"Spirit Works: Some Tinsel, A Toy, or A Touch From God"
(Sermon #8)
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 "Seeing then that we have
such hope, we use great plainness (parrhesia,
fearless candor, frankness or boldness in speaking) of speech:
[13] And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children
of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
(tou
katargoumenou, the end of the fading brightness) [14]
But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil
untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away
in Christ. [15] But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil
is upon their heart. [16] Nevertheless when it shall turn to the
Lord, the veil shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit:
and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass (katoptrizopmenoi,
to behold, as if in a mirror. See 1 Corinthians 13.12) the glory
of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even
as by the Spirit of the Lord."
| "When the followers of Jesus Christ lose their
interest in heaven they will no longer be happy Christians and when they
are no longer happy Christians they cannot be a powerful force in a sad
and sinful world."
|
I could paraphrase or modify Tozer's statement this way as well: When the followers of Jesus Christ lose their interest, their fascination in the power of the Godhead, then they are no longer happy nor powerful in this sad, sinful world.
Over the past few weeks we have been talking about Spirituality, the Holy Spirit of God, and what comprises or makes up the Spirit Filled life. I am often dismayed at the nearly secular battling between denominations and Churches in America today. I wonder, if I am dismayed at this, then what does our Lord Jesus think of it all. After all, regardless of denomination, if we have accepted Jesus Christ as Savior then we are all part of the Bride of Christ. We are His, not our own. Once we were saved we no longer represent ourselves, but we represent our Jesus - we are Christians or little Christs. Yet, do we represent Him the way we should? If we did, wouldn't people flock to our Church to see what great thing we've discovered? Yet I see, over and over, three attitudes toward our precious Jesus:
To Some, The Spirit of Christ Is Like Tinsel
2 Corinthians 3:12-14 "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness (parrhesia, fearless candor, frankness or boldness in speaking) of speech: [13] And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (tou katargoumenou, the end of the fading brightness) [14] But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ."
One of the things that I like best about the coming Christmas season is the joy of decorating the Christmas Tree. Now I know that there are some of you who do not have a tree, and have good reasons for not having it. I have had people tell me, with an all knowing smile, that Christmas Trees came from a pagan source, and that I should refuse to have such a thing in my house. I could argue with you that, on the basis of Law alone, we shouldn't be having Christmas cantatas or even recognize the season, for many theologians teach that the birth of Christ never historically occurred in December. Maybe so, but I do so enjoy the smell of the fresh cut evergreen in the house. I enjoy it because the smell of the tree takes me back to a time when all my children were alive. I used to go into the front room, put the tree up, then watch my babies decorate the tree with tinsel and lights. The smell of the tree reminds me of the laughter, the happiness, the times overseas when we celebrated Christmas in England with snow on the ground. I love it because it's such a special time.
As I said before, each year we'd put up a tree, and the kids would all string tinsel on it. Momma would tell them, "Do it one strand at a time", for if you put it up in handfuls it looked so ugly. Big, terrible clumps of silver! But a little at a time - now, this was beautiful. The tinsel would catch the lights of the tree, and we would all turn off the overhead lights, light the tree, and enjoy the sight. What a beautiful sight! Yet, what started out beautiful, over time it became ugly. The tree would slowly dry out, and the tinsel would dull and look terrible. A few days after Christmas we'd take the tree to the landfill, and I could always see where my sons and I had drug the tree out to the street. Why? Because I could see a trail of dull tinsel hung in the grass, useless, expended.
As our text opens today, we see Paul referring to the time when Moses stood in the presence of God. Moses, as you remember, went up Mount Sinai (Exodus 34.29-35) to receive the Tablets of the Law from God. While Moses stood in the presence of God waiting on these Tablets the shekinah glory of God literally soaked into his skin, so much so that when he came down the Mountain that "the skin of Moses' face shone" or reflected that glory of God. The Bible tells us that the people were afraid of Moses because his face shone, and because of that he would put a veil on his face after he came down from the mount, but when he went back to the mount he would take the veil off so he could stand before the Lord unimpeded, uncovered.
Why did Moses initially put the veil on his face? Well, Exodus 34.30 tells us:
Exodus 34:30 "And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him."
So Moses put the veil on his face so the people wouldn't be frightened, so they would come to him so he could teach them this new Law. Yet, why did Moses keep on putting the veil on his face? The Apostle Paul as inspired by the Holy Ghost of God, tells us:
2 Corinthians 3:13 "... Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: (tou katargoumenou, the end of the fading brightness) "
Moses didn't want the Israelites to see the glow of the Shekinah glory of God slowly faded from his face with time. You see, man is a fickle and a sinful creature. Moses was a sinner, just as you and I are, and it was because of the abundant Grace of God that Moses was allowed to be in the Presence of God. Each time Moses, blessed Saint that he was, came from God's presence he shined, shined, reflected that beautiful glory of God - but the children of Israel were not able to handle seeing that shine. You see, to them God the Holy Spirit was like tinsel on a Christmas Tree. When He was first revealed in the Pillar of Fire, the Pillar of Smoke, or in the Shekinah shine of Moses' face, how enraptured they were by it all. Just like the first night the Christmas Tree was decorated they looked and pointed at God, praised His name - but by the second or third day that shine was oh, too common.
Though they may not have said it, Moses knew they thought it: "God is tinsel, how pretty, how pretty". You see, to these people The Spirit of Christ had never become a reality to them. Even while the Pillar of Cloud stood between them and Pharaoh's mighty army they shrieked,
Exodus 14:12 "Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness."
You see, when we make God and His power out to be no more
than tinsel, though God the Spirit works with all His might for us, we
are yet in misery. The First Generation of Israel were tinsel
following believers. When God showed His mighty power at first
they were impressed - but because they didn't love and believe the Spirit
of Christ, they
Matthew 16:1, 3-4 "The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. ... O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas."
How dare we come to the Lord and, treating Him like tinsel say, "Shine for me, Jesus, shine for me. Give me a bright shiny sign through the Spirit so I'll believe you, otherwise, leave me alone"? People go after signs and wonders, seeking the shiny rather than the substantial. Moses knew the heart of his people so he veiled his face, least the children of Israel become accustomed to the shekinah glory and blaspheme God.
God doesn't want a people concerned with the flash, He
wants a people concerned with loving Him, being obedient to Him, caring
for Him, and because of that loving others. When the disciples,
the frightened disciples sat in an upper room praying to Jesus, praying
that the promised Spirit would come, the Spirit came with a bang, with
a flash. He descended on each one in Tongues of Fire, then these believers
went out in the streets and, so empowered, began to preach the Good News
that our Lord Jesus Christ had risen, risen from the Grave. Our Lord Jesus
Christ had paid, had paid for our sins, and we are now more than
victors in this life because of Him, because of His Spirit. Let
this be the flash that drives you to service, not a will to chase the glitter
of tinsel. All that glitters is not gold, but that which loves God
and obeys the commandments of Jesus, this is gold.
| Jesus renewed people with the power of his compassion. I like the ancient legend about the monk who found a precious stone, a precious jewel. A short time later, the monk met a traveler, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of his provisions. When the monk opened his bag, the traveler saw the precious stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the traveler the stone. The traveler departed quickly, overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back, searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: "Please give me something more valuable, more precious than this stone. Please give me that which enabled you to give me this precious stone!" (Source: James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True, Dimensions, 1994, p. 101) |
To Others, A Toy Is Needed To Reach Him
2 Corinthians 3:15 "But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart."
I have noticed a terrible trend in this world of ours. The other day I was out at a fast food restaurant and saw a young man out with a beautiful young lady. Now this wasn't the strange part, but what was strange was the young man was on the telephone with someone else while he was with this lady. No, he wasn't conducting business, for he was speaking so loud I couldn't help but overhear him - no, he was socializing on the phone. How odd! In front of him sat a beautiful lady, but he's rather be talking into a piece of plastic. This was not an isolated incident, for I have often passed Valdosta State University and seen people walking down the street in a large group of students while talking on the telephone.
The same thing is also true about the Internet. People will go "online" and "enter a chat room" to talk to other people through their computers. There was a time when you went out on dates, went to Church, went to the Library to find people to date - but today people prefer interaction with a box rather than a person. We feel like we need a toy to reach out and touch others.
How terrible! When you interact with other people, face to face, you learn skills and enjoy life. I would have never preached had I not got up in a pulpit the first time, nor would I be married if I were to have met my wife in a "chat room". As a nation we are slowly losing our social skills because we choose to speak through shiny toys rather than face to face.
