Grace Exposed » Podcast Feed

The air was bone-chillingly cold and the wind might have bitten right through your knit hat, had you stepped outside. The winter season had stretched long and dark across West Michigan and Stephanie and I were beginning to sense the cabin fever syndrome setting in around our little bungalow.

Go outside and play? Well, it just was too bitterly cold today. And as any parent might expect, a direct symptom of cabin fever among small children is a varied assortment of antics that usually result in some kind of injury.

And today, our five-year-old son, Hudson (the usual creator and instigator of crazy and injurious antics), decided to try a little stunt: throw cars at his little sister’s head or better yet, begin a gallant sword fight against the young fair maiden who has no shield or sword with which to defend herself. With one bonk on the head and a well-timed sword swipe on the arm, our two-year-old girlie, Everlynn, had finally endured quite enough.

With a loud wail and a waterfall of tears, our daughter, who now lay crumpled up on the living room floor, quickly summoned Stephanie and me from the kitchen.

“Hudsy…ahuh…Hudson hit – he hit me!” sobbed Everlynn.

The offending knight-in-shining-armor had conveniently (and quite rapidly) darted across the room to his favorite hiding place behind a large stuffed armchair.

“Hudson, did you hit your sister?” we asked.

“No… I mean yes, yeah I hit Everlynn,” Hudson remarked with a pouty lower lip.

Stephanie leaned down to look our little guy in the eyes, “Hudson, you need to ask Everlynn for forgiveness and you need to ask Mommy and Papa for forgiveness, too, because you have disobeyed us by hurting your sister.

Hudson hemmed and hawed, desperately trying to change the subject. But finally the words slowly trickled out of his mouth with a great sigh, “I’mmmm soorrry, Everlynn, will you forgive me?” Our spunky little daughter gleefully soaked up his sign of remorse and gave Hudson a big hug around the neck.

Hudson then turned to look up at us with his glassy, puppy-dog eyes that were now brimming with tears and squeaked, “Mommy, Papa, will you forgive me for hurting Everlynn?

Stephanie and I immediately reached down to cover our munchkin in warm, reassuring hugs, and said, “Yes, Hudson, we forgive you. Thank you so much for apologizing to Everlynn. We love you so, so much.”

You could see a cheeky smile surprise his tears as they rolled down his face. Hudson reached out for another hug and wiped his tears away on my shoulder.

“I love you, Papa.”

“I love you, too, Hudson.”

Before Hudson ever confessed to hurting his sister we already knew what he had done and before he requested our forgiveness we had already forgiven him. The forgiveness was and is always and already present in our hearts for him. Why? Because he is our son and we love him! He is ours and we are his.

Our doctrine of salvation states that we believe God has already forgiven us of our sins: past, present, and future, through the completed work of Jesus Christ (cf. Col. 2:13; Psa. 103:12). Yet so often we think and act as if we need to earn his forgiveness – as if His love is conditioned by our words and actions. We so easily get caught into the trap of believing that God loves us more or less on the basis of what we do. And we get very busy performing, rather than growing in the hope of our believing.

But God says, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1)

The apostle Paul boldly declared, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

We wanted to hear Hudson admit to hurting his sister and to request our forgiveness. It’s incredibly important that he learns to recognize his failures and hurtful actions. He needs to admit, confess, repent, and receive mercy. However, the forgiveness was already given from the overflow of our love before he ever mouthed the words, “will you forgive me.”

God draws us to recognize and confess our sins, too. Knowing and expressing the depth of our sin-struggle draws us back to His unending mercy. Turning in humility to God is His Spirit-led path of changing us to becoming more like Jesus Christ.

So we repent.

We fall to our knees in desperate need.

Tears flow as we see our own inadequacy.

But in this Father-son-daughter relationship, His forgiveness is always and already present in His heart for us.

Pastor Milton Vincent wrote, “In justifying me, God declared me innocent of my sins and pronounced me righteous with the very righteousness of Jesus. God also allowed His future and present wrath against me to be completely propitiated by Jesus, who bore it upon Himself while on the cross (1 John 2:2). Consequently, God now has only love, compassion, and deepest affection for me, and this love is without any admixture of wrath whatsoever . . .

When I sin, God’s grace abounds to me all the more as He graciously maintains my justified status as described above (Romans 5:20-21). When I sin, God feels no wrath in His heart against me (1 Thess. 5:9-10; 1 John 2:2). His heart is filled with nothing but love for me, and He longs for me to repent and confess my sins to Him, so that He might show me the gracious and forgiving love that has been in His heart all along. (1 John 1:9).” From A Gospel Primer for Christians: Learning to See the Glories of God’s Love, pg. 62-64.

God is ready and waiting with a never-ending, overflowing forgiveness for His children. And by His grace, we can turn to Him, look up into His glorious and loving face, and let our tears fall upon His shoulders. For those who are in God’s family through believing in Jesus Christ, the forgiveness never runs out. His love never stops.

We are always forgiven. Turn to Him today and receive His love and Life anew.

————–

I highly recommend Milton Vincent’s small yet profound book (quoted above). By purchasing his book through the Amazon link below you will partner with us in meeting the growing technology costs required to maintain www.GraceExposed.org:

Listen to the audio devotional “Always Forgiven” delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI  on Sunday evening, 4.6.2014 simply by clicking on the play button below:

Cancer. That one, singular word cuts into the fabric of our lives with fear and anxiety, doesn’t it? Every person knows someone who has battled against cancer; perhaps you know one who is in the middle of the fight right now. This lethal, fearsome disease is waging war against their body, seeking to wrack their frame with total destruction.

Or maybe you are that ‘someone,’ and you’re in the fight right now or you just got a clearance letter from your doctor stating life might finally return to normal. Undoubtedly, cancer is an insidious and terrifying illness that clear-cuts a wide swath of victims of all ages and backgrounds every year.

But why does cancer bring such devastation upon the human body? It all comes down a very simple difference that equals destruction. Some define cancer cells simply as, “free, independent radicals that want to break away from other normal cells and go unregulated. Wikipedia’s definition echoes the same idea: “Cancer cells are cells that grow and divide at an unregulated, quickened pace.”

