2024-05-12- Sunday School- Liberty and Power

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for mothers on Mother's Day. They then introduce the topic of liberty and power in the Holy Ghost. They discuss the establishment of the Corinthian church by Paul and the problems that arose within it. They mention Paul's disagreement with Barnabas and the importance of not falling out with God over disagreements. They mention a painful visit Paul made to the Corinthians and his efforts to reconcile with them. They then introduce the second letter to the Corinthians as a love letter of reconciliation. Good morning, everybody. Happy Mother's Day. There's two mothers in the school class this morning. Thankful for my mother. Thankful for my mother-in-law. And I'm thankful for my wife. She's a good, godly mother. Turn with us to liberty and power in your Holiness heritage this morning. We're going to talk about liberty. Go ahead and turn to Acts 18. We'll start there. This morning in your King James Bible. Our theme this morning says, the presence of the Holy Ghost gives us liberty in Him. The power and the glory of God is abundant and available to those who conform to His word. Golden text this morning is from 2 Corinthians 3 and 17 says, now the Lord is that spirit. That spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. The introduction reads this morning, a careful study of chapters 3 and 4 of Paul's second writings to the Corinthian church will reveal his doctrine of triumph and spiritual victory for Christians. Not just the leaders of the church were to have the liberty and the power of God, but all Christians. God does not want, nor does He execute His plans to cause failure. He is not the source of problems and faults. He knows that His people will experience problems and He therefore has provided a means that we can be set at liberty through the Holy Ghost. Then we will see the power and the glory set within our lives and our church bodies. As I said, we'll start in Acts 18 this morning. We've talked out of that before. But I wanted to back up just as a reminder and make a point in our lesson this morning. Paul established the church in Corinth around 51, 52 AD, something like that according to Bible scholars. He meets up with a couple that are tent makers, Brother Quentin, Aquila and Priscilla. They had been pushed out of Rome by the Emperor Claudius, as all the Jews were. And they found themselves in Corinth. Paul was not in Corinth to make money for his trade as a tent maker, but he was there, and the Bible says he was in the synagogue every Sabbath and taught that Jesus was Christ. But the Jews opposed this teaching, Brother Austin. We're told that Paul told them that the blood would be on their hands, that he was cleansed. He tried to tell them the truth. They wouldn't listen. He said, I'll go tell the good news to the Gentiles. When we pick up in Acts 18 and 7, if you want to read along with me, 18 and 7 says, And he departed thence and entered into a certain man's house, named Justice, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by vision. Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee, and no man shall sit on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. God told him that he had much people in this city, and I'm thankful that he did. So we learn that Paul established this Corinthian church, Brother Tim, and then he moved on after about a year and a half. And we've been reading what is known as the first letter to the Corinthians. It was prompted by the news from someone named Chloe, if you don't remember. There was problems in the church, and Paul wanted to address these problems to this church that he established. There was problems such as divisions. We've talked about it extensively, sexual immorality, idolatry, and other things. There was also problems that the Corinthians wanted to address themselves. They wanted Paul to...they asked him questions about things. And he also tried to encourage them and tell them how to rectify those problems in his first letter there. Apparently some had rejected his teachings, however, and the authority, and we read in the second letter that he had visited them. Bible scholars call this that painful visit that Paul had made, and Paul alludes to this visit in 2 Corinthians 2 and 1. If y'all want to turn there in 2 Corinthians 2 and 1. 2 Corinthians 2 and 1 says, But I determined this with myself that I would not come again to you in heaviness. For if I make you sorry, who is he then that maketh me glad? But the same which is made sorry by me. And I wrote this same unto you, lest when I came I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice, having confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears, not that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly to you. As great of a man Paul was, he couldn't please everyone. A lot of the time when Paul did something for God, he faced opposition rather than support by many. Paul faced much hardship and even fell out with some of his closest brethren, Brother Quentin. After his conversion, if you want to turn with me to Acts 9 and 26, after that great conversion that Saul undertook and became Paul, it was Barnabas that vouched for him when the other apostles were afraid of him due to his past. We know that he was on his way to persecute the Christians. That was his mission. There