WEBVTT 00:00:06.860 --> 00:00:10.119 All right, good choices. It's good to see a good 00:00:10.119 --> 00:00:13.419 crowd here tonight. We were slim last week, only 00:00:13.419 --> 00:00:16.620 five of us. Had a big storm come through and 00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:18.539 a few people traveling, but it's good to see 00:00:18.539 --> 00:00:21.500 everybody back tonight. We are going to be in 00:00:21.500 --> 00:00:26.559 2 Corinthians, the very end of chapter 2, and 00:00:26.559 --> 00:00:28.760 then into the first few verses of chapter 3. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:36.280 2 Corinthians, chapter 2. Verse 17 is where we 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:40.460 will start. While y 'all are turning to that, 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:44.179 I'll mention that Miss Susan has brought a sack 00:00:44.179 --> 00:00:46.960 full of vegetables back there, so please. Oh, 00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:50.340 they're gone. Well, then praise the Lord. She's 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:53.320 already given them away. That's great. All right, 00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:55.380 more to come, more to come. She's always working 00:00:55.380 --> 00:00:57.679 hard getting those, bringing them to us. We appreciate 00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:01.359 that. And also, another announcement while y 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:04.540 'all are turning to 2 Corinthians 2 is that for 00:01:04.540 --> 00:01:06.819 Father's Day, we're going to have an all -men 00:01:06.819 --> 00:01:09.459 -led service, different men taking different 00:01:09.459 --> 00:01:13.920 positions, even a different preacher Sunday. 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:17.379 And so Jerry Toler has volunteered to preach 00:01:17.379 --> 00:01:25.939 for us. No, we got somebody that volunteered. 00:01:27.390 --> 00:01:29.790 On Father's Day, we're going to have a different 00:01:29.790 --> 00:01:33.290 person bringing us a message, a different song 00:01:33.290 --> 00:01:37.049 leader, and all men are going to be leading that. 00:01:37.129 --> 00:01:39.650 And don't forget, after the service on Father's 00:01:39.650 --> 00:01:42.790 Day, we want to have a feast, and so please come 00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:45.689 and bring something good so that we can all celebrate 00:01:45.689 --> 00:01:48.950 our fathers and the men of our church and have 00:01:48.950 --> 00:01:52.189 a good time together. All right, 2 Corinthians 00:01:52.189 --> 00:01:56.819 chapter 2. We'll start in verse 17, but before 00:01:56.819 --> 00:02:00.459 we do, let's pray. God, we come to you and thank 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:03.500 you for a good day. I thank you for this church. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:07.180 I thank you for these people. I thank you for 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.099 being good to us and letting us come together 00:02:10.099 --> 00:02:12.960 to worship you tonight. I pray that your Holy 00:02:12.960 --> 00:02:15.680 Spirit will be among us and in this place, dear 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:18.479 Lord, that you would speak to us tonight. That 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:20.840 you would help me to know the words that you 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:25.280 want me to speak, dear Lord. do any good in our 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:27.379 life, and Your Spirit has to work in us. And 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:29.960 so we pray, God, that You'll do that tonight. 00:02:30.080 --> 00:02:32.560 I pray that You just would help us to be focused 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.479 and free of the worries and the distractions 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:38.340 and the things of this world. And I ask these 00:02:38.340 --> 00:02:44.629 things in Jesus' name. Amen. We started the book 00:02:44.629 --> 00:02:47.789 of 2 Corinthians. Paul was dealing with a little 00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:51.069 bit of discipline in regards to one that had 00:02:51.069 --> 00:02:54.330 to be disciplined in some way. But then following, 00:02:54.530 --> 00:02:57.509 talking about that, he followed it up with love, 00:02:57.610 --> 00:03:00.430 saying, okay, once that person has been disciplined, 00:03:00.650 --> 00:03:04.439 it's enough. And so now you need to... Help restore 00:03:04.439 --> 00:03:06.639 that person. You need to love that person. You 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:08.699 need to let them know that, look, they did wrong, 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.400 but it sounds as though they had repented and 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:13.620 they had changed. And Paul says, look, don't 00:03:13.620 --> 00:03:16.460 ostracize them from this faith community. We 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:18.479 don't want them to live in sin, but you don't 00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:20.099 want to keep beating people over the head. So 00:03:20.099 --> 00:03:23.340 you need to love on sinners, and you need to 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:27.520 welcome them back into the fold. And last week, 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:30.680 we kind of shifted gears a little bit. I'll refresh 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:34.439 on that since most of you weren't here. Paul 00:03:34.439 --> 00:03:38.919 talked about being a pleasing aroma, a good fragrance, 00:03:38.939 --> 00:03:42.520 that he and those who were with him were the 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.979 fragrance of Jesus Christ. That's just kind of 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:48.599 symbolic language saying, look, we represent 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:51.939 Christ and we're something sweet and pleasing. 