Why don’t people understand the gospel which Paul preached?
A. Preface:
Any church that is not the same as the church described in the Bible is a result of not understanding the gospel which Paul preached!
Church is a result of preaching the gospel!
Jesus said: This is the meaning of the parable:
The seed is the word of God. Luke 8:11
Anyone do not understand this will not be able to understand the gospel Paul preached!
B. Scriptures for this study: 2 Corinthians 3:1-4:3
1. We need no recommendation letters to you or from you!
You, the church in Corinth is a result of our preaching the gospel of Christ!
3:1--> Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?
Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you?
2. 3:2-3--> You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody.
You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink
but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
The way you worship God as a church and the way you conduct your life as a child of God is the result of our preaching the gospel of Christ!
This showed what we preached to you are written not with ink on stone tablets but are written with the Spirit of the living God on humans hearts!
They accepted it and they practiced it!
3. Why do we have this confidence? 2 Cor.3:4-5
3:4--> Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God.
You are the result of what we preached and what we preached is wisdom granted us by God!
I pray that you who are reading this, know that I am talking about 1 Corinthians chapter 2!
3:5--> Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.
As I said often, people can verify what we preach by reading the scriptures we quoted of each item!
4. We are ministers of a new covenant! 2Cor.3:6 Please read 3:6 with 3:3 side by side so you will not be easily misled!
3:3--> You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry,
written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant-- not of the letter but of the Spirit;
for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Here Paul explains the difference between a new covenant and the old covenant!
The old covenant was written on tablets of stone. The new covenant tablets of human heart!
5. Paul further explains this in 3:7!
3:7--> Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory,
so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was,
Anyone do not understand this verse should get out of preaching the sooner the better!
a. By the grace of God, in the whole Bible there is only this one thing engraved in letters on stone!
Do I need to tell you what is this one thing was engraved in letters on stone?
b. The Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory!
In the life of Moses there is only this time his face was so bright the Israelites can’t stare at!
Do I need to tell you when or what is the time? Right after he received the Ten Commandments!
6. One who refused to be a part of the churches of Christ will not able to understand this! 3:8-18
C. Conclusion of the messages in chapter 3 is chapter 4:1-3!
a. Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 4:1
b. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.
On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 4:2
c. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4:3
May the Lord bless you and keep you always! Preach this on May 6 2012.