141: Christian Russell - Exhortation: When I Am Week, I Am Strong

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   Welcome to Good Christadelphian Talks. I'm Levi. And I'm Chris. And I'm Brian. Thank you for joining us this week. On this podcast, we select one talk a week to help us get the Bible in our daily news feed. We post a new episode at the start of each week, with a short intro beforehand to kind of set the stage for the talk you're about to listen to.

2. 0:33

   And now, let's talk more about this week's talk. Hello and welcome back. It's nice to have you for another talk this week. This week, we're listening to an exhortation that was given by Brother Christian Russell a few weeks ago at the Verdugo Hills Ecclesia. And I remember when I was listening to it, it was just a perfect encapsulation of kind of the feeling that I know I was personally going through and I felt like some of the other people in my life were feeling.

3. 1:11

   And the title of this exhortation is, when I am weak, I am strong. And it was an excellent reminder by using the story and the lesson from Gideon taken from Judges chapter 6, if you want to flip through it to remind yourself, that God works through our weaknesses rather than through our strengths when it comes to serving out his purpose.

4. 1:36

   And I found it to be really profound because so many times there have been cases either where you think you really have the way to solve a problem and what you think is the best solution, God has a tremendous way of showing you is not the solution. And at the same point, at your lowest points, when you feel you're weakest, can be the times when God will work the greatest wonders in your life through what he is doing.

5. 2:04

   And one of the points that Brother Christian made in his exhortation that I really found profound is, it isn't about being the most qualified in our own eyes, but being qualified in God's eyes. And for that, it's the willing spirit, the willing to do whatever is necessary, the willing to just jump in and do it, whether or not we think we are ready or the right person to do whatever it is that needs to be done.

6. 2:29

   And in his exhortation, he's looking at the story, like I said, the story of Gideon. And it just serves as a really good look into that story and the lessons that we can take from that life and what was going on and how we can live our lives. There have been lots of things that have happened over the past year and a half that has forced a lot of us out of our comfort zone.

7. 2:54

   Again, we may be forced out of those comfort zones as things seem to be transitioning again. And we need to remember that just because we feel uncomfortable doesn't mean that we need to pull back, but instead it's through those weak moments, those moments where we don't know how to solve the problem that God can do tremendous things in our lives.

8. 3:15

   I just found this to be a really good reminder of that. As a guy, it can be a tendency to think that I can solve all of my own problems, and this is a good reminder that you don't always have to have the solutions. God is in control, and sometimes not having the solution puts you right in the perfect position to be able to let God take control and guide the path that you need to be on.

9. 3:39

   So I really enjoyed this exhortation. I hope that you find it useful and encouraging, and it helps you in your walk. As always, thank you for all the suggestions, recommendations, and the feedback that we get. We appreciate hearing from everybody. If you like the talk, if you want to hear more about a particular speaker or a particular topic, send it on in, and we'll try to do what we can to make it happen.

10. 4:02

    So thank you again for always, and I hope that this was an encouragement to you. So with that, I will turn it over to Brother Christian Russell for his exhortation, When I am weak, I am strong.

11. 4:16

    Good morning, dear loved ones in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a pleasure to be with you here again this morning. Thank you, Mark, as well, for reading that passage from the NIV. You're right, the tone of the conversation comes across a little bit more helpfully. In 2 Corinthians 12, when Paul describes his weakness, his thorn in the flesh, he also shares with his reader that he had appealed to God three times to remove it.

12. 4:48

    But God determined that he wouldn't because as God reveals to him, my strength is made perfect in weakness. Now, brothers and sisters, that statement by God to Paul is a spiritual principle which runs throughout the scriptures. A principle which must have been on Paul's mind as he was writing his letter to the church in Corinth, because just a couple of verses later, Paul repeats it when he says, When I am weak, then I am strong.

13. 5:19

    And earlier in the letter, in chapter 4, Paul also reminded them, using words that bear a close resemblance to the story we're going to look at in Judges, when he says, We have this treasure in earthen vessels, in order to show that the excellence of the power is of God and not from us.

14. 5:42

    He paints a picture for us, doesn't he, of a terracotta pot in that passage, and a treasure that has been placed in it, with the lesson that we might see that the power is of God and not from us. In other words, whatever we think our strength is, it is not ours. Whatever we think our value is, it is not find in what we think it is.

