WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520 It was John Stott who said, towards the end of 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:07.379 his life, I'm sometimes asked whether at my age 00:00:07.379 --> 00:00:11.859 I have any ambitions left. I always now reply, 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:16.760 yes, my overriding ambition is that I may become 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:20.640 a little bit more like Christ. I can't remember 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.039 how long ago it was that I came across that quote. 00:00:23.100 --> 00:00:25.620 It was probably 10, 15 years ago. But it has 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:29.820 stuck with me. It is our great hope, isn't it, 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.679 to be like Jesus. When he appears, we will be 00:00:32.679 --> 00:00:37.600 like him, for we will see him as he is. In many 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:41.020 ways, it's our calling. John says that whoever 00:00:41.020 --> 00:00:44.899 claims to live in him must walk as he did. Paul 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:48.119 will invite us to have the same attitude as Christ. 00:00:49.820 --> 00:00:54.420 We're called to be like Jesus. I don't know about 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:56.880 you, but there's something within me that longs 00:00:56.880 --> 00:01:00.380 for that. I mean, as I'm involved in ministry, 00:01:00.460 --> 00:01:03.320 I'm so aware of mixed motives half the time, 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:07.040 so aware of struggles to love, so aware of the 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.219 insecurities that kick around. Don't you long 00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:13.939 to be more like Jesus? As we go through life, 00:01:14.180 --> 00:01:18.140 as we seek to minister to and encourage others, 00:01:18.340 --> 00:01:24.319 ah, to be more like Jesus. How do we actually 00:01:24.319 --> 00:01:28.230 make progress in that? How do we ourselves become 00:01:28.230 --> 00:01:32.670 more like Jesus? How do we do ministry in such 00:01:32.670 --> 00:01:35.750 a way that others are becoming more like Jesus? 00:01:37.260 --> 00:01:39.799 To be honest, there's a vast array of stuff in 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:42.939 2 Corinthians 3 and 4. And to be honest, I'm 00:01:42.939 --> 00:01:45.120 going to do far from a kind of model exposition, 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:48.620 as it were. But I want really to try and pick 00:01:48.620 --> 00:01:51.519 up two particular things. Because there are two 00:01:51.519 --> 00:01:54.420 different ways in this passage in which we become 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:57.760 like Jesus. So there in chapter 3, verse 18, 00:01:57.939 --> 00:02:01.859 we become like him as we gaze upon him. And it's 00:02:01.859 --> 00:02:03.620 there at the end of the reading, chapters 4, 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:08.800 10 to 12, we become like Jesus as we die like 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:13.500 Jesus. Probably aware that in 2 Corinthians 3, 00:02:13.599 --> 00:02:17.360 Paul is talking about the glories of new covenant 00:02:17.360 --> 00:02:21.400 ministry. That great promise back from Jeremiah, 00:02:21.819 --> 00:02:24.819 the days are coming when I will make a new covenant. 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.219 I will be their gods. They will be my people. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:31.219 I will forgive their wickedness and remember 00:02:31.219 --> 00:02:35.900 their sins no more. And that promise hanging 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:40.800 around until one Passover in Jerusalem. There 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:43.659 is a man with his friends and he takes a cup 00:02:43.659 --> 00:02:46.439 and says, this cup is the new covenant in my 00:02:46.439 --> 00:02:50.319 blood. And all the promises from Jeremiah's day 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:54.020 are about to come gloriously true, gloriously 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:57.569 fulfilled. As Jesus hangs on the cross and sheds 00:02:57.569 --> 00:03:02.430 his blood for us. And Paul here is saying, I 00:03:02.430 --> 00:03:06.349 get the great privilege of proclaiming the benefits 00:03:06.349 --> 00:03:10.030 of all that Christ has achieved. I get to live 00:03:10.030 --> 00:03:12.969 out, to proclaim this new covenant ministry. 