 The title of our sermon this morning is God's Power Displayed. God's Power Displayed is part two as we are looking through 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verses 7 through 15. Consider verse 7 with me. Paul says, But we have this precious treasure, Paul says, in earthen vessels so that the excellence, the surpassing greatness of the power, the power of new birth, the power of salvation, the power of life transformation, that the excellence of that power may be of God and not of us. Now Paul has explained in chapter 3 verses 7 through 18 that we've been given a glorious ministry, a glorious new covenant ministry through the preaching of the gospel, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ has shown in our dark hearts to bring life from the dead, right? Sight to the blind, hope to the hopeless. And that power, that glory is manifested or entrusted to earthen vessels. Now that's the theological point, right? That's the theological point. 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 26. Paul says, You see your calling, brethren, don't you? That not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. He's chosen the base, the common, unimportant things of the world. And the things which are despised, those things which are counted as insignificant, God has chosen them that the things which are not the nobodies might bring to nothing or nullify the things that are so that for the purpose that no flesh should glory in his presence. So that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. God displays his power through those who are weak. God displays his work through those who, apart from him, can do nothing, right? That's the theological point. That's the theological point. What was Paul's response to that theological point? In other words, what's the practical point here? The practical point is this, 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 9. Therefore, therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, Paul says, I take pleasure in infirmities. I take pleasure in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses. For Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong. That's the practical point. That's the right response, right? There is pleasure then in my infirmities. There is strength and there is power in my weakness. There is grace in my suffering. There is joy in my sorrow. There is purpose in my pain reminded of this prayer. Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, thou hast brought me to the valley of vision. Where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights, hemmed in by mountains of sin, I behold thy glory. Let me learn, Lord, by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells, and the deeper the wells, the brighter thy stars shine. Let me find thy light in my darkness, thy life in my death, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in my poverty, thy glory in my valley. God's power is displayed when we're weak. God's grace is sufficient in every distress. Paul's response, then, wasn't to cower under affliction, wasn't to fold under tribulation, wasn't to throw in the towel. Paul wasn't going to shrink back because of his weakness. Paul's response in understanding that and how that pertains to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul's response was to press into it, you see, to embrace it. Paul's response was to press forward by faith, to take joy in his weakness, to embrace his suffering, trusting the Lord for power, trusting the Lord for strength, for grace, knowing that God would give it and knowing that God would be glorified in it. That's the kind of perspective that we need to have, right? Are you sensing that perspective of Paul in this text? Understanding, applying, and living in light of this point that's communicated in this text will bring you joy even when things are hard, right? Joy in the midst of suffering, joy in the midst of distress, courage when you fear, right? Peace when you're in doubt, contentment in your anxiety, freedom to live wholeheartedly for him no matter how difficult the circumstances. How is it that martyrs have gone to the stake? It's right here in the text, right? The power of Christ to rest upon you in your preaching of the gospel. Paul begins in our text by expressing that God's power is displayed in our suffering. God's power is displayed in our weakness. He says in verse 8, we are, in other words, present, ongoing, actively, hard pressed. We're afflicted on every side in every way and yet not crushed, not restricted, not confined or hindered. We're baffled, we're perplexed, but we're not in despair. We are, verse 9, persecuted, huttened like prey, but never abandoned, never forsaken by God. We are struck down, but not destroyed, knocked down, but never knocked out. We know, we know from experience that God is never going to let us down. We have to live in that faith. Second Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 9, Paul continues, as dying and behold we live, as chastened and yet not killed, as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing, as poor, yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything, right? Paul learned, Paul learned through hard circumstances to trust in the Lord. Look back with me at Acts chapter 20 for an example of this. Acts chapter 20, Paul learned through hard circumstance to trust in the Lord. Acts chapter 20, look there beginning at verse 17. Acts chapter 20, verse 17. From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. When they had come to him, Paul said to them, you know from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you. That was Paul's pattern of life, right? Since the first day he got there, Paul lived among them in this way, serving the Lord, verse 19, with all humility, with many tears, with many trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews. Nevertheless, verse 20, how I kept nothing back that was helpful, but I proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house. Paul didn't shrink back in the face of persecution or difficulty or suffering. Paul pressed into it. Verse 21, testifying to Jews also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there. This is faith in Christ, right? A powerful, bold faith that is a gift of God, that is the fruit of the school of hard not so to speak. We see it here exemplified in Paul. I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies that in every city saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me. Verse 24, nor do I count my life dear to myself. I have abandoned myself to Christ. I have abandoned myself to his cause, his gospel, his people. Verse 24, so that for the purpose that I may one, finish my race with joy and two, finish my ministry, which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of the grace of God. I've given my life to Christ, Paul says. My life is not my own. I would gladly part with it to what end? To the end that I myself may finish my race with joy. And to the end that I may fulfill the ministry, which Jesus Christ has given me to preach the gospel. Paul, even in the midst of great suffering, especially in the case of great suffering, Paul delivers himself even to death for the sake of Jesus Christ, not counting his life dear to himself. Paul lives seemingly continuously under the looming shadow of death at every turn. But Paul also knows. He knows that it's God's power that is on display in that kind of life. Considering our weakness, consider with me point two on your notes, God's power displayed in life, God's power displayed in life beginning in verse 10. Paul, those who labor with Paul in the gospel verse 10, are always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live, Paul says, are always delivered to death for Jesus's sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So then death is working in us, but life in you, the power of God displayed in the life of Paul. Consider with me from verses 10 to 12 here, two roots and two fruits, two roots and two fruits. One first, two roots. There are two roots communicated in the text, seen in the life of Paul that produced the fruit of divine power, two roots that produced the fruit of divine power. We see those two roots at the beginning of verse 10. And at the beginning of verse 11, verse 10, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11, we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus's sake. So these two roots, we carry, he delivers. We carry, he delivers. These two statements are used to summarize the virtual constant tribulation that Paul faced in his ministry. And note with me, see that word again, always in both verse 10 and in verse 11. Verse 10, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 11, always delivered to death for Jesus's sake. Death, dying, tribulation, chains, suffering were Paul's near constant companions. And we see that in the present active verbs of verses eight and nine. Currently, verses eight and nine, presently in an ongoing way, we are hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted and struck down, right? Now Paul adds to that extraordinarily tough list. He says, we are now verse 10, always dying. We're always dying. We continually bear it. Paul says, we walk around day to day life, loaded down with the weight of it. Why? Why? Because Paul was constantly ministering the gospel. Paul was constantly, continuously preaching the gospel, ministering to those people. We, you and I enter into some small sense of this, don't we? In our context, when we go into this world to preach the gospel to lost people, we bear the reproach of Christ. And if you're a Christian, you gladly do it, amen? Now Paul says yes and all. All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. In other words, persecution, suffering, difficulty, affliction, tribulation is normal and expected in the Christian life. Now we don't face the same kind of persecution that Paul faces. Praise the Lord, right? The grace of God to us in this time. But if you preach the gospel, if you go to lost people to share the gospel, you're going to enter into some sense of this. You're going to understand here what Paul is referring to. The word here is necrosis, necrosis, necrosis, right? If you're a nurse, you know that term, doctor? Necrosis. It carries the sense or emphasizes a process of dying, a process of dying. Paul says we're always walking around carrying this burden of death. We must continuously bear up under the weight of it, bear up under the weight of suffering, bear up under the weight of death. And in bearing up under the weight of it, as we walk around, we're in a process of dying, right? It's