Priceless Treasure In Worthless Vessels

Transcript

GR 1800
03/15/2015
Priceless Treasure in Worthless Vessels
2 Corinthians 4:6-12
Gil Rugh

We're in 2 Corinthians 4 in our study today. The Corinthian church was established by the Apostle Paul. He had poured a portion of his life into this church. He has written letters to them and has visited them. But they are struggling. False teachers have infiltrated the church. They bring false doctrine and they bring a false perspective on the ministry. We are reminded as Paul will deal with this that the church is put in a world that is a world of darkness. It's a world that needs light. And in the midst of this situation God is doing a work in a way that the world does not understand, nor does it appreciate. And the church is constantly battling the temptation to be drawn into conformity to the world. We talk about that in our personal conduct as believers, but that's also true in our life as a church family. And Paul is addressing this and it will become even more clear as we move through this letter what is the ministry of the church and how does God work in carrying out that ministry.

And we noted when we started this letter that the theme of the letter comes to be power in weakness. Power in weakness. Just the opposite of the way the world looks in getting things done—have powerful people accomplish big things. Have people of influence, superior intelligence, money get done what needs to be done. And we admire those people. They become the leaders. But God turns things upside down to do His work. He takes those who are insignificant, unimportant, not admired by the world, not the especially intelligent, not necessarily having vast resources. And He uses them to accomplish a work that has eternal importance. And Paul has to remind the Corinthian church of this—put things in perspective.

He has been talking about the glory of the ministry that has been given to the church and to believers in this day. It's called the ministry of the new covenant. The new covenant had been prophesied by Old Testament prophets in Ezekiel 26, Jeremiah 31. Now it's in place. Remember Jesus said the last night with His disciples, this cup is the new covenant in My blood. And the new covenant talked about God providing salvation blessings for Jews and Gentiles alike. It would take the death of Christ to accomplish that. So the ministry of the new covenant in this day is a ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now some of the teachers coming into the Corinthian church were telling them that they needed to also incorporate the Law of Moses to have a complete salvation and in order to be all that God wanted them to be. Paul has made clear that is not the case. The ministry of the new covenant, the message of the Gospel, the truth concerning Jesus Christ as the Savior who by His death on the cross paid the penalty for sin is a ministry of greater glory than the old covenant of Moses ever had. It is a glory so great it totally washes out the glory that was associated with that old covenant.

The last part of 2 Corinthians 3 he reminded them that it is only when a person turns in faith to Jesus Christ as their Savior that they can understand the truth of God. The truth that was revealed in the old covenant and how it fit in the plan of God and the truth now revealed in the new covenant in the finished work of Christ. In verse 14 he talks about the fact that their “minds were hardened, for unto this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains un-lifted because it is removed in Christ.” Verse 15, “But to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their heart, but when a person turns to the Lord the veil is taken away.” The condition of the person who has not believed, it's like they have a veil over their eyes, they can't see. And the only way that veil can be removed is to turn in faith, believing what God has done in Jesus Christ. And we noted that was not only true of the Jews, as Paul wrote, that's true of people today. You can be a scholar in biblical languages, study the Bible, write commentaries and theological books and not understand the basic message of God's truth. The most outstanding New Testament Greek scholar of the past generation, William Barclay, wrote commentaries on every book of the New Testament, and as far as I can tel, died an unbeliever. Amazing! How could that happen? Because he had a veil over his eyes to the basic truth. He was a universalist. He believed ultimately everyone would be saved. How can you study the Scripture, be an expert in the Greek language of the New Testament and not understand its message? Because it's not a matter of wisdom, it's a matter of faith, believing the message, and that's when a person is enabled to see and understand the truth. So what happens at that moment when God's grace impacts a life? They hear the truth and they understand and believe it for the first time, their eyes are opened, the light comes on and for the first time they understand something of the purpose and plan of God.

In dealing with the truth and the ministry of Christ, we noted we are dealing with two things. We are dealing with the hardened minds of unbelievers. We just noted that in 2 Corinthians 3:14, “their minds were hardened.” They are like stone. You can't penetrate it; their mind is closed to the truth. And you add to that, down in 2 Corinthians 4:4, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.” So you have the hardening impact of sin and the blinding impact of the work of the devil and you have people who are adamantly closed. They are opposed to the truth of God, the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. The unbeliever lives in a world of darkness would be the picture. This is what is being talked about when you talk about their heart is hardened. They have a veil over their eyes. They can't see the light of the Gospel. They live in a world of darkness. They don't perceive spiritual truth. It's like if we put shades on the windows and turned off all the lights, we'd use an expression like it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. And that's the condition of the unbeliever. The truth is right before them, but they don't see it with understanding. It's as though it's not there. That's why they can study the Bible and it's just another book.

