Well, good evening. I've seen more people waving tonight than I since I've been a Baptist pastor. Wow. It's kind of hot in here, isn't it? Please know that this is not the way we usually keep it on Sunday nights. That's why I wore this lightweight suit, you know. Well, Tim and Barbie are so good that you're with us tonight. We have prayed for you, folks. When I think of faithfulness, you guys come to mind. They've been faithful to the Lord all of these years. They know what it means to have a ministry that is faithful to the Lord because of the mercy given by the Lord to them. Well, I'm kind of excited. I just came back from a week's vacation or two weeks. We rested. It was quiet. No visits. We enjoyed the ocean. Carolyn did a number of jigsaw puzzles and I did a lot of reading. And we're glad to be back home. How thankful we are for Christ's Covenant Church. This October will be our 20th year. And I'm so thankful to be a part of you, folks, and to serve along with you. I'm also excited about things that are coming our way. Soon Sunday School will start back August the 29th, 2021. So make sure that you set your alarm clocks and go to bed early because we have Sunday School at nine starting on the 29th. Then also starting as trail life, heritage girls, ladies, Bible studies, children's ministry, youth ministries, men's journey groups, senior adult monthly fellowship. CDS is getting ready to start back as well as RTS. We have a new crop of interns coming into Christ's Covenant Church. Our envision campaign soon will we enjoy it with the completion of the South Tower and the North Lobby drop off. We have a new pastor coming on board, Eric Rush, a new youth director, Joel May. And then we have the faithful conference coming up with William Taylor from St. Helen's Bishop Gate in London. So we've got a lot to look forward to. And as we embark when our ministries here at Christ's Covenant to this fall, the Apostle Paul reminds us tonight how our ministry is to be carried out. The man who is writing this letter that we're in second Corinthians, the Apostle Paul had a rich history of trouble in the ministry. From both the outside of the church and from the inside of the church, turn with me in your Bibles to second Corinthians chapter 11. And look at verse 23 through 27. Look at some of the trouble that Paul encountered in his years of ministry. He says here five beatings were five times I've received at the hands of the Jews before he lashes less one three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned three times I was shipwrecked a night and a day I was adrift at sea when frequent churnes in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, danger in the city. Danger in the wilderness danger at sea danger from false brothers in toil and hardship through many asleepness not sleepless nights in hunger and thirst, often without food in cold and exposure. I would say to you tonight that's a lot of persecution suffering and demands made on this man the Apostle Paul. We'll go back to chapter one of second Corinthians and look at verse eight in chapter one verse eight and we read these words for we do not want you to be ignorant brothers. Someone has said the largest denomination tonight in Christendom is ignorant brothers. For we do not want you to be ignorant brothers of the affliction we experience in Asia for we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despair of life itself. Indeed we felt that we have received a sentence of death but that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from a deadly peril and he will deliver us on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
The intensity of the trial that Paul mentions here in verses eight through ten led them that is Paul and his co-workers to the point of despair even of death itself and he felt that they had received the sentence of death upon them. Paul was the missionary founder of this church at Corinth it's clear in his letter that he again is under attack. The church was being led away by false teachers trying to plant seeds of discord and division against the flock at Corinth and the Apostle Paul. Now if anyone could have quit and walked away from the ministry would have been the Apostle Paul he knew the temptation to faint heartedness but you know what he doesn't and he explains who was why in our text tonight in second Corinthians chapter four verses one through six. So turn with me as we focus on what Paul says to us about having this ministry. Now Paul is talking about himself and his co-workers about the ministry that they are engaged in planting churches in Sharon gospel and building up the church but this can also appeal to all of us that belong to Jesus Christ because all of us are engaged in ministry for Jesus Christ. Some more in front of others than others you know there's some folks that you see is teaching Sunday school ladies Bible study heritage girls trail life of boys they're out in front of people but there's a lot of folks here tonight that ministers within their family within their community within the job that they are part of and even in this church one time. Let's go back to another Paul explains to us in verses one through six what the ministry is he says in verse one therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God we do not lose heart but we have renounced disgraceful underhanded ways we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. In the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God and even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled to those who are perishing in their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel the glory of Christ who is the image of God for what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ is Lord with ourselves as your servants for Jesus say. For God who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ having this ministry Paul and folks to us what this ministry is notice in verse one he gives us the origin of this ministry followed by having stated what it is how it operates and so in verse two we have the operation of the ministry and stating how