John K. Jenkins Sr - Challenged But Not Conquered

Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 8 says, "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; we are persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed." I want to title this message this morning, "Challenged But Not Conquered." Somebody say, "Challenged But Not Conquered!" All right , all of those who didn't say it, now y'all say it: "Challenged But Not Conquered." 2009 has been a tough year; 2009 has been a tough year; 2009 has been a tough year! [Applause] The 10 o'clock service is a tough crowd . As a matter of fact, 2008 and 2009 have been tough seasons. I thought about it as we come to the close of this last Sunday; here we are on the last Sunday of 2009 . I have reflected on the fact that 2009 has been a challenging season. I wanted to talk about that-we have been challenged, but the fact is we've been challenged but not conquered. You 're still here! Somebody look at your neighbor and say, "You 've been challenged, but you're still here!" Somebody say, "Amen, I'm still here!" What made me ponder this is thinking about the journey of the Apostle Paul. Paul wrote this epistle to the church in Corinth . The Church of Corinth is a vibrant church-it's alive, exciting, engaged , involved-it's a worshipful church. But at the same time , it's a carnal church. It's a church that has dynamic praise and worship ; the choir is strong, and the preaching is powerful- it's a great church on one hand, but on the other hand, it has drama. When church is over, there's division among them; there are people not speaking to each other; there's immorality; there are people taking each other to court. It's a lot like the First Baptist Church of Glenarden. It's a church that, on one hand, is doing great, but on the other hand, it faces challenges . So, Paul writes these two letters; in this first letter, he tries to straighten out all the mess they have going on. And they have a lot of mess. He spends the first epistle addressing the issues, and as a matter of fact, by the time he finishes the first epistle to them, there are many questions and challenges from members of the congregation who do not feel he has the right or the authority to challenge them . They are questioning his authority. In every church, there's always some joker who thinks they know more than the pastor. Come on, talk to me for just a second, or someone who believes they were anointed to be the pastor . But let's be crystal clear: the First Baptist Church of Glenarden has one pastor. Come on, look at your neighbor and say "one senior pastor." He writes to them in this second letter because he's encouraged; the majority of them have come to realize that the things he wrote to them were true and that he did have the authority he claimed . No, he was not one of the original 12 disciples who hung out with Jesus, but he was hand-selected to be an apostle of Christ by Jesus himself, and they embraced that. They accepted that; they were celebrating it and giving God praise while acknowledging Him . So, he writes to them to thank them for embracing him, accepting his authority in their lives , and recognizing the gift he has . He celebrates that point , and he's writing to celebrate that fact . Then, as he writes to them , he says something that blesses me . He begins to talk to them in this second epistle. He wants to encourage them because he tells them in verse one of chapter 4, "Since we have this ministry , as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart." Listen to what he's saying: he is saying we need to come to grips with the reality that , when we accepted Christ in our lives, everyone here needs to know that what Paul said to the Corinthian Church applies to them. Everyone here who has accepted the Lord: he says, "Since we have this ministry ." Paul understood that when a person accepts Christ, God deposits a ministry within them. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not , everyone here has a ministry; you have some assignment, gifting , call , or anointing that God has placed on your life for something to do . God did not save you to sit in church and look at the back of the same head in front of you week after week. That 's not why He saved you! Preach on, Pastor! He called you to accomplish and do greater things than what many of you are pursuing in life. He has called you to fulfill purposes that will make a difference in His kingdom. So he says to them, "Since we have this ministry," and the wonderful thing about the ministry we have is that he says we have received mercy. That 's wonderful ! He says we have this ministry, but along with the ministry, He has extended to us mercy. Now, what is the significance of mercy? I'm glad you asked me the question because when it gets down to where the rubber meets the road- now, I know that's not an English term, but I'm making it up. It's a good preacher phrase .