2 Corinthians 3, and through
the end of the chapter, but we'll look mostly tonight at verse
12. Seeing then that we have such
hope, we use great plainness of speech. And not as Moses,
which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could
not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. But
their minds were blinded, for until this day remaineth the
same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament.
which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when
Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless, when
it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now
the Lord is that spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. Though we all with open face,
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit
of the Lord. Let's talk a little bit about
the previous chapter now. Paul writes of such hope in verse
12, or the previous verses of this chapter. He's writing about
such hope, and the hope that he refers to is the hope of the
new covenant. That's what he's just been writing
about, the new covenant, and how the glory of that covenant
excels the glory of the old. Though God's holiness is shown
in the old, his justice, his righteousness are shown, and
even under the old covenant, his mercy was revealed. While
Moses was yet on Sinai, God said, make a mercy seat. But the new
covenant doesn't say this do and live. It says, I will and
you shall. God in the new covenant, in the person
of his son has met all of the terms of the covenant and all
of the blessings of that covenant, the new covenant are in him.
And so that's the such hope that he's talking about here. Our
Lord Jesus said at the last supper, that the new covenant is in my
blood. This cup is the new covenant
in my blood. That's all of the terms of the
covenant of grace fulfilled when our Savior gave himself on Calvary
for us. That's what that says. The new
covenant is in my blood. The new covenant is ratified,
fulfilled, all of its terms met. It's successful, whereas the
old, there was fault with it. but the new covenant is successful
because of the blood of Christ, because of Him being our righteousness
and Him being our sin offering. In the covenant of Christ and
His precious blood, we have such hope that we cannot possibly
mess it up. You see that word such, what
it means, it's such hope. It's an unfailing hope. We can't possibly mess that up. The whole success of this covenant,
the new covenant, the covenant of grace, rests on the faithfulness
of Christ and not on the sinner in any way. We cannot do anything
to forfeit the blessings of this covenant because it does not
look to our doing at all. It looks to Christ and what he
did. That's what he said, I will, and then the result of him doing
is you shall. You shall come to me, all that
the father giveth me, that's him doing, shall come to me,
you shall. If God gave you to his son in
the covenant of grace, then you shall come to him. The whole success of it, it looks
to Christ and what he has done For us, nothing is required of
you in this covenant. And it's a good thing. Don't
you think? It's a good thing that God doesn't
require anything of you in this covenant. Turn with me to Hebrews chapter
eight. Hebrews 8 verse 7, for if that
first covenant had been faultless, the old covenant, the covenant
of law, the covenant of these are my commandments, do this,
don't do that, and everything will be fine. If there hadn't been a fault,
if that first covenant had been faultless or successful, then
there should no place have been sought for the second. Why do
we need a new covenant? If we can just walk an aisle
and get right with God, why do we need the blood of Christ? We can just repeat a prayer after
somebody. If there's something we can do,
then what do we need a new covenant for? For finding fault with them. He's gonna reveal the problem
with the first covenant and how that the second solves that problem
very clearly in this passage. For finding fault with them,
he saith. There was no fault with the covenant.
He found fault with the covenant because he found fault with them.
The covenant itself could not be successful because of you
and me. Finding fault with them, he saith,
behold, the day is come, saith the Lord, when I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel. Who's the them? The house
of Israel. Having a problem with them, what
the law could not do and that it was weak to the flesh. God
sent his son to do it. and with the house of Judah,
not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of
the land of Egypt." God took them by the hand and led them
and stayed with them and provided for them and they still couldn't
keep the old covenant. What advantage hath the Jew?
Much every way, but there's no difference in Jew and Gentile
for all are concluded under sin. But look, here's the problem
with the first one, because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. They rose up, they
rebelled, they murmured, they were stiff-necked. They still hated God, just like
we do, until God does something about it. It's just that simple. They blamed God, they complained
against God, they opposed God, they hardened their necks against
God, Oh, but here's the new one. You're not gonna be able to not
continue in this one. Or you would. You would. I would. If this one could fail,
it would. If it rested on us, it would,
it does. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel after those days, saith the Lord. I will. You see that? That's how it starts.
