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Making Way For The King

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For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7 Isaiah here is prophesying the coming of our savior, the coming of Jesus, and more importantly, the coming of the king. Question: What is the one gift that Jesus wants from us that only we can give? It’s our worship. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2: 1-2 We have come to worship him. God wants more than what just what we can give him materially. He wants more than what we can just give him with our time and and our offerings etc. What he wants really from us is our worship. He wants us to give Him worship and so the reason why the wise men brought those different gifts unto Jesus is because the root of it was that they’ve come to worship. Worship -Reverence shown to men and beings of superior rank -To the Jewish high priests -To God -To Christ -To heavenly beings -To demons To show reverence in in the in the literal sense, in the ritual sense it means to bow down. Gifts they bowed down and worship, and what they were showing is reverence to him. Why were they showing reverence to Jesus? Because to worship means to show reverence to men, not just because, but to people and to beings more specific. Why do we worship Jesus? We worship Jesus for who He is. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[a] for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: 23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:21-23 God came down to us and that is Immanuel. God with us. So we worship Jesus for who he is. We worship Jesus for what He has done. 9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News. Timothy 1:9-10 NLT He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the good news. We worship Jesus for what He will do. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT He has started a good work in us and He is faithful to complete it. Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]— Ephesians 3:20 AMPC This is infinitely beyond our highest praise, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams. God is able to do far more than what you can. Having said that, having looked at everything that Jesus does for us and who He is, in light of this, in light of this we bring Him a gift, because we are a gift. How? We give ourselves to Him. You see, Jesus wants your heart. And so when we say how do I make way for the king? You bring Jesus a gift. What is the gift? You are the gift. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 NKJV Under submission to him, it is to make way for the king. It’s to make way for Jesus in my heart and in my life and so today as we really celebrate the birth of Jesus, I want you to think about more than just what Jesus did for us.

The Gift Part 3

Leave a Comment / Sermon Summaries / By NewSeasonAdmin

10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 NLT Gold Gold represents Jesus as King. Gold was a scarce and valuable measure of wealth. Because of its scarcity and immense value, gold was particularly associated with royalty and nobility. By bringing a gift of gold, the wise men showed that they did indeed consider Jesus a king. Jesus is a King like no other. Human kings follow the ways of the world, not the ways of Jesus. So it’s really an anomaly, a contradiction because right away, we think of those aspects of earthly kings — power, wealth and force — and make that Jesus’ way. For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 1 Timothy 6:15 NLT No one predicted that Jesus would be a king like no other. His unusual birth place made people think that He would not defy the odds and become the King of all kings. There can be no question but that Christ is set before us in Scripture as a king. The very title Christ or “Messiah” suggests kingship, for though the priest is spoken of as “anointed,” and full explanation of the title as applied to Jesus must take account of His threefold office of prophet, priest and king, yet generally in the Old Testament it is the king to whom the title is applied. Ultimately, Jesus is the supreme authority over all the kingdoms in this world. 3 responses to Jesus as King Herod opposed Jesus as King. (Nobody tells me what to do) This idea stems from a spirit of rebellion Jewish priests dismissed Jesus as King. (Disinterested) We see this still today because there many who will still not acknowledge Him as King The Wisemen bowed to Jesus ask King (Surrender to Him) The wisemen developed a posture of worship Christ is king of truth, king of salvation; king of grace; king of peace; king of righteousness; king of glory; king eternal; king of saints, king of the ages; king of kings.

The Gift – Part 1

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Frankincense 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11 NLT Frankincense symbolised priestly nature of Jesus as high priest. Setting him apart from a typical king. When the wise men gave the infant Jesus a gift of frankincense, it also symbolized the gift of our devotion to spiritual truth and to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Priests: Made sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins Prayed prayers on behalf of the people to God If we don’t understand the holiness of God. We will always have a casual approach to sin. Two things that every human being absolutely must come to understand are the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. These topics are difficult for people to face. And they go together: if we understand who God is, and catch a glimpse of His majesty, purity, and holiness, then we are instantly aware of the extent of our own corruption. When that happens, we fly to grace—because we recognize that there’s no way that we could ever stand before God apart from grace. The sacrifice satisfies God’s justice and at the same time extends mercy. 10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Hebrews 10:10-12 NLT | We are made holy by the sacrifice of Jesus. He is not just a distant saviour, Jesus feels sorry for us 14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:14-15 NLT Jesus is a high priest that understands and cares. In His role as high priest, Jesus delights in understanding us. He considers it a joy to carry our cares and understand our wounds. This isn’t a job to Him; it is His nature. It pleases Him to serve us in feeling our feelings and knowing our cares.2 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. Hebrews 4:16 AMPC

