Monthly Archives: February 2018

I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls.  (2 Corinthians 12:15 ESV)

Scripture provides many examples of what it means to “spend” and “be spent” for the glory of God and the good of others. To be sure, there is no better example than our Lord Jesus Christ, but today I want to encourage you with a brief look at the apostle Paul.

Ministry is costly. One of my seminary professors told us, “Don’t go into full-time vocational ministry unless there is nothing else you can do.” Initially I misunderstood; I thought he was saying, “If all else fails in life, you can go into ministry.” Today I am a lot older and a little wiser, and I realize that our instructor was warning us that the weight of ministry is so great that only those who are called by God can bear it, because it can only be done in His strength.

The high price of ministry reaches into all areas of life: physical, emotional, mental, financial, and, of course, the spiritual. Yet every Christian, regardless of his or her vocation, is called to minister for the glory of God and the good of others, and that too is quite costly. The key to living a life marked by “spend and be spent” is found in today’s verse. Paul was essentially telling the church at Corinth . . .

I seek not what is yours but you!

We cannot and will not spend and be spent if we are focused on what we are going to get in return. We don’t give to get; we simply give. We don’t serve to be served; we simply serve. And remember, our decision to continue in the process of spending and being spent has nothing to do with the response we receive from others. Paul ministered to one of the most ungrateful, unfaithful, and undeserving groups of people in the church at that time: the Corinthians. But because Paul kept his focus where it needed to be—on Jesus—he continued pouring out his life for the sake of others. Paul know that the life of his Lord was defined by “spend and be spent,” and he simply wanted to be like his Savior, giving every ounce of himself for the lives of others.

Can the same be said of you and me? If you think about it for a moment, the reality is that all of us are spending and being spent; the only question is whether we are doing it for self or for the Savior. Only by fixing our eyes on Jesus will we be able to continue to pour ourselves out for others, regardless of the cost or circumstance. That is how Paul ministered to those worldly Christians at Corinth, and that is how you and I will be able to continue expending and being utterly expended for the glory of God and the good of others . . . all others.

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

Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Picture a pencil with the eraser attached on the end . . . perhaps the #2 pencil you had to bring to school for all those “Fill in the dot” tests. Do you have it in your mind? Now picture this: you are the pencil; Jesus is the Eraser; and God is the Hand that holds and writes.

A pencil can do nothing on its own. Someone must take it in hand and begin to write with it, and that is exactly what God has been doing in your life. As David wrote, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16).

But even though you and are held firmly in the hand of God, there are times when you and I have a tendency to want to write some of our story ourselves. When we do that, mistakes happen along the way—lots of them! We will say some things we wish we had not said. We will do some things we wish we had not done. We will think some things we wish we had not thought. And every time this happens, Jesus, our Eternal Eraser, is right there to erase the mess we’ve made as if it had never happened.

Let me be clear; I am not saying that there will be no consequences for our sin. Far from it! Hebrews 12:7-11 tells us very plainly that our Father disciplines us, just as a human father will discipline his child. What I am saying is that our Eternal Eraser removes the stain of our sin in the sight of God; when our Father looks upon us, he sees no dark, ugly blot of sin, but only the pure and perfect righteousness of Christ. Thanks to the sacrifice of God the Son, God the Father assures His people, “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist” (Isaiah 44:22 ESV). Though our sins be as scarlet, we are white as snow in the sight of God.

Here are a few things to remember as you go through the unfolding story of your life. The part of you that will leave your mark on this world for the glory of the One who holds you in His hand—that part is on the inside of you. Every time God writes with you, more of who He is making you to be on the inside will come out. And, from time to time, the hand that writes with you will need to sharpen you. That sharpening doesn’t come through times of success, contentment, and joy; no, it comes through difficulties, obstacles, and challenges. These times are painful, but you will be a much more useful pencil because of God’s sharpening.

One final point: each time you are sharpened, something truly lovely happens. You shrink a little and become a little smaller. And that is a good thing! Because as you decrease, those around you who are watching your story being written will see more and more of the Hand that is holding you and less and less of you. You will begin to resemble John the Baptist, who said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

So . . . how is your life story going? Who is doing the writing—you or God? Remember, the more God writes, the better your story becomes. But also remember that in those moments when you try to do a little writing on your own and mess things up, Jesus, your Eternal Eraser, is right there with you, erasing your mess so that the Father will continually hold you in His hand and look upon you with love.

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

Not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4)

Far too many in the church today are confused about the kind of person God uses to expand the cause of His kingdom. Satan, the accuser, is relentlessly engaged in convincing Christians that they have disqualified themselves from serving our Lord. The devil uses every means at his disposal to call our attention to our loose language, tainted thoughts, disgraceful deeds, and despicable desires. And when the enemy has done his work, many believers are convinced they are of no use to God.

