All right, good choices. It's good to see a good
crowd here tonight. We were slim last week, only
five of us. Had a big storm come through and
a few people traveling, but it's good to see
everybody back tonight. We are going to be in
2 Corinthians, the very end of chapter 2, and
then into the first few verses of chapter 3.
2 Corinthians, chapter 2. Verse 17 is where we
will start. While y 'all are turning to that,
I'll mention that Miss Susan has brought a sack
full of vegetables back there, so please. Oh,
they're gone. Well, then praise the Lord. She's
already given them away. That's great. All right,
more to come, more to come. She's always working
hard getting those, bringing them to us. We appreciate
that. And also, another announcement while y
'all are turning to 2 Corinthians 2 is that for
Father's Day, we're going to have an all -men
-led service, different men taking different
positions, even a different preacher Sunday.
And so Jerry Toler has volunteered to preach
for us. No, we got somebody that volunteered.
On Father's Day, we're going to have a different
person bringing us a message, a different song
leader, and all men are going to be leading that.
And don't forget, after the service on Father's
Day, we want to have a feast, and so please come
and bring something good so that we can all celebrate
our fathers and the men of our church and have
a good time together. All right, 2 Corinthians
chapter 2. We'll start in verse 17, but before
we do, let's pray. God, we come to you and thank
you for a good day. I thank you for this church.
I thank you for these people. I thank you for
being good to us and letting us come together
to worship you tonight. I pray that your Holy
Spirit will be among us and in this place, dear
Lord, that you would speak to us tonight. That
you would help me to know the words that you
want me to speak, dear Lord. do any good in our
life, and Your Spirit has to work in us. And
so we pray, God, that You'll do that tonight.
I pray that You just would help us to be focused
and free of the worries and the distractions
and the things of this world. And I ask these
things in Jesus' name. Amen. We started the book
of 2 Corinthians. Paul was dealing with a little
bit of discipline in regards to one that had
to be disciplined in some way. But then following,
talking about that, he followed it up with love,
saying, okay, once that person has been disciplined,
it's enough. And so now you need to... Help restore
that person. You need to love that person. You
need to let them know that, look, they did wrong,
but it sounds as though they had repented and
they had changed. And Paul says, look, don't
ostracize them from this faith community. We
don't want them to live in sin, but you don't
want to keep beating people over the head. So
you need to love on sinners, and you need to
welcome them back into the fold. And last week,
we kind of shifted gears a little bit. I'll refresh
on that since most of you weren't here. Paul
talked about being a pleasing aroma, a good fragrance,
that he and those who were with him were the
fragrance of Jesus Christ. That's just kind of
symbolic language saying, look, we represent
Christ and we're something sweet and pleasing.
When people see us coming, they are glad to see
us. And we all know what it's like to have a...
pleasing aroma. We like to smell things that
smell good, not things that smell bad. That's
why in our homes we have potpourri. That's why
we wear deodorant, because we don't want to put
off an unpleasing aroma. It is not good when
you are around an unpleasing aroma, whether it
stems from something you buy or a person you
buy. Nobody wants to be next to an unpleasing
aroma. And so spiritually speaking, we want to
make sure that we are a pleasing aroma. Are we
the fragrance of Jesus when we are near people?
Are people glad to see us? Do we bring some joy,
some pleasure to their life at our presence?
Or do people dread to see us? Are we an unpleasing
aroma? Somebody that people say, I want to keep
my distance from them. And so that's what Paul
talked a little bit about in the verses we looked
at last week. And so we are picking up right
where we left off. In verse 17 of 2 Corinthians
chapter 2. For we are not like the many who market
God's message for profit. On the contrary, we
speak with sincerity in Christ as from God and
before God. So Paul is not in this for the money.
He says, look, I serve God. I preach to you.
I minister to you because I love you. This is
not just a way for me to make a living. This
is not a way for me to bamboozle you out of your
money. I do this because I love God and I love
you. So Paul says, I'm not in this for a profit.
