2 Corinthians - Faint Not

Have you ever fainted? I can remember only once in my lifetime fainting. It’s a terrible experience. You’re so helpless and you know something’s happening, you can do nothing about it, and there you go until they pull you out of it again.

Well, in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul talks about fainting, but he’s not talking about physical fainting so much as losing heart, getting discouraged. Right now, I’m speaking to some servant of God who is just discouraged. You’re ready to quit. And Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:1, "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." And then over in 2 Corinthians 4:16, "For which cause we faint not." We do not lose heart.

I saw a book advertised recently about ministerial burnout. Burnout is that new phrase that’s being used to describe people who have just had it. They’re through. Whether they’re ministers or schoolteachers or doctors or whatever, they’ve just used up all their energy, they’ve lost all their hope, and they are about to quit. We faint not.

Spurgeon, in his lectures to his students, has a marvelous chapter on "The Minister's Fainting Fits." You know your pastor goes through times when he’s ready to quit. Maybe you are a cause of that, I don’t know, I hope not, and I’m sure not. But preachers feel like quitting, and deacons, and Sunday school teachers, and just everyday, garden-variety Christians—we have our days, perhaps our weeks, when we feel like fainting.

Well, in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, Paul gives us some facts—some down-to-earth, practical facts. And if we will understand these facts and meditate on them, it will keep us from fainting. Fact number one: it is a privilege to serve God.

Now, you feel like quitting. You feel like handing in your resignation. Well, read 2 Corinthians 4:1: "Therefore seeing we have this ministry," or this kind of ministry. That’s the thrust of the Greek there. "Therefore seeing we have this kind of ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not." Paul knew it was a privilege to serve God.

Now, what kind of a ministry is it? Well, the kind he has described in 2 Corinthians 2 and 3. Back in 2 Corinthians 2:14, it’s a triumphant ministry. "Now thanks be unto God, which always leadeth us in triumph in Christ." As I’ve said before, we are not fighting for victory; we’re fighting from victory. It’s a triumphant ministry. It is a sufficient ministry.

Paul cries out in 2 Corinthians 2:16, "Who is sufficient for these things?" And he answers the question in 2 Corinthians 3:5: "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us sufficient able ministers of the new testament." You know, maybe you’re getting discouraged because you’re depending too much on yourself—your strength, your wisdom—and you’re not leaning on God’s sufficiency.

It’s a triumphant ministry. It’s a sufficient ministry. It’s a glorious ministry. Over and over again in chapter 3, he talks about glory. The glory of the Old Covenant was great, but the glory of the New Covenant is much greater. The Old Covenant glory was fading; the New Covenant glory gets brighter and brighter.

It’s a glorious ministry. It’s a life-changing ministry. We have the privilege of writing the Word of God on the hearts of people and seeing their lives changed. Now as Paul contemplates the glory of the ministry, he says, "Therefore seeing we have this kind of ministry, we faint not." And then he adds, "as we have received mercy." Now mercy is what God gives us when we need it; we don’t deserve it. Paul himself had received mercy. And it was through the mercy of God that he was able to continue his ministry for the Lord.

One day, the great Scottish preacher Alexander Whyte received a letter. It was from a Methodist preacher who was ready to quit. He was discouraged; his people were not responding. And he said to Alexander Whyte, "What do you suggest I do?" And the great Alexander Whyte wrote back and said, "Never think of giving up preaching the Word. The angels in heaven would gladly exchange places with you. Keep on preaching. Keep on serving."

So here is the first fact you want to lay hold of when you feel like fainting: it is a privilege to serve God. It really is.

Now the ministry involves suffering. Dr. John Henry Jowett, that great British preacher, used to say that ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing. That’s true. That’s the difference between ministry and a job. A job, you don’t have to always suffer too much; you just do your job and forget about it.

In ministry, it involves suffering. It’s a matter of life and death. It’s a burden. It’s a battle. It’s a joy, it’s a delight; we’d rather do that than anything else because that’s what God’s called us to do. We sometimes get weary in the Lord's work, but thank God we don’t get weary of the Lord's work.

To share in this kind of a ministry—a life-changing, glorious, triumphant ministry—seeing people go from glory to glory being transformed by the Spirit of God into the image of the Son of God. Now it’s not easy, but it’s glorious. Some years ago, the great Greek scholar A.T. Robertson wrote a marvelous book called "The Glory of the Ministry." And he wrote it for the express purpose of encouraging pastors. It is a privilege to serve God. That’s verse 1.

Now 2 Corinthians 4:2, we have a second fact we have to reckon with before we can faint. It’s this: God’s Word accomplishes God’s work. "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully," distorting it, "but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."

Paul here is referring, of course, to his enemies at Corinth. The Judaizers had gotten in—this group of people who were sort of a cult. They taught that you needed Moses and the law in order to be saved and sanctified. And they never started churches and they never won souls; they always stole somebody else’s converts, especially Paul’s.

And so they had moved into Corinth and they had been spreading lies about Paul. And in order to accomplish their ministry, their work, they were misinterpreting, misapplying, distorting the Word of God. Paul says, "We have renounced the secret and shameful ways of dishonesty."

Now you be careful of people who twist the Word of God. You can prove anything from the Bible if you’re dishonest. If you take verses out of their context and if you twist them around, you can prove anything from the Word of God. Every false cult refers in one way or another to the Bible. They’ll all claim to be based upon the Bible, and yet they teach such heresy.

Paul said, "I don’t have to do those things. I don’t have to get involved in dishonesty, craftiness, a deceitful manipulating of the Word of God, secret shameful kinds of preaching and teaching. I have nothing to hide."