I will. Here's what I'm gonna do. The old covenant says, what
are you going to do? Here's the law, what are you
going to do? I will put my laws into their mind and write them
in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall
be to me a people. Now they're still not going to
be able to keep the law, but they're going to say with Paul,
the law is good. The law is good. The law is right. In condemning me, it's right
to do that. And I would keep the law. I want to. I don't have
any way to do it as a sinner in this flesh. Finding that other
law in my members, I can't do it. How to perform that, which
I would, I find not. But I'm gonna put it in their
hearts. What did Paul say? I love the law of God after the
inward man. That's not true by nature. That's
a term of the new covenant that Christ accomplished for us. His
law is in our heart. I love the law of God after the
inward man, but I still can't do it, so what else is involved
in that covenant? And they shall not teach every man his neighbor,
and every man his brother, saying, know the Lord, for all shall
know me from the least to the greatest. Now he's not saying,
again, we've talked about this before, he's not saying that
people aren't gonna teach their children about the Lord, that's
what we're doing right now. we're teaching our children and our
grandchildren who God is and who Christ is and what he did
for sinners. But he's saying this, that was
all they had then under the old covenant without the spirit,
without the gospel, which there was gospel then, but he's talking
about the old covenant here strictly. He's saying the only way you
could know that is by word of mouth. And it's not that word
of mouth is still not used, but here's the thing. It's not gonna
depend on that. You will have to hear it. You're
gonna have to hear it. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. But he's gonna see to it that
all shall know him. Every one of them. All shall
know me from the least to the greatest. Because we don't just
need to hear it from Papaw. We need to hear it from him.
And that's what happens in the new covenant. We're gonna hear
it from him. We're gonna hear the gospel by
the voice of Christ and his Holy Spirit through the preaching
of the gospel. My sheep hear my voice, he said. And that's
still true. You'll hear his voice when the
gospel's preached. In your heart, I can't speak
to your heart. But this is how he does it. This is how he promised
to do it. From the least to the greatest,
every one of them are gonna know me. They're gonna know me, because
I'm gonna teach them. Doesn't it say in another place
that they all shall be taught of God? Not just Memo, you know. I'm
glad that my Memo knew the Lord as far as I believe she did,
and that she told me about him many times. She'd sing. But you
got to hear from God, and that happens in the new covenant,
all right? Here's the third part of the
New Covenant. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses. What
are they gonna hear about? Mercy. Come, let us reason together,
saith the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow. The good news is there's mercy
with God. in Christ Jesus, our Lord, in
their sins, in their iniquities, well, I remember no more. How
to perform that which is good, I find not. And I'm not happy
about it, I'm not proud of that, but it's fine because He did.
He performed it perfectly for me, as me. as my substitute,
as my great high priest, as my representative before God, my
Adam, my second Adam. And God remembers him no more.
No more. In that he saith a new covenant,
he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxen
old, waxen old is ready. to vanish away. Now we have such
hope in this new covenant, in Christ's precious blood, because
the one who stands for us before God is the invincible son of
God. Because of his power to save,
we have not just hope, but such hope, such hope. Turn with me to Psalm 89. Let's
look at some scripture tonight. Psalm 89. 15 verse 15 So many what are we talking about
the invincible Son of God it can't fail There was fault with
the first covenant because it depended on us, but the new covenant
depends on him. And so it's such hope Because
it depends on him And he cannot fail. He shall not fail. He did
not fail. He is the invincible champion
of our souls. And listen to it. Blessed is
the people that know the joyful sound, that know the gospel,
the good news. They shall walk, O Lord, in the
light of that countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice
all the day, and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou
art the glory of their strength, and in thy favor our horn shall
be exalted, our power. For the Lord is our defense,
and the Holy One of Israel is our King." You see what character
he's speaking of him in here, in the matter of salvation? Then
thou spakest in vision to the Holy One and saidst, I have laid
help upon one that is mighty. That's why our hope is such hope,
because help, the need, the dilemma was placed in the hands of one
that can fail. I have exalted one chosen out
of the people. I have found David my servant.
