Being queer and Christian is not a contradiction. For all of us are queer. All of us are created in the image and the likeness of an eternally diverse, creative and expansive God. Doesn't it make sense then that humanity would be equally as creative, diverse and expansive as the God in whose image we're created in? In all of our quirkiness, in all of our uniqueness, in all of our individuality, but together we reflect back to God the image and likeness of the beauty that created us, the beauty that sustains us, the beauty that animates us. We are in the image and likeness of a queer God. We are queer, we are Christian, and that is not a contradiction.


Everybody forced here ripping 2022 prison World Cup soccer hobby three box number nine. It's a random team's foul break These results are always available on the website late and sports cards calm make sure joining everybody and here we do It's I know Dylan yeah, I mean it can happen for sure it can happen We've done things like that before with other with other products, but maybe this is today with a color wheel like we've been trying we've been trying Three boxes, maybe we'll see it here so The case hits our national landmarks manga and national pride and color wheel is way rarer than a case it much rarer Oh, here we go Here we go one week away guys a week from tomorrow the World Cup is starting I Am I'm gonna be fully immersed in the football culture Well immersed we're starting off with something here. What is this? Is it auto? We've so Argentina base auto Juan Musso Red Argentina rookie Gonzalo Montiel number 381 of 399 Wife was asking if the dog was fed Had to respond there we go silver global reach Canada Alfonso Davies That's so good Tyler Adams Tyler Adams got sent off today. That was a crazy. Did you guys watch that match? He's leads So, yeah, that was a crate Leedson's Tottenham was it was a wild match. That was so much fun to watch Pink for Uruguay Jose Maria Jimenez That was that was an awesome match Yeah, they they won fairly easily right yeah three-to-one Cracked ice switch lender ammo for a foiler, and you know what you know everybody nodding in forest another dub Another dub so in the past four matches. They've been Liverpool. They've beaten the Spurs somehow they lost to what was it Lester and Then today they beat Why can't I think of who they beat? Blanking that's all that's all silver he John Huang Korea and Then Chelsea lost again new castle is what third? top team to get That that's tough to say I would I would probably say like Brazil Just because the high-end or like Argentina, but Spain is a very good team. We got a national landmarks of Sergei Malinkovic savage for Serbia There you go Serbia this one it will combo is this Bob F Serbia combo spot nice Sergei Malinkovic savage. I do not know much about Serbia. I do not know those national landmarks Very pretty card that will get that mag day purple mojo Pulisic nice card USA 15 of 49. I know who they beat I just don't have it on the tip on the I don't have it in my mind, but this Cunha does I say that Ricky silver new a new era for Brazil It's a nice Pulisic, too They beat up crystal palace right palace Someone's gonna tell me what they beat crystal palace I'm gonna want to care about cup I mean Hey, they're looking really good right now big win going in going into the break got a hyper virtual van dyke Netherlands Yeah, Spain's a fantastic team together Spain France With with how we have it set up every single spot has a chase though, so That's one of the benefits of doing just fewer spots with a bunch of combos, you know red mojo, Mexico Hey, he's just big Manuel Corona number 50 of 99 Yeah me and the team Well, when you say when you when people someone says forest and chat I just assume me rookie hyper Strahinia Pavlovic Serbia Good start to the the day though. We got a national landmarks in the first box Martinelli rookie base a Purple Vertongan Belgium Yandere Tongan Number 119 of 199 Yeah, Caleb Williams is a beast. I don't know a lot about college football, but yeah, he's a beast What is he draft eligible in two years? I think 2024 Silver palace hitch Croatia Andrew, what's up, man? Yeah, the top ten bid is cool. So we'll be doing some of our own top ten Vids for like the channel Going forward silver rookie cream out of yummy Germany. Nice Silver a Senegal Sadio money So it turns out he is gonna play in the World Cup, which is good. The World Cup needs its stars box to The Vinnie landmark I have not seen the Vinnie one I'll have to go on eBay tomorrow and just look at all all the national landmarks up on up for auction or for sale Or whatever just to see them. I pulled the havers yesterday The havers is really cool the Germany one. All right box to here We go starting off with a purple and it's a Kingsley come on. That's a pretty nice one for France. Come on It's really good 54 of 199 Silver scores club Yousef and Nezri, Morocco. Yeah, Davies is a beast He is like legitimately very good He might be he's probably the best North American footballer in the world Alfonso Davies hyper paltores Spain Silver rookie who young Jung for Korea The Eagles play tomorrow Jude Bellingham pink prison England none numbered should be Should be should be those are the those are the those are the games that are traps though. Yeah, especially when you're undefeated Red Mojo Denmark Casper Schmeichel. What do you mean, Andrew? numbered 15 out of 99 Silver Anthony Brazil Phenomenon Yeah, it's good. I mean everyone should be soccer fans man.  Oh you play soccer or so you're as good as Alfonso Davies. Well, dang That's awesome. Got a red Korea. Nice a hungman's son Number 233 at a 299 nice card Korea Jaleese with a combo there There should be like a fiber. Yeah West Cardus and some of these that's a nice card for Korea The Eagles have a pretty good chance going undefeated. They're toughest games with the Cowboys left and that's I think maybe the Titans Yeah, hyper Dominic Levachevich Croatia. Those of our tackling sometimes. I feel like Derek Henry just didn't want all of this It tends to happen Silver Western McKenney United States The Davies landmark has a moose and a bottle of maple syrup being poured on pancakes. Oh my god, that's amazing Got a cracked ice rookie france, uh, Fresno Campembe Got blue prism rookie Netherlands Uh, Teun kump and kumpen miniers kump kump miniers. I'm just gonna say it like that There's no way that's right, but See how google pronounced it. Kump kump miniers. No google will be wrong. I gotta go find a youtube video. There you go silver rookie for guitar Abdul Kareem Hasan Kup Kup minors is that here saying it or kup miniers Kup minors Like digging a hole in the ground minor and hell's out. All right guys box three Silver rookie Denmark Jesper Lindstrom Kup minors kup minors Red prism brazil casemiro Nice card there 195 out of 399 Silver rookie new era is drager kobel for switzerland hyper coutinho brazil philippe coutinho And i have pumped for almanac tonight you guys A lot of chase cards left a lot of chase memorabilia left Silver and nico gonzalez argentina What's up, Justin morning Where you at again, Justin Cracked ice france ager and rabio switzerland red menwell acanji 24 of 399 i got you Yeah, it kind of feels like morning for me too just just starting the day over here Silver cristiano rinaldo nice Portugal Morning lane Yeah, I would expect lane to have woken up just now long day yesterday Blue mojo croatia luka mojic Numbered 42 of 75 It's croatia gonna make another a cinderella cinderella run I guess it wouldn't be really a cinderella run if they do it two world cups in a row then Yeah, I mean it only didn't qualify but luckily Expanding the world cup by what 16 teams next time around so that'll be awesome rookie hyper Sayid as a as a tolahi as a tolahi for iran All right, so you just make the final score 32 in tournaments And then it's expanding. I think was it 48 teams in the new format starting in 26 I believe the north american hosted world cup silver costa rica joel cambal levin golski pink prism spain farin torrez asian countries south arabia iran south korea japan Who am i missing that it? Australia would be its own They qualify at like the they're like get like they get like an autobid because It's like australia and like pacific island nations So like they're by far the largest in that qualifying area. I think and a germany base auto van tonio rudiger Morocco no maracas africa They're in the world cup, but that is not on the continent of asia purple denmark pyramel hoybear number 94 of 199 silver england trend alexander on a global global reach And that is gonna do it. Give me a sec. We'll do a really quick recap Yeah, kimi is good We're missing an auto I thought maybe the case hit with the auto I also could have put it in here Yeah, kimi is good. I don't see. Yeah, that's all I remember. She's two Yeah, I don't know if like the case hit like took the place of the auto and the first one. Yeah, so we got on average guys We got on average. We're only got two autos So we had the uh rudiger for germany Juan muso, but we did get a case hit though And it was a sergi malinkovich savich national landmark serbia That's gonna do it. Thanks again everybody. We've got three more of those breaks coming up next


So Trump sat down for a town hall with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News and Watching it all the way through it really Made me wonder whether or not Donald Trump ate lots and lots of paint chips as a child because it's not just like he's lying repeatedly and Sound stupid because both of those things are true But like he says things specifically that make me wonder if he's like Delusional he seems like he's not all there But before we talk about the specifics, I just want to point out how much I love this picture It might be a little bit grainy But like it looks like George Stephanopoulos is terrified And I don't know why Donald Trump is doing like the thumb point But look at how much space there is between these two and he just looks absolutely fearful for his life and I can't say I blame him because Trump is really weird and this this town hall really proves it So let's start with a couple of short clips. So just last week we got confirmation From the Bob Woodward tapes that Donald Trump did in fact know about the severity of COVID-19 While he was publicly downplaying it and on tape he admitted that he was trying to downplay it So he wouldn't cause a panic But then at this town hall when somebody asked why would you want to downplay it? Um, he says I never downplayed it. Why would you downplay a pandemic that is known to disproportionately? harm Low-income families and minority communities. Yeah. Well, I didn't downplay it. I actually in many ways I upplayed it in terms of action Oh, okay So I guess that we'll just pretend like the tapes that we all listened to last week aren't real because you say so I mean, this is what I'm talking about.  So why are you now saying? that you Didn't downplay it like it's like me saying I don't wear glasses But you can see me wearing glasses. They're on my face right now. I can touch them. They're here But I just deny it. Nope. I'm not wearing glasses You'd think I was delusional, right? You'd think that I'm not living in the reality in the real world that everyone else lives in well I mean that's the sense that I got from this town hall now Donald Trump was asked why he won't support a national mask mandate and His response was incoherent, of course, but he ended up blaming Joe Biden For not instituting a nationwide mask mandate. Let me remind you Joe Biden is not the president But nonetheless that didn't stop Donald Trump from blaming him someone who currently doesn't have power from uh, not taking action They said at the Democrat convention, they're gonna do a national mandate They never did it because they've checked out and they didn't do it And a quite a good question is you ask like Joe Biden They said we're gonna do a national mandate on masks called on all governors to have them It is a statement. Well, but he he didn't do it. I mean, he never did it Now, uh, there is by the way a lot of people don't want to wear masks There are a lot of people think the masks are not good And there are a lot of people that as an example you have those people I'll tell you who those people are Waiters they come over and they serve you and they have a mask and I saw it the other day where they were Serving me and they're playing with a mask. I'm not blaming that. I'm just saying what happens They're playing with a mask. So the mask is over and they're Touching it and and then they're touching the plate. That can't be good So he literally is implying now that Wearing a mask might actually be more dangerous Great message to have the president send right now Um, and on top of that he blames Joe Biden for not instituting a national mask mandate What do you want Joe Biden to do? I mean the r&c chairwoman just last week ronnie mcdaniel Also accused joe biden of bungling covet 19 by saying something to the effect of You can't run from your disastrous record Donald trump is the president right now. You are the one with power. So why would we expect joe biden? To institute some sort of nationwide mask mandate. Do you expect him to try to sign it into law?   It was in the worst shape. It was in probably ever It was depleted the planes were old and broken the ships everything You see what I've done. I've rebuilt 2.5 trillion dollars And you think that was easy getting that money from democrats because they don't like the military You mean the same democratic party who consistently votes to increase the military budget? Are we talking about the same democratic party who just a month ago? They voted down even a 10 cut to military spending Is that the same democratic party we're talking about here because it seems like his perception of the democratic party Is much different than what's happening in reality the democratic party They aren't dubs anymore the democratic party. They are hawkish. They expand the military And what you are saying about it being depleted?  Well, let's look at these phenomenal graphs provided to us by the brilliant andrea witty of connecta dot cusa dot com Well, as you can see here military spending reached its highest point since the cold war during the obama years And on top of that we spend more on the military than the next nine countries combined most of which are our allies And on top of that we have hundreds and hundreds of military bases around the world So to say that the military was depleted when you took office is a lie That's so outrageous that it would be more believable if you told us that there was a reptilian body underneath the orange skin That you're wearing like that is how Insane it is nobody believes that the military was depleted because we have the largest military In the history of the world and you're telling us that when you took office, it was depleted.  But on top of that Uh healthcare came up and of course, we know that he just nailed it, right? Uh, no, of course not He was babbling, you know, he repeated himself multiple times. He was incoherent But one lady before we get to like the general conversation about healthcare She asked him about protections for patients with pre-existing conditions And he brought up socialized medicine medicare for all and not only claimed that joe biden supports medicare for all Which i wish that were true, but it's not but he claimed that under a socialized healthcare system That is what would actually lead to discrimination against patients with pre-existing conditions He claimed this with a straight face And we are not going to hurt anything having to do with pre-existing conditions We're not going to hurt pre-existing conditions and in fact just the opposite If you look at what they want to do where they have socialized medicine They will get rid of pre-existing conditions if they go into Medicare for all which is socialized medicine and you can forget about your doctors and your plans Just like you could forget under president obama. He said you can have your doctor You can have your plan and that turned out to be a lie. That might be the dumbest thing he said at this town hall I mean it doesn't even make sense. So you're telling me that Private companies are going to discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions under a single payer healthcare system That's not possible because the entire point Of a single payer healthcare system is to have the government be The sole insurance provider for all of americans So when we're talking about Patients with pre-existing conditions, that's only a thing When we're discussing a private healthcare system because it's these private insurance companies that don't want to pay For these patients that have pre-existing conditions because it's costly But if you have a single payer system and you have everyone into the same health pool Then even the young and the healthy are subsidizing the health care Which is more costly for the elderly and the sick So to say that there will be discrimination against patients with pre-existing conditions Under a single payer system It's nonsensical like unless the government itself is going to carve out exemptions for people with cancer or something Then that wouldn't be possible But in other single payer countries like canada We don't see that as a thing now you can say that maybe you know coverage won't be comprehensive if we one day Get a single payer system depending on who writes the bill, but still to say that It's just it's idiotic now. George Stephanopoulos, you know Probably acknowledging that he's in over his head and doesn't really know what he's talking about here Challenged him for the bevy of lies that he told and tried to get him To explain why he still won't propose his own health care plan And this just made him look completely foolish I just have to stop you there because it's just on a couple of points number one Joe biden has ran against medicare for all in the primaries, but much more importantly obama care Guaranteed people with pre-existing conditions could buy insurance Guaranteed they could buy it at the same price as everyone else Guaranteed a package of essential benefits Guaranteed that insurance companies couldn't put a lifetime limit on those benefits You fought to repeal obama care. You are arguing the supreme court right now to strike it down That would do away with pre-existing conditions So that we can do new health care, but you've been promising a new health care plan We interviewed I interviewed you in june of last year.  You promised an executive order on pre-existing I have it already, but it's you've been trying to strike down existing conditions I have it already and it's a much better plan for you and it's a much better plan What is it you say obama care? I got rid of the individual mandate Which is the worst part of obama care you're striking down the whole law Wouldn't be pertain to you, but it pertained to a lot of people where they were going Literally bust because they didn't want to have health insurance and they were paying for it anyway, and it was no good Obama care was a disaster obama care is too expensive. The premiums are too high. It's a total disaster You're going to have new health care And the pre-existing condition aspect of it will always be in my plan and I've said that loud and clear But you haven't come up with it and it's almost like the republicans don't have their own health care plan because the affordable care act was their health care plan the affordable care act Was a neoliberal market-based approach to health care reform But because democrats did it then they have to say it's bad They have to pretend as if they don't like it when that private insurance based Model of health care is exactly what they want It's what the heritage foundation proposed.  He said made me scratch my head So he's arguing that the reason why he has to strike down the affordable care act in court Which also would get rid of protections for patients with pre-existing conditions is because He wants to do new health care He's trying to strike that down so he can do new health care I don't even know what that means. That doesn't even make sense Are you saying that in order for you to pass a new health care law? You have to repeal the last one Can't you build on it? Like if you want to keep protections for patients with pre-existing conditions Can't you just like repeal the other elements of the aca and then build off of what you like? You don't have to get rid of one bill to do another one. Like this doesn't even make sense He doesn't even know how the legislative process works And it's because he uh wants to get rid of protections for patients with pre-existing conditions Otherwise you already hollowed out the affordable care act So why try to kill it in its entirety unless you're trying to kill those protections and deliver for your health industry Donors who don't like paying for patients with pre-existing conditions and want to discriminate against them because they're high risk It costs them more money to cover them. Um on top of that. He says I got rid of the individual mandate Which is the worst part of obama care Again, if you are a neoliberal if you're a capitalist like donald trump is that doesn't make sense Because in order to make the affordable care act work, you need the individual mandate That's the crux of it right that forces people to buy health care on the private market There's nothing that insurance companies love more if people are forced to buy insurance that keeps costs down for everyone else In theory because it forces the young and the healthy to subsidize the health care of the old and the unhealthy But when young people and healthy people don't buy health care and you get rid of that individual mandate What happens prices go up because insurance companies don't make as much money And they have to cover people who tend to cost more money who require more health care And in order to recoup the profits that they're losing health insurance companies Raise the prices hence why you force everyone to buy into it so it's cheaper all around But without the individual mandate the way that you get people to buy insurance who otherwise wouldn't such as young people and healthy people Is you lure them in You basically dangle some shitty cheap plan over their heads and say hey, this will provide you with basic care Now if there's a disaster they're fucked But it gives you a couple of things that you can do maybe it lowers the cost of your prescription drugs You can see your doctor occasionally But overall it's not actually adequate insurance if they really need To have surgery or something there's shit out of luck And this is kind of what the aca did away with it got rid of these types of plans that are skinny plans because they're effectively They're scamming people right?  You have to have things like the individual mandate or you have to allow the private insurance companies to basically scam people Like you can't have your cake into it too. Like you can't have Good health care reform if you're only approaching it through this free market angle Like just do medicare for all and all of this goes away people would love you instantly It's incredibly popular, but donald trump is corrupt. He'd never do that His health industry donors would never allow him to do that now this last clip that I want to play for you This was a disaster for donald trump because someone Finally asked him to clarify what he means by make america great again At what time was america great for black americans? For example, and he was stumped. He had no idea how to answer this and it was honestly painful to watch You've coined the phrase make america great again When has america been great for african-americans in the ghetto of america? Are you aware of how tone deaf that comes off to african-american community? Well, I can say this we have tremendous african-american support You've probably seen it in the polls We're doing extremely well with african-american, hispanic-american at levels that you've rarely seen a republican have If you talk about make america great If you look at just prior to and i'm talking about for the black community You look just prior to this horrible situation coming in from china when the virus came in that was the probably the highest point home ownership For the black community home ownership Lower crime The best jobs they've ever had highest income the best employment numbers they've ever had If you go back and you want to look over many years You could just go back six or seven months from now that was the best single moment in the history of The african-american people in this country. I think you know, I would say well I mean your statement is though make it great again. So historically The african-american experience especially in these out of these ghettos that have been our red line Historically these ghettos that have systemically been set up and treated the way that they have been the conditions of the drugs The guns and everything else that actually created the symptoms for what we see That you profess to be just the democratic cities and themselves These things have historically been happening for african-americans in these ghettos and we have not been seeing A change quite frankly under your administration under the Bombers administration under the bush under the clinton the very same things happen in the very same systems and cycles continue to continue to ensue and We need to see Because you say again We need to see when Was that great because that pushes us back to a time in which we cannot identify with such greatness And I mean you've said everything else about choking and everything else But you have yet to address and acknowledge that there's been a race problem in america So if you go well, I hope there's not a race problem I can tell you there's none with me because I have great respect for all races for everybody This country is great because of it But when you go back six months and you take a look at what was happening You can't even compare that with past administrations when you look at income levels and a lot of things because of the job situation where They had the lowest income the best the best unemployment numbers they've ever had The black community by far and that was solving a lot of problems and you know what else was it was bringing people together I was starting to get just before this was you know, we were having a long run of success I was starting to get calls from democrats that Hey, it's starting to work. Let's get together people that You would never have thought this would have happened with there was going to be unity But unfortunately that was hurt because we got set back But now I think next year is going to be one of our best years economically But income equality is still happening but income equality is higher So I mean jobs can be produced but at the same time in a lot of these big major cities where african-americans are underserved under resource That's an eight dollar eight dollar job Does not mean that they can necessarily afford to live where they have to live or where they've been living at for the last 20 years Well the income inequality which I agree with you as a problem I always agreed with that But if you look under president obama and biden the income inequality was phenomenal. It was it was record-setting. It was it was It's getting worse now Okay, that guy who asked the question He should have been the one hosting the town hall if any pundit or journalist in america asked donald trump Questions that are that comprehensive and sophisticated and actually pressed him I mean We'd be in better shape because politicians are never held to account in that way. So kudos to him so He followed up with donald trump after donald trump did not answer the question um And he says you haven't acknowledged Or addressed the race problem in america and donald trump said in response Well, I hope there's not a race problem Oh that that was bad Oof that's a yikes moment I hope there's not a race problem in america How out of touch and tone deaf can you be you're bragging about how Incredible your administration has been For black america. You do that all the time But yet you're saying I hope there's no race problem in america. Oh well g We all hope so but that's not the reality and you wonder why black people don't support you I mean he thinks they do I guess like six or eight percent is something to brag about but um, this is why because you are a complete fucking moron You hope there's not a race problem in america Jesus christ Now he always responds like When he's asked like a question about race, he brings up how black unemployment was the lowest ever But that guy made the phenomenal point that these are not jobs that pay a living wage They're eight dollar an hour jobs and we still can't afford rent Trump had no idea how to respond to that because how do you respond to that you're bragging about jobs But just having jobs in general isn't inherently good like are these jobs Paying you a living wage Can you make the rent each month and put food on the table with these jobs? Like it's an out of touch elitist thing to say it's class is to say Oh, well, you know You have a job so be happy No, that doesn't mean that you're going to have everything you need just because you have a job You haven't raised the minimum wage back in 2015 and 2016. You said that wages were too high So, I mean just having a job in and of itself doesn't mean that your quality of life is going to improve And I shouldn't have to explain this to donald trump, but he's an imbecile He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth So he has no idea what it's like to struggle But he then says but if you look under president obama and biden the income inequality was phenomenal It was record setting so i'm pretty sure that he misspoke and said the opposite of what he wanted to say But it was phenomenal It's really clear even though he misspoke He's never really thought deeply about the issue of income and wealth inequality So this town hall was a disaster for donald trump and it's funny because laura ingram afterwards Was complaining about how he was bombarded with all of these questions You're the president of the united states if you can't take questions about issues that affect americans Then you shouldn't be president step down resign But i mean donald trump he doesn't know like he's in over his head He doesn't want to be president because he wants to help people. He wants to be president because He loves the power. He loves the attention I don't ever believe he wanted to be president in the first place like he launched his presidential bid in 2015 I think anyways to launch a television career. There were reports that he didn't actually want to be president so I mean like you don't want to be the president and um You can see there because you know, there's there's no intellectual curiosity there when it comes to Any of these issues he doesn't even know how to respond to these issues and like it's clear based on his answers To some of these issues that he hasn't even thought about these things for a second like race in america Income inequality. It's just it's embarrassing This is the president of the united states and we have so many issues that need to be addressed so many crises That have to be addressed and we have this dipshit who's president It's like we live in the movie idiocracy Mike is the worst progressive on youtube. Please don't subscribe to him or become a patron David dole is so much better. Trust me folks. He's doing a great job. He really is okay


I think that is guilty of murder in the first degree as charged. Why don't you go to the podium, please? The jury having found you guilty of murder in the first degree, miss me. I will adjudicate you guilty and sentence you to life in prison without parole. You have 30 days to appeal. Having gone through the prison system, I can always sympathize with somebody who has had a sentence handed down to them. In my case, it was 20 years. Do you know what 20 years feels like to a person that's never been in prison before? It really feels like your life is over with. And so when I see these people who have gotten these either life sentences or death sentences handed down to them, just their actions, I can feel it. I understand what's going through them. If you ask the average person who was in prison, ask them, did they ever think that they would do what they did that landed them in prison? They'll tell you no. But something happened along the way that got them to that point. A lot of people when they have these life sentences and death sentences handed out, even those with extremely long sentences, a lot of them try to carry on the little facade that they're okay, that they're tough, they can handle this, you'll even hear someone say, I can do this standing on my head. But I know better. See, I've been in a place where I've heard the cries of these men, these men with these 100 year sentences and 200 year sentences and life sentence after life, consecutive life sentences. I know what that's like. I know what it's like to know that you will never get a chance to see the other side of the world and your life is over with. They had me shackled going in for sentencing. And I wondered why in the world do you need to have me shackled? I'm not going anywhere, but when you get those extremely long sentences handed down, yeah, there's a reason why they shackle you.  And so faced with the reality that your life is over with, what do you do? And there's a reason why I'm bringing this up. There is a finality to being judged by Christ when it's all said and done and there's nothing else that you can do. Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 60 says, So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ to let each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. The thought of having to go before the judge when you know you're guilty. There's no appeals left. There's nothing that you can do or say. You're just hoping for some mercy though you know you really shouldn't get any. That is a fearful prospect. The reason why we say a lot of things that we say here on this channel and even other channels and the reason why we call out clear and obvious sin, ignorance, foolishness, heresy. When we call out the false prophets, the false teachers, the wolves, people get upset and they wonder why even do so. There's a reason why. Let me just give it to you straight. Paul says here in verse 11, he says, therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. So knowing the terror of the Lord, we're all going to go before him. And the issue is on what basis are you going to be judged? The terror of the Lord is not a good thing. It's not a five-year sentence or a ten-year sentence or even a 50-year or even a life sentence here on earth. No, this is a life sentence throughout eternity. This is permanent. And it's not that you're just going to be secluded away somewhere. No, there will be this eternal torment on your part for not doing the easy thing that is placing your faith, your trust in Christ. The Bible says that the day you hear the Lord, hard not your heart. Don't let it be up to you the reason why you don't go to heaven.  