Charlie Brown built a beautiful sandcastle. He worked on it for hours. Finally, he stood back and admired his masterpiece. Just as he is admiring his work of art, a rebellious 8 year old boy runs across the sandcastle, destroying it. And with extreme frustration, Charlie Brown says to himself, “I know there’s a lesson in this, but I’m not sure what it is.”
Well, today, we want to learn some lessons.
Lessons about the God’s Masterpiece.
Lessons about the enemy who wants to destroy God’s Masterpiece.
Lessons about the fingerprints of God upon our lives.
2 Corinthians 4 gives us three pictures of our spiritual life.
1) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES ON THE ANVIL
2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ Made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
With a strong forearm, the apron-clad blacksmith puts his tongs into the fire, grasps the heated metal and places it on his anvil. His keen eye examines the glowing piece. He sees what the tool is now and envisions what he wants it to be – sharper, flatter, wider, longer. With a clear picture in his mind, he begins to pound. His left hand still clutching the hot mass with the tongs, the right hand slams the two –pound sledge upon the moldable metal.
On the solid anvil, the smoldering iron is remolded.
The smith knows the type of instrument he wants. He knows the size. He knows the shape. He knows the strength.
Wham! Wham! The hammer slams. The shop rings with noise, the air fills with smoke and the softened metal responds.
But the response doesn’t come easily. It doesn’t come without discomfort. To melt down the old and recast it as new is not easy. Yes, the metal remains on the anvil, allowing the toolmaker to remove the scars, repair the cracks, refill the voids, and purge the impurities.
Then the blacksmith stops. He ceases his pounding and sets down the hammer. With a strong left arm, he lifts the tongs until the freshly molded metal is at eye level. In the still silence he examines the smoking tool.
He keenly searches for mars or cracks.
There are none. Now, the Master can finally see his reflection.
Now, light shines where it once was dark.
What was once dull is now sharpened.
What was crooked becomes straight.
What was weak becomes strong;
And what was useless now becomes valuable.
Principle: The hand of God purifies you.
Perhaps you’ve been there. Perhaps you are there.
Perhaps you know what it feels like to be disciplined by the Lord.
Now, you reflect the light of the Master.
Now, light shines in the darkness. Now, others can see Christ in you.
Charles Colson in his book “Loving God” tells about his experience in prison. While in prison he remembered his life before prison, the honors he earned, the court cases he won, and the prestige in government positions. His life had been the perfect success story, the great American dream fulfilled. But while in prison he had time to think and pray. He realized all his achievements meant nothing in God’s economy.
His greatest victory was his biggest failure, being sent to prison was his great humiliation – but prison was the beginning of God’s greatest work in his life. God chose the one experience in which he could not glory for His glory.
People are like tea bags . . . if you want to know what’s inside of them, just drop them in hot water.
2) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES AS A JAR OF CLAY
2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (v. 8) We are hard-pressed on every side BUT not crushed; perplexed, BUT not in despair; (v. 9) persecuted, BUT not abandoned; struck down, BUT not destroyed. (v.10) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Principle: The hand of God shapes you.
The Cracked Pot
A Water Bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and one half pots of water in his master’s house.
The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the Water Bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said.
The Water Bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologize to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We re all cracked pots. But if we will allow it, the Lord will use our flaws to grace His Father’s table. In God’s great economy, nothing goes to waste. So as we seek ways to minister together, and as God calls you to tasks He has appointed for you, don’t be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and allow Him to take advantage of them, and you, too, can be the cause of beauty in His pathway. Go out boldly, knowing that in our weakness we find His strength, and that “In Him every one of God’s promises is a Yes.”
The hand of God shapes you.
2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (v. 8) We are hard-pressed on every side BUT not crushed; perplexed, BUT not in despair; (v. 9) persecuted, BUT not abandoned; struck down, BUT not destroyed. (v.10) We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
Have you ever noticed the way people – when speaking – often qualify their statement by using the word, ‘but’?
“She’s a good administrator, but .”
“He’s a good ball handler, but .”
“She’s a talented singer, but .”
“He’s a decent manager, but .”
using this type of qualifier changes the whole picture.
And that’s what Paul says here in verse 8 and 9.
We are hard pressed on every side, BUT not crushed.
Perplexed, BUT not in despair;
(v. 9) persecuted, BUT not abandoned;
Struck down, BUT not destroyed.
I once was lost, BUT now I’m found.
Was blind, BUT now I see.
God has a way changing everything.
Perhaps you have a similar testimony today.
I once was down and depressed, BUT Jesus raised me up.
I once had no reason to live, BUT Jesus gave me a purpose.
I once was sick, BUT Jesus healed me.
I once was ridden with worry, BUT Jesus gave me peace.
I once was dealing with strongholds, BUT Jesus set me free.
I once was living in sin, BUT Jesus forgave me.
I once was headed for hell, BUT Jesus saved me.
3) PICTURE OF OUR LIVES IN THE ETERNAL.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
The Apostle Paul lived in the light of eternity. When you and I can begin to see the big picture and life in the light of eternity we then know how to handle momentary troubles of today.
For 51 years Bob Edens was blind. He couldn’t see a thing. His world was a black hall of sounds and smells. He felt his way through five decades of darkness. And then, he could see. A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight. He found it overwhelming. “I never would have dreamed that yellow is so…yellow,” he exclaimed. “I don’t have the words. I am amazed by yellow. But red is my favorite color. I just can’t believe red. I can see the shape of the moon—and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail. And of course, sunrises and sunsets. And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light. You could never know how wonderful everything is.”
Principle: The hand of God renews you.
Here in 2 Corinthians 4:16, Scripture reminds us that our physical bodies are wasting away. Is there anyone here who is getting younger every year?
But at the same time that our physical bodies are getting older, our spiritual lives are being renewed every day.
If we could only see things in the eternal, then we begin to see things from God’s perspective.
SCARS: Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.
In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore.
His mother, in the house was looking out the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go.
A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived.
His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go."
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of painful, past spiritual battles. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.
But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. If you have Christ in your life, you have become a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way.
But sometimes we wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril - and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-o-war begins, and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful.
He did not - and will not - let you go!
When the Lord touches you, He will never let go!
You always have been and always will be God’s Masterpiece.
