Author Archives: Pastor Tommy

I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you. (Acts 18:10)

Sometimes life just seems to be a bit out of control. But in reality, it only feels that way because we are looking at the circumstances around us and not at the One behind it all, He who is in complete cosmic control.

Today’s passage records how God reminded Paul in a vision that He had everything under His complete cosmic control in the city of Corinth, and that Paul should continue serving His Lord. What was true for Paul 2000 years ago is true for us today. Read on and be encouraged!

The late Dr. R. C. Sproul is often quoted for something he told my class in seminary, something I have never forgotten and frequently repeat from the pulpit: “If there is one maverick molecule anywhere in the universe, you cannot trust God for anything!” Either God is in control of everything . . . or nothing. There is no middle ground. Think about it this way. If not even a bird falls to the ground apart from His will, then you, as a Christian believer who is made in the image of God and adopted as His beloved child, should find great comfort and encouragement in the fact that He is working all things for your good . . . even those things that don’t feel good!

If you remember the story of Job, you know that the devil needed God’s permission to test the faith of Job. Not only did Satan need permission, he could only do what God allowed him to do and nothing more. There is only one force in the universe that is omnipotent (that is, all powerful), and that force is God. Our God is in complete cosmic control of absolutely everything in the entire universe at every moment. Remember, the One who makes the devil himself flee at His Word is also in control of each and every one of Satan’s devilish agents.

So . . . if God is in control, what have we to fear? That is especially true when we are busily engaged in doing our duty. Anyone who stands in opposition to us is standing in opposition to Omnipotence, and they shall become like a bruised reed and as smoking flax (Matthew 12:19-20).

Is it not a great comfort to you today to know the cosmic control of your Christ over every aspect of your life? The One who laid down His life to have a personal relationship with you is controlling all things, sustaining all things, and ultimately making all things work together for your good and His glory. Nothing and no one can thwart God’s purposes for your life and for this world.

One final thought: There was a time when everything in Joseph’s life appeared to be absolutely out of control. His brothers hated him and sold him into slavery when he was about 17 years old. He did well in his captivity for a time, but then he was falsely accused of attempted rape and he languished in prison for years. Finally, at age 30, after interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh, Joseph was elevated to the position of vice-regent over all Egypt. In that position of authority, God used Joseph to save the Israelites from starvation when seven years of famine hit. When we look back on those 13 years in the life of Joseph, we can we see how God controlled each event—even those events that other people intended for evil—and realize how God meant it all for Joseph’s ultimate good, as well as the good of a great many others.

I am convinced that we should frequently look at life backwards to see just how beautifully God has been orchestrating all the events in our lives. Knowing that God has cosmic control over everything allows us to rise above the circumstances in life and to focus on the One who directs them: our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. (Psalm 139:6)

If you are anything like me, you’ve probably read or heard of some dreadful, tragic event and immediately said to yourself, “That just doesn’t make any sense!”

Those who knew the lovely missionary family must have thought this very thing. On March 19, 1971, Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus, a dedicated Wycliffe missionary couple serving in New Guinea, were at home resting with their young daughters, Kerry and Kathy, after attending Sunday church services. At 3:00 pm a huge section of the 300-foot mountain on the opposite side of the river from the Steinkraus’s house suddenly broke loose. With a deafening roar and incredible force, a half-mile-wide, 100-foot-deep slab plunged downward . . . scooping out sandbanks and crossing the river with lightning speed. It drove through the opposite bank and covered the village with rock, mud, and debris ten feet deep. The missionary family was buried in the landslide. Death was instantaneous; it’s possible they never even heard a sound.

Why? A sense of disbelief hung in the air over all those who knew the family, including seasoned veterans of the Wycliffe team, who had been tested by fire and hammered on the anvil of adversity and affliction. It just didn’t make any sense! Why would this happen to a family who had committed their lives to serving God? Why this particular hillside? Why did it collapse at the very time when the Steinkraus family was at home, resting from their labors in the Lord of translating the Bible into the Tifalmin tongue? Walt, Vonnie and their children were taken—not by the landslide, but by their Lord to their eternal home in heaven before they were able to finish the project. Why?!

