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"This
Ministry"
A
Message preached by
Rev. E. Ray Shutt,
Minister of Evangelism/Bus Director
Berean Baptist Church,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
“ This Ministry ”
The Bible tells us in II
Corinthians chapter 4, beginning in verse 1 . . .
2 Corinthians 4:1 “Therefore seeing
we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint
not;”
2 Corinthians 4:2 “But have
renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in
craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every
man's conscience in the sight of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:”
2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god
of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe
not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is
the image of God, should shine unto them.”
2 Corinthians 4:5 “For we preach not
ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your
servants for Jesus' sake.”
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who
commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the
power may be of God, and not of us.”
2 Corinthians 4:8 “We are troubled
on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not
in despair;”
2 Corinthians 4:9 “Persecuted, but
not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;”
2 Corinthians 4:10 “Always bearing
about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life
also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”
2 Corinthians 4:11 “For we which
live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that
the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal
flesh.”
2 Corinthians 4:12 “So then death
worketh in us, but life in you.”
2 Corinthians 4:13 “We having the
same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I
believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and
therefore speak;”
2 Corinthians 4:14 “Knowing that he
which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by
Jesus, and shall present us with you.”
2 Corinthians 4:15 “For all things
are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through
the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause
we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the
inward man is renewed day by day.”
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
2 Corinthians 4:18 “While we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
INTRODUCTION:
It is time for ALL
Christians EVERYWHERE to realize that we
EACH have a job to do for the One who has so
wonderfully saved us! Yes, we have not only a job, but a
duty to perform in “THIS MINISTRY”. But
we first need to understand some things about “THIS
MINISTRY” . . .
MESSAGE:
I - IT IS A VALUABLE MINISTRY
- 2
Corinthians 4:1 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as
we have received mercy, we faint not;”
- 2
Corinthians 4:2 “But have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word
of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight
of God.”
- 2
Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them
that are lost:”
- 2
Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should
shine unto them.”
- 2
Corinthians 4:5 “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ
Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake.”
- 2
Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.”
-
To understand its real value, we must, at times, be
reminded of our past sinful condition
- 2
Corinthians 4:2 “But have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word
of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight
of God.”
-
To understand its real value, we must remember the
real reason for this ministry
- 2 Corinthians 4:3 “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid
to them that are lost:”
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them.”
o
If your ministry is NOT centered around
winning lost souls to Jesus, you’d better just scrap your
“ministry”—
o
Soul-Winning MUST be the main
thrust of any and all New Testament Church ministries!
-
To understand its real value, we must remember “WHO”
we are to preach about!
2
Corinthians 4:5 “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ
Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus'
sake.”
2
Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.”
II - IT IS A SPIRITUAL
MINISTRY
-
2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of
God, and not of us.”
We must
never forget exactly who and what we are, and what part we
play in this ministry! But in order to do that . . .
-
We must remember Who HE is, and what part HE plays in
this ministry
-2
Corinthians 4:7a “But we have this treasure in earthen
vessels…”
o
We are only the vessel
-2
Corinthians 4:7b “…that the excellency of the power may be
of God, and not of us.”
o
Jesus is that “sweet fragrance”, the Rose of
Sharon, the Lily of the valley!
o
ILLUSTRATION: An un-opened bottle of perfume
may indeed be valuable, yet its sweet smelling contents will
remain unknown until its seal has been broken and its
contents released to the world.
o
As “vessels of God”, allow God to break you so
they can see and smell and know the sweetness of God that
dwells within you!
III - IT IS A SUFFERING MINISTRY
A: Christians are suffering
today!
-
vs 8 we are “troubled” = bothered, agitated, worried,
harassed, BUT . . .
-
“yet NOT distressed”
o
Webster defines “distressed” …Latin “dis” =
apart + “stringere” = stretch
o
John 16:33, “…but be of good cheer; I [JESUS]
have overcome the world.”
-
vs 8 we are “perplexed” = uncertain, bewildered, in
doubt, BUT . . .
-
“NOT in despair” = NOT without hope, NOT lost, NOT
finished, NOT ended
-
vs 9 we are “persecuted” = to be afflicted constantly
so as to injure, or bring harm to, BUT . . .
-
“NOT forsaken” = NOT abandoned, NOT deserted
-
we are “cast down” = dejected, prevailed upon, BUT .
. .
-
“NOT destroyed” = we are preserved, kept safe
Whatever
condition the children of God may be in, we still have some
“BUT NOTs” to comfort ourselves with! Read Psalm chapter 23
. . . .
B – The
World is suffering today!
-
But “How” is the world suffering today?, you may ask.
1: The
world suffers when Christians refuse to suffer!
2: The
world suffers when Christians refuse to do what God saved
them to do!
3: The
world suffers when there is no visible difference between
“Christians” and the lost religious world! Read again II
Corinthians 4:1-4
IV - IT IS A REWARDING MINISTRY
-
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction,
which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”
-
2 Corinthians 4:18 “While we look not at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things
which are not seen are eternal.”
-
There are TWO Type of Rewards in this Ministry
o
Temporal Rewards
o
Eternal Rewards
-
Temporal Rewards
o
They do not last very long, they are soon
forgotten and are often gained
selfishly and are made
very visible to those around us!
-
Eternal Rewards
o
They never perish or tarnish. They are
never forgotten. They never lose their value
are usually never
seen in this present world!
INVITATION:
Many times, people will look at this
type pf “Ministry” and just shake their heads and say, “I
just do not see why you bother with these children….its just
not worth it in my eyes…”
But, he who sees Him who is invisible,
can do the impossible!
There are “Jewels” to gather and bring
to the Saviour! And there ARE Eternal Rewards in “This
Ministry”!
2 Corinthians 4:18 “While we look
not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal;
but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Here are just a few of those ETERNAL
Rewards that I have found on my Bus Route . . . .
Click on the picture to see
some "Eternal Rewards"
And there are lots more out there, just waiting for
Someone to come and find them! Will YOU be
that Someone?
If this
message is a help or encouragement to you, let us know about
it!
You may click on the icon below to E-Mail Brother Shutt
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