Monthly Archives: February 2014

It was Francis Schaeffer, the American Evangelical Christian theologian, philosopher, and Presbyterian pastor who once referred to the grace of God as “the present value of the blood of Christ.” In essence, he was saying that we never grow past our need of the grace of the Gospel.

We are totally dependent on the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ every day! That precious blood that cleansed us from all unrighteousness when we were saved is the same precious blood that cleanses us from all unrighteousness as we are being sanctified (conformed into the image of Christ) along the road to glory. The Gospel is for sinners, you see, and we are still sinners after we have been saved.

God does not save us by grace and then expect that we run our race by the spiritual sweat of our brow. We are not only saved by the truths of the Gospel, we are grown by those truths as well. Moment by moment, we are dependent on the grace of the Gospel to wash our every thought, word, deed, and desire in the fountain of His purifying blood. Every imperfect performance and impure motive must be cleansed by His precious blood. Schaeffer was absolutely right in referring to God’s grace as “the present value of the blood of Christ,” because we are totally dependent upon it—both as the door into the Christian life and the floor upon which we build our Christian life.

So . . . have you been building your life on the Gospel or on your perceived good works? Do you believe God is blessing you because of your merit . . . or His mercy? Are you attempting to finish what God started in you? Or are you trusting in the finished work of Christ?

It is only through Him and in Him alone that we make our way into our eternal rest, and every step of the way we are reminded of these words from the beautiful old hymn:

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh precious is the flow that makes mw white as snow;

No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

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

I would like you to take a few moments today to prayerfully consider what all of the following just might have in common:

• A stain on your carpet
• A dent in your car
• A tear in your pants
• A limp in your walk
• A scar on your body
• A lost wallet
• A hole in your wall

All of these and many other examples I’m sure you could think of can be reminders of some kind of unpleasant experience in your life. In the Old Testament economy, the people of God had constant reminders of their sinful natures. With every new sin they committed, whether it was a sin of commission or omission, intentional or unintentional, they were faced with these reminders:

• The sound of a bleating lamb
• The smell of fresh-spilled blood
• The sight of smoke rising from the altar

Every sin required a “sin offering” in order for the sin to be covered and cleansed. This process accomplished two very important things: first, the sinner was constantly reminded of the seriousness and sinfulness of sin; second, the sinner was reminded of being restored in relationship with God.

Glory be to God, today we need only one reminder: the cross! We are to daily remember the cross, where our Lord and Savior hung on our behalf and died in our place.

Jesus paid the price for our sin—all of our sin—once for all. We are totally free from the endless requirements of making sacrifices for our sins. The cross reminds us of this incredible truth: when Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant what He said!

The devil would rather have you be reminded of your past sins daily. He wants to keep you as a prisoner, chained to your painful past. DON’T YOU LET HIM DO IT!

Keep the cross in view daily. Preach the Gospel to yourself daily. Remember what Jesus has done for you daily, and you will know the freedom and joy of what it means to be living under the banner of the finished work of Christ.

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

Everyone wants to know the secret to making lasting change. Most people believe that the secret is willpower . . . until they discover that their “will” really has no lasting power! The Bible makes it crystal clear that the “how” of lasting change will only come through the “why” of lasting change. In other words, the why is the how!

Oh sure, our willpower can initiate change, but it is only temporary. Most of us have discovered this truth by watching our new years’ resolutions—“This year I’m going to eat right, exercise more, read the Bible more, stop this or that bad habit, pray more, serve more” and so on—falter and fade away. The reason, of course, is that only when the Spirit of God changes the hearts of Christian believers that we will ever realize lasting change. It all comes down to the difference between temporary behavior modification and lasting heart transformation.

Christ’s love compels us.  (2 Corinthians 5:14)

Lasting change will only come through a compelling love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Love for Christ, not personal power, will propel us into the clear blue waters of a changed life. When a compelling love for God inspires us to engage in spiritual warfare against the forces that want to keep us down and out, temporary change perseveres and becomes lasting change. We resist the temptations to sin simply because of the love of Christ compels us to turn toward God and away from sin.

• Why forgive completely? Because the love of Christ compels us!
• Why serve faithfully? Because the love of Christ compels us!
• Why give generously? Because the love of Christ compels us!
• Why love unconditionally? Because the love of Christ compels us!