And often you'll find that Christ is referred to as David because
he was David's son and David's Lord. With my holy oil have I
anointed him, with whom my hand shall be established, mine arm
also shall strengthen him. The very arm of God, the power
of God that said my hand is not shortened, that it cannot save.
That's Christ. The enemy shall not exact upon
him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him, and I will beat
down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him.
But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him, and in my
name shall his power be exalted. And I will set his hand also
in the sea and his right hand in the rivers. That these right
hand, arm, that's power. That's what we're talking about.
He shall cry unto me, thou art my father, my God, and the rock
of my salvation. Also, I will make him my firstborn
higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for
him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. That's
what we're talking about, the covenant. It's immovable, how? With him. Help is laid upon one
that is mighty. Our hope in Christ is sure because
he is the sinless substitute. What was wrong? What fault was
found with the old covenant? My sin. The covenant was this
do, keep the law of God. The definition of sin is transgression
against the law of God. And so under this covenant, it's
sure because no sin. Because there was no guile found
in his mouth. The law demanded in Exodus 12,
five, listen to this. Exodus 12, five, your lamb shall
be without blemish. You see how that just assumes
that you have a lamb? Your lamb shall be without blemish.
Oh, a lamb. Yeah, a lamb. Tonight, what about
your lamb? Who is your lamb? You're not
gonna come before God with that one. Never have been able to
and never will be able to. Your lamb shall be without blemish.
A male of the first year, you shall take it out from the sheep
or from the goats and you shall keep it up until the 14th day
of the same month. And the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they
shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and
on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall eat
the Passover lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish. That's the new covenant. The
bondage of Egypt pictures the old covenant. You've gotta make
bricks, but we're not gonna give you any straw to make them with.
That's us by nature. Here's the law, you've got to
keep it, and we have no resources within ourselves to accomplish
that. But the new covenant is in the Passover lamb, the blood
of the Passover lamb. When I see the blood, I'll pass
over you. No judgment. The justice of God is already
satisfied. where the blood of the lamb is,
because why? Your lamb shall be without blemish,
without blemish. Our Redeemer was born of a virgin
who did not know a man when she conceived and bear a child. And the scripture says that holy
thing that was born of her is called the Son of God. That's
who we're talking, that holy thing. Did your Savior suffer
for your sins, the just for the unjust that he might bring us
to God? that you have such hope, hope that can never be eclipsed,
not by your sin, not by any charges brought against you, not by Satan
and all the devils of hell, not by the very sin you commit as
you walk this earth now, not by your own black heart, which
even now is so full of unbelief. We have in the crucified Christ,
the surest, of hopes, the only real hope that a sinner has.
Every other hope is false because the blood of that covenant, think
about it. It's a sure, it's such a hope
because the blood of that covenant defines what love is. You know
that in the scripture. There's no good definition of
love in Webster's dictionary, but you'll find it in the word
of God here in Islam. Not that we love God. Our love
has nothing to do with true love. as defined in the scripture.
Our love for God is full of sin and unbelief and fickle. But here's love, that he loved
us and sent his son to be our sin offering. That's the definition. Christ
crucified is the definition of love. And because the blood of
that covenant defines what love is, and nothing shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord. That's such hope. We have in
the crucified Christ, the surest of hopes, the only real hope.
