 Now chapter 3 in 2 Corinthians is a very powerful chapter and so we're gonna be looking at chapter 3 verses 6 through 18 actually 7 through 18 today as we continue our verse by verse study through the the book of 2 Corinthians so allow me to begin reading here in 2 Corinthians at chapter 3 verse 7 I'll read the chapter to you and we'll get into our study 2 Corinthians chapter 3 beginning at verse 7 Paul writes if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance which glory was passed in a way how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious for if the ministry of condemnation had glory the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory for even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect because of the glory that excels for if what is passed in a way was glorious what remains is much more glorious therefore since we have such hope we use great boldness of speech unlike Moses who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away but their minds were blinded for until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament because the veil is taken away in Christ but even to this day when Moses is read a veil lies on their heart nevertheless when one turns to the Lord the veil is taken away now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there's liberty but we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the Spirit of the Lord and so as I've been doing every time we get together here I'll give you a brief review to see you what see what Paul has been saying up to this point and then to pick up at verse seven we know that Paul in second Corinthians when you read this book you'll see this we know that Paul has been responding to gossip gossip that has been spread about him there are false teachers that have entered into the church there in Corinth and they are disseminating gossip intended to divide the church to take their hearts away from the Apostle Paul and when you go through this it's interesting to note that the problems that he deals with and he addresses here in second Corinthians are not all theological in nature many of them fall under the category of simply personal attacks on the Apostle Paul and we've seen that so far many times as we've gone through this epistle from chapter 1 chapter 2 now into chapter 3 we've seen that they have made accusations they've said that he is selfish or that he's insincere that he changes his mind easily we've seen that they have said that he is self-appointed and he's unloving that he's legalistic and greedy they said he was unrecognized by the leaders of the church that he labored in the flesh these are all personal attacks on the Apostle Paul now many times we may look at Paul and others who are solidly mature and faithful and Lord we may look at them and think that they aren't affected by what's said but fact is is the things that were being said about Paul actually had a wounding effect on him we saw him as he wrote and and he shared with them concerning this in second Corinthians we saw it in chapter 2 verse 4 when he said out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears not that you should be grieved but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you and so these things did affect him and he tells him affliction anguish of heart many tears I'm not saying this will be guilty I just want you to know how much I love you and so Paul had been affected to the point that he's writing a response to the things that are being said you see they're questioning Paul there they're questioning his credentials there they're asking questions like who gave him this authority that he's wielding they're asking questions about the proof of his ministry now he had made it clear that that the fact that there was a church in Corinth actually validated him as a minister he said his letter of recommendation was in fact them and their changed lives in his teaching God's word had been engraved in their hearts it revealed their salvation and the church was in fact his letter of commendation they were the ones who authorized his ministry so in answer to the slur that he labored in the flesh Paul was making it clear he did not remember verse 5 here in chapter 3 now that he said we're not sufficient of ourselves to think anything of being of ourselves our sufficiencies from God so Paul knew that that he was an adequate in and of himself he knew that without Jesus he could not accomplish a single thing that was good he wasn't adequate in and of himself and he knew it and he acknowledged it openly he made it clear that it takes God to make us adequate to serve God and and it takes God to empower us to be able to do so faithfully that's why he wrote our sufficiency is from God so he's given his defense he's saying my abilities are not natural ones they've been spiritually imparted to me in verse 6 he said it's it's God who made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant Jesus saved him and Jesus is the one who equipped him the way he saved you and he equips you and he equips you to serve in 1st Timothy 1 12 he had said I think I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has given me strength that he considered me faithful appointing me to his service and that's what Paul would say now who were these people once again who were these who are creeping in and sowing seeds of discord who are trying to undermine the work that he was doing who were these people well they're identified as as Jewish infiltrators in 2nd Corinthians 11 22 because he says there are they Hebrews so am I are the Israelites so am I are they the seat of Abraham so am I and that's why he's speaking about the old covenant it appears that they're bringing in a mixture of Jewish legalism and trying to mix it up with grace and that may be why Paul spoke of the new covenant in contrast to what is called the old covenant the new testament versus the old testament he speaks of the old covenant in this way in verse 7 he says it's a ministry of death in verse 9 he speaks of it as being the ministry of condemnation you see the old covenant was a lifeless code that required perfect obedience and if you didn't keep the law you came under judgment in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 11 verses 3 and 4 writes say to them thus says the Lord God of Israel cursed it is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt from the iron furnace saying obey my voice and do according to all that I command you so shall you be my people and I will be your God cursed it is the man who does not obey he said obey my voice do all that I command you that means you will be my people and so the Old Testament was a letter of condemnation a ministry of death because nobody could keep all of the law perfectly and that's why in verse 6 Paul made it clear the letter kills but the spirit gives life you see the letter of the law the law of Moses reveals our sinfulness our complete lost and hopeless condition that's what it does but in contrast to the judgment found in the law in Jesus the riches of grace are revealed because God wrote the law on tablets of stone but God brings his grace and writes them on tap writes it on tablets of heart in Jeremiah 31 33 this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days say at the Lord I will put my law in their minds write it on their hearts I will be their God they shall be my people and so we were seeing that last time we together as we went through chapter 3 verses 1 through 6 and Paul is continuing now to build on what he's been saying here in verses 7 following so in verse 7 and 8 he continues by saying if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance which glory was passed in a way how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious and so we remember that when Moses went to the mountain to receive the law we remember how the Bible tells us that that God's presence there was extremely glorious and in Exodus in chapter 19 verse 16 it says it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and the sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people who were in the camp trembled and so as they saw this taking place up there and that mountain and they the thunderings and and the lightnings and and all of that the presence of the Lord it caused them to tremble and that's what he's speaking about he's speaking about in the law there was a glory being revealed later in the book of Exodus Moses received the law and the people could not look steadily at him in Exodus 34 29 and 30 it says when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the testimony in his hands in his hands he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord when Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses his face was radiant and they were afraid to come near him and so that's what he's referring to the ministry of death verse 7 written and engraved on stones the commandments that Moses received he says it was glorious the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance which glory he says was passing away notice how he says the glory was passing away in other words the radiance of Moses's countenance faded because it wasn't permanent the law was glorious but it ultimately resulted in death to man and that's because the law of Moses actually brings knowledge of sin in judgment we saw that last time together I would not have known covetousness except that the law said thou shalt not covet and it awakened all manner of covetousness within me is what Paul would say so the law was glorious but it resulted in death because it brings knowledge of sin and ultimately brings knowledge of judgment and so as he's speaking of that he contrasted in verse 8 by saying how will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious if the law of Moses resulted in death it makes sense that grace is more glorious the spirit giving us life and filling us and teaching us and leading us the spirit of God and that's more glorious you see the law informed us from the inside we would we would hear it in other words and it would speak to us somehow inside but the spirit actually is in us now in a different way and leads us from the inside the law in a sense was actually impacting us but it was not as the spirit's work is because it was only on the outside stirring us from the inside but the Holy Spirit now from the inside stirs us to do that which God has revealed to us through his word so in John's Gospel speaking of this John gives us insight in into how the the spirit works in our lives because notice again in verse 8 he asked the question will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious so I want to share with you a few things about that the ministry of the spirit I can't give you an entire Bible study on that one subject but I'll give you some things to think about because guess what as Christians it's important for us to know that there are a lot of Christians today that I encounter who are not walking in victory who are not walking in the sense of liberty that God wants to give to us who aren't walking in power many of them are very discouraged and and even fearful about a variety of things and and I think it's important for us to remember what what the work of the Holy Spirit really is guys because you're not a Christian if the Holy Spirit doesn't dwell within you you're just a religious person would you give your heart to Christ and you're born again the Holy Spirit takes up