Author Archives: Pastor Tommy

If God posted an ad on one of those career builder/jobs.com web sites, do you know what it would look like?  Do you know the kind of person He would be looking for to do the job He has for them to do?  Well, God already posted His want ad, long before these sites became popular, and He posted it in His Scriptures.

The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.  (2 Chronicles 16:9)

In God’s want ad, we see that He identifies only one qualification for employment in His work: a heart that is blameless.  In the Old Testament, the concept of blamelessness brought with it two different but not dissimilar ideas:

1^st – Sacrificial animals without defect: “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish” (Leviticus 1:3).  Only unblemished animals were worthy of being sacrificed to the Lord.

2^nd – Blameless people who cannot be accused of wrongdoing: “He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart.”  (Psalm 15:2)

In the New Testament, the concept of blamelessness is rooted in the character of Christ and His followers:

1^st – Christ Himself: “It was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”  (Hebrews 7:26)

2^nd – Disciples of Christ: “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”  (Ephesians 1:4)

Those who are disciples of Christ are blameless in the sight of God because they are clothed in His righteousness.  The blamelessness of Christ has been imputed to all who have trusted in His atoning work on their behalf.  Christian, when God looks at you He sees Jesus, so He sees perfection!  Yet in everyday experience, disciples of Christ do everything imperfectly, and we still do many things that are blameworthy.  So while we are already blameless in the sight of God because of what Jesus has done on our behalf, we are being made blameless through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.  And, of course, that transformation will not be completed until we pass into glory.

So for the purposes of today’s message, a blameless heart is a heart that is sold out for God.  It is a heart that beats for the things that God’s heart beats for and is broken by the things that break God’s heart.  Notice what God’s “cosmic classified” does not identify as qualifications for employment in His work in this world:

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  (Luke 14:28)

To be sure, counting the cost when you are preparing to undertake a project is both wise and profitable.  The “tower” in this verse could be a watchtower, a farm building, or some other building project, such as a business enterprise.  Sitting down to count the cost implies a serious approach, one marked by diligence and patience.  If you have ever been involved in a building project of any kind, you undoubtedly took the time to count the cost on the front end—or you found yourself wishing you had!

But when it comes to counting the cost of building your life upon the Rock of Jesus Christ, what cost is really worth counting?  Jesus counted the cost of bringing us into His family of faith . . . and the cost was unimaginable.  He paid for us with His precious blood and did not withhold a single drop!  But that’s not all.   There was the cost of His relationship to His Father; Christ hung forsaken on the cross, while His Father poured out His wrath on Him for all our sins.  Yet God was pleased to make His precious Son the foundation-stone in Zion upon which we would build our lives.

So . . . before you get busy building God’s kingdom, is there any cost worth counting in light of the cost Jesus paid for us?  Is there any cost worth counting in light of the fact that whatever we are building for His glory we are building for eternity?  Keeping in view past grace given and future grace promised, is there any cost are we not willing to pay to keep this pearl of great price?  Let’s take a look at what we’ve received and what we’ve been promised:

Past Grace:

• Accepted in the Beloved
• Forgiveness of sins
• Adoption into the family of faith
• From slaves to sons and daughters

Future Grace:

• Perfection in the Beloved
• Promised rest
• Completed consolation
• Eternal joy

Having earned nothing and having been given everything, we are strengthened and sustained to withhold no service, fear no storm, and neglect no season—

 “He holds no parley with unmanly fears,

Where duty bids he confidently steers.

Faces a thousand dangers at her call,

And, hoping in his God, surmounts them all.”

Jesus counted the cost to redeem us and unhesitatingly paid it in full.  He was rejected by those who knew Him well.  Will the world’s disapproval keep us from paying the price?  He was betrayed by one of His disciples.  Will losing friends keep us from paying the price?  He was denied by one of His closest friends.  Will rejection keep us from paying the price?  He was scourged and nailed to a cross and died for our sins.  Will the fear of suffering or death keep us from paying the price?

Remember, our salvation is a free gift, but it cost Jesus everything!  There really is no cost worth counting when we keep the Gospel in our sights.  As Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, he had great opposition from the likes of Tobias and Sanballat, but he kept on building.  And it did it with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other.  May we be so committed to the cause of Christ that we too continue to build, no matter what disapproval or opposition or threats we face.

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

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May.  There are many stories as to its actual beginnings; there is strong evidence pointing to organized Southern women’s groups and schoolchildren who decorated Confederate graves in various cities to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the War Between the States.  These observances quickly spread across the country, and in 1868 fallen soldiers of both the Confederate and Union armies were honored at Arlington National Cemetery.

By the 20^th century, Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces in all wars.  Since the late 50’s, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery on the Thursday before Memorial Day.  They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing.

Sadly, the traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years.  There are still many people who visit cemeteries and memorials to honor those who have died in military service, but far too many of our countrymen have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day.  At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are ignored and neglected; many towns that once held Memorial Day parades and remembrances now only celebrate a three-day weekend that marks the beginning of summer.

Last Saturday evening at Cross Community Church, we paid special tribute to all those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  Because of that price these men and women paid with their blood, we have the freedom to gather . . . to praise . . . and to worship in God’s house weekly without fear of persecution.  As Americans, each Memorial Day we should remember those who gave everything that we might live free.

But those of us who are also Christians should observe a memorial day each week when we gather to worship the One who gave everything that we might live eternally free.  Jesus died to set the captives free from sin and death.  He paid an unimaginable price that we might be redeemed from the tyranny of sin’s stranglehold on our lives.

After having been betrayed by one of His closest friends and denied by another, our Lord was beaten, spit upon, scourged, and given a crown of thorns for His head.  Then the Roman soldiers hurled Him down on His maimed back to nail Him to that dirty tree.  When they lifted Him up on the cross to set it into the ground, His bones were dislocated out of joint.  A crowd of onlookers stood round the cross as He hung there, naked and bleeding; many of whom had come gloat at His terrible death—to mock His ministry, ridicule His thirst, and insult His prayers.  Yet that was not the worst of it.

At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.  And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)  (Mark 15:33-34)

Jesus had suffered terribly up to that point; Isaiah 52:14 records that He was beaten so badly that He was no longer recognizable as a man.  But as awful as it was, the scourging and even the tearing agony of crucifixion was little more than a pinprick compared to what Jesus endured for three interminable hours . . . the time when His Father in heaven turned His back on His beloved Son.  They had been together from all eternity in perfect community; now, for the very first time Jesus experienced something no Christian believer will ever have to endure: being forsaken by the Father!  Jesus’ anguished cry expressed a horror that those who have trusted in His atoning death will never experience: facing the righteous fury of a holy God.

What an incredible freedom Jesus won for us on that cross!  He not only conquered sin and death, but He secured for us the promise that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

So today, as you pause to remember all those soldiers who died for our liberty in this great nation, pause also to remember the One who died to set you free, nailed to wooden beams on Golgotha’s hill with your name in His heart.  His conqueror’s cry, “It is finished,” signifies the most glorious victory ever won on any battlefield—an eternal victory won for you and for me.

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

Those of you who have lived for a few decades—or perhaps you like to watch the “T.V. Land” channel—may be familiar with the 1950s hit sitcom that sprang out of a popular radio show, Father Knows Best, which portrayed a middle-class family living in the Midwest.  The father was played by Robert Young (you may remember him from Marcus Welby, M.D.), who was the picture of wisdom as the head of his family.  His three children would always come to their father when they needed advice on anything.

Today’s message is not about a fictional father on a television show, but it is about our true Father, who stars in the cosmic show that is unfolding before our very eyes, a show that He is writing one chapter at a time.  God our Father really does know best, and He delights when we come to Him seeking wisdom, understanding, and advice on any subject.  He also delights when we trust in Him, even when His counsel is contrary to our plans.  His understanding is limitless; His wisdom knows no bounds; His plans and purposes are perfect.

Think back over your life and consider a time when you were disappointed your plans did not come together.  At the time, perhaps you could not understand why.  But God knew why, and He kept your plans from coming together because He had something far better for you.  I simply cannot count how many times in my life has God showed up and delivered me from my agenda, only to deposit me in the middle of His.

