Read 2 Corinthians 4.7-9.
The treasure in earthen vessels
There is a treasure in us. What kind of treasure is it? It is something that is beyond valuable. You can’t measure its value. It is rare gem that the Lord only grants to believers. We are human beings who have believed in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and come to him with all our weaknesses and vulnerabilities but he has put this treasure in us. Why did he put such a treasure in earthen vessels? It is to keep us from being conceited. It keeps us from being excessively proud of ourselves. It keeps us in check and keeps our faith in check.
1. We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed
Being hard pressed is a treasure. Going through a great deal of strain and trouble and being under pressure is a treasure. You are pushed but you will never be crushed. There is pressure from your family, in our business, in your marriage—hard pressed from every angle. You are under so much pressure that sometimes you want to give in or give up. It is not because you have committed any iniquity. It is the treasure that is being added to your accolades and placing you in your specific rank in the spirit. The Bible says many are the sufferings of the righteous. People think you’ve committed a sin and that is why you are going through what you are going through but it is not so. It is because you are a righteous person but you cannot be trodden or defeated.
2. We are perplexed but not in despair
We are at a loss as to what is happening around us. You are in serious doubt and uncertainty though you’ve been praying and joining the prayer warriors since your youth but you don’t understand what is going on. It is a treasure. You are in doubt so you will lose confidence in yourself but have confidence in God. That is faith. There is a feeling of expectation in the air. We hope that one day he will come through and break through for us. The Bible says three things abide—faith, hope, and love. Love triumphs over all but there is still hope. Romans 5.5 says hope does not disappoint.
3. We are persecuted but not abandoned
We are harassed for doing nothing. We are being punished sometimes for no apparent reason. Sometimes you are wounded and injured in life. We may be bruised but can never be ruined. The righteous can never been forsaken. David said he had been young and old but had never seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. God is telling you to keep on keeping on. Even when you feel helpless you are protected by God.
You are going through something that only you know about. Others around you may never understand. You are here this morning bruised and do not understand what is happening to you but the Lord sent me to come and inform you that you have a treasure that can never be taken away from you. You have this treasure that should be treasured. The irony of the situation is that when people see you they admire you but only you know the suffering within though people see success around you. I may not be preaching to all of you but I know I am preaching to some.
4. We are struck down but not destroyed
We are knocked down but we cannot be knocked out. We are knocked down but cannot be trampled upon. We are indestructible. They have struck you down but can’t kill you. We glory in our trials. I want you to begin to glory in your trials. If there is something to boast about, it is in our sufferings. When we get there we will show him our marks.
The Lord gave me this message last year. I didn’t know when to preach it. You may wonder, apostle, do you also have these treasures? I have my treasures too. When I was attending my ministerial interview I was knocked down by a vehicle but I survived. Six armed robbers came to my house stripped me naked, beat me to pulp, kicked my loin, and trampled on my lower abdomen. They also took everything I had. Asokwa Area had to give an offering for me to get a shirt to wear. I thought that was enough. I went to my first station and had my first son only for him to die after four months. People asked, “Where is your God?” Meanwhile, I had prayed for this sick at the Easter Convention and 16 persons had been instantly healed. My wife woke me up at dawn and asked me to pray for the boy to wake up if I was a man of God. So, when somebody says he wants to be like me, I wonder just like Jesus asked if James and John were ready to drink of his cup.
As young man of 33 years sent to Uganda as a missionary with my wife, my wife was diagnosed with a heart condition. We were struggling on the desert and also with the heart condition. Yet we were praying for people to get healed so we wondered why God wouldn’t you heal us but he said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
Main reference
2 Corinthians 4.7-9