A Better Covenant 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

This morning we are going to go back to our study of 2 Corinthians and pick up where we left off in chapter 3. The verses we will begin looking at this morning are fascinating from the standpoint that Paul goes all in on detailing the importance of the ministry he is carrying out for the Lord in Corinth, a ministry that is for the benefit of the brothers and sisters in Corinth. How does he go about it? Well, if you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly! Paul says the ministry of the new covenant, the ministry the Lord has given Paul, is far more glorious than the ministry God gave to Moses. He said what? You heard me right. Paul is not saying he is superior to Moses, but what he is saying is that the ministry of the Spirit, the ministry of grace, the gospel, is far superior to the ministry of the Law that Moses was given. We’ll dig deep over the next two weeks and see that Paul is absolutely right, but first I want us to understand why it was so important for Paul to make such a statement and to do so unashamedly. Paul’s adversaries had been quick to point out how weak and frail Paul’s ministry was in comparison to the “super apostles.” They were so put together, smelled of success, and hit home runs with every swing of the bat. Paul on the other hand, had suffered so much, been mocked, ridiculed, and run out of town after town, and he didn’t even try to hide it. Paul admitted that he was the least of all of the apostles. Paul was well aware that there was literally nothing impressive about him. Paul knew what was being said about him, that’s why he wrote in 2 Corinthians 10:10,

10 For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing." (2 Corinthians 10:10 NIV)

Paul was not in a popularity contest with those who were trying to discredit his ministry, but he was very much aware that if his opponents succeeded in undermining his God-given authority then the church would suffer tremendously. How would the church suffer? In studying 1st and 2nd Corinthians it is clear that Paul had led many folks to Christ, some were growing in their relationship with the Lord, some were being persuaded and influenced by the culture and social climate of Corinth, and there were ongoing problems, big problems, in the church body. Paul’s entire mission in Corinth was to proclaim the gospel, disciple those who were coming to know the Lord, and train, correct, and build up the church body in Corinth. I hope we all realize that this is still the most important mission for the local church today. If the people of Corinth believed Paul’s critics and dismissed Paul and his ministry then they would not be willing to listen to, and value, what he had to say. For Paul, it was not his reputation or recognition that were important, but it was the authority of the Word of God and God’s will for the people and the church that were critical. With that said, let’s turn to our Scripture for today and see what we can learn. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 and let’s read together. 

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, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:7-18 NIV)

This is such a powerful section of Paul’s letter to the church. The comparison of the old covenant and new covenant shine such a brilliant light on the wisdom of God, the glory of God, and the grace of God for you and me. I want us to notice that at no time and in no way does Paul disparage the Law. As a matter of fact, Paul says it came with “glory” and was “glorious.” The problem was not the Law, but the problem was and remains the sinful human heart. I hope you noticed, as we read our Scripture, the number of times “glory” or “glorious” appeared. The Greek word translated “glory” is “????” (doxa) and it means,    “brightness, splendor, radiance, reputation, greatness, renown, glory.” The Greek word is used 165 times in the New Testament, seventy-seven times by Paul, and in 2 Corinthians, Paul uses the word nineteen times, eleven of those occurrences appear in the twelve verses we just read. The glory of God is a favorite subject of the Bible. We are urged, in Psalm 96:3,

3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Psalm 96:3 NIV)

We are to declare God’s glory among the nations, but what exactly is the glory of God? I’ve read so many definitions and descriptions of the glory of God, but the one I like best is this: “The glory of God is the invisible qualities, character, or attributes of God displayed in a visible (or knowable) way.” God’s character and attributes displayed publicly. I could easily spend the rest of our time describing how God’s glory has been made manifest in all of His creation, but I’d rather simply share with us what Isaiah experienced when he saw the Lord “high and lifted up, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Above the Lord were seraphim, angelic creatures, each with six wings who were crying out,

"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." (Isaiah 6:3 NIV)

The whole earth, every single centimeter above us, beneath us, and around us is filled with His glory! In our Scripture for today we can learn that the giving of the Law was glorious and that the new covenant possesses a glory that far surpassed the glory of the Law. How is that? Well, I want to encourage you to open your Bible and let’s take a longer look. If you would make two columns on the back of your bulletin. At the top of the first column write: “Old Covenant” and at the top of the second column write: “New Covenant.” If we can then go through the first eleven verses and pull out the words Paul uses to describe the two covenants we will be able to see the stark difference between the two. For the sake of time let me list them for us.Old Covenant           New CovenantDeath                        LifeWritten on stone      Written on heartsCondemnation         RighteousnessFading                      LastingHow was the giving of the Law glorious if it is a ministry of death and condemnation? That’s a great question and I want us to try to understand what Paul is trying to teach us this morning. Before we do that, we first need to understand that what Paul is drawing from, in speaking about the giving of the Law and the Israelites not being able to look upon the face of Moses because of its radiance, this comes from Exodus 34. Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Law given to him by God.  Turn with me to Exodus 34:29-35 and let’s read together.

