2 Corinthians chapter 4. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 is a passage we will read in connection with just a very small portion of Lord's Day 25 that we consider this morning. We will read all of 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Therefore, seeing we have this ministry as we have received mercy, we faint not, 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. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, 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. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 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. 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. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake. that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed and therefore have I spoken. We also believe and therefore speak. Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise us up also by Jesus and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not, 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. 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. Let's read now just the beginning of Lord's Day 25. So we'll read just question and answer 65. Just that this morning. And we'll read it all, but we're not going to consider it all. But let's see the whole thing. The question is this, Since then we are made partakers of Christ and all his benefits by faith only, whence does this faith proceed? The answer from the Holy Ghost, who works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel. and confirms it by the use of the sacraments. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, the main subject of Lord's Day 25 at the beginning here is the means of faith. That is the things that God uses in order to work in our hearts and to strengthen in us faith. Now the reason that Lord's Day 25 at the beginning here asks this question, where does faith come from? That's what the language, whence does this faith proceed, mean. Where does it come from? The reason it's coming up at this time is that what we just got done explaining earlier in the Heidelberg Catechism is that it is by faith that we are justified. By faith, we are justified and become partakers of Christ and all of his benefits. And so, very importantly, the next question is, well, if that's how this works, where does this faith come from? And the answer is from the Holy Ghost. And that's the fundamental answer. The answer is always God works faith. The Spirit works in the hearts of all of God's people so that they believe in God and believe in Jesus Christ and believe in the promises of the gospel. But the Holy Ghost works through means. And that's the subject of this section. And the Heidelberg Catechism calls attention to the two main means through which God the Holy Spirit works. We read in the answer, who works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel and confirms it, it being faith, by the use of the sacraments. Now notice immediately, the distinction in words that's used there, the distinction in words that's used with regard to the preaching of the gospel and the use of the sacraments. With regard to the preaching, we read that the Holy Spirit works faith. And with regard to the sacraments, we read that the Holy Spirit confirms faith, works it, strengthens or confirms it. So two different ideas. And by that, what the writers of the Catechism are making clear is that there is a primacy to the preaching. This is fundamental. God, through the Holy Spirit, through preaching, works faith. Kindles in us a living, conscious, believing and trusting in God and Christ and the promises of the gospel. But then he uses the sacraments to strengthen that. Confirm that faith that he has worked by and through the preaching. So there is a difference there. And the writers make clear, there's a primacy to the preaching. But that begs the question, why then, if that's the case, and it is, why then so little in the catechism about preaching, like literally just a statement about it, and why so much, literally six Lord's Days about the sacraments? And the answer for why that is the case is very simply that this Heidelberg Catechism has a historical context. And the historical context, post-Reformation, is the many disagreements among the Calvinists and the Lutherans and the Anabaptists and the Roman Catholics about the sacraments. And so at that time, what was necessitated was a very thorough, clear explanation of the sacraments that God has given to the church. Now if the catechism were written today, we would likely say, we need more on preaching. And we do. Because as time goes on, one of the main ways in which the devil attacks the church is to get rid of the centrality and the primacy of the exposition and application of the gospel of Jesus Christ in preaching. That is what the devil is doing. That is what he did throughout all of church history. Part of the Reformation was that. Part of the Reformation was to take the, for them, the Roman Catholics, the altar mass, which was in the center, and put it off to the side, and bring the pulpit, which was off to the side, and bring it back into the center, because that's the primacy of the preaching in the church. And we would need more about that today, because we see that as a trend in the church today. What is being minimized is the power of the preaching of the gospel. Be that as it may, in the catechism we have this one statement. And so we want to, at least for a sermon, at least for a sermon, explain that one statement in the primacy of the means of preaching. So let's do that this morning using 2 Corinthians 4 as our guide. Theme of the sermon, the powerful preaching of the gospel. We will start with the Gospels content and then we will go to the Gospels power. The Apostle Paul beloved preached as to the content Jesus Christ. We read in 2 Corinthians 4 that that is the case. We read that in verse 5, And that one simple statement in verse 5 of 2 Corinthians 4 is confirmed by everything else we know about what Paul has written and what Paul has done. 1 Corinthians chapter one, such an important passage on preaching. The foolishness of preaching through which God is pleased to save his people. And there he makes very clear in 1 Corinthians one, it is the foolishness of the preaching of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you go to his missionary endeavors and the book