Characteristics of Normal Cells (from Cancer Research UK)

Normal body cells have a number of important characteristics. They can…

How Cancer Cells are Different

Cancer cells are different to normal cells in several ways. They don’t die if they move to another part of the body and…

The end result: Cancer cells bring utter destruction to the human body. They don’t want to live in the place where they belong. They want to do things their own way…

We all want our own way; don’t we? We think we know what is best for our lives. Why should we follow someone else’s advice? We know what we like and dislike, so why should somebody tell us differently?

Popular culture tells us, “Have it Your Way” (thank you, Burger King). Frank Sinatra sang, “I did it my way!” The very idea having getting “our way” seems to feel and sound so right.

But then we open our Bibles, begin following Jesus, gather with other Jesus-followers – and what inevitably happens?! Things don’t go our way. People don’t treat us the way we like. Awkward moments occur when we have to sit next to people we don’t even know (God forbid!). The music isn’t our style, the food is stale, the carpet color is horribly out-of-date, the pastor preaches way too long, and people don’t smile enough…

And so we shout, “I’m not getting what I want, so I’m going to complain until I get what I want or I’m just going to leave.”

And we shake our fists, open our mouths, flap our gums (me included), and treat the God-appointed leaders over us like waiters at a 1 star family diner, who are not giving us the right meal that we think we ordered, paid for, and need (right now).

But the local church is not a restaurant; it’s a family. And just like free radicals – cancer cells – destroy the human body, so complaining, individualistic, independent Christians destroy churches every day.

Even deeper, what does our complaining say about how we think about God? Perhaps something like this, “Maybe God, you’ve given me what I need, but I don’t trust You to give me the leaders, satisfaction, and fun that I want.” Ultimately complaining seems to say, “God isn’t really all that good…I trust my opinion about what’s right for me, rather than what God has set for me.” And the cancer sets in and slowly turns out of control.

Don’t skip this: there are actions, attitudes, and words you and I can use or engage in that are cancerous to the Body of Christ, the Church.

There are actions, attitudes, and words you and I can use that bring destruction rather than life – that tear down and divide rather than build up and unite.

And it all comes down to this simple question:

Our way or God’s way? Which mission are you on? We are all on a mission, but the question is, “Whose mission?” Your way or God’s way? Are you Dividing or Uniting?

Philippi: The believers in Philippi, “evidently were complaining (to God and each other) and arguing (with each other). As a result they were not ‘without fault’ among the unregenerate; they were not shining like stars in their world (2:15). The Philippian assembly needed to show themselves as united and as one in Christ. Non-Christians were not being attracted to Him by the saints’ strifes and contentions.” (The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Philippians, 655-56). Therefore, Paul challenged them to deal with their complaining and arguing for a very specific reason and the same message connects with us today with incredibly relevance. So let’s turn to Philippians 2:14-18… [Part 1: Cancerous Christianity: When Dividing Overrules Uniting.] 

Corinth: The church in ancient Corinth was in an environment and culture not a lot different than our own. Immorality, sexual promiscuity, drunkenness, early forms of narcotics, religious pluralism, prostitution, etc… all were prevalent in Corinth. The people did life their way. Debauchery and depravity and self-centeredness were the name of the game. But then the Gospel message entered the picture and men and women started turning to Jesus Christ for forgiveness, hope, and eternal life, and their lives were radically changed.

And yet, they still were prone to act, think, and talk like they were still entrenched in their previous way of life – doing it their way. And so the apostle Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write so that their progressive sanctification would be aligned with their positional sanctification. In other words, they had been declared “right” in God’s sight through Jesus’ work on the Cross, but their lives still shouted out that they needed to rehearse the Gospel and live righteously for God’s glory – every single day.

They were doing life their own way, and what’s the first example? They were dividing. There was a cancer spreading in the Corinthian church that could bring destruction. Dividing was overruling their unity in Jesus Christ. And the same actions, attitudes, and words can also take over like cancer among us, too. So let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:10-17… [Part 2: Cancerous Christianity: When Dividing Overrules Uniting]

Listen to the full audio messages entitled Cancerous Christianity – Parts 1 and 2 by simply clicking on the play buttons below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. These messages were originally delivered at North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI, on Sunday evening Jan. 12th and Jan. 19th, 2014.

Are your priorities in order? Pastor Chuck Swindoll heard about a couple from Atlanta who simply loved the story of the famous musical “My Fair Lady.” When they found out about a special re-release of their favorite show on Broadway in New York City, they deliberately planned a vacation 8-10 months in advance in order to attend the opening night.

Arriving extra early, they found their choice seats – just 4 or 5 rows from the front. The theater quickly filled up…until every single seat was filled, except for the seat right next to the husband.

Just before the show was about to begin the man turned to the elderly woman seated one space over from him on the other side of the empty seat and said, “How could anyone purchase such an expensive seat in a sell-out crowd and miss this show – and not even bother to show up or give someone the ticket?”

The woman quietly turned to him and wistfully remarked, “Well, I happen to know the person who purchased the ticket for this seat…it was my husband. He and I had looked forward to seeing My Fair Lady for so long, but he recently passed away.”

“Oh! I am so sorry!” The man replied, “And you couldn’t find anyone, perhaps a close friend or family member, to take his place?”

“Oh no.” the elderly woman replied. “They are all at the funeral.”

Sometimes our priorities can be totally skewed… 

What do we value most? What kind of value do you and I place on our money, homes, cars, reputation, vacations, recreation, jobs, success, spouse and children, mom or dad, brother or sister…? It’s not that good jobs, money, homes, or most of all, our family members are bad things to hold as dear. My family is incredibly precious and dear to me. But what do you and I value most… more than anything?

What do you value most in this life? What is most precious to you? Your money? Your job? Your wife? Your children? Your reputation? Your vacations? Your pension?  Your health? (That’s a big one for me as I write this, since I’ve been dealing with a terrible wisdom tooth problem…it’s so easy to lose our joy when we lose the thing we value most). What’s at the top of your list? Be honest with yourself and with God. What do you treasure and love more than anything else? What do you fear death would take from you? Take a moment to write down 2 or 3 top items on your value list…

Ok, you have your list? Here’s what the apostle Paul’s list look liked early on in his life, when he was known as Saul, not yet the apostle Paul: (from Phil. 3:4-6; cf. Phil 1:20-21)

Pedigree! He was a thoroughbred Jew (not a half-breed Samaritan), circumcised on the eighth day, he was born in the right tribe, to the right group of people, into the right family. His name meant something when people heard it echoing around Jerusalem, and he knew it! It was like hearing a name like Rockefeller, Forbes, or Buffett, Gates, or Bush. His name got people’s attention because he had the right pedigree.

Education! He was trained by the best educator in the land, the renowned and esteemed Gamaliel. Being trained in the Law by Gamaliel would be like saying, “by the way, I went to Harvard” or “I received my law degree from Yale University.” He was at the top of the pack, from the right family, with the right name, and with the best education. (cf. Acts 22:3)

Perfection! He lived according to the law as a Pharisee (the super-religious, holier-than-thou group who prided themselves in being better than everyone else), he thought he fought the right fight (“in my zeal for God I persecuted the church”), he followed the dos and don’ts to the inth-degree (“according to the righteousness stipulations in the law I was blameless/without fault.” (Phil. 3:6)

Power! He could get what he wanted, (obtained warrants from the High Priest for the arrest of Christians in Damascus (see Acts 9:1-2)!

BUT then Saul, who became known as the apostle Paul, met Jesus, or rather Jesus met with Him on the road to Damascus when he was on his way to arrest Christians and haul them back to Jerusalem… and everything changed. It may be the most dramatic reversal of values and priorities seen in the story of the Bible. Paul moved from seeking self (and all the credentials/values) to knowing Christ.

Look again at Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 3:7-11, where we find in sitting in Rome suffering under house arrest…in prison for preaching Christ.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Satisfied” (Philippians 1:20-21) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday morning, November 10th, 2013, being my final message to EBC before my transition to Lead Pastor of North Park Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI.

Just this past May, not more than 2 months ago, David Gonzalez, age 35, was busy remodeling an old home in Hoffman, Minn, that he had purchased for just $10,100. But while he was busy tearing out old insulation in the walls and ceiling of the house he uncovered what is considered to be the “Holy Grail” of all comic books: Action Comics edition No. 1. 1938 – the very first comic to introduce the Man of Steel, Superman.

Reports indicate the comic book had remained untouched in the home’s ceiling for more than 70 years. Only around 100 issues of this comic book are known to be in existence today, and a recent sale of an Action Comics No. 1 edition in near mint condition took in 2.16 million dollars. To further heighten the attractiveness of Gonzalez’s find for collectors, this past month marked another blockbuster film for Superman: Man of Steel. This was an incredible find, at an incredible time.

But the story goes on… while Gonzalez and his wife’s aunt (who had apparently come over to help work on the house) got into a dispute about her demand for a financial cut from the sale of the comic, they got into some sort of crazy tug-of-war match and accidentally ripped the back cover off the book, dropping it’s condition by at least 2 points and it’s value by more than $75,000… maybe a lot more. Ouch. That was an expensive argument.

The almost insane value of this classic comic book is shocking, but when I heard about the huge loss of value because of a silly argument it practically took the air out of my lungs. I threw my hands in the air and shouted, “how nuts!” Last month, Gonzalez’s comic book sold for $175,000. Not too shabby, but it could have sold for a lot more…

Could you imagine if you or I owned a classic comic book valued at $1 million?! I don’t know about you, but I would first get insurance on the item and then I probably could not help myself but show it off to everyone – if you came over my house you would have to see “THEE” comic book. I would probably subtly but proudly talk about its value and how it gained its worth and how remarkably unique and rare it was and on and on and on…

But why am I not that way about the immense, endless, and incomparable worth of Jesus Christ? You and I gasped at the story of this Superman comic book and its shocking value… maybe you (like me) imagined what you would do if you were the one who found the comic book. But why do we have dozens of Bibles practically coming out of our ears, containing the amazing story and worth of Jesus Christ, yet the Good news of Jesus rarely exits our mouths…especially when we’re around the unsaved?

Maybe it’s because we’ve lost sight of the full picture, the full worth, the full value, the crazy amazing work of Jesus Christ…. It is so easy to get focused-in on the value system around which the world revolves. We plink our pennies, save our dollars, and hope for the day when will be able to rest and relax with some of the personal treasure we’ve stored up for ourselves. And we can so easily lose sight of the immense worth of Christ and where real, lasting hope is found.

Maybe the size of our picture of Christ has slowly been shrunk down or whittled away to a more comfortable, manageable Jesus, who doesn’t call us to radical discipleship, innovative evangelism, or risky faith. Are we more excited about getting a raise on our job than going on a mission trip to reach someone who’s never heard about Jesus?

Sometimes it seems like you and I would be more broken-hearted and sick inside about the thousands of dollars lost on a completely fictional comic book, than we are about the thousands upon thousands of people who pass by our church building everyday without Christ, un-rescued, and still living in the domain of darkness, apart from Christ’s light.

So who really has more value and worth? Superman or Jesus?

The early believers residing in the ancient city of Colossae needed a bigger picture – a full portrait of Christ’s supreme value and worth. False teachers were promulgating various heretical ideas within the Colossian church, claiming that Christians needed to still follow the Old Testament ceremonial laws and extra-biblical regulations, that they needed to seek after some sort of deeper or special knowledge, that angels were to be worshiped as mediators to God, and that a select few could reach perfection as some sort of “elite” tribe of thinkers.