Don't let that be you for the rest of us. When we see foolishness, when we see ignorance and stupidity that's masking around itself as Christianity, we're to call it out because we don't want anyone else to go through in a spiritual sense what I went through and what some of these people are going through in a much greater sense. We don't want that. And so we're going to be firm, we'll be resolute. We'll be strong in calling out this stuff that can help lead someone down the wrong path. Oftentimes people get in over their heads in sin or involved in different things. They didn't mean to. Might be nice people, but got caught up in something. That's not an excuse. And then imagine yourself at the judgment seat and maybe your family can actually see what's happening. Can you imagine the tears, the hurt, the heartache from them? Imagine yourself in this courtroom and your loved one is going away from for life or you're the loved one that's going away and your family has to look in the background and see what's happening to you. Just look at the look on her face. She's bothered, she's hurt, knowing that one her life is over with and what does it do to her family? Knowing that there's absolutely nothing that you can do on her behalf. And so if I say it the nice way, if that doesn't cause a person to want to just give up their sin, if I've got to be a little firmer, so be it. If I've got to be rude in saying it, so be it. If I've got to be downright rude to get it through someone's head that where you're heading is the wrong road. Well, some people respond to that. I get it, not all will. And so if that's the case, then the message of the cross is just simply not for you. If you've made up your mind that you've got to get it a certain way, that someone has to be nice to you the whole time, well, we'll try that way. But in the end, it is up to you for you to place your faith in Christ. And if you get upset that we set it in a not so nice way and if you get upset that we called out a wolf in a not so nice way, well then we'll let you deal with God. But as far as us, our consciousness is going to be cleared. The love of Christ compels us to share the gospel. And as Paul says, the fear or the terror of the Lord also compels us to share the gospel, to warn people, as Paul has said in numerous places throughout the Scriptures. And so if that's you, if you're in a place where people have warned you about your sin, they've warned you about what you might be into. Even if you think you're a believer and people are still warning you, I would say take heed. If you know someone who has fallen into some sort of a sin or going down a path, if being nice and working, well then turn the heat up. Because I can promise you when the judge, the great judge carries out his sentence, pronounces his sentence and hits the gavel, that's it. You don't want to regret not doing everything that you could have done before that moment. Amen.


Our text this morning is 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 7 through 11 and the title of our sermon, Our Glorious Ministry, Our Glorious Ministry. In our verse by verse study of 2 Corinthians at this point, we have made note of the fact that Paul has entered into one of the most glorious expositions of the Christian ministry in all of the New Testament. In a section of Scripture that runs from 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14 through 2 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 5, Paul pours out his heart, wears his heart on his sleeve so to speak, pouring out his heart to the Corinthian church and to our church by implication here, lending a treasure trove of support to his opening statement in chapter 2 verse 14 where Paul says now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ. Now in stark and bitter contrast with those false teachers now in Corinth who peddle the word of God for profit, Paul begins chapter 3 by commending the work of God through his ministry by pointing to the Corinthians themselves in verse 3. Paul says clearly you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us written not with ink but by the spirit of the living God not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh that is of the heart. Now with that statement Paul draws a very clear distinction it's not like a line in the sand per se it's more like a line in the heavens right drawn from the cross to the very throne room of God a line that distinguishes between that which is old and that which is new that which is tight and copy and shadow and that which is true and genuine and real a distinction in verse 6 between that which kills and the spirit who gives life. The final word in God's provision for sin the final word in God's plan to redeem a people for himself was not given at Sinai. Paul says we are by the grace of God ministers of a new and better covenant a new covenant that God has made with his people a better covenant according to Hebrews chapter 8 established on better promises a new covenant a better covenant with a better mediator the Lord Jesus Christ God says I will put my law on their minds and I will write it on their hearts he says I'll give you a new heart I'll put a new spirit within you I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh I will put my spirit within you and I will cause you to walk in my statutes it's a covenant that is secured blood bought and mediated by our great high priest purchased by the shed blood of God's only begotten son who through his sacrifice did for us what we could never do for ourselves but God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him what a glorious salvation right an amazing glorious salvation from an infinitely wise and gracious and loving creator what a great salvation as we come to second Corinthians chapter 3 verses 7 through 11 then what may have begun as a defense of his ministry Paul recommissions now and reorients as a contemplation or a meditation on the glory of this new covenant ministry in fact the word for glory here it's cognate it shows up 10 times in these five verses verses that describe the glory of the new covenant ministry in contrast with the old I know with me also it's not only the covenant itself that is the direct object of that glory it's the ministry right the ministry of the spirit that is more glorious than verse 8 it's the ministry of righteousness that exceeds much more in glory in verse 9 that word again for ministry used four times in these five verses so Paul isn't as we come to this text Paul isn't boasting here in the glory of his own ministry so to speak Paul is rejoicing right Paul is glorying in or reveling in the gospel of the glory of Christ he's glorying in the glory of the glorious new covenant right which is glorious because of the glory of the triune God God who has chosen to glorify himself in the salvation of inglorious rebels like you and I it is a glorious salvation it is a glorious covenant amen now what is furthermore glorious to the apostle Paul is that he the chief of sinners a wretch a rebel was shown such grace that he could minister the infinite riches of such glorious truth right an amazing fact when you stop to think about it all that treasure Paul says in clay pots all that treasure in a clay pot what's furthermore glorious if you consider this with Paul from this text what is furthermore glorious is the truth that that applies to every single believer in Christ that truth applies to everyone who is in Christ all who are in Christ have been given this ministry of glory this ministry of truth turn with me to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 just the page to the right 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and look at verse 16 if you are in Christ right if you're in Christ then this treasure has been given to you you carry this treasure in your own clay pot so to speak a mere earth in the vessel we know that God has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness right he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained and he has given assurance of this to all by raising that man the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead knowing therefore Paul says the terror of the Lord we persuade men therefore look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 16 therefore Paul says from now on understanding these things understanding this reality we regard no one according to the flesh in other words Paul no longer looked on anyone as merely flesh and blood right the days of their life a mere 70 years or by 80 by reason of strength no that's not the way that Paul looked at anyone any longer every single human being possesses a soul that will live forever sometimes it's easy to lose sight of that but your most valuable possession is your ever living soul the most important thing to you if you're here today and you don't know Christ you have an ever living soul you may die in this life but your soul will live forever where will you go when you die if you're here brother sister the most important thing that you have to be concerned with is your soul the state of your soul the condition of your soul every single human being possesses a soul that will live forever live forever in heaven or live forever in a devil's hell even though Paul says we have known Christ even according to the flesh yet now we know him thus no longer Paul may have once known Christ is merely a man merely a carpenter from Nazareth now though now Paul knows the truth now he knows Christ as the God man God incarnate the savior of men right verse 17 therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation old things have passed away behold all things have become new if anyone if anyone is in Christ then old desires have passed away amen if anyone is in Christ then old priorities have passed away old sinful practices old loves old plans old beliefs old ways of thinking all of that has passed away these replaced by new desires new priorities new practices new plans new loves new beliefs new ways of thinking verse 18 now all things now all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ who's the us the us is the anyone who is in Christ anyone who is in Christ verse 17 now all things are of God verse 18 who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the anyone who is in Christ has been given the ministry of reconciliation that is verse 19 that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their trespasses to them and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation can't get any more clear can it right the Lord has given us the ministry of reconciliation he has committed to us the word of reconciliation now verse 20 we you and I if you're in Christ if you're in Christ then you are an ambassador for Christ amen you are an ambassador for Christ as though God we're pleading through you we implore you on Christ Christ behalf be reconciled to God we are ambassadors for Christ we implore you on Christ behalf verse 20 be reconciled to God why why because it is glorious new covenant because of this glorious salvation why should we plead with men knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men why should we persuade why should we plead why do we go out and knock on doors why do you approach a stranger to preach the gospel why do you labor in prayer over friends and family members why do you preach the gospel at work at school right why do you preach the gospel to the scorn of your family to the derision of your friends why for verse 21 he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him glory amen glorious that is a glorious ministry you sit here today outside of Christ a sinner deserving of hell deserving of judgment facing the devil's hell forever but in Christ you can be forgiven of your sin in Christ you could be free in Christ you can go to heaven when you die you can be with Christ for all of eternity in Christ Christ who knew no sin was made to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him that's why we preach the gospel right that's why we labor over souls to see that it's saved that's why some of you pray and pray and weep and pray and weep and pray we've been given this glorious ministry we former enemies of God right now