Let Christ Remove The Veil From Your Face So You Can See The Glory Of God (2 Corinthians 3: 7-18) - A Sermon by Elise Beatrice

TRANSCRIPT

Let Christ Remove The Veil From Your Face So You Can See The Glory Of God (2 Corinthians 3: 7-18)

A Sermon by Elise Beatrice - Friday 4 July 2025

“Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name.

Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us today our daily bread; forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory are Yours.

Now and Forever. Amen.”

Holy Father, Thank You for Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, God, for Your love, and Your Joy, and Your willingness to teach us daily. Your will be done, my God. Let Your Holy Spirit guide me and bring me the truth that You will to bring us today. Let everything go according to Your purpose, Lord. Thank You so much, Lord Jesus, for Your teaching. Thank You for Your servants. Thank You for everything that is Yours. Everything that is Yours is good. So, Lord, thank You for helping to express this in a way pleasing to You, Lord. Thank You for Your wisdom, thank You for Your inspiration, and thank You for Your knowledge. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for hearing me and for helping me to do this for Your glory. In Your Holy Name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Okay, we're reading 2 Corinthians 3:7-18,

2 Corinthians 3:7–18

"7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 15 Yes, even today, when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."

Amen. Wow! This is beautiful. Yes, this is indeed beautiful.

"8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!"

So, two ways are spoken to us here: the old way and the New Way.

Moses is the one presenting to us the old way, and Christ is the New Way; He is the New Covenant. Though the old way was already glorious, it was not more glorious than the glory that the New way, Christ, brings. The Glory of God that Moses had was fading; it was not permanent, while the New way is glorious, and that glory remains forever.

So, this is very intricate here, but beautiful.

"12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away."

So, yes, Moses put the veil over his face, and there's a deep meaning behind that, besides what the Apostle has spoken, all of which are correct.

When I first read it, I said to myself, "The Glory is beautiful. Why did Moses put a veil over it to cover it when it is a beautiful thing to see?"

I found out some people said this about it:

"The veil serves to prevent the Israelites from being overwhelmed or distracted by the visible glory, allowing them to focus on the message Moses was delivering."

Okay, when I read it, I asked the Lord what the right answer was. And this is not quite right, what some have said here, because it is written in Exodus 34:33 that when Moses finished talking to them, he covered his face with a veil.

Exodus 34:33

So, while some people believe that the veil served to prevent the Israelites from being overwhelmed or distracted by the visible glory, allowing them to focus on the message Moses was delivering, if that was the case, Moses would have covered his face to begin with, before he even began to speak to them the first word. It would not make sense that he would speak to them in his full glory without covering it, then at the end of the conversation, he would cover his face.

In Exodus 34: 29-35, Moses spoke to them the whole first time, without the veil over his face, and he communicated to them God’s Ten Commandments. And after he finished speaking, he put the veil over His face. And whenever he went to speak to the Lord in the Tent of meeting, he would remove the veil. And when he came back again to speak to the people of Israel, they would see the radiant glow of his face again. Then he would put the veil over his face again until he returned with the Lord. So, the first time, Moses was not aware that His face had become radiant. However, if it had never been the Lord’s will for the people of Israel to see the Lord’s glory shining over Moses’s face, God would have instructed Moses from the start to cover his face before approaching the people, since Moses did not know. So, the Lord God intended for the people’s of Israel to see His glory shining over Moses for a short time.

And that brings me to understand that the reason was not that they would be frightened and distracted, and they would not focus on the message. Another reason was that, as you can see, the glory that Moses had symbolised the presence of God among His people. And the presence of God cannot be among us for long, especially when people are living in sin and cannot turn from it. So, God was happy; He was pleased to let His glory shine on Moses and stay with Moses and be seen by the Israelites. He was explaining to them every single thing God had commanded him to speak.

And the Glory of God was there, because that was God's presence. And now, when he finished to speak to them about it, He covered his face, because God can come among us in a brief moment when He is teaching us good things, but He cannot remain among us for long because of the sinful ways of people, especially those people who were with Moses; their hearts were hardened; they did not listen to the Lord.

In fact, in Exodus 32, when Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from the Lord God, the Israelites became impatient and fearful, and so, some of them pressured Aaron to make them a god. And so, they made for themselves a golden calf. In doing so, they broke God's Law and grieved God with sin. And that was idolatry and adultery against the Lord God. God did not lead them to make for themselves a golden calf, but satan, who was there, deceiving them, did. They have broken the Law, the moral Law of God.

So Moses returned to the Mountain to be with God again, and the Gracious Lord gave him the Ten Commandments again on two tablets. Moses came back from Mount Sinai and delivered God's Ten Commandments to the Israelites as instructed by God. And at the end of that, He put the veil over his face.

So, the glory was the presence of God. God was there, and the glory would last as long as He would be there. Moses would cover his face, symbolising that God cannot be among those who are living in sinful ways and refusing to repent of their sins and truly renounce evil. For this, they cannot see the glory of God. And if they cannot see the glory of God, they cannot see the truth that is so plain to see. God hides His face from rebellious people. The presence of God cannot be with them, and only those who listen to Him see His glory. But that time He allowed them to see His glory through Moses, so that they knew how important it was to listen to His words; to His Commandments.

