KESWICK AT PORTSTEWART
NOTES
FROM BIBLE STUDY – JOHN RISBRIDGER
TUESDAY
9 JULY 2024
READING:
2 CORINTHIANS 3 VERSE 7 – 18
Talking
of loss of confidence in judgment. You
could not help but feel sorry for Joe Biden the other day in what was a
particular tricky encounter with Donald Trump.
It is a serious thing when people lose confidence in those who are
leading them. In church life, in
politics or any other capacity. It is what people dread. When churches have a loss of confidence in
their leadership. This is what Paul was
facing. We can see that throughout this
letter – it was painful and personal. The Corinthian church was one he had
planted but it appears to be on the brink of losing confidence in their founding
apostle. The allegation seems to be
centred on the changes in Paul’s plans for travel. He planned to leave Ephesus and go north to
Macedonia and visit Corinth on the way to Jerusalem. News reached him in Ephesus of a certain
unnamed individual whose actions were driving a wedge between Paul and the
Corinthian church. We don’t know what
this person’s actions were, maybe related to 1 Corinthians 5 but when Paul
heard of these difficulties between himself and the church he decided to change
his plans and went straight to Corinth.
Then he planned to go to Macedonia and pop in to Corinth before
travelling on to Jerusalem. His visit to
Corinth was a painful one. It ended
rather badly with some bad feeling. Paul
made the decision instead of returning again when things were raw and the dust
hadn’t settled, it might be wise to skip
the visit and to send a letter to reassure them. We don’t have that letter referred to in
chapter 2 verse 3. These sequence of
unhappy events left Paul open to allegations.
That he was unreliable, had no integrity. There was a lack of confidence in his leadership. How would he respond? In chapters 1 and 2 he does explain some of
the details around the decisions made.
Paul’s main response, his argument was to do with why should he have
confidence in himself. His main argument
was why he had confidence in God. He
wanted them to see that their own confidence should also be in God and if they
had that then this would then get back on track. Look at 2 Corinthians 1 verses 18 and
19. "My message is about God’s yes to all
his promises in Jesus." The point of the
text here is that God has shown his faithfulness to his word because all the
promises of the Old Testament are finding fulfilment in Christ therefore, we
can trust him. Verse 21 – this same God
who given us his yes to his promises in Jesus is the sovereign God who has
brought them together with the apostle.
They have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. The action of God has brought them confidence
in the apostle. That is where his
confidence lies – in the God who does not change. Paul’s defence of his leadership does not
focus on himself but in his confidence in Christ. Chapter 3 verse 4. So often we think of leadership as having
confidence in ourselves before people rather that what it should be – before
God.
He
is confident because of the victory of Christ – verses 14 and 15. Paul paints the picture of his ministry that repaints
everything he does in light of the victory of Christ. It is not a picture that does anything for
Paul’s image. Conquering kings in the ancient world would return to their home city
for a massive victory parade. The
procession would include at the back the prisoners taken captive as
slaves. Their job was to waft the incense
of victory over the crowd. Paul says – “those
slaves at the back of the crowd - that is me. That is the ministry I am involved in – wafting the incense around in
Christ’s great victory." Who notices
those slaves? People notice the king
more. That is what people are interested
in. The good news is not about Paul and
how impressive he is, it is Jesus and the victory he has won for us. That is what it is all about. The church is all about fighting a battle
that is already won. The church can be
too inwardly looking. It needs to get out of its bubble and in to the community. To proclaim the truth of Jesus in what we say. To release the power of Jesus through our
prayers. We are fighting a battle Christ
has already won. It means being
different in being a witness in the workplace.
One day Jesus will come again and all that cynicism and futility and
moaning will be over. We should be
encouraged now because of the victory of Christ. Paul is aware as he spread the aroma of that
victory that not everyone will take it or receive it – verses 15 and 16. It is the pleasing aroma of Christ, the scent
of salvation that matters. The people of
Corinth were taking their eyes off Jesus and his victory and instead were putting
their focus on impressive people. What
do we really want our leaders to be like?
What do we really expect of them?
We play around ourselves with the same problem as we talk about our achievements. Paul is not interested in being an impressive
person but he is massively impressed with Jesus and his victory that he has
won. That is the source of the
confidence he has in his leadership.
That is why you in Corinth can have confidence because of Jesus victory.
His
confidence in Jesus’ transforming power. The law can change our
behaviour to some degree but it does not change our hearts. That contrast is seen here as he compares his
New Covenant with those going back to the ministry of the Old Covenant, to the
law based ministry of Moses. He is
saying the ministry centering on Christ does not change behaviour only, it
changes on the inside our values. The Spirit gives life. In chapter 3 verses 1 to 6 the people of
Corinth thought Paul ought to have letters of commendation. Others in the city had such letters. Paul tells them that he doesn’t need these
letters from prominent people because he has a letter from God that
demonstrates his power. What is that
letter of commendation? You. You who have had your life changed – verse 3. Jesus does not write laws on tablets of
stones but he writes his will on our hearts by the Holy Spirit – Jeremiah 31. Being a Christian is more than rule keeping,
it is about being in a transforming relationship with God. He has come to live in us by his Spirit
through the death and resurrection of his Son.
It does not mean we no longer have any struggles with wrong desires. It means if I will take the time to dig
beneath the surface of my desires I will find deeper desires implanted by the
Spirit through the Lord Jesus. These are
the desires from God – for goodness and holiness.
