Conversations -- Why did Jesus get Baptized? (1)

I'm joyful that a friend has begun to seriously dig into God's Word, investigating for Himself the richness and truth of the Bible and longing after faithful teaching :) Both of us then agreed to sharpen one another as we wrestle with God's Word and one of the ways we're doing that is by discussing various questions, issues and maybe even theological thoughts. Personally, I think I'm going to learn more from him than he does from me as he has a gift of asking insightful and thought-provoking questions! (which I don't have a knack for...).

Anyhow, I'm going to name this series of discourse as "Conversations" and the first one is my response to this insightful question posed:

Why did Jesus get baptized?

The Baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:13-17--ESV)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. 16And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."


Firstly, context...

Baptism is strictly a NT practice and as you study Jesus' baptism it is important to look back to see where/when the first baptism is. And that's just before this passage, at verse 11. "I (John the Baptist) baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." So...John the Baptist's (JB) baptism was one of repentance. A repentance which to prepare oneself for the coming of Christ (which is JB's purpose in life.. to prepare the way). More importantly, JB's baptism does not confer the Holy Spirit. Only Christ's baptism does (v11)**

So, it's pretty obvious that Jesus didn't have to be baptized...especially not the baptism of John. Simply cos he was sinless and he was the ONE... the long-awaited Messiah. In fact, John pretty much asked Jesus to baptize him! (v14) Also, Jesus was already "filled with the Spirit" from His birth! (Lk 1:35).

When then? I would like to suggest a few reasons:


(1) Jesus' change from Private Life to Public Ministry.
In the OT, prophets, priests & Kings were always anointed with oil before they started their ministry. In the NT, that oil is now "replaced" with the Holy Spirit. Remember that many practices in the OT were but a shadow and a representation of Christ and what He brings. In the same way, Christ was "anointed or filled with the Holy Spirit" (though not technically) as a symbol of Him beginning His public ministry.


(2) Encouragement for Christ Jesus, fully Man.
This was the event before Jesus' "showdown" with Satan in the desert (Matt 4, Lk 4). Imagine the special joy Jesus must have felt at His baptism... it was a Trinitarian event as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were overtly present. It was a time of comfort and joy before Jesus faced evil face to face.


(3) Sign that Jesus is the Son of God
John 1:32-34 states that JB bore witness to the decent of the Spirit in the form of a dove. And from that sign, JB recognized, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus was the Son of God.


(4) Jesus' identification with Man (most important reason to me)
Lastly, it is also connected with what you recently studied... specifically Hebrews 2:14-18. In that passage, Jesus, as man, was made like his brothers in every respect. This was so that He could fully and totally help us in every aspect of our lives. So, while Jesus needn't have gone through baptism, He did so to identify with us. It's like a CO queuing up for food at the Cookhouse with the rest of the Men... for the sake of identifying with them.

As you study Matthew, you'll realise that that was what Jesus did. He NEVER used His prerogative as the Son of God for His own gain or comfort. His powers of healing, etc was ONLY used to help others... be it physically, emotionally or spiritually. Even in the temptation by Satan (Matt 4), Jesus didn't use His might to banish Satan (it wasn't time), He used OT passages, the Word of God. It was meant to be an example for us to follow. To be so in tune with God's Word that when temptations or Satan come, we'll (like Jesus) use God's Word as a means to fight things off. This is also in line with the Sword of the Spirit in Eph 6:17.

All in all, this was Jesus' first "official" work on His part in displaying His obedience to the Father, His humility as a Saviour and His love for Man. "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men" (Phil 2:5-7)

Going slightly further, Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount with these words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." (Matt 5:3). The most powerful, memorable sermon in the world, and this is what He opens it with. One would imagine that He would proclaim Himself as King or something... but no. Not that Jesus recognized that He was spiritually bankrupt and that He was nothing without God (that's the short literal understanding of being poor in spirit) but that even as the Savior who has taken our sins at the Cross, Jesus was fully obedient to the Father, being our example in all things.


And all of that...began with His baptism.



