Let's turn in our Bibles today
to 2 Corinthians chapter 3. 2 Corinthians chapter 3. Do we begin again to commend
ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles
of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You
are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all
men. For as much as you 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 as 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 this respect by reason
of the glory that excelleth. 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. I have four truths that I want
to bring to us this morning from this chapter, four truths that
the Apostle Paul declared. First, God, or Paul rather, declares
that God's preachers are new covenant ministers. I want you
to notice that in verse 6, where he said, who also hath made us
able ministers of the New Testament. Paul declares that God's preachers
are new covenant ministers. The apostle Paul, along with
Silas and Timothy, who God used in bringing the gospel to the
city of Corinth, they were new covenant ministers. The word
testament, as you see in your New Testament here, in the King
James translation at least, the word testament is the same that
is also translated covenant. They both mean the same, a testament
or a covenant. And the point I'm making is that
the Apostle Paul here declares, he states very clearly, that
God's preachers are new covenant ministers. We're not old covenant
ministers. We are new covenant ministers. I want you to keep your places
here, but look back with me to the book of Acts, and let's read
about the gospel being brought to the city of Corinth. in Acts
chapter 18. In Acts chapter 18 and verse 1,
we read, After these things Paul departed from Athens and came
to Corinth. Remember, we're studying from
the second letter to the church at Corinth. God's ministers are
New Testament, New Covenant ministers, God's preachers. Paul departed
from Athens and came to Corinth and found a certain Jew named
Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife
Priscilla because Claudius, that is the Roman emperor, had commanded
all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because
he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought.
For their occupation, they were tent makers." So we've got Paul
and Aquila and Priscilla making tents to support themselves,
even though he was a New Testament gospel, New Covenant preacher. And because he was, verse four
says, and he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Every
Saturday he would go to the Jewish synagogue and he would reason
with the Jews and those who assembled there, those who were Greeks
but proselytes to the Judaism. He would reason with them every
Sabbath. Then when Silas and Timothy were
coming from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified
to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, or was Christ. And when they opposed themselves
and blasphemed, he shook his raiment and said unto them, these
are the men in the synagogue, that he declared unto them clearly,
plainly, that Jesus of Nazareth, he is the Christ. The word Christ
means the Messiah. He's the one that God has promised
all through the Old Testament. Jesus of Nazareth. He is the
Christ. And then we read that some began
to oppose him bringing this message and they blasphemed that Paul
shook his raiment and said unto them, your blood be upon your
own heads. In other words, the gospel has
been preached unto you and you reject the gospel. You reject
the truth. Your blood be upon your own heads. It's not on our hands anymore.
We have declared unto you the gospel, the truth, that Jesus
is the Christ. You oppose this message, you
blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ, no doubt, because they thought
Christ was an imposter. Christ declared himself, and
Paul no doubt preached this, that he is God. And they blasphemed,
and so Paul tells them, now your blood is on your own heads. You've
heard the gospel. It's a serious thing to hear
the gospel and not believe the gospel. Even till today, it is
a serious thing for men and women, boys and girls, to sit under
the preaching of the gospel and not believe the gospel, not look
to the Lord Jesus Christ, not trust in Him and flee to Him,
to repent of your sins and turn to Christ. That's a serious matter. You presume upon God, you presume
upon God's mercy as though you have days and years to come. Maybe you do, maybe you don't. Maybe this will be the last time
some of us ever hear the gospel again today. We don't know what's
on tomorrow, we don't know what's an hour from now. None of us
do, but the scriptures tell us, boast not thyself of tomorrow,
for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. These men, I'm
sure they thought they were doing right, but Paul said, your blood
be upon your own heads. And he departed from the synagogue
and entered into a certain man's house named Justice, one that
worshiped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler
of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house.
