Text: 2 Corinthians 6
Subject: Basics of Faith
Theme: 11) The Present Blessing of a Christian
Title: “The Secret of God’s Present Blessings!”

 
Introduction

• In our series “Basics of Faith” we looked last time at the fact that ‘The church of God is a profound mystery for the kingdom of God!’ We saw that the church is a channel of God’s purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His Son, that the church is a corporate body in which man may worship God, that the church are people who demonstrate God’s love and compassion for all the world and that the church is an agency of God for evangelizing the world.

 
• One of the main planter, supporter, minister (even fighter) of the church of Jesus Christ is the Apostle Paul as we see it in the Book of Acts and all His letters to the churches and young ministers. It seems for Paul this was the greatest privilege in His life and all that he was living for. From the beginning of His conversion in Acts 9 until the end of his life Paul was living and serving his Lord Jesus in establishing and building the church all over the nations. In His ministry for Jesus, Paul experienced in the same time the greatest hardships of his life but also all the blessings of God.

 
• As we can see it here in our read text in 2 Corinthians 6, where Paul’s hardships and all the blessing go tied together, such an experience is totally controversial and unthinkable. How can one speak about being blessed, when one goes through worst and hardest hardships, even coming close to death? Is that really blessing?

 
• Humanly speaking we have a completely different understanding of the word ‘blessing’. When we speak of blessings (and very often even as Christians), we have the notion of life, that everything is going smooth and perfectly, we are completely healthy, enjoying a certain standard of wealth and fortune, being liked and appreciated by all the people and have success in all we do. Humanly blessing means that you are just on the high side of life!

 
• As we read about the life of Paul and certainly our preaching text, we must, without a doubt, acknowledge that Paul does not fall under this category of blessing. Those Christians that tend to the prosperity blessings of a life in Christ would tell him that he probably has sin in life and God is not blessing him. Others would tell him that he probably he does not have enough faith in God. He should, for example, accept by faith claim his complete healing and indeed it will be there. There are spiritual problems in Paul’s life. According to the prosperity opinion, Paul has obvious hardships, that plays out any blessings of God.

 
• However, Paul does not agree. He fully is assured that in spite of hardship he experiences also the great blessings of God. Even more, Paul is encouraging the believers in spite of hardship to see and experience the present blessings of God. This is clear in verse 1 where Paul says: “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.” Even though God’s present blessings are secret and not easy to understand for us human beings, Paul still believes and knows, that…

 
Prop.: Every Christian can experience God’s riches blessings in this life!

 
• Maybe at this point of your life, you might just see all the setbacks of life by various hardships like financial problems, sicknesses, mobbing at work or school or in the family, difficult relationships, etc. You question if you are really a believer and if you can experience the blessings of life. Maybe your question what are actually the present blessings of God for your life? Is it healthy or riches or maybe even more?

 
• From our text, we want to briefly look at ways from Paul’s own experience and his advice how we can experience God’s riches blessings in this life? As we look at the points how we experience God’s riches blessing in this life, we also see at the same time what are these blessings.

 
I. Every Christian can experience God’s riches blessings in this life by being a witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (vs 1-6)

• As human beings and also Christians we often wish that all the blessings our just flying to us. We think that they should just automatically be there. And indeed we cannot earn any blessings from God. As we just read when we receive blessings, it is God’s grace. The source for our blessings is God. God is the one who gives all that we need in Jesus Christ. We read that in Ephesians 1:3: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

 
• The real blessings of God we can only experience in Jesus. Our blessings start actually at the most controversial and life impacting point of life, which is the cross of Jesus, where He died for you and me. Only when we come with our sins to the cross and bring them to Jesus in faith, we receive the blessings of salvation. Without the salvation of Jesus, we cannot experience any true blessings of God. We can experience perishable blessings of the world, but not the present, eternal blessing of God. That comes only in the salvation of Jesus.

 
• In verse 3 we read then too: “For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” We are living in the time of salvation, the salvation of Jesus Christ. If you have not received the salvation of Jesus do not hesitate today any longer to receive His salvation. Jesus wants to save you just at this moment.

 
• That step is not the end, then just the beginning. As we have received the salvation of Jesus we should be His witness. We should share to the world our testimony and witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot convert people, but we should share our testimony of our salvation and life with Jesus. This is not easy and we might experience various hardship as Paul experienced them. In verse 3-6 we read about the great hardship of Paul like beatings, imprisonment, hard work, sleepless nights, hunger and distress, etc. Still, the only goal of Paul was to witness of the Gospel of Jesus.

 
• The secret of God’s blessings is that in spite of these hardships that can be present in our life, we experience the peace and happiness of God in the salvation of Jesus and the fact being his witness. The blessings of God starts insight in our heart and soul. That comes as we witness what Jesus has done for us and wants to do for others.

 
• In Isaiah 52:7 we can then read: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” We read here how those that bring the gospel are blessed people because they actually bring the blessings to people

 
• Ill.: “The soul-winner’s Reward”: General Booth told of a man leaving Australia who had been working in the gold fields, and had acquired a fortune. He was on a ship when a leak was sprung. The lifeboats were lost, and the people were without hope. This strong man thought he could fight through the waves to the island, and he was about to spring into the water when a little girl, whose mother had been lost in the storm, asked him, “Sir, can you save me?” He looked at his belt of gold, and then at the child, and then at the belt, and then at the child again. He threw the belt of gold away, took her on his back, and threw himself into the sea. He struggled through the waves and with life almost gone he reached the land. The next day, when he regained consciousness the little girl put her arms around his neck, and her lips to his cheek, and said, “I am so glad you saved me.” That was worth more than all the gold in Australia.

 
That is the soul-winner’s reward. It is for some man whom you have won for Christ to meet you on the streets of gold and say, “I am so glad you preached that sermon or sang that song; it saved me.” (Source: Present Day Parables, J. Wilbur Chapman)

 
• What is our focus in our life and as Christians? Do we just want to make a personal profit and gain our life, or do we seek to help others to get saved and gain eternal life in Jesus Christ? The deepest blessings of life given by God you find in the role of a witness for the Gospel of Jesus.

 
II. Every Christian can experience God’s riches blessings in this life by experiencing divine power in difficult time and circumstances (vs 7 – 12).

• It is again very impressive how Paul is writing in his letter to the Corinthians so openly about his difficulties and weaknesses. That is especially amazing in that the Corinthians were such faith heroes and seem to be very strong compared to Paul. This is at least the impression one gets reading the Epistles to the Corinthians. But Paul as saying in verse 11-12 has spoken freely and with an open heart, not withholding any affection.

 
• In that Paul makes clear that we are going through a mix of feelings. We see that from verse 8 on, where Paul is saying: “Through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors.” Paul is going through all kind of up and downs. We see that he experiences glory, but also dishonor, he hears good and bad reports, genuine and yet also impostors. He goes through all the contrast of life.

 
• That seems to even more intensified in the verse 9-10: “known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

◦ Here is one very interesting literary change in the middle of verse 9. As in verse 8 the first phrase “known, yet regarded as unknown” is always first mentioning the positive state or strength and then the negative state. But now the phrase starts and continues with a negative state turning to a positive as for ‘dying – but alive’, ‘beaten – not killed’, sorrowful – always rejoicing’, ‘poor – making rich’, ‘having nothing – possessing everything’

◦ If you have made a positive experience – for example, that get praise from people – it is still possible to bear also some critic from other. But if you are already at a point, where you have no hope and perspective – for example, sorrow and dying – how can one ever return to the positive. Many people at such a negative point fall into depression and discouragement. In extreme case, people do not see any way out so that they commit suicide or even kill other people with their suicide. Sadly we hear again and again of parents that have serious financial problems or that divorce from each other, taking their family and killing them all. Terrible scenes have often occurred at such tragic happenings. Or how many people look for Euthanasia, when they are terminally sick? In our society, it is even given already to teenagers.

◦ At such points, a man often stops and does not want to go on. They are terrible situations.