**Disclaimer: This does not in any way imply that the act of Baptism = salvation or the giving of the Holy Spirit. It's your belief that sees the Holy Spirit enter your life. Baptism is the outward proclamation of that belief. In the early church, belief was often accompanied by immediate Baptism (Acts 2:38, Acts 19:1-5)


[Thoughts derived from the Holy Spirit, BSF notes & DA Carson]

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Too many a time, we only sing the chorus of this hymn, skipping the verses entirely. I wonder why...

While singing this hymn in its completeness, the tenderness & care of God just covers me and gives me that sense of security and comfort. To know that Jesus Christ is the light, the life and His faithfulness never fails me.

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s a light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are!

His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

Alan Jackson's version (the one above) is one of the few which sing all the verses. A bit old school country, but it brings out the essence of the hymn. I wasn't particularly fond of the Newsboys & Third Day versions...I felt that the rocked it up a little too much, spoiling the tenderness of the song.

2 versions I love: Michael W. Smith & Selah. However, they only sing the chorus. Nonetheless, click on the links provided to watch the various versions, and be edified :)

The Power of the Cross & Higher Throne

2 Songs that God has been impacting my life with:

The Power of the Cross

"The Power of the Cross"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,
Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

FINAL CHORUS:
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Other good links to this song:
Stuart Townend version
Keith & Kristyn Getty (piano only)

There Is a Higher Throne

“There Is a Higher Throne”
Words and Music by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

There is a higher throne
Than all this world has known,
Where faithful ones from ev'ry tongue
Will one day come.
Before the Son we'll stand,
Made faultless through the Lamb;
Believing hearts find promised grace—
Salvation comes.

REFRAIN
Hear heaven's voices sing;
Their thund'rous anthem rings
Through em'rald courts and sapphire skies.
Their praises rise.
All glory, wisdom, pow'r,
Strength, thanks, and honor are
To God our King, who reigns on high
Forevermore.

And there we'll find our home,
Our life before the throne;
We'll honor Him in perfect song
Where we belong.
He'll wipe each tear-stained eye
As thirst and hunger die.
The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King;
We'll reign with Him.

Follow the link to the watch a video of Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend teaching the song:
New Song Cafe teaching

Giving Honour

"8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!"

9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created."

Revelation 4

"What does it mean to give glory, honour and thanks to God? How does each of these expressions differ from the others?"

The question seemed simple enough... yet, it had me stumped.

'Giving thanks to God' was quite clear. We give Him thanks for who He is, for what He has done... especially for His redeeming work on the cross.

'Giving Him the glory' was fairly straightforward too. We glorify God because He is worthy of worship. His whole essence, His magnificence, His very character deserves, in fact it demands our worship and adoration. And speaking of God's attributes in song and in testimony to others is how we can give Him the glory.

But honour.... At the surface, giving God the honour seemed like simply giving Him the respect, merit and reverence He deserves. After all, God is the well.... God. There's no other proper description. However, it seemed... tame in comparison with the previous two. I mean, we call the judge in a court of law, "your honour". We're told in the Bible to honour our Father and Mother (Matt 15:4; Matt 19:19). So what's so special??

"...the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne.." (italics added)

The 24 elders (represented the complete representation of the glorified Church) cast their crowns before the throne. These crowns that God had rewarded them with. These crowns that God had promised would be theirs if they remained faithful to the end (Rev 2:10; 2 Tim 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Pet 5:4). The very same crowns that were to be the symbol of the honour bestowed upon them by the Almighty. The honour that they had persevered and strived for.

Yet, they cast these crowns before the throne and worshiped. My eyes were finally opened. For all the honour that was to be conferred, they took no pride in it. For to them, the ultimate prize, the ultimate goal.... was GOD HIMSELF. Whatever reward or symbol of honour that God had given was to be accepted with the utmost gratitude, but that was eclipsed by the very ability to worship God at His throne, for all eternity.

And tying it back to a lesson that God has been teaching me lately... that is an expression of being poor in spirit. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 5:3)

So I pray that my relationship with Christ will continue to be that close, that intimate; and when my work on earth is done... all I would yearn for, is to bow down before that Higher throne and hearing that simple statement come from my Lord's lips, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matt 25:14-30).

We Fall Down
Chris Tomlin

We fall down, we lay our crowns
at the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
at the feet of Jesus

Chorus:
And we cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
We cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
We cry, "Holy, Holy Holy, is the Lamb"

Be still and know that He is God

Psalm 46

God Is Our Fortress

To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song.