experience, he says here, in our physical bodies that the life of Jesus might be manifested in our body. Paul says we're in a process of dying, experience in our bodies. This week, these weak and battered jars of clay. Verse 11, I want you to see, is slightly different. Verse 11, we don't merely carry it, we are delivered to it. Do you see? We who live are always delivered. Paul says that we who are alive, we're constantly being handed over to death, given over to this dying process. If you see that, you have to ask the question, who's the one doing the handing over? These verbs are passive. Paul is being handed over. The one who's doing the handing over is God. God is delivering Paul up to death for the sake of Jesus Christ. Paul is being handed over by God. God says of Paul in Acts chapter 9, verse 16, Paul says I will, or God says of Paul, I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. Paul said to the Philippians, for to you, Philippians, it has been granted, in other words, it's been ordained by God that on behalf of Christ, you are not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake. It has been ordained by God to roots that display the fruit of divine power. The first, how we live, how we carry it, how we bear up underneath it, how we persevere through it, how we persevere through the weight of suffering, verse 10. Secondly, God delivering us, God handing us over to suffering to show in our suffering and in our weakness his strength and his power. God delivers us to it. We bear the weight of it in dependence and in faith upon him. Now these two roots, these two roots produce two fruits that display God's power in life, our own life and in the lives of others. Two fruits displayed, displaying God's power in life, our life and the lives of others. First, the first fruit is the life seen in us, who are delivered to suffering and bear up well under it. It seems through the use of two essentially synonymous purpose clauses that we see in verses 10 and 11. Look at there with me at verse 10. Always caring about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, so that for the purpose that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. Verse 11, we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake. Here it is again, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. The dying of Jesus and the life of Jesus here placed as opposites. So that the life of Jesus may be manifested, may be displayed or on display in our body or manifested in our mortal flesh. Mortal flesh used there to just to emphasize I think the temporary or the dying nature of our weak bodies. We are weak earthen vessels, right? So here's the point. When we suffer, we're like our Lord. We enter into the fellowship of His sufferings. The captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings, so His people will be made perfect through suffering, right? Paul said that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ if indeed we suffer with Him that we may also be glorified together with Him, right? It's the cross before the crown, the cross before the crown. And it's His life of suffering that is manifested in our body, so to speak, in our mortal flesh when we suffer. But also, I want you to understand, note with me, that when we, as weak, frail, common, battered, cracked clay pots, when we choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, when we esteem the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than all the treasures in Egypt, we are saying, by the grace of God alone, that He is worth it, right? He is displayed in our suffering in that way. He is worthy of all of me, including my suffering. He is worthy. I don't count my life dear to myself because I have abandoned it to Christ, and He is worthy of that. I don't care. I don't count my life dear to myself because I rejoice to lay it down for Him. Peter says that Christ suffered for us like this, leaving us an example that we should follow in His steps. We should follow in His steps. And just like His life conquered and triumphed through suffering, even in death, the life of the Christian, indwelt by the Spirit of God, given grace by God, preserved by God, will conquer and will triumph through suffering, even to the point of death. That's how the Lord Jesus Christ is glorified in us. As it was for Him, it will be for us who die in Him. It's in that way that His resurrection life then is manifested in our life. We are to die daily. And as we die daily, live well in that, His glory. Peter said in light of this, thinking about this, he said, rejoice to the extent then that you partake of Christ's sufferings so that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. Two roots, two fruits. The second fruit is seen in those for whom we labor. The second fruit is seen in those for whom we labor. Verse 12. So then, considering these things, death is working in us, but life in you. One commentator said this. He said that ministers toil on a path of death so that those to whom they minister can experience life. Paul effectively says, we are dying. We're dying. We die daily. But through our death, you are living. Your sacrificial labor. When you're genuinely converted, right? And you're delivered to this ministry. You've been given the ministry of reconciliation. You preach the gospel. You love your brothers, love