What kinds of attacks come against our hearts?

1 2 Corinthians 3-4 Heart Attacks Paul s main emphasis in 2 Corinthians is to defend his authority as an Apostle and to warn against false teachers spreading heresy and another Gospel. What kinds of attacks come against our hearts? 1 - Comparison 2 - Self- sufficiency 3 - Condemnation 4 - Shame 5 - Circumstances Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. The Hebrew word for flesh - bawsawr - means to be fresh, to announce, preach, and bring forth good tidings In other words, God will take our stony heart and make it soft and pliable - full of good tidings - the gospel. Heart in Hebrew comes from lebab, which refers to our feelings, our will and even intellect. Thus, it refers to the center of our very being, or who we really are. Recapping Chapter 3 for a better understanding of Chapter 4: A. Stony hearts (3:1-3) Comparison Why are our hearts compared to stone? They are cold, hard and dead. 1- A stony heart is Satan s throne. 1. I don t need letters of recommendation from men * You are my letters - written on your hearts - The ministry of grace changes the heart. * # of times Paul refuses to commend himself by external

2 evidence - 3:1, 5:12, 10:18 - but instead points to his own conduct through mercy - 4; 2, 6:4, 12:11. 1. The Corinthians where wicked.1 Corinthians 6:9-11. And such were some of you. Grace changed them, not written laws. (a.) Paul is God s secretary, writing the word of God into the lives of God s people. (b.) Every Christian is a letter of Christ being read by all men! Matthew 7:20 By their fruits you will know them. (c.) You are writing a gospel, a chapter a day, by the deeds that you do and the words that you say. Men read what you write, whether faithful or true. Just what is the Gospel according to you? Moses wrote God s law on stones - today God writes on our hearts. Hebrews10:16-17 Law=Dwells externally - Holds man s hand, but does not change him internally. Grace=Dwells internally in the heart. The Spirit (grace) changes internally which affects the external change and fruits. Not rules, but heart change. The proof is in the fruit - Moses told the people to bring a branch into the tabernacle, and his was the one that blossomed - symbolizing the fruit of his ministry. B. Law = death! (3:4-6) Self- Sufficiency 1: Law never meant to give life. No man ever saved by the law. Some teachers in Corinth were telling others to reject Paul s message of grace and just to obey the law. (Just obedience to the law = Bondage, rules, drudgery!) The word life in the Gospel of John is always linked to life in the Spirit of God and even more abundantly.

3 A. Fading Glory! (3:7-13) Condemnation 1. The Temple s glory was fading, not lasting! a. v7 - Law on stone had a temporal glory that faded because it brought death (condemnation) and not life. Rules in and of themselves will always bring about death and condemnation eventually, because we will fall short of a rule. You cannot live in relationship with rules alone. (Imagine living with rules only with your spouse, kids, loved one) 1. Veil was so that the people would not see the glory fade. v. 11 (not so much because Israelites where afraid) 2. The gospel is everlasting and glorious! Paul has nothing to hide - no veil. The glory of the gospel is there and lasting. A. Cover up! (3:14-16) Shame 1: Veils are meant to cover. You can t see clearly with a veil on! Jews are blinded until the day of the gentiles is fulfilled (Romans 11: 25) can t see Christ in O.T. a. Satan blinds all sinners (2 Corinthians 4:4) b. The gospel is unveiled and high and lifted up (John 3:14-15). c. The Baptist - (John 3:30) he must increase and I must decrease As we die, He is seen clearly! d. The veil was torn in two at the cross - access. A. Freedom! (3:17-18) Circumstances 1: Freedom is not for sin, but rather to behold Him and be transformed by Him. Contemplate and consider the Lord s glory!

