Grace for the Race

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned . . . (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

As we continue to move through this inspired, encouraging passage from the apostle Paul, we go from being hard pressed to perplexed and now to persecuted during this pandemic. What I mean by the word “persecuted” in this context is rooted in the Greek word dioko that Paul used, which means “to be pursued or followed,” rather than the common understanding of “persecuted” that you and I have, which is that of being mistreated.

Here is the question that is continually thrown at the people of God when anything bad happens in the world: “Where is your God?!” For our purposes today, I must be brief in explaining what the world is really asking with this question, which is this:

If God truly is all powerful and all good, He would have the power to stop this global pandemic . . . and His goodness would demand that He do so!

The unbeliever reasons that we see this virus continuing to spread, so either God is powerless to actually stop it, or He is not all good, since He has the power to remove COVID-19, but not the desire to do so. This faulty logic was succinctly expressed in the otherwise entirely forgettable Batman v Superman movie by the “Lex Luthor” character, who looked on the evil in the world and concluded, “If God is all-powerful He cannot be good; if God is good He cannot be all-powerful!”

The key to understanding this statement is to recognize that it comes from a limited human perspective. God is infinite and we are finite. Just because we cannot discern a valid reason for the continued existence of pain and suffering in this world, that does not mean that such a reason does not exist from God’s perspective.

A little more than 2000 years ago, on Good Friday, the most atrocious, vile, evil act ever committed caused the only perfectly innocent Man who ever walked this earth to die in one of the cruelest ways ever invented. Sinful man nailed the sinless Son of God to the cross, yet this unspeakable evil became the most marvelously merciful moment in the history of humanity, because it was through the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ that the door of salvation would be graciously opened to all those who believe. The death of Christ was the fulfillment of God’s unfolding plan of redemption that culminated in His bodily resurrection on that first Easter morning. Our all-powerful, all-good God sent His Son to die on a cross to save us from our sins.

Regardless of how many times the world sneers “Where is this God of yours?” in an effort to malign the Christian faith and convince us that our glorious God is a figment of our imagination, we have His promise that we will never be abandoned. The Bible makes it clear that because Jesus was forsaken on the cross for us, we will never be forsaken, no matter what. The next time you hear the world ask, “Where is your God?!” remember that He is not only in the middle of this pandemic, He ordained it and sent it for our ultimate good and His greatest glory.

As Charles Spurgeon said so beautifully, “God is too good to be unkind, too wise to be mistaken; and when you cannot trace His hand, you can trust His heart.” Trust His hand and His heart, Christian; He is working all things for the good of those who love Him, even during those times that don’t appear to be “good” in our eyes. You have His Word on that!

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

Perplexed, but not in despair . . . (2 Corinthians 4:8)

On Monday we began moving through this marvelous passage from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul; today we see that we go from being hard pressed to perplexed as we endure this time of global pandemic.

Just two short months ago, if someone had suggested that the entire nation would be shut down and we would be confined to our homes, we would have believed that person had lost their mind! Yet this is exactly where we find ourselves, and it is as difficult to receive as it is to respond to. In a word, our circumstances are perplexing.

The Greek word which is rendered “perplexed” in most English translations of Scripture can be literally translated as “to be at a loss.” To be sure, we are at a loss in many ways at this time. Through no fault of our own, we are all at a loss in both our professional lives and our personal lives. Our routines have been turned upside down and inside out. “Social distancing” has strained our relationships; people edge nervously past each other in the supermarket, and close friends studiously avoid hugs and handshakes. People who would warmly embrace just weeks ago now raise a cautionary hand and say, “Don’t get too close!” Yet in spite of all this, we are not in despair because of the living hope we have in our Lord.

In the 1985 “Anne of Green Gables” television mini-series, a perplexed young Anne cries out to her adoptive mother Marilla, “Can’t you even imagine you’re in the depths of despair?” To which Marilla replies, “No I cannot. To despair is to turn your back on God.” Christian, to despair is to depart from the holy hope we have in Christ Jesus. Paul went through some pretty perplexing times, yet he would not give in to despair, because he knew in whom he had trusted. He understood the glorious truth that if God the Father would not spare even His own Son to bring about Paul’s salvation, God can be trusted . . . even in the most perplexing times.

