August 24, 2003 pm   Power in the pot   II Cor. 4

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

 

How can we fight the spiritual blackout that is overtaking our country?  This is part II of Spiritual blackout.  The blackout that has gripped the Northeast of the country has caused us to be aware of the importance of displaying the spiritual power of the one, true living God.  Sometimes we may feel that the situation is hopeless.  We may feel discouraged because this task is too large.  

            Paul would have been subject to becoming discouraged.  Since he had given his life to Jesus, he had been persecuted and hounded for his proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Here are Paul’s thoughts concerning the power that is in the pot. 

            If you are a believer here are some things to consider.  First of all you are a clay pot with a power that is not of this world.  This power is the presence of God.  Within the life of each and every believer is a power that is more than enough strength to turn your world around. 

 

Scripture Text:  2Cor 4:1 Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay (or clay pots) to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

 

1.  Minister without losing heart. By God’s mercy we have this ministry:  What is your ministry?  Have you taken up your ministry as the Lord has given?  Have you lost heart? 

 

2.  Give the Truth and nothing but the truth by the Word of God.  Preach Jesus Christ, as Lord and we are His servants.  The plain truth is what the world needs today.  The truth in love is that which will set the people free.  The message of the gospel is that God loves them and has made a way for them to be saved.  The way, the truth, and the life is through Jesus. 

 

3.  Remember that our gospel is the light of life.  God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness has also commanded the light to shine from us.   

 

4.  Let Jesus Shine through.  Let the power of God work through us. 

 

5.  The Power is in the Pot.  God has chosen an unusual container for his great treasure.  He has chosen to store his power in us.  We are clay pots that are filled with the greatest treasure in all the earth.  This treasure is the Lord himself.  He is the treasure that the world is looking for. 

   “When I was in high school, I worked for a time at an armored-car company, Brinks Armored Co. in San Bernardino, California. My job was to take care of the coin that Brinks handles. We used to get forty tons of coin from Las Vegas. My job was to wrap this coin, and you had to be double-jointed and triple witted to run the huge machine that wrapped coins. And I could wrap $10,000 worth of quarters an hour. A bag of quarters weighs about eighty pounds--a thousand dollars.

   One day we got a call from Bank of America in downtown San Bernardino, and they were in a panic: "We've got to have some coin in the hour." Well, all the armored trucks were gone, and so Larry, my manager, backed his '49 Ford pickup into the bay. Now if Brinks ever finds out about this they're going to shoot this guy. We loaded $25,000 worth of coin in a '49 Ford pickup. That thing was dragging. That's over a ton. Larry said, "Hop in. We're going up to B of A."

   We hopped. I'm in my T-shirt and blue jeans. We drove up to the front of the Bank of America, parked the truck, and Larry said, "Hang on, I'll go in and get the dolly, and we'll haul this stuff in." I'm whistling, standing against this truck for twenty minutes. I don't have a gun. I thought, If anybody notices what is in this common looking pickup truck, I'm a dead duck! Of course, you can't carry eighty pounds very far. The treasure that people were walking by! But they didn't see it for the commonness of the delivery system.”  -- Roger Thompson, "Treasure in a Brown Bag," Preaching Today, Tape 42.

 

6.  We may be down but we are not out.   We are dying so that He may be seen alive in us.  While we give our lives in sacrifice to the Lord, the Lord comes through to give life to all those who see and believe. 

 

It may seem that the task at hand is too large for anyone to handle.  Is there anything too hard for God?  He is the God of David the boy who slew the giant.  He is the God of Daniel who spent the night in the lion’s den.  He is the God of the three Hebrew children who survived the fiery furnace.  He is the God who raised Jesus from the dead.  He is our God.  He can do anything but fail.  Anything is possible to him who believes in the Lord.  If we believe then our God is able.  He is able to shine the light out of our hearts into the world of darkness so that people will be saved.