Which turn back to 2nd Corinthians
chapter 2. In verse 14. Paul makes this. Glorious. Precious statement. He says, now, thanks be unto
God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ. And I don't know how many times
this verse was all I had to hold on to when I couldn't see that
I was triumphing in Christ. I couldn't feel like I was triumphing
in Christ on a personal level or with regard to the ministry.
But here it says now, right now, thanks be to God who always,
always, at all times, under all circumstances, He always causeth
us to triumph in Christ. We are always more than conquerors
through Him that loved us. Thanks be unto God that causeth
us to triumph in Christ. Who you thank is who you give
the glory to. who you give the credit to, who
you're grateful for. And the only reason I can say
that I always triumph in Christ is because God makes it so. There's no such thing as a defeated
Christian. I've heard that by preachers.
Oh, I don't want to live a defeated Christian life. There's no such
thing. Now thanks be unto God which
always causes every individual believer to triumph in Christ. At all times, even on a personal level, even
our defeats and our failures, what do they do? They drive us to the Lord Jesus
Christ. The worst things that happen
to us drive us to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, it's kind of
sad. I was thinking about what I want
to try to preach on Sunday night on Gideon. Israel would do evil
on the side of the Lord. The Lord would leave them to
themselves. They would be overtaken by their
enemies. And then they would cry to the Lord. Not before then,
but then they would cry to the Lord. Now, in that sense, these
terrible things that causes us to cry, what are they? They're
blessings from the Lord. Thanks be unto God, which always
causes us to triumph in Christ. Listen to this scripture from
1 John chapter 5, verses 4 and 5. And listen real carefully.
Listen to what it says. It says, This is the victory
that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh
the world, but he that believeth that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God? Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is God the Son? Take that scripture for what
it says. It says this is the victory that overcomes the world.
This is the one who overcomes the world, that one who believes
in their heart of hearts that Jesus Christ is God the Son,
the eternal creator, the second person of the Trinity. Listen
to this scripture. Whoso believeth that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God. Is that all? Yes. That's all it says. If you really
believe that Jesus is the Christ, God's anointed prophet, God's
anointed priest, God's anointed king, you're born of God. With regard to the ministry,
we always triumph in Christ. I don't know how many times I've
had to read this after a sermon that I felt certainly wasn't
to triumph. But God says, thanks be unto
God, who always causes us to triumph. You know, the gospel
has never spoken to no purpose. God is doing something. His word
never returns void. He's either saving or he's hardening
through the word preached. That's what's going on right
now. We're either being saved. Or we're being gospel hardened. The sun, the same sun that melts
the ice. The precise same sun that melts
the ice hardens the clay. So that's what's going on right
now. There's melting or there's hardening. Now, here is the purpose
of gospel preaching. Let's go on reading. Now, thanks
be unto God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ and maketh
manifest the savor of his knowledge by us. in every place. Oh, the savor of His knowledge. Now, His knowledge of us is salvation. Let me give you a scripture to
back that up. 2 Timothy 2, verse 19 says, The foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are
His. Now, here's my hope, that He
knows me. My hope is that he knew me before
I was ever born. He said to Jeremiah, before I
formed thee in the belly, I knew thee. My hope is that when he
walked upon this earth, he knew my name. And that when he was
nailed to that cross, my name was written on his breast, just
like the high priest of old. My hope is that he knows me. I loved it when Steve prayed
about the he said these fellows talking about we found God. Oh,
we we pray that you've found us. That's our hope that he knows
me. Oh, the sweet fragrance of his
knowledge of me and salvation insofar as our experience goes,
is our knowledge of him. This is life eternal that they
might know thee. the only true God and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent." I know the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows
me. I know Him. There is a relationship. Can I prove it to you? No. I
don't feel any need to. I know it. And He knows me. And oh, what sweet fragrance
there is in knowing Him. Taste and see. That the Lord
is gracious. Grace is something that you taste.
It's something that tastes good. To you that believe, the scripture
says, he is precious. Now, if you believe, if you believe,
this is so, to you who believe, he, the Lord Jesus Christ, is
precious. He's precious to God. He's precious
to you. He's your only way into the presence
of the Father. He's everything in your salvation.
To you which believe he is precious, what a sweet fragrance. He says
in verse 15, for we. For we are unto God a sweet savor
of Christ in them that are saved. And in them that perish literally
in them that are being saved. Now let me tell you something
about salvation. We've been saved. We're being saved. And we're
yet to be saved. We've been saved. I was saved
before the foundation of the world. I was saved when Christ
died on Calvary's tree. I've been saved. I've been saved. I'm right now being saved. Every day I'm being saved. And one of these days, I'll be
saved. I'll be perfectly conformed to
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, to those who are perishing,
they've already been condemned, and they will yet be condemned. He talks about those who are
being saved and those who are being condemned. Now, if the
gospel doesn't save, it condemns. It's always doing something.
It's never heard neutrally. Turn to John chapter 9 for just
a moment. John chapter 9. Verse 39, And Jesus said, For judgment
I am come into this world, that they which see not might see,
and they which see might be made blind. Now what in the world
does the Lord mean by that? He says, I've come for judgment
that they which see not might see, and they which see might
be made blind. I can tell you exactly what our
Lord is saying. That person who can't see why God would save
them, they look at themselves, and
they can't find a reason in themselves as to why God would save them. That's the person God came to
save. And that person who can see why
God would save them, That's the person he came to
blind and judge. You see, there's always something
going on in true gospel preaching. There's people who are made to
see and there are people who are blinded. And when he says
we're a sweet saver unto God, he's not talking about himself.
He's talking about the gospel message they preached and men's
reception and rejection of it. It causes a sweet saver to God
in both. When a man receives the gospel
and believes the gospel, that's a sweet saver unto God. When
a man rejects the gospel and is judged by God, that's a sweet
saver to his justice. Now, it says both. Look carefully
at the language. Verse 14, now thanks be unto
God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ and make it
manifest the savor of His knowledge by us in every place. For we
are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved
and in them that perish. Now, there are those who are
being saved by the message of the gospel. They hear, they hear
Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins." And they're trusting that one to save them
from their sins. You know, when I was up in St. Croix this week,
Paul Mahan made a statement that I liked so much. He said, he
said, Oh, Lord, do something about our sin. Do something about our sin. Lord, do something about my sin.
Save me from my sin. Save me from the penalty of my
sin. Don't let me be condemned for
my sin. Save me from the power of my
sin. Save me from the presence of sin. He did. He shall save
his people from their sin. I've been justified. That's how
I was saved. I'm being sanctified. I'm being
saved. I'll yet be glorified. Salvation in all three tenses.
And that's a sweet smell to God. You find somebody who trusts
the Lord Jesus Christ as their only way of acceptance before
God right now. And I'll show you somebody who
smells good to God. God sees that and it smells good. Now, you find me someone who
rejects the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Someone who has
no love for Christ, they don't see him as altogether lovely.
What an inexcusable wickedness that is, to not love he who is
altogether lovely. You know, Paul put it this way.
He said, if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him
be anathema. Let him be damned upon the return
of the Lord. Now, was Paul being hard-hearted
and harsh when he said that? Not at all. You see, he's looking
at things from the Lord's perspective. He's altogether lovely. For a
man to not love Him is the greatest of all crimes. And it's a sweet
smell to God's justice to condemn that man. Now, I know that people
don't hate the Christ that's being preached in our day. The Christ who can be controlled.
As long as you can control Christ in some way, you're not going
to hate Him. You're not afraid of Him. A Christ you can control, who can't do
what he wants to unless you of your free will let him. Nobody
hates that Christ. Nobody's afraid of that Christ.
But the Christ of the Bible, who has absolute control, that
Christ men hate. Turn to Luke chapter 19 for a
second. I want to say, I want you to see this. Luke 19. Verse 14. This is a parable of the ten
pieces of money, but this one whom he's speaking of in this
parable is himself. But his citizens hated him. They hated him. And they sent
a message after him saying, we will not have this man to reign
over us. Now that's the natural man's
response to the Lord Jesus Christ. They hate him and they say we
will not have this man reign over us. Now look what he says
of them in verse 27 at the end of this parable. But those mine
enemy which would not that I should reign over them bring hither
and slay them before me. And that's strong language in
it, isn't it? But that's to the praise of His glorious justice. And that person who hates God's
Son, their death smells good to God. They ought to be condemned. Turn to Revelation 19. And you
know, it's hard for us to understand
this now. I realize that. But look at the language of heaven.
Chapter 19, verse 1. After these things I heard a
great voice of much people in heaven saying, Hallelujah, salvation
and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God, for true
and righteous are his judgments. For he hath judged the great
whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said,
Alleluia. And her smoke rose up forever
and ever. And the four and twenty and elders
and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on
the throne, saying, Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne,
saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear
him, both small and great, even as the smoke rises up forever.