And this man, who was a ruler in the synagogue, he heard Paul,
he heard the gospel, and he believed. And not only this man, but those
of his house, his family, his wife and children and servants,
whatever, but those of his house. Many, and many of the Corinthians
hearing believed and were baptized. And that's the way it always
is. Hear, believe, be baptized. And man comes along, you know
this is so, man has come along and he says, be baptized. In
other words, when a person is sprinkled as a baby, they've
reversed the order that God has given us in the word of God.
First, hear the gospel. Second, believe the gospel. Third,
confess your faith in baptism. And all the ways that men try
to get around this and say, no, we sprinkle little babies when
they come into this world. And they started that, started
sprinkling first of all, and then sprinkling babies of believers. And then we've come to the place
where people teach that when the water of baptism is placed
on the head of an infant, that infant is regenerated and brought
into the kingdom of God. That is a lie, a lie straight
out of hell. No truth to it at all. We either believe God's word
or we don't believe God's word. Let's read on. Then spake the
Lord to Paul in the night by vision. Be not afraid, but speak,
and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall set
on thee to hurt thee. Now notice this, for I have much
people in this city. And he continued there a year
and six months, teaching the word of God among them. God revealed unto Paul that he
was to remain there and to continue to preach the gospel because
he had, that is God had, much people in that city. The Lord had many of his people,
many who he had chosen and given to Christ as his sheep living
there in that city. Now, at the time that God spoke
to Paul, They were God's sheep, but they were lost sheep. They
were lost. I have many people in this city.
They were His by election, by choice. They were His by redemption. Christ had died for them. They
were His people, but they were lost, lost sheep. And so God
sends the gospel to them. And that is the way God works. That's the way He saves His people. He always will send new covenant
preachers or ministers where he has sheep to be found. You
know, you read in Acts chapter eight about Philip and there
was seemingly a great revival in the area of Samaria. And God commanded Philip, you
go to the desert, you go to the desert. He's going to leave this
place where the Lord is moving and working and people are being
saved and God commands His preacher, His minister, you go out to the
desert and God has one lost sheep crossing that desert reading
the Word of God. But he didn't understand it.
And he said, how can I except some man preach or teach me? And immediately the scripture
says, Philip began at that very scripture which is found in our
Bibles in Isaiah chapter 53, and preached unto him Jesus. He sent Paul, and then Silas
and Timothy came along with him into this city of Corinth, because
he had much people there. Where God has a people, he's
going to send a preacher. He will. Somewhere between the
cradle and the grave, God is going to cross the path of His
people. He's going to cross their paths
with the true gospel, and He's going to reveal Christ to them. That's His work. The patriarch
Jacob testified of the Lord Jesus Christ coming, and he said he'll
come through the tribe of Judah. And then he made this statement.
He said, unto him shall the gathering of the people be. The Lord uses
the gospel as an instrument in gathering his people to Christ. Paul declares that God's preachers
are new covenant ministers. He didn't say that we are new
covenant priest. The Bible teaches, and this is
what, our faith is based on the word of God. Now every child
of God in this room today is a priest. I'm not a priest different
from any other priest. I'm a preacher. For any church
to call their ministers priest tells us that they do not understand
what the Bible teaches about the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is our great high priest.
He is that one mediator between God and man. And as that mediator,
the God man, he has three offices. He's prophet, and he's priest,
and he's king. And as priest, he offered that
one sacrifice, that one sacrifice, which sanctifies or puts away
the sin of all of them who are sanctified, Hebrews chapter 10. But the scriptures teach us that
every believer is a priest. Let me show you this. Keep your
places here in 2 Corinthians, but turn to Revelation chapter
1. I think this is maybe one of
my many favorite verses, but look here with me in Revelation
chapter 1. and verse 5. This letter of Revelation, John
says, is from Jesus Christ. Revelation 1, verse 5, it's from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness and the first begotten
of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth. Now notice,
unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. To Him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. We are all, those of us
who He loves and washes in His own blood, He makes us to be
a kingdom of priests. And the sacrifices that we offer
are not bloody sacrifices. When we take the Lord's Supper,
that's not a sacrifice. That's a remembrance of Christ
and his work for us. For by one offering, he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified. The offerings that
we offer as priests, you and I, are the sacrifices of praise,
the scripture says. We praise Him. We bless Him. We thank Him. We serve Him. We honor Him. Why? Because He loved us and washed
us from our sins in His own blood. And He's made us priests unto
God. There's no bloody sacrifices.
That isn't a front. That is a denial. of the finished
work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Now before I go to my next point,
I want to say a word about God's preachers as ministers. God's
preachers are ministers. They are not lords over God's
heritage. They are servants, not masters. Listen to the words of the Lord
Jesus to his disciples. He said, whosoever will be great
among you, let him be your minister. And whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant. Even as, even as the Son of Man,
he's speaking of himself, the Son of Man, came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. So Paul declares that God's preachers
are new covenant ministers. Second, this is the second truth
I want to point out to us in this chapter. Paul compares the
ministrations, he compares the ministrations of the law and
the gospel. Notice that at the end of verse
6. He says, We're ministers of the
new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit. For the letter
killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Now, by letter, he's referring
to the law. And by spirit, he is referring
to the gospel. And he says that the ministration
of the letter, the ministration of the law, is, first of all,
death. Notice that in verse 7. But if
the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones. So the
ministration of the law is a ministration of death. And then down in verse
9, the ministration of the law is a ministration of condemnation. For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory. At the same time, now notice,
at the same time, he says that the ministration of the Spirit,
that is the Gospel, it giveth life. Verse 6. But of the Spirit. For the letter
killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. And then in verse 9, again,
the ministration of the Gospel is a ministration of righteousness. So Paul compares the ministrations
of the law with the ministration of the gospel. Now, I want to
give you a quote this morning by Robert Hawker on this text. I thought it was so good and
something we need to hear. He said, and I quote, he is by
no means speaking slightingly of the Old Testament scripture.
as if the whole word of God was not equally sacred and blessed. This would be a perversion of
the apostles' meaning. The Bible indeed is distinguished
by the different names of the Old Testament and the New for
the better apprehension of the different dispensations under
which the church lived. But as the church herself is
but one, so the word of God is but one. And both testaments
have ministered and do minister, but to the one church of Christ,
and that with equal blessedness according to their different
dispensations. And to me that's all summed up
in that scripture. All Scripture is given by inspiration
of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness. So the point I'm making, even
though the Apostle Paul says that the ministration of the
letter that is of law killeth, the ministration of death, administration
of condemnation, it is still part of the all scripture which
is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. We're not speaking slidingly.
It was never given for the intent that some people try to use the
law. Now, I want to ask these two
questions. First, why? Why is the letter
the ministration of death and condemnation? We admit freely,
we thank God for his law, and we acknowledge it's holy, just,
and good. But why then is the letter a
ministration of death and condemnation? It is so because it is a mere
letter. It tells men what God commands. It tells men what God commands
them to do and not do, but it doesn't give any power to do
or not do what God commands. That's the reason the law, the
letter is administration of death and condemnation. It's because
it is a mere letter. It tells men what God commands
that they must do and not do, but it doesn't give any power
to do or not do what it commands. In Romans chapter eight and verse
three, Paul wrote, for what the law could not do, it couldn't
do it. It couldn't give life. It could
not do that. Why? Because we cannot obey the
law as the law commands. It doesn't just command that
we try, that we do our best. The law commands perfect, absolute
obedience in thought, in word, and in deed. And no man, no fallen
son of Adam, which is true of all men, can obey that law as
the law and as God's holiness and justice requires. Anyone here in this room this
morning think that you can obey God's law perfectly, absolutely,
loving God with all your heart, all your soul, all your being,
and loving your neighbor as yourself? You know you have broken that
law. You have disobeyed and failed
to keep God's law. You do not have the power. Now,
unfallen Adam did, but once Adam disobeyed God and fell into sin,
and all of us who have sprung from him, we don't have that
power. Paul said in Romans 8, for what
the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh.