of Acts and what he states in his epistles is reflected in his life. Paul preached. Jesus Christ. He preached Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ is the content of the gospel. The way that the catechism puts it is this, the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel. It's a very important word in the New Testament. I believe used some 75 times. A word that refers literally to the good news or good tidings. And that language of the Heidelberg Catechism, the preaching of the gospel, is absolutely consistent with what we have in 2 Corinthians 4. Because Jesus Christ is that content of the gospel. And we read that explicitly. We read that in verse 4. lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. He identifies this is what the good news is. The glorious gospel good news of Christ. The good news is always the setting forth of the person and work of Jesus. He helps us understand that in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15 is the outstanding passage on the resurrection. And at the beginning of that, he makes clear in the opening four verses, this is the content of the gospel. According to the scriptures, Jesus died for our sins. And according to the scriptures, Jesus arose from the dead. In 1 Corinthians chapter 4, He makes that, or 15, he makes that very clear and he adds this. He says, I declare unto you the gospel which I preach unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. And that's a beautiful, beautiful explanation. Which you have received, and wherein you stand. That is the hope for every true church of Jesus Christ, and that is the hope for this congregation, that this is what is true of us. You receive the gospel as it is preached, and you say, we stand, stand in that gospel. It's the gospel by which we are saved. Now the Apostle makes clear that that's the content. And he does it by stating a negative and he does it by stating a positive. He first says we preach not ourselves. So let's hover over that a little bit and explain that. The content of the gospel is not ourselves. Paul is speaking here along with those that he labored with. And he says this is what we didn't preach. We didn't preach ourselves. And everyone who has been called by God in order to expound the scriptures and preach it needs to be warned against that very thing. Because what this is getting at is the fundamental root sin of man, which is pride. And everybody is prone to it. The pastor and the layman. Everyone in their own context is prone to pride. Because pride ultimately says, this is about me. And Paul, by the grace of God and by the Spirit's work in him, said we didn't do that. We didn't preach ourselves. Even though that's always what we're tempted to do by the work of the devil. One preaches themselves in many ways. One preaches themselves when they make it all about themselves. So that the Word of God in the context of the Word and Gospel becomes simply the occasion and the words that in the end are not about the words, but they're about the man who's bringing the words. And that, in the end, is a preaching about oneself. If you get the people, so to speak, to walk out of the sanctuary, and the only thing that they're thinking about, the only thing that they're talking about, is the man who brought it, instead of the Christ who was brought, you have somebody who's preaching themselves. When through wit, or through theatrics, or through other means, it's all to capture the attention of the people for the man. Paul says we didn't do that. You preach yourself also by bringing your own word, your own opinions, your own thoughts. Anytime there's an untethering of what is said from the Word of God or its explanation faithfully in the Catechism, anytime there's that untethering so that now we're into the realm of where is this coming from? It's not that anymore. or it's not a clear implication or application of that anymore, then you're into the realm. Now it's about the man, and now it's about his opinions and his thoughts. Gospel preaching is not the preaching of one's self. But Paul says very clearly, it's the preaching of Jesus Christ, who is the Lord. And when Paul says that, what he's making clear is that that fundamental message of Jesus is always what the word that is expounded needs to get to. Because the entire word of God is the message of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Now you'll notice in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, that we read in verse six, shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And there you see how and why this entire book, which is the Bible, ultimately has as its end, the gospel, the person and work of Jesus. Because the Bible is the revelation of God. When we come to the scriptures, We are coming to the special revelation of the Holy Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is general revelation. The general revelation is the revelation of God in the creation. We know something about God from the creation. We know his power and divinity so that no man has an excuse. But then there is special revelation, and the entire Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and New Testament, declare to us, this is God. And 2 Corinthians 4 makes clear, how you know that God is only in the face of His Son who became a man and who we cling to by faith, the Lord Jesus. So that the whole scripture has as its message God in the glory and face of Jesus. And so the Apostle is making clear, when I preached the Old Testament, I laid before you the glory of God in the face of Christ. And every preacher who preaches gospel, who doesn't just speak, but who preaches gospel says, this is God as you only know him in his son, the Lord Jesus. So that when Paul says this, he's not saying, He is not saying that the only thing that I ever expounded to people was Isaiah chapter 53, because Isaiah 53 talks about the suffering and death of Jesus so explicitly. Or the only thing that I expounded was Psalm 16, because Psalm 16 talks so explicitly and prophetically about the resurrection of Jesus. That's not what he's saying. He's saying I preach the whole Scriptures. all of the scriptures lead us to that gospel of the person and work, the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'd like to explain that from a few passages that I can quote. When we read this in John 5.39, this is the word of Jesus. Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me." Jesus says, the Scriptures, the Scriptures are the Old Testament writings. All of them. They are they. All of them are they which testify of me. They're about me. The Son of God, Jesus, come into the flesh. John 5, 46 and 47. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, he wrote about Christ. Because it's the gospel. Luke 24-27. And beginning at Moses and all of the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." All the scriptures, Moses and the prophets, about himself. And one more, Luke 24, 44, and 45. It's all about the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ through his central works. of his suffering death and resurrection from the dead. The apostle is saying, I didn't preach myself. I didn't preach myself because I am not, to use the language of verse five, I am not the Christ. No man is the Christ, the anointed one, the mediator. the prophet, priest, and king who brings you to God and saves you from your sins. I am not the Christ. Jesus is the Christ. I am not. The Jesus. The one who uniquely takes the name Jehovah Salvation. I'm not that Jesus. The Son of God is Jesus. And I am not the Lord. I'm not the owner. I'm not the ruler. I'm not the master of a people who I own because of my precious blood. Christ is that. And Christ alone. Paul did this by the grace of God. He didn't preach himself. He preached the glorious gospel of Jesus, Christ the Lord. And it is that glorious gospel, that modifier glorious, is wonderful. Why is it glorious? Why is this good news so glorious? It's so glorious because it brings glory to God. That when this message of the gospel is proclaimed, a message which is not calling attention to man, but a message that's calling attention to who He is as God in the face of Christ, it brings glory to Him. But it's a glorious gospel because it does great things to us. for us, in us, with our life now and with our life forever. A glorious gospel because it's your glory. It's your hope. It's your peace. It's your end to be with this God in the face of Jesus Christ. This is what we need. Because it's the only thing, it's the only thing that truly is glorious. in the fullness of what that word means. That gospel which is preached in its content is a gospel which is a power. And that is what the catechism is getting at. When it says that the Holy Ghost works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel, what it is calling attention there to is that there is power in that preaching of the gospel. And though 2 Corinthians 4 doesn't use that language exactly, that's exactly what's getting expounded by Paul here. So let's go to 2 Corinthians 4 and see what it says here. First of all, in verses 3 and 4, it talks about those who are blinded and darkened. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. 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. For some, the preaching of the gospel is a power unto hardening, because there are those who are in darkness. Their minds are not illuminated. And when we say that, we recognize that that's what our minds would be apart from, the work of the Holy Ghost. And that's a humbling and it's a sobering thought. And we always need to remember that. That when you hear the preaching of the gospel, and you hear it, and you see it, and you believe it, and you say, that is light to me. That is the greatest beautiful light to me, shining down from God to me. I see it. I know it. I believe it. We always need to remember that you have light, and you are enlightened because the Holy Ghost did something to you. Because what is true of you and me by nature is that we are darkened. We are darkened in our minds. And that is the wonder of what God does. In our darkness, He illuminates and makes light. And He does that consciously. And He does that consciously by working by the Holy Spirit faith. And the faith that we are talking about here is the conscious believing and embracing of the Lord Jesus Christ and the promises of the Gospel which are Him. That's the Spirit's work, and that's expounded after Paul says, we don't preach ourselves, but we preach Christ Jesus, the Lord. He goes to verse six, and he says this. This is the explanation of it. This is Lord's Day, Lord's Day 65 here, question and answer 65. This is the explanation. 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. God by the Spirit works faith. That's what's being expounded there. God's ways are remarkably wise. So that what God is doing here is he's saying, I want you to go back for us 6,000 years. I want you to go back to day one. day one of God's creative work. Because when God on day one of his creative work did something, By that something, he was pointing to what he was going to continue to do from day one until the very last day when Jesus Christ returns. God says, go to day one. After God made everything out of nothing, we read in the beginning in verse three of Genesis 1, God said, let there be light. And there was light. God, we read in this text, commanded, spoke the light to shine out of darkness. It was all darkness. And with the speaking of a Word, light appeared. And we know that that Word who spoke, John 1, was the Son, who is the Word of God. Speaking of a Word, and light appeared. And God said, what I did in day one, with darkness in this creation, light in this creation. I'm going to do all throughout history with darkness in the hearts of men. Men who rebelled against Me. Men who deserve no light. Men who deserve only death. But I am a God of light. And I am a God of salvation. And I'm going to speak just like I did on day one. And I'm going to speak The Son is going to speak, and He's going to speak through earthen vessels, weak, sinful earthen vessels, so that the glory is not to the vessel, but to the Son of God. And when He speaks, the same thing that happened on day one, light appeared, will happen in the hearts of men and in the minds of people. Darkness will dispel, and light will shine forth. So that you hear the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and you see it for what it is and you believe it for what it is. Not just information. Not just something found in a book. Not just theological formulations, but you hear it for what it is and believe it for what it is. It's God. It's the glory of God. as we know him as sinners through the perfect saving work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you