this ministry operates Paul is very keen and very aware that there is opposition and so in verses three and four he reveals to us the opposition that comes to us that are in the ministry but saying that he leads one of victorious notes in verse five and in verse six he tells us of the outcome of this ministry so let's look at verse one this is essential the basis of Paul's ministry was not an end of degree from the desert school of theology it wasn't his identification with the Presbytery at the Jerusalem church it wasn't because of his pedigree but what he said in chapter three that you heard last Sunday night and his present ministry Paul says therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God that's paramount for ministry you can't have ministry for God unless you know of the mercy of God and the mercy of God inculcated in your life daily Paul never forgot the mercy of God he never got over the ministry of God and I want to show you how that is so turn with me to first Corinthians chapter 15 and look at verse nine Paul wrote this in 55 AD for I am Lisa the Apostles unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God Paul was aware of what he was and he realized how he was made worthy by God then turn with me to Ephesians chapter three and look at verse eight this was written five years later in 60 AD Paul said to me I am the very lease of all the saints this grace was given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ he refers to himself as the lease of all the saints I think one thing that stands out as we mature in our faith in Jesus Christ we see the unworthiness and the wretchedness that we've been saved from and we've been made worthy by the mercy of God now turn one more time to first Timothy chapter one verse 15 he writes this in 63 AD he doesn't have much life left in him he's getting ready to pass the baton on to Timothy he says the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am foremost over the years Paul never lost sight of what he was and what he became and it seems like the older he grew in his faith more where was he a what was done for him and that mercy that saved Paul is the mercy of God that spurred him sent him separated him onto the ministry in first Timothy he tells the young preacher Timothy he says I thank him who has given me strength Christ Jesus our Lord because he judged me faithful appointing me to his service though formerly I was a blasphemer persecutor and insulin opponent but I received mercy at the end of his life he was very much aware of the mercy of God and he says in the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with faith and love that are in Christ Jesus looking back here in verse 1 Paul says we have this ministry he humbly acknowledges that God has graciously granted him the privilege of being a minister of the gospel when that cease to happen in the life of a preacher he's on the road to ruin Paul never forgot that the Lord saved him and put him into position you might say that Paul was perpetually conscious that he had this ministry by the mercy of God perpetually conscious that's a good phrase to have are you conscious tonight of the mercy of God in saving you in delivering you from your sins are you conscious tonight of the mercy of God that he has poured out upon you even this day he says as we received mercy looking back the Lord saved Paul in his mercy looking at his present ministry he has received mercy and looking beyond he says that God will continue to give him mercy just like Psalm 23 6 says surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and because of that beloved Paul was able to say and we were able to say tonight we don't lose heart we're not given to faint heartedness not losing heart means to act badly in the face of difficulty to give into fear to lose courage to act like a coward despite all the sufferings and the attacks on him by the false teachers Paul had not surrendered his courage came from confident knowledge of the God of glory and that's another key phrase we should have in our vocabulary a conscious knowledge of the God of glory you see the mercy of God and able Paul to be delivered from his life from judgment and put him in the ministry and Paul walked with the Lord and he had this confident knowledge so much so that he was able to say the Timothy I know whom I have believed and then persuaded that he is able to keep that which committed unto him against that day God sovereign mercy saved him made him a minister and strengthened him to do the work of the ministry so that's very important and Paul makes that clear to us in verse 1 the origin of ministry is the mercy of God he has saved and he has sent me to do his work Paul says and then saying that he takes the step further and unfolds to us how this ministry operates Paul operates open and above board what you see is what you give when the moment Paul first saw Christ when the road to Damascus he followed him Paul's open and straightforward regarding himself and his ministries he rejects here if you look at verse 2 three strategies which was accused by the false teachers their Corinth who themselves were really guilty of in verse 2 he says but we have renounced disgraceful underhanded ways we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word but by open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God first thing Paul rejects is there's no underhandedness in the ministry he has nothing to hide he renounces the hidden things of dishonesty he rejected all forms of deceit Paul wasn't given to manipulation or to entertainment or for the ways of the world to reach his objective Paul determined to live a life that was open and not deceptive where he was weak and where he failed he determined to be open about it and not cover it up but the second thing he rejects is cunningness not walking in cunningness he purpose not to be manipulative or scheming to get his way in the work of God there was a line that Paul drew in the sand that he would not cross fill a fuse in his commentary regarding verse 2 comments on this phrase cunningness he says to practice cunning a