This Treasure

I have a message today for some people who have been in a battle, a boxing match if you will, with the circumstances of life that you currently find yourself in. It may be that the fight came upon you suddenly or without warning and your struggling to defend yourself, or it could be that you made the choice to enter the ring thinking that you could handle it. Regardless of how you wound up in this fight, you're weary, you’ve taken some unexpected blows, you're staggered, and you feel as though you’re about to be defeated. You’ve been knocked down and you can hear the countdown and you’re beginning to feel like it’s over. I am telling you this morning, it ain’t over! Look up! Look to the hills from where your help cometh, and the next round belongs to Jesus!  

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 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. – 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

This is one of the most powerful statements concerning the power of God in us in the entire Word of God – “that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Anything that we face, the power of God in us, in earthen vessels, can handle. In other words, if we let God deal with it, we’ll be okay. If we turn our circumstances over to the Holy Spirit in us, through prayer, we’ll be okay. We will survive our storms, if Jesus is the captain of our ship.

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” – I John 4:4

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” – Philippians 4:13

All these scriptures tell us an extraordinary truth, if the presence of God is living in me, no enemy, no circumstance, or no storm of life can bring me down. But if we try and go it alone, if our prayer life is non-existent, if we haven’t allowed a place for His Word in our life, if we haven’t been filled with the Holy Ghost, then we’re going to take a beating every time.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” (Nice thought, but not in the Word)

When some difficulty arises in someone’s life, this supposed verse gets tossed out there like a scripture bomb. It sounds compelling, and it does remind us of God’s care and concern for each of us. After all, He knows the exact number of hairs on your head:

“Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:7

But it’s because God loves us, and knows us, that He gives us more than we can handle. After all, as humans we tend to think that we don’t need help, that we can handle life on our own, and we are wrong. It’s pride that lies to us and makes us believe this, and pride always drags us down:

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” – Proverbs 16:18

To keep us grounded in the reality of our need for Him, God graciously allows us to see just how much we can’t handle. He put the prophet Elijah’s back against the wall and made him depend upon birds, He gave Moses 600,000 impossible-to-please travelers, He tasked the 11 apostles with spreading the gospel all over the world, and He’ll give you way more than you can handle, too, until you learn to turn it over to Him.

If you have lived very long you know that life is not always fair, bad things happen to everyone, even to good people. Sometimes Christians have financial problems, Christians get sick, Christians fight battles in their marriage, in their minds, even in their flesh, or their appetites.

In our text the Apostle Paul says that he had been troubled on every side, perplexed, persecuted and knocked down. But he also says that he was not distressed, not in despair, not forsaken, and he was not destroyed. How did he manage to face all these terrible circumstances, yet not succumb to them? The Holy Ghost!

“We have this treasure in earthen vessels…”

I want to tell somebody today: It doesn’t matter what the enemy is working against you, or what your struggling with the Word says:

“No weapon that is formed against you shall be able to prosper.” – Isaiah 54:17

God did not say that your enemy would not form weapons against you, or that he would not launch them at you, or even that they would not touch you. But He did say they shall not prosper, they will not accomplish their intended purpose.

I got some good news and some bad news for you today. The bad news is that it doesn’t matter who you are or how spiritual you are, at some point life is going to deal you a blow. Unexpected, undesired situations and problems that catch you off guard, and send your life into a spin. The good news is that even though we all will at some point encounter these unexpected, unanticipated attacks, problems, and circumstances – God is fighting for us!

I want to tell somebody today who has been knocked down, life has thrown you an unexpected curveball: divorce, financial disaster, your child is on drugs, the doctor’s have given you a bad report. It can be a multitude of different things, but the bottom line is you weren’t expecting it, and it hurt and has thrown your life into a tail spin.

The Apostle Paul had a similar experience:

“And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

Howbeit, as the disciples stood round about him, (he rose up), and came into the city: and the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe.” – Acts 14:19-20

They thought Paul was dead, but he wasn’t. It just knocked the breath out of him.

This message today is for somebody who has taken a hard hit, and there’s no denying it. You’re hurt, it knocked you down, it knocked the breath out of you, it’s knocked you off your feet, but you’re still here. It didn’t kill you.

It may have knocked you off your feet, but that’s the biggest mistake the devil could have made, because now, you’re closer to your knees. And friend when we are on our knees, we can touch heaven, and when we touch heaven, hell trembles!

Friends, I want to tell somebody today: You may have lost a round but you’re still in the fight, and it may have slipped your mind for the moment, so I want to remind you – This fight is fixed! Before you ever stepped into the ring it was already determined you were going to win.

I cannot tell you today that you will never be knocked down, I cannot claim that you will never be caught off guard, I cannot say that you will never be troubled or perplexed, but I can promise you that if you pray, if you find a place for God’s word in your life, if you repent and are filled with the Holy Ghost, then Jesus has taken residence in you, and you’re going to make it.