All right, let's take our Bibles
once again and turn with me to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter
4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I like to actually look at verses
5 to 7. I've entitled this message, Treasure
in Earthen Vessels. Now just as a reminder, to bring
us up to where we were, In verse 1, the Apostle Paul said, therefore
seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we
faint not. What Paul was saying that those
that God has called to be preachers of the gospel are men that have
received the glorious mercy of Almighty God. The Lord is the
one that has mercifully called them and therefore kept them,
emboldened them with courage to endure that they might not
fall, might not faint. They're men that have like passions
just like anybody else. But by the grace of God, God
keeps them in the midst of trials and difficulties because of the
message they preach. He said, Verse 2, Renounce 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. Paul was saying that though God's
preachers are exposed to many difficulties and sorrows, it's
not because these difficulties come, these trials come, not
because of any dishonest actions on their part, but he said that
they don't use shameful tactics or gimmicks in the ministry. So many times you'll find people,
they just, they do silly things. They just, you know, put a $10
bill or something like that, or just try, you know, something
to just generate some kind of interest. Paul says we don't
use trickery to cause people to want to come. We do what we
do for the glory of God. We don't promote our own glory. We don't handle the Word of God
deceitfully and try to mix man's works and traditions with God's
Word. Paul was saying that by the manifestation
of the truth. by the preaching of the gospel.
He said, our desire was to exhibit ourselves before men's consciences. He said, I want there to be a
perception that we are truly men of God, serious about what
we're doing, consistent to the scriptures, and we do this in
the sight of God as being true ministers. who preach with plainness
and boldness as it is revealed in God's Word. I want men and
women to understand what I'm saying. I don't want to say it
in such a way or use silliness to try to preach the gospel. We want to be forthright. We want to be plain. He said
in verse 3 and 4, if our gospel be hid, it's hid to them that
are lost. in whom the God of this world,
little g 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. The apostle stated that if the
gospel that is preached by God's men is hidden to the minds and
to the understanding of some, It's not the fault if these men
are setting forth the gospel as it is revealed in the scriptures.
They're not using deceit, dishonesty. They're not handling the Word
of God with craftiness and deceitfulness. If God's men are preaching the
truth as it is in Christ Jesus, if men's eyes are blinded, it's
not because of the men that's preaching the gospel. And it's
not because of the gospel that is preached. The reason that
the gospel is hidden by Satan is because in the garden, when
Satan tempted, beguiled Eve, tempted Adam, and Adam fell in
the garden. That blindness started right
there. God told it. In the day that
you eat thereof, you're going to die, spiritually. You're not
going to see, you're right. He physically saw, but he died
spiritually. And that blindness has just been
passed on to everyone that's ever come forth. out of a woman's
womb. They were born. Men and women
are born blind because of sin. And unless God Almighty is pleased
to shine the light of the glorious gospel of Christ in a sinner's
heart, he's going to remain blind. Unless God gives him eyes to
see, he's not going to see. And Satan will remain the reason
for his blindness. Seeing, Paul says, that they
have this ministry by the grace of God, he said, knowing the
importance of it, knowing the glory of it, he said, we want
to be honest about it. I want to tell you the truth.
I want to tell you what God has to say. I want to repeat what
the Lord has said. I don't want to use subtlety.
I don't want to be cunning. I know that if men are blind,
they're blinded by Satan. And therefore, I know that the
only hope for a sinner is to preach the gospel. Preach it,
asking God to bless it, praying that God send forth that word. It's not going to return void. It's going to accomplish the
purpose. But I'm going to ask you, Lord, would you bless this today?
Because I know this, the gospel is the power of God and salvation.
Now, verse 5, here's where we're going to be. Paul says, For we
preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves,
your servants, for Jesus' sake. Concerning the message we preach,
Paul said, we preach not ourselves. What does he mean by that? Well,
for a man to preach himself is to preach to bring glory to himself. The Pharisees loved, the Lord
said, to be called rabbi. Rabbi. Those who preach themselves
love the honors of men rather than the honor that's given unto
the Lord God of heaven. They preach the traditions of
men rather than the revealed will and word of God. They exalt self rather than God
and they hold to the lie of Satan. A man that preaches himself has
this as the foundation of his message. Isaiah 14, 13. Satan speaking. He said, I will
ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God. I will sit also upon the mount
of the congregation in the sides of the north. A man that preaches
himself is a man that says, I can. I will. I'm able. It's to proclaim the very filthiness
of man's lust and passion to bring glory to self, to satisfy
oneself, to merely please men and do it for the satisfying
of one's desire for attention and glory. You say, well, Marvin,
can you back that up? The Lord said. The Pharisees,
they love the praises of men more than the praises of God.
They've got the same attitude as that Pharisee. that went into
the temple with the publican. God, I thank you that I am not
as other men are. I, I, I fast, I give, I'm not
like. Paul says, we preach not ourselves,
but, here's what we preach, Paul says, Christ Jesus the Lord. Paul's message was concerning
the anointed Savior and Master. The message he preached was the
one of the one. who was sent of God to finish
the work of redemption and salvation on behalf of an everlastingly
loved people. The One who was given all power
over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many
as the Father had given Him. Paul said concerning themselves,
we preach Christ, we preach not ourselves, but we preach Christ
Jesus the Lord. the glory that's going to go
to Him. And then He says concerning our preaching and ourselves,
you're servants for Jesus' sake. Paul meant that their preaching
wasn't to serve or to cater to the lust of men. It wasn't to
speak smooth things to men, to tickle their ears. for the sake
and honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he declared that life was
in Him. He didn't tell men, all you have
to do is this. Paul says, no, we don't preach
ourselves. We preach Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your
servants. He concluded to the people that
the preaching which honored the Lord Jesus Christ was the greatest
and highest form of servitude. that one could render unto another.
Paul said, I'm your servant. I'm the servant of the Lord Jesus
Christ, sent as your servants. And then he said, verse 6, for
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, have
shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Now here the
apostle declares that the same God who created all things. What was the first thing God
created? Light. Light. God Almighty, Genesis
1-3 says this, and God said, let there be Light. And there was light. Light. That is an amazing, light is
an amazing thing. I tried to do a little artwork
and I can tell you that light, light is essential. Good light.
Good light. Good light. I mean, to be able
to do was something that I'd want to do art-wise. With that
good lighting, good, pure light. There's lights that you can get,
light bulbs that you can get, and they're, they discolor. I'm talking about, you gotta
have true, north light, pure light. The scripture declares
that God said, let there be light. Light is an amazing thing. We
look at the sun and we say, that's light. No, the sun holds light.
It radiates light. Light is invisible. You can't
see it, but God said, let there be light. And He who said, let
there be light, He's the Father and the Creator of all light,
all lights in the heavens. The glorious stars, the lights,
the same God who created light created the bearers, the holders
of light. And He's the One who sent His
only begotten Son to be the light, the illumination. That's the
only way you can see. You take all light. Have you
ever been in a mine? cave or something, and they just
turn all the lights off. How much can you see? Nothing.
Nothing. Put your hand right in front
of your face, you're going to see absolutely nothing. You have to have light. God sent his son to be the light,
the illumination of the world. That light from God that reveals
all things. What does it take for a man to
behold something of the evil of his own nature. Light. It takes light. It takes light
who is God Himself. Christ Himself, the light of
the world. Now, this thing of light, now
you can try to define it and explain it, say what its essence
is, but only God has given the true definition of this marvelous
truth of light. Again, I mean, you flip on a
switch and You see, light bulb. You look at that light bulb and
you say, there's the light right there. No, that's nothing. That
light bulb is what gives forth light. What you're seeing is
a light. You're seeing some glass and
a little filament in it. You're not seeing light. All
you see is what light reflects back to your eye. You cannot
see light. You cannot see light. You cannot
see without it, but you can see it. It's an amazing thing called
light. And the definition of light,
physical or spiritual, is set forth in God's Word. Now listen to this. And after
I read this scripture to you and tell you what the scripture
says light is, We're going to agree with it, and we're going to be amazed
by it. I'm talking about now all light, physical light, I
can look around, I can see, you know, I see stuff, you. Spiritual
light, spiritual understanding, light of the heart. Listen to
this, 1 John 1.5. This then is the message which
we've heard of him and declare unto you. that God is light. And in Him is no darkness at
all. You mean to tell me that everything
that I'm able to physically behold is because of God? Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
Light. Only God can perfectly expose
that which is. God is invisible. And when He
said, let there be light, that is, let it be seen. Let it be known. Let it be exposed. Only by Him do we know the truth. God wasn't created. He manifested. Only by Him do we know the truth
of Him. Only by Him do we know the truth
of ourselves. Only by Him do we know the truth
of Christ. Only by Him do we know the truth
of salvation. Almighty God has set forth, God
is light, uncreated, but manifested. Christ is said in John 1.4, in
Him, that is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the image of the
invisible God. In Him was life, and the life
was the light of man. In Him was the Father and the
Spirit. the life and the light, meaning
that He is the efficient cause of life and light, again, whether
it be natural or spiritual illumination, it's from God, God Almighty. So Paul says, speaking, that
God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, God always
is. God always was. I am that I am.
God wasn't created. God who commanded the light to
shine out of darkness has shined in our hearts to give the light,
the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face,
in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. God who in the beginning
commanded light to be, and it was, is the same God, Paul said,
who has shined in our hearts in regenerating grace. We who
are in darkness of sin and unbelief, God commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, shine in our hearts, to give, not that we
didn't earn it, And this was given. It wasn't merited. God gave it by grace. He gave
the light of the glory of God. That same glory that Moses was
told of God, that God would show him. He said, I'm going to have
mercy and compassion on whomsoever I will. That was his glory. Show
me your glory. Show me. I'm going to cause all
my goodness to pass before you. Who is all the goodness of God?
The Lord Jesus Christ. Here's my glory, I'm gonna show,
have all my goodness pass before you. And I'll have mercy and
compassion on whomsoever I will. How's he gonna do this? He's
gonna do it in the face of Jesus Christ. God's glory is reflected
unto God's people in the face, in the person, Christ Himself. The light of understanding that
we have of God's mercy and of God's compassion to His people
in regenerating grace, that saving grace and mercy has been revealed,
illuminated to us in Christ. God does a work of grace in His
people and it's the only way that they know anything about
what He's done is when Christ himself, the light of the world,
illuminates it to us. Then he says in verse seven,
but we have this treasure, what a treasure, light, the gospel. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and not
of us. The illumination of God's glory
in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ is the illumination of
the unveiling or the revealing of the glorious gospel to our
hearts. It's called a treasure. That
gospel is a treasure because the gospel in the gospel is found
the richness. of God's redemption, of God's
justification, and therefore His salvation to His people,
only in the Gospel. Paul says we have this treasure,
treasure, where we perceive our acceptance with God. How can
God be just and justify a sinner found in the treasure? How can
we be accepted with God? Who is the way, the truth, and
the life? We only know that one way in the Gospel. How can God be just? Christ was made sin for us. He who knew no sin. That we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. How are you going to know that?
Only in the treasure. In the treasure. And that treasure,
Paul says, it's in weak, frail creatures like us that see no
good thing. In us, we put no confidence whatsoever
in our flesh, and we know that there's no hope for us except
God Almighty show mercy that we didn't deserve. What do you
call that? Earthen vessels. aging earthen vessels. That truth was taught back in
the Old Testament. There was a man named Gideon
and God called Gideon and he was going to raise Gideon up
and he was going to make Gideon to be the means of God's deliverance
for his people from the army of the Midianites. And they started
off with a great big group. Got them down to 300 people.
300 men. And God told Gideon, he said,
you tell each of the men. He had 300 guys. Divided them
up, 100, 100, 100. And they got ready. There was
the Midianites down in the camp. Came at night. And what they
were going to do, they took each man in Gideon's army. He had
an earthen vessel, just a clay pot. And in that pot, the scripture
says there was a lamp, some kind of a light. A candle? I don't
know. But it was a light in a pot. And the pot, before it was broken,
you couldn't see the light. And he had a trumpet in the other
hand. And Gideon told him, I'm gonna
tell you what to do. He said, this is what God's revealed
to me. He said, when I blow my trumpet, he said, I want every
one of you in my army here, you blow your trumpet and break the
earthen vessel. Break it, expose the light. And he said, and when you do,
after you blow that trumpet and you break that vessel and you
shout the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. In that very act,
God wrought victory over the enemies of his people. There's a picture of the victory
that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's set forth that
Gideon's army, they didn't have a sword or a spear, What does
that teach us? The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but they're mighty through God to the pulling down
of strongholds. Almighty God has revealed that
the Lord has been pleased to deposit the treasure of the gospel
in earthen vessels just like us. Earthen vessels who are not
We don't have any strength in ourselves, we're just earthen
vessels. And he's done this, why? Last words, verse 7. We have
this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. How did God give victory to Gideon and his army? Was it
because they were stronger? Wiser? No. God was pleased to
give victory, to get in his army, to set forth that the power is
of God and not of us. Almighty God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light, the illumination of the glory of God. And what was
that glory? He said, I'm going to have mercy
on whom I'll have mercy. I'm going to have compassion
on whom I'll have compassion. The Apostle Paul was moved by
the Spirit of God over in Romans 9 to say this concerning that
scripture back in Exodus 33. So then, it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God. that giveth the victory. God Almighty shines in our heart
to give the light, to give the illumination. I pray that God
bless this message to our hearts for Christ's sake and our good. Amen.