Sept. 7, 2003am  Ministers of the New Covenant  II Cor. 3:1-9

By Ronald E. George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Church

 The new Covenant is seen on the cross of Christ and proclaimed by the resurrection of the Lord from the dead.  He is alive! The Unconditional love of God extended to sinners created in His image and recreated by the power of the Spirit.  It's the good News ,the gospel.  John 3:16

 

Scripture Text:  2Cor 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 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 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. 4 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 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. 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, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

 

1Pet 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  10  Which in time past [were] not a people, but [are] now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

 

We are the ministers of the New Covenant/Testament.

 

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

1.  Chosen by God to become His ministers..

 

2.  Directed by God to become the new covenant to the world in darkness.  Living letters express the nature of God through the people of God to the world. 

 

3.  Empowered by God to Shine forth the praises of the King of Kings.  v.5 Our sufficiency is not of ourselves but of God's

a. salvation

b. life

c. ministry

 

4. Gifted by God to extend the New Covenant to those who are without.  You can only give away what you have. 

 

5.  Quickened by God in the power of the resurrection to live in a world of darkness as the light of the world.

 

Mat. 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

 

Will you extend the New covenant to those who are without, so that they may enjoy the life and liberty of the Spirit.

 

2Cor 3:17  Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty.

 

Will you give God to those you know?  In the church and in the community we are given the opportunity to minister in his name.  Come to pray for one another and to pray for the believers in our community to extend the new covenant to the world in our community.