Author Archives: Pastor Tommy

I remember when God saved my wife, Kim, and me in September of 1995; we were so excited about the personal benefits of our salvation!  Jesus was going to give us our best life now—a better marriage, more prosperity in our business, optimal health, influential friends, and obedient children.  We made the rescue Jesus had provided for us all about us, not about Him, and during the next few years we began shrinking our salvation.  Does this resonate with you?

Thankfully, God did not leave us in our short-sighted self-absorption.  Through a variety of grace teachers, including Steve Brown and Jerry Bridges, God graciously shifted our focus from ourselves to His Son.  During that process we began to see that our redemption was about so much more than what we had imagined to be a “good” life.  Jesus didn’t save us to make us good, but to make us His; and as His children we are to be more concerned about His kingdom than ours. 

God not only rescues us from our sin, He rescues us from ourselves!  Self-focused living was never the goal of our redemption.  We are delivered from our slavery to self and circumstances so that we can focus on the One who saved us.  We are set free to live a life that is bigger than our own lives.  God is on a mission of “making all things new” (Revelation 21:5), and He raises us from death to life to be part of this incredible cosmic restoration process. 

When we understand God’s purpose, we can begin to see beyond the constricted borders of our own little lives.  We can shift our focus away from what we want to what God wants . . . from what we desire to what God desires . . . from what we love to what God loves.  This is when where our salvation stops shrinking and begins stretching—through sacrificial service to God and others.    

When we are wrapped up in our own lives, we utilize our time, talent, and treasure to serve ourselves and advance the cause of our own kingdom.  But when we are wrapped up in the life of our Savior, we pour out our time, talent, and treasure to serve Him and advance the cause of His kingdom, regardless of the cost or circumstance.  When we are living at this level, we can be assured that we are not shrinking our salvation.

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

Today we celebrate the signing of our Declaration of Independence in 1776.  July 4^th is a national observance of the anniversary of the beginnings of national independence of the American colonists from the authority of the British Crown.  As important as this day is in the life of our great nation for independence, it is critical that we never forget to declare our dependence upon God.

Sadly, Adam and Eve forgot this truth and sent the entire cosmos into a downward spiral of depravity, decadence, and death.  Many Christians mistakenly believe our dependence began in the Garden of Eden when our first parents sinned.  Not true!  Prior to sinning, Adam and Eve were fully dependent upon God for everything.  Their divine design was one of dependence.  They were created never to live for a single moment independent and separated from God.  Self-focus, self-centeredness, self-satisfaction, self-reliance, self-rule, and self-survival were never part of their blueprint—these were a result of their act of cosmic treason. 

The serpent in the garden convinced Eve of a lie, and Eve convinced Adam that they should seek their independence from God and live above and apart from the One who created them.  Ironically, instead of the “independence” Satan had promised, our first parents were now totally dependent upon God for His mercy and forgiveness, which they received through the grace of the promised Savior.

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel . . . And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

(Genesis 3:15, 21)

God would have been totally justified in striking down Adam and Eve right on the spot to satisfy His holy justice.  But He did not.  What God’s justice required—payment for sin—God’s grace provided in the giving of His precious Son, Jesus Christ.  Adam and Eve were dependent upon God for life prior to sin and they were dependent upon God for life after sin . . . through the cross work of Christ. 

When was the last time you considered just how dependent you are on God?  Most people immediately reflect back on a season of struggle, suffering, or sorrow and acknowledge how dependent upon God they were to get through it.  But what about the times in life when the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the clouds are fleecy?  In seasons of plenty and prosperity we have a tendency to forget about our dependence upon God. 

