The Theater of Glory

At Monday Night Live (Chi Alpha’s large group) this past Monday, I heard a message that was quite new to me yet fully awe-inspiring. It was about the crucifiction of the Lord Jesus in all its glory. Some theologians refer to this passage in John as the “Theater of Glory” because it represents the pinnacle of redemptive history, the culmination of salvation, and ultimate reflection of God’s glory and awesome plan for His people. Although every aspect of Jesus’ crucifiction is full of glory, the speaker focused on 4 main aspects.

1) The Crown of Thorns

John 19:2 “And the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head and arrayed him in a purple robe.”

In Genesis, thorns represented the aftermath of the fall of man and sin in the world. It represented the curse that rightly fell upon mankind. However, Jesus, our King, took that curse upon his head and took the full wrath of God upon himself that we might receive the glory, honor, and eternal life that he deserved.

2) Nakedness

John 19:23,24 “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic…This was to fulfill the Scripture…”

The cruficiction was an extremely shameful way to die because it would require one to be beaten and flogged naked and to hang naked on a cross before crowds of people. Why was this done to fulfill the Scripture? Sin led to an overwhelming flood of shamefulness, insecurity, and the desire for acceptance and approval from others. Just as Adam and Eve were instantly aware of their nakedness after they had sinned, sin led us to find our identity in people and places other than Christ. We began worshiping false gods. We started covering up our insecurities and shame with worldly things that will never satisfy. Indeed, Jesus was crucified to take away our shame and to “clothe us with garments of salvation and array us in a robe of righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10). Jesus’ glory was in taking our shame upon himself. He was glorified even in humiliation. Think about that for a moment.

3) Pain of the Soul

John 19:28 “I thirst.”

While Jesus was being beaten and flogged and his body was being torn to shreds, he was silent. While he hung on the cross and endured the excruciating pain of hanging on the cross with nails driven through his hands and feet, he was speechless until he said, “I thirst.” Why were those the first words to come out of His mouth? The pain that Jesus experienced in his soul was infinitely greater than his bodily pain. As Tim Keller put it, “the greater the order of being, the greater the form of life, the greater the potential for pain.” Jesus was separated from the Father at that time. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Imagine disunity in the Trinity, between the Father and the Son. The very thought of how great that pain of separation and the thirst for reconciliation eludes my imagination. However, the good news is that Jesus endured the thirst of separation that we might drink fully from the source of living water and life. Just as Jesus invited the woman at the well to turn to God to satisfy her thirst, we are able to have the deepest thirsts of our soul quenched by a relationship with the Father. He is the living water and we can drink deep from it. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit was given to us that we might never thirst again.

4) Last Words

John 19:30 “It is finished.”

It is finished. IT is finished. IT is FINISHED. I can’t say those three words enough. The curse and wrath of God has been endured and there is absolutely nothing left for us to pay. There is nothing left for us to prove. If we are struggling with sin, we can rest assured that Jesus paid for those sins. Nail them to the cross with Jesus and repent for the debt of those sins has been paid already. If we are trying to do anything on our own to earn our salvation, we need to stop right there. Jesus suffering has paid everything. His sacrifice was fully sufficient and we don’t need to do anything but acknowledge Him and believe.

The separation, the shame, the agony, the thirst, the wrath have all been endured. If Jesus had only died, that would not have been enough. Praise the Lord that has has risen also! Our Savior has conquered death and lives forevermore! This Jesus, the great King of glory, reigns from the cross. As he hung on the cross, his ultimate glory was manifested. As I consider how much glory was put on display in our Lord’s death and “humiliation,” I don’t even know where to begin in trying to comprehend His glory at the right hand of the Father- the glory that is promised to those who love Him.

So what do we need to do? Matthew 10:32-33 reads:

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 10:37-39 reads:

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.“

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Jesus calls us to live lives changed by the simple truth that we have been saved. We no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us. What are we living for? Fame, power, sex, riches, “success?” We are called to submit our entire lives to Christ, for His purposes. We are called to love with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength. We are called to be bold followers in a hostile world and to serve His kingdom. When we obey and submit ourselves to Him remembering all that He did for us, we won’t regret anything we do or sacrifice for His sake. The weight of eternal glory and being with Christ for eternity surpasses anything in this world.

As you ponder these things, consider these songs:

(Lead Me to the Cross) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdq9Q8wJdjc

(Jesus Paid it All) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3o3DiMVdOI

Thanks for reading!

A Faith Worth Sacrificing, Suffering, and Dying For

I have been thinking of so much lately that ironically, I haven’t had time to post for a while. Hopefully, this post will try to capture the things that I have been trying to wrap my mind around lately.

