Pastor Tommy is the senior pastor of Cross Community Church (PCA) in Deerfield Beach, FL. Rev. Tommy Boland is his official title. Pastor Tommy often seems too formal. Most everyone calls him "Coach".
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. (1 Peter 4:12-13)
We’ve all heard the phrase, “You are the hands and feet of Jesus.” This, of course, is an exhortation to Christians to live as ambassadors of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because Jesus is no longer in this world today, but rather seated at the right hand of God the Father, we are to be His hands and His feet. Let’s look at little more carefully at what this metaphor truly means.
Almost exclusively, when someone speaks of being the hands and feet of Jesus, they are referring to serving others: Serve the poor and the marginalized . . . Serve a cup of cold water to those who thirst . . . Serve within some ministry within the church . . . Serve those who are sick or in prison. We serve as our Lord and Savior served because He did not come to be served, but to serve others (Mark 10:45).
But I have a question for you: When was the last time you heard this metaphor being used in relation to suffering? Make no mistake: The hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ both served and suffered.
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to his disciple Timothy, Paul made it crystal clear what Christians should expect to experience in this life, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Suffering for the saints of God comes in a variety of forms: from storms of sickness to relationship rejections to public persecution. The list is virtually endless. Waves of challenge have been promised, and we shouldn’t be surprised when they crash over our lives. This is the deepest meaning of being the hands and feet of Jesus.
Perhaps the best way to prepare ourselves for this reality is to keep in view how the hands and feet of our Lord were pierced for our transgressions. Jesus was nailed to our cross with our nails and died our death, that we might be made the children of God and live forevermore. Christian, you were the joy set before our Lord as He suffered and died in our place (Hebrews 12:2). As the hands and feet of Jesus, let us advance in this life through seasons of both serving and suffering, trusting that “This slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV).
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
It was the first Easter morning. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, saw the stone had been removed, and went running to Peter and John. When she told them someone had taken the Lord out of the tomb, the two apostles raced to see for themselves. John got to the tomb first and looked in, but Peter went straight into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there. Then John entered the tomb, and we read the words of our verse today: “He saw and believed.”
John didn’t see what he thought he would see: the dead body of his Lord. John saw nothing there except the discarded burial cloths; when he saw, the Scriptures tell us, he believed. This was indeed a time when nothing was something! Why? Because for the very first time, the disciple whom Jesus loved was seeing through the eyes of faith. Only when we are looking through the eyes of faith can we see nothing and it becomes something. John saw that the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning, and, by faith, he believed that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, just as He had said He would do.
In the natural we see so little. For the most part, we live by the phrase, “Seeing is believing!” If we don’t see something, we don’t believe. By nature, we are all just like Thomas, who said, “Unless I see the nail marks in [Jesus’] hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Well, John saw nothing and believed, because John was looking beyond the fleshly veil. John was looking though the eyes of faith, and the eyes of faith are able to see the invisible.
Some 800 years earlier, the armies of Aram surrounded the city of Dothan; when the servant of the prophet Elisha saw them, he was terrified. What he saw was real and true. The city was surrounded by the enemy, but the servant was only looking in the natural. Elisha prayed that the Lord would empower his servant to see through the eyes of faith, and when he did, “He saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). The servant learned a very valuable lesson that day when Elisha assured him that “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Only when we are looking through the eyes of faith will we begin to see all that God is doing in our lives. God has surrounded you with legions of angels led by the Lion from the tribe of Judah, and He has promised to protect and provide for your every need. Do not fear what you may be seeing through your physical eyes, for they see only a tiny portion of what is actually going on around you. Ask God to open your eyes of faith, and you will begin seeing God’s hand in everything that is happening in your life. At that level of living, seeing nothing is indeed something!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Is not my word like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:29)
It would put us at a great disadvantage to see the Bible only as a book designed to bring cosmic comfort to the soul. To be sure, this is one of the things the Word of God does in the lives of all those who read it. But as we read the words of the prophet Jeremiah, the Bible also strikes its blow like a holy hammer, breaking a rock in pieces. And what is that rock? It is the rock of self-righteousness and sinful pride embedded in our own hearts.
