Radical With David Platt

Do you know it’s possible to know something about who Jesus is and still not truly be following him? Did you know that you can regularly attend church and desire many of the blessings of God’s salvation and still not be a Christian? In this message from Mark 8:31–38, David Platt points us to the sobering experience of Jesus’ disciples. Even with the recognition that Jesus was the Christ, the Deliverer God had promised, they didn’t yet fully understand the kind of Deliverer they needed. They didn’t realize that following Jesus would mean counting the cost and forsaking temporal comfort and pleasures in this world for the sake of finding greater, eternal pleasures in the life to come. What about you—have you considered what it really means to follow Jesus?

The story in Mark 8 of Jesus healing a blind man includes some key people who, though easy to overlook, are essential to the story. Verse 22 mentions “some people” who brought the man to Jesus and “begged him to touch him.” The Bible is full of stories of people who bring people to Jesus and beg him on their behalf to then watch Jesus heal, restore, deliver, and forgive like only he can do. These stories in the Bible and that we see at work around us should lead us to ask ourselves the critical question, “How can you, how can I, how can we bring people to Jesus?”

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “healing”? How have you seen God heal in the past? What kind of healing do you long for in your life? Whether you’re praying for physical, emotional, or relational healing, the Lord sees you and cares for you, even in the darkest times. In this sermon on Mark 8:22–26, David Platt reminds Christians of the tender compassion, healing power, and sovereign timing of Jesus.

Some people define faith as positive thinking, as if we can force Jesus to do what we want him to do. However, biblical faith trusts what Jesus will do—in his way and his time—instead of demanding what Jesus must do. In this message from Matthew 8:11–21, David Platt points us to a picture of true, biblical faith. Knowing who Jesus is should cause us to trust him in every circumstance.

People have all kinds of opinions about who Jesus is. He has been called everything from a respected teacher to a mythical religious figure to a fraud. But the all-important question is, “Who do you say that Jesus is?” There is no more important question to answer, and it’s the question Jesus poses to his disciples in Mark 8:31–9:1. In this message, David Platt urges us to consider and respond to this question. And as we do, we must rely on God’s Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts. Only by God’s grace will see Jesus as the Messiah sent by God to redeem sinners through his life, death, and resurrection.

When God saves us, he doesn’t merely change our habits or our outward behavior. He changes our heart and renews our mind, enabling us to know and do his will. In this message from Romans 12:2, David Platt points us to the transforming work of God in the life of a disciple. Those who belong to Christ no longer live for themselves but for the worship of God and the mission for which Christ sent us into the world.

God has given his church the Great Commission as his plan to see disciples made among all the peoples of the earth. However, there are currently around 3.2 billion people today who do not have access to the gospel. Tragically, unless something changes, they will live, die, and go to hell without ever hearing about how they can be reconciled to God. In this message recently given at the Together for the Gospel conference, David Platt looks at a number of Scripture passages to urge us to consider how we might work for the spread of the gospel to the hardest to reach peoples and places. Rather than focusing inward and dividing over less important issues, we need to be united in our mission around the gospel—for the glory of God and for the sake of those who have never heard.

Is Jesus your life? Whether we realize it or not, apart from faith in Jesus Christ, every person is enslaved to sin. This enslavement looks different in each of our lives, but it’s there in one form or another. To make things worse, Scripture says the end result of our enslavement to sin is that we will face death—both physical death and eternal death in hell. And there’s nothing we can do on our own to free ourselves. But gratefully, as Psalm 107:10–16  shows us, God is able to free those who are imprisoned and enslaved. In this message, David Platt urges all of us to make certain that Jesus is our life, for he alone can free us from our sin and its consequences. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is our only hope in life and death.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, it’s critical that we know what we’ve been sent out into the world to do. We haven’t received grace simply to keep it to ourselves. We have been sent out to extend this grace to others. In this message from Matthew 9:35–10:4, David Platt urges us to consider the mission Christ has given us, a mission that leads us to look to the needs of others and to proclaim Christ’s love to them. Though this mission isn’t always easy, we go in the authority of the King.

It is possible to have all the outward trappings of religion and still lack a genuine love for God and desire to do his will. Others may applaud you, and life may seem to be going well, all the while you may still lack the heart of pure religion. In this message from Mark 7:1–23, David Platt points us to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day as a warning of what it looks like to miss a heart for God. Like them, we’re capable of missing God’s purposes for us when we become focused on justifying ourselves and pleasing ourselves. God’s Word, not preferences and traditions, must be our final authority.

