2 Corinthians 2:12-3:18, What’s the Difference?

Covenant Reformed Baptist Church

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

2 Corinthians 2:12-3:18, What’s the Difference?

00:00

Alright 2nd Corinthians chapter 2 starting in verse 12 to chapter 3 verse 18

00:07

Hear the word of the Lord When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ Even though a door was open for me in the in the

00:16

Lord My spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there

00:21

So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia but thanks be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and Through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere

00:32

For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing

00:39

To one a fragrance from death to death to the other a fragrance from life to life

00:46

Who is sufficient for these things? For we are not like so many peddlers of God's Word But as men of sincerity as commissioned by God in the sight of God We speak in Christ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?

01:01

Or do we need as some do letters of recommendation to you are from you you yourselves are our letter of recommendation

01:08

Written on our hearts to be known and read by all and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us

01:15

Written not with ink but with the spirit of the Living God not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts

01:24

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything is coming from us

01:32

But our sufficiency is from God who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant

01:38

Not of the letter but of the spirit for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life Now if the ministry of death carved in letters on stone came with such glory that the

01:49

Israelites could not gaze at Moses's face Because of its glory which was being brought to an end

01:54

Will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory

02:05

Indeed in this case what once had glory has come to have no glory at all Because of the glory that surpasses it for if what is was being brought to an end came with glory

02:16

Much more will what is permanent have glory Since we have such a hope we are very bold not like Moses who would put a veil over his face

02:26

So that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end But their minds were hardened for to this day when they read the

02:35

Old Covenant that same veil Remains unlifted because only through Christ is it taken away?

02:42

Yes to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts But when one turns to the

02:49

Lord the veil is removed now the Lord is the Spirit and where the

02:54

Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and we all with unveiled face

02:59

Beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another

03:07

For this comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit? May the

03:12

Lord add his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word first a word from our sponsors

03:42

Oh That was actually

03:59

McDonald's trying to sell itself to Singaporeans notice how they how they did it First they speak the language that's basic Most of the commercial was in Mandarin and so clearly aimed at the

04:09

Chinese audience But there's really more going on than that. Most Singaporeans would know English Malayan Indian Singaporeans make up about what a quarter together of Singaporeans wouldn't know

04:19

Mandarin and the end of the commercial wasn't English So why not just then why not make the whole commercial in English?

04:25

Because the use of Mandarin is not just to communicate to Chinese people but to repackage

04:32

McDonald's as a Chinese restaurant Is in fact so Chinese that even the most traditional

04:38

Chinese people Celebrating the most important Chinese holiday Chinese New Year It was actually a

04:44

Chinese New Year commercial having the most important feast of the year the reunion dinner Even they would feel free to do it with McDonald's food

04:53

Even for the older generation you notice the older mother She's too busy looking for flowers decorate her home for the

05:00

Chinese New Year. And at first she's kind of stunned. He's apprehensive You know, what's this? McDonald's delivery man only to have her loving daughter present her with McDonald's food

05:10

So she she doesn't have to slave away in the kitchen for the big meal and the food

05:16

Do you notice that since sure it's McDonald's food But the very names are Chinese the prosperity burger with black pepper and the sauces look

05:25

Chinese Look like probably a lot of oyster sauce in that and as you notice the dessert You notice the dessert a red bean pie

05:32

You would swear look at if you knew if you had never heard of McDonald's before that was the first time you never heard of Them that commercial you would swear

05:40

McDonald's is a Chinese restaurant, of course, whether you like or hate their food one thing you have to say about McDonald's They know how to sell right if you want to learn to sell anything

05:54

You can learn from McDonald's and so we if we want to quote sell the gospel

06:02

We can learn from McDonald's, of course, some Christians will just cringe at that, you know loudly protest No, absolutely not.

06:08

We don't sell the gospel We just believe it and we proclaim it and we leave it up to God to sell and such people are

06:18

Yeah, they're right. That's right But we do need to sell in the sense of trying to offer

06:24

What we what we have what we believe in a way that will make it more likely for other people to accept it

06:32

Maybe like tonight we will offer it along with basketball Makes it more likely for the guys will come if we let them play basketball.

06:40

It's pretty simple Especially if you're offering something that that is originally foreign to people like McDonald's food

06:48

It's maybe foreign to Chinese or the gospel is foreign to people if they're not Christian.