When we planted Cross Community Church back in February of this year, our plan was not to launch a service until sometime in the fall.  God had a different plan!  In His perfect providence, God shut down a ministry we had founded and led for a decade, a ministry that had gathered every spring on Saturday evenings.  We had been hoping that this ministry would help create awareness for our new church in the Deerfield Beach community . . . but God had a different plan.

Not sure what to do with our Saturday evenings now, Kim and I began earnestly praying and seeking His face.  In only a few days, God directed our steps to begin looking for Saturday evening times in existing church buildings where we could gather for fellowship, worship, and ministry planning.  We had never considered this possibility until God closed one door and opened another.  On March 1, 2012, we launched.  Once again, God was making it crystal clear who was in charge and who was going to be growing His church.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord established his steps.  (Proverbs 16:9)

Looking back now over the past three months, it is both astonishing and humbling to see what God has done.  It never ceases to amaze me what God can and will do when I get out of the way!

So . . . where in your life today is God establishing your steps in a direction you had not planned?  No doubt it makes you uncomfortable.  It can even be a little scary!  But your heavenly Father knows best and He will not stop short of giving you His best.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  (Proverbs 16:3)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.  (Proverbs 19:25)

Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why.”  Only in following God’s plan for our lives will we ever figure out the why.  And that means we will be living surrendered lives.  We surrender to the One who created us and what He created us for, following obediently wherever that leads, regardless of the cost or circumstance . . . even when it leads us in a direction we could never have imagined.

God led the Israelites to the Red Sea after freeing them from bondage.  With the Egyptian chariots thundering up behind them, the situation looked absolutely hopeless.  But God the Father knew best, and He displayed His power for all the world to see.  The Israelites walked across the Red Sea on dry ground, but the pursuing Egyptians were swallowed up by it.

When God is leading the way, the way is good when it seems bad . . . right when it seems wrong . . . best when it seems the absolute worst.  Sometimes the long road is the best way; at other times the rocky road is the best way.  Our Father in heaven is calling us into the adventure of a lifetime in following His plans for our lives.

Are you willing to let go of the reigns and allow God to direct your steps?  Only the power of the Gospel frees you to live for something bigger than yourself . . . or more accurately, Someone . . . and that Someone is Jesus.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  (Isaiah 43:2)

Father knows best, and He has your best interest in mind, regardless of what you are going through.  And you will actually get through what you are going through and come out the other side!  Your heavenly Father will not forget you . . . He will not forsake you . . . and He will always be faithful to you.

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

You might be wondering, “When in the world does adversity turn into advantage?  All of the adversity I am currently facing is absolutely killing me!  From my failing health to my faltering business . . . from distress in my marriage to disconnection with my children . . . you have to be kidding when you suggest there is a time when adversity turns into advantage!”

Well, I didn’t say it; the Book did!

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.  (Psalm 50:15)

Here we find light in our darkness and calm in our storm.  God says that we can turn every adversity into advantage when we turn toward Him.  We have a tendency to aggravate our problems by turning to countless things smaller than God . . . things that promise deliverance but simply cannot deliver on their promise.  God tells us in the day of trouble that we are to call on Him.

The second half of the passage gives the reason for crying out to God.  He not only wants to hear our cry, He can actually do something about it!  God accepts our plea for help and He answers it with His omnipotent determination to deliver us from adversity.  When we call on the Lord for deliverance, we are doing what every child of God must do: we are to look away from self and toward our Savior.  You see, in times of adversity God is bringing us to the end of ourselves.  He is making us decrease so He can increase.  Adversity turns into advantage when we take our eyes off ourselves and turn to God.

Regardless of the trouble you are facing, call on Jesus.  Not only has He promised to deliver you, He assures you that in your desperation and deliverance, He shall receive the glory.  God is glorified when we cry out to Him, because our cry is a testimony to the sufficiency of the One in whom we trust.

There is something we all need to be reminded of regarding our deliverance: God is not in the business of delivering those who believe they are in no need of it!  Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Matthew 9:12).  If you are not sick, you don’t need healing.  If you are not down, you don’t need to be raised up.  The watching world catches a glimpse of the true composition of our character when we are facing adversity.  As James Allen once said, “Circumstance doesn’t make the man, it reveals him.”

To be sure, adversity turns into advantage when we turn toward Jesus.  Speak this prayer from days of old and prepare for your deliverance.

Lord, thou hast bid me seek thy face,

and shall I seek in vain?

And shall the ear of sovereign grace

be deaf when I complain?

So . . . what is your adversity revealing about you lately?  If in it you are turning to Jesus, then you are turning your adversity into your advantage; and along the way, God is getting all the glory!

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

No doubt you’ve been told, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”  Not bad advice.  Yet frequently we overlook the rich, God-ordained blessings in the lemons prior to turning them into lemonade.

If you are a disciple of Christ, you will be no stranger to storms and suffering.  God has ordained them for your good and His glory.  Far too many in the church today miss the blessing in the storm because they are so busily engaged doing everything in their power to get out of it!  Paul penned a word of encouragement to believers who were in the middle of the storm.

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  (1 Peter 1:6-8)

After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.  (1 Peter 5:10)

As hard as it is to see when we are in the middle of it, Peter reminds us that our suffering—all of our suffering—is only temporary and for just a little while.  He also reminds us to view our temporary suffering in light of the eternal glory that awaits us on the other side.  In order to get lemonade, you must squeeze the lemons!  In order to receive the promised eternal glory, we have to go through some storms.

Notice that some of the greatest blessings can only be received through the storms of life.  Peter tells us that God Himself will perfect us, which is a great comfort for struggling saints.  We are continually making progress toward that day when we shall be perfected in Jesus.  To be sure, there are many times when our progress feels like one step forward and two, three, or even five steps backwards.  But Scripture assure us that what the God of all grace began in us He will one day complete (Philippians 1:6); and the workshop God often uses is the fiery furnace of affliction.

To be confirmed, strengthened, and established is to be partakers of the infinite grace of the God of all grace.  We shall be preserved.  We shall be protected.  We shall make progress.  And all of this will be worked out to perfection through the storms that we must endure on this side of His finished work and faithful reign.  So let us not be so quick to turn lemons into lemonade!

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.  (2 Corinthians 4:17)

You see, the storms of life are not simply to be endured, they are to be embraced.  The eternal weight of glory we are being prepared for simply cannot be compared to the momentary and light affliction we must pass through for a season.  The refiner’s fire is, in fact, producing character in us that more and more each day reflects the character of the Beloved Son.  Who of you reading this right now would not gladly embrace the storm winds if it means coming out on the other side more like Jesus?

Our God of all grace will give us all the grace we need to receive and respond to every trial we face and every storm we must pass through.  As Paul assured us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).  His grace is not only pardoning, it is empowering; it is not only cleansing, it is character-building; it is not only sustaining, it is strengthening.  Because His grace is as abundant as it is amazing, let us take the lemons of life and lean into the lessons they are designed to teach us.  Do that first, before you work to turn those lemons into lemonade!

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

Are you facing anything in life right now that seems insurmountable?  Trouble at the office?  Loneliness in your single life?  Difficulties in your marriage?  Prodigal child?  Unfaithful friend?  Negative bank balance?  Bad news from the doctor?  I pray that today’s message will be a source of comfort and encouragement to you, making it clear that no rescue is beyond the reach of your Redeemer.

Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.  (2 Kings 6:1-7)

Can you imagine a situation more hopeless?  The borrowed axe head had fallen into the water, plummeting down to settle on the bottom.  Gone was the axe head, and likely the trust granted to the borrower by the tool’s owner was gone with it.  Or was it?  Once again we see that “with God all things are possible” . . . even making steel swim!

If God can make steel swim, He can turn any situation in your life around in an instant.  He delights in blessing His people and blessing them in ways that make it crystal clear that it was God who did the blessing.

So . . . what steel in your life do you need to swim?  With God on your side you can live with hope, even in the face of what seems hopeless.  The impossible becomes possible in the hands of the Almighty.  God can raise you out of the ashes of defeat and bring you into a new season of success.  He can meet you in your place of darkness and make it so bright that you gotta wear shades!

