TRANSFORMED WITH EVER-INCREASING GLORY
2 Corinthians 3:6-18
Wouldn’t it be great?!! . . .
. . . to be there with Moses to see the revelation of God’s glory as Israel did?
. . . to see the revelation of God’s glory in the tabernacle when God dwelled among them?
EXPLANATION OF PAUL'S MINISTRY 2:14-7:16
The Joy of Ministry 2:14-16
When Titus arrives with a good report, Paul is grateful and celebrates the victory.
The joy of victory stirs Paul to become excited about the privilege of ministry.
“It doesn’t get any better than this!”
The Requirements for Ministry 2:17-3:6a
Paul then describes the prerequisites for a man who wants to participate in ministry.
Contrary to false teachers who use their message for personal gain,
God's messengers seek to please God
GOD ENABLES US . . .
TO STAND FIRM IN ADVERSITY AND
TO MINISTER FOR HIM.
THE BASIS FOR OUR MINISTRY 3:6b-5:10
The enablement for ministry, demonstrated through the lives of the Corinthians,
motivates Paul to write concerning the basis for our ministry of God's word.
He helps us understand the greatness of our privilege by contrasting our ministry with that of Moses.
GLORY OF THE OLD COVENANT 3:6b-7
The old covenant was given to Israel in glory.
Since it comes from God, it is glorious.
It reflects the brightness of God’s glory.
It reflects His holiness.
There is nothing wrong with the law.
Paul says it is good. It is glorious.
It reveals God’s will.
But it still has an inherent weakness: the problem is with me!
The law demonstrates that I am a sinner.
I will never be able to live up to its standards.
The old ministry is based on the letter of the law–written in stone.
Since it’s accomplishment depends on human performance,
it always comes up short of God’s standard.
The old ministry leads to death.
The false teachers criticizing Paul cling to the legalism of the O.T. message.
That approach to the old ultimately leads to death.
The problem isn’t in the law, or in the reflection of God’s glory; it’s in the people!
Life comes by the Spirit’s work, not by human ability to live by God’s standards.
The old ministry was revealed with a fading glory.
Moses’ experience illustrates the problem.
When Moses is in God’s presence, he reflects the brightness of God’s glory.
Even the reflection of God’s glory is initially too bright for people to gaze on.
When Moses leaves God’s presence, and returns to life as usual, the glory fades.
Nevertheless, the outstanding notable characteristic is still glory.
Fading and transitory though it may be, it’s still a reflection of God’s glory!
GREATER GLORY OF THE NEW COVENANT 3:8-18
The new covenant is marked by even greater glory.
Contrasting source of authority: 8
Our new ministry is NOT based on the letter of the law.
Our new ministry comes from God’s Spirit.
He’s the driving power behind it. He makes it work!
Therefore, it’s glory is even greater.
People look back to Moses in the wilderness and wish they could have seen that great revelation of glory.
Our new ministry reveals even greater glory!
Contrasting consequence: 9-10
The old ministry of law brings condemnation.
Law demonstrates the problem:
“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Our new ministry leads to righteousness.
This new ministry points to the solution:
“God demonstrates His love in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
“Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!”
When we trust Christ, God’s Spirit gives us new life
and credits His righteousness to our account.
Our new ministry reveals even greater glory!
It doesn’t fade away. It never ends. It never comes up short.
Thus the old ministry has been eclipsed by the greater glory of our new ministry.
If the old ministry was glorious, how much more glorious is this new message?!!
Contrasting conclusion: 11
The glory of the old ministry fades away.
The glory of our new ministry remains.
The veil used at the giving of the old covenant demonstrates that it is temporary and provisional, but the new covenant is permanent.
We don’t use a veil to hide the fading glory of God’s presence. 12-16
Since our glory never fades, we have an eternal hope of acceptance by God.
We are bold because we are confident that God will fulfill His promises to us.
The provisions of this new covenant will all be realized.
Moses used the veil to keep the people from seeing the fading of the glory. 13
Since our glory never fades, there is no need for the veil.
The law acts as a veil to keep people from seeing God’s glory. 14-15
When Moses entered God’s presence, he took off the veil to see God’s glory.
For Israel, the veil is never removed.
Law gets between people and God’s glory, so we can’t see His glory.
We focus on law and miss the point: only Christ can meet its demands.
We still don’t get it!
We only understand the nature of the law, when we turn to Christ.
When people turn to Him, they understand the truth and begin to enjoy true life and freedom.
Moses’ old ministry didn’t provide that immediate and continual access to God’s glorious presence that our new ministry provides.
The law dulls the mind and covers the heart
so we don’t see clearly.
The old ministry leads to spiritual blindness.
Our new ministry removes the blindness so that people can see.
The Spirit removes the veil and gives us freedom. 16-17
The Holy Spirit takes off the veil and enables us to see God’s glory clearly.
In contrast to the old ministry, which leads to death,
our ministry leads to life and freedom.
God’s Spirit is at work in us, producing new life.
We see God’s glory clearly and are continually transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory which He provides. 18
Unlike the Jews, who approach God’s law with veiled hearts,
We approach God unveiled–we see His glory with unveiled faces.
In contrast to Moses’ glory, which was diminishing,
Our glory is an ever-increasing glory.
We continually progress from one stage of glory to another.
As we contemplate our Lord, we are conformed to His image
–we keep getting brighter, becoming more and more like Him.
The Holy Spirit works in us to conform us to His image.
The evidence that God is at work in us is NOT that we have arrived at perfection, but that God is transforming us progressively, little by little, more and more, into the image of His Son.
Christlikeness is the goal of our walk with God.
He wants to make us more like Him.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s story about the great stone face:
A lad lived in a village where there was a mountain with a rock formation called “The Great Stone Face.” Legend told that one day someone would come who would look like the great stone face. He would do wonderful things for the village. The lad was taken by the story and would gaze at the great stone face at every opportunity. He would dream about the day when someone looking like the great stone face would come to their village.
Years passed. He became a young man, then an old man. One day as he was tottering down the street someone looked up at him and shouted: “He has come. The one who looks like the great stone face is here.” The man had spent so much time contemplating the great stone face that he now bore its image.
If we want to become Christlike, we will spend time focusing on Him.
Harry Ironside tells the story of an old Scot who lay suffering in a hospital bed. His doctor had told him he had but a few hours to live. An old friend stopped by to spend some time with him and commented: “They tell me you won’t be with us long. I hope you have got a wee glimpse of the Savior’s blessed face as you are going through the valley of the shadow.”
The dying man responded, “Away with the glimpse, man; it’s a full view of His blessed face I have had these forty years, and I’ll not be satisfied with any of your wee glimpses now!”
That’s Paul’s point. We have a full view of His glorious face.
That’s enough to change our lives forever–into the image of His Son!
WHAT LESSONS DOES PAUL REVEAL FOR OUR LIVES?
How should we put them into practice today?
Like excited grandparents love to tell about their grandkids,
Paul is excited about the privilege God has given him as a minister of a new covenant.
He wants to tell people how God has blessed him with this privilege.
Are we that excited about the privilege God has given to us of being conformed to the image of His Son, and of proclaiming the good news to people around us?
Paul mentions FOUR BENEFITS that WE receive through our new ministry
that are BETTER than Moses’ old ministry:
1. Boldness–we’re bold because of the assured confidence of our hope.
2. Unveiling–for Israel the veil never comes off.
They never see the unveiled glory of God.
The law blocks their view.
We see clearly–with unveiled face.
3. Freedom The law enslaves.
Where the Spirit is at work in our lives, there is liberty–freedom.
We are free to love and to serve God.
4. Transformation
Moses’ transformation was only temporary–it faded away.
As WE look into His face, we are transformed into the image of His Son–permanently! We experience a progressive, permanent change.
Lewis Sperry Chafer used to interrupt the singing in Dallas Seminary chapel services when they would sing “Take Time to Be Holy.” He would insist that they sing it:
“Take time to behold Him. Speak oft with thy Lord.”
As we behold him, we will become holy, for
“We all beholding with unveiled faces the glory of the Lord are transformed into His likeness, with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, Who is the Spirit.”
Do you think it would have been great to have seen what Moses saw?
How about THIS?!! What incredibly wonderful GLORY WE have been privileged to see!!
And WE are being transformed into the image of His Son!