Bryan Chapell wrote in Holiness By Grace, “A love for God made vital and vigorous by sensing deeply his compassion toward us is the primary means that enables believers to resist Satan.” The love, mercy, and compassion of Christ is always and in every way the only compelling why behind every lasting how.

So . . . how is Christ’s love compelling you lately? If you’d have to candidly answer, “Not as much as I’d like,” perhaps you need a clearer vision of the hill Golgotha, where the Son of God took your place on that rough wooden cross. If there is no greater love than to lay your life down for someone else, then we need look no further than the cross to keep before us the only WHY we will ever need to be what God is calling us to be.

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

Numbers 13 recounts what happened when Israel camped on the outskirts of Canaan, God told Moses to select one man from each of Israel’s twelve tribes to go in and scout the land that God had promised to give to them. Ten of those men saw giants; two only saw their giant God!

So . . . what do you see as you face your “Canaans” today? Are you more focused on the obstacles you are facing or on Omnipotence? Do you trust that He will overcome all those obstacles as you move toward the land He has promised you? Are you more focused on your problems or on the Prince of Peace?

We all need to be reminded daily that it is not the size of the giants we face in life that makes the difference in how our lives work out, it’s the size of our God! And our God is bigger than any giant we will ever face. From the boardroom to the locker room to the family room, we all look toward our own “Canaan,” and we can become deeply discouraged if we focus on the wrong things. We can let the giants of life get the best of us, just like the ten spies did who convinced a nation to live by sight rather than by faith.

Joshua and Caleb saw the same giants and fortified cities the other ten spies saw, but they chose to focus more on the size of their God than the size of the giants that stood in their path. They had seen God deliver Israel from 400 years of bondage in Egypt. They walked through the Red Sea on dry ground and saw the pursuing Egyptians swallowed up by the sea. They knew that nothing was impossible with God!

Can the same be said about you today? Regardless of whatever trouble you are facing in your personal “Canaan,” you are not facing it alone. You face it with a God who is bigger, stronger, and wiser than any giant you will ever encounter. Because the Israelites listened to the ten spies who focused more on giants than on their God, they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Wilderness wandering is reserved for those who shift their focus away from God and put it on the giants of life.

But this is not for you! The cure for whatever “Canaan” you are facing is to remember that greater is He who is in you than the anything that is in all of creation. You have His Word on it!

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

I love the line from Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.” It’s a delightful way of echoing the cliché, “Life is full of surprises.” Some of those surprises are good ones; some are not so pleasant. Yet through it all, we are loved and cared for by a God who is never surprised.

God is sovereign! Nothing ever “happens” to you that catches God by surprise. To be sure, we are often surprised, but God never is. There are simply no events in our lives that do not first pass through His outstretched arms and nail-scarred hands.

Isn’t that a comfort to you today? This knowledge sustained Joseph during a most difficult and “surprising” time in his life. He forgave his brothers, who had thrown him down an empty well and then sold him into slavery, saying,

“It was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.” (Genesis 45:8)

From the time he was 17 years old through age 30, Joseph received one “bad” surprise after another: hated by his brothers for telling the truth . . . falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife . . . forgotten by an ungrateful cupbearer. Then came a different kind of surprise: in one day, Joseph was raised from the prison to the palace.

Joseph undoubtedly was surprised by these dramatic changes, but deep down in his heart he knew that God was not. He understood that it was by God’s hand that he experienced both desolation and deliverance. Joseph fully understood the sovereignty of God and recognized that the stuff of life is not a random roll of the dice, but all part of God’s perfect plan.

Can the same be said about you today? Looking back over your life, can you think of a time that stands out as a season of struggle? A time when it seemed like God was either sleeping or on vacation? I certainly remember such times, and that is why, as has been so profoundly said, life needs to be lived backwards. It’s hard to see God in the storms that blow our way sometimes, but when we look back, we can see His handprints all over those trials. God not only sends the storms, He is in the middle of them with us!

The sovereignty of God means there is a gracious purpose for our lives; and that purpose is being rightly accomplished, even in every painful providence. We may not see it at the time, but we can be assured that nothing ever catches our God by surprise. He is working all things together for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Sovereignty means that everything in our lives happens for a reason . . . and that reason has been in the mind of God from all eternity—a God who loved you so deeply that He sent His beloved Son to die on a cross for you.

There are no surprises, because we are secure in God’s sovereignty.

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

Today is Valentine’s Day; regardless of where this message finds you—whether you are in the midst of a storybook romance or sulking in your singleness—it seems like a good time to celebrate a holy love that “so loved” you. The inspired pen of John could find no better way to describe this unimaginable love that sought you, caught you, and bought you than to use the word “so”…

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Decades ago, blues icon BB King wailed, “Nobody loves me but my mother . . . and she could be jivin’ me too.” Have you ever wondered just how loved you really are? I want you to consider what follows here and marinate in it —not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day throughout the coming year.

Jesus did not come because of sin; He came because of love. Sin happened long before Adam and Eve were created. Adam and Eve were the first human sinners, but there was a sinful creature lurking in the Garden of Eden who had embraced a wicked, depraved, and fallen condition long before God breathed life into the first two human beings. Let’s take a look at the prophet Isaiah’s account:

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!”(Isaiah 14:12-14)

Satan’s grandiose ambitions ended very badly! The Lord Jesus told His disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

Adam and Eve followed the voice of the Serpent (Satan, the fallen angel) and thumbed their noses at God, just as Satan did. They centered their entire existence on the same “I” that inflamed the heart of the fallen angel. Notice that this “I” is in the middle of both SIN and PRIDE! Satan was filled with sinful pride, and he convinced Adam and Eve to focus on “I” rather than the great “I AM.”

Take a look at the fallen angel’s five ‘I WILLS,” as recorded by Isaiah:

• I WILL ascend to the heavens.
• I WILL raise my throne above the stars of God.
• I WILL sit enthroned on the mount of assembly.
• I WILL ascend above the tops of the clouds.
• I WILL make myself like the Most High.

For Lucifer, it was not enough to be in the presence of God; he coveted the position of God. For Adam and Eve, it was not enough for them to be made in the image of God; they too wanted to be in the position of God. And all mankind has been pursuing that same awful ambition ever since.

So if sin already existed before men and women existed, and God did not go after Satan, the first sinner, to redeem him, there had to be something else besides sin that motivated God to pursue those first two human rebels. And that motivation, dear reader, was the “special love,” the “so loved” love that God has for humanity . . . the special love He has for you! For God “so loved” you that He sent His Son to die on a cross so that you would never die, but have eternal life.

God could have pursued the fallen angels, but He did not. He chose instead to pursue fallen humanity and to send His precious Son to redeem those who were His special image-bearers (Genesis 1:26). This Gospel truth in all its glory makes it crystal clear that God’s love for us is unparalleled. The love of God has for you in Jesus Christ is as measureless as it is fathomless; truly, it cannot be explained. Paul said the love God has for us in Christ “surpasses knowledge,” and yet he prayed that we would be given the supernatural power “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

The best we can do is simply acknowledge that we are “so loved” and receive that love by faith and respond to the One who showers it upon us with a heart of adoring gratitude—not only daily, but moment by moment.

He told me to tell you on this Valentine’s Day.

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

That’s a strange question, isn’t it? How do you buy without money? You may be thinking, “I can’t think of anything we can buy without money.” And you’re right; I can’t either . . . but God certainly can!

Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. (Isaiah 55:1)

So how do you buy when you have no money? You can buy when God is providing all of the “cost,” which is the truth of the Gospel as it relates to our salvation. There are many who have perverted the Gospel by saying that God simply “makes up the difference” for those who don’t have enough holiness. They say that God bridges the gap between their good works and His perfect holiness by making up the difference in their merit. But don’t you believe it!

The “good news” of the Gospel wouldn’t be good news if all it did was make up the difference for those who did not have quite enough to get in to heaven. Why? Because we are broke. We are spiritually bankrupt. We have nothing! We are dead in our trespasses and sins, and our only hope is for God to provide His amazing grace to those who have no money but are invited to come, buy, and eat!