was that great conversion experience where he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. We pick up there in Acts 9 and 26, it says, And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples. But they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way. And that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So naturally, Paul and Barnabas would become close brothers in Christ. They did a great work together. But on the heels of their second missionary trip, they had a disagreement. And we read about that in Acts 15 and 36. I know there's a lot of turning this morning, trying to slow down. I tend to go too fast. But if you do like to read along with me, Acts 15 and 36, it says, And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again, and visit our brethren in every city, where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with him John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the word. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder, one from the other. And so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus. And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches. Barnabas wanted John Mark to join them again, but Paul disagreed. And the Bible said that the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder, one from the other. And I thought, that's such a shame. These two brothers had a disagreement here, that they departed and separated one from another. But we've known that separation in our own lives, and living for God, that there's disagreements at times. We wonder here, who was wrong? Who was wrong in this situation? The Bible really doesn't really say whose side we should take. This was not a doctrinal issue. It was just a disagreement, that whether John Mark should go, or whether he shouldn't. And they found themselves at a disagreement there, and the contention became sharp. We're not told that either one of them fell out with God. Both of them, I believe, went on with the Lord, but they did a separate work. They couldn't agree on this matter, and one went one way, one went the other way. It could be that more was accomplished because of this separation. Romans 8 and 27 says, And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Barnabas and Paul was both called according to the purpose. So let's not fall out with God just because we don't see eye to eye with fellow brethren. There may be some time that me and Brother Tim might not see eye to eye on some things, but let's not fall out with God. I never anticipated a time that I would ever fall out with Brother Tim, but I surely don't want to fall out with the Lord. Let's do everything we can to mend a relationship like that. But our main focus, we cannot forget, is to win the lost for Christ. Where it really would have gone bad is if the Bible said, So Barnabas went to Cyprus and he started a campaign against Paul. Paul went to Syria and told the Syrians all about how bad Barnabas was and the decisions that he made and how he couldn't get along with him. But that's not my point this morning. But let's not, just because we may not see eye to eye with some people, let's go on with the Lord. Sometimes that can just be part of life. After this painful visit, however, Paul wrote another letter that we're not privy to, but he talks about it in 2 Corinthians 7 and 8. And after all these efforts from Paul, a lot of the Corinthian church repented. And Paul makes a point that godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of. But the sorrow of the world worketh death. This letter that we're getting ready to start, and we start in chapter 3, but it's what we call the second letter to the Corinthians. It's largely a love letter of reconciliation to that Corinthian church. And we will turn to 2 Corinthians 3 and 1 to start our text this morning. 2 Corinthians 3 and 1 says, Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you? Or letters of commendation from you? Paul asks the question, do I need a letter of condemnation? Not condemnation, don't get it messed up. Even when I was reading this, sometimes I would say condemnation in my head, but it's not condemnation, they're totally different things. Commendation is rather recommendation, a letter of recommendation. If you seek a job, if I sought a job, Brother Tim, I might go to you and say, could you write a letter of recommendation on my behalf? And hopefully he would write a good one and recommend me for a certain position. You might go to a previous employer and say, hey, would you recommend me, write a letter of recommendation or commendation. We would usually say recommendation now, but it would mean the same thing. That is what Paul is speaking of here. Should Paul need a letter of recommendation to the Corinthian church? We just made the point that Paul established this Corinthian church himself at Justice's house, so why would he need a letter of commendation or recommendation? It was common in this time that I've read, I believe for a disciple, or as we would maybe call an evangelist, to come to a city with a letter of recommendation or commendation. They didn't have cell phones back then, but I thought maybe Brother Rodney Selfridge might call our pastor, Brother Tim, and say, hey, I just had a great revival, this brother come along and he preached so well and I think he would be a great help in y'all's church. And that would be like