Can the same be said of you and me? Do we really believe that God can be totally trusted, even in the perplexing time of this pandemic? Inasmuch as it seems like COVID-19 has the upper hand, we must recognize that we would not be in this perplexing time if it had not first passed through the nail-scarred hands of our loving Savior. Nothing happens to us apart from the will of God. Yes, God’s will can seem quite perplexing at times, but that is because He is God and we are not. If we had a God we could fully understand, He would not be God! We would be, and I am quite sure that you will utter a hearty “Amen” when I say “Thank God that you and I are not God!”

To be perplexed is simply part of our pilgrimage through this world as we make our way toward our promised paradise. But because we have a hope that no circumstance can crush, we shall not despair.

Please come back on Friday to look at another portion of this powerful passage of Scripture.

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed . . . (2 Corinthians 4:8)

I want to devote the next four articles to unpacking this powerful passage from the inspired pen of the apostle Paul; I feel sure that these words from Paul’s letter to the Christians at Corinth will be a source of great encouragement to you as we continue to walk through this global pandemic with the resilience of the redeemed.

I define the word resilience very simply: Resilience lives according to the truth of Proverbs 24:16 and says, Fall down seven times, get up eight! To be sure, this pandemic has pressed us all on every possible side of the life we once knew. It has pressed us relationally. It has pressed us emotionally. It has pressed us mentally. It has pressed us financially. It has pressed some of us physically. And it has pressed all of us spiritually. To use an old phrase, we are at the end of our rope . . . but Paul tells us we are not at the end of our hope. No matter how hard pressed Paul was, he was not crushed by the trials life threw at him. Why? Because of the living hope he clung to each time he reached the end of his rope.

Paul wrote that “We are hard pressed.” Please note that pressure is a common experience for all the saints of God. Pressure has been promised! It is a false Christianity which teaches that faith in Christ leads to freedom from pressure. The truth is just the opposite! Speaking from the personal experience of my wife Kim and myself, it was not until Jesus saved us back in 1995 that we truly began to understand the phrase “hard pressed on every side.” When you take a stand for the Savior, you begin to experience the truth of what Jesus said: “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20).

So how can we find encouragement in being hard pressed? It lies in the fact that we are not crushed by it. No doubt, pressure can be quite painful. But as Nobel Prize winner Henry Kissinger, who served as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State under Presidents Nixon and Ford, once said, “A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under pressure.” In short, pressure creates diamonds!

So . . . how well are you doing under the pressure of this pandemic? Are you becoming more “diamond-like?” Scripture commands us to “shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:15-16). Christian, keep looking to your Living Hope, and you will find that, while your rope may seem awfully short, you will never, ever reach the end of your hope. Know that God is using COVID-19—just as He uses all the pressure you face in this life—to conform you to the image and likeness of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

I’ll be back with you Wednesday, and we’ll dive back into this passage.

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Every day we hear the latest developments and updates from the scientific community, which is fighting the spread of COVID-19 with the ultimate goal of finding a vaccine. While we play our part in slowing the trajectory of this pandemic by conforming to the social distancing recommendations and stay-at-home orders, I want to share something with you from the world of science that I promise will be a source of eternal encouragement to you right now, right where this message finds you.

Science tells us that there are four basic elements every human being needs in order for life to be sustained:

• Air
• Water
• Food
• Light

The Scriptures tell us that these four basic elements that we all need for life are all found in none other than Jesus Christ Himself. He has told us:

• I AM the breath of life. (John 20:22)
• I AM the living water. (John 4:14)
• I AM the bread of life. (John 6:35)
• I AM the light of the world. (John 8:12)

Without air we would last only a few minutes; without water we would last only a few days; without food we would last only a few weeks. Without light every living thing would eventually cease to exist. But without Jesus, the entire universe would instantly be transformed into a putrefying place of chaos, darkness, and death, for “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Jesus Christ is “sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). Our Lord gives life to everything (Nehemiah 9:6); He truly is the breath of life!