They are written on my heart by the Spirit. That is the evidence Paul says that my
ministry is authentic. Transformed on
the inside - Deep in your heart by the Holy Spirit. This is the evidence that the gospel is
true. Be encouraged. The Holy Spirit is
still being poured out. God is still changing
lives. Seeing that gives Paul confidence,
in the life transforming power of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. An application for us as believers - if we
were the living letter would there be an up to date story of change that you
could tell? Not just a story of
conversion 30 years ago when you first gave your life to Christ but
God doing something now. Our lives are
to be living letters that tell the world that God in heaven has come to us in Christ and wants to live in them too.
Living letters.
Paul
was confident of the superiority of Christ – chapter 3 verses 7 – 11. One of the hardest things to accept in such a
world today is that Jesus is unique.
Paul now compares the good Jesus with world religions generally
but with the law given to Moses specifically in the Old Testament. The law given to Moses was given on top of
the mountain and was good. The law was
glorious because when Moses came down his face was shining. The
good news about Jesus Christ is something altogether different. It outshines even the best religion can
offer. It is not about the letter of the
law at all but the ministry of the Spirit - verse 8. It is about entering into a transformative
life through Jesus. Paul contrasts these
2 in 3 different things. Jesus outshines
the law. Jesus brings life when the law
brings death. Verses 6 – 8. The law tells us how life is meant to be but
the law itself gives us no power to live that life. It kills off any motivation even to try. The Spirit of God comes to change our heart so
that we want to start to live that way. The
law leads to death because it does not give us the power to change, the Spirit
brings life, life as God intended it to be lived. Secondly, Jesus brings righteousness whereas
the law brings condemnation – verse 9. We
could read the 10 commandments honestly and conclude we are righteous but we
are just deluding ourselves if we think we can get righteous through the
law. The law can expose our failure and
guilt and so reinforce our condemnation.
Jesus who lived a perfect life took our condemnation unto himself, paid
it in full when he died on the cross. He
gave us the gift of righteousness before God.
A right relationship with him. Not
by obeying rules. It is a free gift of
grace through what he has accomplished for us.
Law based religion has nothing to compare with that. Thirdly, Jesus’ glory is lasting whereas the
law’s glory is transitory - verse 11.
The Old Testament was basically a promise woven in to the story of
Israel. The promise of God was
planned. God sent his son to provide
salvation. The promise was glorious
because of who it pointed to. The glory
of Jesus outshines it because he is the fulfilment of the promise. This is the glory of the goodness, this is
the wonder of the cross. The glory of
justification by faith. When we commit
to it then the law begins to fall away.
The draw of that law based religion pulled the Corinthains back to the
Old Covenant way. It was not taking them
anywhere. Paul says “no don’t go back,
see the glory of what Jesus has done, don’t let yourself get trapped by ritual
and rule based religion.” We need to be
careful that we do not preach grace to the unbeliever and law to the believer. We are saved by grace but we live by grace
too. We can still learn from the Old Testament
law. We should study it because it tells
us how God wants us to live but it will not change our hearts – only Jesus can
do that. Take a good look at Jesus, rest
in the completeness of what he has done for you. Realise he sees you clothed in his goodness
and know that he delights in you. Let
your hearts swell in praise. Begin to
work in his freedom. Realise it is
eternal. The superiority of Jesus. Verse 12 “Since we have such a hope we are very
bold, confident.” Not in ourselves but
because of Jesus.
We
are confident because we are bare faced with Christ. The “bold” in the original means open,
without shame, bare faced, up close.
That is the launchpad for the argument in these verses we looked at. Back in Exodus 33 and 34 God spoke to Moses
face to face. So close so that afterwards
his face was shining so much that he put a veil over his face so people could
not see that glory as it faded away. Moses
covered his face so people were not confused..
What was the end goal to which he pointed? To the one who became flesh and blood - "we
have seen the glory of the Father full of grace and truth." He covered his face so that they would not
worship him and get confused between his face and what that face was pointing
to. People’s faces are still confused when
they get bogged down in the law and its rules and regulations. Verses 16 – 18. Whenever anyone turns to Christ that veil is
taken away. The gospel does bring us
face to face with Jesus, with no veil, nothing to obscure his glory. Our sins are dealt with. We can look into the face of Jesus that
shines like the noon day sun. We can
catch a glimpse of who he really is.
That is what Jesus offers.
Christianity is not a series of rules imposed on us to help us gain the
favour of a faraway God but an invitation to an intimate relationship with the God
who loves us, comes to us and draws us to himself. An invitation to be captivated by the greatest
glory and so be filled with that worship and joy. When we are captivated with his glory we will
have more of a desire to be like him, to become changed from the inside
out. Glory is what transforms my heart,
changes me for ever.
I have seen my father’s glory in Jesus
Christ
Revealed in Jesus Christ
And the more that I behold Him
The more He satisfies
When I gaze upon his beauty
When I see him as I should
Then my eyes are lifted upward
For his glory and my good
There is hope in every trial
For I can trust the Lord
He will turn my heart towards him
And help me bear the thorn
So in faith I follow Jesus
On the road not understood
For I know that he is working
For his glory and my good
To our God be the glory
To our God be praise
He alone, the name above all names
I will boast ever only in the Lord my God
For I know his glory is my good
That
is Paul’s confidence - it is in Jesus – “his glory is for my good. That will change me forever.” With a message like that, with Jesus like
that, with an intimacy like that Paul is confident in Christ who he knows so
closely and his glory forever outshines the sun. We can be confident too. In all areas of our work, in the church and
our homes. In the victory he has won in
his resurrection. In the gospel that is
still changing lives today. Confident in
his glory that outshines even the best of religion today. To delight in his majestic glory. So to love him and therefore long to be like
him.
No comments:
Post a Comment