Apart from God, ministry isn’t just hard, it would be impossible. Think about some of the tasks we’re called to do. We work for unrighteous men to be declared innocent, the condemned to go free. We press diamond hard hearts to be broken and become sensitive. We labor that blind men might see, that dead men might live. The work of the ministry–assigned to believer, not only the paid staff–is nothing less than changing hearts, changing families, changing churches, and changing nations. That’s hard.

Ministry is difficult, ministry is demanding, and ministry is deadly. According to 2 Corinthians 4:12, ministry requires the constant dying of the minister. Jesus Himself made the point that “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Seeing that fruit is exhilarating. Is anything more breathtaking than a lost soul being found? The angels think that’s exciting. Because of the gospel, our hurting brings healing. By God’s grace, our dying generates life.

2 Corinthians 4 is all about this ministry; it is tough, often ineffective from our perspective, agonizing, un-glorious work.

I was directed to this chapter by a dead man. As I considered how best to challenge our students and staff at the upcoming snow retreat, I was drawn to John Bunyan. Bunyan is perhaps most well-known for his classic book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. He is also a man who sampled the difficulties of life and ministry. He endured over 13 years in prison because he refused to stop his gospel preaching. He endured the pain of watching his second wife and his four children scrape by without him. I thought, this is a man who I want to listen to.

In his autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he talks about what he did to prepare for prison.

Before I came to prison, I saw what was a-coming, and had especially two considerations warm upon my heart; the first was how to be able to endure, should my imprisonment be long and tedious; the second was how to be able to encounter death, should that be here my portion….[T]hat saying in 2 Co. 1:9 was of great use to me, “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but God which raiseth the dead.” By this scripture I was made to see, that if I would ever suffer rightly, I must pass a sentence of death upon everything that can properly be called a thing of this life, even to reckon myself, my wife, my children, my health, my enjoyments, and all, as dead to me, and myself as dead to them. . . .

The second was, to live upon God that is invisible; as Paul said in another place, the way not to faint, is to “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Co. 4:18. . . .

Bunyan’s approach and solace in Paul’s letter joined forces for our yearly one28 theme as well as for the snow retreat: Living On Unseen Things. That’s also how we’ve come to 2 Corinthians 4 for our study this morning. You can’t handle any paragraph in this chapter and come away without your hands smelling like affliction and anticipation. It’s a necessary chapter for souls tempted to lose heart.

For that matter, like fresh baked cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, the sweet aroma of afflictions fills the air of the entire epistle. Paul wore the perfume of pain and persecution.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. (2 Corinthians 1:8-11)

We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:3-10)

We’ll pass over his double-sided resume of afflictions in 2 Corinthians 11:23-30 where he concludes, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

And in that context, Paul repeats: we do not lose heart. The first paragraph of chapter four started with such an affirmation, as does the final paragraph of the chapter: We do not lose heart. We are tested, we are tempted to throw our hands in the air and walk away. “If this is how it’s going to be, if this is how I’m going to be treated, who needs it?” But that response comes from a wrong understanding of ministry, and it comes from living on seen things rather than unseen things.

It has always been the case that God’s people have opportunities to bring Him praise especially in times of affliction. When His people are beaten up and used up, and yet continue to look up and speak up, God’s worth is lifted up above all else.

We saw that we have the “treasure (of gospel ministry) in jars of clay” (4:7), that the process will take wear us out in weakness till death do we break. Strong, sophisticated, successful pots need not apply, because there must be no question at the end of the day that the surpassing power “belongs to God, not us” (4:7). In God’s economy, useful pots are those being brought constantly to the breaking point; those for whom unabated death brings everlasting life to others (4:8-12).

In verses 13-15 we see Paul’s (and our) Ministry Approach (vv.13-14) and Ministry Ambitions (v.15). The point of this paragraph is that the afflictions of pot ministry manifest grace and magnify God.

Ministry Approach

Death is at work in us (v.12). Death, or better, the dying process, being used up for the sake of others, is a life-giving dying. This is how it’s always been, and there’s no reason to be surprised at fiery trial among us as if it were anything strange. We say, “Do your worst!”, fully persuaded that our ministry is in the hands of an invincible God.

There are three elements of our approach: the historical, verbal, and eschatological elements.

The Historical Element (13a)

First, we endure ministry afflictions because we stand in a long line of God’s persecuted yet persevering people.

Having the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” (verse 13a)

This is the fourth consecutive paragraph that begins with something we “have.” 3:12–”having such a hope.” 4:1–”having this ministry.” 4:7–”we have this treasure.” Now Paul says, “having the same spirit” (v.13).

This (participial) phrase is the basis for why we speak (the main verb). It builds the stage for our boldness.

Having the same spirit doesn’t mean that we have the same Holy Spirit, though it’s safe to assume the involvement of the third Person of the Trinity. But here, spirit refers to our stance, attitude, or disposition. Our approach is no different than those who have gone before us and endured great troubles for God, who nevertheless did not lose heart.

According to what has been written, meaning the authoritative Scripture that is on record, is Paul’s reference to Psalm 116. Psalm 116 was written by a psalmist in great distress. It was used as a hymn of personal thanksgiving for God’s care in times of dire need. In particular, the writer was threatened by death, tears, and stumbling (verse 8). But he wasn’t overcome by those things, they did not cause him to lose heart. “I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living” (verse 9),

Paul quotes the LXX version of verse 10, but the point is basically the same. Even when in trouble, belief comes out through the mouth. What we say reveals what is in the heart, and trials draw out our heart like boiling water draws out the flavor from a tea bag.

We stand in a long line of God’s afflicted people. If some of the prophets and apostles were killed and persecuted (cf. Luke 11:49), we’re likely to experience similar treatment. Even more, if they call the Master of the house Beelzebub, won’t they treat the servants even worse (cf. Matthew 10:25)?

But we take courage because God is faithful to keep, and use the afflicted. We are here because of God’s work through those that have gone before us; we stand on their bruised shoulders and we stand in the same confidence in God that they did.

The Verbal Element (13b)

Second, we speak in the midst of ministry afflictions because our faith compels us.

we also believe, and so we also speak, (verse 13b)

God’s afflicted, like the author of Psalm 116, believed. They trusted God, and couldn’t help but call on Him and praise Him and offer Him a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 116:17). Likewise, afflictions pressurize faith that must find release. We are believing, therefore we are also speaking.

This speaking is any kind of verbal communication about the truth (v.2), the gospel (v.3), the glory of Christ (v.4), Jesus Christ as Lord (v.5), the glory of God in the face of Jesus (v.6). It is gospel speaking, but cannot confined to formal sermons or formal gospel presentations. It’s what comes out of our mouths when we’re squeezed, confused, criticized, and used up.

The believing speaking emphasizes boldness. This speaking is not bombast. It is not hot air. It is the inevitable consequence of being filled with faith. So Charles Spurgeon said about Bunyan, “Prick him anywhere; and you will find that his blood is Bibline, the very essence of the Bible flows from him.” So when we are pricked, when our pots are bumped and banged around, what spills out is gospel.

Interesting that Paul includes this, since the Lord had given him explicit instructions about speaking during his visit to Corinth on his second missionary journey in Acts 18.

After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:1-11)

Here was Paul giving himself, spending himself, dying for the Corinthians. Here also was Paul who reasoned, to tried to persuade, who was occupied with the word, testifying…that the Christ was Jesus.

I’d like to make sure something is unmistakeable. Thus far in 2 Corinthians 4, the stress has been on a ministry life, not simply a message. Last time we talked about it in terms of incarnational ministry. There is something about persons, in addition to proclamation, that God uses. God did not write His message in the sky or drop a Book from the heavens. He took on flesh and dwelt among us. So He puts His pots among people.

In our circles, we unhelpfully tend to all to one side of the spectrum: either we are truth-speakers or we are people-lovers. It doesn’t have to be a dichotomy.

The people-lovers are more likely to speak about incarnational ministry. They are the ones concerned about meeting physical needs and life example and other social concerns. Sometimes, though, they never get around to the presumed reason for their behavior and the real solution: the gospel story.

Truth-speakers, on the other hand, will defend the gospel doctrine tooth and nail, but they tend to do so from a distance, and their mouths are the only member of their bodies engaged. They are not used up, and they damage the gospel ministry by not living gospel sacrifice.

Sacrifice is crucial. It is the example of Jesus. We are your servants. And, we must tell the gospel story as we serve.

As a rule, servants aren’t criticized for serving. Slaves aren’t beaten for making sacrifices. So what is it that kept getting Paul into trouble? His mouth. He kept speaking about the offensive cross, the gospel of Christ. At the same time, his afflictions were his podium.

If you’re dying and not speaking about why you’re dying, you’re missing an opportunity for shining the light of the gospel. If you’re only speaking and not dying, your speaking may be more grating than grace-giving.

Think about John Bunyan, imprisoned for over 13 years total. It wasn’t because he was a good father and husband. It wasn’t because he gave to the poor or worked hard. It was because he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut about Jesus. Consequently, because he was afflicted, he was useful to God.

We stand in line with God’s afflicted, speaking because we are believing.

The Eschatological Element (14)

Third, we endure ministry afflictions because we will stand before God with Jesus.

knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. (verse 14)

Verse 14 is the gospel confidence, the reason our faith doesn’t give out, the solid ground of hope. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Ours is a resurrection hope.

We believe and we speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus. The knowing started when God caused the light of the gospel to shine in our hearts, and the knowing continues as we mature in the gospel. In verse 14, knowing activates our speaking with fact and with future. God, the One who raised the Lord Jesus, this resurrecting God, is our God. God raises dead men.

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead. (2 Corinthians 1:9)

That same God will raise us also with Jesus, using His earthly name to emphasize His humanity. It isn’t “in Jesus,” though elsewhere Paul makes that theological claim. Here we’re raised “with him,” we are associated with Him.

He “will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you (NASB).” The presenting picture is all throughout the New Testament. Depending on the context, either God (as here) or ministers (like Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:2) are doing the presenting.

In the future, all of us in Christ will be raised with Christ and presented together before God. This keeps us speaking, and speaking boldly, and dying because we’re with Him. “What are you going to do to me? I’m with Him!”

Ministry Ambitions

In verse 15, Paul unfolds the goals, not only of the paragraph, but in some ways, the goals of the entire chapter. It summarizes the end of everything he’s described thus far, and he gets ready to repeat that We do not lose heart in the next verse (16).

There are three ambitions, three goals of this serving, sacrificing, and speaking ministry. It is the strongest 3G network on the planet.

Abounding Grace (v.15a)

The first goal is that grace would abound.

For it is all for your sake. (verse 15a)

He has twice stated in chapter four that he was a servant. All ministers are servants. That is what “minister” means: servant. He explicitly stated in verse five that he proclaimed “Jesus Christ as Lord with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” He worked to bring life to others by his dying (verse 12). And now he summarizes: it is all for your sake, maybe a better translation, “all (these) things are for your sake.”

What is the all that is for their sake? The all that is for them are all of the afflictions and difficulties he endured in the previous paragraph. “All of these things are because of you, that is, they are on your behalf.” All of his being afflicted, all of his being perplexed, all of his being persecuted, all of his being struck down, all of his dying. His life was spent for others. He endured every trouble that others might receive the benefit.

Paul said as much in 2 Timothy 2:10.

I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

It was in his endurance that grace was abounding. The purpose clause that finishes verse 15 does not change the subject. All things are for you so that as grace abounds. In other words, grace was abounding as he was being beat up. He was spreading grace all over the place through his dying. When his pot banged around, grace sloshed out of his pot onto those who were around.

The ESV translates, so that as grace extends. That’s fine. There is a numerical element. But I think the numerical element comes more some from the more and more people. I think a better understanding of what grace is doing is “increasing,” or abounding. The point is numerical or geographical. The point is excess. The point is a filling up and overflowing; an increase beyond what is necessary; an abounding of grace.

Grace abounds on those for whom we give our lives.

Abounding Gratitude (v.15b)

As we give our lives and as grace abounds, so does gratitude.

as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving

There is a play on words here as well, abounding grace (χάρις) brings abounding gratitude (εὐχαριστίαν), from the same Greek root. The thanksgiving of the many is growing.

