Introduction

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We all want to be admired as humans … do we not?  Whether it be for our looks, our intellect, our achievements … our hospitality … or just in general … the human heart longs to be admired.  There was once a lady who had TWO admirers.  One was a doctor … while the other was a deaf man.  And the doctor would give the lady a red rose every day … while the deaf guy would give her a shiny red apple.  One day the woman said to the deaf guy; ‘hey … my doctor admirer gives me a rose every day, and I understand the symbolism of that.  But why do YOU give me an apple a day?’  To which the deaf guy said ‘WHAT!’

Perhaps the ULTIMATE example of admiration in the modern era was the 1991 Gatorade ad … featuring Michael Jordan … with the song ‘if I could be like Mike’.  It became one of the most famous catch phrases at the time … with people around the globe singing ‘if I could be like Mike’.  Like imagine how that made Jordan feel … to have millions of people admiring him SO MUCH … that they just wanted to be like him?

Well that’s what Paul is offering you and me in our passage today.  He is offering Christians the opportunity to be SO admired … that ANGELS will say of us … ‘WOW!  Check out that guy … or girl’.  He is saying it is possible for Christians to become SO admirable … that God Himself will praise us … and say ‘I wish MORE of my disciples were like … Heather … or George … or Carol … or Renzo.’  Can you imagine that?  Can you imagine being SO admired … that even GOD says ‘I wish ALL my servants were like Mike … or insert your OWN name’?  THAT’S what we’re talking about today.

So our passage picks up a comment Paul made in the LAST verse of last week’s passage … about being a minister of the New Covenant.  Now you might be wondering ‘what is the NC?’  Well another word for ‘covenant’ is ‘testament’.  The Christian Bible is split into 2 sections; the OT and the NT.  The OT … or OC … was inaugurated with Israel at Mt Sinai … while the NT … or NC … was set up by Jesus at his crucifixion.  For the night before he died … Jesus took bread and gave it to his disciples.  Then after supper he took the cup … saying ‘this is my blood of the NC.’

The message of our passage today … is that being a part of the NC is supremely glorious.  It is absolutely magnificent … totally outstanding … utterly amazing.  It is the kind of thing EVERYONE should want to be a part of.  It’s like our athletes at the closing ceremony last week.  They were just stoked to be a part of our Olympic team.  In the same way we too should be overjoyed … to be a part of the NC.

But what is even better than being PART of that glory … is Paul says we can BECOME that glory.  You and I can become SO magnificent … so beautiful … so admirable … in This life … that even GOD is impressed with our glory.  Now if you don’t think this is possible … let me read to you 1 verse:

Roman 2:29 (NIV) … a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

That’s what we’re talking about today.  How to be SO admirable … that even God praises you.  And I’ve got 3 points to SHOW us how to achieve this ‘ever-increasing glory’ … as Paul calls it in v. 18.  We’re going to begin by seeing how the NC is vastly more glorious than the OC … which I’ve titled (i) Being a PART of the greater glory … v. 7-11.  We’ll then see what benefits COME with being a part of the NC … which I’ve titled (ii) Enjoying the freedom of the greater glory … v. 12-17.  We’ll then conclude with our application … which is titled (iii) Being transformed INTO that greater glory … v. 18.  So if you would like to ‘be like Mike’ … and by that I mean admired by angels … or even God himself … then please come with me as we look at the greater glory of the NC.

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Being a part of the greater glory (v. 7-11)

 

Now … while our passage begins in v. 7 … I want to start in v. 6:

2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV) He has made us competent [sufficient] as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

So last week we saw Paul compare himself with the super-apostles … who claimed they were more competent for ministry than Paul.  And Paul says ‘the very thing that makes me MORE sufficient for ministry than THEM … is the knowledge that I’m not sufficient for ministry’.  Rather it is God who makes Paul sufficient.  Yet Paul says this sufficiency doesn’t come from ‘the letter’ … but from ‘the Spirit’.  So what does THAT mean?  Well he explains it in our passage today:

2 Corinthians 3:7-8 (NIV) 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?

So Paul is comparing the OC … which was given through Moses … to the NC … which was inaugurated by Jesus.  And he says the OC was amazing!  The Charlton Heston movie ‘The 10 Commandments’ does a pretty good job of depicting how amazing it was.  But I reckon you still need to multiply that movie by about a million to REALLY grasp how amazing it was.  Like the almighty … all-powerful creator of the universe descended on Mt Sinai in a pyrotechnic storm … filled with fire … lightening … billows of smoke … and a trumpet blast that made the people cover their ears.  God told Moses to tell the people NOT to come up the mountain.  And Moses said ‘don’t worry … no one is coming NEAR this mountain while it’s covered with fire and lightening and smoke.  It is too terrifying.

But even MORE amazing … is that when Moses came back down from talking to God on the mountain … his face radiated … Exodus 34.  And I don’t mean like how a pregnant woman’s face is radiant.  I mean he looked radioactive.  The Israelites RAN from him in terror to begin with.