00:03:13.509 --> 00:03:16.150 And there are a vast array of blessings that 00:03:16.150 --> 00:03:19.129 come from that. The promise of righteousness, 00:03:19.370 --> 00:03:23.620 not condemnation. And if we're spending longer 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:26.699 on this passage, I think a great thing to reflect 00:03:26.699 --> 00:03:30.500 on is the extent to which as Christians we actually 00:03:30.500 --> 00:03:34.599 fundamentally enjoy that new covenant. Maybe 00:03:34.599 --> 00:03:36.419 it's because I'm in Oxford where there is a degree 00:03:36.419 --> 00:03:39.680 of intensity around the place, but it can be 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:42.580 the case that people live with a sense of feeling 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:46.669 condemned, not righteous. And Paul wants to encourage 00:03:46.669 --> 00:03:49.430 just to receive afresh. We live under the new 00:03:49.430 --> 00:03:51.770 covenant. We get to live as those made righteous 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:56.969 by Christ and to live that out. And actually 00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:00.129 both for those who have not yet submitted to 00:04:00.129 --> 00:04:03.310 Jesus, they need to hear the call of it is possible 00:04:03.310 --> 00:04:05.610 to be righteous. Actually for Christians, it 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:08.349 is a call to enter into all that Christ has achieved. 00:04:10.539 --> 00:04:13.020 But it's actually in verse 18 that we get to 00:04:13.020 --> 00:04:18.360 the supreme blessing of the new covenant. Because 00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:22.540 the supreme blessing is to gaze upon the glory 00:04:22.540 --> 00:04:26.680 of Jesus. There's a contrast between the old 00:04:26.680 --> 00:04:29.379 covenant, Moses' experience as he is up enjoying 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:32.060 the presence of God and his face is shining, 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.620 but of course it has to be veiled and that glory 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:39.800 passes away. Whereas Paul says the great privilege 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:44.040 now for those who turn to the Lord is that we, 00:04:44.240 --> 00:04:47.980 with unveiled faces, contemplate the Lord's glory, 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:50.939 are being transformed into his image with ever 00:04:50.939 --> 00:04:53.360 increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, 00:04:53.560 --> 00:05:00.560 who is the Spirit. You do know that the greatest 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:02.420 privilege of being a Christian is that we get 00:05:02.420 --> 00:05:08.459 to gaze on Jesus. That is the supreme. Blessing. 00:05:09.220 --> 00:05:16.079 The final blessing. We contemplate, behold the 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:22.319 Lord's glory. You go to Bethlehem and you see 00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:26.399 the glory of his incarnation. You listen to the 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:28.120 Sermon on the Mount and you see the glory of 00:05:28.120 --> 00:05:32.199 his wisdom. You see him speaking to the leper, 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:34.720 I am willing, be clean, and you see the glory 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:38.019 of his compassion. You see him saying to the 00:05:38.019 --> 00:05:40.560 storm, calm, be still, and you see the glory 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:44.000 of his power. You see him on the Mount of Transfiguration. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:46.019 You get a sense of the glory of his majesty. 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:51.019 You see him putting a towel around his waist, 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.220 washing his disciples' feet, and you see the 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:58.540 glory of his humility. You see him in the Garden 00:05:58.540 --> 00:06:02.560 of Gethsemane saying, not my will but yours be 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:04.519 done, and you see the glory of his obedience. 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:08.199 You see him hanging on a cross in Calvary and 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:10.480 you see the glory of his love. You see him coming 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:12.860 from the empty tomb and you see the glory of 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:19.120 his risen life. You see him now ascended. And 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:23.160 you see his glory. And there's nobody like him. 00:06:24.339 --> 00:06:28.740 And it's a great privilege as we gaze, contemplate 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:34.279 the Lord's glory. I don't know where you most 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:37.019 enjoy visiting, but there's a place in North 00:06:37.019 --> 00:06:39.819 Wales, Great Orm. It's above sort of Llandudno. 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:43.000 And I love it, actually. On a sunny day, which... 