The Gospel Never Changes

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4

Introduction

• It seems like the world around us is changing faster and faster
• If you are the age that most of us are in here today, you remember:

Not everyone had indoor plumbing.

You probably shared your telephone connection on a party line with neighbors

Your TV got three channels in two colors: black and white

Practically everybody smoked cigarettes everywhere.

Gasoline was as low as 29 cents/gallon

When there was no internet and no cell phones

If you found an empty soda bottle, you could turn it in for a few cents.

Your word processor was a typewriter that you used to put letters on paper

• A lot has changed. And every time we think we have it figured out; something changes.
• Take language, for example, have you ever seen such an alphabet soup of abbreviations?
• I mean what’s wrong with just saying the words?
• And weird sayings like “throwing shade”, or “gaslighting” or “bougee” or “epic” or “lit”.
• I’m not sure I even speak English anymore. How about you?
• Yes, change is unrelenting, and it makes us uncomfortable and unsettled. Off-balance.
• Probably causes a lot of anxiety and stress – something that seems to be prevalent today.
• With all this change in the world, we need something solid that we can hang onto.
• We need an anchor to keep us from just drifting aimlessly through life.
• Fortunately, God has given us just such an anchor: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• Gospel simply means “good news” and the good part is that we can always count on it.
• There are three things that the never-changing Gospel does for us:

1. God’s light shines through the Gospel
2. The Gospel shines through us
3. We are being renewed by the Gospel

1. God’s light shines through the Gospel

• Paul writes in this, his second letter to the Corinthians, recognition and encouragement.
• 1 Corinthians was a rather scathing, corrective action letter renouncing their behavior.
• But now, 2 Corinthians is a celebration where they have turned things around and are on the right track.
• He is validating that the Corinthian church is staying true to the Gospel ministry.
• Their message has not been altered or presented in any way deceptively.
• They haven’t watered down or distorted the Word of God.
• Paul is recognizing the value in presenting the truth of the Gospel plainly.
• They can have good conscience in the sight of God that they are staying true to the Word.
• Paul says in verse 3: “even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.”
• Not everyone is going to understand the Gospel no matter how plain and clear we make it
• In verse 4, he says: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
• This applies to us now, 2000 years later; some people are still unwilling to hear the truth.
• And what is often the church’s answer to this? Make the message more appealing.
• Yes, CHANGE the message to suit the unbelievers instead of presenting it correctly.
• The nonbelievers are what needs to change; not the message!!
• In verse 5, Paul tells us how we should preach the Word:

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

• As ministers of the Gospel, and I include all of you with me in this; we need to preach what the Word tells us to preach – not what we want to say. I pray I never forget this.

2. The Gospel shines through us

• In Genesis 1:3, God said: “Let there be light and God saw that the light was good”
• God brought Jesus as light into a dark world filled with hate and destruction.
• And now, for those of us who are believers in the Gospel, we are called to bring that light
• Paul says in verse 6:

God 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

• The good news of Jesus Christ should be shining out of us as individuals and as a church.
• We’re not here to judge the darkness – only to bring the light.
• Even Jesus did not come to judge – John 3:17:

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

• Nevertheless, we face challenges as humans, and we are breakable.
• Paul compares us to “jars of clay.” What can happen to a jar of clay?  They are breakable
• Paul makes the point that what we accomplish must be from God so that He gets the glory.
• I can relate to this because much of what goes on around here must come from God.
• Sometimes we may even feel like we are at our breaking point, but Paul says in verse 8-9:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

We are perplexed, but not in despair;

We are persecuted, but not abandoned;

We are struck down, but not destroyed.

• That is to say: life in Christ is not without its challenges as we have certainly learned.
• When we are faced with challenges, it is in the way we handle these challenges that bring God glory.
• When I feel overwhelmed and tired and stressed, do you know what I do? (Not the beach)
• I stop and think about all the stuff that God is doing in this church, and I am encouraged.
• So, in that way, like the Corinthian church, you are shining the light of the power of God.
• I know it’s not just me that you inspire because we have 1600 followers on Facebook.
• We’re just a fragile clay vessel, but we are powered by God and led by the Holy Spirit.
• We are the light of Jesus Christinto a dark world filled with hate and destruction.

3. We are being renewed

• Because we are living in mortal bodies that do break down, as Paul says: “we always carry around in our body the death of Jesus.”
• We carry the death of Christ so that the life of Jesus can be revealed in us.
• We are in a constant state of renewal as our former life dies out and is replaced by Christ.
• For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.
• In verse 12, Paul says: “So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.”
• The world is constantly evolving and changing and trying to mold us in its image.
• But, as believers, God is constantly working to bring us into HIS image.
• His image is fixed and never changing; it is perfect and final and eternal.
• If we believe in the Gospel our faith is rooted in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
• And just as He raised Himself from the dead, He will raise each of us to be with Him.
• This is the mighty grace of God that He freely gives us through His love.
• Verse 15: “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”
• God is working through us and renewing us so that we can do the work of reaching others
• As we struggle with concerns about money or other resources, God is shaping us.
• In our weakness, God is creating new opportunities for OTHERS to step in and help.
• Paul says in verse 16: “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day”.
• God has created a struggle and a challenge for us here so people can be drawn in to help.
• Think about it: “if everything was easy and we had everything under control, why would God send us more help?”
• Instead, He is building something that is bigger than all of us that we can’t yet imagine.
• We worry in our frailty – our clay vessels – but God is doing a mighty work here.
• Paul tells us inverse 17:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

• The work we do is not for any of our benefit, but instead shines a light on Jesus Christ.
• I don’t know about you, but I’m a different person than I was when I got here.
• God has renewed my faith in what a church CAN do when it looks outside itself to God.
• I know God is working on some of you as well because not just me lost faith in church.
• We have several here who have found something new.
• Do we sometimes face issues and concerns? Yes of course.
• We need to keep our focus on God and not dwell on our issues.
• The Gospel never changes and we are a church of the Gospel.
• Finally, as Paul closes this chapter to the Corinthians:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal..