“LIVING EPISTLES”

2 CORINTHIANS 3:1-6

INTRO: God’s people are a special people. We are special because of our birth.

1 Peter 1:23 says of us, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but

of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”

We are special because of our beliefs. We believe that “..the prophecy

came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as

they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21) and “all Scripture

is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof,

for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16). We

are special because we bound for glory land. Our Lord Jesus

promised His disciples and all who believe in Him, “In my Father’s

house are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go

to prepare a place for you. And If I go and prepare a place for you, I

will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye

may be also” (John 14:2-3). And we are looking and longing for the

day that “…the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,

with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the

dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall

be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the

air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one

another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

In 2 Corinthians 3:2 Paul writes to the Corinthians—“Ye are our

epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.” What Paul

said of the Corinthians is true of all true believers. Some false

teachers has started carrying forged letters of recommendation to

increase their authority. In no uncertain terms, Paul states that he

needs no such letters. The lives of the believers whom he and his

companions had converted were enough of a recommendation (1).

Friend, If you have placed your faith and trust in Christ Jesus, you

are a Living Epistle and that makes you special. Someone has said,

“The ‘living Bible’ people really read, is you” (2). Let us note this

morning three things about “Living Epistles.”

LIVING EPISTLES ARE:

(1) REFLECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR’S WORK

2 CORINTHIANS 3:2-3—“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,

known and read of all men: 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 fleshly tables of the heart.”

A. CREATED BY THE AUTHOR’S HAND. Notice the last part of v3—

“written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of

stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart.” Christ is the author of the

letter; Paul was the penman; the message was written on the fleshly

tablets of the hearts of the brethren at Corinth. (The People’s New

Testament Commentary). Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-10—“For by

grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the

gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his

workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath

before ordained that we should walk in them.” Friend, If you are saved,

you are to be a reflection of Christ in everything you do. There should

be no doubts about Whose you are and Whom you serve! Paul Gilbert

wrote: “Men read what you write, if it’s false or true. Say, what is the

gospel, according to you?” (3).

ILLUS: Ronnie Hinson wrote:

Once Upon A Hill

Verse 1

Somebody wrote my life’s story

Though the ink never touched the writer’s quill

Now in Heaven I’ll live happy ever after

Cause my life story started once upon a hill.

Verse 2

I’ve never laid eyes upon the author

But it’s clear to see He’s laid his hand on me

My life story may not be the world’s bestseller

But they won’t have to read between the lines to see.

Chorus

Once upon a hill is all it took

From hidden shame my heart’s been changed

My life’s an open book

It’s never been a mystery

How the fiction became real

Cause my life’s story started once upon a hill.

B. CONSTRAINED BY THE AUTHOR’S HEART. Why are we to be

reflections of the Author’s work? Paul tells us why in 2 Corinthians

5:14-15—“for the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge,

that if one died for all, then we are all dead: And that he died for all, that

they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him

which died for them, and rose again.” A Living Epistle’s will is the

Author’s will. If we are truly His, we will love Him and do His will for

our lives! 1 John 2:3-6 tells us, “And hereby we do know that we

know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him,

and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:

hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him

ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” Jesus said in John

14:15—“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

ILLUS: "I do love God," said a little girl to her papa one day when he

had been talking to her about loving God. "Perhaps you think

so, Maria." "Oh, I do, indeed I do, Papa!" "Suppose, my child,

you should come to me and say, 'Dear Papa, I do love you,' and

then go away and disobey me? Could I believe you?" "No,

Papa." "Well, dear, how can I believe you love God when I see

you every day doing those things which He forbids? You know,

the Bible says, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments.'"

--William Moses Tidwell, "Pointed Illustrations."

LIVING EPISTLES are REFLECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR’S WORK, Created By The Author’s Hand and Constrained By The Author’s Heart, but also LIVING EPISTLES are…

(2) READ BY ALL MEN WIDELY

2 CORINTHIANS 3:2—“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts,

known and read of all men.”