I was watching an interview with a man who was involved in producing this program they keep advertising on Jesus that's coming up. They interviewed him. Does he understand anything about what he is making a movie about? The glorious truth of what is revealed about Jesus who is the Christ. Understanding this helps us understand what is going on in the world. We are lights in the midst of darkness. Jesus Christ came to be light and bring light to the world. That's what Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “God who said light shall shine out of darkness is the One who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ.” You'll note at the end of verse 4, it “was the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.” This is the light of the triune God, His perfect plan of salvation carried out by the Son of God.

Come back to John 1, just to remind ourselves. The matter of light and darkness is a key emphasis in Scripture. That's why you cannot reason, argue the Scripture with an unbeliever—they have no ability to comprehend and perceive its truth. John writing about Jesus says in verse 4, “In Him was life and the life was the light.” He was the light, He was the life of men. The light, the revelation, the knowledge of the living God and His salvation is what brings spiritual life to men. “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend or overcome it.” Verse 9, “There was the true light which coming into the world enlightens every man.” He brought light to all but not all would open their eyes to the light. “He was in the world, the world was made through Him but the world did not know Him,” and on it goes.

Come over to John 3, the most familiar verse in the Bible of course is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son in order that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Verse 18, “He who believes in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment that light has come into the world. Jesus Christ who is the light and the life, light has come into the world and men love the darkness rather than the light for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, does not come to the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the light so that his deeds may be manifest as having been wrought in God.”

Believers delight in the truth of God, the unbeliever does not delight in the truth of God. The church is constantly battling adrift away from this truth. We've gone through the time where we're going to have seeker services. We're going to make our church services a place where the unbeliever can be comfortable. Do you know what you have to do? You have to turn off the light because unbelievers don't want to be exposed to the light. So we make our services enjoyable, non-offensive. We don't say we deny the truth, we just don't turn on the light of the truth. You understand what he is saying here. Men loved darkness rather than light, unbelievers with their hardened minds blinded by the work of the devil hate the light.

Verse 20, “Everyone who does evil hates the light.” Unredeemed sinners hate the light. How can we make them comfortable to come to a service on Sunday where the Word of God is taught? Don't you want to expose unbelievers to the truth? We definitely do because you must be exposed to the light so you can believe in the light and have the light of the Gospel shine into the darkness of your mind and heart. But that's a work only God can do. Men hate the light and don't want to come to the light.

Come over to John 8:12. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” You see that connection—light and life, light and life. It's when the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ floods into a darkened heart that the life of Christ, spiritual life, eternal life becomes the possession of that person, and not until.

Turn over to John 12. We have come to the close in John 12 of Jesus' public ministry, the closing days of His earthly ministry leading to His crucifixion. And He tells them about His impending crucifixion in verses 31ff. Look at verse 35, “So Jesus said to them, for a little while longer the light is among you. Walk while you have the light so the darkness will not overtake you. He who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Down in verse 46, “I have come as light into the world so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

That's the division—those who have life, those who do not; those who have light and those who do not. Those who might come and sit in a service like this week after week after week who have never truly placed their faith in Christ, the light of God's truth does not flood their hearts and minds. It takes personal faith. When an individual finally recognizes their sin and guilt before God and that Jesus Christ died to pay the penalty for their sin and they turn from their sin and place their faith in Christ, all of a sudden they see what they never saw before. The truth of the Word of God is clear in a way that it was never clear before. They understand what they could not understand before. It's like a person was led into this room blindfolded, the lights are all off. They hear people talking about what this room is like but they have no idea. Then you turn on the lights and they see everything. That's what happens when the Gospel shines into the life.

So come back to 2 Corinthians 4. This ministry of glory, overwhelming glory as Paul talked about in 2 Corinthians 3, this ministry of light and life which transforms a person as he said in 2 Corinthians 3:18 takes place in the context of suffering, trials, weakness, even death. And that's the paradox. And that's what he is going to explain beginning in verse 7. You would think a ministry of overwhelming glory, of God's power in salvation, a ministry that brings the light and life of God into the life of a person would be carried out by people with exceptional abilities, strength, dynamic. But it's just the opposite. It takes place in the context of weakness, suffering.