But for ALL it’s glory … Paul says the OC brought death … v. 7.  And to understand WHY … we need to understand why the OT Law was given in the first place.  And it WASN’T given … to show the people what sin was.  Like do you really think the Israelites didn’t know that murder and adultery and stealing were wrong … BEFORE the 10 Commandments TOLD them they were wrong?  No … the OT Law was given to outline the punishment for each sin.

• So if you commit murder … you get the death penalty

• If to steal your neighbour’s sheep … you have to pay him back with 4 sheep.

This is why v. 9 says the OC brought condemnation.  It wasn’t there to SAVE the people of Israel.  They’d already BEEN saved in the Exodus anyway.  It was there … to remind them they are not righteous enough for God’s presence.

And this is why the NC is more glorious than the old.  In fact v. 10 says the OC has NO glory anymore … when you put it up against the NC glory.  It’s like how a light globe can light up a dark room.  A light globe has glory … brightness … magnificence.  But when you put a light globe outside on a sunny day … you don’t even notice the light globe anymore.  The glory of the sun outshines it … by about infinity.

And the REASON the glory of the NC outshines the glory of the old by about infinity … is because it brings righteousness … v. 9.  As our regulars have heard many times over … when Jesus died on the cross … he didn’t just take all our sin and put it in HIS spiritual account … he took all of his spiritual righteousness … and put it in our account.  So when God looks at Christians now … HE needs to put his sunnies on.  Because we shine with the righteousness … the glory of Jesus.

Yes … the OC was glorious.  But it brought death … v. 7 … condemnation … v. 9 … and came to an END when Jesus came … v. 11.  The NC is infinitely more glorious … because it brings the Spirit … which we’ll look at in a second … righteousness … v. 9 … and IT goes on for all eternity … v. 11.  Brothers and sisters … you do NOT want to miss out on something that amazing … that glorious.

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Enjoying the freedom of the greater glory (v. 12-17)

 

So … the NC brings righteousness … Jesus’ perfect righteousness … whereas the OC only brought condemnation. Paul THEN goes on to explain the BENEFITS of this NC glory in v. 12-17 … beginning with hope:

2 Corinthians 3:12 (NIV) Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

When Christians understand the glory they already possess … i.e. Jesus’ perfect righteousness … as WELL as the glory that is to come in heaven … we want others to have what we’re having.  So we tell them about Jesus … very boldly.  Benefit 2 … is the veil is removed.

2 Corinthians 2:13 (NIV) 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.

So Paul is talking about Exodus 34 here … which tells us they put a veil over Moses’ radioactive face … to stop scaring the Israelites half to death.  OK … Moses’ face was reflecting the glory of God.  And whenever someone in the Bible is confronted with the glory of God … they truly believe they’re about to drop dead on the spot.  The reason being that a sinner is burned up in the presence of a holy God in the same way that paper is burned up when it comes into contact with fire.  So the reason the Israelites RAN from Moses’ radioactive face … was because they were in the presence of the glory of God … which burns up sinful humans.

But PAUL says there was another reason they covered Moses’ face.  And THAT was that the radiance would fade over time.  And THAT … could lead the Israelites to think Moses’ importance as their leader was fading too.  So they HID that fading radiance … so the people would keep obeying Moses.

The problem with doing that … was they were veiling the glory of the OC.  And when you cover up the glory of the OC … all you’ve got left is condemnation.  This is what v. 14 is getting at:

2 Corinthians 3:14 (NIV) 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.

So WHILE the OC had glory … that glory was veiled … stifled.  It’s like putting a thick blanket over a lamp.  The lamp might still be shining.  But the blanket has veiled … stifled its light.  Unless the blanket catches on fire.  But when you turn to Christ … says Paul … that blanket is removed.  Now HOW is it removed?  Well Paul says we’re set free.  Read v. 17 with me.  But it’s a weird verse … so stick with me.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

So there are 3 weird things about this verse:

1. Who is the Lord here?  Is it the Father or the Son?  Answer; Dunno.  It could be either.

2. Why does Paul say the Lord IS the Spirit?  Answer: Dunno.  What we know from Paul’s OTHER letters … is he knows the Father, the Son and the Spirit are 3 different persons.  So our best guess … is he’s emphasising how CLOSE the 3 persons of the Trinity are.  Although the Father, the Son and the Spirit are different people … when the Son wants something … the Spirit is going to want the exact same thing.

3. And third … what is the freedom the Spirit brings?

Well the opposite of freedom is slavery … isn’t it?  And THAT’S what the OC brought.  John Piper says slavery is when you get commands from outside … which you don’t want to do on the inside.  So for example … when God says ‘do not seek vengeance … but instead love your neighbour as yourself’ … Leviticus 19:18 … that means showing tender, merciful and generous care to our enemies.  Now how many people want to do that?  But if God TELLS us to … we HAVE to.  That’s SLAVERY.  It’s being forced to do something you don’t want to do.

