Spirit of the Word

2 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 12:9

In work .... maybe translate dad's only audio tape sermon.

Three sermons per week and have to prepare with a degree of responsibility before God. Reminds of David, with army of about 400 men, misfits. He was to take that, God was to make a nation from that.

Not only did he make a nation, he incorporated the jewish faith into that.

Epistles were letters written to the churches...

You know in our time, you watch television or you read books, there is alot of self-sufficiency books. You will see these survivalists, wether they are toting weapons or farming or what have ya. You know the exact opposite of self-sufficiency? The exact oppositie is God-Sufficiency. You know the exact opposite of defending yourselves, is defying protection, or Godly danger. I understand there are certain things we are supposed to do, but when we begin to trust in ourselves we are our own god's. And this (bible) is definitely against that. Says our sufficiency is ... that's present tense.. is of God.

Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Now we live in a time when the New Testament, it's what we live in, the New Covenant. Now does that throw away the New Testament? No, I generally stay in the New Testament, it's not that, I just can't handle alot of things in the Old Testament. I will just step back there, but I am always afraid I will misuse it. I like to go back there sometime, but you really have to watch it and apply it to our time. And I usually stay up here, that is why I am having a hard time finding verses I ain't read before. But here is another contrast, not only do we have a contrast between self sufficiency and God sufficiency, now we have a contrast between the new and the old, and also a contrast between the letter of the bible and the spirit of the bible. See there is a definite contrast, this is a difference between life and death. When we begin to trust in ourselves, we'll probably destroy ourselves. When we trust in the letter of it we'll kill ourselves. It tells us the letter will kill, real quick. Now you go on here, let me switch over here and pick up a verse. Remember what the Brother was saying about God providing a miracle, and I was sort of thinking along those lines. 2 Corinthians 12, just hold your place on the other chapter 3, and go over to the 12th chapter. I was just thinking, I am glad he said that, it sort of helped me out. Chapter 12 with just the 9th verse. And here again "He said unto me", who is he talking about .... the Lord.

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. Now notice, "in necessities". Now it says up there verse 9, ... my strength is made perfect in weakness. Now you talk about, he had to look at it, ... lets look at it from a church, of course everything had to be an individual, the other church, and also as a group. I mean your ever wonder sometime, why the church had to hold the line? It seems like why don't you do things the way we want to, why don't we just rollover with money busting out the walls? Why don't we just insulate the walls with money? Do you trust in it? We wouldn't have no trust in God. Do we trust in in bank account? He said __?___ his strength can appear in a church that is materially wealthy. Remember the Laodicean church ... I have need of nothing. That's what she said. What's the exact opposite the Laodicean church? I'd say the ___?____church. See God is trying to do a work. He hast to get people to put their trust in Him, as a whole group. ______?_______ put an individual together, we got a church. He says sufficiency is of me. Lot of times (9:00) people will trust a preacher, they'll trust in a church. It's what's going on in a wholesale level, all around the country. We really believe when we got a bank account. But when, ugh life get's going (9:25).

Tape Side 2 continue...

One of the ways that he gets people or builds churches. He's going to make them _________. You really believe he's going to make us real strong bank accounts, and all that? Better forget _______. I am going to reveal myself to this church through the miracles of provisions. See what I mean. That's the best thing can happen, that's the way he deals with it. The Holy Spirit of the Lord, this should be a church where we acknowledge the ever present reality of a living God. Who reveals himself to us in the bible, and in the bible itself. We determine our knowledge of Him only in the bible, not out in _________. And then you also will build together for a habitation of God. Here in the spirit, here in the spirit, not this preacher. Preachers got his.... I don't want to be misunderstood. Now I sometimes contrast man and God see cause I believe that's what the New Testament says. Now some people may misunderstand me, I am not belittling the preacher. He has go his gifts and his rights, a rules, or whatever you have. That's his job. His gift of the spirit to do what he has to do. I have mine, and everybody else has got theirs. Ah, don't get me wrong, God uses people. I mean, that _______, _____ wher it works. But I do contrast it. And sometimes by contingency, placing man on the negative end of it, somebody get the idea they don't want me to preach. That's not true. I ain't saying I have it all, he uses every one of us to some degree or other. Now jump on down here, let me read that verse again.

For a habitation of God

And then ye also are building together

For this cause, I Paul _________ calling people out. Now Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Now you take, ah say a prisoner. If a person was to take a look at the bible.

2:54 I remember, I was saved outside the church. I never really did learn nothing till I set down at the kitchen table, slowly I learned I got to do something, so I did. You know what I mean, I was tired of church, I was fed up with church. And I started to learn things, and _____of a broken and contrited spirit. Man has deceived when he puts his trust in preachers and churches. He won't never learn, he has got to trust totally in Christ, altogether. Preachers and churches simply be seen as God's ways and means of bringing people to Christ, and not at any time being a substitute for it. Cause man is nothing in relation to Lord Jesus Christ. I'm afraid in our times it's not taught that way. But you take that a prisoner, person captivated when he runs into a reality of Lord Jesus Christ. He's got to see it with his own eyes. And then he grows in knowledge and experience with Him, and he sees him all around. Then he gets the idea, there's other people don't see things that way. (Laugh's). I think there was an article back there, at least there was on that deal, people who refuse to have fellowship with or play basketball with a cult because they call themselves a church, and they simply voted and they couldn't get together. So them people are praying to another Jesus Christ. I got to hand it to them, they are right. You can not have fellowship with people, who are speaking to another God, praying to another God. Who have a totally different idea of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the entire revelation of Him. I'm not going take no Joseph Smith hand down, supposed to find. I think if, they are cult's to get away from them. You can not del??? on. Not in the name of the Lord. You may go out and work with them, and what have you. But buddy, when it comes to a gathering in the name of the Lord, hey there is something wrong there, somewhere. And it's people saying we want unity at any price. Some people say peace at any price, some people say unity at any price. Probably alot of this economic business where churches are hurting for money, they have a tendency to make....

2 Corinthians 3

1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. 7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: 8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? 9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. 11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. 12 Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 13 And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: 14 But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. 15 But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. 16 Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. 17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Thank you, God, for all the blessings in my life.