Do You Love Beauty?
The sermon emphasizes the stark contrast between the ugliness of sin and the beauty of heaven, with the Son's coming to save us and deliver us to eternal fellowship with God.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the stark contrast between the beauty of heaven and the ugliness of sin that scars our world. He warns that hell represents the ultimate moral ugliness, while heaven embodies perfect harmony and beauty. Tozer encourages believers to appreciate the beauty around them and to remain steadfast in their faith, as they are promised eternal fellowship with God in a beautiful heaven. The sermon serves as a reminder of the choices we face between the good and the bad in our earthly lives. Ultimately, it calls us to love and seek beauty as a reflection of our relationship with God.
Text
When we look closely at this world system and society, we see the terrible and ugly scars of sin. Sin has obscenely scarred and defaced this world, taking away its harmony and symmetry and beauty. That is the negative picture. Thank God for the positive promise and prospect that heaven is the place of all loveliness, all harmony and beauty. These are not idle words. If you love beautiful things, you had better stay out of hell, for hell will be the quintessence of all that is morally ugly and obscene. Hell will be the ugliest place in all of creation! It is a fact that earth lies between all that is ugly in hell and all that is beautiful in heaven.
As long as we are living here, we will have to consider the extreme-much that is good and much that is bad!
As believers, we are held firm in the knowledge that the eternal Son came to save us and deliver us to a beautiful heaven and everlasting fellowship with God!
Sermon Outline
- The Negative Picture of Sin
- Sin has defaced the world, taking away its harmony and beauty
- The world is a place of ugliness and obscenity
Key Quotes
“If you love beautiful things, you had better stay out of hell, for hell will be the quintessence of all that is morally ugly and obscene.” — A.W. Tozer
“Hell will be the ugliest place in all of creation!” — A.W. Tozer
“As long as we are living here, we will have to consider the extreme-much that is good and much that is bad!” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- As believers, we must hold firm to the knowledge of the Son's purpose and the beauty of heaven.
- We must consider the extreme good and bad in our lives and strive for a beautiful and harmonious relationship with God.
- The prospect of hell should motivate us to love beautiful things and seek eternal fellowship with God.