Choices – Part 5

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I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV Successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally. Our habits will make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. – Sean Covey 3 Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. 4 Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. Daniel 6:3-4 NLT But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Daniel 6:10 NLT Daniel developed an attitude of habit. We should never underestimate how God can do something big through one small habit. Based on who you want to become, what one habit do you need to start? What systems do you currently have in place. How to create a habit The process = Trigger > Action > Reward Make it obvious Make it easy Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress. We are not successful when we hit our goals somewhere in the future. We are successful when we’ve honoured God today. Some of us have created bad habits in our lives. So how do we break a habit so that we become who we want to be? We rarely end at the wrong place because of one decision. So get rid of every filthy habit and all wicked conduct. Submit to God and accept the word that he plants in your hearts, which is able to save you. James 1:21 GNB How do we break a habit Acknowledge it You cannot defeat what you have not defined Remove the trigger (make it difficult to do) 14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. 15 Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. Proverbs 4:14-15 NIV Triggers Place Time Mood Moment People Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm Proverbs 13:20 NIV The most important people in your life should be people that challenge you to grow and advance Interrupt the action The habits you build today will shape who you are tomorrow. Do you like who you are becoming?

Choices – Part 3

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I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 Making God honouring choices What does it mean to honour? It means placing a weight on something. Making it a premium. God desires that we all make decisions that honour Him and bring Him glory. And He waits for us to come to Him and ask Him for His wisdom. 4 Steps to making God honouring choices 2. Seek Godly counsel Wise counsel helps us navigate options, make decisions, take actions, and respond well in situations and relationships. Thankfully, God offers wise counsel through multiple means. The bible calls us to seek godly counsel. Nobody has monopoly on wisdom Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. 2 A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart. Proverbs 18:1-2 Sources of Godly counsel Family and those around you People in Church that have wisdom in that area Pastors and spiritual leaders The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. Proverbs 12:15 Wisdom = listening more carefully when people in these spheres disagree with us 3. Do what you want What do you want to do? Isn’t it amazing that we get to ask this question? What do you want to do? What desires has God given you? What makes you happy? What brings you joy? What excites you? God will be with you every step of the way. You’ll be doing God’s will. In fact, you will have found God’s will. “For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Every Godly decision requires faith. Psalm 37:4 4. Build your faith If you make decision without God’s input, it means we’re putting faith in ourselves. We can pursue wisdom and God may still lead us to the cross. A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9 30 There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord. 31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle, But deliverance is of the Lord. Proverbs 21:30-31

Choices – Part 2

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We need to ensure that God is central in our lives and integrate Him into all the parts of our lives. From the initial decision to become a believer, to a desire for a holy life, and including the big and small decisions of daily life, the Holy Spirit can be depended upon for guidance in our choices. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 You have two options everyday, life or death – choose life because that is good. Surely if given the option of life and blessings or death and curses, we would naturally and enthusiastically choose life! But the command: “Choose life” is more than a decision to keep on breathing How do we make God honouring choices? God lavishes grace and mercy on us in overwhelming, heaping amounts, and he does so freely for His children. We are going to have to make decisions in life. There’s just no getting around that. The problem with making God honouring choices is that we are spoilt for choice. The choice that we make today will affect what we walk in tomorrow. What are the roadblocks to making God honouring decisions We get paralyzed because we think there’s a “Godliest” option We get paralyzed because we put too much pressure on ourselves We get paralyzed because were waiting for a sign from God Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 4 steps to making God honouring choices Believe God’s Word You cannot believe in God unless you trust what He says The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1:7 3 threads of God’s Word God’s gospel: Jesus has secured all the benefits and blessings of God, not you. The things that are most true about you can never be taken away regardless of the decisions you make. God’s sovereignty: He works all things according to the counsel of His will. In this new freedom, God is still sovereign over our wills. God’s mission Ask yourself if the decision you are about to make is going to make you fulfil the great commission.

