How Good is Good Friday to You?

Posted on April 2, 2010

How good was Good Friday to the disciples of Jesus, our forefathers in the faith? How good is Good Friday to us?

The Garden of Gethsemane

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Are you Asleep?

Is your faith asleep? Do you rest unconsciously, not consciously, in the death of Christ? Many of us sleep to own our shame, possessing a faith of sleepy indifference to Jesus’ suffering. We desperately need a soul-awakening to the cost, merit, and person of Jesus Christ. We do not pray. We do not watch. We do not plead for deliverance from temptation.

While Jesus was weeping in the garden, we were sleeping under the tree. In one of his moments of greatest discomfort, we rested in unconscious comfort. What shame. What mercy!

What Shame, What Mercy!

As you contemplate our Savior’s excruciating sacrifice today, make much of his sacrifice by bringing your sins to him in confession. I began the day by confessing my unconscious reliance on the cross, my relative indifference to his suffering for my salvation and joy. What shame. Ah, but Jesus does not leave us in our shame. Extend your arms and soberly, gladly receive the benefits of his death—total forgiveness and total love. What mercy!

Maundy Thursday (or getting ready for Easter)

Posted on April 1, 2010

Kevin DeYoung has a helpful reflection on Maundy Thursday, the night of Jesus betrayal:

Like millions of Christians around the world, we will have a Maundy Thursday tonight. If you’ve never heard the term, it’s not Monday-Thursday (which always confused me as a kid), but Maundy Thursday, as in Mandatum Thursday. Mandatum is the Latin word for “command” or “mandate”, and the day is called Maundy Thursday because on the night before his death Jesus gave his disciples a new command. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

At first it seems strange that Christ would call this a new command. After all, the Old Testament instructed God’s people to love their neighbors and Christ himself summarized the law as love for God and love for others. So what’s new about love? What makes the command new is that because of Jesus’ passion there is a new standard, a new examplar of love.

There was never any love like the dying love of Jesus. It is tender and sweet (13:33). It serves (13:2-17). It loves even unto death (13:1). Jesus had nothing to gain from us by loving us. There was nothing in us to draw us to him. But he loved us still, while we were yet sinners. At the Last Supper, in the garden, at his betrayal, facing the Jewish leaders, before Pontius Pilate, being scourged, carrying his cross, being nailed to the wood, breathing his dying breath, forsaken by God–he loved us.

Read the Rest

What to Do When You Don’t Desire God

Posted on April 1, 2010

On Sunday at Austin City Life, we explored the answer to the question: “Why don’t I pray (more) for the salvation of others?” We concluded that there are two related reasons:

1. We Don’t Want God’s Kingdom to Come. Instead of seeking first God’s kingdom and trusting him to add all we need, we seek first our kingdom (comfort, job, health) and then add on God’s kingdom, if he’s lucky. We don’t pray the Lord’s prayer–that his kingdom would come in the lives of others who don’t know Jesus. We pray Our Prayer—“Let my kingdom come, let my will be done.”

2. We Don’t Want What God Wants. A related reason that we pray such selfish prayers, and so few prayers for the salvation of others, is fundamentally because we lack desire for God. We do not find the infinitely desirable God desirable, so we do not spill over into prayer crying out that others would repent and believe the Gospel and enter into a satisfying relationship with God.

How then do we cultivate desire for God?

Cultivating Desire for God (and Prayer for Others)

How do we move beyond our languishing desire for God and kingdom of Self prayers? How do we cultivate desire for God and love for others, so that we will transgress the boundary between our private world and the public need? Here are several suggestions:

1. Repent and ask God’s forgiveness for not desiring him. The Scriptures are filled with commands to rejoice in the Lord, to delight in him, to sing His praise. Our indifference to the infinitely desirable God calls for repentance. Fortunately, God is also abounding in lovingkindness and patience and gladly extends us forgiveness.

2. Cultivate a real relationship with the Holy Spirit. Begin each day by drawing near to God and asking for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18). Most of us wake up empty or half-full. We need the Spirit of God to give us fresh affection and desire for God and belief in the gospel. It is the Spirit that awakens us to the beauty and glory of God. Ask the Spirit to guide your prayers (Rom 8:26-27; Jud 1:20; Eph 6:18).

3. Pray memorized prayers that promise God’s work to give us desire for him.

  • “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8
  • “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
  • “Satisfy me in the morning with your lovingkindness that I might rejoice and shout for joy.” Psalm
  • “God is faithful, who has called us to fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:9

4. Make a list of people who you can pray for each week, by name, and share this with your Fight Club. One of the best ways to cultivate prayerfulness is to begin a set aside time to pray each day. Of course, we should pray throughout the day in dependence upon and relationship with our wonderful God. However, we need both continual and concentrated time with God if we are to truly nurture a relationship, and pray his kingdom.

Helpful Resources in Cultivating Desire for God

  1. When I Don’t Desire God (Piper) The Dangerous Duty of Delight (free sample)
  2. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Whitney)
  3. A New Inner Relish (Ortlund)
  4. The Expulsive Power of a New Affection (Chalmers, free online)
  5. Communion with God (Owen)
  6. Confessions (Augustine)