To begin, MNL two weeks ago, challenged me to think of my utter dependence on the Father for life and vitality. We were dead in sin but we have been grafted into the healthy vine so that we might bear much fruit. We must abide in the Father through constant prayer and study of the Scriptures. We must become men (and women) in constant communion with the Father. We must know what our Father desires for that is the only way we will develop an intimate and personal relationship with Him. Jesus tells us “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” What a promise of great hope we have in this! We can do nothing apart from the Father but when we humbly rely on the Father, we bring great joy to the Father and that joy overflows and completes our joy. There is no greater thing than bearing fruit  for Him and abiding in Him.  So who is this fruit for? I have at times incorrectly viewed my fruit as a measure by which I evaluate how much I have grown and how “good” I have become. Jesus says “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” To bear good fruit, we must decrease that He might increase and we see that the fruit is for the Father and for those around who see our fruit. Let’s not just live and be content with any kind of fruit. Instead, let’s strive to flourish and bear much fruit.

Next, I have been thinking of what it means to offer costly worship. What do lives poured out upon the altar look like? What is complete surrender?  What is the cost of following Jesus? When Jesus calls Matthew, Jesus says, “Follow me” and Matthew immediately rose and followed him. Do we have that kind of faith? Are we willing to give up everything including our comfort to live a life that Jesus promises will be full of suffering and hostility? Do we call to Jesus in times of desperation and need but water down our faith and live lukewarm lives at other times? Jesus calls us to be on fire for him, to be extroverted for His kingdom. In Matthew 8: 20, we are warned that “the Son of Man has no where to lay His head” and he calls us to “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Would I abandon the burial of my earthly father to follow Him? Probably not. Convicting indeed but Jesus calls us away from sorrow and unto peace, joy, life, hope, and so much more. In Matthew 8: 23-27, when the disciples cry out to Jesus for their lives when a storm hits their boat, they reveal a faith that is weak when tested. They cried, “Save us Lord, we are perishing!” Does our faith stop when it is dangerous or scary? Let’s pray for a faith that is tested by trial yet found to be purer than gold that perishes when refined by fire.

Later, Jesus says, “For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” ”He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and he carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:3-4)

We are told that the world will hate us for who we are because we are followers of Christ. Jesus reminds us that no servant is greater than his master so we are destined to live in a world of hostility if we stand up for what we believe. We are called to be in the world but not of the world. We are called to keep ourselves unstained by the world. Not only that, we are called to be beautiful feet and messengers of the good news to a world of hostility. The corruption and evil of this world breaks the heart of God so we are not called to just turn our faces away and scorn them as if we were any better than the rest. We are called to be bold bearers of God’s light knowing that we were brought into the light only through the saving work of Jesus Christ. We are to bring hope, life, love, and forgiveness to a world desperately in need of Jesus. Keep in mind that as long as we realize that Jesus is our greatest reward, the only thing worth living and dying for, there is no cost that is greater than this reward. As Pete, the campus minister for Chi Alpha, put it, “WHATEVER it costs you, it is a great deal.” Challenging words for me- I know I sometimes can’t sacrifice my time, my pride, my image for the kingdom but that is exactly what he calls us to do. We are to bring the Father’s message of love and hope to those around us. Let’s not just look at those who are attractive, smart, athletic, popular, rich and just make friends with them. Jesus calls us to minister to the needy, the neglected, and the sinners. Let’s take our place among those who are hard to love and despised by the world and show them what true love means for love does not boast. Let’s strive for a commitment to Christ that goes beyond our circumstances, trusting that the Holy Spirit will do its work as long as we initiate it.

PRIMAL

The book has been incredibly convicting and rewarding so far. In the section on loving God with our heart, the author mostly speaks about offering our hearts to God through our finances. One sentence sticks out to me- “God doesn’t need your money, he wants your heart.” God doesn’t really need anything we can offer but he wants our heart. All of it. Our heart is where our treasure is so if we place Jesus as our ultimate treasure and give for the right reasons, he will take our offering and multiply it. God will never run out and we can never outgive God. We may not have much but the more we give, the more we will have and our heart will become bigger and bigger for God. An interesting proposition of the author is to set an “income ceiling” for the rest of your life. You will only take a certain amount every year (regardless of pay raises and bonuses) and give the rest to God. Easy right? It is costly worship but it not only reflects a steadfast faith in the Father’s provision but also a belief that everything comes from the Father and we are entrusted with wealth in order to provide for the kingdom. Do we go out and spend 30 dollars on that polo shirt instead of even considering offering to missions? Do we allow ourselves to fall into coveting without even thinking about the needy world that could really use anything that we could offer. Concerning the income ceiling, ask yourself, when will my barns be big enough? How much is enough? There is no right answer but it is a decision that will lead to a lifelong dependence on God.

Secondly, the author explores what it means to love God with our souls. He believes it means having souls filled with wonder and awe, flooded with the beauty and glory of God while imagining the mysterious nature of His being. The more we look with our souls, the more we will see that God is everywhere and he is in everything. Everything is a reflection of his perfect design and his will and when we look around at the the insects, the animals, the trees, the stars, the people around us, we can’t help but be filled with a sense of speechless appreciation for who God is and his awesomeness. I hope to share more about Primal in the coming weeks but let’s have eyes receptive to God’s amazing character and view everything around us as a miracle that God has performed. We will never get around some things but let’s not let those things stop our curiosity as we try to wrap our minds around who God is.

