Category Archives: General

It is important, especially in our current economy, to understand the difference between a good investment and a bad investment. In God’s economy, however, it’s more than important; it is the difference between life and death! The best possible investment in the world is the investment we make in expanding the cause of God’s kingdom in this world. The worst investment in the world is the investment we make in expanding the cause of our own little kingdom.

How have you been investing lately?

[Jesus] told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”‘ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself ?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

You know you are expanding the kingdom of the self when the accumulation of stuff seems functionally more life-giving than a growing relationship with your Savior. The man in this parable focused on expanding his own kingdom rather than the kingdom of God. He wanted bigger barns rather than a bigger heart . . . which, in the end, is the worst kind of investment we can make in this world.

So . . . is there anything you could identify right now that seems more life-giving than your relationship with Jesus? Where in your life are you investing your time, talent, and treasure to expand your kingdom—rather than expand the kingdom of God? The poorest man in the world with God is worth more than the richest man without Him.

Another sign that you are working to expand the kingdom of self is your focus to store up for yourself the stuff of this life: more money . . . newer clothes . . . a bigger house . . . a fancier car . . . a better body. In and of themselves none of these things is bad; they can actually be good gifts from a gracious God. But when good things become ultimate things they become bad things. We declare to a watching world what is most important to us simply by the evidence of what we desire most in this life.

What do you desire most in life?

Jesus’ parable challenges each of us to examine our heart to see exactly what it is beating for. Jesus wants us to be thinking beyond the stuff of this world and all that we are working to accumulate to expand the cause of our little kingdom. He wants us to see how everything we have been given is to be used for expanding the cause of His kingdom.

As I said before, good things become bad things when they become ultimate things. There is absolutely nothing wrong accumulating wealth. What is wrong is when we accumulate it without any concern for expanding God’s kingdom and helping others. Let us examine our hearts today and consider what matters most to us regarding the good things God has given to us. Are we simply satisfied with enriching ourselves, which is the worst investment in this world? Or are we enriching the lives of others? That difference makes all the difference in the world!

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

If you have ever felt “used” by someone, you know first-hand the ugly, negative emotions that produces in us. We’ve all been on the receiving of this experience . . . and probably on the delivering end as well. The sin nature in all of us does everything in its power to satisfy its selfish desires and this may often be accomplished by using others.

However, there is One who wants to use you, and He brings with Him a sense of empowering freedom and joy that can only be experienced on the other side of being used.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

You will remember that on the night Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus had predicted he would do. Peter was crushed under the weight of his denials and was filled with a godly sorrow for having turned his back on his Lord. Peter must have felt like he was completely disqualified for future service, having so wretchedly failed the Lord in His hour of greatest need. And Peter was the guy who condemned all of the other apostles who were gathered at the Last Supper!

Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: ” ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” (Matthew 26:31-35)

Can’t you picture Peter self-righteously thumping his chest as he declared that he would follow Jesus to the death? The apostles certainly had a reason to consider Peter as “useless” in serving the kingdom of God after such arrogance, which was followed by such a pathetic and self-protective response to a servant girl who questioned Peter’s involvement with Jesus.

But this was not the view Jesus took! Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” And each time Peter responded with an emphatic “Yes.”

Why do you think Jesus asked him three times? Peter’s three confessions of his love paralleled his three denials. It was almost as if Jesus had handed Peter an eraser and invited him to wipe his craven denials, one by one, off the blackboard of his mind. Clearly, Jesus intended to leave no doubt in Peter’s mind—and in the minds of the other apostles—that Peter was not only still “usable” but that he would most surely be used by God.

We should all see ourselves in the role of Peter. We deny our Lord every day when we seek to satisfy our selfish desires rather than serving our Lord. We deny Jesus in our marriages when they become a battle for control and self-satisfaction. We deny Jesus in our relationships when we look at people as obstacles to getting what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. We deny Jesus in our personal lives when our love for self supersedes our love for God and others. We deny Jesus when we are filled with envy, blame, and greed. There is simply no end to the ways we deny our Lord. Peter only denied Him three times! You and I are much, much worse.

Yet in all of our daily denials, Jesus is there, ready to receive us back into the fold of faithful and fruitful service, asking us, “Do you love me?” If not for that loving confrontation with Jesus, Peter would have lived a life shrouded in the darkness of denial. But the darkness was vanquished forever; Jesus let Peter know that God still had a plan to use him up and consume the rest of his life in doing the Lord’s work.

What was true for Peter then is true for you and me today. We are never disqualified for service, no matter how many denials we deliver up to our Lord. We need only remember the question Jesus asked Peter—“Do you love me?”—and know that if our hearts beat with an emphatic “Yes,” we can get back up and get back into being used by God to expand His kingdom in this world.

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

Today is Veterans Day. This past weekend at Cross Community Church, we honored our Veterans with a special tribute. It was a wonderful time to publicly say “Thank You!” to the brave men and women of our armed forces who served and sacrificed for the freedom we enjoy.

Yet a tribute in our three worship services, as wonderful as that was, and even a national holiday today, is hardly enough to declare just how thankful we ought to be for the unimaginable sacrifices all of our veterans have made.

Last week, during a meeting of the elders of The Cross, I was reminded by my brother elder and dear friend, Bill Griffin, of some history of Veterans Day. Bill explained that “The 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of 1918…” was when an armistice (the temporary cessa

tion of battle) was declared between the Allied nations and Germany, ending World War I. The following year, November 11 was set aside as Armistice Day, making it a legal holiday. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a day honoring all veterans who served in all wars.

Here is a fact that few of us know, because we live in a culture that cares less and less for the things of God. On June 4, 1926, Congress passed a resolution that the recurring anniversary of November 11, 1918. should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer. That is what we all should do—not only on Veterans Day, but every day throughout the year. We ought to thank our God for the great gift of the countless brave men and women who served and sacrificed to secure our freedom.

As a pastor, I am frequently asked—especially near Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances—“Why does God allow so many wars?” The answer, of course, is found in the Bible’s account of Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, and it is rooted in a single word:

SIN! When Adam and Eve chose to do what they wanted to do rather than what God commanded them to do, sin entered this world and broke everything, including the image-bearers of God.

There is a day coming when no one will serve in any armed forces anywhere, because Jesus fought and won the ultimate battle against sin, Satan, and death itself. Hanging on the cross, Jesus took all the punishment for our sin and became the death of death. On the third day, He rose from the grave, proof positive that God the Father was fully pleased with Christ’s atoning work. And what Jesus began in His first coming, He will finish in His second; there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, no more wars, and no more death. The lion will lie down with the lamb, and the peace that passes all understanding will reign forever and ever.  It wasn’t long after that Cain, the firstborn of our first parents, killed his younger brother, Abel. From that moment on, the pages of Scripture and written history are filled with wars. And in this great nation, God blesses us by raising up men and women of courage and commitment who are willing to pay the ultimate price to ensure our freedom by serving in our armed forces.

But until that day, let us pause and thank our God for the great gift of our veterans. Let us salute all those who have served. Let us thank God for them and pray for them and their families. And let us never forget all those who have fought for our freedom—all paying some . . . and some paying all.

May God bless every veteran—not only on this day, but every day.

John Bunyan’s children’s version of Pilgrim’s Progress describes a “magic mirror” that shows the reflection of the one looking at it on one side, with all the blemishes, and on the other side is a picture of the crucified Christ. The imagery reminds us that when we look in the mirror we see ourselves for who we currently are, but when God looks in the same mirror He sees us as the likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

To be sure, God knows and sees our every misstep and mistake . . . our shortcomings and sin. But before the foundation of the world He chose to see us as already perfected in Christ. He sees us as what we will one day be: perfectly conformed to the image and likeness of Jesus.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  (Romans 8:29)

All Christians are currently living in the tension between the “already” and the “not yet” of our salvation. In the eyes of God, we are “already” perfected and conformed to the likeness of Jesus; but you and I know by way of daily experience we are “not yet” perfect. In fact, we are quite a long way from perfection!

