Today we continue our series “God is faithful!” I was led to 2 Corinthians 4. In this passage, we will look at what it looks like to believe God is faithful. Because of God’s faithfulness towards us, we can withstand and overcome anything!
In our last message, we deal with verse 10. Today we will look at verses 10 and 11.
(2 Corinthians 4:1, 7-13, 16-18 TPT)
1 Now, it’s because of God’s mercy that we have been entrusted with the privilege of this new covenant ministry. And we will not quit or faint with weariness.
7 We are like common clay jars that carry this glorious treasure within, so that this immeasurable power will be seen as God’s, not ours.
8 Though we experience every kind of pressure, we’re not crushed. At times we don’t know what to do, but quitting is not an option.
9 We are persecuted by others, but God has not forsaken us. We may be knocked down, but not out.
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
12 So, then, death is at work in us but it releases life in you.
13 We have the same Spirit of faith that is described in the Scriptures when it says, “First I believed, then I spoke in faith.” So we also first believe then speak in faith.
16 So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day.
17 We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison,
18 because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
(2 Corinthians 4:10,11 TPT)
10 We continually share in the death of Jesus in our own bodies so that the resurrection life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
11 We consider living to mean that we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake so that the life of Jesus will be revealed through our humanity.
1. The goal is for the world to SEE Jesus IN and THROUGH you!
I gave my life to Christ in 1995. A gospel song that was “new” at that time was: “Can The World See Jesus feat. Melvin Williams – Pastor Murphy L. Pace & The Voices of Power.” The song says, “Can the world see Jesus in me? I ask the question, can the world see Jesus in me?” It goes on to say, “If the world can’t see Jesus in the way that I talk, then I don’t want to say those things no more. If the world can’t see Jesus in the way that I walk, then I don’t want to walk that way no more. I want the world to see Jesus in me!”
I was a new convert. My spirit was Born-Again, but my soul was not. Your soul is made up of your mind (the way you think), emotions (the way you feel), and your will (the way you make decisions). I was a new man, living in an old body, and I needed a new mind. My soul was programmed to cuss, fight and argue. I knew I was a new man on the inside, but I also knew that parts of me were not renewed. This song pierced my heart. I really wanted people to SEE Jesus in me and experience Jesus through me. That’s the goal!
Our text for this morning (2 Corinthians 10,11), teaches us that the Father wants Jesus to be revealed through our humanity. When people come in contact with us, they are supposed to come in contact with HIM! If that is not happening in your life, then it is time to make some changes, as I did all those years ago.
2. The Bible tells us that we should be LIVING LETTERS that are read by men.
Most of the books of the New Testament are actually letters written by the Apostles to other believers. In one of those letters, Paul talks about us, as believers, being LIVING LETTERS.
(2 Cor 3:1,2 MSG)
… Neither do we need letters of endorsement, either to you or from you. You yourselves are all the endorsement we need. Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you.
— The people at Corinth were an endorsement for Paul. Another translation says, “I don’t need any letters of recommendation because you are my recommendation.
— Paul did not have to pay for advertising because their lives spoke for him and his ministry.
— Today, churches spend lots of money on advertising: billboards, commercials, websites, google ads, email lists, etc., but no matter how much money we spend on advertising Christ, the best advertisement for Jesus is OUR LIVES!
— If people see Jesus IN YOU, they will want to come to your church and experience the same Jesus you have. But if they can’t see Jesus IN YOU, then they are NOT going to your church!
(2 Cor 3:3,4 MSG)
Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God’s living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it. We couldn’t be more sure of ourselves in this—that you, written by Christ himself for God, are our letter of recommendation.
— Jesus was the creator of this advertising plan. He decided to advertise by letter, but not letters you can write with ink. Jesus’ Jesus’ advertising plan was to write letters upon the tablets of our hearts.
— God Himself wrote on my heart. When you see me, you are to read my story. When you hear me, I am to tell my story. And when you read and hear my story, GOD should be the star on every page!
— Paul says that Christ wrote it, but we publish it! Did you catch that? WE PUBLISH IT!
— It is our responsibility to allow our light to shine.
— Don’t be ashamed of who you are. Don’t be ashamed of what God has called you to do. TELL YOUR STORY!
— You are God’s living letter of recommendation on this planet! This is how people are going to come to Jesus. They will come because they see Jesus in you!
3. People want to know if this “Jesus thing” works, so they are watching to see how you handle adversity.
(Proverbs 24:10 NKJV)
If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small.
— The word “strength” here is also translated as courage.
— You must have courage to live the life of faith.
— You will face difficulties and challenges, and when you do, you cannot faint, give up, or quit!
(1 Peter 3:15 TPT)
But give reverent honor in your hearts to the Anointed One and treat him as the holy Master of your lives. And if anyone asks about the hope living within you, always be ready to explain your faith.
— People need to see HOPE in you, especially when they know what you are going through. When they know you are facing something that would have destroyed them, and you are facing it with a smile on your face, they will ask you to explain to them WHY you are so hopeful! At that point, you get to tell them about Jesus! At that point your life has become a LIVING LETTER, and people are reading it as they watch you live your life!
— People will never ask you to explain your hope if they can’t SEE it. If all they see in you are problems, they will never come to you because they already have problems. People need to see something IN YOU that they don’t have!
Can the world SEE JESUS IN YOU?
We will stop here. I have given you enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for leading me to LEVEL UP in this season. I LEVEL UP by building up my resiliency and determination IN YOU. I want the world to SEE JESUS in me. I renew my soul by getting into Your Word on a daily basis and by applying what it teaches me. I am a LIVING LETTER. People are READING MY LIFE every day as they watch me do what I do. As they do, I declare that they SEE JESUS IN ME. As Jesus is, so am I in this world. When people come in contact with me, they come in contact with JESUS! This is how I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
