Grace for the Race

Storms are certain. They have been promised, and most of us have passed through many of them. But just as storms are certain, so too is our safety in them.

When evening came, [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”                     (Mark 4:35-41)

It is important to notice a few things in this passage if we are going to understand the safety we have in our storms.

First, Jesus said, “Let us go over to the other side.” Along the way, a storm came up and the disciples thought they were headed to the bottom of the sea. The storm was so fierce that the disciples forgot what Jesus said about going over to the other side of the lake. if Jesus said they were going to the other side of the lake, they were going to the other side! Nothing was going to stop them . . . not even a furious storm.

Second, we should see that Jesus was just as calm as the storm was about to be. He was asleep on a cushion! Jesus is not troubled by the storms that blow our way. His sleeping in the middle of a storm is meant as a comfort to us. If our Lord is not worried and fearful, we should not be worried or fearful either.

Third, the wind and waves obey Jesus. Not a bird falls to the ground apart from His will (Matthew 10:29). Everything is in the sovereign control of our Lord (Psalm 135:6). Nothing happens to us that doesn’t first pass through His nail-scarred hands.

Finally, we cannot miss the fact that Jesus was right there in the middle of the storm with His disciples, just as He is always with us in the middle of the storms of life. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us . . . and He does not make an exception for storms. Our Lord is not a fair-weather friend. He is with us in the middle of every storm that blows our way.

This provides us with a wonderful picture of the safety we have been promised in every storm that we encounter. Jesus is with us in the middle of the storm; Jesus is in control of the storm; He is not unsettled by it. As the wonderful contemporary hymn declares:

No power of hell, no scheme of man,

can ever pluck me from His hand;

Till He returns or calls me home,

Here in the power of Christ I stand.

And don’t miss this: when Jesus says we are going over to the other side, we will get to the other side. No storm will stop us, regardless of how furious or frightening it might be.

Jesus has promised to bring through the other side of the grave and there is nothing that will stop Him. No storm . . . no scheme of Satan . . . nothing will stop our Savior from keeping His promise . . . NOTHING!

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

The online dictionary tells us that perspective is simply a way of thinking about something; perspective is a sensible way of judging how good, how bad, how important or unimportant something is in comparison with other things. With this in mind, let me share something very important with you today:

HOW YOU SEE YOUR LIFE . . . SHAPES IT!

If you see your life as little more than something that you simply need to get through, your life will be shaped by that view. If Wednesday is “Hump Day” and you “Thank God it’s Friday,” your life will never rise above the level of simply “making a living,” longing for the day you can retire. There are those people who see life like a “card game,” where you simply “Play the hand you’re dealt.” And then there are those who ride a “see-saw,” where life is a rhythm of up and down.

So . . . what is your perspective on life? What would be the “life metaphor” that best describes the life you are currently living right now? A child of the Most High God is to see life from His perspective, and God’s Word tells us that life is both a gift and a trust.

A GIFT: God’s gift to you is the life He has given you. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart is a gift from God. Your gift back to God is how you live life out before His face (“Coram deo”). What do you have that you have not been given? Your personality and passions . . . your intelligence and intuition . . . your dreams and desires . . . your talents and treasures . . . your opportunities and obstacles . . . everything is a gift from God, meant for you to steward for His glory and the good of others. So the first perspective is that LIFE IS A GIFT! 

A TRUST: From the beginning in the Garden, God entrusted the care of creation to His image-bearers, Adam and Eve. God created them to care for everything, and in spite of their horrific fall into sin, this role has never been rescinded. We have been made by God for God, and we are to live a life that expands God’s kingdom, not our own. When we are working to expand our own little kingdom, we shrink the size of our lives down to the size of our lives. That is not the life God has created us to live! We are to be living for something that will live on long after we are gone, and that will only happen when we are living for God. So the second perspective is that LIFE IS A TRUST!

When your perspective on life is God’s perspective—that life is both a gift and a trust—you will begin to think and act like a steward everything you have been given. You will seek to grow the kingdom of God through everything you do. Time and time again, Jesus used beautiful stories to illustrate our responsibility to live for the glory of God and the good of others . . . all others!

When we are living this kind of life, everything matters. Every job has eternal value when we are working for God. Every recreation has eternal value when we engage in it for God’s glory. Everything we do has eternal implications when we are living in the light of eternity. With this kind of perspective, progress is assured as we glorify God and bless others, advancing toward our eternal rest.

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

We have spoken often about the use of God’s Law and its primary purpose: to drive us to our Savior. The Law was never intended to save us, only to demonstrate how it could not save us, because we simply cannot keep the Law. We need a Savior who could!

In my studies I have found something else that I believe will serve as a great encouragement to you today regarding the difference between the Law and the Gospel. We’re going to focus on the two men most closely connected with both: Moses and the Law . . . Jesus and the Gospel.

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the LORD. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.  (Exodus 34:29-30)

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.  (Mark 9:15)

What a perfect picture these two accounts give us regarding the difference between the Law and the Gospel! The law repels; the Gospel attracts. The law says “GO, walk the straight and narrow every step of the way.” The Gospel says “COME, running with great wonder!” The Law is the great reminder to God’s people about the distance between a Holy God and a sinful people and how man cannot hope to bridge that chasm.

The Gospel is the “good news” to God’s people about how the gulf between a holy God and a sinful people has been bridged by the only One who could bridge it: Jesus Christ. From the very first moment of the Christian life, when God raises us from death to life, forever removing the bright barrier of the law, we are told to “COME” and follow the One who is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus has both paid our way and paved our way to the Celestial City. Jesus wants us to follow Him everywhere; He leads us as a Shepherd who will provide for His sheep and protect them . . . even at the expense of his own life.

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:14-15)

You see, the Lord Jesus Christ is the greater Moses. He is the perfect Moses, who delivers His people from the bondage of sin and death. His life and death revealed more of God’s holiness and justice than the Law could ever deliver. He was born to die—to die for sinners who could not pay the penalty for their own sin. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might have eternal life.

That, beloved, is the difference between the Law and our Lord. The law says “GO” and can only say “GO.” The Lord says “COME,” and as you do, you find that you are received by open arms and nail-scarred hands that will never say “GO” and will never let you go!

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

Let me start by saying in no uncertain terms:

GOD IS ATTRACTIVE ALL BY HIMSELF AND HE DOES NOT NEED ANY OF US TO MAKE HIM SO!

Now that I have said that, let me add that our sinful behavior can obscure the beauty of our Christian faith and harm its blessings.

Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.  (Titus 2:9-10)

Truth be known, the way we live our lives before a watching world will, in large measure, determine the level of attractiveness that others see in the Gospel we preach with our lips. God has called us to live out practically what we are positionally, thereby making the teaching about God our Savior attractive to those who are watching us.

When we find it more important to be right than loving, we make the Gospel unattractive. When we refuse to extend forgiveness to someone who has offended us, we make the Gospel unattractive. When we find ourselves with so many possessions that they begin to possess us, we make the Gospel unattractive. When self-protection trumps self-sacrifice, we make the Gospel unattractive. Think of the countless ways we can make and have made the Gospel unattractive with our words and our deeds as we live out our faith before a watching world. Scripture levels a stinging rebuke at us: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Romans 2:24).

But this is not for you! If we are going to consistently make the Almighty Attractive we must to follow His formula for doing so. This is a recurring theme with Grace for the Race, but it is a theme we should be continually reminded of, because there simply are too many voices in this world trying to distract us and derail us from living it out.

[Jesus] said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  (Luke 9:23)

When we deny ourselves we make the Gospel attractive; when we deny Jesus we do not. When we take up our cross daily we make the Gospel attractive; when we leave it lying on the ground we do not. When we follow Jesus fully (not perfectly) we make the Gospel attractive; when we forsake Him we do not. To be sure, the good news of the Gospel is attractive all by itself, but God has ordained to deliver it through you and me. And in doing that, He calls us to make it as attractive as we possibly can by pointing to Jesus and putting Him on display.

The more we die to the self, the more we live for our Savior. At this level of living we are pursuing God’s purposes for our lives in the expansion of His kingdom and that, beloved, makes the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

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

Do you ever feel that way? Does your life seem like a tug-of-war? Every child of God feels this way, because that is exactly what goes on inside us each day!

