2 Corinthians 3:12-16 ~ 20180603 ~ Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org

06/03_2Corinthians 3:12-16; Unveiled Boldness ; Audio available at: http://www.ephraimbible.org/Sermons/20180603_2cor3_12-16.mp3

Sufficient to Speak God's Word

Paul has said that through us God in Christ is spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere (2:14); that he is the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing (2:15). To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. And he asks; 'Who is sufficient for these things?' (2:16) He claims to handle God's word sincerely, from God, in the face of God, speaking in Christ (2:17). And he says:

2 Corinthians 3:4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 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.

Paul claims to speak God's word from God in the presence of God in Christ. And he has confidence through Christ toward God, because his sufficiency does not come from himself; his sufficiency comes from God. He is competent to be a minister of the new covenant, a minster of the Spirit, because God has made him competent. He contrasts the glory of these two ministries; the letter and the Spirit

2 Corinthians 3:7 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.

Letter vs. Spirit; stone tablets vs. tablets of flesh hearts; that which kills vs. that which makes alive; a ministry of death vs. a ministry of the Spirit; a ministry of condemnation vs. a ministry of righteousness; that which is abolished vs. that which is permanent. Although Moses' ministry came with great glory, the ministry of the Spirit comes with such surpassingly greater glory that Moses ministry has come to have no glory at all in comparison.

He goes on in verse 12:

2 Corinthians 3:12 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.

Such a Hope

Having this kind of hope, we have much boldness. What hope is he talking about? Remember, hope in the Bible is not wishful thinking, but solid confident expectation that God will do what he said. He has hope in the life giving ministry of the Spirit. He has hope in the ministry of righteousness. He has hope in the lasting glory of the transforming power of the new covenant. He has hope in God, who through his ministry spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere. He has rock-solid expectation that God is leading him and God is at work, even in the middle of afflictions and burdens and despair.

Bold Openness

He says this hope leads to boldness. What does he mean 'boldness?' In verse 4 he spoke of his confidence of sufficiency in ministry that comes from from God, confidence that is through Christ, confidence that is toward God. In 2:17 he claims to handle God's word with sincerity, speaking in Christ in the sight of God. This word 'boldness' is the unhindered confidence to speak what is true regardless of the outcome. It refers often, especially in the gospels and Acts to a plainness of speech, a freedom or openness of speech, out in public; in contrast to a self-conscious shyness, secrecy, or a desire to hide or conceal, to speak in riddles or parables. Paul says that genuine apostolic ministry is plain, up front, honest, clear speaking, nothing to hide. This fits right in with what he said in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Paul said it straight, told it like it is. The gospel is the gospel; it offends many, it turns many away. The apostles refused to water it down, change it up, repackage it to make it more palatable.

You are a sinner. You deserve hell. But God loves you, he sent his only Son Jesus to become a man to die in your place to rescue you. If you turn away from your pride, from your merit, if you come to him needy, as a taker, to simply receive what he freely gives, he will forgive you and save you and transform you and make you his forever.

The gospel is not about me. It is all about Jesus. It is all about Jesus Christ and him crucified. It is simple. It is so simple a child can receive it. It is so simple you can tell it to your friends.

This is the main point of this passage. Paul goes on to illustrate this from Moses in Exodus, and there is a lot of debate over exactly what he means in the illustration, but I don't want to miss the main point. Paul is defending his apostolic ministry and he says 'because we have this kind of hope we are very bold, open, plain.' We are not like Moses.

Moses' Veiled Glory

Last time we looked at Exodus 34, the narrative Paul is drawing from. Moses asked to see the glory of God; God said he would make all his goodness pass before him and put on display his grace and his mercy (33:18-19). He proclaimed his name, his character, his mercy, grace, patience, love, faithfulness, forgiveness, and his justice and righteousness. It says Moses 'was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights' (34:28). And it says

Exodus 34:29 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. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the LORD had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Paul has already drawn attention to the shining or glorious face of Moses in 3:7.

2 Corinthians 3:7 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,

Now in verse 13 he draws attention to the veil that Moses used to hide his face.

2 Corinthians 3:12 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.

Both verses talk about what was being brought to an end. As we saw last time, this word literally means being abolished, extinguished, destroyed, or done away with. This word shows up in verses 7, 11, 13 and 14. The glory of Moses' ministry is rendered inoperative or ineffective.

