2 Corinthians 4:1-4 

¹Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Grandparents

It’s amusing to watch grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. And grandparents can gladly affirm that reality. Grandparents may imagine features when their children were still infants. They may feel relieved how their own children have grown mature and have their own children too.

Do you remember your face when you were infants? Surely, nobody can remember their image as infants. We can only appreciate our image as infants from pictures or videos. Everyone appreciates similar features of infants and parents. Did God instill in us a sense to appreciate infants?

Together, let us reflect on what God said in Genesis 1:26-28, ²⁶“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

            ²⁷So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ²⁸God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth.”

Why did God create mankind in his own image and likeness? Does God get excited also to watch his own image and likeness whenever a child is born? What do you think? And will God be more excited also when more infants are born? God instructed mankind to multiply and fill the earth.

The Lord saw that his creation is very good, beautiful and pleasing.

Genesis 1:31 says, ³¹God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. 

A perfect God declared his creation very good. But, humans differ in opinion and standards. They may tell you, “You’re not good enough!” Why? Mankind is imperfect, and what standard can imperfect human establish? Imperfect standard. Should imperfect people decide that the creation of a perfect God is not good enough? Don’t they just deceived themselves?

Deception is rampant. Deception practically proves spiritual warfare. They distort God’s word. Deception is a very sad actuality in the church.

1. Deception

                        ¹Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ²Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 

Some preachers distorted the word of God and deceived the church in Corinth. And they insisted on following the laws of Moses to be saved. The commandments of God can never save anyone from the penalty of sin.

The punishment of sin is eternal torture. We commits sin before God when we disobey his commandments. And nobody can perfectly obey the commands of God. It declares in James 2:10, ¹⁰For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Praise belongs to God for he sent his one only Son Jesus Christ to sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sin. How can we realize that God has forgiven us? When we sense his power at work in our life. We follow our mandate to testify for Christ when we sense peaceful gladness from his Holy Spirit. What else? We prioritize Christ in our decisions.

The Holy Spirit inspires us to always be active in telling others about our personal transformation in Christ. How precious is it to prioritize the Lord? Seriously, let’s reflect on Mark 10:28-30. ²⁸Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” ²⁹“Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel ³⁰will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Before Peter spoke, a rich man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus loved the rich man because since childhood he obeyed the commands of God but Jesus said that obeying the commands of God is never enough. He told him to sell everything he had and give to the poor and follow him. The rich man was confused to think that revenues from selling his possessions will all be given to the poor. Jesus instructed, “Give to the poor.” He did not tell him to give all revenues to the poor.

Anyway, Peter testified that they left everything to follow Jesus. Christ assured that whatever we leave behind (home, family, possession) to follow him will be multiplied 100 times in this present age and in the age to come.

Yet, many Christians cannot leave behind their possessions to follow Jesus. Why’s that? Do you think Christ’s instruction cannot convince them?

Prayerfully understand what Jesus told the rich man in Mark 10:21. ²¹“One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Selling all possessions and give to the poor won’t give us eternal life. Goodness and kindness are practical ways to store up eternal treasures.

And it is by faith in Christ we received eternal life, and we follow him.

Jesus loved the rich young ruler because since childhood he followed the commands of God. However, he didn’t want to follow Jesus at that time. Probably, he changed his mind later and followed Jesus after all, but it was not recorded. The lesson here is, material possessions can impede or slow down devotion to the Lord. Many church attendees prioritize materialism.

The rich man was obedient to the commands of God, whereas, many church attendees are satisfied that they may enter heaven. But Christ has instructed us to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven. Eternal treasure should be very significant to life in heaven. The heart is confused by sin so that they cannot imagine the significance of treasures in heaven.

When our heart is unveiled, we sense urgency to follow Christ. We are inspired to gather eternal treasures when we hear his invitation to join the ministry as we hope to enter heaven and escape eternal destruction.

2. Destruction

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 

God decreed eternal destruction as punishment for all sinners. When the Lord crucified with Christ all our sins, only believers who repent will be saved from eternal destruction. But those who’re perishing cannot imagine how painful and agonizing it will be to be tortured and suffer forever. Why?