Choices – Part 1

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Our lives are the sum total of our choices. We have all created our present situation by the choices we made in the past. If we chose to do nothing, then our situation reflects that. Recognizing that we live in a world of our own creation means that we are responsible. If we don’t like our life the way it is, then we are the ones responsible for making changes. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; Deuteronomy 30:19 We are not only saved by faith, we are called to a lifestyle of faith. A lifestyle of faith is a lifestyle of obedience. Faith in God is a choice, not a feeling. It is a decision to rely on God based on what he has revealed about himself through nature and in the Bible. Not an affection that fluctuates according to what we might infer about him from our momentary blessings or persistent adversities. If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; Isaiah 1:19 There is much power in our obedience to God. If God did not delight in obedience, the glory of sovereign grace might never be seen in its sin-conquering power. 38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42 We must decrease the distractions that keep us from the main thing. Good stewardship looks like fighting distraction as best you can. Push yourself. You may not be able to do what others can do, but God will only hold you accountable for the measure of grace given to you. 15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Ephesians 5:15-17 Not every good idea is a God idea. Go from saying “no” to many good things to saying “yes” to God (Best) things. Saying yes to God things means: Intimacy with God Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33 Intentional time of rest “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life 29Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you Matthew 11:28-29 A life dedicated to God I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 10:39

Glory Part 3

Leave a Comment / Glory / By NewSeasonAdmin

6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. 7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34: 6-7 (NLT) When you sow into the spirit you sow life not death. Faithful means to remain loyal and steadfast; that which can be relied on. God remains loyal and steadfast to His word. God is someone who can be relief on. But this pertains to us too- we are also called to being loyal. The more we are engrafted in Christ, the more we are reliable. The good news is that even when we are unfaithful in His faithfulness God will remain close to us. Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:1 (NLT) Resting in grace is the unmerited favour of God towards us that is in Christ Jesus. It gives us confidence and boldness. Grace not only initiates salvation, it is the arena in which the whole of the Christian life is lived. Nothing makes us as bold as saying “I am a child of God.” Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 2:3 (NLT) 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NLT) Let us learn obedience through suffering, and let us endure hardship with patient endurance in the place where the Lord has placed us so that we can join the army of Christ as a good and faithful soldiers and servants to our life’s end. For suffering is often the badge of honour of a faithful man or woman of God. If we as believers are not willing to endure hardship, we will never accomplish much for Jesus Christ. Accomplishing things for the kingdom takes a different level of consistency and sacrifice. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. 2 Timothy 2: 4 (NLT) 10 Therefore I [am ready to] persevere and stand my ground with patience and endure everything for the sake of the elect [God’s chosen], so that they too may obtain [the] salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with [the reward of] eternal glory. 11 The saying is sure and worthy of confidence: If we have died with Him, we shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny and disown and reject Him, He will also deny and disown and reject us. 13 If we are faithless [do not believe and are untrue to Him], He remains true (faithful to His Word and His righteous character), for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:10-13 (AMPC) When we fall, when we are faithless and do not endure, it does not change who God is – He remains faithful. Because God’s faithfulness is more than enough for us, we can draw near and rest in His presence.

Glory Part 2

Leave a Comment / Glory / By NewSeasonAdmin

5 Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:5-7 Longsuffering God’s long-suffering—His patience—is grace to us. While we yet live, we have an opportunity to trust Christ in repentance and faith. God is exercising his restraint from receiving payment for our debt If we don’t understand His character we won’t understand what grace really means. Why is this important? 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:20-23 Because every one of us are in sin and in debt to God – we have a spiritual debt that is so deep we will never be able to get out of it. The good news is that Jesus repurposes our debt. He has redeemed us. God’s forebearance delays the payment of the debt. God is not seeking to wrathfully avenge; rather He desires all to come to repentance. Gods forebearance shows His patience with us. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:7-11 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 2 Peter 3: 9-15 11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 We should be encouraged by God’s patience and return to him in repentance.

Glory – Part 1

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In order to have a personal relationship with God, we need to understand His character. That means knowing His attributes. How does He define Himself? His character is revealed from Genesis to Revelation. Developing our understanding of His character occurs when we meticulously read Scripture and contemplate the essential Bible study question: Who is God? The Bible clearly states how God defines Himself. Let how God defines Himself challenge your conception of Him. 4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” Exodus 34:4-7 There is a tension that we must deal with in God’s attributes. How can God be the kind of God who punishes sin and one who abounds in lovingkindness? Wrestling with this tension helps us grow in appreciation for the finished work of the cross. God is gracious, compassionate, full of love and faith but also too righteous to overlook sin, wickedness and rebellion. Romans 3:26 | It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus. For all the Glory Moses saw he wasn’t allowed to see God’s face. God’s glory revealed in the law was incomplete – it contained an unresolved tension, which is why the glory revealed in the gospel far surpasses it. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory”—the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And that’s something Moses could never say. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 The light, knowledge, and glory are reflected “in the face” of Christ. Rather than man being assigned virtues, or work, God intended us to seek a relationship with His Son. 7 Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9 If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10 For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11 And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a] the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:7-18