cunning readiness to adopt any device or trickery for the achievement of the ends which are anything but altruistic Paul would not use the way of the world or the means of the world or the ways of the flesh to accomplish that which the Lord has sent him to minister and then the third thing he says he rejects is tampering with scripture Paul was committed to presenting all the truth all the time for the right ends he would not add to it he would not delete it he would not twist it or to remain silent about aspects of it that happen to be offensive he would not handle the word of God deceitfully so we find here the way Paul operates his ministry that's the negative part but the positive part here is found in verse 2 as well he says but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God an open statement of truth a straightforward communication of the word of God into daily life brothers and sisters tonight we are blessed here Christ covenant that when men stand behind the sacred desk here that they give the undoccurated word of God that they make it clear and present it for you to hear all of it their churches here in Charlotte tonight that do not preach the pure gospel of the word of God and they water it down and they say do good works be nice join such a civic club these are all good things and adding to your salvation there are some that say all you have to do is just believe they never talk about sin they never talk about repentance that wasn't the case with the apostle Paul Paul wanted the truth to be manifested and nothing in his life to contradict it he wanted the Holy Spirit to use the word of God which is sharper than a two-digit sword to pierce the heart of the center for the center to see his sins and to see the love of God and call upon his mercy for salvation God was his primary audience so he preached the undoluted word of God with simplicity, boldness and clarity in his paraphrase version using Peterson's the message this is what he says here regarding verse one and two since God has so generously let us in what he's doing we're not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times we refuse to wear a mask now he's not talking about masks that we have on tonight we refuse to wear masks and play glant games we don't maneuver and manipulate behind the scenes and we don't twist God's word to suit ourselves rather we keep everything we do and say out in the open the whole truth on display so that those who want to can see and judge for themselves in the presence of God I believe Peterson put it in language for us to fully grasp tonight and so as he shares with us the origin of this ministry the mercy of God and then he shows us how he operates in this ministry Paul also tells us of the opposition now folks the devil was working overtime tonight and do you realize tonight that he doesn't like what he sees at Christ Covenant Church that's right he doesn't like to see the fact that you folks are faithful to come he doesn't like to see the fact that you're a faithful and obedient to contribute in your time and giving he just really gets upset when he hears you folks singing like you do at Christ Covenant the devil is our enemy and he's out there someplace scheming and conniving to see what he can do against you and against this church but remember this greater is he that is in you than he who's in this world and not even the gates of hell shall prevail against his church well folks Paul tells us in verse three and four about this opposition and even if our gospel is veiled it is veiled only to those who are perishing in their case the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God Paul tells the Corinthians that if the gospel he preached was veiled that is not understood or believed it's because their hearts are darkened by their sinful nature and further darkened by their ongoing unbeliefs but he also brings out Satan he says their hearts are also blinded by the work of Satan he refers to Satan as the God of this world Paul is keenly aware that Satan is the master planner of all distractions in order to leave men in darkness Paul knew his enemy the enemy's purpose is very clear that they may not see the light of the gospel the glory of Christ who is the image of God tonight as we get ready to face the fall season we return back to Sunday school folks Satan wants to hide the light the glory of Christ Satan does not want people to see Jesus for who he really is he does not want them to see his love his beauty and his saving grace Jesus said I am the way the truth in the life no man come with unto the father but by me Satan knows that Christ himself is the image of God and even up to the very end the apostle Paul never lost sight of his enemy in the last days when he stood before King Agrippa giving his testimony he said it was his consuming passion to open the eyes of the unbelievers that they might turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God now folks Paul's accusers here at Corinth the false apostles claimed that Paul was in the ministry only for self-promotion only for his own power only for his prestige and prominence but you and I now know looking back we know that's the furthest thing from the truth in fact far from being arrogant proud and self-assured Paul ministered in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 2 3 he says I minister in weakness and in fear and in much trembling instead of boasting of my own abilities and successes he wrote my own behalf I will not boast except in regard to my own weakness I would rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may dwell in me therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God no we do not lose heart this is what we do notice what he says in verse 5 and 6 he says this for what we proclaim is not ourselves but Jesus Christ is Lord with ourselves as your servants or Christ's sake Jesus's sake for God who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ in the midst of the attacks from the outside and from those on the inside Paul did not water down the word he did not resort to worldly tactics he didn't manipulate people for