Heavenly Treasure in Earthen Vessel 2Cor 4:7-10

The title of this lecture comes from 2 Corinthians 4, which speaks of earthen vessels filled with heavenly treasure. God has set a pattern into the Christian life. He has crafted men as earthen vessels. Men are weak and ordinary, as if made of clay. Earthen, frail, vulnerable, and inadequate, believers are meant for a purpose but are entirely insufficient for its demands. The Scripture says that God knows our frame that we are but dust—not gold dust, but the common, ordinary kind. And yet:
DEFINITION:
VESSEL: The word Vessel is from the Greek word SKEUOS defined as holder, Jar or something that contains
EARTHEN: The word Earthen is from the Greek word OSTRAKINOS meaning a substance made of clay, brittle and easily broken
Jer18: 1-6 the story of the potter’s house and the potters kiln which fires the pottery
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

3 DISTINCT TOPICS WHICH DEMAND OUR ATTENTION TONIGHT
1. The preciousness of the heavenly treasure: The Heavenly treasure committed to our trust is nothing less than the whole of "The Glorious Gospel"
2. The infirmity of the earthen vessel: The phrase "I’m only human" or "I’m not perfect" indicates the frailty of humans
3. The Excellency of the divine power: The complete one dwelling in an incomplete one, immutable deity dwelling in a breakable container,
(2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV)

THE BEAUTY OF BEING A VESSEL IS THAT VESSELS ARE DESIGNED TO CONTAIN SOMETHING.
This is where the believer’s meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in life rests—in the treasure he is meant to contain. And yet still, the believer is but an earthen vessel. Though a container, we might refer to the believer as a simple, clay flower pot. Now a clay pot is no big thing, but containing the right flower, its worth is magnified—magnified for how it reflects the beauty of the flower. This is a good picture of what the Christian life is supposed to be. The believer has great treasure kept within earthen vessels of his body and soul, in fact, within his very life. Paul has already told us of this great treasure: For we are to God the fragrance of Christ. (2Cor 2:15 NKJV).
Man generally focus on the vessel, shine it, paints it, polish and shape it, but it is perishing daily but the believer is encourage to recognize these vessel are only meant for temporary season. The dynamic force should come from the content not the container

THE FRAGRANCE OF CHRIST
That very word, fragrance, fits the imagery we have already presented of a flower in a container. “We are a fragrance of Christ.” This fragrance comes not from the clay pot, but from that which resides in the pot. If one is to be the fragrance of Christ, that sweet-smelling aroma can only originate from Christ Himself. A clay pot only has an ordinary earthen fragrance and can never smell as a fresh flower. The fragrance comes from Christ Himself, because the life of Jesus is manifested in the believer’s body (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:10). The life of Christ is the treasure housed within the believer’s earthen vessel. It is the life of Christ that is manifested from within the believer’s mortal flesh (cf. 2 Corinthians 4:11).

THE EARTHEN VESSEL: MORTAL FLESH. THE TREASURE: THE LIFE OF JESUS.
Recall Colossians 1:27, “Christ in us, our hope of glory.” That is Paul’s point here. The believer hosts incredible treasure in an ignoble, earthen vessel. God has ordained this to be that “the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” If any excellent power is seen in and through the believer’s life, it is to be seen clearly as something foreign to his nature—it must be clear that God is the power of Excellency residing in the believer.
Of course, this is not the manner in which humanity regularly thinks. Man generally focuses upon the earthen vessel. He shines it, paints it, polishes it, shapes it, postures it, and does whatever he can to keep it from perishing. But the outer man is perishing daily. There is no way to stop the process brought on by the Curse. The believer is encouraged to recognize these vessels are only meant for a temporary season. As long as the inner man is being renewed day by day, the believer walks the right path and God is having His way in the man.

WE HOLD AN EXCEEDING VALUABLE TREASURE.
So then, the believer holds within himself (as an earthen vessel) an exceedingly valuable treasure. And he is given this treasure that the transcendent, extraordinary Excellency of the power would be recognized of God and not of us. The dynamic, animating force that is to develop, drive, and produce a Christian life is to come from the contents of the vessel, not the vessel itself. This power is to come from the treasure rather from the human in whom the treasure dwells—from the flower rather than from the clay flowerpot. This is a picture of insufficient vessels, containing sufficient treasure.

7 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONTENT AND CONTAINER
1. Content is complete while the container is incomplete
2. Content is strong while the container is weak
3. Content is extraordinary while container is ordinary
4. Content is sufficient on its own while container is insufficient
5. Content is transcendent while container is natural
6. Content is the life of Christ while container is the mortal flesh
7. Content is immutable while container is changeable

CRITERIA FOR USE
1. A Vessel must be available: God will not force us to use us but if we make ourselves available he will use us
2. A Vessel must be clean:  Just as you won't use a filthy pot to put valuables in. God will only fill a clean vessel therefore clean up yourself
3. A Vessel must be Empty: Another problem we face is that we are too full of ourselves that there is no room for God. We must first empty ourselves of these selfish goals, desires and agenda before we can be filled of God's treasure

APPEARANCE VERSUS REALITY
1. Afflicted but not crushed
2. Perplexed not given up hope
3. Persecuted not forsaken
4. Struck down not destroyed

KEY POINT
1. The Gospel is the Christian true treasure
2. Our lives are like earthen vessel which when broken Manifest the light of the gospel
Judges 7: 15-25
3. Though our suffering seem as though it will break us but God never allow such intense suffering to defeat or destroy us
4. The suffering we are called to endure will never destroy us, is divinely appointed, irreplaceable means by which God manifest his life in our mortal body
5. The suffering which breaks these clay pots should not result in our silence but should become the basis for our proclaiming boldly the good news
6. Being broken as an earthly vessel means dying to oneself so that we can serve others and glorify God.

CONCLUSION
As Christian die daily by living righteously and boldly speaking forth the truth of the Gospel, we live out the death and life of our Lord Jesus Christ to the consternation of those who reject the Gospel to the benefit and blessing of those who believe and ultimately to Glory of God.

PRAYER: Our Father, we need periodic reminders of what we are in ourselves, empty pots made to contain God, made to hold the Almighty, useless and meaningless and empty without him. Lord, we pray that we may learn to accept gladly, cheerfully, and understandingly the experiences which come our way which force us to rely upon your grace. And even more, that we may learn to accept these snubs to our ego, these humiliating experiences which crush us, but which also produce the life of Jesus within us. Help us to do this in honesty and genuineness today. We ask in Christ's name, Amen.