Court is now in session. You have been subpoenaed to court to testify. They call your name to walk forward to testify. The Bailiff asks you to place your left hand on the Bible and raise your right hand. He asks forcefully, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” Your reply is, “I do.” You now step up to the witness stand and you are seated. You are asked several questions and then you answer in a manner that all who are watching are to understand what you have said and so that no one walks away with the wrong impression. You are simply conveying the truth. The judge is watching and so is the jury. The outcome of the trial is not in your hands, but you will speak the most important information of the trial. You are being very careful. You do not know what the outcome should be for each person listening, but you know that each person listening needs to have the facts to make the right decision. The decision is not in your hands however. Each person of the jury must make up their minds to the best of their ability. You do not know what is in their hearts. They might make up their minds while you are speaking, but they might also make up their minds later, but they will make up their minds. You cannot control their thoughts or how their hearts will decide. They must decide based on the parameters that the judge sets. You simply speak the truth.

Much is the same for us as Christians. We are commanded to share the Gospel. We have truth to tell. God and others are watching. People will be making up their minds based on what we (or others) tell them. They cannot decide correctly without the truth. No one will be saved without the Gospel being presented to them. They may decide while we are speaking to them, but they might decide later. They will decide. That is a fact. God, the Almighty Judge, will demand of them a decision. We do not know everything about their hearts. We are simply testifying.

With that in mind – let’s look at the text. Verse 1.

4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,

What is this ministry that they were talking about? We find the answer in Chapter 3:6. who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

They were ministers of the “new covenant”. The covenant of life. The covenant of Jesus Christ.

No ministry was more important to them. This one superseded them all. It should for us as well. But how should we minister? We can get some pointers from Paul and Timothy. As we look at the ministry that Paul and Timothy had here, we learn about how we should minister. As we go through what they said about themselves, we will directly apply this to ourselves.

When ministering – remember these three things:
1) We are servants of God and servants to the people to whom we minister.
2) Do not try to manipulate hearts or tamper with the Word of God – simply speak the whole Gospel. We are not responsible for the outcome. Leave the outcome to God.
3) Do not lose heart. Minister with hope.

When ministering

We are servants of God and servants to the people to whom we minister

We see this point in 2 places in our text for today.

In 4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,
And in 4:5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Paul and Timothy were equipped by the mercy of God to minister. They really wanted to make this clear. This thought began in Chapter 1.

In chapter 1:8-11 - we see that they were suffering even to the point that they thought they would die. Why did they keep going? Why not just quit and go home, get a real job, have a family, and live a good Christian life? It was because they were relying on God and the prayers of others.

1:8-11
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

In 1:20-22 – Paul points out the kindred unity in Christ for all believers and the equipping of the Spirit’s anointing and filling.

1:20-22
For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

In 3:4-6 – Paul is reminding the Corinthians that they are not who they used to be. The Corinthians’ hearts had changed because of the ministry of Paul and Timothy. But Paul is quick to tell them that they were successful in ministry because of God.

3:4-6
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

And that brings us back to 4:1 and 4:5.
4:1
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,

4:5
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

All of these verses make some things clear.

If we are utterly dependant on God to minister, then
- we will repeatedly ask Him for the ability.
- we will not be self reliant.
- we will have a humble attitude and ask for the prayers of others.
- we will have boldness because we will be established by God and rely on the anointing of the Holy Spirit of God.
- we will be competent and will not be legalistic.
- we will know that we are only able to minister being equipped by the mercy of God.
- and what we proclaim will not be of ourselves, but only Jesus.

This is the attitude of one who ministers as a servant. They are working for someone else, not themselves. They are trying to please their Master and not themselves. The ones who judged whether they did a good job were not themselves. They knew that they were speaking the truth and others could testify before God that this is true.

Look at 4:2b but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

They are meeting the needs of others, not their own. And these needs were critical. They were eternal. The same is true for us. There are people going to hell. They need the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Speak the truth to them. Serve them. Meet the real need of their heart. Give them Jesus. But give them Jesus correctly.

This brings us to our 2nd point.
So 1st - We are servants of God and servants to the people to whom we minister.

