Resilience and Integrity in Gospel Ministry

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Now that statement we do not lose heart is not just a statement about his emotions there's a logic between verse one and verse two I hope your Bibles will still open because I want to show you what I see see if you can figure it out the the Greek is Allah or all but we do not lose heart but we have renounced disgraceful underhanded ways we refuse to to practice cunning or to tamper with the word of God. [00:08:21]

We don't lose heart but we don't try to fix it this way and the rest of the chapter is how to fix it how to manage your your heart loss not that way that's the double main point don't lose heart and don't fix heart loss this way that's the double main point of the chapter don't tamper with the message in order to keep from losing heart when you don't get the response you want. [00:09:56]

I love Paul I love the Apostle Paul so open just absolutely transparent in everything he does everything he says so our statement Our Gospel is an open statement of the truth no cunning no tampering no underhandedness nothing slippery no double talk there's no clever attempt to make difficult doctrines other than they are no effort to be squishy about the clear moral teachings of the Bible. [00:10:55]

The point is that the unbelief of those behind the veil For Whom The Veil is not being lifted for whom deadness is being confirmed the point is that their deadness and their lack of sight is not owing to Paul's failure to be clear and open and honest transparent and forthright and not underhanded but bold and plain. [00:13:41]

If you don't come to terms with the sovereignty of God as the final explanation for the discouragements of your life you won't survive you just won't survive even in your own family next argument verse five notice the word at the beginning four four so he's supporting now verses three and four for what we Proclaim is not ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your slaves your servants for Jesus' sake. [00:15:01]

The reason we preach Christ and the reason we assume a servant likee slave like role in this ministry including clay poot like suffering is because when God shines into the light of a dead heart and opens their eyes what they see is the glory of God in the face of Christ in Paul's Ministry his verbal Ministry and his Christlike suffering Ministry. [00:17:24]

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed perplexed but not driven to despair persecuted but not forsaken struck down but not destroyed so to be a clay pot or to be a jar of clay is to be vulnerable to Affliction perplexity persecution being knocked down I think that's what he meant in verse 5 we're your slaves we'll endure anything for your salvation. [00:22:07]

All his suffering is a portrayal of how much Jesus suffered for them same thing he taught in Colossians 1:24 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested ested in our bodies wow oh Pastor the implication here for your suffering is staggering for we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake. [00:23:20]

Paul knew that often in the Old Testament those who suffered gained strength from believing in fellowship with God Beyond suffering and even Beyond Death I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living and so Paul says in in the same way I press on in my painful Apostolic disheartening Ministry because verse 14 I know that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus. [00:30:41]

In other words his ministry of Truth and Love word and deed speaking and suffering is in fact leading people by Grace out of death into life and into God exalting thankfulness and since God's exalting power is the reason according to verses 6 and 7 then that causes people to give thanks and he gets the glory so the two added arguments are in verse 151 people are getting Grace from this ministry. [00:31:58]

Therefore he repeats his main point we don't lose heart and he says this knowing full well that this kind of ministry is costing him his life you need to hear that if you say Pastor if you say this ministry is killing me that's no reason to stop it's designed that way seriously and that's where the last paragraph goes he does not mean for your life to be easy not emotionally easy not easy in the family. [00:32:59]

Paul's whole life was suffering I mean second Corinthians is simply breathtaking in how much he suffered it was relentless absolutely Relentless I mean if I go through a a little season of suffering I get I mean I always say Monday's coming you know kind of like Kickback on Monday there was no Kickback for Paul he just never let up so he finishes the chapter by explaining why his wasting away does not cause him to lose heart. [00:34:03]

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