So look at how verse 7 starts, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels.” The treasure that he has been talking about—the end of verse 4, “the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ;” the end of verse 6, “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” God's life-changing salvation, the truth of the new covenant—salvation provided in the death of the Son of God. This is the treasure we have. Priceless. How do you value eternal life? “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.” There is what makes it so confusing to many people. It's what constantly seems to cause the church to want to drift toward the world's view of things. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, vessels of clay, vessels that are weak, fragile and relatively worthless. We have priceless treasure in worthless vessels.

A while ago some of the churches jumped on the bandwagon of self-esteem for believers. We talk about how valuable we are. They should have come to 2 Corinthians 4 where Paul talks about how worthless we are, how invaluable we are. I realize we are created in the image of God and that perspective. When it comes in the context of dealing with the matters of God's salvation, do you know what God says about unbelievers? They are worthless, only good for being burned. That's pretty strong language. We talked about that when we were in Hebrews 6, Jesus talked about it in John 12. This is the perspective that God brings.

We have the treasure as believers of God's message of salvation in Christ and we have it in these clay vessels. Reading the building and dedicating of the temple of Solomon in 2 Kings. It was a glorious temple. Do you know what? Everything is covered with gold or made out of pure gold. They didn't even count silver as valuable in those days. Do you think they made any clay vessels for use in Solomon's temple? Not on your life. Clay vessels, they get a crack in them and they throw them away. They are fragile, they are every day, they have really no inherent value. And here God has placed the priceless treasure of the Gospel in vessels of clay. That's His plan. We are vessels characterized by weakness, by frailty by their lack of worth.

But verse 7 says, “We have this treasure in earthen vessels so that.” Here is the purpose and plan of God—”the surpassing greatness of the power.” That overwhelming, overflowing greatness, the huperbowa “will be of God and not from ourselves.” That's God's plan. If He took the wealthy of the world, the powerful of the world, the intelligentsia of the world and entrusted them with the Gospel, people would credit those wealthy, powerful and intelligent people for getting things done. But when God puts it in you and in me and then transforms lives when that Gospel is shared, there is no other explanation but God had to be doing it. So it's a testimony to His power that He puts the saving message of Christ into vessels like you and like me. The church constantly battles that drift because we want to constantly drift toward the kind of model that the world will admire. And we think, if so-and-so would get saved, think of the impact that would have. If one of the wealthiest men in the world got saved, think of what they could do and the impact of their testimony. Do you know what? Look around. I don't want to offend you, but as I look around I don't see much. That includes when I look around back there. We are all in the same boat.

Go back to 1 Corinthians 1. God just doesn't do it the world's way. 1 Corinthians 1:26, “For consider your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not man mighty, not many noble. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world,” the things the world look at as foolish, those people that the world doesn't necessarily hold in high honor and esteem and recognition. “God has chosen the foolish of the world to shame the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong; the base things of the world, the despised God has chosen.” Note three times in verses 27-28 we are reminded, this is the way God works. And when we fail to recognize that and begin to move and think we can do it the way the world would want it done and the way the world would appreciate and admire, we are no longer representing God. God has chosen to do it this way, the opposite of the world.

Why? Verse 29, “So that no man may boast before God.” That's it. We like to honor ourselves, and we take the credit for it. I wouldn't do that. You know Paul said he would do it, too. But God brought so much suffering and difficulty, physical trials and other kinds of trials into his life, even the messenger of Satan that continued to pound on him, that kept him from exalting himself. Don't underestimate your own pride. Quickly we slide over to thinking highly of ourselves, but verse 30 says, “By His doing you are in Christ Jesus.” All of this so the end of verse 31, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” God is working in such a way that all the credit goes to God.

Come back to 2 Corinthians and come to the end of 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 12. Remember the theme—power in weakness, power in weakness. So Paul says as he comes to the end of this letter, verse 7. “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason to keep me from exalting myself there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” to torment me, to beat me. The demonic forces have the power to bring misery to a life. Paul said it was God's plan to allow one of those demons to beat on him. This may be some kind of physical trial added to everything else, the persecutions and shipwrecks and everything else. Now I have this messenger of Satan in some kind of physical affliction that just makes my physical life miserable. Why? To keep me from exalting myself. And I besot the Lord, and we studied the prayers of Paul because they are examples of a man who really came before the Lord and opened his heart. He asked the Lord to give him deliverance, the Lord said no.

