So if you would, let's go ahead
and get started. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. 2
Corinthians chapter 3. And I'm going to read the whole
chapter. I know it's long, but I'm going
to read it all. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, starting
in verse 1. Do we begin again to commend
ourselves, or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation
to you, or letters of commendation from you? Ye are our epistle,
written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as much
as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ,
ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit
of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables
of the heart. And such trust have we through
Christ to Godward, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to
think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. who also hath made us able ministers
of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.
For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. But if the
ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious,
so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold
the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory
was to be done away. How shall not the ministration
of the Spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory. For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in disrespect by reason of the glory that exceleth. For if that which is done away
was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
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. But 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. We have here in this passage,
it talks about the ministration of death, the 10 commandments. This ministration was glorious.
That's what it says right here. But we also read in Romans 7,
12, wherefore the law was holy and the commandment holy and
just and good. But this ministration is the
ministration of death. This ministration was given by
Moses, the scripture says in John 1 17. For the law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. This is
talking about when Moses brought those tables of stone down from
the Mount the second time. The first time he brought them
down, they were broken by Moses. The children of Israel, even
though they had said they would do all the words of God, before
God was finished with Moses on that mount, they had already
broken that covenant given by God. This is that ministration
that would be done away. With that, we read that in our
text here. Now the ministration of the Spirit
is rather, or that is, it is more glorious. It has it as a
question here in our text, but it's rhetorical. The answer is
a resounding yes, it is more glorious. The ministration of
the Ten Commandments is glorious. How is it glorious? It is glorious
in that it condemns fallen sinful man. It does nothing else for
us. Not because there is a shortfall
in the commandments that God gave, but because it is weak
through the flesh. Romans 8, 3, very familiar. For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in
the flesh. But this other ministration,
that ministration of righteousness exceeds in glory. That's what I want to talk about
today, that glory that exceleth. We read in verse 11, for that
which is done away, that means it is abolished or voided. It is talking about the 10 commandments. It's very clear in this passage
that it's talking about the 10 commandments. But that glory
was to be done away with or voided. Just as an example, you know
when you write a check, maybe you put the wrong amount or the
wrong date on it, you either write voided on it or you tear
it up or both. That check is no longer usable. The law of God came from God,
the Ten Commandments. I would say they are as old as
God because God does not change or come up with any new thought.
God is eternal. But we read right here that this
was to be voided. This law is holy, just, and good. It comes from God. But we are
not holy, just, and good. In and of ourselves, we are not.
We could never keep the law as was evident by what the people
first did before Moses ever got back down off of that mountain.
The law was broken by man. So then what remains where it
says here in verse 11, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Then it says, seeing then that
we have such hope, where does our hope lie? In the glory that
exceleth. Because of this hope, we use
great plainness of speech, Paul says. What that means is we are
blunt about what we tell men when it comes to this gospel.
Now we are told what this great plainness of speech is not. It
says, 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. It goes on to say that even to
this day when the Ten Commandments are read, it says here the Old
Testament, but it's talking about the law. It's not talking about
we should only read the New Testament and not read the Old Testament.
This law was read to the people by Moses. What was the cry of
the people? This we will do. But they did
not, and neither do we in and of ourselves. There is a veil. That means anyone who reads those
commandments and you are looking at them as a way of life, you
will not see an end to those commandments as they were given
to sinful, fallen men. We cannot do them. Until you
are enabled to see that glory that exceleth, there is a veil
upon the heart, it says. Until that veil is taken away,
you will not be enabled to see the glory that exceleth. I want
to look at these things in a little more detail today, and this is
concerning these things right here. The ministration of condemnation,
that is the Old Testament, the Ten Commandments, the meaning
of it, and where did it come from, and then what is the glory
that itself. So the ministration of condemnation. Our passage is very clear on
the meaning of the ministration of condemnation, but I want to
look at it a little closer to show us from God's Word what
it is talking about. We read in verse 7 of our text,
but if the ministration of death written and engraven in stones,
here in this verse it's called the ministration of death. It
means servant of death. What it brings with it as it
concerns sinful fallen man is death. It also says here, written
and engraven in stones. Two stone tablets to be exact,
written on both front and back. Exodus 32, 15 and 16 we read. And Moses turned and went down
from the mount and the two tables of the testimony were in his
hand. The tables were written on both sides. On the one side
and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work
of God. And the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the
tables. We have witnessed right here
to what the scripture means when it's talking about this ministration.
