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WEEKLY
Volume 1 Number 39
25 February 2007
The Inward Man is Renewed Day by Day
(Message delivered by Pr Hien Nguyen at the Sunday Worship Service, 2
pm, Feb 18, 2007)
Text:
2 Cor 4:7-18
To prepare for the Lunar New
Year, people in my country usually spend much time and energy making
everything around their house clean and new: repainting the house,
washing or buying new curtains, towels, door mats, new slippers, new
toothbrushes, new hair cut and so on. Then they decorate their house to
make it look nice, welcoming their relatives, loved ones and friends. On
the first day of the Lunar New Year, they wear new clothes and try to
behave well, smiling, speaking nice words, exchanging best wishes, and
hoping that if the first day of the Lunar New Year is nice and good, all
the days of the year will be nice and good as well. However, all that
they do is only for their outward man and the things around them, which
are only temporary as the Bible says, “the outward man perish (is
being brought to decay)” and
“the things which are seen are
temporal” (2 Cor
4:18).
God does expect our lives to
be clean and renewed day by day. Then what does it mean “the inward
man is renewed day by day” (v 16), and how to be renewed day by day.
The Outward Man and the
Inward Man
The outward man
is our body, the earthen vessel (v 7). Here, we see that “the
outward man perish.” The verb “perish” means “decay wholly,” or
“destroy.” In the present passive indicative, it means that our body is
being brought to decay or being destroyed. It is a process of
deteriorating due to the curse of sin. We cannot escape the gradual
decline in our senses, our strength, our energy, our vigour and so on.
Our sight and hearing are not as good and sharp as before. Our body’s
organs and systems are not working as well as before. Day by day, year
by year, we are getting older and weaker and then getting sick and dying
to death. The unbelievers usually feel lonely and sad when thinking of
their old age and death. How about you and me? We thank God so much that
in the Lord Jesus Christ although our body is getting older and weaker,
we “faint not” or “do not lose heart” for our inward man
is renewed day by day. We have new life, new strength, and new hope in
this life on earth to eternity in Him. Then what does the inner man
mean?
The inner man
is the (qualitatively) new man in Christ, “a new creature”
(2 Cor 5:17; Gal 6:15), “which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness” (Eph 4:24) and “which is
renewed in knowledge after the image of him (God) that
created him” (Col 3:10). It is a born-again Christian with a new
heart and a new spirit, transformed and renewed by the Holy Spirit (Ezek
18:31; 36:26; John 3:5; Titus 3:5). My dear friends, do you acknowledge
your inner man or new man in Christ?
The Treasure in Earthen
Vessels
What is your treasure? Our
Lord Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also” (Matt 6:21). Then where is your heart? People of
this world have no heart nor time for the Lord or for His Word as their
heart is for their “self,” their fame, their interests, material things,
and pleasures of this world. Paul said, “But we have this treasure
in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us” (v 7). The earthen vessels (plural) are our human
bodies. God has given the same treasure (singular) to all of us His
children. What is this treasure?
It is “the Word of
God…the truth” (v 2). David desired God’s Word than gold,
saying, “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold” (Ps 19:10). Then, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom” (Col 3:16).
It is “the glorious
gospel of Christ” (v 4), “for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth” (Rom 1:16).
It is “Christ Jesus the
Lord” (v 5) for “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
(Col 1:27), and “there is none upon earth that I desire beside
thee” (Ps 73:25).
It is “the knowledge of
the glory of God” (v 6, cf. 1 Cor 2:10-12), and “In whom
(Christ) are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col
2:3). Then, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I
have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I
may win Christ” (Phil 3:8).
It is “the power of God”
(v 7). “Therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:9), and “For we
also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power
of God toward you” (2 Cor 13:4). Then “I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil 4:13). It is by
God’s power and strength that we may follow Him, do His will, and endure
all things with perseverance unto the end, “We are troubled on every
side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (vv
8-9). And we “faint not” or do not lose heart “For
our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (v 17). What a nice
contrast between affliction (light and for a moment) and glory (weighty
and eternal)!
It is “the life of
Christ” in us, “the life also of Jesus might be made
manifest in our body” (v 10).
My dear friends, what is your
treasure? God has given us the same treasure. Shall we regard all things
but loss and desire and treasure God’s Word, God’s Truth, Christ’s
gospel, the presence of God, the knowledge of God, the power of God and
the life of Christ above all things else?
How to Be Renewed Day by
Day
Submit Oneself to the
Holy Spirit and God’s Word:
The verb “renew” means “make qualitatively new.” In the present passive
indicative, it denotes a continuous work of the Holy Spirit upon
believers to transform their lives in regeneration and sanctification,
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to
his (God’s) mercy he (God) saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). You
and I can never renew ourselves, and we do need the Holy Spirit to renew
us day by day. We need to be renewed by Him. The Holy Spirit uses God’s
Word to regenerate and sanctify us (John 17:17; James 1:18; 1 Peter
1:23) as well as to enlighten us and reveal God and His truth to us so
that we may grow in the knowledge of God (Eph 1:17-18; 2 Peter 3:18) and
be “renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
us” (Col 3:10) “conformed to the image of his Son”
(Rom 8:29), “renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Eph
4:23), and “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom
12:2). Therefore, the first step to be renewed is to submit ourselves to
the Holy Spirit and God’s Word. Those who arrogantly question and
criticize God’s Word can never be renewed by the Holy Spirit. How about
you and me?
Die Daily and Let Christ
Manifest His Life
: This is the experience of
Paul, “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that
the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh”
(vv 10-11). This means to take up our cross daily, deny ourselves and
follow our Lord Jesus (Luke 9:23). Paul said, “I die daily”
(1 Cor 15:31), die to sin “be dead indeed unto sin” (Rom
6:11), die to self “not I, but Christ” (Gal 2:20), and die
to the world “the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world”
(Gal 6:14). We thank God that we do not torture ourselves to mortify our
sinful nature as some human religions try to do but can never be freed
from their corrupt and depraved nature. They may prevent some sinful
deeds, but their hearts, minds, thoughts, desires, and lusts are still
sinful, proud and corrupt. It is the Holy Spirit who is able to subdue
our old man and keep it dead daily so that the life of Christ might be
made manifest in our body, “but if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13). No one
can try to be a true Christian or to live a true Christlike life without
Christ. We must have Christ Himself living in us and manifest His life
in us and through us. That is true Christianity, “Not I, but
Christ.” That is not my holiness nor righteousness, but
Christ’s. That is not my love, goodness or humility, but Christ’s. Our
part is constantly looking unto the Lord Jesus Christ with our full
trust, submission and dependence like the branch to the Vine, and then
let Him freely control us and manifest His life in us and through us. It
is vital to keep our constant fellowship with Him in prayer wherever we
are and whatever we do. “O Lord, manifest Thy holy life through me” to
overcome temptations and sins. “O Lord, manifest Thy humility and
submission to Thy Father through me” to overcome pride and self will. “O
Lord, manifest Thy holy love and kindness through me” to be a blessing
to others because “death worketh
in us, but life in you”
(v 12). Doing this we shall be renewed day by day, and then all glory be
unto God alone (v 15).
Look at the Things
Eternal: To be
renewed day by day we also look at the things which are eternal (v 28).
The verb “look at” here means “to keep a watchful eye on, to give
attention to” something as our goal and aim. In the present active
participle, it means to keep on looking at, giving attention to, and
aiming at what is unseen and eternal. What is eternal that we should
keep an eye on? God Himself (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17), God’s Word (Ps
119:89; 1 Peter 1:25), God’s glory (2 Cor 4:17; 1 Peter 5:10), eternal
salvation (Heb 5:9), eternal redemption (Heb 9:12), and eternal life
(John 3:16; Rom 6:23), and surely we are not aiming at eternal damnation
in Hell (Mark 3:29; Rev 21:8). Satan uses the things of this world with
its attractions, temptations, entertainments and pleasures to distract
our attention from our godly aim and goal. Truly, this is a good
warning, “Strangers have
devoured his strength, and he
knoweth it not: yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he
knoweth not” (Hosea
7:9) and “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that
heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matt 13:22).
Then what are your aim and treasure?
Conclusion
My dear friends, you and I can
never renew ourselves. To be renewed day by day, we are to submit to the
Holy Spirit and God’s Word, die daily and let Christ manifest His life
in us and through us, and look at the things which are unseen and
eternal, which are our aim and treasure. May the Lord turn our eyes unto
Him and away from the temporary material things and attractions of this
world, even our pains, afflictions, or trials. Let us faint not as we
are renewed and conformed to His image day by day, all for His glory.
Amen.
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