In this case, God was gracious to supply the answer that so many of us search for. As rescue workers sifted through the debris in the aftermath of the disaster, they found an envelope with the words of Isaiah 55:9 printed on it:

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

We must remember that what seems senseless to us is not the least bit senseless to our Savior. We see only in part; He sees everything in whole, from beginning to end. We see in the temporal; He sees in the eternal. When we mere mortals look for answers, we don’t have any. None of us has the mind of God, so how can we in any way make sense out of a seemingly senseless and utterly life-changing event?

Over the years, here is the best answer I have been able to come up with for those who are in the midst of a crushing set of circumstances, and I share it often with our congregation:

I don’t know what the reason is for this calamity, but I know what it cannot be. It cannot be because God doesn’t love us. The cross proves that truth!

The psalmist was right; such knowledge is simply too high for us to understand. This is where we simply must accept rather than try to explain. We know that our God is a good God and so we trust Him even when we cannot trace Him, knowing that all things will eventually work together for our good and His glory. So when circumstances seem senseless, don’t look to make sense of it, rather, look to your Savior and lean on Him, not your own understanding.

One last thought: when the veil of physical death drops and we are separated from members of the family of faith, we grieve, and rightly so. We know we will miss their presence in our lives! But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. For those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ’s atoning death, burial, and resurrection, death does not mean “Goodbye” . . . It simply means, “I’ll see you soon!”

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

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. (2 Corinthians 10:12)

“Comparisons are odious” was a phrase commonly used in the 14^th Century; well, comparisons are still odious in the 21^st Century! If you want to shrink the size of your life down to the size of your life, there is one proven method: simply start comparing yourself with others.

Perhaps there is no better example of just how odious comparisons truly are than the parable that our Lord told about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee thanked God—not for the blessings God had bestowed upon him, but rather he prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector” (Luke 18:11).

Notice what the Pharisee did not do. He did not compare himself to men like Abraham, the father of the faith . . . or Job, who was blameless and upright . . . or Noah, a righteous man who walked with God. The Pharisee probably would not have measured up quite as well against such men! But he was happy to consider himself superior to obvious sinners.

Comparing ourselves in either direction is odious, and it creates barriers against growing into the people God is calling us to be. Perhaps we compare ourselves with those who are appear to be doing worse than we are, so that we can feel better about ourselves, as the Pharisee did. He smugly compared himself to those who were considered the dregs of society. By putting others down, the Pharisee, in his own eyes, lifted himself closer to God.

Or maybe we compare ourselves with those who seem to be doing far better than we are, and thus end up feeling worse about ourselves. We look around at all the rich and famous people and wonder why we are not as prosperous and popular as they are, and soon we are dealing with envy and resentment. Either way we compare . . . it is odious.

So what is the cure for the disease of “comparisonitis”? We remember that God has a perfect plan for our imperfect lives. We must not compare ourselves with others in any direction, either above us or below us; instead we are to “confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us” (2 Corinthians 10:13).

Each one of us is different and we are all imperfect. But God, in His infinite wisdom, has a perfect purpose, plan, and place for each one of us to serve Him faithfully. Remember, we are simply called to be faithful . . . God supplies the increase and makes us fruitful. Keep looking up to Jesus, and you won’t have any time to look around and compare yourself with others.

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

God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. (1 Corinthians 12:24-25)

One of the great challenges we face today is mistaking anonymous for unnecessary. We live in a popularity-crazed culture, measuring our level of status by the number of “likes” on our social media account. But if we in the body of Christ think this way, everyone is diminished. Every person who makes up the body of Christ is both valuable and needed. Popularity is not a qualifier for necessity. I have said here on more than one occasion that God did not make any “extra” Christians. And if there are no extra Christians, then each one is absolutely needed, regardless of their anonymity.

When you think of some of the great saints in the history of the church, you might wonder . . . Who were those people behind the scenes who made the greatest difference in their lives? Who were those unnamed saints who supported the ministry of our Lord Jesus when He walked this earth, perhaps providing a cool cup of water to our Lord and His weary disciples on a hot day? Who visited young Dwight L. Moody in a shoe store and shared the Good News of Jesus Christ with him, thus effectively launching the career of one of history’s most influential evangelists? Who sat backstage and prayed faithfully for Billy Graham during his crusades, where millions came to faith over the decades? The list of the anonymous who were (and are) absolutely necessary could fill several volumes.