Thanksgiving should increase because grace makes the poor rich. Jesus had the same goal.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

If gratitude does not grow around our pots, our pots probably are not filled with the gospel of grace. If the ground around us is dry, it may be because the pot is empty. Even worse, if what spills out burns the ground, it may be law coming out of the pot like the wrong fertilizer. If we encounter difficulties with reluctance, let alone resentment, thanksgiving will not abound.

We want thanksgiving to go viral. Viral means a rapid spread, and in this case, it isn’t information that spreads only, it is gratitude. If we want to see thanksgiving go viral, we’ve got to be willing to be used up and endure all things.

Abounding Glory (v.15c)

The first two goals are personal, we might categorize them as horizontal ambitions. We serve people, we want more and more people to give more and more thanks. That said, abounding gratitude is not the end. Gratitude is not the highest goal, gratitude is penultimate (next to last). The ultimate goal is God’s honor.

to the glory of God.

The ESV translation is a bit misleading. I think it is clearer to say, “All things (are endured) for you, in order that the grace–the grace increasing through the gratitude of the many–may increase to the glory of God.”

The final end is doxological, that is, God being honored as He deserves. Where does it start? Note the sequence:

1. abounding afflictions lead to
2. abounding grace, that leads to
3. abounding thanksgiving, that leads to
4. abounding glory

That shouldn’t sound new. That’s the gospel. That was the life and work of Jesus. The good news is that His afflictions delivered us from sin by grace. Our afflictions aren’t redemptive, but they are used by God to scatter and spread the grace of the gospel.

Conclusion

We must spend our lives on His behalf.

How can we maximize thanksgiving to the glory of God among the many, to the more and more, in our families, in our ministries, and in our local body?

In response to 2 Corinthians 4:13-15, I think we need:

1. Thick gratitude. We must be examples of abounding thankfulness. We must not be examples not of pettiness, bitterness, or reluctance and think that we will spread thanksgiving. Our gratitude must be thick like the lava flowing from an exploded volcano that wipes out every criticism and negative attitude and petty squabble in its way. We want a thick and sticky gratitude like a snowball rolling down a mountainside it takes out the trees of problems planted in the path. We want a gooey gratitude, impossible to clean off of someone else. If our gratitude is runny and thin, it will slide away. If we have so much gratitude that sticks on others it will limit how much negativity they can exercise. We won’t spread gratitude by being better criticizers of their critical spirits that we’ll stop them from criticizing. It’s being thick with gratitude. That will change a culture.
2. Stiff faith. We must actually believe what we say, and believe so much that we can’t shut up about it. Too many professions are plastic; they are limp and flop around in the storm. They won’t stand or anchor us. When the afflictions come, we’re not likely to speak up if we’re not strong in faith. Speaking comes from believing, if the believing is weak, the speaking will also be weak, if speaking happens at all.
3. Relentless anticipation. As we are poured out, banged up, beat around pots, sloshing grace over every side, the only way we’ll keep going is as we look to our resurrection. We will only give up our lives for others if we believe that in giving up life we gain life, that dying and death is never vain and not the end. Dying and death result in resurrection, being raised with Jesus. If we only do what is convenient, cheap, and selfish, the gratitude of others will shrivel, and then God will not be honored as He deserves.

Ministry is hard, but it is exhilarating. There aren’t many greater thrills than seeing God shine the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus in a spiritually dark heart. Watching God create life in others keeps us from losing heart.

We read (last week) in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 that we do not lose heart because we minister as those driven by the Holy Spirit and as those defined by service. Even when our work seems ineffective–which it often is, we don’t turn to worldly or shameful techniques; we know those can’t overcome the blindness that the god of this world has caused. We keep proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as servants for Jesus’ sake. When we slave in Jesus’ name, and when we shine the light of the gospel, God is often pleased to rescue men from the domain of darkness and transfer them into the kingdom of His beloved Son. That keeps us keeping on in confidence.

Ministry is hard because it often seems ineffective. We don’t lose heart because we’re confident in God. But ineffectiveness is not the only thing that makes ministry hard or that tempts us to lose heart. Gospel ministry, also known as making disciples, speaking the truth in love until we all reach unity, teaching and admonishing in order to present everyone complete in Christ, will exhaust and expend those who work. In fact, the gospel ministry is a death sentence. It requires the very life of those who spread the good news of life. Ministry is hard because, for ministry to be fruitful, ministers must suffer trouble and die. That’s exactly how it’s designed.

We usually see difficulties as setbacks, as hindrances to ministry. According to 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, the opposite is true. Our weakness and weariness advances the ministry. Our discomfort leads to the comfort of others. Our dying leads to others living.

In this we see that ministry is personal and painful. I say it’s personal because, throughout the paragraph, Paul emphasizes ministers as “vessels” (v.7), “bodies” (twice in v. 10), and “flesh” (v.11). Ministry happens when a person dwells among people on purpose. This is incarnational ministry. I used to chaff against the word incarnational because most of the people who used it seemed to be emergent types, those who elevated relationship above truth. But I concede, it is a good word. It’s good because we’re to follow Christ’s example, who took on flesh and dwelled among us to serve us, and, ministry-in-body seems to be the emphasis here. Ministry is about the person, but it isn’t separate from the person.

I say ministry is painful, too. Ministry demands everything we have, even our lives. It is nothing less than dying so that others may live. That process is also a way we follow the example of Jesus, and the paragraph bears it out. It’s not our death, the single event when it’s over, that’s under the microscope; it’s dying, the process of dying. Verses 8-9 are full of ongoing pain. Verse 10 states we are carrying (an ongoing thing) the dying of Jesus. Verse 11 states we are delivered over (ongoing) to death. Verse 12 states death is at work (also ongoing). Death isn’t “at work” if you’re dead.

But dying effects life. Life is in verse 10, twice in verse 11, and again in verse 12. Ministry brings life, at the cost of life. This is a theology of ministry if there ever was one. In terms of salvation, we lose our lives to find them. In terms of ministry, a person loses his life to give life to others.

The natural man does not understand how this works. It’s an unseen thing to him. He may see the results, but he can’t explain how it works, or he will explain it away, and he certainly isn’t ready to get to dying. Even we are tempted to steer clear of this. There must be other ways, more comfortable ways, less costly ways to bring good things to life. Not in the gospel ministry.

In the gospel ministry, when death is at work in us, life is at work in others. That is true, and it’s true for a reason. Our dying, physical and figurative, is not prohibitive to ministry, it is ministry. Death is at work! That’s the point of this paragraph.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7–12)

In this paragraph, we’ll see death at work by considering Ministry Reality (vv. 7-10), Ministry Rationale (v.11), and Ministry Result (v.12).

Ministry Reality (vv.7-10)

Verses 7-10 form one sentence, with one primary verb, making one main statement, followed by three subordinate phrases that flesh out the reality. The main statement is:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay

Things were exciting coming out of the last paragraph, specifically in verses 5 and 6. God shines light in hearts. God gives men knowledge of His glory. God brings men into relationship with Himself in the person of Jesus. We proclaim Jesus and God makes that effective. That’s why we don’t lose heart.

We should be excited about that; we want to ride that crescendo to the top. But, the slave-heralds are not, in and of themselves, exciting. To elevate the slave-herald is to miss the point. The glorious work of a slave-herald does not make the slave-herald glorious.

Paul brings us back to earth in verse 7 with a clank. But we have this treasure in jars of clay.

What is the treasure? One option is that the treasure is the gospel message (v.3), the new-covenant news. Another option is that the treasure is the light of the gospel (v.4), the light of the knowledge (v.6), emphasizing the effect of the message. But I don’t think either of those options are sufficient. I think the treasure is the gospel ministry; the treasure is the work of getting out the message that has the effect of light-giving.

Ministry, that is, everything involved in spreading the message, was the theme in chapter three. It was the topic in chapter four verse 1, “Having this ministry.” So now in verse 7, “We have this treasure.” The flow of the epistle and the similar phrasing of verses 1 and 7 draw attention to the work. The rest of the paragraph, verses 7-12, emphasize not only a certain message, but a certain kind of life that bears the message. The treasure is not less than the gospel, but neither is it the gospel in proposition alone. The treasure we have is to speak and live the gospel in person.

That said, the persons themselves are not much to speak about. We are jars of clay (ESV), “earthen(ware) vessels” (NAS), pots made of baked dirt. We are not the treasure; we carry the treasure.

Clay pots were simple, common, inexpensive, and easily replaceable. They were made of baked earth, so it didn’t really matter how they were treated or if they got dinged up or even if they broke; you’d get another one. They were meant to be used, not admired. Treasure, on the other hand, was special, uncommon, and valuable. Clay pots might hold significant and important and unique things, but they were insignificant, unimportant, and normal.

The work we do is amazing. We are not. The ministry is glorious; ministers are not. It’s so easy to slip into wrong thinking here. The reality is that we are expendable, dispensable, meant to be used, not meant to be admired.

The Purpose (v.7b)

Compared to the treasure, clay pots are cheap. Compared to God’s power, clay pots are weak. That’s good. God puts His treasure in unworthy pots for a reason.

to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

God’s intention for utilizing clay pots is to make it clear that God’s power is excellent. God makes use of brittle vessels in order to leave no doubt where the glory goes. In God’s economy, a pot’s weakness is an asset, not a liability.

It’s not just “power” at work, it’s surpassing power (ESV), “the surpassing greatness of power” (NAS), the “excellence of power” (NJKV), the “all-surpassing power” (NIV). No other power is comparable to His extraordinary, superlative power. Causing light to shine in darkness, creating light, is some kind of power indeed. God uses clay pots–cheap, breakable, replaceable–so that the pots don’t forget their place and so that God is exalted, not pots.

If we elevate pots, if we depend on pots, if we think ministry is about proper pot placement, or about pot maintenance or pot polishing, we are swimming against the tide of God’s purpose for ministry. Ministry requires a certain type of person, weak and cheap, so that God gets every last drop of credit.

The Process (vv. 8-9)

What does it look like for a clay pot to carry the treasure of gospel ministry? Verses 8-9 shed light. The gospel ministry is more than directing someone down the Roman’s Road, it’s more than preaching world-class sermons about Jesus from a pulpit. It is people, living among people, and suffering in gospel ways.

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (verses 8–9)

Though every major English translation treats these as independent phrases, they are all participles (in Greek), indicating that they are dependent, and each one hangs on the primary verb “have” in verse 7. There are four pairs of “but not”s that reveal the severity of ongoing life for clay pot ministry.

Many commentators refer to these pairs as contrasts. They are not. Some see them as paradoxes. They are not. Verse 10 presents a gospel paradox, but we’ll treat that separately. Rather, verses 8-9 are breaking points. Clay pot ministry, ministry done in and for God’s surpassing power, is a process for the pot of being used, abused, beaten, battered, and almost but not broken [instead of the usual negation μὴ + participle, Paul uses οὐκ four times, indicating the certainty]. We’re at the precipice, but He preserves us from being pushed over.

First, pots are pressed but not crushed. Paul says, [being] afflicted in every way, but not [being] crushed. Being “afflicted” means being pressured or squeezed. Things start weighing on us. What things? “All things” or “in all ways.” There doesn’t seem to be a limitation on the nature of pressing things. Whatever comes in our ministry way. However, we are not [being] crushed. It’s a play on words, but not a contrast. A contrast would be, we are pressed but we make progress. No, we’re brought right up to the point where any more pressure would crush us. We’ve been checked, but not yet at check mate.

Second, pots are confused but not clueless. Paul says, we are [being] perplexed, but not [being] driven to despair. Each participle comes from the same root (ἀπορέω and ἐξαπορέω), with the second having an additional prefix. Being “perplexed” means being confused, at a loss. We don’t know what to do or how to fix it. We’re uncertain. But we’re not totally at a loss, “not despairing.” We’re not paralyzed by our confusion. We’re not humiliated or hopeless. We are brought right up to the edge.

Third, pots are attacked but not abandoned. Paul says, we are [being] persecuted but not [being] forsaken. Being “persecuted” means being pursued, hunted, chased. We’re on the run, but not deserted or being forsaken. God doesn’t leave us when enemies come after us, whether with fists or false accusations. But having God on our side doesn’t keep us from being hunted, or feeling like we’re all alone. We’re one step ahead.

