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| Wakatipu Lake South Island New Zealand |
'Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.' Psalms 29:2
Rev Tan-Yeo Lay Suan in a sermon given on the 27 May 2007 at Charis Methodist posited that a person who is Spirit-filled will manifest the Beauty of Holiness.
This is a distinctive thought or lesson so different from the usual ones we would associate with sermons on the Holy Spirit. Often ‘Holy Spirit’ sermons will emphasize the external display of spectacular gifts; such gifts can then be utilized for evangelism and mission e.g. the gifts of miracles and healing. But Rev Yeo expounded on an inner gift, an inner beauty, arguing that such a gift will attract others to Jesus.
Rev Yeo told the story of a Christian businessman who ran a holiday centre, a ranch, for tourists. He also wanted to witness and evangelize the gospel to his tourist guests without being too direct and intrusive. His method was to recruit the hospitality staff at his centre by asking 3 questions: Do you like work? Do you like life? Do you love Jesus? Depending on their answers he would engage the staff for this enterprise.
Soon his guests began asking him how he managed to get so many attractive staff. The guests noted certain qualities in the attitude of the staff; the way they carried out their work, their zest for life. These became evidence of a rich Christian witness at the centre. The guests became so attracted by the life-style Christianity of the staff that they were eager to know about Jesus
The Bishop of Winchester in a sermon 16 Jul 2006 stated, 'There is a fundamental beauty of holiness; which is the holy life, obedient to the truth of God in Jesus, humbly and penitently expectant of his changing us into his likeness from glory to glory so that we embody and express the love of Jesus in every aspect of our lives.'
It is thus not surprising that Rev Yeo should preach that the key to a Spirit-filled Life lies in the transformation from within and not the display of the external. This transformation occurs as we bear the fruit of the Spirit in our character
'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance. kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.' Galatian 5:22-23a
The Spirit-filled person receives the beauty of holiness not by acquiring, as in religious practices or religious education, but by gazing upon the beauty of the Lord, that is, by seeking God.
“One thing I asked of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in His dwelling: He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.” Psalms 27:4-5
What does it mean to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek His presence? To gaze at the Lord, is to become contemplative, to spend time in God's presence and to meditate.
I wrote in my journal in May 2004 after reading Psalms 27,
'If you dwell in His shelter which is staying faithful in the Lord and within His protection; and gaze upon his beauty thus being able to is appreciate worship and the beauty of God’s holiness; then you should realise how fortunate you are to have gained this gift of insight. Seek after Him, yearn for this meaningful relationship with God. He will do three things for you.
- He will keep you safe - He will be with you in times of trouble and keep you from harm and danger.
- He will shelter you – not only your physical self but also your thoughts and feelings, from the emotional storms that may beset you in this world.
- You will be set upon a rock - that is He shall lift you high so that you can see far ahead and have a good perspective of life - a personal spiritual vision.
When we possess the Spirit-filled qualities, we become attractive people, not by external physical attraction but by the winsomeness of an inner character. We become influential people.
Should we desire to have that winsomeness, the beauty of holiness? Man has the ability to discern beauty when it is really there. Beauty attracts us like bees to honey.
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
All His wonderful passion and purity
O, Thou, Spirit divine, all my nature refine
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me
Let my wonderful Saviour be seen in me
His amazing compassion and constancy
His great love is my goal, by His Spirit’s control
Till my wonderful Saviour be seen in me
Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me
Grant me grace all sufficient that I may be
True and faithful each day, ev’ry step of the way
Pointing souls to the Saviour on Calvary
Psalms 29:2. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness does not just mean in the settings of nature or in churches and cathedrals but also in the beauty of our characters.
Updated 1st Published 27 May 2007
