Take Off Your Mask
Sorry, but once again, the laptop did not save the file (or it was my human error). Thankfully, we have a new camera and the service should be installed and working before next Sunday.
Take Your Mask Off
(2 Cor. 3:7-18)
Intro:
A. He was filled with grace and power, the Bible says. He was doing great wonders and signs among the people. I am not talking about Jesus, even thought that is true of him also, but of the disciple Stephen. On his last day on earth Stephen was speaking about the saving power of Jesus. When people brought him before the council and twisted his words, the Bible says, “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of angel.”
B. Think about your examples of angels in the Bible. One general common statement is about how they shined or radiated. Have you ever thought about why? Why did so many angels appear to shine before humans? Why did the face of Stephen look like an angel, my guess is shine like that of an angel?
C. There is another story that is important to remember for our study today. It begins in Exodus 33 and works its way through chapter 34. Moses had already been on the mountain and received the tablets of stone, come down and smashed them as he saw the sin of Israel and the golden calf. It caused Moses to look deep within himself and reflect if he really could lead the people.
D. Unlike anyone else, the Bible says that “the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as man speaks to his friend” (Ex. 33:11). It was because of the relationship they had, that Moses asks for a sign (Ex. 33:12-13). God tells Moses that his presence will go with him, and that he will do something incredible (Ex. 33:17-23). Moses takes the 2 new stone tablets and goes back up the mountain and God descends in a cloud and declares his name. After more conversation, Moses comes down and the people see something they had never seen before (Ex. 34:29-35).
E. What I need to gain from these two stories, is that when I am connected to God, other people can see it. This is idea Paul wants us to take home today.
I. Ministry of the Spirit
A. Paul worked hard for 18 months in Corinth. It was a very idolatrous city and was known for immorality. Yet, Paul would spend time here bringing the good news of Jesus to people who would have found the message counter-cultural. Paul taught that what it meant to be a Christian is to reflects the ministry of Jesus.
B. Paul had already dealt sternly with the church in a letter and now saw a church changing from its old way of living, to a powerful showing Jesus. Paul as he helps us to see the implications of the Moses story. 2 Cor. 3:7-9.
C. Christians are blessed to live under a more glorious covenant than even the great Ten Commandments that came from God through Moses. The Law could only bring death (because it was not given as ongoing redemption). The ministry of the Spirit would bring life, and therefore the glory of the old law faded, as did the radiance of the face of Moses, and the glory of the ministry of the Spirit exceeded it.
D. Until we grasp how great it is to be a Christian we forget that letter of the Law kills, but the Spirit gives life. I want to live . I want to live so closely connected to Christ that just being around me is a testimony of His great love .
II. Take Your Mask Off
A. Living in that power means I want to be seen for the transformation that has happened in my life. Paul was never afraid to tell his story. He was not an evil person to most Jews. He sought to destroy the way of Christ, but his early years were not about immorality or sinful behavior. Yet, Paul would call himself the chief of sinners.
B. What happened to Saul on the road to Damascus was an encounter with risen Lord that brought him to a new covenant, one that was founded in Jesus.
C. The new covenant is not Matthew through Revelation, they only explain it. The new covenant is Jesus himself. He came in glory and power and his message transforms me into a new creation.
D. So Paul tells them and us that it is time to take off our mask, our veil. Listen to 2 Cor. 3:12-13. The “we” are Paul and those whom he sent to Corinth. To be “bold” was to speak out confidently the message of Jesus as being different from any other message, even the great Ten Commandments. Moses put a veil over his face because the people were afraid of him when his face was shining. Yet Paul says that day is over. Take off your mask, your veil that keeps people from seeing Jesus. (2 Cor. 3:16)
E. The Israelites were hardened to glory and greatness of God. As Christians we need to let the world see what it means to live a transformed life. (2 Cor. 3:17-18)
III. Application
A. I want to be a living letter. That’s way Paul begins this section (chapter 3). I want people to examine me and see a person who seeks to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. I may not follow perfectly, but when I see sin in me, I want to be a person who repents. When I have done wrong, I want to be the person that goes and seeks forgiveness. I want to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves as Jesus did. I want to love you and do what is best for your spiritual life, even if that means limiting my freedom in Christ. That’s the letter I hope people read in me.
B. I want understand that ministry of righteousness is not reducing Matthew through Revelation to a covenant of ink. I want to understand that the new covenant is Jesus and He is explained to me in those letters we call the NT.
C. I want to take off my mask, unveil my face so that the glory of Jesus can be seen increasing. What that means is that transformation takes place in my life all the time. As I mature and grow closer to Jesus, I want to be a more holy and godly person.
Conclusion:
A. So what about you. Are you ready to continue to journey with me through 2 Corinthians?
B. I hope you will spend some time reading this wonderful letter on your own, growing deeper in your understanding so that our time together enhances what God is doing in each of us.
C. Take off your spiritual veil and let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you.
Because of Jesus,
Jeffrey Dillinger, minister