God’s Treasure

And in the book of Corinthians, bless your hearts. In the third chapter of II Corinthians, it says the Lord is the spirit, that spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. That’s verse 17

Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. -- II Corinthians 3: 17

But we all with open face beholding as in a mirror, a glass, we behold the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same what? Image. Because what you look at, you become. What you read, you become. What you listen to, you become. So what you look at includes the reading, the thing you put in your mind, what you study. We’re changed into that same image and that’s why so many of us are so concerned about looking at Christ. Looking at the Word. Seeing the greatness of that Word and becoming like that Word, changed into the image of that Word.

Now you see my mind immediately goes to forgiving people, loving people. Those records in the epistles. And that becomes possible when you look at Christ, God in Christ and you see the Word. We’re changed in the same image from glory to glory. One translation literally as follows and I think this is a fantastically accurate literal translation ‘changed into the same image one glory reflecting another glory coming from the Lord who is spirit.’ In other words, we reflect the Christ in us.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of Lord. – II Corinthians 2: 18

Jesus said he who hath seen me hath seen who? The Father. You and I must be able to say he who had seen me hath seen the Christ within. They see Jesus Christ when they see you.

Therefore, therefore, having this ministry, having this ministry. This ministry of what? Beholding as in a open face in a glass the glory of the Lord, changed one glory into another glory coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit. We have this ministry of sharing our lives, our very selves, our very being with people. As we have received mercy, therefore we hold it forth. God was merciful to us. God in His grace saved us. God by His love tenderized our hearts, right? So now, as we receive mercy from God, we hold this forth and we don’t fade at it. That means you don’t flip out on it. You don’t lay down on the job. But having renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. The words hidden things of dishonesty are literally translated the shameful secret things. We have renounced the shameful secret things not walking in craftiness, not trying to beat one person, take something from another one craftily. No. Nor handling the Word of God what? Deceitfully. Is it then possible to handle the Word of God deceitfully? Surely is. You can make it mean whatever you want it to mean. Until you rightly divide it in and untll you rightly divided it, you have to come to those great principles that the Word sets forth. The individual Word interprets itself in the verse, the verse and the context and then 40, 50 other things that you have to know. That you don’t handle the Word of God deceitfully. That’s right. You don’t handle it deceitfully. But by manifestation, the evidence of the truth from God’ Word, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

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. -- II Corinthians 4: 2

Look at verse 3: But if our gospel, the good news of handling this Word of God beautifully, not walking craftily, all of those. That’s the gospel, the good news, if this is veiled or hid, it is veiled or hid to those who are perishing. And thats the present participle form in the original text. People, if they will not accept the Word, they are, right now, perishing, in the acts of perishing. The only thing that terminates that perishing is the believing in Jesus Christ and accepting the accuracy of the Word. That terminates that perishing.

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: -- II Corinthians 4: 3

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. He is what? He is what? Now we just read a little while ago that we are to behold in a glass the glory of the Lord. We’re changed in the same image from glory to glory. That’s right. That doesn’t make me Lord no more so than this makes Jesus Christ God. He is the image of what? He reflected. He shone forth God, people, remember? He said who hath seen me hath seen the father. I and the father are one because he did the father’s will. Boy, it ought to be able to be said of us today and we ought to be able to say as Jesus Christ said, I do my father’s Will. He said I always do it. We may not always do it because we get tricked and we get sucked in. He was without sin. The old adversary never caused him to blow it. He’ll cause me to blow it and yet I will continue by God’s mercy and grace to show forth this image of God.

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. -- II Corinthians 4: 4

Why? Verse 5 We do not preach VP Wierwille. That’s ourselves. You as twig coordinators don’t preach yourself. You don’t get up at your twig and say look at me how wonderful I am. I’m an advanced class grad. I know it all. Maybe I ought to give you an exam. None of us know it all. We only know him who knows it all and we are simply approximating the greatness of that walk studying to show ourselves approved unto God. We preach not ourselves, that’s right. You never go around and say well Dr. Wierwille says so and so. It doesn’t make a lousy bit of difference what Dr. Wierwille said. What does the Word say? You go around and say well Dr. Wierwille, you tell them what the Word says. You say look, the Word says. Preach not ourselves, but we preach Christ Jesus who? The Lord. He is the Lord. And ourselves, people’s servants. You’re a servant on a horizontal level. Servants to are fellow men. Sons of God in a perpendicular relationship, but servants to our fellow men in the name of Jesus Christ and for Jesus Christ’s sake.

For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. – II Corinthians 4: 5

Look at verse 6: For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, hath shined in our hearts to give the light, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Oh, what a tremendous thing. You see, God commanded the light to shine. He is born within us for it is Christ in us, the hope of glory when we got saved. Now what do we do? We are to give the light of the knowledge. We are to hold forth on a horizontal level as servants. We hold forth the light of the knowledge, the knowledge, the knowledge of the glory of God in the face. In that which Jesus Christ made available. That’s the walk, people. To show forth Christ.

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. -- II Corinthians 4: 6

And when we show forth Christ, we show forth his Father, who is God and that’s the way people learn about the true God.