Knowing that God chooses to see you as He sees His beloved Son is the key to finding the proper motive and motivation for pursuing a life of obedience and holiness. While we see our own sin daily, our God chooses to see only His Son in us.

This Gospel truth also frees us from trying to work our way into God’s favor. We already have all of God’s favor. We cannot earn any more of it, regardless of what we do. We are totally loved and completely forgiven. When God thundered from heaven His pleasure in His Beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), He was saying the same thing about us, because He sees us clothed only in the righteousness of Jesus.

With that understood, it is important to distinguish between getting God’s favor and experiencing God’s favor. Although we cannot make God love us any more or cause Him to love us any less, we do diminish our experience of God’s love when we break fellowship with Him. When we turn away from God in our sin, we also turn away from our communion with God. He does not turn away from us, but we, when we seek to satisfy our sinful desires, turn away from Him and experience less than God’s best for our lives. When God feels far away we can be certain of one thing: we moved, not God!

What should shine brightly before our eyes of faith is the biblical truth that the image of Christ in us—not our sin—is what our heavenly Father chooses to see when He looks upon us. That is the truth that should set us free to be all that God is calling us to be. The human heart knows no more powerful motive to keep marching forward through life than to know that God sees us and loves us as He sees and loves His Beloved Son.

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

Satan was defeated by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but he is still busily engaged in a relentless battle against the saints of God. He no longer reigns in the lives of God’s people, but he certainly remains, and he is bitterly determined to inflict as much damage on us as he can before we ascend to heaven. To be sure, Satan cannot take us out of the hand of our Lord, but he can harass us along the way to our eternal rest.

 . . . in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11)

Satan has many destructive schemes; here are just two of them that, from my experience as a pastor, seem to be at the top of his list.

1. Shifting our focus away from Christ and toward our circumstances

Satan will do everything he can to cause us to take our eyes off of Jesus and put them on our surrounding circumstances . . . often leading to serious consequences.

“Come,” [Jesus] said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:29-30)

Everything was going just great for Peter. He had the faith to get out of the boat and actually walk on the top of the water! I don’t read anywhere about any other disciples joining him in doing the seemingly impossible. Peter was right in the middle of victory . . . until Satan got him to shift his focus away from his Savior and onto the storm winds. Once Peter shifted his focus away from Jesus, his courageous faith turned into cowardly fear.

Can you think of a time something like this happened to you—when you became a victim of circumstance rather than a victor in Christ? I can assure you that it was simply a matter of focus.

2. Causing us to question the goodness of our God

Satan will do everything he can to cause us to question the goodness of God. This strategy goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. Satan attacked Eve by getting her to question God’s goodness. He got her to think about the possibility that God was withholding some good from her that would make her life better.

“For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)

In the perfect paradise God created for Adam and Eve, Satan convinced Eve to question God’s goodness by getting her to focus on the one prohibition God had given rather than His abundant provision. And Satan is still doing that to us today. He loves to get us to question the goodness of our God, and he will throw every lie he can think of at us until he gets something to stick.

It is only by being aware of the attack strategies of Satan that we can “armor up” against them. The more we prepare ourselves for his attacks by marinating in the stories of his attacks recorded in sacred Scripture, the better prepared we are to live in a state of readiness to repel every attack that he sends our way.

And when we fail—when we take our eyes off Jesus and focus on our circumstances—we can expect Satan to launch his “God-is-angry-with-you” fiery dart at us. At these times, you can repel that attack by simply remembering that God poured out all His anger on His beloved Son as He hung on crossbeams paying the penalty for our sins . . . all our sins! That is why there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1). Far from being angry with us when we mess up, God loves us and forgives us.

