Take Heart (2 Corinthians 4:1-18)
(Below is the manuscript of the sermon I preached on 11 October for the worship service of Hills and Plains Presbytery. You can listen to it here: Take Heart)
Take Heart
Paul had tons of reasons to lose
heart! He was writing to a fickle congregation that was enamored with
high-powered topnotch orators, whom he will call “super apostles” later in this
letter. A large portion of Paul’s first letter to this church (the 1st
four chapters) dealt with that problem, and they didn’t fully listen then. So,
he tackles the problem again, which is what consumes 80% of this second letter
(11 of 13 chapters). And to dispirit you even more, this congregation continued
to have similar problems into the next generation, which is why Clement of Rome
wrote his letter to Corinth in 95 AD (…). On top of this, there were other very
obvious, empirical, observable, categorical reasons for Paul to lose heart in
his service for Christ. He mentions some of them in generalities v.7-11. He states
them broadly in 1:8-11 (“we despaired of life”!), and he will cite them
again with greater detail and specificity in 6:3-10, as well as 10:13-12:10. Paul
had tons of reasons to lose heart! And at the center of these reasons to lose
heart was this congregation he loved dearly and deeply that didn’t always
listen to him. Paul, also, had his own entrenched inadequacies and
inefficiencies. He’s been saying since 2:16, “Who is sufficient for these
things?” Not himself, not from within himself, not from his skill and
abilities. Instead, the sufficiency is a gracious gift of God “Such is the
confidence that we have through Christ…our sufficiency is from God who made us
sufficient to be ministers of the new covenant…” (3:4-6). And so, in
chapter 4 Paul will explain why he didn’t lose heart, and it all revolves
around on theme in three parts: this ministry, this treasure, this light
momentary affliction.
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Lord Jesus, who makes us sufficient in your world
rescue operation, help us to come away this day with heart. Amen.
This Ministry (4:1-6): “Therefore,
having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart”
(1). In all of chapter 4 Paul is developing how this ministry is God’s gift,
and why he doesn’t lose heart in this ministry. What does losing heart look
like? Two hints are in 4:1b-2 (…). But, the reality is in 4:3-4 (…). As Paul
looks at these discouragements, the heart-rending circumstances, he becomes
more settled in 4:5-6. And so, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do
not lose heart. Which brings him to describe this ministry as a treasure.
This Treasure (4:7-15): Paul began this chapter by
saying “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of
God, we do not lose heart” (1). He now capitalizes on what kept him
from losing heart in 4:7-12. It was in the midst of Paul’s inability and
incapability that the life/vitality of Christ resurrected came through
gloriously. Paul recognized that this was God’s intentional plan, so that
having “this treasure in jars of clay” – having this treasured ministry
housed in fragile men, in men who are unglamorous jugs of mud, was so to make
the brilliance of the “surpassing power” that belongs to God and comes
from God, most obvious. This was why Paul didn't lose heart. In fact, the whole
point (4:7-9), the whole plan of God, is to use such flimsy, friable, frail
people like us to do things more far more beautiful than would be humanly natural.
Instead of being swallowed up in the moment, with all the affliction, crushing,
perplexity, persecution, and strikenness, his confidence is upward (4:10-11)
and his hope is onward (4:14-15). Which then brings Paul to his climactic
thought about this ministry, this light momentary affliction.
This Light Momentary Affliction (4:16-18): Here Paul echoes the
sacred Psalm writer, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the
strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). Though his
physical and mental capacities were diminishing, waning, and weakening, yet God
had turned what was normally discouraging into something that was encouraging.
God was growing the man (unseen) who looked to be fading away (seen). And so,
whatever the affliction was (seen), it was really short-lived compared to the
final, unending, substantive end result (unseen). But the way forward, then, is
summarized a few verses later, “for we walk by faith, not by sight”
(5:7). The point Paul makes here is true no matter what we, the deeply loved
children of God are going through. Take heart! But Paul is primarily
referring to his ministry! There were obvious, empirical, observable,
categorical reasons for Paul to lose heart in his service for Christ. Nevertheless,
he didn’t lose heart because he was not looking at the things that were seen,
which are transient, but at the unseen, which is eternal! Therefore, in his
ministry he walked by faith, not by sight!
We have been conditioned – in an almost Pavlovian way – to gauge the ministry by the visible, by the number of nickels and noses. It is in our denominations. It’s in our American drinking water, on our airwaves, and zinging through our internet connections. Even AT&T made the “bigger is better” slogan their trademark for a season (…). But the principle Paul sketches out is that even in ministry we don’t look at the observable, numerable, and countable, because it’s truly transient! We look beyond to what God is doing that is normally unseen; to the way God is renewing the inner self day-by-day; to the display of the glory of God in us jars of clay; to the unending, formidable resurrection-life of Jesus manifested when “death” looks to be the natural, automatic, immediate (or near immediate) outcome! So, know that the light momentary affliction you’re going through in serving Christ is actually preparing an eternal weight of glory as you look, not to the things that are seen (nickels and noses, bodies and billfolds for example) – which are transient; but as you look to the things that are unseen, to the surprising power of God in Christ displayed in stunning ways in your congregation, no matter how big or how little – which are eternal. Walk by faith, not by sight!
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