Radical With David Platt

There is no better news than the message of God’s grace in the gospel. Followers of Christ rightly celebrate this as our greatest joy and our life. However, it’s all too easy to ignore one of the ways we should respond to this good news––by making it known to all the peoples of the world. In this message from 2 Corinthians 4:13–18 at The Gospel Coalition 2013 Missions Conference, David Platt urges churches and followers of Christ to make the gospel known, even in the midst of difficulties and suffering. While earthly trials are temporary, God promises His people eternal joy.

Whether due to cultural opposition, sins and weaknesses within the body of Christ, or the routine, daily struggles that come with following Christ, it’s easy to forget the amazing privilege God has given to the church. No other institution or organization can claim to have Christ as its head. In this message from Ephesians 1:22–23, David Platt highlights the significance of the church’s relationship to Christ and its role in proclaiming His salvation. As we commit to Christ and to one another in the context of the local church, we put the glory of Christ on display.

There are many ways churches can serve their own members and their communities, but we cannot forget the global scope of Christ’s mission. As David Platt explains from Romans 15–16, the church should be about spreading God’s praise among all the peoples. Whether by praying, giving, or going, every member should play a role in getting the gospel to those who have never heard. It is the church’s privilege and responsibility to proclaim the good news to our neighbors and to the hardest-to-reach people groups on the planet.

If God has all power and knowledge, even over the future, then do our prayers really matter? And if they do, then what difference should that make in our lives and in our churches? In this message from Exodus 32–33 at Together for the Gospel 2014, David Platt urges believers to depend fully on the God who is sovereign over all things. God uses the prayers of His people to accomplish His purposes in the world.

Many Christians recognize that the church’s weekly gathering is important, but they seem to give little thought as to why. Why should we gather regularly for corporate worship, and what should our priorities be when we gather? In this sermon from John 4:1–26, David Platt identifies the kind of worship that pleases God. We gather as God’s people, not to be entertained or to listen to the thoughts of men, but rather to worship God in spirit and in truth.

Without realizing it, many followers of Christ have had their views of government shaped by political debates, the media, and popular culture. They give little thought to Scripture’s teaching on this important topic. In this sermon from 1 Peter 2:13–17, David Platt helps us think through a biblical view of government as well as the Christian’s responsibility to governing authorities. While we should pray for and submit to earthly rulers, our ultimate allegiance is to a heavenly King.

In order for a business, an organization, or a government to be effective, good leadership is essential. It’s no surprise, then, that bookstores are filled with advice on how to identify an effective leader. But what about the church––how do we know who is qualified to lead God’s people? In this message from 1 Timothy 3, David Platt points out the biblical qualifications for elders and deacons. In order to faithfully carry out its mission, the church should look to Scripture to find out what faithful leadership looks like.

If we only listen to the competing voices in our culture, then we’re likely to ignore the most important realities in life––eternal realities. Where else will we hear about God, salvation, heaven, hell, and judgment, unless we are confronted with God’s Word on a weekly basis? In this sermon from Acts 20:25–38, David Platt urges pastors and all Christians to consider why God’s Word must be supreme in the church. Instead of focusing on the ideas of man, we desperately need to hear from the God who speaks to us in Scripture.

Thankfully, when it comes to God’s design for the church and its mission, we’re not left to our own wisdom and creativity. God has graciously given us His Word, a perfect revelation of who He is and what He desires for His people. In this sermon from Acts 20:1–24, David Platt urges us to submit our lives and our churches to the authority of Scripture. God intends for His people to teach it, discuss it, obey it, visualize it, and then spread it to the ends of the earth.

We don’t normally think of words like accountability and discipline in a positive light, but in Scripture God gives us these things for our good. God’s people are called to care for one another in the context of the church, both in terms of teaching and encouraging one another and, if necessary, calling one another to repent of sin. In this sermon David Platt points us to accountability and discipline as marks of a biblical church. Beginning with Galatians 6:1 and then moving to other parts of the New Testament, we’ll see why churches that seek to glorify God and be faithful to the Great Commission should be marked by a concern for the spiritual welfare of every member.

What counts as Christian fellowship? A group Bible study? What about praying with someone? Is it considered fellowship if we’re simply eating with or spending time with other believers? These are important questions. As David Platt explains in this sermon, Scripture makes fellowship among God’s people a top priority. Based on Romans 12, we’ll see how God’s mercy in the gospel grounds the fellowship that should exist in the church. As a family of faith, the church should partner together for the glory of God and for the good of one another.

