Grace for the Race

If you’re old enough, today’s title might well call to mind the popular 1970’s sitcom starring Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton as Archie and Edith Bunker. Well, the Bunkers are not the focus of this word of encouragement; rather, it is my prayer that we catch a glimpse of the truth proclaimed by Galatians 3:28 . . .

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In other words, we are all in the family! You see, we are called by God not just to “believe” but to “belong” to the One who called us and to belong to all those whom He has called. As my friend Steve Brown likes to say, “All those who belong to Jesus belong to all those who belong to Jesus.” In other words, we are all in the same family!

The Bible knows nothing of the solitary saint. To be sure, we are all saved individually, but we are saved to community, which means we are part of something bigger than ourselves; we are members of God’s family of faith. As part of the same family, we are to go beyond simply being consumers to becoming contributors who are committed to making a difference in the lives of others—all others—regardless of cost or circumstance!

The primary mark for making a difference in the lives of others is love.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:35)

So . . . how visible is the love you have for all of your family members? Would those closest to you consider you to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Look at it this way: you are going to spend eternity with your family of faith. So it’s probably best to get used to them on this side of glory! The only way to truly demonstrate that we are “All in the Family” is to simply be … “ALL IN!”

May that be the confession of our lives.

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

Under the command of Joshua, the Israelites were conquering the nations of the land that God had promised to give them. Scripture records the prayer Joshua uttered to God during the battle against the Amorites and the results of that prayer:

On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.  (Joshua 10:12-13)

You might be thinking, how is it possible that the sun stood still? Well, the answer is simple: the One who made the sun also made it to stop in the middle of the sky in answer to Joshua’s prayer. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

So . . . what miracle are you hoping God will send your way? Have you been praying to God for your deliverance from . . .

• Stress in your marriage?
• Strain in your parenting?
• Silence in your singleness?
• Struggles at the office?
• Shortfall in your finances?
• Strongholds in your thought life?
• Sickness in your health?

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3)

Is there anything too hard for a God who can make the sun stand still in the middle of the sky? I THINK NOT! God is in the miracle business, and He delights in answering our prayers. But we must be willing to come before the throne of grace—and keep coming—trusting in God to answer our prayers in His perfect time and in His perfect way . . . which means His answer may not always look exactly like what we were asking for, but it will be for our ultimate good and God’s glory. You can be certain, it will be the BEST answer!

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

I have the great privilege of working with our young adults as they walk through engagement and marriage at Cross Community Church. It is a delight to be a part of this most exciting season of life, especially hearing about the surprise plans the guys have for asking their sweethearts for their hands in marriage and presenting them with the ring.

In coaching them through this wonderful time, I like to use one of their real “engagement experiences” to help illustrate God’s amazing grace. During the process of selecting the engagement ring, the jeweler places the prospective diamonds on a black velvet cloth. The black background enhances the beauty and brilliance of the sparkling diamonds.

While far from a perfect picture of God’s amazing grace, this still serves as a wonderful example that we can talk through and anchor into the hearts of a young couple. Against the black background of our sinful and stained condition, God’s grace sparkles like the most beautiful diamond the world has ever seen!

Where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

In light of our natural condition of being “dead in our transgressions” (Ephesians 2:1), God’s amazing grace broke through our black background and “made us alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). What we deserved was death and eternal damnation. What we received was life and eternal rest with Christ. God had a wonderful remedy for our complete and utter ruin, and His name is Jesus Christ!

His grace is our “divine diamond,” which sparkles and shines brightly against our black, sinful background . . . not only in the process of our salvation, but daily in the process of our sanctification (growing in Christ-likeness). You see, we never grow past our need of the Gospel. We needed it when we were saved and we need it now as we are being sanctified. The Gospel is for sinners, and that is what we still are after Jesus shows up. What a divine diamond it is, to know “where sin increased, grace increased all the more.”

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

You’ve probably heard the phrase commonly associated with doctors: “Take two tablets and call me in the morning.” Well I have a phrase for you from the Great Physician: “Take two tablets and call on Me anytime.” The tablets, of course, are the two tablets of the Law of Moses, which represents all of sacred Scripture. And instead of it being our daily medication, it is to become our daily meditation!

At Cross Community Church, our congregation is reading through the Daily Walk Bible. We have the added benefit of Dr. Sam Lamerson teaching through it each week in our adult Sunday school class. I have already lost count of all the positive comments I receive each week about the blessings people are experiencing as they “take two tablets” for daily meditation.

This positive feedback is also flooding in from those who have been less than consistent in their reading. They tell me that they are reading more of the Bible this year than they did last year, simply because we have a daily Bible reading plan mapped out through the Daily Walk Bible. You know, God could have left it up to the Holy Spirit to inspire, encourage, and motivate us to live the life God is calling us to live without the blessing of the Bible, but He didn’t do that. He gave us His Word so that we would read it, and as I have said many times from the pulpit . . .