Now there were other teachers and preachers of
his day that certainly were. They were in it
for the money. They were in it for the fame.
And things have not changed. As Ecclesiastes
reminds us, there is nothing new under the sun.
There are certainly plenty of preachers today
who are in it for a profit, some of which who
have no desire whatsoever to preach and teach
God's Word accurately. Now, they may say good
words. They may even preach good sermons. But
their desire is to figure out a way to trick
people out of money. And there are plenty of
those preachers that have existed, and there
are plenty of them who exist today. There are
some who are just as corrupt and evil as can
be. And they take the gospel of Jesus Christ
and they twist it to figure out a way to get
money from people. And there are other people
who perhaps they are Christians and perhaps they
too preach a good message. And maybe they're
not trying to trick people, but maybe they just
view ministry as a career. That they do it, it's
money in it, it's away from you, it's just a
job. And even that, even though it may not be
as evil as those who are just trying to steal
money from people essentially. Even that is not
the kind of heart or the kind of attitude that
Paul thinks that leaders should have or that
Paul is saying that he has here. He says, look,
I don't serve for the money. I serve for Jesus
Christ. I serve because I love you. And he does.
You can tell that from his letters. Now, sometimes
he's harsh with his recipients, but always out
of love. No different than when you have to get
on to a child or discipline a child. It may seem
harsh to the child. But you don't do it out of
hatred. You do it out of love because you want
to make sure that that child is going to turn
out to be okay. And so we see that Paul has a
great love for the people that he writes to,
whether it's the people of Corinth or the people
of Philippi. Different letters might have a little
different tone. Some are a little harder than
others. or a little harsher than others, some
like Philippians, or speak very kind, pretty
much all kindness to the people of Philippi.
It's very beautiful, but you see Paul's heart
in his writing, and that's what he's saying here.
Look, we come to you as a fragrance of Jesus
Christ. We come as servants of Jesus Christ.
We love you, and we're not taking advantage of
you. And remember, we talked about at the beginning
of the book that it almost looks as though Paul
is having to make a defense for himself, and
we'll see that as we get into chapter 3 too.
It's almost as though Paul is writing, trying
to defend himself, possibly from some other teachers
or preachers that have come in. And he's trying
to establish himself as being better, in a sense,
if we can use that word, than those, because
he cares for the people. He cares about doing
the work of God. He cares about the people. And
so Paul is making that point here at the end
of this verse. All right, chapter 3. It kind
of begins to shift gears here in chapter 3. Are
we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do
we need, like some, letters of recommendation
to you or from you? Now, here's that idea of
Paul kind of making a case in defense of himself.
He says, what, are we commending ourselves? No,
Paul's not commending himself. He's making a
point, but not in a sense of, of being proud
and boastful. It doesn't sound like Paul's saying,
we are so great and we have led you and I'm the
best. And that's not the heart of which Paul
is saying it. But he is making these points that
he has been faithful to God and faithful to them
and a good example to them and has been there
to teach them and to preach to them and to see
them to come to Christ and to nurture them in
Christ. And he says, look, do we need... Like
some, letters of recommendation to you are from
you. He's saying, look, you know who I am. You've
heard me preach. You've seen me minister to you.
You have come to Jesus Christ through the work
that has been done through us. So why would you
doubt me now? Do I need to get a letter of recommendation?
Now, you understand what that is. Anybody that's
applied for a job or applied for maybe a variety
of different things, there's usually a section
on there where they want some references. They
want you to give them a list of people that they
can call and talk to or maybe ask for a letter
from them so they can say, hey, is Jimbo a good
guy? Is he dependable? Is he trustworthy? And
so we see that in our jobs today, letters of
recommendation. And that's what Paul's talking
about here. Look, I'm writing this letter to
you. When I come see you again, when I write
this letter, do I need to get other people that
you know of? Do I need to get Aquila and Priscilla
or Apollos or Timothy or whoever else they may
know? Do I need to get these people to send a
letter for me? And he says, this is absurd. You
know who I am. We are not those who need to get
a letter of recommendation to give to you. And
he says, we are not like some who need that letters
of recommendation to you are from you. And he's
saying, look, I shouldn't have to bring you a
letter of recommendation, and I don't need you
to give me a letter of recommendation. Because
the work that God does through us, through me,
Paul, and those who are with me, that is enough.
