A. It could not have been more powerful, more glorious, or more spectacular. Moses and YHWY had a special relationship. The Bible says that spoke face to face as a man speaks to his friend. But Moses was very humble in the presence of God. He knew that he was simply a man and as a man he would never be a great leader, but he also knew that God was a great God and that God could enable him to be the leader of the Israelites.
B. So Moses asked God to go with him, teach him and lead him so that all would know that God was pleased with him. He asked God to show him His glory. God told Moses to stand in the cleft of a rock and he would cause his goodness to come in front Moses. God had Moses chisel out to stone tablets and went up on Mt. Sinai early in the morning. God came down cloud and proclaimed his name, YHWY, before Moses. For 40 days Moses with the LORD. When he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Covenant, Moses was not aware that his face was radiant because of his time with God. When Aaron and the Israelites saw brightness of Moses face shining with radiance of God they were afraid to come near him. To calm their fears of this strange effect of being with God, Moses put a veil over his face when he was with the people, but when entered the LORD’S presence eh would remove the veil. The people would then see that the face of Moses was radiant and Moses would again veil his face, but over time the radiance would fade. Over time, that covenant written on tablets of stone; that covenant that brought about death without remission of sins and the hope of eternal life, would also fade.
I. The New Covenant of Glory
A. But now we have ministry righteousness, a new covenant whose glory will never fade, because this covenant is not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. It is not written on tablets of song, but on the tablets of the human hearts. The new covenant is not Matthew through Revelation (they only explain the new covenant).
B. The new covenant is Jesus Christ himself. He came with glory and power and will never fade away. As he broke the bread and gave the cup that night of his betrayal, he said this is the “new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” As you and I partake of communion, we participate in the new covenant of Jesus himself. When a Christian is baptized into Christ they are given the Holy Spirit who is the seal of this new covenant. When we come into Christ the new covenant is written on hearts. As we live in that covenant with God, through the power of the Spirit of the Lord, participating in the communion of his life-giving body and blood we are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory. As we are transformed by the Spirit of God we radiate with His glory, and unfading radiance.
II. Unveiled Faces
A. Paul tells us that the time is different than it was with Moses. Look again at verse 12-13. Since Paul has such a hope that glory of the new covenant is permanent, Paul, and us, can speak with plainness, boldly about Jesus and the greatness that comes from being in him.
B. The same message that Paul would take from town to town is the same message that we too share with the world. The same covenant that was written on Paul’s heart has been written on ours. The same covenant that gave him boldness to speak up gives us boldness to share our faith, even though we are jars of clay.
C. What does it mean to live in this covenant? It means that, unlike Moses, we don’t veil our face. Why did Moses do that? The Bible does not tell us. We simply know that they could not look intently into his face after he had been in the presence of God. But we don’t veil our faces even though we live in the presence of God.
D. Look at verse 16, “Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” People need to see that you reflect the very glory of God every day of your life. The passage continues on (vs 18) telling us that we are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory.
III. Application
A. Let’s take a look at how this passage applies to you and me by examining some questions. Is your life a living letter? That where we began last week. As you examine your testimony to those around you shine with the glory of God.
B. Is the new covenant of Jesus written on heart? Too many people want to make the new covenant like the old and simply see it was that which we have from Matthew through Revelation. To do that is to reduce the covenant to ink. The new covenant of Jesus changes you. You live it out. When the new covenant that gives life is written on your heart you shine with the glory of God.
C. Is the glory growing brighter? As Paul says “ever-increasing glory.” Remember, Jesus lives in you. This idea of growing brighter is seen in the transformation of your life. Has there been a change in your life? Are you different? I don’t just mean externally. The reason so many Christians continue to struggle with the same sins that they only seek to change the outside, the circumstance, the actions, but that is not transformation. When you have an ever-increasing glory, the Spirit of God is working to change you from the inside. For many it is a struggle to allow the Spirit that deep within them. We fight him for control, but finally, we realize that we can’t really control anything. We begin to yield ourselves to God and live the new covenant written on our heart.
Conclusion:
A. Paul calls us to look in the spiritual mirror, to reflect the glory of God, to be transformed into his likeness and live in freedom. The freedom that comes from knowing that heaven is yours as God’s gift for your acceptance of this new covenant of glory.
B. Moses wore a veil the kept people from seeing the changed person that has experienced a relationship with God, but we as Christians don’t need to wear a veil. Instead, we radiate that glory. May Jesus be seen in you. May the world notice that you are no longer the person you used to be. May God’s glory is touch your life that it becomes an ever-increasing glory. Are you ready to accept that glory? If so, come as we stand and sing.
