Beholding the Beauty of Righteousness – March 8, 2020 – Steve Miller
We are in the season of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter. The idea of observing Lent is not for us to try to earn something or do penance for anything, but rather it is an intentional reminder for us to focus on Jesus’ love and His suffering and death to bear sin in our place.
As we remind ourselves of the passion of Jesus, we see an ugly, horrible scene caused by our sin. But we also see the most beautiful demonstration of the love and righteousness of God towards us, His wayward children.
Isaiah 53:1-12
When we look at Jesus on the cross, we see the appalling ugliness of the results of our rebellion against our loving Father God.
At the same time, though, the cross is also the greatest picture of the beauty of the Lord. It’s the most heroic act ever done. It demonstrates greater love than any person has ever had, to lay down one’s life for another. It’s the greatest comeback victory ever won over the worst enemy ever. It’s the most perfect leadership ever demonstrated. It’s the most generous gift ever given. Most importantly, in Jesus’ death, we see the death of our old sinful self. And in His resurrection, we receive His new life and perfect righteousness.
Walter Wangerin, Jr., in his devotional Reliving the Passion, describes why it’s so important for us to remember what Jesus did on the cross:
“The passion of Christ, His suffering and death, is such a mirror. Are the tears of my wife [that I caused] hard to look at? Well, the pain in the face of Jesus is harder. It is my self in my extremest truth. My sinful self. The death He died reflects a selfishness so extreme that by it I was divorced from God and life and light completely: I raised my self higher than God! But because the Lord God is the one true God, my pride did no more, in the end, than to condemn this false God of my self to death. For God will be God, and all false gods will fall before Him.
So that’s what I see reflected in the mirror of Christ’s crucifixion: my death. My rightful punishment. My sin and its just consequence. Me. And precisely because it is so accurate, the sight is nearly intolerable.
Nevertheless, I will not avoid the mirror! This mirror is not passive only, showing what is, it is active, creating new things to be. It shows me the new me behind the shadow of a sinner. For when I gaze at His crucifixion, I see my death indeed – but my death done! His death is the death of the selfish one, whom I called ugly and hated to look upon.
And resurrection is another me.”
In Jesus Christ is the death of our sinfulness, and our rebirth in His righteousness. In Him we are made alive by the Holy Spirit, and we are empowered and led by the Spirit to live in His righteousness.
Romans 8:1-11
Hallelujah! By faith in Christ Jesus our sinful flesh is declared dead and we are indeed made alive and new by the Holy Spirit! But now that we are made new, Paul tells us that the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies and fulfill the righteous requirement of the law as we walk according to the Spirit. And how do we walk according to the Spirit? By setting our minds on the things of the Spirit rather than on the things of the flesh.
Our minds are a battleground. The mind can set the course toward the flesh’s desires or toward the Spirit and righteousness. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. We are the gatekeepers of what knocks on the door of our minds. We, led by the Holy Spirit, can set the mind’s agenda. We have the authority to kick out what doesn’t belong and choose to think on those things that are beautiful and good.
Spiritually speaking, there are a lot of vacuum salesmen out there wanting to dump dirt on the carpet of our minds that they have no intention of cleaning up.
Colossians 3:1-10
Again Paul tells us to set our minds on things above. For the born-again believer, the flesh is legally dead and powerless. Our enemy can only lead us into sin by deception. So Paul teaches us to put to death those thoughts that lead to sin. With the Holy Spirit in us, we can rid ourselves of those earthly, sinful things. The Christian life is a life of ongoing renewal in knowledge and the image of our Creator.
Philippians 4:8 – Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
We can choose to behold the Lord’s beauty and think upon His goodness. All the beautiful things of God will encourage our hope in Him and remind us of our identity, purpose, and future in Him. They will help us walk in heaven even as we are on earth. In what ways can we think upon His beauty?
· Remember Jesus’ death for you on the cross as we regularly take the Lord’s supper.
· Read the Bible and listen to Godly teaching.
· Meditate on the promises of the Bible.
· Meditate on the goodness of God's commands.
· Remember the faithful things He has done for you and tell others about them.
· Give thanks for all He has done.
· Sing and praise the Lord for His greatness.
· Pray in the Spirit with tongues and with understanding.
· Take time to listen to the Spirit’s voice when you pray.
· Speak what is true and good.
· Ask God for wisdom.
· Choose wisely what you watch, listen to, read, and otherwise put into your mind.
Let’s live by the Spirit, setting our minds on things above, not earthly things, and continually gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and His righteousness. In this we will be renewed in knowledge and the image of our Creator.
Psalm 27:4 – One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