In verse 7 the Israelites were not able to give attention to Moses' face because of its glory. In verse 13 the veil blocked the Israelites from giving attention to the goal or outcome. So the glory is parallel to the outcome. This word outcome is the point aimed at or the termination. We could think of the finish line of a race. It is the end point where the race concludes; it is also the goal or purpose, the thing aimed at. The veil prevented them from fixing their eyes on the goal of what was being abolished. What was the glory and the finish line of Moses' ministry?

I think we can find the answer in this passage in Exodus. After the rebellion of Israel with the gold calf, God said depart, go to the land I promised to you, 'but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people' (Ex.33:1-6). Exodus 33:7-11 described how Moses would enter the tent to speak with the LORD, and how “the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex.33:11). In verses 12-16 Moses asks God in his grace to go with his people. “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found grace in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” The Greek version of Exodus 33:16 has

Exodus 33:16 (LXXE)“And how shall it be surely known, that both I and this people have found favour with thee, except only if thou go with us? So both I and thy people shall be glorified beyond all the nations, as many as are upon the earth.”

The goal and the glory of Moses' ministry was the presence of God with his people. This was visibly displayed in the pillar of cloud and fire, and the glory cloud resting on and filling the tabernacle. The goal of Moses' ministry pointed beyond itself to the greater presence of Immanuel, God with us.

It was this glory that the Israelites, because of their hard hearts, could not bear, but requested that Moses speak to them, “but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Ex.20:19). When Moses came down from talking with God, the people were afraid because of the glory of his face. This glory of God, the very presence of God with his people, Moses concealed, hid, blocked with a veil to prevent the Israelites from fixing their attention on the goal of his ministry. They were unable to look past the letter to see who the letter pointed to. They were not able to look, and then they were blocked from looking.

Hardened Minds

Paul says in verse 14 'But their minds were hardened.' The fault was not in Moses. The flaw was in the people. They rebelled. They rejected and fell short of the glory of God. God offered to be with them as their God and take them to be his people, but they refused. And so their minds became like stone.

Jesus, in John 12,

John 12:37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 40 “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.” 41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.

Unbelief in the face of God's proof becomes an inability to believe, and this is a divine act of judgment to 'entrap them in their very defiance' (Seifrid, p.167), to keep them from seeing and understanding and turning.

The Veil Abolished

2 Corinthians 3:14 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.

Paul says that the same veil conceals the goal of Moses' ministry today whenever the Old Testament is read. The old covenant, in contrast to the new covenant in Jesus' blood. The Torah or the books of Moses are equated with the old covenant. Moses pointed beyond his own ministry to the full manifestation of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. Why was Paul run out of so many synagogues? Why was his ministry so ineffective among his own people? Because there is a veil blocking them from seeing the true goal of the Scriptures. There is a hardness of mind, a veil draped over their hearts.

Jesus said to his disciples on the road to Emmaus:

Luke 24:25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Paul says 'only through Christ is it taken away'. Only in Christ is the veil abolished, destroyed, brought to nothing, made ineffective. It is in relationship with Christ that the veil disintegrates. We can expend a significant amount of effort attempting to lift veils. We can become very clever at dismantling the things that prevent people from seeing. But the problem is they don't want to see. It is not an eye problem so much as a heart problem. Paul was content to proclaim Christ and him crucified. Because Christ is mighty to save. Jesus destroys veils. He rips open veils top to bottom.

'When one turns to the LORD, the veil is removed.' Moses took off the veil when he entered the presence of YHWH, the LORD in the tent in the wilderness. When he turned away from the people and toward the LORD, he removed the veil. Moses is a picture. Moses, the one through whom the law was given, spent time with the Lord, without a veil, and he was transformed. He was able to look beyond himself to the goal, to the purpose of his ministry, to the one his ministry pointed to, he one he wrote about, to Jesus. Only in Christ is the veil abolished. When one turns to the LORD, the veil is removed. Jesus is the LORD, YHWH of the Old Testament. When anyone turns to Jesus Christ as the LORD, the veil is removed.

When Saul, on the road to persecute followers of Jesus, was struck blind by the glory of God, he asked 'who are you LORD?' When the LORD answered 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting' the spiritual blinders fell off and Paul began to really see. This is the ministry of the Spirit, this is the hope that gives us boldness, freedom to speak openly and plainly the simple veil-rending gospel message that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Pastor Rodney Zedicher ~ Ephraim Church of the Bible ~ www.ephraimbible.org