Restoring the Blessing: Remove the Veil - Part 2 - David Mitts

Note: There is no audio for this week, please enjoy prayerfully reviewing the notes for this powerful teaching

Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech, and 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. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person 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 liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:12-18 NASB)

Last week we began looking at what is between us and the Word of God working in our lives and saw it as the veil.  2 Corinthians tells us the veil is where? Over our heart.  It tells us that the reading of scripture is veiled to us through our humanity and how we know God.

Then, we see the veil is removed in Christ, in Messiah.  What exactly does that mean?  Well the scripture says the person turns to the Lord.  This is repentance.  One way of thinking of is that when we operate in self-sufficiency we do so with a veil.  Works centered life, our own efforts always come with a veil.

Why is that?  I think it goes back to shame.  Shame is at the root of rebellion.  Rebellion is rooted in wanting to do it my way.  I think deep down inside we know that my way is all about control.  We like to feel in control.  The problem with wanting to be in control is that we, at the same time “know” inside that we are part of something larger.  SO there is a conflict in us. Paul spoke it this way: Romans 7:15

¹⁵For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ¹⁶If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ¹⁸For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ¹⁹For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. ²¹I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. ²²For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. ²³But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ²⁴O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 7:15-8:2 (NKJV))

Control does something for our sense of feeling powerful to some extent.  It is self-worship.  When we turn to God, we acknowledging that He is the one who is the Source, not ourselves.  This moves us out of condemnation and shame-based performance.

This is an attitude of the heart.  When I received Messiah, Yeshua I made Him my Lord.  I chose to live for Him and by Him.  He became my God and replaced me as God.  I believe most of the struggles in our lives are from trying again to be in control. The reason we try to be in control is fear.

[14] Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.  (Hebrews 2:14-15 (NKJV))

Bondage or being bound to the fear of death, or if you like its twin, fear of failure, rejection, loss, embarrassment, feeling exposed, ridiculed, mocked, etc.  is our natural un-Messiah state.  It is a lifetime condition that places us in the role of victim.

This places a veil over our hearts.  You see the veil is what keeps us from seeing with an unveiled face.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB)

We can only be transformed when we remove the veil.  The veil isn’t a one-time salvation experience.  That is the strongest time initially.  BUT we want to be transformed from glory to glory!

So we have to deal with veil-tendency repeatedly.  I want to look at how the veil appears or manifests in our lives.

Self-protection.  Ultimately veils are worn to protect us.  In Islam, they veil the women to protect them.  From what?  Well I’m not Islamic so I can’t fully answer that but I think it is to protect the women from the impact of their beauty, their glory.

But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her [32] for a covering. (1 Corinthians 11:15 NKJV)

Women are beautiful visually. SO the veils act as a protection of that virtue. 

Like any gift though it can and is corrupted by lust

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV)

So the gift of God, a woman’s beauty is corrupted by lust and so it is veiled by the religious spirit.  Religion will try to deal with heart issues with veils.  A veil is a man constructed, shame based cover-up.

With Muslims, it is easy to see the veils.  But with us they are subtler.  Our veils are based inexperience.  We learn certain behaviors and thought processes that keep the Word of God from manifesting in our lives.

Yeshua spoke about this effect: making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." (Mark 7:13 NKJV)

Tradition, accumulated experience, nullifies the word of God.  Why is that?  Because the Word of God is living, active.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV)

Traditions, things we have figured out, even good things because they are made in our own image and not in God’s image become idolatry.

You see we like to figure out what we figure out and then do it over and over because we like to be in control.  Ultimately we still want to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The hidden promise of that tree is that we will be in control!!

That is what competes with the Word of God, nullifies it. 

Even when we learn the Word, we can nullify it through the veil of tradition.  Having begun in the Spirit, in life, we seek to be perfected in tradition, death!

This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3 NKJV)

This is the tendency of the veils.  The veils are an illusion of the flesh masquerading as the spirit.  It is formulas born of experience that seek to control and minimize presence.

Ultimately all formulas are about idolatry.  They substitute for a living relationship with God, a man created sentimental replacement which usually is because God has been reduced in that area of life.  God is always smaller when tradition is operating!

Usually we can tell we think about God when we look at how we treat people!!!!

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can [13] he love God whom he has not seen? (1 John 4:20 NKJV)

The way we treat people reveals how we feel and believe about God.

For example, if we sow finances sparingly, it’s because we truly do not trust God as being generous.  Now, because we don’t actually believe that God is generous, we have no faith for generosity to come into our lives and therefore because God responds exactly per our faith, we never prosper. 

Religion steps in tells us that is because we didn’t give enough.  So we form a tradition of giving to get.  Because it is rooted in unbelief and tradition, it doesn’t work and we get hurt.  The problem wasn’t our giving it was the veil over our heart!!  The veil nullified the very Word of God that we need to work.

You see God is NOT a formula!! He is an unveiled Presence, living and active!

So what do we do if we are stingy and broke?  Repent!!  Repent for the idolatry and the lack of trust in God’s love for you.  Then begin trusting Him by becoming generous!!~

Pray for the anointing of generosity and begin practicing it in every area, not just financially.  Become generous in forgiveness.  Become generous with your listening.  Faith comes by hearing, so practice generous hearing!

What other veils could be operating?

How about shyness?  What is shyness?  What is shyness protecting us from? 

How about the veil of work?  What do you mean isn’t work good?  Can be.  Can also be a cover-up for lack of intimacy!

How about the veil of???? You fill in the blank!

Veils are just where we have hidden ourselves from God, partaken of the false promise of the Tree of Good and Evil to be like God.

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