Now verse 7. It is very, very beautiful. We but with all of that greatness of what it is, we have this treasure in an earthen vessel. It’s something. Well, you don’t have to be a sloppy looking vessel. It doesn’t say that. It says earthen vessel, and I love that but it doesn’t say you have to be all dirty, look like a bunch of nincompoops from no place. And act like no, no, no. If you have a great mission and a great calling, you ought to walk like it, you ought to talk like it. You ought to throw your shoulders back and look like it. That’s right. I know we got this in an earthen vessel because the Word says so. And that keeps us very humble knowing that what ever it is that God has given us, it’s by his mercy and grace we have it. And it’s not of ourselves, it’s of His love, for God so what? Loved. That’s right. It’s of His love and of His grace. But boy, once he’s given it to us, now we’re responsible for it. Even though it’s an earthen vessel, no reason why we can’t be beautiful in the presentation of it. Shoot, if you want to catch a fish, you just don’t give him an empty hook. You put a pretty little old dangling worm on it or something, maybe a fly-by-night. I don’t know. What brand of fishing you do. But you see, golly. Make it beautiful, the greatness of God’s Word. Well, the reason for that is that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us. Right? Right.

But we had this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. -- II Corinthians 4: 7

Troubled on every side, yet not no matter how much trouble those are just opportunities, we are not what? Perplexed, but not in despair.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; -- II Corinthians 4: 8

Persecuted, but boy were not forsaken. Cast down but never what? Destroyed.

Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; -- II Corinthians 4: 9

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that death of Christ what he accomplished we carry within us for it is Christ where? In us. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our what? Our body. Man, isn’t that beautiful?

Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. -- II Corinthians 4: 10

For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus also may be made manifest in our mortal flesh. -- II Corinthians 4: 11

So then death work in us, but life in you. -- II Corinthians 4: 12

You know as we hold forth the Word, we having the very selfsame Spirit, is the text. Man, that’s something. The very selfsame Spirit which is by the faith of Jesus Christ. According as it is written, I have what? Believed. And therefore have I what? Speak.

We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believe, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; -- II Corinthians 4: 13

We also believe and therefore we what? Speak. Amen. And we stand to speak that word knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up also by Jesus and shall present us with you.

Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. -- II Corinthians 4: 14

There’s the hope of the return. Without the hope of the return of Christ, you might find the ministry discouraging at times. You might feel like giving up but you never give up because of the hope of the return. People, we get the blessing of God now and then we get the blessing throughout all eternity for our walk and our stand for Him and our witnessing.

For all things are for your sakes that the (next word) abundant grace, not just grace but heaped up grace, abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of who? God.

For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. - II Corinthians 4: 15

For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man gets older every day, perishing, yet the inward man, the Christ in you, the hope of glory is renewed by your speaking in tongues, privately in your own life day by day.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. -- II Corinthians 4: 16

That’s the only way you can renew the inward man, because that inward man is spirit, right? You can’t feed the spirit mashed potatoes and gravy. You have to feed it spirit. And that’s the inward man. Now look at the verse 17.

For our light affliction, which is but for a what? Moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, workers for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; -- II Corinthians 4: 17

While we look not at the things which are what? Seen. But at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal but the things that are not seen are what? Eternal. That’s right.

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. – II Corinthians 4: 18

We don’t look at this world. This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. We don’t look at the world cause the world is seen and that’s temporary. This thing you see up here, me, that’s temporary. It’s temporal, but what you can’t see is the Christ in me. You can know I’ve got his presence by knowing that I speak in tongues. Then you know I have Christ in me. But it’s still in that earthen vessel.

And you don’t look at that physical body, you look at the Christ within people. If you look at the physical side of human beings in the Way Ministry, you’re going to sour. That’s right. Because nobody is ever going to walk perfectly. If we could walk perfectly, we wouldn’t need a Savior. We need a Savior to stand for us when we blow it. And it says he makes intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God.

Boy oh boy. You can’t look at people, you’ve got to look at the Word. Somebody the other week, was just so mad at me for what we teach. Shoot. No use getting mad at me because it’s the Word that lives. I may not always do everything right, but I want to tell you the Word’s right. Try to do what’s right, but you know you can’t please everybody. And therefore no matter what you do somebody is going to be upset by what you do.

They didn’t even like Jesus Christ when he was here upon earth, you know that. They got upset. They said he’s always drinking wine with those winebibbers. He’s always down there with those sinners. And there he was messing around with that harlot. And they ridiculed him because they figured he ought to be the kind of person who wouldn’t dirty his hands. Well, the Word says they that are whole do not need a physician. They that be what? Sick, they need it. People, you and I have to go down to the valley of human beings with the greatness of that mountaintop Word of God. Take it right from the mountaintop down that valley. And let them see the greatness of that Word again. That’s why we don’t look at the temporal, sir. We look at that Christ within me. I look at the potential of the Christ within you. The potential that’s there in you as you renew your mind. I see the Christ in you. Therefore, I can close my eyes and not see a lot of things a lot of people see. Because I renewed my mind to the Word to see the great potential that’s latent within you. Because it’s God in Christ in you. And that makes you more than a conqueror, gives you a life more than abundant and you can do all things through Christ who does one thing, what? Strengthens you. That’s right. Isn’t that wonderful? Boy you said it. That’s God’s Word.

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