his ambassadors former blasphemers former idolaters now heralds for the king now proclaimers of peace with God paul didn't see this ministry he didn't see this ministry as merely his duty right woe is me if i do not preach the gospel he certainly did see it as his duty but not merely as his duty paul saw this ministry his new covenant word of reconciliation not simply as his duty but preeminently paul saw it as his life's delight it was his delight why for he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him it was his delight is it your delight why why not what was paul's motivation right what was paul's what fueled his zeal where did his fervency his earnestness come from what fueled his perseverance just like you and i just like you and i paul was sent into a world that hated christ and hated the gospel you don't sense that is that this world hates christ and hates the gospel you got to get out more maybe you need to preach the gospel to a few people you'll figure it out pretty quick right you testify of it that it's deeds are evil jesus says the world will hate you for it why because they hated him first they hated him they're going to hate us too we're not above our master it's certainly true for you and i today this the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing just like us and far far more paul faced the scorn and derision and mocking of men paul faced significant persecution paul faced times where he feared for his life he was in constant danger constant peril outside paul says were conflicts inside were fears he faced discouragement internally he faced heartache and anguish internally he had to stare down the faces of people who wanted to see him dead in order to preach the gospel to them in hopes that they might be saved paul knew what it was like to sacrifice for the sake of the gospel he was materially poorer than anyone in this room he went hungry paul was physically and literally worn down and worn out for the gospel and yet gospel ministry was his life delight that ministry was paul's delight why what was paul's motivation right what fueled him what fueled his zeal is evangelizing the loss is preaching the gospel is that your delight you want to see lost sinners saved you want to see parents you want to see your kids saved you want to see that friend that co-worker right you want to see them saved you want to see the lost people on your street saved the person you meet at the store the person do you see them according to the flesh or do you see them as a never dying soul who needs christ it's clear from the bible it is crystal clear from the bible that this is our duty there's no mistaking that don't argue with the scripture in your mind about that settle it in your heart it is your duty but listen it's to be our heart's delight it's to be our delight where do we find where do we find that kind of courage right where do we find that kind of zeal where do we find that heart right where do we find that kind of that kind of gospel worthy fearlessness that paul had right where do we get a taste of that how is it that we can take up this ministry as paul did and find our delight in it where do we find the determination to press on in faithfulness when fruit is scarce how do you battle discouragement and that that stinking thinking it says he's not going to respond good anyway and press on and preach the gospel in spite of that when all you seem to be doing is preaching to veiled hearts and death ears and stubborn hearts right where do we find the power to continue when our resolve is weak and our faith is sometimes small when you're tempted to shrink back when you're tempted or enticed by comfort enticed by leisure enticed by sitting at home enticed by a busy schedule to neglect that call what is my motivation what should fuel my zeal what should fuel your fervency for this calling this work even in the midst of persecution that many of you have experienced and is coming even more even in the midst of affliction in the midst of difficulty paul says that that motivation right that fuel is at least in part contained right here in this text second crimpians chapter three verses seven through eleven where paul considers the glory of the new covenant gospel preaching christian ministry paul says what's my motivation glory is glory the same glory you rejoiced in when you were saved from sin in the raft to come what fuels my zeal paul says glory where do we find determination resolve fervency zeal diligence courage glory paul says the light of the gospel of the glory of christ who is the image of god not only duty but delight right not merely guilt but glory paul says my motivation is the glory of this ministry the paul elucidates that glory the glory of our blessed ministry by discussing in terms discussing it in terms of three contrasts from our text and you'll find these contrasts in your notes one the ministry of death versus the ministry of the spirit we see that in verses seven and eight two the ministry of condemnation versus the ministry of righteousness in verses seven or in verses nine through ten and third the ministry of the old versus the ministry of the new in verse eleven the ministry of death versus the ministry of the Spirit verses seven and eight, the ministry of condemnation versus the ministry of righteousness in verses nine and ten, ministry of the old versus the ministry of the new in verse 11. Brother and sister, listen, we need to allow our hearts to be moved by this text, right? These are glorious truths, no mistaking. We need to meditate on them. We need to think about them. We need to consider them and we need to allow the Spirit of God to move our hearts with respect to them. We need to be fueled with this deal, faithfulness, fervency. We need to have our faith grown, right? Pray now, even now the Spirit of God would grip your heart over the glory of our given ministry. You and I have a glorious work to do. We're in that time period now, the end days, where the gospel of the kingdom is being preached to the four corners of this earth. We have our part to play in that. We have our torch to bear in that work. Are we doing a good job of that? Are we being faithful, right? We can abound in this work. Let us abound in it for the glory of God. Amen? Let us abound in it like Jacob did with the angel of the Lord. Don't let the truths of this text go until they bless you. Okay? Let's think about this. Let's meditate on it. Paul explains that it is these truths in this text that at least in part stoke the fires of his ministry. And he says this in verse 12. Therefore, verse 12, since we have such hope, we have the glories of this ministry, this great salvation that's been given to us since we have such hope, we use, Paul says, great boldness of speech. That word boldness means not shrinking back. It means pressing on even in the midst of risk, even in the midst of difficulty, adversity, affliction. We have great courage, great boldness of speech. Let's look at point one then, the mystery of death versus the ministry of the spirit in verses seven and eight. Now notice first with me, the beginning of verse seven, that little word but, if you have a new king James, I believe in NASB, begins with that little word but at the beginning of verse seven, that word is better translated now as it is by the ESV. It's not a contrast with what comes before but a continuation of what comes before. Paul says in verse six, look at verse six, we are ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit, for the letter kills but the spirit gives life. Now having established the basis for his contrast between the old covenant and the letter which kills and the new covenant and the ministry of the spirit who gives life, Paul then continues to explain now in verses seven through 11 the substance of that contrast. Look at verse seven, again better translated now, right? Now, if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious? Now, Paul begins our text with the first of three contrasts. I want you to see this in the text, it makes the text easier to understand right? The first, the glory of the ministry of death and the glory of the ministry of the spirit. If you remove the explanatory clauses or statements from verse seven, the contrast becomes more clear. Look at verse seven, if the ministry of death was glorious then verse eight, how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious? Do you see the contrast? All right, now each of the three contrasts in our text are set up in exactly the same way. There's an if statement, you're a grammar guy or gal, it's called a protassus, followed by a then statement called an apodosis, and then what you get here is an argument from the lesser to the greater. If the ministry of death was glorious then how much more then so-called the ministry of the spirit is much more glorious, exceeding in glory, right? So now the ministry of death, verse seven that Paul is referring to, is the ministry of the letter which kills in verse six. It is the ministry written and engraved on stones in verse seven, rather than on tablets of flesh that is on the heart from verse three. In other words, this ministry that Paul is referring to in verse seven is the ministry of the old covenant that we looked at together last week. Last Lord's Day when we looked at verses one through six, we looked at the old covenant. In contrast with the new covenant, this is again a reference to that old covenant. The old covenant that cannot change the heart, right? The old covenant that cannot transform the person. It cannot supply strength. It cannot affect obedience. It cannot produce the righteousness that we need in order to stand before God. All that the written code or all that the written covenant, all that the law can do is to stand by and condemnation of those who fail to keep it. The law condemns, in that sense verse six, the law or the letter kills. The law brings the knowledge of our guilt, brings the knowledge of sin, shame, judgment. Galatians 3.10 again, for as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. Board is written, cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. Deuteronomy chapter 27, verse 26, cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them. Listen, if you're not in Christ through repentant faith in him, you're not living for the Lord Jesus Christ. You are born under the law. You are under this curse. Man, woman, child, listen to me, young man, young girl, young boy, cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law by observing them. Cursed. Paul explained that the law actually stirs up sinful passions, sinful desires within us. He said this in Romans chapter 7, verse 7. I would not have known sin except through the law, for I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said you shall not covet, but sin taking opportunity by the commandment produced in me all manner of evil desire. Now, if you have kids, you know exactly what Paul's talking about here, right? Don't touch that, or you've just put them on a laser focused mission to touch that, whatever that is, right? That's the way it works. The law stirs up evil desire within us. That's what Paul is saying here, right? Paul says, apart from the law, apart from the law, sin was dead. I was alive once without the law. But when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it, by the commandment, it killed me. The old covenant written letter in and of itself kills. It kills. Is the law therefore sin? Is the law evil? Does it do, so to speak, sin? Does it do evil? No. No, Paul says that the law is glorious. Paul says that the law is glorious. Paul goes on to say in Romans chapter seven verse 12, the law is holy and the commandment holy, just and good. Listen to this from Psalm 19 beginning in verse seven. The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise, the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear, another word of work for the law of God, right? The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.  