You Can Change
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18
I. You change through Jesus.
A. The giving of the Law did not change anyone. People still had no power to change. God promised to change people through faith in Jesus and the new covenant that came with Jesus. So, Paul and the apostles were very bold in preaching the Gospel (vs. 12). In vs. 13 Paul writes that Moses “put a veil over his face” before the Israelites. Paul is referring to the story in Exodus 34.
B. Moses’ face shone with the glory of God after being in the presence of God. But sinful Israelites could not see the glory of God or else they would die. So, God in His mercy had Moses put a veil over his face so that Israel would not receive the judgment of death. But Israel’s minds and hearts were so hard that they refused to obey God’s Law (vs. 14). They could not change. But Jesus takes the veil away (vs. 14, 16) that keeps us from seeing God’s glory and changing.
II. You change by the power of the Holy Spirit.
A. Verse 17: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.” The Lord refers to God the Father from the story in Exodus 34. It is the Holy Spirit who does the main work of transformation in the lives of Christians today. But in the days of Moses, before the Holy Spirit had been sent to His people, it was the Lord, God the Father, who did the work of transforming Moses’ face when Moses looked at God without a veil.
B. The freedom the Holy Spirit gives to us is freedom to love and obey God. We are now free to be what God created us to be: people made in the image of God who were made to reflect God’s glory. It is the Holy Spirit who gives you this freedom to look like God when He enters your life. He sets you free from your old selfish way of life so that you can look and act like Jesus.
III. You change by looking at Jesus.
A. Verse 18: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” You become what you behold. Change happens by looking at Jesus. 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” Romans 8:29: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
Application:
You can change. And, since the Holy Spirit is in you, you are gradually changing.
Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by Trent Casto, David Garland, and Gary Millar.
Sermon Outline Questions
1) Why did Moses need to put a veil over his face in front of the Israelites? What happens to your ability to change if you cannot see the glory of God’s face?
2) Which member of the Trinity does the main work of transformation in our lives today? What kind of freedom does the Holy Spirit give us (2 Cor. 3:17)?
3) Where should you set your eyes if you want to change? Does change usually happen quickly or slowly in our spiritual lives?