Regardless of where this finds you, your next breath is dependent upon God.  The next beat of your heart is dependent upon God.  Your hearing, eyesight and the circulation of your blood are dependent upon God.  “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever” (Romans 11:36).  If God were not upholding you right now, life as you know it would cease.  This is true for every person who has ever lived and for everything that was ever created.  Everything in the cosmos was created by God, for God, and is totally dependent upon God, originally existing as a holy hymn for His glory.  So—as Americans celebrate their independence from the evil and self-centered rule of sinful man—let us all be reminded of our total and utter dependence upon God, “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

I cannot think of a better time than right now to declare and celebrate our utter dependence upon the righteous, self-sacrificial, and benevolent rule of our Gracious God. 

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

Today’s message is based on the truth of 1 John 4:7-8—“God is love.”

Let me ask you: are you in love with Love?  Before you quickly respond “YES,” like every good Christian would do, consider this challenge from John Piper, in his book God Is The Gospel:

The critical question for our generation—and for every generation—is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?

If your answer to Pastor Piper’s question about being satisfied with a heaven where there is no Jesus is “Yes,” then your answer to my question is NO.

Is there something you have in this life that, if it was lost or taken away, your life would be ruined . . . over . . . driven into the ashes of defeat?  Is it your job?  Your spouse or children? Your retirement fund?  Your health?  Your status in your community?  If there such an ultimate thing, you can be assured you are in love with it more than you are with the One who so graciously gave it to you!  You have created an idol for yourself that is every bit as abhorrent as the golden calf fashioned by Israel so many years ago.

Please give this some thought: if you did not have Jesus, how different would your life be today?  God cares about us SO much more than we care about Him!  We chase after worldly success; God drives us toward holiness and godliness.  We pursue the temporary pleasures of this world; God drives us toward the eternal pleasures of the new heaven and earth.  God loves us with a love we simply cannot fathom, “an everlasting love,” as He proclaims in Jeremiah 31:3. 

To be in love with Love is to pursue Him, regardless of the cost or circumstance.  That doesn’t mean you try harder to love Him and make bigger and bolder promises to follow through.  If loving Him is an obligation, your love for Him is more about you than it is about Him.  Rather than loving out of obligation, we are to love out of overflow—the overflow of our relationship to Jesus.  This is the love that Love desires.     

Now, if your meditation on these questions leads you to a place where you feel far from God and His love, do not despair; in fact, cheer up!  He hasn’t moved away from you; you moved away from Him!  All you need to do is start moving back toward Him.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you,” James 4:8 assures us.  Jesus paints a glorious picture of the steadfast love He has toward us in the story of the return of the Prodigal, plodding fearfully toward home, no doubt still stinking from his time in the hog pens, wondering how his Father, whom he had insulted so grievously, would react to the sight of him in his abject failure and filth.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).  That is how much you are loved!

You cannot wander your way out of His love.  You cannot drift your way out of His love.  You cannot sin your way out of His love.  Because He is Love and you are His, you are loved—eternally and everlastingly. 

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

Where do you go for help?  Some go to their family; others go to their friends.  Some will dive into the advice columns or self-help books. A few look for escape into alcohol and drugs.  For the Christian, however, there is one place to go that’s better than all other places, a place where we can find the greatest help the world has ever known.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  (Psalm 46:1)

• Are you snared by sin? Claim His blood!
• Are you gashed by guilt? Claim His pardon!
• Are you wilting from weakness? Claim His strength!
• Are you frustrated by past failures? Claim His victory!
• Are you lost in loneliness? Claim His presence!

Jesus is the answer to every question.  Jesus is the solution to every problem.  He is the passage through every obstacle.  And Jesus is available to you.  He is the Fountain of every blessing—past, present, and to come—and the only way to bless a fountain is to drink from it continually.    

Jesus not only desires that that His people acknowledge Him before the watching world, He desires to be appropriated.  Jesus has been given to His people to be called upon, in both bad days and good days . . . in sickness and in health . . . in prosperity and in poverty . . . in times of joy and times of mourning. 