And we speak as we do with such great plainness of speech because
of the suchness of that hope. And in speaking of this great
plainness, it is my hope that I will be greatly plain in telling
about it. Because here's why. Why do we
use great plainness? Because of the hope that we have,
because it's a vital hope. It is a vital hope. That's why
we're so plain spoken about it. A surgeon is so precise in what
he does. He goes to school for a long
time and practices and knows what to do in every vein. And
he's so precise in that. Why? Because it's a life and
death matter when he goes to work. It's life and death. And in speaking of the Lord Jesus
Christ, our disease is incurable except by these means. That's the only way. It pleased
God to do it like this. And that's why we use great plainness
of speech. The problem with the false anti-Christ,
free will, little g gospel of this world is that it confuses
what's very simple. They're over there trying to
reconcile our anonymity and our free will and we're the master
of our own fate and all that with the sovereignty of God.
You're never gonna figure that out because part of that's completely
false. And that is that we have a free
will and that we have any anonymity from God, that we have any independence
whatsoever. God is independent. But I'm not,
I'm dependent in every way. Right now, I'm able to exploit
that dependence. I'm able to enjoy that which
I utterly depend upon from God. And in spiritual things, it's
even more necessary. One thing is just really necessary.
That's why I always tell you now, you think, well, it's necessary
for us to have water. I'm glad we have water, don't
you? But if you have Christ, you don't need water. You just don't. And if you don't
have him, water's not gonna help you. Well, I can only live a
little while. Yeah, but we're talking about
another kind of life now. We're talking about another kind
of life. One thing is needful, one thing. He is our necessary
food. Our disease is incurable except
by the gospel we preach. The word of God is able to make
a sinner wise unto salvation, and nothing else can, because
this is the gospel of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sin is vast, and the remedy
is precise, simple, and plain, but easily mixed into a deadly
potion. whose consequence is eternal
life and death. The scriptures are clear about
this. Galatians, turn with me to some scripture here. Galatians
1.6. I'm not gonna be long. We're gonna look at a few scriptures.
Galatians 1.6. I marvel that you were so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another
gospel, which is not another. There's no alternate gospel.
It's a false gospel. But there'd be some that trouble
you and would pervert the gospel of Christ. You see, that's the
problem. It's simple. It's plain. But the perversion of it is not.
It's complicated. The Catholics have made it into
all kinds of weird stuff that nobody even knows what it means.
That's complicated. I don't care what it means, because
by God's grace, the simplicity that is in Christ, He is the
one thing needful. We preach Christ and Him crucified. That's not complicated. That's
not complicated. It's so clear and plain that
the way that God gave us to remember Him, you'd think we would have
to, you know, repeat all these, what do they call them, catechisms
and stuff like that to remember him? No, just break up some bread
and put some wine in cups. That's how we remember him. And
we partake of those things. It's not Christ on the table.
It's not Christ offered. It's Christ received by his grace,
by grace through faith that he gives. How can you mess that
up? We will, we do. But when He reveals to you the
simplicity that's in Christ, He's the mighty Savior now. He
don't try. He don't offer. Galatians 1,
did we read the whole passage? which is not another verse seven,
but there be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel
of Christ, but though we or an angel from heaven preach any
other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed. Is that simple enough? This hope
is vital. It's a vital hope in so much
that if it's perverted in any way, if it's changed, the Lord
said if you add anything or take anything away from the words
of this prophecy, all of the plagues in this book will be
added unto you and your name will be taken out of the book
of life. That's what we're talking. You see why He said we use great
plainness of speech? Because this hope is vital. It's
vital. 2 Corinthians 11. Let's see, let's
look at a little bit more here. At verse nine, as we said before,
in the previous verse, so say I now again, if any man preach
any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him
be accursed, for do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please
men? For if I yet pleased men, I should
not be the servant of Christ. Sinners want to hear about themselves,
what they need to do, what they can do, what they should do.
What if they do, they'll be saved. It's not after man. I certify
you, verse 11, the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man. He didn't learn it from man.
It's not about man. It's about God and who he is
and what he did. It's not what you need to do.