Some truths are so important that they’re worth giving our lives for. The gospel certainly fits in this category, which is why the Reformers were willing to die to make sure that the good news of Christ was proclaimed faithfully according to God’s Word. In this message from Together for the Gospel 2016, David Platt urges us to learn from the example of the Reformers. Their deaths several centuries ago should give us an eternal perspective on how we live our lives today.

What is God’s design for women? Our culture offers a very distorted answer to that question, bombarding us with messages and images that miss God’s good design. Women are promised liberation, all the while being physically abused, sexually objectified, and even encouraged to ignore or change their God-given gender. And the problem isn’t just out there in the world—the church often misses God’s good design as well. The roles of wives and mothers are often devalued, as is the important role of single women in the church’s life and mission. In this message, David Platt addresses these distortions by providing an overview of biblical womanhood that begins with Genesis 1 and then draws from various passages of Scripture. Only as we listen to God’s Word and find our identity in His gospel will we see the goodness and the fruit of God’s design for women. Your gift to Radical today will allow us to continue calling Christians to leverage every part of their life for the sake of making Christ known around the world.

Many churches rarely teach on the new covenant ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The biggest concern is how to fit them in without disrupting the weekly service. It’s little wonder, then, that baptism is viewed as optional by many Christians while the Lord’s Supper is either misunderstood or ignored. In this sermon David Platt explains the meaning of these two ordinances and answers the following questions: Why should I be baptized? How should I be baptized? Who should be baptized? When should I be baptized? Who should participate in the Lord’s Supper? Where should we have the Lord’s Supper? When should we have the Lord’s Supper? According to Scripture, baptizing believers and regularly taking the Lord’s Supper are crucial aspects of what it means to be a New Testament church.

Sadly, it’s not uncommon today for those who claim to be followers of Christ to show half-hearted commitment to Christ’s bride, the church. Like consumers, many Christians shop around for the best church “experience.” Others merely attend for an hour each week without any desire to meet needs among God’s people or to be a part of the church’s mission. There are even those who attempt to follow Christ apart from regularly gathering with God’s people. But as David Platt points out in this sermon from 1 Corinthians 12:12–27, God has not designed us to be spiritual lone rangers. We are fellow members of Christ’s body. For the sake of our own souls and for the sake of Christ’s mission, every follower of Christ should be committed to a local church.

It’s one thing for someone to hear the gospel and reject it, but what about those who have never even heard of Jesus? Are they okay, spiritually speaking, as long as they live a good life and follow the light they’ve been given? What is their standing before God? In this sermon, David Platt addresses these eternally important questions based on Romans 15. Given the staggering number of people in the world with little or no access to the gospel, this issue is not merely theoretical. Getting the gospel to the unreached is urgent.

Although we don’t always feel wealthy, evangelicals in America and in many parts of the West are some of the wealthiest people in world history. We have everything we need––food, clothes, houses, cars, jobs, education, savings accounts, vacations––and more. Yet, for many churches, God’s generosity toward us has not resulted in our generosity toward others. We have been content to stockpile God’s resources rather than use them for the spread of the gospel. In this message, David Platt highlights giving as one of twelve biblical traits of the church. Rather than listening to the culture, we should be listening to Scripture to see how God would have us use the resources He has entrusted to us.

We are taught from a young age to “be safe” in whatever we do. This isn’t bad advice for the everyday tasks God has given us to do, but when it comes to following Jesus, we can wrongly assume that God would never call us to something costly or dangerous. Our time, effort, and resources are spent on maximizing our comfort. However, Jesus said that following Him would mean forsaking everything. And while we aren’t to seek out suffering, we know that proclaiming the gospel in many areas of the world requires taking risks. In this sermon from Philippians 1:12–30, David Platt reminds us not to let comfort become an idol, but instead to pursue faithfulness to Christ, even if it costs us our lives. Being with Christ is infinitely better than any temporary security this world offers.

We live in a day where people are made uncomfortable by any claim of truth. Jesus taught that He Himself was “The Truth” and the only way to God. As He breathed His last on the cross, it seemed like He would be written off as a fraud. Easter Sunday serves as a reminder that God cashes in on all of His promises. In this sermon, David Platt encourages us from John 20 with testimonies to the resurrection. Through Christ being raised from the dead, our eyes have been opened to the truth and we now live in the hope of the resurrection, trusting that we will one day be with Him forever.

Our culture questions the very idea of truth. The fact that anyone would claim to know something, particularly as it relates to eternity, can sound arrogant. Yet in John 14:6 Jesus claims to be the “the way, and the truth and the life.” But what if we are accountable to God? And what if Jesus is who He says He is? If He actually died on the cross and rose from the dead, then His claim to be the way to God is not arrogant but the best news in the world. In this Good Friday message, David Platt urges us to consider and respond to the claims of Jesus Christ.