Grace for the Race

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

The title for today’s message may sound more than a little strange to you, since I frequently emphasize God’s plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. But make no mistake, Satan has a plan of salvation too. He presented his plan to Eve in the Garden of Eden, craftily convincing her to question God’s perfect goodness. The scheme worked; Eve brought Adam into Satan’s salvation and plunged all creation into a downward spiral of corruption and death.

Satan’s salvation is rooted in living for the self. It is designed to cause us to shrink our lives down to the size of our lives and to live for nothing bigger than self. Satan offers to give us the desires of our hearts . . . as long as our hearts are beating for everything other than Almighty God. The serpent convinced Eve that she could be just like God, knowing all things and able to determine all things for herself.

Don’t be fooled by the cultural caricature that Satan wants us to be down, dejected, depressed, defeated, and destroyed. That simply isn’t true! Satan wants us to eat, drink, and be merry, to happily and heedlessly “live for the moment” right up until the moment we die . . . and to die in Satan is to die down, dejected, depressed, defeated, and ultimately destroyed for all eternity. Satan says, “Serve me, and I will bring you instant gratification with all things temporal: temporal happiness . . . temporal joy . . . temporal success . . . temporal pleasure.”

Satan’s promise to you is the same promise he made to Jesus during our Lord’s wilderness experience: “You can have it all right now, Son of God, without having to carry that terrible cross.” But eventually, the temporal must end, and that end is death and destruction. Satan’s salvation is the broad road that Jesus warned against in Matthew 7:13, and many are careening down that road right now, living for nothing bigger than the self and the sensual.

What have you been living for lately? Self or Savior? There are only two options; when you live for the self, you are actually living for Satan. He is sitting on the throne of your life, leading you further and further away from God. But when you live for your Savior, He is sitting on the throne of your life, leading you further in and further up into eternal blessing. But your Savior requires that you take up your cross and follow Him, regardless of where He is leading. Jesus may lead you beside still waters, but He will also lead you into stormy seas. Where Satan promises to give you what you want, Jesus promises to give you what is best.

Jesus dealt with and ultimately defeated Satan’s offer of salvation by resting on the promises of God, which are found in the Word of God. And that is the key for you and me. When tempted to trust in the promises of Satan, we must respond as Jesus did: “Away from me Satan, for it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only’” (Matthew 4:10).

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

All those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.  (Luke 18:14)

What should be the easiest thing in the world to do—humble ourselves—eludes us at virtually every turn. We all know that godly humility is impossible without a work of grace in the heart. But we have all come to know through painful personal experience that godly humility often seems like “mission impossible,” even with a work of grace in the heart. Yet God says that humility is to be honored and we must pursue it with every fiber of our being if we are going to put the Gospel on display and reflect the character of Christ.

So how do we do it? We keep our eyes off the self and focus entirely on the Savior. When we look to our Savior, we see humility personified: humble in His birth . . . humble in His life . . . humble in His death. Humility marked every aspect of our Lord’s life from the womb to the tomb. You see the promise in our passage today reflected in the life of Christ. God the Father exalted God the Son by raising Him from death to life. And if that wasn’t enough, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in power and authority and dominion.

Here is a great question to ponder when pursuing a life of humility: What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7). The answer, of course, is nothing. The more you have, the more you are indebted to the One who gave it all to you. So what do we have to be proud of? Absolutely nothing! Everything we have, everything we are, and everything we will ever be is all a gift from God. Our next heartbeat is a gift from God, and that truth should keep us small in our own eyes and serving Him in sincere gratitude.

In today’s passage, Jesus was talking about two men who went up to the Temple to pray; the Pharisee kept his eyes on himself, while the tax collector kept his eyes on God. We know this by their prayers: the Pharisee thanked God that he was not like other men, but the tax collector simply cried out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13). The Pharisee was counting on himself and his merit before God; the tax collector was counting on Christ and His mercy alone. The Pharisee was proud of who he was and what he had accomplished in his own strength; the tax collector was humble because of who he was and what God had accomplished for Him.

Where has your focus been lately? On yourself? Or on your Savior? Remember, humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less. The less you think of yourself, the more you will begin to think of Jesus and of others. And then humility will flow through you like a river to all those with whom you come in contact.

Look to the cross. Look to Christ. Look and live a life marked by Christlike humility.

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

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. (Psalm 73:21-24)

May these words from the psalmist Asaph bring you eternal encouragement as you meditate on the truth that God has made a promise to never let you go. God inspired Asaph to reassure you and me that, regardless of our falling short and all the foolishness and faithlessness we put on display, we are secure in the hand of our God. Asaph freely confessed his sins, yet he knew that he was always in the presence of his God, who had promised to hold on to Asaph through good times and bad and ultimately bring Asaph into the presence of His glory.

If we could fully grasp this truth, we would live lives marked by that supernatural peace that passes all understanding. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Not Satan. Not our sin.

So the question I must ask you today is this: Is Asaph’s confession the confession of your life too? Asaph was not the least bit confused about his sinful condition. He admitted his anger, faithlessness, thoughtlessness, and ignorance; yet he knew deep down that God never wavers in His loving kindness to us.

To always be with the Almighty is to always be on His mind and always in His heart. Think about it this way: when Jesus cried out from the cross, “It is finished,” You were on His mind and in His heart. Everything He did, He did for you. Everything He is currently doing in His providence is being done for your good. All things are working toward His predetermined plan and purpose for the entire universe . . . and that plan includes your redemption and your ultimate glorification. There is no part of your welfare that God is not watching over continually, minute-by-minute, instant-by-instant, for our God never sleeps or slumbers.

So regardless of where this message finds you today—whether you are riding the crest of the wave, peering anxiously at gathering storm clouds, or buried under the waves of challenge—remember that God is always with you.

Perhaps you are in the middle of a mess that is entirely of your own making. Perhaps you’re thinking, “I can’t cry out to God about this; my sin has brought me to this point!” Please look at today’s verse one more time: “Yet I am always with you.” Christian, let that “yet” strengthen your resolve today to rise above every obstacle you face, knowing that He who began the good work in you will not only bring it to completion one day soon, He will never let you go in the midst of that work.

You have His Word on it.

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

“This oath will not be binding on us . . . unless you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down . . .” And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. (Joshua 2:17-18, 21)

More than 3,000 years ago, Rahab trusted in the God of Israel instead of the stone walls of the city of Jericho; and the rest, as they say, is His-story. Read on and be encouraged!

After aiding the Hebrew spies who came to scout the city by hiding them from the king of Jericho and then helping them safely escape, Rahab the prostitute was given a promise: when the Hebrew armies come to destroy the city of Jericho, you and your family will be saved . . . IF you hang a scarlet cord out of your window. Would Rahab trust in this promise from God’s people or would she trust in the protection of the walls of Jericho?

Joshua commanded the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. (Joshua 6:22-23)

Notice that Rahab’s decision to trust in the God of Israel had profound implications for all those in her family. The same is true for you and me today. Our decisions affect everyone around us. What we do and don’t do . . . what we say and don’t say . . . what we think and don’t think . . . all these impact those around us. As I’ve said here before, the well we drink from affects all those we drink with.

So . . . what well have you been drinking from lately? The well of this world or the well of God’s Word? Are you a “scarlet cord Christian,” trusting that God’s Word will come to pass, regardless of what is going on around you? Remember, as the walls of Jericho were tumbling down, Rahab held fast to her faith in the God of Israel, trusting that He would protect her and her family. The scarlet cord in her window was a sure sign of her faith in the One True and Living God.

One last thought: Rahab’s faith not only brought temporal blessing to her and her family, it brought eternal blessings as well. Rahab was ordained to be in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:5) and was awarded a special place in the “Faith Hall of Fame” (Hebrews 11:31), along with the likes of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to name just a few.

Let me present you with a second question today: What are you trusting in? The walls you have built up around you for protection? Or the Word of God, which will truly protect you from every attack of the enemy? Is there a “scarlet cord” hanging from your window? Is your faith in Jesus Christ on display for all the world to see? If not, I hope you’ll consider how you might make your faith as conspicuous as a scarlet cord to all the world. And be encouraged, because greater is the power that is in you than any power that can come against you.

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

As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51)

When was the last time you heard the word “gumption”? (In case you were wondering, it has nothing to do with the Forrest Gump movie.) I am absolutely convinced we need more gumption in the church today. That’s right, more godly gumption. Gumption is the spirited initiative or resourcefulness to confidently move in the direction God is calling, even when we do not know where He is leading.

I hope you’ll be encouraged today by taking a look at just a few of the heroes we meet in the pages of the Bible—sinners like you and me who nonetheless demonstrated godly gumption for the purpose and glory of God.

Abraham had godly gumption. God called Abraham out of his home, away from his people, and beyond the borders of his country to an unknown destination. And so, at the ripe “young” age of 75, Abraham packed up and set out with his wife Sarah and his nephew Lot, ready to journey wherever God would lead them. The church needs more Abraham-like godly gumption.

Joseph had godly gumption. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers and brought down into Egypt. Joseph served Potiphar, who was one of Pharaoh’s officials. Joseph served so faithfully and well that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his entire household. But then Potiphar’s wife maliciously and falsely accused Joseph of attempting to seduce her, and Joseph was thrown into prison. But Joseph kept right on serving in excellence and once again proved himself to be a man of excellent character. Eventually he rose all the way to the position of prime minister of Egypt. Joseph demonstrated godly gumption in his rise from the pit to the palace and in all points in between. The church needs more Joseph-like godly gumption.

Esther had godly gumption. As a young Jewish woman living in exile during the Persian diaspora, Esther’s beauty and gracious behavior paved the way for her to become the queen of the Persian empire. While queen, she was made aware of Haman’s terrible plot to exterminate the Jewish people. Esther demonstrated godly gumption when she approached the king uninvited, which put her own life at risk, in order to expose Haman’s wicked, self-serving scheme. The king received Esther and ordered Haman to be executed. The Jewish people were saved. The church needs more Esther-like godly gumption . . . for such a time as this.

The Bible is full of examples of those who lived lives of godly gumption for the glory of God. Of course, there is no example greater than the one set by our Lord Jesus Christ. Every step He took was on purpose as He made His way toward Golgotha and the cross. When He set His face toward Jerusalem, nothing would keep Him from His intended destination. This was godly gumption of the highest level!

Make no mistake, the church needs more Jesus-like godly gumption. It needs it from you! If not you . . . who? If not now . . . when?

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

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

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)

The word diet can simply mean the food and drink we consume to have the nourishment we need to stay alive. “Diet” can also mean a carefully controlled regimen of food and drink that is intended to accomplish some intended goal—weight loss, weight gain, improved performance, positive change in blood chemistry, etc. Today’s word of encouragement is about a different kind of diet, one that every that every child of God should be on and never come off: that diet, beloved, is the Divine Diet.

Jesus went forty days without eating and drinking earthly food; if God so willed it, we could do the same. But how long can we go without the Word of God? Not one, single, solitary second! You see, the Word of God is Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Our next breath and heartbeat come because He graciously gives them to us. The author of Hebrews explains that Jesus sustains “all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). And that “all” includes you!

In the beginning God spoke His Word, and everything came into existence. In salvation, God speaks a Word of recreation, and we are raised from death to life. Take away the Word of God and you take away life itself. The enemy does everything within his power to keep us from that Word. He bombards us with busyness; he distracts us with delicacies; he entices us with entertainment; he sidetracks us with strongholds. But he will only succeed when we forsake our Divine Diet. A week without a diet of the Word makes us weak! And when we are weakened because we have neglected time in the Word, we are vulnerable to Satan’s slings and arrows.

So . . . what have you been feasting on lately? There is nothing that will satisfy the hunger of your soul other than the Word of God. The stuff of this world may seem to satisfy for a while, but you will soon grow faint and fall into the snare of Satan. Nothing can truly slake your thirst except the Truth Himself.

Jesus knew this truth when He did battle against Satan, and He countered every attack with the Word of God. You will remember that the devil knew the Word of God also, but here is the key difference: both Jesus and the devil were in the Word of God . . . but the Word of God was only in Jesus.

It is not enough to merely be in the Word. You must let the Word get inside of you. Meditate on it. Marinate in it. Make it your pillow at night and your guide by day. The more you get into the Word of God, the more the Word of God will get into you. Perhaps today is a good day to renew your commitment to your Divine Diet. God will be glorified and you will be blessed!

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

I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. (Hosea 2:14)

Regardless of where this message finds you today, I assure you that these words should greatly encourage you. Take a moment to really marinate in today’s verse; when you do, you will notice that God is speaking to His wayward people Israel, who had turned to lesser gods time and time again. But instead of a harsh rebuke, God speaks tenderly to Israel with a holy heart full of love—wooing her, if you will, into the wilderness.

Why does God lead His people into the wilderness? Because He loves us too much to let us continue in our worldly ways. Intimacy and intercourse with our Lord are best achieved when we are not focused on the cares of this world. And that, beloved, is The Wonderland of the Wilderness. Even the wilderness is a paradise, because God makes it so by His presence.

The love of our God is so great that He refuses to let us stay forever entangled with the cares of this world. Instead He withdraws us to His wilderness, where He can gain our undivided and unwavering attention and speak tenderly to us.

After His baptism, Jesus demonstrated the wonder of the wilderness when He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested. During our Lord’s testing, Jesus was continually in communion with His Father in heaven. He was hungry and tired, yet His wilderness was a wonderland because His Father sustained Him every step of the way until Jesus vanquished the devil and angels came to minister to Him.

Make no mistake, paradise has been promised, and it is indeed coming to all those who have, by grace through faith, trusted in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. But this promised paradise will not be experienced until we cross the Jordan. Until then, whenever we treat this world like this is all there is, holding on to all this world offers with a white-knuckled grip, God will lead us into the wonderland of His wilderness and speak loving words to correct us, comfort us, and challenge us to return to our first love.

Remember, God so loved you that He gave His one and only Son in order to bring you into an intimate, personal relationship with Him. He did not send His Son to die for your sins so that you would give Him half of your heart. He has no desire to let you live with one foot in the world and one foot in His Word. God tolerates no rival. He wants all of you, and He will use whatever means He must to get all of your attention.

The next time you realize that your Lord has led you into a wilderness, know that it is for your good and His glory. Be still and listen for His voice, speaking tender words of hope and grace to you:

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

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

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3)

If you have seen The Visual Bible: Matthew movie, you’ll definitely remember the holy humor Jesus used in this part of His Sermon on the Mount. That humor was amplified in the movie when Bruce Marchiano, the actor who portrayed Jesus, picked up a long staff and held it next to his eye as he looked around at the crowds who were listening to him. The point was obvious; it is absurd to be concerned about the speck in someone else’s eye when you have a six-foot-long plank protruding from your own eye! In fact, as you approach the other person to take the speck out of his eye, your plank will keep bumping into him, causing a great deal of irritation. And so, our Lord tells us, it is best to Yank the plank before you check the speck.

It is interesting to note in the original text that the words “plank” and “speck” come from the same Greek root, which means they are of the same substance. Now, there is some truly inspired irony. Since both are of the same substance, it makes it easy for those with the plank to quickly notice those with the speck, because the faults and shortcomings in our own lives are the easiest to pick out in the lives of others. It is not at all uncommon for us to direct anger toward the speck we see in the eyes of others due to a level of suppressed guilt we have because we are dealing with the same exact sin!

Jesus was instructing His disciples, and you and me also, to first focus on our own sins and shortcomings and deal with them. Self-examination is the way of the disciple of Christ, rather than inspecting the lives of others. That does not mean that we do not come alongside of a brother or sister who is caught in a particular sin with the goal of gently restoring him or her, as Galatians 6:1 instructs. The Bible makes it clear that we are indeed our brother’s keeper. But in order to be truly helpful, we must yank the plank first. Otherwise our own sin will bump so roughly and rudely into the other person that they will find our well-intentioned words of correction to be an irritation at best . . . and gross hypocrisy at the worst.

