UNVEILED FACES 

Masks can be fun. Veils have a place. They can also be used to hide. Hiding protects an individual from being easily recognized, think Batman, but not Superman. But that hiding can also be negative, preventing others from really knowing someone.

 

     The enemy of our souls is busy at work trying to keep us masked and veiled. He does not want us to see the full truth, which keeps us trapped in sin, guilt, and shame.

 

     In our passage today, Paul is going to share how to unveil our faces and see the miracle of God’s grace in its fullness.

 

 

     2 Corinthians 3:7-18(CSB)

 

Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was set aside was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

 

Since then, we have such a hope, we act with boldness. We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end of the glory of what was being set aside, but their minds were hardened. For to this day, at the revealing of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ. Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     In this passage, Paul is talking about the Law brought down by Moses, written by God, and shared with the Israelites. It contained the Ten Commandments and the process to make amends when God’s laws are broken. But at the end of verse 7, Paul says that has been “set aside.” That phrase means rendered idle or unemployed.

 

     Paul is contrasting the letter of the Law vs life through Jesus. The Law was words chiseled on a rock. It revealed God’s will and standard for being a good human being, but knowing the standard did nothing to provide the cure. Human hearts are incapable of keeping these rules, and the Law cannot provide the life necessary to make it possible. Even if all the rituals were followed, they would have to do them again. Think of a lamp, it produces light in the darkness, but the lampshade casts shadows and limits the brightness of the light. And now, because of Jesus, that lamp is on outside in the daylight. Where the Law could not produce the cure, the blood of Jesus did. The blood of Jesus came from life, the Life, and has the power to wash away sin and cleanse hearts to the uttermost, transforming hearts that were strangers of God to sons and daughters of God.

 

     Verses 12 through 16 continue Paul’s thought on the Law verse the Life. The Law was still a lamp; it shined light on the need for a remedy. While it pointed to a remedy, the shadows of human failure, shame, and guilt locked hearts in unbelief. However, in verse 16, Paul says, “But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.”

 

     Listening to this, we can form the false assumption that the Old Testament kills, and the New Testament gives life. And that would lead us to focus solely on the New Testament because the Old Testament is useless. This is false, remember Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is God-breathed and profitable.” The Old Testament, including the Law, reveals the same heart of God as the New Testament. Faith in Jesus allows Christ to remove the veil from our minds to see the depth of God’s love. Believing in Jesus is the key to interpreting the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.

 

     Verses 17 and 18 say, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Paul dumps a lot in these two verses, but they are so important.

 

     Before Jesus, we would look into the mirror knowing our reflection should reflect God, but we are unable to see how it was possible because of the veil over our eyes. With faith in Jesus, we now stand before the same mirror seeing the image of God as the Holy Spirit is transforming us into His image. The role of the Holy Spirit is to transform followers of Jesus, reproducing His life in us. Not us doing it ourselves through rituals and rules, but the Holy Spirit in us, raising us up to God’s standard.

 

     Notice how Paul begins verse 18 with, “We all.” Paul is urging the Corinthian Christians, as well as us, to experience freedom from guilt and shame through the blood of Jesus, and to experience the full power of Christ’s salvation through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Not a select few people, but “we all.”

 

     That is the truth the enemy wants to keep us from discovering, salvation through Jesus which is full and free. The crazy thing is the enemy simply keeps us trapped by using the veil over our eyes. He did not put the veil there; it is not in his power to do so. The truth is the veil over our face is a result of our own heart. Sinful actions can cause blockage, but the real issue is our own hearts that are saturated in unbelief.

 

     For those outside the faith, the veil is over your eyes. You know your life does not match what God wants, and you feel the condemnation and judgment. So, you either try to deny it or ignore it. The enemy helps to keep you trapped behind this veil.

 

     For those in the faith, the enemy keeps us focused on “we have to sin every day,” “if I just follow all the rules,” or “If I just work hard enough” then I will surely please God. But for some reason, our image still does not match the image in the mirror.

 

     Believe in Jesus and the power of His blood! The veil over our faces will be lifted. We do not have to be trapped in our guilt. We do not have to live under judgment and condemnation. There is freedom in Jesus. With Jesus, we do not have to work harder, jump through hoops, or live in a status less than full salvation. Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit who works through our surrender to birth a new heart in us and molds us into the image of God.

