Grace for the Race

These all died in faith. (Hebrews 11:13)

Christians have received great grace from God: we have been raised from death to life so that we can live by faith. But it is an even greater grace from God to be preserved throughout the entirety of our lives so that we can die in faith. That is indeed a divine death which brings almost unimaginable blessings to those who experience it.

The epitaph for the faithful, given from the pen of the inspired writer of Hebrews, echoes in eternity. It matters not how “these all” died. Some died at a ripe old age after many years of fruitful service to their God. Others were called home during the springtime of their lives. Still others died a martyr’s death. But regardless of the timing of their departure, they went out through the veil in faith, and that is all that truly matters.

What starts in faith will end in faith because the Faithful One has promised to preserve us to the end (Philippians 1:6). The saints of God who died in faith did not trust in their own merits nor rest in the glory of their own good works. No, they looked only to Him who gave them the faith they lived by and died in. Living by faith looks both to the past and to the present. Dying in faith looks to the promised future which we do not presently possess, yearning with confident expectation for “the city that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14), where the saints of God will enter into the unbroken and unchanging presence of their Lord and Savior and rejoice in every spiritual blessing.

Here indeed is cosmic comfort: Whether we live or we die, we do so in faith, trusting in the Lord’s faithfulness to His covenant promises. God is not a man that He should ever lie or change His mind (Numbers 23:19). The promises of God are as certain and secure as they are satisfying, and each one of those promises finds its “Yes” and “Amen” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

We all die; the question is how we will die. Either we die in faith or we die in our sin. To die in sin is to spend eternity separated from the love of God and surrounded by His eternal wrath and judgment. But to die in faith is to live submerged in the shining sea of the Savior’s eternal light and love.

So . . . how will your epitaph read when you breathe your last? If you are trusting in Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, it will read as it does for all those in the “Faith Hall of Fame”—These all died in faith. And that is a divine death indeed!

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

“Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

The Word of God commands us to remember our Redeemer, because, even with a renewed nature, we are apt to forget. To be sure, there would be no need for our Savior to remind us to remember Him if our minds were not so prone to be forgetful!

We forget the One who took our beating.

We forget the One who took our nails.

We forget the One who took our cross.

We forget the One who took our crown of thorns.

We forget the One who took our death.

We forget the One who took our grave clothes.

We forget the One who took our tomb.

Forgetfulness should be an unknown intruder into the minds of the faithful of God, but if we spend just a moment in prayerful consideration of how we actually live day-to-day, the Spirit of God will convict us of our cosmic treason. With countless voices vying for our attention, we often forget the One who never forgets us, having bought us with His precious blood. The One who said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” is often pushed to the periphery of our lives when we should be striving to make Him both the center and the circumference of our lives every day!

So how do the faithful keep from becoming forgetful? Only by seeking Jesus first in all things. Remember, the Bible never tells us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness . . . it tells us to seek them first (Matthew 6:33). If we seek Jesus first as we begin each day, we will not forget Him. If we seek Jesus first at the office, we will not forget Him. If we seek Jesus first at school, we will not forget Him. If we seek Jesus first as the day is ending, we will not forget Him.

Yet with all of these “forget-me-nots,” there will still be times when we forget Him. Then what do we do? We must follow the command of Scripture: we remember. We are to set our minds on the One who forgives us completely, which will set us back on the pathway of doing all things in remembrance of Him.

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

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” (Mark 1:38)

Take just a cursory glance around you and you can see that there is great need in this fallen and broken world. You’ll also quickly realize that there are far more needs than we could ever meet in any meaningful way. Brokenness abounds, and if we are not sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can head off in a direction of service motivated by sentiment . . . and when we do, it is not long before our humanitarian hunger descends into doubt, disillusionment, and utter despair. That is why need never determines the call.

A word of caution before we go on: we must be careful never to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the needs around us. We must always be compassionate and Christlike as we encounter needs as we go through life. Having said that, however, I will also assert that we must not let anything derail us from the call God has placed on our lives. And we will only maintain that kind of focus when we are clear on what our call from God truly is.

Jesus modeled this perfectly for us in Scripture. Today’s verse records His response to His disciples, who had told Him, “Everyone is looking for you!” (Mark 1:37). And why was everyone looking for Jesus? Because He was healing countless people who had a myriad of diseases, as well as driving out many demons. Jesus was meeting need after need, but never did He let those needs derail Him from His call. The sense of purpose Jesus demonstrates for us here is as profound as it is predictable. Jesus knew who He was and what He had come here to do—to testify to the truth (John 18:37)—and He maintained an unwavering course because of His constant communication with His Father in heaven.

We read throughout the gospels that Jesus frequently went off to a solitary place to pray. Seasons of prayer kept Jesus focused on His purpose; prayer will do the same for you and me.

How is your prayer life right now? How much time are you spending on your knees with God? The more often we are in communion with our Lord, the more certain we will be about His call on our lives. Without consistent communion with Christ, we may very well become distracted by the many voices vying for our attention. Only when we model the prayer life of our Lord will we sense our purpose, hear our call, and respond with these words of the prophet Isaiah: “Here am I Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). Remember, need never determines the call . . . Christ does!

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

Elijah was afraid and ran for his life . . . He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. (1 Kings 19:3-4)

I find great inspired irony in today’s passage and word of encouragement. The man who would not see death prayed that he might die! God denied Elijah’s request because He had something far better in store for the great prophet. Instead of death, Elijah would be ushered into heaven on a chariot of fire. Ultimately, Elijah did receive what he had prayed for—that he might be taken from this world into the next, where he would enjoy the unbroken presence of his God. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “God does not always answer prayer in kind, though He always does in effect.”

After a great and mighty victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, Elijah was now on the run from Jezebel, fearing for his life. This great man of God, who had demonstrated lion-hearted faith, was now so fearful that he thought it best that God would end his life.

Isn’t it a great comfort to you to know that God does not always answer our prayers with a “Yes”? We can all look back over certain periods in our lives and thank God with a full heart that He did not give us what we were asking for at that time. God knows what is best for us. He knows just what we need and just when we need it. Elijah did not die in the way that he asked for. But he did get the fruit of his request when he was ushered into the presence of his God.

Elijah, in his despondent state of mind, was asking for something that was contrary to the will of God. And you and I often do the very same thing. I hope this message will serve as a cosmic comfort to you and as a reminder that your God will always answer your prayers in the best way possible to maximize His glory and your ultimate good. Even when we ask in faith and according to the will of God, His answer often comes in a form that we did not express or expect . . . yet it comes with far greater effect and blessing in our lives.

What have you been asking God for lately? Seek His face and stay on your knees, knowing that His answer is on the way and it will bring to you so much more than you could have ever imagined.

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

When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. (Luke 2:45)

Jesus said that He would never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). In other words, He has promised to always be with us. So how could it be possible to lose the presence of the Ever-Present One? Let’s take a look.

As disciples of Christ, we must understand the difference between the word union and communion as it relates to our relationship with Him. Our union with Jesus is the fountainhead from which all the blessings of God flow. Whatever is true of Jesus is also true of us because of our union with Him. His death is our death. His resurrection is our resurrection. The love of the Father to the Son also flows to all those who are in union with Christ, making us sons, as Paul assures us, “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). This union is as unwavering as it is undisturbed. Nothing can separate us from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But our communion with Christ is another thing altogether. Inasmuch as Jesus is always with us, there are times when His presence may seem as far as the east is from the west. We can lose the sense of His presence, just as Mary and Joseph lost His physical presence when they were returning home from Jerusalem with the caravan of family and friends.

Jesus vanishes from our vision as we begin to focus on anything other than Him. We begin to neglect our alone time with Jesus. We begin to neglect our community time with Jesus. Nothing major, mind you, just a little neglect here and a little neglect there. But what starts as an infection winds up a disease, cutting us off from any real sense of our communion with Christ. To be sure, our union has not changed in any way, but our communion has become transient, and transient communion will never satisfy the soul.

