Monthly Archives: September 2011

I am convinced that there is something we all want more than anything else in this life, and that thing is CONTROL!  More than power . . . more than prestige . . . more than position . . . more than pleasure . . . more than prosperity . . . more than anything else, we want control.  The more control we have, the better we feel.  We mistakenly believe that when we are in control our lives will work out better—with much more order and far less uncertainty.   

Webster’s defines a “control freak” as someone whose behavior indicates a powerful need to control people or circumstances in everyday matters.   Because of a lack of trust in others, a control freak moves beyond the borders of what would be considered a normal and rational desire for some measure of control in life.  It gets even worse for the Christian control freak.  Their desire to control life is the clear and present evidence of a lack of trust—not only in others, but in God Himself.  This can be seen in a single area of life or in many areas. 

Control freaks always know the right way and best way of doing things; when you are not doing it their way, they let you know about it!  They try to criticize you into their control.  They try to condemn you into their control.  They try to conform you into their control.  Their right way of doing things becomes the only way of doing things, and when you resist their controlling demands, they judge you for your “controlling” nature. 

They see the world as black and white, because without any grey areas they have more control over things.  Their narrow and dogmatic field of vision of the world around them helps them to manage their lives, while at the same time micro-managing the lives of everyone around them.  My friend and pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, says Christian control freaks “make up formulas and anxiously follow them to control their manufactured lives.” 

If any of this is resonating with you like it is with me, I want you to know there is a cure for the Christian control freak in you . . . and it is only to be found in the defiant grace of the Gospel.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.  (Romans 12:3)

Only the defiant grace of the Gospel can free you from the overwhelming need to try and control everything in life.  The defiant grace the apostle Paul had been given through the Gospel allowed him to not think so highly of himself and step down from the throne of his life, allowing Jesus His rightful place.  Defiant grace propelled Paul to the periphery of his life, where he could clearly see that the only One who has any control over anything is the Lord Jesus Christ.  The more Paul surrendered control of his life to Christ, the less controlling he became in the lives of others. 

You see, there is a Christian control freak who is truly faithful to the truths of the Gospel: it is the person who is controlled by the Spirit of Christ in every area of life.  For such a man or woman, their most passionate and profound desire in all-the world is to be under the control of the only One who knows what is best for us in every area of life.

Make no mistake, only the defiant grace of the Gospel can free you from the overwhelming need to be controlling, because Jesus has everything under His control—from the biggest dream you have in life to the smallest detail.  The DNA of every human who has ever lived all the way back to Adam and Eve in the Garden, is one of control.  And it is only the transforming power of the Gospel and the defiant grace it delivers that can free us from our desire to control life.  Defiant grace delivers you from the notion that you are not just the smartest person in the room, but the only smart person in the room! 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

There is a great deal of confusion within the church today regarding carnality and the Christian life.  This is rooted in the Lordship debates of the 1980’s and popularized by many prominent dispensational authors, preachers, and teachers.  Many mistakenly believe that there is such a thing as a “carnal Christian”—that is, they believe that a Christian whose life is marked by carnality (worldly, earthly, fleshly) may well continue in this condition that is permanent and permeating every area of life.

Make no mistake; we are all carnal at times.  We chase after the things of this world, seeking to satisfy the flesh rather than the Spirit.  The Christian who denies this bitter truth is sadly mistaken.  But the notion that there are three classes of people is a wicked error and a denial of the truths of the Gospel.  There are those who separate mankind into these three groups:

• Natural (unsaved with self on the throne)
• Carnal (saved with self still on the throne, living like the natural man)
• Spiritual (saved with the Savior on the throne of life)

There are only two kinds of people in this world: saints and ain’ts . . . believers and unbelievers . . . those who are in Christ and those who are not . . . those who have Jesus as both Savior and Lord and those who do not. 

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  (Romans 8:5-10)

Paul makes it crystal clear that there are only two categories of individuals, those who are saints and those who are “ain’ts.”  Saints are of the Spirit; ain’ts are of the flesh.  Saints are on the way to eternal life; ain’ts are on the way to eternal damnation.  There is no such thing as the carnal Christian!  This is simply a mythical characterization that has been used as a license for sin and an excuse to continue in a state of rebellion against God. 

You simply cannot receive Jesus as Savior without receiving Him as Lord.  To be a Christian is to surrender all of life to the rule and reign of Jesus.  It is to desire in every area of life to live in such a way that brings honor and glory to Jesus.

This does not, however, mean that the Christian will live without any signs of sin.  Indeed, 1 John 5:10 says bluntly that “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”  Those who are saved still sin.  Those who have surrendered to the Lordship of Christ also surrender, at times, to the sinful self.  There is a constant battle going on inside for control of the heart, but the heart has been transformed by the grace of God and is now a lover of righteousness rather than sin.  Sin no longer reigns, but it still remains throughout the life of the believer—throughout the process of sanctification and growing more Christlike.

The Westminster Confession of Faith states, “This sanctification is throughout, in the whole man; yet imperfect in this life, there abiding still some remnants of corruption in every part; whence arises a continual and irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.”  To be sure, saints will act like ain’ts, but in acting like ain’ts they are still saints!   

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Far too many in the church today are locked behind the bars of countless self-constructed prisons because of one simple reason: they have forgotten the truth of their current position.  When you forget who you are positionally (a child of the Most High God), it becomes impossible to live out your faith practically. 

Brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.  For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.  (Galatians 4:31-5:1)

The apostle Paul said that we have been released from prison: “For freedom Christ has set us free.”  Our Lord Himself said that he had been sent from heaven “[T]o proclaim liberty to the captives . . . to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).

Jesus has set us free from the law as a means for salvation.  In other words, we no longer have to go on trying to save ourselves.  Jesus has already accomplished this for us in His perfect obedience to the will of the Father in both life and death.  Our relationship (position) with Jesus has unlocked the prison doors leading to a life of freedom, faithfulness, and joy . . . if we would but walk through the open door!

Because Jesus performed perfectly on our behalf, we no longer have to spend our lives running on the performance treadmill, seeking God’s approval, affection, and blessing.  We already have these because of our position in Jesus.  Understanding our positional truth frees us from our performance prisons. 

Now imagine a slave who has been set free after having spent his entire life behind bars.  Freedom would be uncomfortable.  Freedom would be unnatural.  Freedom would be unnerving.  Freedom would be, well, unbelievable.  When the prisoners are set free, they need to develop the capacity for their freedom and that is only accomplished by believing, NOT by doing. 

In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

(Romans 6:11)

In this context the word count does not imply something to do, but rather, something to believe.  Paul says what we believe is more important than what we do.  We need to believe the truth of our position in Christ—that we are dead to both the power and the penalty of sin.  You see, the harder we work at making ourselves free—DO, DO, DO!—the more bound we become. 

Our position in Christ means we are no longer slaves to the ruling power of indwelling sin. Because of what Jesus had done for us, sin is no longer our master . . . Jesus is!  And with Jesus as our new Master, we have been given the power to live out practically what we are positionally (Romans 8:13).  William Romaine said it well: “No sin can be crucified either in heart or life, unless it be first pardoned in conscience, because there will be want of faith to receive the strength of Jesus, by whom alone it can be crucified.  If it be not mortified in its guilt, it cannot be subdued in its power.”

If you don’t believe you are dead to sin’s guilt, you cannot trust Christ for the strength to subdue its power in your life!  And if you cannot trust Christ for the strength to subdue sin’s power in your life, you will forever remain locked behind prison bars, chained by guilt and gripped by sin.  Only the Gospel sets captives free to live a life of unimaginable joy for the glory of God and the good of others. 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN

You may recognize the title of today’s message as a play on the words from one of the most memorable lines in cinematic history.  In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her companions were confronted with many dangers on the road to Oz; at one point they cried out in fear, “Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!” 

We Christians face many dangers on the road to our heavenly destination, but unlike the characters in Dorothy’s dream, the Gospel empowers us to cry, “Lions and tigers and bears, Amen!” We will walk “through many dangers, toils, and snares” on this side of the grave, but the Christian is empowered to cry “Amen” instead of “O my!” for two important reasons: the promise of the dangers and the power in the dangers.

THE PROMISE OF THEM

The first thing every Christian must remember is that we have been promised to encounter a lifetime of lions, tigers, and bears.  We should not be surprised by the dangers and difficulties that beset us, because we live in a fallen and broken world as fallen broken people.  If our Lord received a crown of thorns for His head, should we expect to receive a crown of glory for ours?  He was betrayed; we will be betrayed.  He was falsely accused; we will be falsely accused.  He was slandered; we will be slandered.  He was abandoned; we will be abandoned.  He was mocked; we will be mocked.  The Bible never promised us a walk in the park!