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:44.860 It isn't always the case in North Wales. But 00:06:44.860 --> 00:06:48.120 on the rare sunny day, you sort of go up, and 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:50.300 there you are, and you can pretty much see all 00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:52.860 around. So you're looking over there, and there's 00:06:52.860 --> 00:06:55.579 the sort of North Wales Anglesey coast. And there, 00:06:55.660 --> 00:06:57.939 actually, on a sunny day, you can even see out 00:06:57.939 --> 00:07:00.019 to the Isle of Man, or you can see northwest 00:07:00.019 --> 00:07:03.199 England. And then you sort of turn around, and 00:07:03.199 --> 00:07:05.980 there's Snowdon behind you. I just love being 00:07:05.980 --> 00:07:08.379 up there. Have you ever been somewhere, and you 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:10.720 think, I just want to keep looking my eyes out? 00:07:11.629 --> 00:07:15.069 Because it is so stunning, so beautiful, so majestic. 00:07:16.790 --> 00:07:19.730 Of course, all of that is a pointer to the one 00:07:19.730 --> 00:07:24.290 who made these things. And we get to see the 00:07:24.290 --> 00:07:30.790 glory of Jesus. And what the Spirit does, according 00:07:30.790 --> 00:07:35.069 to 3, 16 to 18, is that as we gaze on the glory 00:07:35.069 --> 00:07:38.430 of Jesus, so we are transformed into his image. 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:42.680 You know, Moses' face was radiant as he was with 00:07:42.680 --> 00:07:45.720 God. And there's a sense that as we gaze on the 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:50.360 glory of Jesus here, so we are transformed. So 00:07:50.360 --> 00:07:55.439 we are made to be like him. There's a sense in 00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:57.019 which that happens fairly naturally, doesn't 00:07:57.019 --> 00:08:00.860 it? We become like the people we admire. I mentioned 00:08:00.860 --> 00:08:03.180 John Stott earlier. Apparently it was the case 00:08:03.180 --> 00:08:05.899 that when John Stott was at All Souls, so many 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:09.339 of the curates ended up sounding like him. You 00:08:09.339 --> 00:08:11.519 become like the one you admire. Strangely, none 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:13.399 of the young preachers at my place sounded anything 00:08:13.399 --> 00:08:16.959 like me. But you become like the one you admire. 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:21.959 You gaze and you become. And that's what Paul 00:08:21.959 --> 00:08:26.360 is saying is the great joy of being a Christian. 00:08:27.980 --> 00:08:30.860 And that helps us, particularly with those times 00:08:30.860 --> 00:08:34.320 when we do end up feeling frustrated with ourselves. 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:38.259 Oh, to be more like Jesus. I remember a conversation 00:08:38.259 --> 00:08:41.559 with a fellow pastor about 15 years or so ago 00:08:41.559 --> 00:08:43.980 now. And to be honest, we were having one of 00:08:43.980 --> 00:08:46.419 those conversations where we're just reflecting 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:50.299 on frustrations with ourselves. Why do I keep 00:08:50.299 --> 00:08:53.279 giving in to temptation in that area? Why don't 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.500 I love them? And you know what it's like. You 00:08:55.500 --> 00:08:58.480 just think, ah, we wish we were better at this. 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:02.740 I remember my friend saying to me, and I kind 00:09:02.740 --> 00:09:04.659 of wish I'd said this, but it was him who said 00:09:04.659 --> 00:09:07.100 it to me, Andy, we do know the answer to this, 00:09:07.100 --> 00:09:10.200 don't we? I was thinking, no, that's why we're 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:12.379 having the conversation. But he said to me, Andy, 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:16.200 we do know the answer to this, don't we? Go hard 00:09:16.200 --> 00:09:21.279 after Jesus. Go hard after treasuring him. Go 00:09:21.279 --> 00:09:23.899 hard after gazing on him. Go hard after doing 00:09:23.899 --> 00:09:26.379 whatever it takes to get him in front of our 00:09:26.379 --> 00:09:33.299 eyes. Go hard after Jesus. Because it is as we 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:35.899 gaze on him that we are transformed to be like 00:09:35.899 --> 00:09:40.539 him. As the Spirit does that work in our hearts. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:48.220 And that's why for Paul, ministry was all about 00:09:48.220 --> 00:09:51.700 this. As you get into chapter 4, you notice a 00:09:51.700 --> 00:09:54.360 couple of things. You notice that this is the 00:09:54.360 --> 00:09:57.419 thing that keeps him going. Since through God's 00:09:57.419 --> 00:10:00.059 mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:03.860 Why does Paul go from place to place, face imprisonment 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:06.259 and flogging, and then go to the next place and 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:10.779 still preach the gospel? Well, two reasons. Partly 00:10:10.779 --> 00:10:13.539 this is God's mercy. He says, not only did I 00:10:13.539 --> 00:10:16.500 sort of reject Jesus, but he's forgiven me and 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:18.899 given me this ministry. He's got a constant sense 00:10:18.899 --> 00:10:21.100 of this is God's mercy, that I get to do this. 00:10:23.240 --> 00:10:26.360 And he's got a sense of, I get to do the most 00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:28.840 glorious thing in the world. Because as I preach 00:10:28.840 --> 00:10:33.259 Jesus as Lord, so is it where God turns the lights 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:38.799 on in people's hearts. Ministry for Paul is presenting 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:41.639 Jesus as the most glorious Lord, as the most 00:10:41.639 --> 00:10:44.279 glorious being in the universe. That's why he 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:50.379 keeps going. I mentioned great awe earlier. If 00:10:50.379 --> 00:10:53.240 you're not particularly athletic, the way to 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.460 get to Great Ormond is via a tram. There's a 00:10:56.460 --> 00:10:58.759 sort of tram that sort of goes up to lead you 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.240 to this place where there's a great view. And 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:03.879 I've always thought in some ways ministry is 00:11:03.879 --> 00:11:08.379 like the tram. Ministry is what enables people 00:11:08.379 --> 00:11:12.600 to see the great view. Proclaiming Jesus enables 00:11:12.600 --> 00:11:16.679 people to see the greatest vision in the universe. 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:24.230 And as people see him to become like him. Does 00:11:24.230 --> 00:11:27.570 that feel vaguely worth doing? To have a role 00:11:27.570 --> 00:11:29.549 that enables us to see the greatest view in the 00:11:29.549 --> 00:11:33.070 world? Are there worse things than being involved 00:11:33.070 --> 00:11:37.769 in Christian ministry? And so both for ourselves, 00:11:37.990 --> 00:11:43.519 we gaze on Jesus and so become like him. and 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:46.179 also for our ambition in ministry, whatever that 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:48.639 might look like in the years to come, to keep 00:11:48.639 --> 00:11:54.279 proclaiming and presenting Jesus to people. Well, 00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:58.299 that's worth doing. We become like Jesus as we 00:11:58.299 --> 00:12:04.960 gaze on him and contemplate his glory. But there 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:08.600 is a second way in which we become like Jesus, 00:12:08.620 --> 00:12:11.379 and here we head towards chapter 4, verses... 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:16.059 7 to 12. Because Paul says he has this glorious 00:12:16.059 --> 00:12:18.220 ministry of proclaiming Jesus and the Spirit 00:12:18.220 --> 00:12:22.200 working as he does this. And Paul says he has 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:25.740 the wonderful experience of God's light being 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:31.899 in his heart in the face of Jesus Christ. But, 00:12:31.940 --> 00:12:36.159 he says, verse 7, we have this treasure in jars 00:12:36.159 --> 00:12:39.740 of clay to show that this all -surpassing power 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:47.539 is from God. and not from us. I have to be honest, 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:50.519 2 Corinthians 4 is the passage I go to most often 00:12:50.519 --> 00:12:52.940 as I'm talking to friends a bit younger than 00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:55.000 me who are thinking about ministry. Actually, 00:12:55.019 --> 00:12:56.820 as I look around, I'm pretty sure there are some 00:12:56.820 --> 00:12:58.440 of you here who've heard me on 2 Corinthians 00:12:58.440 --> 00:13:00.440 quite a few times before. Apologies for that. 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:03.639 But I remember looking at 2 Corinthians with 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:05.659 one person who was thinking about pastoral ministry. 00:13:05.759 --> 00:13:07.820 He went away on holiday, and he brought this 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:10.539 back for me. And to be honest, this has sat on 00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:13.379 my desk now for about 15, 20 years or so, and 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:17.580 it is a bit like looking in a mirror. To be honest, 00:13:17.620 --> 00:13:20.019 I'm surprised it's lasted that long, because 00:13:20.019 --> 00:13:25.200 let's be honest, it is pretty fragile. And Paul 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:27.659 says we have the glory of knowing God through 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:33.940 Jesus in bodies that are weak and fragile, stored 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:37.450 in people who emotionally go up and down. Stored 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:40.730 in people who get sick. Stored in people who 00:13:40.730 --> 00:13:48.029 get tired. People who cry. And Paul says God 00:13:48.029 --> 00:13:51.470 has done that for a reason. He's done that for 00:13:51.470 --> 00:13:53.730 a reason to show that the all -surpassing power 00:13:53.730 --> 00:13:58.490 is from God and not from us. I wonder whether 00:13:58.490 --> 00:14:00.970 you can imagine with me for a moment Super Christian. 