Category Archives: General

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!

We are all experts at finding the speck in our brother’s eye while ignoring the log jutting out of our own eye.  It’s simply in our DNA.  The more we direct a spotlight on the sin in the life of another, we imagine that our own sins will retreat into the darkness.  Our Lord did not mince words on this subject:

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.  (Matthew 7:3-5)

Jesus used the image of specks and logs to let us know just how messed up we really are.  Imaging for a moment a log protruding from your own eye; now imagine your careful inspection of someone else, indignantly pointing out the speck lodged in the corner of their eye.

Me: “I’m shocked—shocked—to see you have a speck in your eye!”

You:  “Uh, Tommy, thanks for pointing out the speck in my eye, but that log in your eye! Man, that looks nasty! Have you had that for a long time?”

Seems absurd doesn’t it?  And that’s exactly the point Jesus was making.  It is absolutely preposterous to be pointing out the sin the life of another when we haven’t yet addressed our own sin.  Scripture commands us to “Work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), not to work out on others for their sin!

And yet, the more we peer at the speck in our brother’s eye, the more we convince ourselves that our greatest problem lies outside of us.  And as long as we see our problems as “out there,” we will never deal with what is going on “in here.” We’ll continue living lives of overwhelming hypocrisy. 

Our Lord’s use of the “log” metaphor impales us on the truth of just how bad our “inside” problem really is.  Our sin problem is not only obvious to us, it is conspicuous to everyone we meet—as obtrusive as a log sticking out of our eye!  And the closer we get to them to point at their speck, the more we poke them with our protruding log, irritating them and causing them pain. 

The Gospel gives us permission to acknowledge our log, because our Lord paid the price for it—no matter how large our log, or how sharp.  We don’t have to try to hide it with a few pitiful fig leaves of self-righteousness.  We can squarely face our sin problem by the grace of the Gospel and begin seeing clearly all that Jesus has done for us.  When we receive and respond to the truth of just how bad we really are, we begin to see more clearly just how good Jesus really is.  

One of the Puritans penned this magnificent prayer:

Yet still I live, and fly repenting to thy outstretched arms;

Thou will not cast me off, for Jesus brings me near,

Thou wilt not condemn me, for he died in my stead,

Thou wilt not mark my mountain of sin, for he leveled all,

And his beauty covers my deformities.

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

If that statement is true, then why work?  Why should we attempt to do any good deeds, from serving in the church nursery to teaching Sunday school to feeding the hungry to building and orphanage or a hospital?  The answer is really simple.  God doesn’t need your good works; your neighbor does.  Let’s unpack this idea.

First, we need to see that our good works just aren’t all that good.  They are stained with mixed motives, selfish ambition, and our sin-stained hearts.

We have all become like one who is unclean and all our good works are like filthy rags.  (Isaiah 64:6)

Second, we need to see living the Christian faith as an outward expression of an inward reality.  Because God in Christ has reached down to us, we are to respond by reaching up to God and out to others. 

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heart from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.  These things I command you, so that you will love one another.  (John 15:12-17)

Thirdly, we need to see our good works as an opportunity to put on display the glory of the Gospel by reflecting the character of the One who saved us. 

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.  He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

Our neighbors need to see an accurate picture of the God whom we love and serve.  This is best done when our faith has hands and feet.  The more we are conformed into the image of our Lord, the more we will look like Him.  When we deliver good works for the glory of God and the good of others, we make our God attractive to the watching world.  He went about doing good; we, too, must go about doing good.

One final point: we don’t perform good works in order to gain our acceptance from God.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).  We go about doing good because we are already accepted; and in our completely unconditional acceptance, our good works become the fruit of our faith.  

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

Don’t let the title of today’s message fool you into thinking that I wrote this for the students at Knox Seminary; I wrote it for you!  Once we get a handle on the two “big” words, you’ll see just how simple and practical this message is for all of us.

Doxology is derived from two Greek words: doxa, meaning “praise,” and logos, meaning “word.”  Doxology is an expression of our love and thanksgiving for God as a response to His mercy, love, and grace toward us, poured out through His beloved Son.  Theology is the field of study of God, His attributes, and how He relates to the world around us.

Based on these definitions, can you see how doxology is the fruit of theology?  What you believe about God (theology) determines, to a much greater extent than you might think, your response (doxology) back to Him.

If you believe your acceptance by God is based on your working for God, then you will praise Him on your good days and dread Him on your bad days.  Far too many Christians have a watered-down doxology because they have accepted a watered-down version of the Gospel.  They are plagued by faulty theology, which posits that their working for God proves their worth to God.