The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (Galatians 5:17)

To be sure, we are delivered from the dominion and reign of sin in our lives when we are untied to Christ by grace through faith. But sin remains in us all, and we all experience the tension Paul described to the Galatian Christians.

In his book, The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit, George Smeaton described it this way.

There is an internal conflict between flesh and spirit—between an old and new nature. And the strange thing is, that in this conflict the power and faculties of the Christian seem to be occupied at one time by the one, and at another time by the other. The same intellect, will, and affections come under different influences, like two conflicting armies occupying the ground, and in turn driven from the field.

A tug-of-war seems to be the best way to describe the battle within for every child of God born of grace. How often we feel like there are two opposing teams inside of us, pulling in opposite directions on the same rope! Sometimes the good team wins and sometimes the bad team wins. But in the end, we know that our victory has been assured, and the good nature will prevail—not because there is anything special about you or me, but because of the cross-work of Christ.

If we refuse to acknowledge the truth that we are in a daily, ongoing struggle against sin, we will not make any progress against it. It is only by affirming the truth that there is such a battle that we are set free to take sword to our enemies. As we look to Jesus as the One who is fighting on our behalf, we rest in the truth that “Sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). We are not to be mastered by sin, because sin is not our master. Jesus is our Master . . . but sin will seek to entangle us along the way to heaven.

Enabled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we tug on our side of the rope and never stop pulling in the right direction until we pull that old sinful nature into the mud pit. We must remember that willpower will not win the battle for us; we must always acknowledge and depend upon the power that God has given to us in Christ to fight the good fight of faith, knowing that ultimate victory has been assured.

These words from Peter should be a constant reminder of the tug-of-war we are called to each day we are on this side of the grave:

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

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

There are many engaged in the business of expanding God’s kingdom. There a great many more who are waiting to engage in the business of expanding God’s kingdom. They tell themselves that they are waiting for just the right time or opportunity. They believe they need more education, more equipping, and more experience in life. They are waiting for their circumstances to change before they get to work serving their Lord.

But this is not for you!

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Scripture tells us that whatever our hand finds to do, we should do it for the glory of God and the expansion of His kingdom.Make no mistake, nobody ever served God and expanded His kingdom by waiting for tomorrow. Today is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice, be glad in it, and busily engage in doing all we can to make Jesus Christ known, regardless of what our hand finds to do.

The years have taught me that one simple and good deed, done for the glory of God and the good of others, is worth more than a thousand thoughts about doing good. Waiting for tomorrow to do all the good we can simply will not justify doing nothing today. The past is gone, the future is promised to no one, and all we have is now. That is why it is called “the present,” because that is what it is! This day is a gift from God, a gift to be put into fruitful and faithful labor to expand the cause of Christ in this world.

The kingdom of God will not be expanded by the works we plan to do tomorrow. It will be expanded only by the works we put our hands to today. And don’t miss the part in Ecclesiastes that says “with all your might,” which means all your might in your Master. We do not work in our strength, but in the strength of the One who has called us to work. With omnipotence dwelling within us, we are not to put in a half-hearted effort for kingdom work. We are not to be doing “just enough,” when God calls us to do all we can. Who has ever been truly satisfied with receiving a full day’s wage and giving only a half-day’s effort? No committed Christian ever was, to be sure.

The word “whatever” in Ecclesiastes 9:10 is also instructive. Whatever is done for the glory of God is a good work. Whatever you are currently doing right now is a good work when you are working for God. If your hand is in the boardroom, do it with all your might for your Master. If your hand is in the family room, do it with all your might for your Master. If your hand is in the school room, do it with all your might for your Master. If your hand is in the locker room, do it with all your might for your Master. And when you have done all you can, with all your might, wait upon the Lord for the harvest of whatever your hands have found to do.

So what are you waiting for?

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

I frequently remind you of the truth of Acts 17:28—that Christians live, and move, and have our being in God and no other.We live in His strength and not our own.It is His divine power that has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

So . . . where does human effort fit in?Or should we, as some say, regard human effort as a “work of the flesh” and therefore sinful?

My dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Caution: you are entering a spiritual “spin zone” for legalists! Legalists misinterpret and misuse this text of sacred Scripture.They want to create an atmosphere of fear for their followers in order to keep them in line. Legalists darkly warn those who will listen that if they sin, God will reject them and they will lose their salvation.

This is simply not the teaching of Scripture! The Greek word that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use, from which we get“fear” in the Philippians passage above, is phobos.Phobosis more literally translated as “reverence,” “awe,” or “respect”—not a slavish fear or panic that paralyzes a person.The right emotions of reverence, awe, and respect are to be gleaned from this text,not doubt and fear regarding our eternal security!

Paul used the very same wordto describe the wonderful reception that Titus received from the Christians at Corinth:

His affection for you is all the greater when he remembers that you were all obedient, receiving him with fear and trembling. (2 Corinthians 7:15)

Paul even used phobosto describe himself when he came to the Corinthian church, reflecting on the awesome, almighty nature of the calling Jesus placed in his life, taking him from the persecutor of the church to the pastor of the church.

I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. (1 Corinthians 2:3)

To “work out” our salvation, then, means to do all we can (effort), with the proper sense of reverence and awe for the strength of the Almighty,which is how we live a life of obedience and faithfulness before the face of God.We are to actively pursue the things of God in that ongoing process that is often called progressive sanctification.Notice that the phrase is “progressive” sanctification—not perfect obedience!The Christian progresses in the direction of godliness by grace, through faith, straining with human effort . . . but that Christian believer will not be perfected until he or she is received into glory.

In working out our salvation we go to the source of our salvation (the Lord Jesus Christ) and through the many means of grace (Bible intake, prayer, worship, communion of the saints, etc.) God renews our minds, enlarges our hearts, and bends our wills so that our efforts, worked out in His strength,are in line with His will for our lives.In his seminary and graduate school handbook, The Daring Goal: What to Expect When We Accept Christ as Our Life, Richard Foster put it this way:

Through the Holy Spirit’s guidance and strength, I will order my life according to an overall pattern that conforms to the way of Christ.Over time this process will develop deeply ingrained habits in me so that, at the moment of crisis, inner resources to act in a Christlike manner are available.

Our efforts in His strength will, over time, develop deeply ingrained habits that will lead us toward holiness.And that is the only place where significance and success kiss.Let the psalmist close out today’s meditation:

Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.(Psalm 2:11)

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

When was the last time you took the time to meditate on and marinate in the fact that God delights in you?I am convinced that the more we hold this Gospel truth up before the eyes of our faith, the better we will rest in our redemption.

He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s gracethat he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:4-8)

Do you see the divine delight poured out on you in this passage of Scripture?You were chosen in Jesus before the creation of the world.That means before you got cleaned up, did good works, or “got right with God,”He came after you can picked you to be on His team.And if that isn’t enough to get you smiling, you have, through Jesus Christ, been adopted as children of God.You have the privilege of being in the family of God.

WOW!We are the objects of God’s divine delight, in spite of who we were, what we are, and even in spite of what we will do!The love of God is above and outside of us.It rains down from heaven in accordance with His pleasure and will.It does not flow to us because we are deserving of it.In fact, just the opposite is true.We don’t deserve the love of God.We deserve His wrath and judgment.But instead of making us pay the penalty for our sin, God the Father sent God the Son and graciously gave us redemption through His blood.Because of what God in Christ has done on our behalf, all of our sins have been forgiven and we have been adopted as children of God.And all of this is given to us freely simply because of what Jesus has done for us.

You see, to recognize our true condition is to see a fallen, broken, corrupted sinner who is in desperate need of a Savior.When we take a deep, honest look into our black hearts we find nothing—absolutely nothing—that would cause God to accept us in the Beloved.And that is such a wonderful comfort for those who truly embrace its truth!

Because there was nothing in us that gave God reason to save us, we can rest assured that there is nothing in us as that gives God reason to keep us.And thus it is wholly and solely because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross that keeps us utterly and eternally secure in our place in the family of faith.We have received “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:4-5).