00:14:02.210 --> 00:14:05.120 Super Christian never gets tired. Never gets 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:07.299 discouraged. Super Christian always knows the 00:14:07.299 --> 00:14:10.000 right thing to say in any given situation. Super 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.740 Christian is gloriously gifted. And after a while, 00:14:14.799 --> 00:14:17.600 people say of Super Christian, wow, they're amazing, 00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:22.179 aren't they? And Super Christian begins to think, 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:32.690 yeah, I am. And God won't let that happen. He 00:14:32.690 --> 00:14:36.269 puts this treasure in jars of clay to show that 00:14:36.269 --> 00:14:39.809 the all -surpassing power is from God and not 00:14:39.809 --> 00:14:44.649 from us. Can you imagine this passage means the 00:14:44.649 --> 00:14:46.450 world to me? Forgive me for being personal for 00:14:46.450 --> 00:14:49.169 a moment, but one of my earliest experiences 00:14:49.169 --> 00:14:51.870 of any form of Christian leadership was at university, 00:14:51.950 --> 00:14:53.929 being involved in leading a Christian union. 00:14:55.149 --> 00:14:57.649 And I remember particularly my last year at university. 00:14:58.429 --> 00:15:00.389 Various personal issues that I was wrestling 00:15:00.389 --> 00:15:03.230 with were sort of swamping me. Some of the pressure 00:15:03.230 --> 00:15:06.289 of CU leadership and coursework and so on. And 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:08.230 I vividly remember getting to that point of thinking, 00:15:08.389 --> 00:15:12.450 I just can't do this anymore. This was pre -email 00:15:12.450 --> 00:15:15.450 days, so I hand -wrote my letter of resignation. 00:15:17.509 --> 00:15:22.009 Left it on my desk. It so happened that was a 00:15:22.009 --> 00:15:23.789 Saturday night, Sunday morning, came around. 00:15:23.850 --> 00:15:25.870 To be honest, the last place I wanted to be was 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:29.000 church. But I was just in the pattern of it was 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.220 Sunday morning, so I went to church and heard 00:15:32.220 --> 00:15:35.820 2 Corinthians 4 preached. We have this treasure 00:15:35.820 --> 00:15:39.799 in jars of clay. And suddenly realized that actually 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:42.639 all the sort of turmoil or the emotional distress 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:45.120 I was experiencing, all the things that I thought 00:15:45.120 --> 00:15:47.899 disqualified me from any form of Christian leadership 00:15:47.899 --> 00:15:55.679 were part of the deal. I went back and tore the 00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:59.049 letter up. It's funny, if I suspect life would 00:15:59.049 --> 00:16:00.769 have been quite different had I not heard 2 Corinthians 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:05.110 4 that morning. But that's the way God works. 00:16:07.690 --> 00:16:10.370 And Paul describes what that will feel like. 00:16:12.190 --> 00:16:15.909 Hard pressed. You know, times where it just feels 00:16:15.909 --> 00:16:18.149 like the walls are closing in on us because of 00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:23.490 the various demands. And yet not crushed. Somehow 00:16:23.490 --> 00:16:29.259 the Lord does keep us going. Perplexed. There 00:16:29.259 --> 00:16:31.480 are times where you think, I'm not fully sure 00:16:31.480 --> 00:16:34.980 what the Lord is doing here. And just the confusion 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:40.879 of that. But not in despair. Because somehow 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:42.820 we have the confidence that in his sovereignty 00:16:42.820 --> 00:16:46.720 he's working all things for good. Persecuted. 