his own advantage and benefit no what did he do in the midst of the opposition what did he do he said we proclaim not ourselves but Jesus Christ our Lord and we ourselves your servants for Jesus Christ in these two verses Paul points out four things that are the outcome that flows out of this ministry one is we preach not ourselves ministry is not about me ministry is not about self ministry is not to get recognition many folks who are serving the Lord tonight no one knows about them in a general setting they work behind the scenes we preach not ourselves every man that stands behind the sacred desk realizes a sacred responsibility of lifting up Christ and hiding behind the cross remember when Pastor Mike Ross was here he would often turn times turn back and point to the cross reminding us that is the cross it's Christ not us the second thing that Paul brings out here we don't preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord folks this is serious preaching Paul takes seriously the holiness of God fearing him holding him up in a higher steam Christ Jesus as Lord we are to preach Christ as Lord Jesus Christ is Lord sinners need to repent and believe and we're to serve the church to grow in holiness and to shine forth that light he comes out here and says that we're to preach the Lordship of Christ does Christ reign in your life tonight as Lord is he the Lord of your life where to live out in our service for him the Lordship of Christ people to look at us take note that we've been with Jesus well the third thing Paul says here in verse 5 we are your bond servants for Jesus sake now the new American standard says this for we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your bond servants for Jesus sake you know bond servant is that servant who when given his freedom continue to serve his master and he stayed on not as a servant but as a bond servant he was serving him out of love and devotion and you know how it was in the Old Testament times when such a servant made that declaration that the master would take him up to the post and take him all and pierce his ear put an earring in it symbolizing that this man is special servant he's a bond servant notice that Paul says we are bond servants to you we serve each other in the body of Christ you can't be isolated and grow as a Christian we all need each other and so Paul declares here that we are your bond servants for Jesus sake being a bond servant involves humility it involves getting our hands dirty in the lives of other people I think of the Lord Jesus Paul says in Philippians chapter 2 taken on human flesh becoming a servant he humbled himself became obedient to death of the cross as bond servants we serve one another it means humility it means involvement and it means serving with love and so as we are about to engage in this fall season in ministry we do so by the mercy of God we do so doing it God's way we do so by proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord and the fourth thing that Paul brings out to us in verse 6 is that we have the undergirding confidence of the power of God for God who said let light shine out of darkness has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ well that's a high order given to the people of God Paul says that is what our ministry should be to a world that is growing hostile, cold and indifferent tonight beloved we're to remember the basis of our ministry and our salvation and the basis is the mercy of God and so on that Romans 12 verse 1 says, brethren I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that he present yourselves a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service we're to be transparent in our lifestyle that where we serve and to whom we serve we're not being duplexed or being double-minded or being something that we're not we're to share the gospel and trust the Lord to shine his light in the hearts of the hearers it's not us but it's the word of God Paul never underestimated the word of God in his ministry would it be your children or your grandchildren would it be teaching in trail life or heritage girls would it be teaching ladies or men to remember that the word of God is the power not you we're to serve one another and spur one another on to love and good works share with you personal illustration as a young intern sitting in the third pew from the front I was singled out in the middle of preacher John Sermon with his outstretched hand pointing at me he said to me, do you want to be successful well I was so shocked that he did that I didn't know how to respond the only way I could was to shake my head and he got the message I met yes to which he replied if you want to be successful then be faithful the faithful man is the successful man well that's been 47 years ago yes there's been trials and there's been testings and attacks not to the degree of Paul I don't measure in any way in that capacity but like Paul I can say to you therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God we faint not let's pray Lord we thank you for your word and we thank you for this testimony of Paul Lord Paul wasn't a super Christian he admitted to that on so many occasions and yet Lord because he knew what he was and what you're doing we're doing in his life he had the confidence to go forth in whatever place you put him now Lord as we look ahead to Sunday school starting back on August the 29th and as we get ready to engage in all the various ministries of this church it's not about us Lord it's all about lifting up the banner of Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings Lord we ask that we may be diligent in knowing who our enemy is that we may have on the full armor of God to stand against the walls of the devil Lord we pray tonight that you would grant to us this confidence this knowledge that you are in control and by your mercy that has saved us will sustain us as we serve you and Lord Jesus we look to you and ask that you would open the windows of heaven this fall and that your name would be lifted up and you would draw all men to yourself for this we pray and ask in Jesus name amen