You know, all the way through this first section, these first seven chapters, Paul keeps saying, "I have nothing to hide. Here I am, I am ministering open. I commend myself to every man’s conscience." You know, there’s some preachers you can’t ask any questions. They’ve got all the answers, and you don’t dare ask any questions; you don’t even dare disagree with them.

We need to be like those Bereans back in the book of Acts who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether or not these things were so. And when you hear me minister the Word of God, you better search the Scriptures to see whether or not I am really staying true to the Word of God. Paul says, "We trust the Word of God to accomplish the work of God."

Now, if you’re sharing the Word of God with sincerity and honesty, if your conscience is clear and you are commending yourself to every man’s conscience, you have nothing to hide, don’t quit. Don’t quit.

Now, I know this false crowd of deceivers and manipulators and propagandizers—they may seem to be very successful. There may be those who are preaching the Word of God deceitfully and twisting it and they seem to be going someplace. That’s all right. Just don’t pay attention to it now. You go on serving God, sharing the Word of God, because God’s Word accomplishes God’s work.

Jeremiah 1:12, God says, "I am watching over my word to fulfill it." God watches over His Word. You don’t know what happens to it, but God knows. It’s like sowing seed; it’s like the rain that comes down from heaven. It will accomplish the purposes of God.

Now 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Before you faint, here’s a third fact you want to consider: in ministry, you’re fighting a battle. It’s not easy. "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost." Paul said, "I’m not hiding the gospel. The devil is the one who’s doing it." "In whom the god of this age," that’s Satan, "hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

If you are faithfully serving God, the devil’s going to fight you. If you’re having an easy time of it, there must be something wrong. Spurgeon used to say, "The devil never kicks a dead horse."

Throughout 2 Corinthians, you find Paul referring to the opposition of the devil. Here in 2 Corinthians 4:4, he tells us Satan blinds the minds of the unsaved. 2 Corinthians 11:3, he tries to beguile the minds of the saved people. And then in 2 Corinthians 12:7, he buffets the bodies of saved people. Now here are three works of the devil: he blinds, and he beguiles, and he buffets. And he’s not going to stand by and let you succeed sharing the Word of God, revealing God’s truth.

The devil’s a liar. In 2 Corinthians 4:2, Paul says we have the manifestation of the truth. And when the devil sees anybody sharing the truth in love and in sincerity, he comes along with lies. He blinds the minds of people.

I might be speaking right now to someone who says, "You know, Mr. Wiersbe, I listen to you and I don’t know what you’re talking about. All of this is so vague to me." I’ll tell you why: it’s because Satan’s blinded your mind. Interestingly enough, he uses religion to blind people’s minds. He uses self-righteousness. He uses lies. He uses false promises. He promises one thing and produces something else.

He does not want you to know about the gospel of Christ, the glorious gospel of Christ. Doesn’t want you to see the light. Notice that. "Lest the light should shine unto them." The devil wants to keep you in the darkness because he is the prince of darkness, and if you don’t trust Jesus as your Savior, one day you will end up in eternal darkness.

We are in a battle. So when you feel like fainting, just remind yourself: in ministry, you are fighting a battle. And it gets harder and harder. We’re living in a world where people want to believe lies.

Mark Twain said that while truth is putting on her shoes, lies have run around the world. That’s true. People want to believe a lie. Something there is in human nature, fallen human nature—people want to believe a lie. It’s a battle. It’s a battle between light and darkness. It’s a battle between life and death. It’s a battle between truth and lies.

And my friend, life is not a playground, it’s a battleground. Don’t quit. In ministry, you’re fighting a battle. Paul said, "Even if I do die, I’m going to be raised from the dead. I would much rather serve God and then lose my life—give it for Him—than to waste my life." That the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. Grace and glory—they go together, don’t they? He will give me grace and glory.

1 Peter 5:10, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory." Paul says don’t focus on the present trial; focus on the future glory. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed. My friend, life is not a playground, it’s a battleground. Don’t quit. In ministry, you’re fighting a battle.

2 Corinthians 4:5-6, there’s a fourth fact I want you to consider before you faint: honor Christ and God will bless you. "For we preach not ourselves." Watch out for the preacher who preaches himself. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." Back in 2 Corinthians 1:24, Paul said, "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand." Paul was not a spiritual dictator. Paul was a servant for Jesus’ sake. That’s a beautiful verse, isn’t it?

He gives us the method of our ministry: we preach. The message of our ministry: we preach Christ, Christ Jesus the Lord. The manner of our ministry: we’re servants. The motive for our ministry: for Jesus’ sake. We aren’t servants for our own sake. We aren’t servants for the church’s sake. We’re servants for Jesus’ sake.

And what’s the result of this? Well, if you preach Christ and if you’re a servant, if your motive is right, for God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness—Paul had that experience on the road to Damascus, didn’t he? He saw a bright light and then he saw the Lord Jesus—"hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

What a marvelous statement. What he’s saying is this: if you’ll honor Jesus Christ and preach Christ, God will bless. The light will shine in on hearts. He’s comparing salvation to creation. God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. The earth was empty and the earth was formless and ugly, and God said, "Let there be light," and God brought order out of chaos, he brought beauty out of chaos.

He formed and he filled and he gave us a beautiful world. If any man is in Christ, he’s a new creation. God says, "Let there be light," and the light shines into people’s hearts. Oh, that’s a marvelous thing, and you are a part of that.

Now when you feel like fainting, just remember: it’s a privilege to serve God. God’s Word will accomplish God’s work. In ministry, you’re fighting a battle. And if you’ll honor Christ, God will bless your ministry.