Sermon Snippet – The Beauty of God
INTRODUCTION – Throughout the decades, I have regularly preached about the beauty of God. It is a spiritual beauty, a moral attractiveness. It is a characteristic of God, one of His divine perfections. Let us consider this subject in relation to the work that has been done here in this place of worship.
1. GOD IS BEAUTIFUL
This fact is the beginning point of our understanding of spiritual beauty. John 6:44 tells us that it is God Who draws us to Himself, Who attracts us. We do not seek Him based on our beauty. II Chronicles 20:21 confirms that to “praise the beauty of holiness” is to “praise the LORD.” Although there is no doubt that the glory of God is physically (and overwhelmingly) attractive, this is not His emphasis. Isaiah 53:2b says of Jesus, God the Son, in His Incarnation that “He hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.” The Savior chose to be plain in appearance in order not to obscure His beautiful message of salvation and eternal life. God is beautiful, drawing us to Him.
2. A BEAUTIFUL SANCTUARY IS CONSISTENT WITH GOD’S BEAUTY
The early Church met in homes, some of which were undoubtedly quite simple. Most of those Christians were very poor (even slaves), yet the Church grew. When persecuted, Christians have gathered to worship in caves, catacombs, and forest glades. Still, we are drawn to beautiful places of worship. The Old Testament Tabernacle was both a practical and pleasurable place, movable to meet the needs of the nomadic Israelites and distinctive in its construction, based on God’s specific building instructions (Exodus 25-31, 35-40). Thus, it reveals the orderly mind of God (“Let all things be done decently and in order” – I Corinthians 14:40), a truly beautiful aspect of God. Chaos and chance do not rule the universe; God does. Psalm 96:6 tells us that this building is “His sanctuary.” We are to “worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2 – His “beauty of holiness,” as we have already seen from II Chronicles 20:21). Psalm 27:4 is David’s desire of the heart: “One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire [meditate] in His temple.” Had we been financially unable to do needed work in this sanctuary, we could still have met, and God would be glorified in our faithful worship. However, we did have resources, and a more beautiful sanctuary is consistent with God’s beauty.
3. BEAUTIFUL BUILDERS ARE CONSISTENT WITH GOD’S BEAUTY
Both Ezra 7:27 and Isaiah 60:13 rejoice in the opportunity to “beautify” the sanctuary. Exodus 31:1-5 tells us not only that God specifically selected the talented craftsman Bezaleel to lead the construction of the Tabernacle but also that God “filled him with the spirit of God” (verse 3). In other words, it was spiritual work, just as spiritual as the God-ordained labor of the priests within the completed Tabernacle. Those who have created the beauty of this sanctuary are God’s beautiful builders.
CONCLUSION – Of course, work continues, and there is always maintenance, for we live in a sin-cursed world of decline and decay. The parallel to our spiritual lives is obvious. What will this labor accomplish? We do not know. Jesus could return today (“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”); if He does, this work is not wasted, for He will find us faithful. Perhaps future generations of Christians will worship here; if so, we are doing our part to help make that possible. Whatever happens, the principle of Psalm 127:1a abides: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.” Since the Lord has built all of this, it is clearly not in vain.