So how do we keep from losing Jesus and the communion we so desperately need? We don’t assume, as Joseph and Mary did, that Jesus is in our company and that our communion with Him is as secure as our union with Him. We must continue to seek Jesus in all things. We cannot get caught up in the cultural caravan around us, or we will cut ourselves off from our communion with Christ. We must continue looking for Jesus, listening to Jesus, and leaning on Jesus. At this level of living, our communion with Jesus will be every bit as constant as our union with Him. Draw near to the Lord . . . and He will draw near to you.

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

He saw and believed. (John 20:8)

On that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb, saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, and went running to Peter and John. When she told them someone had taken the Lord from the tomb, they ran to see for themselves. John reached the tomb first and looked inside, but Peter went straight into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there. Finally John also went in, and we read the words of our verse today: “He saw and believed.”

Now, John didn’t see what he thought he would see: the dead body of his Lord. John saw nothing, and it was at that point that the Scriptures tell us he believed. This was indeed a time when seeing nothing was something. Why? Because, for the very first time, the disciple whom Jesus loved was looking through the eyes of faith. Only when we are looking through the eyes of faith can we see nothing and it becomes something substantial . . . something life-changing. By faith, John saw that the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning, and he believed that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, just as He had told His disciples He would do.

In our natural selves, we see so little. For the most part, we live by the phrase, “Seeing is believing!” If we don’t see something, we don’t believe. By nature we are all just like Thomas, who said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). Well, John saw nothing and he believed, because John was looking beyond the fleshly veil. John looked through the eyes of faith, and the eyes of faith are able to see the invisible.

The enemy armies of Aram surrounded the city of Dothan; the servant of Elisha saw them, and he was panic-stricken. What he saw was real and true. The city was surrounded by the enemy, but the servant was only looking in the natural. But Elisha prayed that the Lord would enable his servant to see through the eyes of faith and when he did, “He saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17). God gave Elisha’s servant the eyes of faith—an act very similar to Jesus healing a blind man, and he learned the absolute truth of Elisha’s words: “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

Only when we are looking through the eyes of faith do we begin to see all that God is doing in our lives. God has surrounded you with legions of angels led by the Lion from the tribe of Judah and has promised to protect and provide for your every need. Fear not what you may be seeing through your physical eyes, for they see only a tiny portion of what is actually going on around you. Ask God to open your eyes of faith, and you will begin seeing God’s hand in everything that is happening in your life. At that level of living, seeing nothing is indeed something!

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

“Is not my word like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:29)

It would be to our great disadvantage to see the Bible only as a book designed to bring cosmic comfort to the soul. To be sure, this is one of the things the Word of God does in the lives of all those who read Scripture with the eyes of faith. But the prophet Jeremiah declared that the Bible also strikes a blow like a holy hammer, breaking a rock in pieces. What is that “rock”? It is your rock-hard heart and mine, with all its self-righteousness and sinful pride.

The problem in far too many pulpits today is that the preacher is more concerned with pleasing man than he is with pleasing God. Messages designed to tickle the ears and minister to felt needs dominate the theological landscape. But when the whole counsel of God is preached, it wields a holy hammer that begins breaking away pieces of our pride and self-righteousness, exposing more and more of the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are many false prophets who preach “Peace, peace,” but God would have us know there is no peace for those whose eyes are fixed on self, rather than the Savior. The natural man craves this false peace, for his greatest goal in this life is to be happy. But God desires so much more for His people! In God’s perfect plan for our imperfect lives, holiness, not happiness, is the path God intends for us to travel. And the pathway leading to holiness is not lined with peace, but rather, persecution.

Here is a phrase I learned many years ago that I have repeated from the pulpit on many occasions: as a minister of the Good News of Jesus Christ, God has called me to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. The Christian life is not designed to be lived within a “safe space” of comfort, for a comfort zone is not conducive to conformity to Christ.

The Bible’s blow is the believer’s blessing. Comfort must be mixed with challenge; peace must be mixed with pain. On more than one occasion, the apostle Paul used the metaphor of a race to describe the life of a disciple of Christ. One of those metaphors is that of a runner, who will never reach the goal of winning a race without developing the discipline required to push past the pain and discomfort of training.

We are not called to comfort; we are called to Christlikeness, and Jesus Christ “was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” (Isaiah 53:3). The Word of God is designed to train us up in the way we should go, and that way is marked by weeping as much as, if not more than, by rejoicing.

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  (Hebrews 4:12-13)

So . . . when was the last time the Scriptures caused you to weep? When was the last time you felt the Bible’s blow, hammering away at your old sin nature within, penetrating to the essence of your soul and laying bare that which is displeasing in God’s sight? Remember, Jesus promised that the truth would set you free, and the truth of God’s Word is designed to turn your life inside-out and upside-down as God reshapes and redesigns His image in you.

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

I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. (Colossians 4:18)

There are a variety of ways to define the word memorial, but for our purposes today, this one is best: a memorial serves to help people remember some person . . . namely, Jesus Christ! For the Christian, there are really three ways to memorialize our Master:

• With our speech
• In our service
• And through our suffering

After years as a pastor, walking through the details of life with countless Christians whom God has given me the privilege to serve, I am convinced that the greatest depth of our devotion to our Master is revealed in the third of these actions—our suffering.

Think of the great apostle Paul and the magnificent memorials he left behind for all the world to read and remember regarding his Master. Paul left us many speeches, sermons, and epistles; he left some magnificent miracles; but he also left us the memory of his many chains. Paul’s suffering is the most powerful memorial of all.

Consider these words he penned for the Christians at Corinth:

Are they [false teachers] servants of Christ? . . . I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move I have been in danger from rivers, from bandits, from my fellow Jews, and Gentiles. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

To be sure, there are many ways to measure the depths of Paul’s devotion to Jesus, but none plumbs the depths of his suffering. And the same is true for every disciple of Christ, including you and me. In our cultural context today, you and I may never experience the physical dangers and suffering that the apostle Paul endured, although many of our brothers and sisters around the world certainly are. You and I may not be shipwrecked or beaten with rods like Paul, but as we memorialize our Master, we certainly may be shunned. We may not be lashed or stoned, but we can expect rejection.

I will never forget these words from one of my spiritual fathers, the late Dr. R. C. Sproul, which he uttered during a class I was attending at Knox Theological Seminary: “When you are out in the world preaching the Gospel of Christ, if some people are not angry with you, one of two things has happened: either they don’t understand what you are preaching or you are not preaching it!” The Gospel either attracts or repels, and it is our responsibility to share it with others, leaving the results up to God.

So . . . what memorials have you left regarding your devotion to Jesus? May God give us the strength to refuse to shrink back, even when our devotion is revealed in the form of suffering.

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

You must be born again.  (John 3:7)

I have been working with student-athletes for decades, a labor of love which God has allowed me to continue as a pastor. We started Cross University at our church, a vehicle for ministering to our college students throughout the school year. I write a word of encouragement each week and we send out a “care package” for the fall and spring semesters.

Each student is in search of a degree that will help them in the field they have chosen to pursue. But did you know that there is a degree that is available to everyone, one that transcends the degrees conferred by a college or university? And you don’t need to enter into massive debt to pay the tuition to obtain it; that debt has already been paid in full by Another. The degree I am speaking of is a divine degree: a BA from the College of Christ—Born Again!

Today’s text comes from the familiar New Testament passage in which Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, came to Jesus under the cover of darkness, asking some deep questions. During their conversation, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3).

Nicodemus’ response made it clear he had no idea what Jesus was talking about: “‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!’” (John 3:4) Obviously, Nicodemus did not understand what it means to be “born again.” And if he did not understand the meaning of the phrase, he certainly did not realize why that rebirth is necessary. Let’s look at both of these issues.