So HOW does the NC change this?  How does the NC bring freedom … v. 17?  It’s because the Spirit MAKES us want to do those things.  Let me explain.  The Spirit’s main role … is NOT to distribute the gifts of the Spirit.  Sadly the charismatic movement has veiled the Spirit’s role … pun intended … in recent decades … by claiming things like the Spirit’s role is to help people speak in tongues.  That’s not his main role.  When JESUS talks about the Spirit in John’s gospel … he says the Spirit is going to point you to ME … remind you about what I said … glorify ME.

What this means is … when Jesus says ‘don’t just refrain from vengeance … but instead LOVE your enemies’ … what the Spirit does … is he works that very love into our hearts … by pointing to what Jesus did on the cross … when he prayed for the very ones executing him.

Or when Jesus says ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ … the Spirit is going to be working that very love into our hearts … by pointing us to how Jesus loved US … in the ultimate way.

The benefit of the NC is that the Spirit now resides INSIDE the believer … making Christians WANT to obey.  The OC only had the external code … the letter.  And the letter KILLS.  It says ‘you’ve sinned … so here’s your punishment’.  The NC says ‘your punishment has been paid … your righteousness is perfect.  So doesn’t that make you WANT to repay the one who’s done all this for you?’  The the freedom the NC brings … is the DESIRE to obey God’s good laws.

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Being transformed into that greater glory (v. 18)

 

But wait … there’s more.  Not only do we get to be PART of this greater glory … and not only does this greater glory bring freedom … through the Spirit … those who are part of the NC are BECOMING more and more glorious … every day:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) 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.

This is what theologians call sanctification.  WHEN a person becomes a Christian … it’s like they’re lifted OFF the train tracks that are heading away from God … and put on the train tracks that are heading towards God.  We are set apart for holiness … or set apart for God.

But here’s the thing.  Nothing about a person’s overall behaviour or character changes at the moment of conversion.  They’ve simply been moved from over here … to over there.  The NEXT step … is to start heading towards God.  And this is what theologians call ‘process sanctification’ … which is the process of becoming more like Christ.  And WHEN we become more like Christ … we become more glorious.  The way to become more admirable … so that God says ‘have you considered my servant so and so’ … is by looking more like God’s son.  I mean think about it.  If God said of Jesus ‘This is my son … with whom I am well pleased’ … then God will ALSO be pleased with people who are LIKE him.  And the MORE we become like Jesus … the MORE our glory increases.

So HOW do we do this?  HOW do we get transformed into this greater glory?  Is it through hard work?  Do we have to knuckle down and strive to be more like Christ?  Or in other words … is it sanctification by works?  Well have another look at v. 18 with me:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) And we all, who with unveiled faces CONTEMPLATE the Lord’s glory

The way we are transformed into Christ’s image … with ever-increasing glory … is through contemplating Christ’s glory.  The way it works is this.  As we see how wonderfully glorious Christ is … it MAKES us want to be like him.  I’ll give you an example.  In the early 2000s … the world-wide church was being taken by storm … by a preacher named Mark Driscol.  His church in Seattle was exploding … in a good way.  He was the most listened to person on i-tunes … in the religious category.  He beat Oprah.  He released a string of books … and was being invited to speak around the globe.  And the APPEAL of Driscol was he spoke plainly and sharply to young men.  He said things like ‘stop messing around with porn.  Stop using women.  Get OFF the couch.  And go and get a job.  And as I listened more and more to him … I wanted to be like him.  So I started to preach like him.  The problem was … his sharp approach lacked grace.  Therefore so did I.

The thing about contemplating CHRIST … is he is full of grace … as well as mercy … and kindness … and forgiveness … and compassion … and generosity … etc.  So the way we become more admired … the way we attain to ever-increasing glory … awesomeness … is to contemplate Christ.  OK … we do not get transformed into Christ’s image by doing things that have no reference to Christ.  Sitting on the couch all day playing video games … or scrolling through social media … does NOT transform us into Christ’s image.  Now there’s nothing wrong with watching TV … or catching up with friends … or playing sport.  But that’s NOT what v. 18 is talking about.  The way we are transformed into ever-increasing glory … is by contemplating Christ.  And the process is simple.  Here’s our application.

When we contemplate how Jesus never sought vengeance … but rather had the peace and the love to pray for his enemies … it makes us say ‘boy … I want do have that peace and love too’.

When we contemplate how God forgives people … in a nano-second … and takes their sin away as far as the east is from the west … it makes us say ‘man … I want to be able to forgive like God forgives’.

When we contemplate how Jesus NEVER lusted … it makes us say ‘Crickey … how BADLY do I want lust out of my life’.

Or when we contemplate that Jesus never married … never had kids … but was the perfect specimen of humanity … it makes us say ‘wow … I want to be that comfortable in whatever situation God has placed me in.’

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Conclusion

 

And THAT’S how you ‘be like Mike’.  That’s how you get admired by millions … both in THIS realm AND the heavenly realm.  My prayer is we will spend a little LESS time this week … looking at screens … or getting ahead at work … or chasing that pleasure.  And instead … we’ll spend that time reading God’s word … and contemplating … thinking about … meditating on … the Lord’s glory.  For THAT is how WE:

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) … are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory