Grace for the Race

There is nothing sillier and more sinful than for the creature to attempt to rise above the Creator, an act which we clearly see in the sin of self-sufficiency. To forget God and flatter man is a scourge among the saints today.

But this is not for you! I pray today’s message will encourage the slaying of self-sufficiency, a sin with which you and I must deal daily.

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

(John 15:4-5)

The sin of self-sufficiency is an attempt to rob God of His glory. It seeks to exalt man and cast down our glorious Savior. Make no mistake, it is a fool’s errand. Both the Bible and personal experience impart the same truth: apart from Jesus we can do nothing! And this is not only true of unbelievers who are outside of the faith; this is just as true for the saints of God who have put their trust in Jesus Christ but slip into the sin of self-sufficiency. That’s you . . . and me . . . and all of us!

Notice what our Lord not say; He did not say:

• Apart from me you can do some things
• Apart from me you can do little things
• Apart from me you can do virtually nothing

John’s gospel lays the axe at the root of our self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. Apart from Jesus, we can do nothing . . . that is, we can do nothing that pleases our God. To be sure, there is much we can do in this world: we can work, we can play, we can serve. But it is as the chaff is to the wheat. It adds nothing to God’s economy because it was not done for His glory. As Isaiah 64:6 declares, “All our righteous acts are filthy rags.”

The spiritual life is beyond both the natural man and the spiritual man who works in his natural strength. By ourselves, we are sufficient for absolutely nothing. It is only when we remain connected to Christ that we can do things that matter and bring glory to God.

So . . . what have you been depending on lately? Have you been trusting in your Savior and His strength? Or have you been caught in the snare of self-sufficiency? Jesus would not have sent His Holy Spirit if we could do what God wanted us to do in our own strength. It is the ministry of the Spirit of God to give us all the strength we need to do all God is calling us to do. We are to work in the power of the Holy Spirit; we are to play in the power of the Holy Spirit; we are to serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. Never are we to depend upon ourselves for the forward progress we desire to make in this life.

Why is this so? Because apart from Jesus . . . WE CAN DO NOTHING!

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

Yesterday was Easter Sunday, the day which celebrates our Lord Jesus Christ walking out of His grave. It is, quite simply, the most important day in the history of the world.

It was not long after that first Easter Sunday that the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ started to greet one another with a new saying: “CHRIST IS RISEN . . . HE IS RISEN INDEED!” In this one short statement of truth, the entire Gospel message is summed up.

He has risen! He is not here.

(Mark 16:6)

Jesus is the only religious leader in history who made the claim that after He suffered and died, He would rise from the dead three days later. Every other religious leader is still in the grave! Dr. D. James Kennedy captured this idea beautifully in a sermon titled “Message from an Empty Tomb” . . .

You may go to the tomb of Mohammed, and they will tell you, “Here lie the bones of the great prophet.”

You may go the tomb of Napoleon, and they will say, “Here lie the bones of the emperor of France.”

You may go to Moscow and see the tomb of Lenin, and they will say, “Here lie the bones of the great founder of Soviet Communism.”

But you may go to the tomb of Jesus, and they will tell you, and you may walk in and see for yourself, “Here lie the bones of no one. He is not here. He is risen, as he said he would.”

The message from the empty tomb is a message of hope.

Only in Christianity do we find the leader walking out of His grave, just as He said He would do. On that first Easter morning, Jesus Christ became the death of death; because of this truth, death no longer holds any power over those who place their trust in Jesus.

You see, if Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is a dead religion, our faith is futile, and all our sharing of the good news of the Gospel is in vain. But the grave is not the end of the story for Jesus and His followers. It is only the place where we pass from this life to the next. Absence from the body means that we find ourselves present with our Lord, because Jesus is alive and well, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. The world has never heard any greater news!

And sharing that news is what you and I are to be busy doing, just as the angel instructed the women at the empty tomb: “Go and tell . . . !” We are to go and tell the world about the One who rose from the grave. We are to go and tell the world about the One who is coming back to finish what He started. We are to go and tell the world what the Lord has done for us.

Think about it this way: we immediately tell our friends and family about a good movie we went to see or a great meal we ate at a new restaurant. Why would we not tell EVERYONE about a dead man who got up and walked out of His grave, the God-man who is offering eternal life to all who put their trust in Him?