“He said to me,” verse 9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will boast about my weakness so the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, insults, distresses, persecutions, difficulties for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Now that is upside down thinking in regards to the way the world would see things. You say, Lord, use me mightily; Lord, use me for your glory. Then you are overtaken in an illness and you say, Lord, what happened. Lord, what have you done? You are going ahead in your job and you think your testimony will really make an impact as I'm in a position of greater importance. And all of a sudden somebody undermines you and you are out of a job. You say Lord, I was going to be such a testimony for you. What have you done? Wait a minute, what do you mean, what has He done. What did you pray? What does Paul say? I realize the more weakness and suffering and trial characterizes my life, the greater God's power works in and through me. That ought to encourage us. It reminds us the power is not in you, in your personal abilities, nor in me. The power is in the Gospel. Romans 1:16, the Gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. That's God's plan. That which the world considers foolishness is the manifestation of God's power. That's back in 1 Corinthians 1 again. What the world considers foolish, and he uses the word we get the English word moron from. Foolishness, moronic.

Those Christians, they make no sense, they go around telling you that you are lost and going to hell. Doesn't matter you try to keep the Ten Commandments, doesn't matter you are a good person, they think you are going to hell. They are offended and besides as the Jewish leaders ask, has anybody of importance believed their message? If we could line up four of the Supreme Court justices to testify to their faith in Christ, these leaders in Congress are strong believers, even this leader of this county. Well, that would . . . What? That's not the way God does things. That doesn't mean He never saves an important person or a rich person or an especially intelligent person, but that's not the general person. It's the weak, the vessels of clay, fragile, frail, viewed as relatively insignificant and worthless. And the power of God is manifest in them.

Come back to 2 Corinthians 4. Now you think about what he is saying. The Gospel is the power of God. But in Romans 10 Paul asks some questions. How shall they believe in a Person that they've not heard about? And how shall they hear about Jesus Christ unless somebody tells them? Who can tell them but those that God sends. Think about it. You have the ability, not to be an apostle like Paul, but you are entrusted, I am entrusted with the same Gospel which is God's power for salvation that the Apostle Paul was entrusted with. And you can be the instrument through whom God conveys that message so someone else can be brought from darkness to life, from death to life, darkness to light. It's amazing. Little insignificant, unimportant you with your physical problems, with whatever else. Amazing. You think I can't wait to get out there and tell somebody, and yet we find I don't think I'm good at that, I don't think they'll take it from me. And it becomes about me. But you don't matter. What matters is the Gospel entrusted to you. You are just a fragile piece of clay that God has entrusted with the Gospel, I'm just a fragile piece of clay that God has entrusted with the Gospel. It's not about me, it's about the treasure God has entrusted to me that I pass on. The church struggles with this and so we begin to drift away. This is what is happening to the church at Corinth, it's the history of the church. That's why God has put this here for us. How do we lose perspective on what is of value, the treasure of the Gospel, the truth of God?

So we come back to 2 Corinthians 4. What he is going to do now is give a summary list of some of the things he had to go through, not a detailed list. And we are just going to read it here. Later he'll go into details in this letter, but he really wants to show some of what it means to be an earthen vessel.

So what he does in verse 8 really and following is talk about his afflictions. And you'll note, we talk about suffering and afflictions and trials and difficulties. He just doesn't mean these come and go. Paul saw them as an essential part of an effective ministry for Jesus Christ. I want you to mark three expressions in these verses, then we're going to go back and look at some of the details. In verse 8, “we are afflicted in every way,” in every way. The word could be translated every place. The point, in every way. In verse 10 the first word—“always;” and then in verse 11, “constantly.” We who live are constantly. Those three words and expression give that emphasis, this is ongoing, all the time. Three different words or expressions but all conveying basically the same thing—in every way, always, constantly. This is the characteristic of my life. As one person put it, it is intrinsic to the ministry of the Gospel, not extrinsic. You want to have an effective ministry as a testimony for Jesus Christ, this is what will characterize your life. It won't get easier.