00:03:52.060 --> 00:03:56.740 When people see us coming, they are glad to see 00:03:56.740 --> 00:03:59.740 us. And we all know what it's like to have a... 00:04:00.009 --> 00:04:03.090 pleasing aroma. We like to smell things that 00:04:03.090 --> 00:04:05.710 smell good, not things that smell bad. That's 00:04:05.710 --> 00:04:08.810 why in our homes we have potpourri. That's why 00:04:08.810 --> 00:04:11.349 we wear deodorant, because we don't want to put 00:04:11.349 --> 00:04:14.610 off an unpleasing aroma. It is not good when 00:04:14.610 --> 00:04:16.870 you are around an unpleasing aroma, whether it 00:04:16.870 --> 00:04:19.250 stems from something you buy or a person you 00:04:19.250 --> 00:04:22.470 buy. Nobody wants to be next to an unpleasing 00:04:22.470 --> 00:04:26.009 aroma. And so spiritually speaking, we want to 00:04:26.009 --> 00:04:29.040 make sure that we are a pleasing aroma. Are we 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:31.800 the fragrance of Jesus when we are near people? 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.540 Are people glad to see us? Do we bring some joy, 00:04:36.660 --> 00:04:39.180 some pleasure to their life at our presence? 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:42.720 Or do people dread to see us? Are we an unpleasing 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:45.519 aroma? Somebody that people say, I want to keep 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:48.060 my distance from them. And so that's what Paul 00:04:48.060 --> 00:04:49.860 talked a little bit about in the verses we looked 00:04:49.860 --> 00:04:52.540 at last week. And so we are picking up right 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:56.300 where we left off. In verse 17 of 2 Corinthians 00:04:56.300 --> 00:05:00.600 chapter 2. For we are not like the many who market 00:05:00.600 --> 00:05:04.259 God's message for profit. On the contrary, we 00:05:04.259 --> 00:05:08.860 speak with sincerity in Christ as from God and 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:14.560 before God. So Paul is not in this for the money. 00:05:14.699 --> 00:05:18.839 He says, look, I serve God. I preach to you. 00:05:18.980 --> 00:05:22.550 I minister to you because I love you. This is 00:05:22.550 --> 00:05:25.269 not just a way for me to make a living. This 00:05:25.269 --> 00:05:28.610 is not a way for me to bamboozle you out of your 00:05:28.610 --> 00:05:33.189 money. I do this because I love God and I love 00:05:33.189 --> 00:05:36.069 you. So Paul says, I'm not in this for a profit. 00:05:36.170 --> 00:05:38.110 Now there were other teachers and preachers of 00:05:38.110 --> 00:05:41.430 his day that certainly were. They were in it 00:05:41.430 --> 00:05:43.149 for the money. They were in it for the fame. 00:05:43.329 --> 00:05:46.329 And things have not changed. As Ecclesiastes 00:05:46.329 --> 00:05:49.790 reminds us, there is nothing new under the sun. 00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:52.550 There are certainly plenty of preachers today 00:05:52.550 --> 00:05:55.810 who are in it for a profit, some of which who 00:05:55.810 --> 00:05:58.689 have no desire whatsoever to preach and teach 00:05:58.689 --> 00:06:00.970 God's Word accurately. Now, they may say good 00:06:00.970 --> 00:06:04.290 words. They may even preach good sermons. But 00:06:04.290 --> 00:06:06.829 their desire is to figure out a way to trick 00:06:06.829 --> 00:06:09.430 people out of money. And there are plenty of 00:06:09.430 --> 00:06:11.550 those preachers that have existed, and there 00:06:11.550 --> 00:06:13.529 are plenty of them who exist today. There are 00:06:13.529 --> 00:06:15.850 some who are just as corrupt and evil as can 00:06:15.850 --> 00:06:18.879 be. And they take the gospel of Jesus Christ 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:22.139 and they twist it to figure out a way to get 00:06:22.139 --> 00:06:24.560 money from people. And there are other people 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:27.379 who perhaps they are Christians and perhaps they 00:06:27.379 --> 00:06:30.040 too preach a good message. And maybe they're 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:33.019 not trying to trick people, but maybe they just 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:36.519 view ministry as a career. That they do it, it's 00:06:36.519 --> 00:06:38.620 money in it, it's away from you, it's just a 00:06:38.620 --> 00:06:41.459 job. And even that, even though it may not be 00:06:41.459 --> 00:06:43.980 as evil as those who are just trying to steal 00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:46.790 money from people essentially. Even that is not 00:06:46.790 --> 00:06:48.970 the kind of heart or the kind of attitude that 00:06:48.970 --> 00:06:51.250 Paul thinks that leaders should have or that 00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:53.810 Paul is saying that he has here. He says, look, 00:06:53.930 --> 00:06:56.550 I don't serve for the money. I serve for Jesus 00:06:56.550 --> 00:07:00.550 Christ. I serve because I love you. And he does. 00:07:00.649 --> 00:07:03.709 You can tell that from his letters. Now, sometimes 00:07:03.709 --> 00:07:07.730 he's harsh with his recipients, but always out 00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:10.370 of love. No different than when you have to get 00:07:10.370 --> 00:07:13.990 on to a child or discipline a child. It may seem 00:07:13.990 --> 00:07:17.079 harsh to the child. But you don't do it out of 00:07:17.079 --> 00:07:19.160 hatred. You do it out of love because you want 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:21.160 to make sure that that child is going to turn 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:24.540 out to be okay. And so we see that Paul has a 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:27.540 great love for the people that he writes to, 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:29.560 whether it's the people of Corinth or the people 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:32.759 of Philippi. Different letters might have a little 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:35.240 different tone. Some are a little harder than 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:37.629 others. or a little harsher than others, some 00:07:37.629 --> 00:07:41.069 like Philippians, or speak very kind, pretty 00:07:41.069 --> 00:07:43.350 much all kindness to the people of Philippi. 00:07:43.589 --> 00:07:46.050 It's very beautiful, but you see Paul's heart 00:07:46.050 --> 00:07:48.550 in his writing, and that's what he's saying here. 00:07:48.589 --> 00:07:52.269 Look, we come to you as a fragrance of Jesus 00:07:52.269 --> 00:07:54.730 Christ. We come as servants of Jesus Christ. 00:07:54.790 --> 00:07:58.350 We love you, and we're not taking advantage of 00:07:58.350 --> 00:08:00.029 you. And remember, we talked about at the beginning 00:08:00.029 --> 00:08:03.019 of the book that it almost looks as though Paul 00:08:03.019 --> 00:08:05.639 is having to make a defense for himself, and 00:08:05.639 --> 00:08:07.660 we'll see that as we get into chapter 3 too. 00:08:08.060 --> 00:08:10.459 It's almost as though Paul is writing, trying 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.300 to defend himself, possibly from some other teachers 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:16.579 or preachers that have come in. And he's trying 00:08:16.579 --> 00:08:20.220 to establish himself as being better, in a sense, 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:22.540 if we can use that word, than those, because 00:08:22.540 --> 00:08:25.199 he cares for the people. He cares about doing 00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:27.740 the work of God. He cares about the people. And 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:30.980 so Paul is making that point here at the end 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:33.600 of this verse. All right, chapter 3. It kind 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:38.440 of begins to shift gears here in chapter 3. Are 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:42.019 we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do 00:08:42.019 --> 00:08:44.759 we need, like some, letters of recommendation 00:08:44.759 --> 00:08:49.080 to you or from you? Now, here's that idea of 00:08:49.080 --> 00:08:51.639 Paul kind of making a case in defense of himself. 00:08:52.039 --> 00:08:55.139 He says, what, are we commending ourselves? No, 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:58.440 Paul's not commending himself. He's making a 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:01.980 point, but not in a sense of, of being proud 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:04.320 and boastful. It doesn't sound like Paul's saying, 00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:07.200 we are so great and we have led you and I'm the 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:10.159 best. And that's not the heart of which Paul 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:12.399 is saying it. But he is making these points that 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:15.179 he has been faithful to God and faithful to them 00:09:15.179 --> 00:09:18.379 and a good example to them and has been there 00:09:18.379 --> 00:09:21.659 to teach them and to preach to them and to see 00:09:21.659 --> 00:09:25.220 them to come to Christ and to nurture them in 00:09:25.220 --> 00:09:28.909 Christ. And he says, look, do we need... Like 00:09:28.909 --> 00:09:33.110 some, letters of recommendation to you are from 00:09:33.110 --> 00:09:36.309 you. He's saying, look, you know who I am. You've 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:38.929 heard me preach. You've seen me minister to you. 00:09:39.049 --> 00:09:41.950 You have come to Jesus Christ through the work 00:09:41.950 --> 00:09:45.190 that has been done through us. So why would you 00:09:45.190 --> 00:09:48.309 doubt me now? Do I need to get a letter of recommendation? 00:09:48.350 --> 00:09:51.070 Now, you understand what that is. Anybody that's 00:09:51.070 --> 00:09:54.149 applied for a job or applied for maybe a variety 00:09:54.149 --> 00:09:56.610 of different things, there's usually a section 00:09:56.610 --> 00:10:00.549 on there where they want some references. They 00:10:00.549 --> 00:10:03.429 want you to give them a list of people that they 00:10:03.429 --> 00:10:06.070 can call and talk to or maybe ask for a letter 00:10:06.070 --> 00:10:09.429 from them so they can say, hey, is Jimbo a good 00:10:09.429 --> 00:10:13.529 guy? Is he dependable? Is he trustworthy? And 00:10:13.529 --> 00:10:16.710 so we see that in our jobs today, letters of 00:10:16.710 --> 00:10:19.070 recommendation. And that's what Paul's talking 00:10:19.070 --> 00:10:21.809 about here. Look, I'm writing this letter to 00:10:21.809 --> 00:10:24.129 you. When I come see you again, when I write 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:26.570 this letter, do I need to get other people that 00:10:26.570 --> 00:10:29.850 you know of? Do I need to get Aquila and Priscilla 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:33.230 or Apollos or Timothy or whoever else they may 00:10:33.230 --> 00:10:36.330 know? Do I need to get these people to send a 00:10:36.330 --> 00:10:39.090 letter for me? And he says, this is absurd. You 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:42.669 know who I am. We are not those who need to get 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:46.370 a letter of recommendation to give to you. And 00:10:46.370 --> 00:10:50.009 he says, we are not like some who need that letters 00:10:50.009 --> 00:10:53.450 of recommendation to you are from you. And he's 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:56.289 saying, look, I shouldn't have to bring you a 00:10:56.289 --> 00:10:58.870 letter of recommendation, and I don't need you 00:10:58.870 --> 00:11:00.710 to give me a letter of recommendation. Because 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:03.009 the work that God does through us, through me, 00:11:03.070 --> 00:11:06.590 Paul, and those who are with me, that is enough. 00:11:06.750 --> 00:11:09.269 And that's what he alludes to as he continues 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:13.789 on in verse 2. You yourselves are our letter, 00:11:13.889 --> 00:11:17.529 written on our hearts, recognized and read by 00:11:17.529 --> 00:11:20.909 everyone. It is clear that you are Christ's letter. 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:25.029 produced by us, not written with ink, but with 00:11:25.029 --> 00:11:28.970 the spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets, 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:34.049 but on tablets that are hearts of flesh. So what 00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:38.029 does he say? You are our letter. He says, I don't 00:11:38.029 --> 00:11:41.350 need a letter to show my work because my work 00:11:41.350 --> 00:11:44.840 speaks for itself. Now, a letter of recommendation 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:49.000 or a resume can only tell you so much about somebody. 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:52.039 Now, we can all make a resume, and we would all 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:54.139 probably look pretty dang good on our resumes. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:56.779 Because when you make a resume, a letter of recommendation, 00:11:57.240 --> 00:11:59.279 you put the best of the best on there. You're 00:11:59.279 --> 00:12:01.639 going to put your best picture on there. If I'm 00:12:01.639 --> 00:12:03.399 going to make one, I'm going to put links to 00:12:03.399 --> 00:12:05.440 the best sermons on there, if there are any. 00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:08.019 I want to put the best information on there. 00:12:08.220 --> 00:12:11.440 We can make ourselves look good on a resume or 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.399 on paper. But what really matters in our life 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:17.340 is what's the work product we do. I don't know. 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:19.659 I probably wouldn't be a good boss if I run a 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:21.600 business because I don't know that I would pay 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:23.779 too much attention to resumes. I'd want to see 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:25.840 your work. If they come in and hand me a resume, 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:28.340 I'd say, show me your work. Show me what you've 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:30.419 made. Show me what you've built. Show me what 00:12:30.419 --> 00:12:32.299 you've painted. Show me what you cook, whatever 00:12:32.299 --> 00:12:35.159 it is that I'm hiring for. I want to see your 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:38.019 work because anybody can talk a good talk and 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:40.919 look good on paper. But our work should speak 00:12:40.919 --> 00:12:44.059 for itself. And it does. And that's what Paul 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:47.639 says here. You yourselves are our letter. That 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:51.980 is to say, God has worked through you. Your lives 00:12:51.980 --> 00:12:54.779 have been changed. It is evident that God has 00:12:54.779 --> 00:12:57.379 worked through us. That God is using