How would you evaluate yourself today? Are you better at self-examination? Or speck inspection? Sometimes an honest answer to that question will go a long way toward setting us on the right track of dealing with our own plank before we begin dissect the speck in the eyes of others. Remember, what bothers you most in the lives of others is probably the very thing you need to deal with in your own life!

Take your plank to Jesus and lay it at the foot of the cross. The more time you spend in self-examination, the less time you will have to inspect the speck in others. That’s better for you, quite likely better for them, and far more glorifying to God.

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

The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here with me.” (Exodus 24:12)

To be sure, we have been created for community. It was God who, after having pronounced His benediction over all that He had created said, “It is not good that man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18 NKJV). God Himself is community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we, having been made in His image, are made to live life in the context of community. But inasmuch as God has called us to be together as His family of faith, He has also called us to be alone.

Jesus spent His three-plus years of ministry surrounded by people, from the massive crowds to the chosen twelve. He lived a life of community. But He also made sure to set aside time to be alone with His Father in heaven.

Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)

Jesus frequently withdrew from the community to commune alone with His Father. This is the model for every one of His disciples to follow. The roots of our redemption drive the deepest when we are alone in communion with God. I am convinced that we do not learn deep things from others; rather, we learn them as we spend time alone in contemplation and communion with God.

As a pastor, I have seen an alarming trend today in the church—too many Christians are “all together” often, which is good, but rarely “all alone” with God . . . which is bad. For many, the group has become, in some strange way, their god, which can become a stumbling block to our relationship with the Savior.

Don’t misunderstand me; I am not suggesting that we seek the quiet solitude of the monastic life and seclude ourselves from others. But if the lion’s share of our time in discipleship is spent in community, we will end up looking more like the community than the One in whose name we gather: our Lord Jesus Christ. We must balance our time by being both “all together” and “all alone” if we are going to grow into the person God is calling us to be.

We have all heard the statement, “There is safety in numbers.” But we must remember that God is not calling us to safety, because safety does not sanctify. He is calling us to an intimate, personal relationship with our Savior, who alone sanctifies, and that relationship requires not only “all together” time, but “all alone” time as well.

So . . . how balanced is the time you spend each week with God? Would it serve you well to set aside a little more all alone time with Jesus?

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

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

Because we are created beings, we owe our existence to our Creator, whether we acknowledge this truth or not. The unbeliever owes the exact same debt to God that the believer does regarding our creation; as Job said, “In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10).

But is there anything “extra” when it comes to the Christian? Our Lord Jesus Christ has staked three claims upon every one of His children. Let’s take a look . . . and get ready to be supernaturally strengthened by the truth!

Claim #1 – Natural

First, God places His claim upon everyone from the natural (or creational) standpoint. In Exodus 20:11 we read, “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them.” The psalmist writes, “It is he who made us, and we are his” (Psalm 100:3), and the Sovereign Lord has made His rightful claim: “Every living soul belongs to me” (Ezekiel 18:4).

Claim #2 – Legal

Second, God in Christ places His claim upon all those whom He has redeemed. The prophet Isaiah says, “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22). The apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Claim #3 – Personal

Finally, Jesus now stakes His claim upon us because of the relationship that He, by His blood, has brought us into: “I beg you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1).

Don’t miss this: Having made His rightful claim on us, both naturally and legally, our Lord Jesus still comes to us with the most intimate and personal appeal. Jesus makes His third claim, not based on His natural and legal rights as Lord of lords, but rather He makes His claim for our surrender and submission based upon His sufferings on the cross. As true and right as both His natural and legal claim are, they will only take relationship so far. It is mercy that ministers to the mind and melts the heart.

Our Lord Jesus Christ has three claims on every Christian—on you and me. You are His, naturally, legally, and personally. As powerful as it is to know that we are His, for He is “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways,” (Daniel 5:23 NKJV), how powerfully encouraging it is to know that the Sovereign Lord of all the universe invites us into a personal relationship with Him! Jesus, the loving Lamb of God, says to you:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Christian, if that doesn’t light the fire of your faith and encourage you to live exclusively for Jesus, your wood is wet!

Let’s close with these words from Jeremiah, which reveal just how gracious and how glorious these three claims on you truly are: “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

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