July 22, 2007 Sermon
Sunday’s sermon is up and is available for download here. We haven’t had any recording for the past two week due to some emergencies, so our apologies go out to listeners.
Synopsis:
Readings: 2 Kings 2:9-14; Luke 23:39-43; 1 John 3:4-7.
Listen as Pastor Copeland examines the sin of boasting and our place in eternity. Two weeks ago we saw in Mark 14 that the death of Jesus was substitutionary; last week we saw God’s sovereignty is over us from the womb to the tomb. This week we get a glimpse of life after the tomb, the rapture of Paul into the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6. We learn from this passage that heaven is a real place, boasting is a sin, Paul had revelation directly from the Lord, heaven is like paradise, weaknesses increase the power of Christ in us, and we ought to be judged by what we do as well as what we say. We find Paul compelled to continue his “foolish boasting”. Coming to the issue of visions and revelations of the Lord, he describes “a man in Christ” (most commentators believe Paul has reference to himself) who fourteen years before had been caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words unlawful to utter. Paul would boast of “such a one”, but in direct reference to himself he would only boast in his “infirmities”, lest people think too highly of him.
Solo Deo Gloria,
Jason