It is very clear it is talking about the 10 commandments, but
it's not just talking about the 10 commandments. It's talking
about all of God's commandments that go along with it. It's talking
about what Moses wrote down. What Moses wrote down included
the Ten Commandments, but it also had many more commandments
that went along with it. Second Corinthians 3.3 we read,
for as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, not with what Moses
wrote down, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables
of stone, not the Ten Commandments, but in fleshy tables of the heart. This is very clear here. This
means what it says and says what it means. But we have scripture
that tells us these two things. It's verified by scripture itself.
That is, that these were written down by Moses and then written
on those two tables. Exodus 24, four, we read. And
Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and rose up early in
the morning and built an altar under the hill and 12 pillars
according to the 12 tribes of Israel. We read from around Exodus
24 until about Exodus 24 where God gave Moses the law, the 10
commandments and more. Moses wrote them all down it
says. So the law of God, including
the 10 commandments, were written down by Moses. We have it all
right here in our hands, all right here in our hands. You
can look back here in the Old Testament, the first five books
of the Old Testament, Moses wrote those. Some of us even have it
on our phones. We have what Moses wrote down
concerning what God told him, but we also read in Exodus 31,
18. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing
with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of
stone, written with the finger of God. So God wrote them on
the tables of stone. This is what is called in our
text, the Old Testament. When the scripture, especially
talking about in the New Testament, when it talks about the law,
it is talking about the 10 commandments. God's law was not piecemeal.
I mean by that, some of it was given as a covenant and some
was not. That's not the way it was done.
It's all one whole. All of it is included in the
covenant. And Jesus Christ even narrowed this down to two. Two
covered the whole thing. God's law, including the Ten
Commandments were given as a covenant to the people. And this is what
they said, Exodus 24, seven. And he took the book of the covenant
and read in the audience of the people. And they said, all that
the Lord has said, will we do and be obedient. They did not. In fact, Moses was still communing
with God, and they had already disobeyed his commandment, which
they said they would do. Exodus 32, verses seven through
nine, we read, and the Lord said unto Moses, go, get thee down,
for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have
corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly
out of the way which I commanded them. They have made them a molten
calf and have worshiped it and have sacrificed therein too and
said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses,
I have seen this people and behold, it is a stiff necked people. They did not keep it and neither
do we keep it. Now back to second Corinthians
verse nine. 2 Corinthians 3 and verse 9. For the ministration of condemnation
be glory, we read in the first part of that verse. This word
means sentencing adversely. It pronounces a sentence of death
on me. The ministration of condemnation
is the ministration of death. It pronounces a sentence of death
on me. Now, another point I want to
make in talking about this law, we can see that this law was
given to Moses by God. But what does
God tell us in his word? I have to go by what his word
tells me in all things, not what I surmise from scripture with
mental gymnastics. John 117, we read, for the law
was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The old covenant, the Old Testament
was given to sinful fallen man. That covenant which is weep through
the flesh, the commandment is holy, just and good, but it is
weep through the flesh. We cannot keep God's law, that
law given by Moses, Galatians 3.19, it says, wherefore then
serveth the law? It says, it was added because
of transgressions. Is Paul, in talking to these
Galatians, talking about the Ten Commandments? Absolutely. In fact, in most places in the
New Testament, you hear the law being spoken of, it includes
the Ten Commandments. Now, I haven't studied that completely
out, so there may be a place where it's specifically talking
about one law or one, you know, some particular commandment.
But in most cases, when the law is spoken of in the New Testament,
it is all-inclusive, meaning it consists of the Ten Commandments
and all the other hundreds of commands that go along with it.
Yes, sir. What about in Galatians, where we just read? Does it tell
us what law it is talking about? Galatians 3 verses 16 through
18 we read, now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds as
of many, but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say that the covenant
that was confirmed before of God in Christ, that's talking
about the promise he just mentioned, this being the covenant made
by the three in one, that's the promise. The law, which was 430
years after, cannot disannul that it should make the promise
of none effect. For if the inheritance be of
the law, it is no more of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by
promise. Some men say that those who say
we do not walk after the law and specifically the 10 commandments
are antinomians. I will take that accusation as
true concerning myself. Because God tells me in Romans
7 verse 4, wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the
law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring
forth fruit unto God. I am dead to the law, the ten
commandments If I'm dead to the law, then how are the Ten Commandments?