It's what he accomplished on Calvary. Second Corinthians 11. It's just a few pages back. Second Corinthians 11, two. This is a great plainness of
speech now, isn't it? If anybody says anything else,
it's not, well, let's weed through all of the error and let's see
what they're all saying, what brand of error it is. No, no,
if it's anything else, if it's anything else, there's
Christ and there's antichrist. There's the gospel and there's
any other gospel that any man would preach. Let him be accursed.
That's it. We're not gonna make a lifetime
study out of figuring out all the different error and knowing
how to expound on it. No, not interested if it's not
Christ crucified. It's not just a waste of time,
it's poison. Look at verse two. For I am jealous
over you with godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means,
as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your mind should
be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. By any means. It doesn't matter what they call
it. Methodism, baptism, it doesn't matter. They can even call it the gospel,
but if it's not this gospel, the gospel of the mighty Savior,
the gospel of invincible love of the Savior. Now, look at Romans 11 with me. Verse five. Romans 11, five, even so then
at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the
election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no
more of works. God chose them, loved them, elected
them because he wanted to, because he loved them, not because of
anything they did, in thought, word, or deed, or didn't do.
Otherwise, it's no more grace. Grace is no more grace, but if
it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work, There's
no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained
that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it,
and the rest were blinded. Now, why didn't Israel obtain
that which they sought for? And why did the elect obtain
it, even though they didn't seek for it? Romans 9, 30. Turn back to Romans
9, verse 30. He's already stated that, and
he refers to it where we just read in Romans 11. So he stated
it here in Romans 9.30. What shall we say then that the
Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, they had
their own gods. They had no interest in the God
of Israel or his word or anything about him. They opposed and tried
to kill the Israelites every chance they got. But what we
say then, that the Gentiles which followed not, they've attained
a righteousness, even the righteousness which is a faith, a faith, faith
that Christ is the author and finisher of, faith that's the
fruit of the spirit, faith that is not of yourselves, it's the
gift of God, not of works lest any man should vote. That's how
they did it. Their works were contrary. God deliberately chose the most
wretched and saved them by grace through
faith. But look, but Israel, which followed
after the law of righteousness, and they were proud of it, hath
not attained to the law of righteousness. They didn't succeed in keeping
the law. Surprise. Wherefore, because they sought
it not by faith in Christ, but as it were by the works of the
law, for they stumbled at that stumbling stone. That stumbling
stone is Christ. He's our law-keeping, or we don't
have any. He's our righteousness, or we don't have any. He's our
acceptance with God, or we don't have it. This is why we renounce works
religion and we do so often and very plainly. And call it out for the anti-Christ
freewill nonsense that it is. Why? Because we would be plain
about this. We wanna be clear about it. Now,
Galatians 5, one through six, I'm just about done. I know,
I think it's gonna be a long night, but it's gonna be all
right. I accuse you all of that, and you're probably sitting there
not even thinking about that. I don't want to accuse you of
anything, but I am conscious of your time, and I try to be. But this, of all the things that
we do in this world, may God speak to us and encourage our souls in the hope
that we have in Christ. Galatians 5, one through six,
stand fast therefore in the liberty. Remember the Lord said, if the
sun shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Stand fast
in that liberty. Don't let anybody put the yoke
of bondage back on you. wherewith Christ hath made us
free. And be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold,
I, Paul, saying to you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing. And he said that, and he's fixing
to explain very clearly what he was saying when he said that,
but he said that to shock the Jews into realizing what this
is. If you are circumcised, Christ
shall profit you nothing. Because he's saying that because
the Jews by and large, by a great majority, were circumcised in
keeping of the law, and they trusted in their law keeping.
