“The Veiled Gospel”
2 Cor. 4:3-18
I. THE GOSPEL IS VEILED TO THOSE WHO ARE PERISHING.
1.) God's Physical Light is there for all mankind.
A.) In creation, God said: “Let Light shine out of the darkness.”
aa.) The creation of physical light into this world was miraculous.
aa-1.) When God said: “Let there be light it was no small thing.
aa-2.) The bringing of physical light into this world brought an end to chaos and nothingness.
aa-3.) The bringing of light into this world meant for the first time that this world was no longer a dead blob in the middle of space.
aa-4.) The bringing of light meant that for the first time ever life could exist and thrive on this planet.
aa-5.) Anyone on this earth can enjoy the presence of this light.
2.) God's Spiritual Light is also there for all who would choose to see it.
A.) God's offer is an offer that is all-inclusive offer.
aa.) John 3:16
aa-1.)“For God so loved the WORLD”
aa-2.) “WHOEVER believes”
ab.) Rom. 5: 18-20
ab-1.) “Justification that brings life for all men.”
ab-2.) “The many will be saved.”
B.) God's desire is that all would come to receive this spiritual light through Jesus Christ.
ba.) 2 Pet. 3:9
3.) The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers.
– 2 Cor. 4:3-4
A.) They cannot see the Light of the Gospel.
aa.) The Gospel reveals the Glory of Christ.
ab.) “Who is the image of God.”
B.) If the Gospel reveals the Glory of Christ,
and the Glory that is present in Jesus Christ comes from the fact that He is the Image of God, then Satan is going to blindfold as many as he can to the light of the Gospel message
C.) We must notice a specific title that Paul has assigned to Satan:
ca.) “The god of this age.”
cb.) God Almighty is the God of eternity.
cc.) Yet in this present age, and this present world, Satan has a great deal of authority, even though it is temporary authority.
cc-1.) Satan is going to promote disbelief, disobedience, hypocrisy, deception, worldliness, and anything else he needs to promote to blind the minds of unbelievers.
II. THE VEIL OF THE GOSPEL IS REMOVED THROUGH CHRIST.
1.) Because Christ removes the veil, Paul made Christ the subject of his preaching.
A.) 2 Cor. 4:5
B.) The previous verse sounds pretty discouraging.
ba.) It sounded pretty hopeless for a sinner if Satan has blindfolded them so they cannot see God's glory.
bb.) But as powerful as Satan is, praise God, that Jesus Christ can more than remove the blindfolds of Satan.
bb-1.) That is why the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so important.
1.) God made His light shine into our hearts.
– 2 Cor. 4:6
A.) He gives us the knowledge of the glory of God.
2.) Through the saving work of Jesus Christ, God again says: “Let light shine out of darkness.”
A.) The creation of spiritual light or discernment in a person is no less of a miracle than the creation of Physical light into this world.
aa.) We will often look at a person's spiritual awareness of the
presence of God as good, but not really anything of great or miraculous significance.
ab.) The reality though is for an individual to have this spiritual openness, God has had to
perform a miracle within that
person.
ac.) It is a miracle because it brings an end to a world of nothingness,
and chaos in a person's life.
ad.) It is a miracle, because The light of God brings a person from merely breathing and go through life, to actually being alive as God desires us to be.
B.) The Knowledge of the Glory of God comes in the Face of Jesus Christ.
III. THE REMOVING OF THE VEIL IS THE WORK OF GOD AND NOT US.
1.) “We have this treasure [of the Gospel] in jars of clay.
--2 Cor. 4:7
A.) To show this all-surpassing power is from God and not us.
B.) We are the messengers, but God through His word brings the results.
– Rom. 1:16
ba.) On one occasion, Paul spoke of individuals who were preaching Christ from false motives.
ba-1.) Even in this, Paul could rejoice because that message of the Gospel brings salvation.
C.) Paul speaks of his own trials in ministry:
--2 Cor. 4:8-9
aa.) Hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed.
ab.) Perplexed, but not abandoned.
ac.) Struck down, but not destroyed.
2.) We always carry around in our body, the death of Jesus.
– 2 Cor. 4:10-11
A.) So that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
B.) Paul recognized his own frailty, and each of us can also recognize our frailty
ba.) In many ways each of us are very fragile.
bb.) Every day we carry the death of Jesus. Every day we are coming closer to the day of our own deaths.
C.) Just as we are frail, and will one day die, that treasure we carry (the Gospel) will never die, but will give life to those who receive it.
3.) When the veil of the Gospel is removed, we are given a picture of life, not just here and now, but life eternal through Jesus Christ.
A.) 2 Cor. 4:12-18
