5/13/2017. GOD MAKES US COMPETENT 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6. And who is equal to such a task?

Transcription

1 GOD MAKES US COMPETENT 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6 Turning Point Church 5/14/17 And who is equal to such a task? 1

2 12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia. MACEDONIA Thessalonica GREECE Achaia Corinth Philippi Athens Troas Ephesus But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. Arch of Titus Roman Triumphal Procession (Relief from the Arch of Titus) 2

3 Roman Triumphal Procession And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Dear God. Thank you for sending Jesus to die for my sin. I want to give you control of my life. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of the Holy Spirit and eternal life. Help me to know you better and to learn from the Bible how I can live a life that pleases you and helps others. Amen. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 3

4 9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings 11 To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. 12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world right up to this moment. A church in Denver Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God. That is why, for Christ s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 4

5 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 everyone. 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. Dr. D. Ploma PhD., DDR., PBS, Y2K, IOU 1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 6 out of 10 Americans believe the church is irrelevant. Matthew 5:16 (NIV) In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 5

6 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. We are therefore Christ s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 6

7 1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 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

8 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 11 The LORD said to him, Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. INTRO: IS IT POSSIBLE TO JUST DO IT? 1. THANK GOD FOR COMPLETE VICTORY 2. SURRENDER TO CHRIST S LEADERSHIP 3. YOUR LIFE IS A LETTER THAT OTHERS READ CONC: BE CONFIDENT THAT GOD MAKES US COMPETENT Follow- Through Guide 8