Category Archives: General

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13)

I would like to take a moment to share one thing about the One and Only – the Lord Jesus Christ – that will be a source of eternal encouragement to you right now, right where this finds you.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

We all find ourselves in moments of darkness when we can’t see our way forward and have no idea what to do next. We must remember that God is using the darkness to draw us closer and closer into the Light. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world, and He is the One and Only who can and will lead us through any dark night of the soul.

But let’s go deeper for just a moment. When Jesus said He is the “light of the world,” He was claiming that He alone is the source of spiritual insight . . . spiritual light. The triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–is the only source of spiritual truth in the world.

So even when you find yourself in times of darkness because of the challenging circumstances you are facing, you will never walk in spiritual darkness with Jesus by your side. As a candle dispels darkness when it is lit, the light of Jesus Christ dispels every kind of darkness in our lives: the darkness of discouragement . . . the darkness of sorrow . . . the darkness of suffering . . . even the darkness of sin. Have you been walking in His light lately?

Jesus is the way forward whenever darkness descends on us. We must simply look up and trust in Jesus even when we cannot trace Him in the midst of difficult circumstances we are facing. Jesus has promised to use all things for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Rest in that truth, and when darkness seems to hide His face, as the English pastor Edward Mote wrote, rest on His unchanging grace, knowing that Jesus will guide you through to the other side of every patch of darkness in your life . . . until the day comes when you will rest eternally in His Light.

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

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

We have been talking about creating a bucket list: a list of things we deeply desire to do before the Lord calls us home. On Monday, I suggested that you make reading through the entire Bible an item on your bucket list. On Wednesday, we considered the importance of a life verse. Today, I’d like you to consider memorizing a new portion of Scripture.

Item #3 – Memorizing A New Scripture Passage

Scripture memorization is one of those spiritual disciplines that has fallen on hard times these days. Because the entire Bible is at our fingertips, on our phones and tablets, we feel little need to call up Scripture from memory. Yet Jesus made it clear just how important this discipline is when He defeated the devil during His wilderness experience.

When the devil assaulted Jesus with three temptations, Jesus quoted Scripture from memory to defeat the devil. He could not look into the scrolls for the words needed to disarm and defeat the devil, and He did not need to. Jesus had committed Scripture to memory, and we should follow His lead.

You probably know some Scriptures from memory, verses like John 3:16 and Philippians 4:13. But have you ever invested the time to commit more than a verse or two to memory?

Here is a thought to consider putting on your bucket list. Pick a psalm and commit it to memory. Or perhaps one of the parables. There is absolutely nothing like having the Word of God planted deep within your heart, especially for those moments when you find yourself under the attacks of the devil. Remember, committing Scripture to memory will return to you multiplied blessings. Here are three of them; memorizing Scripture will —

Renew your mind; Recalibrate your heart; Realign your will!

I pray you were encouraged this week by the Believer’s Bucket List. I hope these articles have inspired you to write out a detailed list of things God would put on your life . . . IF He were writing it for you. With an actual bucket list sitting in front of you, start going to work on getting some of those items marked off as “Done!” You will find yourself doing some things you never thought possible for the glory of God and the good of those you come in contact with along the way into glory. What do you say? Let’s kick the bucket!

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

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

On Monday I introduced the idea of creating a “believer’s bucket list” — a list of things we deeply desire to do before the Lord calls us home. I suggested that you make reading through the entire Bible an item on your bucket list. Today I’d like to encourage you to consider coming up with a life verse that truly speaks to your heart.

Item #2 – Life Verse

A life verse is a verse or even a passage of Scripture that seems like it was written by God just for you. In my years as a pastor, I have seen that those who do have a life verse usually cite powerful reasons why that verse or passage resonates so deeply with them, from a major life event to the accomplishment of a great goal. Perhaps the reason is rooted in growing and maturing in their faith. My life verse has changed over the years, due to all of those reasons and different seasons of life. Here is a verse of sacred Scripture that resonates deeply with me today:

Jesus asked, “Do you have anything here to eat?” (Luke 24:41)

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, who were cowering behind locked doors. The disciples were “startled and frightened” when they saw Him, “thinking they saw a ghost” (Luke 24:37). Jesus said to them, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). Then Jesus said something that resonates deeply in my heart: “Do you have anything here to eat?”

WOW! When we get to the other side of the grave, we will have resurrected bodies and we will eat! We will hug, we will dance and sing and work and play and we will EAT! I used to think that “going to heaven” meant that I would be a spirit being, floating around on a fluffy cloud, strumming a celestial harp for all eternity. And that really didn’t excite me much! But to know we will have immortal, resurrected bodies and will do many of the same things we currently are doing fills my soul with joyful anticipation. When I think of eternity that way, the invitation to the marriage supper with Jesus rocks my world! I love to eat, and knowing that food will be part of our forever existence is awesome!

When I find myself in the midst of a season when the storm winds are blowing and the waves of challenge are washing over me, I reflect on these words of Jesus, and I am reminded that the best is yet to come.

I’ll see you on Friday for our final item on our bucket list.

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

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

This week, I want to encourage you with three things that should be on every “believer’s bucket list” . . . and they would be if God was writing your bucket list for you. In case you’re not familiar with the phrase, a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket” . . . a Christian would say “before you pass into glory.” The term grew exponentially in popularity after the 2007 release of the charming movie The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Here are a few examples of bucket list items: swimming with dolphins; running a marathon; jumping out of a perfectly good airplane (with a parachute, of course); seeing the northern lights; going zip lining; climbing a mountain. Some of the most popular bucket list items involve travel.

There are many things God would put on your bucket list, and I am quite sure they don’t include parachuting or zip lining! I encourage you to take some time to prayerfully consider what some of those things might be. This week we will consider three of them, all related to the Word of God.  

Item #1 – Read The Whole Bible

If you have ever read through the whole Bible, you have already checked this off your list, and you are probably reading it through over and over again. However, if you have not done this yet, let me encourage you to make this a bucket list priority.

Years ago, the church I was attending offered a new Daily Walk Bible to anyone who would make the commitment to read through it during the next year. I accepted the challenge, and on January 1^st, 1999, I began the journey. I would love to tell you that I read each daily portion every day; I would like to say that, but I didn’t do it. What did happen, however, was that I read far more of the Bible that year than I ever had before. Eventually I was able to make it through the entire Bible in a year, and I have been doing it ever since.  

Christian, never forget that the goal God has set before us is progress, not perfection. If you set a goal of reading through the entire Bible, you will definitely read more than you would have without that goal on your list. And why would you not want to do this? The Bible is, in fact, God’s love letter to you.

We’ll take a look at a second bucket list item on Wednesday.

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

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. (James 1:2)

Because joy is an “inside job,” given to us by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can face trials of any kind and still have the deep and abiding joy that only comes from above. When we face circumstances in life that we don’t enjoy, God has promised us a joy that rises above the circumstances . . . and that joy’s name is Jesus.

When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we find the joy of the Lord that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10), even when waves of challenge are crashing over us. And please note that if/when we choose not to find joy in our difficult circumstances, we will have less joy . . . but still the same amount of difficult circumstances!

Perhaps no one demonstrated this better than the apostle Paul. In spite of being beaten with rods, receiving lashes from a whip five times, and being stoned, shipwrecked, persecuted, and put in prison, he actually wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).

When we spend less time grumbling about our circumstances and more time glorying in who Jesus and what He has done, we will experience the joy of the Lord. The Bible makes it clear that a joyless Christian is an oxymoron (that is, a contradiction in terms) because one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22).

The next time you find yourself in circumstances you don’t enjoy — and that may be right now as you are reading this — remember that you can still have joy if you keep your focus on Jesus. Remember, no matter what you are facing or will face in the future, you never face it alone. Jesus is with you, Jesus is for you, and Jesus is in you. Let that truth set you free to experience the joy of the Lord, which is your strength.

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

If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Has someone ever said something about you that hurt you deeply — even cut you to the core? Have you ever felt that you were unworthy of God’s love because of something you’ve done?

Can we talk? Even after becoming a Christian, we all deal with varying degrees of feeling inferior, insecure, and inadequate. So regardless of what others may say or what you have done, remember that your identity rests secure in who God says you are, not in what others say or even in the results of what you do. Period!

Here are just a few things God has to say about you that will provide eternal encouragement, no matter where this message finds you:

• “You are dearly loved.”
• “You are Mine.”
• “You are holy.”
• “You are blameless.”
• “You are forgiven.”
• “You are precious in My sight.”
• “You are unique.”
• “You are chosen.”
• “You are never alone.”

God chose you in Him before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And He has chosen to see you only as He sees His beloved Son. You have been cleansed by His blood. You are clothed in His righteous robes. Remember, God the Father sent God the Son to die on a cross in order to have an intimate, personal, eternal relationship with you. The next time the devil begins to whisper another lie in your ear about who you are . . . or what someone said . . . or some stupid, sinful act you committed in the past . . . remember this wonderful truth: God sees you only through the eyes of love.

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

After his suffering, he showed himself to [the apostles] and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

Last week, as we were leading up to Easter Sunday, we took a brief look at some of the proofs for the Resurrection that are impossible for even the most hardened unbeliever to argue away. Today, on the day after we celebrated that the One who had undoubtedly died walked out of His grave alive and well, we will add one final point of proof under the heading, “No April Fooling!”

The Resurrection is the most important event in history, and it is the foundation upon which Christianity rests. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, conquering death, our last enemy, our faith would be as powerless as it would be pointless. But the disciples clearly believed that Jesus was and is alive, and they gave up their lives for the message of the Resurrection.

Remember, the disciples were not expecting a Savior who would come and die for their sins; they were looking for a Messiah who would come and destroy the enemies of Israel, reestablish the throne of David, and fully restore the nation of Israel to its former power and glory. When they witnessed the arrest of Jesus, culminating in His terrible death on a cross, what they had believed in died.

The disciples were there! They heard the hammers driving the nine-inch nails through the hands and feet of Jesus. They saw Him stop breathing, and they watched the spear pierce His lifeless body. They knew His dead body had been wrapped and placed in a tomb. They ran and hid, fearing they would meet the same fate. Yet something happened to cause this cowering band of disciples to begin courageously proclaiming the name of Jesus and to give up their lives for what they believed.

The followers of Jesus did not die for a religion; they died for the Redeemer, who walked out of His grave on that first Easter morning and showed Himself to hundreds of witnesses for the next forty days before He ascended to heaven.

These disciples preached the truth of a resurrected Jesus; as we saw last week, they did not die for a lie. They died for a truth that they witnessed firsthand, and they did so knowing what would happen when they took their last breath: They would be ushered into the presence of their resurrected King (2 Corinthians 5:8).

So on this day when many people will play some kind of “April Fool’s Joke,” remember that the Resurrection is not one of them. It is a literal, historical fact that you can depend on and trust in. And I have learned during my years as a pastor that if Jesus can walk out of a sealed tomb, He can walk into the most hardened, tightly sealed heart and raise it from death to life. May this be the confession of your life, and may it be the message you joyfully share with others.

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

“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)

We have been looking at reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that do not include the divinely inspired testimony of the Scriptures. If an unbeliever says to you, “You’re saying that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead because you read it in the Bible, but I don’t believe the Bible,” you can offer up these three pieces of “uninspired” evidence. On Monday we looked at the “embarrassing evidence” of the testimony of the women who came to the empty tomb, and on Wednesday we unpacked the “enemy evidence” provided by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Today we will look at the Pharisee Saul, another bitter enemy of Jesus.

Saul of Tarsus

For more than two thousand years, no skeptic has been able to offer any kind of plausible explanation for Saul, the bitter persecutor of the church, becoming Paul, the beloved pastor, preacher, and disciple of Jesus who penned much of the New Testament.

Saul of Tarsus was feared among the first-century church. He was relentless in his persecution of the followers of Jesus; he frankly confessed his “zeal [in] persecuting the church” (Philippians 3:5), and he testified to that truth in several of his epistles (1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; 1 Timothy 1:13). The book of Acts also testifies to Saul being a persistent tormentor of the church. Then something happened on the road to Damascus.

Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:1-6).

There may have been no greater enemy of the early church than Saul of Tarsus. Luke, ever the careful historian, recorded that Saul stood watch over the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7:58). Saul was blinded by his self-righteous, works-based, false religion, and he did everything in his power to extinguish the light of the Gospel, but to no avail. The resurrected Jesus appeared on the Damascus Road and transformed Saul the persecutor into the apostle Paul. How can we explain this dramatic transformation? There is only one way: It happened just like the Scriptures say it happened.

One more thing. It is beyond contestation that Paul was martyred under the emperor Nero for his faith in Jesus. The early church fathers, such as Polycarp, Tertullian, and Clement of Rome, all testify to this truth. The only way a man could go from killing Christians to being executed for being a Christian is because the resurrected Jesus showed up and changed his life. From embarrassing testimony to enemy attestation, we have lots of powerful proof for the resurrection of Jesus. So, the question is, Do you believe?

Believe it! He is risen! He is risen indeed!

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

“You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away.’” (Matthew 28:13)

As we move through Holy Week, I am presenting three facts that are agreed on by most scholars and historians on both sides of the debate about the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These three facts do not leave any room for unbelievers to object, “You’re just saying that because it’s in the Bible, and I don’t believe the Bible is true!” On Monday we looked at the “embarrassing evidence” of the testimony of the women regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Today and Friday we will examine “enemy evidence” for the resurrection that comes from those who hated Jesus.

The Religious Leaders

Everyone on both sides of the resurrection debate agrees that enemy attestation is a powerful proposition regarding the proof of the Resurrection. The enemies of Jesus hated and feared Him and schemed to have Him put to death. The Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman government had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose by making any statement that would corroborate the Resurrection. Now, in order to have a resurrection, you must have an empty tomb. Do you know who were the first people to testify to the unbelieving world that the tomb of Jesus was empty? (Hint: It wasn’t His followers!)

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:11-15)

It is important to understand that the tomb location was known; this is called the “Jerusalem Factor.” Jesus was publicly executed and put into a tomb that was known to belong to Joseph of Arimathea. Two known Pharisees buried Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. There could have been no confusing the precise location. Moreover, if the tomb was not empty, the religious leaders would have quickly produced the deceased, decaying body of Jesus and paraded Him around Jerusalem for all the world to see. The reason they could not produce His body from a tomb that was widely known was because Jesus was no longer in that tomb. He rose bodily from the grave, just as He had said He would. 

Consider this: If someone has a strong bias against someone else, what would be the reason for that person saying anything positive or helpful about the other person? There would be no reason, except for the fact that it must be true. The only story the enemies of Jesus could come up with for the tomb being empty was to say that the disciples stole the body. And we recognize how absurd that claim is when we understand that most of the disciples died for their faith in a risen Jesus.

Let’s you and I suspend belief for just a moment and assume that Jesus’ ragtag group of disciples, untrained civilians who had two swords between them (Luke 22:38) and had all fled in terror when Jesus was arrested (Matthew 25:56), somehow rediscovered their courage and carried out a daring, commando-style raid, overpowering the trained, heavily armed soldiers guarding the tomb, and making off with the body of Jesus. If you can actually get past that preposterous notion, what about this one? Can you convince your self that not one of those disciples ever admitted that was what happened?

