The Spirit of Faith
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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2 Corinthians 4:13-15
2 Corinthians 4:13-15
For context sake, lets examine
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.
God put this permanent gift in such temporary containers. Crackpots. Corinth was famous for its beautiful bronze vessels, Paul says you are the throw away clay pots, the dixie cups that god puts his glory in.
In spite of these weaknesses, the enemy just can’t defeat us. Not completely.
Paul and others with and like him, were willing to die, for the gospel. Thats how important this message is to God. That those that love him, would lose their lives, to bless him.
Even when the evangelists dies, the message that goes out is powerful. Death is worth the eternal life we give away in that sacrifice.
Kill us, the message gains more lives. Suffering makes our roots run deep. The gospel gets its hold on us. And we die, praying that even those that kill us come to know Him and know the life of glory in Christ.
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
Lets look at 1. The Same Spirit 13 2. Same Faith 14, 3. Same Grace 15.
It was the mighty power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in Him by which Jesus overcame the world—and that same quiet power, if it dwells in us, will make us win the same victory by faith.
Good Cheer From Christ’s Victory Over The World, Volume 58, Sermon #3285 -John 16:33
Charles Spurgeon
This is that same spirit
13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak,
Turn to psalm 116. Same spirit of? Is this holy spirit or is this a work of the holy spirit, or simply a sameness or aligned with in agreement? Seems to be that last. We use the same terminology, the spirit of peace, gentleness, love, etc. The spirit of faith is corresponding with what the Psalm says
Same heart that the writer had in Psalm 116:1–7 “I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. 2Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live. 3The pains of death surrounded me, And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!” 5Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. 6The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.” Psalm 116:8–13 “For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling. 9I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living. 10I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11I said in my haste, “All men are liars.” 12What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? 13I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.”
What shall I render to the Lord for all of it? I will be saved, by calling on who He is.
We spoke because we believed. It was a natural process - turn to Romans 10:5–13 “For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”” back to 2 co
this is the ...
The Same Faith
14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
Philosophies and ideologies are just that. The thoughts and intentions of men. We believe in a historic and real Jesus that truly was crucified and rose from the dead (according to testimony) Turn to: Colossians 2:6–10 “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Turn Romans 8
The bible speaks of the resurrection as evidentiary fact. Just wasn't a ghost or mirage. He wasn't a hallucination that appeared to over 500 people over days.
Turn to Mark 16 and lets read of the resurrection account Mark 16:5–15 “ when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. 12After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country. 13And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either. 14Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ”
Jesus resurrected. So will we. That knowledge changes how we face things, the decisions we make, what we will face, etc. Romans 8:9–11 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
When we share the gospel, we are blessed, but we don’t save anyone. Jesus does. And when we rise from the dead, we will all be raised together. Presented he says
What does he mean, presented? He used the same language in 2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” the idea is marriage, holiness, chasteness. We are presented as such because of what Jesus has done/doing. Colossians 1:28–29 “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
And the conduit that brings us to this rising from the dead, is faith. Trust. Leaning, hoping, knowing. Ephesians 2:8–10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” So same Spirit, Faith and now
The Same Grace
15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.
God has us doing this, for you. So that this grace, having spread through so many, would make us all give thanks, to abound to the glory of God.
Just a cursory reading of Acts shows us how the gospel spread in some places like wildfire (too soon?). Especially amongst the Jews in the beginning (by the thousands Acts 4:4). Notice how the scriptures consider them to be believers the very moment they accepted Jesus as their savior. This is the blessing of grace.
It wasn’t just the apostles & prophets but those filled with the holy spirit sharing His grace everywhere. Like the millionaire throwing money around,
Paul has been exposed to so much suffering that he looks like death. Some Corinthians doubted that the reign of Christ could ever triumph through such a weak and perishable apostle whose life always seemed to be at risk.
David E. Garland
2 Timothy 2:10 “Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” Your salvation is worth everything. Get that. If I died sharing the Gospel somewhere, God sees that as worth it. Not as failure, but winning. Suffering and continuing in the faith show clearly the power of God at work in our lives.
All this suffering was for the benefit of all the body of Christ.
What spread is grace. Salvation as we saw in Eph 2:8-9 earlier, was poured out on all of us that trusted His provision. Psalm 50:23 “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”” There is no work or law, that can apprehend what is freely given. Receive what He offers you!
earlier he had said, 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
How would we think of anything else but thanks? How could I presume on God, to make my life perfect, without fear, without pain, when He says the greatest of thanks is given for those who would give their lives for all? Matthew 16:25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Paul says he suffered for them and suffered for Jesus. They are both true because The church and Christ are one. We are in Him, He in us.
And because of this, he is our everything, our guarantee, is not because we earn anything, but because we have jesus, not a mythology, but in reality, Jesus Ephesians 1:12–14 “12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Now, what will we look at next time? What is this Christian life for? Lets read it and we will examine it next week.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.