The problem in too many pulpits today is that the preacher is more concerned with pleasing man than he is with pleasing God. Messages designed to tickle the ears and minister to felt needs are dominating the landscape. But when the whole counsel of God is preached, it comes with a holy hammer that chisels away at our sinful pride and self-righteousness, forming the image of our Lord Jesus Christ as time passes.
There are many false prophets who preach, “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). The natural man craves this false peace, for his greatest goal in life is to feel happy. But God desires so much more for His people! In God’s perfect plan for our imperfect lives, holiness — not happiness — is the path God intends for us to travel. And the pathway leading to holiness is not lined with peace, but persecution.
Here is a phrase I learned many years ago that I have repeated from the pulpit on many occasions: As a minister of the Good News of Jesus Christ, God has called me to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. The Christian life is not designed to be lived safely within a zone of comfort, for comfort is not conducive to conformity to Christ.
Note well: The Bible’s blow is the believer’s blessing. Comfort must be mixed with challenge . . . peace must be mixed with pain. The Bible often uses sports metaphors to describe the life of the disciple of Christ. The runner will not reach his or her goal of winning the race without the discipline necessary to push through the pain and discomfort of training. The Word of God is designed to train us up in the way we should go, and that way is marked by weeping as much as it is marked by rejoicing — if not more so!
When was the last time the Word caused you to weep? When was the last time you felt the Bible’s blow hammering away at the old nature within? Remember, Jesus said it would be the truth that would set you free (John 8:32), and that truth is designed to turn your life inside out and upside down as God reshapes and redesigns His image in you.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:18)
There are a variety of ways to define the word “memorial,” but for our purpose today, this one is best: Serving to help people remember some person — namely, Jesus Christ! For the Christian, there are three ways to memorialize our Master:
With our speech
In our service
Through our suffering
Years of serving as a pastor and walking through the details of life with countless Christians whom God has given me the privilege of ministering to have convinced me that the true strength of our devotion to our Master is not displayed by our speech or our service, but in our sufferings. Think of the great apostle Paul and the magnificent memorials regarding his Master that he left behind for all the world to read and remember. Paul gave many powerful speeches and sermons; he left some magnificent miracles; but above it all, Paul left us countless chains, the chains of his imprisonment. His suffering surpassed everything else. Listen to these words from Paul:
Are they servants of Christ? I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, from bandits, from my fellow Jews, and Gentiles. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)
To be sure, there are many ways to measure the depths of Paul’s devotion to Jesus, but nothing plumbs the depths of his suffering. And the same is true for every disciple of Christ, including you and me. Now, in our cultural context today, it may or may not mean the kind of physical suffering that the apostle Paul endured. We may not be shipwrecked or pelted with rocks like Paul, but as we memorialize our Master, we may very well be shunned. We may not be beaten with rods or in danger from rivers, but we can expect rejection.
I will never forget something that one of my spiritual fathers, Dr. R. C. Sproul, said during a seminary class: “Tommy, when you are out in the world preaching the Gospel of Christ, if some people are not angry with you, one of two things has happened: Either they don’t understand what you are preaching or you are not preaching it!” The Gospel either attracts or repels, and it is our responsibility to share it with others, leaving the results to God.
So what memorials have you left regarding your devotion to Jesus? May God give us the strength to refuse to shrink back when our memorial comes in the form of suffering.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Every year our graduating high school students head off to college in search of a degree that will help open doors of opportunity in their chosen field. Some pick a particular path and pursue it until completion. Others make course corrections along the way until they find where they fit. But did you know that there is a degree available to everyone that transcends those from every college or university? It’s a B.A. from the College of Christ – Born Again!
