Insomnia of Jesus

By Russell Moore

When the disciples screamed in the face of a storm, Jesus slept (Mk. 4:37-38). When Jesus screamed in the face of a cross, the disciples slept (Mk. 14:37,41).

Why could Jesus sleep so peacefully through a life-threatening sea-storm, and yet is awake all night in the olive garden before his arrest, crying out in anguish? Why are the disciples pulsing with adrenaline as the ship is tossed about on the Galilee Lake, but drifting off to slumber as the most awful conspiracy in human history gets underway?

Peter, James, and John rebuke Jesus for falling asleep on the boat: “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” (Mk. 4:38) Jesus rebukes them for falling asleep as he prays before the cross: “Could you not watch one hour?” (Mk. 14:37)

Jesus isn’t the anxious sort. He tells us, remember, to be anxious for nothing, to take no thought for tomorrow (Matt 6:25-34). So why is he awake all night, “greatly distressed and troubled” (Mk. 14:33). In the storm, Jesus dismisses the disciples’ terror with a wave of the hand. In the garden, he screams, with loud cries and tears (Heb. 5:7), until the blood vessels in his face explode.

It is because Jesus knows what to fear. Jesus knows to fear not him who can kill the body, but instead Him who can cast both body and soul into hell (Matt. 10:28). Jesus doesn’t fear the watery deeps, which can be silenced by his voice. But he knows that is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Danger doesn’t keep Jesus awake; the judgment of God does.

The disciples are just the opposite, and I fear I am too. They are worried about relatively meaningless things, things that need only to be given over to the attention to Jesus. But they are oblivious to the cross that overhangs the cursed world around them, and within them.

I lose sleep quite often over the things Jesus tells me I should not worry about: my life, my possessions, my future. Such is not of the Spirit. Why is it easier for me to worry about next week’s schedule, and to lose sleep over that, than over those around me who could be moments away from judgment? Why am I more concerned about the way my peers judge my actions than about the Judgment Seat of Christ?

The Spirit of Jesus joins us to him in his Gethsemane anguish. We groan with him for the revealing of the sons of God, for resurrection from the dead (Rom. 8:23-27). We like him, through the Spirit, come to terms with the crosses we must carry. And, through it all, we cry with him, “Abba, Father!” (Mk. 14:36; Rom. 8:15).

The next time you find yourself unable to sleep due to worry, ask whether you’re in the Galilee waters or the Gethsemane garden. Ask yourself whether your wakefulness is of the weakening flesh or the awakening Spirit.

( http://www.russellmoore.com/2013/03/28/holy-week-and-the-insomnia-of-jesus/ )

On the Mountain: The Terrifying and Beckoning God

Listened to this on the way to work and I thought it was really good.

On the Mountain: The Terrifying and Beckoning God from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

TGC '13 - SL version

It has been a week since TGC '13 and I figured that it will be nice to write down my experiences, especially because I do not trust my long term memory. I remember things better when they are written.

DAY 1

I remember being extremely tired, sleepy, and hungry on the first day. I guess I am to blame feeling such way since I decided not to sleep during the plane ride (I got carried away watching CNN on Rick Warren's son suicide, psy's interview, and north korea affair on nuclear testing, and The Office). I don't have a good excuse like others who had kids kicking their seats.
Regardless how I felt, when we arrived to TGC that was held at Rosen Shingle Creek, I was amazed how huge this place was. I think my jaw might have dropped a little but I'm not too sure. I guess I was imagining the event to be held at a little more of a humble abode. But then again, I might have been just overreacting since this was my first time attending TGC.
After we checked-in, Ben, James, Jay, Sunny, Hanna, Ann, and I had breakfast downstairs while PJulian was taking a nap in the room (we should have done that too). Afterwards, girls went upstairs to take a shower while, I believe, the guys were waiting for John to join as well.
We all assembled, I think, at 10 am to check in for the conference. I don't remember what we did afterwards (probably visited the bookstore). Anyway, while we were waiting for the first plenary speaker, John Piper, I was looking around the conference room and was amazed how diverse it was. There were people from all ages, ethnicities, genders, backgrounds, and etc... I just felt like I had a glimpse of heaven.

The theme for TGC '13 was on the gospel of Luke. The first speaker was John Piper! I was feeling a little giddy inside because I was in the same room as him!! Anyway, he spoke on Luke 1 and having the certainty of the gospel. He taught us one term, "aspheliam" (I don't how to spell it), which means peace and security, having the immovable reality of Jesus and what he has done for us. When we hold this truth, our natural response is to rejoice and this great joy that we have is by the work of the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit live in you, producing joy?
His sermon was a great reminder not to underestimate and mediocrely accept the truth that has been told/taught.  The Gospel is ultimately about God. So, instead of underestimating and belittling the nature of God, I should have a child-like faith, reliance, on the Almighty God.

