God Is Beautiful
For many years (a phrase which seems to introduce almost everything I say or write these days), I have thought about and preached on the subject of the beauty of God. I have never heard anyone teach on the subject, but I did through the decades come across two written sermons on the topic, “The Beauty of the Lord” by J. D. Jones and “Are There Shortcuts to the Beauty of Holiness?” (the short answer is “No!”) by A. W. Tozer. More recently, I read a review of a scholarly article about the American preacher Jonathan Edwards (of “sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” fame) that mentioned in passing that the beauty of God was one of the great themes in his preaching. I was thus encouraged that I have not headed off on an unprofitable tangent. In simple terms, beauty is that which attracts, causes a favorable interest, and creates an affinity. Such real, eternal beauty is found in our God. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Kind David, the Lord’s lyricist in the land of Israel, loved God’s beauty. He desired “to behold the beauty of the Lord” (Psalm 27:4) and, in Psalm 29:2, to “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” As we saw yesterday, the holiness of God is both drawing and daunting: we are attracted by God’s distinctiveness, but we know that we cannot approach Him as we are. If holiness were God’s only perfection, we would have no hope of eternal salvation. However, the nature of God comprises every good characteristic, including the perfection of grace, which is God’s giving to us in love. The extent of God’s grace is exemplified in Jesus Christ, God the Son. John 1:14 says, “And the Word [Jesus] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” The word “dwelt” means “tabernacled” (or “pitched a tent”) and points us back to the tabernacle of the Old Testament and of Psalm 27:4. The immediate presence of God dwelt in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle, prefiguring the earthly ministry of Jesus, Who came in a fully human body to dwell with us and to die for us. The beauty of His “glory” included all of His words and works – all “full of grace and truth.” Not surprisingly, sinners flocked to Jesus, while the self-righteous stood aside and carped, critiqued, caviled, and criticized. Even to these naysayers, Jesus offered grace. His beauty can never be reduced by rejection. However, what a terrible choice it is to stare the beauty of grace in the face and spit on it (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30)! Grace or disgrace – the decision rests with each one of us. Let us choose the beauty of God, the beauty of His giving to us in love.