Our text for today comes from the classic passage in the New Testament that recounts when Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus under the cover of darkness and asked some deep questions. During that encounter, Jesus uttered those famous words, “You must be born again.” Nicodemus responded in a way that made it clear he didn’t understand what Jesus was talking about: “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4).
“You are Israel’s teacher,” Jesus said, “and do you not understand these things?” If Nicodemus did not understand what “born again” meant, he definitely did not understand why it was necessary. Let’s take a look at both of these issues.
The phrase “born again” means to be born from above by the Almighty. In the College of Christ, everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah and trusts in His life, death, and resurrection is born again from above. Here are a few passages of Scripture that define this Divine Degree.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-18)
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:5)
Now that we have a basic understanding of the meaning of “born again,” we need to know why it is necessary.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins. (Ephesians 2:1)
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:23-24)
Of all the degrees we might pursue through higher education, the only one that truly matters, the “highest” one of all, the summum bonum, comes from the College of Christ. But here is the greatest news of all: Unlike every other degree, which must be earned through your financial commitment and disciplined effort, your B.A. from the College of Christ is not earned, but bestowed on us by the grace of God alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. That is the most important degree in the world – your B.A. – Born Again!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The next day Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra. (Acts 14:20-21)
The apostle Paul and his companion Barnabas were sent by God to Lystra to preach the good news of the Gospel. While there, they healed a man who had been crippled from birth. The crowds believed “the gods” had come down from heaven in the likeness of Paul and Barnabas, calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes. Paul and Barnabas were aghast at this and quickly corrected their misunderstanding. But while they were there, some of the Jews arrived from Antioch and stirred up the crowds to stone Paul; they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. He was not! We read that “When the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city” (Acts 14:8-20).
The next day, Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe to preach and teach. Then something very strange happened: They went back to Lystra. Why? Because God had called them back to learn the lessons of Lystra. I want to share two of those lessons that God ordained for Paul and Barnabas to learn.
Lesson #1 — Learn from every defeat
We don’t often learn much when the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is brightly shining. More often than not, God’s deep teachings are only absorbed on the other side of a devastating defeat. So we must seek to find the lesson in every defeat, letting the pain shape and mold us into the person God is calling us to be.
Lesson #2 — Return to some defeats
There are times when God calls us to return to a defeat because He intends to turn that defeat into a divine victory. This is not an easy thing for the natural man to do. When we are defeated, we would rather learn the lesson and get on with life. But sometimes God has determined to take us above and beyond a lesson and turn defeat into a divine victory. That is what God did for Paul and Barnabas, but they needed to be thinking supernaturally rather than naturally.
Think back to the last time God determined that you needed to return to some particular defeat, rather than simply learn from it: A heated argument with a loved one . . . a broken relationship that needs to be made whole . . . a stronghold that has a stranglehold on you. God has ordained that the lesson alone will not lift you high enough; rather, you must return to rise above the defeat in order to receive the victory.
Return with a humble heart. Return with a contrite character. Return, despite the threat of a “second stoning,” knowing that God is with you every step of the way, just like He was with Paul and Barnabas.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12)
In a fallen and broken world filled with fallen and broken people, one thing is certain: everybody suffers. From the loss of a relationship, a job, or a loved one to the more mundane but no less real experiences of loneliness, disappointment, or unmet expectations, every heart is hurting in one way or another. The Scriptures are unflinching in their assertion that the Christian life comes with sorrow and difficulty.
After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you into his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10).
Peter wrote to encourage believers who were often in the midst of unbearable suffering, and this passage provides us with four action words that God in Christ promises to perform in the lives of all those who faithfully follow wherever He is leading us:
Restore – God will eventually restore whatever we have lost for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom.
Confirm – God will give us truths that transform our lives, and those truths can come to us in no other way other than through suffering.
Strengthen – God will strengthen our resolve to keep getting up every time we are knocked down, conforming us more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus.
Establish – God is building our lives on rock, not sand, and this can only happen through the storms of life.