15. 6:05

    Brothers and sisters, I will come back to this verse at the end of the exhortation, but I would really like to speak this morning to those of us who often feel overwhelmed, the weakness of the flesh, to those of us who feel incapable or inadequate in some way, especially when it comes to our opportunities to serve God.

16. 6:28

    And I hope that we can be exhorted by what God exhorts to Paul at the start of verse 9 in 2 Corinthians 4, when he says, My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. In other words, brothers and sisters, it is in those times that we feel inadequate or incapable or insufficient that we might see the grace of God at work in our lives.

17. 6:58

    And that it is in those times that we will find that God is adequate, that he is capable and that he is sufficient. And that's all we need. And recognizing this feeling is common in individuals and in families and certainly in the ecclesial family, God gives us out of his infinite wisdom and in his scriptures, many examples of his servants who are brought to a discovery of this truth, that it is our weakness.

18. 7:25

    It is in our weakness that we discover God's strength. We also discover, of course, don't we, the opposite. Examples of when man tries to build up his own strength, when he tries to discover who he is and what he is, to be the master of his own destiny, that man is actually the least useful in God's service.

19. 7:46

    So the principle we are looking at then this morning is, when I am weak, then I am made strong. Perhaps you're already thinking of some examples in scripture which demonstrate this principle. But it is in the story of Gideon that we have a clear illustration. And also, I think, the story upon which Paul bases his exitation in 2 Corinthians.

20. 8:11

    So if you keep where you are from the readings, maybe just turn back a chapter and to Judges chapter 5, we'll start there. And I'm going to have to rely on the fact that you're familiar with some of the details of the story of Gideon, because we don't really have the time to go into detail.

21. 8:27

    But I do want to look at two aspects of weakness in this story. The first is the weakness of the man. The second is the weakness of the people. And also at the occasions of God's grace that was revealed to Gideon in those times. There's more, but we just don't have time to look at them.

22. 8:49

    So to set the context for the story of Gideon, what do we see at the very end of chapter 5? What we see in the very last sentence, after the story of Deborah and Barak, it says they had peace for 40 years. But after Othniel, then Ehud, then Shamgar, and now Deborah, we see that the nation is stuck in a cycle, a cycle of faithlessness, leading to sin, leading to oppression, leading to repentance, leading to redemption, leading to peace, leading to complacence, and leading to faithlessness again.

23. 9:28

    So just when you thought that they'd maybe started to understand the cycle, just when you thought that they'd figured it out, just when you thought that they'd figured out the path to national peace and stability would simply be one of trust and obedience to the Lord, we turn the page, and here we go again, chapter 6, verse 1, and the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

24. 9:49

    And so for seven years, God gave them into the hands of the Midianites, and they were oppressed, and they're attacked, and they're invaded. And it's not until they get to the point where they acknowledge that they need help from God, that they acknowledge that they can't do it by their own strength, until they cry out to the Lord for rescue, that we see the Lord step in.

25. 10:09

    And so we see at the start of the story of Gideon, brothers and sisters, we see Israel at a national level in precisely this same human state. They are weak and overwhelmed. In fact, we read in verse 2 that they were sheltering in mountain clefts and hiding in caves, which surely tells us something else, doesn't it?

26. 10:35

    It says that they lived in fear. And so we meet Gideon. Judges chapter 6, verse 11 again. Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree, which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites.

27. 10:59

    Now we immediately sense the weakness of the man hiding in a winepress, threshing wheat. Perhaps we can imagine Gideon even looking over his shoulder, nervous that he'd been discovered. Verse 12, And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, O you mighty man of valor, or mighty warrior, as the NIV says.

28. 11:21

    Now Gideon's initial response, we can read in different ways, but I choose to think that it gives us a glimpse of his faith, of why God put his hand upon him. A glimpse that Gideon understood what was going on, and that he was waiting for the Lord to deliver them. His eyes, if you like, were in the right place.

29. 11:41

    He says, But sir, if the Lord is with us, why are we in this mess? Where are all his miracles, which our fathers told us about, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And so the angel replies, verse 14, Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.