And that's what he alludes to as he continues
on in verse 2. You yourselves are our letter,
written on our hearts, recognized and read by
everyone. It is clear that you are Christ's letter.
produced by us, not written with ink, but with
the spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets,
but on tablets that are hearts of flesh. So what
does he say? You are our letter. He says, I don't
need a letter to show my work because my work
speaks for itself. Now, a letter of recommendation
or a resume can only tell you so much about somebody.
Now, we can all make a resume, and we would all
probably look pretty dang good on our resumes.
Because when you make a resume, a letter of recommendation,
you put the best of the best on there. You're
going to put your best picture on there. If I'm
going to make one, I'm going to put links to
the best sermons on there, if there are any.
I want to put the best information on there.
We can make ourselves look good on a resume or
on paper. But what really matters in our life
is what's the work product we do. I don't know.
I probably wouldn't be a good boss if I run a
business because I don't know that I would pay
too much attention to resumes. I'd want to see
your work. If they come in and hand me a resume,
I'd say, show me your work. Show me what you've
made. Show me what you've built. Show me what
you've painted. Show me what you cook, whatever
it is that I'm hiring for. I want to see your
work because anybody can talk a good talk and
look good on paper. But our work should speak
for itself. And it does. And that's what Paul
says here. You yourselves are our letter. That
is to say, God has worked through you. Your lives
have been changed. It is evident that God has
worked through us. That God is using us. That
we have been faithful to God. Because you. Because
God has changed you. And so when people see you
and the work that the Spirit has done through
you by us, God has used us to do that. He says,
look, you're our letter of recommendation. So
when people ask about Paul, oh, what about Paul?
What is he teaching? Is he really teaching the
truth about Jesus Christ? They can say, oh yeah,
look at those people in Corinth. Look at the
way the Spirit has moved. Paul went and he preached
to them, and look at how God has begun to work
in their lives. Paul says, I don't need a recommendation
to give to you, and I don't need a recommendation
from you, because the evidence is in the work
that God has done through us for you. And listen
to what he says in verse 3. It is clear that
you are Christ's letter produced by us. Now,
Paul is not taking any... Credit for this here.
Don't misunderstand what he's saying. He's not
somehow implying that he had anything to do.
He's saying, look, God used us to minister to
you, but it's Christ that's done the work in
you. You are Christ's letter. The way you live,
the things that have happened in your life have
come through Jesus Christ, and so you are a representative
of Jesus Christ. Not written with ink, but with
the Spirit of the living God. So he says, look,
we're not talking about just writing things on
a piece of paper. We're talking about a life
that's changed because the Holy Spirit has come
and dwelled in you. Then he goes on to say, not
on stone tablets, but on tablets that are hearts
of flesh. Now, I think he's certainly... kind
of preparing for his later argument that we're
going to get to probably next week, where he
talks about the law. Part of this has got to
be talking about the law, talking about things
written in stone. But he also may be recalling
in Jeremiah chapter 31, where it talks about
that God's going to give us a new heart, or in
Ezekiel, I don't remember the chapter, where
he talks about that he's going to remove our
heart of stone. And so we're not going to be
those who are of the letter of the law. It's
not got nothing to do with the letter of the
law. It's not got anything to do with anything
written in ink. He said the real change in your
life has come through the gospel of Jesus Christ,
and it has changed your heart. It has been written
on your heart. And so whatever your heart is,
is evidence of who your Lord is. So what about
us tonight? What's in our heart? Well, there
may be some things that shouldn't be there. Now,
even for the Christian, there are sometimes some
things in our heart that shouldn't be there.