06:53

How do you take something? This foreign to others and for which there will be some initial resistance

07:00

Some some feeling you know that this isn't quite right. You don't eat hamburgers and fries for Chinese New Year It's not what we grew up with.

07:08

How do you sell? To them what the business world calls Marketing, how do you market your product to people who see no so see no need for it?

07:21

And who at first anyway Don't want it sure we can learn from McDonald's, but we also need to remember how we're different from McDonald's So What's the difference?

07:35

This passage tells us in three parts how we're different each overlapping a bit in chapter 2 verses 12 to 17

07:42

Sincerity in chapter 3 verses 1 to 6 sufficiency and from verses 7 to 18 spirituality sincerity sufficiency

07:52

Spirituality First sincerity what makes the church different than McDonald's? Well, well, they're trying to they're trying to bridge barriers

07:59

They're trying to open up new mission fields, you know, so that commercial they're not in Singapore They actually do have a market particularly of the young people and they pretty much have them captive I mean, there's some other competitors.

08:10

There's a there's Burger King there and a few other things like that But they have any I have that they have a captive market of young Singaporeans who like American things

08:19

But they're not content with that. They want a bridge to the to the older Singaporeans So that's what that commercial is aimed at they want to they want to go into new mission fields

08:28

For what they're offering it well, and so do we but surely there is a difference Between the way they're doing things and the way we're doing things.

08:36

Is it there? After all we know and we can even tell from the commercial then McDonald's is not ultimately committed to the cause of hamburgers.

08:45

Are they? They will tell you Yeah, they want us to love Their hamburgers what they offer, but they will just gladly sell you

08:53

Chinese food if you'll buy it. I would not believe a

08:59

McDonald's executive who swore that he was dedicated to spreading the love of hamburgers around the world

09:07

That would be I think Insincere the McDonald's vision statement reads quote McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience being the best means providing outstanding quality service cleanliness and value

09:20

So that we make every customer in every restaurant smile Now that may be their their means to an end

09:28

I mean that may be like step one, but that's not whether that's not their ultimate commitment

09:33

If they're claiming that that is their ultimate commitment, I think I think they're lying That they are being insincere that they are ultimately committed their true vision

09:45

Is to make a profit they want to make money and they just found that selling hamburgers fries and coke

09:50

Are the the best ways for them to achieve that vision? I'm not very sympathetic with those who want to blame

09:57

McDonald's for the rise of obesity in our country You know blaming it McDonald's for poisoning our kids with hamburgers and coke.

10:03

They sell hamburgers fries and coke Because that's what sells if people suddenly started to want to eat kale and pita bread with celery sticks on the side and carrot juice to drink

10:17

McDonald's would waste no time in ditching their Big Macs and selling their McKale and mmm loving it.

10:25

You can see the ads right now, right? kale and pita bread McDonald's has no commitment to the food.

10:31

They sell they're only committed to what sells But Christians have to be different We have to be committed to the product that we are marketing to the to the gospel to the

10:43

Lord Jesus himself So committed that even if no one buys it

10:49

Even if everyone is offended by it. Everyone just says they they hates it our commitment will be

10:56

Sincere will be loyal to the Lord and his gospel And those first two verses being in chapter 2 verses verse 12 you see the

11:06

Apostle Paul is it was a real person With this opportunity that he said he had to preach the gospel of the district of Troas But he didn't take advantage of it because he was he was looking for his friend.

11:18

He says Titus Because he couldn't find him He moved on from Troas moved on to the next place to Macedonia in northern

11:25

Greece And he found that the Lord was behind all that behind his inability to find Titus And moving on to Troas Macedonia that the

11:34

Lord used those circumstances to further the spread of the gospel There and he gives praise to God in verse 14 that God Led him to spread the knowledge of him.

11:45

He had an open door an opportunity in Troas now the business strategy would be to take advantage of the opening seize that opportunity never mind about my friend

11:56

Titus and Start a franchise there, you know a new church But the absence of Titus made him move on and he found that God was in that to further the spread of the gospel

12:07

So rather than a kind of carefully devised plan for marketing the marketing of his product something as something strategized by skilled

12:18

Executives like the McDonald's commercial the gospel spread by God Providentially leading him first not yet in Troas Even though there was some opportunity there.