What a powerful truth when rightly understood! But it can only be understood by those who know their condition before Jesus shows up. If you are like most people, who feel they are not really that bad, and certainly not as bad as the really bad, then you believe you have what is necessary (the currency) to secure your mansion in heaven. But if you see yourself as the Bible sees you—as a great sinner in need of an even greater Savior—then you are invited to come and buy without any currency because your currency is to be found only in Christ.

We are not, as many people believe, basically good. We are bad, because we have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), which means we have absolutely no hope apart from a Savior who will pay our way, not merely make up any shortfall we are lacking. And that is exactly what Jesus did on a cross on the hill Golgotha: He paid the debt of our sin in full with His precious blood and secured for us our place in heaven.

So . . . how do you buy without money? You simply transfer your trust from your own personal merit to the Master and receive His grace, rather than relying on your good works.

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

The Bible makes it clear that the life of the Christian is to be marked by caring for others. We are called to live an “other-oriented” life. So how do we demonstrate that we care for others? My experiences as a pastor and a husband have taught me that it is more about making contact than finding a cure.

My greatest teacher in the school of life has been Kim, who is my wife and my best friend. I simply can’t count how many times she has come to me to share some situation she was dealing with—whether as a mother, a sister, or a friend—and the only thing I could think of was declaring the appropriate “cure,” so I could cross that issue off my list and get on to the next thing. In other words, I was quick to find the cure without ever taking the time to really connect and make contact! And more often than not, all Kim wanted me to do was simply listen and connect, rather than offering up some lame cure.

Caring is about contact far more than it is about a cure. You see, in God’s economy, we are to be the tangible evidence of His care, and the only way we can be that evidence is by making contact at a heart level with others. I call this the ministry of the presence. Sometimes the best ministry we can ever do is simply by showing up. We demonstrate that we care for others by simply being there for them!

Those of us who are familiar with the book of Job tend to think of Job’s three friends as “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2), who were long on opinions and bereft of any empathy. We often forget that immediately after Job lost everything, his friends were there for him—they simply showed up and shut up and let God use their contact as a ministry of caring.

When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. (Job 2:11-13)

In their seven days of silence, Job’s friends were wonderful comforters! I think many of us hesitate to go visit a Christian brother or sister who has just experienced some personal disaster, such as a death in the family, because we feel like we wouldn’t know what to say that would be wise and godly and comforting. Here’s the thing: you don’t have to say anything! Just sit there and listen and love them with Christ’s love. Job’s three friends were doing great until they started to speak!

Kim will tell you that early in our marriage I was very much like Job’s friends . . . after their seven days of silence. I had an answer to every question she wasn’t asking and a cure for every ill that needed no cure. I have learned the hard way—and through my wife’s gracious, patient ministry—that we can express our caring far more powerfully by making contact rather than finding a cure!

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

The more we understand what God in Christ has done for us, the more we will be willing to do for others.

There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)

A closed-handed Christian is an oxymoron—a contradiction of terms. Think about this for a moment: what does a closed hand represent? It is either a fist or a grasping hand. Either way, white knuckles are not a picture of the hands of those whose hope is in Christ.

An open hand is a hand that welcomes others. It invites them into our presence and meets them in their place of need. An open hand lets go of things rather than holding on for dear life. Picturing the open hands of our Lord nailed to that cruel cross opens our hearts. . . which in turn opens our hands.

The presence of poverty must propel us to open our hands and let the many blessings God has bestowed flow through us the. We ourselves cannot receive anything with closed hands; we must open our hands to receive. And so we open our hands to others and let flow through us that which has flowed to us!

Simply stated, opportunities to give are opportunities to grow. And it is God’s will for the Christian to continue to grow up into Christ and put the Gospel on display for all the world to see.

So . . . do your hands reflect an open heart by generously, joyfully giving to those in need? Or is there something you are holding on to so tightly that it is stunting your growth and keeping you from being all that God is calling you to be?

Remember, all that you have first passed through nail-scarred hands to come to you. That truth alone should open our hearts and compel us to cheerfully give to others what God has so graciously given to us. The presence of the poor is a picture of what we all are in the sight of God. We are poor, blind, naked paupers . . . until Jesus shows up. May the confession of our lives be one of open hearts that open hands that point to our Prince!

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