30. 12:06

    Have I not sent you? And then comes the response from the heart of Gideon, verse 15, But Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. In other words, you have the wrong man, surely. My name is Gideon. I come from a small clan in a small tribe.

31. 12:34

    I'm at the bottom of the family tree. There's going to be nothing that I can do to help. Brothers and sisters, it's as if the Lord is looking down upon the whole nation of Israel, and he looks down upon one of the smallest of all of the clans, and one of the smallest of the families, and upon the insignificant member of the family at that, and he says, Gideon, I choose you.

32. 12:53

    To which Gideon reveals that he is a man most painfully aware of his weakness and his insignificance. Now, brothers and sisters, while God saw something special in Gideon, I also want to make it clear that this exhortation is not about Gideon. We do well to remember that God's purpose from the beginning, with any of these stories, that God's purpose from the beginning has been to redeem for a people his very own, that his focus through time has been upon those people who are his own, and that none of those whom he is called to serve, not Gideon, not Elijah, not Elisha, have any significance outside of the plan and the purpose of God.

33. 13:43

    And it's important that we understand this because it serves as a reminder in a world that is increasingly focused on strength and on status and on standing, that is increasingly preoccupied with individualism and with personality and with identity. It reminds us that it is only in the context of his master plan that we as individuals find significance.

34. 14:07

    And so I will say again, the exhitation is not about Gideon, but it is about the grace of God at work in the life of Gideon. So here then is a lesson for those of us who lack confidence, for those of us who think that we can only serve when we are ready to serve, when we are sufficiently trained and experienced or capable.

35. 14:33

    Brothers and sisters, what would it change if we understood that it's not about that at all? That it's not about whether we're ready. It's not about whether we are trained. It's not about whether we are sufficiently experienced or that we have been voted the most likely to succeed or the one with the greatest significance and influence.

36. 14:54

    Because it may not actually be whether we are the most qualified to do the work at all. You see, Gideon clearly didn't think of himself as the obvious choice for the task, but he was certainly God's choice. And so Gideon is no different from any other man or woman of faith who have been called by God, who have been elected and who have elected to be his children and are being brought to a place or a situation or a circumstance where we must discover that we have not been called because of some strength or some sufficiency within us.

37. 15:30

    But it is our faith and our trust that he seeks. And it is in that faith, despite our weakness, that we discover God's strength and, like Gideon and like Paul, to discover God's grace. In fact, just look at how the story continues because I think Gideon nails it. And this to me is another glimpse into the faith of Gideon.

38. 15:57

    Judges chapter 6, verse 16. Then Gideon said, If now I have found favor in your sight, then show me a sign that it is you who talks with me. I hope you notice the key word in Gideon's request because we always like to focus on the request for a sign, don't we? And so here, we focus on the sign that he's asking for.

39. 16:22

    But we rarely talk about his request because the key I'm referring to is not that he asks for a sign, but that he asks for grace. Look at what he says again carefully. If I have found favor in your sight, show me a sign that it is you who talks with me. It's the Hebrew word hen, mostly translated in the Old Testament as grace.

40. 16:49

    And the picture that is painted for us as a lexicon of the word grace is one of a master or a king, someone with power and authority or great wealth, bending down or stooping down to show kindness to one who is low. Here, brothers and sisters, in Judges 6 is the only time this word is used in the entire period of the Judges.

41. 17:12

    And so not only does the angel show Gideon a sign, but he shows Gideon grace in doing so, stooping down in kindness, so to speak, because this man has acknowledged his weakness before the Lord. Now, signs are a particular feature of this man's life, and that's okay. The problem is that we tend to end up spending hours of our time debating what they mean, whether we would or we wouldn't have asked for a sign ourselves.

42. 17:43

    I would have done this. I would have asked for that. I wouldn't have asked for that. But if we do that, brothers and sisters, we start to miss the point. You see, this is what happens when we strain over the lessons of the fleece, or when later in the story we strain over the details of those in chapter 7 who lapped the water versus those who knelt to drink.

43. 18:03

    Because what we're actually trying to do is identify the traits of the 300 who were chosen for the battle so that we can emulate them as if God was helping Gideon to whittle it down to an elite commando unit of 300. And we want to be a member of that elite commando unit, don't we?