When was the last time you told someone about Jesus Christ? There really is no more important message we could share with anyone, other than this truth:

HE IS RISEN . . . HE IS RISEN INDEED!

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

Today is Good Friday—Holy Friday—the Friday immediately preceding Easter Sunday, the day we commemorate the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a dark, dreadful day . . . the day that sinful men tortured an innocent man—truly the only innocent Man who ever lived—until He breathed out His last.

And yet . . . it is a glorious, exultant day, as well! The apostle Paul wrote,

God demonstrates his own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

(Romans 5:8)

Notice what Paul did not say in this verse. He did not say that Christ died for us when we got everything right. He did not say that Christ died for us when we got cleaned up. Nor did he say that Christ died for us when we were worthy of His sacrifice. He did not say that Christ died for us when we had earned His love. Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, recorded that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

Have you ever wondered why that terrible day when Jesus was crucified is referred to as “good”? To be sure, there was nothing good in what the religious leaders, the Roman authorities, and the wicked unbelievers did to Jesus. The betrayal of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane was not good. The false accusations made against our Lord were not good. Peter denying three times that he knew Jesus was not good. The scourging, the crown of thorns, and the nine-inch nails were not good. The Prince of Peace hanging on a cross, shivering in agony, laboring for every breath, was not good. However, the results rooted in all of this “bad” were good—unbelievably good—because what Jesus did throughout this monumental weekend paved the way for our salvation.

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.

(1 Peter 3:18)

Now, inasmuch as the Bible does not command us to remember the day Jesus was crucified every year, it does command us to remember Christ’s death by participating in the Lord’s Supper. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The question I must ask you now is this: Is today Good Friday for you? Have you placed your trust—by grace through faith— in the atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on your behalf? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 that all that Jesus did from Good Friday to Easter morning is “of first importance.”

Is this weekend of first importance to you? If not, I echo Paul by imploring you, on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God!

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

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, also known as “Holy Thursday” or “Covenant Thursday.” It is the Thursday before Easter Sunday, commemorating the Last Supper of the Lord Jesus Christ, which He celebrated with His disciples before Good Friday.

The word “Maundy” is taken from the Latin mandatum, meaning “command.” We get our English word “mandate” from mandatum. The command that Maundy Thursday recalls is Jesus’ command to His disciples in John 13:34—“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

The scene at the Last Supper is stark and unforgettable. One of the most significant events of that time in the Upper Room is the act that Jesus performed on the feet of the disciples.

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

(John 13:14-17)

In ancient times, there was no act so low as washing feet. It was reserved for servants. The feet of those who were traveling would be filthy from walking dusty roads in sandals. Upon entering a dwelling, the servant would perform the washing of the feet. Obviously on this night of nights, the night when Jesus was to be betrayed, there were no servants present to wash anyone’s feet. So in an act of unimaginable humility, Jesus Christ, the God-man got up from the table, picked up a towel and a basin, and washed the feet of His disciples.

[Christ Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

(Philippians 2:6-7)

The picture of service that Jesus paints for us is as beautiful as it is unbelievable. The King of kings and Lord of lords humbled Himself to perform an act of service that no disciple would ever be required to perform. The responsibility of disciples who were following a rabbi was to attend to all his needs, except one: washing the feet. No disciple was ever required to wash the feet of his rabbi; the task was considered too low for even the newest student. But here, the Rabbi—the Redeemer, the Righteous One—set the ultimate example of what it means to be a servant. And no servant is greater than his Master.

There really is a special blessing that can only be received on the other side of service. When we are following the model of our Master, we are living the life God has called us to live. When God told Pharaoh to let His people go, it was for the expressed reason to serve Him. To live a life of significance is to live a life of service.

So . . . as we are advancing through Holy Week, on our way to Good Friday and Easter Sunday morning, consider how you have been pouring yourself out for your Savior. To be sure, there is no greater joy than to be serving our God by serving others. Who in your life right now needs your service? Perhaps a phone call or a text; a note of encouragement; a hug or a holy kiss; a little washing of the feet? There are so many things we can do to strengthen, encourage, and serve others! The key is to be willing to let God use us for His glory and the good of others . . . all others.

