Would you turn with me to 2 Corinthians
chapter 4? While you're turning there tonight,
I'm going to speak out of Hebrews 13, 2, where the writer says,
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers. Thereby, some have
entertained angels unawares, and we're going to observe the
Lord's table together. 2 Corinthians chapter 4, I've entitled
this message, Death, Life, Living and Dying. Death, Life, Living and Dying. Let's begin reading in verse
6 of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. I'm going to read down to verse
12. 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 the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ in earthen vessels, jars of clay, that the excellency
of the power may be of God and not of us. We are trouble 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 that earthen vessel he spake of, that jar
of clay 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, this earthen vessel,
so that death worketh in us, but life in you. We have this treasure, the light
of the knowledge of the glory of God. What a treasure that
is. We have this treasure in earthen
vessels. This is the body spoken of in
verse 10 and the mortal flesh spoken of in verse 11. This is
the outward man spoken of in verse 16. At verse 16 in this
same chapter, for the which cause we think not, but though our
outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Look
in chapter five, verse one, for we know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle, that's this jar of clay, the earth and desolate. We know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved, if we die, we have a building
of God and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this vessel of clay, this
earthen vessel, this mortal body, in this body that's going to
die, that's dying, we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house, which is from heaven. If so be that being
clothed, we should not be found naked. For we that are in this
tabernacle, do groan being burdened. What is all this groaning all
about if we have this treasure? Do I have to tell you? Do you
not already know? It's called sin. Sin in this Now, the earthen vessel, the
body that Paul speaks of, is the old nature. It's the nature I was born with. The treasure is the gospel, salvation
from sin, the new nature. And this treasure is housed in
an earthen vessel. have, if we're believers, two
distinct natures. The one we were born with and
the one we were born again with. Two separate and distinct natures
which have nothing to do with each other. You know, the Lord
said that which is born of the flesh It's flesh. It can't rise
above its nature. And that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit. Two separate natures. But you know, there's no clear
line of demarcation that we can see. I at no time can say, well,
I'm not sitting with my new nature. I can never say that. I can never,
in my experience, say, well, that was holy. The new nature
did that. The holy nature did that. I can't
say in my experience that at any time. And here's how. You
see, we have both these natures funneled into one body. And listen
to this. Listen to this. This is how true.
That new nature, that holy nature, that 1 John 3 says does not sin
because it's born of God. That new nature owns the sins
of the old man, even though the new nature didn't commit them. Now think about that. My new
nature owns, it's the new nature that says my sin is ever before
me. It's the new nature, the old
nature never owns up to a sin. It's the new nature that owns
the sins of the old man, although it was not the new nature that
committed them, but yet the new nature says, they're mine. They're
mine. Somebody says, well, how can
that be? I don't know, but it is. It is. But in like manner,
the Lord Jesus Christ owns the sins of his people as his. Personally guilty of them, although
he did not commit them. Yet, he says, they are mine. Now, this treasure is housed
in a weak, sinful, frail, dying body. And because of that, Paul
says in verse 8, we are troubled. Now, this is the apostle speaking.
Speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and he's
being honest here. I'd like to find an honest man. Well, here's one. Here's one. He's telling things like they
are. And he says we're troubled on every side. There isn't anything
that we see that we're not troubled about. I look at the world, I'm
troubled. I look at people who are believers.
I'm troubled. I'm troubled. Inconsistency?
The contradiction that I see in them. But you know what I'm
mostly troubled about? The inconsistency and contradiction
that I see within myself. Troubled on every side. There's
nothing I'm not troubled about, Paul says. You understand that? You understand what I'm saying?
I do. But he also says, yet not distressed, not hemmed in, I
know because of this treasure, There is deliverance from this
trouble. He says in verse eight, we're perplexed. We're perplexed, you know what
that means, we don't know the answer. We stand in doubt, there's
things that confuse us, there's things we can't get hold of,
there's things we can't give an account for, we're perplexed. Unable to explain. But having
this treasure, I know I'm not without help. I'm not in despair.
I'm not without a way. I may not know the answer, but
I know God does. And, you know, that satisfies me. You satisfied
with that? I may not know the answer, but
God does. I rest in his knowledge. I'm
always in the way to the Father. Now, Paul says in verse nine,
we're persecuted. You know, the world hates the
gospel. The world hates the God of the
Bible. Not a false God, not a God they
can control, manipulate. They feel comfortable with that
God, but the God of the Bible, the living God, the sovereign
God, the holy God, the God who reigns. Men don't feel comfortable
with Him. They don't like Him. Now, if you leave the world alone,
the world will leave you alone. But if you preach the truth,
And you warn that if you don't believe this message of the gospel,
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace, you'll perish. If you leave the world alone
and don't say that and say, well, I'm OK, you're OK, we're all
going to the same place. We may believe differently, but we're
all right. You won't be persecuted. But if you stand for the truth,
you will be persecuted. But look at this promise. Persecuted,
but not forsaken. Lord never forsakes his people.
