Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from 2 Co 4:1 and following. Indeed, provided it is well oriented towards a light source, a mirror can illuminate a dark corner. It was because he contemplated the glory of the Lord (2 Co 3:18) that Paul faithfully reflected around him every ray he received. Yes, what was the object, resplendent on him, which he thus made visible to other men? “The glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Co 4:6). This knowledge of Christ in glory, what a treasure it was for Paul! He was only the vase in which it was contained. A poor clay vase, fragile and of no value of its own.
For if God’s instrument had been noticed by brilliant human qualities, he would have drawn attention to himself at the expense of the treasure he had to present. Jewelers know that a too luxurious setting tends to overshadow the jewel that is enclosed in it. They display their most beautiful jewelry on simple black velvet. Thus the vase, Paul, was in affliction, in perplexity, persecuted, dejected… that the treasure (the life of Jesus in him) may be fully manifested(2 Co 4:10). The trials of a believer contribute to stripping him of all personal brilliance so that the One of whom he is in a way only the foot of a lamp shines all the more.
How much care we take to maintain and make prosper “our external man”(2 Co 4:16). If only our “interior” could be treated so well! What renewed the apostle’s heart was this eternal weight of glory out of all measure with the trials he was going through. Walking “by faith, not by sight”, the gaze of his soul fixed on things that are not seen but are eternal, he already had the foretaste of it by the deposit of the Spirit. That is why he never got weed old (2 Co 4:1-16).
What fear, what ardor, the thought of christ’s tribunal should constantly produce in us! We will not appear on trial, our salvation is assured. But like a movie, our whole life will unfold there, revealing everything we have done “either right or wrong” and we will receive either gain or loss.
Today, what a difference! We can consider, in the face of discovery, the glory of the Lord! The veil is removed from the face of our Moses, the Lord Jesus; we can stand before Him, to contemplate Him in complete freedom. Through redemption, all that God is, all his glory, has been manifested in the Son of man and in the Son of God. The result of this contemplation is that we are transformed into the same image. Blessed are the Christians who enter, with this full freedom, before the discovered face of Jesus Christ, and are busy enough with his perfections to reproduce them in their walk here on earth! Notice these words: “All of us, contemplating with our faces discovered”. No veil on the face of Jesus Christ, no veil on our face! Our eyes are open, open now; Israel’s eyes will be opened later, according to Isaiah 29:18, and according to 2 Co 4. 16: “When Israel turns to the Lord, the veil will be removed.”
Beloved, God has opened our eyes, but we must keep them open. We could very easily shut them down; for in Satan’s hands, everything in this world contributes to blinding us, if we are not careful. Then, losing sight of the glory of God, there is a retreat in our spiritual development, and the name of Christ is quickly erased from our hearts to be replaced by the things that accredit us in the eyes of the world.
After speaking of the Jews, the apostle passes to the nations (2 Co 4:1-6): “Recommending ourselves to every conscience of man before God.” Paul was doing the opposite of what Moses had to do: Radiating the glory he had contemplated in the face of Jesus Christ, he presented himself before the world, bearing on his face, like Stephen, the reflection of this glory, the fruit of the work of grace done for sinners. “And if also,” he says, “our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who perish, in whom the god of this century has blinded the thoughts of the unbelievers, so that the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, which is the image of God, does not shine for them.” How have the nations received this gospel? There is also a veil over their hearts. Do we not see this today in the world around us, which, bearing the name of Christ, is entirely alien to the gospel of his glory? Indeed, Satan has managed to cast a thick veil over the hearts of men who are in contact with the full light of the gospel.
For the apostle was a vessel of choice, destined to bring the Gospel to the world. God had done a wonderful thing to him, infinitely greater than even the creation of the world, and certainly, the creation of the world was not a thing without consequence! At the time of creation, when “there was darkness on the face of the abyss… God says: Let there be light. And the light was.” The light passes through the darkness, and from that moment it shines. But, as for the heart of man: “The light shins in the darkness; and the darkness did not understand it” (Jn 1:5). Thus, the apostle describes the state of his heart at the time of his conversion: “It was the God who said that from the midst of darkness the light shines, who has rerelented in our hearts to make the knowledge of the glory of God shine, in the face of Christ”.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- Abuse of Scripture 2 P 3:16 This is what He does in all the letters, where He speaks of these things, in which there are points that are difficult to understand, the meaning of which ignorant and ill-established people twist, like that of the other Scriptures, for their own ruin.
