YOU BECOME WHAT YOU BEHOLD

One of the greatest challenges that we all face is that we are constantly turning inward. We all suffer under the burden of thinking about ourselves too much. One form of thinking too much of ourselves that some of us imbibe excessively is introspection.

In all the turning inward and all the thoughts about myself, it’s the Lord, and his love, grace, and joy, that is quickly crowded out. I recently read the book Think Again: Relief From the Burden of Introspection by Jared Mellinger. I’ve never met Jared, but his book has helped me see both the burden of unhealthy introspection and the freedom that the gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer.

The ultimate reason why we are so preoccupied with ourselves is because we are not sufficiently occupied with Christ.

As Martin Lloyd-Jones writes in his book Spiritual Depression,

There is only one way to get rid of self, and this is that you should become so absorbed in someone or something else that you have no time to think about yourself.

Some introspection can be healthy, but as McChayne says,

“For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.”

This brings me to the one verse I want to explore and apply with you this morning.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

What does this verse mean?

The background for this verse is the Old Testament book of Exodus, when Moses, Israel’s leader, would meet with the Lord “face-to-face.” When Moses would meet with the Lord, Moses’ face would glow with the glory of the Lord. This glow would frighten the Israelites.

Therefore, after meeting with the Lord, Moses would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites would not see the glory of the Lord in the glow of Moses’ face.

What does this have to do with us?

Paul says that we all live behind a veil of unbelief. Apart from the miraculous work of the Spirit, we cannot behold the glory of Jesus. But when the veil of unbelief is removed by the Spirit, we are able to gaze upon and behold the glory of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

But don’t miss the result of beholding the glory of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that when we behold Jesus with the eyes of faith, we are transformed, we become more like Him, from one degree of glory to another, that is progressively over time as we behold him more and more.

This brings us the big idea of our passage and our time together this morning:

We become what we behold.

Church, beholding ourselves, thinking about ourselves, analyzing ourselves, and being concerned about ourselves is making us miserable. We become what we behold. We need a renewal of our minds.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

As we renew our mindset by learning to behold the love, kindness, endurance, patience, and grace of Jesus, we will know the joy of forgetting ourselves and becoming more like the One we truly love. We become what we behold.

Now, I want to get practical with you by exploring five areas of life where the gospel frees us from beholding ourselves so that we can behold Christ and become more like Him. Each of these five are from Jared’s book and have proven massively fruitful for me.

IDENTITY

I love the movie The Borne Identity in which Matt Damon plays a former CIA agent named Jason Borne, who suffers from amnesia and is desperate to figure out who he really is without getting himself killed.

Like Jason Borne we are all trying to find who we truly are. Because of our temptation to constantly look inward, we tend to believe that the most important things about us are unique to us. But it isn’t true.

Colossians 2:3 ESV

in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, including knowledge of your identity, are not found by looking in yourself but by beholding Christ. It’s by beholding Christ, not ourselves, that we find out who we truly are.

Christ is the sunlight by which we see ourselves.

In the sunlight of Christ, you see that you have ultimate dignity because you were created in God’s image to be like Him and represent Him.

Genesis 1:27–28 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

You bear the image of God and have ultimate dignity.

In the sunlight of Christ, you see your inestimable value.

Ephesians 2:4–5 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

You are of inestimable value because though you merit nothing, God has given you everything, new life, in Christ.

In the sunlight of Christ ,you see that you’re completely new and not defined by your past.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

In the sunlight of Christ, you see your ultimate destiny.

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

No matter how insecure your near future seems, your eternal future is secure in Jesus. Do you want to know who you truly are? Don’t look inside. Behold Christ, see yourself in the sunlight of the Son, and you’ll become more like Him.

SELF-ESTEEM

Jared Mellinger points out that one powerful commentary on constant turn inward is the selfie stick. Whether the selfie we post is intentionally attractive or unattractive, there is little doubt that self is at the center of the selfie. And once self is an idol, we’ll either view ourselves as awesome or as a failure, but either way self will be at the center. That’s why self-loathing attitudes cannot be overcome by replacing them with self-confident attitudes, and it’s also why prideful attitudes cannot be overcome by replacing them with self-deprecating attitudes.

As Jared Mellinger says,

It is through the gospel alone that the idol of self is displaced, as Jesus silences our self-hatred and self-esteem.

How does the gospel do that? Tim Keller is helpful here:

My self-view is not based on a view of myself as a moral achiever. In Christ I am simul iustus et peccator – simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad that he had to die for me, and I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deep humility and confidence at the same time.

