2 Corinthians 4:6-7 ESV
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
I. Treasure over Vessel
1. Paul lays out for us the difference between the treasure in the vessel and the vessel itself. In doing so he is urging us to value what is truly of value.
2. The context of 2 Cor. is the limitation of his human body (vessel) and how such limitations or weaknesses become occasions for the triumph of the treasure.
3. The Treasure Paul is referring to is the Presence of God within us, the revelation of the gospel (truth/knowledge), and the glory of God in and through us. The more we treasure, delight, and enjoy God the more God is glorified in us. When we treasure God above all else, we get the joy and God gets the glory.
4. I will attempt to:
(1) address the treasure and vessel issue on a personal level, as Jesus did in Matthew.
(2) address it at the church level as Paul does.
5. There are many things that bombard us, tempt us, seek to distract us, call to us to value or treasure them over the Presence of God. And though, there might be many Christ specifically addresses some important ones in His teaching on treasuring God.
Matthew 6:19-34 ESV
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
II. Jesus on Treasuring God
1. Not about Treasure but Treasuring (the capacity). To treasure something is a human capacity. To treasure nothing is a non-human condition. In fact, to more intimately know someone is to know what they really treasure. We all treasure something.
2. What we treasure reveals our deepest identity. It is where our “heart” is.. heart: the center of the human self. What we treasure determines the quality of our souls.
3. What we treasure we seek to secure. Jesus is practical at this point, warning us not to place our treasures in a place that is unsafe (decay and thieves) but teaches us to place our treasures in the most secure place. Thus, in a way, wind up serving.
4. We must pay careful attention to where we give our attention. The eye is the lamp of the body… that is what we give attention to grows and pervades our personhood.
5. Because we wind up serving what we treasure, we Cannot Treasure God And Mammon (wealth or prosperity). The person who serves mammon or prosperity, will have the anxiety and fear that goes along with it.
6. What we treasure we adjust our lives around, and fear losing or something happening to it. The more we treasure things on of the earth (temporal order) the more anxiety and fear we will have due to the vulnerability of these things.
7. We are to give our attention to seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (His inner goodness). The Gentiles worry about all these things and have the anxiety, fear, and restlessness that comes along with it. Our responsibility is to seek first what God is doing around us, join him in it, and seek the inner goodness of character that represents God. God’s job is to “add” these things to us.
8. Jesus has/is addressing our fears: provision for tomorrow, appearances, clothing and protection, some of the most basic elements of human life. (Being over-concerned with this body, this vessel makes us anxious and fearful, becoming preoccupied with our own provision and protection.)
9. However, the same principle of treasure and vessel applies to the church. Much of what we discuss, give attention to, and consider successful concerning our church experience is nothing more than distractions concerning the vessel.
III. Paul On The True Treasure of the Church
A. The New Testament’s Principles and Absolutes
1. The NT gives none or very little attention to such things like architecture, pulpits, lengths of sermons, or even sermons, rules for Sunday school, or how to do community groups, style of worship, lighting, order of worship, or times of church gatherings. There are no denominational camps, pastor conferences or board meeting minutes.
2. Those that strive to be a NT church must seek to live the principles and absolutes of the NT; not reproduce the details.
3. We must be vigilant not to become distracted and absorbed with vessel details. Even denominational details. We must not mistake them for the treasure of the real presence of Christ in our midst.
4. Please note: I am not saying that such things are of NO importance though some of them it is a close call.
5. I am saying two things:
(a) They are not the starting point or the essentials and foundational matters. And that is why the NT gives little or no attention to them.
(b) If we make them out to be essential or even very important- even if we do so practically, in the sense of spending most of our time on them- the local congregation will make little progress in terms of discipleship (sp. formation) of those who attend.
6. Vessel matters do not bring anyone to Christlikeness, whichever side one stands on. That is a proven fact of life. Just look and see.
B. How to avoid the Vessel trap
1. Vessels are necessary and unavoidable. They are a part of life. Jesus had a vessel, a Jewish one, which became a trap for the early church. The book Acts and the NT letters are records of how the church transcended these traps.
2. We can avoid making the vessel the treasure as well. We must identify the treasure without reference to any vessel, although the treasure will always have a vessel.
3. We can do this by adopting the principles and absolutes of the NT, with the natural outcome being and producing “children of light” (as Paul calls them) or sp. transformation by following Jesus’ institution in Matt. 28:18-20.
4. We don’t have to get it perfect or even “right” for God to bless it. Though being right is always better, as long as we don’t put confidence in that rightness.
5. Anyone who thinks God only blesses what is “right” has had a very narrow experience and probably does not understand what God has done for them.
C. God’s Plan for Spiritual Formation
1. Treasuring the Presence of God in our midst is to arrange our lives around what is most important to God.
2. That is to bring people to believe and enjoy, thus, glorifying God through the person and work of Christ.
3. This is what the Bible means by discipleship. 4. Jesus lays out an overview of the plan in the above Matt. 28:18-20.
(a) Because Jesus now has all authority on heaven and earth, we must go!
(b) Make disciples by first submerging people into the reality of the Trinitarian Presence of God. That is to help people see and come to trust in the love and faithfulness of the Father, the sacrifice and victory of the Son, and the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit.
(c) Then… teach them to obey all that I commanded.
James 1:2-5 ESV
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
IV. Conclusion
1. Wisdom is the ability to value the more valuable thing. (James 1:2-5)
2. We are all on journey learning to treasure God.
3. God has not asked us to something He is unwilling to do!
4. In Matt. 13:44 the Kingdom is the treasure in the field. In vs 45, the Kingdom is like the merchant in search of the pearl of great price. God gave His some to redeem the “pearl” that is the people of God; the church. He is asking us to value Him the way He has valued us!
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Each day this week take the time to pray and ask the Lord to teach you to treasure Him more.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: Our pursuit of God has, in many ways, been reduced to the pursuit of asking God to give us worldly treasure. The Kingdom of God is a sacrificial Kingdom that is built on the sacrifice of Jesus and the continued sacrifice of God’s sons and daughters.
Isa 33:6 He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.
Kingdom Treasure is found in a deeper pursuit of the things that truly matter. This true treasure of God’s Kingdom is central to the understanding that we are blessed to be a blessing!
We want to start our group meetings making room for conversation that brings confirmation that God is speaking to us all as we discuss what we are hearing from the Lord as a family:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
We all treasure something.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. What are some things you remembering treasuring as a child?
3. What are some things you have treasured as an adult?
4. What are the differences between the things you treasured as a child and the things you treasured as an adult?
What we treasure changes as we mature and grow in our perspective of understanding greater priorities in life.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
5. What stands out to you in the following verses?
2 Cor 4:5-7 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” 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. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. NIV
For Paul, the treasure was more important than the vessel. This meant that his human limitation was an occasion for God to display His glory and power. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ where God awakens God’s blessing in our lives and we release that blessing into the lives of others.
Gen 12:2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. NIV
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Purpose this week to bring God’s presence to real life in every realm of society and on every level of community. Here is how to do it:
BLESS:
B - Begin with prayer. I will practice God’s presence as I pray for people in my life and places I go.
L - Listen: I will listen to and discover the needs of others, the places where God is at work.
E - Eat: I will share meals. and spend time with others in my life.
Who can you eat with or have a coffee with that is far from God?
S - Serve: I will respond to the needs of others and help them in practical and impactful ways.
S - Story: I will share the story of Jesus and what he is doing in my life with others.