us. That 00:12:57.379 --> 00:13:00.419 we have been faithful to God. Because you. Because 00:13:00.419 --> 00:13:04.480 God has changed you. And so when people see you 00:13:04.480 --> 00:13:06.539 and the work that the Spirit has done through 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.639 you by us, God has used us to do that. He says, 00:13:10.659 --> 00:13:13.460 look, you're our letter of recommendation. So 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:16.139 when people ask about Paul, oh, what about Paul? 00:13:16.259 --> 00:13:17.980 What is he teaching? Is he really teaching the 00:13:17.980 --> 00:13:20.799 truth about Jesus Christ? They can say, oh yeah, 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.220 look at those people in Corinth. Look at the 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:25.500 way the Spirit has moved. Paul went and he preached 00:13:25.500 --> 00:13:28.399 to them, and look at how God has begun to work 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:31.399 in their lives. Paul says, I don't need a recommendation 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:34.259 to give to you, and I don't need a recommendation 00:13:34.259 --> 00:13:37.740 from you, because the evidence is in the work 00:13:37.740 --> 00:13:43.200 that God has done through us for you. And listen 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.179 to what he says in verse 3. It is clear that 00:13:45.179 --> 00:13:49.080 you are Christ's letter produced by us. Now, 00:13:49.080 --> 00:13:51.830 Paul is not taking any... Credit for this here. 00:13:51.929 --> 00:13:54.029 Don't misunderstand what he's saying. He's not 00:13:54.029 --> 00:13:56.389 somehow implying that he had anything to do. 00:13:56.509 --> 00:13:58.970 He's saying, look, God used us to minister to 00:13:58.970 --> 00:14:01.690 you, but it's Christ that's done the work in 00:14:01.690 --> 00:14:05.509 you. You are Christ's letter. The way you live, 00:14:05.629 --> 00:14:07.730 the things that have happened in your life have 00:14:07.730 --> 00:14:11.129 come through Jesus Christ, and so you are a representative 00:14:11.129 --> 00:14:17.190 of Jesus Christ. Not written with ink, but with 00:14:17.190 --> 00:14:20.289 the Spirit of the living God. So he says, look, 00:14:20.450 --> 00:14:22.570 we're not talking about just writing things on 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:24.610 a piece of paper. We're talking about a life 00:14:24.610 --> 00:14:27.250 that's changed because the Holy Spirit has come 00:14:27.250 --> 00:14:31.669 and dwelled in you. Then he goes on to say, not 00:14:31.669 --> 00:14:35.649 on stone tablets, but on tablets that are hearts 00:14:35.649 --> 00:14:41.059 of flesh. Now, I think he's certainly... kind 00:14:41.059 --> 00:14:42.960 of preparing for his later argument that we're 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.940 going to get to probably next week, where he 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:47.820 talks about the law. Part of this has got to 00:14:47.820 --> 00:14:49.759 be talking about the law, talking about things 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:53.759 written in stone. But he also may be recalling 00:14:53.759 --> 00:14:56.980 in Jeremiah chapter 31, where it talks about 00:14:56.980 --> 00:15:00.539 that God's going to give us a new heart, or in 00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:02.419 Ezekiel, I don't remember the chapter, where 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:04.960 he talks about that he's going to remove our 00:15:04.960 --> 00:15:07.820 heart of stone. And so we're not going to be 00:15:07.820 --> 00:15:11.279 those who are of the letter of the law. It's 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:13.440 not got nothing to do with the letter of the 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:15.120 law. It's not got anything to do with anything 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.759 written in ink. He said the real change in your 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:21.759 life has come through the gospel of Jesus Christ, 00:15:21.899 --> 00:15:25.679 and it has changed your heart. It has been written 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:29.279 on your heart. And so whatever your heart is, 00:15:29.460 --> 00:15:33.940 is evidence of who your Lord is. So what about 00:15:33.940 --> 00:15:36.190 us tonight? What's in our heart? Well, there 00:15:36.190 --> 00:15:38.269 may be some things that shouldn't be there. Now, 00:15:38.330 --> 00:15:40.149 even for the Christian, there are sometimes some 00:15:40.149 --> 00:15:42.370 things in our heart that shouldn't be there. 00:15:42.490 --> 00:15:45.590 And we might need to recall those words from 00:15:45.590 --> 00:15:48.350 Jeremiah chapter 31. I believe it's Ezekiel chapter 00:15:48.350 --> 00:15:52.929 36 maybe. And refresh ourselves with those promises 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:56.049 that God, certainly he made them to Israel there, 00:15:56.129 --> 00:15:59.210 but they're applicable to us too. That what God's 00:15:59.210 --> 00:16:03.049 real desire is. is not for us to be a people 00:16:03.049 --> 00:16:06.649 that follow the letter of the law, but for us 00:16:06.649 --> 00:16:09.149 to be a people whose hearts are really changed. 