If you were to be a judge in a flower show, and you had to pick between these two entries (an attractive vase with a wilted or plastic flower, and a plain clay pot with a beautiful plant), which would you take? It's an easy choice, isn't it? This flower is wilted, lifeless. This plant is alive and beautiful. In a flower show, this one wins – hands down.
Now, let's change the object that you are judging. What if you are a judge in a best flower-pot show? Which one wins the prize this time? This may be a beautiful plant, but it is in a plain, cheap, unattractive clay pot. The pot has little worth of its own except that it holds the plant. On the other hand this vase is beautiful. The flower in it is nothing, but the vase is attractive all by itself and would look nice on your table even without the flower. This time, this one (attractive vase) wins the contest.
If you are to be a judge, you have to know what it is that you are judging. If you judge flowers, this one wins (beautiful plant). If you judge pots, this one wins (attractive vase). The point is this: know what it is that you are judging, and judge accordingly.
Our lesson carries a similar message for us, but it doesn't want us to judge the pot; it wants us to judge what's in the pot. It encourages us: Judge the Treasure that's in the pot and Not the Pot. Judge the Treasure , Not the Pot because I. The treasure will enlighten you; and II. The treasure will strengthen you.
I. The treasure will enlighten you.
Paul begins, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
Ah, right there you know what the treasure is that Paul is talking about – it is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good News that God sent us a Savior to get us out of the darkness of our sin and unbelief. That salvation can only be found in one place - in Christ Jesus. When one knows Christ, it's like walking into the sunshine of God's forgiving love and enjoying its warmth. There was a time that Paul didn't know what that beauty was like because he was an unbeliever – a bad one, a violent man. He despised Christ and wanted to kill all of Jesus' followers. Then one day Christ came to him while Paul traveled on the road to Damascus to persecute the Christians there. A bright light fell all around him; its brilliance knocked him off his horse. Then the Lord Jesus began to speak to him from heaven, telling him of his sin and pointing to Himself as the Savior. For the first time Paul understood what Christ was all about; he repented and believed. On that road he saw the glory of God's salvation for sinners in Christ, and it brought the light of salvation to Paul's dark heart. From then on, this Gospel message was his greatest treasure.
If the Gospel could do that for Paul, it could do that for anyone. So Paul never lost heart as he preached it. Even if it seemed like some didn't care to hear about the Savior, he knew that's the way it had been with him, too. But the Gospel had worked the miracle of faith in him. If it could do that in him, it could do that in anyone because that's what it does: it enlightens dark hearts. And so the Gospel was such a great treasure.
Don't ever forget that, dear friends. It's the Gospel that affects hearts for the Lord, not people. The treasure is in the message, not the person. The person, like Paul says, is only a clay jar.
Some seem to forget that. They think the power is found in the person and how he presents himself or how he looks and says things. But outward looks can be deceiving. You can be all nice and pretty on the outside, but not have anything of worth within you to share. It's kind of like the nice looking vase that holds a lifeless flower. But God doesn't attract us by the vase. He attracts us through Gospel treasure because the treasure will enlighten you . So, judge the treasure, not the pot.
If you judge the treasure – that is, the message – then you listen to what is said. You listen to hear the message of sin and God's love for the sinner in Christ. You see how Christ's life has given you God's grace and how your lives are different because Jesus Christ is Lord. That's what you should be concerned about.
You see, dear friends, the person who gives the message is only a container. He is like the clay pot, not much in itself. But the pot contains something beautiful. When it contains the truth of the Gospel, then it contains that which will enlighten you always.
So, judge the treasure, not the pot. Always listen for the message of Christ rather than someone who impresses you by his or her way of speaking. And one other thing - you can tell others about Christ even if you are a plain, clay pot. You don't have to be a great speaker. It's not about you and your skills; its about the Savior and His eternal treasure. As that treasure enlightens you it will enlighten others, for the Gospel is a great message; it's the right message of a Savior given for all.
II. The treasure will strengthen you.
It's also a message that will strengthen you. Paul continued, “To show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
As the Lord Jesus suffered for what He said and did in bringing the Gospel message to the world, so also all of Christ's messengers will suffer. That means you, too, as you carry out your call as priests of God in Christ.
Maybe you'll be thrown into prison; Paul was. Maybe you'll get sick or have a bad accident; Paul did. Maybe you'll have to endure nasty people who hurl insults at you for your faith; Paul did. Maybe you'll feel like nothing more than a fragile clay jar being tossed about in the world; Paul did. He felt like he was ready to break as he took the treasure of the Gospel to others.
Think of his words this way. What would you do if I started tossing this pot about? You'd cringe and gasp lest it fall out of my hands because you know if it falls, the chances of it breaking are quite great. That's how Paul felt as an ambassador for Christ. He felt like a clay pot ready to break into pieces because of the pressure that the devil and the unbelieving world put on him.
You see, dear friends, the devil will use all kinds of things in the world to try and break you as a Christian and destroy your witness to the Savior. But try as he might, there is One more powerful than the devil who will sustain you – Christ, through His Gospel. He promises to keep you safe in Him till the end.
Oh, you will still feel the world's pressure. You will still feel like you're at your wit's end at times. You will still be struck down. You won't escape that. But Christ will not abandon you and His strength will keep you safe to His heavenly kingdom.
In some ways it doesn't make sense. If we are so fragile as containers for the Gospel, why does God use us? Why did He deposit His Gospel treasure in such fragile clay pots? Paul answers, “to show that this all-surpassing power is God's.” And when we get that, then we will rely on Him and not ourselves. Remember it's about the treasure, not the pot that holds it. The treasure will strengthen you.
Here's an example. Do you remember the story of Gideon in the Old Testament? God told Gideon to fight against the Midianites and save Israel. So Gideon gathered together a good amount of men by which he was going to battle the enemy. He started out with 32,000 soldiers. But the Lord said that was too many. So Gideon allowed 22,000 of them who were afraid to go home. That left 10,000 soldiers. The Lord said that was still too many. So Gideon had the men drink from the river when they were thirsty. All those who drank in a watchful state while on their knees, were to remain with Gideon. Of the 10,000, only 300 were kept to fight the Midianite army that numbered 135,000. Then when the 300 of Israel attacked, they did not come with swords and spears, but blew trumpets and carried torches concealed in earthenware jars. Yet the Midianites were frightened and ran. A 135,000 of them were routed by an unarmed group of 300 Israelites to make it clear that the Lord gave Israel the victory (Jdges.7).
The strength is never in these clay jars (ourselves), dear friends. The strength in God's kingdom is always in the Lord Christ and His Gospel treasure. As Paul said elsewhere, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (2Cor.3:5) “whose grace is sufficient for you and whose power is made perfect in (your) weakness” (2Cor.12:9).
Since that is true, never despair, dear friends. Endure all for the sake of the Gospel. Others will be won by your witness to the Savior. And when you see eternal life worked in you and in them, it makes it all worthwhile. It's the treasure, not the pot that counts. God grant it in our lives of faith for Jesus' sake. Amen.