That is simply not true! God is looking for our selflessness, not our sinlessness. The same grace that saves us also sanctifies us. God knows that we are still sinners by nature and by habit, even after our conversion to Christ. To be sure, we are new creations in Christ, having been born again into the lifelong process of growing up into Christ. But sin will dog our steps all the way into glory. God is looking for those saints who will be selfless . . . even in their sinfulness.

We can point to several passages in sacred Scripture that reflect this truth. Here are just two:

Please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written. (Exodus 32:32)

I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people. (Romans 9:3)

In his sold-out selflessness, Moses was ready and willing for God to blot him out of the book of life for the sake of his people Israel. In his sold-out selflessness, the apostle Paul was ready and willing that God would curse him for the sake of his people Israel. The selflessness of both Moses and Paul is as shocking as it is supernatural. This could never be realized in the flesh. Only in God’s strength were these two giants of the faith willing to give the last full measure of themselves for the good of others. Both men understood that God was not looking for their sinlessness, but their selflessness. And that is exactly what God is looking for from you!

So regardless of where this finds you today, regardless of your past record of falling short of God’s will in your life, are you ready and willing that God would use you for His glory and the good of others? Remember, selflessness can only be done in God’s strength. By nature—even in our new nature—we are still terribly sinful and self-absorbed. But when we shift our focus away from self and put it on our Savior, selflessness grows in our lives and we begin to be the blessing in the lives of others God that has called us to be.

The most perfect example of selflessness, of course, is our Lord Jesus Christ . . .

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death —
even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)

Jesus took care of our sinfulness on that cross; now He asks us to live in selflessness.

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

Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him, but he shall triumph at last. (Genesis 49:19 NKJV)

Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase, “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings.” Its origin is a bit unclear, but the saying seems to have come to us from the unlikely intermingling of two areas of endeavor: the opera and baseball. The meaning of this oft-repeated phrase is rooted in the understanding that nothing is irreversible until the final act (or inning) is played out.

I want to encourage you today, not with the singing, but with the speaking of our Lord, rooted in today’s verse. As fallen, broken people living in a fallen, broken world, the experience of Gad is the experience of all of us. How often our adversaries seem to have gained the upper hand! Countless waves of challenge threaten to drive us onto the sandbars of life. How many fiery furnaces have we experienced, only to be left in the ashes of defeat? The dark night of the soul has often been our experience. To the watching world, we have days that look a bit like Good Friday; it appears that we are utterly and finally defeated.

But, beloved, all that has been proven at that point is the first part of our verse today. We, like Gad, have been tramped upon and would be left in irreparable ruin . . . if not for the second part of the verse!

It ain’t over ‘til our faithful Lord speaks!

The promise is clear for the child of God: we shall triumph at the last. The poet who said, “All’s well that ends well” spoke the most amazing and comforting biblical truth: For the believer, no battle, no conflict, no challenge is to be judged by its beginning, for you will triumph at last.

Remember this: everything you are going through . . . you are going through it. God is conforming you into the image and likeness of His beloved Son. He is using every life experience to that end, and He has given you the promise He is working all things for your eternal good.

I pray that a calm confidence will embrace you today, regardless of where this finds you. Remember, God did not bring you this far just to leave you here. He who began this good work in you has promised to complete it at the last. Victory is assured.

One final word about “the last”—as Bunyan said, “Last means forever, for nothing can come after the last.” Let that truth set you free—not just today, but every day as you make your way toward the Celestial City. It ain’t over ‘til our faithful Lord speaks . . . and He has spoken: “He shall triumph at last.” Easter Morning always follows Good Friday!

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

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

Let me encourage you to take a second look at today’s title; I don’t want you to think that I have misspelled the word prophet—a man who speaks on behalf of God. So what did I mean by the word profit? Let’s take a look.

You know that our Lord Jesus Christ entered into this world, took on human flesh, lived a perfect and sinless life, died a sacrificial death, rose from the dead on the third day, and ascended into heaven to take His rightful place, seated at the right hand of God the Father. Did you know that He did it all for profit? Jesus profited and so did we.

In His free response to His Father’s will, Jesus left the throne room of heaven and came to earth to pay for all our sins, that He might restore an alienated people back to a right relationship with their fountainhead: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus came to slay the devilish dragon and thereby win back those who had been separated from Him by their sin. This was for His profit. He looks upon the labor of His soul and is satisfied (Isaiah 53:11).

But that’s not all! His profit is our profit, for in Christ we have been blessed “with every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3). We have been . . .

• Chosen
• Adopted
• Redeemed
• Forgiven
• Given wisdom
• Sealed by the Holy Spirit

The list of profits conferred to us from our Prince could fill volumes. We are now ambassadors of the Almighty, called into the ministry of reconciliation. We have been given a peace that the unbelieving world knows nothing about, for it is the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). And as if that was not enough profit already, we are given the unimaginable honor of being the bride of Christ, without fearing the slightest possibility of divorce.

What a “win-win” we have received! Jesus wins us and we win Him. His profit is our profit.

There is only one loss recorded on our eternal profit and loss statement: we lose the penalty of our sin. That penalty did not simply disappear, Christian; it was paid for in full by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

May these glorious truths encourage you to live for the glory of the One who made the sin of the world profitable—for Himself and for all who place their trust in Him.

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

This is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

Did you know that our Lord Jesus Christ has staked His claim on every Christian from two providential perspectives? The first is natural; the second is supernatural. Let’s take a look.

The Natural Claim of Christ

This claim is rooted in the reality that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of all things; therefore, has a rightful claim on everything in the universe, including you and me.

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1)

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. (Psalm 100:3)

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:3)

The Supernatural Claim of Christ

This claim is rooted in the reality that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and Savior of the world, and therefore, has a rightful claim on everything He has redeemed . . . and again, that includes you and me.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Twice born makes you twice His. Even if His natural claim was not enough, surely His supernatural claim is. The “right of redemption” . . . the “claim of the cross” . . . the “buying with the blood” . . . all these forever settle any insurrection on our part. You are still in this world, to be sure, but you are no longer of this world. Your citizenship is in heaven.

Christian, you are merely a pilgrim passing through this world on your way to the Celestial City. But along the way, be still long enough to remember whose you are and the life He is calling you to live for His glory and for the good of others.

Let’s close today’s message with this wonderful quote from the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper:

There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!”

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

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)

Valentine’s Day, the celebration of love and affection, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast Day of Saint Valentine, is celebrated every February 14. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day, honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and it is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country. During the 18^th century, it evolved into an occasion on which lovers expressed their affection for each other by presenting flowers, offering sweets, and sending greeting cards knows as “valentines.” In Europe, Saint Valentine’s Keys are given to lovers; Wikipedia explains that the key is given “as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver’s heart.”

So . . . not knowing where this finds you and just how you might observe Valentine’s Day, I want to offer you a word of cosmic comfort: Did you know that you have been given the “Key” that unlocks God’s heart? That Key is Christ!

God gave the world Christ, the Key who unlocks God’s heart and opens the door leading into eternal life. When you, by grace through faith, believe that Jesus died on a cross for your sins and was raised from death on the third day and you transfer your trust to Him as your Lord and Savior, you possess the Key that opens the floodgates of God’s love into your life.

God’s love sought, caught you, and bought you with the precious blood of Christ. And if that knowledge is not enough to meet you in your place of deepest need for love today, consider this: there is nothing in the universe that can ever or will ever separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).

For many, Valentine’s Day is a painful reminder of a lost love. As a pastor, I am reminded of this truth by way of my ministry to others. But there is a love that can never be lost. There is a love that transcends every earthly and temporal love. And that love is yours in Jesus Christ. He is the Key who will unlock the door of the eternal love that is as unconditional as it is unwavering.

You may not have an earthly love today to share Valentine’s Day with, but you have a heavenly love that invites you to go further in and further up into your relationship with Jesus, who promised that He would never leave you nor forsake you. You have His Word on that truth.

So regardless of where this finds you today, Happy Valentine’s Day! The one who “so loved you” that He gave His one and only Son for you told me to tell you that.

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

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

In the ancient world (and in some cultures today), the name given to a newborn baby meant something more than a word with which to call the child. For the Israelite baby, receiving a name was the first significant and important experience in life. Hebrew parents would give the child a particular name for a variety of reasons: to describe their future hopes for the child; to paint a picture of the child’s personality; to commemorate an event close to the time of birth; to continue a family name passed down from previous generations; to utter a prophetic revelation of the destiny of the child. And in God’s perfect providence, many children would live up to their name. Here are the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel.

    Name                      Meaning

Reuben                  “Look, a son!”

Simeon                 “One who hears”

Levi                       “Being attached”

Judah                     “Praise”

Dan                         “To judge”

Naphtali               “My struggle”

Gad                       “Good fortune”

Asher                    “Happy”

Issachar               “Reward”

Zebulun                “Honor”

Joseph                  “May he add”

Benjamin            “Son of my right hand”

God was personally involved in the “Name Game.” When God promised Abram that he would father many nations and that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, he renamed him Abraham, which means “father of many.”

God sent an angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him what to name the baby that Mary was carrying in her womb: His name was to be Jesus—the Greek form of the name Joshua, which means “the Lord saves”—because He would save His people from their sins.

My name given at birth was Thomas, meaning “twin.” I don’t have a twin; my parents wanted to pass down my father’s name to me. I don’t know what your name is by birth, but I do know what your new name is by second birth: CHRISTIAN, which means “follower of Christ.” You received that name when you, by grace through faith, placed your trust in our Lord Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation.

So the question is this: “Are you living up to your new name?” Now, I am not suggesting that any of us can live up to the name “Christian” perfectly, but we must strive to live up to our name progressively. That is the process that we call sanctification. The same grace that saves us is the same grace that sanctifies us, making us more and more like Christ each day.

Remember, He who gave you your new name and began a good work in you will bring that work to completion when you are brought home into glory (Philippians 1:6). Knowing what your new name in Christ means, will you prayerfully consider any changes you should make in your life in order to better reflect who you truly are? God is ready, willing, and able to bring about that change if you are.

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

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  (Isaiah 1:18)

Is it right for a mere mortal, stained by sin and self-absorption, to reason with God? As long as we understand the biblical meaning of the word “reason” as it is used her in Isaiah’s prophecy, it is not only right, but it is commanded.

Let’s start with an understanding of what “reasoning with our Redeemer” does not mean. First, it does not mean that we come to the throne room of heaven in the posture of a criminal’s defense attorney and plead our case by defending our wrongdoing and making excuses for our actions. Self-justification is as unwelcome as it is unwarranted when we stand before the revealed truth of Scripture, having knowingly violated it at virtually every turn.

Second, reasoning with our redeemer does not mean that we engage in arguing with the Almighty regarding any set of circumstances. You can see both these sinful forms of “reasoning” placed on dreary display by our first parents as they crouched, shivering in fear before the Lord God Almighty, clad in the flimsy fig leaves of their own self-righteousness.

[God] said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

The man said, “The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:11-13)

“It’s not my fault,” was Adam’s protest. “You put me in bad circumstances! This woman you gave me is the reason I sinned!” How gracious is our God to listen to such blasphemy and not destroy the one who spoke it!

Eve sought to create an alibi for her actions. “It’s not my fault,” was her feeble defense. “The devil made me do it!” This kind of reasoning does not move the heart of God. All we do is compound our sin by even uttering it!

Reasoning with our Redeemer means that we come humbly and yet confidently to the throne of grace, according to His will, acknowledging the truth of His Word and His promise.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (1 John 5:14)

When we are operating from the organizing principle that directed the entire life of Jesus—“Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42)—we can be assured that God will hear and respond to our reasoning. And so the only way we can effectively reason with our Redeemer according to the will of God is to know and understand the will of God, and that knowledge comes primarily through meditating on and marinating in the sacred Scriptures.

Remember, God had His Word written down so that we would read it. He could have left it up to the Holy Spirit to inspire, motivate, and guide us, and that would have been sufficient. But God gave us even more—He gave us His God-breathed Bible.

Because Jesus was in constant communication with His Father in heaven, He was always sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit into the will of His Father. There are many ways to commune with God, but the two primary ways are prayer and the reading of the Word. The more time we spend in these two disciplines, the more we will be aligned with God’s will. And the more we are aligned with God’s will, the better we will be able to rightly reason with our Redeemer and receive grace to help us in our times of need.

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

The man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man . . .” (Matthew 25:24)

How do you see God?  Do you see Him like the servant who had received one talent in the Parable of the Talents? Know this: how you see God will determine, to an altogether unsuspecting extent, how you serve Him.

The man who received one talent from his master buried it in the ground because he believed his master was a hard man, harvesting where he had not sown and gathering where he had not scattered seed (Matthew 25:24). Make no mistake, if we see God as “hard,” rather than holy, it will affect everything about the way we serve Him . . .

• Our work will be unrewarding.
• Our service will be slavery.
• Our labor will be lukewarm.
• Our giving will be without gladness.
• Our toil as trying as it is tiresome.

If we see God as “hard,” we will serve Him out of fear rather than joy, just like the servant in the parable, who was sternly rebuked by his master. Fearful service is faithless service, which brings no glory to God. So we must make the distinction between hardness and holiness. God is not a hard taskmaster; He is holy, and in His holiness God demands that we do the best we can with what He has given us to do it with.

We are to serve by faith, not in fear. When we do, we will experience the freedom and joy that comes from knowing that God is holy, not hard. God expects our best and deserves our best. When we give Him our best—whatever that ends up looking like—we can be assured that He receives it and smiles down upon it.

How is it with you these days? Have you confused holiness with hardness regarding your personal relationship with God? You can know immediately if you have by checking your attitude in your service to the Almighty. If God seems hard to you, you will see your service as a joyless and heavy burden. But if God is holy to you, you will see your service as a huge blessing that will return multiple rewards to you now and which will echo in eternity as well.

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