Jul 22, 2018
by: Jack Lash Series: 2Corinthians: Paul's Most Underappreciated Epistle | Category: NT books | Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12–13
- Introduction
A. 2Corinthians 3:7–18 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
II. 2Corinthians 3 and the life of Paul
A. In 2Corinthians 3, Paul has been contrasting the old covenant God made with the people of Israel through Moses with the new covenant God made through Christ Jesus.
B. But this passage is not just the story of the Jews. If you think about it, it is also the story of Paul’s life. And he makes it personal in v.12: “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold...”
1. Before encountering Jesus, Paul was the epitome of an old covenant man. “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” (Phil.3:5-6)
2. He had a profound "zeal for God" (Rom.10:2), but his quest for righteousness before God was not based on "subjecting himself to the righteousness of God," but he was "seeking to establish his own righteousness", not realizing that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Rom.10:3-4) Thus, he was trying to live by a covenant which was "fading" – "engraved on stones" – which "kills" instead of "giving life." It was "a ministry of condemnation" and not "a ministry of righteousness." (2Cor.3:1-11)
3. But then Paul saw the Face: the face of Jesus. This Face had such surpassing glory that no longer did the face of Moses glow for Paul. It made the old covenant lose its charm. Once he turned his eyes upon Jesus and looked full in His wonderful face, the things of the old covenant (“the elementary things of this world” – Gal.4:3) grew strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
a. Moon and sun illustration
4. At that time, whatever treasures and advantages he had had, Paul counted as loss for the sake of Christ, including the old covenant. Indeed, he counted everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing the Lord Jesus. For Christ’s sake he suffered the loss of all things and counted them as rubbish, in order that he might gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of his own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ. (Philippians 3:7-9)
5. At that point, Paul, having found “such a hope,” began to “be very bold,” as it says here in 2Cor.3:12. That’s exactly what happened to Paul, isn’t it? We see in places like Acts 9:20, 22, what Paul did after he met Jesus: “Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ’He is the Son of God.’” He “kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
C. So, this was the story of Paul. And God wants it to be our story as well.
1. He wants us to leave behind a quest for righteousness based on ourselves, and submit to the righteousness of God which comes through Christ.
2. He wants us to abandon all of those things which are ministries of death and condemnation, all our rules and concepts of duty that are only written on tablets of stone and not upon our hearts, all those ways of thinking and operating that are of the earth and are fading, and which only lead to death. "These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." (Col.2:23)
3. He wants us to see the face of Christ and behold His glory, which far surpasses all other glories.
4. And experiencing this hope, He wants us to have great boldness in proclaiming the truth of Christ.
III. Now let’s focus in on 2Cor.3:12-13.
A. 3:12 "Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech."
1. We already saw that Paul was a very bold witness for Christ. From the first days of his life in Christ he bore a courageous testimony for his Lord (Acts 9:27-29). And throughout the rest of his life he "had the boldness in God to speak the gospel of God amid much opposition" (1Thes.2:2).
2. So what was his secret? Where did this boldness come from? This verse tells us: "having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech."
3. What hope is he referring to? It is obviously that it is the hope he has been talking about in the first 11 verses of 2Cor.3: the hope of the new covenant.
4. This glory of the new covenant was the key to Paul’s great boldness.
5. I’ve been saying that many Christians, maybe even most, think more according to the pattern of the old covenant than the new. And their Christianity doesn’t have much glory.
a. Outward practice and doctrinal adherence, as opposed to a vibrant heart relationship
b. Focused on ceremonies or church structures or positive messages, but not on the glory of Christ.
c. They are serving God from a distance.
6. But when we grasp the glory of Christ in the new covenant, then we are propelled into a life of freedom, joy and courage in Him.
7. Christian boldness comes from Christian hope. And Christian hope comes from knowing the glory of the new covenant.
8. If we lack boldness in our Christian witness – whether it be timidity in evangelism or in godly confrontation or whatever – the real problem is a failure to take hold of our Christian hope. When we come to grips with what the Lord has done for us and given to us, what do we have to fear?
9. "The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" (Psalm 118:5)
10. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:
11. When we really grasp the significance of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ it has an explosive impact in their lives.
12. But often it seems as if His coming and work don’t carry much weight. It’s because we don’t get it. We need to pray that the Lord would open our eyes to see the glory and splendor of Jesus and His redemption. Then our lives would be filled with faith, hope, love and boldness.
13. Think about it. How many commands are there in the NT to be bold? zero
a. The NT speaks about being bold to proclaim the gospel 17 times, but not once does it command it.
b. Why? Because boldness doesn’t come from obedience, it comes from hope. It comes from inside. It comes from knowing Christ, and having your hope in Him.
B. Now let’s talk about the veil of Moses in v.13.
1. 2Corinthians 3:12–13a “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze...”
2. When Moses came down from the presence of God on Mount Sinai, his face glowed with the glory of God, so much so that the Israelites were afraid to come near him. So, he covered his face with a veil to shield them (Exod.34:29-35).
3. When Paul says he is very bold, he adds, “not like Moses.” What does he mean? In what way was Paul not like Moses?
a. Moses veiled the glory of God from the people, but Paul did not. Rather, he openly and boldly revealed the glory of God — by openly and boldly proclaiming the glorious gospel of the new covenant.
b. That’s what Paul means when he says, “We are very bold, not like Moses.”
4. In the old covenant, there was a veil signifying the separation between God and man. You could see it in the tabernacle and the temple, where there was a thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt.
5. But when Christ died, we’re told in Matt.25:51 that that veil in the temple between God and His people, miraculously tore from top to bottom, symbolizing the dramatic removal of the barrier between God and man through the death of Christ.
6. Hebrews 10:19–21 tells us that since Jesus has opened up a new and living way — through the curtain — we should therefore have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus.
a. This is the first kind of boldness that comes from the new covenant hope — boldness to enter into the presence of God, confident that the sacrifice of God is sufficient to cover your sin and open up access to the glorious presence of the God of grace.
b. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
c. This is what the new covenant is all about. It’s the gospel of Christ!
(1) On account of the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross, God gives forgiveness and acceptance and new life to those who recognize their unworthiness and put their faith in Jesus.
(2) He doesn’t just provide a possibility of being saved, He saves all those who truly repent and put their faith in Him.
7. This is the boldness which yields boldness in communicating Christ to others.
a. It is confidence before God which gives us confidence before men.
b. “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.”
IV. Conclusion
A. The Christian life isn’t all about striving to fulfill God’s requirements. It’s not about trying hard to be bold, or loving, or self-controlled. The Christian life is about striving to see and know Christ, to be gripped by His hope. Everything else flows from that.
B. Some see it, but need to strive to see it more. They need to cultivate their relationship with Christ.
C. Others have never seen it at all. They might have grown up in the church. They might be good church members. They may even like church. But they’ve never really seen the face of Christ.
1. Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there. Just because you don’t see something, it doesn’t mean you don’t know it’s there. 14-15 tell us that for some the veil remains.
2. What can you do? “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you.” (1Peter 5:6) Pray to the Lord, cry out to Him. Ask like Moses to see His glory.