Now back to our text in 2 Corinthians 2, look at verse 16. To the one who rejects the gospel,
we are the saver of death unto death. And to the other, that
one who believes the gospel, with a savor of life unto life,
and who is sufficient for these things?" To be a savor of life
unto life and death unto death? Who is sufficient for these things? Paul says, we are. Now, he's
not saying that in arrogance. But he's stating the facts. Look
what he says in verse 17. We're going to come back to this
in a minute. He says, for we're not as many which corrupt the
word of God. They obviously are not. But as
of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we
in Christ. Look down in verse 4. Let's go
ahead and read the next six verses. Chapter 3. Do we begin again
to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles
of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? It's
kind of like, you know, where'd you go to seminary? Well, here it is. Here's my commendation.
I went to seminary here. I got this big piece of paper
that says I was trained in this way. He says, you are our epistle. written in our hearts, known
and read of all men, forasmuch as you are manifestly declared
to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not
with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables
of stone, but in fancy tables of the heart. And such trust
have we through Christ to God. Not that we're sufficient of
ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency
is of God. We're sufficient. for these things. You see, he hath made us able
ministers of the New Testament. Now, look back in chapter 2,
verse 17. Paul says, For we are not as
many, which corrupt the word of God. Notice that word, many. Somebody once said, and I believe
it, and I say this with fear, but the profession that will
have the greatest percentage of its members in hell is preachers. And I believe that to be true.
We are not as many which corrupt the Word of God. Now, that word
corrupt is literally piddle, huckster, make merchandise. They peddle the word of God.
They use the word of God for personal gain. This is what this
is a reference to using the word of God for personal gain, whether
for possessions or human praise. They're religious hucksters.
Anyone who does not believe the truth, anyone who does not preach
the truth is a religious huckster. He's got an agenda. He's got
a motive behind what he's doing. It's to promote himself. It's
to provide for himself. Look in chapter four of second
Corinthians. Paul says in verse one, therefore,
seeing we have this ministry, this ministry of the New Testament,
where God has made us able ministers of the New Testament, as we've
received mercy, we thank not, we don't lose heart, but we have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness,
nor handling the word of God deceitfully. Now, what is it
to walk in craftiness and to handle the word of God deceitfully. That word deceitful is where
we get the word bait from. Bait. Now if you're going fishing,
what do you do? You put bait on the hook. Why
do you put bait on the hook? To deceive the fish. That's what
it's all about. To deceive the fish. And this
is what he's talking about. He's talking about Baiting the
hook to fool the fish, to deceive the fish. It's trying to make
the gospel more palatable with wisdom of words. It's trying
to make the gospel easier for an unbeliever to receive it. It's trying to remove the offense
from the cross. It's trying to make it more acceptable. It's attempting to not preach
the naked truth. It is to conceal portions of
it. It's to entangle it with human
wisdom. It's to cover it with flowery
language. It's to preach one truth at the
expense of another. It's to preach truths and not
the truth. It's to preach without love.
It's to preach facts without grace. Now, Paul says we don't
handle the Word of God deceitfully, using it to maintain a position. Here's what commends a man. He
says, we've renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking
in craftiness nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but
by manifestation of the truth. We commend ourselves to every
man's conscience in the sight of God. Now, here's what commends
a man. just preaching the truth. That's all that's needed. Now
back to our text in 2 Corinthians 2, verse 17. For we are not as many which
corrupt, which peddle the word of God. And then he gives four
things about the true ministry. He says, but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we
in Christ. Now, here's who's sufficient
for these things, and these four things must be there if a man
is truly sent of God and telling the truth. I want to understand
that, don't you? He says, first, as of sincerity. Look in 2 Corinthians 1, verse
12. Paul says, For our rejoicing
is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity
and godly sincerity. Not with wisdom of words, but
by the grace of God, we've had our conversation in this world.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 8, Paul spoke of the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. Now, this is pure. That's what the word's taken
from. Transparent. We don't have a hidden agenda. Our motive is God's glory, and
not trying to gain a following, not trying to build a church. Our motive is God's glory. Our aim is to declare what God's
word says, and we're not trying to hide anything. We preach the
whole counsel of God, and in sincerity we say, follow me. as I follow Christ. And if I can't say follow me,
I have no business preaching. Follow me as I follow Christ. Now he says as of sincerity.
Transparent. Transparent. One motive. The glory of God. Look what he
says next. He says, but as of sincerity, but as of God. Here's why we're sufficient for
preaching the gospel. We're of God. In verse five,
not that we're sufficiency of chapter three, not that we're
sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but
our sufficiency is of God. Turn over to First John, chapter
four. First John, chapter four. Keep this phrase of God in mind
as we look at this passage of Scripture. Beloved, verse 1,
believe not every spirit, but try, test the spirits, whether
they are of God. Because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of
God." Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is of God. Now, let me give you a little
background to that. At that time, they had these fellows who were
saying Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh. If he would have
come in the flesh, that would make him evil. And we don't want
to make him evil. We're not going to do that, so
he didn't actually come in the flesh. He appeared in the flesh. He appeared to be in the flesh,
but he wasn't in the flesh. Now, that's blasphemy. You know,
we can't understand how God became flesh, but he did. You know,
the gospel is not understood, but it's believed. I can't understand
how God became flesh, but he did. He did. Every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Now, we confess
he was before he came. We confess his eternal deity.
