Get Back to Basics

If you are into sports, there are some basics that a Coach would emphasise to follow every day when they come for training. Likewise in our spiritual life as we walk with Christ we tend to forget Basics and may drift away for which its good to refresh the Basics of New Covenant.

We need to go back to the basics, to realize and get the fullness of what Christ has planned in us, the light he wants in our life to shine thru, the blessings he has planned for each of us. we need to understand these basics to walk in the fullness of Christ in us. Three things Paul brings out in verses 2 Corinth 4: 7-10

'But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ' 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Flesh / Spirit Connection

First Basic we need to understand is how our flesh should be tied with God. to understand this , read verse 7

'But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ' 2 Corinthians 4:7

Clay Pot

• When we read this our eyes look at the treasures and seek to see how we can get that blessing as our mind is prewired to look only for blessing first, before we look at the treasure look at the word “jars of clay”, A jars of clay is nothing but a clay pot.

• What Paul is saying here is ,we are a hollow clay pot. Without his Spirit living in us, without his Spirit manifesting God’s power through us as Christ’s character and life manifested in us, we are empty clay pots.

• When you get up in the morning, look at the mirror and say, “Good morning, I am empty clay pot, Lord Jesus, You’re the treasure. I want You to do something in my life today.”

Treasure

• Now for the word “treasure”. It’s a word from which we accumulate wealth, it’s not wealth from the world that can be accumulated overnight. I mean, you can accumulate wealth overnight and it can be gone overnight.

• This wealth has to be accumulated slowly and therefore will always stand and continue to be wealthy. Treasure is also referred for priceless worthy things as well. Now Paul refers here as the priceless treasure of Christ himself, when he is there in us. Jewel of God will be deposited into the life of believers as wealth. Christ’s life, the light of love,has come to live in us as Holy Spirit in the “Jars of clay” ~ clay pot.

Surpassing Power

• We have this treasure of God in us to show his power to depend on him and not on oneself, you say “Lord I can’t do it, You yield and say, father do what you want to do in my life”

Remember

• You are a empty Clay Pot

• God is living in us as Treasure

• if you want the Surpassing Power of God to exhibit in you, you yield to God’s treasure.

Expect Struggles of Life

'We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ' 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

• Verses 8-9, Paul shows that the battle starts when we learn to let the treasure be manifested and when we learn to depend upon his strength and his power and not our own.

• Paul who has gone thru this struggles himself explains this there is no better person who can teach this truth to us, he shows the vulnerability of the clay pot. We are clay pots and we are weak and we are going to have times when we are lost in knowing what to do when we run thru this struggles, many times we feel pushed in to the point we think we are going to be crushed and lost all alone.

• When we allow Christ to manifest in us with his treasures, the light will start to shine, without any reason people may hate for what you do, some times people who are no way associated will hate you or oppose you. This is nothing to do with you, the opposition is for Jesus light shining thru you. See how Paul explains
  

  • hard pressed on every side, but not crushed

  • perplexed, but not in despair

  • persecuted, but not abandoned

  • struck down, but not destroyed

• You are having struggles of “Hard pressed every side”, “perplexed”, “persecuted”, “Struck Down”, as a clay pot relies on the treasures of Jesus, you are “Not Crushed”, “Not in despair”, “not abandoned”, “not destroyed”

• Peter records this well in 1 Peter 4:14-16 'If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. '
  

  • “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you” - it’s the same treasure that Peter refers.

  • Many times we also suffer due to the work of our flesh, this is what he refers , If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.

  • if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name as we suffer we Praise God’s name to be Glorified and his plan manifest in us

Remember

• Jesus said these words to his disciples 'You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. ' Matthew 10:22

• Jesus also suffered a great deal when he was in the world, so what you are going thru is not unusual to you alone. So we say with boldness 'So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” ' Hebrews 13:6

Suffering produces Fruits of Life

'We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ' 2 Corinthians 4:10

• We must display the furtherance of his sufferings. Big difference between the two sufferings. His sufferings , because of Jesus and suffering caused by ourself, James explained this well 'If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. ' 1 Peter 4:15

• The world is coming after you. Because they hated him (Jesus) , they hate us because He lives in us thru the treasures and the actions that manifests from the treasure. Jesus explains in John 15 - ' “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ' John 15:18-19

• It’s important that we participate in the sufferings of Christ instead of the ones we bring on ourselves by not keeping our big mouth shut. Many times when God wants to do the actions he calls us to do, obey that and as a result of that you may suffer, but thats ok, but thru the actions you Glorify God’s work thru your body.

• Paul did not keep quite seeing things, he had the boldness thru the spirit of God to speak on what the Corinth pagan way of worship, He had to go thru many hardship, some thought he is dead. See the way God has used his suffering to continue the gospel to reach more than a century, We continue to have the same spirit to lead us. If Paul would have kept quite not doing what the Spirit of God instructed him to do, all the actions of Cross would have gone in vain. This is what Paul is trying to explain in 2 Corinth 4:10

Remember

• To always carry what Jesus is instructing to do, even when one own self goes against that.

• You may suffer, but suffering reveals the glory of his works thru us.