It's not going to happen. It won't. And then he says in
verse 9, cast down. Cast down. Now, this is this
is an allusion to a wrestler being thrown down and defeated. We're not down, we hear the count,
we're about out. Cast down, feeling in and of
ourselves because of this weak frail earthen vessel we're living
in, because of this sinful mortal flesh that we're living in, we
feel cast down. We feel like we've been whipped,
licked down and out. But yet, verse 9, not destroyed. Not destroyed, because we have
this treasure. All these buts are because of this treasure
we have. We feel all these things of being perplexed and troubled
and persecuted and cast down. Those are very real, but because
of this treasure, we have all these blessings. Now, look what
he says in verse 10. And what I want you to do when
we read this verse of Scripture is I don't want you to try to
figure out what this means. I want you to see what it says
on the very surface. Don't think, well, what's that
mean? Just see what it says. Verse 10, always bearing about,
carrying in the body, this earthen vessel, always carrying about
in the body, the dying of the Lord Jesus. Now just take that for what it
says. Always carrying in this frail, sinful, weak body, the
dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might
be made manifest in our body. Now the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God has something to do with the dying of Jesus
and the life of Jesus that we're actually said to carry in this
body. He says we carry the dying of
Jesus in our body. Now, what in the world does that
mean? You know what? It's interesting. Every commentator I looked at
had some reference to the suffering that we experience for Christ's
sake. I want to ask you a question. Would you compare the suffering
you've experienced with the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ? Does
it even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath? You know,
when Paul talked about his suffering, look at the way he described
it in verse 17. For our light afflictions. It's light. Isn't it? It's light. I don't
care what you're going through. it's light in the grand scheme
of things, and it's light comparing to the affliction we actually
deserve. What would happen if you got what you deserved? And
as you're being persecuted for the cause of the gospel, would
you compare it with the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ? Surely
not. Surely you're not. May God deliver us from something
so presumptuous. He says we carry in our body,
in this living flesh as every believer, we carry the dying
of the Lord Jesus. Now, what is the dying of the
Lord Jesus all about? Why did Christ die? Well, the scripture says the
wages of sin is death. Look in 2 Corinthians chapter
5, verse 21, we get in the context of when Paul is speaking, what
he means by the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. For he, God
the had made Him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be sin. You know, that's beyond what
we even are able to describe. Jesus Christ the was made to
be sin. And we don't understand that
because sin doesn't much bother us. We're used to it. We're born
that way. We live in it. But the Holy Son
of God was made to be sin. That is why He died. The wages of sin is death. My sin My perversion, my wickedness
was made to meet on Him to where He became guilty of what I've
done. It became His sin. He never sinned. But He was made to be sin. My sin became His sin. That's why he died. God the Father looked upon him
and he saw sin. That's what he saw. God's just. He's going to punish sin. My
sin became the sin of the Lord Jesus Christ. And just as truly
as my sin became Christ's sin so that he became personally
guilty of it, His righteousness becomes my righteousness, so
that I did it. Look in verse 21, again, for
He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him. My sin became his, his righteousness
becomes mine. And now that's what happened
when he died, this glorious transaction that took place. And that's what
happened on the cross. This was this was God taking
my sin, putting it on his son, him taking the righteousness
of his son and putting it on me. That's what happened in the
dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, how in the world do I carry
that in my body? Because that's what he says.