We must remember that when it comes to the body of Christ, it is the head of the body, Jesus Christ, who determines who gets noticed and who stays behind the scenes. But regardless of the position, both are necessary . . . and our Lord takes note of them all.

I think about our Cross Community Church plant and just how many of our members are working behind the scenes, praying alone at home; without those people we simply would not be able to function. To be sure, the growth of any church is all of God’s grace, but God uses means, and most of those means are largely anonymous, unseen by the watching world.

Funny thing about the word “anonymous” . . . For the most part, that is exactly the way these saints of God like it. They never want their names to be mentioned in a meeting or to be celebrated for their service to God. Their reward is their service, and they serve faithfully, fearlessly, and without fanfare.

Remember, if it weren’t for the unknown “nobodies” there would be no known “somebodies,” and nothing would get done. We each need all of us. It takes all of us together, working with one heartbeat, to do all that God has called us to do to expand the cause of His Kingdom. And if the truth be known, we are all “nobodies” working together to point the world to the only One who really is Somebody: Jesus Christ, who offers us the “happily ever after” we all long for.

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

The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written . . .” (Matthew 4:8-10)

The phrase chink in one’s armor refers to an area of vulnerability. It has traditionally been used to refer to a weak spot in a figurative suit of armor. It is similar to an “Achilles’ heel,” the one point of vulnerability in an otherwise seemingly indomitable person. But when we speak of the armor that is worn by the saints of God, we are not referring to armor that is worn on the outside of the body, but rather what God gives us to wear on the inside.

Satan cares nothing about our outside. He does not mind if we are wealthy beyond words or popular beyond all praise. Do you remember his attacks on our Lord Jesus in the wilderness? The devil wanted to do his dirty work from the inside out. He wanted Jesus to be even more popular, more praised, more highly exalted as a miracle worker. But the evil one wanted all that acclaim to come at the expense of Jesus’ relationship with His Father in heaven. Satan believed that the chink in Christ’s armor was located inside, at a heart level, and his goal was to chip away at the Son’s allegiance to His Father.

We have a tendency to believe that the devil is satisfied with his work when he has us covered in dirt—the dirt of addiction . . . the dirt of poverty . . . the dirt of descending into the sins of the flesh. We’re mistaken when we think that way. The devil would much rather have us standing upright and in a place of acceptance from the world around us. This was his promise to Jesus, if Jesus would only bow down to him. And this is the devil’s goal for each one of us. The more moral and popular we are, the more the devil works to create a chink in our spiritual armor, which is formed by our communion and commitment to Christ. The devil loves it when we have a form of godliness, just as long as it does not have power.

The Achilles’ heel for the believer is not outside us; it lies within, and this is the place where the devil comes hardest after us. Satan loved the Pharisees, who were popular and successful in the eyes of the watching world in Israel. Satan knew that these men, who loved the adulation of the people around them, kept the outside of the cup clean while the inside was full of filth.

Regardless of how clean our outside is, if it does not correspond with the inside we are a delight to the devil, not to the Lord. Always remember how Jesus defeated Satan’s attack: by using the Word of God. When we remember what was written, we will know that it is because God has engraved His Word on our hearts. At this level of living, there will be no chink in our spiritual armor.

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

As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.(2 Samuel 5:24)

In his battle against the Philistines, David learned the secret to success in every battle that you and I face today: that secret is fighting in the strength of the Almighty. Apart from the power of the Sovereign Lord, we are no match for the evil one, which is why we must inquire of our Lord before we attempt to advance against our enemies. Now, as to what “the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees” actually was, I do not know. But I do know that it was a sign from God that stirred the heart of King David and his men to do battle against the hated Philistines.

What God did for David back then, He is still doing for His people today. There are countless signs from our Savior that should move us to action. God is in the business of stirring the hearts of His people to advance the cause of His Kingdom in this world. Our Lord expressed it this way: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going” (John 3:8).

The key to hearing His supernatural sounds is to be in such close communion with our Lord that we are sensitive enough to recognize when He is calling us into action. When the wind blows, we must be ready to respond at once. David won the day against the Philistines, not in his own strength, but in the strength of his God. “David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines” (2 Samuel 5:25).

