Let the Spirit Lead

 

Read 2 Corinthians 3

Paul talked about the glory of the Old Covenant and the Law that came through Moses. Moses had been in the presence of God, and he veiled his face because the people were not ready to look upon one who had been in God's presence.

The Law that came through Moses was glorious but could only show us that we were dead in our sins. Its actions only mitigated the evil in our hearts, but the glory that comes through Christ has surpassed the glory of the Law so much so that there is no comparison.

Jesus wants a wholesale exchange of our hearts of evil for hearts of love.

Listen to where Paul goes next.

 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 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. 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. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

To this day, people see the rules established by God without seeing the heart of God. They have checklists but do not understand the divine intent. In the vernacular of 2025, Paul was saying, “Prove you’re not a robot.”

We don’t just go through the motions. Jesus has opened our eyes to the divine love of God. He has brought us from death to life and is with us to the end of the age. He is with us in the Spirit of God that lives within us.

People ask me, “How to you make one person out of three?”  They are referring, of course, to the God in three persons verbiage by which we know the Trinity of God.

The answer is that we can’t make one out of three, but we can understand God, who is very much beyond our understanding, manifest to us in three different persons. It’s still one God but revealed to us as Father, Son, and Spirit.

So when Jesus said that he would be with us to the end of the age, he is very much present in the Spirit that lives within us.

And Jesus, the Spirit, and every part of God that we know intimately are working to transform us. We don’t hide from the glory of God. We desire it. We seek it. We want to live a life worthy of the calling that we have received.

The law will not transform us. It will show us that we have no standing before God on our own merits. He made us good and we made a mess of it. The law will show us that, but it can only mitigate the evil in our hearts.

God, who lives within us, transforms us into his divine image. If we would just follow his lead…

But our own understanding says:

·       The law makes more sense.

·       I need to do something tangible for my salvation.

·       There’s got to be more.

We should celebrate a life led entirely by the Spirit of God; instead, we are showing off our acceptance letter to the School of Hard Knocks.  Yeah, I know the Spirit was leading me to do things God’s way, but…

Following the Spirit that he placed inside of us can lead to freedom—that’s a good one for this Independence Day weekend, peace, fulfillment, and pleasing God. Why would we resist that?

Life and Abundant life reside in following the Spirit’s lead. Why would we not want that?

Anxiety, fear, worry, and the things of the world that debilitate us are kicked to the curb when we follow the Spirit of God, who lives at our address now. That seems like a good trade, right?

If we follow the Spirit's leading, he will lead us to love-filled actions. Our love will make us known as followers of Jesus. Let the Spirit lead.

That’s the model we have be given. Let’s follow God’s Spirit.

Amen.