Messages
Conformed to the Image of Christ - Part 2 Pastor Craig Winnington.
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Conformed to the Image of Christ Part 2
Continuing the message from last week we will look at 2 Corinthians Chapter 4.
In picking up the theme of the message let us start with 2 Corinthians
3:17-18 - v17 “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.” i.e.
“Where the Spirit is Lord there is livery or freedom. In Matthew 3
Nicodemus said to Jesus “no one can do these signs that you do unless God
is with Him” Jesus answered and said, ‘unless one is born again he cannot
see the Kingdom of God’ and the ‘.... That which is born of the Spirit is
spirit - you must be born again! “He that is joined to the Lord is one
spirit” - 1 Corinthians 6:17 When we are born again it is our spirit that
is made new. That's where Christ dwells!
Before Jesus ascended to Heaven following His resurrection. He said to the
disciples - “.... These signs shall follow those who believe.” if the
church is to ‘do the signs’ that Jesus said, it must live from the life of
who He is/.
What ‘shuts down’ the life of the Spirit is our focus on the things of life
and living from a self - centred perspective, limiting the liberty and
freedom of the spirit.
In 2 Corinthians 4:1 it states ‘therefore, since we have this ministry as
we have received mercy, we do not lose heart’ i.e. become ‘faint’ or
‘wearied out’
V5 - ‘we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ the Lord...’ Our focus
is about Him - not us!
We become ‘wearied’ by struggling with life in our own strength.
V6 - ‘For it is God .... Who has shone in our hearts to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.’ i.e. in the
face to face presence of Jesus. - This must be our focus!
V7 - ‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of
the power may be of God and not of us’ It is not about the vessel its about
what is in the vessel: the church has made the Christian life so much about
‘us’ and not about Him and we often live a life short of all He wants us to
be.
In Luke 8 Jesus told His disciples to get into a boat and go to the other
side’ Jesus went to sleep - a storm arose - they wake Jesus up and say to
Him ‘Don’t you care that we perish’ How often do we do life with Jesus
‘asleep’ in our lives. We ‘wake Him up’ when it suits us, but we don’t
allow Him to live His life through us. - ‘Life circumstances should not
determine who we are or how we live’ (quote Liz Winnington)
V8 - ‘We are hard pressed - not crushed, perplexed - not in despair,
persecuted - not forsaken, struck down - not destroyed. Why?
V10 - ‘..... That the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal
flesh.’ We will always do one of two things in any given situation - we
will either react or respond. Reactions create restrictions.
2 Corinthians 6:12 ;... You are restricted by your own affections’ By
responding through the indwelling nature of Christ, - His life is
manifested in us.
V15 - ‘All things are for your sakes that grace ..... May cause
thanksgiving to abound’ i.e. over and above.
V17-18 - ‘Our light affliction is working for us... While we look not at
the things which are seen (temporal) but at the things which are not seen
(eternal)
Temporal means ‘subject to change’ - the temporal situations of life are
changed as we view them from that which is eternal - the indwelling life of
Christ!
Herein is the ‘secret of life’ - we are changed by the spirit of what we
behold. Let us always ‘look unto Jesus - the author and finisher of our
faith’ and live from knowing that the ‘inward man is being renewed day by
day,’ in the journey of life.
Pastor Craig Winnington.
Have a faith filled week
Pastor Stuart & Colleen.