00:16:09.250 --> 00:16:13.289 That was always the intent and the purpose. We 00:16:13.289 --> 00:16:15.870 see that in some of Paul's other writings. In 00:16:15.870 --> 00:16:18.710 Romans, if you want to turn there, you can. You 00:16:18.710 --> 00:16:25.429 don't have to. But in Romans chapter 7, Romans 00:16:25.429 --> 00:16:32.009 chapter 7 verse 8, He says this, but sin, seizing 00:16:32.009 --> 00:16:34.730 its opportunity through the commandment, that 00:16:34.730 --> 00:16:37.549 is through the law, produced in me every kind 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:42.269 of covetous desire, for apart from the law, sin 00:16:42.269 --> 00:16:47.009 is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law, 00:16:47.190 --> 00:16:51.169 but when the commandment came, sin sprang to 00:16:51.169 --> 00:16:55.940 life and I died. So I discovered that the very 00:16:55.940 --> 00:16:58.860 commandment that was meant to bring life actually 00:16:58.860 --> 00:17:02.019 brought death. Now what does he mean when he 00:17:02.019 --> 00:17:04.640 says all that? What he means is this, is that 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:07.039 God gave the law. He gave the commandments, the 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:09.279 Ten Commandments and a lot of other commandments. 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.299 And the commandments are God's standard. They 00:17:13.299 --> 00:17:16.119 are what God calls us to. Okay? You don't need 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:17.980 to lie. You don't need to steal. You don't need 00:17:17.980 --> 00:17:21.059 to cheat. You don't need to get your friend's 00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:24.240 wife or your friend's husband. You need to keep 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:26.819 God first. You need to love Him with all your 00:17:26.819 --> 00:17:28.759 heart. You don't want to worship any idols. All 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:32.779 these laws that God commands us. And if we live 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:37.000 by the commands of God, then we are godly and 00:17:37.000 --> 00:17:40.859 righteous people. If we live by the law. But 00:17:40.859 --> 00:17:43.539 there's a big problem with that. We can't live 00:17:43.539 --> 00:17:46.759 by the law. We failed. And that's what Paul says 00:17:46.759 --> 00:17:50.839 here. The law essentially brought his sin to 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:54.279 light. And so when you read the law, then you 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.599 say, oh my, because I've sinned in these ways. 00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:00.079 I've broken this law and that law and hundreds 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:03.819 of them, hundreds of times in my life. And so 00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:07.359 the law makes us aware of our sin and the wages 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:11.720 of sin is death. And so the law brings with it 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:14.700 some condemnation. Because it's not anything 00:18:14.700 --> 00:18:19.160 that we can live up to for ourselves. And that's 00:18:19.160 --> 00:18:22.799 the idea, I think, that Paul is kind of conveying 00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:27.559 here in 2 Corinthians chapter 3. That God is 00:18:27.559 --> 00:18:30.579 wanting to change our hearts. And how is he going 00:18:30.579 --> 00:18:33.900 to do that? Well, not through the law. The law 00:18:33.900 --> 00:18:36.819 tells us what God's commands and desires are, 00:18:37.160 --> 00:18:41.710 but we are unable to fulfill that. And so he 00:18:41.710 --> 00:18:45.009 sent Jesus Christ, praise the Lord. And Jesus 00:18:45.009 --> 00:18:48.509 Christ, the Son of God, came, and he fulfilled 00:18:48.509 --> 00:18:52.750 everything the law required. He never sinned 00:18:52.750 --> 00:18:55.490 in any way. He was completely faithful and obedient 00:18:55.490 --> 00:19:00.990 to God all the way to death on a cross. And he 00:19:00.990 --> 00:19:04.569 was victorious because God raised him from the 00:19:04.569 --> 00:19:09.299 grave. And because of what Jesus did, The Holy 00:19:09.299 --> 00:19:13.079 Spirit indwells in us. Because of what Jesus 00:19:13.079 --> 00:19:15.440 did, what was talked about in Jeremiah chapter 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:20.339 31, occurs that God begins to change our heart. 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:23.559 That God begins to remove our hearts of stone 00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:26.579 and he begins to get to the core of what really 00:19:26.579 --> 00:19:30.200 matters. And it's not words that are carved into 00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:33.519 a piece of stone. But what really God wants to 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:37.660 do is he wants to change our hearts and our attitudes. 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:41.700 And that's the idea, I think, that Paul is talking 00:19:41.700 --> 00:19:47.339 about here in 2 Corinthians 3. That God brings 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:49.779 the Spirit into us through Jesus Christ, the 00:19:49.779 --> 00:19:52.859 Holy Spirit, and begins to change our hearts. 