2 Corinthians 03:07-18 Removing the Veil – audio

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Text: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18

Introduction

A veil is typically a piece of cloth cut out to conceal something.

Brides wear veils to conceal themselves before they are married; furniture is sometimes hidden under a veil so it will not attract dust.

Usually something important happens in order for a veil to be removed.

Body

I. Moses wore a veil (Exodus 34:29-35).

God had called Moses to speak with Him on Mount Sinai. After receiving the Ten Commandments, he descended to the people to report all the words of the LORD.

However, being in the presence of the LORD caused his face to shine brightly.

As the people were afraid to speak with Moses face to face, he put on a veil; when he spoke with the LORD, he would remove it.

II. A veil was placed in the temple and tabernacle.

God gave Moses instructions for building the tabernacle. A veil was constructed to hide the ark of the Testimony, separating the holy place from the Most Holy (Exodus 26:31-33). God specifically said when Aaron could come into the Holy Place behind the veil (Leviticus 16:2).

Similarly, the veil of the temple was construed to serve a similar purpose (2 Chronicles 3:14). The high priest went through the veil once a year to be in the presence of God until Jesus, God’s Son, died on the cross.

Christians are a “royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5,9)” and Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; 5:5-10; 9:6-15). At the time Jesus offered Himself on the cross as a sacrifice, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:50-51; Mark 15:37-39; Luke 23:45-47; Hebrews 10:19-22).

III. The gospel is a veil to sinners (2 Corinthians 3:7-18).

The apostle Paul reminds the Corinthians of the veil that Moses had while speaking God’s Word to Israel. Now, he explains that God’s Word has come though Christ, which was better than that of Moses.

In former times, people could neither see nor understand what Christ would later do for them (Isaiah 6:9-10; Acts 28:26). Now that Christ died, was buried, and rose again, the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:14).

The veil separating us from everlasting life is removed when one obeys the gospel (2 Corinthians 3:16; Romans 11:23; Isaiah 25:7-9). As Moses was in the glory of the LORD, so we can see the LORD face to face by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 13:12). The mirror we look into is the perfect law of liberty, the Word of God (James 1:23-25).

If the gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those that perish (do not obey the gospel). The god of this age (ruler of this world) blinds them (John 12:31, 40) so the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ may not shine on them (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:18).

Conclusion

As the veils of the temple and tabernacle have been removed, Moses removed his veil in the presence of God.

Won’t you remove your veil today and be in the eternal presence of the LORD?