Striving for Fruitful Faith and PRIMAL

Lately, I have been reading the Sermon on the Mount and came across a pair of convicting verses. Matthew 7:19-20 reads “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Similarly, in Galatians 5:22-23, we are told the types of fruit we are to bear: love, peace, joy, patience, faithfulness, kindness, goodness, and self-control. Are we progressing in our faith? It’s okay to take one step forward and two steps back but are we moving forward in the big picture? Jesus tells us to strive to enter through the narrow gate and that we will only enter the kingdom if we do the will of God for otherwise, he will say to us, “I never knew you. Away from me!” I know God has been leading me along his path over the last couple of months but I also realize how easy it is to fall into a state of contentment. Am I content that I am “good enough” or is there a desire to go there. Our Heavenly Father tells us of a harvest that is already ripe, a world that is desperate and needy, and a people who live in darkness. Do we have faith that God can strengthen us and use us in supernatural ways? Our faith must persevere through trial and we must never forget who is leading us and holding onto us every step of the way. Our faith must be alive! We are called to labor for the kingdom and we are expected to bear fruit for just as salt that is not salty is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled by men, we are expected to live out our faith. How do we do that? If we do not yet know our talents, we must pray and God to help us see where we can best serve Him. Just as we pray that God’s kingdom would happen on earth as it is in heaven, we need to be God’s hands and feet. We are his workers and there is so much to be done! Look around and you will see!

This past Thursday, at Core Group, we discussed what wisdom is and how it pertains to taming the tongue. The tongue allows us to communicate and encourage others but it is also full of poison. In Matthew, it reads “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” In other words, if our hearts are anxious and fearful, it is difficult to encourage others. If we truly understand or begin to comprehend God’s great love for us, we can’t help but share that love with others and be filled with compassion. This wisdom that God desires is “first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” Our wisdom should not be a passive knowledge of Biblical truth but a life lived as a reflection of what we believe. Two particularly important insights I gained from the discussion were: our wisdom is not only in how we act but how we respond and that we must constantly examine ourselves and ask for the Holy Spirit to convict us when our lives speak hypocrisy.

I have begun reading the book Primal by Mark Batterson with my Core Group leader. It is a book about the greatest commandment that Jesus gave- love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. I have only read the first two chapters but it is a book that will examine what Christianity is in its most raw form. It asks the questions: How do we love? What does it mean to love with our heart (soul, strength, and mind)? Is this love one that we are willing to die for? Does our heart break for the things that break God’s heart? We were given a new heart when we accepted Christ but has it become calloused and desensitized to God and those around us? These are some very difficult questions to answer but hopefully, the Holy Spirit will convict me and give me insight that I can share. I definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking to find that passion that might have waned since they first believed because that is what Batterson is striving to bring out. Let me know if you would like to borrow the book after I finish reading it! Have a great week and enjoy the weather!

Come to the Water

Grace is such a simple word yet it cuts right into the heart of who God is and what God has in store for us. It begins with God’s sending Jesus to die for such unworthy and undeserving sinners but it doesn’t end there. Daily, he supplies us with abundant grace like rain and calls us to “come to the water” and to drink from the fountain of living water in Isaiah 55:1 and John 4:13-14.

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:13-14)

Jesus promises to supply our thirst if we call out to Him. If we knock, it will be opened. If we genuinely seek, we will find. Jesus promises to walk with us everyday and he has given us his Holy Spirit, who is our Counselor and Helper, to help us glorify His name. I am very grateful for the Chi Alpha brothers and sisters who shared about their spring break missions trips tonight because as touching as they were, they revealed that God is very alive today and He still needs workers for His kingdom. He is able to use sinful creatures to bring glory to His majestic name and bring redemption to this generation. They also reminded me of the power of prayer: God does bring trials and disappointment sometimes but He also gives us more than we could ever ask for. As I volunteer with Abundant Life this semester, I am asking that God would help me bring his love and compassion to those who are forgotten by the rest of the world. Oh what peace and joy to bring the good news to others! Love is what Jesus came to show. Love is what Jesus taught. Jesus was love. How can we show this love to others? We must look at how much we have been given in Jesus- incomparable grace, mercy, and love. We desperately need God’s unending grace so let’s call out to Him in steadfast faith, trusting that His grace is enough for us.

Just a couple of  beautiful songs to help you reflect on God’s amazing grace:

“Grace Like Rain”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGJb-mPMmg

“Your Grace is Enough”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI5Yiyv5O0s

Intentions

I hope to use this blog to share what God has been teaching me through my devotionals, my church (Trinity Presbyterian), and my fellowship (Chi Alpha). My goal is to update it at least once a week to share how God has been working in my life. I plan to post my reflections on how we are to live for Christ and how we can serve our King as ambassadors for Him wherever we are. Quite simply, we are asked to die to ourselves so that we might live wholly for him. I hope that this will provide an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to help me to grow spiritually and to help you as well as we take from God’s perfect word.

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