The below are my notes on Chapters 3 through 5.
3. - The Lion and the Lamb: The Excellence of Jesus Christ
-How can someone who is equal to God have a deep reverence for God?
-The Shepherd is the Lamb.
-Rev. 5:6 (all biblical quotes that I add are NIV, courtesy of BibleGateway.com, "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.) Even though Jesus was slain, He's standing, not sprawled over in a heap.
-Matt. 11:28-29 ("Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.") When you share in Christ's burden, it's implied to be done with a sense of humility.
-Matt. 28:18-20 ("Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.") Jesus owns everything and He's telling you to go do it (aid in saving lost souls), and He's also saying that He'll have your back.
4. - The Indestructible Joy: The Gladness of Jesus Christ
-1 Cor. 1:9 ("God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.) Salvation isn't for forgiveness. It's to hang out with Jesus forever.
*Please help me not to identify myself with my denomination, but with Christ. Amen.
-(for the first point) Even though forgiveness isn't the point, it's the method to get us there.
-"If this fellowship is not all-satisfying, there is not great salvation. If Christ is gloomy, or even calmly stoical, eternity will be a long, long sigh.
But the glory and grace of Jesus is that he is, and always will be, indestructibly happy [My new favourite sentence. Ever. *grins* ;) :).]. I say it is his glory, because gloom is not glorious. And I say grace, because the best thing he has to give us is his joy." - John Piper
-"So Christ not only offers himself as the divine object of my joy, but pours his capacity for joy into me, so that I can enjoy him with the very joy of God. This is glory, and this is grace." - John Piper
-"From eternity he has been the mirror of God's infinite mirth." - John Piper
-:O?!?!!!!???! God (the Father) refers to Jesus as God and has the same amount of reverance that Jesus show the Father??!!!!!!!!?!???!!??! *mind explodes*. Hebrews 1:8-9,
"
But about the Son he says,
"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,
and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy."
"
-Acts 2:25-31. ("David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.") Peter acknowledges that in having Jesus as his rock and firm foundation, he'll be eternally happy and won't shut up about it.
-"The risen Christ will shake off the shades of death and be glad with the very gladness of God." - John Piper
-"The carefree merriment of a ballroom gala and the irrepressible joy in a Russian gulag are not the same. One is trite, the other triumphant. One is glib, the other glorious. There is a pasted smile that has never known pain. And it does not make for a good pastor or a great Saviour. But Christ is a great Saviour." - John Piper
-Christ has known pain. Christ has known suffering. This makes His joy true. This makes His joy gloriously and legitimately triumphant. Awesome.
-"This "great high priest" is not unable to sympathize with us in out weaknesses, because he was tested in every way as a man like us. He wept with those who wept and rejoiced with these who rejoiced. He was hungry, he was weary, he was forsaken, betrayed, whipped, mocked, and crucified." - John Piper
-Even though Jesus is The Supreme Being, He can still relate to humans like us because He's been through it all and knows what it's like.
-(talking about Jesus) "There were divergent notes in the music of his soul, but the result was a symphony." - John Piper [my second new favourite sentence ever :).]
-"A general's complex battle strategy may suffer the enemy to have temporary and apparent tactical triumphs, only to gain a greater victory in the end. This is not a mark of confusion in the mind of the general. It may appear so to those who see only part of the field." - John Piper
-Even if, from our human perspective, life seems like one jumbled mess, it is only because we can only see one small, minute, insignificantly minuscule part of the grand scheme that God has set in motion for the ultimate great purpose of all of mankind. Wow.
-"Have you ever noticed that we are not only to imitate the Lord's suffering, but the Lord's joy in it?" - John Piper
-There is a difference between joylessness & suffering.
-"We stand in wonder that the light of Jesus' joy makes a rainbow in the tears on his face." - John Piper (in the prayer at the end of the chapter)
5. - The Waves and Winds Still Know His Voice: The Power of Jesus Christ
- Seeing and being in the eye of a hurricane would blow my mind because it would be an eerie, almost supernatural calm in the midst of chaos and destructive confusion.
-Even when majestic, ancient trees fall down, it's as if they're bowing in reverence to God.
-Even when Job has lost e..v..e..r..y..t..h..i..n..g, he still, "...fell on the ground and worshiped." (Job 1:20)
-Job acknowledged that in genuinely and legitimately serving God, it is ludicrous to think that you can take only the good (from a human vantage point) and neglect the bad. (Job 2:10, "He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said."). He realized that God has to ultimate power to give and to take away and should be worshiped regardless what happens.
*I remember when I was little, when I used to think that thunder was God bowling with my grandpa that I never met in Heaven...:).
-Everything, including nature itself, bows in reverence to and obeys the authority of Christ. Even when there's a storm and He's sleeping in a simple boat....
-"Now we have a choice. Worship or curse." - John Piper
-When something goes bad or wrong in our lives, or something gets destroyed, we have two options: curse it for happening, or worship God in all of His majestic power. Do we even have a right to choose?
-"Teach us to wait and watch for your final and holy purposes in all things. Grant that we would "rejoice in hope" even when present circumstances bring us to tears." - John Piper (in the prayer at the end of the chapter)
There. There are my notes. I hope they help you in some way. Read them and I hope you get something from them. Have a good one and God bless.