residence within you you become the temple of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God lives in you the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead gives life to your mortal body God's Holy Spirit has taken residence in you at one time his spirit would meet with men in that temple made with human hands he would meet volitionally he chose to meet in the temple he chose to meet with the children of Israel in the Tabernacle but when Jesus Christ died on the cross was buried resurrected ascended into heaven he sent to us a Holy Spirit this Holy Spirit is not just a concept he's a person and he dwells inside of you and so the law that is on the outside thou shalt not lie thou shalt not steal thou shalt not covet I shall not commit adultery and all of those laws that we know in the commands those laws are written in our hearts in the Holy Spirit now makes it something we prefer doing and so it's not that we're trying to obey things from the outside what we're trying to do is obey the Spirit on the inside and to do those things that are pleasing to him the Spirit is more glorious than the law and that's the point he's making you see John gives us insight concerning this he he helps us to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit and how the work of the Spirit is more glorious again the law was written on tablets of stone but the Spirit resides within us when you look at John's gospel when you look at chapter 14 chapter 14 of John's gospel records the last night that Jesus spent ministering to his disciples he'd been with them for around three years they were they were dependent on him and on that night he broke bread with them he reminded them that he was about to leave him he told him you will soon be without my physical presence but though they are without his physical presence they still need him they need his help and so with that in mind he made a promise to them in John 14 verses 16 and 17 he said I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him but you know him for he dwells with you and will be in you so he said to them in John 14 16 I will pray the Father he will give you what he refers to as another helper those are the words he chooses to use when he speaks about another helper there are two different Greek words that are translated by the single word another another one of those words is the Greek word a loss a l l o s a loss it speaks of another of the same substance essence and quality it speaks of something that is the same kind another is something of the same kind same substance essence and quality there's a different word that can be translated another and that's the word heteros and heteros speaks of a different sort or a different kind well Jesus said that he would give another helper another comforter and the Greek that's allos paracletos and that means another comforter or another helper in other words he's saying the Holy Spirit will be like me he will have my nature the Holy Spirit will provide for you the help that you need from me is what he is saying and so Jesus made a promise that the Holy Spirit another helper the comforter would be within us it would be his presence by the Spirit in our lives and so that gives us insight into why the ministry of the Holy Spirit is more glorious on our own we're consistent failures we cannot walk in a way that consistently pleases him we know what the Lord requires of us we simply don't have the ability to be pleasing to him at all times in Romans 7 18 Paul said it like this he said I know that nothing good lives in me that is in my sinful nature for I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out I want to do what is good I have the desire that I don't have the ability to perform that which I desire in Matthew 2641 Jesus said it like this he said watch and pray so that you you will not fall into temptation the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and it is isn't it our flesh is weak there are things that you do that you wish you didn't do don't want to do necessarily but you end up doing the Spirit is willing I want to do something for the Lord the flesh is weak so I need the power the Holy Spirit in my life and so Paul is speaking about the ministry of the Holy Spirit and he said it's more glorious than that old covenant why is it more glorious well because the Holy Spirit remains with us and he gives us the ability to live for him and to please him remember your Bible remember the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would descend on someone and then would depart that occurs for example in the life of Samson Samson was rebelling against the things of the Lord in the Spirit of God departed from him according to judges 1620 this awareness of the Spirit being removed is found in in the Psalms in Psalm 51 11 the apostle rather the prophet teacher King David said do not cast me away from your presence do not take your Holy Spirit from me so there was an awareness that the Spirit would descend do his work but would also depart and David didn't want the Spirit departing from him so the Bible teaches us now in the New Testament that that the Spirit of God empowers us to live for God and remains with us we saw in John 14 16 Jesus said the Spirit will abide with us forever and so there's the work of the Holy Spirit as he dwells within you it's more glorious than the law because the Spirit is within us he dwells in us when you're going through times of struggle and temptation when you're going through fear I know it's difficult to to do what I'm about to say and I don't always succeed but it doesn't make it not true that's when we that's when we need the most to turn to the Lord and say God help me God help me because sometimes there are your flesh gets in the way and you're gonna respond in a way that you don't want to you're gonna say something you don't want to do we just say you may do something you don't want to do God help me you know I never really realized that driving could be a form of trials I I didn't I never realized that but it is and sometimes I'm sitting there praying Old Testament prayers kill them oh God break their teeth scatter my enemies I'm late you know I I pray and that's when I awaken the fact that I'm a flesh a man and God knows my frame he knows that I'm flesh it's no surprise to him and as I walk closer to the Lord over time I am more and more dependent on him more and more realizing that without him I can do nothing and we need to pray and we need to seek the Lord we need to be aware that that the Holy Spirit is with us and and he's not going to leave us Jesus said the Spirit will abide with us forever and that is greater than the law another thing that makes the ministry of the Spirit more glorious is is that he teaches us he's the one who internally teaches us in John 14 26 and Jesus said but the helper the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you in John 16 14 he went on to say he will glorify me for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you so Holy Spirit works within us and he teaches us as we read the word of God it's the Holy Spirit who takes these words on this page and imprints them in our heart as we receive these words in faith and it transforms us as we put these things into practice a third thing that makes his work more glorious he guides us he guides us into all truth the Spirit the Holy Spirit gives us discernment he internally guides us to be able to recognize deception in John 16 13 Jesus said when he the Spirit of truth has come he will guide you into all truth he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come you see because spiritual deception is so rampant the Holy Spirit gives us discernment as you're reading your Bible he teaches you can instruct you as it's being taught to you he gives you discernment to know whether these things are so whether these things are true whether these things line up with what you know scripture to have taught it's the Holy Spirit who does that he gives you that insight when I first got saved I've said this before but it comes to mind when I think of the subject when I first got saved I was being taught the Bible I was told read the Bible so I did and I was reading I had a Bible that I would read every night I was reading through the Bible and and as I was reading it I was growing to understand some things of the Lord and I was at a friend of mine's house and as I was at his house he he had hired a guy to come and do some work in the house and so this guy was doing some work and I walked up to him and I'm a brand new Christian and so I was told when you get saved tell somebody about Jesus and I wanted to tell him I didn't know this guy and so I wanted to tell him about the Lord but I didn't know much I just wanted to tell him a couple things so I started a conversation with him and I asked him I do you do you have a faith of any sort just a conversation like that and he says oh yeah I do and I said really really so I'm thinking you know what kind what do you believe in so I asked him I said well what is your faith what do you believe in he says I'm part of and he said this I'd never heard of this before he said I'm part of the self-realization fellowship and I some of you may be familiar with it I wasn't at that time I'd never heard of it self-realization fellowship so I said what is that and he says oh we believe in the teachings of all the great masters like Muhammad and like Buddha and Confucius and and Jesus I said oh you believe in Jesus because he said Jesus now again I'm like two weeks old in Christ so what do I know so I said oh really I said you believe now I'm a brand new believer I'm 20 years old I'm fresh from the drug scene the alcohol scene and everything that went along with that I'm certainly no Bible scholar of any sort I'm just learning to read the Bible but it didn't make sense to me so I said now let me ask you a question if I may he goes of course I said you you believe everything that that Buddha said yeah and you believe everything Confucius said he said yeah and you believe the the Hindu teachings you know and he said yeah I said really I said but but and you believe what Jesus said and it was a real question I wasn't trying to argue I was just confused how can you say that so I said do you believe what Jesus said he says yes I do every every master gave truth I said okay but Jesus said I am the way the truth in the life no man comes to the father but by me I said now if Jesus said no man comes to the father but by me how can you believe what Confucius said and how can you believe what Buddha said and how can you believe what Muhammad said and how can you believe what Krishna said when Jesus said no one comes to me to the father except by me how's that work he thought I was arguing I wasn't I was curious how do you believe something that's obviously illogical how do you believe that explain your faith to me because if Jesus said I'm the way no one comes to the father but by me and Buddha gave claims and all the rest how's that work he thought I was arguing and I wasn't I was too stupid to argue I was just like what how's that work I don't know how that works you see what happens when you come to faith in Christ the Holy Spirit gives you a discernment and awareness that you may not even be aware that you have when you gave your heart to Christ he said I will guide you into truth you said God come into my life Jesus you picked up the Bible you start to read