With The Spirit Of The Living God

2 Corinthians 3:1-3,6,14,18 - Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 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…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…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…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 5:12 - We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.

Jeremiah 31:33 - “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

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.

Ezekiel 11:19 - 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.

Application:

· Do I take pride in what is seen rather than what is in the heart?
· Does the law govern my life?
· Is God transforming my mind and heart? Is God bringing about change? What God requires of His people He always provides
· The Spirit alone gives life because only the Spirit can change the heart, enabling me to keep His commands
· Do I have a single-minded commitment to the Lord and to His will?
· Has Christ removed the veil so that I can see the power of the new covenant?
· Do I partake of the glory of God and am I being gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Living Stone

1 Peter 2:3-4 - Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:11 - He is " 'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.

John 1:4 - In him was life, and that life was the light of men.

John 4:10 - Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

Acts 2:22,26-27,34-35 - "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know…Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay…For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, " 'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." '

Acts 3:13 - The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.

Conclusions:

• Fulfillment of prophecy was an important element in early Christian sermons and defenses
• Life is Christ’s gift, and He, in fact, is the life
• The Gospel of John also links light with Christ, from whom comes all spiritual illumination
• Christ is the light of the world, who holds out wonderful hope for man
• The stark contrast between light and darkness is a striking theme in the Gospel of John
• Jesus gave life and gave it freely
• The living water in John 4:10 refers to eternal life
• The mighty works done by Jesus were signs that the Messiah had come
• God would not allow the Messiah’s physical body to decompose
• Not only was Christ to be resurrected but He was to be exalted to God’s right hand
• And Christ’s presence there was now being demonstrated by the sending of the Holy Spirit
• Disowned Him means they voted against Jesus, spurned Him, denied Him, and refused to acknowledge Him as the true Messiah.

Application:

• Have you rejected the stone?
• Is Christ your light?
• Has Christ given you eternal life?
• Do the mighty works of Christ reveal Him as your Messiah?
• Christ's body did not decompose.
• Have you received the Holy Spirit?
• Do you vote against, spurn, deny and refuse to acknowledge Christ as your Messiah?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible