Of Jars and Glory

This is part of the message shared at last Saturday's service.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.                              2 Cor 4:6-7 NIV

It was customary to conceal treasure in clay jars, so as not to attract attention eg.  the Dead Sea scrolls were found in clay jars.

What is this treasure Paul is talking about?

It is the gospel light and the power of the Holy Spirit residing within believers.

But God chose to dwell in this tabernacle made of clay (human body) so that His glory can be revealed through us.  We worship the God of glory. Glory has to do with great beauty, magnificence and splendor.

The manifestation of God’s glory was often seen in a cloud in OT times:

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.   Ex 40:34-35 NIV

When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord.  And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.     1 Kg 8:10-11 NIV

In the NT time, God’s glory is seen in Jesus and reflected in the church:

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light ... While he (Peter) was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”    Mt 17:1-2,5

And we all, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.    2 Cor 3:18 NIV

Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?   1 Cor 6:19 NIV

Why would God choose to inhabit man?  God chose the weak things of the world to demonstrate his glory so that man has no excuse to boast.

Why our bodies are jars of clay:

1.    Subject to sickness, deterioration & death – Paul’s torn in the flesh

… in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”        2 Cor 12:7-9 NIV

The physical condition and attacks from his enemy did not keep Paul from fulfilling his call to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.  It was to keep him humble before the Lord.  Likewise, whatever our physical condition, we can still shine for Christ.

2.    Subject to carnal inclinations – the impulsiveness of James and John, sons of thunder

When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”  But Jesus turned and rebuked them.   Lk 9:54-55 NIV

Jesus and his disciples were heading towards Jerusalem to observe the Jewish feasts.  It was a three day journey from Galilee to Jerusalem.  The Samaritans refused overnight shelter for the pilgrims.  Alluding to what Elijah did when he called down fire to consume the soldiers, James and John wanted to do the same.  The received a rebuke from the Lord. 

Don’t be too quick to accuse James & John for their behavior.  If we reflect deeply, we are often guilty of it when things don’t go our way.  We will lash out at those in the way, displaying our baser instincts such as outbursts of anger, selfish ambition and jealousy - some of the works of the flesh mentioned by Paul in Gal 5. Can we still do the Lord’s work if we fail to bring our carnality into Christ’s subjection?  Yes certainly.  But the Lord will continue to refine us through the Holy Spirit to transform us. 

3.    Subject to disappointment and disillusionment – John the Baptist had of Jesus

John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”         Lk 7:18-19 NIV

We are emotional beings subject to the vicissitudes of life.  We get hurt or disappointed easily, especially if our expectations of others are not met.  We can be disappointed with people or God.  Here we see John the Baptist getting disillusioned with Jesus.  Probably, his expectation of Jesus as the savior of the world was to deliver him out of prison.  Jesus did not deliver him out of prison; in fact John remained in prison until his death.  Jesus commended John as the greatest among those born of women. That’s how God looks at us (He never forgets the work we’ve done for Him) even when we are at our lowest; isn’t it amazing!

Jesus’ reponse: “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.  And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”   Lk 7:22-23 NKJ

Don’t get offended by the way God works.  His ways are not our ways.  Jesus points John to the works He’s been doing, namely, healing and evangelism.  That’s how God’s glory is revealed – through healed, saved and restored lives!  And we are to continue being the incarnation of Christ by doing His work.      

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.                                                                                                                                            Hab 2:14 NIV

How is God’s glory to fill the whole earth?  In as much as His children shine for Him wherever they may be.  We all carry the glory of the Lord in jars of clay; imperfect though we may be, God still delights to use us.  However, there is a price to pay if we desire to be a vessel of honour for the Lord.  This is where I turn to another metaphor used by Paul.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.                                                                                                                                    2 Tim 2:20-21  NKJ

In the house of the great King, only gold and silver will suffice to reflect God’s glory.  All others will not do.  To be a vessel of honour, we need to cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles flesh and spirit. 

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.        Gal 5:19-21 NASB

Church revival begins with each one of us forsaking sin and drawing near to God in worship and communion.  As we listen, we would be instructed as to what to do.  Do you want to be a vessel of honour?  Then do what God says.  When we obey God’s word, God’s glory will be manifested in our lives, not just by our words but our actions as well. 

Walking by Faith

This is an except of the message I spoke during a Saturday's service last month in church.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor 5:7 (NKJ)

Our church motto is Forward in Faith. And rightly so, as we have been moving ahead through faith in God  to see the realisation of the church building and its subsequent expansion without borrowing any money from financial institutions.  

Faith makes God possibilities available to mankind.

“ …with God all things are possible.”  Mt 19:26 (NKJ)

“ …all things are possible to him who believes.”  Mk 9:23 (NKJ)

The thing that connects us to the eternal world is faith.  The world says, “Seeing is believing.”  But God says

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  Jn 20:29 (NKJ)

“Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?”   Jn 11:40 (NKJ)

We all begin our journey of faith through the various God-encounters in life, culminating in our conversion experience.  Some of the God-encounters could be the following:

·     Influence of family members, friends, relatives or even strangers (to attend church or Christian gatherings); I’m heartened by the wonderful testimony and work of Sis Esther who spoke to 3 persons recently, inviting them to church meetings and they came!

·    Being placed in a mission school; my first encounter with Jesus was in a Christian Brother School, where they used to recite the Lord’s prayer and Hail Mary.  In secondary school, I was invited by a friend to a YFC meeting where I was converted.

