Morning Message Text: 2 Corinthians 3: 12 – 4: 2
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.
13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away.
14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.
15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.
16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.
Morning Message:
In order for us to understand today’s text we need to first have a clear understanding of the difference between the old and new testaments. In Exodus 34: 29 – 35 we hear of how Mosses would meet with God, and God would give him instructions for the Israelites. When Moses came down the mountain with the two tablets, the Ten Commandments, he was not aware that because of spending time in the presence of God and experiencing holiness, his face was radiant and shining. This struck fear in the hearts of the people; they had never seen anything like this. Moses would put a veil over his face after he spent time in God’s presence so that the people would not be uncomfortable in his presence, and he could speak to them and teach them what God wanted for them.
When we spend time communing with God, we too shine with his glory. Now I know that our faces don’t glow in the dark, but to the unsaved world around us, we may be the only light they see. Today is Transfiguration Sunday. Transfiguration is simply a change in outward appearance. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain to pray, they witnessed an outward change in Jesus. He was transfigured from his human appearance into who he really was: God. There is significance in this because even though they had heard his teachings and witnessed the miracles that he did, Jesus knew that they needed to see him in all his glory. The people in Moses’ day knew that he was supposedly meeting with God. They listened as he told them that God was instructing him to lead them out of Egypt and into the promised land. But it was the glow, the transformation that gave them physical proof of his connection with a Holy God. Human beings need to see proof of life.
Sometimes I get this very strong sense about where we are in God’s timetable for this world. I told you last week that we need to look up with expectation, always expecting Jesus to return at any moment. The Rapture of the church could happen at any time. As we see world events starting to play out in a way that the Bible has predicted, we start to wonder how long it will be until Christ returns. We need to have a sense of urgency about the time that is remaining. I have a short story that makes this point. “When the stab of pain in Chris Scott’s chest was intense, his wife called the emergency number. At age 71, Chris believed he was having a heart attack. The responder told them to have someone wait outside to meet the paramedics. The couple waited and waited, then made another call and was told that the ambulance was on its way. Again, they waited and waited—for seven hours! Finally the ambulance showed up and transported Chris to the hospital. His pain turned out to be a gall bladder issue, and Chris could only thank God his heart was all right. The Scott’s didn’t blame anyone for the long delay. The whole medical system in their area was under pressure with crowded hospitals and slow response times. But for 420 long minutes, they thought of nothing but the approach of blue lights. ‘Because of the confidence building up in us that the ambulance was close, we just waited and waited.’ Chris said.” The whole world appears to be having a collective heart attack right now. We keep waiting for the flashing lights of our Lord’s imminent return. But it’s taking longer than we’d like. We’ve been told repeatedly that our Lord is on His way—but He hasn’t appeared yet.
What today’s text is calling for is boldness in our faith. When we come to Jesus we are changed into new creatures, but we don’t always live like we have been given new life. Jesus removed the veil that blinded us to God’s plan for mankind and gave us a mission to fulfill. During this Lenten season let us practice removing the veil that we have placed over our hearts. Jesus did not remove that veil for us to put it back so that the world can’t see who we are and whose we are. The condition of the world around us is critical, and the only way that any will be saved when Jesus appears in the clouds is for us to let them see the glow of Jesus in our lives. Let the light of Jesus out; take away the veil of doubt and fear; it’s time to be bold in our faith. During this Lenten season let’s discipline ourselves to everyday show the world the Jesus in us.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob
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