Audio Transcript
Pleased Friday. As we speak we’re taking over the subject of bodily look, as a result of the Bible speaks usually about bodily look. Scripture comprises dozens of references to bodily appears to be like — each to attractiveness and unattractiveness. These classes emerge all around the Bible, so there’s no must shrink back from this subject. We checked out many of those texts after we addressed this subject in APJ 1699. And since listening to that episode, which turned fairly common, we’ve gotten a number of follow-up questions, together with this from a listener named Sean.
“Pricey Pastor John, thanks for APJ 1699 — ‘Why Did God Make Me Unattractive?’ That episode was glorious. I’m wondering, although, should you may develop in your final paragraph, about the fantastic thing about Christ satisfying us regardless of the ache of rejection. In my youthful days, I usually lamented that I used to be not higher wanting. However now, I understand that I might have ruined my life a number of occasions over chasing relationships with ungodly ladies. I now see my common attractiveness is a large religious blessing that protected me from idols, and that drove me deeper into Christ as an alternative of into shallow patterns of life. I might not commerce that pleasure for attractiveness in 1,000,000 years.”
Simply listening to you articulate the query once more jogs my memory of what number of pimples I had after I was 14 and 15, and the way nervous I used to be round folks, and the way I so badly wished it to be in any other case. Now I share that very same amazement. I feel God spared me numerous junk by not letting me get on the quick observe to hassle.
One other Type of Magnificence
Nicely, anyway, that was a wonderful testimony. I like his testimony. And I take advantage of the phrase lovely after I say, “Isn’t that a wonderful testimony?” deliberately. That’s what we’re speaking about right here: magnificence. I might reasonably hear an individual say that from the guts than gaze on essentially the most lovely lady on the earth, or on essentially the most lovely mountain or lake.
Pure beauties — sure, they’re good. They’re not evil. They’re a present. We must always obtain them and see one thing of God in them. The whole lot good is a partial revelation of the all-satisfying God. However the fantastic thing about soul — the thoughts and the guts, a wonderful thoughts — that in a lot affliction or disappointment finds Jesus to be satisfying, that may be a great thing about one other type and a better stage. I like to see it. Simply listening to this query was an excellent pleasure to me. It was lovely.
Sean desires me to develop on the fantastic thing about Christ satisfying us regardless of the ache of rejection. I feel what is perhaps useful is to ponder 4 adjustments that must occur in our minds and hearts with a purpose to discover lasting satisfaction in the fantastic thing about Christ. I’ll identify them after which simply say a phrase about each.
- We have to shift our focus from the fantastic thing about the physique to the fantastic thing about character.
- We have to shift our focus from the sweetness that satisfies the physique to the sweetness that satisfies the soul.
- We have to shift our focus from magnificence because the world sees it to magnificence as God sees it.
- We have to shift our focus from magnificence in time to magnificence in eternity.
1. Fantastic thing about Character
First, we have to shift our focus from the fantastic thing about physique to the fantastic thing about character. Probably the most graphic illustration of the necessity for this shift is the looks of Jesus within the hour of his most lovely act. Isaiah 52:14 and Isaiah 53:2 say, “His look was so marred, past human semblance, and his type past that of the kids of mankind. . . . He had no type or majesty that we must always take a look at him, and no magnificence that we must always need him.” In different phrases, he not solely turned sin for us; he turned ugly for us. The ugliness of sin was accompanied by the ugliness of physique, so ugly in his torments that it was onerous to have a look at him. And but, at this good-news-creating second, he was, in one other sense, extra lovely than at some other time.
God, give us eyes. I feel that’s what Paul would say: “Give us eyes to see.” However Paul will put it like this: “the sunshine of the gospel of the glory [that is, the beauty] of Christ, who’s the picture of God.” That’s what we’ll see, in response to 2 Corinthians 4:4. The excellent news is the fantastic thing about Christ in the meanwhile of his best ugliness. That’s the shift of focus we want, from the fantastic thing about physique to the fantastic thing about Christ — Christ’s character, Christ’s love.
“All of us, women and men, want a deep shift of focus from great thing about physique to great thing about character.”