Do not try to manipulate hearts or tamper with the Word of God – simply speak the whole Gospel. We are not responsible for the outcome. Leave the outcome to God

4:2 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

Now look at verse 5.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

It is clear that they were not willing to play mind games or distort the truth.

Again, another theme that seems to run through the first part of this letter.

When Paul’s plans are changing and many are questioning his very integrity, he writes in
1:12 12 For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

While other men were preaching the Gospel for personal gain (whether monetary or for reputation) Paul speaks up in 2:17 and clears Timothy and himself.
2:17 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

We must speak the truth without any regard to the outcome. The truth must be plain. It must be clear.
The outcome may be that the person is blinded to what we say. If we have spoken the Gospel clearly, then we are told that the god of this world has blinded the person. If we have tried to manipulate the person’s heart in order to get results, then we are not sure whether they were blinded by the god of this world or we did not give them the truth to work with. The Serpent was the one who manipulated the Word of God with Eve in Genesis 3:1-7. “3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Eve knew the truth because God had spoken it to her husband and he had told it to her. She even quoted the truth to the serpent. The serpent twisted it. She trusted the serpent rather than God. It appears that this has happened much today. People would rather believe those who “tickle their ears” than the Lord God Almighty. In many cases, the very ones who have been saved by the truth of the Gospel are the ones who are manipulating it. The result has been that we have many who believe that they are saved, but have been given a false sense of security.
You see, the outcome may be that the person is able to see the light of the Gospel. This will only take place when the truth is told. One cannot be saved without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This acceptance will only be a result of God shining the light into their hearts.

This is not about us. We must stay out of it. It is our role to be their servants.

Please understand that people are blind unless God shines in their hearts. They are blind even when armed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even with the ability to process what has been said to them. A clear understanding in the mind that drops into the heart by faith does not take place. This awakening to the knowledge of the glory of God does not take place without God shining His light in their hearts. The relationship will not take place unless God does a work in the heart of the person.

Paul and Timothy were not going to be manipulators. Nothing fancy for their message. They wanted to be able to stand in the sight of God and men knowing that they simply spoke the truth. The truth of the Gospel is enough for all. In fact, the truth of the Gospel is essential to all. They knew it was essential and so they acted like it.

And they were not trying to make the Gospel exclusive. They spoke to all, but not all were able to understand or receive the Gospel. They spoke the truth in such a way that no one that was saved (or would be saved) would miss what they were saying. Paul and Timothy wanted to make sure that the reason for not all “getting it” was understood. It was not their fault that the Gospel was “veiled” from the minds of some. In this case, blaming it on the devil is appropriate. The “god of this world” has blinded some.

They also wanted to clarify where their message came from and what their role was. The message (the Gospel) was about Jesus Christ as Lord. Their role was not Savior and Lord, but simply servants to them about this matter from Jesus. They were simply men, but men equipped to do a mighty work.

OK – Now that the message is clear. Understand that the only way the blinded mind will know and receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ is if God speaks light into a dark place. He must give the light. He must make the truth be “unveiled”. He must give us the ability to look into Jesus’ face.

Look at the verses directly preceding our text.
3:15b-18
because only through Christ is it taken away.
16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Now look at the connection in 4:6
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This really says a lot about what you think about the Word of God. Does the Word of God need help?

The writer of Hebrews when addressing the rest that comes by faith writes in
Hebrews 4:12-13 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

When addressing Timothy on how to live a godly life Paul writes in
II Timothy 3:16 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Even Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in II Timothy 4:1-2 was
II Timothy 4:1-2 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

This is of utmost importance. If we believe that we are able to change the hearts of men, then there is some belief that we are responsible for the outcome. We must manipulate. We must do everything that is humanly possible. Our imaginations must work overtime to come up with the best gimmick. We must do this.
BUT – if we believe that the hearts of men are entrusted to the hand of God, then we must do what we have been given grace to do and leave the hearts of men to the hand of God.
So 1st - We are servants of God and servants to the people to whom we minister.
2nd - Do not try to manipulate hearts or tamper with the Word of God – simply speak the whole Gospel. We are not responsible for the outcome. Leave the outcome to God.

Do not lose heart. Minister with hope. Minister the new covenant

4:1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

But why would one lose hope?
Since the Word of God gives us insight about this, then let’s look at the Word of God.