Being in Christ means we have been released from both the penalty of sin and the power of sin.Yet you and I still sin!In those times we mustagain remember whose we are and what God in Christ has done for us.Those who have already completed their pilgrimage in this world and noware in Christ’s presence in heaven are no more accepted or secure than you are!Once we are His we are always His.Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is ours in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).Those who are already in heaven live each moment in the fullness of God’s divine delight . . . and so do you!There may very well be times when you don’t feel like this is true, and this is when you must remember that this divine delight is not based on how you feel . . . but rather how God feels about you.

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

As an exercise physiologist working with athletes over the years, I learned that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. The longest period of time we go without food and drink is when we sleep at night. So when we rise in the morning, we are to break the fast with a good, healthy breakfast to get us ready for the challenges of the day that await us.

Make no mistake; what we eat early in the morning will greatly impact the rhythms of the rest of our day. Yet as important as this meal is for the body, what we put into our minds and hearts as we begin each day is even more important.

Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. (Psalm 143:8)

We are to break the fast with good physical food as well as good spiritual food.What better spiritual food for the hungry Christian than to feast on the Word of God when we rise in the morning? To be sure, what we put into our minds and hearts early in the morning will greatly impact the rhythms of the rest of our day as much as, if not more than, the physical food we eat. That is why the psalmist cried out, “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love!”

With all of the voices that are trying to get our attention—and far too many trying to knock us off course—we absolutely need to break the fast every morning by spending time alone with God and His Word. Only God’s steadfast love can meet us in the place of our deepest need and satisfy our deepest longings of the soul.You see, God designed it that way. Made by God for God, we are never to find our satisfaction in anything smaller than God.

For in him we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28)

Life was never intended to be lived apart from God. It is only in Him that we live, move, and have our being.Nothing smaller than God will give us the significance, meaning, and purpose that comes from living life before the face of God.It is always a better day when we start it alone with God.

Some say they simply don’t have the time. To that I reply, “You don’t have the time not to!” Only the daily reminders of Gospel truths can get us through the day with the freedom and joy Jesus has promised. Only God’s steadfast love will dismantle the idols we worship. Only God’s steadfast love can dislodge the affections of the heart that turn us from Jesus. And that is why we simply cannot afford to go charging off into the day without our morning meal with our Master, feasting on the promises of God.

Physical food is good. Spiritual food is better. Both together are the best way to start each day and break the fast.

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

Did you know that every book ever written is a dead book except one? That’s right. Every book is a dead book because the author is dead—or will die—except one. That book is the Bible.

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.(Hebrews 4:12)

Have you ever read a Scripture verse for the umpteenth time and suddenly gained a whole new insight or understood something you never understood about it before? This is a common experience for every student of sacred Scripture. Why? Because Scripture is living, just like its Author. Scripture is so much more than ink on a page;it is divine inspiration imparted to everyone who reads it and has been given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to receive.

To say that the Word of God is active is to say it has the capacity to change and transform. Whether you are reading it or listening to it, the Word of God is active and always at work accomplishing God’s purposes. The sovereign Lord declares:

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

The Word is also penetrating, getting under our skin to address the deepest issues of the heart. God’s Word has the power to enter the deepest recesses of a person’s being and do its divine work. So penetrating is the Word of God that it passes the level of information, diving deeper to the level of transformation. Those exposed to the Word of God are never left in the same condition, because the One who wrote is at work through it. Jesus Christ, God’s Word clothed in human flesh, provides powerful testimony to the power of the Word.

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17 NASB)

So . . . how much time do you spend reading the Word of God? And how much time do you spend reading dead books, articles, and papers? What we all need to remember is . . .

THE BOOK WE DON’T READ WON’T HELP!

God has given us His Word in written form so we would read it. He could have left it up to the Holy Spirit to inspire and motivate us to live the life God was calling us to live, but He didn’t! He gave us His book to read it, meditate on it, and marinate in it.

President Ronald Reagan said, “Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.” President Reagan knew by way of personal experience that every other book he had ever read was dead except one: the Bible.

What challenges are you facing today? What problems are pressing you up against the proverbial wall? What storm winds are blowing your way? Sadly, for far too many, the last place they’ll look for help is in the pages of sacred Scripture, and that is the only place they can find true help.

The great 19^th century prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, had this to say about how we should engage with Scripture. I hope you’ll love this quote as much as I do!

“A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t.”

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