Boldness From a Better Glory pt.1

Intro

The benifit of having too much to say

-Marriage---> joy of having a friend around at all times

-Redeemer---> missing friends

-LifeConnection---> seeing new believers, discipleship

-Midwestern---> wealth of knowledge

Passage:

“if I’m going to teach...”

-emphasis on reading through book in one sitting

-Context: Paul writing to reassure Corinth that his suffering (even near death 1:8-9) and inability to return to see them validates his gospel rather than diminishes it.

Read

A “letter” penned by God himself (v.3)—We are letters, but mailmen

Implication for Salvation— “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God” (v. 3b)

-Men do not write on hearts

-God is the one who writes the “letter”

Salvation is wholly dependent on the work of a sovereign God

God may have etched Himself on your heart

It will be delivered

Implication for Evangelism— “delivered by us” (v. 3a)

-Mailmen are the means by which God himself communicates to those he has saved.

-We are all mailmen/women

-This letter Cannot be lost in the mailroom among our busy routines, music,, social media, education, work, dating, social justice initiatives, marriage, singleness, children, home comforts, entertainment, recreation,

-Take it with you!

-Transition: So Paul is given a massive responsibility. How do we handle responsibility? (Couch Center)

-intimidated (lazy) or over confident (overestimated ability)?

-Paul displays a confidence that

Confidence “Through Christ Toward God”/ “Toward God Through Christ”

2 tendencies that keep us from Confidence

Insufficiency in Ability

Insufficiency in Confidence

*Christ is both

Sufficient in Ability==> Jesus completed every work required of us

Sufficient for Confidence==> Nothing comes from us