I have said from the pulpit on more than one occasion that people have died for a lie in the past . . . but not for something they knew to be a lie. Deceived people certainly have died for a lie, such as the horrific mass suicides that took place in Jonestown in 1978 or the “Heaven’s Gate” cult suicides in 1997. But it strains credulity to the breaking point to think that the disciples of Christ died horrific deaths for their faith in Christ when they could have escaped those deaths simply by testifying to stealing Jesus’ body out of the tomb. None of them ever did.

Charles (“Chuck”) Colson, Prison Fellowship’s founder, came to faith in Christ at age 42. Prior to his conversion, Colson was known as President Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man,” who once famously boasted that he would “run over my own grandmother” to help the president. Colson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice as part of the so-called Watergate scandal and served seven months in federal prison. It was during this time that Chuck Colson placed his trust in Jesus Christ. The old Colson died, and he was Born Again (the title of his most famous book). Colson spoke of how the Resurrection profoundly affected his thinking:

I know the Resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me twelve apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.

The fact that the religious leaders, who hated and feared Jesus Christ, went to such ludicrous lengths to put together such an implausible narrative provides compelling “enemy evidence” for the truth of the resurrection of our Lord.

On Friday, we will look at more “enemy evidence”–that of Saul, the bitter enemy of the Savior.

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

The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8)

We have arrived at Holy Week, and I would like to share three facts with you that come under the heading “Criteria of Authenticity” regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These facts are agreed on by most scholars and historians on both sides of the debate about the historical truth of the Resurrection. The evidence I will present is rooted in the work of Gary Habermas, Michael Licona, and William Lane Craig. These men have established specific facts about the historical Jesus and His resurrection without assuming the divine inspiration of the Gospels. In other words, these three scholars present arguments for the historical truth of the Resurrection that do not leave any room for unbelievers to object, “You’re just saying that because it’s in the Bible, and I don’t believe the Bible is true!”

My focus today will be on what is called “embarrassing evidence” — evidence that is considered by all to be counterproductive to serve as a source of proof for the Resurrection.

The Witness of the Women

To understand the power of this embarrassing piece of evidence, we must journey back in time to the first century. In our contemporary culture, what I am about to say sounds preposterous, but in the ancient world it was a bitter fact of life. Women were widely regarded as second-class citizens; they were thought to be inferior to men and their testimony was considered untrustworthy. They were not allowed to give testimony as public witnesses, but they could testify in domestic and family matters. When large crowds were mentioned, women were never counted among the men. You may recall that in the gospel accounts of the feeding of the 5,000, the story only records the 5,000 men without any mention of women or children, who surely were present. All this to say that if the first-century gospel writers had fabricated the story of the Resurrection and were trying to convince people it was actually true, it is utterly implausible that they would have used women as the first witnesses. They would have cited witness who were considered more trustworthy by the culture of that time.

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,’ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them, “Greetings,” he said. (Matthew 28:1-8)

Why do we read that these “second-class citizens,” who could not give testimony in a court of law, were the first ones to see the risen Jesus? Because it is true! No one would make up a story that would be both embarrassing and counter-productive. In fact, it must have been hard for the gospel writers to write it this way, because when they first heard the report from the women, they themselves didn’t believe! The words of the women “seemed to [the apostles] like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Surely, the gospel writers would much rather have reported that it was Peter, James, and John who first saw the empty tomb and the risen Lord. This would have been a far more credible statement for the first-century audience to accept. But that would not have been the truth. When we read the gospel accounts, we read exactly what God had planned for providing a powerful proof for the Resurrection in the witness of the women.

A second-century critic of Christianity, the Greek Philosopher Celsus, mocked and ridiculed the witness of the women, stating that Mary Magdalene was a “hysterical female . . . deluded by sorcery.” If you were going to invent the story of the Resurrection to get anyone to believe it, you would never use the witness of the women. But the inspired authors of the gospel accounts were not trying to get people to believe . . . they were simply recounting the facts.

How is it with you? What do you think about the witness of the women as the first ones to see the risen Jesus?

On Wednesday and Friday, we will look at enemy attestation as our second powerful proof of the resurrection.

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