This doesn't have anything to do with some kind of suffering
that I suffer for Christ's sake. Now, I want to suffer for Christ's
sake in that sense. I want to be so loyal to Him
that I suffer for His sake, that I'm willing to be hated of all
men for His sake. I desire that. As a matter of
fact, I would find it a great privilege if God had given me
the grace to be this way. Wouldn't it be a privilege if
you died for Christ's sake? Now, if you're a believer, if your
death You'd find that a privilege if you were put to death because
of your belief in the gospel. But even then, what would that
compare to the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ? Nothing. Now, how in the world do I bear
in my body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ? There's only one
way I know to answer that, because I'm united to Him. I'm in Him
and He's in me. And all that He is, all that
He has, I have. And His dying, because I'm united
to Him. When He died, I did too. When He was raised, I was too. And always, I carry in my body,
this is my hope, the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you
listen real carefully. I have one hope of being saved. I have one hope of standing before
God and being accepted. You know what that hope is? that
Jesus Christ died for me. That's it. That's why I hate
in my heart and despise universal redemption. That hideous, hideous,
evil teaching that says that Jesus Christ shed his blood for
everybody and made salvation possible for everybody. But it's
up to you as to whether or not you'll be saved. It's up to what
you do with it. That takes away the only hope
I have, because if he can die for me and I end up in hell anyway,
you're taking away the only hope I've got, because my only hope
is that he died for me. And I bear in my body the dying
of the Lord Jesus for this reason. that the life
of Jesus also might be made manifest in my mortal body." Now look
what he says, always verse 10, 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 most people look at that
and they say, well, that's us living like Jesus, and people
sing it. I see grace. I don't want to
discount this. I see grace in the hearts of
God's people. And I admire it. I wouldn't dare say anything
against that. But is that what this is talking about? You live
it in such a way as people see Christ. Listen, they didn't see
Christ in Christ. They crucified him. I want people
to see Jesus in you. Well, they didn't see Jesus in
Jesus. No, no, this is talking about
his life. Now, what is meant by the life
of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, it's. The life of God in
the soul. It's his perfect obedience, it's
his law keeping, it's his perfect life. Now, come with me to Colossians
chapter three. Before I read this passage of
Scripture, let me say this. The life of Jesus Christ is my
life before God. Here's where my confidence comes
from. Here's where my boldness comes from, that I can come into
God's presence and believe He hears me. Because the life of
Jesus Christ is my life before God. My life is not based upon
His life. My life is His life. And let
me show you this in Colossians chapter 3. Verse 1, If you then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God. Set your affection on things
above, not on things on the earth, for you are dead. How much interest
does a dead man have in the things going on here? None. What about your political
persuasion? Dead man's not concerned about
it. What about what's going on in the school systems? Dead man's
not concerned about it. I'm dead. You know, as far as
this... Dead. Dead. I'm just not... By the grace
of God, I'm not going to get too upset over... I'm dead. Doesn't
have anything to do with me. I think of Abraham. Lot was a believer, brother Lot.
He acted a lot like an unbeliever, though, didn't he? He's a brother,
I think, God forbid. Scripture says righteous soul,
righteous man, so on, but Lot. Abraham. They're getting an argument,
or the land wouldn't cover, it wasn't enough to support both
herds, and Abraham said, you take the right, I'll take the
left. You take the left, I'll take the right. Do what you want.
I don't care. I'll take whatever's left. You
have the world. You want more of it? Take it.
I'm dead. I'm dead. It's just really not of any consequence
for things that go on in this life. Oh, would to God that we
entered into that. We talk about it, but it's just
non-consequential. You're dead. You're dead. Go to the graveyard. What do
you think about what's going on? You care? No. No. Dead. You're dead. And your life is hid with Christ
in God. When Christ, who is our life? Did you see that? Here's my life
before God. The life of Jesus Christ. He
said, I am the way, the truth and the life. His life is my
life before God. And that's why I can come into
the very presence of God with boldness and know He accepts
me because the life of Jesus Christ is my life. That's how
obedient I am. That's how perfect I am in God's sight through the
gospel. Just as truly as He was made sin for me, His life is
my life before God. My life became His. That's why
He died on the cross. And His life becomes mine. That's my life before God. Now the death and life of Christ
is manifest in these mortal bodies. It comes out in our speech. You
know what you're hearing about right now from this mortal body?
You're hearing that His death is my only sin payment and His
life is my life before God. And it comes out in our actions,
our willingness to suffer for what we believe regarding His
death and His life. And His life and His death are
seen in us denying ourselves. Taking up our cross. Now what
is this taking up our cross all about? It's talking about the
confession of Christ and the persecution that comes with it.
We willingly take up this cross and follow Him. We're dead. Dead to this world. And our greatest desire, and if you could look in my heart
and see what's really there, you would say my greatest desire
is to be rid of self, to deny self, and to follow the
Lord Jesus Christ. And that is what I want to be
manifest in my mortal body, His death and His life. And it is saying that that's
all that matters to me. His death and his life. And look what he says in verse
11. Back to our text. For we which live Do you know that the only way
you and I can ever live is by dying? Now you listen to that. The only way we can really live
is by dying. Dying to any hope of self-salvation. Dying to my rights. Dying to self-promotion. Dying
to self-will. Dying to my will, not my will,
but thine be done. Dying to the values and opinions
and maxims of this world in which we live. Dying. You know, Paul said, I die daily.