One of the greatest comforts given to a Christian is to know that Jesus walked where you walk; He worked where you work; He served where you serve; He ate where you eat; He slept where you sleep; He was tempted where you are tempted.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).  He knows exactly what you are going through and so much more.  Indeed, as the Epistle to the Hebrews says, “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Go to Jesus, for He is your Holy Help who can meet you in your place of need . . . regardless of where that place may be.  For He has promised you: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

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

The dictionary defines “reckless” as utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action; without caution; careless.  Some antonyms for reckless are prudent, cautious, and calculating.  Which group of definition best describes your Christian life right now?  Are you reckless for your Redeemer . . . or calculating?

Many Christians today are far from living recklessly for their Redeemer.  They like to play it safe and live inside well-established zones of comfort.  They play it safe with their time, talent, and treasure, living only a portion of the life God is calling them to live.  They are sold-out for comfort rather than Christ. 

Those who are redeemed and reckless are easy to spot, because their lives don’t seem to make sense—not just to unbelievers but to Christians also.  They do things for Jesus that most can’t even imagine doing.  They worship openly.  They serve whole-heartedly.  They give generously.  And they do all this without any thought of what they will receive in return.  That’s because they don’t do what they do for a return; they are living out their unqualified, unquestioning love for their Redeemer.  This is reckless living, and it is the life Christ has called each of us to live!  Asked what is the most important commandment of all, Jesus replied:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”  (Mark 12:28-30)

Let me make something perfectly clear.  The reckless Christians I am speaking about—at least those who live in the United States—are not likely to rise to the level of commitment evidenced by the early Christians, or those today around the world, many of whom live in Muslim or Communist countries and are beaten, imprisoned, tortured, separated from their families—even killed for their faith.  Scripture commends the tenacious faith of such as these:

They were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison.  They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword.  They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them.  They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

(Hebrews 11:35-38)

However, if our reckless living for the Redeemer never rises to this level, may we who are living in relative comfort for Christ begin making decisions that will cause the watching world to sit up and take notice of our commitment.  Let them see us as the world once saw Abraham, Noah, Esther, John the Baptist, and countless others: as recklessly, incautiously committed to our Redeemer!  This kind of full-throttle Christian living puts us in good company . . . and puts our great and glorious God on display for all-the world to see.

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

Then [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  (Luke 9:23)

There is a great deal of confusion today about sort of cross it is that disciples of Christ have been instructed to carry.  Many Christians have turned the cross of Christ into something it was never meant to be.  You’ll hear them say, “That’s my cross to bear.”  They seem to believe that some unpleasant situation or disagreeable person is a burden they must learn to live with . . . to “grin and bear it.” 

Our Lord, however, was laying emphasis to His teaching that the cross He was calling His disciples to take up is a cross of self-denial, self-sacrifice, and ultimately self-death.  In taking up the cross of Christ, we die to self and live for the glory of God and the good of others. 

Here are two examples of what this cross we should carry is not. It is not:

THE COMFORTABLE CROSS, which is really no burden to bear at all, because we are actively pursuing the good life rather than the godly life.  Our shoulders are so thickly padded with the stuff of life and the things of this world that we can barely feel this cross.  David Goetz offered this sharp admonition: “Too much of the good life ends up being toxic, deforming us spiritually.”  Those who carry the comfortable cross attend church regularly and even offer their time, talent, and treasure . . . just as long as it doesn’t take them out of their comfort zones.   

THE CONVENIENT CROSS is carried only when it is convenient.  As long as carrying our cross does not disturb our comfortable and convenient lives, we are perfectly willing to carry it.  But as soon as the cross interferes with our agenda, we put it down.  When the cross disrupts our plans, we put it down.   

The apostle Paul wanted nothing to do with a comfortable or convenient cross.  He knew who he was and where he came from.  He knew what Jesus had redeemed him from, and his only desire in this life was to be like His Savior. 

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death . . .  (Philippians 3:8-10)

When you know who you are (a great sinner) and where you came from (the pit of hell), you can begin to understand what Jesus has redeemed you from.  At this level of living, you desire above all else to please and glorify your Savior by carrying a Christ-centered cross.  This cross looks like death to the watching world, but it is actually the only way to real life on both sides of the grave. 

