The Glory of Jesus

The Monastery of Silence was led by an ancient Abbott, who took the brothers’ vow of silence very seriously. When Brother John entered the monastery and took his silence vow, the Abbot reminded him, “You are welcome here as long as you like, but you may not speak until I direct you to do so.”

Brother John lived in the monastery for a full year before the Abbot said to him, “Brother John, you have been here a year now, you may speak two words.”

Brother John said, “Hard bed.” So the Abbot got him a better bed.

The next year, Brother John was called by the Abbott. “You may say another two words, Brother John.”

“Cold food,” announced Brother John, so the Abbott promised the food would improve.

On his third anniversary at the monastery, the Abbott again called Brother John into his office. “You may say two more words today.”

“I quit,” announced Brother John.

“It is probably for the best,” said the Abbott. “All you have done since you got here is complain.”

This morning I planned on preaching from 1 Thessalonians for the second time, but I feel prompted in part by my father-in-law and in part by the Holy Spirit to preach from 2 Corinthians 3:17 and the first few verse of the next chapter.

My father in law sent me a couple of verses about the freedom we can enjoy with Christ and it really got me to thinking about the Gospel.

The word “gospel” means good news. But what is the the best part of the good news of Jesus? Is it justification by faith? Is it forgiveness of sins? Is it the removal of the wrath of God? Is it redemption from guilt and liberation from slavery to sin? Is it salvation from hell? Is it entrance into heaven? Is it eternal life? All of these are precious promises bought by the blood of Christ for everyone who believes in him.

But they are not the highest and best and final good of the gospel. In fact, I would say that unless they lead to something else, these are not good news at all.

It is possible to believe in all these things, and to want them and expect them, and still never have tasted what makes all the good things in the good news good. So what is that? What is the highest and best and final good that makes every part of the gospel good news?

I believe the answer is in the letter to the Corinthian church and it’s on this that we should devote our lives.

In 2 Corinthians 4:4 and verse 6 we find the key to the best news of the Gospel. But I want to read more to help with context.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 CEV

17 The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord’s Spirit sets us free. 18 So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord’s Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:1–7 ESV

1 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

In verse 4 the words “the glorious light of the Good News, Jesus, who is the exact likeness of God.” And in verse 6 the parallel words: “has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ”

We know from 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 that the foundational events of the gospel are “Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.” Yes. That is gloriously true. Without this there is no gospel at all.

But what must we see in those events if they are to be good news for us? 2 Corinthians 4:4 and 6 tell us: We must see “the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” That is, we must see “the glory of God in the face of Christ.”

Why? Because that is what the gospel is. The gospel is not just historical events—Christ died and was buried and rose.

In fact, there is no good news unless we see in these historical events the GLORY of Christ who is the image of God.

What is glory?

Hebrews 1:3 NLT

3 The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

Glory of Christ is the reflection of God! His character, and mighty power made flesh. This is what makes the work of redemption good news! That God himself was made flesh and dwelt among us to save us!

This is the highest and best and final good that makes all the other good things promised in the gospel good.

Justification is good news because it makes us stand accepted by the one whose glory we want to see and savor above all things.

Forgiveness is good news because it cancels all the sins that keep me from seeing and enjoying the glory of Christ who is the image of God.

Removal of wrath and salvation from hell are good news because now in my escape from eternal misery I find eternal pleasure beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Eternal life is good news because this is eternal life, Jesus said, that they know me and him who sent me.

In other words, 2 Corinthians 4:4 and 6 tell us what the highest, best, ultimate good of the good news is: the glory of God in the face of Christ,. That Jesus was GOD in the Flesh! He had the authority, and ability to save anyone who calls on His wonderful name!

That is the BEST news. It has to be the foundation of our faith. Jesus was more than just a good man. He was the living God who humbled himself to reach His lost and dying Creation. We have freedom because He paid the price.

Here’s a problem that was raised in our scripture today.

