Hope for Discouraged Saints

there is a sermon announced in the bulletin but you can disregard that because that's not the subject for today come to the conviction that we we need to receive some encouragement as the people of God this is a dire time and I can speak on your behalf because I know you carry the same burdens that I do as a church this is a very hard time for the church the church is least in name filled with false teachers defecting pastors immoral leaders proud arrogant men power being usurped by women [Music] division racial hatred and animus bad theology worldliness it's a very dire time and it is compounded by the fact that we feel like we're being persecuted because we're being told we can't meet there are some people who might wonder what the future of the church is some churches have just shut down but that's because they fear the powers or because they're basically trying to please the culture and they can't find a way to do that in this setting it's a very difficult time for faithful pastors they can't Shepherd their flocks they can't come alongside the weak the struggling the unruly the needy I've had to make phone calls to dying people in a hospital rather than be beside them with them as they went into glory such was the case with Jackie Owens whose service was held yesterday we can't have weddings we can't have memorial services and beyond that you have a society of people who are afraid they're they're afraid in the sort of terminal sense they're afraid they might die because they're being told that all the time and where do they turn churches aren't there I think back to other issues that have happened in our society riots and earthquakes and things like that that inevitably result in an increased attendance on a Sunday as people led up to the reality of imminent death rushed to the church to find hope I remember 9/11 and how packed this church was on the Sunday following the Tuesday of 9/11 but it seems as though [Music] there are no places they can go the people of God who need each other who need fellowship who need mutual prayer and love and support are isolated largely from each other this could be a time of real discouragement and it kind of has the feel that there doesn't seem to be an end we we're realizing that evil men get worse and worse as time goes on that's what the Bible says but we might have thought that the church would get stronger as time went on we know maybe more than at any time in the history of the church the weakness of the church because of media weak churches unfaithful leaders immoral leaders can't hide nobody can hide not in this culture the internet will expose you so all that is wrong is out there and we all bear the weight of it so we may be wondering just exactly where is all of this going to help you with that I want you to open your Bible to second Corinthians chapter 2 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 and I want to enter into a time in the life of my ministry here oh the Apostle Paul a dire time for him as well a time when in a church he founded and loved there were false teachers bad doctrine sin division hostility on many levels and persecution it was enough to discourage even him hear his words in 2nd Corinthians 2 verse 12 to 17 now when I came to TRO as for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord I had no rest for my spirit not finding Titus my brother but taking my leave of them I went on to Macedonia but thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place for we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to the one in aroma from death to death to the other an aroma from life to life and who is adequate for these things for we are not like many peddling the Word of God but as from sincerity but as from God we speak in Christ in the sight of God there really never has been a time when the people of God have not had enemies in fact when Satan himself the archenemy of God has not attacked God's kingdom I think back to Deuteronomy and Moses final counsel as he was passing off the scene and handing the baton to Joshua listen to Deuteronomy 31 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel and he said to them I'm a hundred and twenty years old today I'm no longer able to come and go and the Lord has said to me you shall not cross this Jordan into the Promised Land it is the Lord your God who will cross ahead of you he will destroy these nations before you and you shall dispossessed them Joshua is the one who will cross ahead of you just as the Lord has spoken the Lord will do to them just as he did to Sion and AAG the kings of the amorite sand to their land when he destroyed them the Lord will deliver them up before you and you shall do to them according to all the commandments which I have commanded you be strong and courageous do not be afraid or tremble at them for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you he will not fail you or forsake you then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel be strong and courageous for you shall go with this people into the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them and you shall give it to them as an inheritance the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you he will be with you he will not fail you or forsake you do not fear or be dismayed chapter one of Joshua chapter 1 verse 1 now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord that the Lord spoke to Joshua son of nun Moses servant saying Moses my servant is dead now therefore arise cross this Jordan you and all this people to the land which I am giving to them to the sons of Israel every place on which the sole of your foot treads I have given to you just as I spoke to Moses from the wilderness and this Lebanon even as far as the great river the river Euphrates all the land of the Hittites and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the Sun will be your territory no man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life just as I have been with Moses I will be with you I will not fail you or forsake you be strong and courageous for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them only be strong and very courageous be careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have success have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go in second chapter xxxii on the brink of an invasion from a pagan king into the land of israel we