12:28

There's a market for it there now in Macedonia It's the often people who give themselves to regular witnessing personal evangelism, you know sharing the gospel

12:36

We'll tell you about the divine appointments that come across their path Perhaps there be an opening to witness to a waitress at a restaurant or a customer comes in their shop

12:47

They're able to talk to them or just an enchanted counter a coincidence There's such a thing put coincidence in quotation marks a

12:53

Christ ordered Incidents and sometimes the plans the strategies the mass mailings the marketing doesn't work

13:02

But God has appointments for you Divine appointments to which he spreads his gospel so Paul thanks

13:10

God at verse 14 for always leading him in a triumphal procession and a victory parade

13:16

His he's referring to the parades that conquering generals would have in their day when they return home from some campaign

13:22

He's celebrating that his successful mission in Macedonia Was it because of a carefully planned marketing strategy to open up a new customer base for his product?

13:31

but the product of a divine appointment as the Lord led him in a victory parade in their day a conqueror returning home from Some victory would lead his troops through the city and some captives lead captives along as part of the parade captives from wherever they had just conquered and all people all around Would come add to the celebration and they would be burning often a lot of incense so there'd be this smell

13:58

Associated with the parade now. You probably have some kind of band you have Whatever marching through the streets and you have this, you know, of course banners flying

14:07

So you have this hearing you have sight and you have this aroma that goes along with it So the celebrating to this to the celebrating spectators and the returning troops that aroma of that incense would stimulate in them feelings of euphoria of triumph of happiness we won and The scent would then be associated with victory a celebration

14:32

You know the reunion of you see you're returning son safely from the from the war your husband the soldiers themselves

14:41

Celebrating you look I made it. I'm the release of fear I'm safe back home again to the captives being led at spear point though now that was a different story or maybe they were dragged through the parade by ropes and All of this the smell of the incense would provoke in them feelings of doom

15:00

Because they knew at the end of the parade They would either be killed or sold into slavery.

15:06

And so the smell to them Was a stench Because it was associated with defeat

15:15

Possible death slavery while do the triumphant the same fragrance the same smell

15:21

Was lovely. It's an aroma like like that of a a Good cooked burger.

15:28

Ah They say loving it Paul says in verse 15.

15:34

We are the aroma of Christ to God that is to the father we

15:39

We smell like Jesus we are the aroma of Christ to God others

15:47

He that is God the father Associates us with Christ We have the clothes of his righteous and so on his his

15:55

Fragrances in them and that goes up to the father who then associates us sees us with his son

16:02

Our sense of smell of all our senses is one closely Most closely perhaps more closely than the other senses to memory and to feeling to sentiment to emotions

16:16

In the brain the part that registers smell is next to the part of of sentiment sentimental feelings an article

16:22

I read explained that what we smell is Registered both in our conscious brain, you know, we can we know what it might represent.

16:30

Hey, that's what's that? Oh, that's popcorn you associate that with maybe going to the movies Something else.

16:37

Oh, that's a skunk. Oh, that's that's roadkill in it and it triggers also

16:44

Emotions that go along with it. Maybe you some member something something pleasant a good time You had it some movie you come along with the popcorn it triggers memories and feelings and our sense of smell

16:55

Can that associated our brains with experiences? Sometimes we had many years ago and the feelings we had at the time

17:04

Once when I was jogging in Singapore in my mid -thirties Looking over a few hundred yards.

17:10

I remember to my to my left and seeing there's this apartment complex and almost Completed as being fumigated some men with Things on their back that sprayed out this fog like stuff and it just filled the whole building and the wind slight wind brought it over to me where I was across the road and I remembered when that smell came

17:32

I remembered exactly where I had smelled that before When I was a kid in my grandparents hometowns near the

17:40

Mississippi River They used to have the fogging trucks basically, they were just pickup trucks with these fogging machines in the back of it that just sprayed out these clouds of Billowing clouds of stuff probably

17:51

DDT which killed the mosquitoes It had first become popular to use in World War two where it effectively stopped malaria and other mosquito -borne diseases

18:00

And so I'm sure the troops there were were too associated that smell with being free of Malaria, I remember once smelling it in my grandparents hometowns and and I and if Just the whole experience of being there in that town remember what's riding a bicycle

18:21

I think if I can recall right behind one of the trucks yeah, the parent that the adults were trying to tell the kids get inside when the fogging truck goes by but maybe kind of a

18:31

Rambunctious boy would go out sometimes a ride right behind the truck just inhaling that stuff But because it was banned in the

18:39

USA in 1972. I could not have smelled it since that time I could not have said

18:45

I didn't really leave the country. I could not have smelled it after 1972 so there I was in Singapore think like 1995

18:53

About 25 years later over 25 years later and the smell of DDT Takes me back to those days.

