Tonight again and to the letter
of 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 tonight. 2nd Corinthians chapter 3 and
the title of the message is Able Ministers of the New Testament. And the title of course is taken
from verse number 6. Now let's read the first six
verses. Do we began again to commend
ourselves? Or need we of 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 have 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. When we look at any passage of
scripture, it's always important to see the context. I know some
of you will remember, I've read this several times, but the words
of Myles Coversdale that was printed in one of the first English
editions of the Bible. And he gave several rules. And
he said, it shall greatly help thee in reading the scriptures.
And I can remember some of them. It shall greatly help thee in
reading the scriptures if you mark who's speaking. If you mark
to whom the words are being spoken. If you mark what went before
and mark what follows. And to what intent? Good rules
of Bible interpretations. And when we come to look at this
passage of Scripture, every passage of Scripture, it's always important
to see the context. Sometimes these divisions, they're
very helpful, chapter divisions. I'm thankful for them. It'd be
very difficult for me to stand up here and say, turn to verse
56 of Ephesians, you know, whatever chapter that might be in. These
chapter divisions have been added by men. And sometimes when you
go from one chapter to the next, you lose the context, you lose
the flow of the message, the continuity of the Word of God. And in this passage of Scripture,
I think it's very important that we see what went before. Let's look at what went before.
What the Apostle Paul had declared in the verses that precede our
text tonight. And Paul had said several things
about himself and his companions. We looked at these last time,
but three things that he said about himself was that they were
always caused by God to triumph in Christ. Look in verse 14 of
chapter 2. He made this statement. And you
will remember, those of you who were here last Wednesday evening,
that I said that Paul was especially speaking about ministers of the
gospel, but what he says here is true of every child of God. It's equivalent to what he said
in Romans chapter 8 when he said that we are more than conquerors
through Christ. And for any believer not to triumph
would mean that they would be severed from the Lord Jesus Christ. Separated from the love of Christ,
which that is an impossibility. But he is speaking especially
here about ministers of the gospel, like himself and his companions. And he said, they were always
caused by God to triumph in Christ. Look at verse 14. Now thanks
be unto God, which always Not most of the time. Not a good
percentage of the time. No, no. He says, Thanks be unto
God, which always, always causeth us to triumph in Christ. And
then another statement he made, he said in verse 15, that they
were a sweet savor of Christ unto God, both in those who are
saved and in those who perish. they were a sweet saver unto
God. Verse 15, for we are unto God
a sweet saver of Christ in them that are saved and in them that
perish. And number three, he stated in
that last verse that they were not as many who corrupt the Word
of God. In other words, he said we are
faithful. We are not like many who corrupt
the Word of God, who dilute, adulterate the Word of God. No,
we preach the pure Word of God. Now when he speaks about the
Word of God, he's speaking about the Old Testament. Because that's
what they had then as the Word of God. He's writing what became
part of the Word of God here in the New Testament. But he
said we do not adulterate the Word of God. Now those are three
statements that he makes concerning himself and the ministers who
traveled with him. And let me just say this tonight,
you and I know from the Word of God that God uses ministers
as instruments in the conversion of sinners. Think about this
passage in Romans chapter 10. Beginning with verse 13. For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
What a wonderful promise, isn't it? What a wonderful promise. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved. But then he asks this
question. How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have
not believed? You cannot call upon someone
in whom you have not believed. Not call in faith and trust.
No more than you can come back from some place you've never
been. But then he follows that question up with the next one.
And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? There's no argument here. You
cannot believe in a person of whom you've not heard. And you
cannot call upon a person of whom you've not heard. And then
thirdly, how shall they hear without a preacher? You can't. God has ordained,
and God uses men to preach the gospel as instruments. That's all we are, instruments
in the hands of God in the conversion of sinners. Keep your place here,
but look back to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. I love the way he states this
ministry. here in chapter 4 and verse 15. 1st Corinthians 4 and verse 15.
For though you have 10,000 instructors in Christ, you have many preachers,
pastors, teachers who instruct you in the things of God. Paul's
writing to this church at Cairn. Yet have you not many fathers? You don't have many fathers.
