The Letter Kills But The Spirit Gives Life - Part 2

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. Instead of Jesus when he came, instead of doing something completely new, he first came to fulfill the old.

The Old Covenant as Fulfillment and Warning

And the new covenant comes out of the old covenant. So here's another point, and this should serve as a warning to the church today. One of the things the Old Testament prophets did is that they would preach and they would warn Israel.

And it is the job of a New Testament pastor to preach and to warn the church. So what does Jeremiah 31 say? The covenant that God made with them, the covenant which they what? Broke. So Israel was supposed to be a light unto all the nations.

But instead they became like every other nation. And because of that, the Lord judged them. And Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10, here's the warning for us. He says in 1 Corinthians 10, now all these things happen to them as examples.

And they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come. So Israel was to be the light of the world. And they were to walk in God's statutes and obey the commandments. But that is not what happened.

The behavior of the Israelites and the chastisement that God brought upon them serves as an example for us of what to do and what not to do. And ultimately, how much greater the new covenant is than the old.

The New Covenant, the Spirit, and the Changed Heart

Now turn back, if you would, to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. So the church, they're an epistle of Christ. God has transformed their lives. And that's what the new covenant does. Instead of writing it on tablets of stone, God's word is written on people's hearts.

That is one of the differences between old and new covenant. And here's another difference. The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. The difference between the church and Israel. So the church has the indwelling of the Spirit.

The Spirit empowers the church. It empowers the church to do what Israel could not. Israel in the Bible is pictured as what? An unfaithful wife to Jehovah God. What's the church pictured as? A pure bride dressed all in white.

So now God in the new covenant is writing on the hearts of men. And again, this is Paul's defense for his ministry against the attacks of the false teachers. Paul's defense is the church themselves. And how the Lord had worked in their life.

It wasn't just an outward conformity. And this is what religion can become. Where it's just an outward conformity to a set of rules. But in the person's heart, they're like, I don't really want to be here.

I need to get home and watch the football game. But I'll uphold the standard just so everyone can see it. That's worthless. That's a heart that hasn't been changed. So this is Paul's defense. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 4.

And don't feel guilty if you watch a game late. That's not what I'm saying. What is he saying? And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves.

But our sufficiency is from God. Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. Not of the letter. But of the spirit. And notice this statement. For the letter does what? Kills. For the letter kills.

But the spirit gives life. That's an interesting statement. We're going to talk about that. But what do we remember about the false teachers? See if you've been paying attention the past couple weeks.

They either fell on one side or the other. So they either made what? Error. What's the first error? They begin with an L. So legalism. And what's the other one? License. So license as we've been saying is when God loves you so much.

His grace is so amazing. You just go out and do whatever you want. Live however you want. And Jesus is cool with that. And God is like a grandfather in the sky who no longer has any wrath. This is also called.

What's the technical term for it? Begins with an A. Antinomianism. And that simply means you're against God's law. Basically they take the Ten Commandments and the law of God and they throw it in the trash.

They don't think it matters anymore. I believe John was dealing with that in his first epistle. Paul, though, based on some of his statements, I think Paul is dealing with the other error. I think Paul is dealing with legalism in the church.

And what is legalism? Well, license is when you kind of throw away God's law. Legalism is when you misuse God's law. You affirm it and uphold it, but you're actually misusing it. Yes, the Ten Commandments are holy and righteous and just.

But they are not a blueprint for obtaining eternal life. I remember I met with a man years ago and he was raised in an institutional church that basically taught the people that the only connection they could ever have with God is through the mediation of a priest.

And I was trying to gauge whether this man knew Christ. He certainly knew about Christ. But was he born again? So I asked him the diagnostic question of, you know, if you died today or do you think you're going to heaven?

And his response was, well, I hope so. I think so. As a pastor, that's not really the answer you're looking for. But he was being honest. So, OK. So then I asked him on what basis he thought that he would go to heaven.

How does a person even inherit eternal life? And he said to me, he said, well, the good book says that if you obey the commandments, you'll get in. Well, the good book does not say that, unfortunately for him.