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.740 That sense as though we feel pressure, opposition, 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:57.960 people attacking us. And yet not abandoned. Because 00:16:57.960 --> 00:17:02.100 we know that the Lord is always with us. Struck 00:17:02.100 --> 00:17:06.500 down. Somehow it feels as though we can't keep 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:09.380 going. And yet not destroyed, the Lord enables 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:15.259 us to get back up again. And that natural rhythm 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:20.480 is what Paul says is normal in Christian life 00:17:20.480 --> 00:17:22.880 and ministry. It is the normal experience of 00:17:22.880 --> 00:17:28.289 being a jar of clay. I've always found some of 00:17:28.289 --> 00:17:31.750 Hudson Taylor's letters home from China in the 00:17:31.750 --> 00:17:34.390 19th century as he began to lead the work of 00:17:34.390 --> 00:17:37.990 China in the mission deeply moving. Here's one. 00:17:38.849 --> 00:17:43.390 Pray for us. At times I seem altogether overwhelmed 00:17:43.390 --> 00:17:47.410 with the internal and external trials connected 00:17:47.410 --> 00:17:53.180 with our work. But... He has said, I will never 00:17:53.180 --> 00:17:55.880 leave you nor forsake you, and my strength is 00:17:55.880 --> 00:17:59.240 made perfect in weakness. Don't you love that? 00:17:59.619 --> 00:18:02.299 In many ways, I think the distinctive of Christian 00:18:02.299 --> 00:18:05.039 pressures, of Christian trials, is actually the 00:18:05.039 --> 00:18:09.980 ability to say but. You know, there's deep distress, 00:18:10.299 --> 00:18:13.460 but. Hard -pressed, but not crushed. I'm overwhelmed, 00:18:13.759 --> 00:18:18.160 but. He said, never will I leave you, never will 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:23.849 I forsake you. Some of you may well be in that 00:18:23.849 --> 00:18:28.450 sort of context now. I wonder whether you're 00:18:28.450 --> 00:18:31.950 able to say but. Not that it doesn't feel hard, 00:18:32.029 --> 00:18:36.349 not that there isn't deep distress, but somehow 00:18:36.349 --> 00:18:40.130 God is working out his purposes in this. And 00:18:40.130 --> 00:18:43.130 his purposes are actually to make us more like 00:18:43.130 --> 00:18:46.369 Jesus. Because as you look to verses 10 to 12, 00:18:46.430 --> 00:18:50.599 you see a rhythm taking place. We always carry 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:53.660 around in our body the death of Jesus, so the 00:18:53.660 --> 00:18:56.359 life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 00:18:56.839 --> 00:18:58.859 We who are alive are always being given over 00:18:58.859 --> 00:19:00.960 to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:03.480 be revealed in our mortal body. Death is at work 00:19:03.480 --> 00:19:05.920 in us, but life is at work in you. Let me encourage 00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:09.039 you with this. Paul, in each verse, verse 10, 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:11.599 verse 11, verse 12, describes ministry as a form 00:19:11.599 --> 00:19:17.519 of death. Hope that cheers you up. We always 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.460 carry around in our body the death of Jesus. 00:19:19.559 --> 00:19:24.480 Death is at work in us. There's no way of escaping 00:19:24.480 --> 00:19:28.000 the fact that as we seek to minister like Paul, 00:19:28.240 --> 00:19:33.160 death will be part of our experience. Death to 00:19:33.160 --> 00:19:36.660 pride, death to self -sufficiency, death to comfort. 00:19:36.859 --> 00:19:39.740 And in so doing, carrying around in our body 00:19:39.740 --> 00:19:42.920 the death of Jesus. It's like Paul says elsewhere, 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:49.880 becoming like him in his death. Perhaps we walk 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:54.220 towards other people's pain. We carry the emotional 00:19:54.220 --> 00:19:56.680 distress of the personal issues we're facing, 00:19:56.700 --> 00:19:59.279 and yet we're still seeking to minister to others. 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:03.940 My guess is I'm not telling you anything you 00:20:03.940 --> 00:20:06.059 don't know. All of us, my guests in the room, 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:08.240 will have had that sense of there is a death 00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:15.759 -like quality to ministry. And yet that's the 00:20:15.759 --> 00:20:20.940 way we become like Jesus. As we walk towards 00:20:20.940 --> 00:20:26.640 pain. And as we persevere. And as we keep going. 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:33.460 And yet do you notice how the rhythm works? We're 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:36.519 being given over to death for Jesus' sake. Carrying 00:20:36.519 --> 00:20:38.619 in our body the death of Jesus. Death is at work 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:41.440 in us. Why? Well actually in each verse there 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:45.579 is also life. so that the life of Jesus may be 00:20:45.579 --> 00:20:48.099 revealed in our body, so that his life may be 00:20:48.099 --> 00:20:50.579 revealed in our mortal body, in verses 10 and 00:20:50.579 --> 00:20:53.039 11. So it is as we go through that rhythm of 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.079 death, facing the emotional cost, persevering, 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:00.460 seeking to love others, that's how we become 00:21:00.460 --> 00:21:04.460 like him. That's how we become like Jesus. That's 00:21:04.460 --> 00:21:09.759 how his life is revealed in our mortal bodies. 