The LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
Ridgecrest is a large Baptist-run assembly ground, nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. All summer long, every year, thousands of Christians come to Ridgecrest for training, inspiration, Bible study, and challenge.
A few years ago, during a conference, people began to notice a man hanging around the grounds. He did not look like he had just stepped out of your typical Sunday School class. His clothes were tattered and torn; they looked like something even the Salvation Army would throw away. His face had not been visited by a razor for a long time. His shoes could best be described by the title of Hymn No. 2 in the book – “Holy, Holy, Holy”! And worst of all, there was the BO. You know about BO? Let’s just say that when you got close, you did not get a whiff of Chanel No. 5. This young man was clearly “not one of us”, not the kind of person you normally see at Christian campgrounds.
What did he do? Not much, really. He did not approach anyone. He did not harass anybody. He did not ask for money. He mostly just hung around. When chapel services were held, he would walk across the front and sit down. When classes were under way, he would lie down on the grassy slopes nearby. And when meals were being served, he would stand on the dining hall porch, not far from the long lines of people clutching their meal tickets. No begging, no demands, just standing around.
At the end of the week they announced that there would be a special speaker for the closing service, and that he would speak on the theme, “Inasmuch as you have not done it unto one of the least of these, you have not done it unto me.” They promised that the audience would truly remember this message. The hymns were sung, the prayers were prayed, the choir sang, and the special speaker approached the podium. Who do you think was that special speaker? Who brought that memorable message?
That scruffy young man! That hangaround bum with the worn-out clothing, the messy beard, and the offensive BO! It turns out that he was a young pastor who had been asked to play a part by the organizers of the conference. And his message stung as he said to the crowd, “No one tried to include me in anything. No one asked me if I needed help. No one invited me to the dining hall. No one sat down to listen to my story. A few put religious tracts into my hand. One or two pulled out a dollar bill and gave it to me. But most of you turned your eyes and pretended not to see me. My appearance offended you, and you left me out.”
Appearances are deceiving. He looked like a beggar and a bum, but he was a pastor. (Please don’t anyone say that’s all the same thing!). People trusted their reading of his appearance, and didn’t go any deeper. People made an assumption about his worth, based on what they saw, and did not look for the truth. But appearances are deceiving. The truth is always deeper than what appears on the surface.
Some of you know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of this. Some of you know what it’s like to be put down just because of your appearance. How many of the men in this congregation have been walking down a street, and up ahead you see someone cross the street and walk down the other side, trying to avoid you? Or as they approach, they clutch their purses a little closer, their hands go back to their wallets, and they try not to look you in the eye? Do you know that move? What does it mean? What does it say? It says, “You’re young, you’re black, you’re male, and I don’t trust you.” Appearances – and the way we interpret appearances – are deceiving.
Now I am not able to comment very much about appearances. Fads and fashions never meant much to me. I went through high school on two gray flannel shirts. Actually neither one of them was gray when I started out, but after about a thousand washings, they were both a mousy gray. I don’t know much about clothes or about fashion. But I have kept my eyes open, and I have been watching what men wear these days. I have discovered that there is one piece of clothing that needs to be brought back. There is one item of clothing that seems to have gotten lost. When I walk past Coolidge High School, something tells me that we have lost our belts. Judging from the baggy pants and the view south of the border, we don’t know about belts anymore.
So, in order to improve everybody’s appearance, I have brought a selection of belts today. I want to see if I can reintroduce this simple but very useful clothing item, the belt. The apostle Paul says that the full armor of God includes something called, “the belt of truth”. So let’s explore this thing, this “belt of truth”. Just remember, appearances are deceiving.
Three thousand years ago Israel was in crisis. Only a few years before, the nation had insisted on getting a king, so that they could be like the other nations. The prophet Samuel had reluctantly given in to their demands, and had anointed Saul as king. But Saul had proved to be a very poor choice – moody, tyrannical, superstitious, hostile – and clearly there needed to be a new direction for the nation. It fell on Samuel’s tired old shoulders, once again, to find somebody to be king – somebody who would be worthy, somebody who could command the respect of the people. Where would Samuel find a man like that?
The spirit of the Lord directed Samuel to the household of a man named Jesse. Samuel was to find a new king for Israel among the several sons of Jesse. I’m going to use my belt collection to illustrate what Samuel did, and how, when you are looking for truth, appearances are deceiving.
I
First, I want you to notice that Samuel’s quest for truth began with his disappointment in what he had thought to be true. Samuel found out that what he used to believe in was shallow, hollow, not good enough. What Samuel had thought was true, when he really looked at it, had too many shortcomings. Samuel’s quest for truth began with his disappointment in the old, worn-out truths.
I’ve told you already about Samuel’s disappointments. Samuel had been disappointed because he knew that when the people asked for a king, they were rejecting God. And then Samuel was doubly disappointed, because the man they got, Saul, turned out to be far short of what a king needed to be. Samuel’s quest for a new king began with his disappointment with the old king. So Samuel’s search for truth began with his disillusionment about what he had thought was the truth.
So I brought a belt to illustrate this point. This is an old belt of mine. Notice that it’s coming apart. Some of the stitches are broken. The front half and the back half are separating. There are cracks in the leather here and there. This belt is literally coming apart. And yet I keep it. I hang on to it. I even try to use it some times. But actually this belt is not much good. It’s broken. This belt has too many shortcomings. And I do mean “short” comings!
Some of us are trying to use outworn beliefs like this belt. Some of us are still trying to depend on belief systems that do not satisfy. Like Samuel, who went looking for a new king because his trust in the old king was gone, are some of you looking for truth because you’ve found out that the old things you once trusted just don’t work any more? They just weren’t that dependable? They just aren’t belts of truth?
This congregation is filled with people who have come here from all sorts of backgrounds. For every person who was born and bred a Baptist, I can point you to another who came from some other tradition that is quite different. I can point you to former Catholics, who began to feel that that system, based on the authority of the papacy and the priesthood, did not serve well. I can point you, on the other hand, to former Unitarians, who began to feel that that philosophy, built on an openness to any and all ideas, did not lead you to ultimate truth. You have come here and you have started your search for truth because the old belt was coming unstitched. I must tell you, we welcome that. We applaud that. We are not here to tell you that we have a corner on the truth. We are not here to claim that everything in your heritage was wrong. But we are here to welcome you, whatever your spiritual heritage was; we are here to secure with you the truth as we see it, if your old belt doesn’t really secure you anymore.
Samuel’s quest for new truth began with his disappointment with the old truth. Many of you have stories about disappointments with churches and pastors and various groups. I wish I could promise you that we will never fail you. I wish I could say that this church will always be warm and welcoming, that this pastor will never compromise integrity, that this pulpit will always uphold absolute truth and will never try to secure you with a worn-out belt. I wish I could promise you those things. In all honesty, I cannot. We are human. We are flawed. But by the spirit of God, I can promise this: that we will understand you, we will care about you, and we will walk with you to find a truth, a belt, that does work, because we are convinced that in Jesus Christ there is truth and security. God is with you – and so is this church – if you find that your old outworn belt, your old outworn so-called truth, is not working, and you need to look for new truth.
II
But remember, appearances are deceiving. The LORD does not see as men see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Appearances are deceiving, and you must look very closely for the real truth.
The problem is that when we are looking for the truth, we are always tempted to jump on the first good-looking thing that comes along. We are tempted to go on the basis of outward appearances, first impressions. But appearances are deceiving; and it’s not just something flashy, not just something that looks good, that is the truth.
Old Samuel: what an experience he had there in farmer Jesse’s living room! A parade of seven strong and stalwart sons, and each one looked superb. Each one looked like a king. If you had been there, you would have picked Eliab, the first son, tall and strong; or Abinadab, quick of mind; or surely Shammah, the sharp-dressing Shammah. Seven strong, sharp, stalwart sons passed by, and still Samuel said, “Jesse, is that all you got? Don’t you have another son?” Frankly, I would have thought that Jesse and Mrs. Jesse would have called it quits long before seven, but Samuel isn’t satisfied. Are all your sons here? Isn’t there anybody else? God’s truth is not found in what looks impressive at first.
I’ve got a belt here that looks like the belt of truth. Its appearance is fine. There are no tears or cracks. There are no broken stitches. It looks good. But watch: there is a flaw in this belt’s design. There’s something wrong with the way it was made. The buckle isn’t truly secure. So that you can flip the belt from the black side to the brown side, the buckle is made with a little tab that allows you to take it off, turn it over, and use it with the belt reversed. That sounds good. That looks like a good idea. But remember, appearances are deceiving. And I have found out, to my embarrassment, that the buckle of the belt easily comes loose. When strain is put on the belt – and we are not going to discuss where that strain comes from – when strain is put on the belt, the buckle pops off, and the belt fails.
