Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 2 CORINTHIANS #4 - 4:7-5:10)
G. 4:7-5:10 GOD'S MOTIVATIONS FOR MINISTERS
1. 4:7-15 GRACE TRIUMPHS THROUGH VESSELS OF WEAKNESS
a. 4:7-10 LIFE IN MIDST OF PRESSURES
Echo-men de ton the-sauRON [2344]TOUton en os-traKInois [3749]SKEUe-sin [4632],
But we have this :treasure in earthen vessels,
HIna he hu-per-boLE[5236]tes duNAme-os e tou TheOU, kai meex heMON;
that the exceeding greatness of the power be of :God, and not from us;
en panTI thliBOme-noi [2346], all' ou ste-no-choROUme-noi [4729];
8we arepressed on every side, yet not straitened;
a-poROUme-noi [639], all' ouk e-xa-poROUme-noi [1820];
perplexed, yet not over-perplexed;
di-oKOme-noi [1377], all' ouk eg-ka-ta-leiPOme-noi [1459];
9pursued, yet not left behind;
ka-ta-balLOme-noi [2598], all' ouk a-polLUme-noi [622];
smitten down, yet not destroyed;
PANto-te ten NEkro-sin [3500]tou IeSOU en toSOma-ti [4983]pe-riPHEron-tes [4064],
10 always bearing about in the body the dying of :Jesus,
HIna kai hezo-E[2222]tou IeSOU en toSOma-ti heMON pha-ne-roTHE[5319].
that the life also of :Jesus be manifested in our :body.
b. 4:11 LIFE FLOWS OUT OF DEATH WITH JESUS
aEI gar heMEIS hoi ZONtes eis THAna-ton [2288]pa-ra-diDOme-tha [3860]diA IeSOUN,
For we who live are always deliveed unto death for Jesus,
HIna kai hezo-E[2222]tou IeSOU pha-ne-roTHE[5319]en tethneTEsarKI heMON.
that the life also of :Jesus be manifested in our mortal :flesh.
c. 4:12 So that :death works in us, but :life in you.
HOSte ho THAna-tos en heMIN e-nerGEItai [1754], hede zo-Een huMIN.
d. 4:13-14 FAITH: BASIS FOR BOTH MINISTRY AND COMING RESURRECTION
Echon-tes de to auTO PNEUma tes PISte-os,
But having the same spirit of :faith,
kaTA to ge-gramMEnon, E-PISteu-sa, di' ho eLAle-sa;
according to what is written, I believed, wherefore I spoke;
kai heMEIS pisTEUo-men [4100], di' ho kai laLOUmen;
we also believe, wherefore also we speak;
eiDOtes HOti ho eGEIras [1453]ton KUri-on IeSOUN
14knowing that who raised up the Lord Jesus
kai heMAS sun IeSOU e-geREI, kai pa-rasTEsei [3936]sun huMIN.
shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present uswith you.
e. 4:15 MULTIPLICATION AND ABOUNDING
ta gar PANta di' huMAS, HIna he CHAris, ple-oNAsa-sa [4121] diA ton pleiOnon,
For all the thingsare for you, that the grace, being multiplied through the many,
ten eu-cha-risTIan [2169]pe-risSEUseeis [4052]ten DOxan tou TheOU.
may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of :God.
2. 4:16-5:5 BECAUSE OF AN ENDURING BODY THROUGH THE SPIRIT
a. 4:16 INWARD MAN VERSUS OUTWARD MAN
Di' ho ouk eg-kaKOUmen [1573]; all' ei kai ho ExoheMON ANthro-pos di-aphTHEIre-tai [1311],
Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward :man is decaying,
all' ho EsoheMON a-na-kaiNOUtai [341]heME-ra kai heMEra.
yet our :inward manis renewed day by day.
b. 4:17-18 TRUE PERSPECTIVE ON PRESENT AFFLICTIONS
to gar pa-rauTIka [3910]e-laPHRON [1845]tes THLIpse-os [2347]kath' hu-per-boLEN [5236]
For the light momentary :affliction works for us
eis hu-per-boLEN aiOni-on BAros [922]DOxes ka-terGAze-tai [2716]heMIN;
more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
meskoPOUNton [4648heMON ta blePOme-na [991], alLA ta meblePOme-na:
18while WE look not at what are seen, but at what are not seen:
ta gar blePOme-na PROSkai-ra [4340]; ta de meblePOme-na aiOni-a.
for what are seen are temporal; but what are not seen are eternal.
c. 5:1 OUR FUTURE BODY
OIda-men gar HOti eAN heePIgei-os [1919]heMON oiKIa tou SKEnous [4636]ka-ta-luTHE[2647],
For we know that if the earthly house of our :tabernacle be dissoloved,
oi-ko-doMEN ek TheOU Echo-men, oiKIan a-chei-roPOIeton [886], aiOni-on [166], en tois ou-raNOIS.
we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.
d. 5:2-3 UNDERSTANDING THIS PRESENT CONFLICT
kai gar en TOUtosteNAzo-men [4727], to oi-keTEri-on [3613]heMON
For verily in this we groan, longing to be clothed upon
to ex ou-raNOU e-penDUsas-thai [1902] e-pi-poTHOUNtes [1971]:
with our :habitation which is from heaven:
EI ge kai en-duSAme-noi [1746]ou gumNOI 1131]heu-re-theSOme-tha [2147].
3if so be that clothed we shall not be found naked.
e. 5:4 OUR HOPE: OUR RESURRECTED BODY
kai gar hoi ONtes en toSKEnei [4636]steNAzo-men [4727], baROUme-noi [916];
For verily we that are in the tabernacle groan, being burdened;
eph' hoou THElo-men ekDUsas-thai [1562], all' e-penDUsas-thai [1902],
not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would be clothed upon,
HIna ka-ta-poTHE[2666]to thneTON [2349]huPO tes zo-ES.
that the mortal be swallowed up of the life.
f. 5:5 GOD'S PLAN UNDERGIRDED BY THE DOWN-PAYMENT OF SPIRIT
ho de ka-ter-gaSAme-nos [1716]heMAS eis auTO TOUto TheOS,
Now who wrought us for this very thing isGod,
ho dous heMIN ton ar-raBOna [728]tou PNEUma-tos.
who gave us the earnest of the Spirit.
3. 5:6-10 A COURAGEOUS MINISTRY BECAUSE OF FAITH
a. 5:6-8 CONTRAST: PRESENT BODY VERSUS FUTURE STATE
TharROUNtes [2292] oun PANto-te, kai eiDOtes HOti,
Always therefore of good courage, and knowing that,
en-deMOUNtes [1736]en toSOma-ti, ek-deMOUmen [1553]aPO tou KuRIou
while we are at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord
(diA PISte-os gar pe-ri-paTOUmen, ou diA EIdous [1491]) - tharROUmen [2292]de, kai eu-doKOUmen [2106]
7(for we walk through faith, not through sight) - 8we are of good courage, and are pleased
MALlon ek-deMEsai [1553]ek tou SOma-tos, kai en-deMEsai pros ton KUri-on.
rather to be away from home from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
b. 5:9 YET: PLEASING TO LORD IN WHATEVER STATE
di' ho kai phi-lo-tiMOUme-tha [5389],
Wherefore also we are ambitious,
EIte en-deMOUNtes [1736]EIte ek-deMOUNtes [1553], euAres-toi [2102]auTOEInai.
whether at home or away from home, to be well-pleasing to him.
c. 5:10 A SOBER REALITY: CHRIST'S COMING JUDGMENT SEAT!
tous gar PANtas heMAS pha-ne-roTHEnai [5319]dei EMpros-then tou BEma-tos [968]tou ChrisTOU;
For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of the Christ;
HIna koMIse-tai [2865]HEkas-tos ta diA tou SOma-tos,
that each receive the things donethrough the body,
pros ha Epra-xen [4238], EIte a-gaTHON [18] EIte PHAUlon [2556].
according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
NOTE: God is a JealousGod, and will have no other godsbefore Him. He moves to keep us as His people - humbleand submissive, that His power and glory might be manifested through us. Brother Yun of China, Oswald Chambers, Rees Howells and George Muller of Bristol, are but 4 who learned the liberating secret of letting God completely loose in their lives. By all means procure the biography of “Brother Yun, the Heavenly Man” by Paul Hattaway. It can transform the life of any reader. Thisis the reason God allows us to have this treasure in earthen vessels.
This whole passage before us is but an unfolding of the supreme purpose of God on our behalf. By and large, our Western Church has failed to grasp this secret, that the persecuted Asian and African churches are all too familiar with. Did you know that our Western World is the chief prayer target for revival in the persecuted churches? They feel we are more desperately in need of revival than any other part of the world. We have a lightness in our worship, and an attitude to the gifts of the Spirit, that must deeply grieve the heart of God. In the light of this, can He yet send us revival? Most certainly. But it might come from the fruit of intercessors in other parts of the world more than from our homeland.
I have been in 4 revivals in the last 65 years. I treasure all 4. I have learned much from each one. When I read a passage as the above, 2 Corinthians 4:7-5:10, my spirit mourns in the light of what I hear and see in our conferences, church services, and Christian lives. God have mercy on us! And God willhave mercy on us! We deserve not the leastof His mercies. They are allof grace based on the finished work of Christ. God's call to us is to be identified with His suffering Son in His life down here: His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and soon coming again. It is difficult to see God's Christ and Son in much taking place in our church today. J.A.W.