1God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

I was led to reading this psalm during Sunday's worship service its meaning struck me afresh. As I read, a mental backdrop began to form, its vividness provoking a sense of fear and awe...

"earth gives way... mountains be moved into the heart of the sea... waters roar and foam... mountains tremble at its swelling... nations rage, kingdoms totter, desolation, wars, chariots, fire... "

Such unrest and turmoil! Even nature seems to rebel and its floodgates of fury unleashed!

Funny how the backdrop seems to come into sharp focus for me. Maybe its due to the current situations in China and Myanmar. Hurricane Katrina and the Tsunami in Aceh don't seem too far away either. Not to mention the war-zone-like living conditions in many countries.

What i somehow failed to see however, was the subject of the psalm. "GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Within the wrath of nature sits Christ..."he utters his voice, the earth melts". This reminds me of when Jesus stilled the storm with His word (Mk 4:35-41).

More amazing though is how He calls us to come see... "behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth". All the catastrophes, wars, etc. everything is under his sovereign control. He calls us to look at everything straight in the eye and see.... God's hand at work. To see His unfathomable will is being carried out. But this is often so difficult to stomach that we cry out, "But Lord, how could You?! How could you send this much suffering into the world? How could you put me through so much as well??"

Funny how the backdrop of life seems to jump straight into the foreground, drowning out Christ, the person we should be focusing upon. But amidst all the chaos and sin (ours), He promises to eventually bring peace ("He makes wars cease...he breaks the bow an shatters the spear...") and most importantly, He says...

"Be still, and know that I am God."

Be still and know that He is God. On the road to Golgotha, through blood and sweat pouring down his brow, through the unimaginable pain and suffering, I can imagine Jesus whispering these words to His disciples... "Be still and know that I am God".

In the cold of the stone inner prison, with their feet fastened securely in the stocks (Acts 16:22-25), that might have been on the minds of Paul & Silas. And they even followed the next portion of that verse--"I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" So there they were, praying and singing hymns to God. What great faith in the Word of the Lord!

So how am I responding in the crises of life? Do I let the backdrop of suffering cloud my vision? Or will I be still and know that He is God....

Suffering...

We can't ignore suffering. Having a social and moral conscience is now THE NORM and the lack of concern for the poor & helpless will only see us getting labeled as 'heartless', 'selfish' and 'socially-insensitive'. Even the business world has an acronym for it--CSR (corporate social responsibility). While it doesn't make business sense, companies deem it as an implied obligation and the lack of it results in undesirable consequences.

China & Myanmar have now become the latest "victims" in "acts of God" and this raises the ubiquitous question-- "If God is good, why does He allow suffering". My friend's 6-year-old daughter asked her this question recently and I don't envy her position at trying to explain philosophy and theology to a 6-year-old! :p

I won't share my views on why God allows suffering but keeping in mind the suffering in the world today, I'm brought back to the period of 3 B.C. to A.D. 33. To the kind of world Jesus Christ lived in....

First of all, Jesus' birth was during the reign of Herod the Great. An author wrote this 10 years after his death, "an arrogant king...a reckless and godless man...who will exterminate their chief men...and bury their bodies in unknown places...he will slay the old and the young and show no mercy...terrible fear of him will come over all the land". This was the king who killed 2 brothers-in-law, his own wife and 2 of his own sons. 5 days before his death, he ordered the arrest of many citizens and decreed that they be executed on the day of his death, in order to guarantee a proper atmosphere of mourning in the country. Under Herod's regime, hardly a day went by without an execution. And specific to Jesus, Herod was hunting him down for fear of another 'king of Jews' (Matt 2:1-6)

Imagine raising a child under these circumstances!!
Funny how seldom we think of this during Christmas...