29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the LORD had given him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the LORD's presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the LORD. (Exodus 34:29-35 NIV)

While the Israelites were at Mount Sinai, at two different times, God’s people promised they would do everything God had commanded in His covenant. In Exodus 19:8 and then again in Exodus 24:3; 7. Read with me from Exodus 24:3. 

3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD's words and laws, they responded with one voice, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." (Exodus 24:3 NIV)

While Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments written by God the people down below were growing impatient, Moses was just taking too much time. The people told Aaron to make them gods who would go before them. Aaron took the gold earrings the women and men were wearing and fashioned a golden calf for the people to worship. So much for doing everything the Lord commanded. When Moses came down the mountain, after having met with God, he saw what was taking place. We read in Exodus 32:19,

19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 32:19 NIV)

And this sums up the limitations of the Law. The Law is good, it is glorious, it has its purpose, but the Law consists of external commands that we are simply incapable of keeping because of the waywardness and hardness of our hearts. If we are incapable of keeping the Law, of doing everything the Lord has commanded in His Law, then how can the Law be good? Paul wrote to the church in Rome about this very topic. Turn with me to Romans 7:7-12 and let’s read together.

7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. (Romans 7:7-12 NIV)

Paul said he would have never known what coveting was or that it was a sin if he had not run into the Law. Oh, but when he came to know the 10th Commandment, “You shall not covet,” he recognized that he was coveting time and time again. The Law exposed what Paul had been totally unaware of until the Law was made known to him. We, as people, are prone, I would say hard-wired, to compare ourselves to others. There are two ways we go about making comparisons and neither are beneficial at all. Some of us always compare ourselves to those who seem to be more, do more, and have more than we do. The consequence of this type of comparison is guilt, shame, and feelings of inferiority. “I just don’t add up. I haven’t done anything with my life compared to him or her. I’m such a lousy husband compared to Tre and Ryan. I want to be a blessing to others like my friend, but I guess I’m just too selfish with my time. I’m barely paying my bills and my friend just keeps getting promotion after promotion, moving into newer and bigger houses, and I’ll never get ahead.” You see where this is going? I might as well tattoo a big “L” on my forehead. The second way we make comparisons is to look down and find someone who we determine to be less, do less, and have less than we do.  It’s the same scenario except in reverse. “Look at me! My buddies don’t ever do anything with their families and I make sure to have ‘family night’ every Friday night with my kids. I’m crushing it in my walk with God, unlike those heathen friends of mine. And financially, I’ve got the world by the tail and there is no telling where I’ll be in ten years. I’m the envy of all my friends!” Do you see where this is going? Arrogance and pride are sure to lead us down a dark, dark path…eventually. You can count on it. When we compare ourselves to others we are aiming at a moving target. Some will make us feel better about ourselves while comparing ourselves to others will make us feel worse. When we look to the Law we find a standard set by God and not ourselves and that standard is immovable, irrefutable, and undeniable. God says, “Be holy as I am holy.” And therein lies our problem…we are not holy, not in and of ourselves, not even on our best day.The Law is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have achieved, you have and you will continue to fail miserably if you are determined to keep the Law to try and earn your way into God’s favor. God’s Word teaches us that we are sinners, not just that we sin, but we are sinners. Because of our sin nature we have a natural bend away from God and resistant to His authority over our lives. God’s Word also teaches us that our hearts are hard and deceitful. We learn this through the prophet Jeremiah who wrote,

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV)

The Law is holy and just, but we are sinners who have hearts that are hard and deceitful. When we are confronted with the Law, if we are looking to keep the Law to earn our way into God’s favor, then we will be crushed, left utterly hopeless. John Calvin wrote,

The office of the law is to show us the disease in such a way that it shows us no hope of a cure. Whereas, the office of the gospel is to bring us a remedy, to bring a remedy for those who are past hope. For the law, since it leads a man to himself necessarily condemns him to death. Whereas the gospel, bringing him to Christ, opens the gate of life.  (John Calvin)