read after these acts of faithfulness and a kerub king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities and thought to break into them for himself now when Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city and they helped him so many people assemble and stopped up all the springs and the stream which flowed through the region saying why should the kings of Assyria come and find abundant water and he took courage and rebuild all the wall that had been broken down and erected towers on it and build another outside wall and strengthen the mill oh in the City of David and made weapons and shields in great number he appointed military officers over the people and gathered them to him in the square at the city gate and spoke encouragingly to them saying be strong and courageous do not fear or be dismayed because the king of Assyria nor because of all the Horde that is with him for the one with us is greater than the one with him the prophet Isaiah in chapter 41 gives a similarly encouraging message of God's faithfulness to sustain his people Isaiah 41 verse 8 but you Israel my servant Jacob whom I have chosen descendant of Abraham my friend you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called from its remotest parts and said to you you are my servant I have chosen you and not rejected you do not fear for I am with you do not anxious Lee look about you for I am your God I will strengthen you surely I will help you surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand behold all those who are angered at you will be shamed and Dishonored those who contend with you will be as nothing and will perish you will seek those who quarrel with you but will not find them those who war with you will be as nothing and non-existent for I am the Lord your God who upholds your right hand who says to you do not fear I will help you do not fear you worm jacob you men of Israel I will help you declares the Lord and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel over and over god declared to his people that he would be their deliverer their protector no matter how strong the enemy no matter how formidable his Phocis forces he would always be the protector of his people when you come into the new testament in that first magnificent sermon in matthew the first sermon recorded in the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 5 you hear these words in verse 10 from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me rejoice and be glad for your reward in heaven is great for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you and then in the Gospel of John at the end of his ministry gathered with his disciples in the upper room John 15 verse 18 he says to them on that final night if the world hates you you know that it has hated me before it hated you if you were of the world the world would love its own but because you're not of this world but I chose you out of the world because of this the world hates you remember the word that I said to you a slave is not greater than his master if they persecuted me they will also persecute you if they kept my word they will keep yours also but all these things they will do to you for my name's sake because they do not know the one who sent me if I had not come and spoken to them they would not have sinned but now they have no excuse for their sin he who hates me hates my father also if I had not done among them the works which no one else did they would not have sinned but now they have both seen and hated me and my father as well but they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their law they hated me without a cause and he quotes from Psalm 30:5 Psalm 69 and Psalm 109 they hated me without a cause he goes on in chapter 16 these things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling they will make you outcasts from the synagogue but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God these things they will do because they have not known the father or me and at the very end of that sixteenth chapter verse 33 these things I've spoken to you so that in me you may have peace in the world you have tribulation but take courage I have overcome the world none of us should be surprised at hostility but for us who live in this particular country in this time in history persecution has been perhaps personal people in your own family who resent you people that you know and meet who resent your commitment to Christ but mostly we have lived in an era when the church has not known corporate persecution not in this country so our understanding of these great promises of God to protect his people have been somewhat theoretical and historical the church has not been persecuted in our country it has not been troubled by the government at least not until now and we're beginning to feel hostility we're beginning to feel like we're being singled out we understand persecution exists around the world according to those who track persecution of Christians there are at least 260 million Christians living in places where there is overt persecution I don't know the exact numbers but estimates are that about 3000 Christians were killed for being Christians last year 10,000 churches were burned or assaulted or destroyed 4,000 people were arrested and imprisoned for being Christians and always the the persecution comes from two levels it comes number one from authoritarian governments and number two from majority false religious authorities mostly Islam so it seems that the greatest persecutors of the church have always been those in authority civil authority or religious authority for the first time in our nation's history government rulers have decided to shut down churches but not riots and protests based on a somewhat deceptive fear of an illness from which 99% of people recover most without symptoms what does the future of the church look like we keep hearing words like this restriction is indefinite we've experienced something that this is that is very new to us questions are being raised about the future of the church and it's easy to be discouraged when the fellowship that is our life is assaulted and broken apart this week little children will be here for the first time in months they have missed months of Sunday's being instructed in the generations of grace in the Word of God and venture club and sound doctrine young people have missed months and months of fellowship with