SNT 0256 II Corinthians 4 & 5
II Corinthians 4 & 5 June 12, 1966
Covers our rewards at the return of Christ and our walk now as we look to Christ.
SNT – 256
Format: audio
Publication Date: 06-12-1966
Victor Paul Wierwille was a Bible scholar and teacher for over four decades.
By means of Dr. Wierwille's dynamic teaching of the accuracy and integrity of God's Word, foundational class and advanced class graduates of Power for Abundant Living have learned that the one great requirement for every student of the Bible is to rightly divide the Word of Truth. Thus, his presentation of the Word of God was designed for students who desire the in-depth-accuracy of God’s Word.
In his many years of research, Dr. Wierwille studied with such men as Karl Barth, E. Stanley Jones, Glenn Clark, Bishop K.C. Pillai, and George M. Lamsa. His formal training included Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Theology degrees from Mission House (Lakeland) College and Seminary. He studied at the University of Chicago and at Princeton Theological Seminary from which he received a Master of Theology degree in Practical Theology. Later he completed his work for the Doctor of Theology degree.
Dr. Wierwille taught the first class on Power for Abundant Living in 1953.
Books by Dr. Wierwille include: Are the Dead Alive Now? published in 1971; Receiving the Holy Spirit Today published in 1972; five volumes of Studies in Abundant Living— The Bible Tells Me So (1971), The New, Dynamic Church (1971), The Word's Way (1971), God's Magnified Word (1977), Order My Steps in Thy Word (1985); Jesus Christ Is Not God (1975); Jesus Christ Our Passover (1980); and Jesus Christ Our Promised Seed (1982).
Dr. Wierwille researched God's Word, taught, wrote, and traveled worldwide, holding forth the accuracy of God's "wonderful, matchless" Word.
2Co 4:1-4, 14, 16-18
2Co 4:18; 5:1-15
2Co 5:16-19
___________________
DRAFT
Snt-0256-2Corinthians5
SUMMARY KEYWORDS: God, ministry, Word, Christ, life, spirit, world, reconciled, lord, judgment seat, power, deceitfully, tabernacle
Take your Bibles and turn to second Corinthians tonight, Second Corinthians, the fourth chapter I wish we might have time tonight to read this entire fourth chapter, but we do not have that time available at the present. But I would like to suggest to you that you read it very carefully sometime with a great alacrity and understanding. For instance, in the first verse, it says, Therefore, and whenever the Bible says, Therefore you ask yourself one question life or, and you have to go back into the previous chapters of Second Corinthians, to find out why he says there for 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. Apparently a tempest it's possible to handle the Word of God deceitfully, isn't it? And many places across our nation, people who are sincere are still handling the word of God deceitfully. Sincerity is no guarantee for truth. The accuracy of God's word is its own truth. And the Apostle Paul writing this tremendous revelation to the church said that he was thankful to God for His mercy, that they have allowed him to renounce the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking craftily not handling the word of God deceitfully. And so as you've gone, he says in verse three, if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are what, why verse four, because the god of this world have blinded the minds of them which believe not less the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine unto them, and the people get saved and failed with the power of the Holy Spirit. If the gospel is hidden today, it's hidden to men and women who are lost. Why? Because the god of this world, and the god of this world is say, there are very few people who believe that there are two gods, they think there's only one God, and that God is the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And that's all that the Bible says there are two gods, one who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the other is the god of this word. And the god of this world is a spiritual power, even as our Heavenly Father who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, His spiritual power, and spirit can only operate if it has a body to utilize our body to operate via or through. Now the greatness of this tremendous record here in Corinthians, if you follow it down through that chapter, it tells you in verse 14, for instance, knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus Christ shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. And he goes on to say in verse 16, For which cause we faint not. But though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed, day by day, so that we are two people so to speak, we are the outward man, the man of the place, that what you see standing here before you, that which I see seated before me, that's the outward man, the outward person, but you are something else, you have Christ in you. And when you're born again of God's Spirit, having Christ in you, you have an inner man, it is Christ in you, the Oprah Gallery, and that inward man, that power of God in you which is called holy, which is called spirit that is renewed day by day by the operations of the manifestations of the Spirit. So he says in verse 17, For our light affliction, on light affliction. Dr. Williams was talking about the hardships we endured in India. I never thought about it till he mentioned it tonight.