it and the Lord begins to imprint his word on the tablet of your heart and so you speak into somebody who says oh I believe Jesus but I really don't and that's why you'll say why don't you if you say you do it's not because you're fighting it's because that doesn't make sense but how come it doesn't make sense it doesn't make sense because the Holy Spirit is awakening you and saying just letting you know this doesn't make sense and you say thank you Jesus because it doesn't I was confused it may seem simplistic and I'm certain it does to some but it's true Jehovah's Witness knocked on my door I was first saved to start telling me things and I looked at them I'm not two weeks old in Christ I'm still young and I'm saying I don't think I agree with what you're saying I don't think that that's true I don't want to argue with you I'm not here to fight with this is my house you knocked on my door but I don't want you to think I'm arguing with you I just and I smiled I see remember smiling I just don't think you're right I don't agree with you where did I get that from the Holy Spirit see there are things that you'll hear sometimes and you'll just go no wait a minute there's something wrong with that that's the discernment the Spirit gives you Jesus promised that to us he spoke to us and he said that the Holy Spirit would teach us and he would also guide us into truth again when he the Spirit of Truth has come he'll guide you into all truth spiritual deception is rampant so he gives us discernment and he does that primarily by his spirit and his word in 2nd Timothy 3 16 and 17 all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work and then again what makes the work of the Spirit more glorious he leads us into a deeper love for Jesus Christ in Romans 8 15 Paul said it like this you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you receive the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba father so we are brought into the family of God and we love the Lord Jesus Christ I've met people who have told me even before they're saved they would say oh I love Jesus no you don't know him you're in love with someone you don't even know kind of like romances on Facebook you don't know him how could you be in love with them but when you're introduced to Christ everything about him becomes more glorious you you actually have a love for him that is deep and passionate and it drives you in everything that you do and so the ministry of condemnation that he's speaking about was the was the law the ministry of death was the law and so he says in verse 9 if the ministry of condemnation had glory the ministry of righteousness exceeds so much more in glory the ministry of condemnation revealed the judgment that awaits the lost the judgment on those who sinned served to exalt God's holiness but the gospel message exalts Jesus and reveals grace and that brings greater glory to God the ministry of righteousness is faith in Jesus that results in righteousness he says in verse 10 for even what was more even for even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect because of the glory that excels for if what is passed in a way was glorious what remains is much more glorious the law has lost its glory because it's been overshadowed by the glory of grace that reminds us of of Jesus and his transfiguration remember he went to a high mountain in and the Bible says he was transfigured before Peter James and John according to Matthew 17 to it says his face shown like the sun his clothes became as white as the light and there were two there with him Moses and Elijah and they were speaking to Jesus and Matthew makes it clear that Jesus's glory excelled the glory of of moses and Elijah excelled the glory of the law and the prophets and then he says in verse 11 he says what is passing away was glorious what remains is much more glorious you see the ministry of grace that produces righteousness excels the ministry of condemnation the law was in written on hearts and the spirit was not yet given so this makes God's grace more glorious than the law of moses and as he says that therefore verse 12 since we have such hope we use great boldness of speech unlike moses who put a veil over his face so that the children of israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away and so he speaks here in verse 12 and and say we have hope and because we have hope we have great boldness of speech the word hope speaks of a of a confident expectation it speaks of confidence we have confidence and he's saying that our ministry is grounded in the grace of God's gospel we know that we've been equipped by God and because we know that we confidently preach his grace you see when you know what you're saying is true your confidence is greater I got saved and again there was a boldness that I had as a hippie as a hippie I didn't have a confidence and anything hippies you know we we those of you who are younger and don't don't aren't aware of them the hippies we had a philosophy that you know just live and let live you know just it we see it in it's it's it's more mature form now but at that time you know if you want to believe this believe it I don't care I'm not going to argue with you about it you want to do that do it I don't care as long as it doesn't hurt me and that was basically my philosophy of life and so whatever you said was fine with me I never cared about your opinion anyway it didn't matter if you like this fine you like that fine I don't care I won't argue with you it don't doesn't matter and then I got saved and when I got saved I started praying a prayer in my early days of walking with Christ that I still remember I used to say to the Lord give me a spine I would pray that Father give