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:56.539 Verse 4. We have this kind of confidence toward 00:19:56.539 --> 00:20:00.259 God through Christ. It is not that we are competent 00:20:00.259 --> 00:20:03.660 in ourselves to consider anything as coming from 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:08.210 ourselves, but our competence is from God. He 00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:11.309 has made us competent to be ministers of a new 00:20:11.309 --> 00:20:15.069 covenant. Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. 00:20:15.450 --> 00:20:19.710 For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces 00:20:19.710 --> 00:20:22.710 life. Well, that's kind of what we just talked 00:20:22.710 --> 00:20:26.269 about there. That the law only brings condemnation. 00:20:26.470 --> 00:20:28.869 If we look at the law, we know we broke the law, 00:20:28.950 --> 00:20:32.089 then we know we are doomed to die. But God wants 00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:33.809 to work through the Spirit, through the Holy 00:20:33.809 --> 00:20:37.019 Spirit, through Jesus Christ. so that we will 00:20:37.019 --> 00:20:39.099 not die to our sins, but we will have eternal 00:20:39.099 --> 00:20:42.279 life through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. 00:20:42.759 --> 00:20:45.819 Now, Paul certainly recommends that he has no 00:20:45.819 --> 00:20:48.660 power to do the Lord's work. He says here, we 00:20:48.660 --> 00:20:52.759 are competent. Because God gives us the ability. 00:20:52.920 --> 00:20:54.839 That might be another way to say it instead of 00:20:54.839 --> 00:20:58.839 competence. He has the ability. He's not incompetent. 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:00.880 We see people sometimes and they just don't have 00:21:00.880 --> 00:21:03.660 the ability to do things. They're incompetent 00:21:03.660 --> 00:21:07.140 in some things. Well, Paul was certainly a competent 00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:11.200 minister of the gospel. He was certainly a competent 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:14.940 speaker. He had the ability to do the work that 00:21:14.940 --> 00:21:19.619 God called him to because God gave him the ability. 00:21:20.329 --> 00:21:22.369 And so he knows that all the work that's been 00:21:22.369 --> 00:21:25.349 done amongst the Corinthians, anything that he's 00:21:25.349 --> 00:21:28.190 done there or anywhere else that he's done, any 00:21:28.190 --> 00:21:33.150 ability that he has, it comes because God has 00:21:33.150 --> 00:21:36.609 given it to him. And the same is true for you 00:21:36.609 --> 00:21:39.970 and I. That sometimes there may be things that 00:21:39.970 --> 00:21:44.009 God calls us to. There may be opportunities that 00:21:44.009 --> 00:21:49.680 God puts in our path. And you may say, I don't 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:53.480 have the ability to do that. Well, you may very 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:56.740 well have the ability to do it. Because God doesn't 00:21:56.740 --> 00:22:00.099 say, I want you to do this just so you'll go 00:22:00.099 --> 00:22:04.099 and do it and fail. Now, we may fail, but it's 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:06.140 probably going to be because we're not trusting 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:08.599 in the Lord. There are some times that we take 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:12.240 on things on our own power. We take on things 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.759 with a bit of pride. And when that occurs, we 00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:19.829 begin to fail. But when we are like Paul here 00:22:19.829 --> 00:22:24.250 and have a heart like Paul and say, God, I don't 00:22:24.250 --> 00:22:28.569 have any ability on my own, but God, if you call 00:22:28.569 --> 00:22:31.650 me to this, whatever it may be, then God, I'm 00:22:31.650 --> 00:22:34.349 going to trust that you give me the ability. 00:22:35.750 --> 00:22:38.089 And if God calls us to do something, then we 00:22:38.089 --> 00:22:41.490 don't need to make excuses. Now, when we do something 00:22:41.490 --> 00:22:45.089 that is... good for the kingdom of God, we also 00:22:45.089 --> 00:22:47.309 don't want to be one who takes glory for ourselves. 00:22:47.809 --> 00:22:49.990 We don't want to say, boy, look how good I did. 00:22:50.130 --> 00:22:52.609 Look how good I did at preaching or teaching 00:22:52.609 --> 00:22:57.170 or singing or whatever it is. Because any ability 00:22:57.170 --> 00:23:01.450 that we have, it comes from the Lord. So any 00:23:01.450 --> 00:23:04.589 good that comes from us, it comes from God. Now, 00:23:04.609 --> 00:23:07.930 God could use any variety of means to reach people 00:23:07.930 --> 00:23:10.940 in the world. He could work miracles every day. 00:23:10.980 --> 00:23:14.599 He could send signs into the sky. He could appear 00:23:14.599 --> 00:23:19.680 to people in any way He chose to. But God chooses 00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:24.319 to do His work almost entirely through people 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:28.440 in some way, shape, or form. God chooses us. 