It's Not About You (2 Cor. 3:18)

Throughout 2 Corinthians 3, Paul offers his commentary on this incident. Notice verse 7: “But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was” (emphasis mine). Verse 13 says that we “are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away” (emphasis mine). 

Moses was in the presence of God for a limited time, thus the glory of God faded. Christians, however, abide in the presence of God forever; and the glory never fades. Verse 18 proclaims “with unveiled face” we are beholding “the glory of the Lord.” It is a privilege to receive Christ because in Him we behold the glory of God continually.

Moses understood that leading the people on their journey was impossible without the presence of God. Thus, in Exodus 33:15 he says, “If Your presence does not go [with us,] do not lead us up from here.” The lesson is powerful: Having God is better than having what God gives. Seeing God in all His glory is the primary goal of worship. It’s not about how we do or don’t feel. The privilege of Christianity is God Himself. Beholding His glory must be our agenda.

Our tendency to make worship about ourselves is not new. Verse 15 of 2 Corinthians 3 describes the religious leaders of Jesus’ day this way: “But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart.” In other words, you can’t see the glory of God and worship yourself at the same time. Verse 16 presents a better alternative: “whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” Focusing our hearts on Christ is the key.

Beware of subtle diversions that diminish God rather than exalt Him. We trivialize God when:

• we evaluate the worship of others rather than express worship ourselves;

• we seek to attract people rather than God;

• we esteem our importance as more valuable than His presence;

• we no longer stand in awe of His glory because we think we comprehend all there is to know about Him;

• our greatest concern is making people comfortable when we worship.

The real question is not what do we think of God, but what does God think of us?

Pastor Bob Russell offers a helpful analogy about the heart of worship: “The University of Kentucky basketball team won the national championship a couple of years ago. A few days later there was a celebration in the Rupp Arena to honor the team. The audience cheered wildly for each player when he was introduced. The fans carried banners. They painted their faces and proudly wore blue-and-white outfits. They tried to get autographs. Not one fan walked away saying, ‘That event was a dud. It did nothing for me.’ The event was a success, not because the performance was great (they didn’t play basketball at all) or the players’ speeches were inspiring (most of them weren’t very good speakers), but because everyone understood why they were there. The purpose was not to please the fans but to honor the team.