Glorious Condemnation
2 Corinthians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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2 Corinthians 6:7-11
2 Corinthians 6:7-11
Last time we were in 1-6, how we are letters of Gods love to one another and this dying world.
1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Now, lets examine our text for today.
2 Corinthians 3:7–11 (NKJV)
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
2 Corinthians 3:7 (NKJV)
7 But if the ministry of death,
Romans 7:10 “And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.” the law kills us by reminding us we have sinned and the wages of our sin, is literally our death.
Look, like we said, in the law we would sacrifice, we would walk two blocks and have to make another sacrifice because we would sin again. The wages of sin, death? Ours or another who was innocent, had no sin.ady condemened.
in Genesis 2:17 “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” man “died” to the life of God at that time.
in Galatians 3:10 “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.””
finally Jesus said, John 3:18 ““He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
death - thanatos - a situation all of us will face. Death is not a obstacle for the living God, he holds the keys to hell/death - Jesus said in Revelation 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away,of paul
Now, he specifies written and engraved on stones. The ten. Lets look at them.
First lets go to: Exodus 24:12 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”” then go to: later Moses would write: Deuteronomy 10:3–5 ““So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, having the two tablets in my hand. 4And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me. 5Then I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made; and there they are, just as the Lord commanded me.”” then: lets look at the ten.
Exodus 20:2–17 ““I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3“You shall have no other gods before Me. 4“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 7“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 8“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. 12“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 13“You shall not murder. 14“You shall not commit adultery. 15“You shall not steal. 16“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.””
What about the glory as God revealed these things to Moses. he just simply being in the presence of what written by the finger of God. Then he would simply be in his real presence and it would happen again and again as Moses spoke with GOD. Look
Exodus 34:29–35 (NKJV): Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30 So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him; and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would take the veil off until he came out; and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whatever he had been commanded. 35 And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with Him.
the glory of his countenance (face) - the glory of the Lord was waning on the face of moses. katar-gou-menen - passing away, the end of something. it would fade until his next encounter with the Lord.
Look, like we said, in the law we would sacrifice, we would walk two blocks and have to make another sacrifice because we would sin again. The wages of sin, death? Ours or another who was inncocent, had no sin.
the law, temporary in this sense. eternal in its consequence.
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?
The letter of the law, kills us in that it reveals what we already are. The law.
Following the law required obedience, rigid dedication. James 2:10–11 “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”
The Spirit? Faith: Galatians 3:5 “Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” the Spirit is more glorious as he gives us this life, through belief in Jesus Christ. Paul explains:
9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
the glorious service of the law, taught us that our righteousness is like filthy rags. The law killed us. Its the law, that brings us to the holiness and truth of Jesus Galatians 2:19 “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.”
The law reveals the requirements and our incapability to do achieve eternity and “kills” us. The Spirit gifts us with life.
Paul uses comparison like this by the holy spirit that we see the effective ministry of Jesus. The law built separation Exodus 20:18 “Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off.”
the serving of righteousness - Romans 1:17 “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”” this is the glory foretold and revealed in that work that Jesus did in the cross and his resurrection from the dead Romans 3:21 “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,”
10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels.
The law, reminded even israel, they needed the grace and mercy of Jesus. The psalmist David tells us: Psalm 51:14–17 “Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. 15O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. 16For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.”
Turn to: Romans 5. And now, in Christ we have the utter fulfillment of this: Romans 5:18–21 “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
what remains? What doesnt. A world that hates Him, He died for. This glorious condmentation which leads us to the throne of grace. We were married, in love with our sin and now, we have died to that relationship, and can now worship the Lord Romans 7:4–6 “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. 5For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. 6But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.”
Would you like to be raised from the dead? To love Jesus because He loves you? I tell you this, no matter what you have done, you can repent, turn from your self-righteousness and sin and turn to Him. And He will give you life right now.
I like how the NLT translates Romans 10:9–13 “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.””
This ministry of condemnation is glorious, because it shows us that even in our experience of grace in Christ, death had to come even still. Even the death of Christ means we had to die to enter into the ministry of righteousness.
Paul relates in Romans 6:3–4 “Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:5–11 (NKJV)
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
If anyone wants to receive Jesus right now, if you are ready to repent and trust the Christ, come forward while we pray.