3:14-15
14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted,
15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

And then in
4:3-4
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

There are those who will not be saved. We do not know who they are, simply that they exist. The Bible is clear that there are those whose minds are blinded. They are perishing. If God does not intervene, they will be lost. This is a harsh reality that affects all of us. We all have family members that are not saved and we pray for their salvation with great hope. The fact is that we do not know who will be saved and who will not. Therefore we share with all and hope until the last moment of life, but there will be some who are not saved. This could be quite disheartening.

But we do not have to stop here without hope. God’s Word does not.

But why should we minister with great hope?

One of the mercies that was given by God was the Old Testament. Paul and Timothy were well aware of Moses and his ministry to the people. Moses had been given God’s grace to minister as well. Paul says that the ministry of Moses that was given by God was a ministry of death. The law pointed out the weakness of man and the failure of man. In short, the law kills.

Paul writes in
Galatians 3:21-24, “21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

And in II Corinthians, when he talks about this new covenant he brings to our attention
3:5-6 Our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
And look at the attitude that they have in the beginning of chapter 4.
4 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart.

You see, they had reason for hope and so do we. They knew that many would be saved and they knew how. Look again at
3:15b-18
because only through Christ is it taken away.
16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

And again at 4:6
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is the same God who spoke light into existence in Genesis chapter 1. 1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

God is still speaking into dark places. He is still shining the light into dark and dead hearts. He does this through the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the impartation of faith by His Spirit.

The fact that God had shone the light into their hearts was not only that they might know and understand the truth, but so that they might be the vehicle by which the light of the knowledge of the glory of God is given.

So 1st - We are servants of God and servants to the people to whom we minister.
2nd - Do not try to manipulate hearts or tamper with the Word of God – simply speak the whole Gospel. We are not responsible for the outcome. Leave the outcome to God.
3rd - Do not lose heart. Minister with hope. Minister the new covenant.

So how should we apply this to our lives?

a) Know the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Susan and I have 2 children. Our son is starting a new job soon. He has worked for years, often 2 jobs. He pays his bills, keeps himself out of trouble, hunts and fishes, etc. Our daughter lives a somewhat messy life. By society’s measurements, we have a good child and a not so good child. But what about with respect to the Gospel? When you come to the Lord, He may take away your problems, but others will come. Chapter 1 tells us about the sufferings of Paul. When you are truly saved, God may cause your life to go smoothly, but He might also take you places that you do not ever think you would be and cause you to take stands that cost you. This is what we see in chapter 2 & 3. But what about Susan and my children? Let’s boil it down to the simplest of terms. The issue is really “eternity”. You see, we have 2 totally different children, but both are not saved. There is a holy God who has said that the only just punishment for sin is eternal death in Hell. He sent Jesus. Jesus lived a perfect live of faith, died on the cross, while dying took on all of the wrath of God that we deserved, was buried, and rose again on the 3rd day. He reigns as Lord of all for the glory of God. Those who accept the gift of Christ as Savior and Lord by faith while on earth will be justified in God’s eyes and will receive eternal life.

Christ is the image of God and in the face of Christ is the display of the glory of God

b) Speak the Gospel of Jesus Christ

What do we do when we tell the Gospel in a wishy-washy way? We are like the serpent. We give people false hope. Where did this watered down Gospel come from? Possibly, it came from men and women in the church who wanted results at any cost and were willing to make the Gospel “more acceptable”. The Gospel is what it is.

It is the power of God unto salvation.

I Corinthians 1:18-25 says
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

To tamper with the Word of God, to try to manipulate the hearts of men – is to align ourselves with the Serpent.
If one proclaims only Jesus Christ – one aligns himself with God.

c) Pray for the unsaved.

May God shine His glorious light into their hearts.

d) Help the saved persevere

Continue to speak the Gospel to those who love it most. The Gospel will never grow old to those who love the Lord.

Pray that our hearts will remain soft and that with thankful hearts we will spread the Gospel that more might be saved.

Remember 1:11
1:11
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

a) Know the Gospel of Jesus Christ
b) Speak the Gospel of Jesus Christ
c) Pray for the unsaved.
d) Help the saved persevere

DECLARING THE TRUTH BEFORE GOD AND TO MEN