You have a lot of teachers, that's true. But you have not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, I have begotten
you through the gospel. What am I saying? I'm saying
that God uses ministers as instruments in the conversion of sinners. Now, If you look at verse 1,
we have the word again. Keep in mind what Paul has said
now, just above this. He had said, we are always caused
by God to triumph in Christ. We are a sweet savor of Christ
unto God, and we are not as many who corrupt the word of God.
Now, in verse 1, I want you to notice the word again. Again. It seems to indicate that they
had charged him with this before. In making those statements that
Paul had made, he recognized that the false teachers who were
intent on destroying him and his ministry would charge him
with seeking his own glory. And when we see the word again
here, it seems to indicate that they had charged him with this
before. And he can just hear them saying,
as he's writing this letter and he declares these three facts
that we've pointed out here, he can just hear those false
teachers say, there he goes again. There he goes again, bragging
on himself. Bragging on himself. You know, we Looked in John chapter 7 last
Sunday evening, we finished with that verse of scripture where
the Lord Jesus declared this about false teachers. He said,
they are manifest in this, he that speaketh of himself seeketh
his own glory. That's a false teacher. Well,
here's Paul. There he goes again. He's speaking
about himself. He's talking about himself. But
let's look tonight in these verses at four things. Four things that
Paul says about God using him as a minister in the conversion
of sinners. And we will see in these four
things that he says about himself that he could not be charged
with seeking his own glory. He could not legitimately be
caused with seeking his own glory. The gospel of Jesus Christ, the
purpose always is to witness to God's glory, to God's glory. We have a brother in our church
who has told me several times when he is witnessing and usually
speaking to some religious person, he says, well, who gets the glory? Who gets the glory? And what
you're trusting in, who gets the glory? Does God get the glory? Or is your trust in a certain
form or plan or position in some way that you get the glory? Or
your church gets the glory? Who gets the glory? We know this,
that God will not share His glory with another. And God's way of
salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ gives all the glory to
God. Now first of all, in the first
three verses here, let's read them again, verses 1 through
3, Paul begins with a question. 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. And many believe that
should be you are our epistle written in your hearts, as we
see here. 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 fleshly tables
of the heart. He begins with a question. Do
we begin again to commend ourselves? In other words, what he is saying
here is, writing to this church now, where he had preached the
gospel and most of these people have been saved under his ministry,
he's asking this question, do we need letters of recommendation
either to you or from you? Why would we need that? Why would
we need something written on paper with pen and ink to commend
us when we have you? Why would we need something on
a piece of paper when we have you? You, you believers there
in Corinth, you are our epistle. We preach the gospel to you and
God did a work of grace in your heart and you are manifestly
declared to be An official written of Christ. Manifestly declared
to be an official of Christ. Why would we need letters of
recommendation? Now, there's nothing wrong with
letters of recommendation. This was especially so years
ago when a man Maybe let's just say he and his family lived in
North Carolina and they were faithful members of a congregation,
believed the truth, supported the work there. And then the
man takes his family and moves off to Texas. Nobody knows him
in Texas. They don't know him from Adam.
And he goes to a local church that believes what the church
believed where he had come from. And he wants to be a part of
that church. And he has a letter of recommendation,
a church letter they call it today. But today it doesn't have
near the significance that it once did in our country and probably
in countries in the world where they do not have the things that
we have, the internet and mail even and things of that nature.
But Paul asked him, why would we need a letter of recommendation?
to say anything bad about letters of recommendation, but why would
we need one? He's asking these, why would
we need one? If we come among you, why would
we have to show you a letter of recommendation so you would
listen to me preach the gospel? And if I go somewhere else, why
would I want you to write a letter of recommendation for me? You
yourselves. Not something on paper, not something
written with pen and ink, but you yourselves are an epistle
written by Christ. Manifestly, openly, declared
by your life to be a believer, a child of God. Keep your place
here, but look back to 1st Corinthians 6, and you know something about
the place of Corinth. It was a wicked city. Of all
the cities to which the Apostle wrote letters, it may have been
the worst of all. The most wicked city of all.
And 1 Corinthians 6, in verse 9, he says, Know you not that
the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived,
neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate,
nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous,
nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit
the kingdom of God. Now notice this, and such were
some of you. This is the way you live. This
is what you were. Some of you were guilty of these
things. Such were some of you, past tense. But you are washed, but you are
sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
and by the Spirit of our God. What is Paul saying? We came
among you and we preached the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
and God did a work of grace in your hearts. And you are manifestly
declared to be an epistle, a letter of Christ by the change that
God has wrought in you. You are an epistle. In verse 3, back in our text,
he says, Believers are epistles of Christ. But notice he said,
but ministered by us. For as much as you are manifestly
declared, manifestly, openly, nobody can see the change, what
God has done for you. When you trusted in Christ, when
you came to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are manifestly
declared. openly declared to be the epistle
of Christ, but notice, ministered by us. Now what does he mean
ministered by us? He means that he is the one who
preached the gospel there, that God had blessed his ministry,
God had used him. Ministers, I say again, are only
instruments. Now looking at the believers
in Corinth as epistles, That's what he says they are, epistles. They were letters of Christ written
by the hand of Paul as Christ's instrument, as one of his instruments. Most men, most men can write
a letter. Most men can write a letter with
ink and paper. Paul certainly could. But writing
these epistles, these people becoming believers, is beyond
the ability of any man. These epistles were written,
these believers, these epistles were written with the spirit
of the living God and not on tables of stone like the Law
of Moses was written. but on fleshy tables of the heart. Only Christ can do that. You
see what I'm saying? It's easy. I can write. I learned
to write. I've got a pen. I've got some
paper. I can write an epistle, a letter. But I cannot write an epistle,
a believer. That's beyond my ability. But as an instrument in the hands
of God, he could use me just like he used Paul. Only God,
only Christ with the Spirit of God can write on the heart so
that men and women become epistles of Christ, letters of Christ. Look back with me, keep your
places here of course, but look back with me to a couple of Old
Testament passages. In Jeremiah chapter 31 and verses 31 through 33, we read
of this Old Testament prophecy and promise that God made concerning
this new covenant. Beginning in verse 31, it says,
Behold, the day is come, saith the Lord, that I will make a
new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of
Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of
the land of Egypt. Now that covenant was written
on tables of stone. We know that. which my covenant they break,
although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord. But this
shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my law in their inward
parts. In other words, I'm going to
write it on their hearts. Not going to write it on stone,
write it on their heart. And will be their God, and they
shall be my people. Now look at another similar passage
in Ezekiel. Ezekiel chapter 36. Ezekiel chapter
36 and beginning in verse 25. Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you. That's regeneration. Remember
our Lord said accept a man be born of water and of the spirit. Then will I sprinkle clean water
upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthiness and
from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I
give you. Now no preacher can give a person
a new heart. No mother can give her child
a new heart. No father can give his children
a new heart. Every believing father and mother
would love to be able to do that, but that's not our work. It's beyond us. That's God's
work. That's what Paul is saying here
to these believers. You are an epistle. Why would
we need a letter of recommendation to you? You yourselves are an
epistle. written by the Spirit of God
on a fleshly table of the heart. 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 and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk
in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them. So the first thing, now how is
Paul going to glory in this? He said that they always triumphed,
they were always a sweet saver unto God, they didn't corrupt
the word of God. Oh, there he goes glorying in
himself. No, Paul says we were just an
instrument. But you were, you are rather,
an epistle written, not by my hands, but by the spirit of God. on a heart that only He could
give you. Now notice the second thing in
verse 4. Paul confesses his trust, his
confidence in Christ. And such trust have we through
Christ to Godward. Paul's confidence as a minister
of Christ, which allowed him to say what he had said His confidence
was in Christ. Also, about the Corinthians being
epistles of Christ, that was not self-confidence. It was not
self-confidence. Charles Hodge, in his commentary,
made this comment about the confidence that ministers have. He said, it's easy to determine
whether such confidence is self-inflation or the strength of God in the
soul. That's what Charles Hodge said about the minister's confidence. It's easy to tell if it's self-inflation,
conceit, or if it is through the strength of God in the soul.