Covering his face with the veil symbolised that God cannot be seen in a place where there are sinful ways. However, God was shining His glory on Moses. The glory of God was with His Moses, though it was temporary, because Moses was His prophet and was His servant, who no longer practised sin. And for this, God's glory was with him.

The glory Moses was reflecting was the presence of God, and that glory belonged to Jesus. The glory of God, the Father, is the glory of God, the Son, Jesus.

Jesus in John 17:5 said,

John 17:5

"Father, glorify Me with the glory that You shared with Me, even before the world began."

So, the glory of the Father is the glory of the Son, Jesus. And that glory was right there shining on Moses.

Because people were not really listening and repenting of their sins, they were sinful-minded and evil-minded people, still conforming to the pattern of the world. For this, the veil on Moses' face was symbolising that those who are living in sin cannot see God. God cannot be among them for long, and for this reason, when the veil is not covering Moses' face, they can see Moses' glory, reflected on Moses, which symbolises the presence of God. And they can understand the words of God right at that moment. But once God is not there because of their sins, they still have that veil remaining on their own faces, and they will not be able to understand God and His words, because they are not seeing the glory of God; they're not understanding the words of God; the words from the mouth of God. Christ is the Word.

So, the presence of God brings us the truth and reveals the truth to us beneath His words. But without the presence of God, we have no understanding.

So, Moses, though it was the old way and the old covenant, that glory that was radiant on him could not be permanent because Christ is the Glory that is permanent.

It is only through Christ, now, the New Way, the New Covenant, that those who are truly listening to Him and living for Him will share that glory.

When He comes again, He will share His glory with us, those who listen to Him. So Christ is the glory that is eternal, He is the glory that is forever, and only through Him can the veil truly be gone from our face.

Verse 11,

"If the old Yay, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more

11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!"

I must highlight this:

The New Way has replaced the old way. Christ has replaced the Old Covenant, the old way. Christ is the New Way. Having said that, replacing here does not mean abolishing. Christ did not abolish the law. So, replacing something does not mean deleting it. Christ is there to replace the Old Way, and Christ is the New Covenant. However, every word spoken by God is still the word that was spoken by God, and is still the word of God; it still remains the Word, which is Christ.

So every word spoken by God is not replaced. The Lord Jesus cannot replace His own words; He cannot replace Himself; He replaced the old way, not Himself.

So people could not live forever under that old covenant, and could not see the glory of God, and God could not be with them forever. But because of Christ, God can be among us, and that is how Christ replaced the old way. The New Way comes, and Christ is that New Way. And in Christ, God Himself can be among us forever. Christ is God among us. God with us, Emmanuel, God with us. Christ now is God among us, while Moses was not God among his people. That's why the glory he shone was only temporary. Because he was not everlasting; only Christ is everlasting and with glory that is everlasting.

I know some people teach that God's words have become archaic, that the Old Testament has become archaic. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19,

Matthew 5:17–19

17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s Law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. 19 So if you ignore the least Commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."

So, when some people teach that the Old Testament is archaic, they're understanding it wrong. Back then, it was always a matter of sin, and in all generations, it has always been a matter of sin, and today, it is always a matter of sin, and the treatment for sins is God and His moral Law; the prescriptions for sins are God's Commandments, and obeying the Lord's Instructions is taking our medicine.

The Lord Jesus said in John 12:48,

John 12:48

"There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The very words I have spoken will judge him on the last day."

So, the words of God in the past, in the Old Testament, are still the words of God in the New Testament today, and the Ten Commandments of God in the past are still the Two Commandments of Christ in the New Testament today. And the New Commandment that Christ also gave us.

Please listen to my sermons entitled, 'THE BEAUTY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS' and 'GOD IS OPENING HIS ARMS TO US; LET US OBEY.''

Every prescription for sin, every moral Commandment, still goes on today and will always go on, as long as sin exists, because it is indeed by those laws, which are the words of God, the words of Christ, that everyone will be judged, by the words God, the Father, and God, the Son, have spoken, because the Lord Jesus is the Word of God. And so, yes, I had to highlight that before I continued.

Verses 12 and 13 say,

"12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away."

Moses would not have put a veil over his face, if he had been among people who listened to God. Father God and His Son only hide their faces from people who don't listen. But to those who listen, they're pleased to show their face. Because it is a beautiful face that must be seen, also as a reward to those who listen to Him. But if people are not listening to God and they are choosing to live in sin, obviously, God is not going to be there among them and show them His glory.

When Christ is saying when He comes again, He will share His glory with us, that will be fine because, at that moment, everyone who will remain with Christ then will be those who have been listening to Him already and have washed their clothes in His Holy Blood and they have now been the ones who have lived faithfully for Him until their last days. And that's why they will be with Him when He comes again, and they will share His glory with Him.

Verse 14,

cleardot.gif"14 But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ."

Yes, this is what is written, and this is supposed to be the case. But we have to understand deeper.

'And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.'

