Category Archives: General

Early in my martial arts career, I had a habit of making my fists so tight that my knuckles on both hands turned white.  My instructors made it clear that white knuckles are a sure sign of too much tension—not only in the hands but throughout the entire body, which would limit my ability to perform.  They were right.  White knuckles are counterproductive to high-level performance in the martial arts.

Likewise, “white-knuckle living” is counterproductive to living the Christian life at the highest level.  Consider your life for just a moment.  Is there anything you are holding onto so tightly that your knuckles are turning white?  Are you holding something or someone in a death-grip—something that if you were to lose it, your life would be turned upside down and cease to exist as you currently know it?  Could it be . . .

• A job?
• A relationship?
• Position?
• Power?
• Prestige?
• Achievement?

We all white-knuckle certain things in our lives from time to time.  We all look to things smaller than Jesus to give us what only Jesus can give us.  This is precisely why He has called us to die to ourselves.  When we die to self, we relax our grip and release the things of this world, in which we once believed we need to locate our significance and satisfaction.  Only Jesus can give us everything we need.

So . . . is there anything smaller than Jesus battling for first place in your heart?  Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The happiest state of a Christian is the holiest state.  As there is the most heat nearest to the sun, so there is the most happiness nearest to Christ.  No Christian enjoys comfort when his eyes are fixed on vanity—he finds no satisfaction unless his soul is quickened in the ways of God.”

If there is anything you are “white-knuckling” in life right now, remember this: the only thing that should cause white-knuckles is our vise-like grip on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

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

Did you know that God has made a special three-part plan for pardon available to every Christian believer? Notice I said “available.”  God has placed it within your reach, but not dropped it into your mouth.  When taken in combination, you have the greatest power known to man available to you: the power of the Gospel.  Here is how to obtain forgiveness.

1. CONVICTION: First, there must be a conviction of the heart that we have fallen short of God’s perfect mark.  Christian believers should know that they are great sinners in need of an even greater Savior.  “When the Holy Spirit comes, he will convict the world, and show where right and wrong and judgment lie” (John 16:8).  For Christian believers who are indwelt by the Spirit of God, His presence convicts us of our wrongdoing. 

Oswald Chambers writes:

Conviction of sin is one of the rarest things that ever strikes a man.  It is the threshold of an understanding of God.  Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict of sin, and when the Holy Spirit rouses the conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not his relationship with men that bothers him, but his relationship with God.

The Holy Spirit is God’s gracious gift to convict us of sin—not because He hates us, but because He loves us and wants us to be what He has called us to be.  Remember, God hates the sin and sent His Son to pay the price for it.  He loves the sinner . . . and that includes you!

2. CONFESSION: Next, the Holy Spirit draws us to the cross of Christ, where we confess our sins.  We openly confess that the practice of our lives contradicts the profession of our lips.  I am not suggesting that this is the time to confess every known sin in your life; there aren’t enough hours in the day!  You are far worse than you think you are!  But with a broken and contrite heart (see Psalm 51:16-17), you come boldly before the throne of grace and confess that you are a sinner—both by nature and by habit—and repent of those sins.  We confess that all of our attempts at self-salvation have fallen miserably short and will never accomplish for us what only Jesus can do.

3. CELEBRATION:  The final installation of God’s special three-part plan for pardon is the one most often missed by down and defeated Christians.  For many in the body of Christ, confession is a time of deep depression, devastating despair, and dark defeat.  They simply cannot get back up and get back into the life God is calling them to, because they don’t fully understand what Jesus has done for them on the cross.  They believe they must confess with bitter feelings of utter defeat and failure and stay in that mindset for as long as they can . . . or at least until the next time they sin.  This is simply unbiblical NONSENSE!  It is nothing more than an outright denial of the Gospel that Jesus secured on the cross with His precious blood.

We all desire.  The only difference is found in what we desire.  What is your desire? 

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

(Psalm 37:4)

Since these words were first set forth in sacred Scripture, many have misunderstood them.  Too many wrongly receive this verse as a blank check from heaven to cash in on anything their sinful hearts desire.

But this is not for you!  The key to understanding the truth of Psalm 37:4 is found in the first five words: Delight yourself in the Lord.

When your delight is in the Lord, your desires are of the Lord and for the Lord, and these desires He delights to give to you.  When your heart beats as one with the Savior, your goals are His goals . . . your dreams are His dreams . . . your pursuits are His pursuits . . . your agendas are His agendas . . . your affections are His affections. 

“Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord,” Hosea exhorted; “his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3). One of the amazing powers of the Gospel is located in the fact that the more you delight in the Lord, the more He plants within you the qualities that matter most to Him.  The Gospel empowers you to look up at God and out at others, rather than focusing in on yourself.  By nature, unaided by the Holy Spirit, you want what you want, when you want it, and how you want it.  But when Jesus shows up, He begins to change you from the inside out.  Your desires begin to take on the shape of the cross; you seek the things of God and the good of others, and when you ascend to this place of living, God delights to give to you the desires of your heart.  When what you desire is rooted in Christ, you can be assured it is already on the way.

So . . . what do you seek to bring you happiness and joy?  What are you pressing toward?  Blaise Pascal rightly observed, “All men seek happiness.  This is without exception.  Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end.  The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views.  The will never takes the least step but to this object.  This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves.” 

Some Christians don’t think we should be seeking the desires of the heart, but this is because they do not understand the goodness of our God.  Our desires do not compete with God when they are centered on God.  Idols compete with God, because they cause us to forsake God and find our joy, delight, and happiness in things much smaller than God. 

God delights in filling His children with joy, but He will only do that through a growing relationship with His Son Jesus Christ.  Those who are in Christ will find that God delights to deliver divine desires. 

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

We all grieve.  We grieve the loss of a job . . . the loss of our home . . . the loss of a loved one.  Grieving is common to us all.  What is not common to us all is the way in which we grieve.  There are only two ways to grieve in this life: the world’s way is without hope; God’s way is with hope.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Those who are without Christ grieve without hope.  The loss of a job becomes hopeless.  The loss of a home becomes shattering.  The loss of a loved one becomes paralyzing.  But for those who are in Christ, grief is the gateway into an unimaginable hope.  In the eyes of the watching world, Jesus was nailed to a hopeless situation on Golgotha’s Hill.  But three days later, what was hopeless became the most exultant hope the world has ever seen!

The resurrection of Jesus turns the most hopeless of situations into an opportunity for a holy hope.  To be sure, we still grieve when facing a variety of losses on this side of the grave.  But we do not grieve as others do, as those who have no hope.  Godly grieving is a grace reserved for those who have placed their trust in Jesus.  In Him the flame of hope burns eternal, even when we cannot fuel it in our own strength. 

The Gospel is the key that unlocks the door that leads to the grace of godly grieving.  The Gospel assures us that God is in control of all things; nothing happens to us that doesn’t first pass through His nail-scarred hands.  We grieve the loss of a job with the hope of knowing Jesus is in control of all things.  We grieve the loss of our home with the hope of finding shelter in Him.   We grieve the loss of loved ones with the hope of reuniting with them in eternity.

When Jesus conquered sin and death, He demonstrated a power that is beyond all comparison in the earthly dimension.  There is no darkness He cannot light . . . no pain He cannot ease . . . no problem He cannot solve.  It is the power of Omnipotence that is available to us in the Gospel.  We need only receive it and rest in it daily to let the grace of godly grieving flow.

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

What do you fear most?  I know the Bible says we are only to fear God, but I am asking this question to cause you to dive below the surface of your life to see what is really going on.  Do you fear the economy getting worse?  Do you fear the loss of a relationship?  What is the one thing you believe that losing it would cause your life to spiral out of control?

Regardless of what you may fear today, there is one fear you will never face:

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  (Psalm 51:11)

David was overwhelmed with the reality of his sin and feared most the loss of the presence of his Lord.  Grace had finally convinced David that he could live without everything else in the world . . . except God.  As Pastor Tullian likes to say, David understood that Jesus plus nothing equals everything! David could live without his health.  He could live without his wealth.  He could live without power, position, prestige, and pleasure.  But he could not bear to contemplate living apart from the presence of God.

Jesus experienced this most dreadful loss on the cross in your place.  Matt 27:46

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He cried, perhaps the most ghastly verse in all of Scripture.  But because He experienced that dreadful loss, this is a fear you will never face.  No matter what you do, Jesus said He will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).   

• In your impatience . . . Jesus is with you!
• In your anger . . . Jesus is with you!
• In anxiety . . . Jesus is with you!
• In your lust . . . Jesus is with you!
• In your discontent . . . Jesus is with you!

One of the most astonishing promises of the Gospel is found in the truth that you cannot sin yourself beyond the grace of God.  And this truth must seize you moment by moment, day after day.  When you are convinced that God will not cast you away from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from you, faithfulness to Jesus will mark your life rather than fear.  This is the power of the Gospel that both saves and sanctifies.   

To be sure, we are great sinners.  But we have an even greater Savior, who has willingly paid the price for every one of our sins—past, present, and still to come.  The next time you sin and fall short of the mark your Master has set before you, confess it, and be grieved for breaking His heart.  But don’t stay there!  Quickly follow that confession with a heart filled with thanksgiving and joy for the One who faced the most awful fear . . . so that you will never have to face it . . . no, not ever!

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

Today I want to share something with you that can help you get more out of life.  Learn to IGNORE A WHOLE LOT MORE!

I am convinced that some people in the body of Christ believe they have the “gift” of criticism.  No matter what you do, you simply cannot please them.  They are never satisfied with your effort and will always seek out something to criticize or complain about.  Now, I am not talking about constructive criticism or course correction by someone who truly has your best interests at heart.  I am talking about those small-minded people who find their joy and satisfaction in cutting others down, tearing them up, and throwing them out. 

Jesus had to deal with such people on a daily basis.  No matter what He did, it was never good enough for some.  Even His miraculous works of healing brought out the critics!

He went on from there and entered their synagogue.  And a man was there with a withered hand.  And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.  He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value is a man than a sheep!  So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”  Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other.  But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.  (Matthew 12:9-14)

You would think the religious leaders would be filled with awe and joy to witness the divine healing of a crippled man.  Instead they were filled with fury, for more reasons than I have space to recount.  The point of today’s message is to help you deal with your critics. 

Remember, our Lord promised that we would receive the same kind of treatment He received if we would live for Him (see Matthew 10:25 and John 15:20).  So bring on the critics, the complainers, the condemners!  You can receive their “gifts,” knowing Jesus walked where you walk and has given you all the grace you need to IGNORE A WHOLE LOT MORE!  Remember, those who belittle you are simply being little!

Only the power of the Gospel allows you to IGNORE A WHOLE LOT MORE!  Because you already have everything you need in Jesus you can let your critics criticize, complain, and condemn all they want.  When you rest in the finished work of Jesus, you don’t have to defend yourself anymore.  When your identity is rooted in Jesus, you no longer have to explain yourself to your critics.  There is no need to “throw your pearls before pigs,” because your purpose, meaning, and significance is anchored in the cross work of Jesus. 

Listen, if perfection didn’t please everybody, imperfection never will.  If they nailed the only perfect Man to the cross, they certainly won’t hesitate to nail your hide to the barn door! You simply need to focus on Jesus and let the power and grace of the Gospel equip you to IGNORE A WHOLE LOT MORE!

