Grace for the Race

Far too many people see “hope” as something static and passive. You hear people make statements like, “I hope such-and-such will happen” or “I wish this particular trial would go away,” which is the clearest indication that their hope is an earthly hope.

But this is not for you! This is not the kind of hope the Bible tells us to have.

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. (Psalm 31:24)

David’s psalm reveals two very important things to all those who have put their hope in the Lord about what heavenly hope does. Let’s take a look . . .

Be Strong

We are actually strong when we acknowledge our weakness, because where we are weak, He is strong. JB Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English rendered 2 Corinthians 12:10, “My very weakness makes me strong in him [Christ].” The strength David’s psalm is calling us to display is not an inner strength; it is the strength of the Creator of the universe, which resides in us in the presence of His Holy Spirit. When we understand this truth, we see our strength as a stream flowing from the Fount of every imaginable blessing, giving us all the strength we need to do all the things God is calling us to do.

Take Heart

Used together in the Scriptures, the words “Take heart” form an idiom that is designed to encourage and empower us to press on with boldness and courage, regardless of the opposition we are facing. Why? Because of the place where we have placed our hope! If our hope is located in anything smaller than God, it will always fail us. But when our hope is in the Lord, we can be assured that the victory has already been won and we need only to walk in it.

When the young shepherd boy David faced the giant Goliath after the “fighting men” of Israel refused to answer the Philistine’s brazen challenge, David was living out the truth of the very Scripture God inspired him to pen. His strength and courage were not found in himself, but rather in his God. His hope could not fail him because he was hoping in the only One who had promised never to fail him.

So . . . are you currently being strong in the Lord? Or in yourself? Have you been trusting in the Lord or in yourself? Be strong and take heart, because the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that resides in you (Ephesians 1:19-20).

Hope in the Lord . . . and let that lift you to the heavens!

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

Are you full of it? You might quickly reply, “That depends on what ‘IT’ is . . .” The Scriptures make it clear that there is much we are to be filled with as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. After we receive the Holy Spirit at our conversion, God begins the life-long process of growing us into maturity and conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ. In other words, we are being filled with Christlike character.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

What a wonderful metaphor the apostle Paul uses to describe the character and conduct of the believer!

So . . . how fruity have you been lately? Are you full of it . . . “it” being the Spirit of God?

Here’s another question: how many fruits are on Paul’s list? We see nine individual fruits listed, but in the original Greek there is only ONE. As I sat under the teaching of my friend, Greek professor, and Knox Seminary president, Dr. Sam Lamerson, I learned that the Greek word for “fruit,” karpos, is singular here. Paul is identifying a group that goes together as a unit, not separate individual units.

We must remember that God is at work within us “to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 ESV). God is the One who is working this grace in our lives. To be sure, we cooperate with God by actively seeking to grow to maturity, using all of the means of grace He has given to us. But it is never the means that grow us up; it is always our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

All of these graces flow through the believer as a single unit, making us a new creation in Christ. And just as our salvation began with “For God so loved the world,” you and I cannot have the love of God in Christ Jesus without joy . . . or peace . . . or patience . . . or kindness . . . or goodness . . . or faithfulness . . . or gentleness . . . or self-control. Love is the foundation upon which all of these graces grow.

And yet upon closer inspection, we can all see some aspects of this fruit in our own lives that are stronger and more evident than others. Some areas are simply more developed than others. In my own case, those who know me best might suggest that patience has been taking a very long time to come to fruition!

How is it with you? In what areas are you strongest and where are you weakest? You need not fret over your self-discovery, because God is at work within you, and is He not finished with you yet! What God began in you, He has promised to complete (Philippians 1:6). Should you realize that you are a bit deficient in the “fruit department,” simply focus more on the grace of God growing you in that area.

Paul wrote that “Christ’s love compels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14), and the more we focus on His love for us, the more we bear the fruit of the Spirit to those we come in contact with. The grace that saved you is the same grace that is growing you and filling you with the Spirit of Christ. The first guarantees the second!

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

There is an old saying I remember Momma telling us kids when I was growing up: “NEVER SURPRESS A GENEROUS IMPLUSE!” My mother was essentially telling us how to cultivate a generous spirit.