When you listen for the supernatural sounds of your Savior, you will see obstacles turned into opportunities . . . problems turned into possibilities . . . defeat turned into triumph. This is the way of our Lord. When we get the victory against all odds, it leaves no doubt as to Who is responsible for our victory; to Him be honor and glory forever and ever!

Remember, when you hear the supernatural sound, seize that moment and do not delay, because it is then that the Lord has promised to go out in front of you. When we go in His time and in His way, nothing can stand in our way.

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

Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Thought I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. (Micah 7:8)

The struggles for the saints of God are many. There are struggles at work . . . at school . . . at home . . . in the community. There are struggles everywhere we go. The only place where there are no struggles are in the cemetery. Yet in all of our struggles we can have confidence that our Savior is right there with us. Though we sit in darkness, we have the Light of the World, who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.

Notice what the prophet Micah tells us: “Though I have fallen, I will rise.” The unbelieving world loves to make fun of those who fall. They laugh. They mock. They gloat. But you can be certain that in due time, God will turn their laughter into lamentation and our groaning into a glorious chorus.

Perhaps you remember me saying in the past, “Fall seven times get up eight.” We fall because we are fallen. But God does not leave us in the ashes of defeat; He gives us the power to rise up after every fall. It’s not as though you have a certain number of falls in your account, and when you have reached your limit, you are down for good. No, no, a thousand times NO! Our God is a God of infinite chances, and where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more (Romans 5:20).

We can all remember times of darkness. Perhaps you find yourself in darkness today. Fear not! Do not despair and do not doubt. The Lord is your Light and He will bring you up out of the darkness and into His marvelous light. You need only trust in the truth of the God-breathed words you’ve seen from Micah today.

Christian, you must not believe the lies of the evil one! Don’t let the enemy gain a foothold into your faith. The devil is a liar and wants to convince you that you have fallen fully and completely, never to rise again. I am sure the devil repeatedly hissed that very thing to Peter on that dreadful night when our Lord when was betrayed and Peter denied Him three times. But after Jesus rose from the dead, He had a divine appointment with Peter, and He asked His defeated disciple three simple questions: “Do you love me?” “Do you love me?” “Do you love me?” Peter rose from his fall and responded by living a faith-filled life.

If it is not dark now, it will be someday soon. Remember these three questions Jesus asked Peter, and if your answer is the same as Peter’s—“Yes, Lord, you know that I love you”—rest assured that you will be restored in due time and respond by living a faith-filled life.

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

Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the Lord. (Exodus 28:29)

As God spoke to Moses and gave him the plan for the tabernacle in which the Lord God would dwell in the midst of His people Israel, He also gave instructions for the garment that Aaron, who was to be the first high priest of Israel, would wear while ministering in the tabernacle and offering sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. These included instructions for the breastpiece that the high priest would wear, bearing the names of his people on his heart.

If you’ve spent much time in Scripture, you know that Jesus is identified as our great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), and I am quite certain that He, like Aaron, bore the names of His people upon His heart as He offered His perfect, paid-in-full sacrifice before the Lord to atone for the sins of His people.

For centuries, the Old Testament’s Song of Solomon was widely considered to be a poetic allegory of God the Shepherd’s love for the people of Israel and Christ the Bridegroom’s love for His bride, the church. While that interpretation has been rejected by many modern theologians, there have been a number of outstanding Bible scholars, past and present, who read the Song as a breathtaking love letter from the Bridegroom to the bride. While I readily and respectfully acknowledge that there are good and godly interpreters who disagree, I favor the traditional reading of the text, especially when I come to passages like these, where the Bridegroom croons to His bride —

How beautiful you are, my darling,

How beautiful you are!

And the bride exults —

He has brought me to his banquet hall,

And his banner over me is love. . . .

My beloved is mine, and I am his;

He pastures his flock among the lilies. (Song of Solomon 1:10; 2:4, 16 NASB)

I wrote in an earlier article that as Christ hung on that cruel cross, He clearly heard the jeers of the crowd: “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42).