Fourth, pots are down but not out. Paul says we are [being] struck down, but not [being] destroyed. There could be physical elements to being struck down, knocked down, thrown down; Paul endured beatings and stonings. But the breaking point isn’t death, it’s ruin or loss. Many things can be ruined or lost in ministry apart from physical health or life. We are on the matt, the 10 count has started, but we get up for more.

Each of these four “but not”s are normal pot activity. This is the normal onslaught of pot ministry. These are real extremes: being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down. If you think they’re exaggerations, you’re doing bad exegesis. But being brought to the edge of the cliff without going over is how clay pots carry the treasure and show that the surpassing power is God’s. Let me make two observations.

First, if you’re trying to protect the pot, the pot probably isn’t doing anybody any good. The pot is supposed to be used; that’s the purpose. Being pressured, perplexed, persecuted, and pushed down are normal wear and tear for pots. If you never feel weighed down, if you think you’ve got it figured out, if everyone’s your friend, if you never hit the floor, you’re probably stuck on the shelf. Pots get used. They get banged around. They get dings. They get chipped. They get left out overnight. Ministry pots aren’t saved for special occasions; these pots are for every day use. They’re valuable to the degree they are worn out carrying good stuff (treasure) to people.

A second observation, pot ministry is primarily about being used up and worn out, not about being broken. For example, you can empty a pot that’s full of expensive oil in (at least) two ways: pour out the oil or smash the pot. There is something spectacular about smashing it; it can be quite a show with shards flying through the air. But smashing the pot is one and done, and it tends brings attention to the pot. That’s what we think would make us valuable. We’re such proud slaves, that when we hear about our pot positions, we’re angling to be broken in a way that shows us off.

God does break some of His pots in spectacular ways, but most of his pots are just worn out through daily use. It would actually be easier to be broken, or at least it would be quicker. But there is a divinely designed process of patiently pouring out, filling up, and pouring out again.

The Paradox (v.10)

Verse 10 includes another dependent participle that sheds light on clay pot ministry, but I’ve separated it because it doesn’t follow the “but not” pairs and it includes a number of modifiers.

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

This part of ministry is a paradox, and it may also be the pinnacle of the process; the process described in verses 8-9 amounts to a life of dying. Dying is an abridged reference to suffering because all of life’s afflictions get us thinking about the end of life and the end of our afflictions.

It’s a paradox because it seems self-contradictory that carrying the dying of Jesus reveals the life of Jesus. This paradox dominates the rest of the paragraph, so we can’t skip it.

Note the instrument is “our bodies,” used twice. Our bodies carry the dying of Jesus, our bodies reveal the life of Jesus. That’s part of why I think the treasure is ministry, not merely a message. It takes a life to do this, and the process confirms, it’s “always” happening, not only during worship services or Bible studies or quiet times or programmed evangelism. The message is clear, Jesus died and rose again so that we who die with Him may also be raised again to newness of life. We rightly define and describe the gospel, but clay pot ministry also demonstrates the gospel in real life.

Carrying about is a vivid image. Men carried sick people on beds to Jesus so that He might heal them (Mark 6:55). In a figurative way, men are carried about by every wind of doctrine (cf. Ephesians 4:14; Hebrews 13:9). False teaching has a way of moving people. Clay pots are to be moved by the dying of Jesus.

I keep saying “dying” instead of “death” of Jesus because the word in verse 10 emphasizes the process, not the event. Our carrying about is ongoing, so it isn’t a one time finishes all behavior. We’re not dead yet.

The paradox is that when clay pots are in the rotation so much that their usefulness is being used up, then they are most useful.

When we die to our schedule (think: good Samaritan), to our comfort, to our budget, to our convenience, to our privacy, then we’ll see life grow around us. When we are carrying about the death of Jesus in our bodies, we are at that time showing the life of Jesus in our bodies. No dying for Jesus is wasted. That’s the reality.

Ministry Rationale (v.11)

As if Paul anticipated that we might question the logic of weakness showing power, and of dying showing life, he provides an explanation in verse 11, For (γὰρ).

For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

The living are dying, and dying shows off the life of Jesus. We who live, or, “we, the ones living” includes all those who are spiritually alive, and so it refers to all believers. Paul’s discussion of ministry thus far primarily consisted of his apostolic calling and the work of his partners, but this clearly pulls every believer, all who have had the light shown in their hearts, all who are living ones, into the ministry of dying.

The living ones are always being given over, or, “delivered over” to death. “Given over” is an official term, as when a prisoner or criminal is sentenced and handed over to the court for punishment or imprisonment. We who live have been given a death sentence. We are assigned a life to death. Why?

Two incentives. First, for Jesus’ sake (διὰ Ἰησοῦν). This is the same phrase as in verse 5. We’re slaves because of, or for the sake of, Jesus. Now, we are being given over to death for Jesus’ sake. His incarnation was the ultimate living for dying to give life. He gave His life for our sake (salvation), and we give up our life for His sake (ministry).

Second, mortal, weak, dispensable flesh shows off the life of Jesus. The second half of verse 11 basically repeats the last part of verse 10, substituting “flesh” for “body” and adding “mortal” or merely human. Paul says essentially nothing new in verse 11 than he said in verse 10. The repetition of thought verifies the importance of the principle.

This is how things work in God’s economy. A daily dying for Jesus’ life, shows off His life.

That is not our economy. That’s not how we manage our resources. In our economy, flashy pots catch attention, even if it puts more attention on the pot than the treasure. In our economy, we’re impressed by strong pots that endure difficulty, even if they eclipse God’s power. In our economy, living leads to more living, dying leads to being overlooked.

It’s personal, but not about the person, not about the pot. He uses pots, but never to exalt pots.

Ministry Result (v.12)

Paul’s summarizes the point of the paragraph.

So death is at work in us, but life in you.

So (ὥστε) is bringing the point of the paragraph to the surface for one last look-see. The result of personal, painful, patient being used up ministry is that death is at work working life. This is the actual outcome, this is what occurred, not what he hoped for. Death is at work in us, but life [is at work] in you. “Death” condenses all of the suffering, the life of difficulty. We are liable to death, but before that, we’re tired, exhausted, overwhelmed, hurting, almost lost. That brings life. And “life” is more than breath, life is blessing.

Again, it isn’t our death, it is our dying. Death is at work, death is working. Our life, as slaves, ebbs away into others. As we’re emptied out, others are filled up. As we lose our lives, others find life. There is no sarcasm on Paul’s part, only celebration. The result of dying is life giving. That is motivation.

Conclusion

A few thoughts in review.

Difficulties in ministry are not necessarily barriers to ministry. Most of the time, ministry difficulties are occasions for ministry breakthroughs. The difference between a wall and a foundation is the angle. Obstacles become platforms with God’s surpassing power.

It seems like every great sailing story involves a storm and a smiling captain. You feel for the crew being battered by brutal conditions. So why is the captain smiling? Because strong winds move ships if the sails catch it right. A storm is an advantage to a skilled seaman. We’re land-lovers when it comes to trouble, and we often miss ministry because of it.

Also, a life of dying for sake of giving life is as much or more a practice as it is a profession. Your talk talks and your walk talks but your walk talks a whole lot louder than your talk talks. Big talkers who protect their lives are suspect. Don’t be a reluctant or self-pitying giver of your life either.

Also, for believers, a difficult life is not a destroyed life. For unbelievers, a difficult life is difficult and the beginnings of destruction. You are at the edge and you have no safety harness. Suffering leads to ministry for those who serve Christ; suffering is only misery for those who serve themselves.

Finally, be content to be worn out in His service. You may be spectacularly broken, but probably not. Most of us will fall apart over a long, drawn out life of use rather than be smashed in a moment. Must of us will be exhausted from late nights. Our testimonies will probably have more tears and sweat than prison and swords. The accumulation of aches and pains will get us before assassination attempts. Ours will be a death of a thousand little heart attacks instead of being burned at the stake. But the principle is no less effectual: when death is at work in us, life is also at work. When that happens, there’s no explanation except for God’s surpassing power.

Ministry is hard. By “ministry” I don’t mean the vocation, I mean the work. The work of the ministry is not limited to those who are paid to do it, or even those who oversee it. In fact, the primary work of pastors/elders is not to do the work of the ministry, but instead to “equip the saints for the work of ministry.” The work of the ministry is also known as making disciples, seeking to present every man complete in Christ, building up the Body by speaking the truth in love until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. The work of the ministry is not less than changing hearts, changing families, and changing churches. That is hard work.

If the ministry we’re doing isn’t hard, it probably isn’t gospel ministry. In fact, if we’re not at least tempted, on occasion, to bury our head in our hands, to give up, even to walk away, we’re probably not very interested or involved much in the gospel ministry.

If you care, if you’re engaged with people in this work, you’ve probably had moments when you wondered if it was worth it, if there was reason to keep going, if you would be able to survive the onslaught.

Because most of the time, ministry is an onslaught. The long queue of people who need help, the depth of their difficulties, will strike like a storm, and you realize you haven’t finished building an ark yet. People will bring theological debate, moral bankruptcy, petty squabbles in the church, messed up marriages or prodigal kids, party spirit, and displeasure that you didn’t call. They may even make it personal, questioning your motives, criticizing you, undermining your work. You face militant unbelief and indiscriminate disobedience. You face apparent ineffectiveness. Fellow sheep aren’t always that smart, and under-shepherds don’t always know where they’re going. That’s all normal ministry. Paul faced this kind of onslaught from the Corinthian congregation.

There are other circumstances that make ministry hard. Things don’t always go as we had planned. Ministry partners bail. The car breaks down (or the ship wrecks) leaving us stranded. There isn’t enough money to pay the bills. You staid up all night but still didn’t get caught up. You’re enduring some physical pain that not only distracts, but also limits the amount of work you can do. Paul faced all of these circumstances and more and worse, to the extent that he felt “so utterly burdened beyond [my] strength that [I] despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Then there is the onslaught of personal, internal doubts and discouragements, along with a nagging sense of inadequacy for the task. Paul had these. When he couldn’t fine Titus in Troas, he found “no rest for his spirit,” meaning he was anxious and upset (2:13). He was so upset that even with a ministry opportunity right in front of him, a door wide open, he walked away. When he considered himself next to the light of the glorious ministry work, he wondered, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2:16) God will not let those of His ministers who have great privilege be proud. He will test their sprits that they would not rely on themselves, but on God. That is hard.

So when Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1, “Having this ministry just as we received mercy, we do not lose heart,” I want to find some two-by-eights and frame my house on that foundation. He repeats it in 4:16 as well, and the two statements are cornerstones on which to build a solid ministry for the coming storm.

I was directed to this chapter by a dead man. As I contemplated what would help our students and staff at the upcoming snow retreat, I was drawn to John Bunyan. Bunyan is perhaps most well-known for his classic book, The Pilgrim’s Progress. He is also a man who knew the difficulties of life and ministry. He was imprisoned for over 13 years because of the ministry, refusing to give up gospel preaching. He watched his second wife and his four children scrape by, enduring his long incarceration. I thought, this is a man who I want to listen to.

In his autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he talks about preparing for prison.

Before I came to prison, I saw what was a-coming, and had especially two considerations warm upon my heart; the first was how to be able to endure, should my imprisonment be long and tedious; the second was how to be able to encounter death, should that be here my portion….[T]hat saying in 2 Co. 1:9 was of great use to me, But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but God which raiseth the dead. By this scripture I was made to see, that if I would ever suffer rightly, I must pass a sentence of death upon everything that can properly be called a thing of this life, even to reckon myself, my wife, my children, my health, my enjoyments, and all, as dead to me, and myself as dead to them. …

The second was, to live upon God that is invisible; as Paul said in another place, the way not to faint, is to “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Co. 4:18…

Bunyan’s comment and Paul’s letter are how we came to our theme in one28 for the year as well as for the snow retreat: Living On Unseen Things. That’s also how we’ve come to 2 Corinthians 4 for our study this morning. You can’t cut into any paragraph in this chapter without juice squirting into your face. It’s a necessary chapter for souls tempted to lose heart when ministry is hard.

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1–6)

Ministry Confidence (v.1)

In a great storm of trouble, the anchor of this chapter is We do not lose heart. Not losing heart is the point of this paragraph, as well as the final paragraph in the chapter (vv. 16-18). The phrase also could be translated, “We faint not” (KJV) or “We never give up” (NLT). Not losing heart means that one doesn’t lose motivation or enthusiasm for a goal. He might be tired, but he doesn’t get so tired of it that he quits. He grows weary, but he doesn’t give up. Stated positively, it means he stays the course, not only persevering, but keeping on in confidence.