 

     Are you living with a veil over your face? Are you living by the Law or serving in love through grace? You can live as a son or daughter of God, all you have to do is have faith in Jesus, trusting the Holy Spirit to breathe His life into you.

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Useful--with Pastor Nicole Barnett

 Please open your Bibles to 2 Timothy. 

A few weeks ago, I was scrolling through social media when I came across a video clip. I won’t get into the denominational leader being interviewed, or the denomination he represented, but the video was titled [SLIDE] “Jesus Too Woke for Christians.” In the interview, the leader explained that he had been approached by multiple pastors over the last several years with the same complaint. They would be preaching from the Gospels (particularly the sermon on the mount) and after the sermon, they would be approached by members of their congregations with the same question: “Where did you get those ‘woke’ talking points?” They would explain that they were literally just quoting Jesus but the people would respond, “Yea, but that doesn’t work anymore. That’s weak!”

The sad thing about this is the fact that, although I had not heard such a bold disregard for God’s word before, I had been exposed to that mindset. It is not an uncommon thing to hear among mixed denominational groups that certain parts of scripture are irrelevant to today—particularly the Old Testament. “The law is too strict—and doesn’t work today!” “The prophets don’t apply to us today!” “Old Testament God was vengeful and harsh—so the Old Testament no longer applies because of the New Covenant.” And now, it seems, the Gospels are being viewed as irrelevant to today by some.

But what does the Bible say about all this? 2 Timothy 3 starting in verse 14: [SLIDE]

14 You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you 15 and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [SLIDE]  16 Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work. [SLIDE]

4 I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. [SLIDE]  3 For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. 4 And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths. [SLIDE]

This is the Word of God, for the People of God

Thanks Be To God [SLIDE]

Now, here is the thing about this passage. “The Scriptures” Paul is referring to is not The Bible as we know it. No, he was referring to the Old Testament as the current canon did not exist yet. Even the Gospel’s were not included in this due to the fact that they were not thought of a “scripture” yet but were merely accounts of those who walked with Jesus. 

But I feel it necessary to point out that, just because PAUL was not referring to the Gospels, his letters, or any of the rest of the New Testament does not mean that the New Testament is not inspired. It is!

So, what did Paul mean by “every Scripture” or “All scripture” as some of your translations might say? Well, the word Paul uses is “Pas” which, translated means “All”—which means “ALL”

Old Testament

New Testament

All of it

It was not that Timothy doubted the inspiration of scripture—He was raised too well for that. His mom and grandmother invested their lives to teach him the value of the scriptures, and it was largely due to them that he was even in ministry. So, no, it was not the inspiration he doubted. 

He struggled with the usefulness of it. 

He struggled with it’s application.

He struggled with the purpose of it.

So, what is the purpose of scripture?

To teach: To provide doctrine

To Reproof: to prove or to test.

To Correct: To restore to upright! To improve life or character

For training [cultivating minds and morals; increasing virtue; chastising evil] in righteousness [The condition acceptable to God]. 

That is the purpose of Scripture—and how we use it is by preaching the word: proclaiming the gospel message

Reproving: refuting, correcting, and exposing wrong.

Rebuking—which, interestingly enough translates to “to show honor to” as well as to place upright. 

Exhort: to encourage, to strengthen, to instruct, comfort, teach, console. 

All with patience and instruction

For there will be a time:

They will turn away from the truth because the truth is “too offensive”

They will see it as “too fundamentalist” or “Too ‘Woke’”, it will be “too rough” or “Too weak”, it will be “too much of something.”

But the thing about scripture is that is reveals the nature of our savior, Jesus. 

The same Savior we are meant to emulate.

So, if the nature of our savior is seen as “too Fundamentalist” to some, let us become more like Jesus. But if our savior is seen as “too woke” to some, let us become more like Jesus. If our savior is seen as “too rough” or “too weak” Let us do what we are called to do and emulate Jesus. 

If scripture’s purpose is to teach, let it teach me!

If it is to Reprove, let it reprove me!

If it is to correct, let it correct me!

And if it is to train in righteousness, let train me!

