Looking at Ourselves in the Lord’s Mirror

I want to ask you a question today. How many of you had the opportunity to look at yourselves in the mirror today? Although some of us, like me, look in the mirror and do not accomplish much, there are others who go through a whole elaborate process while looking in the mirror, especially the sisters. It is not just about looking in the mirror, but also about everything they have on the little table so they can give their faces a touch-up here and there, isn’t that right? Some of them.

It is almost a cultural necessity, almost a national necessity, to have to look at ourselves in the mirror. Has anyone ever gone through life without looking in the mirror? Has anyone ever rushed out so quickly that they did not even remember they had to look in the mirror?

I think it is possible—in this world of so much craziness, it may have happened at some point. But the consequences of that carelessness afterward must have been disastrous. How important it is to look at ourselves in the mirror, huh? Such a seemingly insignificant household accessory, although nowadays you go to Home Depot or some store out there and they have so many mirrors that you feel like buying them all and putting one in every little place you can.

Some people already have so many mirrors in their homes, but there is always one missing, so they put one on the door leading out of the house for that final touch-up. To see whether I put on the right shoes, whether I put them on the wrong feet. Whether I look more or less the way I want to present myself at that moment.

But what we are most likely to do, one way or another, is go into the bathroom two or three times to make absolutely sure that what we saw was pleasant. But today I want to invite you to have an experience in the Lord’s mirror. A few weeks ago, I was reading a verse in the book of Second Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 18.

The second book of Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 18, led me to ask myself some questions about my daily routine of looking in the mirror. And the most essential, the most fundamental question, the one that immediately stood out, was: Did you look at yourself in the Lord’s mirror today? It is also fundamental; it is something primary in our lives to look at ourselves in the Lord’s mirror every day.

So today I want to invite you to begin—if you have not done so—to prepare ourselves to look into the Lord’s mirror. That is what we are going to call this sermon: “Looking at Ourselves in the Lord’s Mirror.” The text says this, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit:

“…Therefore we all, beholding with unveiled face, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are transformed from glory to glory into the same image, as by the Spirit of the Lord….”

Let us read it again. How many of you found this passage? Did you find it? Yes, I know there are some different versions, but read it—even if you read it in English; it does not matter anyway.

“…Therefore we all—no one here is left out—…all beholding with unveiled face, as in a mirror…—what are we going to behold as in a mirror? What?—…the glory of the Lord…”

Do an exercise: look at the brother beside you and see whether there is something of the Lord’s glory in the brother next to you. Husbands, take this opportunity to get into your wives’ good graces too.

“…we are transformed from glory to glory into the same image, as by the Spirit of the Lord….”

Looking at ourselves in the mirror somehow helps us notice certain details in our physical appearance. Humanly speaking, it is necessary to look at ourselves in the mirror because then we know whether our hair is properly combed, whether we have very dark circles under our eyes, whether we have some marks that are the result of life and the passing years… Something has appeared here beside my eye. I have to try to stretch it out somehow. It looks like my hair is a little long. It seems I do not look very good; I had a bad night. My complexion looks very white, very pale. Or I slept very little and have tremendous dark circles under my eyes. Or some people cried a lot during the night and get up with tremendously swollen eyes from crying so much.

The mirror somehow serves as a reference that lets us see what our image looks like. If we have an important interview that day, if we have a conference or an important meeting that day, if we have to go to work that day, we must, in some way, take care over how we are going to present ourselves to others.

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you have the advantage of being able to choose in a way that will probably help you achieve some objective for which you got up that morning. If you care about your image, looking at yourself in the mirror will probably bring you a good job opportunity; it will give you a good opportunity when you stand before someone you would like to please. It is always important to look at ourselves in the mirror. It is always important to take care of our physical appearance. It is always important to bear in mind that each of us needs to present ourselves to the world in the best possible way.

We are talking about a physical aspect. But when I encounter this text, the question that causes my heart to reflect is whether I also do this spiritual exercise each day: looking at myself in the mirror of the Lord’s glory, in the mirror that somehow begins to deal with certain defects or details in life—in my life and in the life of each one of us—that we need to improve.

Looking at ourselves in the mirror of the Lord’s glory means looking at ourselves in the mirror, in the image of Jesus Christ. Our best example is Jesus Christ. When we look in the mirror, we always want to resemble someone: Wow, I am almost looking like Luis Miguel now. No, not me. I am just giving an example.

Some sisters say, “I almost look like this soap-opera actress; I just need to lift this up a tiny bit.” There is always a need to try to present a good image. Before the Lord’s mirror, we must also consider presenting ourselves with a good image.

And do you know why? Because that is the image that reaches those around us. The image we see in the mirror of God’s glory is what reaches out to touch the souls of other people and present to them an image of joy, an image of peace, an image of goodness, an image consistent with the reality of our faith: the image of Jesus Christ reigning and ruling within us.