This does not mean that every Christian, everyone who believes in Christ, has that veil removed. But only those who believe in Christ and live for Christ and listen to Him have that veil removed.

You see, the lukewarm Christians believe in the Lord Jesus. And all the false teachers claim to believe in the Lord Jesus, yet do they have that veil removed from their faces? No. If they did, they would not be teaching wrong. Did the lukewarm Christians have that veil removed from their faces? No. If they did, they would not be still hanging out with false teachers and false prophets and go according to what their itchy ears want to hear. So we must believe in God and also truly listen to God, and truly choose God.

So these are the reasons why many do not have that veil removed from their faces, and they are still spiritually blind, do not see what is plain to see, and when they read the words of the Lord, they do not understand them, and even cannot recognise when they see a faithful servant of the Lord or when they see instead a charlatan.

I'm making a list:

1 - They believe in Christ but do not listen to Him.

2 - They believe in Christ but have not turned from their own ways.

3 - They believe in Christ but have not really chosen Christ and Him alone.

4 - They believe in Christ but have not yet pledged their allegiance to Him alone.

5 - They believe in the Lord Jesus, but still serve two masters.

6 - They believe in the Lord but still do their own will and not His Father's will.

7 - They believe in Christ but live for themselves and not for Him.

8 - They believe in the Lord Jesus but still conform to the pattern of the world and embrace the deeds of darkness.

9 - They believe in the Lord but do not carry their crosses and follow Him with love and gladness.

10 - They believe in Christ but refuse to be His disciples and to remain faithful to His teachings.

And because of all these and more, and because their minds are hardened, the veil covers their faces; they cannot see God's glory, God's presence isn't with them. It is why they remain lukewarm Christians, spiritually blind, or hypocrites; it is why when they read the Scriptures, they do not understand. And since this happens even to those who believe but do not listen to God, it is even worse for those who do not believe at all; they will never understand the Scriptures.

Yes, the veil can be removed by the Lord Jesus Christ from their faces, from the faces of those who truly believe in Him and live according to His ways. But unless they turn from their ways and live for Him alone, they will remain with the veil on their faces. All believers in Christ who still have the veil on their faces are the lukewarm Christians, false teachers and the hypocrites.

Yes, so this is the truth. Please, turn from your ways, and seek the Lord while you still can, so He can remove the veil from your face and you can see. He does not want anyone to perish, but He wants everyone to repent.

So only those who have truly chosen Christ alone, only those who truly live in the Lord, because they have understood Christ and know that He is the Beauty, knowing that He's the One True God, knowing that He's the Road to salvation, He's the Way to Heaven, He is the Way to His Father, He is the glory; He is the Kingdom. The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory are His. All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him.

So, those, who have understood this and that Christ is everything for them, have pledged their allegiance to the Lord. Yes.

It is written here in verse 16,

"But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away."

So someone who has understood that and lives for Christ, carrying their cross and following Christ, no longer lives for themselves, but for Christ, the veil has been taken away from their face, which is why they read the Scriptures and understand them. The Holy Holy Spirit of God is in them, is with them, reminding them of the truth. They're no longer spiritually blind because there is no veil; they can see the glory of God.

It says here in verse 17,

"17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord, and the Lord who is the Spirit makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

I really pray from the bottom of my heart that this will help you.

And I pray that, if you're not already doing it, this will be the beginning of you listening, for the Lord is pleading for you to hear. If you choose to remain as a lukewarm Christian or false teacher, please be aware that the Lord Himself is not with you, and His Holy Spirit is not with you either.

And that is the truth; we can only have the Lord's Holy Spirit by listening to His Commands.

He said,

"If you love Me, obey My Commandments. And I will ask My Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever - the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you."

So, without the Holy Spirit of God, we're alone with no truth. So let the Lord Jesus bless you with His Holy Spirit.

Turn to face Christ, Your only Saviour, the only salvation of your soul; the One who takes you to Heaven. Turn to face Him and listen to Him, and He will remove the veil from your face, and you will see clearly, and you will begin to understand the words of God, and once you understand the words of God, no one can lead you astray; no one.

Yes, seek to understand the words of God and do what they say, and you're surely on the right path, you're surely in the Lord, Christ, who takes us to Heaven. May the Lord's peace be with you as you take that decision to do what is right in God's eyes.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your grace and for this teaching. Thank You for Your inspiration, Lord. Thank You for Your love, thank You for Your Holy Spirit, Lord. Thank You that You bring the truth to us. Thank You that You have removed the veil from our faces.

I myself used to be spiritually blind. I could not understand Your words. You changed all that, from when I came to You in 2012 and said, "Lord, please, take my life and do whatever You want with it," You began to show me the truth from left to right. I began to read Your words and understood them. They became so vivid to me because Your Holy Spirit was already there, bringing me the truth. When Your Holy Spirit took over, Your words became so alive; the Holy Bible, even the Old Testament, Lord, because that's what You do in our lives.

So, thank you so much, God, for Your grace and Your Mercy. You are Eternal Life. Thank You, Lord, for everyone You save. Thank You for everyone whose face You remove the veil. I pray they will come to You and let You do that for them. In Your Holy Name, Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.