When you go for something just because it looks good, if the buckle isn’t secure, it won’t work under strain. Maybe you’ve been tempted to jump at the first good thing you see. You thought about Islam; some of your friends went there. You toyed with Zen Buddhism. You decided to pursue some philosophy. Or, more likely, you went for something that you thought would make you happy – money, prestige, lots of friends. You chose those friends because they were glamorous and you hoped their glamour would rub off on you. You bought that house, you sprang for that car, because you thought that the right address and the right wheels would make you somebody.
But the issue is there is no secure buckle on that belt. There is no sure word, no dependable truth that will not come unglued. Can you admit this? Can you acknowledge this? The things to which you are giving your life just won’t hold? That religion, that philosophy, that stuff, those friends, they may look good, on the outside. But appearances are deceiving; and the LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
I’m glad if you are looking for the truth. This church will affirm you if you are looking for the truth. But look deep. Look beyond the first impression. Find out all you can, and look deep. One of our members told me the other day how, when he first came to this neighborhood, he saw this church and started coming here. But his family had always told him, “Those Baptists are crazy. They are wild and wooly, emotional, off-the-wall”. So he was suspicious. He wasn’t sure. He told me that for five years he got into everything that was going on around here, just to check us out. Just to see if we were unbuckled. That member is a deacon now, so I guess there must have been something beyond the first impressions, something deeper than surface appearances. So, okay, be Samuel. Be the skeptic. Keep on looking. But look deep. Look beneath the surface. The belt of truth needs to hold up under stress. Appearances are deceiving.
III
But some day you are going to find the truth. When you do, seize it! When you get to the truth, and you know it is the truth, don’t delay. Don’t hold back. See its beauty, and take hold of it.
When the seven strong and stalwart sons of Jesse had passed by Samuel, and Samuel rejected them all, there was one more. One more, young, fragile-looking, out there tending the sheep. Reluctantly Jesse brought in his youngest, his David. I can imagine the aged Samuel, who had almost given up hope, drawing a sharp breath:
Now [David] was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."
This is the one! When truth comes, it comes, and there is a witness in your heart that says, “This is the one.” When that happens, seize the moment. Don’t delay. Don’t wait around for better. “This is the one.” See the beauty of the truth, and take hold of it. “The LORD said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’"
If you are searching for the truth, I commend to you Jesus Christ. For me, He is the one. He is the one. He is the way, the truth, and the life. For me, He is the truth, because He accepts me and loves me for what I can become. “The LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
It’s not about the way you look, for appearances are deceiving. That raggedy old shirt may cover a heart of love. But that Brooks Brothers, Gap, Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, jacket may disguise a hollow heart. It’s not about the way you look, for appearances are deceiving. It’s about what you can become.
It’s not about being one of the beautiful people. It’s not about being tall or slim, it’s not about being perfect. It’s not about being clones of Denzel or Hallie. It’s not about being Venus or Martina or Sampras or Agassi. It’s not about being anything other than who we are at the very core, who God created us to be. And there is one who loves you as you are and then turns you around and helps you become who you can be. He is the one. This is the one.
I commend to you Jesus Christ. And when you find the truth, and there is a witness in your heart that says, “This is the one”, seize the moment! Don’t let it go!
I have one more belt. It’s a brand new belt. It’s a spotless, stainless belt. It’s without wrinkle or blemish or any such thing. It’s a perfect belt. This belt represents the truth that is Jesus Christ. “This is the one.” I commend this belt, this truth, this Christ, this sinless one. “This is the one.”
When others reject you because you’re not in style, Jesus Christ will love you, for appearances are deceiving, but the LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Put on the belt of truth, Jesus Christ. He will hold you together. This is the one.
When others misunderstand you because you don’t say what they want you to say, Jesus Christ will listen to you, for appearances are deceiving, but the LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Put on the belt of truth, Jesus Christ. He will hold you up. This is the one.
When others look at you and call you the young punks of the ‘hood, put on Jesus Christ, the young prince of glory, and He will hold you up. For appearances are deceiving, but the LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. Put on the belt of truth, Jesus Christ. He will keep you from falling. This is the one.
And when your religion, your philosophy, your best buds, your girl friends, and the whole world seems ready to let you down, put on Jesus Christ and His church. For appearances are deceiving, but the LORD does not see as [men] see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
This belt is Jesus, yes He’s the one. This belt is Jesus, the only one. Be very sure; be very sure your belt it holds and grips the solid truth.
This is the one.