In John Bunyan’s book, Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian was led by Interpreter into a very large room that was full of dust because it had never been swept. A man entered and began to sweep the room, but all his work produced was stirring the dust throughout the room. The dust became so thick that Christian began to choke. Interpreter called in a woman and told her to bring some Water and sprinkle the room. Once she did so, the room was swept clean. Christian asked Interpreter, “What does this mean?” Interpreter said…

This parlor is the heart of a man that was never sanctified by the sweet Grace of the Gospel: The dust is his Original Sin, and inward Corruptions that have defiled the whole man. He that began to sweep at first, is the Law; but she that brought Water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel. Now, whereas you saw that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did fly about, that the room by him could not be cleansed, but that you were almost choked therewith; this is to show you, that the Law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from Sin, does revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even as it does discover and forbid it, for it does not give Power to subdue.Again, as you saw the Damsel sprinkle the room with Water, upon which it was cleansed with pleasure; this is to show you, that when the Gospel comes in, the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then, I say, even as you saw the Damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the floor with Water, so is Sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through the Faith of it, and consequently fit for the King of Glory to inhabit. (Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s Progress)

The Law does what it is supposed to do. It exposes our dark, hard hearts, but the Law is powerless to provide us with a remedy for our problem. What the Law is incapable of doing, the New Covenant, the work of the Spirit through the finished work of Jesus in His death and glorious resurrection is able to accomplish by forgiving us, cleansing us from all of our sin, and recreating us into the image of Jesus. This truth is so beautifully illustrated by Paul in Romans 7, when after struggling with “Why do I do the things I don’t want to do and why do I fail to do the things I know I should,” he writes,

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! … (Romans 7:24-25 NIV)

Who will rescue us? If we are incapable of doing what is demanded of us then what are we to do? You may be here this morning and thinking to yourself, “I don’t need rescuing. I'm doing quite well, thank you.” In regards to your health you may very well be right. Your last check-up caused the doctor to give you a standing ovation. Your numbers were better than men ten years younger than you. You don’t look or act your age. You are impressive! Financially you may be absolutely right. You’re crushing it with even better prospects for the future. There’s no doubt you are the Warren Buffet of Oklahoma City, the Oracle of Oklahoma City! Your marriage is healthy, your relationship with your kids has never been better, but what will you do in the end? What will you do when you stand before a holy and righteous God who made provision for you to be forgiven and reconciled and yet instead of falling at the foot of the cross, you turned and walked away. How will you answer a holy and righteous God who provided His Son as the avenue for you to be cleansed of every sin you had ever committed? Will you show Him your Profit and Loss statement instead? Will you show Him the receipts you’ve kept of all the tithes you’ve given to the church instead? Will you tell Him about all of the wonderful things you did for others?  That is not what He will be looking for my friend. He will be looking for those who have recognized their absolute failure, their utter hopeless condition, and have turned to Jesus as their only hope of redemption. Before we go I want us to take a quick look at 2 Corinthians 3:9.

9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! (2 Corinthians 3:9 NIV)

The ministry that brought condemnation is the ministry of the Law. It brings condemnation because none of us can bear up under the weight, the demands of the Law. Paul says the ministry that brings righteousness is far more glorious. I want us to notice something very important. Paul says it is the ministry that brings righteousness, not has earned righteousness. The Law was able to hold God’s righteous standard before us continually, but the Law was unable to provide for us what we needed to keep God’s righteous standard. Jesus kept God’s perfect Law, He never sinned, but He did offer His life for sinners like you and me. We will read later in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, 

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

And if this were not enough, Jesus then sent His Spirit to live within each of His people to begin the work of sanctification, the work of molding us and shaping us into the image of Jesus. We are a work in progress and that work is the work of the Spirit of God. When a person surrenders their life to Jesus they do not suddenly stop sinning and start quoting the Bible every moment of every day. We are a work in progress and His work will continue throughout our lives. I love how Hannah More, the wonderful hymn writer and author who died in 1833 described herself.  She wrote, 

God is pleased to work with the most unworthy instruments—I suppose to take away every shadow of doubt that it is His own doing. It always gives me the idea of a great author writing with a very bad pen. (Hannah More)

My friend David Darnell used to tell me, “God hits home runs with crooked sticks.” Both, what Hannah More and David Darnell have said, are absolutely true. You can’t wait to get your life in order to come to Jesus or you will never come. Today, if you hear His voice, if you recognize His wondrous grace being extended to you, won’t you come and receive His gift of forgiveness and mercy?Mike HaysJanuary 15, 2023