When we behold Christ, all our joy-zapping self-concern begins to evaporate. This is what happened to John the Baptist.

One day some of John the Baptist’s disciples and some religious leaders pointed out to John that everyone was beginning to flock to Christ and not him. But John knew Christ, loved Christ, and was so taken with thoughts of Christ that he had no room for joy-zapping self-concern. Instead John said in

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Receive these freeing words from Jared Mellinger,

Those with high self-image enjoy the praise they receive and think, I am awesome. Those with low self-image often want to receive praise they are not receiving and think, I am worthless. But through the idol-destroying power of the gospel, ‘I am awesome’ and ‘I am worthless’ give way to ‘Lord, I will praise you.’ Go to Christ and behold his glory. Let self-absorption give way to Christ-absorption.

We become what we behold.

DOUBT

When we experience doubt, we quickly turn inward and feel trapped by self-preoccupation and self-condemnation. The real horror of doubt is that it leads to a sense of despair because in all our looking inward, our souls refuse to be comforted. But there is a key that can fling open the dungeon door of doubt.

In Pilgrim’s Progress the key that rescues Christian from Doubting Castle is a key called Promise. As John Owen says,

The life and soul of all our comforts lie treasured up in the promises of Christ.

There are comforts here for you. If you are ensnared in introspective doubts and despair, turn now to the promises of God.

Are you weak? “A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench” (Isaiah 42:3). 

Is your heart broken and downcast? “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). 

Does sin steal your joy? “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). 

Are you suffering? “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2). 

Do changing circumstances overwhelm you? “The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). 

Are you weary? “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). 

Do you fear the future? “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:6).

Are you trapped in the dungeon today? Take your cares to the Lord in prayer. Know that the Good Shepherd is leading you, even when his footprints are unseen. Remember the unchanging goodness and power of God. Cling to the promises of Christ. Receive the comfort and strength of the indwelling Spirit. Refuse to wallow in your misery. Use the key and run.

GOODNESS

Beholding Christ includes gazing with thanksgiving at the good that he is doing in and through us. Rather than introspecting our every motive, we are meant to look outward to Christ and see his pleasure in our goodness.

The puritan Richard Sibbs beautifully says that we need to know our own graces. He explains,

A Christian should not only examine his heart for the evil that is in him, to be humbled; but also examine his heart for what good there is, that he may joy and be thankful.

Jared Mellinger writes,

This examination of our hearts and lives for what is good, followed by joyful thanksgiving to God, is one of the ways we resist morbid introspection.

So often, we live with a constant sense of God’s displeasure. I love the way

Hebrews 6:10 ESV

For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.

The Father does not overlook your work and love you have shown for his name and for your brothers and sisters in Christ, and neither should you. Look at your work and then behold Christ who is at work in you so that you can work for his good pleasure. When you do good, don’t be self-deprecating or proud. Instead, behold Christ with thankfulness and you’ll become more like Him.

CONFESSION

Confession of sin is a profound path to beholding and enjoying Christ our mighty Savior. Too often instead of beholding the mercy and tenderness of Christ in confession, we truncate confession through pretending our sin is no big deal and quickly moving on from it or performing to make up for it.

Pretending and performing turns us inward, causing us to miss beholding the grace of Christ and gratitude for our salvation through confession. 1 John 1:9 points us in a far healthier and more joyous direction:

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John Stott is exactly right when he says,

There is nothing morbid about the confession of sins, so long as we go on to give thanks for the forgiveness of sins. It is fine to look inwards, so long as it leads us immediately to look outward and upwards again.

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt

Grace, grace, God's grace Grace that will pardon and cleanse within Grace, grace, God's grace Grace that is greater than all our sin

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide What can avail to wash it away? Look, there is flowing a crimson tide Whiter than snow you may be today

As we close, let me leave you with a few practical means of grace that can pull you out of yourself and toward beholding Christ.

Nothing quite pulls us out of ourselves like gathering with God’s people and singing His praises.

Church provides a safe place to talk about the burden of introspection. Church reminds us that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. Church provides a place to lose yourself in the joy of loving and serving others.

Spending time in the beauty of God’s creation pulls us outside of ourselves in the grandeur and magnitude and beauty of God.

Psalm 8:3–9 ESV

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Prayer and Scripture. When we bring our cares to the Lord and receive his revelation, we are pulled out of our negative narratives and self-centered thoughts.

Psalm 119:18 ESV

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Taking thoughts captive.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 ESV

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,