How do I interact with the Ten Commandments? If you are dead
to something, you have no interaction with it. Paul is talking about
the Ten Commandments in Romans 7, because he goes on to say
in Romans 7, verse 7, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known
sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except
the law had said, thou shalt not covet. Is that not one of
the Ten Commandments? Read Exodus 20, 17. You'll see
that it is. So now in Galatians 3, verses
10 and 11, for as many as are of the works of the law are under
the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continue
with not in all things which are written in the book of the
law to do them, but that no man is justified by the law in the
sight of God, it is evident, for the just shall live by faith. If you want to talk about a way
of life to a believer, then at the very least, you should be
talking about faith being the way of life for a believer. Faith
is of God, if you have that faith. That faith being authored and
perfected by Jesus Christ always looks to Him who is our life. I will stay away from mental
gymnastics and stick with plainness of speech. that is blunt and
straightforward about what God says in his word. The law was
made void, that law which Moses wrote down and that law which
was written on tables of stone, the 10 commandments. How was
it made void? There is a glory that excelleth. Second Corinthians three verses
nine and 10 we read. For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness
exceed in glory. For even that which was made
glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory
that exceleth. The ministration of righteousness
Matthew 6, verse 33, we read, but seek ye first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you. This ministration is a ministration
that is servant to righteousness. Christ being our righteousness,
then those who have been given this ministration are servant
unto Jesus Christ. Romans 6, 18 says, Being then
made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
Jesus Christ is our righteousness. The gospel that we preach reveals
the righteousness of God. He tells us who he is and what
he has done in the gospel. Right there are the only works
I'm concerned about when it comes to my salvation that I want to
know about. Those are some works that excel
in glory. First Corinthians 1.30 says,
but of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom
and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Moses was enabled
by God to see this glory, this glory that exceleth. Exodus 33.19,
it says, and he said, I will make all my goodness pass before
thee. and I will proclaim the name
of the Lord before thee and will be gracious to whom I will be
gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. He
then put Moses in, you know the account, he put Moses in the
cleft of the rock and then covering his face until he has passed
by. And then God removing his hand in front of his face, Moses
saw the glory of God. He saw Jesus Christ pass by. In Galatians 3, 19 through 22
we read, wherefore then serveth the law. It was added because
of transgressions till the seed should come to whom the promise
was made. And it was ordained by angels
in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator
of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises
of God? God forbid. For if there had
been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might
be given to them that believe. Chapter 34 of Exodus, God tells
Moses to hewn out two more tables of stone, like the first, and
God said he would write the law on them like he did the first. God then tells Moses where everything
was to be placed. Exodus 25, 19 through 21 we read. And make one cherub, there's
other, more to this, but I'm just limiting it down to these
three verses. and make one cherub on the one end and the other
cherub on the other end. Even of the mercy seat shall
ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims
shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat
with their wings. And their faces shall look one
to another. Toward the mercy seat shall the
faces of the cherubims be. And thou shalt put the mercy
seat above, upon the ark, And in the ark thou shalt put the
testimony, the 10 commandments on those tables of stone that
I shall give thee. The testimony, that is the 10
commandments on the tables of stone, that second set of tables
because the first were broken. But these were placed in a specific
place. Where? In the ark. Those tables
of stone were placed in the ark and the mercy seat sat above
on top of the ark. Why was this done? Does this
tell us that we keep the law of God in some way? Well, yeah. We kept the law in Jesus Christ. He kept the law for us because
we cannot keep his law. But the mercy of God and him
that sits upon that throne of mercy is the only way we will
ever be righteous in keeping the law. Matthew 5.17 says, think
not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am
not come to destroy, but to fulfill. He did. In doing so, he made
the first covenant void. He done away with the first because
he kept that law for me so that I might be made the righteousness
of God in him. after him being made sin and
a curse for me, because the wages of sin is death, and I have sinned,
and Christ took care of that in my stead. What mercy is that? He was the perfect sacrifice. He kept the law every jot and
tittle, but our sins had to be paid for so that he was made
a curse and sin for us. He now sits not on that earthly
mercy seat, but on that throne which is above, where he is seated
at the right hand of the Father on high, making intercession
for us. That is that glory that exceleth. Now I want to go back to Galatians
a minute, Galatians 3, 19. We read, wherefore then serveth
the law? It was added because of transgressions,
till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, and
it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. The promise
spoken of by Paul in verse 16, that is the promise of the coming
Messiah, he is that seed spoken of. He has come and it is he
that is the mediator. That one being God, the three
in one. God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit in covenant relationship together as one.