Now, it’s important to note that God had the man reach out his hand and take back the lost axe head.  Yes, the steel did swim because of the grace of God, but even in that grace God had the man reach out to receive it.  You are not a passive bystander in the life you are living.  You are called to do your part, to get involved, and to play your role.  Yes, the race you are running you run by grace . . . but you are still running it.

Paul questioned the Christians at Corinth, “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?” And then he added this exhortation: “So run that you may obtain it” (1 Corinthians 9:24). Other than our Lord Himself, no one taught the doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith alone more clearly than the apostle Paul. And yet he too stressed our active role in living the Christian life.

Reach where God instructs you to reach.  Grow where God instructs you to grow.  Stretch where God instructs you to stretch.  Stand still where God instructs you to stand still.  Remember, God will only ask you to do what He has given you the strength to do.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

Every promise God has made to us finds its “Yes!” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20) and that includes the promise to make whatever steel you are facing today . . . swim!

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

Did you know that the power of the Gospel frees us from the fear of evil?  Do you know why?  It’s because even in the evil we face day in and day out, our God is with us.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  (Psalm 23:4)

On the darkest road we travel, we need not fear evil because God is with us.  Even in the shadow of death the Christian heart still beats in time with the Master’s music, because He is not only our comfort but He is our companion.  He is the friend who sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).  And he who has God as his companion has nothing to fear.  What a beautiful promise we have from the psalmist—a promise that propels us further in and further up into our redemption, independent of all outward circumstances, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In fearing no evil, we are to include the evil one—the devil himself.  Satan can do only what God allows, and God only allows what is useful for our sanctification and service to others.  Sure, the devil comes as a roaring lion, seeking to devour anything in his way.  But he comes without teeth and claws, because he comes under the complete control of Christ our companion.  You will remember in the story of Job: the devil was allowed to do only what God allowed him to do, all of which ultimately worked for God’s glory and Job’s good.  And this is true for every child of God born of grace.

To be sure, there are times we find ourselves in dark valleys, deep waters, deserted highways, and desolate places, but we never find ourselves alone . . . which is cause for courage and cheer, not fright and fear.  It’s important to note that Jesus is not only with you, but He has gone before you.  Jesus faced every imaginable evil and conquered it as our King.

• Jesus faced the evil of the religious leaders
• Jesus faced the evil of His neighbors
• Jesus faced the evil of His friends
• Jesus faced the evil of His followers
• Jesus faced the evil of the Roman soldiers
• Jesus faced the evil of the thieves that hung on either side of Him on the cross
• Jesus faced the evil of evil itself in His wilderness experience
• Jesus faced the evil of our imputed sins
• Jesus faced the evil of death
• Jesus faced the evil of hell

Not only is Jesus our companion who has faced every evil, He is our King who has conquered every evil.  Not one evil could stand up against perfect Righteousness.  He sits at the right hand of God the Father (Romans 8:34), which is the place of power in heaven and on earth.  And it is that power that overcame every evil and will one day overthrow it, making everything that is bad good; everything crooked will be made straight; darkness will be turned to light; the dead in Christ will live; and all that was meant for evil will display the glorious righteousness of Christ!

Let the confession of our lives be one that fears no evil, knowing we face it with our conquering King, who has vanquished every foe.

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

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (John 14:15)

In light of Jesus’ words here, what is the motivating force for new obedience?  For some it is fear.  They are afraid of the consequences of disobedience; they try to obey out of a sense of dread.  They try harder and harder, but it never works for long.  We are simply too weak to obey in our own strength out of a sense of fear.  For others, the motivating force is guilt.  They feel guilty over past disobedience—the problems it caused and the people they hurt—and they resolve to be better in the future.  Their resolve caused them to do more initially, but it never works for long.  We are simply too inconsistent to obey in our own strength out of a sense of guilt.