How did we exercise our faith? We believed in the promises of God as found in His Word concerning salvation and eternal life such as John 3:16 and Rom 6:23.  It is that same level of simple trust in God and His Word that will enable us to grow in our faith walk. We have to overcome our old nature of being dependent on sight    

Young children, by virtue of the fact that they have just been implanted the spirit of life by God, bears the imprint of God in their lives.  That is why Jesus said that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child shall not enter it (Mk 10:15). In the recent church camp, we were told that children believe what they do not understand.  They are like a clean slate whereby parents and significant others would influence them for better or worse.  As time progresses, children become more self-conscious and aware as they are being exposed to the world through the 5 senses.  Sight takes over child-like faith. 

In our journey of faith, our trust in God is often tested by time and trial/tribulation.  They are God’s instruments to build faith & character in us.  The wise man, Solomon, tells his son to   

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  Pr 3:5-6 (NIV)

Trust is an attitude of the heart that submits to God’s ways.  The mind (sight) is often impatient and takes over to override what God has spoken.  This can be seen in Abram and Sarai, where the test of time was used to mould and stretch their faith.  Mind you, Abram already believed God when God showed him the stars of heaven and said that his descendants shall be as plentiful as them.

Then the word of the Lord came to him (Abram): ‘This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.’ Gen 15:4 (NIV)

After a period of anxious waiting, Sarai persuaded Abram to have children through her maid, Hagar (Gen 16).  Through human understanding, the Arab nations were brought forth, which resulted in the perpetual conflict we see in the Middle East since time immemorial. It took another 14 years since the birth of Ishmael before Isaac came.  We see that Abram’s straight path became crooked; it became a valley for Sarai to grapple with, especially in contending with her slave Hagar who despised her when she got pregnant.    

The other test of faith is the trial/tribulation that comes to our life.  It can be broadly categorized into 3 big areas: health, possessions and relationships. 

Sickness and ill health is an avenue for us to stretch our faith in God to believe Him for healing.  We have to remember that God also uses medical practitioners to bring healing/health to our bodies.  Sometimes God chooses not to heal some so that we can empathise with others and be a blessing to them or to keep us humble.  Case in point: Paul’s thorn in the flesh; Joni Eareckson (quadriplegic) & Nick Vujicic (born w/o limbs).  Our body is but a jar of clay where the Spirit of God uses to work his love and wonders amongst men.  If we are not healed physically this side of heaven, we will be on the other side.  In the meantime, our real person, the spirit man, can speak life to others.  Be a river that flows, not a reservoir that hoards.

There was period in my life, during my 20^th birthday, when I was hospitalized due to the passing of black stools.  I became anemic and had fainting spells.  My aunt came to pray for me during lunch time almost everyday.  She prayed in tongues for my healing.  Despite being subjected to a battery of tests, the doctor couldn’t find the cause of the bleeding.  I was healed after about a week’s stay in the hospital.  Since then, I have never had a similar occurrence. My eyes were opened to the healing ministry Jesus brings.    

Where possession is concerned, I have in mind assets and loved ones; the Bible tells us that we cannot serve both God and mammon (Mt 6:24).  They have the power to draw us away from the simplicity of devotion to God.  We can be busy making ends meet (not enough) or earning our next million (not satisfied).  The next test that Abraham faced was to offer up his only son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice.  You could well imagine what went through Abraham’s head when the word was given.  However, Abraham passed the test with flying colours.  Let’s read the commentary on Abraham by the writer to the book of Hebrews (11:17-19 KJV):

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

“Just the very act of letting go of money or some other treasure, does something within us.  It destroys the demon god.”       Richard Foster

Jesus said that thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (Jn 10:10a) ie. our faith in God. 

Don’t allow possessions to side-tracked you from the straight path of having intimacy with God. The camp speaker says that the longer we walk with God there is a constant need to get our wheels realigned.    

Relationships or people can test our faith like no one could.  Abraham did not deal rightly with king Abimelech when he lied to him that Sarah was his sister.  Many have been disappointed by Christians; the way they behave and speak. This has to do with giving and receiving offences.  Because of bad experiences, some stay away from joining an oikos or move to another church.  Sure, we tell people not to look at men because they’re fallible; but not everyone is made of Teflon material.  When some get hurt, they hurt badly.  What this means is that we all have to make it our goal to grow towards spiritual maturity and not let carnality have the better of us. 

The apostle Paul says, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” 1 Cor 11:1 (NKJV).  He also mentions that “..you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”  2 Cor 3:3 (NKJV)

How is your faith walk?  There are many things in life that will prevent us from walking the straight and narrow path God has destined for us.  Our paths may be crooked, strewn with obstacles/mountains along the way and there are also deep ravines or valleys we are encountering.  But God has promised:

“I will go before you and make the crooked places straight ..”  Is 45:2

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert
A highway for our God.  Every valley shall be exalted
And every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth.”         Is 40:3-4 (NKJV)

In the near Middle Eastern culture, to prepare for a monarch’s visit, great lengths have to be taken to make a smooth passage to welcome his entourage.

God is in the business of

·         Lifting every valley: depression & low points in your life

·    Leveling every mountain: humbling you & clearing roadblocks in your life

·    Straightening your crooked paths: bringing you back to the goal of having intimacy with Him