 
• But Paul’s reaction is different knowing the grace and power of God. In verse 7 he says: “in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;” Paul sees 3 important points that help us to go through and overcome our difficulties:

1. A truthful speech – We should speak the truth to each and everyone, also about our situation
2. The power of God – Not our own power can make it, but only the power of God in the Holy Spirit. We need to depend on the power of God.
3. The weapons of righteousness – It is not our own righteousness but the righteousness in Jesus as we find it in the Word of God. We should depend on Jesus and His Word and by that take the weapon of righteousness.

 
• Humanly speaking we might not see anything good in our situation. But let us not look at our situation, but turn and fix our eyes on the almighty God. Then we experience the power of God in difficult situations. As we experience God’s power, we also receive a rich blessing through him. As we have seen in verse 9-10 the blessing of God is that he changes our negative into the unexpected positive. We experience the full life, joy, riches in all living areas and everything of life.

 
III. Every Christian can experience God’s riches blessings in this life by a grounded faith in Jesus Christ (vs 13 – 18).

• But the blessing is even deeper and far more meaningful in our difficulties and challenges, then just the happiness that we have experienced God’s strength and with that overcomes all. The deep joy of blessing we learn in the fact that in the overcoming of difficulties we are getting stronger and more grounded in our faith in Jesus. That is what James is talking about concerning trials and temptations in his letter, chapter 1:2-4: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God uses trials and temptations in our life to produce and build our faith in him. Here we find our deep joy and blessing. James approves that later in verse 12: “Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” The blessing of faith produced under trial is that we receive the crown of life.

 
• That we need faith Paul makes clear in the following verses 13-18 in our preaching text. He warns emphatically the believers not to yoke with unbelievers. Paul explains in detail that we have nothing common with unbelievers. There is a strong exhortation to separate from them and to have nothing in common with them. This does not mean that we isolate ourselves and avoid any person that is not a believer. It rather means that we do not follow their ways and principles because these are not godly ways and principles.

 
• Paul further shows that we should separate from them because God is living with us and walking among us. He is our God and we are His people. We have a totally different destiny. To live with God we can only do in a grounded faith in Him. To live with God does not mean that we need to do good works to please him or to fulfill certain divine requirements. It means that we fully trust with all in Jesus and follow our God by faith.

 
• In that we find our full blessing as Paul is writing also in the letter to the Galatians in Galatians 3:9: “So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.” It is the ones of faith that are blessed. Here it gets obvious that faith is not just something that we exercise, but it is actually our status in Jesus. All that follow Jesus are the one of faith.

 
• Ill.: Those of you who are parents you have maybe all experienced a situation with your children, where you have challenged them to trust you. Maybe it might have been a situation in a swimming pool, where you call your child to jump in because you will catch him or her so that the child will not sink. However, the child is standing at the edge of the pool and just shouting: “Are you really catching me? Will you not drop me?” And you assure again and again that it will land safely in your hand. Finally, the child jumps in full trust into your arms and experience how you indeed catches it and hold it strong. In order to experience the pool, it just needs to trust you. Can you see the joy of the child as you catch and hold in the pool?

 
• The same joy we do have when we trust God and experience him fully in our faith. This is the blessing of a ground faith in Jesus. As you walk with faith in Jesus you will experience the deep blessing of God. It will strengthen your relationship with Him and make you strong.

 
Conclusion

• As Christians, we are often talking about the glory and blessings we will receive when we will be with Jesus in all eternity. However, there is already a present blessing of God. God has a lot of blessings in store for His children. Every Christian can experience God’s riches blessings in this life! We can experience God’s riches blessing in this life by being a witness of the Gospel, by experiencing divine power in difficult time and circumstances, by a grounded faith in Jesus Christ.

 
• We do not experience the blessings of God in the way that we would expect and know as human beings. We experience it in ways, where we could not imagine experiencing really blessings. We experience it when we serve God and fulfill his missions. We experience it when we experience difficulties and challenges. And we experience it when we have the right model of faith in our relationship with Jesus. That is the secret of the blessings of God. It is different than any human blessings that the world knows and expects.

 
• May we experience as children of God the full blessings of Him. God wants you already to experience in your present life his full blessings. He has bestowed all His blessings upon you and He wants you to experience it. As you hold on to Jesus and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every detail and matter of your life, you will more and more experience the great blessings of our God. Amen.