19:01

I mean, why would that smell hit me? I'm on a bike in my grandparents house

19:07

Going down the road behind a fogging truck of course to many others The smell of an insecticide that got banned in the

19:15

US because it turned out to be devastating to birds It actually didn't harm people at all, but it killed birds was the smell of death

19:21

It was the smell one author famously wrote in the 1960s of a quote silent spring With no birds chirping because they had all been killed by the

19:30

DDT smell brings to us associations What is a pleasant?

19:37

soothing aroma to some could be an offensive stench To others triggered in the brain

19:43

Maybe you something you you smell from the kitchen and mind you when you were a kid Maybe some of your mother cooked. I remember that brings you back that feelings

19:51

Maybe though some people had a bad childhood that brings back bad feelings here in verse 14

19:57

The smell of the incense in the victory prayed is a smell of life and celebration to the victorious

20:04

But it's a smell of death and defeat to the prisoners. Now. What's the difference? It's the same smell

20:11

Just different associations different experiences with it Paul says the gospel is like that to those who are notice that phrase being saved

20:21

These people they are being saved a passive continuous phrase Implying that God is actively.

20:28

He's the one who is active. They are being God is acting upon them He is the one saving them

20:34

They are being saved to those people in that process of God actively saving them

20:40

They're passive about it. The aroma of the gospel is associated to them with life

20:47

They hear the gospel and they remember how that's life. That's where my life comes from It originates with life with Jesus who is the way the truth of the life and it brings us to eternal life and so it brings us the memory and the feeling of life of every good thing of Joy, and of a future and a hope you hear the gospel and you that's life.

21:10

That's what I want to hear But to those who are perishing Who are in spiritual death and who are headed to eternal death it is associated with death

21:19

They are dead in their sins And so when you when you tell them about the gospel when you tell them

21:26

God's commands it reminds them That they are dead You say repent and believe in Jesus To you that's that's life.

21:36

That's what my life came from to them They hear that and they can't do it because they're dead in their sins and it reminds them of their death

21:42

It shows them that they do not love God. They are on the broad road to destruction And so when you tell them about a

21:48

Jesus who is the Lord and judge it reminds them that they will be condemned It's the same gospel but it elicits different associations with different people all depending on Whether they are being

22:03

Saved on whether God is actively saving them So, how are we different?

22:11

Well the McDonald's way would be to change the message to suit the customer, you know Some aren't liking it as some hated some think it stinks.

22:18

Well, let's change it then if they won't go for a McFlurry Then offer a red bean pie

22:24

That's what they like give the customer what he wants if McDonald's found that a product of theirs just stank to a

22:30

Large part of their customers. They were they were trying to reach. Well, they'd change the product, right?

22:36

black pepper burger But that's where we're different. We are told right here that the gospel we are presenting is offensive to some people

22:47

It stinks to them. It gives them the creeps, you know, let's talk about sin Needing a

22:54

Lord I'll just talk about references to death We're often often referencing death someone having someone has to die for you

23:01

Their need to die to sin to be buried in death

23:06

Symbolically in baptism and eating and drinking in memory of Christ death and the

23:12

Lord's Supper. They don't want to hear that But he but we can't change it.

23:18

We just have to know that sometimes The same gospel this smells so sweet to us it makes us think all that's life

23:28

To others they think it stinks What's the difference?

23:36

the difference is We are in triumphal procession. We may not we may not be able to get everyone to like the smell of the gospel

23:43

There are perishing people who will associate it with death all the way to their death but this movement that we're in to bring the gospel to the world is

23:55

The triumphant movement McDonald's can be the world's best at marketing But in the end, you know, they won't be victorious.

24:02

They're not gonna win everybody. Not everyone is gonna bow the knee and confess McDonald's I love you

24:08

People will still want some Burger King or pizza or Mexican food or real

24:13

Chinese food They are not in triumphal procession, but we are Eventually every knee will bow and everyone will confess that Jesus is

24:23

Lord to some It will stink to say it to others

24:30

They'll be loving it What's the difference between us and McDonald's In verse 17, we are not like so many peddlers of God's Word.