Even so, in Christianity many of us have started treating the Spirit of Christ as if He were a toy, a chat room, a mobile telephone. Moses may have put a veil over his face to keep the first generation of Israel from blaspheming God, but the subsequent generations put a veil of unbelief on their own hearts. They failed to seek out a personal relationship with the Spirit of Christ. Oh, they followed the Law. They approached God, not personally, but through things. Do we as Christians do the same thing? Some of us approach God through the Pope, or through the Preacher, or through a Great Evangelist. We approach God through someone's writings. Yet, when is the last time you have approached God as He is? He has proved Himself over and over again, and wants to be your friend. What does the Scripture say of Abraham?:
James 2:23 "... Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."
What a beautiful thing! What did Abraham have to do to become the Friend of God? Well, first, when God called Abraham answered. He wasn't like faithless Gideon who asked, "Give me a sign". He didn't try and debate the point, or tell the Lord "Well, let me go pray about it". Abraham believed God then he acted like he believed God. He got up and went where the Spirit of Christ told him to go. Abraham didn't say, "Well, Lord, if I can get U-Haul to rent me a trailer", or "Let's see what's in the Bank". No, Abraham just did what the Spirit of Christ told him to do. Just as Jesus Christ our Lord called for His disciples to have a personal relationship with Him:
John 15:15-17 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. [16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. [17] These things I command you, that ye love one another."
Even so today He demands that we have a personal relationship
with Him as well as a personal relationship with one another. We need
no
toys to reach Christ, no formulas to be empowered by the Spirit.
What we need is a heart willing, broken, to say "Whatever You want, Jesus,
I will do. Whatever You want, Jesus, we will do". No toys are needed, no
Rosaries, no Crucifixes, no incantations. Just a heart unveiled, willing
to serve.
| There is an art in catching doves, I assure you. When the fowlers have caught a dove and have made it so tame it will eat of their hands, then they anoint the wing with perfume and send it back to join the flock. The fragrance of the perfume is such that the whole flock becomes property of the fowler, for they come flying to him, following the scent of the perfume, only to be shut up in the dovecot. (Payne, Robert. The Holy Fire: Harper & Row, 1957) |
But To The Children, The Spirit Is The Touch of God
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 "Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (katoptrizopmenoi, to behold, as if in a mirror. See 1 Corinthians 13.12) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
I want you to consider several things concerning the Old Covenant versus the New Covenant. I have had people tell me, "Brother David, I live a good life. I know that when I die, I will certainly go to Heaven". Friend, God wants you to know that you have no choice outside of this: you are either under the Old Covenant, or you are under the New Covenant.
The Old Covenant is without, the New Covenant is within. The Old Covenant or the Law placed us in bondage. It made a relationship with God impossible, for it gave us a system of don'ts to live by. The Old Covenant pointed out our failures, made us see that we were deficient, constantly found fault. As the Scripture says:
Galatians 3:10-12 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. [11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. [12] And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them."
The Old Covenant constantly picked at the fabric of our lives. If we obeyed a portion of it, yet failed in another, the Old Covenant never said "Good job, great work", but instead "Why did you miss following this portion?". As a result a veil of condemnation was on each one of us. Why try, if you knew you were going to fail? Why strive to succeed when you know that you are striving in vain. What a terrible veil! We were like Cinderella in the children's story, no matter how hard we tried we were just not good enough. The Old Covenant killed: it killed our hopes, killed our ambitions, killed our pride. This is not to say that the Old Covenant was not glorious - no, it was a beautiful reflection of the nature of our Lord, sinless and pure. But we were unable, condemned, lost.
2 Corinthians 3:16-17 "Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. [17] Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."
2 Peter 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
The New Covenant, on the other hand, is different, wonderfully different. At the point of salvation, the day we accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, the Spirit of Christ enters into our lives. We become "partakers of the divine nature", new creatures, new creations in Christ. This is an absolute, this is a certainty. We are no longer under condemnation, but are empowered to reach our potential in Christ by His precious Spirit. No longer do the things of God pick at the fabric of our lives, but now we are encouraged by that indwelling Spirit to produce good for God.
The Old Covenant was glorious in that it reflected the perfect sinlessness of God, but the New Covenant is more glorious for it gives us enabled liberty to serve the Lord, to build a relationship with the Triune God. Under the Old Covenant we were condemned for failing in a portion of it, yet under the New Covenant we are encouraged to greatness by that precious indwelling Spirit.
"If this is true, Brother David, then why don't more of us see this victory in our lives?". Maybe, dear friend, because God has touched your life, and continues to try and touch your life, but you refuse to yield to the Spirit of Christ. Remember, the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ. Why do you think that is? Could it be because the same Spirit that walked with Christ in His earthly ministry perfectly emulates our Lord's behavior. When people went to see our Lord Jesus, why did they go to see Him? What did they expect to see when they got to where He was?