me a spine give me give me boldness give me courage give me confidence give me strength I don't want to be like a willow just blowing with the wind and moving here and moving there with every wind of doctrine I want to be solid I want to have a spine I want to stand up for something I want to be counted for something I I don't want to just kind of float any any dead fish can float down a stream you Lord I want to be a living fish and go against it I want strength and I would pray that I pray that a lot I still do God give me confidence give me strength give me boldness I want to speak truth I want to speak it with love but I want to speak it with authority so God in Jesus name give me something to believe in because coming out of the hippie background that I was I didn't believe in anything now I'm reading the Bible and now I'm saying God fill me with the confidence that this is true and I discovered something that you've discovered too if you haven't you can and that is this this this word is living it is God's sword and God uses it and he he can strengthen you through it and he gives you wisdom by it and he uses you to declare it and God uses you to see people get saved their lives will be transformed when you hold fast to it so you ask God for strength and and guess what I mean it's true I mean I I've said this too many times recently but it's true especially in my early days God I just want to speak it I just want to share it I want to know it and and I don't want to back down or be embarrassed by it it's your word it's your word and I believe with every beat of my heart that you have the ability not only to give it but to use people to give it so I ask you to use me to give out your word and that's what you do and you have a confidence this is God's word and and not everybody you know not everybody's gonna say once you open it there that not everybody's gonna say oh how profound how deep I wish I knew that no people will mock you people will say things to you people don't believe this is God's word I understand that but that doesn't mean it isn't God's word it simply means that people have a lack of faith and don't understand that my my God our God is capable of perceiving preserving his word for us he inspired read and write it for us so we would know his mind and so you preach his word not your opinions or the latest thing but his word and because God writes it on the tablet of your heart and you have a hope you have a great confidence and a boldness of speech and it comes out that way now some people may think that you're arrogant and maybe sometimes we can be but they shouldn't confuse confidence with arrogance this is God's word and I've had my conversations with people and they're not always kind and sometimes they're I was sitting on a train going to London you know woman sits next to me an American she was from Massachusetts and I she just visits she's starting to visit with me Marie was seated with me and all this woman was friendly and I said oh American what do you do in England oh she goes I I sing in bars I said oh you do really she goes yeah she says I sing dirty little songs to men in bars I said oh don't sing one to me but okay and I mean she just very open I've been very open about it and I'm just sitting there I'm not condemning her not judging her I'm just talking to her lots of people do things so she looks at me after sharing these things with me and she says to me and what do you do I said I'm a pastor I hate it when people preach to me she tells me that I hadn't said a word to her I hadn't said a word she goes I hate it when people no not preach I hate it when people shove their religion down my throat is what she said and I looked at her I said really she goes yeah I said but you can shove yours down mine and she says what I haven't shoved my when have I shoved my religion down your throat I said your religion is shoved down my throat 24 hours a day seven days a week she goes she goes when is my I said every time I turn on a television I see your religion every time I see a magazine I see your religion every time I listen to a song on the radio I hear your religion your religion is shoved down my throat 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days out of the year and you're telling me I shoved my religion down your throat she got quiet but it's true but it's true the world shoves their religion down your throat 24 seven so I I'm not a bully it sounds like I am huh I'm not but when you say something to me don't expect me to sit there going oh that was words from Sinai you're so wise if it's dumb I'll let you know we'll have a talk sometimes we have great conversations after the ice is broken like that you know not with her but there have been others where do you get your confidence from where do you get it from from the Word of God the power of the Holy Spirit his word is true and God has given it to us he's entrusted it to us entrusted it to us to share it with other people why because it's the only message that God ever gave that saves people's souls from hell and that's why we preach the Word of God out of love for people that's why it's not because we're bullies and it's not because we're angry no we have this hope and he says that since we have such hope we use great boldness of speech unlike Moses who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away so he says unlike Moses it speaks of the glory that was revealed in the face of Moses it was only temporary it faded away but God's glory is not lifted from believers he says in verse 14 their minds were blinded for until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament because a veil is taken away in Christ that even to this day when Moses is read a veil