24:39

We're not hucksters hawkers Salesmen who really don't care about what we're selling only interested in selling but he says as men of sincerity

24:51

Otherwise, we believe in this stuff You know, we're sorry if some people think it stinks. We still believe it.

24:57

We're not gonna change it Just because it's another message may mark it better This is not an excuse just to get together as though we could exchange

25:06

Jesus for you know, drop Jesus Teach Muhammad or Buddha and still be happy.

25:13

It's not it's not that we don't care What it takes to get people in the chairs to give to the offering just as long as they do

25:20

We sure we we do care committed to trying to win people to the gospel, but most of all we're committed

25:27

To what we're presenting to the gospel itself and we'll keep presenting it even if everyone else around us says

25:35

That stinks What's the difference We're people of sincerity we really believe and what we're offering and We aren't sufficient not by ourselves

25:51

He's asked already at the end of verse 17 verse 16 Who is sufficient for these things?

25:58

Who is sufficient to offer this gospel to win people to it? Some of the Corinthian Church were insinuating that Paul was not sufficient to be their spiritual leader.

26:07

Oh, he's not strong enough You know not assertive enough not eloquent enough Not bold enough

26:13

He's not spiritual enough He doesn't even have letters of reference from the Jerusalem Church like those super apostles do

26:21

Paul answers the question who is sufficient for these things with a reminder? We're not peddlers.

26:27

We're not marketers. We're not just salesmen We're not just telling you what you want to hear. We're not selling you.

26:33

Whatever product you want We are sincere. We are commissioned by God So before God in Christ, we speak and do you want a letter of recommendation?

26:45

You want some proof? Paul says that I really am an apostle. I'm a spiritual leader.

26:51

Well, just look at the life of some of you The proof of the pudding is in the eating look at the impact

26:57

Paul says of my life on some of you Is it that proof enough in chapter 3 verse 2 you yourselves are our letter a recommendation?

27:09

Written on our hearts to be known and read by all You are the letter

27:16

You are the proof So Paul Well now you sound like those super apostles

27:24

Boasting of yourself your sufficiency with letters of recommendation. What's the difference?

27:29

Paul what's the difference between you and the super apostles? The difference is he says in verse 2 the transform life of some of you as the letter of recommendation that you need

27:38

But as he it's not boasting because Paul doesn't say Paul doesn't say he wrote the letter

27:44

It's not as though the he by the force of his personality by his own gifts by his marketing genius able to Be all things to all people that he might win some was able to make them into the people who can testify to others

27:58

Just by their lives that they are transformed. He says in verse 3 that you Corinthians are a letter

28:06

Not for me you are you are a letter from Christ Christ wrote faith and life into your heart

28:19

So that now people looking at you can read in you something of the gospel

28:26

Christ wrote that in you Jesus did that with the Holy Spirit He took your dead heart and made it alive again.

28:33

If you wonder then where's Where's the capacity to believe come from?

28:39

Why am I able to believe in? Others aren't Why do

28:44

I hear the gospel and know that's life and others here in it death. Is it because No, I'm sufficient

28:52

I have a free will and I have the capacity to understand this and believe it and it's all up to me

28:58

I kind of I've saved myself by making the right choice. It's I'm sufficient Is it because of that is it because of our our sufficiency that we believe and accept the gospel when others can't?

29:11

or maybe it's because Some strong personality in your life.

29:16

Maybe a forceful evangelist was sufficient to craft Just just the right words that had the right impact on your emotions and he moved you to come forward and pray a prayer

29:29

Maybe it was a parent who by good examples and good words Impressed on you the faith.

29:35

Is that how you believe? Are they sufficient? No, it's because Christ Wrote that life that faith in you with the

29:48

Spirit He is in the words of Hebrews. He's the author and finisher of your faith so Who is sufficient?

29:57

To do these things to spread the gospel to write into your heart life and faith who's sufficient

30:03

Paul Billy Graham your mother me you

30:10

Any person trying to impose on you what you should believe and how you ought to live they sufficient our rules sufficient

30:21

Moralisms oughts you ought to live like this and if you do it Well, you're sufficient because you made the right choice you put in the right work.