a letter of commendation or a phone call of commendation for this brother. I think Brother Tim would really appreciate that because we love Brother Rodney and we would take his recommendation. But if a man showed up to our church unknown and he wanted to hold a revival and he went to Brother Tim, we don't have a clue who this man is and he just comes in and he wants to hold a service or a revival, I doubt Brother Tim would put him behind the pulpit. Actually I know that he wouldn't do that. We would have no idea what he might bring or what he might say. He might just be looking for a money grab. It was the same way back then, I'm sure. If he showed up looking to preach at a synagogue or a church that Paul might have established and you expected a pay for that revival or whatever you would want to call it back then, it would go a long ways if you had a letter to present from Paul as a commendation. So that would go a long ways. But why would Paul need such a letter? I thought, you know, to make maybe an analogy, Paul establishing this church and then saying why would he need a letter of recommendation? It would be the same as if, say, Brother Quentin, your house was on fire and y'all was held up and stuck in your bedroom and a firefighter came in and busted the door down and miraculously took y'all out and got y'all and set y'all out in safety. And then you would turn around and say, well, wait a minute, I need to see your credentials. Are you really a firefighter? You know, it would be just that ridiculous that Paul would need a letter of commendation. So he says, you know, do we begin again to commend ourselves or need we as some others epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? And then verse 2 says, ye are our epistle, a letter, you are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men. Paul says, ye are our letter, written in our hearts, the proof is in the pudding, you are the letter of commendation that we would need. So what is our response, I thought, when a man says something like, I tell you, I just don't know if it was the Lord's will that Gospel Light Holiness Church was established down at Clarkson, Kentucky. I don't know if that was the right thing to do. I would point them to us. I would point them to our experience and the experiences we've had here. I'd point them to a letter written in Brother Austin's living room when my son was preaching about Jonah, and God began dealing with me about preaching his word and how I fought God in the back of Brother Austin's bedroom back there, and God began to deal with me about preaching his word, and I thought, God, and I remember saying, God, nobody would ever listen to a man like me, and he pressed and pressed until I had to go to Brother Tim and tell him what God was laying on my heart. I'd point them to a letter on a Sunday morning when I wasn't here to hear the letter read aloud, but I was at work with my wife, and my mom called me and told me that God had saved her, and I would point people to that letter, and I hope there's a follow-up, and I've been praying for a follow-up to that letter. I'd point some skeptic to another letter written on a Sunday morning where it looked like the letter was going one way, but God started going off script, and he started writing personally to a couple of little girls, and it went straight to their heart. Two best friends, Haley and Callie, and how they found a friend in Jesus that morning. I'd point people to that letter. I'd present another letter when we had a church full of people, but God sent a man from another church to write his letter to a little girl named Presley Cruz Quackenbush, a little lost girl in a broken home, and people would say, you know, a letter like that would go over a girl's head, but God knows just how to write a letter to a little girl just like that. And, Brother Tim, I love that letter. I could read it over and over again. I'd point people to that letter. When there's skeptics out there that says, I don't know about gospel at a homeless church, there's been letter after letter after letter written in this church and written on our hearts. There was a letter that seemed like God just didn't want to wrap up one day, and he kept writing, and Sister Hannah Taylor came up to the author and got help. I love that letter. You know, every time I see her come in, I just see more of that letter being written, and I love that letter. I could read it again and again. And there was a letter where Brother Tim was sick, and he'd been sick for a while, and God wrote through Brother Jameson, I'm going to take it. And I love that letter. There's been letter after letter written at Gospel Light Homeless Church. There was a letter one time when Brother Joseph was back here, and the Lord had moved on him to exhort, and that was a tremendous letter, and I'm thankful for that. There's many things that have been written right here, and I think that's what Paul is saying. In 2 Corinthians 3 and 3, it says, For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. Brother Ronnie, God may use men as his pen, but the ink is the Holy Ghost, and the paper is the hearts of his children. Jeremiah 31 and 33 says, But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Reading on in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, And such trust have we through Christ the Godward, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. Never