Is Paul Kidding?

2nd Sunday after Pentecost, 6/3/18
2 Corinthians 4:5-12


Is Paul Kidding?
I. No, you really do possess the saving light of God.
II. No, you really are winning the battle of life.


What’s your reaction when someone, who doesn’t know the full truth about you, compliments you? For instance, they compliment you on a job well done and say something such as, “You must be so proud and happy,” when, in reality, you’re not very proud of what you’ve done. You’re conflicted inside about it. So, what do you do when someone pays you such a compliment? You might blush with humility. You probably graciously accept the compliment because rejecting it would be far more difficult. You might try to minimize the compliment by saying something such as, “O, go one,” or, “You’re just saying that to be nice to me.”

What I just described is one of those situations in life that leaves us confused at best and resentful at worst. Confused, because they have just told us we should feel good about our situation, when we don’t and we wonder why we can’t seem to do so. Resentful, because they’ve just told us something about ourselves when they obviously don’t know us as well as they should.

That could be our reaction to what St. Paul tells us this morning. To be fair to Paul, he doesn’t completely sugarcoat the way things are in our lives. His words do present some balance. He states both the negative and the positive. But he clearly tips the balance towards the positive. In fact, he closes this morning’s text on a lofty Christian note.

So, how accurate is he in describing your life? Are you full of joy? Did you whistle “Dixie” on your way here this morning? Are your life’s relationships so wonderful that you can’t help but sing an unending “Te Deum Laudamus”?

By now you’re probably thinking, “C’mon, Pastor! You know my life better than that. You know the problems I’m facing.”

So, when Paul describes your life in rather glowing terms, is he uninformed? Worse yet, is he kidding?

Since it’s our human nature to be more ready to believe the worst about ourselves than the best, let’s keep this question before us this morning as we take these words of our God to heart: Is Paul kidding? As we ponder these words, may the Holy Spirit convince us that he’s not.

I.

Life can be confusing, to say the least. There are times when I don’t know what to think anymore. Is what I just heard from an elected official what he or she really thinks is best, or did that person just say that to get a reaction out of me? And here’s another confusing situation: how do we keep ourselves and especially our children, safe in this violent world? I don’t know what’s best anymore. Should we just keep ourselves and our children barricaded in our homes?

The people to whom Paul wrote these words originally—the Christians in Corinth—were confused. They weren’t sure anymore what to believe when it came to their faith in God.

You see, the Corinthians were being confused by local preachers who downplayed Jesus and emphasized themselves. They discredited the message Paul had proclaimed to them by charging Paul with being completely unreliable. What’s more, they insisted that Paul words weren’t wise, persuasive or eloquent. The local preachers prided themselves on using the finest oratory to persuade people to believe what they were saying and to praise them for their oratory skills.

Paul, on the other hand, downplayed himself and emphasized Christ. That’s why he opens our text with these words, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Paul wanted them to know that the only person who matters is Jesus. Faith in Jesus who lived, died and rose again is the only thing that matters.

And when you possess that faith in Jesus, then this is the result, “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.” That’s a theological mouthful. Just what does Paul mean?

Paul wants you to know that your God, by the working of the Holy Spirit, has caused you to see the most important truth of all—the truth about Jesus as your Savior. That’s the light of the gospel which he is shining into your heart. With that faith in Jesus, you are exactly the kind of person God wants you to be—his own, dearly-loved child who is destined for eternal life with him in heaven. In other words, God has accomplished his highest will in your life. You’ve attained the blessings Jesus won for you.

So, as you live each day of your life—as dark and confusing as things might be in your world—you have the light of the gospel shining in your heart. As much as you don’t know about your life next month, let alone next week, you know this: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son to live for you, to die for you and to rise again for you. As stress-filled and disappointing as this life can be, you see “the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ.” In other words, Paul states that you have reached God’s goal for your life.

Is Paul kidding? No, you really do possess the saving light of God.

I stated a few minutes ago that we live in a confusing world and, even though science and technology relentlessly advance every day, it seems our world only gets more confusing. And yet Paul cuts through the fog of our confusion and points to you as a shining example of what God wants a person to know and believe. Really? With your doubts and fears? Really, when you know your secret sins and your daily shortcomings? Really, when you just can’t seem to be the person you want to be no matter how hard you try? Is Paul kidding? Absolutely not! You’ve come here to worship today to praise the Savior who lived, died and rose for you. You’ve come to attain a closer relationship with Jesus through the working of the Holy Spirit. You entered this church as a child of God and you’ll leave here in 30 minutes as a child of God. You came here to receive God’s pronouncement of forgiveness and that’s exactly what you heard. What’s more, you believe it. That’s the light of the gospel shining in your heart and life. In that light you see the glory of your Savior, Jesus Christ. What your God wants for you he has accomplished in you through Christ. Is Paul kidding? No, because you really do possess the saving light of Christ in a dark and confusing world.

Part II.

It’s been said that the Christian is an optimist. If you consider yourself to be a Christian (and I certainly hope and pray that you do), does that statement accurately describe you?

Honestly? Probably not. In light of all the problems in our world, in light of the prevalence of evil in our society, in light of what seems to be an increase in violence and immorality in our world, we’re not very optimistic about our world, are we?

And then there’s your own situation in your personal life. Things don’t always look so bright, do they? In fact, there are times when our future frightens and depresses us.

Paul would say, “Wait a minute! Things are looking up for you.” Really? Is he kidding?

Listen to what he says, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Paul doesn’t in any way deny the difficulties you’re facing. In fact, there are times when life knocks us off our feet. But even when you’re down on the ground, you’re not alone. Jesus is still with you. And as long as he’s still there, you’re going to be OK. The Christian is an optimist.

You see, Paul doesn’t deny what you’re facing in life. He doesn’t think you’re delusional. He wouldn’t accuse you of pessimism when you describe what you face every day of your life here on earth. Just the opposite. He readily concurs. You’re crushed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down. He sees in your life what you see.

But he urges you to look beyond the fact that your earthly life isn’t what you want it to be in order to embrace the life that you have with Jesus—a life that others can’t see. He closes our text with this lofty truth, “Life is at work in you.” Sounds odd, doesn’t it? Who speaks that way besides Paul? Is Paul kidding? Absolutely not. There’s a force that’s working in us every day. It’s the life that Jesus won for us. It’s eternal life. Scripture does not declare that you will have that life; it states that you do have that life. It’s a daily power, influence, and motivation in your life. It’s present and active even when your earthly life is the pits, when this life seems pointless at best and cruel at worst, when you don’t think you can take any more. It’s at those time in our lives when we need to realize what our Savior is telling us. You’re not losing; you’re winning.

Is Paul kidding? No, you really are winning the battle of life.

The Christian is an optimist. Is that your personal view? If not, why not? It seems to me that too often we view our lives simply for what they are right in front of us. Meanwhile, we fail to view them for what they are through Jesus. We tend to push Jesus to the side of life while we deal with its problems, instead of dealing with those problems with our Savior at our side. Jesus’ record in dealing with life is perfect. He never lost a battle. He’s undefeated, eternally undefeated. And by faith in him, his eternal victory is your eternal victory. You have that life now even as you struggle from day to day. So, as you face today, tomorrow, the next day, know and believe that you cannot lose with Jesus by your side. You win. Paul is not kidding. Neither is Jesus. So believe him! He’ll never disappoint you. Amen.