Waking Up to Grace

Is Jesus coming back, or were Jesus’ promises about His coming directed to the first-century generation that heard Him? This episode examines the rapture, the return of Christ, and the timeline Jesus gave His disciples.

Starting with Luke 21, we look at Jerusalem surrounded by armies, the destruction of the second temple, Jesus’ words about “this generation,” and the coming of the Son of Man. We then consider how these passages relate to AD 70 and compare that biblical timeline with dispensational teaching about a future rapture, a third temple, restored Israel, and a thousand-year kingdom.

If Jesus’ coming and covenant judgment were fulfilled in the first century, what are Christians waiting for now? And how does understanding that fulfillment change the way we see the finished work of Christ and the New Covenant age?

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/083-is-jesus-coming-back/

Did God create evil? Isaiah 45:7 records Yahweh saying, “I make peace, and create evil,” while other passages present God as good, just, merciful, and the One who delivers His people. How do those truths fit together without making God the author of sin?

In this episode, I look at Isaiah’s difficult words alongside Paul’s suffering, the crucifixion of Jesus, Stephen’s death, human will, God’s sovereignty, and Martin Luther’s discussion of the hidden will of God. Scripture does not answer every question about what God sovereignly allows or accomplishes, but that does not leave us without anything certain about His character.

Can Yahweh remain completely sovereign over a world filled with evil while the evil itself comes from the will of created beings? And what does that mean when we suffer and are trying to trust that God is working all things together for good?

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/082-did-god-create-good-and-evil/

Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21–23 are some of the most frightening in Scripture: “I never knew you; depart from me.” But who was Jesus speaking about, and should believers today fear that they could one day hear those same words?

In this episode, we follow the context of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ warning about false prophets, His first-century Jewish audience, and the religious leaders who claimed God while rejecting the Messiah He sent. We also examine the appeal to prophecy, mighty works, and casting out demons, and why religious works cannot substitute for faith in Christ.

When Jesus’ words are allowed to explain one another, Matthew 7 becomes a warning against trusting religious performance rather than a reason for those who belong to Christ to live in fear.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/081-i-never-knew-you-matthew-7-21-23/

What does Paul mean when he says, “Christ lives in me”?

Galatians 2:20 describes something far deeper than trying harder to live a Christian life. The believer has been crucified with Christ, given new life, and joined to the Lord. Christianity is not about manufacturing spiritual life through human effort. It is about learning to live from the life Christ has already given us.

In this episode, we look at what it means for Christ to live in us, why religious striving can obscure that reality, how the Holy Spirit relates to our new identity, and why remembering what Christ has already accomplished changes the way we approach obedience, struggle, and spiritual growth.

Read the companion study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/080-christ-lives-in-me-galatians-2-20/

Are heavenly rewards and crowns something Christians earn in this life to receive later, or have we misunderstood what Scripture is saying about them?

In this episode, we look at the crowns named in the New Testament, Paul’s race analogy in 1 Corinthians 9, Jesus’ dependence on the Father, the timing of resurrection and redemption, and the judgment seat of Christ. Along the way, we ask whether heavenly rewards are the result of human effort or something found only through Christ.

The apostles were waiting for promises connected with resurrection and redemption. What does that mean for believers today, and for the way we think about obedience, effort, crowns, and heavenly rewards?

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
 https://wakinguptograce.com/079-heavenly-rewards-and-crowns-oh-my/

What is a pastor in the Bible? Modern church tradition often pictures a pastor as the single leader of a congregation, but is that the picture we find in Scripture?

In this episode, Lenny examines Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 5, Acts 20, and the qualifications given in Timothy and Titus to explore the biblical relationship between pastors, shepherds, elders, and overseers. We also consider what pastoral leadership is meant to accomplish, how authority should function among believers, and why Christ remains the Chief Shepherd of His church.

Read the Companion Bible Study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/078-what-is-a-pastor/

Will a man rob God? Malachi 3:8–10 is often used to teach Christians that they are required to give ten percent of their income to the church or risk withholding something that belongs to God.

But who was Malachi speaking to, what was the biblical tithe, and does that command carry over into the New Covenant?

In this episode, we look at tithing in its Old Covenant context, the purpose of the storehouse, Jesus’ words about tithing, and the difference between giving under the Law of Moses and giving freely under grace. We also consider what the New Testament actually shows about generosity, supporting others, and giving without compulsion.

Read the companion Bible study and join the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/077-will-a-man-rob-god-malachi-3-8/

We challenge comfortable assumptions and ask listeners to test church teachings against Scripture in context. We walk through ten common doctrines, contrast law and grace, and call believers to Berean-style courage, clarity, and confidence in Christ’s finished work.

• why “we teach the Bible” can still miss context
• fear and comfort as barriers to discernment
• Berean nobility as a model for testing claims
• half-truths and dependence on professional authority
• law-based tithing versus grace-led generosity
• baptism as celebration, not a salvation requirement
• forgiveness as finished, not a daily re-earning
• fellowship with God secured by the Spirit
• walking by the Spirit before behavior change
• discipleship as identity rooted in belief
• discipline versus punishment under the new covenant
• church buildings versus living fellowship in truth
• rethinking rapture assumptions in context
• practical steps to clear the slate and search Scripture

Read the companion study and join the conversation: https://wakinguptograce.com/076-astonishing-list-of-false-teachings-in-the-church/

How do you live a holy life without turning Christianity into an endless cycle of trying harder, failing, repenting, and trying again?

In this episode, we examine the behavioral standards often attached to Christian holy living, including conditional fellowship with God, repeated confession, fear of punishment, and the pressure to measure ourselves against the perfection of Jesus. When those standards are applied consistently, they expose the impossibility of producing holiness through our own effort.

Scripture points us somewhere different. From Jesus’ words about perfection to Israel’s failure to trust the Lord, Paul’s life of faith in Christ, and Peter’s call to cast our anxieties on God, holy living is rooted in dependence. Grace does not tell us to manufacture the life of Christ. It calls us to trust the One who already lives in us.

The difference between Christian hypocrisy and grace is not simply better behavior. It is the difference between depending on ourselves and depending on Christ.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/075-holy-living-hypocrisy/

Why does God allow us to suffer? Scripture never promises that believers will escape physical suffering in this life. Jesus told His followers that they would have tribulation, yet He also promised peace in Him.

In this episode, we look at Paul’s suffering and the lesson he learned when he was burdened beyond his own strength. Rather than teaching us to simply try harder, Paul points us toward dependence on the God who raises the dead and the strength of Christ at work within us.

We also consider the difference between asking the Lord to help us accomplish our own plans and allowing Him to guide us in His. Suffering can expose misplaced dependencies, teach us to let go of our own strength, and bring us back to the grace, love, and peace we already have in Christ.

Scripture shows us that weakness does not have to mean defeat. In Christ, suffering can produce endurance, character, and hope as we learn to live from His strength instead of our own.

Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/074-why-does-god-allow-us-to-suffer/