kid yourself that you will one day be ready or sufficient to do a work for God. It will never be in yourself. If you're waiting until you feel able or fully equipped to do a work for God, you'll be waiting forever. I failed God many times just because I thought I wasn't able to do it, and I was looking at my own strength, but Paul says he wasn't sufficient either, but he looked to God for strength and to the Spirit of God. There's liberty and power in the Lord this morning. Paul didn't even think himself sufficient of his own, but if he was willing to be a tool in the Master's hand, he had all that he needed to do a work for God, Sister Glenda. Listen to these words of Jesus in Luke 12 and 11, if you want to turn with me there. Luke 12 and 11, Jesus' words, And when they bring you unto the synagogues and unto magistrates and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing you shall answer or what you shall say. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you ought to say. Put your trust in Christ to Godward. God isn't saying you've been so good, let me write a few letters of commendation, but our sufficiency is of God. There's liberty in the house of God this morning by His mercy and through His power. I don't know about you, but I feel liberated to know that Sunday school isn't based upon the knowledge of the teacher. It's not based upon my sufficiency or what I'm able to do. It would be a waste of time if I got up here, Brother Ronnie, and just told you everything that I know or experiences that I've had. But the sufficiency is of God. Sunday school is not a waste of time because we're reading the Word of God and there's anointing and power in the Word of God. I am not sufficient to teach based upon my knowledge and expertise. Moving on to 2 Corinthians 3 and 6. 2 Corinthians 3 and 6 says, Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament? Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. We are able ministers of the New Testament. This New Testament is God's covenant to man, His final will and testament. You may accept or reject God's plan of salvation, but you have no power to alter this plan. Many churches today are accepting God's covenant, but are trying to make amendments to fit their own lifestyle. This is that great falling away, Brother Ronnie, I believe it. There are churches like the Methodist Church, and I'm not up here to talk about other churches, but we all know that they're making amendments to support homosexuality in the Methodist Church. I thought, this is not God's covenant, this is not part of His covenant, so there is a falling away, and we're seeing it right before our eyes. Some men have enough sense to leave it. Christy stays with Benny Lou Hammonds, and they're Methodist. They don't believe in that, and they're looking for churches that don't believe in that way in the Methodist Church. I hear it all over. You hear everybody talking about it, even in the Methodist Church. A lot of churches are closing. People are trying to find places to go, but they're realizing, hey, this isn't supposed to be part of the New Testament, but they're going to another. A lot of people are going to another amended covenant that is known as the megachurches. They're catching all of these, and it's up to us, powered by the Holy Ghost. I believe holiness is right, to catch those that are falling away into those megachurches that are just going to find other problems, because the truth is, they are no better. Once these megachurches have caught all of these people, they too will accept homosexuality one day, because they want to hang on to these people. They wouldn't have a church full of just a few believers. They want big churches. It's money. There's money there. I know that there's probably some good people. Surely, there's some good people in these megachurches. Even in my continuing education class, it had nothing to do with the gospel. Of course, the teacher, he was talking about funeral homes, and he was saying that the new denomination is megachurches, and that that's a denomination. I never looked at a megachurch as a denomination. There are lots of people displaced right now, looking for the truth and looking for God. Wouldn't it be a shame on us if we don't even catch one of those that are misplaced that's looking for the truth? The megachurches catching one after another, the Church of Christ over here that I've been praying for, that I was raised up in, they were so strong in Church of Christ. They really did not like that I went to a honest church. They talked about me going to a foreign country and finding a woman. My uncle, not too long ago, witnessed to me as I was just a sinner because I'm at a honest church. He called me worried and invited me to his church that I'm praying for. He said, there's only like four of us over here now. He's got one foot in the grave. He's dying and he's seeing everybody leaving that church and they're going. It surprised me, but a lot of my aunts and uncles that were so strong in the Church of Christ, they've gotten misplaced about things that are going on over at that church. They went to a megachurch. They decided to go to the megachurch, but I thought it would be a shame if we didn't catch some of these and made an effort to these souls that are looking and searching. There are people going to stuff as silly as