Treasure in Earthen Vessels

August 17, 2014 Background Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1 – 15 Lesson Passage: 2 Corinthians 4:1 – 15 One of the struggles endured by those who preach the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we preach out of the frailty of our flesh. We wish that we could display physically the internal blessings of the message of the gospel that has flooded our hearts with wonder. Perhaps this is why “prosperity preaching” is so popular today. There are many prosperity prophets who are promoting that their earthly gain is a sign of God’s favor upon them. It is almost natural for us to desire to put on display physical attributes that would corroborate our testimony of what God has done and is doing on the inside. We dare not be accused of being hypocrites or attempting to sell product that we don’t use. Our faith that God will make a way for others is tested when we are in a situation where we have no plan but to turn to God for deliverance. Then what we have on the inside becomes even more precious to us. This Heavenly treasure that God has shed in our hearts compels us to express to others the unsearchable riches that salvation in Christ continuously hints at in us. We conclude that our bodies are the weak link in our declaration of the gospel. Receiving Christ in our hearts has forever changed us but we look the same on the outside. Even worse, our flesh remains a constant problem that must be fought on a daily basis—we die daily. That which can be seen of us is of the earth. We look the same and although our language has changed, we sound the same. But today, we value what’s on the inside far more than the things of this world that have been entrusted to us as stewards. That which has the most value is on the inside and we fear that our earthly walk, or lifestyle, is far from our spiritual reality. We conclude that receiving Jesus Christ into our lives has devalued the physical person that so many have come to know and many are still trying to get to know. I recall Peter’s statement to the lame man begging for a handout at the temple’s gate. What Peter and John had to offer was far greater than what the man had hoped to receive by begging. The real treasure was on the inside and it could not be seen by the physical eye. It was hidden deep within those earthen bodies. So it is with Christians today who dare to be witnesses of the grace of God within them. The excellency of God’s grace cannot be seen in possessions nor can it be completely demonstrated through actions which can so easily be misunderstood. This Heavenly treasure is kept protected by the spiritual heart of the regenerated person. This spiritual treasure is eternal and it cannot be destroyed. Even death has no power over it nor can the grave hold it. It has no price therefore it cannot be purchased. It is not a reward therefore it cannot be earned. It is a gift of God and therefore it must be received by faith. Those who possess it cannot put it on display for the world to see. The world can see our walk in this life and still not be able to grasp the essence of the God-given treasure within us. We have this Heavenly treasure in our earthen bodies. Robert C. Hudson August 4, 2014

Forgiveness and Restoration

August 10, 2014 Background Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:23 – 2:17 Lesson Passage: 2 Corinthians 1:23 – 2:11 We readily receive forgiveness with heartfelt gratitude. We are in such awe of the grace of forgiveness when received that it triggers deep within us a spontaneous worship of the forgiver. On the contrary, it seems to take an effort of enormous proportion within us to extend forgiveness to others. When we have been hurt and offended by someone, we desire that they be punished beyond that which is due so that they will never cause such an offense to occur again. We want them to feel pain that will generate within them sincere empathy. We want them to feel our pain and do so until we relieve them of it. It is amazing that we can have such opposite desires and emotions depending on which side of the forgiveness we find ourselves on. One of the requests the Apostle Paul made of the church at Corinth was for them to accept back into their fellowship a person who had deeply offended them. Previously, Paul had advised the church to dismiss the person from their congregation. Now, Paul had been informed of the person’s repentance therefore he wrote concerning the need for restoration. In this world of wins and losses, it is sometimes difficult to comprehend situations where everyone loses. An attitude that will not embrace forgivingness is such a situation. No one wins when unforgiving attitudes reign. Forgiveness is the lone condition Jesus placed in the Model Prayer. Mankind was the first offender and God was the first to be offended. God’s act of grace towards humanity is the model that everyone who comes to know Jesus as Savior and Lord should seek to emulate. We love God because God first loved us. Likewise, we should forgive others because God first forgave us. This is the essence of the Model Prayer’s one condition. Paul instructed the Corinthian church that what the person had suffered was sufficient to bring forth repentance from the person and the church’s response to this ought to be forgiveness. This is more than lip service. The Greek word Paul employed is translated in other places in the New Testament as “grace”. Paul was literally asking the church to “grace” the repentant man. No doubt this should have caused the believers to recall their own salvation by the grace of God who forgives sin. Paul described forgiveness as though it is the litmus test of obedience in the faith. Paul said that the church’s act of forgiveness would determine if they would be obedient in all things. If we walk in disobedience in anything, Satan has the opportunity to trip us up. Satan constantly explore for weaknesses in Christians. Once he finds it, he will leverage it against us to exploit us for his own evil purpose. We defeat him when we follow after righteousness by adhering to the instructions of God. Too often we place a different price on forgiveness—or grace—depending on whether we are receiving or giving. But grace, which comes from God, has the same value in both directions. Grace brings forgiveness and restoration. Robert C. Hudson July 31, 2014