44. 18:21

    Of course we do, brothers and sisters, but we need to be careful that we don't read too much into some things that we're told nothing about. Not only because conjecture is not always helpful, but because the point of the story is actually not about finding sufficiency in ourselves. The point of it is not about becoming a member of a fit and alert fighting force.

45. 18:42

    Again, it's about discovering that God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. And it's about discovering that God's grace is sufficient. And so the sooner we accept this truth and turn in faith to God, the only one who can provide what is sufficient, the sooner we can get on with things. And so if the picture of grace is stooping down in kindness to one who is lowly or in need to enable his servant to do something that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do, then surely the story of Gideon is an illustration of God's grace at work.

46. 19:22

    In fact, the more I look at the story of Gideon, the more I find the whole thing, frankly, a reassuring reminder that God is a gracious father who, when he puts his hand upon the life of his servant, to use him in his service is more than able to deal with the uncertainties that that servant feels, to deal with all of our doubts.

47. 19:42

    And you see here in Judges, God knows that what he is asking Gideon to do is something that Gideon has never done. And he knows that it's not easy. After all, Jesus didn't say that with God, all things are easy, did he? He said that with God, all things are possible. God knows that Gideon needed the confidence to believe that God's strength could be made perfect in his weakness, to step forwards from his small tribe, from his small family, and at the bottom of the heap to lead the people.

48. 20:15

    It was something that Gideon had never done. And so the Lord reassures Gideon's faith to do the work with signs. And with, in chapter 6, 28, with his faith buoyed up, he cuts down that Asherah pole and the altar to Baal. And then in verse 34, at the end of the, towards the end of the chapter, the spirit comes upon Gideon and he blows a trumpet and the people assemble to fight.

49. 20:45

    And now comes the bigger test of Gideon's faith. Now, just for context, in chapter 7, verse 12, it tells us that the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts and their camels were without number as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

50. 21:06

    Wow, that's a lot of people. And Gideon takes command of the army and perhaps he does a quick count. I know I would have. And you can imagine Gideon maybe thinking, okay, we have 32,000 men. We might be able to do this. But then there's another aspect to this test that is going to make the challenge even more difficult for Gideon.

51. 21:28

    And it's not because God is being harsh and it's not because God is giving Gideon a hard time because he asked for signs. It's not because he wants to test Gideon. It's because of the weakness of the people. The weakness of the people. Judges chapter 7, verse 2, if you take a quick look at that.

52. 21:48

    And the Lord said to Gideon, you have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands. And I imagine Gideon rubbing his eyes and saying, what? Can you run that by me again? I have too many? But note carefully what God gives Gideon because God gives Gideon something very valuable. He gives him insight.

53. 22:15

    He reveals to him in the second half of verse 2, he says, the people who are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands lest Israel claim glory for itself against me saying, my own hand has saved me. Brothers and sisters, God is well aware of the pride that exists in men's hearts.

54. 22:38

    And at the times when we seek to take the glory to ourselves and deny that glory to God. And God knew that yet again, it would be the case with the children of Israel. The temptation would be for them to say, didn't we do a wonderful job and become self-reliant? And so the magnitude of the challenge that Gideon was being asked to do was not because of Gideon, but because of the weakness of the nation of Israel.

55. 23:06

    And we see the grace of God revealed to Gideon by giving Gideon this private and confidential insight into the situation for Gideon to be able to see it just the way that God saw it. God could have simply ordered Gideon to do it or chastened him for having doubts or questions or for hesitating or for asking for signs.

56. 23:29

    But instead, God shows his grace when he stoops down to reveal to his servant the reason to provide him with the necessary insight. and that sure changes everything. Brothers and sisters, have we not also been given special insight to see the things the way God sees them? It is so valuable for us to know his plan and his purpose and to know the reason why.

57. 23:59

    And it changes everything. So God is careful to grant them deliverance in such a way as to show them that it has nothing to do with how many they are. But in a way that no one will be left in any doubt as to why it happened. Because God wants to ensure that his people know why they won.

58. 24:24

    That they know the source of their victory. As Paul says, that this surpassing power is not from us but from God. And so how does God do it? God removes 99% of Gideon's men in order to accomplish the victory with literally 1% of the original number. And that's not a unique story. There's many occasions where God narrows the numbers down, where people are overwhelmed 400 to 1, 450 to 1.

59. 24:56

    God narrows it down to literally 1%. And he does it here in two stages. First, they follow the provisions within the law. If you turn to Deuteronomy 20, it's worth taking a look at. It's not too far away. Just a few pages back. Deuteronomy 20 and at verse 1, we want to read for ourselves the law.

60. 25:20

    And what we'll see is amazing because what we discover is it's all right there in the law. Their weakness, God's strength, and God's grace. Look at what it says. Deuteronomy 20, verse 1. When you go out to battle against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them.

61. 25:45

    This is precisely the situation that they find themselves in, isn't it? And here it is in the law, prescribed in the law. When you go out to battle against your enemies and you see people and horses and chariots more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them. For the Lord, your God, is with you who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

62. 26:03

    Verse 2 of Deuteronomy 20. So it shall be when you are on the verge of battle that the priest shall approach and speak to the people and he shall say to them, Hear, O Israel, today you are on the verge of a battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint. Do not be afraid.

63. 26:21

    Do not tremble or be terrified because of them. For the Lord, your God, is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. In other words, brothers and sisters, when you see an army of horses and chariots and you see an army that is greater than yours, when you see that the odds, humanly speaking, are insurmountable, do not be afraid.

64. 26:41

    Why? Because I am your God. And here, brothers and sisters, we see the grace of God at work because God gives them four provisions in the following verses in the law, three scenarios where they could leave and go home plus one accommodation for human weakness. First, just quickly, the scenarios. First, what man is there who has built a house and not dedicated it?

65. 27:06

    They could go home. Second, what man is there who has planted a vineyard and has not eaten of it? He could go home. And third, what man is there who is betrothed to a woman and has not married her? He can go home. Then comes the accommodation for human weakness. Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, what man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted?

66. 27:31

    Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart. Now, we don't need to go into why two-thirds of Gideon's troops went home, except that it was obvious to God that they didn't have the stomach to fight. They had been walking by sight and not by faith.

67. 27:49

    And now God takes them, if you like, out on the high wire with no safety net, no nothing, and he says, okay, time to put your trust in me. And when they come to that moment of faith, they can't do it. So God says, let them go. But the next two words are critical.

68. 28:08

    So that, or lest, lest the heart of his brethren faint like his heart. You see, brothers and sisters, there's a purpose revealed by God. The purpose is that the others do not become disheartened too. It's similar to the story of the 12 men who went out to spy in Canaan. They went to the same place.

69. 28:28

    They had the same experience. They saw the same fruit. They saw the same giants. Ten of them came back and said, it can't be done. They were faint-hearted. But Caleb and Joshua had faith and stood up and said, we think we can definitely do it. And it's not because the two are special.

70. 28:45

    It's not because the two are strong. It's not because the two were experienced or capable. faithful. It's because the two were faithful. They were trusting. They believed that God can do anything. And so rather than stay and mumble and make comments behind people's backs and discourage those who are preparing to work or serve or fight, God says, let them go.

71. 29:10

    Brothers and sisters, this is applicable in our ecclesial life too, isn't it? It's not that the opportunity to serve in faith is not there. It is. It's not that the people are unimportant to the task. They are. And it's not that the task is not theirs to be done. It is. It's just that somehow we are faint-hearted for the task.

72. 29:34

    The second stage of the reduction whittles the soldiers down by another 9,700. And as I've already mentioned, this is the section in which everybody spends their time trying to come up with explanations as to why they were chosen, as if this was a test only looking for those who were alert. And we get into theories about those who lapped the water were looking around or they were more observant and that those who were kneeling were not paying attention or something like that.

73. 30:00

    But whether they're lapping the water or scooping the water or sticking their heads in the water, that completely misses the point with being alert. It actually doesn't say that. And so it may have not had anything to do with that at all. It may simply have been another way that God used to reduce the soldiers down to 1% of the original number in order to underscore a dramatic lesson that the reason for their victory was nothing to do with them and their strength, but everything to do with God and his strength.

