Nailed Beauty
Personal Matters
Early last Friday I was asking the Lord what the Church today is NOT seeing about him as her Husband. The Lord’s reply was very embarrassing. He started to speak to me about his hand as the nailed hand which operates with a unique blend of sovereign power AND infinite tenderness (Luke 24:39; John 20:27; 2 Cor 10:1; Eph 4:32; Rev 1:17-18; 6:1ff.). I have rarely manifested this combination in my life, and certainly at times struggled with it in marriage. Then some hours later prior to my speaking on “The Bride of Revelation” a trusted intercessor began praying prophetically about the need to bring forth God’s Word with strength in the form of gentleness. I was doubly embarrassed by my/our ignorance of such things. Aussies just don’t get power exercised through gentleness. Our only female Prime Minister stabbed her boss in the back to get his position, our present PM speaks brazenly of “shirt fronting” the head of another nation, our Finance Minister calls the leader of the Opposition a “girly boy”; this is leadership! Next morning I was still searching God about tender-hearted power when an answer came. The answer was in line with an experience I had in prayer some years ago; when the Father laid on the Son the guilt and punishment we all deserve his hand did this with the utmost gentleness.
Nailed Beauty
I was standing near a Porsche Boxster and the blokes coming into the meeting kept making comments about this powerful vehicle; but almost hidden behind it was the key to what the Lord wanted to say. There stood a life sized wooden cross studded with long nails (15cm). I pulled one of these out and the message of the Lord became transparent; “Crucified words are beautiful words.” Consider these examples from the cross, ““Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”” or ““Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”” (Luke 23:34, 43). Jesus’ power to forgive evil and open heaven to the wicked is unlimited, and the gentleness with which these he spoke these words is unmeasurable. Paul’s comments help us here, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:32). Crucified words are beautiful words because they proceed from a life totally surrendered to God (Luke 6:45). In this way Christ’s death possesses a quality beauty that is eternal.
A Beautiful Death
Old Testament worshippers offered to God a whole “burnt offering” that was completely consumed on the altar leaving nothing behind for the enjoyment of the worshipper. The Hebrew for such offerings is literally “that which ascends”. The total destruction of these offerings ascends to become a “pleasing aroma” to the Lord (Gen 8:21; Ex 29:18; Lev 2:2; Ezek 16:19 etc.). Prophetically, when Israel herself is purged and purified by the destruction of land, temple and Babylonian exile she will becomes “a pleasing aroma” to God (Ezek 20:41). This is because in God’s experience whatever is holy shares in his own beauty (Ps 96:9). All these Old Testament types point forward to Christ who is the consummating “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” of untellable beauty (Eph 5:2).
As a lamb gently going to the slaughter Christ offers up his precious sinless life to the fiery annihilating power of God’s wrath at the cross (Acts 8:32; 1 Pet 1:19). In supreme weakness he bears the arrogant power of our sin such that it is completely consumed (Mark 15:34; Rom 3:25; 1 Pet 2:24). Then in death Jesus speaks words of triumph, “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46) and his holy spirit ascends to heaven bringing untellable pleasure to the heart of the Father (Heb 9:23).
The power by which Jesus lives today is a power perfected through his submission to the sacrifice of the cross, “he was crucified in weakness but lives by the power of God” (2 Cor 12:9; 13:4). The power of the new creation in which Christ dwells in the closest presence of God resides in his flesh and blood because he gently laid down all his former strengths (Heb 2:14-15; 9:24). Such intimacy with the Father achieved through death-resurrection and ascension for us that is completely pleasing to the eyes, ears and nose of God (cf. Gen 8:21; Ps 34:15; Isa 37:29). In foolishly avoiding the truth that power is released supremely in sacrificial gentleness the modern Church has diminished the offence of the cross (Gal 5:11).
A Little Nailing
As I grasped that long nail in my hands I was sure the Lord was saying that by shortening the nails of the cross we have diminished the revelation of his love (Rom 5:8). A fuller revelation of the infinite love of God amongst us will come when we allow the nails of the cross to shed blood amongst us (Heb 12:4). Such submission is not limited to physical persecutions.
The delightful sensations of life completely intoxicate those in love with this present world (2 Tim 4:10). Then there are realms of beauty in the mind; Donna teaches that maths is beautiful, this is beyond me, but the beauties in science and philosophy I can appreciate. None of these delights are however sufficiently beautiful to enter the new creation. Only crucified, resurrected and ascended beauty can dwell intimately with God forever. Today the Lord is seeking to turn the power all our natural affections into burnt offerings which ascend into heaven and become engulfed in the intimate presence of God (Rom 12:1-2). Then we will see manifestation of his supreme loveliness upon the earth. The Church in Australia is not short of gifted musicians, artists, engineers, lawyers, tradesmen, home-makers and so on. Yet the unsurpassable wisdom and beauty of Christ is rarely visible to the world about us through the supernatural mode of power AND tenderness (Eph 3:10). The Church needs to be taught once again that the intensification of all beauties comes through an experience of the cross whose nails have not been shortened. Here is what I have seen.
Conclusion
Donna and I have a precious relationship which is still being perfected. Praying recently about our mutual struggle to combine strength with gentleness in marriage I brought to her a picture for our prayers. This picture is also a message to the Church as Bride of Christ. It was a picture of two people (front to back) being crucified together by the same set of nails on the one cross. This picture may seem gruesome but it is the message of the gospel; “our old self was crucified with him so that the old self might be destroyed” (Rom 6:6 cf. Gal 2:20). As all our natural powers are crucified in union with the gentleness of Jesus a heavenly aroma will be released in our midst; his own beautiful presence (2 Cor 2:15). Strength through tenderness from the Church into the world speaks of a spiritual revolution that this nation has not yet seen. Such things are beyond my experience, but for this reason have continued to be the subject of my prayers. May you too share in such embarrassments for the glory of God.