But more than all of these false ideas, these heretics were teaching a small, inadequate picture of Christ – that Jesus Christ was not really God-in-the-flesh, that He was not fully divine, that His value, worth, and work were not really incomparable and supreme. Therefore, the apostle Paul wrote to them (and to us) by the power and inspiration of the Spirit so that we could see a huge portrait – a painting as it were – of who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished for us and for our salvation…

Let’s watch as Paul paints each brushstroke of this amazing portrait of Christ, the Son of God in Colossians 1:13-23…

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Superman vs. Jesus” (Colossians 1:13-23) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday evening, July 21st, 2013, during the report service for our local teen mission program called Neighborhood Gospel Outreach.

More often than not, we are driven by a mentality that celebrates self-reliance. Learning how to maximize our human potential is the name of the game. We believe if we work hard enough and make the right kind of friends – we can have it all. The world is the oyster of the one who learns to take advantage of every opportunity, so many people say.

Achievements are gained by taking “the bull by the horns” and getting it done. Success is won by taking control of the situation and demonstrating superior leadership and authority. Power is received by sheer inner-strength and the will to win, so motivational speakers claim, sing, and “preach,” all for a mere $3,000-$10,000+ dollars at your local business event. It’s all about your potential “achievement quotient.”

Self-reliance and human potential are the name of the game – in the world system – but also very often in the church, as well. We approach the mission of the church (going and making disciples of all the nations) with the same mentality: “get organized, strategized, capitalize, and get it done.” All the while we miss the message of the Cross, the essence of faith, and the centrality of Christ.

Yet in the end, we have bought a lie rooted in centuries-old human philosophies and business ideologies that strip the Church of it’s power and distort the message of the Gospel: We think we can do it ourselves. All the while, mankind’s innovations and ingenuities get praise and God is denied his rightful glory.

So, if it’s not us in our own strength, then what is God’s strategy for accomplishing His mission? What is God’s plan for His mission?

Just like us, the Corinthians were attempting to accomplish the mission of the Church through human-centered plans and schemes. Yet Paul had a different approach that rattled their cages and ultimately brings true glory to God. Please take a look with me beginning in Acts 1:8; 2:37-42 (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 28:19-20) where we are going to look at our problem (1. We are driven to be self-reliant), God’s solution to the problem, (2. Only through God’s power can His mission be accomplished), and the application for us today, (3. Be God-dependent, not Self-Reliant)…that way he gets the glory!

Central Idea: God’s redemptive mission (the missio dei) can only be accomplished through the power and equipment of the One who enlisted us on the mission.

Only through the power of God, the Holy Spirit, can the people of God accomplish the mission of God.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Mission [Im] Possible” (Acts 1:8; 2:37-42; 1 Cor. 2:1-5; Matt. 28:19-20) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday evening, June 22nd, 2012, during the report service for our local teen mission program called Neighborhood Gospel Outreach.

Here I was again, cold, alone, and in the dark; trying to get away from the sound by plugging my ears from the banging of metal hitting human flesh. Even though I could not see anything from where I sat huddled underneath the kitchen table, I tightly closed my eyes with the echo of every pounding blow. Why would they be doing this? I thought. Why would these people be so evil as to do something so terrible and gruesome to an innocent man? Oh please stop, please stop!

In utter desperation to run far away from this terror I scurried out from underneath the dining table, but before I could leave the room something made me pause in my little tracks. Maybe it was simply my five year old curiosity that made me look, but quite possibly it was something more significant, for there He was nailed to a cross made out of old, splintered wood. He had been whipped, torn, beaten and even spit upon! I saw that He was wearing a crown, but even the crown was made out of thorns that had pierced His forehead and now blood freely ran down His face. As my eyes welled up with tears and stark fear, I hopped into the comfort of my mother’s lap. And, this time I did not once again jump under the table, but instead fixed my young eyes on the whole scene that was being depicted for us on our little television set.

As I continued to watch with a sense of despair, I could not help but ask my mother why they were doing something so awful. She then explained to me that Jesus went through all this torture, shame, and ultimately death to save me and rest of the world from sin. As young as I was, I still knew that I had done many bad things, in fact the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I probably sinned everyday.

The Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And in Isaiah 53:6 it says, “all of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us turned to his own way.” In hearing this verse, it is quite clear to all of us that we simply cannot measure up to God’s holiness, or in other words, perfect-ness. We all miss the mark. So, I knew that I was a sinner but what was I supposed to do? If I tried to be really good, and not sin very much would that let me into Heaven?

As the movie on the crucifixion of Jesus came to a close, a man began to explain from the Bible that no matter if we have sinned just a couple of times, or if we did many evil and wicked things; we were all sinners in God’s eyes. In Romans 6:23a it says, “For the wages of sin is death…” So, according to God’s Word the only thing you and I deserve is death!

But, then when all hope seemed lost for this little brown eyed five-year-old, I heard the words of grace and hope. “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) I found that salvation from the wrath and fury of hell is not obtained by doing good works, religious deeds, or any other thing except simply trusting in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2:8-9) Salvation is a completely free gift directly from the hand of God!

The good news does not end at the point of Christ’s death on the cross of Calvary. For Christ rose again after three days of being in the grave and now sits at the right hand of God (Eph 1:20).

That day in early April, I found peace, power and eternal life through trusting in Jesus Christ. He came into my life and has made me a brand new person who is no longer is under the power of sin, but now empowered through the grace of God….

For most us, we have experienced the “new birth” (if you haven’t, I invite you to trust in Christ today!), yet so often you and I fail to tell others about this Good News of Jesus Christ… We value our schedules, timetables, profit margins, and perhaps even sermon outlines more than the state of souls all around us! Just as I was so excited to tell others about Hudson the very moment he was born into the world, so you and I should joyously and unashamedly tell others about the New Life found in Jesus Christ alone!

Yet you and I (I’m in this boat too) fail in the mission, over and over and over again. We place other priorities over the priority of the one Great Commission we have all been given – the commission to GO!

So… If we have experienced this New Life, the new birth in Jesus Christ, then why don’t we GO? Should we go? If so, What’s the hold-up?