We do not lose heart. Paul and Timothy (cf. 2 Corinthians 1:1), and perhaps other ministry associates, and by application–all of us doing the work of the ministry–do not “throw up our hands and walk off the job” (The Message). Losing heart, sinking into an inconsolable and paralyzing funk, is a constant threat. Sometimes we despair of life itself. So what is our confidence?

There are two sources of, or reasons for, confidence provided in verse one.

First, ministry is driven by the life-giving Spirit.

Paul begins verse one with Therefore, or “because of this” or “for this reason.” It’s why we read 2 Corinthians chapter three for our Scripture reading. When we’re doing ministry right, it is supernatural, life-giving, life-transforming, because it is moved by the Spirit.

The Spirit of the living God makes people into living resumes (3:3); His work product is obvious. The “Spirit gives life” (v.6), the Spirit brings freedom (v.17), the Spirit transforms us into the image of the Lord (v.18), and the Spirit’s ministry leads to exceeding glory (vv.8, 18).

Because our ministry is a Spirit-driven, Spirit-empowered ministry, we don’t lose heart. We’ll see more about this in verses 5-6, but if our confidence is in us, our hearts are goners.

Second, ministry is defined as a life of service.

Not only do we lose heart when we try to minister in our own energy, we also lose heart if we have the wrong expectations. Self-glory Avenue is a one-way street to the city of Disappointment.

We do not lose heart having this ministry just as we received mercy. The word ministry means assigned service; ministry is an appointment to work hard for someone else’s gain. And we’ve received this Spirit-driven, righteousness-producing, life-and-glory-giving ministry “just as we received mercy.” It’s a comparison.

How does receiving ministry compare to receiving mercy? I think it means that (1) Ministry is sovereignly initiated. Just as God determined to give us mercy, so God designated us into a position of service. (2) Ministry is an undeserved privilege. Just as there was nothing worthy in us that obligated God to be merciful to us, so there is nothing sufficient in us for God to employ us. We aren’t worthy to serve any more than we were worthy to be saved. And (3) Ministry is mercy mission. No one who ministers was without need for God’s pity and patience, why would we withhold mercy from the unworthy?

Paul talks about this life of service in verse five again, “We proclaim ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” If we take up this work in any other uniform than that of slaves, we will be let down. The light socket is assigned to hold the bulb, not be the bulb.

We don’t lose heart because this ministry is driven by the Spirit and defined by service. When the elephant of difficulty sits on us and crushes the air out of our chests, the Spirit fills our lungs with confidence.

Ministry Contrast (v.2)

Paul says we do not lose heart, But we have renounced the hidden things of shame. Isn’t it odd to contrast something he was not doing with something else he was not doing? He wasn’t losing heart but he wasn’t utilizing secret and shameful ways. Maybe we could say ministry is a marathon. He was confident of finishing, but not by taking shortcuts.

One of the greatest ministry heart attacks is a sense of irrelevance or ineffectiveness in ministry. It regularly seems like people don’t get it, or they don’t want it. Ministry is full of ignored or rejected messages, as well as unappreciated or criticized messengers. The most natural response (and we 21st century, Pragmatic-American evangelicals fit the profile) is to do whatever it takes to fix the problem, make the process smoother, repackage the product, even if the advertising is questionable.

The main idea in verse 2 is that he renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. It means that he disowned, he refused to be associated with anything that, if exposed, would bring humiliation. Not every inappropriate method or motivation is immediately visible, though some more than others, of course. But ministry is an integrity issue for Paul. He wasn’t hiding anything a Dateline reporter could dig up.

Three (participial) phrases clarify this renouncement, two of avoidance and one of pursuit: not walking in craftiness, neither distorting the Word, but commending his integrity to them before God.

First, ministry must never manipulate people.

We renounce the hidden things of shame by not walking around in craftiness, or “practicing cunning.” We refuse to use people by giving them false impressions or disguising our intentions. We don’t trick them, deceive them, or mislead them.

Second, ministry must never misrepresent Scripture.

We renounce the hidden things of shame by not distorting the Word of God, not “tampering with” the Bible. Men misinterpret Scripture by failing to divide it rightly or maliciously twisting its meaning. Men moderate Scripture, editing it to avoid causing offense. Men misapply Scripture, drawing conclusions or requiring thoughts and behavior that the Bible doesn’t. Men misuse Scripture by making biblical points for selfish reasons. Men misemploy Scripture mixing personal opinion with verses, making it difficult to distinguish the two.

Third, ministry must always manifest integrity.

We renounce the hidden things of shame by commending ourselves by the open statement of truth to everyone’s conscience before God. To “commend oneself” is to put on the table for examination. To manifest, to publish one’s life for viewing by others.

Paul and his ministry partners didn’t hide what they were doing, no behind closed-door meetings, no personal or political agendas. What you saw is what you got. They spoke about the truth openly, not less than in public preaching, but it had to be more than that because he was concerned about men’s consciences, and concerned even more about what God could see. It’s fairly easy to look good for show, but what are we like backstage? We want to give no reason for people to distrust or assume wrong motives. The best way to keep people from talking like that is to live and speak like that.

When we’re tempted to lose heart because ministry is hard and it seems ineffective, we must not entertain manipulation or misrepresentation as an option. We must manifest integrity.

Ministry Constraint (vv.3-4)

Does it seem like ministry is often ineffective? Of course it does, because it is. Ministry doesn’t always work. There’s a reason for that. There’s also a reason why changing our techniques or approach won’t work, especially if the methods involve selfish motives or immorality–those are cards in the devil’s deck. We’re not going to beat him playing his game with his cards. It’s a stacked deck.

The gospel ministry often looks as though it isn’t relevant or effective. We can’t fix it by wearing a t-shirt instead of a tie, or visa verse. We can’t fix it by having services in a warehouse or a bar, or by not having services in certain places. Well designed web-sites and social media presence can’t overcome it. More apologetics conferences won’t convince the world. Being “nice” won’t and can’t weaken resistance, let alone trickery or manipulation.

The reason the gospel ministry is so hard and seems so irrelevant and ineffective is because people can’t see it. Gospel truth is as relevant to an unbeliever as color theory is to a blind painter. You can provide an easel, an expensive brush, a palette full of the richest and most brilliant colors, and he can’t do anything but make a mess. You can engage him in a discussion about saturation and hue, you can take him to a museum of great works of art, but he cannot see what you’re talking about.

Spiritual blindness is the constraining reality for every person who is perishing. Even if our gospel is veiled, and it is, it is only to those who are perishing.

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (v. 4)

The god of this world is Satan. He is the “prince of the power of the air,” the ruler over the kingdom of darkness. He has been granted limited rule for a time, (“god of this aeon” would probably be a better translation for αἰῶνος). By his demon-soldiers and world system–therefore, not directly influencing each and every person–he has blinded the minds of unbelievers, those who are perishing. This doesn’t mean that he blinds all their thoughts; the blinding is to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. There is a sort of knowledge that natural men are capable of. They can (and do according to Romans 1:18), know true things even about God. But they cannot know Him directly, they cannot know God in Jesus, and they do not love His excellency without supernatural intervention.

They aren’t perishing because they’re blind (though that could be demonstrated in other passages). They are blind because they are perishers. The problem is not a lack of light. The problem isn’t with the signal, the problem is with the receiver. The defect isn’t in the light, it’s in the mind; their mind is blind.

Ministry is hard because people are blind. Our work is often ineffective because Satan’s work is very effective. But, he is potent, not omnipotent; he’s successful, but not supreme.

Ministry Conviction (vv.5-6)

In verses 5 and 6 Paul explains even more about his confidence, he explains why his ministry method happily contrasts with so many, and he explains how any ministry can be effective in light of the constraints of spiritual blindness. It is a ministry conviction that keeps him from losing heart.

First, ministry has a clear message.

For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (v.5)

“We proclaim Him,” that is, Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:28). He is man–Jesus, Messiah–Christ, and Master–Lord. He’s the message. We’re not talking about us. No one came to the light because they heard about Higgins. But there is a right way to talk about ourselves, after Jesus and under Jesus. We proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord [and] ourselves as slaves for you because of Jesus. We’re slave heralds. We speak of Jesus for Jesus’ sake, that is, because He’s given us this ministry just as He’s show us mercy.

This is an amazing phrase: δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν. The genitive “of you” is objective, “slaves serving you,” not possessive, “slaves owned by you.” And our slaving is “because of Jesus.” Men benefit from our slaving; God assesses our slaving. He’s the ruling authority, and He’s the serving example. He came not to be served, but to serve. He took on the form of a servant. He calls us to serve, and He shows us how to serve. It isn’t that everyone loves a servant, but they’re usually less suspicious of someone who serves rather than someone who is stingy and striving.

Isn’t that difficult to remember? It’s difficult to remember that we’re undeserving, mercy-receiving servants. Ministers who equip and those equipped for ministry are all in the service industry together. Of all the blue-collar job on the planet, it has as the most benefits. But there’s still no point in getting all proud. It is also difficult to keep perspective in balance that service is to men for the Master; we routinely set up shop on one side or the other. Focusing too much on serving men can lead to frustration and losing heart. Focusing too much on serving the Master can lead to distance and a guarded heart. The only way to get messy but not get messed up is to remember that we’re slaves serving men for the Master.

Second, ministry has a creative motivation.

Paul cuts open his conviction even more and exposes the marrow of the bones that keep ministry standing.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (v.6)

The subject stands out in this sentence: For God–what God?–[the One] who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” [He Himself] has shone in our hearts. There is a view of God’s power, yes. There is a view of His initiation, yes. But even more, this is a view of His nature. Our God is the light-giving God, who demonstrates sovereign initiative and power because that’s who He is! That’s what He does!

On the first day of creation week, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. God said, “Let there be light.” It wasn’t light from the sun. The sun wasn’t created until day four. God, who is light and in Whom is no darkness (cf. 1 John 1), invaded creation with His light. God does the same thing in empty and dark souls.

He turns on the light. He makes the blind to see, and only He can do it. He’s not giving new revelation, He’s enabling men to see His previous revelation clearly.

Don’t we tend to lose heart when we’re trying to turn on the light with our short arms? We can’t reach he switch the switch in any man’s soul. We cannot enable the sense of sight. God must, God has–in our hearts, and God will. [Note: "Let light shine" is not an imperative, it is future indicative. There is no question about it.]

We need to use apologetics frugally. The best way to get someone out of the dark is not by explaining how darkness works, or the different kinds of darkness, or by telling them that the darkness is bad, and why their painting looks horrible. The best thing is to turn on the light, and we can’t do that.

His work is so much better anyway. It is divine. It is immediate. It is direct. It is decisive. It is self-authenticating. He needs no outside confirmations. Light is light, it needs no evidence to prove that it is. And His work is inimitable, far above our ability to copy. We can’t look under the hood to see how He does it in order to attempt building our own engine. We don’t need to.

We minister, we endure hardship, we slave for unworthy and exasperating people, we do not lose heart, because God says Let the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus SHINE! Men don’t need more evidence or a long line of reasoning; God saves. That is conviction. That is strength. That is motivation. That keeps us from losing heart.

Conclusion

It doesn’t take being beaten before we’re tempted to lose heart. The daily pressures of local church ministry caused Paul more anxiety than all the rest of his troubles (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, especially verse 28). Can you imagine the church underbelly in Corinth?

I need this. I don’t know what to do without it. I’d be bitter. I’d retaliate. I’d quit. I would lose heart. The ministry underbelly is too ugly. The hearts of people are too messy. My wisdom is too shortsighted and stamina is too pathetic.

I have to review the confidence, contrast, constraint, and conviction of ministry day by day. I have to remember that I’m a slave who slaves among men for the Master. I have to revel in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, all so that I can repeat with Paul: We do not lose heart.