Whose flesh? Our flesh. The law is not weak. But we're weak, we're not able
to obey its commands. For what the law could not do
in that it was weak through the flesh. Now listen, God sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemned sin in
the flesh. God sent his eternal son, the
Lord Jesus Christ, into this world. He was made flesh. He
looked like he appeared like everyone else around him. He
didn't have a halo over his head or anything like that that distinguished
him as the Son of God, but he was the Son of God. He was made
flesh, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, and God condemned
sin. The sin of His people was laid
upon His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He condemned sin in Him. He bore our sins, the Scripture
says, in His own body on the tree. The law could not give life to
fallen men because of our weakness, our inability, because by nature
we are dead in trespasses and sins. All the laws that are on
the books for the city of Houston, I guarantee you there's nobody
in the mark who can obey those laws. Nobody. They can't do it. Why? Because they're dead. And
the same thing is true of all of us when we come into this
world, we are spiritually dead. You say, well, where does the
Bible say that? It says it in many places, but
in Ephesians 2 and verse 1, you hath he quickened who were dead
in trespasses and sins. The law itself was not weak,
it was those of us under the law who were weak. When a person
is quickened by the Holy Spirit, he sees that the law is spiritual. A lost man looks at the law and
it says, do not steal, do not kill, do not commit adultery,
do not lie. And one came to our Lord one
day and he said, I've kept all those commandments from my youth
up. You know why he said that? Because he did not realize that
the law is spiritual. You've never had that slight
little desire in your heart which is called lust. You're already
guilty of adultery. You've not had that hatred that
springs up because someone does you wrong. You're already guilty
of murder. It's not just the literal acts. The law is spiritual. And when
God the Holy Spirit quickens a person, He makes a person to
realize that. It's not just the act of physically
committing those atrocities, those sins. It's just having
the desire to do it. Well, why? So why is the letter
of the ministration of death and condemnation? Because it
is the mere letter. It commands, but it does not
give the power, the strength to obey. Now, number two, why
is the spirit the ministration of life and righteousness? Well,
listen to these words of the Lord Jesus from John chapter
six in verse 63. He said, it is the spirit that
quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak
unto you are spirit and are life. When Christ speaks in the gospel
by the Holy Spirit quickening, that is, giving life to those
who are dead spiritually, then they believe in Christ unto righteousness. I used to hear preachers when
I was a young man make this statement. It's a good statement. If the
only voice you hear this morning is the preacher's voice, you
will go away. If you came into this room lost,
dead in trespasses and sins, you will go away just like you
came. But if in hearing the preacher's
voice, you hear the voice of Christ, you'll go away, quickened
and renewed by the Spirit of God. Christ speaks in the gospel by
his spirit. In Romans chapter 10, verse 4,
Paul said, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believeth. And then down in verse 10, he
said, for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness,
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. You know,
the gospel itself may be considered as mere letters. They're letters
on the page, the gospel, the pages of the scripture, mere
letters. And to many, that's all they
are. But unto God's people, those who are called, the gospel is
the power of God unto salvation, unto everyone that believeth. Paul was able to write to the
church at Thessalonica and say that our gospel came unto you,
not in word only. It did come in word, they preached,
but it didn't come in word only, but in power and demonstration
of the Spirit of God. Now the third truth I want to
point to is this. Paul acknowledges that both covenants
were glorious, were glorious. He acknowledges that the covenant
that he calls the ministration of death was glorious. In verse 7, he says, but if the
ministration of death written and engraven in stones was glorious,
it was. Even though it was a ministration
of death, it was glorious. But its glory was a passing glory,
a temporary glory. It was to be done away like that
old covenant, which was also temporary. In Galatians 3, in
verse 19, when Paul was dealing with false teachers who were
trying to bring believers under the law, put them under the law,
Paul wrote, wherefore then serveth the law? You say that a believer
is not to be under the law? Paul asks, wherefore then serveth
the law? And he makes this statement,
it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to
whom the promise was made. The law was added because of
transgressions. It was never given to give life. It was added because of transgressions,
that old covenant, the letter, the ministration of death, until
the seed S-E-E-D. The seed should come. Who is
the seed? The seed of the woman who shall
bruise the head of the serpent. The seed of Abraham in whom all
the families of the earth shall be blessed. The seed that is
Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. And when he came into this world,
he was born under the law. He obeyed the law. He fulfilled
the law. And when he died on the cross,
he said, it is finished. And in that temple, that veil
was rent from top to bottom, showing that the way into the
most holy place was opened unto all who believe in him. That
law, it served until the seed should come. The covenant was
glorious, that old covenant, But look what he says about the
glory of the covenant he calls the ministration of life and
righteousness. He said in verse 9, it exceeds
in glory. Verse 10, it excels in glory. Verse 11, it remains glorious. The covenant is the everlasting
covenant and shall never pass away. Now the veil, let me say
just a word about this veil, which was put on Moses' face.
When he came down from the mountain, up there 40 days, receiving the
law from God, he came down and he didn't realize it, but his
face was glowing. And Aaron, his brother, the high
priest, and those other people, they couldn't look on his face
because it had such a glow. And so he put a veil on his face
and he would speak to them through the veil. Now, when he went into
the tabernacle and God spoke to him and he spoke to God, he
took the veil off, of course. But that veil, Paul says, is
still upon the hearts of those who read the law and they do
not understand. They think the law was given
to give them life. But he says, when they turn unto
the Lord, when a heart turns unto the Lord, The veil is taken
away. And when the veil is taken away,
my friends, you can see Christ in the Old Covenant, just like
in the New Covenant. In the Old Testament, just like
in the New Testament. You see Him in the types. You
see Him in the prophecies. You see Him in the promises.
You come to see this book is truly a hymn book. It's all about
Him. It's all about Christ. Now the
last thing, very briefly. Look in verses three and four.
Paul shows a new covenant promise fulfilled in these Corinthian
believers. He said, for as much as you 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. The natural man has a stony heart. One of the new covenant promises
is, a new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh. Now Paul confesses
he was a minister, yes he was an apostle, but don't think I
had the power to take out that stony heart and give you a heart
of flesh. Don't think any man has that
power. Our sufficiency is of God. He uses ministers, he uses
the gospel, but the power is of God. that all the glory, not
most of it, all the glory should go to him
who loved us and gave himself for us. And notice at the end
of the chapter he said, 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. This work of regeneration is
the work of the Spirit of God, the new birth. Someone said,
well, I made a decision. I'm sure you did. Probably made
a lot of them. But have you been born of the
Spirit of God? Do you have a new nature? Do
you know God? That's the question. It's not
whether you walked down a church aisle and shook the preacher's
hand and signed a pledge card or anything like that. Do you
know God? Has God revealed Christ in your heart? That work is God's work, isn't
it? He's the only one who's able to do it. And thank God he does. I pray the Lord will bless this
word to all of us here this morning. It's his work, but let me say
this before David comes to lead us in it. Seek the Lord. Seek
the Lord. Someone said, well, I just, no,
seek the Lord. Call upon the Lord. You say,
well, I just, no, call upon the Lord. Seek the Lord. Seek him
in his word. Pray unto him. Ask him, reveal
Christ in me. Speak to me. Don't leave me to
myself. Please, oh Lord, have mercy on
me. I wouldn't want anyone to go
away and say, well, there's nothing I can do. Well, seek the Lord. Seek him. Those who do, find
him. That's what the scripture says.
Let's turn to number 287 as we sing a hymn.