TRIALS: OUR GLORIOUS MESSAGE! 2 CORINTHIANS 3:1-18 Intro If a person has no success in attacking a Christian’s character and credibility, please realize that the next focus of attack is upon the Gospel and our message. That is exactly where Paul goes next, as we gain the insight that his attackers are Jewish. Paul will highlight the difference between the Old Covenant with the Law and the New Covenant we have in Christ. Even though we looked briefly at the first six verses; we must look at them again in the context of how important and glorious the Gospel message truly is. Let’s recall one item from last week> “But I thank God who always leads us in victory because of Christ.” Whether we feel it or think it or not, we are victors, winners, overcomers with Christ, being led in that victory parade by God Himself! “No Test= No Testimony. A test is simply an opportunity to get a testimony.”( Mark Batterson, All In P42) “Trials produce Testings, but from Testings come Testimonies. We never lose our message. We never run out of ink. We never lose our ability to write: “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” David Jeremiah, Destination p. 61 Main Thought: The message of Christ brings the glory of God to this earth! I) THE GOSPEL IS WRITTEN ON HUMAN HEARTS BY GOD’S FINGER! VV.1-3 “You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, a letter written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of the human heart.” As Paul writes these words, we see a fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:33-34 >”But this is the new covenant I will make to Israel on that day”, says the Lord: “I will put My instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be My people. And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor their relatives, saying, You should know the Lord! For everyone from the least to the greatest will know Me already. And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” The Gospel message, the message that we are to share with others, is exactly this> we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Jesus came, lived, and died on a cross to be our Savior. He rose from the dead, so as we place our trust in Him, God offers us life eternal and the forgiveness of sins. And as a person repents, asks forgiveness, and trusts Christ; the hand of God writes on human hearts bringing the knowledge of who He is, that God has forgiven our sins, and He brings into us a desire to know Him more as He places His Spirit within us. We become alive and our lives change because God has given us new life, a new heart, and a new Spirit, the Holy Spirit. That results in the glory of God! II) THE GOSPEL BRINGS LIFE NOT DEATH! VV4-6 “He has qualified us to be ministers of a new promise, a spiritual promise, not a written one. Clearly what was written brings death, but the Spirit brings life.” Sometimes when I ask a person how they think that they are going to get to heaven, I hear them say these words, “I keep the 10 commandments and live a good life.” But Paul states in our passage that all the Old Covenant could do, with the commandments and laws, is show us how bad we truly are and how far we miss what God desires. The Old Covenant given by God through Moses could only bring death for no one had the power to obey it 100%. No one today has the power to obey it outside of Christ and the enablement of the Spirit. But that is the beauty of the New Covenant, the Gospel message that we share> it has already been accomplished by Christ. As we trust Christ, His righteousness comes over us through the Holy Spirit. We no longer have to fulfill the Law: it has been fulfilled. But we should have a desire to obey it with God’s divine enablement. The difference

between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant is we have God’s life-giving Spirit who bring us spiritual life and makes us pleasing to God through Christ. That results in the Glory of God! III) THE GOSPEL BRINGS THE OVERWHELMING GLORY OF GOD TO THIS EARTH! VV. 7-12 “If the ministry that brings punishment has glory, then the ministry that brings God’s approval/ righteousness has an overwhelming glory…Since we have confidence in the new promise/covenant we speak with a greater boldness.” When Moses came down the mountain after meeting with God, his face shone brightly reflecting the glory of God. It scared the people, so that he had to cover his face as he commanded them to do everything that God had shared with him. The Old Covenant could not give a person life nor empower their lives to obey God. Thus it resulted in judgment and condemnation. But the glory of the Gospel message is that it not only brings life, but it also brings the overwhelming glory of God with it. As we shine as light in this dark world, as we share the Gospel message, it has the power to bring life, God’s approval/righteousness, and hope to all who receive it. Thus it is a more glorious and lasting ministry enabled by the Holy Spirit. Paul states that as we think about bringing the glory of God to this earth as we share the Gospel, it should enable us to speak and share it with a greater boldness! We possess the secret to life eternal, the hope of mankind to know and experience the love of God. We have a great message! So let’s share it with confidence and boldness from a place of victory! IV) THE GOSPEL BRINGS A HEART CHANGE TO THOSE WHO RECEIVE IT! VV. 13-16 “The veil isn’t removed, because only Christ can remove it. Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” There is a veil that covers the hearts, the minds, and the souls of people. We have a glorious message, but there are many times that it is not received as such. Why? Because people do not have the veil taken away until they turn to Christ! Only the Spirit of God is able to help remove that veil in the lives of people. But if they have a hardened heart, a closed mind, and a stubborn attitude; they will not receive anything we have to say as we share Christ. Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away> what powerful words those are. This verse should excite us for the message of Christ with the power of the Spirit is able change a person’s heart and allow them to come into the presence of God. I know Paul was talking about the veil of Moses. But I think of the veil in the Temple which separated God from man. As Christ died, that veil was torn from the top down, allowing every person who comes to Christ, access and an introduction into the very presence of God! That is part of our message! V) THE GOSPEL BRINGS LIBERTY AND THE GLORY OF CHRIST! VV 1718 “Wherever the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory…we are being changed into His image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” The Gospel message that we share is able to deliver a person from bondage of sin and death into the freedom of being God’s children who reflect His glory. The wonderful thing about the Gospel is it brings the energizing, transforming power of the Spirit to change us to reflect Christ’s glory day by day. We are being transformed into the image

of Christ to shine His glory on this dark earth. So are we shining or hiding it under a cover?

Conclusion There is one thing that is a constant throughout all of these verses when it comes to us sharing the message of Christ> The Spirit of God. It is the Spirit of God who writes the message on our hearts, along with the Word of God. The Spirit of God brings life, spiritual life to us. The Spirit of God brings the glory of God so that the message is more glorious and lasting. Then the Spirit of God illuminates our souls to see the wonder of the message and be open to receive it. Lastly, as we receive the message of Christ, we are liberated, energized, transformed, and changed into the image of Christ in order to reflect His glory in this dark world. We have a Glorious Message that the Spirit of God brings to our hearts. He is the One who enables us to proclaim it boldly. So are we resting and depending upon the Spirit of God as we share Christ: To give us boldness, To help us share the message clearly, To leave the results of life change to Him, And To transform us to be more like Christ each and every day?