4 a. Paul compares the word as a mirror - James 1:23-25 - Look at God s word and His Son to be transformed. b. Freedom from fear of being in His presence- The Gospel brings freedom to behold Him and reflect His nature in our lives. c. V.18 We grow daily from glory to glory. We are changed by looking, worshipping, and beholding Jesus. That s how we become like Him. Remedies for heart attacks 5 Remedies 1: Determination (4:1) 2: Honesty (4:2-4) 3:Humility (4:5-7) 4: Suffering (4:8-10) 5: Unselfishness (4:11-15) Statement: Some at Corinth were accusing Paul of wrong motives for his ministry - What was Paul getting out of it? - Paul proves his ministry is sincere. 1: Determination v.1 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. a. Why did Paul keep preaching with dangers, toil, and trials if he were not sincere? * Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart. * Galatians 6:9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. * Ephesians 3:13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. b. Paul looked at his ministry as a stewardship God gave

5 to him, and thus God would give him the strength he needed to continue and not faint. Proper view of mercy gives us determination. c. The gospel was too glorious, too important for Paul to give up. We faint not - in boldness of speech and action, and patience in suffering. 2. Honesty vv. 2-4 2 But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man s conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. a. Paul would not try to trick people into believing. He lived his life in honesty and truth. b. Paul did not fear man, but God. c. Paul did not mix the gospel with philosophy or water it down. d. Paul encouraged people to search the scriptures. Bereans in Acts 17 e. Paul never twisted the gospel of God to win converts. * He did not sugar coat it. * Only truth can remove blindness, not trickery. 3. Humility vv. 5-7 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus sake. 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

6 a. Paul was not out for personal gain, opinions, passions, or interest - if so, he would have promoted himself and not Christ. b. Paul s humility in his willingness to be a bond servant=slave * We are servants to the human souls not just to human needs or wants. c. To be treated as a slave was the ultimate sign of humility. * How does it feel to have no recognition, reputation, selfvalue, for you? That s humility! * Slaves have no rights at all! They belong to their master s. Earthen vessels reflect our weakness (humility) and His greatness. Light shines in three ways for anyone who desires to be a light in a dark world. 1- Light reflected from us. John 8:12 I am the light of the world. Matthew 5:14 We are the light of the world. Was Jesus confused? No. He is the sun, and we are the moon that reflects the light from the sun. Lunar eclipse blocks the light - Ex. If the world gets in the way between Jesus and me then the light will not shine. 2- Light is given to us. The treasure is Him and thus shines brighter in plain earthen vessels. Ex. Package cannot be more valuable than the gift inside. 3- Light shines through us. Gideon s army - 145,000 against 32,000 - talk about pressure. Reduced by God 22,000 then 9,700 down to 300 men. God shines more brightly when we are under pressure and odds are against us.

7 4. Suffering vv. 8-10 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. a. Paul s willingness to suffer was proof of his servant s heart to promote the gospel - not himself. b. We are broken vessels that shine the light of the gospel when we are pressed * Clay is the most ordinary of materials - God becomes extraordinary in the ordinary of our life - through obedience! It was piano craftsman Theodore Steinway who said that it is the forty thousand pounds of pressure exerted on the two hundred forty-five strings of a piano that creates beautiful harmony. Sometimes, it is only the pressure, the persecution we undergo that causes a song to resonate in the hearts of those with whom we share. Paul knew this. That is why he could say, Good things are happening even in our tribulation and difficulty, for through our hard times, Jesus shines brighter. 5. Unselfishness vv.11-15 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you. 13 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak, 14 knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you. 15 For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Paul was willing to face suffering and death for Jesus sake and for the sake of the churches. a. What brought death to him meant life for others as he

8 suffered to bring them the word. b. False teachers knew nothing of sacrifice and suffering. They were hirelings, NOT shepherds caring for the flock. 6. Faith vv. 16-18 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. a. Paul s focus was on faith in the gospel and eternity, NOT the temporal. Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. b. Paul did not lose heart, because he did not lose focus or faith. Faith alone allows us to see the unseen. (Hebrews 11:1-3) Paul did not look to his fate but to his faith. World thinks were crazy when we dare to believe God s word and live according to His will. We pass things up that men covet, because our hearts are set on higher values.