30:29

No, we aren't Sufficient our words can't bring any life

30:35

Only the Holy Spirit can Something if we can get the kids, you know get them to pull up their pants not cuss say yes, ma 'am.

30:43

Yes, sir act, right? That will be successful Make them a

30:49

Christian that makes him a Christian if they keep these rules and so our rules are sufficient

30:57

But Paul calls that starting at verse 7 the ministry of death It doesn't produce life

31:03

It is the the letter that kills he calls it We aren't sufficient. He says in verse 5

31:09

We are so insufficient That we can't even we can't even claim anything for ourselves that we can create

31:16

You know If we can only wait many people think if we can just create the right environment the right band the right music the right words

31:23

The right presentation the right lighting the right mood the right key to break down resistance

31:29

We can get someone to believe our techniques are sufficient. No No person is sufficient to bring life and faith to hearts dead in sin who is sufficient

31:44

Not us by ourselves. He's but Paul shows us here We're not by ourselves

31:50

We are commissioned by God in chapter 2 verse 17. We have an impact on the lives of some of you

31:55

We're not the author of your faith But we are the mailman in verse 3.

32:02

You are a letter From Christ almost Christ sent you delivered by us

32:11

The one who shares the gospel is a mailman. He can't write the faith into people's hearts

32:18

No person is sufficient for that, but he can deliver the letter from Christ Now everyone is called and gifted to be an evangelist either a mass one having, you know rallies or a personal one one -on -one

32:30

But every Christian is expected to take some part in the evangelistic mission of the church as we together

32:36

Seek to deliver the letter of life and faith written by Christ to people all around us we

32:47

Can be this spiritual post office so we don't say Well, this isn't like McDonald's we're not sufficient so we're not even gonna try we're not gonna market it

32:59

We're not gonna sell it. We're not gonna present it as you know, God wants to say the heathen He'll do it himself. No the answer to the question in chapter 2 verse 16 who the question who is sufficient

33:09

It's not as simple as we think Somebody would say well, we're not sufficient. We can't do it. So we're gonna give up. No true

33:17

Only Christ said the Holy Spirit can write life and faith to the people's hearts But he says starting at the end of verse 5 our sufficiency

33:26

We can't have some sufficiency our Sufficiency is from God Who has made us sufficient?

33:34

We're not sufficient by ourselves But the good news is we're not by ourselves us together

33:41

We notice that that plural our plural Sufficiency is from God who has made us

33:47

Together you may not be sufficient individually just to be the the greatest evangelist

33:53

But together we can pool our gifts and we can be sufficient with God to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of him

34:00

How then? Do we do this? What's the difference? between the way

34:06

McDonald's markets and the ministry of the New Covenant the answer is spirituality

34:15

McDonald's uses their money, you know to buy advertisers actors that can speak

34:20

Mandarin to come up with new products Desirable to new markets and if we think well, that's just we need to be just like that We would think well what we need then is what you need more money so we can have more and better advertising.

34:32

We're gonna Well produce television shows and commercials we can hire the right talent Some think our problem is that we're not making the rules attractive enough.

34:40

That's what we need. We need better actors We need better presenters who will present our rules

34:46

Better make them look better the rules what Paul here calls the letter Not the letter written by Christ it gives life and faith, but the literal letters

34:57

Written in ink are carved in stone That rely on us to keep them keep those rules that letter something

35:06

Well, we need to learn to market those letters those rules just like McDonald's does We need slick ads like McDonald's attractive heartwarming messages to get people to see that you know

35:18

Hopefully convince people win them Sell them on the idea, you know It really is good to honor your father and mother even provide your mom a

35:26

McDonald's meal So she don't have to cook on Chinese New Year And if you're changed and if you change your life

35:32

You'd be a good family person with a little bit of a little happy religion You listen to that smiling warm preacher with his friendly advice and his nice hair.

35:40

You really can have your best life now That's the way we need to sell it Be positive whatever attracts people whatever gets 40 ,000 people into an auditorium in Houston, Texas Our problem with something is that we haven't been selling the letter, right?

35:56

But the truth is no matter how you sell it The letter kills

36:03

Somebody think well the problem then is that our rules aren't right We just have the wrong letters.

36:09

That's our problem. We need to change that. We need to keep We giving people Biblical letters letters from God rules made up by God on that debate.