The second speaker was Colin Smith and he spoke on distinguishing marks of Jesus' preaching. By the time for the second speaker, my body just gave in and I did not realize that I was sleeping until some stranger accidently tapped me on my knee. Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!

The third speaker, Crawford Loritts, noticed that the room was feeling a little run-down so he woke everyone up with his powerful voice and message. He spoke on Luke 8 and Jesus' power on the afflicted and those who are desperate. There was a lot he said but I'll just focus on one thing that resonated with me (this post is getting way too long). He said that brokenness does not equal worthlessness, but permanent sense of God leading-ness. This was encouraging because many times when I think about how sinful, unworthy, inadequate I am, I feel hesitant to do God's work, BUT that shouldn't be the case! It is true that I am sinful, unworthy, and inadequate compared to His glory, which is why I need God all the more to lead my life, for His works to be done through me. There is a sense of joy and freedom knowing that God is in control. It was never about me. It was and is always about God.

I forgot where we had dinner, but I remember knocking out at 9pm. 9 hours later....

DAY 2!

I got a little carried away with day 1 so I'll try to keep day 2 and 3 brief.
We had breakfast buffet downstairs (thank you jay!) and it was great except for the pineapple-tasting mangoes. Anyway, Kevin Deyoung was the first speaker for day 2. One of the points he made was to be mindful of the need of both relationship and repentance. Jesus associated himself with sinners, but that did not hinder him to talk about repentance and he was not passive about confronting sin.  I think this is always hard with people we are close with. Building relationship is always easy, but it always seem to be difficult to find the courage to lead the people into repentance. It's the struggle between not wanting to offend and offending them, but in reality, we do more harm to them by not leading them into repentance.

During lunch, I got an email from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for a second round interview. I was ecstatic because it is one of the hospitals I wanted to work at! However, my happiness was short-lived when I saw the date of the interview. It was on Thursday, April 11. I talked with the recruiter on the phone and he told me that I had to reapply if I can't make it. I guess it's not too bad but I still felt bummed out. In this competitive world of getting jobs, I just declined the offer that most people would die to get. I had to remind myself that God has a plan for all things.

After lunch, it was perfect that Stephen Um spoke on the theology of money because I was idolizing finding a job and its financial security it may give. However, money is not our security, master, and lover, but God is. God needs to become our object of our devotion and affection. God plans our future and we live accordingly with the hope of "already, not yet."

After the second plenary speaker, we separated to our own workshops. I can talk about all of my three workshops that I attended, but that will take forever, so I just say one thing that I learned from all three. If I can summarize the three workshops into one word, it would be "discipleship." I took workshops on urban ministry, youth ministry and biblical theology of revival. Basically, all three workshops entails us being a disciple and creating disciples. To say the least, I came out encouraged and convicted.

Afterwards, we all assembled for the dinner buffet downstairs. It was nice and encouraging to fellowship with fellow brothers and sisters and talk about what we learned from the workshops we attended. It was also during this time when I checked my email again and I received an email from White Memorial Medical Center that I send in a pre-interview screening essay answering their 10 questions. The first thing that came into my head when reading this email was, "why are all these hospitals contacting me when I'm out of town???"Anyway, I worked on my essay after dinner. It took me a while, but I turned it in! Each day was a constant reminder that God is sovereign.

DAY 3 - Last day

Gary Miller and Tim Keller spoke on the last day of the conference. I thought the ending was perfect with Tim Keller speaking on Christ's resurrection. One of the things he said was that the resurrection is a powerful message to the world because it is personal, certain, and unimaginably wonderful. Christ's resurrection gives hope for the future because we already know the ending and it restores of what we lost. It is a powerful message of redemption, eternal fellowship with the Lord, and restoration. By having Christ's resurrection in mind, there is no reason to dwell on the suffering and struggles in this world. When we have Christ's resurrection in mind, we can be bold in our faith and not be so caught up  with what offends people.

Although the conference ended, we stayed a little longer for the post-conference, which was on biblical theology of work. It was good, but I think I was feeling a little tired by the end.

For dinner, we had a fancy meal at Charley's steakhouse. Steak was really good for the first few bites but it felt really heavy the last few bites. All in all, it was a very delectable meal and thank you jay!

ANYWAY,
Sorry that this post doesn't seem so cohesive. There is just so much to say about the conference and my mind is scattered. It was a blessing to have had attended TGC and I'm looking forward to future conferences! I left earlier to leave for Georgia, but that had its own story that I can tell during some other time. That is all for TGC.

p.s. I wish I had a pond full of turtles. I can stare at them all day long. If I can choose to be any animal, I would want to be a turtle.

p.p.s. I read the excerpt from Follow Me by David Platt and it was really good (I think only pastors were allowed to get the full copy)!! I was wondering if we can read that after we read Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller for bible study.

p.p.p.s. This post became really long. Longer than I intended it to be so if you are reading this, props to you!

p.p.p.p.s. I have few pictures from TGC

checking-in

downstairs where we would have our breakfast/dinner

hanna and sunny with orange juice!

