02.07.2016 Living under the Weight of the Law

2-07-2016 from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

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Lord, thank You that You hear our prayer and respond to our prayers. We don’t always get the answer that we think should be given, but they are important to You and You are always responding to us. You love us more deeply than we can imagine – and we can live with that hope and trust.
2 Cor. 3: 1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, [a]cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of [b]human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
The Corinthians are questioning Paul’s credentials. Is he really a worthy apostle? They are asking for letters of commendation. Like a job interview, they are asking for references. The source of this – is important – in 1 Corinthians – the people were dividing up – like political factions and schisms – some saying I am of Peter or Paul, or Apollos – they are aligning themselves with certain candidates and speaking badly of the others. Sound familiar? And the others are coming with their letters of recommendation. There are power plays taking place in the church at Corinth. There are different people trying to gain power and authority and take it away from Christ and focus it on themselves.
This happens today – there are those in ministry who are trying to garner a following rather than trying to gain a following for Christ.
In 2 Cor. 11:5 - Paul admits that he is not inferior to the ‘super-apostles’ – Even though he is “nothing” – it goes on today – we might not use these same terms –
Like saying – we have a letter from Peter and he spent a lot of time with Jesus… - it is amazing to think that there are leadership struggles and power plays in the church. But it has always been that way. It is different today – people wanting their way and using power to get their way.
Paul launches a real power play in 2 Cor. 3 – the ultimate power play. You want letters of recommendation? I don’t have those – but instead of defending himself, he compliments the Corinthians. “Oh, you want a letter? You are my letter! You wonderful Corinthians! And the great work that God has done inside of you – You are my letter in Christ!”
When we read that – the first thing that should come to mind is, “Really?” – The Corinthians are you letter? Like saying – the ones who fired me and hated me – here is their recommendation.
Not only does he say – you are my letter – He gives all of the credit to God. He is saying – I don’t need approval or credentials or credit – the real power and authority in ministry is not in who you know, but it comes from God and the Holy Spirit.
What we see with Paul – all the problems the Corinthians had – Paul sees them as a letter of Christ. This speaks volumes to the way that Paul views other Christians and the work of God.
There is a theme of confidence and boasting throughout Corinthians. Paul has complete confidence in the Spirit’s work in peoples’ lives. How much confidence do we have in the lives of those around us – Our Corinthians? They are a Christian? They are trouble! And difficult! We have people – we think, Gosh – but Paul does not write them off – set them aside – and Paul could have done that – but he doesn’t – he sticks with them – not because of them, but because of God’s work in them.
2 weeks ago we talked about the man who was doing immoral things – “you need to banish this so-called brother – get him out of the church” – and they eventually do that – and then he tells them to restore him. In 1 Cor – He called him a so-called brother – but in 2 Cor. – He refers to him as a brother – just as one who needed to be restored. That is a challenge to us – to really believe in the work of God in people’s lives. God can change anything. People have real struggles in their faith – and God is able to patiently work in that.
I think we see that Paul understands how large and vast God’s saving work is. God can save anybody, can transform anybody.
Everybody wants their church to be like that in the New Testament. The denominations think they are doing it the New Testament way – but I wonder if we should think of the church in Corinth as a New Testament church – the one that is not doing everything right. It was a church that was so engaged in welcoming people in – so there was stuff going on – and God was at work in that mess. We see that God was working in the mess.
In v. 3 - written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of [b]human hearts.

