Future with Christ is not only a spiritual reality. Paul longed to be “further clothed” with his resurrection body. Christianity does not teach that people will be “disembodied spirits” in the new heaven and the new earth. The final state for the believer in Christ is to have a resurrected, glorified, physical body which is…
Steadfast love -something we can count on. Do you begin the New Year with a sense of ambivalence? Are you done with resolutions? Maybe you simply want more good things and less bad things this year. From God’s perspective, the solution to beginning a new year is not to try harder in human strength. The…
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. There is a vivid contrast between those who belong to God and those who are under the sway of the evil one. This passage outlines 3 contrasts between children of God and children of the devil- identity, worship, and practice.…
God the Father has planned a glorious future for his children! That future glory makes all of our suffering worth it. Message from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 How can we keep going in faith? How do we keep from losing heart, becoming discouraged, or giving up? Only the hope of a glorious future with Christ will…
God’s power displayed through ordinary people seems like a paradox. Ordinary, earthenware vessels- that is what we are. Yet God delights in displaying His power through ordinary people in the midst of their affliction. Why? So that we would know that it is truly God at work and not ourselves. Corrie Ten Boom said, “There…
“Don’t Give up…Don’t ever give up.” –Jim Valvano at the 1993 ESPY awards Sermon from 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
Message from 2 Corinthians 3:7-11 Other Sermons from 2 Corinthians What is New About the New Covenant?
What is the New Covenant? The New Covenant is God making a way through his Son Jesus Christ- sealing the covenant through Christ’s blood–so that people can be made right with Him and have spiritual, everlasting life.
The Spirit of God seals our salvation and writes His law on our hearts, so that we can obey God in freedom and joy. Our motivation is not to obey in order to please God, as if we were in danger of falling out of his favor. Our motivation is to obey Him out of gratitude, joy, and the pleasure of being in His will.
Paul defends his apostleship to the Corinthians, and points back to the gospel message, which has taken hold in their hearts. Their changed lives are all the recommendation he needs. He then reminds them of the power and assurance of the Holy Spirit in the New Covenant. The letter of the law, and the law itself, could not produce new life. Only the Holy Spirit can produce new life and a new heart.
Jesus is our Advocate before the Father. People have many ways to excuse sin. People joke, “Politicians will say anything to get elected.” Christians may say anything in order to save face or avoid admitting sin. But the good news is that Jesus is our Advocate before the Father! Message from 1 John 1:5-2:6 We…
Message from 2 Corinthians 2:12-17 What happens when God’s people proclaim the gospel? Because God stands behind them, they can be confident that some will repent and believe, and others will reject the message. Paul writes and reassures the Corinthians that whenever they speak the gospel, they are victors. Their words and their lives are…