Scientology. I don't know a whole lot about Scientology, but what I do know, it's crazy. The person L. Ron Hubbard that started this, I think even just maybe back in the 70s, was a science fiction author. He started Scientology, but there's thousands, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions joining Scientology. It's crazy, but the thing is that there's people. We can win souls. There's people looking for something, and that's the good thing, and I want to catch some of these. For the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life. Paul is beginning to make a comparison between the law and grace here. The law killeth because it exposed man's sin. Turn with me to Romans 7 and 7, and we made this point last year sometime, but I think it's relevant here. Romans 7 and 7 says, Paul talking to the Romans, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet. But sin, taken occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law, sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taken occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. So what is Paul saying here? That the law killed me because it exposed my sin and let me know that I had done wrong. It exposed me, so therefore it killed me. The funny thing about a law is that it gets sin's nature's attention. It gets our attention, our nature. The fallen man is attracted to sin and law is exposed at sin. It makes us, sometimes, Sister Hannah, attracted to that very thing. Me and Camden was getting gas down here at Four Corners and there was a couple of signs on the door that said, this company has to put this sign up that cigarettes cause cancer. Something that I'm paraphrasing. But they have to tell people this will cause cancer, this can cause cancer. But you know, there's kids that are attracted to that because it's wrong and it's just sin's nature. It may cause some people to not want to do it, but there's kids that want to do something that's wrong. I remember being a kid, if my dad was smoking cigarettes and I knew it was wrong, it didn't matter to me. I wanted to be like him. I wanted to do something that was wrong for me. When my mom said, don't you ever do that, or my mamaw said, don't you ever smoke like your dumb papaw, boy, there's something in me that said, I'm going to do that. I wanted to do it. That's just, that's the way law can take an occasion in us. It will sometimes make that sin more attractive and take an occasion on us. And then we know that the wages of sin is death. But that's the very temptation. We see a sign that says, don't touch that. And we think, well, I didn't want to until now. You know, you go into like an antique store and you see something that's like, don't touch this. And then all of a sudden you're like, oh, I wonder what that feels like. And it's just about, that's just the way man is. And the Lord knows that. I thought something that I hate worse than anything is when I walk into a restaurant and I see a public hand sanitizer dispenser, Sister Glenda, and it's sitting right there. And then all of a sudden my hands just feel so dirty. And I didn't even realize it, you know, until I seen that. And I'm like, ooh, I need to, I need to wash my hands. And then I, I see that thing and then you see the little push thing and it's got dirt all over it because everybody else has done that. And you think, well, as soon as I hit it, you know, my hands will be clean. And you go and push it like everybody else did and it's empty and there was nothing in there. So now your hands are way far dirtier than it ever was. And you know, if you hadn't have, if you hadn't have touched it, you would have probably been a far better off. And it had nothing in it to cleanse me with. It stated that I should use this, but there was nothing in there to cleanse me. Now I'm way dirtier than I ever was. I'm exposed. My hands feel so much dirtier than they ever have been. Maybe that's a bad analogy. There's a movie industry that has a rating, the movie industry has a rating system, GPG, PG-13, R, NC-17, and so on. So it's guidance, parental guidance, parental guidance of 13, rated R. You have to be probably, I don't know what you're supposed to be at that age to watch that now. And then not for children under 17. We'll stop there. But guidance, I'd heard about this and I went back and read about it too, but guidance and parental guidance is just a wash. Nobody cares anything about that. Kids don't care, parents don't care, it's just fine for everybody. It's the PG-13 that they want to go for because if you have rated R, then the parents say, I'm not going to let my kids watch that. But PG-13, it's that middle ground where parents will allow it and the kids think that they're getting away with something. And they'll put enough cuss words and enough bad things in there and suggestive nudity or whatever to get that PG-13 rating. They want that because that's where they'll get the biggest audience. If they rate it PG, the kids don't even, they're like, oh, that's just kid stuff. I don't care about it. But they really feel like if they go to the movies and they watch something that's PG-13 and they're 10 years old, they're going to learn something that they shouldn't learn, that's forbidden. And that's man's nature and that's law taking an occasion on us. That may be a better example. The law exposes sin without a cure. Jesus is the cure. Turn with me to Romans 8 and 1. I feel like Paul explains it best here to the Romans. Romans 8 and 1 says, there's therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For the law, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, and that it was weak through the flesh, God sent in his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Let's move on to 2 Corinthians 3 and 7. 