*Note the last part of v2—“..known and read of all men.” All men who

could see the transformation effected in the lives of the Corinthians could

read the epistle. (The People’s New Testament Commentary). The Gospel’s

impact on the Corinthians had an obvious and widely perceived impact.

Our lives impact others! There are two things we must never forget:

A. PEOPLE READ OUR LIVES. When Paul said “Ye are our epistle…

known and read of all men,” he was saying, "everyone could read, and

was obliged to acknowledge the handwriting; it was so clear a case,

what hand the apostle, as an instrument, had in the turning of these

persons from idols to serve the living God; and which was so full a

proof of the divinity, efficacy, truth, and sincerity of his doctrine, that

he needed no letters from any to recommend him. (John Gill’s

Exposition of The Entire Bible). Listen, Child of God, people are

watching you. They are reading your life seeing if your epistle lives up

to the intent of the Author. There is not so powerful a sermon in the

world, as a consistent Christian life. The eye of the world takes in more

than the ear. Christians' lives are the only religious books the world

reads. (Jamieson, Fausset & Brown Commentary).

ILLUS: Around the turn of the century in rural Tennessee an old man

crippled with arthritis was very faithful in his assembling with

the saints. Twice on Sunday and on Wednesday nights a little

girl watched from her window as the old man with his cane

painfully made his way down to the little church on the corner.

One Sunday morning following a snow storm, the little girl ran

to her window and looking out exclaimed, "Surely the old man

will not go to church this morning." But there he was, right on

schedule, plodding very cautiously through the snow. The

little girl could not contain herself any longer. She just had to

visit the little church to see what possibly could be there that

would bring the old man out on such an inclement morning.

The rest is history. The little girl was impressed by the services

there that morning and a short time later became a Christian.

After high school she enrolled in a Christian college and while

there she met a fine young Christian boy whom she later

married. To this union a son was born who was to become one

of the finest gospel preachers. This brother during his ministry

has literally led thousands to Christ. The old man went to his

reward never realizing just what an impact he had made for

the cause of Christ. Because of his godly influence many will

go into heaven with him. There can be no greater joy than to

reach heaven and to her someone say, "I am here because you

have shown me the way."

People read our lives and also…

B. PEOPLE REACT TO OUR LIVES. As people read our lives, there will

always be a reaction to what they read. If we live for Christ, Paul said

in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16—“For we are unto God a sweet savour of

Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To one we are

the savourof death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto

life. And who is sufficient for these things?” Warren Wiersbe wrote:

“This savor, or perfume, means life to other believers, but to the un-

believer headed for eternal condemnation, it means death. Joseph

was a savor death to the baker, but a savor of life to the butler (Gen.

40). Paul’s description is a beautiful and challenging picture. What a

tremendous responsibility it is to introduce people to life, or to have

them reject Christ and go off to death! Being a Christian is a serious

responsibility, for our lives are leading people either to heaven or hell

(4). Charles Spurgeon said, “I would not give much for your religion

unless it can be seen. Lamps do not talk, but they do shine” (5).

ILLUS: A group of teenage girls was discussing a new leader for their

Bible class. Their frank comments on the woman in question

were enlightening and amusing. One girl said, "If you kids

pick Mrs. L- to be our teacher, I'm quitting." "Why, what's

wrong with her?" asked several of the group. "Plenty," was the

reply. "Remember how I used to go to help her with her

housework on Saturdays? Well, she still owes me money and

she won't pay. Also, she talks a lot about being a good

Christian, and boy, you should hear her say nasty things

about some of her neighbors. Honest, kids, I know I shouldn't

talk about her, but, please, let's wait until we find a teacher

who lives what she teaches us on Sunday."

ILLUS: A non-Christian lawyer attended a church service and listened

incredulously to the testimonies of some who were known to

him for their shady deals and failure to meet their honest

obligations. "How did you like the testimonies?" a man asked

him at the close of the service. He replied, "To a lawyer there

is a vast difference between testimony and evidence." Words

are cheap, and it is perilously easy to give a fine-sounding

testimony for Christ, but quite another matter to demonstrate

evidences of God's purifying power in our lives through Christ.