their friends and we've all missed each other why is this happening I find myself exactly where job was I don't know the council of God but I do know this I do know that historically when times get hard for the church it tends to purge the church I've been reading about some churches that have shut down till the end of the year and the ones that are doing that so far will produce a an immediate blessing by not meeting persecution always purges the church more important what it does a faithful church to do well you're experiencing it right now Paul back to 2nd Corinthians Paul knew deep penetrating disheartening disappointment over the Corinthian church it was actually discouraged in fact in Chapter 7 of this letter and verse 6 he said he was depressed it's hard for me to imagine Paul being depressed about anything but the shallowness of that church the sinfulness of that church the false teachers who had been successful in that church the church turning against him because they were told lies about him the church becoming so much like the world that they were in some cases indistinguishable thus losing the impact of their testimony was immense grief to him one sin and spiritual disaster followed another to such a degree that as he concludes this letter he says in chapter 12 verse 20 I'm afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish perhaps there will be strife jealousy angry tempers disputes slanders gossip arrogance disturbances then in verse 21 I'm afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you and I may mourn over many of those who have sinned in the past and not repented of the impurity immorality and sensuality which they've practiced I'm even afraid to come in chapter 2 he starts the chapter I determined this for my own sake that I would not come to you in sorrow again I don't want to come because I'm afraid of what I'm going to find I don't know if I could take any more heartache in the eleventh chapter in a very familiar portion he says I've suffered a lot he talks about verse 23 being in imprisonments beaten times without number in danger of death five times receiving from the Jews 39 lashes three times beaten with rods once stone three times shipwreck tonight in a day in the deep he talks about frequent journeys that brought dangers from robbers and countrymen and Gentiles in the city in the wilderness on the sea among false brethren I've been in labor and hardship through many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst often without food and cold and exposure apart from such external things there's a daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches the worst pain is my heart is so grieved over the church who is weak without my being weak who's led into sin without my intense concern physical things are one thing to bear far worse than that is the tragic spiritual condition of the Church so you could say that discouragement anxiety over the Corinthian church ate at his soul he knew they had all the gifts but they were divided full of rancor and animosity toward one another they were disorderly they were worldly chaos reigned in their supposed worship sins stained their gathering around the Lord's table they fought they sued each other they were involved in sexual sin and they were proud conditions were so bad that a Paulo state air nor would he return though Paul urged him to additionally false teachers had come and settled in successfully managing to deceive the leaders and members of the church to join in a mutiny against faithful Paul Paul's character was being blasted his controversy with Peter discussed in Galatians 2 was being exploited against him he was slandered doctrinal issues use of spiritual gifts were all mixed up with personal jealousies and pride they wink that incest abused their marriages a dat demon feasts failed to give as they should even questioned the resurrection and that's a congregation to bring grief to anybody who cares about the church he couldn't even bring himself to go there on top of this in Ephesus those who hated him and the gospel started a riot recorded in acts 19 that could have taken his life right at the time and he's concerned about this church some think he may well have had even a potentially fatal illness he needed to be comforted not hard to understand his grief so he sort of becomes for us a model of how to respond in a time when the church is in disastrous condition how do you deal with all of this and especially difficult was his dilemma because of the love he had for them back in chapter 2 verse 4 he says out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears not so that you would be made sorrowful but that you might know the love which I have especially for you love always intensifies disappointment doesn't it love always intensifies discouragement his heart is really on the brink of being broken he says similar words at the end of the Epistle chapter 12 verse 15 I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls if I love you more am I to be loved less is this what I get for loving you more less love from you so he sent Titus he sent Titus to find out how they responded to his first letter 1st corinthians and even a second letter that he sent them that's not included in the New Testament but he refers to it he wanted to know how they responded to the pleas in the 16 chapters of 1st Corinthians and the second letter and that's where we pick up the story in chapter 2 verse 12 he had come to Troas and he had come to Troas very discouraged row as was a seaport city the city on the Aegean Sea in Western Asia Minor at the mouth of the dardan else founded in about 300 BC 10 miles from ancient Troy in my SIA and Augustus Caesar had made it a Roman colony his departure had been caused by the riots in Ephesus that would have taken his life so to make things even more difficult he is heartbroken and he's running from deadly enemies he comes to Troas he'd been there before according to acts 16 but apparently didn't found a church a church is there in acts 20 so perhaps he founded it on this very short visit mentioned right here in verse 12 he came for that reason now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ to evangelize the city to do what he always did go to the Jewish synagogue and preach the gospel and then preach the gospel to the Gentiles and for those who believed establish a church and wonderfully and it should have been encouraging a door was opened for me in the Lord an opportunity for evangelism was opened in the Lord in other words it wasn't strategically designed by him as some effective methodology no the Lord had given him favor the Lord had gone before him the Lord was doing work through his brief time there he must have preached to know that the door was open he knew about open doors he talked in acts 1427 about an open door of faith he talked in Colossians 4:3 about an open door of the word so here is a door opened for angel' ISM doesn't mean there aren't adversaries but the door is opened and the only way would know what the door was open would be to preach the gospel and see the response and it was obviously the Lord because some must have believed and this is most likely where that church that appears later in the book of Acts got its start this would be this would be the best of all possible situations wouldn't it for a discouraged evangelist he found a place where the Lord opened the door you would think that he would say this is where I'm going to be this is where I'm going to stay but not so look at verse 13 I had no rest for my spirit that is such an interesting statement I had no rest for my spirit no rest as I mentioned earlier he further defines that in Chapter 7 verse 6 as being depressed he couldn't get past his pain over the Corinthian church would they love him would they listen to him would they repent would they forsake their worldliness their carnality their divisions would they repent of incest would they end the quarrels would they get past the confusion about marriage and divorce would they turn from idols would they purge the lord's table would they abandon sexual immorality would they discipline those who sinned and would they expel the false teachers and this was so much on his heart because he loved them so greatly that even with an open door intro as he had no rest for his spirit why not finding Titus my brother Titus was on his way back to Paul who was coming from Ephesus and Titus was going to bear the report as to how they responded to the letters he had written but he still had the aching questions because he hadn't seen Titus this is a dangerous hour for the preacher his heart is in danger of rebellion and when the door is open he can't even go through it he lost his zeal for the work he's in despair he's heartbroken everything seems to have gone wrong no joy just a restless disappointed discouraged heart when the preacher gets to this point everything becomes a drudgery the gold is the glitter of the gold is off the ministry it seems like a plodding toil of heartbreak and the temptation comes too many to give up ministry go another direction real difficulties are magnified out of proportion and the minister even begins to act without trusting God apparently Titus was supposed to have met Paul at Troas to report on the Corinthians but somehow he was delayed so Paul wasn't about to wait there even with an open door he had no heart for that so burden so overwhelmed he left you know it's a danger in ministry time spent in dwelling on the feelings of a broken heart can suck the energy out of a servant of the Lord and that's time and energy lost for eternity so he turned away from the open door verse 13 taking my leave of them no doubt there were some believers there that are embedded in the them and others who were anxious to hear the truth and I headed toward Macedonia he knew the route that Titus would take and so he set out on a gloomy journey to intersect with the delayed Titus likely at five days by boat across the northeast corner of the Aegean Sea and then on foot down a familiar road at which point he would hope to intersect with Titus it's just so hard to imagine at least for me that a man of the strength of Paul could get to this point he was close to the edge very close to the edge this is the dark side of the preachers life this is what disappointment can do to the best of men was he defeated where did he turn to find encouragement notice the next verse verse 14 but that's important isn't it that's an adversity of something's coming different but thanks be to God he moves in the direction of encouragement by moving from his problems to his God [Music] he's finding his way to the very things that God told Moses and Joshua and Israel same things that Isaiah wrote about be strong and courageous the Lord is with you I don't know if he ever met Titus before the encouragement started to come back he did meet Titus chapter 7 but God who comforts the depressed comforted us by the coming of Titus and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you as he reported to us your longing your mourning your zeal for me so that I rejoiced even more Wow good word from Titus I would like to think he came to the but thanks before he met Titus Titus did come and bring a good report that comforted Paul greatly but I don't really think that report was the source of his joy it certainly played a part in relieving his anxiety at the moment but he knew that perhaps even with hearing from Titus that there was still a resistant minority there and the fickleness that the corinthians had showed in the past could come back again so where did you go to find lasting joy it wouldn't be in just the report about the Corinthians because that could only be a temporary reality where does he go but thanks be to God for the report from Titus no I love this who always leads us in triumph in Christ you see that he remembered what God had said to Moses and Joshua and to Judah and what Isaiah had said be strong and courageous don't fear God is with you thanks be to God in specific what does he mean well I wish I had time to unfold all of it but let me see if I can give you enough to capture your heart there's a word there triumphs do you see it triumph that's a technical term in Paul's mind he is seeing a triumph a Roman and triumph the highest honor that could be given to a victorious Roman general was called a triumph before a Roman general could receive from his king and from his people a triumph he had to have been the commander-in-chief of a field army the campaign must have been completely finished against an enemy the region pacified the victorious troops brought home 5,000 of the enemy at least must have fallen in one engagement a positive extension of the territory must have been gained and not merely an attack repelled the victory