Fast forwarding to the time when Jesus was growing up and eventually starting his ministry, Judea and Galilee weren't too peaceful and safe. Violence was commonplace as the Romans took over direct command of these regions. Pagan soldiers patrolled the streets and abused their power, Roman taxes reached new heights and the governor of the land, Pontius Pilate, had the notorious reputation as being one of the most cruel Roman governors. Journeying through the regions of Judea & Galilee was by no means a walk-in-the-park

So... Jesus knew suffering. He'd seen it, felt it, lived within its filthy stench. His beloved Jews had sunk to an all new low and its leaders had desecrated the purposes and meanings of the old Law. What was once set there for righteousness, became a myriad of rules and regulations, demeaned to become a legalistic nightmare. What's more, they were now mere puppets, under the control of the Roman empire. I can't begin to imagine the emotional and spiritual turmoil all these must have brought about in Him. (Matt 23)

In addition, Jesus' own background and social status didn't earn Him any favours. Socially, He was ridiculed as being a Nazerene (Jn 1:46) and professionally, He was but a carpenter (Mk 6:3). Jesus, in all His supreme divinity became human. He experienced hunger (Matt21:18), exhaustion (Jn 4:6) and thirst (Jn 19:28). People exalted Him as King one week (Matt 21:1-11) and crucified Him the next (Lk 23:26-49). His closest confidants and friends, even after seeing who He was and all that He had done failed Him at his darkest hours (Matt 26:36-46; Lk 22:54-62).

Jesus knew suffering. But in midst of it all, He never asked any questions. On the contrary, He looked to His Father for comfort and help. His whole life was an example of ultimate obedience (Heb 5:8)... obedience till death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:8).

If one of the key issues in life were suffering and the alleviation of it, Jesus need not have entered the world in the most humble of manners. He could have displayed his infinite might by coming down in a pillar of fire and taken charge of the governments of the world by proclaiming Himself as the rightful King. He could have, in a loud voice, rebuked all the natural disasters of the world and shouted, "BE STILL!" He could have removed all diseases and plagues threatening to engulf all biological life on earth.

He could have...

But instead, He came "under the radar", dwelt within the throes of humanity, subjecting himself to all the physical rules that He Himself set in place, being one of us in all our weaknesses.

So whilst we might never fully understand why God allows suffering, we know that HE has suffered too. And more importantly, Jesus Christ WILL come again to end ALL suffering.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come.

Blessed are the poor in spirit

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

These are the first words of the most powerful, dynamic and theologically rich sermon in all history. It is also impossible to keep.

I wonder how I would react if I were there at the Sermon of the Mount...
Would I have been so filled with the Spirit that I would rise and proclaim the Kingdom to all I meet? Or would I listen to the Words of Christ and lose all hope in ever being a disciple...

Murder... being angry with anyone and calling him/her stupid (something I’ve done countless times)

Adultery... looking at any woman lustfully (gosh! I might as well be blind and deaf!)

Oaths... even using words like “honestly”, “seriously” can be considered as unnecessary swearing

Prayer/giving/fasting... how often have I felt good and quietly pleased with my own efforts and selfishly hoping that someone would notice and commends me.

the list goes on.....



and to top if off... "be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matt 5:48)

Preposterous!

At this rate, I might as well pack my bags, learn survival skills and go live in the deepest jungles of Brunei! But yet, in this very same sermon, Jesus calls me to be salt and light of this world. He calls me to "let my light shine before others"

Jesus' words are absurd!

But the deeper I thought, I realised... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Jesus didn't preach this sermon to cumber us with impossible standards. He's there to show us what GOD is like. Our human eyes see the unachievable, our spiritual eyes see the character of God Himself.


Why love my enemies? Because God makes the sun rise on the evil and the good. (Matt 5:45)

Why live without worry? Because God knows what we need and will care for us. (Matt 6:32-34)

Why pray? Because if your earthy father knows how to give good things, how much more will God give good things to those who ask Him.


Jesus did not preach these "impossibles" to make us downhearted over our inability to attain these standards. He preached these godly and holy ideals to show us that:
1) GOD is perfect.
2) after sin, we were NEVER supposed to reach perfection by our own efforts
3) GOD's safety net of grace catches us when we fall from these ideals.

This is our God.

A God who shows us our spiritual bankruptcy, our unworth, our insignificance... so that we might get on our knees in repentance and humility; in desperation for the grace and salvation of Jesus Christ.

A God who then lifts us up in the shadow of His wings, to comfort, love and provide for us.

A God who then helps us, through His Spirit, strive for Christ-likeness


A God who says...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The Jesus we worship

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound-- That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost by now am found, was blind but now I see.

For the past 2-3 mths, these words of what might be the world's most famous hymn echoed in my mind. It started when the film Amazing Grace was released in the US and Chris Tomlin sang the hymn for the film, (You can watch the MTV here and him teaching you how to play it here).

At first, I just loved the way that Chris did the hymn but as I recalled its history, and as I tried to put myself into the shoes of William Wilberforce & John Newton... and as I learned of the context and true meaning of Redemption, the Amazing Grace of God grew even more real for me.

I shared and sang this song quite a bit after that and it was definitely no coincidence that the theme for Easter this year was "Amazing Grace, How Can It Be?" BSF too sang this hymn after we studied Rom 5 and this was after I shared about this hymn during fellowship (wasn't planned).

And as I was preparing for what to share for the Easter service, God brought me to a deeper appreciation and understanding of slavery. Perhaps this concept is far flung and distant for a lot of us... and we sometimes don't really connect the scars and sacrifice of Christ with slavery... but to me, I started seeing the connection.

Slaves were bound with chains. Often at the feet, hands & sometimes the neck too. They had no rights. They were beaten, bruised, despised and tortured. Their cries of agony fell on deaf ears and the even the walls take no heed. The scars they bear are testament to man's moral depravity and the evil that man can sink into.

But not even slaves die a humiliating death.... they don't have their nakedness and blood spewed across a whole city, for all to mock. They don't have to endure the emotional pain of seeing the ones you love betray you, condemn you... the ones who'll eventually kill you. They don't experience the indescribable torment of divine separation.

This playlet, entitled 'The Long Silence' says it all...

The Long Silence

At the end of time, billions of people were seated on a great plain before God's throne. Most shrank back from the brilliant light before them. But some groups near the front talked heatedly, not cringing with cringing shame - but with belligerence.

"Can God judge us? How can He know about suffering?", snapped a pert young brunette. She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. "We endured terror ... beatings ... torture ... death!"

In another group a Negro boy lowered his collar. "What about this?" he demanded, showing an ugly rope burn. "Lynched, for no crime but being black !"

In another crowd there was a pregnant schoolgirl with sullen eyes: "Why should I suffer?" she murmured. "It wasn't my fault." Far out across the plain were hundreds of such groups. Each had a complaint against God for the evil and suffering He had permitted in His world.

How lucky God was to live in Heaven, where all was sweetness and light. Where there was no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What did God know of all that man had been forced to endure in this world? For God leads a pretty sheltered life, they said.

So each of these groups sent forth their leader, chosen because he had suffered the most. A Jew, a negro, a person from Hiroshima, a horribly deformed arthritic, a thalidomide child. In the centre of the vast plain, they consulted with each other. At last they were ready to present their case. It was rather clever.

Before God could be qualified to be their judge, He must endure what they had endured. Their decision was that God should be sentenced to live on earth as a man.

Let him be born a Jew. Let the legitimacy of his birth be doubted. Give him a work so difficult that even his family will think him out of his mind.

Let him be betrayed by his closest friends. Let him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let him be tortured.

At the last, let him see what it means to be terribly alone. Then let him die so there can be no doubt he died. Let there be a great host of witnesses to verify it.

As each leader announced his portion of the sentence, loud murmurs of approval went up from the throng of people assembled. When the last had finished pronouncing sentence, there was a long silence. No one uttered a word. No one moved.

For suddenly, all knew that God had already served His sentence.


This is the Jesus we all worship. This... is the Jesus of the Scars.

Jesus of the Scars

If we have never sought, we seek Thee now:
Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow,
We must have Thee, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place.
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by Thy Scars, we claim Thy grace.

If, when the doors are shut, Thou drawest near,
Only reveal those hands, that side of Thine;
We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,
Show us Thy Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but Thou wast weak;
They rode, but Thou didst stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds, but Thou alone.

*took the above 2 from John Stott's 'The Cross of Christ'*

The God-centredness of God

Which attributes of God in this lesson give you great comfort? Why?

groan........ not again.....

