Hey good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. Gonna jump on the computer here and make sure everybody is able to join us live. Let me jump over here and make sure we're going live to send out the text message that's going great. Going live there. Wonderful. Well, good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Coffee and devotions. It's so good to have you this morning. We're at Second Corinthians chapter four, the first six verses. Let's go ahead and have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll jump into the Lord's word. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for your word. Thank you for what a blessing it is to hear from you. Thank you for your Holy Spirit. And we pray now that as we read your spirit that we would believe and that you would be teaching us these things and you would be engraving the truth on our hearts, in Jesus's name, Amen. All right, so we're at Second Corinthians second Corinthians chapter six or not Chapter Four sorry, verses one through six. Are you therefore since we have this ministry, as we have received, ministry are mercy. We do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame. Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded. who do not believe less the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God should shine on them. For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves, your bondservants for Jesus's sake. For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. What an awesome passage we have for us this morning. We need to ask ourselves a What's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this and see what are we called to do in response to this? So first a, what is this about? Paul has been defending his ministry. Second Corinthians is a very personal letter. It's a very, almost like an apologetic. Not saying he's apologizing for things, but he's defending his ministry. Apology in in Greek is this idea of giving a defense, but he's not giving a defense of the gospel as much as he's giving a defense of his ministry as a minister of the gospel. And he or she says that the grace of God given to him was this ministry, and he's not peddling it. And he's not twisting the Word of God. He's not preaching himself, but he's got one focus. It's got one thing that he wants to teach people about and it's the glory of God, the glory of God specifically seen in Jesus Christ. And so this is what Paul the pastor, the apostle, the preacher, the Prophet, has to say. It's about Jesus Christ. And so as he's he's talking about this, he says, you know, not everybody understands this. The glory of the new covenant is way better than the glory of the Old Covenant. It's way better than the covenant of works. It's way better than even Mount Sinai. Right? Because even though there was a sense of glory, in the Old Covenant, as Olivia was talking about yesterday, right, part of that, that law was glorious. Yeah, it teaches us and instructs us. It tells us about our sin, but it doesn't tell us about salvation. It only tells us about the hope of salvation, but now we have it. And so this glorious is full, and we can see it, but not everybody believes it. So there is in one sense, still a veil. But who's the veil for now?
Well, the apostle here says the veil is for unbelievers. The veil is for people whose minds have been blinded who whose eyes are shut by the god of this world by Satan himself who in the hardness of their heart, they will not receive the good news of Jesus Christ but instead hate him. So he says it's failed for them. It's failed for those who do not believe it's failed for those who will not here but he's a minister, by the grace of God, he is a servant, by the grace of God and in his ministry in his service of the king, he is to tell people about the the light of Jesus Christ. I love the imagery. He uses us here. Alright, number verse four, he says, the minds of the god of this age has blinded who do not believe less the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God would shine on them. This is such a beautiful picture of what happens when we come to know Jesus Christ is the light of the gospel shines upon our hearts. It's as if the scales leave our eyes and we can finally see I was blinded but no, I see. And what do we see? We see Christ the glory of Christ who is the image of God. You want to see what God looks like go look at Jesus Christ. You want to see what the love of God looks like? Look how Jesus Christ has loved. You want to see what the judgment of God looks like? Go and find Jesus Christ. You want to see what the glory of God looks like. Go and behold Jesus Christ. So he says here in verse six, for it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ. We find the knowledge of God and the glory of the face of Jesus Christ. He is the exact representation, the image of the Father, the glory of the Father is seen in the sun. And as a spirit, who enlightened our eyes that we might see this is such a beautiful Trinitarian passage. What's the best verse of summarizes so I would underline verses four and verse six you can disagree with me that's okay. Let me know down in your in the comments what would you underline in your Bibles? But see calling what are we called to do in response to these words? Do you love Jesus Christ? When you open up the scriptures? Do you long to see Jesus? Are you like those in the gospels who told the apostles told the disciples of Jesus Christ? Sirs, please show us Jesus. We this week, are memorizing the shorter catechism. The Westminster shorter catechism asks a question about what must we do to escape the wrath and curse of God? Do to us for sin? And the answer that question that the children and us had been working throughout the home and this week we're going to be talking or we're going to go through it as a congregation, is in order for us to escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin. We must have faith in Jesus Christ. repentance unto life. And the diligent use of the outward means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption. What are those outward means? Where we see Christ and where Christ shows us, the benefits of him redeeming us. How do we see Jesus? It's in the ordinary means. These are not we don't have to go on big secret retreats. We don't have to go and do these crazy rituals. You know where you see Jesus Christ.
You go to his word, and you hear of Jesus Christ. You want to know how you KNOW Jesus Christ better
go pray. Seek His face in prayer. Cry out to Him. You will know where you see Jesus Christ. Every time you take the Lord's Supper, every time you remember his body broken for you. Every time you remember the cup of the New Covenant, in his blood. You remember in the shedding of His blood, there was remission of his sin of your sins. Every time you see someone baptized and you remember that you were washed with that same baptism that you were buried with Christ in His death, and that you were raised to life in his resurrection. The outward an ordinary means of grace. You longed to see Jesus. Go here the preaching of the word he longed to see Jesus. Go read, write, go read the book of Revelation, and have your eyes open to the glories of Jesus Christ. You longed to know Jesus go pick up the Gospels and hear from him. Do you longed to know Jesus? Maybe some of you are pastors or elders watching this. Do you bring people to Jesus? Do you long to show people the glory of the Son of God? Bring them the ordinary means of grace. Bring them the scriptures. Open up the Bible with them pray with them and encourage them to go to the ordinary means of grace. The word to sacraments and prayer. Let's pray. Father thank You that In heaven there is no need for sun or moon. For the light of our eyes will be the glory of Jesus Christ. Thank You that You have sent your son who is equal with you though that is not something to be easily grasped. And you humbled yourself into the likeness of man. And you became obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. And that you have revealed to us Your glory. God we pray that we would be hold you that we would see you that we would marvel at who you are. Father, we pray that Your Holy Spirit would work in our hearts in such a way that we might marvel in awe of who you are and stand up for reference of your glory. Thank you, Lord, for sending us your son. In Jesus's name we pray, Amen. May the grace of Jesus Christ wash over your hearts. May your eyes the eyes of your heart be filled with the glory of Jesus Christ. And may the comfort of the Holy Spirit be with you today. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye
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