Radical With David Platt

Sadly, some professing Christians find very little joy in their relationship with God. Trusting and obeying Him is a duty, not a delight. However, Psalm 63 reminds us that God’s great love ought to draw out deep affection from God’s people. In this sermon David Platt urges us to set aside lukewarm thoughts toward God and instead pursue Him as our all-consuming passion.

The scale of the current refugee crisis is massive, and it can seem like events are spinning out of control. But what if God is using these tragedies to accomplish His global purposes? In this sermon on Acts 17:26–27, David Platt encourages us to view the movements of refugees around the world through the lens of God’s sovereignty and His redemptive purposes. The nations may be closer than you think.

Christians use many different strategies to find an answer to that all-important question, “What is God’s will for my life?” But what if God’s will isn’t lost? And what if He actually works in us so that we might walk in His will? David Platt encourages us to align our lives with God’s larger purposes in the world in this sermon from Acts 16.

The claim that Jesus is the only Savior, that anyone who doesn’t believe in Him will face God’s eternal judgment, sounds narrow-minded and arrogant to most people. But if Jesus is who He says He is, and if He has died, risen, and been raised to God’s right hand as Lord of all, then proclaiming the gospel is the most loving thing we can do. This gospel was the reason for Paul’s mission in Acts 13:13–52, and, as David Platt reminds us in this sermon, it is the very message that should define our lives and the church’s mission today.

No one wants to be described as jealous. In fact, Scripture warns us against an ungrateful heart that longs for what God has not given us. But, according to Psalm 79, jealousy is a good thing if we’re talking about God’s jealousy. Unlike us, God is jealous for His own glory, and this is good news for His people. In this sermon, David Platt helps us see why God’s jealousy should lead the believer to greater comfort, hope, and worship.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. Together, we can be a part of reaching people in places where Christ is not yet known. Would you consider making a year-end gift today? 

It’s not popular to talk about the wrath of God. Even in Christian circles, we want a God who is like us and who makes us feel good about ourselves. However, if God is holy and just––as Scripture teaches––then it is only reasonable that He would punish sin and judge those who rebel against Him. In this sermon from Psalm 78, David Platt reminds us that God’s wrath is one of His many perfections. The good news of the gospel is that God has sent His own Son to take the wrath that we deserve by dying on the cross.

Our culture is obsessed with temporal things. We want instant gratification. We don’t want to be bothered with the future, much less eternity. However, as David Platt reminds us from Psalm 90, we serve a God who is eternal. His perfections––His justice, His love, His wrath, His faithfulness, His grace––had no beginning, and they will have no end. These biblical realities should help us live for that which truly matters. Sin is more serious than we ever realized, but God’s grace is greater than we ever imagined. Our God is unchanging, and this is good news for those who have trusted in His Son.

Can one local church be used for the spread of the gospel among all nations? This is precisely what God did with the church at Antioch in Acts 13:1–12. In this message, David Platt points out five characteristics of the church at Antioch that should inform the mission of every local church. The spread of the gospel by God’s people is ultimately dependent on His power.

Many Christians in our culture enjoy the blessings of God without ever asking why they have been blessed. Could it be that God has blessed us, both spiritually and physically, for a greater purpose than our own comfort? Based on Psalm 67, David Platt helps us connect God’s blessings with His mission in the world, a theme that runs from Genesis to Revelation.

We have a dangerous tendency to treat God lightly in worship, preferring instead various activities and gimmicks that hold our attention. However, as Psalm 95 reminds us, our God is worthy of our worship and our deepest reverence. In this message David Platt encourages us to let God’s character and greatness shape our worship. We should respond to God with humility, joy, gratefulness, trust, and obedience.

Churches need leaders who are faithful to the gospel, but we can’t forget who the church’s actual leader is––Jesus Christ. When we pause to reflect on who Jesus is, then it only makes sense that we would want to submit to His plan and trust in His power to carry out the church’s mission. Based on Matthew 4:18–22, David Platt encourages the church to look to Christ and His gospel as we seek to make disciples of all nations.

It’s easy to get so caught up in our own little worlds that we miss the urgent needs right around us, not to mention the spiritual and physical needs of billions around the world. But have you considered what God, in His sovereignty, might have for His church today as He accomplishes His purposes in the world? Drawing on Esther 4:13–17, David Platt urges the church to seize the opportunities God has provided for us as we make His gospel known around the world.

It is deceptively easy for us to talk about God, sing to God, and even claim to be serving God, all while ignoring His Word. In this new message from Isaiah 66 and Romans 8, David Platt reminds us that God’s Word should cause us to stand in awe. We ought to respond to Scripture by submitting to and delighting in the One who is sovereign over us.

With areas of the southern United States facing potentially one of the worst storms of our generation head-on, that following the severe flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey… and even beyond the U.S., the strongest earthquake in a century hitting Mexico this week, severe flooding in India affecting 40 million people, hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children fleeing Myanmar, North Korea testing missiles and threatening nuclear war—and all this in addition to personal struggles and afflictions in our personal lives. With all that’s going on in the world today, what exactly does God’s Word bring to bear on our turbulent world?

It can be tempting to try and live your life in your own strength—devoid of God’s Spirit. However, the Bible urges you to not walk into the days ahead with dependence upon yourself, but rather with desperation for God’s Spirit. That’s what prayer is all about, and that’s what today’s sermon from Exodus 33 is all about.

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).” The first step toward following God is to trust in the truth of Jesus. In today’s new sermon, David Platt identifies four truths that ought to be the natural outworking of a believer’s life… from the very outset of trusting in Jesus, to the day-in and day-out of facing life without fear.

All followers of Christ will face the storms of life. However, we have anchors in these storms, truths on which we can bank our lives and our eternities. Based on Acts 27 (and several other passages), David Platt identifies five anchors for the believer’s soul in the midst of life’s trials. The God who is sovereign over all things cares for us deeply and is working all things according to His good purposes.

The object of our faith matters more than the measure or circumstances of our faith.

While elders are servant leaders in the church, the Bible identifies deacons as leading servants in the church. According to Acts 6:1–7 and 1 Timothy 3:8–13, deacons have three responsibilities: meet needs according to the Word, support the ministry of the Word, and unify the body around the Word. This kind of ministry may not be flashy, or even visible, but it is crucial to the church’s health and growth.

A biblical model of church leadership is critical for a church that aims to display the glory of Christ. In this sermon, David Platt turn our attention to Acts 20:17–31 as a helpful guide for elders, or pastors. As servant leaders, these men ought to lead under the authority of Christ, care for the body of christ, teach the Word of Christ, and model the character of Christ. Churches should appoint and follow such men.