"This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is

far from me" (Mark 7:6).

Friends, As LIVING EPISTLES, PEOPLE READ OUR LIVES and PEOPLE

REACT TO OUR LIVES. Is your life a honorable testimony to the life-

changing power of God?

LIVING EPISTLES are: REFLECTIONS OF THE AUTHOR’S WORK, READ BY ALL MEN WIDELY, and finally…

(3) READY FOR THE AUTHOR’S WITNESS

2 CORINTHIANS 3:6—“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.”

*No one can claim to be adequate without God’s help. No one is competent

to carry out the responsibilities to which God hath called him or her.

Without the Holy Spirit, natural talent can carry us only so far. As

Christ’s witnesses, we need the Character and strength only God gives (6).

*Notice what Paul says in v5—“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to

think any thing of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” God gave Paul

and his fellow-ministers their "sufficiency" (2Co_3:5), who had made them

able ministers of the gospel. (The People’s New Testament Commentary).

God has called us, his Living Epistles, to be witnesses of His life-changing

power. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20—“And all things are of

God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us

the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, God was in Christ, reconciling the world

unto himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and hath committed

unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are the ambassadors for

Christ…” What are we to be witnesses of? :

A. HIS GRACE (EPHESIANS 2:8-9). We are to let this world know that

Salvation is solely by grace through faith. Oliver B. Greene is his

commentary on Ephesians wrote: “Grace came by Jesus Christ—yea,

Grace WAS Jesus Christ—and becomes ours by faith. The Law extends

blessings to the good—but Grace extends salvation to the bad…yea, to

the worst. The Law demands that blessings be earned by righteous

works; but Grace is the free gift of God, no strings attached. By Grace…

the gift of God…Since the cross, salvation does not depend upon

religious practices such as rituals, feasts, the keeping of Sabbaths,

assemblies, etc. Salvation depends upon receiving Jesus…Good works

have nothing to do with salvation. Good works are the evidence, the

fruit, of salvation” (7).

ILLUS: On April 18, 2000, 10-year-old Candace Newmaker tragically

died in a counselor’s office. Her adoptive mother, Jeane

Newmaker, took Candace to Connell Watkins’ home-based

therapy center in Evergreen, Colorado to help her overcome

“reactive attachment disorder.” As part of the therapy,

Candace was wrapped in a blanket, then four people pushed

against the blanket with pillows. The little girl was told to fight

her way out of it to become “reborn.” A video tape reveals

Candace repeated said she couldn’t breathe but the session

continued. After 70 minutes of this exercise, Candace died of

asphyxiation. This little girl’s horrific death is but one grim

reminder that our culture is spiritually confused. Salvation

through Christ is the only avenue through which we can find

new birth and new life (Houston Chronicle, 8/16/00, p5A) (8).

As LIVING EPISTLES we must be WITNESSES OF HIS GRACE and also

We must be WITNESSES of…

B. HIS GLORY (V5). LIVING EPISTLES are to be witnesses of the glory of

God operating in their lives. They are to show forth God’s power and

presence operating in their lives. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:6-7—

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined

in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the

face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that

the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

ILLUS: A Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, "What do you

put on your face to make it shine?" With surprise the man of

God answered, "I don't put anything on it!" His questioner

began to lose patience and said emphatically, "Yes, you do!" All

of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I've seen it in the

towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay."

Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even

more as he said, "Now I know what you mean, and I will tell

you the secret. It's not something we put on from the outside

but something that comes from within. It's the reflection of the

light of God in our hearts.

CLOSING: There are people in the world around us who never open, who

never read this Book. But they are reading us. Are they able to see

God in our lives? Are they able to say of us to others, "That man—

or that woman--reminds me of Christ"? Do we let our light so shine

that men may see, not us, but our Father in heaven? This is the