Veils That Prevail

Introduction: Exodus 34 tells about Moses going into the tabernacle. There God revealed His word to Moses and Moses would reveal God’s word to the people. After speaking to the people Moses would put a veil over his face. This was so the people would not see the glory of God fade from Moses face.

There were a lot of things the people of Israel could not see. They did not see the end of the Law of Moses, Jeremiah 31.31-32, Hebrews 8.13. It is this passage that the Hebrew writer uses to show that the Law of Moses was vanishing away. Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophet and nailing it to the cross, Deut. 21-22-23. They did not see Jesus as the author of a new covenant. They did not see Jesus as the author and finisher of our faith. They did not see that through Jesus all men would be saved, Acts 2.21, 39; 15.16-17. It would not be the physical but spiritual children of Abraham that would be saved. All of this they did not see because of their own heart, Isaiah 6.9-10.

Paul refers to a veil being worn by the Jews in 2 Corinthians 3.7-18. The veil was not put there by God but by themselves. There are many veils that prevail today that keep people from seeing the way of salvation.

I) The Veil of Tradition

A) Things handed down by custom.

B) The Pharisees taught their traditions in opposition to God’s Law, Matthew 15.2-3

a. What they taught were wrong, Matthew 15.6

b. God said to “honor father and mother”, Exodus 20.17

i. To honor means to respect and to value properly, to submit to, and to nourish.

ii. A wife is to honor her husband and the husband is to honor his wife; children are to honor their parents and likewise parents are to honor their children.

c. The Pharisees said that instead of honoring one’s parents; one could give a gift to the Lord instead.

d. They had canceled out the commandment of God, Matthew 15.4-6.

C) Many would rather follow their own traditions rather than God’s Law, Colossians 2.8.

a. They value their family traditions over the Bible. Whatever mom and dad were is what they will be.

b. Church doctrine and traditions becomes more important than the Bible.

D) Until one is willing to take the veil of tradition off their heart they will not see Jesus and His word as the way of salvation.

II) The Veil of Prejudice

A) The Jewish leaders prejudged a lot of people – tax collectors, harlots, those from Galilee , and the Gentiles, Acts 10.28; 11.15-17

a. This was contrary to God’s law. Love your neighbor was not first instituted by Jesus but by God, Matthew 22.37ff

b. The prejudice prevailed in the early church as they had many of the same problems, Galatians 2.11-14

c. There is no place for prejudice in the heart of the Christians, Galatians 5.20.

d. Prejudice is a two edged sword that hurts but the one it is pointed at and the one holding it.

B) Many people are prejudice against the Word of God, Isaiah 1.18

a. They study with their minds already made up, Acts 28.25

b. Such prejudice blinds them to the truth and makes them fools, Proverbs 18.13

c. Thomas Payne criticized the Bible without ever reading it.

C) The veil of prejudice blinds many today. Matthew 13.14

a. Humanist often make fun of the Bible without ever trying to rightly divide the word of God.

b. Supposed Christians will argue their particular doctrine instead of “rightly dividing” the word of God.

c. The Bible is not to be misused and abused.

III) The Veil of Public Opinion

A) We are not immune from peer pressure and wanting to be accepted by other religions and our friends.

a. Many supposed scholars no longer believe the miracles in the Bible because of what others say.

b. They no longer believe what we would describe as the “facts” in the Bible. Seven days of creation, the flood during the days of Noah, tower of Babel , calling of Abraham, Joseph interpreting Pharaoh’s dream, parting of the Red Sea, walls of Jericho falling down, etc.

c. These are facts to be believed.

d. Some no longer believe commands of God are to be obeyed. Some have said a person can be saved while practicing sin. We are all sinners and in need of God’s grace.

e. Others believe the ends justify the means.

B) They are trying to please men instead of God, Galatians 1.10

a. The wish becomes father to the thought

C) God’s word is our light, 2 Peter 1.19

IV) The Veil of Worldly Wisdom

A) Bible is foolish to them

a. Rationalism, Proverbs 14.12

b. The world in its wisdom knows not God, 1 Corinthians 1.21

B) We must be willing to admit we know not God’s mind except by revelation

a. The veil of worldly wisdom blinds us to God’s wisdom. We will either consider the world wise and God foolish or the world as foolish and God as being wise.

b. We will listen to whichever one we consider to be wise.

C) We must be willing to cast off this veil if we are to see the beauty of God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

Conclusion: If you have allowed these veils to prevail you need to cast them off. They stand between you and salvation. Remove the veil and come to the Lord this day. 2 Corinthians 3.16-17 (This lesson was adapted from a sermon by F.O. White)

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