Letters of Recommendation

INTRODUCTION

WELCOME

Good Morning

Before we release the kids and jump into our series through 2 Corinthians, we want to give a quick update on our Children’s ministry.

VISION & CPK

At the end of January we had a church lunch and shared our vision for 2020. The single-word banner for 2020 was “SHINE” and we are focusing on 4 specific areas

Identity in Jesus

Culture of Connection

Be the Church

Developing our Children’s Ministry

It is toward this initiative that we want to give a quick update

TRANSITION

Thank the volunteers and release the kids

Have people turn to

REVIEW

In the midst of conflict of severe interpersonal conflict between the apostle Paul (author) and the Church in Corinth (audience), Paul is pointing them to the beauty of the gospel (proclaimed and believed) and allowing the light of the gospel to illuminate and the areas of brokenness.

Recently and specifically, Paul is focusing the light of the gospel on their identity.

Last week - “We are an aroma of Christ to God...’

This week - “You are a letter...”

This may not seem like much at the moment but I pray that as we walk through the passage this morning, that you experience a renewed hope, boldness. confidence and joy as a follower of Jesus.

Let’s pray and then read the text together.

PRAY

READ 2 CORINTHIANS 3

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

DREAM JOB/ SCHOOL (REFERENCES)

Imagine with me for a moment that you are applying for your favorite job. As part of your application, you need to submit 2 to 3 references that corroborate the information on your resume.

this is a normal practice because you are only a name on a piece of paper…

In 2017, a study found that 85% of people lie on their resumes

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

our practice of using references is similar to what the Corinthian's were asking for from Paul in this letter of recommendation.

A strange question

Paul was the first to preach the gospel to the Corinthian's. He planted the church in court. And he lived with them for 18 months.

This would be like you guys coming to me asking for references if I'm qualified to be your lead pastor. I've served in this role for over 24 months. You know me you've hd

Paul is going to expand his answer to the church at Corinth to include both himself and other believers and how we understand our qualifications as Christians before God and others.

me

TRANSITION

What qualifies you as a Christian before God and others?

What qualification/ reference to you process to be admitted into God’s presence (eternity)?

What qualifications, skills, experiences, do you have to stand before perfectly righteous God?

What qualification do you have to speak about God to others (ministers of the new covenant)?

what gives you the right, responsibility, and resource to speak the name of Jesus to others?

I Need Two Volunteers

I have 2 different letters here - each of which are being compared and contrasted this morning.

I want you to imagine that you will stand in the physical presence of God tomorrow morning. You will either be received or rejected based on which letter of recommendation you choose.

No pressure - but choose wisely

(1) LETTER OF INK & STONE

LETTER ONE

Would you open the first letter and tell us what is inside?

613 commands - the externals demands that you must perfectly obey. If you have fallen short in any way then you will be rejected.

HEARTS OF STONE

Stone tablets (3:3), carved in letters on stone (3:7). THIS HAS TWO MEANINGS:

(1) Physical Law given on stone tablets

Tablets of Stone

Face glowed

THE LAW

Exodus 24:12–18 ESV

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and wait there, that I may give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we return to you. And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you. Whoever has a dispute, let him go to them.” Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Exodus 24:12-

- new stone tablets, his face would shine and scared the people.

CHARACTERISTICS

You are insufficient

Ministry of death (3:7)

Glory that faded before ending (3:7-11)

Ministry of Condemnation (3:9)

Led to Fear & being Timid/Hidden (veiled)

Hearts and Mind were hardened

understanding the old covenant

The old covenant is not bad, sinful

Sam Storms, ““Thus the inadequacy of the Mosaic Law was not due to any inherent sinfulness or failure on its part. Its inadequacy, rather, was that it could only prescribe what people ought to do but could not make provision that would sufficiently enable them to fulfill its commands”

Excerpt From

A Sincere and Pure Devotion to Christ

Sam Storms

https://books.apple.com/us/book/a-sincere-and-pure-devotion-to-christ/id388182265

This material may be protected by copyright.

