Treasure in Jars of Clay

As the ministers of the Gospel, St. Paul and his coworkers are only jars of clay; the treasure is the Gospel that God has given them to proclaim. Through this Gospel, the entire Church is sustained even in the midst of affliction and persecution. As the death of Jesus is made manifest among them, so is the life of Jesus made manifest as well. As death attacks the ministers of the Gospel, life is at work in the Church. Such confidence to believe and to speak comes from the fact that Jesus has been raised from the dead, and we will be raised with Him. We do not lose heart in the midst of our light, momentary afflictions, for God is bringing us to an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Rev. Merritt Demski, pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo, IL, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 2 Corinthians 4:7-18. “A Letter of Comfort” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistle of 2 Corinthians. St. Paul writes again to the Christians in Corinth to bring them the ongoing comfort of the Gospel in the midst of the attacks of false doctrine from so-called “super apostles.” He seeks to give confidence to the Corinthians—and to us—that the good news of Christ crucified and risen proclaimed by His called ministers will accomplish all that He intends.