The Unseen Power of the Gospel

SEEN VS. UNSEEN
from II Corinthians 4

• Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers
• God made His light to shine in our hearts
• jars of clay
• with a treasure inside
• hardpressed
• BUT NOT crushed
• perplexed
• BUT NOT in despair
• persecuted
• BUT NOT abandoned
• struck down
• BUT NOT destroyed
• always carry the death of Jesus
• SO THAT the life of Christ may be revealed
• always being given over to death
• SO THAT His life may be revealed
• outwardly wasting away
• inwardly renewed day by day
• light and momentary troubles
• eternal weight of glory
• temporary
• eternal
• seen
• unseen

II Corinthians 4:18, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

If you like starting your day with happy thoughts, reading the Bible may not be your best option

I have often been told that it is good to start your day off with reading the Bible.  So this morning I read the book of Judges.  How can I put this without being irreverent . . . it sure felt like a lousy way to start my day . . .

The 12 tribes of Israel have settled in the promised land.  Their leader Joshua dies in the first couple chapters, and everyone starts doing what is right in their own eyes.  The stories in the book are tragic and gruesome.  Even the "good heros" that preserve Israel are "bad" people.

Take the popular story of Samson as an example.  He is an immoral, arrogant man who when angered takes vengeance by killing hundreds of men at a time--and he is one of the "better" characters.  But we have to seriously consider how we are telling this Bible story to kids (and adults) in Sunday school.  Samson was a bad man that God used to preserve his chosen people.  We should never aspire to be like Samson, but we should cling to the hope that if God can use Samson he can use us too.

The book closes with an awful story that illustrates how vile the 12 tribes had become as they ignored God and did what was right in their own eyes.  You finish the book feeling disappointed, dirty, and defeated. What hope can their be?  But thankfully Judges is just one act in God's drama.  Hope is coming.

So it felt like a lousy way to start my day, but I suppose I would get a similar feeling starting my day reading the morning paper.  Political parties slinging mud--murders--wars--rumors or wars--economic depression--corrupt leaders--corrupt political systems.  However, one thing that Judges highlights that the newspaper does not is that God is at work through it all.  He has given us a free-will to do what is right in our eyes or to do what is right in His eyes.  Sadly Judges and the paper generally report on the tragic stories of doing what is right in our eyes, but both leave us longing for someone to come and make it all right.  It is fitting that Ruth is the next book.

I believe; help my unbelief

Mark 9:24 captures the struggle that is faith . . . I believe . . . at least I think I believe . . . I want to believe . . . how can I tell if I really believe . . . it is so hard to believe . . .

"I believe; help my unbelief."

In Mark 9 a father brought his demon possessed son to Jesus with the hope that Jesus could make his son well.  Jesus' response to the father was, "all things are possible for the one who believes." To which the father responds, "I believe; help my unbelief."  Jesus then heals his son.

The father's response resonates with me because it is honest.  He doesn't try to fool anyone. His son's life is on the line; if I were him I would of put on a face of total belief--I would have left off those last 3 words.  But the father defaults to the path of total transparency--I believe, but honestly there is a little doubt floating around in the back of my head about who you are Jesus, and about how you are going to act in this circumstance; help my unbelief.

At times it can feel like there is very little room for doubt in Christian circles.  It can feel like everyone is running on a full tank of faith, and if that is the case you feel like keeping quiet about your quarter tank.

I wish we could all be more like the father in this story.  I wish we could be more open about our belief AND our unbelief.  I know it's true for me.  I know I believe (after all I am a pastor) but the gas gage of faith is not always full.  Faith is difficult to understand; it is difficult to exercise; it is difficult to discuss.  So with that understanding, lets be honest about the struggle--and like we see in the story, Jesus will work in spite of our unbelief.

weakness

I just finished reading I Corinthians from beginning to end in one sitting.  Paul instructs the church at Corinth in many different topics ranging from the role of women in church to spiritual gifts to the resurrection of Jesus.  But at the beginning and the end of his letter Paul highlights the contrast that defines God's work in this world--In 1:27 he states that God uses the weak to shame the strong, and in 15:43 that what is sown in weakness is raised in power.

God is in the business of using our weaknesses to shame the strong and to demonstrate HIS power.

So as you read through I Corinthians and see the issues present in that church--divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, broken marriages, cultural clashes, idolatry, inappropriate use of the Lord's table, misunderstandings about spiritual gifts, disorderly services, etc.--one can't help but wonder if the Corinthian christians felt pretty weak by the end of the letter.  I imagine they read it and thought, "wow, we have a lot of work to do!"

As I look at the status of the American church today, I can't help but think, "wow, we have a lot of work to do!" But recognizing our weakness is a good first step, because God is in the business of using our weaknesses to shame the strong and demonstrate HIS power.

As I look at my life, I know that I have a lot of work to do.  I know that I am weak, but I also know that my weakness can be raised in power.

what moved Jesus

Mark 1:41, Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him
Mark 3:5, And he looked around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart
Mark 6:6, And he marveled because of their unbelief
Mark 6:34, When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd
Mark 8:2, I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now 3 days and have nothing to eat

Pity, anger, grief, marvel, compassion . . .

Mark's gospel is helping me develop a fuller view of Jesus.  And if I truly want to be more like Jesus, I have to ask myself:
Am I moved with pity as I observe the sufferings and misfortunes of others?
Do hardened hearts anger and grieve me?
As I see so many lost souls struggling to make sense of this world, does it move me with compassion?
Do I have compassion for the hungry?

Do the things that moved Jesus move me?