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  (John 16:33)

It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.  (Philippians 1:29)

Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  (1 Peter 5:8)

We should not be surprised by the many lions, tigers, and bears we face on a daily basis because we have been promised them in Scripture.  The Christian faith is forged in the fiery trials of life.  We need not fear them nor flee them because of . . .

THE POWER IN THEM

Once we understand the promise of life’s challenges, we need to rest in the power to face them.  We do not face our problems, challenges, and difficulties alone and we do not fight them in our own strength.  Our power is in the person of Jesus Christ.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loves us.

(Romans 8:37)

Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Corinthians 15:57)

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)

So . . . what lions, tigers, and bears have you been facing lately?  Have you been surprised by the number of them or their ferocity?  Faith in the focus of our faith (Jesus Christ) will help us overcome our fear of every opposition to our faith.  Because God has ordained all things (Romans 11:36), no matter what storms beset us, we can rest in Him.  He is not only with us in the storm, He sent the storm for two important reasons: for His glory and our good.

By the way, when Jesus warned, “In the world you will have tribulation,” He didn’t stop there!  He added, “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  That is a promise that equips us to move from “Oh my!” to “Amen!” . . . no matter how fierce the trials facing us!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Now I know that may sound a little radical, but radical is what the Gospel is all about.  My good friend and pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, puts it this way in his book, Surprised by Grace:

The Gospel doesn’t make bad people good; it makes dead people alive.  That’s the difference between the gospel of Jesus Christ and every other world religion.  All the others exhort their followers to save themselves by being good, by conforming their lives to whatever their worshiped deity is.  But the gospel is God’s acceptance of us based on what Christ has done, not on what we can do.

In other words, Jesus didn’t die to make you good; He died to make you His, by raising you from death to life.  And that, my friend, should change everything for you!  Life in Christ is not about what you can do for Him, but rather what He has already done for you.  Life in Christ is not about what you can give to Him, but what He has already given to you.  Because you are His, you are loved—not because of what you do, but because of who you are: His!  And as a child of the Most High God, you are forever loved unconditionally, no matter what you do. 

If Jesus died to make you good, the Bible would be nothing more than a book of rules and regulations for the religious.  It would instruct you on what to do in order to be loved, accepted, and blessed by God.  In essence, the Bible would be all about you.  However, if Jesus died to make you His—before you did anything good and in spite of your sin—then it has to be all about Him and what He has already done for you. 

You see, your goodness (obedience) does not precede acceptance.  It flows out from it.  “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The moralists, who think the Christian life is about being good, believe that can they expect God’s favor only when they are good.  They are trusting in their own goodness to broker God’s approval, not in their Savior.  They believe God is keeping score, and at the end of the day, they hope to have more points on the “good” side of the ledger rather than the “bad” side, so that God will bless them instead of curse them. 

But those who know they are already accepted in Christ find their desire for obedience flowing like a river out of a heart that is overwhelmed with thanksgiving for all that Jesus has done for them.  I have learned over the years that only those who know they are loved, in spite of their sin and shortcomings, find the continual strength to get back up and go further into their so-great salvation. 

Think about it for a moment: How good would the “good news” really be if the only way you could share in it was because you earned it and deserved it?  I don’t know about you, but no way that would be “good news” for me!  If I thought for a second my relationship to Jesus and the blessings He gives to me was dependent upon me, I would be driven into the ashes of utter despair.  The “good news” would cease to be good; instead it would be “impossible news.”  I know just how bad I really am!   

So the next time you are feeling down because you have fallen short of the biblical mark for your life in some area, remember Jesus died to make you His.  When He said, “It is finished!” He was speaking about more than His atonement for our sin; He was also speaking about His love for us.  Jesus can’t love you anymore because of the good things you do, and He can’t love you any less because of the bad things you do.  Make no mistake, the finished love of Jesus is a love that is never finished!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

What battles have you been fighting in lately?  What battles are just ahead, around the corner, and over the horizon that you will be fighting?  One thing is certain: every believer fights battles.  The problem is not that we face battles; the problem is that we face far too many of them in our own strength.  We have forgotten what the Bible teaches about battles . . .

The battle is the Lord’s

Here are just a few of the verses that make it perfectly clear that our God is the One who is to be fighting our battles if we are ever going to gain victory over them. 

Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”  (Exodus 14:13-14)

The LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day.  One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.  (Joshua 23:9-10)

[T]he Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.  (1 Samuel 17:47 NASB)

In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.  (Nehemiah 4:20)

With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

(Psalm 60:12)

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

(Zechariah 4:6)

Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession.

(2 Corinthians 2:14)

Of course, there are many stories in the Bible of God fighting for His people and winning for them the victory.  There is Moses and the Red Sea.  There is Gideon and his 300.  One of the best stories of God fighting for His people—His way and with His weapons—is found in the story of Joshua.  Joshua was leading the Israelite army against the Amorite army.  Before the battle began, God said to His servant Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them for I will give you victory over them.  Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you” (Joshua 10:8). 

God is in the business of fighting for His people and delights in delivering them from what, to the watching world, look like insurmountable odds.  In the middle of Joshua’s battle against the Amorite kings, God sent a “holy” hailstorm to do for His people what only God can do for them, “The hail killed more of the enemy than the Israelites killed with the sword” (Joshua 10:11).  Hail is a conquering weapon for the people of God when it is in the hand of a Holy God.     

If God is for us . . . who cares who is against us!  When you are wronged, let God make it right.  When you are wounded, let God make you whole.  When you are put down, let God lift you up.  Whatever it is you are up against, you are not up against it alone.  God is not only with you, He is the One who is fighting for you.

What “Holy Hail” is God ready to send your way if you will but let Him fight your battles for you? 

• The “Holy Hail” of hope
• The “Holy Hail” of patience
• The “Holy Hail” of forgiveness
• The “Holy Hail” of vision
• The “Holy Hail” of godly counsel
• The “Holy Hail” of a Barnabas to encourage you
• The “Holy Hail” of endurance

Funny thing about “Holy Hail” in the hand of a Holy God fighting for His “highly favored” holy people: it will do more for you than you could ever do for yourself!  If the battle is the Lord’s, the victory is the Lord’s . . . so rest in that truth. 

So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Isaiah 41:10)

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  Never forget that . . . AMEN!

Did you know that “groaning” is a great grace from God, and that it is to be the mark of the Christian on the way into glory?  The creation groans; the Christian groans; the Holy Spirit groans.  The Scriptures make it clear that groaning—not whining—identifies those who are awaiting the glories of the life to come.  Between justification (the instant you were saved) and glorification (the time you enter into your eternal rest) groaning is to be the default language of every Christian.  Is it yours?

For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  (Romans 8:22)

The apostle Paul tells us that all of creation groans through deterioration, decay, and death, awaiting the day when Jesus will make all things new.  Under the divine decree of Almighty God, creation suffers—not because of anything it did, but because of what Adam did through original sin and what we do through our continual sin.  

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  (Romans 8:23)

Next Paul confirms that not only is creation groaning, but believers are groaning as we wait for the return of our Lord.  Sinners by both nature and habit, we groan because of the corruption and futility that exists in us and the world around us.  We mourn because we do not do the good we want to do, but the evil we do not want in our lives is what we keep on doing (Romans 7:19).  The difference between what we currently are (great sinners) and what we one day will be (sinless sons) causes us to groan even more.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  (Romans 8:26)

Finally, Paul assures us that along with creation and the Christian, God’s Holy Spirit roans also, interceding for us with “groanings too deep for words.”  The Spirit of Christ testifies to the fact that something is terribly wrong with us and with the world around us, causing us to groan and long for the day when we will live with Jesus in the new heavens and the new earth. 

The groaning the Scriptures speak about is a deep, inward, agonizing ache of the heart in response to the brokenness of this fallen world.  It is not the whining, grumbling, and complaining we frequently engage in when our plans are thwarted, our agenda is interrupted, and our preferences are put on hold.  Broken people in a broken world are to be groaning for the return of our Lord, when He will make all things new. 

If we are not groaning, we have grown too comfortable with the things of this life—and this, beloved, is the condition of far too many in the American evangelical church today.  When we find fulfillment in things smaller than God we don’t groan!  Yet God in His grace wants to break the power our possessions have over us, and this will only happen as we look more to our Savior than to our stuff to meet our deepest needs and longings of the heart. 

The life of the Christian is to follow the path of groaning to glory, which focuses our hope beyond a life defined by the horizontal to a life directed by the vertical.  To be sure, the Kingdom of God has come, but it is not yet fully what it will be; therefore we groan!  And the only people who are groaning for the glory of God are those who have surrendered their will to His will . . . their goals to His goals . . . their desires to His desires.  They are living for the Kingdom of the Savior rather than the kingdom of the self. 

What we need to remember is that “He who began a good work in us” is not finished with us yet (Philippians 1:6).  And that should make us groan with anticipation of what we shall one day be—like Him!

In a sermon preached on September 28, 1885, Charles Spurgeon said: “We cannot help feeling that we need somewhat more than this visible world can offer us.  Many of us find our greatest joy in the cultivation of that feeling, for it is to us the token of our spiritual nature and the prophecy of immortality.  To us, this life is mainly worth living because it promises to be the introduction to a better life.”

Godly groaning conforms our concerns and cares to the size of God’s concerns and cares, and this is the only place for the Christian to live. 

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

How do you see the Bible?  Is it primarily a manual of rules and regulations, designed to tell you how to have your best life now?  Is it a story book about Bible characters—some who were heroes to inspire us, others who were hellions to instruct us?  Is it a compilation of sixty-six disconnected books, each one telling different stories about a variety of characters, designed to provide us a menu of moralistic lessons?

Well, here is how God sees the Scriptures:

1 supernatural story

1 Storyteller

1 Hero

and His name is Jesus Christ!

Contrary to ever-increasing popular belief, the Bible is not a manual of moral lessons for wise Christian living.  The individual books of the Bible are to be understood within the framework of the greater whole, which sets forth the Lord Jesus Christ on every page as the only Hero of humanity.  The Storyteller (God) is telling us one epic story, which exposes and exalts the Hero of that story: Emmanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me . . . if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.  (John 5:39, 46)

Jesus Christ is not only the Sum, Substance, and Subject of all Scripture, He is the Source of it.  The biblical narrative in both the Old and New Testaments guide us into a greater understanding, knowledge, and experience of the unsearchable riches of Christ. 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:1, 14)

Jesus Himself brought His disciples deeper into this truth by showing them that what was concealed in the Old Testament was revealed in the New Testament.      

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  (Luke 24:44-45)

The New Testament clearly sets forth Jesus as the Hero of the story.  The overarching message of the Gospels is the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  The apostles preach Christ.  The epistles teach Christ.  The apostle Paul made it clear that the New Testament is all about Jesus: “We preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:5).  Martin Luther said it succinctly: “Jesus Christ is the center and circumference of the entire Bible.”

The New Testament clearly sets Jesus forth as the Hero, but what about the Old Testament?  The Hero of the Bible is not found in the giants of the faith in the Old Testament, including Moses, Joshua, and David.  Jesus is the fulfillment of these men: the new Moses . . . the new Joshua . . . the better David . . . all who pointed to and foreshadowed the coming of Christ. 

Jesus is the pattern of and the Person in the entire Word of God.  John Calvin rightly observed, “The Scriptures should be read with the aim of finding Christ in them.  Whoever turns aside from this object, even though he wears himself out all his life in learning, he will never reach the knowledge of the truth.”

So how do you see the Bible?  If Christ is not at the center of every paragraph, page, and book, you are not seeing it clearly.  There really is only one revelation in all of Scripture, and that revelation is to be found in Jesus. I do no violence to Scripture whatsoever when I put the words of Colossians 1:16-18 into the mouth of our Lord:

By me all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by me and for me. I am before all things, and in me all things hold together.  And I am the head of the body, the church; I am the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything I might have the supremacy.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Have you ever had a friend get you into some place special, but the only way in was through the back door?  When I was in high school, one of my friends worked at the local theater and the manager would let him bring a few friends in for the final movie of the night if there were empty seats. We had to come in through the back door.  It was a great feeling to have a friend who could get us into the movies for free.  Now, as “awesome” as that was for us kids, I want to tell you about something that is truly awesome: in the Body of Christ, there are no “back door believers.” 