74. 30:37

    And what a better way to demonstrate it than with a group so inadequate in size that when the battle is won, no one, not Gideon, not the 300, nor any of the others who are looking on, are left in any doubt whatsoever that God did this. Now when we think of the story of Gideon from this angle, rather than from the perspective of a man doubting and asking for signs, what is revealed?

75. 31:03

    We see human weakness in both the man and in the people, and we see that the strength is found not in ourselves, but in the Lord. And we also see the grace of God at work, revealed to his servants, don't we? So before we return to the words of Paul, what is the application for us, brothers and sisters, here in the story of Gideon?

76. 31:27

    Well, here in the story of Gideon, we see this principle that runs throughout Scripture, and it's the same lesson that we are so often asked to learn ourselves and forced to come to the same conclusion, that the only reason for our success, the only reason for our victory, the only reason for us to overcome the challenges we face has actually nothing to do with us or our background or our training or our strength, but the grace of God.

77. 31:53

    That God can take a man or a woman with no background, with no training, someone completely insufficient, and he can use them in his service, so that both they and the onlookers who observe or those who witness what unfolds are forced to conclude only God could have done this. So then, here are four takeaways from the story of Gideon.

78. 32:18

    First, it is the presence of the Lord which ensures victory. In other words, one plus God equals victory. Second, God is capable of working with a few dedicated individuals to accomplish his purpose. Third, God is not in need of the special or the strong or the alert or the trained or the experienced.

79. 32:44

    He is in need of the trusting. And fourth, out of his grace, he gives us what we need. Don't you marvel at the fatherly and gracious care of God that the Lord understood that this task was overwhelming to Gideon and so he accommodates Gideon's fearfulness just as he accommodates our fearfulness too?

80. 33:09

    And so, at the end, the Lord sends Gideon and his men into battle with a trumpet and a light in a clay pot. And boy, did they have to put their trust in God to face this huge enemy armed only with a torture trumpet in a clay pot. Judges 7, verse 16, he divided the 300 men into three companies.

81. 33:28

    He put a trumpet into every man's hand with empty pitchers and torches inside the pitchers. And I can imagine them whispering to one another, so do we blow the trumpet in their face to disorientate them? Then we bash them over the head with the pot and the light is so we can see what we're doing?

82. 33:43

    Or do you think we bash them first and then blow the trumpet? They simply had to follow Gideon and stand their ground and hold to the task. Verse 19 of chapter 7, so Gideon and the men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp. They blew the trumpets, they broke the pitchers that were in their hands, then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers and held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing and they cried, the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.

83. 34:16

    There's just one element of this story I want to focus on as we turn to Paul in 2 Corinthians again. I want you to notice in particular that it is the breaking of the pot that the light of God that it's in the breaking of the pot that the light of God's people shines.

84. 34:37

    And so this is our fifth lesson from the story of Gideon. It is often out of our weakness and our brokenness that God's glory is revealed. The lesson is that out of our weakness or our brokenness in our pain or in our sorrow or our inability that the light of God shines forth.

85. 35:03

    If we hold fast to our faith in the Lord in the face of those human struggles, in the face of the overwhelming task, in the face of the enemy we face, not only will our source of strength be revealed to all those around us who see, but how bright do you think the light of that light will shine?

86. 35:20

    For the light of the glory of God and the grace of God shine far brighter than any human lamp we could hope to light. That others may see the glory of the Lord revealed in the life of his servants. Think about it. What value is it if the glory of God is revealed in the things that we are capable of, in the things that we were trained to do, in the tasks we are sufficient for, compared to the glory of God that can be revealed in the things that we aren't trained for, that people are forced to the conclusion that surely only God could have done this.

87. 36:03

    Okay, let's turn back to 2 Corinthians 4. And here we'll read again from this time from the NIV as our brother Mark did the story of Judges. Let's read this verse 7 in the NIV. 2 Corinthians 4. We have, Paul says, this treasure in jars of clay in order to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

88. 36:34

    Now, his letter to Corinthians is in response to their questions, in response to their boasting, in response to their criticism of him. And Paul provides the brothers and sisters in Corinth with a clear and simple application of this divine principle that strength, human strength, is nothing in comparison to the all-surpassing power of God.

