Radical With David Platt

Amidst all of our planning and our good intentions for the coming year, we can easily overlook our greatest need—God himself. We need his grace and power if we are to glorify him and carry out his will for our lives. That’s one of the main reasons why prayer and fasting are so critical for us as individuals and as churches. In this message, David Platt looks at the role of prayer and fasting in the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, and he urges us to put these spiritual disciplines into practice. We’ll consider nine reasons to pray and fast.

For Christians who do not face hostility for their faith, it can be all too easy to forget that we are involved in a spiritual war. And the stakes are eternal. Satan wants to stop the church from believing and spreading the gospel, and he wants believers to be lured into all kinds of sin and deception. In this message from 1 Timothy 6:11–21, David Platt urges us to engage in this spiritual war by fleeing sin, looking to Christ, and pursuing righteousness. Because of what our mighty Savior has accomplished, we don’t fight for victory but from victory.

In a world filled with spiritual and physical needs—lack of gospel access, extreme poverty, exploitation, etc.—how should the church respond? And what does our use of money say about us? In this message from 1 Timothy 6:17–19, David Platt warns of the danger of the love of money as well as the eternal reward for those who use their resources for God’s glory and the good of others. Riches are not inherently sinful, and God gives us good things to enjoy, but we must be on guard to make sure that our hearts treasure God more than the things of this world.

We don’t normally associate the birth of Christ with concepts like justice, poverty, and oppression. But this is one of the reasons Jesus came—to put an end to injustice and to change the way his people relate to the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. In this message, David Platt considers how the words of “O Holy Night” relate to Luke 4:16–21. Christ came to save us from our sins and to free us so that we might give ourselves to serve those in need. In his name, all oppression will one day cease.

The angels had the privilege of making the most momentous announcement in human history: the long-awaited Messiah had been born! And this Messiah was none other than Christ the Lord, Immanuel, God with us. In this message, David Platt helps us consider the lyrics of the Christmas song “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” based on Luke 2:8–14. We’re reminded that the angels’ announcement was for God’s glory and our good. Unto us this child was given so that we might have peace with God both now and forever.

How can you have hope in a world filled with mourning, sin, and suffering? Is it possible to rejoice? It is if the One you’re waiting for is Emmanuel, God with us. In this message from Matthew 2:13–23, David Platt uses the song O Come, O Come Emmanuel to remind us of the glorious truths that relate to Christ’s coming. As we remember the good news of Christ’s first coming, we look forward to the consummation of all God’s promises when Christ returns!

The desire to want more and to seek after satisfaction in the things of the world has always been a temptation for God’s people. How much more so when our culture teaches us to live as consumers and to expect that we deserve to have our desires fulfilled? Sadly, as followers of Christ, we can easily buy into these lies. In this message from 1 Timothy 6:3–10, David Platt encourages us to consider money and possessions in light of the gospel and in light of the urgent needs of the world. Rather than being deceived by worldly riches, we should find our treasure in God himself.

Critics of the Christian faith sometimes charge the Bible with condoning slavery. However, just because Scripture addresses the topic doesn’t mean it approves of it. As David Platt points out in this message from 1 Timothy 6:1–2, Scripture forbids the mistreatment of anyone made in God’s image. Far from condoning slavery, Scripture actually lays the groundwork for undoing this practice that has tragically been so common throughout human history. Mistreating others should be unthinkable for those who have been redeemed from the slavery of sin.

Do you want Jesus so that you can get other things—health, comfort, security, success, etc.—or is Jesus himself your greatest desire? Is Jesus the means to some other end, or is he himself the end? In this message from Mark 3:7–19, David Platt challenges us to consider whether we are part of the crowd or part of the called. The crowd liked what Jesus had to offer, but those who were called saw Jesus himself as their ultimate treasure and they lived to make him known.

Life can be exhausting. The pace at work or at school can feel unmanageable. Family dynamics require continual attention. Friendships take time and patience. And that doesn’t even begin to touch on physical struggles or medical and mental conditions that weigh us down. It’s no wonder so many people, including followers of Christ, are tired. The good news is that Jesus is not indifferent to our fatigue and anxiety and fear. In this message from Mark 2:23–3:6, David Platt points us to the rest that only Jesus can give. We find this rest—both now in the midst of earthly trials and for eternity in our never-ending reward—as we entrust our lives to Jesus as Lord. 