Believers who accepted Christ as Lord and Savior received the Holy Spirit of Christ. And the Holy Spirit reveals the unbearable agony that those who are perishing will suffer. He inspires us to store up treasures in heaven for ourselves and hold on to our confidence that Christ returns sooner.

Have you imagined how radiant will Jesus Christ be when he return?

Ezekiel testified of the appearance of the Lord in Ezekiel 1:27-28.

            ²⁷I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. ²⁸Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.

Everyone loves taking pictures of rainbow? It’s amazing experience to see the radiance of rainbow in the clouds on rainy days. Such wonderful feeling to gaze and watch the radiance of rainbow is just partial encounter that we can cherish for all eternity when Christ returns and takes us into heaven. Can you imagine how wonderful is it to live with God forever?

And it won’t be momentary. We will forever see the radiance of God.

Can you now imagine that heavenly worship will be forever amazing?

It testified in Revelation 4:8, ⁸Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

The Lord God Almighty created amazing situation, fascinating events and wonderful experiences in heaven so that we cannot stop praising God forever. We will praise God day and night in heaven. Can you imagine that?

We come from tropical country where there is no snowfall. Whenever snow falls, I’m reminded and helps me be thankful that we’re in Canada. I should be thankful and never complain about winter chill or shoveling snow. I believe that God brought us to Canada, and he fills our heart with praise.

What are you thankful and praise God for every moment of your life?

What revelation about heaven have you personally received? Have you seriously considered the adventure you’ll explore in heaven? Get serious with your spiritual life and pray that you may diligently follow what God told you to do and store up treasures in heaven for yourselves. It declares in Isaiah 59:1-2, ¹Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. ²But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Iniquities and wickedness separate us from God. Then, we ignore the best design that the Lord meticulously prepared for our betterment. Our sin covered and hid the face of God so that he cannot hear us when we pray. Sin covers our heart. Sin also deceives us to prefer worldly pattern of life.

Seriously reflect on what it declares in James 4:17, ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

We cannot conceptualize the great blessings of prioritizing the Lord when our mind is blinded by sin. It’s good to accept the invitation of Christ to follow him. We know that. What good invitation from the Lord have you heard? Don’t just ignore him. Seriously pray to intellectually internalize the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

3. Display

                                    ⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 

Those who are perishing cannot see the light of the gospel of Christ. They cannot imagine how agonizing it would be to be separated from God.

So, they readily ignore the free gift of salvation from eternal torture.

When we believed in the gospel of Christ, the Lord enlightened us and we sense fear of agonizing torture in hell, so that we accept by faith the gift of eternal life in Christ. By faith, we trusted that Jesus Christ was crucified as punishment for our sins. God washed away our sins by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. We now desire and hope to explore heaven forever.

Let’s reflect on what it declares in Hebrews 10:37-39, ³⁷For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” ³⁸And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” ³⁹But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Those who shrink back will face eternal destruction. As believers of Christ we live by faith, how? We seek help of the Holy Spirit to follow his will and behave in a way that reflect the image of Christ. The Holy Spirit uses the Scripture as guideline for behavior and choices acceptable to him.

Plunder of David

We can learn from David about how we live by faith and follow God’s will. David and his men were devastated after enemies raided their town and took their wives and children captives. David inquired of the Lord if they should pursue the Amalekites raiders. The Lord gave him his approval.

It narrated in 1 Samuel 30:17-20, ¹⁷David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except 400 young men who rode off on camels and fled. ¹⁸David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. ¹⁹Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. ²⁰He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

David always inquired of the Lord for decisions. God gave him victory. David shared his plunder among his men and to the elders of Judah. The battle that David and his men won was a blessing of God in disguise.

We also struggle against difficulties, God has prepared blessings in disguise for us. We should inquire of God what practical step we may take.

If you have difficult situation now, pray that God gives you clear idea which practical step to take. Pray for increase of faith to trust the Lord. God has planned for our betterment, and we should keep praying for his help. What do you know? God may have caused problem to evaluate if our faith in him has matured. God allows problems to practice faith in Christ as Lord.

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