Latest / The Daily Word / April 3 – From Glory to Glory
Transcript
- Cory Barnes: Hello, Pastor Jenny here, and we are in 2 Corinthians chapter three today. And ⁓ my goodness, was my heart just leaping within me as I read this passage today. Again, not a super huge passage, only, about, let's see, it's only 18 verses. But it's oftentimes for me, it's these smaller passages that the Lord, I just feel like really just sits and it's like He looks, you're sitting across the table from someone and they're looking deep into your eyes and just deep into my heart, God speaking to me, the deep things of His heart. The header of this one says, ministers of the new covenant. And I love when God begins to just remind me of the new covenant that we have, but I really love the old covenant too. I love how God, it's so important for us to understand both the old covenant and the new covenant, because we can't understand what is new about it unless we understand what we also had. And so. I want to give a little bit of context to really share ⁓ why this portion of Scripture was so just valuable to me today and why I've just really been sitting with the Lord. In fact, this was a Scripture that He kind of highlighted to me a little while ago and is really one I've been kind of just chewing on and meditating on for some time now. So was really sweet to come across this in our daily reading and time together. ⁓ But anyway, being ministers of the new covenant, of course, he's going to talk about the old covenant. What's the old covenant? It's going to be those 10 commandments, that which he gave Moses, what he wrote to Moses. And he says this ⁓ in verse six, he says, who, or let me say, give you verse five. It says, not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything is coming from us, but our subveniency 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." So talking about the letter of the law. Now, if the ministry of death carved in letters on stone, so again, talking about that old covenant, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? So again, in case you don't know, When Moses was first given the 10 commandments and he came down from the mountain because he had spent that time with the Lord, his face was literally shining and the Israelites were like, ⁓ my gosh, what is going on? Please cover your face. We can't even look at you. There's so much glory that was on him. He had to put a veil on his face. And so that's what that's referring to. But it was saying this, this covenant that no one could live up to that really none, no one was going to live up to this. So that's why it's kind of referring to that as the ministry of death carved in letters on stone. The Israelites, couldn't even look upon it, it says. How much greater is this new covenant that we're now given because of Jesus that we are going to look at? ⁓ So skip ahead to what I come to in verse 14. It says, the Israelites, 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. Yes, to this day when Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. But, listen to this, verse 16 says, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, 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. And really it is that verse 18 that just sits with me. I love meditating and singing. Have you ever heard that portion that with unveiled face we can worship the Lord? to just be able to come before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And like Moses, who sat with God and first got the covenant, got the old covenant, but then he comes down and the Israelites, they're, you know, really a holy fear, I would think, but they're terrified what's going on. This veil comes over them. But even when we look at the law that people try to live up to, There's even a veil over people's hearts and minds today when we try to live up to the law, to the legalism of the law, but when we can stop looking at the law and thinking we have to live life and live up to the standards of the law and what that is, that that's what makes us right with God. That's not what makes us right with God. It's when we, with unveiled face, look to Christ and His finished work on the cross. That's what makes us right with God. And because of what Jesus has done on the cross, now we have the ability to fully step into and actually fulfill because Jesus says he didn't come to abolish the old covenant. He came to fulfill it. And so when I read this scripture, I'm so stirred up. I'm so reminded. I'm so thankful and grateful that we have a God that loved us so much that he came to meet us right where he is. where we are, He came to meet us and to save us. And so to me, this passage is like, it's the love letter. It's the reminder. It's the, let me tell you how much I love you all over again. And so if you can't tell, I'm just stirred up. I'm reminded and to sit in this verse 18 with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord. Man, I'll tell you for a couple of years now, I've been just sitting and chewing and What is the glory of the Lord and to know more and more, even that God tells us that He'll take us from glory to glory. ⁓ I just love that He'll take us from one level to a next that we continually get to know Him more and more intimately. So I'd love to pray for you today that you would get to experience more of the Lord ⁓ from one level to another that with unveiled face. you would know more of His goodness and His faithfulness and His love for you, that you would understand the freedom that comes from knowing Him. Because as verse 17 says, now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there truly is freedom. We are no longer bound by the law, but we're free to be all that God has called us to be, which means We will be able to fulfill the law because we are free in Christ. Those who are free because of Christ, we are free in deed. He's so good. I cannot pray for you and for me. Lord, we come before you and we're so grateful for who you are. God, I thank you for giving us your son, Jesus. Jesus, thank you for coming and being the spotless lamb, for giving your life. And we thank you that by your blood, by your stripes, we have been healed, we have been forgiven, we have been set free by all of our sin and our shame and that which we could not fulfill on our own. We could never live up to the letter of the law, that which was meant to bring us death. I thank you, Lord, that you came to bring us life, life everlasting. So God, as we set our eyes to you with unveiled face beholding your glory, Lord, I thank you that we too are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to another. So Lord, may we continue to step in to freedom day after day. In Jesus' name, amen.