04:41
They weren't hardships they were just opportunities. Why time and time again I take a car and just under rear a little bit and push it to the side because it was standing on the roadway or in the sidewalks. Or it was standing in the in the place where we went up to go to sleep someplace the hotel he was standing in the front So I push him over a little. And I remember one time we were driving in a jeep, and we had to stop to push the baboons off of the road to monkeys, right for you to enjoy this place with all those wild animals. The That's right, they were so thick, you just couldn't get through them drive and you just drove down the road. And then you'd go over in the ditch a while and then they'd come over toward the ditch and you go back on the road, you just play like cat mouse with them. But I never thought about this the places we went like we had his he said six people five plates, he forgot to tell you we had only one knife and three forks. But it was trip, I just never thought about them being hardships. I remember the halftime Institute is the doctor still there? At the halftime Institute in Bombay. He has left the halftime Institute in Bombay is where the color is serum was developed. Many, many years ago, you remember copper was referred to as the Black Death. And he was conquered via the work that was done at the halftime Institute. And because of our travels and the places we were going to go, I believe we had to have some kind of shot or something I forget what was it for anymore. Typhoid. And everybody was concerned about us, because it was such a hardship to take a typhoid shot because your arm swells up like a big balloon and all the rest of these little matters. So as soon as we, as we've gone to the halftime Institute, and Dr. So many, if I remember Chris name accurately was it at the time, Dr. Solomon, a very wonderful gentleman. He gave us that shot, and he was all concerned about it. He said, I will hope you get along well, right and so on. If not come back and see me. We went back to the hotel room at the Taj Mahal in Bombay. And all five of us laid our hands on each other's arms where we had received the shots. And we commanded that in the name of Jesus Christ that couldn't get sore. And lo and behold, they never did get sores. I never swelled up, or anything else. If I remember correctly, all those months, when we were in India, not one of us was ever sick. We never lost today, we never lost an hour. And that these things, look to people, you know, like great afflictions, but they're not. It all depends on how you look at afflictions. They become life when you've got a big enough vision. Why? When I think of what some of our people went through in past, for a knowledge of God's word, how they used to take one sheet of the Bible, bake it in a loaf of bread, and slip it across the boundary line from one counties, so to speak into another county in Germany, that they could even read a little bit of the Word of God. When I think of the 1000s, who were thrown to the lions, and to the other animals in the great Colosseum in Rome. When I think of the sacrifices that were made of Christians in Ephesus, and the rest of the places where is there anyone seated in this auditorium tonight, or listening to my voice, who has paid anything for their knowledge of God's word, or the power of God that's in us why they are not afflictions are just opportunities. Remember the illustration I give in my foundational class many times about the the brook; the reason the brook sings, is because it has some rocks in it. And that Brook just doesn't know any different soil just sings. The rocks do not obstruct the water. If the rock is big enough, the water simply increases itself and goes around the outside of it. And if the rock is still too big, that water never argues with it, it just builds up and finally goes over the obstruction. But for most people, or little rock in their life becomes the focal point. And they center on that as a problem. And then before they know it, they succumb to the problem rather than to go around it or go over the top of it. These are just opportunities. Why when that greatness of God's word lives within the heart or life of a young man or an older man, or a young woman or an older woman, they burn with that enthusiasm as the glory of the presence of Christ, and you just walk with an effervescence and with a glue. And things that were problems before simply now become opportunities. Things that were obstructions before are no longer there, we just go around them or go over the top of them. Therefore, my people when he writes things like this, it thrills my soul. He says these light afflictions there but for a moment, far they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Verse 18, While we look not at the things which are wrought, see, but at the things which are not seen, and isn't that tremendous, you don't keep your eyes upon things of the world. You don't keep your eyes upon that what you can see with your senses, you don't condition your spiritual reaction by one The senses tell you, you condition, your spiritual reaction by lottery to God says, not wonderful, we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are Butland temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal, and the greatness of the power of God in you, which I cannot see for its spirit. I cannot see God for God's Spirit. But I can see the little obstacles with which we sometimes are confronted in life, they simply become opportunities for we no longer look at those as obstacles, we look at him, the power of God, even though we cannot see Him we can see his word, we can read His Word, we can hear his word. And therefore we do not look at the things which are seeing that temporal, they're only momentary, but the things which are not seen, they are eternal. And you and I born again, I've got spirit filled with the power of the Holy Spirit are determined that men and women, once again may have the opportunity to fasten their eyes on something which is not momentary, something which is not temporary, something which will not let them down tomorrow, but that which is eternal, and that is the power of God. Or we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, and whenever the Bible talks about the individual believer, it talks about the tabernacle. When he talks about the united body of believers who are born again of God's Spirit, they're called a temple. The individual is never called a temple in the Bible, the individual believer is only called a tabernacle. But the whole body of believers are the temple understand. If our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we know this, it doesn't say we question we doubt, we know it. And when you know it, then you know it, that you know it, that you know it. We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building from our own, gone, and house, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this in this walk, in this earthly house, or in this tabernacle, we groan, earnestly desire to be closed upon with our house, which is from where heaven, if so be that being closed, we shall not be found what and to be found naked, is to be found that you must die. When you die, you are unclosed, you become naked. And the desire of the heart of the revelation of this man was that the Lord might be returning, and that we might be closed upon and never get to the place that we'd be found naked, indicating thereby never to die, you'll see it, verse four, for weeds that are in this tabernacle do grow, being burdened, not that we would be unclosed not that we want to die. Not at all. Because when you're dead, you're worth nothing to God. You cannot do anything for God, when you are dead. You can only work for God while you have breath, life and strength like you and I have tonight. Tonight, we can speak for the Lord, tonight we can work for him tonight we can magnify his name, but if we are unclosed, if we would die, we could no longer speak for him. Therefore, he says, not that we would be unclosed not that we die. But that would be we would be closed upon. That mortality, which is a mortal individual might be swallowed up of us life whose life the return life of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he that has robbed us for that self. Same thing is who? God who also has given unto us he's given it on to us the earnest of the last. Well, if he's given it onto our set, who's got it? We have. That's the Lord's what he says. So you act like it. Well, he said it. God said it. I didn't say it. I didn't write the book. He says he has given to us the earnest. The word earnest is the word token, a little bit of the real thing. He has given to us the earnest of the Spirit that took another spirit. The evidence of the spirit. Well, what are the evidences of the Spirit if the Bible's right, there are only nine speaking in tongues interpretation of tongues prophecy, operation of the word of knowledge, word of wisdom, destroying spirits, faith, miracles and healing. He has given these tokens to us arenas of the spirits, therefore very sick. Therefore, because of these tokens, we are confident, you have no confidence. You have no confidence any other way. In a census world you have no proof outside of the manifestation of the Spirit that Christ is in you. Therefore, we are confident, knowing, knowing no question mark no doubt, knowing that while we are at home in the body right now, we are absent from us, for the Lord has not yet returned. He has not yet come. That's right. That's why verse seven is a parentheses. While we're present in this body, absent from the Lord, we walk by one faith, the word faith there should be translated believing. We walk by believing,
16:03
believing what the revelation of God's word, and not by law, sight, for we look not at the things which our lot sees, but at the things which are not seen. We are confident, verse eight, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with us. Now the only way you can be present with the Lord and be absent from the body would be if the Lord did one thing what came back, returned, and if he closed us, otherwise we would be what unclosed wherefore, her first night, we labor. That's why there we are present, with the Lord's coming, and our change, or absent the Lord not yet come, we may be accepted the word accepted as well pleasing, that we may be well pleasing unto him. This is why we labor and work this is why we minister This is why we believe for men, like Dr. Williams and others to come to the labor biblical Research Center. This is why we work day after day, sending out tapes, preparing them, not that we would be accepted of him, because by grace are we say Not of works, lest any man should be should boast. Right? So we do not labor to be accepted of him. But we labor because he has made us acceptable, as Corinthians says, and here Corinthians says, to be well pleasing unto Him, who loved us and who gave Himself for us. Verse 10, For we must all we must all everybody, all without exception, appear before the judgment seat. But here, I'd like to say this all referring specifically without any distinction to the believers. Because hear the word judgment seat is the word beyma Be EMA. There are two judgment seats in the Bible. One is a judgment seat where condemnation is handed out. The other is a judgment seat where the rewards are handed out the trophies for the victories which you have accomplished, being a Christian, this is the second of those. This is a game where the rewards are handed out the trophies for the victories which you have accomplished. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the thing done in his body, according to that he has done whether it be good or what. Knowing therefore the terror the word tear in the Greek text is the word fear, reverence or respect of the Lord, knowing the all the reverence we have for the Lord, we persuade men, yet we are made manifest under God and I trust also made manifest on your conscience. Verse 12, for we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you an occasion to glory on our behalf, that you may have someone to answer them who glory in what, and not in art, for whether we be besides ourselves that is to God. And some of the people in the church at current, the unbelieving believers, perhaps on the outside side, we're saying, well, that pile fell is off his rocker. He's out in left field. He's too cool or something. They said He's beside himself. You know what it means to be Besides, what's the accusation? And Powell says, well, bless God, if I'm beside myself, that's the best thing that ever happened, or whether we be sober. He said, That's wonderful. It is for the cause of Christ and to your honor, that this is true for the love of Christ, verse 14 constraint with us, because we Dutch judge that if one died for all, then we're all dead, and that He died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and Rose want. Wherefore because of this in verse 16 Henceforth no we know man after the lot, yet don't we have known Christ after the flesh? Yep. Now henceforth No, we him no more after the love for Christ is not here for is ascended up into heaven, a seated at the right hand of God, right? Sure. Therefore, verse 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, behold all things that come new. If he's in Christ, and he renews his mind to the end, he renews his mind old things passed away, and all things become new.
20:55
And all things are of God, who has past tense, reconciled past tense us to Himself, God has reconciled us to himself, by whom, Jesus Christ, and has given to us something that you prayed about tonight, namely the Ministry of Law, he has reconciled to us and he has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. Well, praise the Lord is not a tremendous ministry. You see why these summer schools are the greatest thing in the world today, because we have this word of God, he hath reconciled us, He has delivered us, He has made us to complete and then he's given us the ministry to help others to be reconciled to God, what greater life could you have in this world than to have that kind of a ministry as a child of God in that tremendous tool with merge 19 that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and has committed unto us the word of us. Not only do we have the ministry, but we got the word to go with it. What good is it to have a ministry? What I'm good is it to be a minister or a pastor unless you've got the word that sets men and women free? Isn't that something? Why sure, bless your heart. Now then, verse 29, we are absolutely nobody's know. Now then we are what ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ and be reconciled to who we are ambassadors, we carry the word we speak the word that our Father says we are to speak, whether people want to hear it, or whether they don't, doesn't make any difference, we still speak the word of the God who you represent. For he God has made him Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, we are made the righteousness of God in Him. He has reconciled us. He has given to us the word of reconciliation. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That's why class, we do not get our eyes on things which are seen. We do not look at other people and judge our lives by other people. We look unto Him who is the author and the finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, we set our eyes on Him. We put ourselves at the place where we look at him. Sure, we'd like to be closed on with our new body from heaven. But while we're absent from the Lord, and we're here, he's given us a ministry, and people by the grace of God, let's dedicate ourselves, our thinking, our actions, our life, our material things everything we have our our ever hope to be to the greatness of the ministry that God has set in our midst, a ministry that touches men, like the great Dr. Williams, bringing him all the way from India, lack of touch PJ Wade from Australia, Dr. Poesy, from Samoa and other people across the nation. My friends, I say to you, these men come into our myths and to your lives, because they want to know the greatness of the power of God and take it back among their people. Let's believe God, for the ministry to move out across the nations of the world because of the power of God in your life. What a thrilling day in a thrilling time we were having. And these things with which we're surrounded, even at the most negative situation are nothing but light affliction. And we have more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. And this is why people we ought to believe God this week, to be the greatest week in our life. We ought to believe that next Sunday we'll start the greatest and most wonderful class on power for abundant living we've ever had. With the people in here who really God once. There's only one way God's going to get you and we For we have been given the Ministry of Law, and we've been given the word and God is a Spirit. God does not move until our people move. And our people are moving. It's why you're in here tonight.
25:14
It's why you've come every Sunday night. It's why some of you travel long distances, not because I'm so good look, that's for sure. Or the way I comb my hair or wherever tie or take my coat off. You come, because you know, here is one place. We maybe do not know it, but we know him who knows at all. And here is one place we owe the Word of God with the greatest ability we have. And there are men and women like you all over the nation, surely, who ought to again have the privilege of hearing that word. And once more as we move out this week, don't be afraid to talk. Somebody said the other week or I heard this at least they said, Well, you could say too much. I'd like to show me you show me chapter and verse where it said you can say too much. Ah, you know why they said that? Because they don't want to say nothing. It gives them an excuse. Boy, when all the all the world is crying, they're messy. Surely you and I can cry the word of the Lord again? Can we not like the prophets of Allah like Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the men of God? Surely we can speak the word What do you care what they think about your name care only interest and get your check anyways?
26:29
So bless God given door in the shops in factories, what difference does it make?
26:40
PayPal I like you and I speak that word. They're not going to hear it for the word has been given to us. The word of reconciliation and the ministry. All they'll look at you and say your crackpot cute. You know what they're saying about you already? One difference is that whether you're a pot with a cracker crackpot claimed, if you think you're going to wait to get all the plaudits of men, and for everybody to pat you on the back you learned long ago, that's impossible. So why not just continue to take a great stand for the greatness of God's word, speak to men and women, maybe you don't know at all. So lot, nobody does. But I want to tell you something, you know, 1000 times more than the person you're going to be talking to. You don't know not to dive into these dead places for centuries, no life there. They've been fed on a word that says God is dead. The miracles are dead. Faith is no longer. Like you people sitting under this ministry, having these wonderful teachers in the area week after week, where you're nurtured on the word, ly you've got everything to win and nothing to lose by standing for it. And you've got everything to lose nothing to win if you don't.
27:56
So it's the greatness of God's wonderful matchless word. And you know, my people, I can't say it enough.
28:04
This is a Bible Research Center. We are a training center, we're a place where we can work the Word of God where we can endeavor to put our arms into operation to become strong for the battles in the world with which we are surrounded and which we have the opportunity of dealing with. This is why this place must always stay a place of prayer. It must stay a place where men and women can come. I think my friend Dr. Williams, was tremendously impressed with the amount of telephone calls that I have to answer where you're not doctor we have I think I think it must have from his questions. It must have surprised him. How are people call 230 in the morning, three o'clock, five o'clock, how the curl during the day. While bless God, why shouldn't people call at least there's a place they can call. When I was 20 years younger, I have no place to call. I didn't know who to call. When I had a need. I didn't know what to do. But thank God, there are men and women like you in the communities in the areas and when they need help they know where to go. The way ministry must always hear at this place has to stay here. Always be a place of prayer. It must always be a place where anybody can come with any need. And we never laugh at them. We never criticize them. We simply help them. It has to be a place where men and women still want to try to believe God's word.