Blindness to Truth

2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT

4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

What does it mean to be lost?

To be lost means to be unable to see the glory of Christ in the gospel, the glory of God in the face of Christ, displayed in the gospel. Lostness is blindness to glory. Lostness is blindness to spiritual light—the light that really shines out from the gospel of Christ crucified and risen.

We all know people like this. Or you may be one. We pour out our heart to them and tell them about their sin and how Christ is the only person in the world who has died for sin and risen from the dead. We tell them about how beautiful and great is his love and wisdom and power and justice and meekness and humility and sovereignty. And they listen, and they hear the facts. They may even believe the facts of history. But they see no glory, no beauty, no treasure. They don’t see God.

Only God can Heal the Blind

God alone can grant spiritual sight and liberation from the blinding power of the devil. We see this in verse 6

2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

This is how we all got saved! Salvation is having our eyes opened so that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ shines into our hearts, and we see it and savor it and treasure it.

This is the work of God. You did not save yourself. Sovereign grace saved you. We can’t save anyone! Take that pressure off your shoulders!

In the same way that he said “Let there be light” when he created the world, he did the same thing in your heart. It was that sovereign and that one sided and that creative and that gracious. God said—owing to nothing in us—let there be light. And the scales fell away. The veil was lifted. And light of the glory streamed into our minds. We saw Jesus for who he really was in his true and beautiful grace and love and power and wisdom and justice and meekness and patience. And we believed. We could not turn away any more.

God draws people to himself! We cannot make that happen.

You might say, but wait a second, I thought Jesus told us to go into the world and preach about this good news. I say, YOU’RE right! You and I are supposed to tell our story. But we can’t make people respond, that is the work of God alone.

But God does use people…

We are God’s Messengers

Remember the commission that Jesus gave to the Apostle Paul:

Acts 26:17–18 ESV

17 delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Jesus says, GO! Tell people what I’ve done in your life.

God alone says to the dead and dark human heart: Let there be light! And there is light. God alone can raise the dead. God alone gives spiritual light. God alone makes Christ appear true and beautiful and desirable. So go. Be his agent. He promises to use you.

Do you remember how Paul talked about this? He said it is like sowing seed and harvesting life. “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Seed must be planted, cultivated, watered, protected. But the miracle of life is God’s alone to give.

In the moment of your greatest sense of helplessness, remember: God sends messengers “to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.” He sends us to do what only he can do. “We have this treasure [of the gospel] in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). This is a very high and a very humbling calling.

So, I am reminded of the vision for our church, it’s a broad vision, but I believe it’s how we are supposed to handle the GREATEST part of the Gospel. If we believe that Jesus is the son of God, and a reflection of God in the flesh then we will have this vision:

Our vision is to reach people with the truth, love them, teach them, and get them to do the same for others.

The truth of Christ is the Gospel, love is our motive, teaching is our responsibility, and empowering is the goal.

I think about what Paul instructed Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:24–26 ESV

24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

This Paul’s solution for the Satanic blindness and darkness in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Teach them the truth about Christ. Do it patiently and take your lumps without fighting them.

And God—in and through you, but GOD nevertheless—may grant them repentance.

That God is free to give or not to give the change of heart and mind that we call repentance.

If he does then spiritual knowledge happens.

Unrepentant people can have knowledge about God and Christ. But not spiritual knowledge. Not what Paul calls “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). And then, by the mighty power of God through repentance and spiritual knowledge of the glory of Christ, the power of the devil is broken. “They escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”

If you are a Christian, I pray that you will embrace these things and be courageous as a messenger of the risen Christ. He will use you—your patient teaching about Christ to unbelievers—to give sight to the blind and liberty from the snare of the devil. Don’t be ashamed, and don’t be silent, and don’t be impatient. Keep on telling and teaching about the glorious Christ.

And if you are in this terrible condition of lostness, may the Lord use this message to open your eyes to turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Amen.