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

Yesterday was the Sunday before Easter—the day Christians refer to as “Palm Sunday,” which commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is recorded in all four gospel accounts. Zechariah beautifully prophesied this event . . .

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

(Zechariah 9:9)

Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem marks the beginning of His Passion Week. Every week in the life of our Lord led up to this final week, where He would ultimately be crucified for our sins, yet rise victoriously from the grave on the third day. After three-plus years of ministry, the people were ready for their King to ride triumphantly into their capital city and set up His earthly Kingdom and remove the rule of Rome from their lives, once and for all.

According to the gospel accounts, as Jesus was approaching the city, riding on the donkey, the people, who had lined the road, were celebrating their coming King. As they were waving their palm branches (a symbol of triumph and victory), they sang part of Psalm 118:

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

Notice that Jesus did not ride in a chariot pulled by a team of war horses; rather, He sat upon a donkey, an animal that symbolizes peace and humility. He was coming as the Prince of Peace, coming to lay down His life as propitiation—the atoning sacrifice—for sin. Many were lining the road with their branches and their cloaks. Right before their eyes, they saw the fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecies of the promised Messiah, the One who would come and save His people. But Jesus was not the kind of King they anticipated or wanted. They wanted an earthly King, not a heavenly One. They thought their greatest enemy was Rome, but they were sadly, tragically mistaken. Their most terrible, oppressive, unyielding enemy was sin and death.

In just a few days, the crowds’ joyous shouts of “Hosanna” had turned into hoarse cries to “Crucify Him!” Why? Because Jesus turned out not to be the King they wanted. Jesus would not triumph by taking life, but rather, by giving life—His own life. Jesus would win by losing . . . gain by giving . . . and give us eternal life by dying.

Is He your King? Have you surrendered control of your life to Jesus? Have you transferred your trust to Him?

Here is something we must always remember: Jesus may not be the kind of King we think we want, but He is ALWAYS the King we need.

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

I often come in contact with people who are quick to tell me that they are not very eloquent in speech and uncertain about their ability to speak to others about the good news of the Gospel. My response is always the same: your success in sharing the Gospel is not found in your speech, but in your Savior!

Moses learned this truth in his very first encounter with God:

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

(Exodus 4:10-12)

Moses tried every trick in the book to get out of the call God had placed in his life! Moses was so concerned about his inadequacies that he came up with one excuse after another in hopes that God would cancel his call and let him go back to tending his sheep. Moses said . . .

• I can’t do it!
• They won’t believe me!
• I can’t speak well!
• Find someone else!

The mistake Moses made is the same mistake we all make from time to time: we look at ourselves rather than at our Savior! Moses was exactly right when he said he could not do what God was calling him to do; he could not do it in his own natural strength. But God was not sending Moses in his natural strength, but rather, in His supernatural strength. God had no intention of sending Moses to deliver God’s people in his natural strength; God was sending Moses in the strength of the Almighty, and in that strength, nothing would be able to stand in his way.

God did not call Moses as His mouthpiece because he was a gifted speaker—but because he was not—which would make it all the more clear who was the One responsible for freeing the Israelites from bondage. Moses’ success would not be found in his speech, but in his Savior. Without God, the most eloquent speaker in the world is nothing more than a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (1 Corinthians 13:1). You see, the power is contained in the Word of God, not in how we deliver it. People are not saved by human rhetoric, but by our Holy Redeemer.

The apostle Paul fully understood this truth; he wrote to the church at Corinth:

Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

(1 Corinthians 1:17 NASB, emphasis added)

When was the last time you felt a bit inadequate in speaking on behalf of your Lord? Perhaps you have convinced yourself that you aren’t very clever in your speech. Remember, God made your tongue and gave you your speech, and He has every intention to use you to expand the cause of His kingdom with exactly the equipment He gave you! God never calls without equipping, and you have been given a supernatural power that far surpasses the most fluent speaker the world has ever known.

What God said to Moses through the burning bush, He is saying to you this day, “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Keep this truth before you: success will never be found in your speech, but only in your Savior!

