Behold! The Glory of the Lord

Let the words of that last song continue to ring in your ears.

What was the main thought of that song? What imperative was repeated over and over again? It’s the title of the song, Behold Our God!

Behold our King, nothing can compare, come, let us adore Him! Behold our God!

That’s what we want to accomplish this morning. We want to draw your attention to God in all His glory.

There is nothing in all creation that deserves your attention more than God. There is nothing in all creation that can hold a candle to the incandescent sun of the glory of God. Have you ever seen God that way? Have you ever in your life beheld the very glory of the Lord?

I am not talking about religion. I am not talking about man’s cheap imitation of God. Some people are turned off at even the thought of God because all they know about him is the hypocrisy of religion. People have been committing atrocities in the name of religion for centuries. I could care less about religion. I want you to see the very glory of God almighty!

Most people have no idea what I mean. Most people have no idea what I am talking about. Most people have never beheld the very glory of the Lord.

Why is that? Maybe that is you this morning. You have never seen even the slightest wisp of the glory of the Lord. Why?

Paul gives us a very intriguing answer to that question that I want to take just a few minutes and explore with you this morning.

Before we get to 2 Corinthians 4, we first need a little bit of context from chapter 3.

2 Corinthians 3:12–13 (ESV)

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end.

Everything that Paul is about to argue for is based on this OT account of Moses putting a veil over his face. To make a long story short, in the OT God communicated to his people by speaking to Moses the leader of the people. Moses used to go into the tabernacle, which was a tent designed for worship, and God would speak with Moses inside the tabernacle. When Moses came out of the tent after he spoke with God his face would literally glow because he beheld the bright glory of the Lord. And the glow of his face was so bright that he had to put a veil over his face so that the rest of the people wouldn’t be frightened out of their minds when Moses would tell them what God had said.

So that’s the context of everything Paul is going to say. Moses had to put a veil over his face after speaking with the Lord. The people couldn’t stand to behold the glory of the Lord so Moses had to veil it. Why couldn’t the people behold the glory of the Lord?

2 Corinthians 3:14 (ESV)

14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

Paul is saying the same problem that existed in Moses’ day exists in our day as well. In Moses’ day he had to wear a veil over his face because the people could not stand to be in the presence of the glory of God. Why? What was the problem? Notice what the text says: Their minds were hardened. What does that phrase mean? “Their minds were hardened”?

The word “hardened” literally means to petrify, to turn into stone. Have you ever been around someone like that? They make up their mind about a particular issue and it is as if their mind was turned to stone. And nothing you say can convince them otherwise? This was the veil the kept the Israelites from seeing the glory of the Lord. Their minds had turned to stone.

2 Corinthians 3:15 (ESV)

15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.

Notice the progression here. First the veil covered the face, then the mind, and now the heart. Their minds of stone led to hard hearts. They couldn’t see the glory of God because they had so closed off their heart to truth that nothing would penetrate it!

When one of my boys was little, he was convinced that half of 4 was 2.5. In his mind he knew that he was right and nothing we could say would convince him otherwise. He closed his ears to our arguments, his mind turned as hard a stone, his heart was veiled.

Friends, does this describe you when it comes to knowing God? Have you closed your ears to any kind of truth about who God is? Is your mind like stone when someone tries to tell you about the Lord? Is there a veil over you heart when people talk about Jesus to you?

This morning, let me implore you, Behold the glory of the Lord! How is that even possible?

2 Corinthians 4:3 (ESV)

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

Now there are some important ideas in this verse.

First is the idea of the gospel being veiled. What does Paul mean by that? Well, we already know because of the previous context of chapter 3. Some people don’t understand the gospel. And they don’t want to understand. They want nothing to do with God or his truth. Why? Because their hearts are veiled. Their minds are as hard as stone. Their hearts are as impenetrable as steel.

And what is veiled to them? Paul says it’s the gospel. What is the gospel? The word gospel means good news!

Let me remind you of one of the verses of the song we just sang, Behold our God!

(WOMEN) O come, let us adore Him;

(MEN) Who has felt the nails upon His hands,

(WOMEN) O come let us adore Him!