So that, I can be more like my Jesus!

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What an idiot

 

 

 

 

     Winston Churchill is an important figure in world history. Without his leadership in World War II, all of history, let alone that of Great Britain, would be different. After the war, Churchill briefly left the role of Prime Minister only to return later. But more advanced in years and facing different challenges, his leadership was not the same.

 

     There is a story from Churchill’s last year in office about when he attended a ceremony of some sort. Sitting behind him were two guys who saw Churchill and whispered, “That’s Winston Churchill.” Then they continued with, “They say he is getting senile,” and “They say he should step down and leave leading the nation to more capable people.” After the event ended, Churchill turned around to them and said, “Gentlemen, they also say he is deaf.”

 

     It is easy for us to look at our leaders and peers thinking, “What an idiot.” We often share our opinions with those around us, and often a group we know will agree with us and affirm our assessment. Behind closed doors and in our coffee clutches klatches, we think our words are unnoticed and have no impact. But those words do matter.

 

 

     Numbers 12:1-15(CSB)

 

Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). They said, “Does the LORD speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?” And the LORD heard it. Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.

 

Suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. Then the LORD descended in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them came forward, he said,

 

“Listen to what I say. If there is a prophet among you from the LORD, I make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with Moses; he is faithful in all my household. I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD.”

 

“So why are you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” The LORD’s anger burned against them, and he left.

 

As the cloud moved away from the tent, Miriam’s skin suddenly became diseased, resembling snow. When Aaron turned toward her, he saw that she was diseased and said to Moses, “My lord, please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. Please don’t let her be like a dead baby whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”

 

Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “God, please heal her!”

 

The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.” So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in.

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     Miriam and Aaron are the older sister and brother of Moses. It is from within his own family, and fellow leaders in the nation, that Moses is criticized. They have several issues with Moses, for starters, I can imagine they were not thrilled that their little brother was their overseer. Second, Miriam and Aaron took offense at their brother’s choice of wife. The last complaint is highlighted in verse 2 which says, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does he not also speak through us?” This is a complaint that Moses was not the only one with gifts, so they felt they should be able to hold the same position as Moses.

 

     If you read verse 3 with Moses in mind as the writer, it comes across as not so humble. Verse 3 says, “Moses was a very humble man, more so than anyone on the face of the earth.” Again, at face value, the statement seems self-serving. But the word translated “humble” in CSB can also mean “afflicted” and “terribly broken.” Moses is leading rebellious people and trying to get them to obey God so they can all get to the Promised Land. This comes with grumbling and complaining about him, now from within his circle.

 

     Not sure how aware Moses is of Miriam and Aaron’s criticisms, but someone is very aware. “And the Lord heard,” is what ends verse 2. God is displeased with what Miriam and Aaron have had to say. Moses was the leader of God’s people because God picked Moses for the role. He was the mediator of God’s covenant with Israel, Moses receiving a word from God and then sharing it with God’s people. Miriam and Aaron both received inspiration and prophetic visions from God, but Moses had actual conversations with God. Everyone and their roles were important, but they were not the same.

 

     God leaves, like a judge being done on the bench, and as He goes Miriam’s skin goes white with leprosy. Immediately, Aaron turns to Moses, the brother he just spoke out against, and says, “Please don’t hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.” Aaron is the high priest, the one offering sacrifices on behalf of the people for their sins, but here Aaron confesses his sin. And Aaron asks Moses to intercede on their behalf.

 

     Moses shows that his heart is faithful to God and the people around him. He rises above what was said, crying out to God, “God please heal her!” He may be broken by all that has happened, but Moses is broken for his sister Miriam.

 

     It may not seem like it, but God forgives Miriam. Miriam had spoken against Moses, a contemptible thing to God. The whole “father spitting in the face” speaks to the severity of her actions. Just as Miriam would have had to wait seven days outside the camp in that event, Miriam had to wait to return. Sin has consequences, God forgave Miriam, but she had to endure the discipline that followed.

 

     Did you notice this sin had consequences for the entire community? Miriam and Aaron were the two individuals guilty of sin, but it hindered the progress of God’s people because they could not move until Miriam returned.

 

     Sin will do the same with us. I do not necessarily mean physically sinful actions, though that will stop the train from moving. But the sin that is most dangerous to our mission to take Jesus to Estill County is grumbling. The words we speak in our homes against one another may never be heard beyond our dinner table, at least we think. God hears. It makes no difference who or what we grumble against, it is our hearts being defiant against God’s leading and the people He has given us in our fellowship.

 

     We want our gatherings to be a place where we collectively experience God’s presence. His presence changes hearts, minds, and lives. Our services are lifeless, useless, and meaningless without the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit cannot work when we have huddles whispering against one another. And God’s presence among us will be blocked by our obstinate hearts too busy spilling sin from our mouths and stuffing it in our ears.

 

     The truth of this passage is that grumbling reveals more about our hearts than about the object of our criticism. It reveals we want to conform others to our will instead of allowing them to follow Jesus. Grumbling reveals we want to have it our way instead of allowing God to have His way with us.

 

     The way forward with Jesus and one another is without grumbling, allowing the Holy Spirit to wash over us. Allow the blood of Jesus to wash away our sins so we can witness and participate in the greater things God has for us.

 

     Love covers a multitude of sins, including ill-spoken words. And love is here, His name is Jesus.

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Sermon Preview for October 8, 2023

 

We sit, listen, and watch, but the more we do the more we cannot believe what an idiot that person is. And with our ideas, we share our observations with others seeking affirmation. What we do not realize is our words reveal more about us than the idiot we are chattering about. Pastor Jason shares a message from Numbers 12:1-15.

#ravnaz #sermonpreview #thedirtpathpastor #thedirtpathsermonpodcast

Watch the whole service

at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene

Sunday at 10:45 AM ET

Sending a message

 

SENDING A MESSAGE

Have you ever been so upset that you felt like something had to be said? You pull out your phone to send a text, open an email, or start a social media post with angry fingers blasting away at the keys. Sometimes you even hit send feeling justified, other times the Holy Spirit tells you to put the weapon down and back away. A message may need to be sent, but we know how we express our anger matters.

 

     In our passage today, a Levite is journeying home after reconciling with his concubine, when something horrific happens. So horrific, we may not believe such a story is found in the Bible. But we study it today because there is an application here for us.

 

 

     Judges 19:20-30(CSB)

 

“Welcome!” said the old man. “I will take care of everything you need. Only don’t spend the night in the square.” So he brought him to the house and fed the donkeys. Then they washed their feet and ate and drank. While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden wicked men of the city surrounded the house and beat on the door. They said to the old man who was the owner of the house, “Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him!”

 

The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please don’t do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don’t commit this horrible outrage. Here, let me bring out my virgin daughter and the man’s concubine now. Abuse them and do whatever you want to them. But don’t commit this outrageous thing against this man.

 

But the men would not listen to him, so the Levite seized his concubine and took her outside to them. They raped her and abused her all night until morning. At daybreak they let her go. Early that morning, the woman made her way back, and as it was getting light, she collapsed at the doorway of the man’s house where her master was.

 

When her master got up in the morning, opened the door of the house, and went out to leave on his journey, there was the woman, his concubine, collapsed near the doorway of the house with her hands on the threshold. “Get up,” he told her. “Let’s go.” But there was no response. So the man put her on his donkey and set out for home.

 

When he entered his house, he picked up a knife, took hold of his concubine, cut her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and then sent her throughout the territory of Israel. Everyone who saw it said, “Nothing like this has ever happened or has been seen since the day the Israelites came out of the land of Egypt until now. Think it over, discuss it, and speak up!”

 

 

This is the Word of God.

For the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

 

 

     Before we dive into the passage, it is important to highlight a key phrase in Judges, you can read it in 19:1. It says, “In those days, when there was no king.” You see that phrase sprinkled throughout to underline the lack of governing oversight.

 

     This statement is both true and false. God was King over the Israelites, although they had no earthly king. The problem was they rejected God and His ways. They began worshipping other gods, and this in turn led to a decline in how they treated outsiders and women. True worship of God involves loving God and loving others, without God there is no standard for love. It is up to each person to determine what love is according to their own understanding.