Having faced the above question (or variants of that question) for the past few weeks, I was left wondering if the BSF writers ran out of originality. Not realising how pompous that thought was, I happily proceeded to write down "His grace, mercy and wisdom" in the space provided. When it came to the Why though, my fingers just stopped. Well yeah there are the obvious reasons that in spite of man's depravity and hopelessness, God has provided a way out, a redemption plan for man... but did that give me great comfort?

For the sake of context, this is the passage for that week:

"[21] But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--[22] the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, [25] whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Rom 3:21-26

Well, this wasn't to say that God's grace, mercy and wisdom didn't give me comfort. It was just that... I didn't feel that I put thought into the question. Can I say that those attributes of God were what impacted me? I tapped my fingers on my desk, stared at the wall, fiddled with my pen, made strange noises with my lips, etc... nothing. Ok fine. I closed the Bible and left that question blank.

On the bus-ride to BSF, (I do some of my best thinking on bus-rides) I was still thinking of that question and my mind was brought back to one of the books which changed my Christian thinking: "The Pleasures of God" by John Piper. I won't elaborate on my thoughts but the key thing was that I realised that the attibute of God which brought me greatest comfort was the God-centredness of God.

The God-centredness of God.

Hallelujah! I immediately turned to Rom 3 and read again these words: "...This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. [26] It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

This refers to God putting forward Christ as a propitiation, for the justification & redemption of man. But why? Because this divine act displayed God's righteousness! In the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of a sacrificial animal was used to make propitiation for the sin of man. This did not take away sin however as the blood of animals could not take away sin (Heb 10:4). On the contrary, the Day of Atonement was to remind man of his sin (Heb 10:3). So, God's wrath toward sin had yet to be averted and therefore, Christ's death on the Cross was necessary. Perfection and sinlessness had to be stained for God's righteousness & justice.

So was the Cross an act of love for man or an act of righteousness? Both! But God's righteousness and glory is paramount and HE takes precedence! Our God cannot put His love for man before the love of His own glory. If He does, that'll be idolatry! God cannot insult what's infinitely beautiful and glorious and thus, He has to put supreme value on his own perfection and worth. For THAT is righteousness--God's God-centredness.

In the pettiness of our thinking, this might seem to be pure, unadulterated vanity and arrogance. But that's man being man-centred. God's God-centredness is the very heart of righteousness.

We also sometimes fail to see that the very foundation of our hope and salvation lies in God being God-centred in the first place! For in the 2nd half of verse 26 it says, "so that he might be just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus". We see clearly that our salvation and justification lies in the very righteousness (justice) of God. Because God is perfectly righteous, through the propitiation of Christ, He is able to acquit us (justification) and therein lies our hope and our redemption! Hallelujah!

For "The God-centredness of God is the foundation of his grace to the ungodly. If God were not committed first to vindicate the worth of his own glory, there would be no gospel and no hope, for there would be no glorious God. " (John Piper)

Therefore, God is the centre of the gospel and the exultation of His own glory is its driving force; not the depravity of man nor the fact that God loves us.

For the God-centredness of God is the attribute that brings the ultimate hope and comfort for all people.

The Marriage Miracle

I found myself getting asked the age-old-CNY-question-that-is-aimed-at-any-unattached-young-adult umpteen times this year.

"When are you getting a girlfriend?"

And what used to be joke seems to have taken a dramatic turn.

"Adrian ah... here's wishing you good results in your studies, that you might find a job fast and you might find a girlfriend and settle down soon."

And when the conversation gets steered to what everyone did during the recent Valentine's Day, my answer was... distinctly different *wink*

"Oh, I spent Valentine's Day calling and talking to 15 guys."

I have to say that some of their shell-shocked stares was hilarious :)

This was the predominant topic of discussion at both paternal & maternal sides of the extended family. But perhaps what was most interesting was finding out what my relatives (both cousins & aunties/uncles alike) thought about relationships.

To me, my view of relationships is being molded by the Word of God and the life experiences that He's putting me through. I feel that one of the greatest miracles of life is Marriage. A miracle where 2 people, whom God has put together, bound by a love for Him, a love for each other and a load of commitment, spend the rest of their lives being each other's partner. A union which encompasses the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual. A miracle which mirrors the indescribable love that Christ has for His Bride, the Church.