God has promised suffering with no particular time limit or level of intensity attached to it. Suffering may not cease; in fact, it may continue to intensify until you cross the Jordan. But He has also promised to restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish us for His glory and our ultimate good.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
[Christ Jesus] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:7-8)
When you hear the word “king,” what comes to mind? Many readers will likely think of words like power, privilege, wealth, excess, greed and nobility. But the true King is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and His life did not look anything like our mental picture of an earthly king. There may be no better word to characterize Jesus than humility.
In today’s passage, we see the ultimate act of humility in the life of Christ: Not only did He leave the glory of heaven to come to earth and live as a human, choosing to serve rather to be served (Matthew 20:28), but He gave His life in perfect obedience to the Father for our salvation. When Jesus willingly laid down His life for us on a cross, He demonstrated for all the world to see that He was the promised Suffering Servant the prophet Isaiah described:
Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities, the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Jesus left the glory of heaven, took on human flesh, embraced a life of rejection and persecution, and was ultimately mocked by sinful men, who jammed a crown of thorns onto His head and nailed Him to a wooden cross. Why did He submit to that horror? So that we who have trusted in Him can have eternal life. Accepting death on a cross was the ultimate demonstration of humility by our Humble King, and His Father in heaven placed His stamp of approval on the Son’s atoning work by raising Him from the dead.
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:8-11)
Have you bowed your knee to this humble King? Have you confessed Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, there is no better time to do that than right now.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
I think we would all agree that life presents us with more than its fair share of tough times. In today’s verse, Jesus flatly tells us that our lives will be challenging and marked by difficulties. So how do we “take heart”? How do we get through the troubles of life?
Spending time each day in the Word of God will bring you face to face with the only One who can lighten your load as the waves of challenge batter you throughout each day. Below are a few passages of Scripture to marinate in and meditate on that will give you the strength — not just to survive, but to thrive along the way.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. (Psalm 55:22 ESV)
I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)
The more time you spend with God in His Word, the lighter your load will become. Continue to look to Jesus, lean on Him, and learn from Him. You’ll be glad you did!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? (James 4:1)
The reality of Satan’s attacks on the lives of God’s people is clear and present. Yet we must be careful not to blame our sins on Satan, practically echoing Flip Wilson’s comedic punch line, “The devil made me do it!” As James observed in our text for today, our primary concern must be what is going on within us, not what Satan is doing to us.
Jonathan Edwards said that when the church is revived, so too is Satan. Edwards was right, but we must always take time to examine our own hearts, just as James’ epistle exhorts us to do. James warns that fights and quarrels are a result of our desires that rage within, and we must be careful not to define “desires” only in a sinful and negative way. Many good desires can cause fights and quarrels and ultimately enslave us. The desire to be right is not bad, but when it rises above being loving, the enemy within is rearing its ugly head. The desire to be needed is not sinful, but when it rises above humble service, the enemy within is rearing its ugly head. The desire for financial gain is not wrong, but when it rises above being faithful to God, the enemy within is rearing its ugly head.
Satan is a sly and remorseless adversary, but our most dangerous enemy lies within our own heart, and this is the place where the battle must be fought. The only hope of winning this battle is for Jesus to supernaturally change and transform our hearts. Remember, until Jesus shows up, the sickness of the heart is both terminal and incurable. But when Jesus raises us from death to life, we are given a new heart (Jeremiah 31:33), and that new heart begins beating for something other than the self.
That “something” has a name: Jesus Christ. Jesus is on a mission to rescue us from the sea of self-absorption, self-centeredness, and self-rule, but this change happens daily, not in a day. We must be willing to fight the good fight of faith each and every day as we make our way into glory. As Jesus said, we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him wherever He leads.
What has your heart been beating for lately? A little self-examination can go a long way in helping you take sword to the enemy within, knowing that the good work Jesus began in you He will one day bring to completion. Our worst enemy is never outside of us; our enemy is always within; when we acknowledge this truth, we can go to work on winning the war within through the power of the Holy Spirit, “because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NKJV).
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
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Grace for the Race 