If you're a genuine Christian, you know exactly what's being referred to here by the psalmist, right? You hunger and thirst for righteousness, right? You desire in every way to live pleasing to him, right? That's the heart of the Christian. More to be desired are they than gold, the psalmist says. Yeah, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them your servant is warned and in keeping them there is great reward. The law is glorious. The law is glorious. Look with me at Exodus 19. Exodus chapter 19. Turn there with me. Exodus chapter 19. And here we are the Israelites, the children of Israel are in the wilderness. God has delivered them from the fiery furnace in Egypt. And they're now in the wilderness, gathered at Mount Sinai, and God is about to give them his law. Look at verse 16. Exodus chapter 19 verse 16. Listen to how Moses here elucidates the glory of God at Mount Sinai. Verse 16. Then it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain. And the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the foot of that mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him by voice. And then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain and the Lord called to Moses to the top of the mountain and Moses went up. And the Lord said to Moses, Go down, warn the people as they break through to gaze at the Lord and many of them perish. Even to look upon the Lord, to look upon the Lord's glory was potential death, right? Let them not break through to gaze at the Lord and many of them perish. Verse 22. Also, let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, let the Lord break out against them. Verse 23. But Moses said to the Lord, the people cannot come up to Mount Sinai for you warned us saying, set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it. Verse 24. The Lord said to him, rebuking him, right? Verse 24. Away, I said, get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them. And so Moses went down to the people and spoke to them. We have the author to the letter to the Hebrews describing this scene in verse, or in chapter 12, listen to this. That mountain, our author said, that mountain burned with fire and to blackness and darkness and tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore, for they could not endure what was commanded. And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot through with an arrow. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. Can you imagine being around that mountain, the lightning, the thunder, the smoke, the fire, the trumpet blaring in your ears, the voice of God. I mean, glory, right? Glorious. That is the power and holiness of God. Who can stand before him and live? Who can gaze upon the face of God and live? No one, right? Nahum, chapter one, verse five, the mountains quake before him, the hills melt, the earth heaves at his presence. Yes, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the fierceness of his anger? His fury is poured out like fire and the rocks are thrown down by him, right? Great and terrifying glory, terrifying glory. And that's almost an absurdly minuscule demonstration of the power and glory of God, right? Just a fraction of the power and glory and might and holiness of God. Our God is a consuming fire, the Bible says. In 2 Corinthians, chapter three, verse seven, Paul explains that the ministry of death, the ministry of death was glorious so that the children of Israel couldn't even look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away. Think about that for a moment, right? Afraid even to look into the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance. Flip a few pages of the right and look at Exodus, chapter 34. Exodus, chapter 34. God does give the law to Moses written on tablets of stone. Moses comes down from the mountain, finds the Israelites in idolatry under Aaron, building a golden calf. In righteous indignation, Moses breaks the tablets, and the Lord reestablishes this covenant with him in Exodus 34, makes two new tablets for the testimony that were given to Moses. We find this reported or accounted for in Exodus, chapter 34, beginning in verse 29. Again, consider the glory of the old covenant, verse 29. Now, it was so that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain, that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. While he talked with God, the skin of his face was shining. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and listen to this, they were afraid to come near him. I think for a moment, why would they be afraid? Why would they be afraid? Verse 31. Then Moses called to them, and Aaron, and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him. And Moses talked with them. Afterward, all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off until he came out, and he would come out and speak to the children of Israel whenever he had been commanded. And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with him, with God. What this is essentially in Exodus 34, is the very glory of God shining in the face of Moses, right? The very glory of God, the holiness of God, the character of God shining in the face of Moses. One commentator said that his face radiating the residual rays of divine glory. I like that, right? So much so, so much so that the children of Israel were afraid to go near him, were afraid to look at the face of Moses because of the Gordon. Why is that? Why is that? Let's say die. Let's say die. Those lessons from Exodus 20 weren't lost on them. Don't go near him. Don't look into his glory. Don't look into his face. God is holy. God is holy, and you are not. It's amazing today how flippant people are about the glory of God, the worship of God, the holiness of God.  That's not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is fiercely jealous of his own glory, of his own holiness. He is holy. The holiness of God is glorious. So much so that Moses is face shown after speaking with him. It's a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God, and the Israelites knew it. The Israelites feared him in that way. Feared God. To stand before God, to stand before God as unrighteous means certain death.  You will perish. You will perish eternally. To stand before God unrighteous means your death. Fear him in that respect.  They knew. They knew that their sinful condition was a cause for death. They knew that their sin was a cause for their death. The law, as it was, the law defined in the absolute perfections of God. The law was a reflection of his reflection of his holy character. God's demands and the law demonstrates how fatally far we fall short of it. How fatally far away we are from his absolute standard. Listen, the law, as glorious as that is because it reflects the character and nature of God, the law cannot change us. The law can't change our hearts. The law cannot provide the power or the efficacy to meet the just demands of a holy God. All the law can do is point at us and condemn us. All the law can do is show us our sin. The law, through no fault of its own, the law can only bring death. Paul said again, Romans chapter 7, verse 11, sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me and by it killed me. Back in 2nd Corinthians, chapter 3, just as the residual glory shining in the face of Moses began to fade, as soon as Moses came down from the mountain, the glory of that covenant began to fade as well. The glory of that covenant began to fade at its inception. It was merely pointing forward, pointing forward to a time at which it would become obsolete or rendered powerless. If that ministry, verse 7, if that ministry was glorious then, verse 8, how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious? Think about the glory of that old covenant. How will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious? If that kind of terrifying and majestic and powerful glory, if that kind of glory attended the ministry of death, then how much more would glory attend the ministry of the spirit who gives life, right? Rather than death, the spirit gives life. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is far, far greater. There is no comparison really, infinitely greater. Gazing upon that glory doesn't bring death, right? Gazing upon that glory doesn't bring fear. On the contrary, if you look at chapter 3, verse 18, but we all, chapter 3, verse 18, we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord are being transformed now into that same image from glory to glory just as by the spirit of the Lord. Amen, right? Far more glorious. Romans chapter 8, verse 2, for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. Amen. This ministry, this ministry is the ministry of the new covenant. It is the ministry of blood-bought-spirit-wrought regeneration, right? New birth, forgiveness of sins, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that which is pronounced dead in trespasses and sins, he makes alive in Christ Jesus by faith in him. It is a glorious covenant, right? Far, far more glorious, far more glorious. Many of you, when you first came to Christ, maybe when the Lord was drawing you to Himself, you came under great conviction because of your sin.  But in thinking about that sin, thinking about your offense before God, when the gospel was presented to you and you considered that God's own Son took your place on the tree and bore the wrath that you deserved, took your punishment on himself so that you could be forgiven, glory. And glory upon glory upon glory, right? Matchless glory, eternal, eternal glory. The love that God has shown to you in the gospel, the sacrifice of Christ, His substitution, far, far, far more glorious, far more glorious. Back in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, the remaining two covenants in our text are essentially their explanatory extensions of this contrast that Paul establishes in verses 7 through 8, right? Look at point 2 on your notes then. Now the ministry of condemnation versus the ministry of righteousness, look at verse 9. For if the ministry of condemnation, it's this same ministry, right? Ministry of the Old Covenant, ministry of death, now explained as the ministry of condemnation. If that Old Covenant, if that ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness, the ministry of life in the Spirit, the ministry of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, that ministry exceeds much more. In other words, it abounds, it abounds in glory. Now this is the same point, verse 9, from a slightly different perspective, right? Or related in different terms here. If that Old ministry of death and condemnation and damnation, if that ministry had glory, then how much more the ministry of the gospel, which leads to righteousness and life. In fact, Paul says here in verse 9, it exceeds much more. It abounds in glory, and that is an understatement, right? That is, that's an understatement. It is not words to explain how much it exceeds the other in glory. One merely pronounces condemnation, right? The wages of sin is death. It actually places you before the bar of God's perfect and unyielding justice with no other option but hell.  There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, right? That is far, far exceeding the glory of the Old Covenant. Amen? Far exceeds the Old Covenant in glory because it actually provides for you, provides for me that which the Old Covenant could never provide. And for that reason, it's called here the ministry of righteousness. It actually provides that which the Old Covenant couldn't. It's called the ministry of righteousness. Eternal life, right? Eternal life under the New Covenant is, is essentially an issue of righteousness, isn't it? We think about salvation. We think about being reconciled to God, being right with God. It's essentially an issue of righteousness. God is righteous and you are not, right? God is righteous. I ain't, right? You don't have the perfect righteousness that is required for you to stand before a holy God, for you to have fellowship with God, for you to enter into his fellowship. You must be perfectly righteous and you don't have it. It's an issue of righteousness.  