There are those in the church today who are convinced that if they make it into heaven at all, it will be by the way of the back door.  They mistakenly believe that the spiritual superstars will be ushered in the front door, to enter into the joy of their Master’s happiness.  The believers who lived a pretty good life might slip in through the side door.  But for those who struggled and stumbled through the Christian life, the back door is the only possible way of getting in.  Do you subscribe to this kind of thinking?  Well, fasten your seat belt and get ready to have your world rocked!

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:10-11)

You ought to read that passage again.  Notice the kind of welcome every believer will receive on that day they are received into glory: A RICH WELCOME!  There will be no easing in the side door or creeping in through the back door.  A “rich welcome” presupposes that we will be received with a great celebration as we enter into our eternal rest . . . through the front doorway of heaven.

Every believer who has been on the receiving end of God’s calling and election will receive a rich welcome, not because of anything they have done, but because of everything Jesus has done for them.  Jesus will say to us, “’Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).  What a welcome God has planned for all those who are in Christ!  The angels will be singing as we enter through the front door and begin dancing on streets of gold.  We have been given a living hope because of what Jesus has secured for us through His life, death, and resurrection. 

Don’t misunderstand the words, “Make every effort to confirm your calling and election . . . [by doing] these things” as something we must do in order to receive our rich welcome.  That is not what Peter is teaching here.  The things we are to be doing do not earn our rich welcome; they prove it is already prepared for us!  1 John 3:10 explains, “By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil; whoever does not practice righteousness  is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”  And remember, the first fruit of our union with Jesus is a change in the desire of our heart.  When we desire to do what Jesus wants us to do, we can be assured we are His, and when we are His we can rest in the knowledge that our welcome is assured because of what He has already done for us.   

• Not our work . . . His work
• Not our effort . . . His effort
• Not our righteousness . . . His righteousness
• Not our goodness . . . His goodness
• Not our strength . . . His strength
• Not our love . . . His love
• Not our commitment . . . His commitment

The rich welcome that awaits every believer is dependent upon all that Jesus has done for the believer . . . not what the believer has done for Jesus.

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

We talk a lot about freedom on this blog.  Jesus came to set the captives free, and if the Son has set you free you are free indeed!  But did you ever consider the height, width, and depth of this freedom?

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.  For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  (Romans 8:18-21)

I think you would agree it is one thing to be set free, but it is another thing altogether to be given a freedom that overflows with the glory of God.  Because of what Jesus has done for us, we rest in our current freedom while we wait with confident assurance for the glorious freedom that is to come. 

In our current freedom we live with the assurance that God has done infinitely more than “wipe our sin slate clean”; he has taken the slate away altogether! 

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.  (Psalm 103:12)

In saying that our transgressions have been removed “as far as the east is from the west,” God is telling us that every sin—past, present, and still to occur—has been erased from our ledger forever . . . and then God threw the ledger away! 

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.  (Colossians 2:13-14)

It should have been me nailed to that dirty tree, not the sinless Savior. It should have been you pulling against those cruel spikes in order to draw in each agonized breath. And yet in our current freedom, provided for us by the sinless life, substitutionary death, and glorious resurrection of our Redeemer, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).  We no longer have to work to please our God.  We work because our God is already pleased with us, regardless of the results of our work.  God not only sees us as sinless because of the righteousness of Christ, He sees us as having always done only that which is good, noble, and right.  My beloved Pastor Tullian loves to remind us of Jesus victory cry, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Our redemption is finished; our sin-debt has been paid in full by our Savior.

And as good as our current freedom is, it will get even better on the other side.  When we are brought into the presence of Jesus for our eternal rest, it will be a “glorious freedom,” a freedom with no more tears, sorrow, decay, broken promises, broken dreams, fear, doubt, frustration, disappointment, sin, or death.  We will sing and dance in the new heavens and new earth, because the Master’s melody will be woven completely into our souls.   

Freedom filled with God’s glory is truly too hard to comprehend on this side of the grave.  We still doubt, decay, and die in our current freedom.  In our current freedom, we still stumble into our old patterns of self-rule, self-absorption, and self-centeredness.  And yet, in spite of all of this mess, we are still loved completely and unconditionally by the One who purchased us with His precious blood. 

Paul’s letter to the Romans exhorts us to regard our present sufferings as not worthy of comparing with the glorious freedom that is our divine destiny.  Is this your hope?  Is this your desire?  I hope so, because it is your promised future!

This is the Gospel.  This is grace for your race.  NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!