Some of the greatest scientists the world has ever known were Christians: Galileo, Kepler, Descartes, Leibniz, Newton, and Pascal. Their faith in God informed their thinking and their conclusions. The more they observed in nature and in the laboratory, the more certain they became that God is the author and the sustainer of all life.

Make no mistake, the unbelieving philosopher Aldous Huxley, whose best-known work was the 1932 novel Brave New World, was terribly, tragically wrong when he opined that “Modern science makes it impossible to believe in a personal God.” To the mind that is informed by the Spirit of God, modern science compellingly shows us again and again that “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). And as we’ve seen today, science compellingly convinces us that Jesus gives us everything we need in order for life to be sustainable; He most certainly is the way, the truth, and the life.

Do you know this Jesus? If you do not, you need do nothing more than Peter did, who cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). And for those who have already placed their trust in Him alone during these stormy days, know that He is all you need; He is everything you need; and science proves it!

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way. (Isaiah 53:6)

If you’ve spent any time in the Scriptures, you know that the Bible compares the saints of God with sheep. There are many reasons our Lord does this; none of them are particularly flattering. Sheep are defenseless and need constant protection; they are directionless and need constant correction; they are skittish and easily spooked, even when there is no reason for it, and need a constant, calming presence. To be compared to sheep at this present time seems particularly pertinent; we are all facing this spooky global pandemic, which has made us all quite skittish!

But there is one reason above all others why the Bible refers to the people of God as sheep so often, and it should provide us cosmic comfort during this unprecedentedly uncomfortable time. Sheep simply cannot survive without a shepherd, and the same is true for the sheep of God. And our God has given us just what we need; we have the only true Good Shepherd . . . and His name is Jesus Christ.

Our Good Shepherd not only loves us and cares for us, but He laid down His life for His sheep. He has protected us from the penalty of our sins; how much more will He protect us from this pandemic, whether we become ill or not? Because our Good Shepherd died and rose from the grave, we have the absolute assurance that the last enemy of man—death—has also been conquered. As Paul said so beautifully, death has lost its sting for the sheep of God.

A good shepherd always stays close to his sheep, who sense his presence and know his voice. At the voice of a stranger, the sheep will run off; but when they hear their shepherd’s voice, they advance in his direction, knowing that they will be safe and secure in his presence. This is where their foolishness finds its end: What sheep lack in direction, they more than make up for in distinction. They know the voice of their shepherd and draw near to him.

We are sheepish when we faithfully follow the voice of our Good Shepherd, regardless of where Hs is leading us . . . which today has been into the path of this pandemic. We are foolish when we do not follow Him. Perhaps we are listening to so many other voices that we fail to hear His still, small voice whispering to us. Perhaps it will take a bit of pain, as C. S. Lewis said, to cause us to hear His voice calling to us. Jesus wants us to look to Him, listen to Him, and advance toward him as we make our way through this time of social distancing and family separation.

Christian, know that social distancing does not apply to our relationship with our Good Shepherd, who leads us into green pastures and restores our souls and who loves us unconditionally, in spite of our foolishness, every step of the way. Please remember this: His perfect love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). So be sheepish this day!

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (James 1:5)

The COVID-19 pandemic has created global uncertainty that is rising around us like massive mountains of mystery. We hear the prognoses of the medical authorities and instructions from political leaders; both groups often say one thing one day and something quite different the next. So where are we to turn to find truth in these uncertain times? We turn to the only thing in this world that is sure and certain: The Word of God.

James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, instructed us to turn to God for the wisdom we need. When we do, the biblical text assures us, we can be sure we will receive all that is necessary in order to wisely navigate today’s turbulent waterways. We must always remember that the wisdom of this world can only take us so far. Now, when the medical professionals tell us to stay at home to help slow the spread of this virus, that is exactly what we should do. The Word of God tells us that this is one way we can show love to our neighbors, especially those heroes in the health care industry who are on the front lines in the fight against the corona virus. Reflecting the love of God in Christ Jesus to our neighbors is a tangible way we can demonstrate the wisdom we have received from Him.

The wisdom spoken of in James 1:5 is far more than mere knowledge. Wisdom is the ability to take that knowledge and make wise decisions that bring glory to God and good to others. True biblical wisdom is a practical discernment that is rooted in the fear of God and that finds its expression through our faith in God. The more time we spend meditating on and marinating in the Word of God, the more wisdom we will receive from our heavenly Father, who gives generously to all who ask, seek, and knock.

Even during these times of the most pressing uncertainty, we can be certain about the truth of God’s Word. It is a light for those who would otherwise grope around in the dark. It is a compass for those who would otherwise wander aimlessly. It is a refuge for those who would otherwise be battered by the storm winds that are blowing in all our lives at present.

Let me ask you directly: Has this time of uncertainty brought you more regularly into the presence of God through His Word? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that God is with you, for you, and in you. Armed with these powerful and certain truths, you can deal with any amount of uncertainty the world sends your way, because our Lord assures us that all Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that you and I may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)

Other than our Lord Jesus Himself, there is no better biblical example of perseverance than Job. Satan asked permission to harass Job, convinced that Job would curse God on the other side of his suffering. Now, Job did question God, for he knew full well that God was not entirely absent from the storm winds that had wreaked havoc in his life. Yet Job persevered, because he knew that both sunshine and rain, good and ill, are under the complete, sovereign control of God’s rule. “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away,” Job worshipped; “may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:21-22). Job lost his health, his wealth, and all ten of his children; his wife harshly criticized him and his friends accused him of secret sin, yet Job trusted God even when he could not trace him.

The corona virus pandemic did not simply arise apart from the knowledge and will of the omniscient, omnipotent Almighty God. Jesus is not asleep on His throne. COVID-19 is part of God’s perfect plan for this imperfect world. This virus is not good, just as he suffering that Job and his family endured was not good. But behind all of it is our Sovereign Lord, who is working out every detail of our lives in accordance with His perfect purpose. Just because we might not be able to see anything good in this pandemic does not mean that God’s good is not there. And just because we cannot find any good reason for the spread of this virus doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

Listen, a persevering response to this pandemic, which is sending some to the grave and causing many more to get sick, does not in any way deny its painful severity. I fully understand that it is difficult to see how our God is working all this together for our good. But in our hearts we must echo Job, who said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (Job 1:21). And along the way, whether our God delivers to us the desires of our hearts or delivers us heartbreak, let us remember that if we knew all that our God knows, we would ask for whatever He has determined to send our way . . . because ultimately that will be for our highest good and for His greatest glory.

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

Let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. (Psalm 5:11)

To understand God’s protection, we need to understand God. It can certainly seem like God has not protected us at a time when our lives have been tipped upside down by the coronavirus. We are all under a virtual house arrest in order to slow the spread of this virus, and many are starting to feel a little stir-crazy! How can this possibly be God’s “protection”?

First, we must understand what God has promised to protect us from and what He has not promised to protect us from. God promised to protect us from the evil one, not evil itself. In other words, on this side of the grave, God has promised to protect us from the penalty of our sin, but not the presence of it.

Jesus endured the penalty for our sins on the cross. He drank the cup of God’s wrath and died in our place. And for all those who place their trust in His atoning death alone for their salvation, ultimate spiritual protection is assured. Once we are saved, by grace through faith, we are always saved. No one and nothing can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:29). Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

And yet, even in our saved state, we will still face storms, suffering, and sorrow. Job was saved and he suffered. John the Baptist was saved and he suffered. Paul was saved and he suffered. Jesus Himself is the Savior and He suffered unimaginably!

The presence of this pandemic in the present day is a result of the sin that has stained this world. When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden, everything fell with them. Everything in this world is broken, and thus we all face sickness and disease; one day we will all go the way of the grave. God may or may not protect us from this coronavirus. But He has already protected us for all eternity from the sin virus through the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior.

Should we pray for protection from this virus? Absolutely! Should we play our part in slowing its spread? Unquestionably! Should we pray for healing for those who are affected? Unconditionally! But through it all, we must remember that God is more concerned about our character than our comfort. He is conforming us into the image and likeness of His beloved Son Jesus by any means necessary, and those means include COVID-19.

Do you remember what Jesus told His disciples when they asked why a man was born blind? The disciples assumed that the man’s disability was the result of some sin in his own life, or perhaps that God had visited the sins of the man’s parents upon him. The disciples rightly understood the sovereignty of God over all things, but they totally misunderstood His purposes. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus corrected them, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3).

This pandemic is unlike anything any of us have ever seen, but let us not give in to discouragement or despair! Rather let us pray that the work of God will be displayed in our lives, even as they are upended by this virus.

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. (Lamentations 3:24)

If you are anything like me, today’s passage presents a profound comfort . . . but also a personal challenge. To know that the Lord is our portion is to know more than enough to deal with any of the present challenges that we face in the midst of this pandemic—and I am well aware that some of these challenges are severe, even to the point of threatening the earthly existence of some of you. You see, unlike any and all of our earthly portions, such as our prosperity, our professions, and our pleasures, which can be filled to the brim today and utterly emptied by tomorrow, the Lord is a portion who never runs out. Sip from the Fount of every blessing morning, noon, and night, and the next day you have no less to sip, just as the widow in Zarephath had no less to offer Elijah each day when the flour did not run out and the oil did not run dry in the midst of a famine in the land (1 Kings 17:16).

To wait for the Lord can sometimes feel like a challenge of gargantuan proportions. As we are sequestered in our homes day after day, waiting for the Lord to bring us to the other side of the spread of this virus, as we see the numbers of the sick and dying continuing to rise, waiting can feel like trudging through a bleak and barren wilderness. And it is during these difficult times that we must remember that our portion is the Lord Himself, not the good things He has given us. We must remember that the greatest gift we have ever been given is the Gift-Giver Himself.

Beloved, as you look back over your life, do you not see how God has taken all of your struggles and sorrows and sufferings and worked them for your good and His glory? Now, it may be that the wound is still too fresh and too deep, and God’s “good” in not yet in view. Let me urge you to be patient and wait for Him; in due time, He will make good on His promise to work all things together for the good of those who love Him, regardless of the personal price you have paid through His painful providence.

His presence is your portion and He has promised never to leave you nor forsake you. Let that truth lift you above the waves of challenge today and every day until you cross the Jordan and are received by your Portion into your eternal rest.

You are in my prayers and in my heart.

Purpose and Passion,

Pastor Tommy

For the joy set before him he endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

Today is Good Friday. People often ask me, “Why do we call this day Good Friday when so much bad happened to Jesus—the beatings, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the nine-inch nails, and ultimately dying on a cross?” The reason Good Friday is wonderfully good is because when Jesus willingly sacrificed Himself to pay the penalty for our sins and three days later rose from the dead, it paved the way for everything good that comes from God’s plan of redemption.

Today I want to share with you the Seven Last Words of Christ from the cross. My prayer is that you will meditate on and marinate in these profound utterances, which represent the key that unlocks the door to eternal life by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. You can click here to join in on our Good Friday livestream service, which begins at 12:00 noon Eastern Time or you can view it at any later time.

1^st Word – Forgiveness – Luke 23:33-34

When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.“ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

2^nd Word – Pardon – Luke 23:39-43

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him, “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

3^rd Word – Love – John 19:26-27

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

4^th Word – Dereliction – Mark 15:33-34

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” – which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

5^th Word – Passion – John 19:28-29

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.

6^th Word – Triumph – John 19:30

When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

7^th Word – Reunion – Luke 23:44-47

 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.”

Remember, without the death of Jesus, there could be no resurrection, and if Jesus is not raised from the dead, we are all dead in our trespasses and sins. Oh, Christian, go back to our opening verse and think about this: The “joy” that was set before Jesus when He died on the cross was YOU! Your name was on His cracked lips as He breathed His last and those same lips will speak these words to you on the day you breathe your last breath and enter into glory: “Enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:21 NKJV).

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