So Paul goes on in verses 8-9. He has eight participles here in four pairs. We usually put our participles, think of them with “ing” on the end, but not all these are put that way, but the contrast. That in every way in verse 8 really covers these, all of them. We picked up first with afflicted in the order in every way being afflicted, that in every way then would connect and tell you about all these things. “We are afflicted,” but you note the contrast—“afflicted but not crushed.” You see the grace of God sustaining him in his trials, not by removing the trial or affliction, but the affliction is not allowed to go to the point of crushing him. “We are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing.” You know these are not just the physical body painful things and suffering that happens, but this also involves mental, emotional, spiritual battles. Think Paul told the Lord, Lord, I don't understand what is going on here? He didn't understand why the messenger of Satan had to be there to beat on him. As we read in chapter 12, three times I prayed to the Lord. So there were times when he was perplexed.

Sometime I remember a believer during a trial saying, I've been praying, Lord, have you forgotten about me. The Lord doesn't forget, He's the One who said He will never leave me nor forsake me. But there are times when we are perplexed and we think, does the Lord really know what I'm going through? Of course He does. So we are perplexed but we are not despairing. In those times of perplexity and even some confusion we don't give up, we don't despair. I know what God has promised is true, He is faithful to His Word.

“Persecuted but not forsaken.” And Paul suffered some intense persecution, he suffered in different ways but God doesn't forsake him and He won’t forsake us. The reason the enemy seems to be victorious is not because God has abandoned us. So that's the comfort.

“Struck down but not destroyed.” These are some of the weaknesses that he is talking about with being an earthen vessel, a vessel that is mistreated, that is not considered of value or importance, subject to all the frailties and difficulties of life. But it contains a treasure that is priceless. That's the key.

So in verse 10, “We are always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be manifest in our body.” See the conflict. I am identified with Christ in His suffering that will culminate in His death. And for Paul life was lived on the edge of death. Who knew which of his persecutions or sufferings might culminate that way? Whether this shipwreck will be the last one? Whether this beating will be the one that does him in? Whether this imprisonment will culminate with his execution? There is no guarantee. When he wrote to the Philippians he was in a Roman prison, but he says, I think it is the plan of God to release me at this time. I expect that, but I am ready to die. For me to die, that is gain; to live on would be to serve Christ, but to die is gain. He lived in that context of the suffering. Just like Christ suffered the rejection, the humiliation. Remember what Jesus said? Take up your cross and follow Me. The suffering, the scorn, the rejection. He reminded His followers, I am the Lord and master. If they treat Me this way, why should you expect better treatment? The slave doesn't get treated better than his master.

That's what Paul is saying. I am always carrying about my identification with Jesus Christ and the humiliation, the affliction, the persecution, the suffering that goes with that. And that includes bodily illness, that includes physical persecution, that sometimes includes the perplexity of mind in not understanding why God would do what He is doing, but to be confident He is the One doing it. “I am carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,” part of being identified with Him. What a privilege to take up my cross and follow Him.

“So that the life of Jesus may also be manifest in our body.” The life of Jesus manifest in our body is the transforming power of God that has worked in us that is now being shared with others. That's the seeming paradox. This is a vessel of clay, fragile, not valuable in and of itself. But within it is contained the power of God, the life of God, the light of God. Now we share it with others, that Gospel which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

What a privilege. It is exciting to talk about it about Paul. Do we want to be like him? Do we want the power of God to be manifest in us in greater ways than ever before? Well then, Lord, I'm ready for the weakness, I'm ready for the suffering, I'm ready for the trial. Paul says, bring it on because when I am weak then I am strong. And I may be in prison but the Gospel is not in prison. So I am in prison for the Gospel and while I am here the light of the Gospel goes out. And some even in the Praetorian Guard have heard, as he wrote to the Philippians. Put everything in perspective. When I recover, when I get to feeling better, I'm going to be a testimony for Christ.

I remember a person that had close fellowship, he was always going to…. When I get this done, when I get to this point, then I'm going to really be….. He's not doing it now. God is not waiting for you to become important so He can use you, He is using vessels of clay. From the world's perspective they don't have value and they don't appreciate the treasure that it contains.

So he tells them in verse 11, “For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake so that the life of Jesus may be also manifest in our mortal flesh.” Paul sees this as a constant thing, given over to death. The suffering, the affliction, the trials that come are constant but this is a necessary part of being used in greater ways to manifest the life of Christ in a fallen world. You know it just doesn't fit a comfortable Christianity, does it, a safe Christianity? That's where it is difficult.