We confess he came in the flesh and we confess he did what he
came to do. He saved his people from their
sins. That's in this confession. Verse three. And every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is
not of God. And this is the spirit of Antichrist,
where you've heard that it should come, and even now already it's
in the world. Ye are of God, little children.
And you've overcome them, because greater is he that's in you than
he that's in the world. They are of the world. For speak
they of the world, and the world heareth him. We are of God. He
that knoweth God heareth us. He that's not of God heareth
not us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth and the spirit of error." Look over in chapter 5, verse
18. That whosoever is born of God
sinneth not, but he that is forgotten of God keepeth himself, and that
wicked one toucheth him not, and we know that we are of God. and the whole world lieth in
wickedness. And we know that the Son of God
has come and has given us an understanding that we may know
Him that's true and that we're in Him that's true, even in His
Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal
life. We know we are of God. Now that's either incredible
arrogance or it's just stating the facts. We know we are of
God. And the whole world lieth in
wickedness. Now back to our text in 2 Corinthians
2. For we are not as many, verse
17, which corrupt the word of God, but as of sincerity, transparency,
but as of God. Thirdly, in the sight of God. In the sight of God. Now, in
preaching, I want you to be pleased with what I'm preaching. I want
you to believe what I'm preaching. I want you to rejoice in it.
I want you to agree with it. I'm not saying I'm indifferent
about those things. I'm not. I want you to believe. I want everybody in this room
to believe the gospel and to rejoice in the gospel. I really
want that. That being said, I'm not concerned about whether
you like what I'm saying or not. I'm concerned about him being
pleased with what I say. And if he's pleased and nobody
else is, that's just fine. And I know this. If I'm seeking
to please Him in what I'm saying, that's what you want to hear
if you're a believer. You wouldn't want to hear anything else. What
if I sought to please men? Well, you wouldn't want to hear
me, would you? You couldn't respect. Paul said, if I yet pleased men,
I wouldn't be the servant of Christ. Now, in this thing of
preaching, we preach in the sight of God. There's one person that
I want to put his approval on what I'm saying, and that's the
Lord himself. I want to preach his gospel. I want to preach
his gospel, and I know this, that's what every believer wants.
In the sight of God, and his last phrase, he says, speak we
in Christ. Now what in the world does that
mean? Speak we in Christ. Well, we are in Christ, And we
speak in Christ, in him we speak as members of his body, so that
the Lord Jesus says, he that heareth you, you know the rest
of the verse, heareth me. And he that despiseth you, despiseth
me. We speak as ambassadors of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And if I'm speaking as his ambassador,
and you don't believe it, you're not rejecting me, you're rejecting
him. I'm just bringing his message.
We speak in the Lord Jesus Christ. And my marginal reading says
we speak of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we do. We do. We speak of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We speak of the glory of His
person. He's God. He's man. He's the God-man. Oh, what a glorious person. We speak of the excellency of
His character. never sinned. He never committed
a sin. When he was made sin, he never
committed a sin. I don't understand how all that
is, but it's so. He is perfectly righteous. And that perfect obedience of
the Lord Jesus Christ, when we talk about his perfect life,
him who knew no sin, that's my righteousness before God. His
life, His law keeping. His obedience. That's my life. Isn't that wonderful? His righteousness. His righteousness is the only
righteousness. We preach the excellency of His
character. And we preach the power of His
blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's
Son, cleanseth us from all sins. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins, sat down at the right hand of God, from
henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his footstool,
for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. What power there is in his blood
that right now it makes me without sin before God. Is that power? We preach the love of His heart. The Lord Jesus Christ loves sinners
and delights in saving them. We preach the sufficiency of
His grace. He said, My grace is sufficient
for thee. For thee! We preach the of His intercession. Hebrews 7.24 says, Wherefore,
He is able to save them to the uttermost that come to God by
Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. And
we preach the glory of His return. Even so, come Lord Jesus. We
preach of Christ. We preach in Christ. That's the
divine authority. We preach in Christ and we preach
of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, this message. Is either
saving us. Or it's condemning us. It's either
they're softening our hearts. Or we're becoming gospel hardened,
it's a sweet savor of God and then it's saved. and in them
that perish, and I pray that this is a message that saves
every one of us. Believe. Believe. This is God's command. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Let's pray.