your sisters. When you enter into sacrificial labor for the sake of Christ, among the lost and among his people, you become a means through which God imparts life. When you die to yourself to preach the gospel, you spread a message of life. Paul says in Colossians chapter one, verse 24, Paul says, I rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church. In other words, there is a determined or gained amount of suffering that Christians will go through. And Paul entering into the labor of Christ, entering into the cause of Christ with the gospel fills up what is lacking on your part, so to speak, in the afflictions of Christ for your sake that you might have life for the sake of his body, the church. Interesting in verse 12, notice that Paul doesn't say death is working in us, but life is working through us. Paul doesn't say that in verse 12. What did he say? He says, death is working in us, but life is working in you. It calls us, I think to remember here, the great exchange points us back to the great exchange. Jesus Christ has done the same, hasn't he? In far greater, infinitely a greater sense, Jesus Christ comes and he says, I will die so that you may live. And then as we live for him, we die to ourselves so that we might live to him. It's the great exchange. John chapter 12, listen, John chapter 12, most assuredly, the Lord says, I say to you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain. You can say in that text, Lord Jesus Christ specifically speaking of himself, in dying, he produces much grain, produces much fruit. The fruit of the salvation of his elect, all of his people gathered to himself, produces much grain. That's also true of the Christian life. That principle is true of the Christian life. Unless a grain of wheat, you Christian brother, Christian sister, unless you fall into the ground and die to self, then you remain alone. But if you die to self and serve the Lord Christ, serve the Lord Christ with the gospel, serve his church, and you dying to self can produce much grain. He who loves his life will lose it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Now how could Paul say, how could Paul say in Acts 20, that I count not my life dear to myself. I don't count my life dear to myself. Paul hates his life for the sake of Christ. He counts, he counts his life an insignificant thing because he is owned by Christ. It's not his anymore. He doesn't, he's been bought at a price. He's been bought at a price. His life is not his own. He counts his life as an insignificant thing. He hates his life in this world, keeping it for eternal life. The Lord goes on to say in John 12, if anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him, my father will honor. We're called to abandon ourselves to Christ. That's the teaching of the New Testament. We're called to abandon ourselves to the gospel, abandon ourselves to the church, the Lord's people to serve them, to love them. I'm not saying go out and buy yourself a white linen robe, quit your job, and come up here and live in the backyard. But what the New Testament teaches is that in every way, every day, in every way, we are the Lord's. We are doing His work. We are representatives of His kingdom, preaching His gospel to lost people, hoping that His elect will hear and be saved. We're ministering to His people, loving His sons and His daughters in this building, in this church, in the church universal. We're called to love His people. Will you continue to love your life in this world? Or will you obey the Lord in John 12 and hate your life in this world to keep it for eternal life? If you love your life, the Lord says, if you love your life in this world, you're going to lose it. You're going to lose it. This is your best life now. Or will you lose it? Will you hate your life in this world to keep it for eternal life? You and I are going to die. We're going to die. Christ has died and now offers you eternal life in Him. Will you lose your life in this world to gain it for life everlasting? That's the offer that Lord Jesus Christ makes to you. Will you take it by faith? Trust Christ and turn from your sin. It's this glorious treasure, this glorious offer, this glorious great exchange that is the glorious treasure preached by weak and dying earthen vessels. Preached, proclaimed by weak and dying earthen vessels, God's power is displayed in your life. God's power is displayed in the life of others. It's this treasure of life given in a body of death. God's power is displayed in our suffering, Paul said, verses eight and nine. God's power is displayed in life, verses 10 through 12. Paul rejoices in his suffering. Paul embraces his weakness and the power of Christ would rest upon him. That God's power would be displayed in his suffering. Paul lives to Christ in his suffering so that in his dying daily for the sake of Christ, in his dying daily for the sake of the Corinthians, God's power is displayed in his own life as the life of Jesus is being manifested through him. So that, Paul says, the grace of everlasting life has worked into the heart, parts of once dead sinners through the preaching of the gospel. In other words, Paul says, death was at work in him. Life was at work in his hearers. Now, Paul explains, Paul explains that what sustains him through all of this and we'll see point three under notes is faith. God's power displayed through faith. Look at verse 13, considering our weakness, verse 13. And since we have the same spirit of faith according to what is written, I believe and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you. I want you to see three characteristics of genuine saving faith given in our text, verses 13 and 14, three characteristics of genuine saving faith. Faith is common, faith is causative, and faith is confident. Faith is common, causal or causative, and faith is confident. First, faith is common. Common doesn't mean here insignificant or ordinary, right? Common in the sense that a common faith is seated in the heart of every single Christian who is born again by the power of God. There is a common spirit of faith, so to speak, in every Christian. Verse 13, we have the same spirit of faith. Now he's not speaking there of the Holy Spirit in this context, but we have the same disposition of faith, the same heart of faith, the same character of faith, the same motivations of faith. Paul uses the word spirit here in the same way that he uses spirit in Galatians 6 to tell believers there to restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, right? It's a disposition of gentleness, a heart attitude of gentleness. James conveys this in James chapter 5 verse 17 where he says that Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. I think about that, right? Elijah, a man just like me, just like half of you, a person, just like all of you. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and Elijah prayed earnestly that it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. In other words, Elijah was a common man who exercised faith, exercised faith. It was not unlike any of us and he prayed that it would not rain and it didn't rain. Verse 18, he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth produced its fruit. The point is that Elijah with a nature like ours exercised the same spirit of faith that we have access to in the Lord Jesus Christ and Elijah exercising faith stops up the rain. The author of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 11 explains that we, you and I are of like precious faith with those of the Old Testament who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. He says there they were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute, afflicted, tormented. He says of whom the world was not worthy. All these he says obtained a good testimony through faith, through faith. In Christ, by the grace of God, you and I have this very same principle of faith at work in us. Do you believe that brother, sister? In Christ, by the grace of God, we have this very same principle of faith at work in us. We through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. How much more will he freely give us all things, right, in him? This spirit of faith common to all Christians, common to all Christians. But this spirit of faith is also causative. Spirit of faith is also causative. Verse 13, since we have the same spirit of faith according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke. We also believe, same principle of faith, and therefore we also speak. Now Paul here in verse 13 is quoting Psalm 116. Turn there with me. Psalm 116. In quoting Psalm 116, Paul is looking back at the experience of David. In this Psalm, David believes, parts all mind and strength. David believes that in a time of great tribulation, God delivered him from death, right? David believes he has unshakable, uncompromising faith in God's deliverance. And so David preaches it. David speaks about it. Look at Psalm 116. There with me at verse one. David says, I love the Lord. Amen, David, right? I love the Lord. I love the Lord because he has heard my voice and he has heard my supplications because he has inclined his ear to me. Look at David's response in verse two. Therefore, I will call upon him as long as I live. The pains of death surrounded me. The pains of sheol laid hold of me. I found trouble and sorrow. Verse four, then I called upon the name of the Lord. Oh, Lord, I implore you, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord and righteous. Yes, our God is merciful. The Lord preserves the simple. And so in verse six, I was brought low. I was humbled and he saved me. Like God delivers the humble. So verse seven, return to your rest then. Oh, my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. If you are in Christ, you can relate to David's prayer here, can't you? If you're in Christ, you have been delivered. You have been delivered from a great death. Pains of death, pains of sin, bondage surrounded you. The pains of sheol gripped at you, wanting to pull you in, right? John of the Dead Words, it says that hell has its mouth wide opened, gaping at you, right? You are a citizen apart from Christ, a citizen of hell, destined for hell. Then if you're in Christ, if you've turned from your sin to put your faith and trust in him, there was a time when you called on the name of the Lord, you called on the name of the Lord, knowing that the Lord is gracious. The Lord is righteous. God is merciful and you implored him on your behalf to deliver your soul. The Lord, one who preserves the simple, brought you low. He brought you low and he saved you. And you, trusting in Christ, maybe you've come to the point where you can now return to your rest, so to speak, and say, the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. Praise the Lord. We're here worshiping the Lord for his salvation, amen. We're praising him that he has dealt bountifully with us, that he has delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears and our feet from falling. So then what is David's response in verse nine? David says, I will then walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, therefore I spoke. Our response to the Lord Jesus Christ and his gracious salvation, his mercy to us is to walk before him in the land of the living, to praise him this side of eternity in this wicked world, to preach him as a testimony, as a witness for him, to this dying and perverse generation. I believe, God, therefore I speak. I believe, therefore I preach. I believe, therefore I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. David says in verse 10, I'm greatly afflicted. It means I'm greatly exercise. I'm greatly moved is what the word means. David says I'm greatly moved to action. I'm greatly motivated. I'm greatly determined. I'm greatly resolved. I believe, therefore I will preach it, right? Verse 11, I said in my haste in my fear that all men are liars, there of no help to me. God is my help. God is my refuge. What then verse 12, shall I render the Lord for all his glorious benefits toward me? There's nothing that we can offer, is there? It's impossible to repay such immeasurable love, such immeasurable grace. We must give our lives. It's the only appropriate response, isn't it? For all that the Lord has done for you, if you've been forgiven of your sin, if you've been given eternal everlasting life with the Lord Jesus Christ praising and worshiping him forever, if you have escaped the torment of an everlasting hellfire, then what is the appropriate response? What shall we render the Lord for all his benefits toward me? Anything less than my entire life, right? Anything less than all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, all my strength is unworthy of him. Give your life to Christ. Abandon yourself. I don't count my life dear to myself. Why? He's looking how gracious and merciful the Lord has been with me. Verse 13, David says, I will take up the cup of salvation and I will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. We die daily. You and I may be called to die for the cause of Christ. Precious in the sight of God is the death of his children, his saints. Oh Lord, David says, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your maid servant. You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving. That word sacrifice carries with it the sense of death, doesn't it? Sacrifice, the sacrifice of thanksgiving. I show my thanks to God by abandoning my life to him. Right? Verse 17, David says, and we'll call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all his people. In the courts of the Lord's house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem, praise the Lord. Amen, David. Back in 2 Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 13. Paul says here in verse 13, and since we have the same spirit of faith, like David, right? Since we have that same spirit of faith, we have the same spirit of faith. Amen, if you're in Christ. Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke. We also believe and therefore we also speak. Do you see? The same principle or spirit of faith at work in David is the same principle or spirit of faith at work in Paul, and it's the same spirit or principle of faith at work in you and I if we're in Christ. We must be as resolved and as determined as David and Paul. We have responsibility, don't we? We've been given a ministry. The Lord has heard the voice of your prayer, and your supplication if you're in him. He has loosed you. He has loosed me from the bonds of my iniquity. We were brought low and he saved us. He's forgiven us of our sin. He's given us an inheritance. Gracious is our Lord, right? Righteous is our Lord and merciful. He has delivered you. He's delivered me from the pangs of death. What shall I then render to the Lord for all his gracious and merciful benefits toward me? I will walk before him in the land of the living. I believe in him, and therefore I will speak of him. I will proclaim his salvation from the rooftops. Amen. Faith is common. That faith is causative. Third, that faith is confident. It's confident. Verse 14, knowing Paul says that he who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus and will present us with you. Paul's work in this world is a bold, triumphant, conquering work in the power of God. He's not defeated. He's not forsaken. He's not restricted or laid low. Paul's bolstered faith has become a bold faith, a confident faith. Paul serves the one who has defeated death and his faith in the one who has promised a resurrection to life from the dead. That promise transcends Paul's pain and suffering and even death in this world. Paul is trusting in that promise. Paul says essentially, right, I can live my life in bold, confident, triumphant, conquering faith because I serve the living God who raises the dead. Therefore, I believe, and I also speak. Paul expresses that same confidence for the Corinthians. He says at the end of verse 14, he will certainly present us with you. Paul says, I love this church. When I say that, when I say I love this church, I mean, I love you. I love you. I love the brothers and sisters here. It's a joy to serve here. I love the brothers that I serve with. I'm just grateful to the Lord. Grateful to the Lord. We have that confidence in you. The Lord has been so good to us, so kind, gracious, compassionate. We know that the one who raises the dead will raise you and us with you to present us before him without spot or blemish. It's a joy of serving here to know that this church is filled with genuinely converted, bloodbought, saved believers of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a great grace, a great blessing. It's a joy here, a blessing here to serve as elders, pastors, knowing that, right, to serve alongside you as we preach the gospel. What a joy it's been through the years to see this church just faithfully preach the gospel. Many of you saved through that preaching. That's a glorious blessing. We have that confidence in you. A while back, I saw a movie, a Christian movie, that movie in part depicted, it portrayed the confidence and boldness of the Lord's disciples after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Lord was crucified. They witnessed his crucifixion, and the movie is depicting this, right? They witnessed his crucifixion. The Lord then ascends into heaven and is risen on the third day, and the disciples saw the risen Lord, but they saw the risen Lord, right? And so the movie depicts then how they responded to that understanding. After it sort of sunk in, Lord Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead in power, and the movie depicted them, I guess the best way I can explain it is overly giddy, like just giddy, right? Roman is excoriating one of the disciples, and he's got this smile on his face, and he's sort of giggling, like in the face of this guy who could potentially kill him. And at first, when I first saw that, I thought that that seems to be a little overdone, a little overacted. It's like, calm down just a little bit. But after I thought about it for a period of time though, it's like, that's not overacted at all. If anything, it's an understatement, right? To see Jesus Christ risen from the dead, it wasn't overdone. That cultivated in the disciples a bold, confident, courageous faith. God's power is gloriously displayed through that faith. That is a confident faith. We, if you're a Christian here today, you and I, we believe that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead in power by God, and we believe that if Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, then you and I will be raised with him. He is the first fruits of all those who will be raised in him, and we have that faith. Our faith should be a confident faith. Don't fear him who can kill the body, right? Paul says, I don't fear him who can kill the body. I don't count my life dear to myself. Why? Because I'm trusting in the one who can raise the dead. And that knowledge, that understanding, that faith transcends my everyday circumstances. You can threaten me. You can rebuke me. You can revile me. But Paul says, I serve the one who raises the dead. It gave Paul, gave the disciples, should give us a bold, confident, conquering faith. We serve the one who raises the dead. That faith is common to all believers, causative. I believe in therefore I speak, and faith is confident. God's power is gloriously displayed through faith. Lastly, I want you to see in verse 15, God's power is displayed in love. God's power displayed in love. Verse 15 says, for all things, all that I do, all that I endure in ministry, Paul says, are for your sakes. All things are for your sakes. He's already said in verse 5, that he and his fellow laborers in the gospel are slaves for their sakes. All things are for their sakes. He is their slaves, their bond servant. He expresses the same truth here. He says, verse 15, I will gladly spend and be spent on the service and sacrifice of your faith. And as much as love for the Corinthians motivates his efforts for them, that's motivated by love for them, a greater love or a greater purpose compels Paul. Paul says in verse 15, that that grace, so that grace having spread through the many may cause thanksgiving to a bound or to overflow to the glory of God. Paul says, I will gladly press on in faith, embracing the difficulty, embracing my suffering, rejoicing in my infirmities, boasting in my weaknesses, because as the grace of God through me produces fruit, thanksgiving will abound to God through you, and he will be glorified. Amen. Just to consider how infinitely wise and infinitely good God is in his, the things that he's ordained for his church, the spread of the gospel, the ministry of his people. It's just glorious, isn't it? Brother, sister, enter in. Enter in. Don't shrink back because of fear, because of laziness, because of sluggardliness, because of mixed priorities. Press in, commit yourself to do all for him because he's given all for you. If you're here today and you don't know that power, turn from your sin. Trust Christ. He offers everlasting life. Turn at his rebuke. Humble yourself, right? As David says, that you may be saved. All thanks, praise, honor, strength, power, blessing, dominion, worship, be to our God and to the Lamb forever and ever. With all God's people said,