You're condemned. How is it then that you can be made righteous? It's through the ministry of righteousness. Job asks the same question, doesn't he? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Try as you may. Try as you may. But if it's left to you, you will always, always be filthy in God's sight. Apart from his provision to be made clean, you will never have the righteousness that you need. And someone may say, listen, I'm going to do my best. Do your best. I just need to clean up my act a little bit, right? I'm going to get my life together. I just need to go to church. I need to get back involved. I need to get the kids going. Do all those things, but you don't have righteousness. You don't have the righteousness that you need. I think I'm a pretty good person. Yeah, I know you're not. Not by God's holy standard. There's one good. One good, right? Romans chapter one. Turn there with me. Romans chapter one, you and I need righteousness. Romans chapter one, look at verse 16. Paul reveled in this ministry that he was given by the Lord Jesus Christ. He rejoiced in it. It was his joy. It was his delight. He says in Romans chapter one, verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it, the gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. Let's look at some clarification of what Paul's talking about there. Flip the page and look at Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three and look at verse 19. After giving one of the most damning indictments against men in Romans chapter three, verses nine through 18, Paul says this in verse 19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. I was witnessing to a guy here not long ago and it just couldn't get past the idea that he was guilty. I don't feel guilty. I don't see myself as guilty. I just don't see myself as that bad of a person. Really lead a pretty good life. I don't really sin. We know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law. Is he under the law? Yes, he is. Am I apart from Christ? Yes. Are you apart from Christ? Yes. It says to those who are under the law so that every mouth may be stopped. Just put your hand over your mouth.  Verse 20, Therefore, by the deeds of the law, by works, by your effort, no flesh will be justified, made right with him in his sight. For by the law is not justification, it's not righteousness, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Verse 21, But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. Where is it revealed? It's revealed in the gospel, revealed in the gospel, the righteousness of God, that righteousness that you need, that righteousness that you need to stand before a holy God is revealed here in the gospel. Verse 21, The righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is yours in mind through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who work really hard at it. Right? No. Who just going to get their lives cleaned up again. No. Just going to try to be a good person? No. To all and on all who believe. Works are not the vehicle through which we attain the righteousness that we need to stand before God. Doing anything, right? Praying more, reading your Bible more, all good things, right? All good things, reading your Bible more, going to church more, being faithful, loving your brothers more, serving your brothers more. None of it. Works are not the vehicle through which we attain the righteousness that we need to stand before a holy God. Faith in Christ is the vehicle through which we are given the righteousness that we need. Paul says there is no difference. Verse 23, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified or made right freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Verse 25, Whom God set forth as a propitiation, as a wrath, satisfying sacrifice, by his blood through faith. To demonstrate his righteousness, because in his patience or forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed. To demonstrate at the present time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ. There is so much said there worthy of many, many sermons, which we don't have time to get into this morning. The righteousness that you and I need is given to us as a free gift of God's grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, by faith, faith alone, in Christ alone.  His righteousness becomes my righteousness. My sin is credited or imputed to him. He takes my sin upon himself, stands in my place and bears my punishment, right? His righteousness, his perfect life is credited or imputed to me by faith. And it's that righteousness that I need to stand before God, clothed in white linen, clean, right? Forgiveness sin. You say you need to clean up your life a little bit. Good luck with that. You just need to do a little bit better. Let me know how that works out for you. You say, God will simply forgive me.  He calls you to turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in him. You say, God knows my heart. You're certainly right. He does.  He says that it is desperately wicked, deceitful above all things. You need righteousness and that only, only comes through Jesus Christ. There are many paths up the mountain to God. No, there are not. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. One name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved and that is the Lord Jesus Christ alone. You need righteousness. Your Muslim friend needs righteousness. Your Mormon friend needs righteousness. That Catholic co-worker needs a righteousness that is not from works of the law, but through faith in Christ alone. We need righteousness. This is the glory of the ministry of righteousness that the covenant God in grace through Christ gives us what we can't attain for ourselves and what we don't have. He provides it for us. The ministry of death provides no righteousness. It simply declares you unrighteous. The ministry of the spirit of life provides for you the righteousness that you need. Back in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, this is the glory of the ministry of righteousness. Look at verse 10. Explaining this, right? Explaining this. Paul said in verse 10, for even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect because of the glory that excels or abounds. In other words, that old covenant that was made glory was rendered essentially inglorious or without glory because of the abounding glory of the new. In other words, you go outside at night and you look up and you see the stars in the sky. I've seen a picture of just a beautiful sky with the moon shining, the stars shining. It's glorious. Beautiful. I've got a picture on my desktop of the stars, just how beautiful that sight is. But what happens in the morning? The stars don't go away. The moon doesn't disappear. They are eclipsed in glory, so to speak. You can't even see them any longer because of the glory of the sun. It's not kind of glory. I think that this is essentially the essence of Paul's statement in verse 10. It's as if the old has no glory. The new is so glorious. How can that, which only shows us that we're sinners deserving of condemnation, how can that be more glorious than that which actually delivers us from condemnation, right? It is far more glorious. Moses was no mediator of righteousness, but the Lord Jesus Christ is, amen? Point number three, the ministry of the old versus the ministry of the new, verse 11. For if what is passing away was glorious, then what remains is much more glorious. That which is passing away is temporary. The old faded as soon as Moses came down from the mountain, right? As you saw the shining of Moses' face fading, that which remains, the covenant that remains is eternal. It is called the everlasting covenant, the everlasting covenant. Listen to this from Galatians chapter three. What purpose then does the law serve? If all this is so much more glorious, what purpose then does the law serve? It was added, Paul says, because of transgressions, until the seed should come to whom the promise was made. Who's the seed? Jesus Christ. Until Jesus Christ should come to whom the promise was made. And it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now, a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not, Paul says. For if there had been a law given, which could have given life, then truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the scripture has confined all under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore, the law was our tutor. It was our guardian, so to speak, our instructor, our disciplinarian in order to bring us to Christ so that we might be justified by works. No, so that we might be justified by faith. The law is our tutor. It's our instructor. It's our disciplinarian to point us to Christ so that we might be justified by faith in him. When you turn from your sin and you entrust yourself to him, God says, you become a member of this covenant by faith in Christ. But after faith has come, we no longer need a tutor. We're not under a tutor anymore. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 20. I love this. May the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do his will. Working in you, not for your salvation, he has saved you. Now working in you, what is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen. Glorious truths, the subjects of volumes. What is the result of these glorious truths? What fruit, therefore, is then produced in the life of a believer? How are we to think about these things? Look at verse 12, verse 12. Therefore, since we have such a glorious hope, such a glorious ministry, such a glorious truths, such glorious grace, such glorious mercy, such a glorious savior, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech, great boldness, great zeal, great fervency. If anyone might have had a reason to throw in the towel due to a tough assignment, it would have been the apostle Paul, right? But what does Paul say? We use great boldness of speech. Look at chapter 4, verse 1. Since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. Look at chapter 4, verse 13. I believed. Therefore, I spoke. Chapter 4, verse 16. Therefore, we do not lose heart. Chapter 5, verse 6. We are always confident. This is intensely practical, intensely practical. Do you consider the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel? You meditate on the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel, you will become more fervent for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel. I want it to be said of me, for you, for your good. I want it to be said of you, that we use such great boldness of speech because of the glory of the everlasting covenant. I want to see sinners come to faith in Christ and be saved. I want to see sinners saved so that the Lord Jesus Christ will receive the full reward of his suffering so that he will be glorified in it.  Listen, if you have considered that you are not faithful in preaching the gospel as you should be, maybe you've not considered before that this is your duty. Maybe it's that this has not been your delight. I would suggest to you, what Paul is saying here is consider this glory, consider these truths and let it change your heart. Let them infuse your mind, renew your mind, repent of sin and enter into that glorious work as a delight, not merely as a duty. If we have spirit endowed knowledge and understanding of this hope, then boldness and zeal and earnestness and fervency will follow. Do you believe it? Amen. All praise, honor and glory to him who is himself the glory of the new covenant.


