Running to Win - 15 Minute Edition

Many people think they're masters of their own destiny. But God sees His people as clay on a potter's wheel. Since He's the potter, He controls their destiny. In this message, we're going to capture four images from God's metaphor of the potter's house. Let's learn to see ourselves accurately—as vessels God shapes according to His purposes.

When people refuse sound teaching, God sends false prophets who hide their true motives and deceive. Paradoxically, Jeremiah teaches that false prophets in themselves are a judgment from God. The people of Judah flocked to these false prophets and clung to their lying "visions" and occult divinations. In this message, we take home three words of hope to discern those sources.

Many people would like greater wealth and health but are led to believe they don't have enough faith. How can we identify true prophets in these important matters of faith? False prophets draw their false messages from a variety of sources, rather than God's self-revelation. In this message, we determine whether what we're hearing is from God, or from somewhere else. Will we present the true gospel of sin, judgment, faith, and repentance?

False prophets were a scourge in ancient Israel, and they are a scourge in our day. They tell us we're basically good, and if we try hard, God will grade us on the curve. Jeremiah says otherwise, pointing to the deceit within each of us. In this message, we learn more of the four characteristics of false prophets with Pastor Lutzer. Will we be faithful prophets who champion God's Word—confronting the idolatry and false teaching around us?

Just like the false prophets of Jeremiah's day, contemporary teachers paint God to be whatever they want and people as supposedly "good." They diminish God's holiness, exaggerate their goodness, and hide their real motives. In this message, we learn how to recognize these false teachers and discern their heretical teaching.

In a time of coming judgment, Jeremiah wept over the fate of his people. Do we in America weep for the many sins of our nation? In this message, Pastor Lutzer identifies four crossroads where America chose the wrong direction, calling darkness "light." Let's discover why we can hope in God despite the direction of our nation's morality and spiritual state.

When God judges His people, His question is clear: "Don't you see how serious your sin is? Turn to me." Great deception took hold in ancient Israel, leading to idolatry and judgment. The same pervasive mindset is having destructive effects all around us. In a time of inverted values, we can have hope. God is still seeking for those who will turn to Him in repentance.

What was once wrong is now celebrated, and what was right is now considered wrong. To become so confused, people must believe devastating lies. In this message, we'll isolate four lies about a nation's sins, and their inevitable consequences. We as Christians must offer Christ's hope, forgiveness, and help today.

Misconceptions about God have consequences. God isn't endlessly tolerant, putting up with any attitude or behavior. God had Babylon take Israel captive after Israel had endlessly deceived itself through idolatry. But neither does He impulsively condemn. What is it about our concept of God that needs adjustment?

When we get serious with God, He begins to show us the idols in our lives because He's the only One worthy of our worship. In Jeremiah's day, Israel forsook God—the fountain of living water—for idols, which were like broken cisterns that hold no water. Because of this, God's judgment fell. In this message, we'll make three key observations about true freedom from idolatry. Let's consider the implications for us in the contemporary church.