This week, Harry shares how in a world filled with distractions and challenges, we are called to persevere and pursue the vision of God’s kingdom. As we behold God’s glory and allow His Spirit to transform us, we can bring freedom and healing to a broken world; encouraging us to stand in the posture of perseverance, ready to be used by God to bring about His purposes on earth.
00:00 – Pre-sermon
00:06 – 2 Corinthians
04:56 – 2 Corinthians 3: Letters of Commendation
10:52 – Paul on the Covenant in Corinth
13:53 – The Lord of the Rings
18:29 – Paul on Visions in the Mirror
21:26 – Coming soon: Alone with God
26:21 – What on Earth Does Glory to Glory Look Like?
31:56 – The need for perseverance in the church
44:19 – Wonders of the Church
48:02 – Post-sermon
Chapter Breakdown
2 Corinthians
I’m going to share with you a passage from two Corinthians this morning
00:06 – 04:56
Two Corinthians is written by a guy called Paul. Paul was a follower of Jesus 2000 years ago. He dedicated his life to leading other people into life with Jesus. In this letter, Paul confirms the restoration of that relationship. And in it also encourages those people that are still in rebellion to live a better life.
2 Corinthians 3: Letters of Commendation
Paul addresses the church in Corinth with a request for letters of recommendation
04:56 – 10:46
Paul says the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. If that which fades away was with glory, much more that remains is in glory. If you really believed that you were set free by the spirit of God, you would be a people living in total freedom.
Paul on the Covenant in Corinth
Paul says the church in Corinth is failing because its covenant is breaking down
10:52 – 13:52
The church in Corinth. Corinth was one of the prime cities in the western world at that time. Paul is saying your community is breaking down because your covenant is breaking with one another. Only way we can make sure the kingdom emerges and is permanent is if we learn to live in covenant.
The Lord of the Rings
One of my favorite books of all time is Lord of the Rings
13:53 – 18:29
One of my favorite books of all time is Lord of the Rings. Frodo is the carrier of the Ring and it needs to be destroyed in the fires of Mount Doom. Arthur Wallace was the father to a band of people that led to a renewal and restoration in the church.
Paul on Visions in the Mirror
Paul encourages us to look at God as if looking in a mirror
18:29 – 21:22
Paul encourages us to behold God as looking in the mirror intimately. In today’s selfie age, you can have it right on your face and you can behold yourself. But we, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of God, are being transformed.
Coming soon: Alone with God
We live in an age of distraction. John Ortberg talks about how we manage consciousness
21:26 – 26:18
Harry Smith: We live in an age of distraction. He says the idea of us just being present with God has been lost in this generation. Smith: The first time he sat and was alone with the Lord, he found emotions coming up. God told him to put a death to procrastination.
What on Earth Does Glory to Glory Look Like?
Paul talks about going from glory to glory in the Bible
26:21 – 31:55
What on earth does glory to glory look like? Paul talks about what this glory looks like, and it looks like Jesus dying and suffering on a cross. With perseverance, we can often achieve our dreams.
The need for perseverance in the church
There’s a spirit trying to break a posture of perseverance in the church
31:56 – 44:16
In this world, there’s a spirit that is trying to break a posture of perseverance in the church. And it’s in part caused by this age of distraction that I was talking about before. What is the dream behind perseverance? Is it rooted in God’s vision for the reconciliation and restoration of the world?
Wonders of the Church
Father, I pray that we would see an increase in transformation in this church
44:19 – 48:02
Pray that covenant would come alive afresh in us. There would be no space for division or disunity. Lord, I pray that we would see an increase in transformation. We pray this all in the mighty, glorious name of Jesus. Amen.
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