Would I love to get married? YES! I would love to have someone--a friend, a companion, a lover who I know will always be there for me through thick and thin. A someone whom I can share my storms and rainbows with. A someone whom I can promise my heart too as well.

Am I ready for a relationship however? I don't know. I would like to think that I am but its not really up to me :) But I trust that God will bring that someone who'll love me as much as I love her in His own timing.

For marriage is more than just attraction and love. Its about commitment, lordship, servitude, self-sacrifice, give-and-take, ministry, perseverance, encouragement, understanding. Its about loving your wife above yourself. It will sometimes lead you to letting go to what you cherish, for the greater godliness for both. Tears and heartache are guaranteed... coupled with delirious joy and life-defining moments. Practically speaking, you might have to sacrifice that football game you were looking forward to so much if your wife needs you. At times, the man will have to suck in his pride to admit that he was wrong. At other times, it will entail him having to take on his role as head of the household to remind his family that Christ-likeness is always the goal.

Marriage is about glorifying God.

So Lord, accept my efforts at surrendering my will to you. My life, my loves, my relationships, my heart. Be it singlehood or marriage, may Thy name be glorified. Amen.

Full Circle

I'm beginning this post not too sure of what I'm gonna write.

What I'm sure however, is that I'm compelled to. For deep withing me, I sense that 2007 will be a different year. Why? I can't say for sure... perhaps it might be due to the fact that BOTH church & BSF are doing Romans this year... a book I've always wanted to cover in depth since 4 years ago.

It's as if God were saying to me, "Well, you wanted to cover it in depth right? Here's the opportunity on a silver platter. So don't try to laze off Adrian, as you usually do. I want you to know me from this book. Don't just try to accumulate Bible knowledge. Embrace my gospel and see what I've accomplished in my name. Fall on your knees, confess your sins and repent. Change your lifestyle O prodigal son and know that I love you so much and have chosen you to belong to me. For you know full well that NOTHING will be able to separate you from my love. NOTHING. "

10 years ago...

I knelled before him, terrified and trembling. What little ounce of courage I had left was spent trying to hold back tears. I couldn't afford to show him any fear but he knew... He knew that I had never been so afraid in my entire life. The thick incense in the room was suffocating and it took immense effort just to take that next breath. The stuffiness and humidity caused my back to be drenched in sweat but I was still shivering. Behind him stood a iron statue and its evil eyes glared at me. It seemed to pierce straight into my soul, stripping me bare and exposing me to his booming voice.

"You are bad, Adrian... and your guardian angel is sad. He wants to leave you and not bother about you anymore. I'm trying to persuade him to stay but he wants to go. Cos you have not been good. Remember that I'm the incarnate of (some god) and I have power. Don't try to play with me. All the Christians and Catholics who come here don't leave Christians or Catholics. They all see who I am and what I can do..."

That night, I stared at the ceiling, still shivering. I kept on hearing his voice... "You are bad... your guardian angel wants to leave you... I have power..." I used to be afraid of the dark when I was younger but now, the darkness seemed even more desolate and foreboding. I felt so... alone, abandoned, afraid. I never dared to tell my parents and couldn't even if I wanted to as they were out of town. I tossed and turned, the sheets in disarray with all my movement. For that moment, the knowledge that I was a Christian was a distant, forgotten concept... Until from amidst the darkness, this line came to my mind:

"neither death nor life, not angels nor demons.... separate us from the Love of God..."

With renewed hope, I leaped out of bed and rushed to my Bible, frantically flipping through page after page, looking for that life-line... and there it lay--Rom 8:38-39.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present or the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Rom 8:38-39

Oh sweet Word of God! Oh the wonderful power and love of Jesus! At that moment, it was like a tremendous light burst into my room and all darkness disappeared in fright. Over and over again, I read aloud those 2 verses. Oh the nectar that is the God's promise! How many times did I read those verses? A hundred? A thousand? I don't know. But what I do know is this: that night, with my Bible clutched to my chest and the page opened to Rom 8, I fell into one of the most peaceful night's sleep I had in my life. Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!