 

     The traveler in our text is a Levite who is journeying home after reconnecting with his concubine. They had a dispute; she left and went home to her father. Together again, the Levite planned to camp in the city square of Gibeah, a community in the tribe of Benjamin.

 

     An old man sees them and invites them into his home for the night. At this time, in this part of the world, hospitality was important. However, with his comment in verse 20, “don’t spend the night in the square,” I cannot help but wonder if the old man knew his community and the danger for an outsider. Regardless, the old man invited them in, and they agree. The Levite and the old man have a good time, but it quickly takes a dark turn.

 

     The CSB says in verse 22, “wicked men of the city surrounded the house.” Other translations accurately describe them as children of the devil. Matthew Henry defined their group as “ungovernable men, men that would endure no yoke, children of the devil, resembling him, and joining with him in rebellion against God and His government.” They were given to the depravity of their own hearts and minds.

 

     As they pounded on the door, the old man is fully aware of their intentions. The old man had a responsibility to protect his family and his guests. But to protect the Levite, the old man offers his own daughter and the Levite’s concubine as sacrifices. He had no right to do such a thing, and there was no way to justify his action.

 

     If you wonder why the concubine left the Levite, his following actions and behavior in this moment could be a clue. To save himself, the Levite tosses his wife out there. Then the text reads like he goes to bed, wakes up in the morning, and then attempts to leave like nothing happened. He makes no effort to go rescue her, and seems completely unconcerned for her wellbeing.

 

     Verses 25 and 26 describe the horrific and barbaric torture this woman endured. These events in Gibeah, with one of the tribes of Israel, parallels the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis. In that story, Lot offers his daughters to ward off the pagans who lusted after God’s two messengers. God’s messengers intervene to save Lot’s daughters and Lot, but unfortunately there is no divine intervention here. Again, this is not an event that happens among pagan outsiders, but amid God’s people.

 

     After waking up and collecting his stuff, the Levite sets out for home. He finds his concubine at the doorway, and the text is unclear whether she is dead or alive at this point. Upon returning home, the Levite is outraged by what happened. Not sure if he is outraged about the concubine or the fear he encountered, but he decides to send a message to the whole nation.

 

     And if this terrible story could not get any worse, it does. The Levite takes his concubine and chops her into twelve pieces, then sends a piece of her to every tribe. This was a call to war, and would lead to an internal war within Israel. The concubine in her death continues to be a sacrifice for her husband, a man whose life is supposed to be set apart to serve God.

 

     What a terrible passage. Nothing good about it. And I would argue nothing read happened according to the will of God, this being a story simply describing what happened. An encounter with the sin of others destroying a person. Sin that is outrageous followed by an outrageous message.

 

     The message of what happened had to be shared. That horrific crime had to be addressed. But the way the Levite shared the message required him to dismantle the victim, his own wife who he failed to protect. This was a terrible crime, but the response was equally terrible. Every bit as sinful as the acts committed, revealing a sinful heart and mind in the Levite. And this is a story we would expect in the world, but not in the life of God’s people.

 

     How do we apply this passage to us? The truth here is that you and I are victims of sin, have been victims of sin, and most likely will be victims of sin. People in their depravity have and will hurt us as they give in to their sinful passions. On flip side, we have left a wake of victims in the aftermath of our own sins. And it is important that everyone knows that it is not okay, it is not God’s will, and it will leave scars on our hearts that might never fully heal. We will be outraged by what happens to us, and seeing it happen to others. But we cannot justify our sinful responses because of sin. You and I are called to life beyond victimhood through the washing of Jesus’s blood and indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

     I am not saying we should stay quiet, and I am not saying we sweep things under the rug. The horrors of sin and its destruction should make us angry. But our response to sin is to rescue those who are left in its aftermath. Our aim is not amplifying the sin, but redeeming the situation so it is not the end of hope in the victim’s life. Our goal is not to leave the victims for dead, but to help restore them to life.

 

     Again, I am not saying Jesus will magically make it all better. And I am not going to pretend the wounds will be gone. But Jesus can show us sin does not win in the end. Not in my life or your life. Sin wins when we chop up and sacrifice the victims. Jesus wins in us when we respond with humility, justice, and mercy. Instead of sending fury in our outrage, send Jesus.

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