Jesus said that unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. So what does it mean to be born again? In this message from John 3:1–21, David Platt points us to the words of Jesus to understand God’s sovereign work in our salvation. We are responsible for putting our faith in Christ, but it’s the gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit that makes our response possible. As those who are born dead in sin, we need more than moral improvement—we need a new heart. And that’s precisely what God gives us in the new birth. 

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 Many professing Christians assume that because they’ve prayed a prayer or made a public profession, they are on their way to heaven, despite the fact that their lives give very little evidence of heart change. In this message from David Platt from Matthew 7:13–27, we hear the sobering warnings of Jesus. Many will call Jesus “Lord” on the last day, only to find out that they never belonged to him. Every professing Christian should examine his or her life to see if they are truly following the narrow way. 

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 Sometimes our culture talks about faith as if it’s a way to achieve our own dreams. But faith is more than self-centered positive thinking. Faith is humble and dependent on God, and it leads us to prayer and patience in suffering. Faith lives in light of Christ’s coming. In this message from David Platt from James 4:13–5:20, we see that genuine faith perseveres through the trials and difficulties of life. It may face obstacles and setbacks, but by God’s grace and power, true faith lasts. 

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Some Christians say that the way to be a light to the world is to look more like the world. However, the book of James has a very different message. We’re told to live by a wisdom that is very different from the world’s wisdom, and we’re told that friendship with the world and its sinful ways is rebellion against God. It’s by humbling ourselves before God and receiving his grace that we are enabled to live lives that please God. In this message from James 3:13–4:12, David Platt points us to the kind of faith and wisdom that submits to God’s good ways rather than the sinful ways of the world.

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How can a God who is infinitely holy, just, and good show mercy and grace to sinful and rebellious people? How can a Just Judge let the guilty go free? In this message from Mark 15:1–20, David Platt points to the cross as the answer to these questions. By sending his Son in the flesh to bear his wrath against sin, God provided a substitute for guilty people like us. God’s justice and his mercy met at the cross, and as a result, all who trust in Christ can be freed from the penalty and power of sin. 

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Most Christians can understand looking to Abraham as an example of what it means to live by faith. But it’s surprising to hear of a notoriously sinful lady named Rahab get mentioned alongside one of the heroes of the faith. What makes Rahab like Abraham, and how does Rahab’s story give us hope? In this message from James 2:25–26, David Platt helps us see the faith of Rahab—a faith that risks everything out of trust in God’s sovereign lordship. Regardless of our background or the sin in our lives, we can be declared righteous by trusting in Christ, and this trust changes the way we live.

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Scripture is very clear about the fact that we are saved through faith in Christ and not by our own works. This is a major emphasis in the apostle Paul’s letters. However, the book of James says that good works are necessary in order for our faith to be genuine, saving faith. So how do we put these two truths together? In this message from James 2:20–24, David Platt helps us see that Paul and James don’t contradict each other. Rather, they complement one another in the ways they talk about the relationship between faith and works. We are saved by faith, apart from works, but the faith that saves always and inevitably produces good works. 

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If we assume that the Christian life should be carefree and filled with uninterrupted joy, we are likely to be shaken when reality hits. The truth is, in a fallen world, faith can be hard and our burdens can be heavy. Gratefully, Jesus knows life in the real world, and he knows what we most need—his grace and his power. In this message by David Platt from Matthew 11:30, we hear Jesus call the weary and heavy laden to himself to find rest. He reminds us that his yoke and his burden is light. 

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What did Jesus mean at the Last Supper when he said of the bread, “This is my body,” and of the cup, “This is my blood”? That may sound like a strange question, but it’s one that Christians before us have had to answer at the cost of their lives. The question of whether the bread and the wine actually become Christ’s physical body in the Lord’s Supper became one of the central issues of the Reformation nearly 500 years ago. At stake was the gospel of God’s grace. In this message from David Platt from Mark 14:22–31, we are faced with the question, “Are you willing to lose your life over one word?”

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Did you know it’s possible to have a kind of faith that is not saving faith? The Bible says that even the demons believe and tremble before God, and yet they don’t have saving faith. According to James 2:14–19, faith that doesn’t produce works is “dead.” True, saving faith rests in Christ for salvation, but it inevitably produces the fruit of good works, including helping those in need. In this message, David Platt challenges us to consider whether our faith is genuine. Genuine faith acts.

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