2 Corinthians 3:1–6:
[1] Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? [2] You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. [3] And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. [4] Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. [5] Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, [6] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (ESV)
BIG IDEA: Heavenly Confidence Requires Heavenly Support
Our Confidence Is Divinely
[1] Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? [2] You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. [3] And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
Our Confidence Is Divinely
[4] Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.
Our Confidence Is Divinely
[5] Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, [6] who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Applications/Uses:
Discussion Questions:
What was the big idea of the sermon? Is it faithful to what the text says?
What struck you most about the passage as you listened?
How does this passage help or motivate us to live for God through Christ?
Why is it important to distinguish the work of God from the work of people?
What is the difference between a ministry like Paul’s and a ministry that is not like his?
What would be the long-term effects in your life of a ministry like Paul’s compared to a ministry that is not like his?
How can you know whether the Spirit is working in you?