2 Corinthians 3
Book of 2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
Commendation = letter of recommendation.
epistle = Letter
Paul is comparing Christians to the letters that get sent around, much like the letter we are reading today. Paul writes these letters to declare what is right to Christians so we are prepared to live for Christ. Do we need to declare what good things we have done for God openly? do we need to wright down and mail out letters of what we have accomplished for God? No, our actions and how we live declares to the world who we belong to and what we believe.
Our focus should be on learning from God and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring this new way of life into our hearts to change us!
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Christ is our sufficiency, He is the one who changes us, He is the one who produces the only Good that may be in us. As we study God’s word and draw close to Him the Holy Spirit produces change from within our hearts.
I don’t need to write down and focus my life on every do and don’t that may be listed out. I’m not living by the letter of the law. obeying every law can’t buy me salvation. the law shows me just how cursed I am without Christ. The Spirit of God, produces life when I put my faith in Christ! now I am not chained up by the law, now I’m set free to become a new person controlled by the Holy Spirit.
7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
both the law, and the freedom from the law came from God. In mosses’ day God gave him the 10 commandments engraved in stone. The 10 commandments was not to set them free, it was to point out the sin that was in them. When God gave Mosses the commandments and Mosses came back to the people the glory of God mad mosses’ face glow to such a degree he had to wear a vail to cover his face. Think of this effect that God had on Mosses and that wasn’t even the best news!
Now consider how much greater the news of freedom and salvation is! How glorious and wonderful is the gift of salvation we are offered?
12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.
Vs 12 Paul says because of this great hope, he speaks with great boldness! This gives him the drive to speak the truth!
when the law is read, even today, it’s like a vail in front of our face. we can not see the glory of God and we are not allowed to look at it because this veil separates us from the Glory of God. Those who turn to the lord and put their faith in Christ, have the vail removed and now they have access to the glory of Christ!
17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Just take a moment, just compare the two for a second. we are born in sin, under the law and condemned to hell because of that sin. Anyone who turns to the Lord is given FREEDOM! I am no longer condemned to die, I am set free. I am not longer separated from God by a vail, I am able to go into the presence of God and see His glory and feel His freedom!
18 But we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord.
Now, that My face is unveiled and the Holy Spirit lives inside me, I can see Christ for Who He really is and I am actively being transformed into that same image! the Glory of God is doing a work in me to make me Shine the glory of God.
in the beginning we talked about Paul comparing us to letters much like the one we are reading today. God’s desire is for us to see His glory and be transformed into His Image and become walking letters that when others read the story of our lives they see the work, love and light of Christ and they too have the vails removed from them!