The motivation for those in whom the truths of the Gospel have taken root is rooted in gratitude.  They look back at all God has done for them in Christ, and out of a heart overflowing with thanksgiving, they desire to walk in new obedience.  Looking back at the grace we have been given is a wonderful motivation for living a life of obedience . . . but if we stop there, we have stopped short of a full understanding of the Gospel and the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Gratitude that looks back on grace received is a powerful motivator for obedience, but it can easily morph into attempting to pay God back for all that He has done, a feat which we could never accomplish.  If we could pay God back, it would not be grace that was given to us in the first place!  For “if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6).  What we need is not only gratitude that looks back on past grace, but faith that looks forward to the future grace promised in the Gospel. This attitude of looking to the past and to the future is beautifully and succinctly expressed in Romans 8:32.

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

The first part of this verse focuses on the grace God has already given to His people; the second half focuses on the grace God will give to His people.  The ultimate motivation for new obedience is the combination of looking back in gratitude for grace given and looking forward in expectation to grace promised.  These are the bookends of living a life of obedience (albeit imperfectly) for every disciple of Christ.  John Piper explains:

The faith in future grace is the power for obedience that preserves the gracious quality of human obedience.  Obedience does not consist in paying God back and thus turning grace into a trade.  Obedience comes from trusting in God for more grace—future grace—and thus magnifying the infinite resources of God’s love and power.

Our hearts should be filled with gratitude over the grace we have already been given and brimming with positive anticipation for the grace we have been promised and will experience when we are brought home into glory.  What God began, He will complete (Philippians 1:6) and He will complete it with the grace of the Gospel, poured out in the past, the present, and in the future.  When God promised to never leave or forsake us, He promised us a future grace we can bank on!  The power for new obedience is rooted in the promise of new obedience, because of the One who made the promise.  He is faithful to fulfill His promises even when we are not faithful to them.  As Paul assured us, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

When we look back in gratitude for the grace we have been given and forward to the grace we have been promised, we are propelled by the unimaginable love and mercy of God, who has given us all we need to live the life He has called us to live—by confident faith in indescribable grace.  Look back in gratitude and look forward by faith and there is no telling what God can do through you!

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

When was the last time you thought about the power of God?  I mean, really thought through just how powerful the God of the Bible actually is?  Well, let today’s message be a source of great comfort to you, regardless of what you might be facing, because whatever you are facing you are facing it in the power of the Almighty!

Power Over Nature

And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm.  (Luke 8:24)

Where in your life right now do you need a little calm?  Jesus spoke a word to the wind and the waves and they ceased their raging.  He can speak a word of calm into any circumstance you are currently facing.

In His humanity, Jesus was subject to nature.  Just like you and me, our Lord was drenched by rain, He shivered in the cold, and he perspired in the heat. But in His divinity, He was Sovereign over nature.  The power of Jesus cannot be resisted even by the wind and the waves.  “You rule the raging of the sea,” the psalmist exulted; “when its waves rise, you still them” (Psalm 89:9).  Everything is subject to His authority and under His command.  Think about this for a moment.  Jesus not only desired to stop the storm in order to comfort His terrified disciples, but He had the power to do it.  Now, that is ALL POWERFUL!  And that power is available to you today.

If Jesus is in you, then the power of Jesus is in you, and that power is available to you to do everything He has called you to do.  There is nothing that can thwart the purposes of God, and that includes all that He has purposed to accomplish through you.  God never calls without equipping those whom He has called.  He provides all the power necessary for His people to accomplish all His will.

The wind cannot stand in the way of the power of God.  The waves cannot stand in the way of the power of God.  The wicked cannot stand in the way of the power of God.  And your weakness cannot stand in the way of the power of God. As Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged, “He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35 NIV.)

God saved you so that you would serve Him.  And your service is not dependent upon your strength.  It is dependent upon His power, and that supernatural power is available at all times.  To be sure, we all serve our God imperfectly.  The Bible is filled with examples of the imperfect service of men.  But even imperfect service was received by our perfect and all-powerful God.  And that, beloved, should comfort you today and cause you to advance confidently in the direction God is calling you to go, in order to do all that He is calling you to do.

Paul prayed that you and I would know “the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might” (Ephesians 1:19).  There is no power in the universe above His power . . . and He has given that power to you!

Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will 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!