You know that the Bible gives us many teachings about the need to become like the Lord. The apostle Paul says, “Be imitators of me, just as what? Just as I am of Christ.”

Sometimes we do not even dare to tell people, “Look, try to imitate me, because I am a good Christian.” It is very difficult to say that today. But you know what? The goal is for us to see ourselves with unveiled face before the Lord’s mirror and say to him, “Lord, which areas of my spiritual life need to be fixed by you?”

Sometimes we look at ourselves in the Lord’s mirror and remain content with what we are. Sometimes we look at ourselves in the mirror of the Lord’s glory. The Lord’s glory is the Son of God; it is Jesus Christ himself establishing his kingdom, his throne, his mercy, his plan of salvation, and his sacrifice for us here on earth. That is the living example; that is the image we ought to display every day when we get up, when we are at work, when we are with our friends, and when we are with our family. A church that begins to display the image of Jesus Christ is a church that begins to conquer areas and lands that the devil has stolen and that begin to be captured for the Kingdom of the Lord.

In the image of the Lord, we can go even beyond where you may naturally think you can reach. You know that every day we need to be concerned about those details that can create a bad impression because we have neglected to look at ourselves in the Lord’s mirror.

In the book of Galatians 5:19, here are some characteristics of the things that could be discovered as we look at ourselves in the mirror of the Lord’s glory. Speaking of certain behaviors, it says:

“…Now the works of the flesh are evident…”

And there you have three verses to read and occupy yourself with, and you can begin to see which of those things are affecting your image before the mirror, which is the image of Jesus Christ upon us. Our behavior needs to be improved: the habits that offend the Lord, that way of living which is contrary to what the Lord says, contrary to what the Lord has established. Here in this passage from Galatians, chapter 5, verse 19 and onward, it says that the works of the flesh are evident, and at the end, in verse 22, it says that these will have no inheritance; they will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Those who practice, those who do certain things written here, those who present a double image to the world, those who hide, those who prefer to walk one way in the world and prefer to be another way in church—here in church we all look like Christ; it is when we go out through those doors that we often begin truly to remove the masks we wear.

The Lord’s church is not a hypocritical church. The Lord’s church is not a mediocre church. The Lord’s church is not a deceitful church. The Lord’s church is not a lying church. The Lord’s church is a powerful church in the image of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s church is a church powerful in the authority Christ has given it: a true church, a church that advances through the word of the Lord, which is living and effective for these times.

The Lord’s church—we are the Lord’s church. We need to understand that we must stand before the mirror of the Lord’s glory every day and become more like him each day.

Are we becoming more like Christ each day? Is the Lord Jesus Christ reflected in our image for these times? While in the world the concept of beauty and image has to do with arrogance, pride, and vainglory, for the Christian the concept of beauty has to do with having Jesus Christ as our principal image.

While for the world beauty brings certain changes in some people’s emotional behavior, for those who are beautiful in Christ, the only change occurs because Jesus Christ becomes your eternal image, your emblem, your calling card each day. When you stand before someone, you do not find favor because you are you, but because Jesus Christ is the one acting through you.

How many of us were often told that we could not reach a certain point because we did not have an adequate physical build, because we did not have the necessary ability? But when we set ourselves to change and became willing to do so before the Lord’s mirror, look, there was nowhere in the world—nothing was closed to us. Why? Because when we advance in Jesus Christ, the image of Jesus Christ alone reaches beyond and crosses limits, crosses barriers, destroys strongholds, and the Lord begins to glorify himself through you.

Isaiah chapter 60, verse 1 says:

“…Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…”

In how many of those here has the glory of the Lord arisen? When you shine, it is that radiance of grace, of the authority the Lord is giving you, of that opportunity to call yourself a child of the living God. Not everyone has that opportunity. Not everyone has that opportunity, but there are people who have decided not to become like the Lord.

In Second Corinthians, chapter 4, verse 4, it says:

“…In whom the god of this age blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, would not shine upon them…”

Even within churches there are people who do not even want to become like the Lord. And they have spent so much time living a religious life that they are content with that. In the world there are people who do not want to become like the Lord because it seems to bring many problems. And the god of this world darkened their understanding, and they simply remained with that image; and even when the gospel of Christ reaches them, many times not even the image of a loving Jesus Christ—of a Jesus Christ who died on the cross of Calvary, who shed his blood, who made a tremendous sacrifice for each person—not even that sacrifice is enough anymore for some to recognize that they need this gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the image of God.

You know, the enemy has made sure to keep us busy. The enemy has made sure that we do not concern ourselves with these details. A mirror is an accessory, and looking at ourselves in the Lord’s mirror every day will probably not be very pleasant for us. One day the Lord will tell us, “You need to fix yourself up a little more so that you look like me.”