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

Halloween is rooted in and remains a pagan holiday. The ancient Catholic holiday of All Saints Day was November 1^st, a day designated for the dead saints of the Catholic Church to be proclaimed, praised, and venerated. And if the religious crowd was going to have a day for their dead saints, the pagans were going to have a special day, a holiday for “all things dead.” The night before All Saints Day, All Hallows Eve (Halloween) would be the time for goblins, ghouls, ghosts, and gore to be proclaimed, praised, and venerated.

When I was young, Halloween meant little more than a nighttime walk through our neighborhood in a simple costume, “trick-or-treating” at our neighbors’ homes. Today, however, Halloween has become a multi-billion dollar industry. I read one estimate that total spending on Halloween could reach $7 billion! Television networks feature horror movies throughout the month leading up to the “big” day. Entertainment opportunities are endless, from haunted houses to elaborate Halloween parties in homes and businesses.

So how should Christian believers respond to Halloween?

First, the Gospel has set us free from superstition so that we can rest on revelation. We are enlightened by the truths of the Gospel and empowered to live in their light. One of these truths is that the principalities and powers of darkness are no more active on Halloween than any other day of the year. Every day is a day that evil seeks to invade.

Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.

(Genesis 4:7)

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

Scripture makes it clear that we Christians have a target on our backs that the devil is aiming at every day of the year. We need not be any more concerned on Halloween than we are on any other day of the year; we should be sober-minded and watchful 365 days a year!

Next, we need to remember that the devil can only do what God allows him to do. The devil is on a leash and it is short one. God uses the devil to accomplish His purposes in this world and in the lives of His people.

Having disarmed the powers and authorities, [God] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)

The devil is disarmed and defeated, but He is still doing everything that God allows him to do. Scripture reveals that God is actually using Satan’s evil to advance the cause of the Kingdom of God. This keeps us from locking ourselves behind our doors on Halloween for fear of the devil and his minions. Police statistics make it clear that incidents of satanic-associated crime remain about the same throughout the year.

The real danger on Halloween is from the social problems that attend sinful behavior—parties with inappropriate behavior, pranksters, drunk driving, vandals, and sadly, something that is on the rise in this culture: unsupervised children. And this is where the Gospel comes in.

The Christian community is to respond to Halloween with Gospel-saturated compassion and concern for the unbelieving, Christ-rejecting world. Opportunities for evangelism are endless! Some churches hold “Harvest Festivals” as alternatives to the traditional Halloween activities. They invite neighborhood families and share the love of Christ. Costumes are friendly and the only ghost is Holy.

You may have also heard of churches who operate a “Hell House” or “Judgment House” as a way to evangelize. The goal is to create carnival-style haunted houses that will frighten the audience and urge them to make professions of faith. Some of the more graphic productions put sin on display: human sacrifice in satanic rituals, demon possession, women undergoing abortions, consequences of premarital sex, and more.  The goal is noble, to be sure, but frequently visitors find the depictions of grotesque sin to be more cringe-inducing than anything else.

Some Christians adopt a “no participation policy” when it comes to Halloween. Entire families shun the evening: they don’t allow their children to trick-or-treat; they don’t give out candy; they don’t attend an alternative Christian event. While some Christians judge this “abstinence” with raised eyebrows, this posture has also opened doors for evangelism, as parents explain their Christian motivation to curious unbelievers.

Here is my bottom line: there is nothing inherently evil about costumes and candy or even trick-or-treating.  Handing out candy to neighborhood children is another opportunity to share the truths of the Gospel and further the purposes of God’s Kingdom. You might add an evangelistic tract or Bible verse to each goodie bag you give out.

Whatever each Christian family decides about their level of participation in Halloween is simply a matter of conscience before God. We are called to make a difference in this world by being different from this world, and one great vehicle for showcasing our love for Christ is how we choose to engage with the world during Halloween.

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

Storms are certain. They have been promised, and most of us have passed through many of them. But just as storms are certain, so too is our safety in them.