It’s not stunning when the Bible speaks to the fantastic thing about Christian ladies, for instance, with simply this emphasis. It says in 1 Peter 3:3–4, “Don’t let your adorning be exterior — the braiding of hair and the placing on of gold jewellery, or the clothes that you simply put on — however let your adorning be the hidden particular person of the guts with the imperishable magnificence of a delicate and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight could be very valuable.” Now, he’s not saying, “Ladies shouldn’t put on garments.” That’s ridiculous. I imply, he’s not saying, “Oh, don’t put on garments.” He’s not even saying they shouldn’t be engaging. He’s saying, “All of us, women and men, want a deep shift of focus from great thing about physique to great thing about character.” With out that, all our discuss the fantastic thing about Christ will likely be shallow.
2. Soul-Satisfying Magnificence
Second, we have to shift our focus from the sweetness that satisfies the physique to the sweetness that satisfies the soul. Now, the purpose right here will not be in regards to the magnificence we search to have in ourselves, however the magnificence we search to take pleasure in in others. This requires a profound change of coronary heart by the Holy Spirit. It comes naturally to us to take pleasure in attractiveness within the reverse intercourse, or lovely surroundings. There’s sufficient of the picture of God left in us that almost all fallen folks may even admire and revel in a wonderful act of sacrificial love and name it lovely. They see one thing lovely in sacrifice and love; they are saying, “That’s lovely.” But it surely requires a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit to see God in Christ as supremely lovely and subsequently satisfying.
It is a new type of satisfaction. It’s not bodily. It’s not the satisfaction merely of the eyes. It’s religious. The psalmist doesn’t have it by nature; that’s why he prays for it. He says, “Fulfill us within the morning along with your steadfast love” (Psalm 90:14). That is what God has to do. God has to fulfill us with God. Or Psalm 17:15: “Once I awake, I shall be glad along with your likeness.” Or Psalm 63:5–6: “My soul will likely be glad as with fats and wealthy meals . . . after I bear in mind you upon my mattress, and meditate on you within the watches of the night time.”
“To shift our focus from magnificence that satisfies the physique to magnificence that satisfies the soul, we should know God.”
To shift our focus from magnificence that satisfies the physique to magnificence that satisfies the soul, we should know God — actually know him, know him till he turns into the supply of all magnificence and the sum of all magnificence for us. Then we can style and see the fantastic thing about Christ.
3. Magnificence in God’s Eyes
Third, we have to shift our focus from magnificence because the world sees it to magnificence as God sees it. We reside in a time when TV and streaming providers and Fb and TikTok and Instagram and Twitter and texting and FaceTime and a digital camera in each pocket regularly throw into our faces the difficulty of appears to be like, appears to be like, appears to be like. The attraction is consistently to the rapid response of our eyes. It’s virtually all outward. Visible look and its rapid affect is held up as fascinating. However the deeper problems with character aren’t. Why? Nicely, as a result of it’s artistically more durable to depict character.
The attraction of character will not be instantaneous. Most individuals don’t actually have a clear sense of what character is. So the default is to feed the eyes, feed the eyes, feed the eyes. Feed the visible instincts, particularly of the boys. (Possibly not particularly of the boys. I don’t know what’s happening within the minds of girls; I’m not a lady. I’m a person, and I do know what they’re doing to me.)
First Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord sees not as man sees: man appears to be like on the outward look, however the Lord appears to be like on the guts.” We have to shift our focus from magnificence because the world sees it and reveals it to magnificence as God sees it and creates it. This can most likely require a major shift within the viewing habits of many Christians.
4. Everlasting Magnificence
Lastly, we have to shift our focus from magnificence in time to magnificence in eternity. If God created us with a homely exterior — we’re simply not good-looking or fairly — and in a world like ours, life has been more durable due to it, then we have to shift our focus and understand that this gentle momentary homeliness, which we name a lifetime, is nothing in comparison with the eternity of magnificence we’ll take pleasure in (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Right here’s 1 John 3:2: “Beloved, we’re God’s kids now, and what we will likely be has not but appeared; however we all know that when he seems we will be like him, as a result of we will see him as he’s.” Which implies at the very least, Jesus says, that we “will shine just like the solar within the kingdom of [our] Father” (Matthew 13:43). Lastly, the fantastic thing about Christ will likely be not solely what we see however what we’re, and we will likely be supremely glad in him.