Are you willing to do it? Are you willing to reflect on your life and, through these spiritual habits—prayer, fasting, and the daily reading of the Word—seek to become more like Christ?

I want to invite you to do that. Do you know why? Because that is where our gain lies. That is where our treasure lies. In Hebrews chapter 1, verse 3, one part of the text speaks about Christ as the glory of God:

“…who, being the radiance of his glory and the exact image of his substance…”·

Jesus Christ is no ordinary person. Stop putting on those dark glasses to look like Daddy Yankee. Stop dyeing your hair to look like this actress or that singer. Clothe yourself with humility and begin to look like Jesus Christ. Clothe yourself with peace and begin to look like Jesus Christ. Clothe yourself with the Lord’s love and forgiveness, and begin to walk like Jesus Christ. That is the church the world needs to see today: a church that looks more like Jesus Christ than like the world, a church that looks more like who Jesus Christ is—as the Son of God and the provider of a plan of salvation for us—rather than one that tries to resemble the structure of a social system, an economic system, or a political system.

You are the Lord’s church. Do not turn your attention away from the one who truly deserves it, and that is Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Someone may say, Pastor Andrés, but it is going to be very difficult to become like Jesus Christ in a world with so much imperfection, in a world with so much inconsistency and inconstancy. Look at what 1 Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 12 says. This passage gives us an interesting hope:

“…Now we see through a mirror, darkly, but then we shall see face to face…”

Do you know what it is saying? Keep seeking to become like the Lord, and even though the image is still a little dark and blurry, as long as you continue on this path, at some point you will see him face to face, and you will realize that the effort, the sacrifice, and the decision to become like Jesus were worth it.

While we seek role models in our lives, while we seek human models on which to base an image, today I want to speak to you and tell you that there is a revolutionary word for your heart: forget every human model. You want to be like this evangelist, this preacher, this woman preacher, this conference speaker, this male singer, this female singer, but the farther we are from Jesus Christ, the less satisfied we will ever be. And the closer we draw to Jesus Christ, the more we will realize that there is still a vast world to be won and shown that Jesus Christ is the image of the living God.

Jesus Christ is the image of the living God. Close your eyes for a moment. If anyone feels concerned because, for some reason, in your life of faith you have not valued this habit of looking at yourself in the mirror of Christ every day, I want to invite you to stand and come forward.

We have 5 minutes left, and I want to pray for you. If the Holy Spirit has touched your heart and said to you, “I want you to come before me every day so that I can tell you how you need to get yourself right with me,” perhaps you forget; there is so much to do, and this world is so stressful. Today is the time to say to him, “Lord, I want to get right with you.” Come forward for a moment; come forward.

If you feel that need for the Lord to strengthen you each day in the way you present yourself before him, I want to invite you to do it, to tell him, “Jesus Christ, I want to be like you. Jesus Christ, I want to become more like you every day; erase from this spiritual image all those details that offend you, all those details in my spiritual image that are not right before you, Lord Jesus. Let me behold your glory in the mirror of your Spirit, Lord.”

Let me find favor in the eyes of others by bearing your image. Lord, let my life begin to show who you are more than what I am like. Lord, let my life begin to show what you have done in me more than what I have been up to this day.

Oh, Holy Spirit, you who know the mysteries of the heart, if anyone here, Lord, has for some reason felt cast aside because false words have been spoken against my brothers and sisters, emotionally or spiritually, I ask you to begin restoring the heart and mind of each one of them today.

Lord, begin to restore their relationship with you. Oh, Holy Spirit, convict us, Lord; exhort us; encourage us, my God, so that every day we may come before you, Lord, and look at ourselves with unveiled faces, as we must do every day, with honesty, with sincerity, being transparent, being upright with you, hiding nothing, Lord.

Oh, Holy Spirit, fill with your power, God, this conviction that has been born in the hearts of my brothers and sisters, so that every day they may become more like you, so that every day, Lord, their image may reflect who you are, so that every day your power, Lord, may work when they open their mouths, when they look, when they raise their arms, when they walk, when they embrace one another, Lord.

Oh, Holy Spirit, fill us, fill us, Lord, with hope that even though it seems difficult, Lord, you are God and nothing is impossible for you. Thank you, Jesus. Say to him, “Lord Jesus”—repeat after me, “Lord Jesus”; everyone repeat after me—“Lord Jesus, every day I want to become more like you. I want to be the image you want me to bear. I want to show that you are my Lord and that every day, Lord, I will not stop looking at myself in your mirror with my face unveiled, so that you may fix whatever needs to be fixed.”

Thank you for your love, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for your presence. Thank you, Lord.