2 CORINTHIANS 4, 5-12
For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 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. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
Whenever you preach a sermon about the Third Commandment, I often think, “it’s kind of a waste! Those who need to hear this sermon aren’t here. And those who are here, really don’t need to hear this sermon.” And yet here we are! With a service about the Third Commandment and coming to church.
But instead of asking the question, “Why aren’t those other people here in church?” I’m going to ask, the question “Why are we here in church?” And there are many answers! “Uh, God tells us to be in Church, so you should probably be in church.” “Well, if I don’t come to church, I feel guilty, or I feel that something is missing in my life.” “I’ve been in church every Sunday since I was five, so unless I am on my death bed, on Sunday I’m going to be in church in my pew!”
But Paul gives us another reason we come to church. It has to do with Cell phones! Cell phones have become a way of life for us today. We cannot survive without them! They are a life saver. Sometimes, literally when we see an accident we don’t have to go and find a phone, we can simply call 9-1-1, and get help immediately! And sometimes, I can simply call my wife and let her know I’m going to be late so she doesn’t worry. And I’ve seen young people use these things for a ton of things that have nothing to do with talking to people. But every phone has one thing in common. The battery doesn’t last forever. They also need a charger. For them to do their work, they need to be plugged in. They need to be recharged!
That’s why we are here! This world can often drain our spiritual battery. We need to plug in to God’s Word! We come to God’s house, because IT’S TIME TO GET RECHARGED!
I
God called us to be a light to the world and to share that light with those living in darkness; to call them to the light and give them the same hope we have.
But as you think about your life last week, has that light ever grown dim? How many hurts and pains have made your life miserable, and made it difficult to always show that light? How many times has Satan tempted us to do something foolish, and my light grew a little dim? How many times has the news in our world, or the news from my own family caused me to ask, “What is God doing?” And my confession of Christ might not be what it should be! We live in a war zone, where Satan is pulling out all the stops, and using anything and everything he can to get us to worry, and to fear, and to forget about God, and to worry that we aren’t cut out to be Christians! And sometimes, our spiritual battery gets drained and our light grows dim!
So, I come to church to get “recharged.” As I walk through the doors, I meet a fellow Christian who smiles and shakes my hand and reminds me that God is good! Maybe I just quickly find a pew and just sit and reflect on God, and the blessings God has given me, and the Son He sacrificed for me. And suddenly I have peace! Or I see another family come in and take their place in the pew, and I am reminded that I’m not alone. God has many Christians who believe as I do. And I find peace! And sometimes, the hymns or the readings for the day touch my heart! And I find peace.
And then comes the sermon. And what do I hear? “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord.” I don’t need commentary about the events going on in the world! I don’t need to hear what I ought to do, and how I ought to live! I need to hear about Jesus, and be reminded that He is the Lord, the “Almighty living God from eternity, who came to this earth to sacrifice Himself for my sins, so that I might have eternal life.” Not only a powerful God who can do anything I need, but a loving God who sacrificed Himself just for me. And now, I have real peace! Peace in this life, and peace for the life to come!
And then I hear about what Jesus did for me. “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.” I need Jesus to shine that light of His in my heart. Let it shine in all the corners, showing me all the cobwebs, and all the dust and all the dirt accumulated there. Shine brightly so I can say, “Oh yeah, that thought over there, the sin over there aren’t just little indiscretions. They are sins that need to be cleaned out of my heart! And then Jesus reminds me they are sins that have already been cleaned out of my heart!
I need Jesus to shine that light of His in my heart to remind of “the knowledge of the glory of God.” Remind me of God’s power and glory. Show me that despite what Satan tempts me to believe, God is in control of this world. Show me that the things I am going through, aren’t evidence of God abandoning me! It’s God leading me down a difficult path so I can do something for Him.
Shine that light in my heart so I can see “the face of Jesus.” In Paul’s day some people had actually seen the face of Jesus. When they spoke about Jesus, they could visualize Him in their memory. We’ve never seen the face of Jesus. So, when think of Jesus’ face, I probably visualize those pictures I saw of Him in Sunday School. Show me Jesus’ face! Show me His love! Show me His power. Show me that He really existed, and He is a real person. He had power to quiet an angry sea! And yet He has compassion that would cause little children to come to Him. He has power to cure any disease! And He has love and wisdom to sometimes, not cure that disease, but simply sit with us and hold our hand and be there to comfort us in our time of grief. Show me the face of Jesus filled with bruises and blood and blacked eyes, as He suffered on that cross for me! So that I could live with Him in Heaven forever.
Shine that Light of Jesus is every corner of my heart! Fill me with that light. Get rid of those dark corners. Recharge me with the love of Jesus for sinners like me. And once I have been recharged and my light is shining brightly, send me back into my dark and sinful world. The neat thing about light is that not only does it shine in my heart, it also shines out into the dark world! The light becomes visible to everyone I meet. Oh, some will hate that light, and want to run away from it. But many who are living in darkness and fear, will welcome that light, and perhaps I can bring them to Jesus, so they too can be filled with the same light I have.
II
And as we come back to church because IT’S TIME TO GET RECHARGED, there’s something we need to remember. Paul says, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God, and not from us.” This treasure of Jesus’ light, of Jesus’ sacrifice to save sinners, belongs to us. But God says, He places this beautiful and powerful treasure in us, who are, “jars of clay!”
Potters made these “jars of clay,” in many sizes, and these “jars of clay,” would be filled with all sorts of things. But they were fragile! They broke easily. Drop one and see it shatter in pieces. But, don’t worry, they were cheap. People would use these cheap fragile containers to carry whatever they needed to carry.
We are those “jars of clay.” Fragile! Common! Easily broken! Probably having a bunch of cracks starting to appear. We are “jars of clay,” not just in our bodies as we age, and become more delicate and breakable, but also in our spiritual hearts and souls. We are filled with the light of the gospel, and the gospel message. We are filled with this treasure from God. And yet, because we are “jars of clay,” we don’t always show that love and that grace. We get fragile. We sometimes get upset because we don’t understand God’s plan. We get hurt when Satan reminds us of our weaknesses, and how much of a disappointment we must be to God. Sometimes, we get brittle because we don’t agree with someone’s political ideals, and suddenly we can’t have compassion on them. Sometimes, like those “jars of clay,” we fall apart, and we lose it, and we get angry with God or angry with other people, and show no compassion.
When we go to church, realize that those who greet us are God’s people, but they are also, ‘jars of clay.” When we look at other Christians and try to find a good example of how we are to follow Jesus, they too are God’s precious children, but they are also, “jars of clay.” And when you listen to the sermon and you really need to hear something comforting, your pastor, although he is a man of God and a precious child of God, he too is also a “jar of clay.” We may not always live up to what a Christian should be. They may not always be alle to give you the hope and comfort you need, because we too are struggling, and are hurting.
And yet, despite being “jars of clay,” God uses us to reflect the light of the gospel, and to give hope and comfort, to encourage and to strengthen. Despite our flaws, and our cracks and our brittleness, God’s gospel still shines from our lives, and the precious gospel is spoken from our lips, and brothers and sisters are comforted, and encouraged. Because it’s God’s power that does it. It always amazing me how God can use a “jar of clay,” like me and shine that light of God’s gospel into the hearts and lives of people.
That’s why we are here! Like my cell phone, sometimes, my battery gets low, and I just don’t have the drive or the strength to let that light shine! That’s why I come here! To plug in! To get filled with the Light of the Gospel. I come because IT’S TIME TO GET RECHARGED!
