The Light of the Gospel, Part 1
As we continue our study of Second Corinthians, we come to the opening verses of chapter four. I’ve titled our study, “The Light of the Gospel.” Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote things that will help us better understand various aspects of the Gospel. So, let me read the text, Second Corinthians 4:1 to 6.
The Glory That Excels
If you and I had lived under the Old Covenant, we would be amazed at the revelation of God in Jesus. Imagine living under the Law. It spelled out acceptable behavior, but it gave you no internal power to obey. Every year on the Day of Atonement you were reminded of your sin AND the fact that you could never keep the law well enough to be accepted by God.
Living Letters
Letter writing is a dying art in our digital age. If you’ve ever received a handwritten letter, you know how special it makes you feel. There’s a personal investment in a handwritten letter that’s missing in electronic forms of communication.
Diffusing the Aroma of Christ
The Scriptures talk about you and me as followers of Christ being diffusers of His fragrance or aroma. And that’s what we want to explore in our study today, “Diffusing the Aroma of Christ.”
The Heart of a Godly Leader - 2
Before we start today’s teaching, here is a leadership lesson from Jesus for you to think about. He said it when the disciples were irritated at James and John, and it goes against what most people think leadership is. Jesus said we are not supposed to lord our authority over our subjects, but rather we should serve them. He said, “Whoever wants to become great among you, must be your servant.” What? A leader must be the biggest servant! Yes, that is leading like Jesus, and we must pay attention because He was the greatest leader ever.
The Heart of a Godly Leader - 1
Some of you may be thinking, “I am not a leader, this won’t apply to me.” What exactly is a leader? John Maxwell said, “Leadership is influence.” Do you know anyone who has no influence? If you know people, then you have influence. I agree with Maxwell if you have influence, you are a leader. We are not all main or frontline leaders, but you are leading something.
Established in Christ
Are you established in Christ? This is like the foundation of our lives. Who we are and all we do changes when we are established in Him. We say this is the best place to start, having Christ as your foundation and building your life on Him is the best decision you could ever make, if you haven’t already done it, now’s the time, to do it.
Delivered from Death
Death - just the sound of that word is depressing. Thank God we no longer must fear death. He has provided the way to receive life, eternal life. I like the sound of that much better, and this is what God created us for. Death was not part of His original plan; He wanted us to live and live forever.
What’s Your Comfort Level
As human beings, we find comfort in a variety of things in life. Comfort can be physical, like relaxing at the end of a hard day’s work. It can also be emotional, a state of contentment and well-being.
Rightly Dividing the Word
Thanks so much for joining us here on Hope for Today, it is good to be with you and we are excited that today’s lesson is from a New Testament book. It has been a while since we spent time in the New Testament. We just completed about a year of study in Exodus and before that, we went through Genesis. Now we are switching it up a bit and going through the New Testament book of Second Corinthians.