Go with me if you would back
to second Corinthians chapter four. Second Corinthians chapter four. After the message that we had
Sunday night. From Matthew 17 on. A fish that swallowed a coin. And after seeing how the Lord
provided through that and how he satisfied the law through
that and declared his union with us through that. In thinking back on that, I've
been dwelling on the Lord's amazing providence, his amazing providence. Um, he is bringing us to glory. That's what he's doing. All right.
He is bringing us to glory from the moment that he gave life
to us in the womb. And the moment he delivered us
into this world, every moment thereafter. Is him bringing us
to glory. And it's all amazing providence. Amazing, amazing providence. I want to see that. I want to
see that we worry about this life so much. And everyone here knows what
I'm talking about. We worry about it so much. We worry about the
things we know about. We worry about the things we
don't know about. We worry about the things that
are the things that could be the things that probably won't
be. We worry about things so much. I want to enter in to our Lord's
amazing providence. I want to experience the comfort
and the peace that comes from entering in to his amazing providence. In dwelling on all of these things
and that message, it caused me to come to this chapter. Second
Corinthians four. And I want to look at this chapter.
We just read it. And this is what I want us to
look at. I want to look at this entire chapter, but. Let's first
look at verse 15, look with me at verse 15, it says. For all things. Are for your
sakes. That the abundant grace. might
through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. All things are for your sakes. Think about what that's saying.
I would love to enter into this. All things are for your sakes,
all things, no matter what it is, all news. I quit watching the news because
to me it was all bad news. There came a point where I just
said, I'm not watching the news anymore. I can't help it. I get on the
internet and some of it sneaks in, but I just stopped watching
it. But here's the fact of the matter. If you want to watch
the news, watch the news. All news is for your sake. All things All things, all happenings
are for your sake. Every single thing, all things. What is not included in all things. Our Lord does not exaggerate.
He does not exaggerate. Every single thing, all things
are for your sakes. What that means is all things
are for you. Not against you. For you, we
will have a thing come up and this is what we will think this
is against me. That's what we'll think something
comes up and we'll think this is going against me. Not according
to God Almighty, it's not. Not if we're one of the ones
who have been called according to his purpose, it's not. All
things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. If God is for
us, nothing is against us. Nothing
can be against us. If it can be said that you and
I are one of the ones that God chose to salvation. Through sanctification
of the Spirit, that means the Spirit came and got us and set
us apart. Chosen to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth, who is Christ. Truth is a person. He said, I'm
the truth. If that can be said about us,
then verse 15 says, all things are for your sakes. That the
abundant grace. Abundant grace. That's what all
of God's dealings with us are in Christ. That's what all of
his dealings with us are in Christ. Abundant grace where our sin
has abounded. His grace has infinitely more
abounded infinitely more. Why? Why has he ordained all
things for the good of his people according to his abundant grace?
Why? Here's the answer. The glory
of God. The glory of God, that's why
it is all for his glory. And that produces great thanks
in us. Great thanks. Look at verse 15
again. It says for all things. are for your sakes that the abundant
grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory
of God. Amen and amen. Now, verse 16
says, For which cause? The glory of God, because He's
doing all things for our sakes, according to His abundant grace
toward us. For the witch calls, we faint
not. We don't quit. We don't have
a heart to quit. We don't have a heart to stop
thanking Him and stop praising Him and stop worshiping Him. We don't have a heart that says,
OK, that's good enough. I have worshiped Him and thanked
Him and praised Him. All I'm going to worship Him
and thank Him and praise Him. Now, don't get me wrong. The
flesh is weak. Don't get me wrong. Verse 16
says our outward man does perish. But it says, though our outward
man perish. Yet the inward man, the man that
is created in Christ Jesus, there is a new man. In God's people. There's a new creation. It's
the spirit of Christ in his people, that new creation that is given
the ability to look to Christ and to trust Christ and to believe
on Christ and to follow Christ and to seek Christ by God's grace. That new man does not faint. That new man is renewed day by
day. Hold your place and go with me
to Hebrews chapter 10. Hebrews 10. Verse 38. It says now that just shall live
by faith. But if any man draw back, my
soul shall have no pleasure in him. Verse 39 says, but we are
not of them who draw back unto perdition. That means destruction. But we are of them that believe
to the saving of the soul. Even though there are so many
people in this world who do not look to Christ as being all of
their hope of glory, so many, so many people do not look to
his blood and righteousness alone. So many people. Even though so many look to their
own works and their own goodness and their own self-righteousness,
a child of God just cannot do it. A child of God just can't
do it. A child of God has to believe
on Christ alone. A child of God can't stop believing
on Christ alone. A child of God cannot stop looking
to Christ and cannot stop trusting Christ and can't stop following
Christ. For a child of God, there's nowhere
else to go. What else do we have? To whom shall we go? Try to stop trusting in Christ
alone. Try to. Try to find confidence
in your flesh. Can't do it. You cannot do it. Why can we not do it? Here's
the reason. Here's the reason why we cannot stop trusting in
Christ. It's because we're being kept by the power of God. That's
the reason why. We will not, we do not draw back
unto perdition. That means stop trusting in Christ
alone. Stop looking to Christ alone.
We will not when we do not because God Almighty won't let us. He
is keeping us looking to Christ through all of this amazing providence. He is renewing us in Christ day
by day through all of this amazing providence every single day,
day by day, and with each passing moment, he won't let us go. He
won't let us go. Go back to second Corinthians
four. Verse 15 says. For all things are for your sakes
that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many
redound to the glory of God for the wit for which cause we faint
not, we faint not, we faint not. That's how Paul started this
chapter in verse one. Look with me if you would at
verse one. Therefore, seeing we have this
ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not. Our God has given us the greatest
thing that could ever be given to us in this life. A ministry. I mean that our God has given
to us the greatest thing that could ever be given to us in
this life, a ministry of God's free and sovereign grace. What a rare and precious gift
that is. I spoke to a brother, I had to
send my notes and I X'd it all out. I said, no, I'm not going
to bring that up. I spoke to a brother in South
Africa yesterday and this brother touched my soul. He touched,
I've been in communication with him for a couple of years now,
but very much so here recently, and he touched my soul. And for
two years, he's been telling me he'll try church after church
after church, and there's nowhere to go. There's nowhere to go. What he would give for a ministry. What he would give for a ministry.
His soul would be content. If he had a ministry where he
could gather with God's saints and worship him in truth, in
spirit. Around his sovereign mercy and
his sovereign grace. What a rare privileged gift that
is, you know, people don't understand that they say, what are you talking
about? Their church is everywhere. They don't understand this. And
they're right, there are religious organizations everywhere, but
a true ministry of God's gospel, not man's religion, but God's
gospel. That's a rare thing. What is a true ministry of God's
gospel? What does it look like? What
does it consist of? Paul said, mercy. That's what it is, mercy. It's
a ministry of mercy for sinners in the blood of Jesus Christ.
That's what this ministry is. Mercy for sinners in the blood
of Jesus Christ. God brings his people in so banged
up and broken and bruised in the mercy of God applies the. Sav and the bandage and the.
Binding up of the broken hearted. Sinners in need of mercy, sinners
in need of grace. That's what God's true ministry
looks like. And Paul said it's a ministry
of truth. Verse two, he said. We have renounced
the hidden things of dishonesty, the lies that man has told on
God, when you can't find it in this word. They say that God
said this when he didn't say it. God wants this when he doesn't
want it. God is trying to do this when
he's not trying to do that. God's not trying to do anything.
A sovereign God doesn't try to do anything. The God who tries
and wants to, but doesn't know if he can is no God at all. But
that's all that's out there. It doesn't matter what denomination
it is. It doesn't matter what you call it. That's all that's
out there. That's the God of religion today, a God who is
no God at all in preaching that kind of God in telling men and
women, that's who God is. That's dishonest. That's lying
on the true and living God by God's grace. Paul said, we're
not going to do that. Verse two, he said, but having
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, we stand before God in honesty as the centers
that we are. We are centers before God. That's
what David cried. That's what Isaiah cried. That's
what Peter cried. That's what Paul cried. That's
what all of God's people cry. God be merciful to me, the center. Verse 2, 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. 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. The
image of God, God himself, God manifest to us in the flesh of
man. That's who the Lord Jesus Christ
is. He is the sovereign. He is the king who reigns, the
one who sits on the throne, the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Verse five says, For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ,
the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus sake. Why do we do that? Verse six
says, 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. We do it because
it pleased God to reveal these things to us. It pleased God
to call us to the truth concerning Christ and all of his accomplishment
and all of his victory. It pleased him to conquer us
and bring us to his feet and to cause us to see that all
of the glory of God can be seen in the face of the Lord Jesus
Christ. We sing that song. face to face
with Christ my Savior, face to face, what will it be? What will it be like to see his
face? It'll be like seeing all of the glory of God in one look. All of the glory of God. It'll
be like seeing all of the wonder and amazement of eternity right
there in that one look. It'll be an experience that no
man could ever describe. Verse six says, 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. But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God and
not of us. This treasure of the ministry
of Christ, the mystery of godliness, concerning the mercy and grace
that God has provided for us in the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. This treasure has been given to clay pots. Is that not amazing? This treasure,
all that we are is earthen vessels, clay pots, and we acknowledge
that that's the case. We acknowledge that that's so,
and we are glad that that's so. That the excellency of the power
may be of God and not of us. It's his work. It's not ours.