He said, if it is self-inflation, it has its natural concomitance
of pride, arrogance, indifference, and contempt for others. If it is the strength of God
in the soul, it is attended by self-abhorrence, meekness, long-suffering,
a willingness to be the least and lowest, and all the other
graces of the Spirit. And we certainly see that in
the Apostle Paul. You remember his words in 1 Corinthians
15 when he said, for I am the least of the apostles. I am the
least. You see any self-glory in that,
self-inflation? No. I am the least of the apostles
that am not made to be called. I'm not even worthy to be called
an apostle. and myself, because I persecuted
the church of God. Now how could he be accused of
glorying in himself when he tells us clearly and plainly that his
confidence was all in Christ. In Christ using him. In Christ blessing him as a preacher
of the gospel. And then number three, Paul acknowledges
his absolute, I mean absolute dependence upon God. I don't
see how he could say anything which would more show his absolute
inability in preaching the gospel than he says here when he says
in verse 5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think, to think
anything of ourselves. But our sufficiency is of God. To show his absolute dependence
upon him for this sufficiency, he states, he states his inability
to even think a good thought. To even much less do a good thing,
much less preach a good message, much less do something, but even
to think, to think a good thought, it must come from God. It must come from God. In any
work, the thinking, we would think, is the easiest part. It's a whole lot easier to think
than to do. Paul says that he had no power
in himself to accomplish the very smallest thing. Paul's sufficiency,
his fitness for the work of preaching to the conversion of sinners,
it did not consist in his knowledge. Sure, God used his knowledge,
there's no doubt about that. It did not consist in his faithfulness,
though he was faithful, and God blessed that. It did not consist
in his cleverness, his sufficiency, for the work and the conversion
of sinners was all of God. And number four, ministers of
Christ are made able ministers of the New Testament. who also hath made us able ministers
of the New Testament. Seminaries do not make preachers. They just don't. Bible institutes,
Bible colleges do not make preachers. Who does? God. That's what he
says. Who? And you look back to the
antecedent. God. God also hath made us able
ministers of the New Testament. Paul was a lost religious zealot
when the Lord Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus
and saved him. And at the same time the Lord
put him into the ministry, and we read there in Acts chapter
9, and straightway And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues,
that he is the Son of God. And I think the thing important
here is to see, Paul says, who hath also made us able ministers
of the New Testament, not of the Old Testament, not of the
Old Covenant. He's made us able ministers of
the New Testament, the New Covenant, that is the Gospel, of Jesus
Christ. Now let me close with this. Look
back, if you will, in 1 Corinthians 4. Paul gives one requirement
of an able minister of the New Testament. 1 Corinthians chapter
4 and verse number 2. He says, It is required in stewards. That's
what a minister is. He's a steward of the grace of
God. It is required in stewards that
a man be found faithful. Faithfulness in a steward signifies
two things. First of all, it signifies a
trust committed. A trust committed. God has entrusted
those he puts into the ministry with the gospel. It's called
a treasure in an earthen vessel. That's the first thing about
being faithful. There's something entrusted. It's entrusted to us. He says the same, let me read
1 Timothy chapter one and verse 11. He says, according to the glorious
gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. Paul says, God entrusted something
to me. And that's true of every minister
that God puts into the ministry. Every man that God puts into
the ministry, He entrusts him with a treasure. The glorious
gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, it's required of a steward
that he be found faithful. I said there's two things. Number
one, he's committed a trust. And number two, he discharges
that trust, faithfully preaching the gospel. Not adding to it,
not taking away, but faithfully preaching the gospel of Jesus
Christ. Paul said this in 1 Corinthians
9 and verse 16, he said, for though I preach the gospel, I
have nothing to glory in. For of necessity, for necessity
rather is laid upon me, yea, woe is unto me if I preach not
the gospel. I heard Pastor Bill Sasser say
this many years ago, stuck with me. He said, I don't have to
preach in order to be saved. I'm saved by the grace of God,
trusting in Christ. But he said, if I preach, I must
preach the gospel. That's what Paul says here, isn't
it? For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of, for
necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me if I preach not the
gospel. And that's certainly the way
I feel. Woe is me if I preach not the gospel. I'm not here
to try to entertain people. If I were, I'd be a complete
failure. I realize that. But that's not
my purpose. But my desire, my purpose is,
God has committed to me this wonderful treasure, the gospel
of Jesus Christ. And I must preach that gospel. And so must every other steward. May the Lord bless His word to
all of us here tonight.