lies on their heart nevertheless when one turns to the Lord the veil is taken away so hardness to Jesus has resulted in spiritual blindness on the part of Israel the veil represents unbelief they didn't grasp the glory because of unbelief and like the Israel in the Old Testament the Jews of his day remained hardened to the gospel but when they come to a saving knowledge of Jesus as Messiah he says the veil is then removed in John 117 it says the law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ the veil is removed when we go to Israel we don't always get what are called messianic guides we don't always get guides who are believers in Christ we get great guides but many of them aren't believers in Jesus I'm asked that whenever we go to Israel I'm asked by people who are going on the trip is our guide a believer and sometimes they're not they're very respectful we've fallen in love with them we have friends who are our guides in Israel who are not messianic believers but we grow to love them and we work well with them and they're very respectful but from the very beginning when we went to Israel you know back in 1983 the first time we went we would see the guide if he was not a messianic we saw the guide whenever the word was being taught would walk away they will walk away so if you're sharing something your guide is necessarily going to be there he will walk away and speak to the bus driver or maybe speak to other guides while you're at a certain site so we saw that often for a long time every time we would begin to share we'd see the guide walk away they wouldn't listen to us but one day we had a new guide we were in the city of Capernaum and I was teaching a Bible study in the synagogue a synagogue in Capernaum the ruins of a synagogue very early synagogue and as I was sharing I could see off to my side that our guide stayed to listen which is unusual they usually don't they usually walk away and I'm used to that but this particular guide stuck around and listened and you could see that he was listening now as you're sharing there's a thousand and one thoughts that could go in your mind you could be thinking this man here he knows his New Testament I mean this guy would walk up to me and say we're going to be at this site right now you might want to use Luke chapter seven here I mean he knows this New Testament and he can say this is this this passage where they'll do that with you they know it but they don't know the author they don't know Christ so I'm watching this guy and we're just getting to know him and I share some thoughts about Jesus and all and how important it is to follow him and and and all of that and here we are in Capernaum and when I finish he walks up and he steps to my side and he goes I'll never forget this he goes what he just said is true he went like that what he just said is true and and then he started adding to my message and I'm looking at this guy he's a Jewish guy and I turn to Marie and I give her that old husband look with the wife like what's happening here I don't know that kind of look and later on Marie and I were talking and I said did you see that she goes I've never seen that before I said I've never I have never seen that where they will listen he listened and he was so moved by it he wanted to give his second part of the message interesting well he became very dear to us he got to know my kids he got to know us we began asking for him to go with us every year as our guide and over time he became my friend so fast forward to several years and we're now driving and we're on the bus and when you take a trip to Israel you're in an area that is where Jericho is some of you've been to Israel so you're coming from Jericho and you're moving towards is you're going towards Jerusalem and as you're going towards Jerusalem you're gonna get to a tunnel and the bus at that time the bus driver slows the bus down because we're about to enter into Jerusalem for the first time for many people who've never been to Jerusalem this will be their introduction so they slow the bus down for a dramatic effect to give you an opportunity to begin to prepare your heart because you are coming into the the city of the great king it's very moving and your uh your bus driver will put on a song on about Jerusalem and before you know it we're all singing a song we've never heard before but it's oh Jerusalem Jerusalem blah blah blah and where everybody starts singing now they're getting like caught up because we're about to enter into the city and then at that point the guide will begin to speak and he will say this is the city of Jerusalem and he starts giving the history of it now we're still in the tunnel and he starts to give you the history of Jerusalem he gets to King David it is where King David ruled and it is the city of Jesus Christ and when he says that as believers you're going man I'm coming into the city of Jesus that Jesus was in there's something about that people cry the bus there's a lot of people on in the bus crying and and I'll eventually I'll point to the left I'll say look this way because as you come out of the the tunnel the city springs out in front of you and off to your left you see the temple mount you see Jerusalem right so my guide is speaking and the music's played and we're preparing our hearts to see the city when he said something like this this is Jerusalem an ancient city where God's presence has been where the temple was and of the sacrifice and he begins to share then he says it is the it is the city of the great king David it is the city of your Messiah and then he said this and my Messiah we go oh wow so Marie's next to me and I look at her like did I hear that so he had I later on like I said we're friends we're