89. 36:58

    And he does it, brothers and sisters, by contrasting the container with the treasure that's in it. He says, we have this treasure in jars of clay. What is the container? Paul is saying in language similar to the story of Gideon that we are like earthenware jars, terracotta pots. We're fragile. Drop one and they're gone.

90. 37:22

    And we know that he's saying that because Paul goes on to say in the very next verse, in verse 8 and verse 9, we are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed. In other words, brothers and sisters, we will face those weaknesses of the flesh, yet we will overcome.

91. 37:44

    So if that's the pot, what is the treasure contained within the pot? Verse 10, he says, we always carry around in our body what? The death of Jesus. In other words, we are like a jar, we are like a clay pot, and the treasure that is placed in us is the death of the Lord Jesus.

92. 38:08

    And what's the purpose of the treasure in the clay jar? Paul continues in verse 10, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in our body. And he ties this picture with a picture that he's painted in verse 5 and verse 6 of 2 Corinthians 4. He says, we do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ Jesus the Lord.

93. 38:31

    Verse 6, for God has 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. So, brothers and sisters, Paul is talking about a treasure in a clay pot, but, says Paul, we shouldn't be concerned about the clay pot.

94. 38:57

    Instead, we should focus on the treasure which has been put in us, and that that treasure shines like a light, that the light of the gospel of Christ has been placed into our hearts, that we are to shine like lights in the darkness to a world that is perishing. And from this parallel alluded to by Paul, we see again the lesson from Gideon, that it is often out of the brokenness of the pot that the light of the glory of God can shine more brightly.

95. 39:31

    But as we turn to the bread and the wine, there's perhaps one more aspect to the picture that Paul is alluding to. For at the time of Paul, the people across the Roman world would have all been familiar with a common image of victory. It's an image which if you've been to Rome and you've seen the Arch of Titus, you will see this image chiseled into the inside of that arch.

96. 39:55

    It's the picture of a Roman general flanked by legions of his soldiers returning from battle with their captives in chains and his troops carrying the spoils of war and the soldiers carrying large urns filled with all the coins and the treasures of the vanquished enemy. The believers would have been familiar with this image too.

97. 40:22

    So the picture that Paul is painting for the believers is that we can see our captain, the Lord Jesus Christ, riding at the head of his army, victorious over sin and death, appearing with all his saints triumphant, his people, into which has been poured all of the beauty and the treasure of the gospel.

98. 40:46

    Isn't it a beautiful picture, brothers and sisters, that in Christ we are highly treasured, that in a world which thinks only in terms of human ability, which thinks only in terms of strength or looks, who is the biggest, who is the brightest, who is the fastest, who is the richest, who is the best, that he has placed within our lives the light of the glory of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he has chosen to place it in you, a jar of clay.

99. 41:21

    And it's not to draw attention to you, but that it might shine as lights in the midst of the darkness, in order to give glory to his name through you. So, brothers and sisters, may our attention not be drawn to the weakness of the clay pot, but may we consider instead, as we come to the bread and the wine, the Lord who formed the pot and has filled it with such a rich and priceless treasure.

100. 41:50

     May we realize the wonder and the beauty and the value of what we've been given, because he delights to declare his strength in our weakness, and truly, his grace is sufficient. Thank you for listening to the Good Christadelphian Talks podcast. We hope this talk helped you in your walk. If you would like to hear more, please subscribe for new episodes and leave a review in Apple Podcasts or whichever service you are using to help more people find the show when they search for it.

101. 42:41

     If you enjoyed this particular talk, please share it with someone who you think might enjoy it as well. For show notes on the talk you just listened to, visit our show page at anchor.fm slash GCT or check the show notes section of your podcast player. Please share your thoughts on the talk from this week on our Facebook or Instagram pages, where we are at Good Christadelphian Talks, on Twitter, where we are at GCT underscore podcast, or leave a comment on our YouTube channel, where these talks are posted as well.

102. 43:11

     If you know of a great talk, we want to know about it too. Send a suggestion to our email at goodchristadelphiantalks at gmail.com or message us on any of our social media accounts. Thank you for listening, God bless, and talk to you next week.

103. 43:35

     Bye-bye.