Have you reached your breaking point yet? Are you starting to crack under the pressure from the pandemic? The isolation, financial stress, anxiety, health concerns, the daily death toll broadcast every day, social distancing, and no definite date for a return to a semblance of normalcy – this can test the faith of even the most faithful. What if God was bringing you to your breaking point, not to break you, but so something could break out of you? The Apostle Paul seems to think so and in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, he puts pressure into its proper perspective for the Christian;
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. (NIV)
As a Christian, you have been given a treasure. This treasure Paul is referring to is the most valuable, precious treasure the world has ever known – The Gospel. The good news that despite man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness, that forgiveness can be found, and we can be reconciled to God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. God has taken this treasure and placed it within every Christian. But valuable treasures are supposed to be protected. The nation’s gold reserves at Ft. Knox protected by a vault and the U.S. Army. Paintings and artifacts preserved in museums by protective glass, proper lighting, and perfect humidity. But God has not placed the greatest, most valuable treasure in a vault, but in jars of clay – weak, fragile vessels.
What are these jars of clay? These jars of clay are our bodies, our very lives. God has taken the most precious treasure and placed it in us – bodies so weak and fragile that a microscopic virus, invisible to the naked eye, has completely shut down our world, wreaked havoc on our lives, and brought death and destruction. Why would God place something so valuable in something so weak and fragile? So the Gospel can get out and so that God can be glorified.
That is the purpose of the pressure we face. Paul said, “We are pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” Right now, we are pressed on every side, afflicted in every way we can imagine – physically, spiritually, financially, relationally, emotionally. Despite the pressure, we aren’t being crushed. We are perplexed, more questions than answers, but still not in utter despair. Struck down and knocked down, but not knocked out, not destroyed. The pressure we face is not to destroy us, but to crack us – not to break us down, but to break us open so the Gospel can get out. This treasure of the Gospel wasn’t meant to be protected by the army at Ft. Knox or kept in jar, vault, or chest. This treasure was meant to be shared and seen.
Isn’t that exactly what has been happening in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Despite the stress and the pressure we have faced as a result of the Coronavirus, the treasure of the Gospel has gotten out. It is quite possible the Gospel is reaching more people in America right now on a weekly basis than ever before as churches are forced to stream online worship services rather than hold in-person gatherings. Churches that once looked inward are now looking outward to reach and minister to their community like never before. We are finding creative ways to reach out to our neighbors, friends, and family members, sharing with them the hope of the Gospel. During times of great pressure, the Gospel gets out.
This is not just true during pandemics, but in every season and situation of our life. Once the threat of the Coronavirus is over, we will still face difficulties in our life. You will continue to face great pressure from every side and once again you will feel like you are at your breaking point. But remember, whatever the issue, it is not there to break you down, but to break you open so that the Gospel can get out.
But this type of outlook is more than Christian optimism or the power of positive thinking, this is a hope rooted in the resurrection of Jesus. This is the foundational truth of 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 as Paul keeps pointing to the life of Jesus, this is the essential element of the Gospel, the treasure that has been given to us by God and deposited within our very lives. The tomb is empty! The resurrection is real. It is because Jesus physically walked out of the grave on the third day, we have this hope. It is because of the resurrection we can endure the difficulties and pressures of this life including a global pandemic.
-by Jeremy Atwood
About the author: Jeremy Atwood is the Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Glasgow, Ky. He was previously the First Vice President of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. He is a graduate of WKU and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Cara and they have one daughter, Lizzy. You can find more information about Immanuel Baptist Church, including past sermons and worship services, at www.immanuelglasgow.church.