And here’s the incredible truth: He could have! Jesus Christ could have come down from that cross in an instant, uttered one word, and twelve legions of angels would have turned the hill Golgotha into a slaughter pen (Matthew 26:53). It wasn’t nails that held Jesus Christ to the cross; it was his love for YOU!

This is pure speculation on my part, but I wonder . . . As our Savior hung on the cross, experiencing the terrible, utterly unimaginable wrath of God, shuddering as fresh jolts of agony coursed through His body with each tortured breath . . . could it be that He was thinking of you and me during that entire time? And perhaps He was repeating to Himself over and over . . .

“How beautiful you are, my darling,

How beautiful you are!”

Christian, you are the bride of the King. I pray you will exult in the amazing, unfathomable love that your great High Priest has for you. He bore your name upon His heart as He bore your sins upon that cross . . . and His heart beats with love for you today. May that truth strengthen you and encourage you to walk in faithfulness and joy this day.

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

Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

After reading the title “Treadmill of Time,” you may have read today’s verse and thought to yourself, “Yeah, right! I can’t remember the last time I was still before God with all the running I’ve been doing on the treadmill of time. Well, you are not alone.

In our fast-paced society, stillness simply doesn’t feel right. If we are not going, going, going, we believe we are falling behind. Yet God makes it clear that in order to grow into the person He is calling us to be, we must develop the discipline of stillness. If we are not disciplined to be still, we simply will not know God as fully and as deeply as we ought. When we are running from one activity to another . . . from one event to another . . . we are either too busy to spend time with God, or too tired to hear Him speak to us when we finally do slow down.

If you find yourself constantly running on the treadmill of time, know that it is not God who has put you there. I long ago lost count of how often I’ve heard members of our congregation say that they have so many plates spinning that they simply can’t keep up with them all.

Here’s the thing: If you can’t get all your work done, it’s not God’s work you are doing! God will always give you the right amount of time to do exactly what He is calling you to do in order for you to still have time left to be still in His presence. God will not overfill your agenda so as to crowd Himself out of your life.

Perhaps this would be a good time to take inventory of how you have been “investing” your time lately. Remember, God’s gift to you is time. Your gift back to God is how you spend it. Why not invest a little extra time in your relationship with Jesus this week? Take a walk with Him today. Spend some time alone at the park with Him. If you are raising children, open God’s Word while they are napping and let God speak to you.

I have learned from personal experience that we always get more done when we step off the treadmill of time to be still before God. I know it feels counterintuitive, but it really does work!

One more thought: the more you are still before God, the more you will know just how much He loves and cares for you.

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

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy . . . (Jude 24 NASB)

There was a time when the church service wasn’t finished until the minister pronounced God’s benediction over the congregation. However, in today’s culture of individualistic spontaneity, these inspired expressions of praise are often set aside for a more casual prayer.

That’s not the case at Cross Community Church. There is no better way to end a worship service than by declaring God’s Word over the lives of His people as they prepare to go back out into the mission field. However, there is an unfortunate challenge that must be overcome when we do this: that challenge is the familiarity that results from missing the Master’s meaning.

Take another look at our verse for today. What a powerful promise is given to us! And that promise should be a source of cosmic comfort for you today. “Now to Him [the only God our Savior] who is able to keep you from stumbling [that is, committing either sins of commission or omission] . . .” What a wonderful reminder that the power that is at work within us—resurrection power—is greater than any power that can come against us. Jesus is at work within us to keep us from stumbling into the snares of Satan.

But that’s not all! The benediction does not stop with what God in Christ has promised to do for us presently. It goes on to make clear what God in Christ will do for us in our promised future: “to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.” Hear me clearly; if that truth seizes us, we will experience deeper joy and greater freedom in our daily walk with Christ. Why? Because we know from personal experience that, even though Jesus is guarding us from stumbling, we still willfully lurch into sin along the way. And yet our all-too-frequent times of stumbling do nothing to shake the foundation upon which our faith is built: the Rock of Ages.

The glorious good news of the Gospel secures us even in our grumbling, bumbling, and stumbling. God in Christ is perfecting us in our imperfection, and He will not stop short of bringing us into absolute perfection on that day when we stand before the presence of His glory.

I hope you’ll pause right now and remember, regardless of where this message finds you, the glorious words of this benediction over your life . . . To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy . . . You have His Word on that truth!

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