having a cup of coffee together he says you know that there's a man here and that's man has since died but he said I believe he's dead I believe he died he goes you know there's a man who's being presented here as being Messiah I said I've seen that because they have banners up and it says the Messiah has come it was all over Jerusalem by the western wall all over he says you know that he claims to be Messiah and I said yeah I'm aware of that he goes he sends people out door to door they go door to door here in Jerusalem because my friend lives in Jerusalem he said they go door to door and they came to my door the other day I said really we're having a conversation really he goes yeah he says they knocked on the door I opened it up they said Messiah has has come and he said do you know what I told him and I said no what did you tell him he said I told him why would I believe in your Messiah when the true one came 2000 years ago and I go oh so he had crossed over he crossed over he's a follower of Jesus Christ now and our bus driver I have a dear friend his name is Avi we always have Avi drive us Avi's sweet man and Avi came to faith in Christ Jewish man came to faith in Christ because he used to drive Pastor Chuck Smith and he would hear Chuck speak and one day he said this man is speaking the truth and he is a follower of Christ and he's become very very dear to Marie and me he's a dear friend to us and see the veil is taken away before when someone hasn't come to faith in Christ Paul says there's a veil it's hiding Christ from them but when they come to faith in Christ that veil as he says is taken away verse 16 when one turns to the Lord that veil is taken away and we have seen that take place in the life of friends of ours there in Israel and then finally he says verse 17 the Lord is the spirit where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty but we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the spirit of the Lord and so God by his grace he's saying gives us freedom from the power of and power of and the bondage of sin it breaks the bondage of the yoke of the law in John 832 Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free so this liberty that we have is not so we can continue to sin this liberty is to be free of its ruling our lives in Romans 6 1 and 2 Paul said it like this what shall we say then shall we continue in sin that grace may abound certainly not how shall we who died to sin live any longer in it he didn't give me his grace to continue in sin his grace set me free from it the law never did the law awakened in me bondage the law awakened in me judgment but Jesus Christ came to bring me truth and it's the truth that sets you free and so wherever the spirit lives and works there's liberty not only from Jewish bondage but from the slavery of sin from its power from its guilt and from its pollution we've been giving grace from God and we have freedom that comes with it we didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear we receive the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba father the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit we are children of God and so he says in verse 18 we all with unveiled faith beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the spirit of the Lord we see the promises and privileges of the gospel without turning away we have an unobstructed view like when we see ourselves clearly in a mirror and we're being transformed and his glory doesn't fade from us it's a continual progressive work of transformation we are being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ and in 1st John 3 2 and 3 John said it like this beloved now we are children of God and what we will be has not yet been made known but we know that when he appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure the Holy Spirit is working in you he's removing things from you things that that don't belong in heaven things that are not to be there he's removing those things from you your life is being set apart it's being sanctified as you walk in the spirit as you love his word as you put it into practice you're being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ what a beautiful thing to think about how God is taking you from glory to glory your change your friends knew you in one way five years later they look at you and say what happened to you what changed you and you say it's the power of God it's the glory of Christ he changes lives that's what changed me I didn't become religious I didn't become a religious man I just am walking with Jesus Christ he changes your life I'm not in love with a with Calvary Chapel I'm not in love with a system I'm in love with a Savior and that relationship has changed that's how it works the Lord is the Spirit we don't have the law anymore we have God's grace the law still finds a place in our life we still don't covet we still don't commit adultery we still do not kill we still do not steal but these are things that are being done because our character is being transformed and we're becoming more like Jesus Jesus didn't do any of those things and his children his brothers and sisters don't either by his powerful Holy Spirit living within us we're being changed from grace to grace from glory to glory it it does not yet appear what we shall be but but one day we will be conformed into his image one day one day we will be like him complete in him we will see him face to face and we'll enter into this promise of of heaven and we will not regret one moment of this life we will not regret one moment of giving up sin because look at what we've gained look at what we got we get to be in heaven with Jesus Christ oh how I look forward to that the will be due