The Pursuit of Beauty in Christ

Now for the first time, because of Christ we can gaze upon the beauty of Christ? How do we pursue it? David said IF he could gaze upon God's beauty he would be satisfied, and he shows us how to find it.

A. Beauty Must be Experienced

I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

He wants to experience it. He himself wants to dwell with God, and he himself wants to gaze upon the beauty of God. It is not enough to read about it, or to believe in it.

Before I saw art, I assumed it was enough to see reproductions – But when my wife drew me into the National Gallery, I immediately saw the difference.
    It is not enough to believe Christ is living water, you need to feel it cooling your throat.

At this point Christianity feels dangerous to a lot of rational people, and they shrink back from it. I only want to point you toward the most thoughtful of our tradition: Calvin, Luther, Thornwell, Girardeau all found times of utmost, indescribable delight in Christ.

Edwards was the most explicit, he wrote "there remains a vast difference between giving assent to the idea that honey is sweet, and tasting honey on your tongue."

B. Must be deliberate

Praise: I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

To see the beauty of Christ, you must get out of your self-absorption. Stop wondering how you can get God to do something for you, and begin being amazed by what he has done for you.

C. Must be patient

13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

I don't think there is anything more humble than waiting. It says, I have nothing better to do than wait here for you, and I cannot do this without you.  (thus we hate it)

To see God's beauty, you have to humble yourself. You cannot come in with a demanding spirit – show me your beauty in the next five minutes or I'm leaving.

Finally, how will you know when you gaze upon his beauty?
    When you hear a lion, you know darn well that was a lion.