“Born again” means to be born from above by the Almighty. In the College of Christ, everyone who has—by grace through faith—placed their trust in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is born again by the Spirit of God.

Here are a few passages of Scripture that define this Divine Degree.

“My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Now that we have a basic understanding of the meaning of “born again,” we must know why it is necessary.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Ephesians 2:1-2)

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. (Colossians 1:21)

Every one of us was born in sin, and that indwelling sin separates us from God and makes us blind and indifferent to the things of God. “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Our condition was utterly hopeless and helpless; we were dead in our sins.

And now you will read the two most glorious words in all the English language: “But God.”

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. (Titus 3:4-5)

We could do nothing to save ourselves . . . but God in Christ offers eternal salvation to all who will transfer their trust from their own self-salvation projects to Christ’s atoning work on their behalf.

Of all the degrees we could pursue through higher education, the only one that truly matters—the highest, most exalted one of all—is the divine degree from the College of Christ. And here is the greatest news of all: Unlike every other degree that must be earned through your disciplined effort and financial commitment, your BA from the College of Christ is simply received by grace through faith. There is nothing you must do, indeed, nothing you can do to earn this divine degree. Simply by trusting in Christ alone—by faith alone, through grace alone, to the glory of God alone—you will receive the most important degree in the world: your BA from the College of Christ . . . Born Again!

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

The next day Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe. They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra. (Acts14:20-21)

God sent the apostle Paul and his companion Barnabas to Lystra to preach the Gospel there. In Lystra they healed a man who had been crippled from birth. The crowds thought the gods had come down from heaven in the likeness of Paul and Barnabas, and they called Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes.” Paul and Barnabas would not receive their praise and worship and quickly corrected their misunderstanding.

But while they were there, some of the Jews who rejected the Gospel of Christ arrived from Antioch and stirred up the crowds to stone Paul; they dragged him out of the city and left him for dead. We don’t know whether Paul truly was dead and raised again to life, as some believe, or whether he only appeared to be dead; but, miraculously, Paul was alive and well the next day. He and Barnabas left for Derbe to preach and teach.

Then something very strange happened. They went back to Lystra. Why? Because God had called them back to learn the lessons of Lystra. I want to look at two of the lessons that God ordained for Paul and Barnabas to learn.

Lesson #1. Learn from every defeat

Rarely do we learn much when the sky is blue, the clouds are fleecy, and the sun is brightly shining. More often than not, God’s deep teachings will only be learned on the other side of a devastating defeat in life. So we must seek to find the lesson in every defeat, letting it shape and mold us into the person God is calling us to be.

Lesson #2. Return to some defeats

Sometimes God calls us to return to a place where we experienced defeat because He intends to turn that defeat into a divine victory. This is not an easy thing for the natural man to do! When we are defeated, we would rather learn the lesson—or just forget about it as quickly as possible—and get on with life. But there are times when God has determined to take us above and beyond a lesson learned and to turn that devastating defeat into a divine deliverance. When that happens, we are reminded of our Lord’s words: “With man, this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). That is the lesson that God gave Paul and Barnabas; but in order to understand it, they had to learn to think supernaturally rather than naturally.

Think back to the last time God determined that you should return to some particular defeat, rather than simply learn from it. A heated argument with a loved one? A broken relationship that needed to be made whole? A stronghold that became a stranglehold on you? When you encounter these trials, it may very well be that God has ordained that the lesson learned will not lift you high enough. Rather, you must return to rise above that defeat in order to receive the victory that is only possible with God. Return with a humble heart. Return with a contrite character. Return, despite the threat of a “second stoning,” knowing that God is with you every step of the way . . . just as He was with Paul and Barnabas.

 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
(Psalm 37:3 NKJV)

My prayer is that you will feed on the faithfulness of God this day as you consider the lessons of Lystra.

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