©2002 Pastor Tom Miles

2 Corinthians Chapter 4

This chapter is a continuation of the previous chapter.  The Apostle Paul here shows his integrity for preaching the Gospel of Christ.  Paul believed that if no one received from the Gospel it was their own fault not his or Christ's.  If your heart is blinded by unbelief you are not going to receive.  He also tells in this chapter of troubles and difficulties experienced during his delivery of the Gospel and his expectations and hopes.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 ‘Therefore’ always causes me to wonder why it's there.  What is the reason, what is before the verse, after verse, the verse is there for that reason and in this case it's "For this cause" or because we have free gift of the Holy Spirit from the Lord and can see His beauty and power all around us.  We see the power through our ministries and the mercy God pours out upon us which makes us want to give more and more stepping forth to share the wonderful gift of the Spirit in boldness and love never giving up.  Paul gives all glory to the mercies of God for his ability to not falter or lose heart (Luke 18:1; Galatians 6:9; 2 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Ephesians 3:13). Paul makes it known that anyone professing the Gospel of Christ, whether it be ministers, teachers, helpers, no matter what your position, needs to remember that they are in the presence of God always.  God sees and hears everything you do!  If you preach a sugar coated message God hears it and knows it was done only to please people not bring about the truth!

2 Corinthians 4:3-4 Paul says that the Gospel is available and free to everyone.  The only ones that will not receive it are those that refuse to believe.  The god of this world is Satan.  He dwells in lies and works that deceive and blind the truth.  His goal is to steal everyone he can from the kingdom of God by blinding them to the truth of God.

2 Corinthians 4:5 We do not preach of ourselves or anything else other than Jesus Christ!  The message of all preachers, teachers, evangelists, and witnesses of Christ should be nothing more than the message of God's Word.  So often men and women of God fall into personal agendas bringing in things that are not of God as being of God and this is wrong.  We are to be careful that when we witness and preach we tell about what God or Christ has done not what we have done or our church has done.  Many times the people within your body of believers will disappoint you and seem a great sacrifice but being a servant of God means serving others with all your heart even through disappointment.

2 Corinthians 4:6 God gives us all the knowledge we need through the light of Jesus Christ within us.  With Moses the light shone on his face now through Christ the light shines not just from our face but shines from within our heart.  The light of God shines forth to the world as those in Christ let their light shine brightly proclaiming the Gospel of Christ boldly and confidently.

2 Corinthians 4:7 Here Paul stresses more emphatically that our fleshly bodies have no power to persuade men to the truth but that it is only through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us.  It is because of Christ living within us and us living within Christ that we can confess boldly the truth of God!  These ‘earthen vessels’ are frail, weak, and no where near the type of instrument normally thought of to hold, deliver, and proclaim such a valuable message of salvation but God in all His love and mercy found it well to entrust us as Believers with this power!  It is only through God that we have any ability to do His will.  It is only through God that we have any ability to do anything--God is the ultimate supreme power!

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 Paul now expresses the life he and the other apostles live.  These verses give us an example of the things the apostles went through.  Paul depicts their lives as that of the one Christ lived.  Crucified, resurrected, and living through the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:24).
These verses let us know that even though Christ lives in us we will still suffer persecution and trials because of our stand for Christ.  We live on this earth ruled by evil but we do not live in it.  Christ is our King and our Mighty Warrior in which we will always reign victorious.  Even when it seems we are at the end or our rope, that all things are failing, we still have hope--we have Christ!
These bodies we live in may fail us and perish one day but Christ will never fail or perish.  We may be subject to sin and suffering but we are never left alone--God is with us always.  Christ won the victory defeating sin and death giving us eternal life.  Through anything that may come against us we have an avenue of escape because we have the living Christ within us.  It is not through any power on earth, any leader of any church or body of Believers, not because of any governmental leaders that we have salvation--it is only through Christ!

2 Corinthians 4:13-15 We have that same spirit of Christ if we have Christ, so in spite sufferings and trials I've talked about we continue to deliver the message of God just as Christ did.  And just as the psalmist wrote and spoke with powerful faith, “we also believe, and therefore speak (1st Corinthians 12:9 and Psalms 116:10).  If we are true to the Gospel of Christ and have true faith we will not be afraid to speak the truth of the Gospel even in the face of danger!  Knowing means by faith (2 Corinthians 5:1) we believe that the same person (God) that raised Jesus up will also raise us up at the second coming of Jesus and present us before God in all His glory (Jude 24; 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 & 3:13).
Paul says in 15 that ‘all things’ meaning everything pertaining to God's workings in you and with you are for you through Him.  Not just some that are greater but all whether less or great, rich or poor it is all for the sake of salvation and the glorification of God!  Grace is the helping entity for believers to carry out their particular ministry for God.  Grace helps bring forth the manifestation of God's Holy Spirit in each of us.

2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul says therefore we do not lose heart or do not faint in the presence of struggles and sufferings (2 Corinthians 4:1 it seems he now continues with this opening thought).  Even though our physical body this house of flesh that we live in is dying daily, wasting away by the natural causes of afflictions and wear and tear our inward man--spiritual person which is truly who we are is being constantly refreshed or renewed by grace, faith, and hope so we can manifest the life of Christ to others in the face of any danger (2 Corinthians 4:11, 13, 15, 17, & 18)).

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 Paul views his afflictions as minimal when compared to the great and glorious reward waiting for him.  They last but for a moment while the rewards will last for all of eternity.  Paul is saying to us that when we bear His cross we add to our joys and rewards in eternity.  We are also told to not look upon things that we can see but instead to look upon those things that we cannot see.  Fixing our eyes on the things of this world will only bring us a feeling of wanting more.  There is no satisfaction in worldly things.  Material things are only temporary they will one day fade away.  Each day our material treasures are decaying but the things of God are eternal and will never fade away or decay.

Father, thank You for revealing Your Word to us.  Thank You for showing me that there is nothing in this world that can compare to You in Jesus name Amen!

Where Jesus is Lord!
Living Vine Ministries
Pastor Thomas Miles

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