Mt 4:16 This people, seated in darkness, saw a great light; And on those who were sitting in the area and the shadow of death The light rose. Mt 22:29 Jesus answered them: You are in error, because you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God. 2 Co 2:17 For we do not falsify the word of God, as many do; but it is with sincerity, but it is on God’s part that we speak in Christ before God. 2 Co 4:2 We reject shameful things that are done in secret, we do not behave astutely, and we do not alter the word of God. But, in publishing the truth, we commend ourselves to every conscience of man before God.
- March of the Believers
Ps 26:3 For your grace is before my eyes, and I walk in your truth. Ps 86:11 Teach me your ways, O Lord! I will walk in your faithfulness. Dispose my heart to the fear of your name. 2 Jn 4 I have been very pleased to find your children walking in the truth, according to the commandment we have received from the Father. 3 Jn 3 I was very pleased when brothers came and bore witness to the truth that is in you, to the way in which you walk in the truth.
- The Image of God in Christ
2 Co 4:4 for the unbelievers whose minds the god of this century has blinded, so that they may not see the splendor of the gospel of the glory of Christ, which is the image of God, shine. Phil 2:6 who, existing in the form of God, did not regard as a prey to be snatched from being equal with God; Col 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. He he 1:3 and who, being the reflection of his glory and the imprint of his person, and supporting all things by his mighty word, made the purification of sins and sat at the right hand of the divine majesty in the highest places,
- A Spiritual Being
Jb 32:8 But in reality, in man, it is the spirit, the breath of the Almighty, that gives intelligence; Pr 20:27 Man’s breath is a lamp of the Lord; It penetrates to the bottom of the bowels. Ec 3:21 Who knows if the breath of the sons of man rises to the top, and if the breath of the beast descends to the bottom into the earth? Ec 12:7 where one fears what is high, where one has terrors on the way, where the almond tree blooms, where the grasshopper becomes heavy, and where the caper no longer has any effect, for man goes to his eternal abode, and the mourners roam the streets; Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, who prayed and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! 1 Co 2:11 Which of men, in fact, knows the things of man, if not the spirit of man which is in him? Likewise, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 2 Co 4:16 That is why we do not lose heart. And even as our outer man destroys himself, our inner man renews himself day by day. 1 Thess 5:23 May the God of peace sanctify you whole of you, and may your whole being, mind, soul and body, be kept irreprehensible at the advent of our Lord Jesus Christ! John 2:26 As the body without a soul died, so faith without works died.
From all the above, we note here a treasure in earthen vessels; for thelight of God, quite bright than that of the sun at creation, has been relecitated in the heart of Saul of Tarsus, and likewise also in the midst of the darkness of our own hearts, to manifest itself there in all its fullness. It is a new creation, as superior to the first as heaven is superior to earth, a creation whose theater is not the whole world, but a poor crippled and dark man’s heart, narrow and limited, which God has made able to contain Him, as well as all the light of his glory shining in the face of a man! For the old things have passed; all things are made new. All that God is in love has come to lodge in a human heart, in order to shine forth. But for what purpose? Not so that the apostle (and we too) may keep it for himself, but so that it may shine and shine beyond all those to whom the minister of Christ presents it. No doubt, the apostle enjoys it deeply for himself and for us too, but the purpose of the light is to shine outside, while filling with its brilliance the hearts in which it has come to shine. May we then appreciate this immense grace! However weak we may be, and without being “vessels of choice” like the apostle, God has made us the custodians of all that He is in the person of Christ, so that we may manifest Him outside our lives, and that new souls may be brought to His knowledge, or others may be encouraged by us in the path of faith and witness. Our prayers are with you all, in the name of Jesus.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow on “the service of reconciliation.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.