THE BOOK YOU DON’T READ…WON’T HELP!

So . . . are you being a good patient of the Great Physician and following His prescription for living the Christian life with freedom and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ? Is your life marked by “taking two tablets” and calling on Him regularly? Oh, that it would be truly said of all of us that we could echo the psalmist: “I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands” (Psalm 119:10).

If you are not currently following a daily Bible reading plan, let me encourage you to begin today. And for those who are concerned about missing some days along the way, don’t be! Life on this side of the grave is not about perfection…it’s simply about progress! Take two tablets and call on Him. You’ll be glad you did.

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

There is an old story of a retiring missionary who was on his way home to America and happened to be traveling on the same ship as the president of the United States. As the ship neared the dock, a military band began to play, cheering crowds waving bright banners surged forward, and a red carpet was set in place to welcome the returning president home. The missionary exited the ship unnoticed and feeling very unwelcome and unappreciated.

Mired in self-pity, the aging saint cried out to God, “I have served You well for many years, and this is the welcome I get upon my return home?” God gently, graciously reminded the misguided missionary, “My dear child, you’re not home yet!”

This world is not our home; we are pilgrims passing through this world on our way to the next. Our true home is in heaven, and one day we shall be received with the anthems of the angels! This life is merely a temporary assignment designed to prepare us for eternity.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.

They were longing for a better country–a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  (Hebrews 11:13, 16)

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is often called the Bible’s Hall of Fame of Faith. The great heroes of the faith enshrined there understood that this place was not their home and life on earth was not the whole story. By faith they lived as aliens in a foreign land, looking toward the future and their promised heavenly homecoming.

So . . . what are you looking forward to? Is your greatest joy wrapped up in the here and now or the there and then?

Our time here on earth is incredibly short compared to our time in eternity. C. S. Lewis wrote, “All that is not eternal is eternally useless.” We must, as 2 Corinthians 4:18 exhorts us, continually fix our eyes on what is unseen, not what is seen, knowing that one day soon we will receive our Holy Homecoming when we finally arrive at home!

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

It is a strange thing to see a Christian glory in grace. But as strange as this idea might seem, it is all too common in the church today. How easily we lose sight of the grace Giver and focus only on what He has graciously given!

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians) 10:12

Countless Christians have lost their way by disconnecting themselves from the Way. They glory in the grace given rather than glorifying the One who has bestowed it. They glory in their great faith; they glory in their growing commitment to their calling; they glory in their generous portion and place in God’s kingdom. But they glory in the wrong things! Every grace is simply a gift from God, and if we are to glory in it at all, it must be focused on the One who has given the gift.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights . . . (James 1:17)

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)

You see, it is not the grace given that keeps us standing firm, but rather the Giver of the grace. The only thing keeping us from falling flat on our faces is Jesus’ faithfulness to us, not our faithfulness to Him. The Christian must never glory in any grace given or even in a certain fall in on the way. Our glory is to be in God alone because our strength is only found in our Savior alone.

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). And the more you have, the more you are indebted to the One who has given it. We must fix our eyes on the Giver of the gift and never on the gift itself. Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) is the fount from which all our blessings flow, and we must continually drink from this fount if we are to grow in the grace we have been given.

Sip continually from the streams of strength that flow from your Savior and you will find yourself standing on a Rock that will topple or tip you over.

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

Here is the most important truth about the cross every Christian has been called to bear: It is not a cross of your own making; God has assigned it to you!

[Jesus] said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

The audience our Lord was speaking to knew well what this meant. In the Roman Empire, a condemned criminal or captive was forced to carry the beam of his own cross to the place of execution. Jews and Gentiles alike had witnessed this ghastly scene countless times as condemned men dragged their crosses through the streets of the city.

Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38)

The Christian cross is not a choice; it has been prepared by our Prince, and we are to take it up as a badge of honor—not a burden of horror. Each day we are commanded by Christ to submit our shoulder to that beautiful beam, which is designed to crucify the self and exalt our Savior.

Jesus led the way in cross-bearing for every Christian to follow. “Christ suffered for you,” the Scriptures explain, “leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). What better way to identify with our Captain than to carry our own cross on the way to glory?

Make no mistake; as it was then, it is also today. The Via Crucis [Latin for the Way of the Cross] is the way of safety and security because our Savior has gone before us. We need not fear nor faint as we tread its thorny paths, because they lead us to our Lord. As we have surrendered to Christ, we must surrender to our cross, bearing its burden by the power of the Holy Spirit. As we follow the Crucified One, we too must be crucified as God conforms us into the image and likeness of Christ.

So . . . do you accept the calling of your cross today? Divine will says it is for God’s glory and your good. Let those two truths strengthen you under the weight of your cross as you make your way, by God’s grace, to the Celestial City where the One who carried the cross before you waits to greet you with open arms and nail-scarred hands.

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

Fear is a fact of life on this side of the grave. We fear everything from the dark to death . . . from loud sounds to strange environments . . . and those things that go bump in the night! But the Bible provides a solution: we can face our fears, and it is done through a single word: FAITH! When our hearts are filled with faith, there is no room left for fear to take up residency.

I first heard this acronym from the great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Zig liked to say that FEAR is nothing more than . . .

False

Evidence

Appearing

Real

One of the best examples of this in all of sacred Scripture is found in the experience of the Israelites when they were spying out the land God had promised to them. When the spies came back with their reports, we clearly see just how much their fear caused “false evidence to appear real.”

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.”  (Numbers 13:26-28)

A portion of their report was true: the giant descendants of Anak were indeed living in the Promised Land, and the sons of Anak were feared by the Israelites. But what followed was not true. It was false evidence that merely appeared real, because fear took the place in their hearts that should have been occupied by faith. God had promised to give Israel possession of the land, but the spies said:

“We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Numbers 13:31-33)

So . . . what “giants” stand in your way today keeping you from entering your Promised Land? In your profession? In your marriage? At school? In your single walk with Christ? Remember these words God spoke to the Israelites because they were spoken to you as well:

Be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you. (Deuteronomy 9:3)

This is a promise for you also! Charles Spurgeon said it beautifully: “No promise is of private interpretation. Whatever God has said to any one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink.” Drink from this well of fearless wisdom today. Hide this truth in your heart and whenever fear begins to rear its ugly head, faith will remove it at once.

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

We all face wilderness experiences—times of loneliness, doubt, spiritual dryness, even despair. Moses faced his wilderness experience on the back side of the desert for forty years. David faced his as he fled from King Saul. John the Baptist faced his in the face of King Herod . . . and it cost John his head. Even our Lord faced His own wilderness experience during His 40-day fast, while the devil taunted and tempted Him.

Wilderness experiences may feel fruitless, but they most certainly are not. Even when we are in the midst of what seems like the back side of the blessings of God, we are still being blessed! To be sure, a wilderness is only pleasant when it is viewed on a picture postcard and not experienced in person. Yet, God has ordained all of us to go through a wilderness on the way to our Promised Land.

Did you know that the wilderness experience proves to be quite beneficial for a tree? The dry, barren environment causes the roots of the tree to drive down deeper and deeper into the soil in search of life-giving moisture. Thanks to this stronger root system, that tree is far better able to weather the storm winds that will eventually blow around it.

The very same thing is true for you and me when we think that we are languishing on the back side of God’s blessings. Our wilderness experiences are designed to cause us to drive our roots deeper and deeper into the soil of our Savior, and the result is that we are stronger and better able to weather the inevitable “life storms” that blow our way.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

The key to bearing much fruit on the back side of God’s blessings is to remain—to abide—in Christ. Our roots are already connected to our
Redeemer. We need only reach for Him as we as respond to whatever wilderness experience comes our way. As children of the Most High God, we must remember that even on the back side of God’s blessings we are still being strengthened and blessed and supported.

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

The word “god” (with a little “g”) is defined as anything that sits on the throne of your life and takes the place of the one true God.

So the question before the house is this:

What is the most likely and dangerous “god” you face today?

From the school room to the board room to the locker room to the family room, there are countless gods that compete for first place in our hearts. And we often become quite sophisticated in substituting something—anything—for the one all-important Someone . . . whose name is Jesus Christ.

We live in a culture that is overflowing with idolatry and unabashed immorality. Idols of every shape and size are continually calling to our hearts, trying to gain our affection. Of course today, in our cultured “sophistication,” we do not bow down to a golden calf or a sacred tree; no, we find our ‘gods’ in our relationships, our hobbies, our professions . . . even our church service!

Take a moment today to examine your heart. Have you allowed anything smaller than God to sit upon the throne of your life? Have you substituted something for the only Someone who deserves first place in your life and in your heart? Make no mistake, idolatry is anything that cools your desire for the Kings of kings and Lord of lords.

May it be said of all of us what the Lord said of Caleb, who refused to substitute something for the Someone:

Because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.   (Numbers 14:24)

To follow God “wholeheartedly” does not mean perfectly. We are imperfect people and everything we do we do imperfectly, including following God. But we follow wholeheartedly, even when we are messing it up, when our heart still beats for Jesus.

Now that’s a beat worth marching to, wouldn’t you agree?

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