Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Sunday Worship Speaker: Dr. Lim Kar Yong
Date: 21 October 2007
Text: 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." v 7

Corinth was a new city, full of migrants, a thriving and wealthy seaport. Vibrant and competitive, like any big city of today, it valued excellence, honour, glory, survival of the fittest, where people and everything else is judged by their appearance and packaging.

When Paul used the imagery of jars of clay holding treasure, it served to promote a true counterculture.

What are jars of clay but objects which are fragile and easily broken, plain, cheap, and common, representing weakness and insignificance.

Paul considered himself a jar of clay, full of imperfections and not daring to use eloquence or impressive rhetoric in his preaching. His appearance was weak and unimpressive, and he bore on his body marks and scars. In the ancient world, people distinguished scars into those of honour (from battles and heroic deeds) and those of shame (from punishment for crimes and sins: flogging and stoning). Paul's scars were those of the latter, suffered for preaching the Gospel against the law of the rulers at that time.

But God's concept of ministry is different from that of the world's.

What is the content of the jar? It is the Gospel of Christ: "the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" v 4

But how can treasure be kept in jars of clay? Does not treasure deserve better containers? And yet God chooses us, humans frail and sinful veritable jars of clay to hold the truth of the Gospel and His very own Spirit, God's divine spark.

Why? God wants all attention to be drawn to the treasure not to the container and its packaging, and all praises to go to God and not to man.

Our ordinariness is an asset, not a liability to the kingdom of God. It is no liability to be a broken, cracked clay pot. People should respond to the treasure not to its packaging.

Do we hide the light of the Gospel or do we let it shine through us?

God is able to make the Gospel shine through us.

(Perhaps the more cracks, the more light shines through?)

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The wicked and the stupid

A wicked ruler is as dangerous to the poor as a lion or bear attacking them. Only a stupid prince will oppress his people, but a king will have a long reign if he hates dishonesty and bribes. Proverbs 28: 15-16

The Judge of all the Earth

God presides in the great assembly;
he gives judgment among the "gods":

"How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?

Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless;
maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.

Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

"They know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

"I said, 'You are "gods";
you are all sons of the Most High.'

But you will die like mere men;
you will fall like every other ruler."

Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.

Psalm 82

O Lord, in judgment, remember mercy. May Your grace and mercy be upon Malaysia, Burma, Indonesia, North Korea, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Israel ... all the nations of the earth. Hear and answer the cries of the poor and the oppressed. Raise up good and righteous leaders for the weak and defenseless.

As Abraham said, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" Surely, He shall.

Free Burma!

Words, words, words

O Lord, I cry out with Isaiah, "Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a woman of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips!" (Isaiah 6:5)

So many many words are uttered, muttered, whispered, shouted, chanted, prayed, sung, written, published every day... And Jesus said, "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:34-37)

And the Preacher said, "Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few..."
(Ecclesiastes 5:2)

O Lord, the day will come when "every mouth will be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God." (Romans 3:19)

O Lord, "Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
May they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my
Redeemer."
(Psalm 19:12-14)

What is man....

"What a piece of work is man!
How noble in reason!
how infinite in faculties!
in form and moving, how express and admirable!
in action, how like an angel!
in apprehension, how like a god!
the beauty of the world!
the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?
man delights not me; no, nor woman neither...."
William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

What is man indeed? A noble creature capable of dreaming dreams and doing great deeds, or merely dust and lust and animal appetites?

The Bar's Big Walk for Justice went well inspite of the show of intimidation by the police and FRU forces and trucks. The internet is full of pictures and videos of about 2000 mostly lawyers and other concerned citizens walking "peacefully and with dignity" even cheerfully, in the sun and under the darkening sky and then the pouring rain. Si Khoon was there, as was the Rev. Sivin Kit, Tricia Yeoh, and many many other recognisable faces who can be seen in the photos. It's a good beginning, and Lord, don't let it be too long a walk indeed.

But the situation in Myanmar has exploded and the junta have shown their true colours again. The death count mounts, and Lord, I can only pray again, have mercy upon the poor people of Myanmar! How long have they suffered and endured, and how long more? Let Your justice and deliverance come soon!

Prayer Marching

Today there's going to be a march in Putrajaya. It's organised by the Bar Council and it will be from the grandiose Palace of Justice to the Prime Minister's office to hand him a memorandum calling for a Royal Commission on the state of the judiciary in the country. I would like to be there, donned in black and white too, to say "Enough!" But the boys have EYAA and I am the chauffeur, and I've got a date with my sis while they have their session.

In Myanmar, the protest marches grew from hundreds to ten thousand, 2o, 50 thousand, then 100,000. But now the junta have imposed a curfew and banned assemblies of more than 5 people in the two largest cities. The pictures and videos of the monks, nuns, students and other people marching in the rain in the streets of Yangon and other cities have opened the window to Myanmar for me, and my heart for the people there. I want to go there and march with them. I want to go there as scheduled in October with our group of 13. We wait and watch and pray: all things are in Your hands, O Lord. Let Your good and perfect will be done in Myanmar, let Your mercy and grace, righteousness and justice, peace and deliverance, flow to that lovely land and people in abundance.

And Lord, Malaysia, my country, too!

Back Again Again

So, it's almost one year since the last post. I couldn't even find my own blog and had to use my gmail to search for it, and then had to try several usernames and passwords before I could get in here. Wow. At first, I thought I'd just let this blog lie dead among all the millions of blogs and start a new one. But then, hey, I've got old stories and pictures I'd still like to read and look at now and then, even if no one else does. So, here I am.

I've stopped reading the KJV and Bahasa Bibles (Alkitab Berita Baik), and started on the One Year Bible, Kingsway Publications, which is the Living Bible, a thought-for-thought translation, on September 1. Nice refreshing change. Because of the dates, I am forced to keep at it, otherwise I find myself falling behind.

Today is 911: infamous day. The war continues and will continue, as the war between good and evil has been going on since the fall of man. But my hope is in the Lord who reigns and is the Victorious One: He holds all things together and will accomplish His purposes to His glory.