him only by one way
and that is by Jesus Christ and him crucified But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels This treasure of the gospel of God's
grace God's put it in these broken clay pots such as we are worthless
meaningless vessels of dirt that the excellency of the power may
be of God and not of us, so that if anything is accomplished through
the use of such things as we are, it's God's work. Verse eight. But we're troubled on every side,
yet not distressed. We're perplexed, but not in despair. Paul said he was beaten, Three
times, shipwrecked, imprisoned, abused, maligned, left for dead. He was troubled on every side,
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. While we live here in this body
of flesh serving the interest of God our Savior, we bear about
in these physical frames the dying of our Lord Jesus. Verse
11. 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. We are constantly
dying to this world and dying in this world that Christ may
be made manifest in us. So then death worketh in us,
but life in you. Verse 13. We having the same
spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed and
therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore
speak. We also believe and therefore
speak. Would God, preachers would learn
early and learn persistently. Never to stand here and dabble
in theory. Never to stand here and speak
to eternity bound men in the name of God and talk about things
they think or they're studying or they speculate about. But
rather, come to the pulpit with a message from God that he has
written on your heart and preach, speak that which you believe. Speak that which you believe. So sad, so very sad, that preachers
commonly, commonly, good men, start to expand scripture and
they just theorize about this, that, or the other. It's of no
benefit to you, of no benefit. You may have observed in the
last 40 years in preaching through portions of scripture, if I come
to a text that I don't understand, I probably won't tell you I don't
understand it, so I don't mind telling you that. I just skip
over that and get to the one I do understand. We can come
back to it another day. But I'm not going to stand here
and guess about what God says in his word. It's my responsibility
to preach that which I have been taught by God. That which I've
experienced in God's grace as it's set forth in his word. We
also believe and therefore speak. When you speak in that manner,
then you can speak with authority and with power. Verse 14, knowing
that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also
by Jesus and shall present us with you. For all things are
for your sakes. Somewhere you ought to write
that down so you run across it every day. You ladies put it
on your refrigerator door. You men put it on your desk.
All things are for your sakes, all things. Everything God does, he does
for you. Everything God does, my brother,
my sister, he does for you. Someone asked me early on with
regard to the cancer. I said, God put it there with
no difficulty and God can remove it with no difficulty as it pleases
him. He put it there for me and was
gracious in doing so. If he leaves it there and buy
it, should take me from this world, he's gracious in doing
so. If he takes it from me, he's
gracious in doing so. all things are for your sakes. That the abundant grace might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. Oh God, teach us in all things
ever to give thanks to you, our God, for who you are and for
all that you do for the glory of God. Teaching others to give
thanks likewise. For which cause? That is, for
the cause of God's glory, the interest of God's kingdom, the
service of your souls, the ministry of this gospel. For which cause? We think not. But though our
outward man perish, that is, though our outward man is dying,
this is what we are in this world, we're in the process of dying.
Yet the inward man is renewed day by day. The Lord God by his
grace constantly, constantly, constantly refreshes us with
his grace. Isn't that amazing? He constantly
supplies us with his strength. He constantly supplies us with
the knowledge of himself. Constantly renewing the inward
man. Now look at verse 17. For our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us
a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Did he say our
light affliction? How on earth could this man, inspired of God,
Describe the afflictions of God's people in this world. Afflictions
that break the hearts of men and women, that wring out your
very souls. Afflictions that cause you to
wake up in the middle of the night and cry out like David,
my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so
far from helping me? from the words of my roaring.
Is thy mercy clean, gone forever? Hast thou forgotten to be gracious?
You read those words and you have found to think there's some
mistake here. Our light affliction. Is it a
light thing to suffer loneliness, pain, bereavement, sorrow? It's a light thing to have children
that crush your heart, to endure bodily sickness, financial hardship,
domestic trouble, desolation of soul, heaviness of heart. I have some friends right now
going through horrible, horrible troubles. Some in our congregation
been going through this devastating sickness for a long time. Dave
Coleman, his family, I hurt for them and I weep for them. And
honestly, if I could, I'd relieve them. Like that. You would too. But God, who is infinitely wiser,
infinitely better, infinitely more gracious, and loves them
infinitely more than we can imagine loving them, is the one who has
brought the trouble upon them. Why? Because of his love for
them. Because of his goodness. Because of his wisdom. Brother
Scott Richardson once said, If we had the power of God, we would
change everything. If we had the wisdom of God,
we would change nothing. What a tremendous statement.