And we might need to recall those words from
Jeremiah chapter 31. I believe it's Ezekiel chapter
36 maybe. And refresh ourselves with those promises
that God, certainly he made them to Israel there,
but they're applicable to us too. That what God's
real desire is. is not for us to be a people
that follow the letter of the law, but for us
to be a people whose hearts are really changed.
That was always the intent and the purpose. We
see that in some of Paul's other writings. In
Romans, if you want to turn there, you can. You
don't have to. But in Romans chapter 7, Romans
chapter 7 verse 8, He says this, but sin, seizing
its opportunity through the commandment, that
is through the law, produced in me every kind
of covetous desire, for apart from the law, sin
is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law,
but when the commandment came, sin sprang to
life and I died. So I discovered that the very
commandment that was meant to bring life actually
brought death. Now what does he mean when he
says all that? What he means is this, is that
God gave the law. He gave the commandments, the
Ten Commandments and a lot of other commandments.
And the commandments are God's standard. They
are what God calls us to. Okay? You don't need
to lie. You don't need to steal. You don't need
to cheat. You don't need to get your friend's
wife or your friend's husband. You need to keep
God first. You need to love Him with all your
heart. You don't want to worship any idols. All
these laws that God commands us. And if we live
by the commands of God, then we are godly and
righteous people. If we live by the law. But
there's a big problem with that. We can't live
by the law. We failed. And that's what Paul says
here. The law essentially brought his sin to
light. And so when you read the law, then you
say, oh my, because I've sinned in these ways.
I've broken this law and that law and hundreds
of them, hundreds of times in my life. And so
the law makes us aware of our sin and the wages
of sin is death. And so the law brings with it
some condemnation. Because it's not anything
that we can live up to for ourselves. And that's
the idea, I think, that Paul is kind of conveying
here in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. That God is
wanting to change our hearts. And how is he going
to do that? Well, not through the law. The law
tells us what God's commands and desires are,
but we are unable to fulfill that. And so he
sent Jesus Christ, praise the Lord. And Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, came, and he fulfilled
everything the law required. He never sinned
in any way. He was completely faithful and obedient
to God all the way to death on a cross. And he
was victorious because God raised him from the
grave. And because of what Jesus did, The Holy
Spirit indwells in us. Because of what Jesus
did, what was talked about in Jeremiah chapter
31, occurs that God begins to change our heart.
That God begins to remove our hearts of stone
and he begins to get to the core of what really
matters. And it's not words that are carved into
a piece of stone. But what really God wants to
do is he wants to change our hearts and our attitudes.
And that's the idea, I think, that Paul is talking
about here in 2 Corinthians 3. That God brings
the Spirit into us through Jesus Christ, the
Holy Spirit, and begins to change our hearts.
Verse 4. We have this kind of confidence toward
God through Christ. It is not that we are competent
in ourselves to consider anything as coming from
ourselves, but our competence is from God. He
has made us competent to be ministers of a new
covenant. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit.
For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces
life. Well, that's kind of what we just talked
about there. That the law only brings condemnation.
If we look at the law, we know we broke the law,
then we know we are doomed to die. But God wants
to work through the Spirit, through the Holy
Spirit, through Jesus Christ. so that we will
not die to our sins, but we will have eternal
life through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
Now, Paul certainly recommends that he has no
power to do the Lord's work. He says here, we
are competent. Because God gives us the ability.
That might be another way to say it instead of
competence. He has the ability. He's not incompetent.
We see people sometimes and they just don't have
the ability to do things. They're incompetent
in some things. Well, Paul was certainly a competent
minister of the gospel. He was certainly a competent
speaker. He had the ability to do the work that
God called him to because God gave him the ability.
