The Light of Glory
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewNotes
Transcript
Last Sunday, we looked at what we called “sparks of light.” Glimmers of light, gifts from God which pointed to the true light, but were not themselves that ultimate, final, true light.
The prophets
The Tabernacle
The Law
The law, of course, speaks of the 5 books of Moses, the entirety of the commandments within those books, and most specifically, the 10 commandments that Moses received on Mt. Sinai.
The 10 commandments were a spark of light, light from God, showing what God is like and what he desires, but they were not God himself - they were not the final light.
Light, though, was involved in that interaction with Moses and the Lord.
Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Moses’ request was “show me your glory!”
The Lord lovingly told moses that he would fill his presence with his goodness, and make his name known.
a confirmation that where the name of the Lord is, there is goodness.
but
But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.”
And the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.
Nobody can see my face and live. It’s too much.
the spark of light is all you can handle. The fulness is too much. It is too radiant, too glorious, too immense, too powerful.
Well, God did just as he said. He put moses in a cleft of a rock, and he passed by and covered him until he was past - then he unveiled Moses’ face, and Moses saw the afterglow of God’s glory.
Remember, we’re talking about the 10 commandments. This was, after all, the meeting where God gave moses those commandments on two tables of stone.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.
And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
That veil, the veil over the shining of the glow of God’s glory, becomes symbolic as God’s revelation goes on.
We read about that in 2 Corinthians.
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 4 with me. That is where we will spend the rest of our time.
Notice in verse 1, Paul says “having this ministry....”
what ministry?
In the UK, the departments of government are called “ministries.”
ministry of defense?
ministry of education?
ministry of health?
We’re coming in at the middle of a flow of conversation from Paul to this church. We have to go back a few steps to see what he’s talking about.
Look back at chapter 3, verses 4-6.
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
confidence in Christ.
Not sufficient in ourselves
ministers of a new covenant
New covenant
not of death, but of the spirit.
not of condemnation, but of righteousness (vs. 9)
not of fading glory, but of surpassing glory (vs. 10)
Paul is referring in this chapter to the Old Covenant, pictured mainly by the law - the 10 commandments - as the “ministry of death, condemnation, and its glory is passing away.”
This is not to speak against it as being bad - but it’s purpose was fulfilled.
A schoolmaster
a mirror
a sign-post
Paul is saying the promises have been fulfilled in this new covenant
vs. 3 - letters written on hearts, not on tablets.
Paul continues the imagery in verses 13 and following
13, moses’ veiled face
the same veil remains when they read the old covenant
Only through Christ it is taken away
Where is the good news? where is the hope?
vs. 16-18
Veil removed
Freedom experienced
being changed and transformed by the Lord Himself
Therefore....
May the same God who said “Let There Be Light” shine in your heart to give you the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
May the same God who said “Let There Be Light” shine in your heart to give you the light of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.
1. The Message - vs. 3-4
1. The Message - vs. 3-4
what is the message?
the new covenant
What is it called?
Gospel - good news.
something worth proclaiming
1 Corinthians 15.
the simple story of the Gospel is the death, burial, resurrection of Christ.
the simple message of the Gospel is those things “for us.”
Going back, then, to the image of the veil, the blindness. Paul says, “we preach the message to everyone because we don’t have any reason to hide it from anyone.
The Good News is Good News for anyone who will listen to it!
What is the barrier?
blindness
The first week of advent, we remarked at this. How so many are walking around in broad daylight, but with inner darkness. This is that darkness. This is that veil.
The veil of darkness - the darkness of eyes wide shut.
In these two verses, Paul isn’t suggesting the remedy for that problem - he will a little later on.
What he is saying in these two verses, is that if there is anyone who misses this message, let it be with eyes wide shut, not because we hid it or disguised it or muddied it up or reserved it.
hid it, fear or lack of faith.
disguised it, seeking to enhance it for sensibilities of a modern audience
muddied it, lessened the tone of its urgency or necessity
reserved it, out of prejudice or lack of love
2. The Mistake - vs. 1-2
2. The Mistake - vs. 1-2
The message is wonderful and glorious and good, and it gives confidence to the messenger.
we do not lose heart
vs. 2.
Disgraceful or underhanded ways
you can’t trick someone into belief
you can’t trick someone into the kingdom
cunning
giving the good news is not salesmanship
we will never win someone with a sly deal
tampering
muddying the message
disguising the message
An Open Statement of the Truth
we’ve got nothing to hide
we’ve got no secrets
we have no levels of knowledge
there is no elite crowd
We commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience.
honesty.
integrity.
the reality of the message coming through.
3. The Majesty - vs. 5-6
3. The Majesty - vs. 5-6
Not a contradiction - we commend ourselves as messengers and believers of the message, but we are not the message.
What do we proclaim?
Jesus Christ as Lord.
ourselves as servants
That’s the proper order. That’s the order that infiltrates every facet of life for the believer, by the way.
Jesus is Lord, I’m a servant.
in every relationship
vs. 3-4 didn’t have the remedy for the blindness, but this verse does.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
God who said “let there be light.”
Shines in our hearts.
past the blindness
past the veil
A knowledge that is more intimate than the law could provide.
Moses was veiled.
The law was just a spark.
The people were afraid.
Moses’ face, Jesus’ face.
A face-to-face relationship with God through the Son. The fulness of glory come down in the gospel, for us.
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.
only through christ it is taken away.
The god of this world is powerful enough to blind, but his blinders are not stronger than the light of the Lord with laser focus.
God’s grace and mercy coming in.
Just as he told Moses’ - I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.
There is no way around. There is no other road.
4. The Might - vs. 7
4. The Might - vs. 7
A treasure in jars of clay, to show that the power is not ours.
it is not ourselves we proclaim
not that we are sufficient
we can’t pull off the veil.
Spurgeon, pour in faith.
The surpassing power belongs to God.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.