• Stephanie Zimmer
• Caroline Martin
• Erin Frye
• Katie Herrington
• Rebecca Butler
• Olivia Martin
• Shannon Newell
• Laila Bour
• Kaleigh Alford
• Andi McAuliffe
• Tajanna Stinn
• Joshua Bour
• Garrett Weinberg

Perhaps the essential passage on the value of being a servant is Mark 10:42-45 (for the entire pericope, see verses 35-45). In that passage Jesus Himself explains that those who are truly great are servants; those who would be first must be slaves of all, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

In God’s economy, there is something noble about being a servant. A servant serves. A servant is a person who works for others; someone who performs duties for another person or organization. They attend to needs of someone else. They make a contribution to someone else’s enterprise. They do their part for the bigger picture. But the bottom line is that a servant is a worker.

Besides the physical effort itself there are some character qualities that are connected with servants. We know that a biblical servant serves with humility (Philippians 2:5-11). They serve not as men-pleasers but in the sight of God (Colossians 3:22-25). They serve heartily (Colossians 3:23). Their service is not for applause but for God’s praise. And they serve as stewards of a gift of God and in His strength (1 Peter 4:11). And they serve so that God gets the glory (1 Peter 4:11).

Those qualities of a servant are applicable no matter who the servant is. But here is my question: what is different about a MAN serving compared to a woman? Though there is obvious overlap in what it means for both men and women to be servants, there should be something distinct about men at work. So what separates a man at work from a woman at work?

It isn’t just an issue of location. It isn’t man-work because it is outside the home and the woman’s work is inside the home. It isn’t necessarily an issue of physical size or strength. It doesn’t make it man-service because you wear a muscle shirt, have body odor and a 5 o’clock shadow while drinking black coffee and eating red meat cooked over flame. It also does not make it “man work” because you can get someone else to do it for you. So again,

What distinguishes a godly and manly servant?

Before we get to the answer, let’s admit our culture and probably most in the evangelical church are confused about this. No doubt part of the problem with figuring out what man-work is comes from the contrasting caricatures of man marketed by the world. As Christian men we are right to be put off by chauvinistic, proud, arrogant, masculinity.

However, our society has not balanced that extreme, but run to the opposite extreme. In order to compensate for chauvinists and forge a softer, gentler male, men have been weakened and women-ized/feminized. So to be a man in today’s world, men have to make a choice between being either a knuckle-dragging gorillas or little school girls.

But I’d like to suggest that our biggest problem is not our widespread misunderstanding of manhood or a misconstrued picture of men. Our biggest hurdle is not abundant examples of over-macho men or under-macho men.

Instead, our biggest problem is that we men are seduced by laziness. We are surrounded by a world that specializes in the various arts of inflaming selfishness and encouraging laziness. We have lost what it means to serve and work. We believe the lie that it is better to have a servant than to be one. We have been seduced by laziness.

Being seduced is the opposite of manliness. John Milton uses a striking phrase in Paradise Lost referring to those men who were seduced by the “daughters of men.” When the angel Michael showed Adam a vision of the future seduction of these men, these descendants of his, Adam attempts to blame the women involved – “Man’s woe holds on the same, from Woman to begin.” The angel replies to the contrary: “From man’s effeminate slackness it begins.”

When men allow women to seduce them, they have abandoned what it means to be the man: to lead. In fact, our word seduction comes from the Latin word duco, which means “I lead.” This original meaning carries over in our use of the word seduction. When a man is seduced he is being led, and when a woman seduces she is leading. So when a man is seduced he is relinquishing and abdicating his assigned role.

And likewise, many men like to flatter themselves that they are really men based on how lazy they can be. They celebrate in afternoons of being led by football on television. In reality, it is effeminate slackness. At the heart of genuine masculinity is an acknowledgment of responsibility and taking of initiative; by creation man is intended by God to be a head, a head willing to sacrifice himself. But men have been seduced to sell their manliness for the television remote (or whatever other thing keeps them from work).

A man who is seduced is the antithesis of a man pursuing his God-given masculine calling. Instead of learning the meaning of headship under God, he descends to the level of a dumb animal. Our Lazy Boys seduce us to nap when we should be working. Our favorite football team seduces us into isolation. Our father’s bad example seduces us to excuse our poor communication. The internet seduces our time.

Our laziness and lack of service is not morally neutral. It is a spiritual fight with personal, corporate, and eternal consequences.

So what does it mean to be a godly and manly servant? In fact, when was the last time you used the word manly? Is that even something that is important anymore? It should be. And there are some biblical distinctions of manly service.

Here are three nails that hold together the picture of godly and manly service: I.R.S. – Initiative, Responsibility, and Sacrifice.

Godly Man-Servants:

1. Take Initiative

God has made women to be responders; they follow. But men are to lead.

They don’t wait around for someone else to tell them what to do. When was the last time you strategized to improve something before someone complained about it? A godly man at work has the ability to assess and pioneer solutions.

Men don’t need to be told what to do. That’s part of what it means to be a man and not a child. Men don’t need to have their hand held. They do what needs to be done and look for more things to do.

They don’t just react, they pro-act (they are proactive).

Men too often neglect their responsibilities until there is a problem. We do more preventative work on our cars–changing the oil every 3000 miles–than we do with our kids. We have a better strategy to keep our lawns green than we do to keep our wives growing.

A godly man-servant is aggressive and decisive. They start the ball rolling. Set some goals for your spiritual growth. Set some goals for the spiritual growth of your family. Set some goals for your work product. Set some goals for your small group or your fellowship class. Be hungry for something of real value.

How long would a shepherd have a flock if all he did was react? Even more than that, what great things have been done in the name of reaction?

Jesus is the ultimate example of this. One of my favorite verses in any modern worship song is:

You did not wait for me, to draw near to You
but You clothed Yourself in frail humanity.
You did not wait for me, to cry out to You,
but You let me hear Your voice calling me.
And I’m forever grateful, to You.
And I’m forever grateful, for the cross.
I’m forever grateful, to You,
that You came to seek and save the lost.

If Christ did not take the initiative, we are still left in our sins.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And if Jesus had not taken the initiative with Peter, James, John and the rest of the disciples, they would have kept on fishing and we wouldn’t be here.

A godly man-servant isn’t lazy, he leads. He takes the initiative.

2. Take Responsibility

God has given various responsibilities to women, but God has given the greatest responsibility to men. Men are the head. (1 Corinthians 11:3, 8, 9) That means, for example, it is the head’s problem not only when there is a pain in the head but also when their is pain in the knee.

Godly men don’t make excuses. Real men do not give excuses. They do not blame other people for their problems or their mistakes.

This is perhaps our greatest area of weakness. We love to take the glory for things going right, but we are excellent at making excuses for when things go wrong. We, as men, have a long history of excuse makers as our examples! It goes all the way back to our first father – Adam. You undoubtedly remember the story of Man’s Fall in Genesis 3. Let’s read the story to see where we get this excuse making from.

Genesis 3:1-19. There are so many problems here. God had charged ADAM with not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:15-17). Then God made Adam a helper – Eve. We can assume then, that it was Adam’s responsibility to instruct his wife and guide her to fulfill the responsibility that God had given to him not to eat from the tree. But somewhere there was a mix up. There was a failure to communicate because as soon as we get into chapter three we see the serpent tempting Eve. Eve falls for the temptation and she eats fruit from the tree and then Eve gets all the blame…

WRONG! Adam is held responsible, and God holds men responsible! Men are held accountable to lead and to guide and to…be men! The feminine thing to do is follow. The manly thing to do is lead. It would have been the manly thing for Adam to say “No.” It would have been the masculine thing to do so say, “I must obey God first.” But Adam followed Eve.

Really, that is not the worst of it. Not only did Adam make an excuse and say that Eve made him do it, he actually blames God. “The woman You gave me” (v.12) That is bold, but that is not noble. That is fearless, but not God-fearing.

He blamed God for his sin. He made excuses for his choice. We can’t let this happen. We can’t be a church of guys who let other people take the blame for our failures. We dare not sit back and cop-out, cover up, defend or disguise our weakness, we can’t shift the blame if we want to be men who glorify God.

I just want you to think about something for a moment. What if Jesus had said, “It’s not my fault that these guys sinned. There is no way I’m going to do something to help them. I didn’t do anything wrong.” But “He who knew no sin” became “sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). That is an example of taking responsibility.

Not only do we need to stop making excuses for things that actually are our fault, we need to serve and sacrifice and love and cover for other’s failures–if we want to be like Jesus.

So as we look at these characteristics of Biblical Masculinity, don’t make excuses for where you are failing. Don’t look for ways to explain why you can or can’t do this or that. I admonish you men and young men here tonight to rise up, follow the example of our Lord, and be responsibility takers for the glory of God.

My dad shared this poem with me when I was a kid. I’ve never forgotten it. By Pat Williams, former NBA General Manager

Winners vs. Losers

When a winner makes a mistake, he says, “I was wrong;”
When a loser makes a mistake, he says, “It wasn’t my fault.”
A winner works harder than a loser and has more time;
A loser is always “too busy” to do what is necessary.
A winner goes through a problem;
A loser goes around it, and never gets past it.
A winner makes commitments;
A loser makes promises.
A winner says, “I’m good, but not as good as I ought to be;”
A loser says, “I’m not as bad as a lot of other people.”
A winner listens;
A loser just waits until it is his turn to talk.
A winner respects those who are superior to him
     and tries to learn something from them;
A loser resents those who are superior to him
     and tries to find chinks in their armor.
A winner feels responsible for more than his job;
A loser says, “I only work here.”

A godly man-servant doesn’t shirk responsibility, he shoulders it.

3. Make Sacrifices

This is not to say that women don’t sacrifice, but men are called to a particular kind of sacrifice in their service.

It is too often that we find men indulging themselves, seeing how much we can get someone to sacrifice for us. Instead our lives are to be spent for the sake of others.

This is precisely what we see in Mark 10 as Jesus describes the kinds of servants that follow Him.

We see this especially for husbands in Ephesians 5:25-33.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Just like athletes exercise self-control in all things (1 Corinthians 9:24-27), so men must make sacrifices in order to serve.

Of course, this is typically not-convenient. But a godly man-servant is not self-centered, he is self-sacrificing.

Isn’t it interesting that the world portrays men just the opposite of these three distinctives? Men are not seen as initiators, but as lazy, undisciplined, reactors. Men are not viewed as responsible, but as taking every measure possible to get out of responsibility and justify their shortcomings. And men are not seen as those who sacrifice, but as those who scheme how to indulge themselves even more.

But when our lives are lives of service, taking initiative, taking responsibility, and making sacrifices, we provide a stability and security to our families and to our ministries. Men are to be dependable, not masters of the unaccomplished plan and unorganized activity.

CONCLUSION

We’re prone not to take laziness very seriously. We take being drunk seriously–being a slave to self through the pleasures of alcohol. That’s a major taboo, a “biggie” sin. Then we talk about gluttony–being a slave to self through the pleasures of food. That’s bad, but more acceptable. Then, maybe we talk about laziness–being a slave to self through the pleasures of inactivity/sleep.

What can you take away from this message?

1. Learn the Gospel.

This is only possible because of the gospel. The gospel changes us internally and provides an external example. Remember and rehearse the gospel over and over.

From Philippians 2 to Mark 10:35-45.

Until the gospel kills our pride we won’t serve.

The gospel rescues us from the bondage of serving ourselves. It frees us to serve others. It breaks the power of laziness internally and motivates us by example externally.

2. Get to Work.

Doesn’t matter where you are: home, work, church. And it is all three, not one, not two. The mess we’ve made in modern life doesn’t change that God has given us responsibilities to provide for our family outside the home, to shepherd our family at home, and to lead our family in worship at church. We need men at work.

And don’t let me give the impression that work is easy. There is a reason they call it work and not recess or vacation. You are going to be tired.

Theodore Roosevelt said,

There has never yet been a man who led a life of ease, whose name is worth remembering.

And this isn’t really about work, this is about worship. When we serve like men we honor our heavenly Father. We need to serve for the sake of our families, for the sake of our churches, and for the sake of our own joy.

To be men at work we’ve got to lead, shoulder responsibility, make sacrifices. Let there be no effeminate slackness among the men of God. To be great is to be a servant. To be a godly servant is to be a man. To be a godly man is to be like Christ.

Fight. Work. Serve. Love. Pray like men!

Almost everything tempts us to live by sight and not by faith. It is easier, and maybe we would even say more obvious to live in light of what we can see rather than what we can’t see. The visible always seems to present much greater promise for us than the invisible.

But I say almost everything tempts us to live by faith and not by sight because sometimes the visible isn’t very pretty. Sometimes what we see right in front of us, what we’re going through, is ugly and hard and challenging and tiresome. At those times we desperately hope that there is something more than meets the eye.

The first half of chapter 7 is about demanding and difficult times, and how adversity can be a great advantage for us. It is Solomon’s answer to what was a rhetorical question in 6:12: “For who knows what is good for man while he lives the few days of his vain life?” The link between 6:12 and our passage is unmistakable since the word “good” (or “better”) is used fifteen times in chapter 7, and eight times in verses 1-14 alone.

I think Solomon aims to teach us that what is good for a man is God. God is man’s greatest good. And men ought to fear God and live by faith in God. But how does that relate to adversity? What is good for a man is certainly not adversity as an end, but if that adversity clears the path for us to fear God and live by faith in God then adversity is a way to the good and a great advantage to us.

Therefore, though it may appear like all we have in these opening verses of chapter 7 is a haphazard collection or a random assortment of sayings, the thread of adversity ties it all together. As an answer to “what is good for a man?” Solomon is teaching us the value of difficulties. Through eight occurrences of “good/better,” seven “better-than” proverbs, six uses of “wise/wisdom,” other word repetitions and then verses 13-14 as an umbrella conclusion over the whole thing, Solomon intends to weave a proper appreciation for the advantage of adversity into our thinking. Just as prosperity is not necessarily a blessing (his point throughout the greater part of chapters 5 and 6), so adversity is not necessarily a curse.

Of course, knowing and appreciating the potential benefit of adversity doesn’t change the fact that life is hard, and then you die. There is no formula that turns adversity into recess. And we English speakers have a large, extended family of vocabulary to describe adversity. Words like difficulty, hardship, distress, suffering, affliction, misery, tribulation, woe, pain, trauma, tragedy, calamity, setback, trials, hard times. Adversity is not easygoing, but she does have much to teach us.

And even though Solomon the preacher has taught us about enjoying the process, he does not ignore the fact that pain is often part of the process. The point of this passage is not to alleviate adversity as much as it is to explain that the pain does have a point. It is intended to teach us to fear God and live by faith.

The Hard Lessons of Adversity (vv.1-12)

In the school of adversity, Solomon is going to teach us lessons from four different subjects found in verses 1-12: death, rebuke, corruption, and chronic struggle.

First, Lessons Learned from Death (vv.1-4)

Verses 1-4 include three “better-than” lessons and a summary of things we ought to learn from death.

1. Death Confirms Man’s Character v.1

1 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death than the day of birth.

The first half of verse one was probably a familiar proverb in Solomon’s day. It’s very similar to one in the book of Proverbs 22:1 “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” The only difference is in the object of comparison. Here in Ecclesiastes a man’s reputation, his good name, is compared to perfume or precious ointment (the NAS translates it “good ointment,” but this is not lotion for lubricating stiff joints). Perhaps the reason for making this comparison is the play on words, tov sem semen tov, “good name ointment good.”

Precious ointment, fine oil, and perfume was a luxury item and highly valued in Hebrew culture, but it was often no more than a cover up. [I'm thinking of teenage boys who think that enough cologne can cover for their lack of taking a shower.] Both a good name and precious ointment are valuable, but a good name is better because no amount of smell good juice can make up for the stink of a rotten reputation.

That is not complicated, but how does the first part of verse one connect with the second part? Some commentators have suggested that there is no connection and Solomon is just taking another pessimistic potshot and venting his world-weariness. But I think without doubt both parts of the verse are connected. In fact, I would suggest understanding the verse, “Just as a man’s character is better than cologne, in the same way his death is better than his birth.” The first part prepares us for the second part.

In the second part a man’s funeral is better than the day of his birth. Why? It’s because there’s nothing except potential at birth. So much promise, so little guarantee. No matter how much hoopla surrounds a man’s birth, ultimately his character isn’t confirmed until his death. And just like no fragrance can overpower a rancid reputation, there is no birth so magnificent that can overturn a miserable life.

You can talk all you want about a man’s character, but there is no guarantee until death. The questions about a man’s inner makeup are validated at his funeral, not his birth. If a man dies with a good reputation, his reputation is established. Of course, even if a man dies with a bad reputation, it too is confirmed negatively, and at least he won’t make it worse.

Either way, when it comes to a man’s name the day of death is better than the day of birth because it confirms his character. The first lesson of death teaches us to think about what others will think about us at our death, and it will perhaps motivate us to pursue and keep a good name till the end.

2. Death Cannot Be Avoided v.2

2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

Verse 2 does not contradict passages like 2:24 and 5:18 where Solomon says “to eat and drink and find enjoyment” in the process. Not only does verse two not contradict the superlative prospect of joy in toil, this verse aims to intensify our genuine enjoyment of the process. The fact is, Solomon never suggested that joy comes from frivolous, lighthearted, empty-headed living. True joy in the process comes when we fear God, and verse 2 directs us to one of the best places to get a good grasp on fearing God.

There is much to be learned at the house of morning, the graveside, the memorial service, or even the crematorium. It is hard work not to think about death at a funeral. But no one thinks (deeply) at a party. The house of feasting refers to a party, a banquet, typically an occasion for drinking and fun. Those who spend their time in this house don’t take life seriously; they’re trying to evade taking anything seriously.

But for all their diversions it doesn’t change the fact. This is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. We are dust of the earth, and to dust we will return (Genesis 3:19). And it is in the house of mourning where we’re taught to “number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Wisdom does not flourish in flippancy and true joy does not grow out of the soil of silliness. The adversity of death reminds us to live in light of death, because it is inescapable.

Wisdom does not flourish in flippancy and true joy does not grow out of the soil of silliness.

The passing of a loved one cuts us to the heart, but often it is the surgeon’s scalpel that removes the cancer of false promise that keeps us under the sun.

The second lesson teaches us that this world is passing away and that death can’t be avoided in order to focus our attention beyond the sun and encourage us to maximize the time we have.

3. Death Clarifies What Matters v.3

3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

Sorrow is a heavy word. It is connected with sadness and anger. It describes an intensity of grief, bitter frustration, vexation. The sorrow here is connected with the house of mourning (vv.2, 4) and not with self-made pity parties. And Solomon says sorrow is better than laughter. Just as sorrow is connected with the house of mourning so laughter must be connected with the house of feasting (v.2) and the house of mirth (v.4). Laughing itself is not necessarily worthless since Proverbs 17:22 does say that “a joyful heart is good medicine,” but the point here in verse 3 is that sorrow is better than mindless silliness.

Why? Sorrow produces the opposite of mindless silliness, it the heart is made glad as it produces true gladness by deepening our appreciation of joy and refining our assessment of what true gladness is in the first place. Those who understand death are those who truly appreciate life. Most silliness is just a skin-deep diversion.

The point is, sorrow is like a penetrating auger that drills down to our hearts and drains it of foolish laughter. It isn’t “Don’t be sad, be glad” like the two are incompatible. Instead, “Be sad, because that can make you truly glad.” The third lesson is that sorrow over death is a great advantage to us if it directs us back to enjoy what really matters.

4. So Then, The Wise Dwell on Death v.4

4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

The heart is the inner man, his thoughts, his attention, his affection, and his memory. By saying the “heart” of the wise man is in the house of morning Solomon does not mean that the man is literally attending one funeral after another, but rather that he is always reflecting on mortality and the moment by moment approach of his own loss of life. In this way the wise man dwells on death, not in a morbid way, but for the purpose of reminding himself to persevere for the sake of his character and to pursue the things that matter most.

By contrast, fools blithely go about life like there is no end in sight and often oblivious to what really matters. Fools are always hanging around the house of mirth, the house of the party. These houses of mirth are all over the place, some of them in our own houses full of sitcoms and stupid amusement.

For all the make-believe death we watch on TV, let alone the non-fiction news reports, we don’t really dwell on death. The violence we watch tends to desensitize us rather than shock and disturb us and we get no advantage from it. If we would be wise, we must learn the lessons that death has to teach us.

Second, Lessons Learned from Rebuke (vv.5-6)

Verses 5 and 6 contrast wise reproof and silly songs. Most people prefer entertainment and have a natural aversion to rebuke. In that sense reproof and rebuke are seen here as another kind of adversity. But trying to ignore the lessons of rebuke is no real advantage.

1. Rebuke Makes Wise v.5

5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools.

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” It isn’t necessarily an issue of your bedtime that determines whether you are wise, it is if you listen to rebuke. The word song is used more than seventy times in the OT to refer to…songs. The song of fools functions as a distraction, an escape, an amusement.

But no matter how difficult it might be to hear that you blew it or that you’re headed the wrong direction, isolating yourself is not to your advantage. I promise you it was of greater value for King David to be confronted by the profit Nathan than to be entertained by performers. By facing his sin and repenting the joy of his salvation was returned to him.

If given a choice between hearing a wise man enumerate your faults and hearing the Spice Girls trying to sing something, the choice is an easy one. Doug Wilson

2. Frivolity Is Vanity v.6

6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.

Verse 6 provides the reason for Solomon’s assertion in verse 5. There is a terrific play on words here in the first phrase, “Like the sound of sirim (thorns) under the sir (pot).” One translator put it this way to keep the play on words in English, “Like nettles crackling under kettles.” Dry, brittle thorns were a rapidly burning, easily extinguishable fuel in Israel as they are today. But even though the crackling of thorns under a pot creates an immediate flame with impressive sparks, there is way more noise than heat.

And the same is true of the laughter of the fools. There is plenty of commotion and noise but no lasting value. In fact Solomon concludes, this also is vanity.

We may feel that we’re being roasted by rebuke, but if it we learn the lesson that it is a great advantage.

Third, Lessons Learned from Corruption (v.7)

From the previous two lessons we might be tempted to think that wisdom is the solution to all our problems. Maybe if we could just get everyone a better education, then we could put an end to adversity. But that isn’t the case. Wise people die and a lot of well educated people live in utter misery. The reason is that though wisdom is valued by God, it cannot replace God. And though wisdom may help us avoid some self-caused trouble, in and of itself wisdom cannot insulate a man from adversity. In fact,

1. Wise men can be Driven to corruption v.7a

7 Surely oppression drives the wise into madness,

The first word in verse 7 is better translated Surely instead of “for” (NAS), as verse 7 is not providing an explanation of verse 6 at all. Not only does verse 6 end with the typical conclusion, “this also is vanity,” but verse 7 moves on to a completely new arena of adversity.

The first half of verse 7 deals with oppression, or extortion and blackmail. Oppression is when someone puts pressure on you through force and threats, demanding money and exerting control. And based on the second part of the verse, it isn’t just that the wise person is watching this pressure from a distance, it;s his own arm being twisted.

And wisdom by itself does not safeguard a man. Here the wise man is driven into madness. His judgment is ruined and adversity causes him to act like a madman.

2. Wise men can be Drawn to corruption v.7b

and a bribe corrupts the heart.

But adversity comes not only by external force, it also comes in the form of internal desire. The second part of verse 7 describes a bribe, offers of advance that tempt a man. Even a wise person can be made a fool when he’s enticed by money or position, and in this case it corrupts the heart, the final payoff is that his heart is ravaged.

We’d like to think that wisdom will guarantee integrity. It doesn’t. (Wisdom isn’t stainless steel. Left on its own it cannot stand against the heat and pressure. It isn’t foolproof.) In extortion the man is taken from, in bribery he takes. In one he is driven to madness, in the other he is drawn to it. In both cases he loses.

The lessons of corruption point out that as valuable as wisdom is, we can’t depend on it. It is no certain guarantee. So while we ought to pursue wisdom, we ought to depend on God.

Fourth, Lessons Learned from Chronic Struggles (vv.8-12)

The lessons here come from ongoing, long-term adversity. And again we have three lessons and a summary.

1. Impatience Doesn’t Accelerate Chronic Struggles v.8

8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

In verse 8 the end is better than the beginning and the patient better than the proud. patient has the idea of long, stretched out, and proud has the idea of stretched high. The patient in spirit is a figurative way to is opposite of the “short of spirit” (Proverbs 14:20), or the person who lacks self-control.

The contrast is between the patient who gets to the end and the proud who boast at the beginning. Those who are proud in spirit, depending on themselves are irritated that it takes so long. On the other hand, those who aren’t proud are humbly dependent and can wait on God. It takes patience and self-control to get to the end of a project, in particular to get through chronic adversity.

The proud boast in the beginning, presume that they can control the future, and are impatient when it doesn’t go their way. By contrast, the patient humbly depend on God and wait to see it through to the end.

There is something about pride that always prefers to talk big at the front end. Like in 1 Kings 20 where we read about Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, who came to attack Israel. He taunted King Ahab in verse 10, claiming that the Syrian army would level the hill Samaria to dust. And Ahab responds, “Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself like he who takes it off.”

The point is that end end is better than the beginning, and if you’re proud you probably aren’t going to enjoy the process. But impatience doesn’t make tough times go faster. Impatience never expedites a solution.

2. Anger Doesn’t Eliminate Chronic Struggles v.9

9 Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

Anger doesn’t make tough times go away. Angry is a word permeated with exasperation and resentment. In Ecclesiastes the Preacher uses it to express his exasperation at the difficulties (1:18; 2:23), the griefs (7:3), and even the oppressions of life. To some extent the anger here arises from arrogance and impatience over ongoing difficulties.

Verse 8 made its point through comparison, verse 9 through command. Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry. The reason why one should avoid being quick to anger is found in the second part of the verse, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. bosom indicates that the man who doesn’t check his anger will be dominated and characterized by it, since “bosom” refers to the innermost, deap-seated part of something. Anger is characteristic of fools, and it doesn’t make adversity go away. No matter how mad you get that things aren’t going the way you wanted them to it won’t relieve your misery. Actually, it will make you more miserable and show you to be a fool.

3. Nostalgia Doesn’t Resuscitate Good Times v.10

10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Here is a second command, Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”, as well as another way to show yourself a fool. Reminiscing doesn’t bring back the good times. Sometimes we long for the “good old days.” But Solomon prohibits us from asking such a sentimental question and explains that kind of sappy question is only asked by fools, it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

First of all, every time has things that are bad and every time has opportunities. There is nothing new under the sun, which also means that it isn’t worse today than it was yesterday. As decades pass, and even as days pass in your life, you should just be glad it isn’t worse than it is rather than think it’s worse than it used to be. Second, the good old days are gone because God says. And, He’s moved us on to where He wants us. Someone who can’t get out of the past proves that it wasn’t God they liked having, they liked having good days. Third, it is self-defeating to dwell on how bad it is currently compared to the past. Ironically, that only makes the present worse.

Looking back for the sake of praising God’s past work is great. Looking back for the sake of escaping God’s lessons for you today is wrong. Of course, it’s much easier to look back, that’s because it requires zero faith.

4. So Then, Wisdom Helps in Tough Times vv.11-12

As the previous verses highlighted the need for wisdom, so verses 11 and 12 summarize the benefit of wisdom.

11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, an advantage to those who see the sun. 12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

Wisdom has benefits, so does an inheritance. Having both is an advantage, at least to those who see the sun. But as useful as they are, they can’t keep you from dying and they can’t help you to avoid every adversity. Verse 12 provides a little more explanation, that wisdom offers great, though not guaranteed, shelter. An inheritance furnishes a measure of protection but wisdom is even better. There are certain advantages that money brings when adversity arrives, but the advantage of wisdom is greater. But as we’ve seen in earlier verses, wisdom on its own is no sure thing.

The Right Response to Adversity (vv.13-14)

The last two verses depart from the proverbial form of verses 1-12. They are a conclusion that covers the entire section like an umbrella. There are two imperatives, actually it is one imperative but its found in both verse 13 and verse 14. It is the command to consider. Perhaps we might take Solomon to mean something like, “chew on this,” “know this,” “take note,” “bear in mind.”

And what we are to chew on is, there is a particular posture that enables us to truly learn these lessons of adversity. The right response to adversity is not to try and change what God does, but to trust Him no matter what He does.

1. Consider: You Cannot Change the Direction of God’s Providence v.13

13 Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?

The fact is, God’s work can’t be changed. This recalls 1:15 “What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.” The crooked is the bent, the twisted, the “not how it’s supposed to be.” But what 1:15 left vague, here the crooked is clearly put crooked not by fate or chance, but by God Himself. God is in control of the times all the time.

His work is impervious. For all our impatience, anger, and nostalgia, for all our money, for all our wisdom, we cannot steer God’s sovereign work and we can’t make straight what He has made crooked.

2. Consider: You Cannot Fathom The Depths of God’s Providence v.14

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

We simply cannot comprehensively know the movements of God’s providence. God controls the cycle of good days and bad days. The easy days and the hard days, the days of profit and the days of loss alternate at His command alone. Therefore we ought to live both kinds of days with regard to Him. When we are in the day of prosperity we should be joyful. We should be thankful and spend our thoughts in praise for what we’ve been given. But too often prosperity leads to spiritual apathy if not arrogance. And so the day of adversity is a great advantage to us as well, if our attention is drawn to God and we live by faith.

The fact is, we ought to be living by faith in both days. God has made the one as well as the other. He orchestrates the seasons. Job rebuked his wife for following the theology of foolish women, trying to take the good days without the bad (Job 2:10).

Then Solomon gives the reason behind this as well, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. You cannot predict what is going to happen tomorrow; you have no idea what the morrow will bring. It His intention to keep us dependent. We are to trust God not our ability to outguess Him. You can’t anyway because His will is impenetrable.

Conclusion

There are more adversities that we can learn from than death, rebuke, corruption, and chronic struggles, but these will do to teach the lesson that we can’t do it without God. The advantage of adversity is that it punctures our ego and derails our self-dependence. The right response to adversity is to sprint to Him. The point of this whole passage is not just to accept life as it comes. The thrust of the section is to trust God as He directs our lives.

For many this discussion on adversity reveals how much this life is frustrating. For us, it ought to remind us how life must be lived by faith. Faith is the linchpin that holds the advantages of adversity together. There are no words of encouragement for the rebel or unbeliever. God has guaranteed to frustrate his plans. Everything under the sun, especially the adversity and vanity of life mocks us. And yet this is an advantage, if it causes us to look beyond the sun.

The ultimate end is that God does everything He does to magnify His name. And much of what He does keeps us off balance so that we would never glorify ourselves, but that we would fear God and live by FAITH.

So can anything good come from adversity? Yes! If we live by faith. In every lesson of adversity we learn the importance of fearing God and relying on Him. If we turn to Him in adversity, this is to our greatest advantage.

When we live only by what we can see under the sun, we see that life is hard and then you die. But adversity should cause us to fear God and live by faith.

First, the Story of a People with No Story. Second, The Amazing Story. Third, The Good Shepherd. And fourth, Calvinism as a Nickname for the Amazing Story.

The Story of a People With No Story

Is anyone amazed anymore?

No. Not really. We’re not amazed by anything. In fact, we’re not only not amazed, we’re apathetic about what ought to amaze us. We are the culture of the unamazed and the apathetic.

And not ironically, so many people’s lives are empty, meaningless, and frustrated. It’s because the only thing they have to live for is themselves. And at the end of the day, living for oneself is not the fabulous life because no one is really that fabulous. It’s not a worthy cause. There is no bigger picture, no greater cause, and nothing amazes because life is no bigger than the mirror.

Of course, most people figure out that they’re not that fantastic somewhere along the line so they start searching for meaning elsewhere. They buy stuff and go places and read magazine articles and join groups hoping that something will offer some relief, respite, and significance to life. They are looking for answers.

Academic philosophers talk about these answers in terms of stories. Every culture and religion has its own story, and most of the time culture and religion are closely connected. In our modern day, multi-culture, pluralistic world each person is coached to meld a story that works for them from whatever parts and pieces they like from all the options. Anyone can have any story they like as long as no one suggests that their story is the right story. Especially anathema is talk of there being only one story. The “one story that fits all” is scorned as the “metanarrative.”

David Wells defines the metanarrative as “an overarching structure that enables people to see the connections of its parts and where it’s all heading.” In other words, a metanarrative is a master story, a grand narrative, or a worldview. (Above All Earthly Pow’rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, p.74) It is a story about stories, encompassing and explaining all other ‘little stories.’ It is a worldview that provides a framework upon which an individual’s own experiences and thoughts may be ordered.

And the postmodern culture is at best skeptical about the possibility of one, true story for everyone and at worse our culture is antagonistic and hostile to the idea of the metanarrative.

Of course most people sitting at home in their Lazy Boy are not talking about a “metanarrative” or crafting a clear definition of their worldview. But this itself is a view of the world. And in fact, these people are just as busy trying to construct their own significance and meaning. Their story may be no bigger than the course of their commute, but it is their story. It is the way they look at and approach life, work, relationships, and the world. They include whatever they want and whatever they like into their story. Their story is also likely to be in constant flux since new options turn up around every corner . The only constant is that there are no causes, no crusades, no bigger pictures to fit into. There is nothing to live for except self, and there certainly is nothing to die for (since dying for yourself isn’t very beneficial). Wells describes it like this:

Postmoderns are no longer actors in a vast and unfolding drama. They are actors in their own petit dramas. We are but the pieces of confetti that flutter down, each on its own erratic course, none joined to the others but each making its own solitary way through the air. (p.250)

In other words, life apart from a big story is disconnected, weightless, and pointless.

Wells points out that the assumptions are the same for both the intellectual and the lay-thinker. Both live like there is not one, comprehensive worldview, there is no ultimate, final truth, and there is no meaningful purpose (p. 90). Both act like nothing is more important than themselves. Both are characters in a story that is no amazing story.

Christians, however, know there is a bigger picture. We believe that there is actually one, eternal, universal story–the metanarrative–that explains everything in the world and that explains where everything is going. It sheds light on every event in history, every physical phenomenon in our bodies, it accounts for good and evil, it reveals why some are in power and why others are oppressed by that power.

Our story explains it all and where it is all going and the purpose behind it all. We know that this is a really great story, in fact, it’s The Amazing Story.

The Amazing Story

Having no story is no good. But as believers we have no need to grope for a good story. In fact, we are already part of an amazing story. We are part of God’s eternal, infinite Love Story.

So what is our “bigger picture,” the Christian metanarrative, God’s love story? Who are the principal characters? And where do we learn about our story?

The last question is easiest for us to answer. Our story has been revealed in God’s book: the Bible. But surprisingly, many who read the same story reach different conclusions. For example, the key players in the grand story are not the ones billed in the church over the last hundred years or so. We’ve been mislead to think that men are at center stage, but that’s not where they belong. And the bigger picture is not about the salvation of sinners primarily, though that is certainly part of the story line. It is an eternal love story, but not like we typically think.

The amazing story is first and foremost about the glory of the triune God. The three Persons of the Trinity have the title roles. And the entire plot revolves around the infinite, eternal love of the Father for His Son. The biblical panorama puts God on display, not men. Too often we get it backward.

Undoubtedly someone is raising their hand to protest, “But what about John 3:16?” or something similar. “God so loved the world that He sent His Son.” There is no question that God loves the world, but His love for the world is not His first love. The Father’s love for the Son came first and provides the strategic motivation not only for creation but also for redemption.

I remember the first time I ever read this. In the summer of 1996 a friend of mine gifted me with John MacArthur’s commentary on Titus. (You can also read an updated and extended account in MacArthur’s forward to A Long Line of Godly Men.) It was normal for me in those days to read a commentary like any other book, so I started on page one. And it wasn’t too long before my understanding of the Christian metanarrative got a major adjustment. The eyes of my heart were opened and my worldview reshaped in Paul’s greeting.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

Verse 2 includes an intriguing phrase, namely that God promised eternal life before the ages began (ESV). The NAS translates the same phrase, “long ages ago,” but that is a bit misleading. That gives the impression that God made this promise of eternal life a long time ago in the Old Testament. And while there is no doubt that God revealed His promise of eternal life in the OT to Abraham and Moses and David and the prophets, that is not the meaning of the phrase.

The original phrase, πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων, refers to the time prior to creation and therefore previous to the Old Testament. That’s why the KJV translates it, “before the world began,” and even the NIV gets one right with “before the beginning of time.” The promise was made when the world did not yet exist and during the time before time.

So that prompts the pivotal question: to whom did God make this promise of eternal life? The world was not in existence. Men had not been created. So who existed with God before the ages began? The answer is His Son! All three Persons of the Trinity exist eternally and this promise of eternal life was a promise the Father made to the Son. Obviously the Father wasn’t promising the Son that the Son Himself would have eternal life, but the Father promised that a group from every tribe, tongue, and nation would have eternal life through and for the Son.