And so he knows that all the work that's been
done amongst the Corinthians, anything that he's
done there or anywhere else that he's done, any
ability that he has, it comes because God has
given it to him. And the same is true for you
and I. That sometimes there may be things that
God calls us to. There may be opportunities that
God puts in our path. And you may say, I don't
have the ability to do that. Well, you may very
well have the ability to do it. Because God doesn't
say, I want you to do this just so you'll go
and do it and fail. Now, we may fail, but it's
probably going to be because we're not trusting
in the Lord. There are some times that we take
on things on our own power. We take on things
with a bit of pride. And when that occurs, we
begin to fail. But when we are like Paul here
and have a heart like Paul and say, God, I don't
have any ability on my own, but God, if you call
me to this, whatever it may be, then God, I'm
going to trust that you give me the ability.
And if God calls us to do something, then we
don't need to make excuses. Now, when we do something
that is... good for the kingdom of God, we also
don't want to be one who takes glory for ourselves.
We don't want to say, boy, look how good I did.
Look how good I did at preaching or teaching
or singing or whatever it is. Because any ability
that we have, it comes from the Lord. So any
good that comes from us, it comes from God. Now,
God could use any variety of means to reach people
in the world. He could work miracles every day.
He could send signs into the sky. He could appear
to people in any way He chose to. But God chooses
to do His work almost entirely through people
in some way, shape, or form. God chooses us.
Now maybe some of us are called to be preachers
or some are called to be teachers or some are
called to help the... neighbor down the road
or whatever it is. There are lots of ways that
we can share the love of Jesus Christ. There
are lots of things that we can do. But we cannot
do anything unless God gives us the ability to
do it. And if God calls us, He gives us the ability.
So we need to listen to what Paul says here.
Is our work evidence? that we are really followers
of Jesus Christ. Does our work speak for itself?
If we were going to make our Christian resume,
we probably would make ourselves sound pretty
good. But what about our works? What about the
way we live? That speaks a lot louder than any
of those words on the page. But Paul says, my
work speaks for itself. Good or bad, that's true
for us. Our life, our works speak for themselves.
They speak for us. They speak for what's in our
heart. But we want to be those who seek to live
in the ability that God gives us to serve Him
in the ways that He has called us to serve Him.
And we want to be those like Paul who are the
fragrance of Jesus Christ. That as we enter into
the world that people can see the love of Jesus
Christ through us. And it will be something sweet
for them. But what we do not want to be. Is one
who has that good Christian resume. That preaches
that good talk. Boy we wave our Christian flag.
And yet we go out into the world. And we bring
with us a stench. That nobody wants to hear.
I mean nobody wants to see. That nobody wants
to smell. That nobody wants to be a part of.
That damages the kingdom of God. So we want to
be those who are good representatives of Jesus
Christ and the kingdom of God and a pleasant
aroma to those we encounter. Let's pray. God,
we come to you tonight. We thank you for these
good words. And I pray, dear Lord, that you would
help us to be competent, that you would help
us to trust in you, to be able to serve you and
to live for you, dear Lord, and to be able to
be like Paul, dear Lord, and speak with confidence.
that our works speak for themselves, dear Lord.
And maybe there are some works in our life that
are not good. Maybe they speak in a bad way about
us, dear Lord. I pray that you'd forgive us of
those things. I pray that we would repent. I
pray that we would seek you. I pray that we would
examine our lives to see if we are somebody that
is faithfully and accurately representing the
love of Jesus Christ or if we're turning people
off from Jesus Christ, dear Lord. Are we one
that people want to be? Are we a pleasant fragrance?
Are we a despicable odor, dear Lord, that people
would rather keep their distance from? I pray,
God, that you would help us to look at our life
and change our hearts, dear Lord. That's what
we really want. That's what you really want,
dear Lord, that we are not just a bunch of Christians
following some letter of the law, but that we
are a people who really seek you and whose lives
have been changed and whose hearts have been
changed. And God, that only comes through Jesus
Christ. So if there is one here tonight or one
who is listening online that does not know Jesus
Christ, I pray that even now they would repent
of their sins, they would ask you to forgive
them, and they would put their faith in Jesus
Christ to live for Him. And I ask these things
in Jesus' name. Amen.