Sermon Tone Analysis

Unboxing Videos

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Once or twice a year, Apple Computer will release new products.

Anytime Apple releases a new product there are people buy it as early as possible, and then jump on the internet and give a review of … the packaging.

They ooh and awe over every aspect of the packaging.

They show the sleek plastic shrink wrap.

They point out the clean design of the box and the minimalistic writing on it.

They point out the simplicity of the design.

They carefully slice through the shrink wrap, the way a skilled baker slices through a wedding cake.

Being careful not to unnecessarily rip the wrapping.

They roll back the wrap, till they get to the seams of the box itself.

They carefully open the lid.

And there you see the product, the $1500 laptop.

This they carefully pull out … and push aside, because they’re not looking at that, they’re looking at the box.

They look at the placement of the instruction manual.

Their eyes feast on where the headphones are placed in the box, and how the power cord is elegantly wrapped.

They note that every part of the packaging has a specific home for every part of the product.

The whole process is ridiculous, because you didn’t spend $1500 to look at a box.

You bought it for the computer.

If you understand the misguidedness of the unboxing video of an apple product, then you can understand why Paul wrote this part of II Corinthians.

He was writing to a church that was more interested in the packaging then the treasure within it.

Paul had originally spent 2 years preaching in Corinth, establishing the church.

After he left, the church fell under the influence of false teachers.

They were proud about their sin.

They were proud of their gifts.

It was all about the individual.

And so, after being deceived by false teachers, Paul wrote his first letter to them, I Corinthians to correct their errors.

The letter was hard hitting.

It poked them in their eyes, and stepped on lots of toes.

Paul himself, was small man.

A weak man.

Frequently sick and ill.

Not a very powerful speaker.

And so, after teh letter, the relationship between him and Corinth was tested.

They started following super-apostles.

Men with greater influence.

Louder voices.

And stronger speeches.

They looked at the outside, and thought pretty packaging could make up for what the inside lacked.

And so, Paul writes II Corinthians almost as a biography.

A defense of his apostleship.

Trying to show, that though he is weaker, and not as entertaining as the super-apostle, his ministry is greater.

So he begins by spotlighting the treasure

He begins verse 7 by saying, “But we have this treasure ...”

What is the treasure?

It’s not the packaging.

It’s what’s in the packaging.

Going back to , he says, “”Therefore, since we have this ministry ...”

Verse 5 he says, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord ...”

This is the treasure.

Paul’s ministry is the treasure.

And what is his ministry?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Good News.

The announcement that there is peace with God in Christ Jesus.

When there is good news people want to hear it.

Your wife is pregnant, it’s a blessing; we want to hear it; you announce it.

When the baby is born, it’s a blessing; we want to hear it; you announce it.

The battle took place at Marathon

The wages of sin is paid for, we can be with God … we want to hear it; you announce it.

talks of this wonderful ministry of preaching the good news, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

And so Paul’s ministry is a treasure, because his ministry is announcing the gospel.

And the same goes for any of us who have the privilege of serving the Lord.

Which, if you’ve been paying attention for the past 12 weeks you would know is what all Christians are to do.

We all are to serve.

We all have this treasure.

In your life, in your possession, you have the greatest treasure there is.

You have been immensely blessed by God.

Don’t ever say God hasn’t blessed you, because if you are a Christian, you have the greatest treasure there is.

And so we go into this world, we wake up every morning knowing this.

You may have a rough day ahead of you at work.

The fridge may be freaking out.

The cat got sick in the middle of the night … in your shoes.

But you have the Gospel.

Eternal life is better.

Peace with God is better.

We have this treasure.

It’s not as if the package isn’t worth noting.

Apple Computer wants you to see their packaging.

It does look nice.

And it’s worth admiring.

At the same time, we have a treasure, and we are the packaging.

So let’s look at the packaging of this treasure.

In , it records Gideon and his attack upon the Midianites.

In that attack, God had winnowed Gideon’s army from 22,000 men to only 300.

They were to surround the Midian camp.

Not only was the army rather small, but the army wasn’t equipped for battle.

God had them stand outside the Midian camp, and they only thing they had for the battle was a trumpet in one hand, and a clay pitcher in the other.

Inside the clay pitcher was a torch.

And when the order was given, the 300 men were to smash their clay pitchers, display the torches, and cry out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”

Those clay pitchers were supposed to be a package for the light.

And when the time came, those weak clay pitchers could be easily crushed, and the light from the torch would shine out.

That is the ministry that we have.

One verse previous in our text in II Corinthians, in verse 6, Paul says, “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

And in the same way, we act as clay pitchers, clay pots, to hold onto the Gospel and shine it out into the world around us.

But that packaging … it’s weak.

He says we are earthen vessels, or jars of clay.

We are weak vessels meant to contain the light and shine when the hour is needed.

In biblical days there were different types of jars.