(MEN) Bearing all the guilt of sinful man?

God eternal, humbled to the grave,

Jesus, Savior, risen now to reign, to reign!

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 ESV

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

This is the good news or the gospel. God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to this earth to be born in a manger. Jesus, the very Son of God, took upon himself human flesh and was made like you and I. Jesus came to so something very significant.

1 Corinthians 15:3 (ESV)

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

Jesus died on a wooden cross. He shed his blood to pay the penalty of our sins. Not his sins, but our sins. Every time we violate one of God’s standards of righteousness we sin. And every time we sin we incur a debt. A sin debt. And this debt, like all debt, has to be paid by someone. Here is the bad news, if we pay the debt of our sin, it comes with a very heavy cost.

2 Corinthians 4:3 (ESV)

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

Because of our sin we are perishing. What does the bible mean when it talk about people perishing?

The word perish means to be without spiritual life and under the condemnation of God.

Revelation 21:8 ESV

8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This is the clearest meaning of the word perish in the Bible. To perish means that you are under God’s condemnation. And one day you will stand before Almighty God and he will judge you and you will have to pay the debt of your sin. And that means that God will cast you into the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

That is the bad news. Because of your sins you are perishing!

But here is the good news of the gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

3 Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Jesus Christ, came to this earth as a small baby, so that He could die for your sins. Jesus payed your sin debt so that you wouldn’t have to. Not only did He die, but he was buried for three days, and on the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures. He conquered sin, death, and hell. He came back to life. And now he promises that same life to all who believe in him.

John 3:16 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

That is the good news, that is the gospel!

But for many of you that good news is hidden!

2 Corinthians 4:3 ESV

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

This truth is veiled! It is hidden! Why? Because you have minds of stone and hard hearts! You don’t realize that you are perishing! You cannot see the glory of the Lord!

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV)

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.

And this exactly where Satan wants to keep you. Satan is the god of this world. And he tries his very best to blind the minds of unbelievers. He does not want you to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ! What hope do unbelievers have? What hope do people with blinded minds, stony minds, hard hearts, and veiled eyes have?

2 Corinthians 4:5 ESV

5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

Jesus is your only hope! That is why this entire cantata is not at all about ourselves! In every word of the songs, every word of the Scriptures that were read, ever not that was played today was mean to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord!

Why is Jesus so important?

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.

Friends, maybe today you can acknowledge in you mind and in your heart that you have never seen the glory of God. You have wanted nothing to do with God. You have a stony mind and hard heart. You have a veil that lies over you eyes and face that keeps you from seeing God in all His glory. Maybe today you want all that to change. You want the veil to be removed. You want to see God, you want to know God. Friends, your only hope is Jesus. You need the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, and you can only see that by looking into the very face of Jesus Christ. See Jesus this morning. See him coming down from heaven to earth as a little baby in a manger. See Jesus dying on a cross to pay for your sins. See Jesus rising victoriously from the grave. Behold our God! In the face of Jesus Christ. It is the only way for the veil to be lifted from your heart.

2 Corinthians 3:14 (ESV)

14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away.

2 Corinthians 3:15–16 (ESV)

15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Friends, if you have never turned to Jesus, if you have never believed in Jesus then a veil still lies over you heart. And if a veil still lies over you heart then you are perishing in your sins. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. And you can truly for the first time behold the glory of the Lord! Would you be willing to do that today? Would you be willing to turn to Jesus? Would you be will to cry out to him? Ask Jesus to save you from perishing. Ask Jesus to save you from your sins. If you will believe in your heart that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can save you and give you eternal life. If you will call upon His name and trust in Jesus alone for your salvation he will give you the gift of eternal life.

It is something you can do right now in your mind and in your heart. You can pray and ask Jesus to save you. You can pray something like this, Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know I deserve to perish for my sins. I know that you died for my sins on the cross. I want to be forgiven. I want to have the gift of eternal life. Jesus, I believe in you. I trust you to save me. I cry unto you to give me eternal life. Please save me. Amen!