癤풱unday, January 11th, 2004
Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

We Have This Treasure in Jars of Clay

I'm going to share the message titled,
"We Have This Treasure in Jars of Clay".
The path of life is not always smooth.
No one else can live our lives for us.
Sometimes we go across a field
or a river, go over dangerous, high
mountain ranges, pass through dark
tunnels, and even get wet from storms.
Moreover, we shiver with cold when
passing over mountains in a snowstorm
but come out into the sunshine. This is
the way of life. However, as the children
of God, we have a different companion
in our daily lives. That person is
Jesus Christ. He is always with us
and helps us to overcome life's journey
as our Light, Savior, and Protector.
We cannot live a prosperous life
without the help of the Lord. We are
like jars made out of clay, and that is
our true reality. A jar of clay is not
very valuable, and it breaks easily.
However, the value and the importance
of a jar will be changed if we put
treasures inside. We will become
extremely precious jars of clay if we
accept Jesus into our hearts. Serving
the King of kings, the Lord of lords,
and the exceedingly great and immense
God will change the true character
of a jar. This is why, first, it says that
if we have this treasure in a jar of clay,
we are hard pressed on every side,
but not crushed. In 2 Kings 6:14-17.
The king of Aram decided to seize
Elisha, the prophet of Israel. He was
informed that Elisha was in Dothan
and besieged the city with his armies
during the night. In the morning
the servant of Elisha went out,
rushed back, being terrified, and said,
"Oh, my lord, what shall we do?
The army of Aram has surrounded
Dothan with horses and chariots."
Then Elisha said to the servant,
"Be quiet and don't be afraid. Those
who are with us are more than those
who are with them." Elisha prayed,
"O Lord, open his eyes so he may see."
Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes,
and he looked and saw the hills full
of horses and chariots of fire all
around Elisha. Finally, the armies
of Aram were unable to capture Elisha.
In our lives, enemies like the armies
of Aram surround us. We are often
hard pressed on every side. We are
pressed by sin, lust, diseases, worries,
anxiety, uneasiness, nervousness,
despair, and our enemies. If we try
to fight against them, we, the jars
of clay, must be broken. Yet, when we
depend on Jesus who is in us, we will
be different. If we depend on something
else more than Jesus, we will be
broken, for the jar of clay has no power
to resist enemies. Hebrews 10:38 says,
"But my righteous one will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back, I will not be
pleased with him." We should know that
Jesus is in us and He is God who made
The heavens, the earth, and everything
in them. We should believe and trust
Him and we must not shrink back,
looking at the circumstances. It says
in 1 John 4:4, "You, dear children, are
from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world."
The One who is in us is greater
than the one who is in the world.
Although we are very little and humble,
we have Jesus in us who made
the universe and everything in it.
With Jesus Christ, we can win any battle.
Secondly, we are perplexed, but not
in despair. In 2 Chronicles 20:11-13,
Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, was
suddenly attacked by the Moabites and
Ammonites with some of the Meunites,
and Judah was almost destroyed.
The Scripture says, " 'See how they
are repaying us by coming to drive
us out of the possession you gave us
as an inheritance. O our God, will
you not judge them? For we have
no power to face this vast army that
is attacking us. We do not know what
to do, but our eyes are upon you.'
All the men of Judah, with their wives
and children and little ones, stood
there before the LORD." Here, look at
King Jehoshaphat who was perplexed.
The enemies besieged Judah, but
the king had no power to resist them,
and he didn't know what to do. Then,
God answered through a prophet in
2 Chronicles 20:15-17, "Listen, King
Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah
and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD
says to you: `Do not be afraid or
discouraged because of this vast army.
For the battle is not yours, but God's.
Tomorrow march down against them.
They will be climbing up by the Pass
of Ziz, and you will find them at the end
of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel.
You will not have to fight this battle.
Take up your positions; stand firm
and see the deliverance the LORD will
give you, O Judah and Jerusalem.
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Go out to face them tomorrow,
and the LORD will be with you."
The king had no power to fight, and
didn't know what to do, so they turned
to the Lord. However, see what God
said to them. Although they were
perplexed they didn't need to be
in despair, because God was with them
and He was going to fight for them.
The Lord said, "You don't have to fight,
for this battle is not yours, but God's."
We should never forget this fact.
When we believers are perplexed, have
no power to resist, and are in despair,
we must know that we, the jars of clay,
and have Jesus, the treasure, in us.
Therefore, when we are perplexed, if we
depend on the Lord in us, He will fight
for us. We don't need to fight. If we
try to live by our might, we have to
fight by ourselves. If the Lord is
in us, the battle is not ours, but His.
Third, it says, "We are persecuted, but
not abandoned." We will be persecuted.
Since the whole world belongs to
the devil, we must be persecuted.
It says in 1 John 5:19, "We know
that we are children of God, and that
the whole world is under the control
of the evil one." The world is filled
with the devil. However, Jesus came,
destroyed him, and brought heaven
to earth. It says in 1 John 3:8, "He
who does what is sinful is of the devil,
because the devil has been sinning
from the beginning. The reason the Son
of God appeared was to destroy
the devil's work." The Son of God
came and destroyed the devil's work
by dying on the Cross. The devil was
disarmed from all power and authority
on the Cross. Now the devil is cruelly
resisting. It says in 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be
self-controlled and alert. Your enemy
the devil prowls around like a roaring
lion looking for someone to devour.
Resist him, standing firm in the faith."
We must continue to drive out
the devil. He always comes to us
as a pest like a fly. We must expel him.
Today, the devil attacks us spiritually,
mentally, and physically much more
than we think. That's why before
Jesus left the earth, He told His disciples
to drive out demons in His name.
We must drive out the devil every day:
in the morning, in the afternoon,
and in the evening. We are
living in a spiritual battle field.
We are not in a peaceful world yet.
We keep fighting with the devil and
demons on this earth. On the day when
Jesus comes again, peace will come to us.
Ephesians 6:12 says, "For our struggle is
not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms." The rulers,
the authorities, the powers of this dark
world, and the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms keep attacking us
to steal, kill, and destroy by every
means possible. Do not think it easy,
for the devil is able to make many
people depressed destroy their lives,
and take them to hell. We should
depend on the name and precious blood
of Jesus Christ every day, and resist
the devil. Where the power of the devil
is strong, persecution is very severe,
and where the power of the devil
is weak, persecution is little.
Since the power of the devil has been
destroyed in our country, persecution is
very little. Yet, look at North Korea,
China, and the Middle East. Since
the devil's power is so strong,
there is such strong persecution.
It says in 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact,
everyone who wants to live a godly life
in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."
The more we try to serve the Lord
and live godly lives, the more severely
the devil persecutes us. However,
when we are persecuted, we must not
be depressed, because it says, "We are
persecuted, but not abandoned."
The devil wants us to be completely
abandoned. Yet, since Jesus is in us,
we will not be abandoned even though
we are persecuted, because Jesus
is persecuted with us together.
When Saul was on the way to Damascus,
the capital of Syria, to catch and kill
Christians and put them in prison,
a brighter light than the sunlight
shone upon him and made him fall
off the horse. Then he heard a voice
from heaven, "Saul! Saul! Why are you
persecuting me?" Saul said, "Lord, who
are you?" The voice said, "I am Jesus
who you are persecuting." Saul had
never seen Jesus, since he was not
in Israel while Jesus was doing
His ministry. Nevertheless, Saul
persecuted the church and believers.
So, Jesus said, "Why are you
persecuting me?" That's because
Jesus is in us today. If a jar of clay
is broken, the treasure in it is injured.
If we are persecuted, Jesus in us is
persecuted with us. So, He comforts
and strengthens us from within. That's
why although persecution comes from
outside, the Lord in us comforts us
so greatly that we can overcome
persecution. It says in 2 Corinthians 1:4-5,
"The Lord comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those
in any trouble with the comfort we
ourselves have received from God.
For just as the sufferings of Christ
flow over into our lives, so also
through Christ our comfort overflows."혻
Look! If great sufferings come to us,
comfort will overflow through our Lord
Jesus Christ who is in us. We can
overcome any suffering, hardship,
persecution, and trouble owing to
the comfort that comes from Jesus
in us. Although persecution comes from
outside, comfort comes from inside of us.
No matter how hard we are persecuted,
we are not abandoned, for we are
comforted by the Lord in us. It says
in 2 Corinthians 7:4, "I have great
confidence in you; I take great pride
in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all
our troubles my joy knows no bounds."
Therefore, we are happy when things
are going well with us, and so are we
even when we are persecuted, because
comfort and joy overflow in us.
Furthermore, when we are persecuted,
we will pray more, have pure faith, and
depend on God more. Fourth, it says,
"We are struck down, but not destroyed."
"Struck down" means that we are killed.
It often happens that believers are
killed because they believe in Jesus.
In the past, those believing in Jesus
were being martyred. However,
the martyred did not disappear.
Although Jesus was killed on the Cross,
He was not destroyed but risen from
the dead after three days. The Gospel
of Christ was not destroyed, but
preached throughout the world, and
over 2 billion people believe in Him
as Saviour. Although Jesus was killed,
He wasn't destroyed nor did he go away.
Since Jesus, who was crucified and
risen from the dead, is in us, we are
not destroyed. Revelation 1:18 says,
"I am the Living One; I was dead,
and behold I am alive for ever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
Since Jesus, who is alive for ever and
ever, is in us, we'll live though we die.
While testifying for Christ, Deacon
Stephen was captured, judged
by the Jews, and stoned. At that time,
what did he do? He said, "Behold! Now
I see the door of heaven opening and
the Son of Man standing on the right
hand of the throne of God." Although
the Jews stoned and killed Stephen,
he prayed to God, "Lord, they don't
know what they do. Please do not hold
this sin against them." After he had
said this, he passed away. Did Stephen
die in vain?혻 Not at all. It was Saul
who was in charge of killing Stephen,
who became Paul later. Stephen shocked
him so greatly. How could Stephen die
without resenting those who killed him?
Finally, because of the shock, Saul
was broken on his way to Damascus
and accepted Jesus as his Savior.
The death of Stephen was not in vain.
If we die for Jesus Christ, we will
receive the crown of life. It is only
for those who are martyred. It says
in Revelation 2:10, "Do not be afraid
of what you are about to suffer.
I tell you, the devil will put some
of you in prison to test you, and you
will suffer persecution for ten days.
Be faithful, even to the point of death,
and I will give you the crown of life."
If we are faithful even to death, we'll
be given the crown of life. It is reported
that Missionary Thomas was martyred
in our country. At 24 he went to China
as a missionary with his bride and
she died of sickness. He was frustrated
in grief and distress, but through prayer
he made up his mind to continue
his mission work. Just then, he heard
that the Catholics in Korea were
persecuted and they longed for
a missionary. He received many
Chinese Bible books and tracts from
the Anglican Church and arrived
at the West Coast in Korea by ship
in 1865. He gave Bible books to people
in many islands for two months.
He planned to go back to China and
go to Seoul, but on his way he reached
the Daedong River, and distributed
about 100 Bible books to its people.
However, when the tide was gone,
his ship ran ashore. Then the governor
of Pyunyang ran out with armies and
fought against the sailors of the ship,
General Sherman. Eventually, the ship
was burned and the sailors all died.
Pastor Thomas was captured, taken
to the beach, and killed, while he
was on his way to give out more
bible books. According to what was
written, even when his head was being
cut off, he shouted, "Jesus! Jesus!"
Although he was killed at 27,
Jesus performed a miracle.
Thomas was struck down, but not
destroyed. His death in Korea
did not make him go away.
For some of those, who received
the Bible books like Hong Shingil
and Choi Jiryang, set up churches.
Park Youngji, who put the paper
of the Bible book on the wall
of his house, became a Christian, and
his house was changed into a church.
Park Chunggwon, the executioner
of Pastor Thomas, became an elder
of Pyungyang Church. Look! All those
who killed the pastor believed in Jesus,
were saved, and became pillars
of heaven. In the history of the church,
we can read the reports of 12 disciples
who were martyred. While Peter was
evangelizing in Rome, he was crucified
on the Cross upside down. Andrew was
killed, being hanged on the Cross
in Agaya. James was beheaded by Herod
in Jerusalem. John was persecuted,
thrown into a boiling pot of oil,
but he jumped out by himself so that
those who persecuted him were shocked.
At last, he was banished to the island
of Patmos, where he received the Word
of God and wrote the book of revelation.
Philip was hanged on a pillar in Brugia,
Asia Minor. Bartholomew was crucified
on a Cross upside down in Armenea,
India. Thomas was pierced by a spear
in India. Matthew was beheaded
in Ethiopia. James, the son of Alphaeus,
was killed, being thrown from the top
of the temple. Simon, a Canaanite,
evangelized in Egypt, returned to Judea,
and was killed, being shot by an arrow.
Judas, the brother of James, was killed,
being shot by an arrow in Persia.
Matthias, who was chosen as one
of 12 disciples in place of Judas Iscariot,
was stoned to death in Ethiopia.
It was only the Apostle John among
the 12 disciples of Jesus who was
not martyred, but all the others were
martyred. Were they destroyed?
Through them, the Gospel of Christ
was prevailing all over the world.
Owing to the cry of their blood,
now Yoido Full Gospel Church in Korea
is filled with saints. We are struck
down, but not destroyed, for Jesus,
who rose from the dead, is in us.
It says in 2 Corinthians 4:10-11,
"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 be revealed in our
mortal body." Although death comes,
we won't be destroyed, because Jesus
in us who was resurrected gives us
the life of resurrection. It is written,
"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 live with Jesus Christ on this earth,
and holding His hand, we will enter
the everlasting, glorious, and beautiful
house in heaven, where there will be
no tears, anxiety, resentment, parting,
mourning, sickness, nor death.


Dear Holy God our Father who has
great love! Although we are humble
jars of clay, we are not those who are
to be broken and thrown into the trash,
but we are so thankful that we are those
who have Jesus in us. We as the jars of
clay are not valuable, but as those who
have the treasure in us, we are priceless.
Since Jesus the treasure is in us, please
help us to accept Him, serve Him
with all our hearts, all our lives,
and all our honor, and commit ourselves
to Him during our life time. Please,
help us to live because of Jesus,
only to serve Him, and to be with Him
this year. Whatever happens to us,
let us not forget that Jesus is in us.
Please, help us to know that when
we are hard pressed, we have Jesus
so we are not crushed; when we are
perplexed, we have Jesus so we are
not in despair; when we are persecuted,
we have Jesus so we are not abandoned;
when we are struck down, we have
Jesus so we are not destroyed.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.