All that God brings upon us are light affliction. He brings upon
us for our good. God doesn't expect us to be stoics
without feeling. We're men and women, we're not
piles of rocks. We have feelings. Sometimes we
hurt, and sometimes we hurt horribly. That's just a fact. And yet,
in a very real sense, all those things that are the heaviest,
And the hardest, the most difficult, the most perplexing to bear are
our light afflictions. Now, let me try one more time
to address that subject for just a few minutes. I want to help
you. I want to help my friends. As I said, I have friends I cannot
share with you the difficulties I'm aware of in their lives and
wouldn't betray their confidence by doing so. I have friends going
through far more difficult things than any of us here have yet
had to endure. And I pray for them. But in a very real sense, they
are our light afflictions. How so? Judging by the testimony of God's
word, if nothing else. Judging by the testimony of God's
word, if nothing else. Children of God, our difficulties,
our troubles, our trials, our heartaches in this world are
truly light in many, many considerations. I know what the book of God says
concerning these things. It doesn't matter what psychologist
and psychiatrist and psychotherapist and preachers and idiots who
don't know God say concerning these things. Would to God you'd
learn to quit consulting with people who don't know God and
rather consult with God. I know this, so long as we live
in this world, our God has ordained that we live in a world of sorrow,
of pain, of trouble, of adversity, and of difficulty. That's what
he has ordained. We must, through much tribulation,
enter into the kingdom of God. We're redeemed, justified, sanctified
by the blood of Christ, saved, born again, forgiven of all sin,
joint heirs with Christ, heirs of eternal glory by God's free
grace. But so long as we live in this
world, we have to deal with pain, affliction, and heartache. As long as we live in this world,
these bodies will be subject to sickness, disease, and death,
just like those of all other peoples. We also will die just
like all other men. That's the consequence of sin. But even the dying is for our
benefit and for our good. These bodies shall be sown in
corruption and in mortality and in natural carnal sense that
they may be raised in incorruption, in immortality, and spiritual
bodies to the glory of God our Redeemer. I know this too. Whatever comes to pass in my
life and yours, whatever comes to pass in my life and yours,
and I have no idea what that will be tomorrow, Whatever comes
to pass in my life and yours comes to pass by the goodwill
of our God. Whatever it is, if we're God's,
it is by the goodwill of God that it's so. You have experienced,
as I have many times, just at the time we need it, God brings
a portion of scripture, just floods our hearts with it. When
I was a young man, a young believer, I was going through some difficulty. I honestly don't remember what
it was now. Obviously it wasn't much. But
at the time, I thought it was terrible. And I thought I was
just, this is going to end everything. And I came to this passage of
scripture, or rather God brought this passage of scripture to
me. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you. Now hear me, my brother, my sister. Whatever you meet when you walk
out those doors this afternoon Whatever you meet on your way
home tomorrow Whatever you meet as you go through the world tomorrow
This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you whatever
it is Whatever it is Nothing in this universe happens by chance,
by luck, or by blind fate. All that comes to pass, be it
good or bad, prosperous or adverse, both the great and the small,
is ordained by our sovereign God, who is our Heavenly Father,
for our spiritual and eternal good. I often do not know and
am not able to see what God's purpose is in a specific act
or in a specific experience. Often things happen. I cannot
tell you why this happened. I cannot tell you the immediate
connection with what's good for you, but this I know. Whatever
bitter pill God puts in my mouth, God put it there and it's for
my benefit. And whatever bitter pill God
puts in your mouth, your heavenly father put it there and it's
for your benefit. You've all raised children. I was a large stone man. And
sometimes I had to hold my daughter rather firmly to pour in her
mouth medicine that she despised, that she just gagged on it, making
her just almost sick. Why? Why on earth would you do
that? Because she needed it. Because she needed it. And I
might stand there with tears in my eyes while I pour the medicine
in her mouth, because I love her. Everything that God brings
in our lives, He brings it. Our Heavenly Father for our good. And whatever our Heavenly Father
does, He does because of His infinite mercy, love, and grace
toward us. Because of His great goodness.
Never, never, never because of his anger. God spent his fury on his son. He punished our sins in his son. He doesn't punish them in us.
He chastens us, He corrects us as any loving father does. Not
in anger, not in wrath, but only for our benefit. You understand
that? You understand that? Oh, how
easy that ought to make life in this world. And whatever my
God does to me and with me, And whatever he sends someone else,
I started to say permits, but that's the wrong word. Whatever
he sends, Sennacherib, or Pharaoh, or Nebuchadnezzar, or any other
devil walking around in the flesh, whatever he sends to me by the
hands of another, he sends for my good, for my benefit, only
that which is best. It's enough for me. To know that
he who rules the world is my loving, ever gracious, all wise
and good Heavenly Father. I don't need to know what he's
doing. I don't need to know why he's
doing it. I only need to know that he's
doing it. That's all I need. He's doing
it. If he's doing it, it's all right.
Is that right, David? If he's doing it, it's all right.
It's all right. Believing God, it is our greatest
joy and comfort to trust his wisdom, power, love, goodness,
and grace. It is written, there shall no
evil befall thee. I'll be 69 years old in just
a few days, Lord willing. In 69 years. Are you listening? In 69 years, I have never experienced
an evil thing. There shall no evil befall them.
There shall no evil happen to the just. and the grace of God
is sufficient. The grace of God is sufficient,
always sufficient. And he puts us in various circumstances,
in trials, in various situations of helplessness and seeming hopelessness,
that we may learn not to trust ourselves, but his goodness. More than that, no matter what
our trial is, no matter what the difficulty is, the Lord is
with me. He's at hand. Paul was in prison. He said, Demas has forsaken me. Alexander did me much harm. These
folks have left me. He said, but the Lord was with
me. That's sufficient. That's sufficient. And one more
thing. Our light afflictions are but
for a moment. They will soon be over. One of
the old writers wrote to a friend about a great difficulty he was
having. He said, this is but a small
cloud. It will soon be past. And whatever
it is that right now rings your heart, crushes your very soul, This
is but a small cloud. It will soon be past. Amen.