II Corinthians 4:5,6

II Corinthians 4:5,6 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Paul is reminding us that Jesus Christ is the most important Person in the world. Paul was a great preacher and a great evangelist, but Jesus was more important than he was. Paul traveled to many places and started many churches, but his ministry was all about Jesus. People loved Paul and thought a lot of him, but Paul reminded them that he was a great man only because of Jesus Christ. And that is what we must realize. We may think that we are an important person, but everything that we have is because of Jesus Christ. How do we keep our heart beating? Where do we get the air to breathe? Where does our very life come from? Everything that we have is because of Jesus. And we owe Jesus Christ everything. And, if that’s not enough, Jesus gives us our spiritual life. Jesus died for our sins and gives us a home in heaven. God reached down to worthless sinners and brought us up out of a miry pit and gave us a home in heaven! Wow! What wonderful gifts God has given to us!

II Corinthians 4:1-4

II Corinthians 4:1-4 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Paul tells us that we used to be wicked sinners and displeasing to God. But now we are saved and we are different. But there are two parts to our salvation: we are saved and become a brand new creature. But in another sense, there is a gradual change in our lives; there is a gradual improvement. We read the Bible and are daily becoming more and more like Jesus. That is called sanctification. Our salvation is instantaneous, but our sanctification is gradual. And in order to be changed every day, we must read the Bible and let the Holy Spirit speak to us and change us. This is an ongoing process. But what if we get lazy? What if we don’t read the Bible and obey what the Holy Spirit tells us? Well then, we are not being changed into a better Christian; we are not becoming more Christ-like. So what do others see in us? They see a hypocrite; they see someone who says one thing and lives another thing. And our verse says that our “gospel is hid”. Others do not see Jesus in us; they only see lies. So if we are poor Christians and bad examples, who is happy? Satan is happy! The devil has blinded people to their sins and he is using our bad example to keep the gospel from shining into their hearts. So, here is the question: Do you want to be a bad Christian and be used by Satan to deceive people, or do you want to be a good Christian and be an example of a changed life for Jesus Christ? I know what I want to be. And I think that I know what you want to be too. Let’s let the Holy Spirit change us. Let’s be a good example for others.

II Corinthians 3:18

II Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Our verse yesterday reminded us that we have freedom and liberty in Jesus Christ. We are free to become what we want to be. We don’t have to live in sin; we don’t have to be ruled by Satan and by our rotten habits. We can become the pure person that we want to be; we can become a better Christian day by day. So how do we do this? How do bad habits drop off and good habits grow? That is found in our verse for today. Paul uses the illustration of a glass – a mirror. When I get up in the morning, I go into the bathroom and I look into the mirror. I look into the mirror to see what I really look like. And when I do, I don’t like what I see. I am disappointed in myself. My hair is all tousled from rolling around in the bed all night. I have whiskers that need to be shaved off. I don’t like what I see. But because I see my problems, I can do something about them. I begin to comb my hair, and it looks better. I shave my beard (except for my moustache) and my face looks nice and smooth. I wash my face and brush my teeth and I take one more look in the mirror and smile. I like the improvement. And that’s the way it is with the mirror of God’s Word. I read the Bible and it tells me things that I don’t like to hear. It tells me that I am a sinner and displeasing to God. But now that I know it, I can do something about it. I read more in the Bible and I learn how I should be living to please God and to get along better with others. As I read and learn and obey, I am changed. I become a better person; I become more Christ-like. My life is changed by the mirror of God’s Word. So what about you? Are you being changed day by day? Hey! You are! You are reading God’s Word right now! Did you learn something to help you today? Good! Now obey it!