It's his glory. It's not ours. How could it be
ours? We're just earthen vessels. It's all we are. Clay pots, clay
pots are so breakable. They are so fragile. And that's the life that we live
on this earth. Let's read these next few verses and see if this
doesn't describe the life we live on this earth. Okay. See
if, see if this is you. Verse eight says we are troubled
on every side. Yeah. Not distressed. We are perplexed, but not in
despair. Persecuted. but not forsaken,
cast down, but not destroyed. Why? It's because verse 10 says
we're 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. Looking to the sacrifice of Christ
is what saves us every time we go through this life. So troubled
on every side, we are troubled on every side. We go through
this life so perplexed, so persecuted, so cast down. And what pulls
us up and what saves us every time is looking at the sacrifice
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every single time. Verse 11 says,
For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus's
sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our
mortal flesh. As he died in this world and
lives unto God, we are dead to this world and alive unto God
in him. with him. Verse 12 says, so then
death worketh in us, but life in you. He's saying whatever
persecution or trial comes for the sake of this ministry, it's
worth it. Just to be able to tell centers the glorious news
of the gospel, just to see them rejoice in the salvation of the
Lord Jesus Christ. It makes it all worth it. 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 knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus
shall raise up us also by Jesus and shall present us with you.
What he's saying is. We have a hope. We've been given
a ministry of truth. God has not left us in lies. And even though just like everybody
else, we're walking through this world just with so many troubles
and so many trials and so much persecution, we have the dying
of the Lord Jesus, we have the sacrifice. And all of that persecution
and trouble is worth it, if that's what it takes for God to use
these means to bring sinners to him. And for all of us to
realize that we have a hope set before us, we have a hope set
before us, we have the good news of the gospel. We may be troubled. But we're not going to be forsaken,
he's not going to leave us, we may be cast down, but he said,
you keep looking to your hope. You just keep looking to your
hope. You keep your eyes fixed on Christ, your hope. 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,
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 are eternal." Now let me say this. Light afflictions are
only light. As long as we are not the ones
going through them. And that's just so. And we'll
say that again because it's so light afflictions are only light
as long as we are not the ones going through. When we are the ones bearing
afflictions, our light afflictions can feel very heavy sometimes.
Very heavy, but here's the thing about it. God has given us a
hope. God has given us a hope. That
hope is Jesus Christ. And as long as we keep our eyes
focused on him, everything will be fine. As long as we keep our
eyes focused on him, Everything will be fine. All we have to
do is trust him as he carries us through his amazing providence. His providence is a way of trial. His providence is a way of trouble.
His providence is a way of depression, pain, sorrow. But all we have to do is trust
him, trust him. And we will have hope and we
will obtain glory in Christ. There is an eternal weight of
glory waiting for us. And Paul said, don't get hung
up on the temporary things that you can see right now. They are not lasting. These things
are not lasting. They're just for a moment. They're
just for a moment. They're just a vapor. Look to
the things that we're about to see. I wish I could enter into,
I wish I could describe what we're about to see, but I can't. No man can. But by faith, look
to the things that we are promised to see eternal in the heavens
and hope is there. We're marching to Zion. That's
what we're doing. Beautiful, beautiful Zion. We're
marching to Emmanuel's ground, a fairer world's on high. God
has given us the promise of that in the truth that he has revealed
to us. Hope in Christ and stay right
there. Hope in Christ and stay right
there. All things, here's his promise. All things are for you. For your sakes, all things are
abundant grace. All things are for the glory
of God. Our light affliction is just
for a moment, it's just for a moment. And they work for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, so don't look at the
things we can see by faith, look at everything we can't see. These
things are temporal. Those things are forever. May
God comfort us and encourage us with that promise. All right,
let's all stand together.