It is Jesus Christ who is the mediator, that go-between, that
one that stands in the gap, our kinsman redeemer, bringing us
to God by himself. So now back to our text, 2 Corinthians
3, 3, we read, for as much as ye are manifestly declared to
be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink,
but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone,
but in fleshy tables of the heart. There comes a time when the Spirit
of God will come to us in power, giving us life from God. Not
that old Adamic heart, which is deceitful above all things,
and it is desperately wicked, but the giving of a new heart,
this heart being taught of God, this heart having the fruit of
the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3 15 we read, but
even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their
heart. The veil is upon the heart, the
old Adamic heart, until God by His Spirit gives them a new heart,
which will then turn to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3, 16 and 17, we
read, nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, that is that
heart, that new heart, the veil shall be taken away. Now the
Lord is that spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there
is liberty. Liberty to serve Jesus Christ,
to believe Jesus is the Christ, to believe Christ. Second Corinthians
3.18 goes on to say, but 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. That
is that glory that excels. Jesus Christ, our only hope. He is our salvation. He is our
all and in all. Going back to what I said in
the introduction, 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. Looking at that law of God and
trying to walk after that law, you will miss Jesus Christ. Him who abolished that law. If you are looking to the law
in any way as being a part of your salvation, That is you keeping
this law for any part in your salvation, then you have a veil
on your heart. Romans 10, four says, for Christ
is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes. What
glory can be seen there? Jesus Christ did everything necessary
to reconcile me to God. Reconcile you to God if you're
in Christ. If you cannot understand what
I'm telling you, I cannot help you. In fact, I cannot help you
if you do understand. Our sufficiency is not of ourselves. We read that in our text in verse
five. Not that we are sufficient of
ourselves to think anything of ourselves, but our sufficiency
is of God. The law of God, the 10 commandments
have been voided by Jesus Christ. We are freed from that law. We
are dead to that law, the Ten Commandments. We have liberty
in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3, 17 says, now
the Lord is that spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty. We have liberty in Christ Jesus,
but we are told not to use our liberty as an occasion to the
flesh. I'm gonna give a quote that Walter
gave, and I hope I get it right. I may get it a little wrong,
and I'm not sure who it was from, but this quote says, a man that
ties is a legalist. A man that doesn't is a rebel.
God gives us his fruit. When he gives us life, we have
the fruit of the spirit. And there is no law against those
fruits. And we know that love is one
of those fruits. Jesus Christ is that glory that
excelleth. Why would you want to glory anywhere
else? The law is a glory, but it is
a glory that God tells us that has been done away with by Jesus
Christ. He is that glory that excelleth.
And if you're looking to anything else, and especially the 10 commandments,
you have a veil on your heart. Where do we meet God at? And
I'll close with this in Exodus 25 verses 21 through 22. Where
do we meet God at? And thou shalt put the mercy
seat above upon the ark. And in the ark thou shalt put
the testimony that I shall give thee, the Ten Commandments. Remember,
this was the second set of tables of stone after the first set
was broken. But the testimony is to be placed
in the ark of the covenant, the covenant made by the three in
one. What does it say in verse 22? And here is where we meet
God. And there, And there I will meet
with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy
seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the
testimony of all things which I will give thee in commandment
unto the children of God. God will meet us at his mercy
seat, Jesus Christ. There is no other place where
God will meet us. Amen. Dear old God, thank you for allowing
us the strength, the ability to be able to stand here and
speak your words, dear Lord. We're such fallen, sinful creatures. We know nothing. Teach us, dear
Lord, by your spirit. Be with those that are out there.
We have some among us that are sick. Dear Lord, look to them
to heal them of their infirmities, help them through in whatever
way you see fit. Be with us as we travel, whoever
we might be, whenever it might be when we travel to keep us
safe. Be with others that are out there
that are trying to hold forth the gospel of your son, Jesus
Christ. Be with them. May they have boldness
and the ability, the strength to do this very same thing that
you are allowing us to do, dear Lord. All these things we ask
in Christ's name, amen.