must have been won over a foreign foe and not a civil war that's what qualified general to receive a triumph in the actual triumph the procession of the victorious general marched through the streets of Rome to the capital in the following order first there came the state officials and the Senate the politicians always get out in front then there came the trumpeters then there were the spoils taken from the conquered land when Titus conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD for example he was given a triumph and he brought through the streets of Rome the seven-branched candlestick the golden table of the showbread and the golden trumpets from the temple and carried them through the streets of rome these became symbolic of the conquering there followed the white bull that was to be offered in sacrifice to the gods for giving the victory then there walked the wretched captives the enemy princes leaders and generals in Chains shortly to be flung into prison and in all probability almost immediately to be executed then there came the lictors beating the prisoners with their rods followed by the musicians playing music of triumph then there came the priests swinging their censors bringing about a sweet-smelling fragrance then there came the general himself in a chariot drawn by four horses clad in purple embroidered with gold palm leaves in his hand he had an ivory scepter with a Roman eagle on it then came the army wearing all their decorations and shouting triumph triumph triumph that's what Paul sees in his mind magnificent imagery thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ magnificent imagery Paul remembers that Christ wins three aspects of this become clear he gives thanks to God for the privilege of being in the army of the triumphant Christ thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ whatever may happen in my ministry whatever successes our failure whatever encouragement or discouragement whatever the ups and downs of life and ministry Christ triumphs he always leads us the sense of the Lord's sovereign leading is the foundation of our joy Paul remarks about this at the end of his life in second Timothy chapter 4 [Music] familiar words to us verse 16 at first in my defence no one supported me but all deserted me may it not be counted against them but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished in that all the Gentiles might hear and I was rescued out of the lion's mouth the Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom to him be the glory for ever and ever amen that's this swan song that's this final sign-off it's enough he says to wear the uniform and march behind the victor Christ wins he leads his people to triumph in first Timothy chapter 1 Paul says I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful putting me into service or ministry even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus it is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost of all yet for this reason I found mercy so that in me as the foremost sinner Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life now to the king eternal immortal invisible the only God be honor and glory for ever and ever amen Paul ended up his life clear about the triumph clear about the triumph thank you Father for putting me in uniform as a part of the army of the triumphant Christ he would be as Romans 8:37 puts in a hoop Nek a super Conqueror we follow our conquering hero in the victory parade not as captives not as prisoners headed to judgment but as fellow conquerors in the great triumph over sin and death and hell Jesus Christ will win Revelation says he will come back as king of kings and Lord of lords and he will reign Christ wins and we win with him we are in the triumph we're in that victory parade in that victory parade as I mentioned there would be some priests carrying censors burning with a strong fragrance there would be women throwing flowers in front of the general and his troops this would create a rising fragrance of sweet aroma the smell of victory Paul applies that thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place that takes us to a second reason to be thankful not only because he was marching in the triumph of Christ but secondly he gives thanks to God for the privilege of having eternal influence for the privilege of having eternal influence to be a sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place in verse 15 for we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing to the one an aroma from death to death to the other an aroma from life to life and who is adequate for these things who in the world could expect his life to matter that much not only to be in the army of the triumphant Christ but to have eternal influence to be one who exudes the sweet aroma of the gospel in every place Romans chapter 10 says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved but how will they call on him in whom they have not heard and how will they hear without a preacher blessed blessed are the feet of those who preach the good news most people would like their life to have some significance this is the greatest significance any life could ever have it's incomparable to have a life that matters eternally that matters eternally when the gospel comes off your life in deed and word it is a sweet aroma and I want you to notice that it is a sweet aroma first of all to God verse 15 we are a fragrance of Christ to God before you ever think about how you affect people you have to understand that faithfulness to the proclamation of the gospel in life and word sends up a fragrance to the one who sits on the throne as the Emperor at the end of the parade no doubt on Capitoline Hill in Rome in ancient times could smell the fragrance so the fragran of a godly virtuous gospel faithful life rises to the very pleasure of God should be as our ambition Paul tells the Corinthians to be pleasing to him 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 9 so thanks to God to be in the triumph whatever role I may have played whatever ups and downs my contribution may have had to be in the victory parade it's enough for me to wear the uniform of my king and secondly to have a life that sets off an aroma that pleases God who is adequate for that but beyond just pleasing God to have a life that has an eternal impact on the people around us not only a fragrance of Christ to God but a