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Sermon #5547

In the Sight of God

A Sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

Originally preached Feb. 5, 1961

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Scripture

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV KJV
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight …

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Sermon Description

In this sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:1–6 titled “In the Sight of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks of Paul’s concern to defend both his ministry and his calling as an apostle of Jesus Christ. There were those in the church at Corinth that opposed Paul and thought he had a weak presence. According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, it is important that Paul defends his apostleship as God used the apostles to give the Scriptures, and they were foundational to the early church. As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains, Paul is not only defending his ministry, but he is also fighting for the validity of the gospel message that confronts the world. When Paul does defend his ministry, he appeals to the calling that he received from the risen Lord. Paul makes it clear that his authority does not come from people, but from God. Therefore his message is also from God. The church would do well to look to the example of Paul who defends his message not by boasting in himself, but by boasting in Christ Jesus.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The apostle Paul is writing to the Corinthians to address misunderstandings about his authority and message.
  2. Paul's concern is not for himself but for the Corinthians and the effectiveness of the church's witness.
  3. Paul reminds the Corinthians of his visit to them, where he came in "weakness, fear and much trembling." He was fearful not of the congregation but of obscuring the truth in some way.
  4. Paul did not come with "enticing words of men's wisdom" but with the simple message of "Jesus Christ and him crucified."
  5. Paul did not preach himself but Christ Jesus as Lord. He did not use flattery or dishonesty but plainly manifested the truth.
  6. Everything Paul did was "in the sight of God." This governed his behavior and message. He would have to give an account to God.
  7. Paul made himself the servant of the Corinthians for Jesus's sake, out of concern for their well-being. He preached the truth plainly so they would understand their need and believe the gospel.
  8. Paul's supreme desire was to glorify Christ. He was Christ's bondservant, and Christ was his master who directed everything in his life.
  9. The most important fact is that the eternal Son of God came into the world as Jesus of Nazareth. He is Lord of all and the only Savior.
  10. Nothing matters but knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Paul's only ambition was that people would see and know Christ and be saved by him.
  11. At the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
  12. The question for all is: Have you seen Jesus Christ as Lord? Do you know him as your Savior? Nothing else matters in comparison.

Sermon Q&A

What Does It Mean to Preach "Not Ourselves, But Christ Jesus as Lord"?

What was Paul's primary concern in 2 Corinthians 4:5-6?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul's primary concern in this passage was not to defend himself personally but to protect the message of the gospel. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "He didn't care very much what people said about him personally and individually... He wasn't concerned merely to defend himself, but he has to take up the matter, because involved in the apostle himself and his whole position was the message that he had preached. If they could cast doubt upon him as the messenger, in the same way they were able to cast doubt upon the validity and the truth of the message which he had delivered."

Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say the issue of authority is still relevant today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones argues that the issue of authority remains highly relevant because many people today still ask: "Why should I believe what you're saying? What's your authority for what you're saying?" He explains that "there are many who are not Christians this evening simply because they stumble at this whole question and matter of authority." Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Christians should "know what they believe, and should know further why they believe it" rather than just having vague feelings or being generally good people.

What were Paul's three main reasons for preaching as he did?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, Paul had three main reasons for his preaching approach:

  1. He knew everything was "in the sight of God" - Paul was aware God was watching everything he did and said
  2. He had genuine concern for the Corinthians - "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants, for Jesus' sake"
  3. He was motivated by the glory of Christ - His supreme desire was to glorify Jesus Christ as Lord

How did Paul approach preaching according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones highlights several key aspects of Paul's preaching approach:

  1. "We preach not ourselves" - Paul didn't talk about himself or preach to please himself
  2. He "renounced the hidden things of dishonesty" - didn't use craftiness or deception
  3. He didn't adulterate the gospel - didn't mix his own ideas with it or hold back difficult truths
  4. He focused on "manifestation of the truth" - simply revealed the truth like drawing back a curtain

What was Paul's fear when he preached according to the sermon?

Paul's fear was not about facing clever questions or intellectual challenges. As Lloyd-Jones explains: "This man, by all his background and his training and his ability and his mastery of his subject, as he demonstrates in these epistles, was ready to take on the whole universe." Instead, "there was only one reason for his trembling. This was his one fear that anyhow, somehow he himself, his person, his personality, or what he said should in any way come between the people and the seeing of the truth."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the central message of Christianity?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones describes the central message of Christianity as focused on Jesus Christ as Lord. He states: "The most stupendous fact before us this evening is this: That the very eternal son of God has been in this world of time as Jesus of Nazareth." He emphasizes that what matters most is not our happiness, comfort, or even world events, but "your knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ of Nazareth." He concludes that "Nothing else matters but this. And God forbid that I or anybody else should know anything but Jesus Christ and him crucified."

What does it mean that Paul was "in weakness, fear and much trembling"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Paul's trembling wasn't about personal nervousness or fear of intellectual challenge, but rather his profound concern that he might hinder people from seeing Christ. He states: "This was his one fear that anyhow, somehow he himself, his person, his personality, or what he said should in any way come between the people and the seeing of the truth. His job is to manifest it, not with these other ways and means and methods." Paul was trembling because he was so concerned that nothing about himself would distract from the gospel message.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe the preacher's role?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones uses a powerful metaphor to describe the preacher's role, saying the preacher is "just like the men who worked the curtain at the theater." He explains that Paul was saying: "All I did was this. I just drew back the curtain. I just manifested the truth. I allowed them to see it... I was just the men who pulled back the obstruction so that they might see." The preacher's job is simply to reveal Christ, getting out of the way "so that they don't see me, but they see it [the truth]."

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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.