2 Corinthians 3 and 7 says, but if the ministration of death, written and engraved in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away? The law has some strong words here for the law, calling it the ministration of death or the assistance or ministry of death, the law, the ministration of death. But he also acknowledges that there was glory in it. It did come from God. Turn with me to Exodus 19 and 16. There were many mighty things going on at Mount Sinai when God was given the old covenant and the old law. I don't think anybody can doubt that there was some mighty things, some glory going on there. Exodus 19 and 16, and we'll skip a little bit, says, and it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God. And they stood at the nether part of the mount, and Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace. And the whole mount quaked greatly. And if we skip down to Exodus 34 and 1, maybe even more miraculous was on Moses face himself. Exodus 34 and 1 says, And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew the two tables of stone like unto the first, and I will write upon these tables the word, the words that were in the first tables, which thou breakest and be ready in the morning and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai and present thyself there to me in the top of the mountain, the mount. God gives Moses this covenant that we often refer to as the two commandments of these tables and skip down to verse twenty nine with me. Thirty four twenty nine. We'll skip there for time's sake. And it came to pass when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wished not that the skin of his face shown while he talked with him. And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shown and they were afraid to come now. And Moses called to them and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned to him and Moses talked with them. And afterward, all the children of Israel came down and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him in the Mount Sinai. And till Moses had done speaking with him, he put a veil on his face. But when Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he took the veil off until it came out and he came out until he came out and he came out and spake into the children of Israel that which has commanded he was commanded and the children of Israel saw the face of Moses that the skin of Moses face shown and Moses put the veil upon his face again until he went in to speak with him. So after Moses meets with God and receives this this old covenant, his face shown to the point that Aaron was afraid and Moses put a veil over his face. I would say that that was a pretty glorious event. Sister Hannah, the top of Mount Sinai was on fire and smoke surrounded as God descended upon it. And the Bible said the whole Mount, the whole mountain quaked. And now a man's face was lit up and he had to put a veil over his face just because he was in the presence of the Lord. But let's turn back to Second Corinthians three and eight. Hopefully you had your place there. Second Corinthians three and eight says, How should not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious for the ministration of condemnation be glory? Much more does the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excels. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech. And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. This is could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. Paul makes a point here that our text in Exodus really didn't mention there was an end to Moses's face being lit up. It was a fading glory. At some point, Mount Sinai stopped quaking. Surely God ascended back to heaven. It was no longer up in smoke like a furnace. Moses's face went back to normal at some point. And Paul is saying that the second covenant shall never fade away. Turn with me to Matthew 2750 and let's read what happened when God's second covenant was fulfilled. This is the covenant that will not fade away. Matthew 27 and 50 says Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom. And the earth did quake and the rocks rent and the graves were open. And many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves, graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many. There are a few similarities here between the old and the new covenant. Jesus was there. There was a veil. There was even an earthquake, Brother Austin. But the major difference was the resurrection power. It was the most glorious event this world will ever know. It made man accessible to God, the final sacrifice that never fades away. Never again will a man need to find a spotless lamb, take it into his house for four days and present it to a priest for a sacrifice. Never again will a man face temptation alone with no way of escape. For God is now our refuge and strength. We no longer have to face our adversary with our own might and our own strength. This help does not fade like the light that shone on