say, as a sinner, as an unworthy, damn-worthy sinner, what a God who has given us light to see, to believe, to know this Lord Jesus Christ. and the salvation and life that we have in Him. God works it by that preaching. The explanation for why God works it through that preaching and why that is a power is so simple. It is because it is the Word of God. It is not the Word of a man. The word of a man can't go into a dark room and say, let there be light, let there be light, and expect light to appear. The word of a man can't stand in any setting and say, believe, hear Jesus Christ, believe, and expect as a word of a man that something's going to happen. A man can't do it. And God brings us to Genesis chapter 1 to show us But my word, my word is different. When I speak, because I'm God, great things, amazing things happen. And what happens in the preaching of the gospel, very simply, is that Jesus is speaking. I can't explain the mystery of that. I can't. 2 Corinthians 4 makes clear what's going on. It's earthen vessels. All we are are earthen vessels. All we are preaching are heralds. That's it. Instruments, that's it. But Jesus, the Son of God, He's speaking through it in a mysterious, powerful way, just as He did on day one. And when He does that, this is what happens. And we don't even always realize it. And a sermon like this makes us stop and realize it. That when the word of the gospel is preached, and whether consciously or just very naturally, you are thinking, I believe this. I cling to the Savior I'm hearing about. It's for me. I want to live it. That when that's happening, that's because of this. That's because the Lord Jesus, who loves you, is working by his Spirit in your hearts to work that, to continually work that, and also through the preaching, to strengthen that, so that you're able to face the life that you need to live, and to do it in faith, and to do it out of faith, to the glory of God's name. That's what's happening here. And it's an amazing thing. It's a wonderful thing. that God by his grace of all people does that for us and will continue. He will continue to do that for us as his people by his spirit and through the power of his word. Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice and they follow me. Romans 10, how will they hear without the preacher? He will do this. He is faithful and he will continue to work this and strengthen this faith in the hearts of our children and us throughout our lives. A few applications to conclude with. Number one, this is what must drive, for example, the seminary and all of the work that they do. This is what the heart of it all is. Yes, there's many courses on missions and church history and counseling and all of the rest, but this is where it all leans to. This is where it all starts. This is where it's all about because it's here. It's here God is powerful. He uses other things too, but here especially he's always working, strengthening faith through the preaching of the gospel. And so that needs to govern. the seminary, and all of the work that they do in preparing men to be preachers of this gospel. This is what must govern the leaders of the church. This is going to be an emphasis, of course, in the departure of a pastor, that the emphasis is going to be on working to have lively preaching, and there's confidence that that will be the case because of the blessing of a denomination and other men who will unfold the riches of the gospel. This must be If anyone is considering the ministry, that which grips a man. It's so humbling. Who am I to do this? But there needs to be that conviction. The conviction that this is what preaching is. It's not a speech. It's not an opportunity to have a platform to do and say what you want to say. But it is the powerful declaration of truth. expositing the scriptures all aimed at the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And so if you're considering the ministry of the gospel, and I hope there are some here that are, we need preachers of the gospel. This is what drives you. The power and primacy of the expositional Christ-centered preaching that works faith to the glory of God in the hearts of His people. And this needs to be your conviction as a believer. and the conviction of your family. You need to come here, week after week still, and come here knowing, my God and my Savior does something amazing here. And I need that. I need it because I'm a sinner, and I need that because I need a Savior. We are great sinners and God has given us a greater Savior. And that Savior is my only hope in life and in death. And that Savior is the only one in whom I can see the glory of God in every circumstance and situation in my life and even despite the fact that I am a sinner worthy of death. But yet I see and know the glory of God today in this because I have set before me the wonder and riches, the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Every one of us, beloved, needs to be personally convicted. This is what I need. And this is where God is working. Keep me in my faith. And this is where God is working to help me press on in my life in this week to come. And this is where God will continue to work to preserve me in faith and godliness as a pilgrim and as a stranger. And all the man who stands behind this pulpit is, is an earthen vessel through whom God works to do just that. A servant for a time to help God's people press on in faith in their earthly pilgrimage. That's it. And God will do it. He'll continue to do it. And by the grace of God, he will preserve us. Each in our individual lives, our family lives, and circumstances, as we seek to see and know that glory of God. And then in everything, to give that glory to Him. Because He is worthy of it. He alone is worthy of it. Because of the good and faithful work of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, be with us as we receive thy word, this word, a word that even speaks to the circumstance of this morning. We know that thou art the power, the Holy Ghost is the one who works, and the content is all about the one who is our Savior in life and death. Father, may that continue. week after week to be that which is proclaimed for this people here in this congregation. We love Thee because Thou hast loved us. We love one another as members of the body of Jesus Christ. Go with us now in the remainder of this day. We pray for Jesus' sake.