In a sense, I've come full circle. The epistle that God used to comfort and reassure is now before me-- open and ripe for studying. 10 years on and I'm just as grateful to Christ for that redeeming love and act of propitiation. And I know now that if I should fear anything or anyone, it should be a fear for the Lord and not any created being or demon.

So, while I started out clueless as to what I should write for this blog entry, God has led me to share this testimony of mine; which few know of. He's leading me back to remembering AND testifying to His goodness, faithfulness and love. He's leading me back to the cornerstone of my faith--Jesus Christ and the gospel.

He's leading me back to Himself.

"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."

Rom 11:36

Photos from India--The Taj Mahal pt 3

The final installment to my trip photos. For those who've been faithfully looking at the various batches which come in, hope you've liked my small attempts at photography. For those who've just come on board, look at the first post... way down...

Took this picture from this angle to show how flat the surface is. The patterns you see are NOT paintings. Rather, they're semi-precious gems carved and encrusted into the white marble and filed flat! And when you shine a torch unto them, the gleam and glitter. And as you can see in one of them, people have tried to pry out these gems. tsk tsk.

What you see above is one whole slab of white marble and the flowers are all carved from the marble. The pictures below are basically the individual "buds" carved. Tried to take them from an angle which shows off the 3-D effect.

And that's a wrap :)

Photos from India--The Taj Mahal pt 2

This entry's mainly of the various views of the Taj... once again, experimenting with angles

Photos from India--The Taj Mahal pt 1

And I present to you... one of the 7th Monumental wonders of the world... the famous (but not all that fantastic) Taj Mahal! Well, I have to give credit where credit is due so... yes, the Taj Mahal is a fantastic feat of engineering and design. And it is beautiful. But at the end of the day, it is but a lavish tomb.

Brings to my mind once again of Man's preoccupation with death. Doesn't matter what race or civilisation he comes from, death is the final and greatest sting that Man has always (and is still trying) been trying to defeat. But when will he ever accept that Man cannot and will not defeat death, for death HAS BEEN defeated :) That's the Hope that we have as Christians. That there's something greater than death. Something more eternal, something brighter... And that something is a someone :)

Thank You Jesus Christ

The passage in Mark 13 also came to mind. A reminder that for all the beauty and wisdom of man, these stones will fall away. But the Word of the Lord is eternal :) Hallelujah!

Anyhow, these few posts are basically different angles of the Taj.

The Taj in the light of the early morning... didn't manage to catch the Taj @ sunrise though :( But nice enough I guess

This particular picture wasn't taken by me but by my bro!

This is the position of the sun when we arrived at the Taj

Underexposed the shot to display the reflective characteristics of white marble... reflection looks as though its off water

Photos from India--Miscellaneous

Taken from Jaipur, these pictures were, but they were, shall we say... different :p

The 2 pictures above taken from the the Hawa Mahal.

Yes, there was a lovely blue sky in India... but take a look at the brown "fog" below... and for one of the explanations for that brown? Look below... typical Indian traffic.

Photos from India--Jantar Mantar pt 2

I particularly like this set of pictures as I took the liberty to try to play with angles and lines... do leave comments as to what you think :)

The pictures above and below are actually pictures from the small sundial. (look at the previous post) Loved the fact that the sky was nice and blue. Oh, and if you're wondering who's the boy in the picture, that's my bro.

These 2 instruments are sundials too--there's actually 2 of them, one for each half of the day (east & west). Once again, trying to play with lines.

The time of the day when we were there... I can't read the words though :P And if I recall correctly, we where there at about 4+

Photos from India--Jantar Mantar pt 1

Pictures from the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur, India. The Jantar Mantar is a collection of architectural astronomical instruments built in the 18th century and the amazing thing is that the instruments are still accurate today! Though its mainly a tourist attraction now... and if you didn't know, it looks like an amusement park... just look at the first picuture... its a view of the the whole place.

What do you think is in common with the instrument above and below?

Well, both are acutally sundials! Yeap, the smaller one above has an accuracy of 20sec but the Maharaja "buay song" and decided to cut the accuracy to 2sec! So, he built a sundial 10 times bigger! And thus, the bigger sundial (Samrat Jantar) is the biggest sundial in the world.

This is the intricacy and accuracy of the astronomers, craftsmen & engineers of that time... all this carved into marble