When evening came, [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”                     (Mark 4:35-41)

It is important to notice a few things in this passage if we are going to understand the safety we have in our storms.

First, Jesus said, “Let us go over to the other side.” Along the way, a storm came up and the disciples thought they were headed to the bottom of the sea. The storm was so fierce that the disciples forgot what Jesus said about going over to the other side of the lake. if Jesus said they were going to the other side of the lake, they were going to the other side! Nothing was going to stop them . . . not even a furious storm.

Second, we should see that Jesus was just as calm as the storm was about to be. He was asleep on a cushion! Jesus is not troubled by the storms that blow our way. His sleeping in the middle of a storm is meant as a comfort to us. If our Lord is not worried and fearful, we should not be worried or fearful either.

Third, the wind and waves obey Jesus. Not a bird falls to the ground apart from His will (Matthew 10:29). Everything is in the sovereign control of our Lord (Psalm 135:6). Nothing happens to us that doesn’t first pass through His nail-scarred hands.

Finally, we cannot miss the fact that Jesus was right there in the middle of the storm with His disciples, just as He is always with us in the middle of the storms of life. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us . . . and He does not make an exception for storms. Our Lord is not a fair-weather friend. He is with us in the middle of every storm that blows our way.

This provides us with a wonderful picture of the safety we have been promised in every storm that we encounter. Jesus is with us in the middle of the storm; Jesus is in control of the storm; He is not unsettled by it. As the wonderful contemporary hymn declares:

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I stand.

And don’t miss this: when Jesus says we are going over to the other side, we will get to the other side. No storm will stop us, regardless of how furious or frightening it might be.

Jesus has promised to bring through the other side of the grave and there is nothing that will stop Him. No storm . . . no scheme of Satan . . . nothing will stop our Savior from keeping His promise . . . NOTHING!

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

The online dictionary tells us that perspective is simply a way of thinking about something; perspective is a sensible way of judging how good, how bad, how important or unimportant something is in comparison with other things. With this in mind, let me share something very important with you today:

HOW YOU SEE YOUR LIFE . . . SHAPES IT!

If you see your life as little more than something that you simply need to get through, your life will be shaped by that view. If Wednesday is “Hump Day” and you “Thank God it’s Friday,” your life will never rise above the level of simply “making a living,” longing for the day you can retire. There are those people who see life like a “card game,” where you simply “Play the hand you’re dealt.” And then there are those who ride a “see-saw,” where life is a rhythm of up and down.

So . . . what is your perspective on life? What would be the “life metaphor” that best describes the life you are currently living right now? A child of the Most High God is to see life from His perspective, and God’s Word tells us that life is both a gift and a trust.

A GIFT: God’s gift to you is the life He has given you. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart is a gift from God. Your gift back to God is how you live life out before His face (“Coram deo”). What do you have that you have not been given? Your personality and passions . . . your intelligence and intuition . . . your dreams and desires . . . your talents and treasures . . . your opportunities and obstacles . . . everything is a gift from God, meant for you to steward for His glory and the good of others. So the first perspective is that LIFE IS A GIFT! 

A TRUST: From the beginning in the Garden, God entrusted the care of creation to His image-bearers, Adam and Eve. God created them to care for everything, and in spite of their horrific fall into sin, this role has never been rescinded. We have been made by God for God, and we are to live a life that expands God’s kingdom, not our own. When we are working to expand our own little kingdom, we shrink the size of our lives down to the size of our lives. That is not the life God has created us to live! We are to be living for something that will live on long after we are gone, and that will only happen when we are living for God. So the second perspective is that LIFE IS A TRUST!

When your perspective on life is God’s perspective—that life is both a gift and a trust—you will begin to think and act like a steward everything you have been given. You will seek to grow the kingdom of God through everything you do. Time and time again, Jesus used beautiful stories to illustrate our responsibility to live for the glory of God and the good of others . . . all others!