Eighteen years after the first vision, the prophet Joseph Smith wrote an extensive account of his experience. He had faced opposition, persecution, harassment, threats, and brutal attacks, yet he continued to boldly testify of his first vision. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two personages, and they did in reality speak to me. And though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true. I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it. In his difficult hours, Joseph's memory reached back nearly two decades to the certainty of God's love for him and the events that welcomed in the long foretold restoration. Standing on his spiritual journey, Joseph said, I don't blame anyone for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself. But the experiences were real, and he never forgot or denied them, quietly confirming his testimony as he moved to Carthage. I'm going like a lamb to the slaughter, he said. But I am calm as the summer's morning. I have a conscious void of offense toward God and toward all men. There is a lesson for us in the Prophet Joseph's example. Along with the peaceful direction we receive from the Holy Ghost, from time to time, God powerfully and very personally assures each of us that he knows us and loves us, and that he is blessing us specifically and openly. Then, in our moments of difficulty, the Savior brings these experiences back into our mind.  Over the years, I have listened to thousands of profoundly spiritual experiences from Latter-day Saints all across the world, confirming to me beyond any question that God knows us and loves each of us, and that he eagerly desires to reveal himself to us. These experiences may come at pivotal times in our lives, or in what may at first seem as uneventful happenings, but they are always accompanied by an exceptionally strong spiritual confirmation of the love of God. Using these spiritually defining experiences, take us to our knees, declaring as did the Prophet Joseph, what I received was from heaven. I know it, and I know that God knows that I know it. Reflect on your own spiritually defining memories as I share a few examples from others. Years ago, an elderly stake patriarch with two failing heart valves pleaded with then Dr. Russell M. Nelson to intervene. Although at the time there was not a surgical solution for the damaged second valve, Dr. Nelson finally agreed to do the surgery. Here are President Nelson's words. After relieving the obstruction of the first valve, we exposed the second valve. We found it to be intact, but so badly dilated that it could no longer function as it should. While examining this valve, a message was distinctly impressed upon my mind. Reduce the circumference of the ring. I announced that message to my assistant. The valve tissue will be sufficient if we can effectively reduce the ring toward its normal size. But how? A picture came vividly to my mind, showing how stitches could be placed to make a pleat here and a tuck there. I still remember that mental image, complete with dotted lines where sutures should be placed. The repair was completed as diagrammed in my mind. We tested the valve and found the leak to be reduced remarkably. My assistant said, it's a miracle. The patriarch lived for many years. Dr. Nelson had been directed, and he knew that God knew that he knew he had been directed. Kathy and I first met Beatrice Magre in France 30 years ago. Beatrice recently told me of an experience that impacted her spiritual life shortly after her baptism as a teenager. Here are her words. The youth of our branch had traveled with their leaders to Lacanow Beach, an hour and a half from Bordeaux. Before returning home, one of the leaders decided to take a last swim and dove into the waves with his glasses. When he resurfaced, his glasses had disappeared. They were lost in the ocean. The loss of his glasses would prevent him from driving his car. We would be stranded far from home. A sister filled with faith suggested that we pray. I murmured that praying would avail us absolutely nothing, and I uneasily joined the group to pray publicly as we stood waist-deep in the murky water. Once the prayer was over, I stretched my arms to splash everyone. As I was sweeping the ocean's surface, his pair of glasses rested in my hand. A powerful feeling pierced my soul that God does actually hear and answer our prayers. Forty-five years later, she recalled it as if it had happened yesterday. Beatrice had been blessed, and she knew that God knew that she knew that she had been blessed. The experiences of President Nelson and Sister Marguerite were very different, yet for both. An unforgettable spiritually-defining memory of God's love was embedded in their hearts. These defining events often come in learning about the restored gospel or in sharing the gospel with others. This picture was taken in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2004. Florepis Lucia de Massio of the Ipatinga, Brazil, was 114 years old. Speaking of her conversion, Sister de Massio told me that missionaries in her village had given a priesthood blessing to a critically ill baby who miraculously recovered. She wanted to know more. As she prayed about their message, an undeniable witness of the spirit confirmed to her that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. At 103, she was baptized, and at 104, she was endowed. Every year after, she made the 14-hour bus ride to spend a week in the temple. Sister de Massio had received a heavenly confirmation, and she knew that God knew that she knew that the witness was true. Here's a spiritual memory from my first mission to France 48 years ago. While attracting, my companion and I left a book of Mormon with an elderly woman. According to the woman's apartment, about a week later, she opened the door. Before any words were spoken, I felt a tangible spiritual power. The intense feelings continued as Madame Alice Oduber invited us in and told us she had read the Book of Mormon and knew that it was true. As we left her apartment that day, I prayed, Heavenly Father, please help me to never forget what I have just felt. I never have. In a seemingly ordinary moment, at a door much like hundreds of other doors, I had felt the power of heaven. And I knew that God knew that I knew that a window of heaven had been opened. These spiritually-defiding moments come at different times and in different ways, individualized for each of us. Think of your favorite examples in the scriptures. Those listening to the Apostle Peter were pricked in their hearts. The Lamanite woman, Abish, believed the remarkable vision of her father and a voice came into the mind of Enos. My friend, Clayton Christensen, described and experienced during a very prayerful reading of the Book of Mormon this way, a beautiful, warm, loving spirit surrounded me and permeated my soul, enveloping me in a feeling of love that I had not imagined I could feel. And these feelings continued night after night. There are times when spiritual feelings go down into our heart like fire, illuminating our soul. Joseph Smith explained that we sometimes receive sudden strokes of ideas and occasionally the pure flow of intelligence. President Dallin H. Oaks, in responding to a sincere man who claimed never to have had such an experience, counseled, perhaps your prayers have been answered again and again, but you have had your expectations fixed on a sign so grand or a voice so loud that you think you have had no answer. The Savior himself spoke of a people with great faith who were blessed with fire and with the Holy Ghost, but who knew it not. We have recently heard President Russell M. Nelson say, I invite you to think deeply and often about this key question. How do you hear him? I also invite you to take steps to hear him better and more often. He repeated that invitation this morning. We hear him in our prayers, in our homes, in the scriptures, in our hymns, as we worthily partake of the sacrament, as we declare our faith, as we serve others, and as we attend the temple with fellow believers. Spiritually defining moments come as we prayerfully listen to general conference and as we better keep the commandments. And children, these experiences are for you as well. Remember, Jesus did teach and minister unto the children and the children did speak great and marvelous things. The Lord said, this knowledge is given by my spirit unto you and save it were by my power you could not have it. Therefore, you can testify that you have heard my voice and know my words. We can hear him because of the blessing of the Savior's incomparable atonement. While we cannot choose the timing of receiving these defining moments, President Henry B. Eyring gave this counsel in our preparation. Tonight and tomorrow night, you might pray and ponder, asking the questions, did God send a message that was just for me? Did I see his hand in my life or the lives of my family? Faith, obedience, humility, and real intent open the windows of heaven. You might think of your spiritual memories this way. With constant prayer, a determination to keep our covenants and the gift of the Holy Ghost, we navigate our way through life. When personal difficulty, doubt, or discouragement darken our path, or when the world conditions beyond our control lead us to to wonder about the future, the spiritually defining memories from our book of life are like luminous stones that help brighten the road ahead, assuring us that God knows us, loves us, and has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to help us return home. And when someone sets his or her defining memories aside and is lost or confused, we turn them toward the Savior as we share our faith and memories with them, helping them rediscover those precious spiritual moments they once treasured. Some experiences are so sacred that we guard them in our spiritual memory and do not share them. Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost, wherefore they speak the words of Christ. Angels have not ceased to minister unto the children of men. For behold, they are subject unto Christ to minister according to His command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.  Embrace your sacred memories, believe them, write them down, share them with your family. Trust that they come to you from your Heavenly Father and His beloved Son. Let them bring patience to your doubts and understanding to your difficulties. I promise you that as you willingly acknowledge and carefully treasure the spiritually defining events in your life, more and more will come to you. Heavenly Father knows you and loves you. Jesus is the Christ. His Gospel has been restored. And as we remain faithful, I witness we will be His forever in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.