fragrance among those who are being saved that among those who are perishing to the one an aroma from death to death to the other an aroma from life to life in other words listen this is vital to understand there are those who are being saved and there are those who are perishing Paul uses that kind of language back in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 the preaching of the Cross is to those who are perishing foolishness but to those who are being saved that is the power of God there are two categories of people in the world those who are being saved and those who are perishing and as the Triumph marched along and the incense and the flowers sent off their aroma to the wretched captives it would be an aroma of death perfume of death to the victors it was a perfume of life your life matters as a Christian it compounds those who come under your influence this is kind of a Hebraic way to think this superlatives your life preaching the gospel adds to those who are perishing greater condemnation to those who are being saved greater reward that is an amazing reality I think most Christians assume that the only time your life matters is if somebody believes no listen to first Peter 2:6 behold I lay in Zion a choice stone a precious cornerstone Christ he who believes in Him will not be disappointed this precious value then is for you who believe but for those who disbelieve the stone which the builders rejected this became the very cornerstone and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for they stumble because they're disobedient to the word into this doom they were also appointed receiving Christ life to life rejecting Christ's death to death the same aroma brings life and brings death the Jews in ancient times wrote about the Torah these words as the bee reserves her honey for her owner and her sting for others so the words of the Torah are some hi EEMA an elixir of life for Israel and some Hamas a deadly poison to the nations of the world or the sun shining on a tree brings life to some branches and death to others if a branch is vitally connected to the tree and the tree is properly rooted in the soil the Sun brings life on the other hand if a branch is broken off the Sun will wither and scorch it to death so is the gospel the same Sun that melts the wax hardens the clay every time you proclaim the gospel every time I preach the gospel two things are happening an aroma of the gospel is going out to either produce death to death or life to life what a privilege whose adequate for that whose life could ever matter that much apart from divine purpose thanks for being in the army of the king the triumphant King thanks for a life of influence and finally thanks for the privilege of preaching truth verse 17 we're not like many peddling the Word of God we're not like many peddling the Word of God what is that Copple us is the term kapalua means to corrupt even then there were many who corrupted the Word of God who manipulated the Word of God who misinterpreted the Word of God [Music] purposely out of ignorance whatever but a cop alas was a street Hawker somebody who set up his little operation on the street to hawk his wares pitchmen con men hucksters using their ingenuity and skill trickery and deceit a couple us was a con man a huckster who concerned with cheating and making profit at the buyers expense not for personal gain typically they sold watered-down wine for a high price and they were able to sell it by the sheer device of cleverness which they employed they were cheapening the truth they were degrading the truth they were adulterating the Word of God [Music] adela rating it with their own ideas or with Judaism or with paganism or with whatever just like people do today twisting and perverting scripture to their own ends why for popularity Fame money fraudulent adulterate errs of God's word cheap gospel ears prosperity preachers health and wealth preachers sacramental lists legalists pragmatists manipulators of scripture and people all the same we're not like that we're not like that and there are many like that but as from sincerity eloch Renea not from human cleverness not from devices but with a pure heart as from God we come to you with with integrity the single source of our message is God we speak in Christ of him and by his power in the sight of God Paul is saying God knows that I am speaking from him concerning his son anyone can preach a truncated message anyone can twist and pervert the truth and mingle it with human wisdom and contaminate it with all kinds of cleverness Paul says I would never do that it's such a high and holy privilege for me to be soldier marching behind the triumph in general it's such a privilege to have a life that matters every time the gospel is proclaimed from my mouth it's a saver or in a room of life to life or death to death and the bottom line is what makes this significant that I am faithful to speak the Word of God Paul found his way out of his discouragement as he thought about the privilege of being associated as a Co Conqueror with the King of Kings his privilege of being in the triumph of influencing people for eternity of pleasing God the great privilege of being empowered to proclaim the truth and that's what led to his gratitude I don't know what the future is gonna look like for the church and I do know who wins right Christ wins and we're in his triumph and our lives matter more than any in the world no human being has a life that matters eternally unless he's in Christ and we just need to be faithful to the privilege of proclaiming the truth with integrity and then we'll see what the Lord will do do not fear be strong be of good courage the Lord is with us amen father we thank you for again the clarity of the word and the power of it as it speaks truth to our hearts give us wisdom and opportunity to proclaim the glorious gospel as you have designed for us to do to know nothing but Christ and him crucified like the Apostle Paul use every one of us for your honor and your glory in these days be exalted O Lord we pray that's our prayer amen

Channel: Grace to You

Views: 290,052

Rating: 4.858479 out of 5

Keywords: John MacArthur, Bible, Preaching, Christianity, Expository, Exposition, Sermon, Jesus, Christ, Grace to You, hope, discouraged christian, encouragement

Id: 5jIQYiV5pPA

Length: 64min 7sec (3847 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 22 2020