Treasure in Earthen Vessels
January 2023 |
“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.” —II Corinthians 4:7-10
THE TREASURE
On the interior of every believer is a magnificent treasure. This treasure does not come from the person himself, but is a result of personal faith in God’s redemption plan. The believer carries the person and spirit of Jesus Christ within his heart. Jesus is the treasure.
Ephesians 1:14 says that the believer has been granted “the earnest of our inheritance.” The earnest is defined as a pledge—part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest. A day is coming when the full manifestation of the purchased possession will take the form of a glorified body. However, today, we have the presence of the Lord within.
Colossians 1:27 says that that earnest is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Isaiah said He is “Immanuel, God with us.” So, without question, the treasure within us is Christ Jesus.
THE EARTHEN VESSEL
For now, the treasure is housed inside our human form—this earthen vessel, this jar of clay. The issue that faces all of us is how to get what is on the inside to surface and shine on the outside. The obstacle to the promotion of Jesus is most normally the believer himself. We have to learn how to decrease so that the treasure within may increase and be displayed.
The process that must be embraced is self-abnegation. That is the emptying of self and the removal of the portion of self that hinders Christ from controlling and utilizing the believer. When you or I surface, things can quickly become ugly. But when Christ is given the liberty to rise and shine through our lives, great things can be accomplished for God, for others, and for the believer who is utilized.
To get us to the place in our lives where we truly let Christ have this dominance is never simple, easy, or even quick. Always, it will require a crushing of self, a humbling of self, and a lowering of self, that naturally stands opposed to the work of the Spirit within. To this end, God designs circumstances and situations around us, that will require us to believe and depend upon Him as never before.
THE UNCOMFORTABLE SCENARIO
The apostle Paul understood this process. In II Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul claims that the believer might find himself “troubled on every side” (surrounded by the enemy), “perplexed” (questioning why, confused), “persecuted” (prosecuted by continual acts of enmity) and “cast down” (struck down, knocked down). But by relying on and depending upon the treasure within, depending upon what Christ did for us at Calvary, He promises that we will not be “distressed” (driven to emotional, physical, spiritual ruin), “in despair” (to be wholly without resource; utterly at a loss), “forsaken” (deserted), or “destroyed” (to destroy fully, knocked out).
God allows these circumstances to break open the earthen vessel and let the light shine. Gideon’s pitchers had to be broken before their light could shine. Christ took bread, blessed bread, and broke bread before He could distribute it. Mary’s alabaster box had to be broken before the aroma of her sacrifice could fill the air. We have to be broken in order for the fullness of Christ to proceed out from us; to arrive where it is no longer “I who lives but Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
THE FINAL RESULT
Paul tells us in II Corinthians 4:16-17, “but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
We exhibit “the dying of the Lord Jesus” by learning to trust in His sacrifice and by depending upon His provision through trying times. Like Jesus, we must willingly embrace the cross of Christ and depend upon God to do what is needful and right. When we do, the life of Jesus is manifested in our bodies. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, so, as the children’s song declares, “Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”
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