HEARTS OF STONE

(2) Hearts of Stone (external demands with hard hearts)

External demands of perfection do not transform the heart

PROMISE OF A NEW COVENANT

Ezekiel 11:19 ESV

And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Ezekiel 36:26 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Jeremiah 31:33 ESV

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Hebrews 8:10 ESV

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

This is exactly what Paul is referencing here in 2 Corinthians 3

(2) LETTER OF THE SPIRIT ON HUMAN HEARTS

OPEN THE SECOND LETTER

What does the letter say?

Quotation perfect as declared by God

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW COVENANT

Perfection written on human hearts by the Holy Spirit

Declaration of sufficiency, competency, qualification-not coming from ourselves, but from God

Life-giving

Ministry of righteousness, life

Permanent, unchanging and unending

gives hope that leads to boldness

Given eyes that can see (unveiled), and hearts that can feel

freedom

WHAT IS THE NEW COVENANT

The broken body in shed blood of Jesus Christ

“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” ()

Jesus also prayed in the Garden, “If you are willing, take this cup from me.” (Luke 22:42)

What was this cup Jesus referenced:

It is talked about in Habakkik 2:16,

Ezekiel 23:32–34 ESV

Thus says the Lord God: “You shall drink your sister’s cup that is deep and large; you shall be laughed at and held in derision, for it contains much; you will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow. A cup of horror and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria; you shall drink it and drain it out, and gnaw its shards, and tear your breasts; for I have spoken, declares the Lord God.

Ezekiel 23:24–31 ESV

And they shall come against you from the north with chariots and wagons and a host of peoples. They shall set themselves against you on every side with buckler, shield, and helmet; and I will commit the judgment to them, and they shall judge you according to their judgments. And I will direct my jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in fury. They shall cut off your nose and your ears, and your survivors shall fall by the sword. They shall seize your sons and your daughters, and your survivors shall be devoured by fire. They shall also strip you of your clothes and take away your beautiful jewels. Thus I will put an end to your lewdness and your whoring begun in the land of Egypt, so that you shall not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore. “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will deliver you into the hands of those whom you hate, into the hands of those from whom you turned in disgust, and they shall deal with you in hatred and take away all the fruit of your labor and leave you naked and bare, and the nakedness of your whoring shall be uncovered. Your lewdness and your whoring have brought this upon you, because you played the whore with the nations and defiled yourself with their idols. You have gone the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.

Ezekiel 23:32-

Ezekial 23:24-31

The great exchange

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

BEHOLDING & BEING TRANSFORMED

BEHOLDING

Which of the two letters of recommendation are you holding onto? One) the letter of your imperfect obedience, or two) the declaration of Christ sufficiency

Trust on Jesus

To the Christian – do not add to the sufficiency of Jesus. It is not your good works, religious duties, or actions that declare you right before a holy God. It is only Jesus!

so what does this mean for the believer:

Jesus paid it all-his perfect life, substitutionary death, and hope giving resurrection is unequivocably enough. 100%

The Holy Spirit has transformed your heart of stone into a heart of flesh, on to which this truth of God is written. The eyes of your heart can see, and the affections of your heart have been turned to God. The spirit now empowers you to walk in the freedom and newness of life in Christ.

Apart from beholding there is no becoming.

We act because we were acted upon

We are being transformed into the image of the one with the whole - we behold- Jesus

We work out our salvation with fear and trembling because God first worked in us to will and to do for his good pleasure.

BEING TRANSFORMED

WHAT SHOULD WE BELIEVE AND DO WHEN WE FEEL STUCK SPIRITUALLY?

"We all”

Do you ever feel like you aren’t making progress as a Christian?

You wouldn’t worry about this unless God changed your affections, but still, sometimes the thought crosses our minds.

“Unveiled face”

It was a distinct priveledge of Moses to remove the veil when he entered the presence of God.

The Israelites couldn’t even look at Moses’ face after he had been in God’s presence, yet Moses could remove the veil when he was in the presence of God. Now Paul says that each one of us, with unveiled faces can behold the glory of the Lord.

"Into the same image”

We are being transformed into the the same image - we behold- Jesus

“From one degree of glory to another.”

Sometimes these are small changes

Sometimes they are big changes

If you desire transformation...

…then behold the beauty of the one who lived a perfect life, died a death in your place, and rose from the dead.