Day 7, January 9, 2021
2 Corinthians 3 - Today’s focus: Experiencing Him.
God is not to be understood, but a God to be experienced.
We need an encounter with Him!
Experiencing Him, we are changed or transformed!
Moses encountered God and was transformed. Moses came down with his face and hair glowing.
Jacob wrestled with God and was transformed. He came out with a limp.
Paul had the road to Damascus. He was changed from murdering Christians to writing the New Testament.
It’s about the glory of God coming down to us.
2 Corinthians 3:16-18 (NIV)
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.
People would go into worship and there was a veil so the people could not see clearly. Only the High Priest could go in once a year.
Jesus took care of that and now everyone has direct access to God with no veil.
God has a likeness. He has a face, an appearance or a look.
Ezekiel 1:1, 10, 28
1 In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Ezekiel saw God!
God had 4 faces! Human being, Lion, Ox and Eagle.
This is what God looks like. So this should be our desire to be like the 4 faces.
Some scholars say the 4 gospels show Jesus by 4 different faces.
The face of Lion. Boldness, anointing. God give me the face of a Lion.
The man. Represents relationships, the Gospel of Luke where it shows Jesus relating to humanity.
The face of an eagle. Possibly the Gospel of John. Dignity, honor, respect, excellence! I’ve never seen anything like this. I bow. I honor you. I want that in my life too. I want honor, discipline, dignity and respect.
The Ox is the servant - possibly the Gospel of Mark.. He’ll be your sacrifice or plow your fields. It’s not about me but it’s about you.
God will do a deep work on the inside of you! He will transform you! Let that be our prayer that God will work mightily in us, changing us to be more like Him.