I've shared with you, many years ago they did some studies on missions in churches around the world and they found the more affluent the culture became, the weaker Christianity became. I remember being in China 30 years ago, pastors who had been in prison for 20-25 years told me, we don't need your help to come evangelize China. We are seeing more people saved than we can keep up with. That's sure not the problem we are having in my country. They were concerned when the persecution is relieved, because we have to balance things. We have to be comfortable and we want to be careful we don't do anything that will maybe cost us. And I'm looking for enjoying my life a little bit. And Lord, I want to balance that.

Take up your cross and follow Me. I was excited about that when I first trusted Christ but I don't know where I am now, where it's a good idea to be taking those kinds of risks. How can I follow Christ when He said you have to take up your cross and follow Me? And if you don't want to do that, you can't follow Me. Well Lord, I want to do it for a while but I didn't realize this is going to be ongoing. Yes, it is ongoing. So that the life of Christ may be manifest in our flesh.

And then he drives it right home, drives it to the heart of the Corinthians. “So death works in us but life in you.” Remember back in his first letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 9, Paul says if other people don't recognize me as an apostle, a servant of God, you should. You are a result of my ministry. That's what he is saying here. I have poured out my life, suffered the afflictions, the persecution, the perplexity so that you could hear the Gospel and believe in it and have life. So death works in us. But what has been the result of death working in us? Life now is working in you because I brought you the Gospel so that you could believe and come into the light and partake of the life of the living Son of God. Death works in us, life in you.

So that's the pattern. How valuable is the conversion of a lost soul? What's it worth to me, so to speak? Well, I'd like to see people saved. Think about it, think about the last six months. How many people have you led to Christ? How many people have you told about Christ? Not to embarrass you, we're not going to ask, just stop and think. Well, if I witness to two people a year maybe one or both of them will get saved. If I witness to 100 people a year, more chance I will have the privilege of seeing one of them come to Christ. If I witness to 500 people a year, think about that. Good chance maybe several of those will come to know Christ. I have to be careful, my family is pretty opposed to this. Well, that's a good sign. You are light, they are darkness. The darkness hates the light, so they are opposed to you because the light is shining. Keep it shining, turn it up. Well, I'm in a social circle and it probably would affect how I fit. Well, is being in the social circle more important than being faithful to Christ?

I mean, all these things. Why don't we tell? We have it entrusted with us. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the message of Christ. But how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard?

So here we have the treasure of God's salvation, here we have a person lost and without hope in the world. In the middle here we have to bridge the gap. Will I bring to them the message they have to hear? I don't know that they'll want to hear it. I didn't want to hear it, either; you didn't want to hear it, either. You had a mind hardened to truth, the devil was at work blinding your mind. But somebody still told you. I don't know the name of the person who led me to Christ. I was in a meeting, I don't think he was a very well-known preacher, I don't even remember a lot of what he said. I just remember the recognition that I am a sinner, I need to trust Christ to be saved. It doesn't matter how important he was, whether he was one of the well-recognized names, whether his sermon had one of the best structures of any sermon that had been preached recently. He told the truth so someone could hear the truth and thus have the opportunity to believe it and be saved. But if they don't hear it, they can't believe; and if they don't believe it, they can't be saved.

I'm encouraged. I want you to be encouraged. God uses dirt bags like us. So you go out and somebody says, what was the message about? God uses a dirt bag like me. That's what it is—piles of clay, vessels of clay. Not because we are important, not because we have such great abilities, but we have been entrusted with priceless treasure. Tell someone, I have something to pass on to you, a treasure that cannot be valued. God has entrusted it to me so I can tell you. Let me tell you. Then figure, I'm going to do that to two people this week and two people next week and two people the following week. If you did that to just two people a week, do you know what? You would have shared it with 100 people this year. Maybe none of those will get saved but you do it the next year and you will have shared it with 200 people. If we are all doing that, multiply it out. What a privilege.

Let's pray together. Thank You, Lord, for Your work in the world in these day. Lord, easy for us to be caught up in the things of the world, its turmoil, its confusion, its fears, its hopes and lose our perspective. We are in a dying world, we are in a world on its way to judgment, we are in a world without hope, a world in spiritual darkness and deadness. And yet by Your grace you have brought us to the light of life that is found only in Christ. And You have placed the treasure of this truth in each one of us as Your children so that we might give forth the life, be lights in the midst of darkness, be instruments that convey Your power which brings salvation to the heart and mind of the one who believes. May we be faithful in our testimony, may we count it our greatest privilege to be used of You. We pray in Christ's name, amen.