Moses's face. But what about the Jew and the Gentile that refuses to believe in the second covenant? Second Corinthians three and 14 says, But their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses read the veil is upon their heart, there are still those that will not believe in the second covenant that we abide in today. They're either blinded and bound by the law of Moses and tradition or they have made up their own way. Sometimes it's good to hold on to traditions, Brother Ronnie. Some people abandon their traditions too quickly. But if those traditions aren't biblical, we need to change some things. I've tried to bring my dad into holiness. I tried to explain to him the Holiness Church. He went to a church one time and and I tried to explain it to him. And his response was, I'm Church of Christ because I was raised that way. My mom and dad is Church of Christ. He compared it to the fact that he would never drive a Chevy. He's always going to be a Ford man. He's always been a Ford man. His dad was a Ford man. He'll never drive a Chevy. That's not a tradition that we need to hold on to. That's not the thought that we need to base our biblical teachings on. Tradition can get us into trouble. But Jesus came to bring liberty to all men. Jesus is the only way. John 14, 1 through 6 says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. And whether I go, you know, in the way you know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest. And how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the father, but by me. Remember, this is God's covenant. It can be accepted. It can be rejected, but it cannot be altered. John 10 and 1 says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same as a thief and a robber. Second Corinthians 3 and 16, trying to move along. Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. When you turn to the Lord and acknowledge who he is, you have access to this freedom. That is Christ Jesus. Jew or Gentile, young or old, black or white. First Timothy 2, 3 and 6 says, 3 through 6 says, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men. The man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time, who will have all men to be saved. He paid a great price. It was enough to cover every man's sin. Second Corinthians 3 and 17. Now the Lord is that spirit. And where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, liberty. Eleutheria is the Greek. D.O. Moody says, I kind of like this, illustrated this point by quoting an old former slave woman in the South following the Civil War. Being a former slave, she was confused about her status and asked, Now is I free or been I not? When I go to my old master, he says I ain't free. And when I go to my own people, they say I is. And I don't know whether I'm free or not. Some people told me that Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation, but master says he didn't. He didn't have any right to. Many Christians are confused on the same point. Jesus Christ has given them an emancipation proclamation. But their old master tells them they are still slaves to a legal relationship with God. They live in bondage because their old master has deceived them. Paul tells the Galatians in Galatians 5 and 1, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ had made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Stand fast in that liberty. Stand fast is an action. It's a verb. We have to protect this freedom through prayer and reading God's word or we will be deceived into the bondage. Once again, there is a spiritual warfare going on inside of all of us that we need to be aware of, Brother Austin, to live in the liberty that Jesus provided or to fall back into that bondage. Second Corinthians 3 and 18 wrapping up that we all with open face beholden as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are changed in the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. I like the part that says glory to glory, from glory to glory. This liberty is just one victory after another. Sure, there are trials and temptations. But James, who calls himself a servant of God, Brother Ronnie and the Lord Jesus Christ, writes the twelve tribes, my brethren, can it all joy when you fall in divers temptations, knowing this, that the trine of your faith work with patience, but let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. There will be trials and there will be temptations. But stand fast with Jesus because there's a changing process going on that's from glory to glory, not glory, backslide, glory, fall into temptation, back to glory, back to backsliding, then to glory again. We can stand in the liberty of Christ, beholding the glory of the Lord being changed into the same image from glory to glory. First Corinthians 15, one more of a brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also you have received and wherein you stand, by which also you are saved. Remember the theme of the lesson this morning. The power and the glory of God is abundant and available to those who conform to his word. Let's stand fast in this liberty, conform to his word and enjoy the abundance of his glory. And let's give Jesus the final word this morning. John 12 and 26 says, if any man serve me, let him follow me. And where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, he will. He will. My father honor. Thank you. One a little more. Sorry.