People came to Jesus because they were hurting, and knew that He would help rather than condemn. People came to Jesus because they were lonely, and knew that He would take time out of His busy schedule to see them. You see, people are God's method, and Christ always held people in high esteem. He loved them, not just in Word, but in deed as well. Why are we missing the touch of God in our lives? Could it perhaps be because we do not try to love as Jesus loved? The Apostle John tells us:
1 John 4:12-17 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. [13] Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. [16] And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. [17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world."
As John says, "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us". God the Holy Spirit is not a piece of tinsel, something to amuse us for a day or so until something else shiny comes along. I see this presentation of the Spirit over and over again by slick television preachers. "Look, I have Something shiny - come see, come see!" The Spirit of Christ also doesn't need to be reached through some formula - a confessional, a rosary, a crucifix, a ritual. No, you never reach God through a shiny toy. You can't dial Jesus on the mobile phone. No, He requires a close-up, personal relationship with you. After all, He is living inside you.
No, dear children, if you want a touch from God then confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Remember that "God is love", and unless you dwell in love one toward another, unless you mimic the love that Christ showed us while He ministered on this earth, then you will never feel the power of the Spirit. Tongues were given not just for flash, but were given to shed the love of Christ abroad to all men regardless of their language. Miracles and healing were not given so men could speak our names in hushed awe - but were given to lovingly relieve suffering among the population while we told them about Jesus. Teaching and preaching was not given to simply promote Bible doctrine, but to lovingly teach Christians how to overcome in this Devil's world. The Holy Spirit is the touch of God, and the Spirit only touches to release Love into the world.
Do you long for a strong, Spirit Filled Christian walk? Then turn away from self seeking and selfishness and strive to love as Jesus loves. Love God the Father as Christ loves God the Father. Love your neighbor as Christ loved His neighbor. This alone is the way to life, this alone is the way to a vibrant, growing Church. Of course, this touch from God is only possible if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
You can only receive the Spirit of Christ if you have called on Christ. You can only call on Christ if you have renounced the world, and asked for that salvation that Jesus and the Spirit only can bring. But once you have "called on the name of the Lord", once you have asked in the name of Jesus for that gift of salvation, you are placed in the same Seat of Power that was available to the Apostles, available to the early Church - if you yield to Him. For when we yield,
"... we all, with open face beholding as in a glass (katoptrizopmenoi, to behold, as if in a mirror. See 1 Corinthians 13.12) the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord"
We allow the Shekinah Glory of God to shine through our
lives. Will you yield to God? Will you yield to Christ, to that precious
Spirit?
| Because of all of this, I was reminded that in the 1800s children were given a "copy book" to use in order to learn penmanship. They would trace and copy letters exactly as they appeared in the book. That explains why that when you examine the writing from that era, it all looks similar. Whether in a classroom or on the street corners of life, we believers recognize that Jesus is the "Copy Book" for us. Our lives must trace His love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness into visible examples of Christlikeness. And when people examine our life, we hope they will recognize a similarity to that of Christ and other believers. (Heartlight) |
| - Tinsel is something that is bright today, but is dull and useless
tomorrow. Can you give some examples of treating the Spirit like tinsel?
- Why did Moses initially put the veil on his face (Exodus 34.30)? Why did Moses keep putting the veil on his face? (2 Corinthians 3.13) - What are some signs that people are mis-treating God in their lives? (Exodus 14.12; Matthew 16.1-4)? - Do I need a shiny toy, a priest, a confessional, a rosary, to reach the Lord? Why or why not? - Abraham was called a friend of God. Why? (James 2.23; John 15.15-17) - The Spirit demands that we have a personal relationship with the Godhead. How do toys detract from that relationship? - All of us, whether we like it or not, are under the _______ Covenant or the ______ Covenant. - How would you describe the Old Covenant? Did it ever encourage the person it was over? (Galatians 3.10-12) - As those under the New Covenant, though, we became ____________________________. The New Covenant encouraged, edified, and helped us to grow as the workmanship of God. (2 Corinthians 3.16-17; 2 Peter 1.4). How? - The Old Covenant was glorious in that it reflected _____________________________________________, whereas the New Covenant is more glorious because it gives the Christian _____________________________________. - As we are under the New Covenant, we are expected to behave as Jesus did. What characterized His ministry? (1 John 4.12-17) How do people know that God dwells in us? - How can I grow into a strong, Spirit Filled walk? |
CLOSURE
