ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) (10/03/90)
The Treasure In Earthen Vessels PART III II Corinthians 1:8, 9; 4:7-10; 6:8-10; 12:7-10 I love to recall the prayer of the early church for Peter's deliverance from the hands of wicked men. When Peter returned and knocked at the door, the believers said it was his angel. Do you see? There was faith there, true faith, the kind of faith that could bring an answer from God; but the weakness of man was still present, and that weakness was clearly manifest. Today the faith excercised by many of God's people is greater than that excercised by the believers gathered in the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. And they are so positive about it. They are certain that God will send an angel, and every door in the prison will swing open. If a gust of wind blows, there is Peter knocking at the door! If the rain begins to patter, there is Peter knocking at the door again! Those people are too credulous; their faith is not the genuine article. In Christianity the earthen vessel is always in evidence, though the question is never one of the earthen vessel but of the treasure within it. In the life of a normal Christian, just when faith rises positively to lay hold of God, a question may simultaneously arise as to whether he perhaps might be mistaken. When he is strongest in the Lord, he is often most conscious of inability; when he is most courageous, he becomes aware of fear within; when he is most joyful, a sense of distress breaks upon him. This paradox is evidence that there is treasure in the earthen vessel. GOD'S POWER IS MANIFEST IN MAN'S WEAKNESS Paul tells us that he had a thorn in the flesh. What that thorn was I do not know, but I do know that it was a weakening factor and that Paul prayed three times for its removal. But God answered: "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect in weakness." How can the Lord's power be manifested to perfection in a weak man? Christianity is that very thing. Christianity is not the removal of weakness, nor is it merely the manifestation of divine power; it is the manifestation of divine power in human weakness. Christianity does not bring in a marvelous new order of angelic beings, but human being in whose weakness the divine power is displayed. Let me use an illustration. I was once seriously ill. During a period of two months I was x-rayed three times, and each time the report was very grave. I prayed, and I believed. I had hoped that God would heal my sickness, but though several times I experienced a great increase of strength, the root of the trouble remained, so the possibility of relapse was always present. I was annoyed. What was the use of a temporary increase of strength? One day, as I was reading the Bible, I came to the chapter in II Corinthians where Paul prayed three times that God would remove his "thorn." God would not do so, but said: "My grace is sufficient for thee." Because of the presence of the thorn he was granted an increase in grace. Because the weakness persisted, grace was added. I saw--This is Christianity! I prayed for a clearer seeing, and the thought came to me of a boat that could not pass because of a boulder jutting out five feet from the river bed. I had been praying in effect: "Lord, if it please thee, remove the boulder." Now a question arose within: Would it be better to have the five foot boulder removed, or to let the Lord raise the level of the water by five feet? I answered: It would be better to have the level of the water raised. From that day many of my difficulties were gone. I dare not say that I was never tempted; but, praise God, I discovered that he has resource to deal with difficulties other than by their removal. Christianity is not a matter of removing boulders, but of raising the level of the water. Have you difficulties? Yes. Have you weaknesses? Yes, we all have. But do bear in mind that what the Lord is after is not, on the negative side, the removal of our weaknesses; nor is it even, on the positive side, the indiscriminate bestowal of strength. All the strength He gives is manifest in weakness. All the treasure we have is in earthen vessels. MAN'S WEAKNESS DOES NOT LIMIT GOD'S POWER It is cause to great gratitude to God that no human weakness need limit the divine power. We are apt to think that were sadness exists, there joy cannot exist; that where there are tears, there cannot be praise; that where weakness is present, power must be absent; that where there is doubt, there cannot be faith. But let me proclaim this with a clear voice, that God is seeking to bring us to the point where we recognize that all that is of man is only intended to provide an earthen vessel to contain the divine treasure. Henceforth, when we are conscious of depression, let us not give way to depression, but to the Lord; and the treasure will shine forth all the more gloriously because of the earthen vessel. I am not theorizing here; I know what I am talking about. Herein lies the the glory of Christianity, that God's treasure can be manifest in every earthen vessel. Christianity is a paradox, and it is as we Christians live this paradoxical life that we get to know God. The further we go on in the Christian life, the more paradoxical it becomes. The treasure becomes increasingly manifest, but the earthen vessel is the earthen vessel still. This is very beautiful. Just look at the divine patience in a man who by nature is impatient, and compare the sight of that with a man whom nothing can ever move. See the divine humility in one who by nature is haughty, and compare that with one who is always of a retiring disposition. See the strength of God in a person of weak temperament, and compare that with a naturally strong character. The difference is trememdous. People who are naturally weak are always apt to think they are no good because of the earthen quality of the vessel; but there is no need for dejection, since the treasure within the vessel is of such a quality as to shine forth with added splendor from within such a vessel. Brothers and sisters, let me say once again that the whole question is one of the quality of the treasure, not of the quality of the vessel that contains it. It is folly to stress the negative aspect; our concern is with the positive. The Lord is able to manifest Himself in the life of every one of us, and when that comes to pass many will behold the treasure. From "The Treasure in Earthen Vessels" by Watchman Nee. ----- Robert W. Johnson Computer center, The University of Turku, Turku Finland robert@kontu.utu.fi (InterNet) robert@firien.bitnet (BITNET) The preceeding is my opinion and may not express the opinion of my employer.