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:32.099 Now maybe some of us are called to be preachers 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:34.740 or some are called to be teachers or some are 00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:36.980 called to help the... neighbor down the road 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:40.200 or whatever it is. There are lots of ways that 00:23:40.200 --> 00:23:43.519 we can share the love of Jesus Christ. There 00:23:43.519 --> 00:23:47.839 are lots of things that we can do. But we cannot 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:51.160 do anything unless God gives us the ability to 00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:54.720 do it. And if God calls us, He gives us the ability. 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:58.740 So we need to listen to what Paul says here. 00:23:59.460 --> 00:24:03.240 Is our work evidence? that we are really followers 00:24:03.240 --> 00:24:05.880 of Jesus Christ. Does our work speak for itself? 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:09.059 If we were going to make our Christian resume, 00:24:09.240 --> 00:24:12.019 we probably would make ourselves sound pretty 00:24:12.019 --> 00:24:16.200 good. But what about our works? What about the 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.519 way we live? That speaks a lot louder than any 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:23.460 of those words on the page. But Paul says, my 00:24:23.460 --> 00:24:26.599 work speaks for itself. Good or bad, that's true 00:24:26.599 --> 00:24:30.029 for us. Our life, our works speak for themselves. 00:24:30.069 --> 00:24:32.869 They speak for us. They speak for what's in our 00:24:32.869 --> 00:24:37.250 heart. But we want to be those who seek to live 00:24:37.250 --> 00:24:41.150 in the ability that God gives us to serve Him 00:24:41.150 --> 00:24:43.490 in the ways that He has called us to serve Him. 00:24:43.930 --> 00:24:47.269 And we want to be those like Paul who are the 00:24:47.269 --> 00:24:50.950 fragrance of Jesus Christ. That as we enter into 00:24:50.950 --> 00:24:54.130 the world that people can see the love of Jesus 00:24:54.130 --> 00:24:57.650 Christ through us. And it will be something sweet 00:24:57.650 --> 00:25:01.910 for them. But what we do not want to be. Is one 00:25:01.910 --> 00:25:05.089 who has that good Christian resume. That preaches 00:25:05.089 --> 00:25:07.869 that good talk. Boy we wave our Christian flag. 00:25:08.670 --> 00:25:12.069 And yet we go out into the world. And we bring 00:25:12.069 --> 00:25:15.589 with us a stench. That nobody wants to hear. 00:25:15.750 --> 00:25:17.750 I mean nobody wants to see. That nobody wants 00:25:17.750 --> 00:25:19.990 to smell. That nobody wants to be a part of. 00:25:21.190 --> 00:25:24.849 That damages the kingdom of God. So we want to 00:25:24.849 --> 00:25:26.869 be those who are good representatives of Jesus 00:25:26.869 --> 00:25:29.789 Christ and the kingdom of God and a pleasant 00:25:29.789 --> 00:25:34.089 aroma to those we encounter. Let's pray. God, 00:25:34.170 --> 00:25:35.710 we come to you tonight. We thank you for these 00:25:35.710 --> 00:25:37.869 good words. And I pray, dear Lord, that you would 00:25:37.869 --> 00:25:40.849 help us to be competent, that you would help 00:25:40.849 --> 00:25:45.470 us to trust in you, to be able to serve you and 00:25:45.470 --> 00:25:49.589 to live for you, dear Lord, and to be able to 00:25:49.589 --> 00:25:52.670 be like Paul, dear Lord, and speak with confidence. 00:25:53.369 --> 00:25:56.150 that our works speak for themselves, dear Lord. 00:25:56.250 --> 00:25:58.029 And maybe there are some works in our life that 00:25:58.029 --> 00:26:02.410 are not good. Maybe they speak in a bad way about 00:26:02.410 --> 00:26:05.369 us, dear Lord. I pray that you'd forgive us of 00:26:05.369 --> 00:26:08.049 those things. I pray that we would repent. I 00:26:08.049 --> 00:26:10.690 pray that we would seek you. I pray that we would 00:26:10.690 --> 00:26:13.390 examine our lives to see if we are somebody that 00:26:13.390 --> 00:26:16.410 is faithfully and accurately representing the 00:26:16.410 --> 00:26:18.710 love of Jesus Christ or if we're turning people 00:26:18.710 --> 00:26:21.890 off from Jesus Christ, dear Lord. Are we one 00:26:21.890 --> 00:26:25.279 that people want to be? Are we a pleasant fragrance? 00:26:26.059 --> 00:26:28.900 Are we a despicable odor, dear Lord, that people 00:26:28.900 --> 00:26:31.799 would rather keep their distance from? I pray, 00:26:31.859 --> 00:26:33.680 God, that you would help us to look at our life 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:36.339 and change our hearts, dear Lord. That's what 00:26:36.339 --> 00:26:38.160 we really want. That's what you really want, 00:26:38.259 --> 00:26:41.460 dear Lord, that we are not just a bunch of Christians 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:44.460 following some letter of the law, but that we 00:26:44.460 --> 00:26:47.099 are a people who really seek you and whose lives 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:49.299 have been changed and whose hearts have been 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:51.910 changed. And God, that only comes through Jesus 00:26:51.910 --> 00:26:54.869 Christ. So if there is one here tonight or one 00:26:54.869 --> 00:26:58.130 who is listening online that does not know Jesus 00:26:58.130 --> 00:27:01.410 Christ, I pray that even now they would repent 00:27:01.410 --> 00:27:03.930 of their sins, they would ask you to forgive 00:27:03.930 --> 00:27:06.329 them, and they would put their faith in Jesus 00:27:06.329 --> 00:27:09.130 Christ to live for Him. And I ask these things 00:27:09.130 --> 00:27:11.069 in Jesus' name. Amen.