So I tried to walk through it with him about how salvation is by grace, by grace through faith, not of works of salvation is by faith alone, trusting solely in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

And I'll tell you, it was like water off a duck's back. No, the good book says if you obey the commandments, you'll get in. And I have kept all these things from my youth. No, he didn't actually say that part.

But seriously, a family member was there and they said to him, you don't have to worry about it. You don't do anything wrong. What is that? It is a misuse of God's law. It is a misuse of the Ten Commandments that I am saved.

First of all, the idea that any person can think I don't do anything wrong. I mean, that's a both is a bald face lie or bold face lie. Bald. That's a bald face lie. Or you are so self-deceived. It's not funny.

But legalism, what is it? I'm saved based on what I do. I see the Ten Commandments and I'm living up pretty well. So, I guess I'm going to get in. It's not the case. That is legalism. And why is it we use that term all the time?

People throw around the term legalism. Anything they don't like is legalistic. They're in a church and the pastor's opinions are a little too strong. That's legalism or something. What does legalism refer to?

Legal refers to law, right? Legal, law, and we're talking about the law of Moses. So, it is a misuse of the commandments, the law of Moses. Look at verse 4 again. And we have such trust. In ourselves?

No. And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Verse 5. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves. I mean, are we getting the picture here? Remember last week we talked about the false teachers who use flattery to deceive the hearts of the simple.

And legalism can be very attractive to people. You know, if you kind of have everything in your life together, or so it seems. And there's nothing obvious on the surface. I mean, it appeals to people's flesh and pride.

That this is something I can do to get in God's good grace. Which, if you think about it, that doesn't make sense. But Paul, who was more righteous than the false teachers, he didn't think of it that way, did he?

Paul thought, we're not sufficient of ourselves. Why did Paul know that? He had a proper understanding of God's law. And here's the thing. Paul knew who God was. And maybe more important, he knew who Paul was.

And he knew he did not measure up. God is holy and Paul was a sinner saved by grace. As he expresses in Romans 12, verse 3. He says, For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, But to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

Salvation by Grace Through Faith Alone

So salvation is what? 99 of the Lord and 1 us cooperating? Is that the 50 -50? What is it? Salvation is 100 grace. The scripture says that salvation is of the Lord. Not by works, not by law, not by doing good.

So if it's 100 by grace, you know, the argument is, I'll do a little apologetics because I can anticipate maybe an argument or two. Couldn't someone then say, yes, I believe. I believe, but my neighbor does not.

That makes me better because I made the right choice because I believe I did do something. Maybe it's 1%, .1%, but I did something. I believed, I expressed faith. Well, let's see. What was that verse we just read?

God dealt to each one a measure of faith. Ephesians 2, 8, 9, the clear text of salvation by grace through faith. What does it say? Let's just think about this. Ephesians 2, verse 8, For by grace are ye saved through what?

Through faith. And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. You say, well, but salvation is the gift. Yes, salvation is the gift. But even faith is the result of God's grace because without the working of the Holy Spirit in your heart, you would never believe you would never have faith without God acting first.

So even then it's all of the Lord. So the Corinthians, they were not sufficient. Going back to that statement about Paul saying the letter kills, the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. What does that mean?

Well, the Corinthians were not sufficient. But what did God do? He transformed their lives. And the Holy Spirit made them sufficient. Paul was not sufficient, but God made him sufficient as a minister of the new covenant.

The old covenant cannot save anybody. That's what it means. The letter kills. The old covenant saves no one, only the promise, only the hope of the new covenant. And now we are in it. The covenant of Christ's blood.

That is our only hope. And now these things are written where? On tablets of stone. The new covenant of Christ's blood. Not in the commandments carved in stone, but the law and God's word that is written on our heart.

The Corinthians as an Epistle of Christ

So the Corinthian church, they were an epistle of Christ. Paul could point to them. Anytime criticism comes against Paul, he doesn't have a degree. He doesn't have the proper letter from whoever. You say, no, look at them.

And you know what? They were an epistle of Christ. If you're saved, you are an epistle of Christ. So when you leave today and go about your day and go about your week, when people look at you, they are reading something.

Hopefully they are reading a New Testament epistle of Christ. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church. If you'd like to listen to the complete message, or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, MorrisCornickChurch .com.

And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett. Until next time, may the grace of God be with you.