Checking-in for the conference

Sistafriends!

Brothafriends!

I am such a great photographer.

We have very strong people in our ministry

I name it, Mushberry Toad!

Charles Spurgeon and Jonathan Edwards! 

Last day. James the ghost. 

Adios, Orlando, Florida!


- SL -

"Soli Deo Gloria"

I started reading some articles from Tabletalk Magazine and thought this one, by John Piper, was good.

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We use the phrase glory of God so often that it tends to lose its biblical force. But this glory, like the sun, is no less blazing- and no less beneficial- because people ignore it. Yet, God hates to be ignored. “Mark this, then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!” (Ps. 50:22). So let’s focus again on the glory of God. What is God’s glory, and how important is it?

What is the glory of God?

The glory of God is the holiness of God put on display. That is, it is the infinite worth of God made manifest. Notice how Isaiah shifts from “holy” to “glory”: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of host; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isa.6:3). When the holiness of God fills the earth for people to see, it is called glory.

The basic meaning of holy is “separated from the common.” Thus, the holiness of God is His infinite “separation” from all that is common. It is what makes Him the infinite “one of a kind”- like the rarest and most perfect diamond in the world- only there are no other diamond- gods. God’s uniqueness as the only God- His “Godness”- makes him infinitely valuable, or holy. In speaking of God’s glory, the Bible assumes that this infinite value has entered creation. It has, as it were, shined. God’s glory is the radiance of His holiness, the out-streaming of His infinite value. And when it streams out, it is seen as beautiful and great. It has both infinite quality and magnitude. So, we may define God’s glory as the beauty and greatness of His manifold perfections.

I say “manifold perfections” because specific aspects of God’s being are said to have glory. For example, we read of “the glory of his grace” (Eph. 1:6) and “the glory of his might” (2 Thess. 1:9). God himself is glorious because he is the perfect unity of all His manifold and glorious perfections.

But this definition must be qualified. The Bible also speaks of God’s glory before it is revealed in creation. For example, Jesus prays, “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed” (John 17:5). So I would suggest a definition something like this: God’s glory is the outward radiance of the intrinsic beauty and greatness of His manifold perfections.

I am aware that words are poor pointers here. I have replaced one inadequate word- glory- with two inadequate words- beauty and greatness. But God has revealed Himself to us in words like “the glory of God.” Therefore, they are not meaningless.

We must constantly remind ourselves that we are speaking of a glory that is ultimately beyond any comparison in creation. “The glory of God” is how we designate the infinite beauty and the infinite greatness of the Person who was before anything else. This beauty and greatness exist without origin, without comparison, without analogy, without being judged by any external criterion. God’s glory is the all-defining, absolutely original standard of greatness and beauty. All created greatness and beauty comes from it and points to it, but such things do not comprehensively or adequately reproduce it.

“The glory of God” is a way to say that there is an objective, absolute reality to which all human wonder, awe, veneration, praise, honor, acclaim, and worship is pointing. We were made to find our deepest pleasure in admiring the infinitely admirable- the glory of God. This glory is not the psychological projection of unsatisfied human longing onto reality. On the contrary, inconsolable human longing is evidence that we were made for God’s glory.

How central is the glory of God?

The glory of God is the goal of all things (1 Cor. 10:31; Isa. 43:6-7). The great mission of the church is to declare God’s glory among the nations. “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Ps.96:1-3; Ezek. 39:21; Isa. 66:18-19). 

What is our hope?

Our ultimate hope is to see God’s glory. “We rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2). God will “present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24). He will “make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory” (Rom. 9:23). Jesus, in all His person and work, is the incarnation and ultimate revelation of the glory of God (John 17:24; Heb. 1:3).

Moreover, we will not only see God’s glory, but we will also, in some sense, share in His glory. “So I exhort the elders among you, as fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed” (1 Peter 5:1). “Those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). Hope that is really known and treasured has a decisive effect on our present values, choices, and actions. 

Treasuring the glory of God

Get to know the glory of God. Study the glory of God, the glory of Christ. Study your soul. Know the glories that you are seduced by and why you treasure glories that are not God’s glory.

Study your own soul to know how to make the glories of the world collapse like Dagon in pitiful pieces on the floor of the world’s temples (1 Sam. 5:4). Hunger to see and share in more of the glory of Christ, the image of God. 

Tabletalk; November 2012

Clarity!!

Hymn Stories: Rock of Ages

Link

There are also on the bottom, links of other hymns and their stories!

Piper on Regrets and Retirement

Originally from The Gospel Coalition site

Making Disciples

TGC Livestream

Link