As we think about the mission Christ has given the church—to make disciples of all nations—it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. After all, we have our sins and weaknesses, so what do we have to offer? In this message from Mark 6:30–44, David Platt encourages us to let our witness to Christ overflow out of our relationship with Christ. As we rest in Jesus, we will begin to reflect his compassion to the world. Through his Spirit, Jesus not only meets our needs but also uses us to meet the needs of others.

The church has the privilege of proclaiming the greatest news in all of history—that God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world! However, the fact that this gospel message is good news doesn’t mean it will be popular. In fact, those who proclaim Jesus should expect opposition and persecution. In this message from Mark 6:14–29, David Platt points to the example of John the Baptist’s death as a reminder that following Jesus is costly. But, as Scripture also makes clear, the reward of following Jesus is greater than the cost—both for us and for those with whom we have the privilege of sharing the gospel.

It can seem easy to have a missional mindset when we go on a short-term mission trip to some place overseas or outside of our own context. We naturally see others in light of their greatest need—salvation in Christ. But what if we took that same approach with the people we interact with on a daily basis? How might that change the way we look at our neighbors and their need for Christ? In this message from Mark 6:7–13, David Platt challenges the church to consider their lives over the next couple weeks as if they were on a short-term mission trip. Rather than settling for what’s comfortable and easy, we ought to trust God to work as we intentionally share the gospel and meet the needs of those around us.

As followers of Christ, we have the privilege of proclaiming the greatest news in all the world—that God has sent his Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for sinners and then to rise from the dead, conquering sin and death! However, if we’re honest, proclaiming this good news isn’t always easy. Our sins, weaknesses, and fears often get in the way. Gratefully, God hasn’t left us alone in this task of sharing the gospel and making disciples. In this message from Acts 1:1–8, David Platt reminds us that Christ has given us his own Spirit, not only to comfort us but also to empower our witness in the world. 

Despite all man’s attempts to build earthly kingdoms, God is establishing his kingdom as the gospel goes forward throughout the world today. And he has promised to consummate this work when Jesus, the world’s true King, returns in all his glory. Amazingly, God uses us in his kingdom work, both in receiving and scattering the seed of his word. In this message from Mark 4:21–34, David Platt helps us understand the parables of the kingdom and how these stories give us hope for the future. Though we don’t always perceive what God is doing with our eyes, we can rest assured that the King is establishing his kingdom.

One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to seek to carry out Christ’s mission in the church without looking to the Word of God and relying on the Spirit of God. Even with the best of intentions, we can begin to trust in our own wisdom rather than in God’s power. In the message from 1 Corinthians 2:1–5, David Platt urges us to treat God’s Word as if our lives, and the lives of others, depended on it—because it does! This message was given at the CROSS conference 2021.

There are points in our lives where all of us ask, “God, why is this happening to me? God, why now? God, how long will this go on?” Gratefully, God can handle our questions, and though we don’t always get the answers we’re looking for, God doesn’t leave us without hope. We can trust that his wisdom is greater than ours, and we can persevere knowing that he will keep his saving promises to those who are in Christ Jesus. In this message, David Platt points us to Job 3 and the example of a man who suffered greatly but who found God faithful in the end. Regardless of our circumstances or our questions, we can rest in God’s sovereign care.

There’s not much worse than getting to the end of your life only to find out that you’ve missed the very point for which you were created. Sadly, this isn’t only a reality for unbelievers—Christians can also spend their lives on things that miss God’s ultimate purposes in the world. In this message from Revelation 7:9–17, David Platt urges us to consider our ultimate purpose in life from the perspective of Scripture and God’s redemptive plan for all nations. The question is: How will you pray, give, and go in light of Christ’s command to make disciples of all nations? This message was given at Ignite Auburn 2021. 

Although many Christians talk about prayer and know that it is important, how much time do we actually spend doing it? How often do we feel our need for God? How often do we honestly confess our sins before him? Do we ever pause long enough to reflect on his Word and its implications for our lives? In this unique message from Nehemiah 9, David Platt leads his congregation through the prayer that Israel prayed when they gathered and fasted. As you listen, grab a pen and paper and be ready to record your own prayers and reflections in response to God’s Word.

God desires for people from all nations to hear and receive the gospel of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells the story of the spread of this gospel, a story that culminates with people from all nations worshiping the Lamb who was slain. However, today there are approximately 3.2 billion people who are considered unreached, which means they have little or no access to the gospel. And many of them are suffering physically as well. In this message from Revelation 5, David Platt encourages us to consider our role in making disciples among all nations, particularly among those who have never heard. This message was given at Passion 2022.