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

How would you define the word “grace”?  For most Americans, grace is synonymous with words like kindness, goodness, charm, good manners, or some other attractive characteristic.  Some people might call to mind a picture of a Southern belle with flawless social skills; others might think of an accomplished dancer or figure skater.  These are perfectly good definitions of grace for those who are not Christians . . . but what about those of us who have been saved by grace?

A Christian child might connect the word “grace” to the short prayer said at mealtime, giving thanks and asking for God’s blessings upon the meal.  Their parents would likely recall the acronym G.R.A.C.E.—God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.  This last phrase comes very close to a workable, textbook definition of grace: the unmerited favor of God lavished on undeserving sinners, thanks to Christ’s suffering and death.

But we can’t stop there.  The truths of the Gospel demand we go further.  Any definition of grace that does not include the Gospel-truth of what we actually deserved is little more than a quick sketch, rather than a portrait of what our loving Lord has done for us.  Let’s make a brief study of what we HAVE earned from God.

[B]ut you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.  (Genesis 2:17)

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.  (Romans 5:12)

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23)

For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me.  The soul who sins is the one who will die.  (Ezekiel 18:4)

The wages of sin is death.  (Romans 6:23)

 “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” is a good beginning to defining grace, but to this we must add: “freely offered to those who deserved only death, hell and the eternal wrath of Almighty God.”  Martyn Lloyd-Jones summarized it powerfully: “Grace is favor shown to people who do not deserve any favor at all.  We deserve nothing but hell.  If you think you deserve heaven, take it from me, you are not a Christian.”  WOW!  Now that is an accurate picture of who we are and what we deserve apart from the grace of the Gospel.

My beloved pastor, Tullian Tchividjian, beautifully paraphrased Romans 5:8 in his “Pictures of Grace” sermon series: “When we were at our most appalling, Christ died for us.”  When we hold the truth about grace up to the light of who we really are and what we thoroughly deserve, it truly is spectacular! 

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

What encourages you to live for the glory of God and the good of others?  If your answer is anything less than the encouragement of eternity, you are settling for less than God’s best for you.

C. S. Lewis rightly observed, “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.  It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.” 

The apostle Paul flatly stated:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

(1 Corinthians 15:19)

Make no mistake: Paul was NOT implying that non-Christians enjoy a better life on this side of heaven than Christian believers.  Even a believer who is passing through the fiery furnace of affliction always has Christ walking by his or her side, no matter how hot the fire gets (see Hebrews 13:5).  That sweet presence of the Friend who sticks closer than a brother is what makes the believer’s existence on earth infinitely more rich and full than that of the unbeliever.

Paul’s stark statement in 1 Corinthians 15:9 emphasizes the truth that the best is yet to come.  What good is life on this earth without an eternity with Christ attached to the end of it?  Paul concisely captured the folly of living for the world instead of the Word: “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’ (1 Corinthians 15:32).  We are broken people living in a broken world; without the encouragement of eternity, we might well live in utter despair . . . for tomorrow we die and return to the dust.

Only the encouragement of eternity will empower us to keep on keeping on when we would rather not.  Scripture commends the faith of Abraham, who, though living in a tent in a land far from his home, “was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10-11).

The letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to think in the same way as our spiritual father Abraham: “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14).

God has promised an eternity where there will be no more tears, no pain or sin or death.  Every time you recall a portion of your life with pain or regret, it is the promise of eternity you are longing for.  When you grieve the loss of a loved one, it is the promise of eternity you are yearning for.  When you are disgusted by your own propensity to sin, it is the promise of eternity you are aching for.  Every time you lay down your own needs for another—every time you take up your cross and follow Christ, it is the promise of eternity you are banking on.