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

The traditional American spiritual, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,” is a song which has provided joy and encouragement to children and adults alike for nearly a century. It finds its roots in the writing of the prophet Isaiah, who penned inspired words of unimaginable comfort for all those who understand them and apply them to their hearts . . .

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Isaiah 41:10)

The righteous right hand of the Almighty is powerful enough to uphold the entire universe and tender enough to uphold you. Notice that Isaiah specified exactly which hand God is using to uphold all things: His right hand—the hand of strength, blessing, and authority. The 18^th century “prince of preachers,” Charles Spurgeon, put it this way:

That hand, which He uses to maintain His holiness and to execute His royal sentences, will be stretched out to hold up His trusting ones. Devils cannot throw down the man whom God upholds.

When I read Isaiah’s verse, I picture God holding me in much the same way as I used to hold my children’s hands when we were crossing the street. Each one of my children would be holding my hand and thinking all the while that they were the one who was doing the holding. But in reality, I was the one holding on to them . . . and I was not about to let go, even for an instant!

The same is true of our God, who is holding us in His mighty right hand. Nothing can break the grip of our God who will never, ever let go of us, no matter what kind of difficulty we face. Not only will God not let go, but we are also told in Scripture that nothing and no one can snatch us out of His hand. As Jesus said,

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.

(John 10:27-30)

Omnipotence cannot be overcome! Isaiah tells us not to fear or be dismayed, regardless of the circumstances we are currently facing, because God is for us. And if our God is for us, it doesn’t matter who or what is against us.

• Difficulties in our marriage . . . God is for us!
• Parenting prodigals . . . God is for us!
• Troubles at the office . . . God is for us!
• Loneliness in our singleness . . . God is for us!
• Struggles in our schoolwork . . . God is for us!

Remember, when God makes a promise, He keeps it every time. He has promised to strengthen us and help us get through everything we are facing in life. We shall overcome in His strength, not our own. We are held in His righteous right hand and that holy hand will carry us over every obstacle and never loosen its grip. Nothing can snatch us out of His hand!

To know He’s got the whole world in His hand . . . and you . . . is truly enough to know.

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

As I’ve trained student athletes over the years, I have enjoyed asking them for their favorite memory verse. Invariably, most would use John 11:35 . . .

JESUS WEPT!

I find it quite remarkable that Jesus wept. It’s really not extraordinary that He did weep—remember that He was fully God but also fully man—but it is the context in which He wept that is striking. If you remember, Jesus was standing outside of the tomb of Lazarus, the man He was about to raise from the dead. You might well wonder: If Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, why in the world would He stand outside of his tomb weeping?

I think it is clear that Jesus wanted to enter into the pain of Mary, Martha, and their friends at the deepest possible level . . . and so Jesus WEPT!

To be sure, this is the shortest verse in the Scripture, but it seems to have the deepest, richest sense of meaning. Our Savior reaches deep into the sorrows of His saints and enters into the pain of His people. Make no mistake, we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with us in our weakness and grief (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus is a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3 ESV); with tears He enters into the trials and tribulations we face. What a wonderful consolation to know that Jesus is with us when we are most vulnerable!

No doubt, Jesus could have repressed His tears. Most men do just that. But Jesus refused to be unnatural at any point of contact with humanity. It is natural to weep when we are in a season of sorrow and suffering. It is natural to let our tears flow from the fountain of personal pain. It is a source of great comfort to know that Jesus did not find it “weak” or shameful to show His human weakness. Remember, Jesus got tired, hungry, and thirsty. He was just like us in every way . . . expect without sin.

As a pastor, I have found that often this is the best ministry that you can provide for someone who is in pain. The ministry of tears reaches deeply into the hearts of man and ministers in ways that cannot be matched by words or deeds. And tears translate into every imaginable language! The Bible tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep.

Regardless of where this finds you today, you have a friend in Jesus who sticks closer than a brother and who is not afraid to weep with you. Remember, Jesus wept . . . and then He commanded, “Roll the stone away” and “Lazarus come out!” Jesus met His friends and followers in their deepest place of pain first, then He demonstrated that He was more than just a man. He was the incarnate God, who had power over life and death.

So when you find yourself in a season of weeping, don’t forget that you weep in the best of company . . . because JESUS WEPT!