I die daily. You know, every day I'm called
upon to deny myself, to crucify the flesh with the affections
and the lusts. I stab them every day. They wake
up the morning the next day alive and I'm called upon to stab them
again. That's why you're always called upon to do this. It's
a continual dying to self. Now, it is in these dying people,
these dying people are the ones who truly live. You know, there's
a lot of folks who just exist. That's about the best you can
say about their life. They exist. But it's the dying people who
live. The others simply take up space,
who live for themselves. But there are some who, with
Paul, say, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And
the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Now, we are always delivered
unto death, he says. Verse 11, for we which live are
always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake. You see, the natural man finds
offensive the gospel. And the natural man will hate
that one who stands for the gospel. They don't like to be told that
the Bible is the word of God because they don't like what
it says. They don't like to be told that God is sovereign because
they want to think they have some control. The natural man
doesn't like to hear that men are dead in sins because they
have some hope in their works. The natural man doesn't like
to hear that God elected a people because that takes them out of
the equation and they're totally dependent upon God's grace. The
natural man doesn't like to hear of the effectual redemption of
Christ because they're not hoping in his death, but something they
do. The natural man doesn't like to hear of the irresistible and
invincible grace of God because they like to think salvation
is in their hands. The natural man does not like the gospel. And they'll leave you alone if
you leave them alone. But if you proclaim that this
is the only gospel and there's no salvation without this gospel,
that's when people get upset. And we're always delivered unto
death for Jesus' sake. We will be put to death in intent. In intent. I guarantee you, when
you stand for the gospel of somebody, if they could, they'd kill you.
Now, you can't do it. I mean, this society, you know,
we have laws and so on, but if they could, if what was in their
heart, they'd kill you. We're always delivered unto death
for Jesus' sake. Paul said, for thy sake we're
killed all the day long. But here's what takes place out
of that. For we which live are always delivered unto death for
Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus His perfect obedience
might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Now, here's what
takes place out of us being delivered to death for Jesus' sake. His
life is manifest in our mortal flesh. That means two or three
things. It only means one thing, but
all these things are included in that. First, we maintain in
our mortal flesh that His life, His obedience, His righteousness
is our justification before God. Do you maintain that? Do you believe that His life
is the only way you'll be justified? Because His life is your life. That's your only hope. And my life in this mortal flesh
is to be wholly dedicated to his life, preaching his life and glorifying
his life by a life that glorifies him. living in, by His grace,
obedience to Him, and crucifying the flesh with the affections
and the lusts were called upon to die daily. Turn with me to Galatians chapter
6 for a moment. Do you find dying to yourself
attractive? I know if you're a believer you
do. That's what you want more than anything else. Look in verse
14. But God forbid, and this is the
Apostle Paul speaking, God forbid that I should glory. Now remember,
Lord Newsom wrote scriptures. He wrote 13 books in the Bible.
He was the chief of the apostles. He was somebody. But he says,
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, his life, his death, his resurrection, what he accomplished.
That's the only thing I have any confidence in. By whom? In light of him, this world is
crucified to me. You can have it. You know, people
grasping for the things of this world? You can have it. In light of the Lord Jesus Christ,
it's nothing but a crucified, dying thing. And I don't see
it in any higher light than that. Oh, the cares of this world. God's going to burn it all. That's
its end. And the world is crucified. The world sees me as worthless,
as a crucified thing. Now back to our text. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 12. So then, death worketh in us, but life
in you. Through his death working in
us, life will come to others as a result. They will hear and
believe of the Dying and the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, turn to Luke 14. This is
the last scripture we're going to look at. And why are you turning
there? It's one thing. Now listen to
me real carefully. Do you agree with what I'm preaching?
Do you get a sense of it? You say it's true and you even
find maybe the other message is distasteful and you don't
even want to hear that. That's good. That's good. But
that's not life. That's not salvation. Simply to give a sense to something,
an agreement as true is not salvation. This is my life, not just something
I agree with. And it's going to be seen in
my conduct here that this is my life. It's going to be seen
in how I treat you. It's going to be seen how I spend
my money. It's going to be seen by me being
here when the gospel is preached. and rejoicing in the message. It's not just, well, I agree
with that. No, the gospel is my life. And look in Luke chapter
14, beginning in verse 25. And there went great multitudes
with him. He had a bunch of people following
him. And he turned, and he said unto
them, this big crowd following him, If any man come to me, and hate
not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot Be my disciple. And whosoever does not bear his
cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of
you, intending to build the tower, sitteth not down first and counts
the cost? Whether he hath sufficient to
finish it, lest, haply, after he hath laid the foundation,
and is not able to finish it, all but behold it begin to mock
him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth
not down first, and consulteth, whether he be able, with ten
thousand, to meet him, that cometh to him with twenty thousand?
Or else, while he the others yet a great way off, he sendeth
an ambassage, and desires conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever
he be of you, that forsaketh not all that he hath. He cannot be my disciple. Salt
is good. But if the salt hath lost his
savor, if it is not salty, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither
fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill. But men cast it
out. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear. May God enable you and I to lose
our lives, take up our cross, deny ourselves,
and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's pray together.