Behold Him, For He is The Christ

1 John 3:1
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!


BEHOLD

Beholding Christ has been on my mind and heart lately. Holy Spirit is telling me to pay attention to and to perceive, to know and to understand, to cherish and to regard, to discern and to discover, to inspect and to examine, to SEE and to LOOK upon Christ.

“Behold” is a stronger word than just “look” or “view.” It has connotations of really paying attention or giving your full and undivided attention to someone or something – no distractions. It is like “Selah” (to pause in musical terms) and the thing is that, when we behold Christ, we can put aside circumstances and have an expectation to never be disappointed. Our Lord tells us: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

He cares for us, as we pay attention to Him. We get to know Him more as we really look and seek and search for Him. We learn from Him as we behold Him. He reveals Himself to us and we know Him as we are known by Him.


APPEAR

Colossians 3:1-4
"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."

At his “appearing.” This, I believe, is not just a physical appearing, but also a spiritual appearing. When Christ “appears” to us and is truly made visible to our spiritual eyes…we are able to see Him clearly – His person and His work – because we are seeking those things above and not beneath (Colossians 3:1); we are not loving this world nor the things in the world (1 John 2:15); we are thinking on things eternal and not temporary (2 Corinthians 4:18). He appears, because we have “died, and [our] life is hidden in Christ.”

This, “appear” (fanerovw), means something similar to “behold.” It means:

~to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, to manifest, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way
~to make known by teaching
~expose to view, make manifest, to show one's self, appear
~to become known, to be plainly recognized, thoroughly understood who and what one is

Ultimately, we will see our Lord face to face and we will thoroughly understand. Right now, we know in part (1 Corinthians 13:9-10). But even though we only know in part, in considering the infinite wisdom, knowledge, and plan of God, the knowledge that we gain is so far beyond our natural understanding. Our minds cannot truly comprehend, but this “knowing” Christ, as little as it really is, is truly immense! Our finite minds cannot get wrapped around God’s sovereignty and His love, mercy, wrath, and justice.

1 John 3:2-3
Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

The world does not know Christ, but we know Him. God has bestowed upon us the title and position of being His children. We don’t even know what we shall be, but we will be like Him and we shall see Him as He really is. We will worship Him throughout eternity for Who He is – because He is worthy:

Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

Revelation 5:12
"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

We know Him more and more everyday even though our outward man perishes. Think about it for a while. Our flesh is corrupt, depraved, worthless, and devalued. We start dying the moment we are given (natural) life. But our inward man, halleluiah, is being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). We are washed, sanctified, and justified “in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).


CONSIDER

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

At the end of Hebrews 11, the writer tells us that our brethren who came before us and whose records are in Scripture, did not obtain the promise; that God “having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us” (Hebrews 11:40). We, however, have obtained the promise with them. They looked forward to Christ, their faith in reconciliation with God was in Christ just as ours is. We are made perfect with them in Christ. They are the witnesses whom we will join in heaven after we finish running this race.

They endured a great many things as they looked forward to the promise of the Christ. The writer says that the world was not worthy of them (Hebrews 11:38). They learned obedience through what they suffered, as Christ did, and as we shall and do (Hebrews 5:8-9). It is because of what Christ suffered, “endur[ing] the cross, despising the shame” that we are able to endure.

We are told to “consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” Again, “consider” (transliterated as “analogizomai”) means “to think over, consider, ponder.” Hmmm. Selah!

Brethren, take more than a moment; take the time to savor, to meditate upon, to cherish, to discover, to ponder, to know, to SEE Christ. Consider Him…consider our Lord Jesus, the One Who was crucified and Whom God has made “both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.