When we are living this kind of life, everything matters. Every job has eternal value when we are working for God. Every recreation has eternal value when we engage in it for God’s glory. Everything we do has eternal implications when we are living in the light of eternity. With this kind of perspective, progress is assured as we glorify God and bless others, advancing toward our eternal rest.

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

We have spoken often about the use of God’s Law and its primary purpose: to drive us to our Savior. The Law was never intended to save us, only to demonstrate how it could not save us, because we simply cannot keep the Law. We need a Savior who could!

In my studies I have found something else that I believe will serve as a great encouragement to you today regarding the difference between the Law and the Gospel. We’re going to focus on the two men most closely connected with both: Moses and the Law . . . Jesus and the Gospel.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.  (Exodus 34:29-30)

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.  (Mark 9:15)

What a perfect picture these two accounts give us regarding the difference between the Law and the Gospel! The law repels; the Gospel attracts. The law says “GO, walk the straight and narrow every step of the way.” The Gospel says “COME, running with great wonder!” The Law is the great reminder to God’s people about the distance between a Holy God and a sinful people and how man cannot hope to bridge that chasm.

The Gospel is the “good news” to God’s people about how the gulf between a holy God and a sinful people has been bridged by the only One who could bridge it: Jesus Christ. From the very first moment of the Christian life, when God raises us from death to life, forever removing the bright barrier of the law, we are told to “COME” and follow the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus has both paid our way and paved our way to the Celestial City. Jesus wants us to follow Him everywhere; He leads us as a Shepherd who will provide for His sheep and protect them . . . even at the expense of his own life.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15)

You see, the Lord Jesus Christ is the greater Moses. He is the perfect Moses, who delivers His people from the bondage of sin and death. His life and death revealed more of God’s holiness and justice than the Law could ever deliver. He was born to die—to die for sinners who could not pay the penalty for their own sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might have eternal life.

That, beloved, is the difference between the Law and our Lord. The law says “GO” and can only say “GO.” The Lord says “COME,” and as you do, you find that you are received by open arms and nail-scarred hands that will never say “GO” and will never let you go!

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

Let me start by saying in no uncertain terms:

GOD IS ATTRACTIVE ALL BY HIMSELF AND HE DOES NOT NEED ANY OF US TO MAKE HIM SO!

Now that I have said that, let me add that our sinful behavior can obscure the beauty of our Christian faith and harm its blessings.

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.  (Titus 2:9-10)

Truth be known, the way we live our lives before a watching world will, in large measure, determine the level of attractiveness that others see in the Gospel we preach with our lips. God has called us to live out practically what we are positionally, thereby making the teaching about God our Savior attractive to those who are watching us.

When we find it more important to be right than loving, we make the Gospel unattractive. When we refuse to extend forgiveness to someone who has offended us, we make the Gospel unattractive. When we find ourselves with so many possessions that they begin to possess us, we make the Gospel unattractive. When self-protection trumps self-sacrifice, we make the Gospel unattractive. Think of the countless ways we can make and have made the Gospel unattractive with our words and our deeds as we live out our faith before a watching world. Scripture levels a stinging rebuke at us: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24).

But this is not for you! If we are going to consistently make the Almighty Attractive we must to follow His formula for doing so. This is a recurring theme with Grace for the Race, but it is a theme we should be continually reminded of, because there simply are too many voices in this world trying to distract us and derail us from living it out.

[Jesus] said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  (Luke 9:23)

When we deny ourselves we make the Gospel attractive; when we deny Jesus we do not. When we take up our cross daily we make the Gospel attractive; when we leave it lying on the ground we do not. When we follow Jesus fully (not perfectly) we make the Gospel attractive; when we forsake Him we do not. To be sure, the good news of the Gospel is attractive all by itself, but God has ordained to deliver it through you and me. And in doing that, He calls us to make it as attractive as we possibly can by pointing to Jesus and putting Him on display.

The more we die to the self, the more we live for our Savior. At this level of living we are pursuing God’s purposes for our lives in the expansion of His kingdom and that, beloved, makes the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

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