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

If someone asked you how you would measure maturity as a Christian, how would you answer?  Would you focus on performance, effort, and good works?  Here are some of the most common yardsticks Christians give when asked about measuring maturity:

• Daily devotions
• Consistent prayer life
• Weekly witnessing
• Regular church attendance
• Faithful tither
• Scripture memorization
• Outreach oriented
• Mission minded

As good as these answers are, they are not accurate measurements of true maturity in the Christian.  Think about it: if faithful, consistent practice of spiritual disciplines was the measure of maturity, the Pharisees would have been the holiest individuals on the planet!  Yet Jesus said their holiness never moved from their head to their heart.  The Pharisees were more concerned with what their hands and feet were doing than how their heart was beating. 

Real Christian maturity is never measured by behavior; it is only to be measured by belief.  What we believe about Christ’s behavior on our behalf is the true measurement of our maturity.  The Pharisees believed it was all about their work . . . their effort . . . their performance . . . their righteousness.  In their eyes, what they did made them holy.  And the more they did, the more holy they believed they were.  This is why Jesus excoriated them. 

Christian maturity is grounded in our understanding that it is all about what Jesus has already done on our behalf . . . His work . . . His effort . . . His performance . . . His righteousness.  Our behavior cannot gain for us He has already accomplished for us.  Christ’s behavior secured for us everything we need, and it is only in our believing it and re-believing it every day that we find ourselves walking in the way of maturity.

The more we grasp the Gospel, the deeper we drive the roots of Christian maturity into the soil of the sanctified life.  Our sense of sin deepens; our hope brightens; our zeal quickens.  Daily we must become ever more seized by the truth of God’s unconditional love poured out for us on Golgotha’s Hill—while we were still sinners (see Romans 5:8).  If God didn’t wait for us to be good before He loved us, He’s not waiting for us to get better to keep loving us!  We are completely loved in the Beloved.  The mature Christian is undergirded and uplifted by this truth and walks in it moment by moment. 

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

If you are not in the Fort Lauderdale area, or did not get to attend Coral Ridge last Sunday, here is the video from the sermon.  A special thank you to Pastor Tullian for asking me to preach in his place…

At first glance, faith in Jesus Christ and the beliefs of the functional atheist seem as far apart as the east is from the west.  But upon closer inspection, we see that everyone who professes faith in Christ does, at times, live like a functional atheist.

A functional atheist is someone who professes faith in Christ, but behaves as if He doesn’t exist.  They don’t say, “There is no God,” but rather they deny the existence of God in their lives by the way they are living at a particular time.  The functional atheist has decided to live apart from the revealed truth of Scripture.  He professes faith in Christ, but lives life as a practicing atheist. 

There are countless ways this is fleshed out in the life of a Christian.  Let’s take a look at some functional atheists and see if any you recognize any of these folks.

Sunday-only Sam and Sandra focus on God on Sunday but forget about Him Monday through Saturday. On those days, they live like God doesn’t exist.  Sunday-only Sam and Sandra confine their focus on God to the time they spend in the church sanctuary.

Home-only Harry and Holly focus on God at home through daily devotions and prayer but forget about Him as soon as they get out into the world.  Home-only Harry and Holly find it easy to practice their faith at home, but not before the watching world of their non-Christian peers.

Painless providence-only Peter and Pam focus on God when the clouds are fleecy, the sky is blue, and the sun is shining.  Painless providence-only Peter and Pam keep their focus on God when all is going well . . . but as soon as the storm winds begin to blow, they take their eyes off Jesus and focus on to the storm.

All functional atheists have one thing in common.  They believe they were made in the image of God but do everything in their power to return the favor by making God into their image.  They refuse to serve the God who is because they prefer to serve the God they want.  They believe in God and trust Him . . . just not with the whole of their lives.  God is only part of their lives rather than all of their lives.   

I am the way, the truth, and the life.  (John 14:6)

Jesus is not only the way to eternal life; He is, in and of Himself, everyday life.  When He gave the promise, “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19), He was speaking of a deliverance that transcended the political, social, and economical deliverance the people of Israel were looking and hoping for.  He offers a life of freedom from the bondage to sin and the self.  It is a life of freedom to live according to His will, rather than our will. 

The Gospel is the cure for functional atheism.  The more we focus on the Gospel, and the better we understand it, the more it will draw us into a life of faithfulness rather than functional atheism.  When we catch a glimpse of who Jesus really is and what He really did on our behalf, we begin to focus less on ourselves and more on Him.  We begin expanding our relationship to Jesus throughout the week.  We begin expanding our relationship to Jesus outside of the home.  We begin expanding our relationship to Jesus even when His providences are painful. 

Wherever this finds you, the power of the Gospel can transform you into the person Jesus is calling you to be.  Fear, worry, and doubt over an uncertain future are replaced by faithfulness, worship, and devotion to Christ.  We begin letting go of everything smaller than God, because we realize those things can never do for us what only Jesus can do.  The unconditional love and undeserved favor we are given in the Gospel are the motive and motivation to give up our functional atheism for a life built upon and centered in Christ alone.  This is the only place where we can live a life that truly matters. 

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

When Jesus saved you, He placed you into His body—the church.  The Christian life was never meant to be lived in intentional isolation—which, sadly, is how far too many Christians live.  As a member of the body of Christ, each person is as needed and as valuable as the next.  And one of the most important roles we can all play in one another’s lives is to be an encourager.  I call encouragement “Christian Vitamin C.”      

See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.  (Hebrews 3:12-14)

Everyone is carrying a burden.  Look closely into the eyes of the people around you and you will see their desperate longing for a little encouragement . . . a kind word . . . a pat on the back . . . a warm smile.  Encouragement is to the soul what vitamin C is to the body.  “Gracious words are like a honeycomb,” Proverbs 16:24 asserts, “sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

There’s just one problem: we are not encouragers by nature.  Our sinful self-centeredness keeps us from encouraging others.  We are consumed with OUR dreams, OUR goals, OUR desires, OUR sorrows, OUR suffering, OUR success, OUR doubts, OUR fears.  Our mantra is Jesus and ME . . . not Jesus and we!

Only the power of the Gospel can free us from the suffocating prison of self-absorption.  The Gospel shifts our focus from self to the Savior; when we are focused on the Savior He redirects our focus to others so that we might minister in His name.  And one of the greatest ministries we can all have, regardless of our gifting and calling, is to be an encourager.   

Scripture is quite direct on this point: “Encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

William Barclay put it this way:

One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement.  It is easy to laugh at man’s ideals.  It is easy to pour cold water on the enthusiasm.  It is easy to discourage others.  The world if full of discouragers.  We have a Christian duty to encourage one another.  Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet.  Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.

So . . . what about you? Are you such a person?  Do you speak encouragement into the lives of others?         

Here’s another crucial question: do you have an encourager in your life?  Someone who speaks life into your life?  If you can say yes, get on your face before the Living God and thank Him for this incredible gift!  I thank God daily for the many encouragers He has given me: my beloved wife and best friend, Kim; my mentor, Clark; and several brothers in Christ.  There is one man whom I’ve nicknamed “Brother Barnabas” (Barnabas means “son of encouragement”), because of the daily dose of the Christian Vitamin C he gives to me.  I thank God for Kim, Clark, and all those who pour words of life and love into me.  And I also make it a point to give heartfelt thanks to my encouragers.  Those like Barnabas, who are wired as encouragers, need to receive encouragement every bit as much as those to whom they deliver it. 

If you don’t have an encourager in your life, why don’t you make a point of being an encourager in the lives of everyone you meet?  Jesus put it this way: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12).  If you want encouragement from others, you be an encourager to them.  Everyone needs a daily dose of Christian Vitamin C!

Ultimately, the Gospel is our greatest source of encouragement.  That is why we need to continually preach it to ourselves.  But as we’ve seen, God has called each Christian to fill the role of encourager in the lives of others.  Encouragement is divinely designed to keep us from being hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.  That is powerful stuff!

“Let us encourage one another,” the letter to the Hebrews exhorts.  Jesus gave us the Gospel to empower our encouragement through a reorientation toward others and away from ourselves.    

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