And that's what he's gonna talk about. Look at verse two. Behold,
I, Paul, say unto you that if you be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing. For I testify again to every
man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole
law, Christ is come of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are
justified by the law. If you're being circumcised by
the way that just about every Jew was being at that time and
throughout history, to justify yourself before God, to say,
look how obedient I am, God's gonna accept me, there's no hope
for you. Christ shall profit you nothing. You are fallen from grace. That
doesn't mean you can be a object of God's grace and forfeit that
somehow. That means you are fallen from a standing of grace before
God. You're on a standing of the law, footing of the law,
and you've got to keep the whole law. If you trust in any of your
law keeping, it better be perfect. Verse five, for we through the
Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness. What is righteousness? Law-keeping.
He hadn't changed the subject. Law-keeping. We hope that we're
righteous before God, that we've kept the law by faith in Christ,
by looking to Him as our law-keeper, by looking to Him as our righteousness, perfection before God, our acceptance
with God. For in Christ Jesus, neither
circumcision availeth anything nor uncircumcision. Well, I was
circumcised, you know, I kept the law of God. That doesn't
avail you anything with God. Or if you say, well, I wasn't
circumcised because I know. Well, that doesn't help you either.
I know better than that, you know. But do you know who? Martha knew
what? He shall rise again in the resurrection.
But the Lord had to teach her something more than that, didn't
he? I am, I am. What matters, what works, what's
successful, what God gives in order to save a sinner is faith
which worketh, which desires, as Paul said in Romans 7, to
keep the law of God. It's the desire of my heart,
but not for righteousness, but because I love him. Because by his grace, I love
him because he first loved me. Now let me briefly say something
that's got to be said. In speaking of our hope in Christ,
Paul writes of that glory that excelleth. So that's why this
is such hope. This is why we use such great
plainness of speech, because this is a matter of the glory
of God. Don't you find it to be so? You
who know the Lord, do you find it to be utterly dishonoring
and despicable and blasphemous for somebody to say, God's trying,
He really wants to save you, but it may not happen. It may
not happen. You're gonna have to get on board
with it. Where's the glory of God in that? The glory of God in Christ and
His cross is the greatest revelation there is of the glory of God.
So we're very plain about that because in our hearts cry, not
unto us, Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. We're
plain because any deviation from this gospel and the glory of
God is missed. The glory of God is slandered.
The glory of God is blasphemed and opposed. To say that man
has to do something to make what Christ did effectual is an obliteration
of the glory of God in terms of perceiving it and declaring
it, not in actual diminution of it. But in glorifying Him
in it, we plainly declare that man is altogether sinful and
helplessly impotent in that state. Not only is it true that you
cannot not sin, The only thing you can do is sin. There's no
righteousness, there's nothing good in us, no not one. In us
by nature dwelleth no good thing. We plan to declare that, and
there's nothing we can do about it. With men, it is impossible. You see how simple that is? to say that man has to do something. We plainly declare that man is
helplessly impotent. When we were yet without strength,
he didn't say when we didn't have that much strength, when
we didn't have any, when we couldn't lift a little finger toward God,
what did God do about it? He gave his only son. When we
were yet without strength, Christ died for the ungodly. That's
the gospel. Christ accomplished salvation
fully for his elect. He is himself salvation. Anyone who denies that plain
message doesn't have such a hope as we do. Because they're hoping
in their decisions, their will, their self-distinguishing behavior,
and that's a false hope. We preach Christ because God's
glory is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We preach grace
and not works because the great glory that God reveals of himself
to Moses and to us is I will be gracious to whom I will. None but those given faith by
God to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ have ever seen God's glory.
That's the only way you can. And this is such hope and we
use great plainness of speech because Christ is so unspeakably
glorious in his perfect righteousness, in his perfect Victory on the
cross, the death that he accomplished, the holiness, justice, mercy,
and love that shines forth in his wonderful face. We ask with Moses tonight, Lord,
show us your glory. And there's a reason why this
gospel is called the glorious gospel of the blessed God. And in that, bless his name,
he does show us his glory. And it's in the face of his son.
Thank God he does. Thank God. Let's pray.