00:21:13.099 --> 00:21:15.400 And I know there are times we wish there were 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:17.339 ways we could be more like Jesus without that 00:21:17.339 --> 00:21:22.480 rhythm of death and life. But there really aren't. 00:21:25.519 --> 00:21:28.640 But it's the way we become like him. And actually 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.559 it's the way that life comes to others. Do you 00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:35.710 notice the pattern? Death is at work in us, but 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:38.269 life is at work in you. So again, you think of 00:21:38.269 --> 00:21:41.890 Paul's experience, imprisoned, flogged, released, 00:21:42.150 --> 00:21:45.049 goes to the next place and faces persecution 00:21:45.049 --> 00:21:47.390 again. And you think, why do you keep giving 00:21:47.390 --> 00:21:53.369 yourself over to death, Paul? It's because that's 00:21:53.369 --> 00:21:55.049 the way life comes to people like the Corinthians. 00:21:57.890 --> 00:22:03.170 As we keep going and we keep giving. Of ourselves. 00:22:07.069 --> 00:22:10.410 Which means you're left essentially with this 00:22:10.410 --> 00:22:16.490 application. Those things that remind you that 00:22:16.490 --> 00:22:21.069 you're a jar of clay. Those things that at times 00:22:21.069 --> 00:22:24.630 leave you feeling hard pressed. Those things 00:22:24.630 --> 00:22:27.329 that make you feel perplexed. Those things that 00:22:27.329 --> 00:22:32.799 feel like death. Can I say don't resent them? 00:22:35.180 --> 00:22:40.019 I'm not saying you should enjoy them. But don't 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:43.700 resent them. Because they're part of the deal. 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:50.720 Over the years I've had people say, if only I 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:55.019 was slightly different. If only I were less shy, 00:22:55.220 --> 00:22:57.819 less reserved, more outgoing, I'd be such a better 00:22:57.819 --> 00:23:03.480 witness. If only I had a slightly stronger personality. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:08.680 If only I didn't have to wrestle with this illness. 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:16.019 Don't resent them. They're the ways he makes 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:21.339 us more like him. And enables us to remember 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:29.329 that the powers from him are not from us. One 00:23:29.329 --> 00:23:33.890 day we will be perfectly like Jesus. In the meantime, 00:23:33.990 --> 00:23:38.069 we are growing by the Spirit to be more like 00:23:38.069 --> 00:23:42.130 him. And it seems to me that the two ways that 00:23:42.130 --> 00:23:45.029 the Lord uses from 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, we 00:23:45.029 --> 00:23:47.769 become like him as we gaze on him. Whatever you 00:23:47.769 --> 00:23:53.569 do, get his glory in front of your gaze and delight 00:23:53.569 --> 00:23:58.119 in him and enjoy him. And we become more like 00:23:58.119 --> 00:24:01.539 him as we die like him. As we give ourselves 00:24:01.539 --> 00:24:05.140 over to death for his sake. So that life might 00:24:05.140 --> 00:24:22.599 come to others. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we gaze 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:28.869 on your glory. The glory of your perfect character. 00:24:31.609 --> 00:24:34.809 The glory now of your risen and ascended state. 00:24:37.529 --> 00:24:45.630 We gaze on your glory. And as we gaze on you, 00:24:45.750 --> 00:24:50.529 Lord, we want to be like you. We want to love 00:24:50.529 --> 00:24:57.440 like you. We want to be humble like you. And 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.420 so, Lord, we pray, please, as we gaze on you, 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:03.000 won't you work by your spirit to transform us 00:25:03.000 --> 00:25:06.160 with ever increasing glory into your image, we 00:25:06.160 --> 00:25:12.299 pray. And then, Lord, we see you heading towards 00:25:12.299 --> 00:25:19.660 Calvary. And in some ways, Lord, it is perhaps 00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:22.000 with a degree of hesitation that we say we want 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:27.329 to be like you. But Lord, we know that is the 00:25:27.329 --> 00:25:32.150 inevitable road we have to take. So please, Lord, 00:25:32.250 --> 00:25:36.049 help us to persevere in carrying around in our 00:25:36.049 --> 00:25:38.829 bodies your death, becoming like you in your 00:25:38.829 --> 00:25:44.089 death, we pray. That we would become more like 00:25:44.089 --> 00:25:49.049 you and so bring life to others, we ask. For 00:25:49.049 --> 00:25:51.730 your name's sake. Amen.