4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
He makes a shift – toward a theological point – and he will emphasize it the rest of the way through the chapter. He talks about tablets of stone – the ten commandments – and he is talking about these letters that were there – the Law of God – these other apostles were creating conflict – because Gentiles and Jews were being brought together and the question was – to what extent do the Gentiles need to be placed under Jewish Law. There were those who were saying that Paul had done away with the Jewish Law – and that his grace was too radical and extreme and it needs to be balanced with the Law.
There is so much with Grace today – even in our name –- like the Geico Commercial: everyone knows that – that we don’t really know it. It is unbelievable grace. He rebukes them and confronts them – but in the end, he tells them that they are amazing – a letter of Jesus. What we hear today – “the church is terrible – a bunch of compromisers – except for me”
That was not Paul’s way of leadership – his way was to take the least of the churches.
There is a group here at the church trying to help us rewrite our mission and values – we took that survey and looking at ways to make Grace Summit more accessible – and we don’t want to just change the building situation – but understanding why are we here? What are God’s mission, purpose and plan for us?
One said – well, we have to have grace in there – because it is foundational to who we are!
We hope to be finished by late April or early May and to be able to share our purpose and mission.
“Our mission lives within the boundaries of making disciples…
We remind people that they are sent from God as missionaries everywhere every day.”
That is what we are about. Most important – no matter what you struggle with – you are an ambassador of Jesus. I ask you to view yourself that way – (22:00) – Your record is irrelevant when we think that we are in Christ – who we are most deeply – so we can, because of that, be His ambassadors, His witnesses – everywhere – every day.
2 Cor. 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
Paul, again – “this is not about me – I am not able to do this in and of myself – the Sprit makes me adequate – we are simply servants. Ministry is Spirit initiated and Spirit empowered – in struggling and sacrifice –
When we do it ourselves, God gets no credit – we get all the credit – but that is not how God operates. We are servants and He allows us to participate in His work. Paul continues, contrasting the law and the Spirit…:
7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came [c]with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which fades away was [d]with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
That is a mouthful! But he is contrasting and comparing these two – and the tablets of stone are a ministry of death – but the ministry of the Spirit is one of life and righteousness and glory.
The people of Israel – the people whom Paul and Jesus were reaching – had grown up under this ministry of the tablets of stone – the Law – and Paul is not dissing the law or the Ten Commandments – but rather, putting it in the right perspective. The only thing the tablets can do is show us where we fail – that we failed – and that we need salvation. Now he is trying to introduce a new story – that of the gospel. Jesus entered into this world – this story of Moses and the Law – and He flips the tables – and begins telling a new story – in parables – a story of a kingdom – and none of them gets it. It is such a change from what they have heard and have been unable to understand. They missed Jesus’ story because their lives were entrenched in the law.
“Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn't fit in with the core belief.”
― Frantz Fanon
And we do this all the time. When Jesus entered in – people said – Oh no!
Last week – Rick talked about heaven – and many of you said – I have never heard that! It is different from what I have ever heard!
What I’d like to do with the little bit of time remaining – looking at ways we live under the story of the tablets of stone – just like they did – and that we need to learn to live under the ministry of the spirit.
It is easy to live under the ministry of the tablets – because it is clear cut – written in stone – but the ministry of the spirit is like living under the ministry of the wind – like “written in wind” – that is even worse than “written in sand” - It is diverse and messy and cannot be domesticated or tamed – but you can tame and control with tablets of stone.
1) The Ministry of Moral Goodness. There are those who believe this makes us right with God – spiritually mature – but it all comes from God – none of it lies within us.
We may know this theologically as it relates to salvation – but often we place ourselves under this stone tablet of moral goodness – believing it makes us acceptable to God and we ask – are we good enough to receive His love and goodness –and even worse – we place others under it – measuring them by it.
2) the Ministry of Right Doctrine, Views, and Positions – that these make us right with God. Having right doctrine is a good thing! And there are essentials of the faith that are basic to our faith – but there are plenty of people I would strongly disagree with who love Jesus in every way and know Him just as well as you or I do – we can’t judge others based on holding different views. Your right view in no way makes you more spiritually significant.
3) The Ministry of Right Practices – holding to certain spiritual disciplines, attending certain meetings – that you measure up spiritually – This is a ministry of death and condemnation. Our relationships with God is about our hearts. Spiritual practices should put you in a position where you can gain a right heart. They remind you of the necessity. It is easier to measure ourselves by this list of stuff that we have done. This is our human nature. If we measure ourselves rightly, there is nothing to boast in.
4) the Ministry of Shame and Guilt – “when I stop doing _____ I will be right with God.” You will never stop doing ______ UNTIL you are right with God. It is subtle – but very destructive. With anything – when you understand you are right with God – then and only then will you have the power to stop doing….
Let’s pray…