Even now, God is preparing a special place for just for you.  Our Lord has promised it (John 14:2-3).  Lay hold of that promise!  Look forward to it . . . long for it . . . live your life in the light of it every day!  When you do, the encouragement of eternity is powerful enough to rescue you—not only from broken people, places, and things; it will rescue you from you!

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

I recently preached a sermon on the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, which provides a wonderful picture of God’s amazing, unconditional grace.  After the sermon, someone asked, “Is it possible to take this grace message a bit too far?”  This was not an accusation coming from a cold legalist; it was a sincere question from a concerned, mature Christian. 

I understand this well meaning-man’s concern.  The Apostle Paul was anticipating that very objection when he wrote, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means!”  (Romans 6:1-2 NIV).  To be sure, there are those in the church today who abuse grace in order to excuse their sin and cold refusal to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  But just because grace is abused doesn’t mean we should shroud it with half-truths in order to coerce others into obedience and holiness through guilt and fear.  This is not the Gospel. 

Grace is not opposed to obedience.  Grace produces obedience!  Grace is the fountain from which obedience flows.  Grace is the fuel that ignites the fire of our obedience and keeps it burning brightly, albeit imperfectly.  Preaching the grace of God and His unconditional love in spite of our sin might lead some to think lightly of sin and to misuse and even abuse grace.  But that is only because their understanding of the Gospel is immature and incomplete.  And that is why we must clearly, concisely, and continually preach the Gospel in all of its glory.

God does not make our obedience a condition for His acceptance.  His amazing grace frees us from trying to obey our way into God’s acceptance.  But grace does NOT free us from the demands of obedience. 

Do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

 

(Romans 6:12-14 NIV)

God wants us to be holy because He is holy, and if we desire to accurately reflect Him to a watching world, we must strive to reflect His holiness.  And that desire is driven by the grace of the Gospel.  Our obedience, therefore, is a result of our relationship with Jesus, not a requirement for our relationship with Jesus. 

So is it possible to take this grace message a bit too far?  No, no, a thousand times no!  We cannot take it far enough! 

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

One of the beloved chapters of Scripture for many Christians is Psalm 51, which relates King David’s confession after his sinful encounter with Bathsheba and subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah.  Verse 7 contains a statement that rings somewhat strange to our 21^st Century ears:

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Having been confronted by the prophet Nathan, David was filled with an overwhelming godly sorrow for having sinned against Bathsheba, Uriah, all of Israel . . . but most importantly, against God.  With a broken and contrite heart David cried, “Purge me with hyssop.”

So . . . what in the world is hyssop and why did David want to be purged with it?

The dictionary defines hyssop as a small, perennial garden herb of the mint family, with small, violet-blue or sometimes pink or white flowers.  The hyssop of the Scriptures (also in 1 Kings 4:33 and John 19:29) may have been a similar plant.  But knowing about the hyssop plant will not provide insight into David’s heartfelt confession.  Knowing Old Testament history will.   

David’s prayer recalls the time of the Passover, when the angel of death struck down the firstborn of Egypt while God protected His people. 

Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb.  Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin.  None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning.  For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.  (Exodus 12:21-23)

David was undoubtedly remembering God’s instruction to “take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood [of the lamb].”  The bloody doorposts were a sign for the angel of death to pass over the homes containing the firstborn of Israel.  Frankly acknowledging the reality of the depravity of his own heart, David cried out to the only One who could help him—God.  David needed protection.  David needed forgiveness.  David needed cleansing.  David needed what only God can provide. 

We, too, need protection and forgiveness and cleansing, and we have it in the once-for-all shed blood of the Lamb of God.  The first Passover was but a shadow of that great Passover, when Jesus Christ would lay down His life for sinners.  Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can cry out with David, “Purge me with hyssop,” knowing that our protection is promised, our forgiveness is freely given, and our cleansing is continual.

David had the promise.  We have the Person, and His name is Jesus Christ.  Because of His saving blood, we are finally and fully clean from all our sin in the sight of God . . . He sees us as whiter than snow! 

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