Friday, July 1, 2011

The Beauty Realm of God

I. THE CHURCH AT THE END OF THE AGE: ENCOUNTERING GOD’S BEAUTY
A. The Spirit is orchestrating a worldwide worship and prayer movement. The revelation of how God delights in us and beautifies us is one of core truths and entry points into this movement. One of the most significant foundations to restore in the Church is the doctrine of God’s beauty and desire. Why? Because it is essential to fueling the End-Time prayer movement which releases God’s glory and power.

4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. (Psalm 149:4)

B. Isaiah prophesied that Jesus’ beauty would be revealed to God’s people in the End-Times (Isaiah 4:2). There is a compelling power in the revelation of beauty. It answers an ache in our soul that was put there by God. We are born with an ache for the realm of beauty. We cannot live healthy without beauty. Beauty is intrinsic to emotional health. It is a vast subject.

2 In that day the Branch of the LORD (Messiah) shall be beautiful and glorious. (Isaiah 4:2)

C. The revelation of God’s beauty is key to living holy and interpreting God’s judgments at the end of the age. We can resist sin much better when our hearts are fascinated. Also, we interpret His judgments as destroying what hinders love
and beauty. When believers live in this reality, there is no contradiction of Jesus as Bridegroom and Judge. It is a different paradigm of judgment.

D. The study of God’s beauty takes time. It will come slowly for all of us. There is a sense in which you may a lot in a short time, yet there is even a greater sense that this is a life long treasure hunt. God’s grace imparts a new resolve and
assurance that we will have more as we start by establishing new paradigms of God’s beauty. The only way forward is long and loving meditation that includes prayer with fasting and a pursuit of 100-fold obedience.

E. The hungry become more hungry because hunger begets hunger. A little depth in God makes us hungry for more. A beginning hunger for God beckons us and thrusts us into more depth in God, which in turn makes us hungry for deeper things in God. Hunger catapults us into more depth.

7 Deep calls unto deep… (Psalm 42:7)

F. The knowledge of God is not neutral information. It is information with power that beckons, catapults and pulls us into greater depths. God’s river is called desire. Hunger for God is painful. The hunger may feel good in the initial stages, but later it is painful as we become so much more aware of what we do not know and how shallow we actually are. The pain of spiritual hunger is God’s gift to us. It assures that we will keep moving forward. “Blessed are those that mourn” (Matthew 5:4).

God gives more based on hunger. You receive salvation based on our need. For years we can feel like we are doing good spiritually. Then, the power of the knowledge of God begins to touch our hearts. We then begin to long for and even ache for what we do not have. Then, the journey is not so enjoyable. We are more spiritually discontent than ever before. We have a vision and resolve in our heart to press on to the know the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10).