Let’s investigate this promise a bit more. What was happening before the world was created? The Trinity was writing the story of salvation in the eternal counsels, and the promise of eternal life included election.

2 Timothy 1:9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,

God called us, believers, before the ages began (the exact same Greek phrase as Titus 1:2). In fact, He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:4-5). In eternity past the Father was choosing a people and promising to redeem them as a gift for His Son.

But this is a costly gift, and the purchase involved Christ’s death on the cross. To fulfill His part of this eternal covenant, the Son agreed to deliver the elect by His own blood.

Hebrews 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

So before the world or mankind was ever created, the Father chose to express His great love by promising His Son a redeemed people who would love and serve and glorify the Son forever. These were hand selected by the Father for that very purpose, which is why their names are written in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8, 17:8).

And again, the Son also has a responsibility in this covenant: to shed His blood on their behalf. The Son agreed to lay down His life, to die as a substitute for their sin. He consecrated His life for all whom the Father gave Him (John 17:19).

This is the precise group of people that Jesus referred to as His mission. For example, in John 6 He identified this group as His purpose for coming.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.

Before time, the Father elected a group of people to give to His Son as a love gift, as an expression of His infinite love for His Son. The Father makes the promise and does the choosing. The Son gives His life for theirs.

We look in on a piece of this eternal plan in John 10, where specifically the imagery of a shepherd with his sheep is used to describe the relationship Jesus has to His people. We’re reminded in verse 29 that the sheep are given to the Son by the Father. And back in verses 11 and 15 Jesus explains His role, the Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep that they might have life and have it abundantly (v.10).

Now this is a story! This is a big, eternal, love story. But the story is not first or foremost about the love of the Shepherd for the sheep, though that is true and historic. This is a love story about the eternal, infinite love between the Father and the Son. MacArthur puts it this way:

It is astonishing to consider that those who are redeemed are caught up in this magnificent eternal covenant that two members of the Godhead have made with each other in order to demonstrate the infinite scope of their love for each other. (Titus, p.12)

This is the kind of thing that gets us out of bed in the morning. This metanarrative explains the purpose for everything. Better than that, this is the kind of thing that guarantees we’ll be spending every morning for a trillion times a trillion years with Christ if we are one of His sheep.

But don’t miss the point of the story. The reason this particular group was chosen is not because they were inherently valuable as a gift, but because the Son was infinitely valuable to receive the gift. Salvation is about something far greater than our personal happiness, better marriages, more obedient kids, or vocational fulfillment. We have done a poor job of knowing our story–which is really His story, of knowing our place in His story, and we’ve certainly done a lousy job of communicating and celebrating His story.

We’ve mangled the story so much that most of the time we present the key characters as the sheep. We talk like the sheep are so precious. The sheep are so beloved. The sheep are so special. Actually, the sheep are so stupid. In our (perhaps well-intentioned) enthusiasm to see others trust Christ and have this blood-bought eternal life, we tend to minimize the God parts, the eternal parts, and the sovereign parts because we’re afraid people won’t be interested in a story where they aren’t at the center. We try to evangelize and grow churches by telling men that they are the reason, the center, and the goal of God’s work. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

But they can get a man-centered story anywhere. “Choose your own adventure” stories are retailed by every religion, sold by psychologists, advertised by professionals, hawked by educators, and sadly peddled in most churches. Everywhere we turn in our culture there is another man-centered story to choose from. What the lost can’t get is the truth. What they can’t get is something bigger and more meaningful then their little life-dramas. They need to hear the church proclaiming the truth of the gospel, the eternal love story of redemption. People are parched for it, even if they don’t know what exactly they’re thirsty for. May God help us to get our story straight.

The Good Shepherd

John 10:22-30 provides a small peak into this eternal covenant with the curtains pulled back by Jesus Himself. Here we see Good Shepherd is at the center of the Amazing Story.

The Setting

This is the end of John’s presentation of Jesus’ public ministry. We’re at the end of three years of Jesus’ traveling, preaching, miracle working, and confronting.

John 10:22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.

This answers the where and the when. The “where” was the temple, in particular the colonnade of Solomon which was a row of columns supporting a roof, located on the east side of the temple overlooking the Kidron Valley. It would have provided a bit of shelter during bad weather. (We read about this very same location in Acts 3:11 and 5:12 when the apostles preached there.)

The “when” was the Feast of Dedication. The “Feast of Dedication” was not established by the OT. It is connected with an inter-testamental event, namely that in 167 BC Antiochus Epiphanes ransacked Jerusalem and polluted the temple. During this time it was a capital offense to possess a copy of the law or to circumcise a son. Within a few years the Jews grew strong enough to revolt and under the leadership of Judas Maccabaeus they recaptured the temple on 25 Kislev (December) 164 BC.

The people celebrated the rededication of the temple for eight days, and it was decreed that a similar eight day feast of dedication was to be held every year. This is Hanukkah. It was also called the Feast of Lights because of the lighting of lamps not only in the temple but in individual homes.

This is probably two months after verse 21, since the events from 7:1-10:21 took place around the Feast of Booths or the end of October. This is the last time we see Jesus in Jerusalem before His return for Passover in the spring when He will be killed.

It is ironic that the very Feast the Jews were celebrating was part of their story. They were awaiting the fulfillment of temple worship, the Messiah, but they missed the fact that Jesus was the fulfillment of the feast. Their story involved national and political deliverance so that life would be better. God’s story was of deliverance from sin so to eternal life as a gift for His Son. Their story was close, but they misunderstood God’s story.

The Question

24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”

I think the so is an interesting way to begin the verse. It’s a “therefore.” Because Jesus was walking in the temple the Jews gathered around Him. The idea of gathered is that they circled around Him, they hemmed Him in. It’s like they see their opportunity, because there is no mention of any crowds. For that matter, even the disciples aren’t mentioned though it’s likely they were near. Now the Jews can have it out with Him without a friendly multitude to protect Him.

And they challenge Him. They demand from Him an answer. We get the idea that they were ready to take immediate, decisive, and hostile action against Jesus depending on His answer (especially since in verse 31 they take up stones to stone Him).

The Answer

25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my sheep.

For all the building of suspense Jesus says, “I already told you.” They came looking for a fight and Jesus says they should know better. And though He hadn’t verbally announced that He was the Messiah publicly, He had told a few individuals (like the Samaritan woman in 4:26 and the man born blind in 9:35). But more than that, His very works corroborated everything concerning His person and His office as Messiah. Those with ears to hear and eyes to see did hear and see. But the only thing clearly obvious to these Jews was that they did not believe. Yet problem was not lack of revelation, but their spiritual condition which caused them to reject His words and His works.

And notice Jesus explanation of their unbelief in verse 26. It’s not “You are not part of my sheep because you don’t believe.” It’s the exact opposite cause and effect. You do not believe because you are not part of My sheep.

I think this is actually the point of this paragraph. There is more to it, but the primary significance is that Jesus is explaining why some don’t believe the story. Recognizing who Jesus is is not something available to all, but only to the sheep. “The knowledge of Christ is not the natural possession of any man. Faith is always a gift of God” (Morris, p.520). As D.A. Carson put it, “Their massive unbelief is not surprising, it is to be expected, and falls under the umbrella of God’s sovereignty.”

Then in verses 27-30 Jesus contrasts those who are not His sheep with those who are.

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Jesus’ identity is self-authenticating when the sheep hear His voice. They have no doubt about who He is. This is a great picture, and more of it is detailed at the beginning of the chapter. But the idea is probably of a pen owned by a few families, some distance from their houses. These families would share the cost of the pen and the duties of watching the sheep by putting their different flocks together. The picture is of the shepherd coming to the pen and knowing his sheep and his sheep knowing him. They have a relationship. More than that, the sheep are His before He calls.

And the story of the Good Shepherd and His sheep includes eternal security. Of course, the very idea of eternal life means that it must be secure; eternal life does not end. But the key to security is not our hold of Christ but His hold of us.

The fact of their security is made in verse 28, no one will snatch them out of my hand. The certainty of their security is described in verse 29, no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

The sheep did nothing to earn their eternal life, nor can they do something to lose it. The certainty of the sheep’s salvation is entirely dependent on something outside of themselves, or rather Someone. Jesus does not fail in His eternal mission. His assignment was to save (and preserve) all those given to Him by the Father.

30 I and the Father are one.”

The mission of the Son is part of the plan of the Father.

And, don’t forget the response of the Jews in verses 31-39, as they picked up stones to stone Him. They didn’t like His story.

Calvinism as a Nickname for the Amazing Story

Let me make Four observations about the relationship between the Shepherd and His Sheep.

First, the sheep are chosen by the Father for the Shepherd. The Father chose them, elected them. John 10:29, “My Father who has given them to me.” This is an arranged marriage between the Son and His bride, the church.

Second, the sheep are delivered by the death of the Shepherd. John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Verse 15, “I lay my life down for the sheep.” His sacrifice was specific. It was not for someone else’s sheep or for the goats or the thieves. Jesus agreed to His part of the covenant on behalf of those chosen by the Father for Him.

Third, the sheep are drawn by the Spirit to follow the Shepherd. True, the Spirit isn’t mentioned specifically in John 10, but look at the phrase, “My sheep hear My voice.” How is that possible? Look back at John 6:37: “All that the Father gives to me will come to me.” Then look in verse 44, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” We know from the rest of the NT that the Father sends the Spirit to do His drawing. Perhaps Jesus doesn’t mention the Spirit yet because the Spirit hadn’t come yet. But this is the promise of the New Covenant, “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey My rules” (Ezekiel 36:27). The third person of the Trinity has a crucial role as well.

Fourth, the sheep are kept by the power of the Shepherd. Of course this is in perfect union with the Father, and for that matter, it is practically worked out through the Spirit.

Now if we could add one more observation at the beginning you may recognize a pattern. Perhaps if we added something like: the sheep are totally depraved without the Shepherd. Do you see the pattern? It’s the Five Points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. This is the story; this is the gospel, and Calvinism is just a nickname. But the emphasis is on God, the Father, Son, and Spirit, saving sinners for God’s glory.

When we tell the story with men at the center, that is actually a different story altogether.

Some people suggest that even if this is all true, it’s not really that beneficial. But Jesus didn’t think it was unhelpful. In fact, Jesus taught this to unbelievers, and hostile unbelievers at that. The truth of God’s eternal sovereignty in salvation is a cause for celebration for those who believe. Peace and hope and awe is increased for the Christian when he understands Calvinism. But Calvinism is also an explanation of our world and a motivation to preach. Go back to Titus 1.

Titus 1:1 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began 3 and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

God promises eternal life to His elect. He brings His elect to faith through knowledge of the truth. And He brings knowledge of truth through the preaching of His Word. The good story is not just good information, the good story itself is effective to save people. Our doxology and our evangelism are the same story.

Conclusion

Before we go tonight I want to entreat unbelievers to consider that the gospel of John was written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you might have life in His name. Of course, we know that if you do believe that is because you have been chosen by the Father in eternity past not because you are valuable, but because His Son is valuable. And if you believe, you can know that the Son laid down His life for yours and the Spirit effectually called you to this eternal life in the gospel. You can be saved, but your salvation is part of something much bigger than you.

And I also want to remind believers that we will have contact with many who see Jesus and see His ministry and His miracles and His teaching in Scripture who will not believe. But this is no surprise to God, nor should it be to us. The reason for their unbelief is either because God hasn’t called them yet or because are not one of His sheep. Of course, we don’t know what He knows so we just keep proclaiming the gospel anyway. But His sheep know Him, they know His voice, and they follow Him.

The eternal and infinite love of the Father for the Son is not one of many good stories. It is the only story, whether people embrace it or not, and it is the only good story, good in it’s provision of eternal life for us and glorious as it reveals the infinite love of the Trinity. Our responsibility is to confront our culture with the only life giving story of the Gospel as a framework for all existence. This story is real, revealed, and to be remembered, rehearsed, and recited by the people of God (Wells, p.172).

God’s inbreaking, saving, vanquishing rule is His from first to last. It has no human analogs, no duplicates, no surrogates, allows of no human synergism. (p.214)

This is His amazing story. We’re to busy proclaiming this story while waiting for the next chapter, “Come, Lord Jesus!”