36:20

I had a little over a year ago The other side the church so -called Church of Christ what they are presenting people is here's

36:26

God's rules Number one of which is get baptized you keep these rules. You will be saved

36:31

Paul calls that here the ministry of condemnation That is

36:37

That is the letter that kills Yeah, they're biblical rules The Bible really does tell us to get baptized to believe in Jesus to be part of the church

36:47

Sure, their rules are are biblical But if you think you could be saved by keeping those rules that will only lead you to death and to be exact That's exactly what

36:59

Paul is calling the ministry of death here The ministry of death was carved on stone by the finger of God it carried down from Mount Sinai by Moses Now were those laws, right?

37:11

Yes, sure they were they were from God were they glorious Yes Moses his face even glowed

37:18

From the glory of the giving of the law being in God's presence when he gave that law were they directly from God?

37:26

Yes They are even described as a ministry Did they bring life?

37:34

No Did they make people right with God? No Because people dead in their sins

37:43

Couldn't keep them. They were first a ministry of death

37:49

They exposed the fact that people who can't keep them are dead in sin and It reveals their their deadness and then in verse 9 they are a ministry of condemnation

38:04

People try to keep it to be right with God they fail and they end up being condemned

38:10

Indeed to even read the law as if it were a way to life a way to get to God a way to to win

38:17

Eternal life from God and to be in a harmonious relationship with him That that whole way of reading his word is he says in verses 14 and 15 to read it with a veil

38:31

Over your eyes. Oh, you're not really seeing what's there. You're not really understanding what it's about You're missing the point and if that's the way it is with God's law

38:42

Do you see how foolish it is? To try to bring life Maybe with our own made -up rules all about changing clothes and manners instead of hearts

38:54

What's the difference between the ministry of death and the ministry of life the difference is the

39:03

Spirit Christ himself by the Holy Spirit writes his life and faith

39:09

Into the hearts that is into the into the spirits of people Who are being saved whom he is saving and so we turn to the

39:18

Lord in verse 16 the veil over our eyes They may just think well if I only keep these rules

39:23

I get baptized I go to church I give so much money if I do that I will be Acceptable to God I will be saved

39:31

No, that's the veil that's obscuring what he is really saying if we really turn to him that veil is removed

39:38

If we are being saved and so we turn to the Lord in verse 16 that veil is removed and we see that it is not

39:44

Our good behavior. It's not our keeping the letter of the law Exerting ourselves by our own willpower to be upright and moral and religious people not that that brings us life

39:55

But it's the Holy Spirit who brings life to our dead spirits so when we see that We see the life comes from him that we're not sufficient to save ourselves by our work or by your choices when we see that We have freedom

40:14

We're free from all this this weight of rules that the ministry ministry of death used to show us that we were dead

40:21

Now we're alive and now we're free Because it's no longer laws placed on us

40:28

But it's a spirit living in us From there from the inside and he's making us into the kinds of people who now

40:36

Who want to please the father? Who want to live like the

40:43

Son? Freedom is The ability to do what you want to do notice.

40:50

He says where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom Where the gospel comes there is freedom freedom is the ability to do what you want to do

41:02

Before we were not free Before we wanted to sin. We're gonna commit immorality or covet live for chasing dollars and we

41:12

Weren't supposed to do it We couldn't do it because the law the ministry of death wouldn't let us it kept prohibiting us from doing what we wanted to do

41:19

But now we can do What we want to do because now

41:25

Because of the Spirit because of the faith that Christ has written in our hearts because now

41:33

What we want to do has changed Now we want to see first God's kingdom now

41:41

We want to love the Lord with all our hearts now We want to above all things to see the glory of the

41:50

Lord to gaze into his glory We are indeed now

41:56

Loving it So we look to him in our spirits in our hearts and we are transformed

42:04

We grow to become more like him that the life within us makes us more and more like the life -giving spirit who is the

42:13

Lord and that Is glorious it positively glows

42:20

With the presence of the Lord What's the difference between the ministry of death and the ministry of life

42:31

It's the difference between this this weight of laws that kept us from doing what we wanted to do and the uplifting

42:39

Power of the Spirit who changes what we want and makes us free to do it. What's the difference between the gospel in?

42:47

All our attempts at selling people on the idea of being moral and religious and that that's the way

42:54

To get life. Oh the difference is is great as the difference between life and death between freedom and change between love and a

43:09

Grim duty that you feel like you have to do. It's as different As a right relationship with a father and condemnation the difference is