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

The Samaritan woman came to Jacob’s well every day at noon. Her neighbors would come earlier or later to avoid the heat of the day, so she came at noon, hoping to avoid running into any of the townspeople. She never expected a divine appointment with the Lord God Omnipotent!

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

(John 4:13-14)

This woman was scorned by everyone in her town; she had been married to five different men and was now living with a man out of wedlock. So she deliberately came to fetch her water at the time of the day when no one else would be there. No doubt she hated the scornful looks of polite society and the whispering behind her back. She came to Jacob’s well marked by shame and disgrace. And this was the turning point in her life! Expecting to meet no one, she instead met the God-man, who knew everything about her and yet would not sneer at her or turn His back on her. He spoke the Word of life to her at the deepest level.

Every day she had come to the well alone, feeling naked and ashamed, dragging a past littered with sin behind her. But no more. Jesus changed everything for her.

Leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

(John 4:28-30)

For the very first time in her life, she was able to quench her soul thirst that could be slaked in no other way. She forgot all about her water jug; now she was filled with the life-giving water of the Word of God, and she ran to greet her neighbors—the very people she had been trying so hard to avoid just moments ago—and tell them about the Man she had just met. She had been immediately transformed from outcast to evangelist for the glory of God. The old had passed away; all things had become new!

Before her divine appointment with Jesus, Jacob’s well was a reminder of her shame and disgrace, and drinking from that well affected all those in her home whom she drank with. But after meeting Jesus, Jacob’s well became a place of forgiveness, mercy, and grace. For the first time in her life, she was naked and un-ashamed, standing before the Lord Jesus Christ, who knew everything about her and still loved her.

Regarded by her neighbors as little more than a dirty harlot, she stood before the Lord Jesus Christ clothed in radiant garments of white . . . she was the Bride of Christ! She’d gone through one husband after another, each leaving her thirstier than the one before. But now she had found the one thing . . . the irreplaceable treasure . . . the only One who would truly satisfy her thirst . . . and His name is Jesus.

So . . . what well have you been drinking from lately? Remember, the well you drink from will affect all those you drink with. Drinking from the well of living water will slake your deepest soul thirst and send you out to share the joy of your Savior with all those you meet: “Come and see a man who knows everything about me, yet still loves me unconditionally and forgives me completely!”

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

Now that I have your attention, I believe today’s message will offer a word of great comfort and encouragement right where this finds you.

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

(Psalm 27:14)

Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land.

(Psalm 37:34)

Blessed are all those who wait for him.

(Isaiah 30:18)

They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31)

The Lord is good to those who wait for him . . . It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 

(Lamentations 3:25a, 26)

While staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.

(Acts 1:4)

When was the last time you enjoyed waiting for ANYTHING? From the check-out line in the grocery story . . . to the doctor’s office . . . to the fast food drive-through line . . . to that check you have been told is in the mail. None of us likes to wait for anything!

But what about waiting on God? The verses above are just a tiny sampling of the scores of biblical admonitions for the people of God to wait upon their Lord. We must be careful never to thoughtlessly put God in any of our other “hate-to-wait” categories. Why? Because often the blessing God has ordained for us will only be found on the other side of waiting.

WAIT is a “faith-filled four letter word” when we are waiting on God, because His timing is always perfect. God knows exactly what we need and precisely when we need it! He has ordained waiting as one of His ways to increase our faith AND our appreciation when we actually do get what we have been asking for.

Anyone who has been following Jesus for some time knows there are times we pray and God says “No.” Yet if we wait (there’s that word again!) and watch, when we look back on that situation we will see why . . . because God had something better! Then there are those times God says “Yes” . . . but that faith-filled four letter word is attached to the “Yes.” Frequently what we were asking for comes to us in a completely different way than what we were expecting. Waiting on our Lord is nothing more—and nothing less—than putting our trust in Him for what we need, knowing that it will be delivered to us in His way and in His timing.

We can all look back in life and thank God for the times He said “No” to our petitions, as well as those times He said “Wait” . . . because God alone knows what is in the best interest of His children.

Let us prayerfully seek to develop the patient understanding of the psalmist who knew God’s timing is perfect:

I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” My times are in your hands.

(Psalm 31:14-15)

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