In Acts 1:1-11 prior to Christ’s ascension, the state of the early followers, including the disciples, was much like that in which we find ourselves. Christ had risen from the grave, but they were still uncertain what their mission was to be. It was as if the battle plans had not yet been revealed to the soldiers. They thought, at that time, perhaps Christ was going to establish His earthly reign as the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant. Yet their surmising turned out to be off-base and when Christ ascended they stood frozen, gazing into the sky. It was as if they had missed the Commission altogether! But they had not, and tonight, neither are we… We are going to look at why we don’t go and what God’s mission is for us, His Church…

Please turn with me to Acts 1:1-11 to dig into this message about Christ’s mission… We were not commissioned to gaze into the sky, but to go as Christ’s witnesses into every corner of the earth.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “It’s Time to Go” (Acts 1:1-11) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday evening, June 18th, 2011, during the kick-off service for our local teen mission program called Neighborhood Gospel Outreach.

By Michael J. Breznau (audio sermon player below)

Staying on the path can be tricky business, especially when you are alone in surroundings that are dark, difficult, and potentially dangerous.

One late afternoon, I headed off to have time alone with just me, the mountains, and God… in the middle of Glacier National Park, MT. In my backpack I brought along just a few rations of food, a journal, my Bible, a headlamp, and a small survival kit. I hiked out from Logan’s Pass ranger station and out over the snowfields to the west, down a small valley, then up a ridge, then up another ridge where I could look down in the bright sunshine and see the surrounding peaks, and the way back to the Ranger Station. I had a great time reflecting on the summer of ministry, praying, and worshiping God.

As the sun began to quickly set below the ridges, the valleys soon flooded with darkness. I remember thinking, “hmmm… I should probably head back now before it’s really dark…. You know there are grizzly bears and hungry wolverines out here.”

But instead of realizing how dark it would become, I decided to stay up there on my picturesque ridge and enjoy the beautiful view of the stars…. Mmmm, not good. To make a long story a bit shorter, I nearly fell off two different cliffs trying to get back to the trail and I’m pretty sure I scared a bear of some kind along the way. Crazy…

We live in dark times. And God’s Word makes it clear that our surroundings and culture will only get worse and increasingly act out in depravity – in every form – in the days ahead. Yes, we are hopeful and prayerful for a spiritual awakening in the world.

Yet there is no mistaking it. When you and I walked out these doors, we are entering a world that is largely opposed to Christ and/or intentionally ignorant of God and His Good News. They don’t want to hear that sin deserves punishment. They don’t want to really be bothered by the notion of an eternity in either heaven or hell. They want to live their way and would be extremely irritated by anyone telling them what they are doing is wrong.

The path of following the way of Jesus is dark, difficult, discouraging, oftentimes lonely, and sometimes dangerous. Let’s face it. If we’re all honest with ourselves before God, we’ve all been tempted (many times over), to give in to the temptation to veer off the path. The advertisements to dive into “what everybody else is doing” are all around us. And they seem so enticing… so fun… so satisfying…so right now.

So how will we stay on the path… when the way is dark, lonely, and dangerous? This is the question we must face, just like the young follower and pastor, Timothy.

In Timothy’s day, wide-spread persecution against Christ-followers was rapidly mounting. The social climate across the Roman Empire had turned against Christianity – even the word “Christian” was used as a derogatory term for those who followed “the Way” of Jesus. The church in Ephesus was undoubtedly embroiled in the assaults and persecutions now sweeping across the region. In this extremely difficult climate, many people were probably being tempted to return to the old way of life or adopt a syncretistic blend of the “approved” Roman religions along with the way of Jesus. Can you imagine trying to pastor a young congregation with these sorts of issues?

For the young pastor, Timothy, it seems fear had begun to set in (2 Timothy 1:5-9). Life on the path of Jesus had become increasingly difficult. The spiritually weak, confused, and immature may have been exiting the faith and reneging on their commitment to Christ. Other leaders in the church at Ephesus may have started to pressure Timothy to veer off the path of the radical Gospel of Jesus Christ, because it was too risky, too dangerous, and Paul (the man who founded the church in Ephesus)… well, he was locked up in a tiny, dank prison cell in Rome. You can almost hear the fear and anxiety rattling around in Timothy’s head. The whole church may collapse. Total loss may come…

Therefore, Paul wrote to passionately exhort Timothy to remain firm in the faith, bold in the Truth, and confident in the power of the Gospel of Christ…. So that he would stay on the path.

It is interesting though, in Chapter 3 of Second Timothy that the main concern is not the social climate, but how Timothy will stay on the path of faith in Truth in the midst of a chaotic and difficult society….

The parallels are striking. Today, the social climate has turned against orthodox Christianity. To stand for the clear basics of God’s will on issues like sexuality, marriage, family, the sanctity of life, and the Gospel, is considered bad publicity and contrary to political-correctness. We currently have numerous elected government officials who have essentially laughed in the face of God’s Word when it comes to the parameters God has set for His gifts of marriage and sexuality. And many – even in the wider Church – have applauded them for doing so! The social climate has largely turned against God and His people.

Yet the real issue is not with what everyone else is doing, but with us. How will we stay on the path… when the way is dark, lonely, and dangerous? This is the question we must face, just like Timothy. So please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3….

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Stay on the Path” (2 Timothy 3:1-17) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday evening, May 20th, 2012, for our annual High School Grad Night service.

I will never forget the last moment of communication I had with my Grandma, Betty Czarnecki, as she lay on her deathbed. I had just finished singing, “It is Well with My Soul” at her bedside, and she looked up at me with those sparkling eyes, and although she was unable to speak she gently squeezed my hand two times, as if to say, “Thank you, I love you…and I know it is well with my soul.” And it was finally well with her soul, because just before her final stroke she had placed her trust in Jesus Christ as her personal Savior.

Perhaps you recall the final words or last wishes of your grandfather, grandma, mother, father, or uncle. And just like my moment with my Grandma, those last words or moments have been forever emblazoned on your mind and in your heart. They sometimes randomly come to mind just when you need them most – that word to “be strong” to “live for what really matters” or to “take time to love.”

I still remember…My great-grandpa Feldbusch praying over me with his big “farmer’s hands” on my head. I remember as this godly, Christ-loving man neared the end of his long life, my Aunt Sharon gave him a tape recorder so he could share his story and godly wisdom with the next generation…

In that moment when everyone knows the end is drawing near, the family gathers close to their loved one and patiently waits and listens for the last words of wisdom from the one who loves them. You know the end is coming, and you don’t want to miss one single moment, for fear you might miss those last words of wisdom and love.

FLASHBACK: In many ways, this is the setting of the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Near the close of this letter he confides in Timothy, “For I am already being poured out as an offering, and the time for me to depart is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!” (2 Tim 4:6-7) Paul realizes that he doesn’t have much time left – winter is coming and he’s already feeling the chill in his bones (which is what happens when you get old). This could be why he deeply urges Timothy two times to come see him, “Make every effort to come before winter” (4:9, 21) and he also asks Timothy to, “bring the coat which [he] left at Troas with Carpus…” (4:13). Winter is coming. Paul is seriously feeling the affects of aging and the many dangerous years he’s spent on God’s mission. And the Roman persecution under Nero is escalating. He is cold, imprisoned in a dungeon – not under house arrest as he was earlier, and most of all he is cut-off from those he loves. So he pens these words to the young man he adopted as his spiritual son… Timothy.

Seeing the End

When Timothy received this letter, I’m sure he had the sinking feeling of what was coming. Tears probably streamed down his face as he heard Paul’s voice echo from the pages of the letter and especially over the words, “…the time for me to depart is at hand.” These last words from the heart of Paul to Timothy undoubtedly became emblazoned on Timothy’s heart and mind for the rest of his life. You see, Timothy was an uncircumcised half-breed from Lystra; with a Jewish mother and a Greek father (Acts 16:1) he was a societal outcast, the object of ridicule by the Jews and the punch line of jokes by the Greeks and Romans. To the young boy Timothy, he was “a nobody” with no real future and no hope.

But then this guy named Paul stepped into the city of Lystra on his first missionary journey; and everything changed. Paul walks into Lystra and heals a man that’s been unable to walk all his life (lame; Acts 14:9-10), and in crazy fashion the townspeople start worshiping Paul and Barnabas as Hermes and Zeus!

As soon as Paul and Barnabas figure out what’s going on, they immediately start preaching the Gospel and condemning the pagan religions of the people – but the people kept right on with their fanatical worship. Then some Jews show up from the neighboring cities, convince the townspeople that Paul and Barnabas are imposters and have them hauled out of the city, and they proceed to throw rocks at Paul with such force that they assume he is dead; stoned to death. Wow. What a great start to reaching an unreached people group – so we would think.

Well, apparently Paul thought so, because he got up and went right back into the city and continued making disciples. A couple chapters later during Paul’s second missionary journey, Timothy enters the scene. Timothy had been taught the Old Testament scriptures from his faith-filled mother and grandmother, and he apparently connected with those Paul led to Christ on his first visit to Lystra. Upon Paul’s second visit to Lystra, he hears about how Timothy is gaining a reputation as a follower of Christ and so this great apostle Paul asks the young man to join him as a missionary (Acts 16:1-5). Paul trains and equips Timothy and becomes like a spiritual father to this young man, maybe the father he never really had… later Paul would leave Timothy in charge of the growing church in Ephesus to provide leadership to the congregation. And this is where we find Timothy, with tears of happiness but also tears of sadness, as he reads this second letter from the apostle Paul.

So let’s focus our attention on this letter penned by Paul and inspired by the Spirit – and imagine that you’re Timothy or part of the congregation in Ephesus, and your hearing perhaps the last words you think you will ever see penned by the man who has love and trained and guided you like a father… tradition holds that not long afterward, Paul was beheaded by the Roman empire.

Q: What were Paul’s LAST WORDS and how should we hinge our lives around them?

Central Concept: God’s servants on His mission are strengthened by the Gospel and guarded against sin and false teaching through fidelity to the Word of God – in living, leading, and preaching.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Last Words: Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy” (Part of the Flyover Series) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday PM, January 20, 2013.

Sometimes we need a good reality check. The rich culture we live in (yes, we are filthy rich in comparison to 90% of the world) is constantly promulgating the idea that the apex of life is achieving a state of financial independence so that one can enjoy constant ease and recreation.

Is there something wrong with ease and recreation? No, certainly there is place for balanced ease and recreation in the life of a Christ-follower. However, if we focus our mind’s attention and heart’s affection on getting to a place of capitalistic nirvana, we will slowly let our guard down and begin to choose what is expedient for ourselves rather than what is effectual for the mission of God.

Exposing ourselves to this popular ideology and accommodating to the mission of mankind can reap tragic results. Why? Because we forget we live in the middle of a warzone where the casualties far outnumber the survivors. When we let our guard down we begin to forget we have been called to live against the grain of the world system that is opposed to the truth and grace of Jesus Christ.

All-too-often it is so easy to forget about the stark living conditions that Jesus outlined for His followers. I don’t know about you, but I can get caught up in the jazz and pizazz of our glitzy culture. Yet Jesus painted a radically different picture of life for those who walked down His dusty path. As He instructed His disciples before sending them out to declare the Gospel of the kingdom during His earthly ministry, Jesus offered this portrait of reality:

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles…” (Matthew 10:16-18) 

To be honest, I would like to believe we do not have it so difficult. I would like to think Midwestern America is the bastion of genuine Christian faith and that we are surrounded mostly by well-meaning sheep, rather than a pack of hungry wolves. But this is not reality. At all. We live in a world no less opposed to Christ and His message.

InterVarsity Removals

Earlier this year, the Asian chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship was reportedly denied officially recognition by the University of Michigan, because InterVarsity requires that leaders of the group adhere to its doctrinal statement. Fortunately, U of M later reversed their decision. However, numerous other schools have chosen to “de-recognize” this broad, evangelical ministry, without reversal. Vanderbilt University, Rutgers, Tufts University, State University of New York at Buffulo, and Rollins College have all argued that InterVarsity should be removed from their official role of student fellowships simply because InterVarsity requires that their leaders adhere to the essential doctrines of Christianity. This, in effect, they claim, violates their anti-discrimination policy.

Chik-fil-A Gets the Boot

The latest news, this week, comes from Emory University, which has chosen to remove Chik-fil-A from their campus restaurant venue due to Dan Cathy’s (Chik-fil-A’s president) public position against same-sex marriage. Despite the gracious and Christ-like tone of Cathy’s comments about his position as a Christian, Emory’s Dean of Campus Life, Ajay Nair stated, “Chik-fil-A has become a symbol of exclusion for some community members… Emory University has a long history of creating access, inclusion, and equity for Emory’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Public positions by Dan Cathy, President of Chik-fil-A, do not reflect these values of access, inclusions, and equity.” 

Stomping on Jesus

Just this past Thursday, a report emerged from Florida Atlantic University that a student was suspended from school after refusing to “stomp on the name of Jesus.” This sounds rather ridiculous doesn’t it? Hard to believe? Yeah, that is what I thought too, that is, until I read the article by Todd Starnes at Fox News.

Here’s an outline of the course lesson: “Have the students write the name JESUS in big letters on a piece of paper… Ask the students to stand up and put the paper on the floor in front of them with the name facing up. Ask the students to think about it for a moment. After a brief period of silence instruct them to step on the paper. Most will hesitate. Ask why they can’t step on the paper. Discuss the importance of symbols in culture.”

After FAU student, Ryan Rotella, brought his concerns about the assignment to his teacher’s supervisor, he was promptly suspended. As shocking as it might seem, the school has not rescinded their decision.

Rob Bell’s New Marriage (version)

To make matters even worse, one who formerly served as a pastor and author within evangelical Christianity has now publicly affirmed same-sex “marriage” as acceptable and compatible with his belief system. Rob Bell, former pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, MI, made this pronouncement at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, CA: “Yes, I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and woman, a woman and a woman, a man and a man….I think this is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.”

Now the point of all this sad and tragic news about how the post-Christian culture of America responds to our faith is not meant to send you out in a fitful rage of alarm or conspiracy theorist sensationalism. I do not wish to be a gloomy doomsayer or create little lemming-like doomsayers.

I am also not calling for us to huddle together in isolated flocks of “pure” white sheep, in an attempt to keep away from the danger of wolves. This sort of action would miss Christ’s point entirely. He sent out His followers to live out His mission among people who were opposed to Him and His message. If we run off into the Yukon wilderness to escape the dangers of the mission field (i.e. the entire world), we will fail on God’s mission and eventually find the same stinking stench of sin in our own lives and in the lives of our offspring.

Furthermore, I am not calling for us to form picket lines for political revolution to force wolves to start acting like sheep. Most of us have been there and done that. I, for one, am ashamed of my ignorance and belligerence in treating people outside of God’s love like a political project for personal gain.

However, what you and I do need is a constant reminder that opposition is a reality for everyone who follows Jesus Christ. Rejection should be our expectation. Temptation will be a constant lure. Don’t forget the stark reality of our living conditions as followers of the One who was opposed, rejected, abused, and killed by the people He had created. Jesus went on to say, “A disciples is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master” (Matthew 10:24). If they rejected and bitterly fought against Christ, then we should expect no less for us.

But Jesus loved them. Every single one. He offered His life for people who wanted to see Him die. When they sneered at Him with looks of hate and blasphemy, He loved them. When they spit on his face, He loved them. When they ripped muscle tissue right off His bones, He still loved them. He never returned their curses, hate, spit, or violence. He won through love… even through the love of the Cross.

Christ’s mission calls us to the same love. Don’t run away. Don’t hide. Don’t gather a little following of fear-filled frenetic friends. And certainly don’t fight back by picking up the stones they are throwing at you and, in turn, chucking them at the crowds of people who don’t know God’s love. Win them through the love of God in Jesus Christ.

Do a reality check. Our expectations are often so skewed and the pressure to give into the drive for capitalistic nirvana is so strong. But you and I have been sent out by Jesus to live among people who are more likely to reject us than listen to us. Yet we are to love them anyway… just like Jesus, the One who chose us and loved us in the middle of our mess and offered us hope and life in His name.

Listen to the full audio message entitled “Reality Check” (Matthew 10:16-33) by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Evangel Baptist Church on Sunday evening, May 19th, 2013, for our annual High School Grad Night service.

There once was a young slave named Samuel, who was owned from birth by a wicked, evil, abusive master. This master owned Samuel’s siblings, parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents, and made it his point to abuse them, misuse them, and work them literally to death. Every slave owned by this master died in bondage.

Half the property was covered with nameless gravesites. It seemed like there was absolutely no way of escape. No one ever had escaped on their own. Sure, some had tried. But no one ever succeeded.

Death was the end of every story.

But one day, a different master, who knew about how these slaves were oppressed in bondage and grueling slavery, decided to do what no one else had ever done before: enter the property of this evil slave-owner and set the slaves free.

When he arrived in the middle of the night, many of the slaves were scared and couldn’t believe there was another master who wanted them to be free from bondage; they thought he would just kidnap them and put them under even worse oppression. Even though this new master pleaded and pleaded with all the slaves to follow him into a new life of freedom, only a few believed he was different. These few saw something different in his eyes they had never seen before. They heard something different in his voice that they had never heard before. And so these few, including Samuel, began to quietly follow this new master away from the slave house and out across the bloodstained fields.

Samuel’s mind spun with all sorts of worry and fear and doubt. Was he making the right choice? Was all that this new master said really going to be true? Was life going to be different, free, and filled with peace? His heart raced with dozens upon dozens of questions.

Then suddenly he heard the all-too-familiar, ear-bleeding thunderclap of a gunshot. The evil slave master flashed through the darkness and sneered into the face of this new master, “Where do you think you’re going?! These people are mine and no one can take them from my grip. Not even you!”

But the voice of the new master was steady and calm, “No, I will remove them from the clutches of your bondage and evil. No more will they be bound for death by your stain of wickedness.”

“Is that so?” said the old master, “You know the punishment for being my slave, don’t you… It’s always death. Everyone dies here. I love death, in fact, it is sort of my idea,” cackled the old master.

“Then I will die,” said the new master, “I will die in their place and they will go free.” The old master laughed with glee, “Really!!? This is better than I ever could have imagined! The master die for the slave?! Ha, I’ve won!”

And with that the old master stuck the end of his rifle into the new master’s chest and pulled the trigger.

With his last breath, this new Master, whose eyes pierced the darkness and whose voice could calm the seas, turned to those who had followed Him into that bloodstained field and said so softly, “It is finished. Now go…. You’re free.”

Ultimate Rescue

And this is Christ’s love for you and me. Now the death that Christ died was actually more shocking, for it was at the hands of you and me. According to the Father’s plan, Christ the Son died in our place so that out from the bondage of sin we could be free.

Yet death was not the end of His story. Sin-driven Satan thought he had won. He thought he would coerce billions of slaves into greater bondage and evil and death. But God had another plan.

With a great shout of victory in the heavens, Christ took the keys of sin and death, and rose from the dead by the power of the Spirit. And the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in all who believe in the Christ, who alone sets us free. Satan has been defeated. Love has won. Death is conquered. This is Christ’s love for you and me.

Have you followed Him out of the bloodstained fields of sin and trusted in His perfect and complete work of grace on the Cross? If not, God’s shocking invitation is open to you today. You can be free. You can receive the rescue by simply turning from your sin and trusting in Christ alone for the redemption and forgiveness that only He can give.

Jesus offers hope for every slave. I invite you to simply take the step of faith in Him for the new and eternal life that He offers to everyone who believes.

Freedom-Living

Now turn with me to the land of freedom in God’s grace: If you have been rescued and redeemed, your salvation in Jesus Christ was not cheap, trite, or trivial. It cost God everything. Salvation cost the very life and blood of God the Son, Jesus Christ. So, if you and I have been buried with Jesus Christ in His death and raised to new life through His resurrection, then we are to live out our new nature through joy-filled obedience in love.

How could we, who were enslaved to sin, and in the bondage of Satan’s deceptions and seduction, continue living as if we are still  enslaved to the old master? The thought is unthinkable, for it was Christ Himself who set us free. So do not go on living like you are dead, but alive and free!

Now please don’t misunderstand me here: you and I are not on a rat’s race to repay God for His gift of grace. A gift is a gift, clear and simple. I am not so woodenly saying, “The Christ figure died to set me free, so now I leave the plantation of sin and… obey Him.” In a very real sense, Jesus paid it all and we do not owe Him anything (I am not proposing that we rip that wonderful song out of our hymnals, but we must understand it in the correct context). Christ did not rescue us from the domain of darkness in sin and then enlist us with a “duty-ethic” burden by which we toil away in order to plunk tokens into His hands for the gift of redemption. No! Nothing could be further from the Gospel truth. Our attempts at repaying Him only prove we don’t understand the depth and riches of His gift. Christ’s nail-scarred hands wish for no token repayments; they simply want to hold us in love through our faith in His amazing work of grace.

Our rescue and freedom in Jesus Christ brings us into a love-relationship, not into a duty-oriented obedience. And yet, our Rescuer does call us to display our love and affection for Him through following His will in the obedience of faith. We come to Christ – daily – with nothing in our hands to bring, simply clinging with tears of joy to the One who paid our debt with His blood. From this posture of faith in Christ, He moves within us by the work of the Spirit to act on the obedience of faith.

So let’s honestly ask ourselves, does our obedience – our actions, words, and lifestyle – show that we love Christ more than anything or anyone else on this earth? Who or what do we obey and trust? Do we follow the obedience of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness?

God’s grace in Jesus Christ, through our new identity with Him in His death, burial and resurrection, changes what we value, what we love, and what we desire. This is what the apostle Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 6.

Paul wrote to the believers in Rome:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life….

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:1-4, 8-14)

Paul’s implication of God’s amazing work of saving those who believe in Christ is clear: You have a new life! You have been radically changed! You have been raised to walk in new life! You have a new Master! So, it is ridiculous to think (mei genoito – “may it never be”) that we should go on living like we are still in the bondage of sin – we have a new mission and a new purpose.

So when we are struggling with living like one still in sin-slavery, and instead of appearing as one “alive in Jesus Christ” we look more like the walking dead, let’s consider these three responses to the Gospel rescue: (1) Recognize your sin as sin (what is contrary to God’s will, design, and character) (Romans 6:15-19), (2) Look to Christ’s work of love for you on the Cross (Romans 6:1-11), and (3) Turn from your sin toward the love of God in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:20-23).

Embrace the Good News in Jesus by loving Him through joy-filled obedience. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead and brought panic to Satan will give you the strength to obey God’s will and way in freedom, life, hope, and peace. Because He is the God who came to set us free. May you and I walk in the freedom that only Christ affords to the praise of His glorious grace!

Behold the Man upon a cross,

It was my sin that held Him there

I will not boast in anything

Why should I gain from His reward?

From “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” by Stuart Townend

In Christ Alone,

Michael

**P.S. For the theology buffs out there, I’ve heard numerous analogies and stories about humankind’s position in sin and Christ’s freeing sacrifice that seem to portray the erroneous “Ransom-to-Satan” theory of the atonement. While I’m sure that many teachers, skit-makers, and video-clip makers are not intentionally trying to teach this theory, I did my best to position the “old, wicked master” as sin itself, not Satan. Christ did not pay out a ransom cost to Satan for our sins or souls. He instead took the penalty of mankind’s sin upon Himself through the Cross in order to satisfy God’s just judgment against sin – that which opposes His intrinsic design, character, and will. Thus, Christ’s sacrificial death was the means of a penal, substitutionary atonement.**

Listen to the full AUDIO message entitled “Obedience in Grace: VITALS Series” by simply clicking on the play button below or by subscribing to our iTunes podcast. This message was originally delivered at Youth Unleashed (the Jr. and Sr. High ministry of Evangel Baptist Church in Taylor, MI) on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.