Nothing could be further from the truth!  Christianity is not about doing; it is about being who you are because of what Jesus has already done for you.  It is living out practically what you are positionally, because of the finished work of Jesus.  

Christians are called to be a doxological people—living out of the truths of the Gospel with a heart that is overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving for all that Jesus has accomplished.  In Christ, God reached down to us because we couldn’t reach up to Him.  Jesus willingly entered into this world, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, rose from the grave on the third day, and ascended into heaven . . . from whence He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  He chose suffering so we could be comforted.  He chose injustice that we would be justified.  He chose to be forsaken so we would be forgiven.  He chose death so we would have life everlasting.  And He did all this while were still sinners (Romans 3:23) . . . while we hated Him! 

This is the Gospel, to which the cross is central.  Jesus nailed every one of our sins—past, present, and future to that dirty tree.  He did for us what we could never do for ourselves.  This means that God is no longer our Judge.  He is our Abba Father, who loves us unconditionally.  It is with these truths in mind that we live a life marked by overwhelming gratitude and continual thanksgiving.  It is in view of God’s mercy to us in Christ (Romans 12:1) that we sing His praises both day and night.  This is the fuel that ignites the fire of our faith, whether we are in sickness or in health, in plenty or in want.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

One of the contemporary praise writers, Billy James Foote crystallized this idea of solid theology producing heartfelt doxology with his lovely anthem, “You are My King (Amazing Love).”

I’m forgiven because You were forsaken
I’m accepted, You were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
That You, my King, should die for me?
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor You
In all I do, to honor You

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

Today’s message is not rooted in the best-selling Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which present the Christian dispensationalist view of the end times.  Nor is it about all of us who were “left behind” after the unfortunate “prediction” made by Harold Camping about the end of the world occurring on May 21, which caused scorn to be heaped upon Christians and the Christian faith.

Today I’d like to discuss what you will have left behind when you are transported into eternity.

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.  (Pericles, 495-425 BC)

So . . . what have you been weaving into the lives of the people God has called you to serve?  Make no mistake; you are weaving something into the lives of everyone you meet.  What that something is depends on whom you are weaving it for.  Are you weaving for the good of yourself?  Or for the glory of your Savior? 

Jesus spent a little over three years weaving the truths of the Gospel into the lives of His disciples, who then went on to turn the world upside down.  Why?  Because they spent their time weaving the truths of the Gospel into the lives of everyone they came in contact with.  Only the Gospel, illumined within us by the Holy Spirit, has the power to change hearts.  Only the Gospel has the power to transform lives.  Only the Gospel has the power to bring life where there is only death.  The Gospel is the power to slay sin, cultivate contentment, and produce peace.  So if you are weaving the Gospel into the lives of those you serve, you can be assured that what you are doing will live on in eternity. 

Those who weave the Gospel into the hearts and minds of those they serve are leaving behind a lasting legacy under the lordship of Jesus Christ.  At this level of living, life really matters.  Purpose is productive.  Significance is satisfying.  Meaning is magnified.  So what have you been weaving into the lives of others?  What would those closest to you say?  Remember, weaving the Christian witness must be done with both our lips and our lives—our practice and our profession. 

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

What comes to mind when you think of the word “missionary”?  How would you define it?  Here is a sampling of dictionary definitions:

A person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work.

A person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others.

A person who is sent on a mission, especially one sent to do religious or charitable work in a territory or foreign country.

These are solid textbook definitions for a missionary.   Christian missionaries of this sort are both vital and valuable to expanding the cause of the kingdom.  They are a very special breed of Christian, who have been called and equipped for kingdom work, often in some of the most remote places and harsh environments.  They embody our Lord’s Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”  Every member of the church of Jesus Christ should be committed to supporting these mighty warriors of the Word. 

But they are not the only ones in the church who are called to be missionaries!  Far too many in the church today regard a missionary as someone else who has received special gifts and has been sent off into darkest Africa (or some other distant land) to reach out to a particular people.  When we think this way, we remove ourselves from the front lines of faithful living under the Lordship of Christ and mistakenly assume it is someone else’s job to reach out to the lost and broken people of this world.  This results in sleepiness of the soul and a woefully weakened witness. 

I would like to expand on the job description of “missionary” just a bit, so we can see that we are all missionaries who have been called by God into the mission fields—right where we currently are!  Make no mistake, you are a missionary, no matter what your gifting, your education, or your vocation.

So . . . what mission are you currently on?  Is it a mission of expanding the kingdom of your Savior?  Or the kingdom of yourself?  Below are two primary marks of the Christian who is living for the Savior and not the self.

1. “Other” Orientation – Living for the kingdom of your Savior is marked by being oriented toward others.  You put others first.  You consider others better than yourself.  You want to serve others rather than being served by others. 