We all know people who have not yet been seized by this biblical truth; they seem to squeeze the quarter so tight is makes the eagle scream! And yet there are others who seem to always be giving . . . and giving with both hands. They live lives marked by generous giving of their time, talent, and treasure. Their generosity gives us a wonderful picture of our generous God.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)

God is in the business of filling our cup to the overflowing. He overflows our cup with His mercy. He overflows our cup with His grace. He overflows our cup with His goodness. He overflows our cup with His forgiveness. He overflows our cup with His blessings. And He does this over and over again. Who reading this right now has ever had their cup run dry?

Luke’s gospel provides us with a wonderful biblical truth to help generate the spirit of generosity and keep it going and going and going. Our Lord said,

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

Let me be clear: we must not give in order to get. When we give, expecting nothing in return, we see another picture of our generous God, who is in the business of giving to His people. When we keep in view just how generous our God has been, is, and has promised to continue being to us, how can we respond in any other way than by generously giving to others . . . ALL others?

Remember, Jesus gave with both hands, and He has the nail scars to prove it. Jesus gave all of Himself to us so that we would be able to spend eternity with Him and all the saints of God. He withheld nothing to redeem us from the dominion of sin, Satan, and death. He paid the ultimate price with His precious blood, graciously letting it flow out of Him and over us in order to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So . . . how are you doing in the area of never suppressing a generous impulse? When we keep our eyes fixed on the generous Author and Finisher of our faith, the generous impulse will be the confession of our lives.

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

After the people of Israel endured 400 years of bondage in Egypt, God provided ten miraculous signs of His sovereign control over all things and then delivered His people from slavery and directed them to take possession of their Promised Land. Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to scout out the land; upon their return, the majority gave this disheartening report:

The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size . . . We were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight (Numbers 13:32-33)

The problem with this report, given by ten of the twelve spies, is that these men took their eyes off God and focused on their circumstances. It was true that the people of Canaan were “of great size,” but the spies completely forgot that their God was bigger than the people they would face. The ten spies had witnessed ten miraculous signs that God performed, causing Pharaoh to release them . . . they walked on dry ground through the Red Sea and then turned to watch the water swallow up the pursuing Egyptians . . . and yet they developed the “grasshopper complex,” which shifts our focus away from eternal Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence and onto our obstacles.

Before you sneer at the faithlessness of these ten men, consider that you and I have a natural tendency to do the very same thing; we look past our possibilities and see only potential problems. We shift our focus away from the Lord Jesus Christ and lock onto our circumstances.

We are all a bit like Peter. Well . . . not all of us. Most would never get out of the boat and attempt to walk on water. (Nowhere in the biblical narratives do we read about any of the other disciples following Peter out of the boat.) But if we do find the courage to step out of the boat, it’s not long before the howling winds and high waves shift our focus away from our Savior and onto the storm. And then we begin to sink.

But this is not for you! There were twelve spies sent in; two of them returned with a good report. Joshua and Caleb saw the same people of “great size,” but they kept their focus on their Greater God. Here is their report:

Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30)

Joshua said, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:6-9)

The devil does everything in his power to get us to shift our focus away from our God and put it on ourselves. When we do, we find ourselves living out the “grasshopper complex,” where our obstacles overwhelm our opportunities. But when we stay focused on Jesus, there is nothing that can keep us from doing what God is calling us to do . . . regardless of the cost or circumstance.

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

Throughout the Old Testament, we read how God was with His people in remarkable ways. God was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God was with Moses and Joshua. God was with King David and His prophets and all His people. In the New Testament, however, there is a significant change that takes place. God is not only with His people in a remarkable way, He is in His people too!

I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

This statement from Jesus must have been difficult to believe at the time. How could it be good for Jesus to be leaving His disciples? The answer, of course, is that when He ascended into heaven, He sent the third Member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, to indwell them. And all those who come later—those who trust in Jesus Christ by grace through faith—receive this same gift.

It seems that our Lord was telling His disciples that inasmuch as it is a very good thing for God to be with us, it is an even better thing for God to be in us! God was with His people in the Old Testament. Jesus was with His disciples during His time on earth. But now our Lord is seated at the right hand of God the Father . . . and the Spirit of God dwells within us.

It must have been an unimaginable experience for Moses to stand before the burning bush that would not be consumed and actually hear the voice of God speaking to him. But as incredible as that surely was, you and I have something even more miraculous; we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, every moment of every day! Moses had to climb the mountain of God to commune with God; God the Holy Spirit has come down from heaven and has taken up residency within all those who have placed their trust in His beloved Son. We can commune with Him 24 hours a day, 7 days each week.

This truth is designed not only to inform us, but to transform us as well. The third Person of the Trinity has taken up residency inside of every believer, to guide, govern, and direct us into living a transformed life for the glory of God. Jesus told His followers that “the Holy Spirit would come on them and they would receive power” (Acts 1:8), and that power showed up all throughout the book of Acts, which records the growth of the church through the transformed lives of God’s people.

One final note of encouragement to you today: this supernatural power was flowing through ordinary people. There was nothing special about the saints of God . . . except for the fact that the Spirit of God lived in them. In Acts 4:13 we read of the courage of Peter and John, who were “unschooled, ordinary men,” yet had one distinguishing mark: “these men had been with Jesus.”

May that be what sets you and me apart also!

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

How well do you point others to Christ? One of the best ways to evaluate the answer to that question is by paying close attention to the words you use. Do you talk more about you when speaking to others . . . or more about Him? The apostle Paul was a master at pointing to His Prince whenever he opened his mouth, especially when he was boasting.

I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of sings and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. (Romans 15:17-19)

Paul was continually boasting . . . but never about himself. He was constantly pointing to his Prince and all that Jesus was doing through Paul and his ministry. To be sure, Paul was proud of his ministry and what he was doing for the glory of God. And he should have been proud! We all should be serving God in such a way that we are proud of our service. Being proud of what we do is biblical and a good thing. Being prideful is not!

Notice Paul said, “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me . . .” He never talked about his abilities or his accomplishments. He never sought the applause of man. No, Paul was constantly pointing to his Prince and sought to bring acclaim to his Master. Paul used every word to witness for Jesus. His language was designed to point others away from himself and toward his Savior.

Can the same be said about you? The apostle Paul’s ministry was immensely successful by anyone’s standard, including God’s, who confirmed Paul’s success with “signs and miracles.” Yet Paul steadfastly refused to take any credit for any of it. He always exulted in what God in Christ was doing both in Paul and through him.

The great reformer Martin Luther obviously took a page from Paul’s book:

We preach always Him, this may seem a limited and monotonous subject, likely to be soon exhausted, but we are never at the end of it.

Christ was the foundation upon which Paul built his entire existence, and the apostle made sure to give all the credit where the credit was due. Paul was totally dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit for the advancement of his ministry. Paul knew his success was not due to his intellect, education, up-bringing, social status, or past training. It was solely the result of God’s powerful grace flowing through his weak life. Because of this truth, Paul could point only to his Prince as the reason for his successful results.

So . . . in what direction have you been pointing lately?

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

When Kim and I first placed our trust in Jesus Christ in 1995, we thought the Gospel was limited to that exact point in our lives when we said “I believe!” I am a whole lot older today and a little bit wiser and, by God’s grace, I have been given a much clearer understanding of the Gospel. And that can be summarized with this statement:

The Gospel is not “a” point in life; the Gospel is “the” point of life!

It is very much like the difference between a snapshot picture and a full-length movie. To be sure, the Gospel is first and foremost, the moment of new life. It is the singular moment when Jesus shows up and raises us from death to life. But in every moment after that moment, the Gospel is the momentum of life that keeps us keeping on.

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

Is this not the point of life that keeps us moving forward? Is it not enough to know there is no condemnation for those who trust in Christ alone? We must know it, trust it, and live it every moment after we are saved. The only sin we will ever slay is the sin we know has been fully forgiven through the cross work of Christ. On the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ took our guilt and shame and filth and crushed them all and cleansed them with His precious blood. All that is left for you and I to do is to receive this truth, by grace through faith.

Remembering this truth daily is the only way to live the abundant life Jesus has promised. Knowing that there is no condemnation—even when we do something that deserves condemnation—strengthens our resolve to return to the cross for the strength we need. God already condemned Jesus in our place, and He will never again count our sin against us.

Far too many Christians live defeated lives, simply because they do not understand this truth. They picture God as some kind of harsh ogre in the sky, waiting to squash them when they step out of line. And that is why they Gospel is more than a point in life; it is the point of life.

Do you get the point? Knowing that there is no condemnation frees you to live for Jesus and nothing smaller. And when you mess it up, know that you are unconditionally loved and fully forgiven. This provides the motive and motivation to honestly face our sin (rather than hide from it) and to lay it down at the foot of the cross. When we know that our sin—all of our sin, past, present, and future—has been fully forgiven, we have the strength to face it when it rears its ugly head.

One more thing: Knowing the Gospel as more than just a specific point in life is a continual reminder that God is for you every step of the way. And “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And that, beloved, makes the Gospel the point of life.

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

Far too many in the church today do not understand the power they have been given to do battle against the enemy. Often they tell themselves what comedian Flip Wilson would say back in the 1970’s: “The devil made me do it!” In essence, these beaten believers are saying that they have an excuse for sinning; the power of the evil one is just too great for them.

But this is not for you! If you are in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within you. And the power of the Spirit of God in you is greater than any power that can come up against you. And herein lies the single most important key that will unlock the door leading to victory in the areas that you struggle most:

REMEMBER THAT IT’S HIS POWER

It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

(Philippians 2:13)

“Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord Almighty.

(Zechariah 4:6)

You will not enjoy sustained success fighting the world, the flesh, and the devil in your strength; you must fight in His strength, that incomparable power which has already defeated every enemy that can come up against you. The work of redemption that God is doing in you is according to His good purpose . . . and nothing can stop the purposes of God.

We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29)

The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand . . . The Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? (Isaiah 14:24, 27)

Regardless of the enemy that comes up against you—an enemy which will always be stronger than your measly personal power—the power to overcome will be found in the Spirit of Christ. It is a supernatural battle, to be sure, so the only power that can overcome must also be supernatural, and that is only found in the Holy Spirit who is at work within us.

Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (Galatians 3:3)

What began with the Spirit must continue with the Spirit and be brought to conclusion by the Spirit. How foolish we are to think we can win any battle we face in our own strength! Yet this is the problem we all face from time to time. Our sinful human nature overestimates its own strength and underestimates the extent of its own sin. When we lapse into this kind of foolish thinking, we strive to achieve victory in our strength rather than His strength. “If it’s to be, it’s up to me,” we tell ourselves. And that never ends well.

We have a clear vision of victory when we continually look outside ourselves to our Savior and continually rely on His supernatural strength for every battle we face. Remember, whatever has a hold on you has no hold on your Savior. Trust in Him. Look to Him! Rest in the fact that God will bring you victory against every enemy you face, in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

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

How much have you been forgiven? Perhaps you’re not sure? Well, as He sat at dinner with Simon the Pharisee, Jesus provided the formula for answering that question.

“Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.  (Luke 7:41-43)

Jesus told this short parable just after a woman who had lived a sinful life entered Simon’s home and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and then anointed His feet with perfume. Both Simon and the woman were great sinners in need of an even greater Savior, but the woman understood the depths of her sin and just how much she had been forgiven by Jesus. Her recognition of her own condition showed in her love for her Savior. Simon, on the other hand, was too proud to see his own sin and his love for Jesus was virtually non-existent.

Here is the principle:

Your love for Jesus will reflect how much you realize you have been forgiven!

Jesus continued His discourse, telling Simon:

Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. (Luke 7:44-46)

Why did Simon the Pharisee show so little love to Jesus when He arrived at his home? The enormous plank lodged in both of his eyes blinded him from seeing just how sinful he truly was. Why did the sinful woman show Jesus so much love when she arrived at Simon’s home, uninvited and unwanted? It was because she knew just how sinful she was and how much forgiveness Jesus had poured into her life.

The key to growing our affection for Jesus is to never lose sight of how forgiven we are, both in our days “before Christ,” and right now . . . at this very moment! We are in constant need of God’s forgiveness, because we sin in thought, word, deed, and desire on a daily basis. Only to the extent that we keep that Gospel truth in view will our love for Jesus flow out of us to Him and to others.

So . . . how much do you believe you have you been forgiven? The answer will always be found in how much you love your Savior. When we keep the fact that Jesus laid down His life for us, poured out His blood, and died on a cruel cross for our sins—past, present, and future—then our hearts will beat with love for Jesus. When you and I, like the apostle Paul, see ourselves as we truly are—the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)—we will not withhold our love like Simon did. Instead, we will show our love for Jesus, regardless of the cost or the company, just like the sinful woman.

She loved much because she knew she was much forgiven. How about you?

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