2. Self-Sacrificing – Living for the kingdom of your Savior is marked by self-sacrifice, rather than self-protection.  Being inconvenienced is not an inconvenience.  Being discomforted is not discomforting.  Being troubled is not troubling.  A day well spent is a day spent in sacrificial service to others. 

Putting others first and serving them sacrificially is the way we act out practically what we already are positionally.  When we locate our identity is in Christ and not in the things of this world, we rightly see ourselves as missionaries, privileged to be serving our Lord wherever we are and in whatever way we have been equipped to do it. 

We have been called to be the aroma of Christ to the world (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)—whether that part of the world be darkest Africa . . . or your local grocery store. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that[Jesus has] commanded you.”

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

There is only one heart in all the world that is honoring to God.  Do you know what that is?  It is the heart that beats for the Savior rather than the self.  Far too many Christian hearts beat for Jesus and something else. 

• Jesus and a career
• Jesus and a hobby
• Jesus and a relationship
• Jesus and a sports team
• Jesus and a level of comfort
• Jesus and the applause of man

So . . .  is there a something else for you?  To be sure, there are times when we all keep one foot in the Word and let the other foot edge out into the world.  We are continually lured by divided affections for things smaller than God. 

But we must fight against this tendency!  Scripture is completely unambiguous on this matter:

 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

(Matthew 22:37)

Jesus said the only heart that honors Him is one that is totally devoted to Him.  So what does such a heart look like?  It beats in sync with the psalmist’s prayer: “I seek you with all my heart, do not let me stray from your commands” (Psalm 119:10).  The heart that honors the Lord desires to do His will . . . but it does not stop there.  It is not enough to do what God wants us to do; we must be doing it for the right reason. 

The heart that honors Him is not seeking to receive a reward or avoid a consequence.  The heart that honors Him overflows with thanksgiving, because the reward has already been received (the certainty of heaven) and the consequence avoided (damnation in hell).  Obedience flows from this heart as a response to and result of what Jesus has already done.

Some people tithe because they are afraid not to.  Some people serve because they feel guilty if they do not.  Some people arrive at church on Sunday because they believe God is keeping track of their attendance.  These are all acts of obedience . . . but done for the entirely wrong reasons.  These actions do not flow from a heart that honors God.  God doesn’t want obedience that is rooted in fear or guilt or desire for reward.  That was the motivation of the Pharisees, to whom Jesus delivered a burning rebuke:

You Hypocrites!  Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “’This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”  (Matthew 15:7-9)

On the surface, the Pharisees looked like they were sold out for God.  They did all the right things . . . but for all the wrong reasons.  God wants our obedience to flow from a heart that beats with thanksgiving for the finished work of Jesus Christ.  This is the only heart that honors Him!

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

There is something that needs to be made perfectly clear about the power of the Gospel.  Every Christian is eternally safe in his or her standing in Christ. 

• Not because of good works
• Not because of trying harder and doing more
• Not because of personal merit
• Not because of self-righteousness
• Not because of the consistent practice of the spiritual disciplines

Because Jesus lived the perfect life and went to the cross to pay the penalty for sin, He has secured for all eternity the relationship between the Christian and God. 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35-39)

But inasmuch as we are safe in our standing before God, unable to be separated from the love of God in Christ, we frequently don’t feel very safe as we go sledding down the icy hills of life.  There is a war that rages inside us, and we feel the stress of that combat.

The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  (Galatians 5:17)

Sin no longer reigns over us, but it most certainly remains in us!  In the heart of every believer there is a never-ending battle between the old nature and the new nature.  Charles Spurgeon explained:

The old nature is very active, and loses no opportunity of plying all the weapons of its deadly armory against newborn graces.  The enemy is so securely entrenched within us that he can never be driven out while we are in this body: but although we are closely beset, and often in sore conflict, we have an Almighty helper, even Jesus, the Captain of our salvation, who is ever with us, and who assures us that we shall eventually come off more than conquerors through Him.

I once heard an older saint say with wry frustration, “If Satan is bound [Revelation 20:2], he’s bound to my right leg!”  Do not think it peculiar that you battle morning, noon, and night with the evil forces of darkness.  It is a fact of life that every child of God faces.  But we do not battle alone!

“I will not leave you as orphans,” Jesus promised; “I will come to you” (John 14:18).  Omnipotence is with us, and He will strengthen us in our weakness . . . in all our weakness, in our thoughts, words, deeds, and desires.  And knowing that we are eternally secure in our standing we can find strength enough to keep fighting the battle, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

“Let not your hearts be troubled,” our Savior said, “neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).

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