Some Christians feel as if we get to re-define who the church is and what it’s supposed to do. But God hasn’t given us that responsibility. He himself has defined those things in his Word. In this message covering 1 Timothy 3:1–5:16, David Platt highlights who the church is, how it is to be led, and what it’s supposed to do. The church is to hold fast to Christ and the gospel, be led by qualified elders and deacons, declare the truth, and expose false teaching.

Our culture often views the Christian faith as being backward or overly restrictive in relation to women. But Scripture has an altogether different view of women and men and their respective roles in the church. In this message from 1 Timothy 2:8–15, David Platt points us to the apostle Paul’s instructions concerning how God has designed men and women to relate within the church, including how authority and the teaching of God’s Word is to be exercised. God’s design may run counter to the world’s wisdom, but it is ultimately for our good and the building up of the church.

Many Christians go their entire lives without noticing the most urgent needs around the world, or even those right around them. They are unaware that multiplied millions—even billions—among the nations still have no access to the gospel. They are also unaware that many of these same people, the unreached, have extreme physical needs. In this message from Mark 2:1–12, David Platt challenges us to consider how God may be using the story of a forgiven and healed paralytic to direct our lives to peoples and places that desperately need gospel access. Is God leading you to go? The faith that changed the life of the paralytic and his four friends in Mark 2 is a faith that ought to characterize followers of Christ today.

Do you ever struggle with guilt over something you have done or someone has done to you? If so, there is hope in Jesus Christ. Jesus meets us, like no one else can, in the raw realities of our lives. He has come to save the dirty, guilty, ashamed, afraid, and alone. In other words, he has come for all of us. In this sermon on Mark 1:29–45, David Platt reminds us that Jesus alone is willing and able to clean us.

What should the church pray about and who should the church pray for? And what should motivate our prayers? These are important questions, particularly given the important role God has given our prayers in the unfolding of his saving purposes. In this message from 1 Timothy 2:1–7, David Platt points us to the gracious will of God and the sufficiency of Christ as the motivation for our prayers. We have been instructed to pray for all peoples, and we can pray with boldness in light of the certain victory of Christ and his church.

What sustains and unites the church is not a pastor or a program, nor is it preferences concerning music. What sustains and unites the church is perseverance in the gospel. In this message from 1 Timothy 1:3–20, David Platt highlights the centrality of the gospel in the life of the church. The apostle Paul highlights the role of the law as well as the mercy that God showed him as the “foremost” sinner. This same mercy in Jesus Christ remains the church’s only hope, which is why we must guard the gospel.

The greatest news in human history was announced nearly two thousand years ago, and it still rings true today. Regardless of your past or your upbringing or the sins you’ve committed, there is Someone who can change everything about your life … and your eternity. We’re introduced to this Person in Mark 1:1–15, and he is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In this message, David Platt pleads with us to hear and respond to the opening summons of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel: “... repent and believe in the gospel.” As we begin a journey through Mark’s Gospel, we’ll consider twenty short pictures of Jesus in these opening verses. There is truly no one like him. 

The church is not simply a program or a building. It’s a spiritual family, a body of believers who share a common life and a common mission. In this message from Nehemiah 1–2, David Platt reminds McLean Bible Church of the biblical priorities of the church in order to refocus its efforts in the days ahead. Rather than focusing on divisions and distractions, the church should be eager to make disciples locally and globally. God intends for all believers to be an integral part of a local church and to participate in its mission.

Few stories have captured the imagination quite like David and Goliath. Christians and non-Christians alike want to be like David. Whether it’s a sports team that’s a heavy underdog or a start-up business looking to make it big, we want to be the hero by overcoming seemingly overwhelming obstacles. But is this actually the point of the story? In this unique message, David Platt urges us to reconsider the story of David and Goliath, and to do this, he enlists the help of kids as the events of 1 Samuel 17 are acted out. As David explains, this story is meant to point us beyond our own strength to the One who has slain our greatest enemies—sin and death—through his death and resurrection.

When the church comes together for corporate worship, what is it supposed to do? Do we get to choose? Is it a free-for-all? Most importantly, does Scripture have anything to say about this? In this message from 1 Timothy 1:1–2, David Platt points us to the essential components and central characteristics of our gathered worship. As an earthly outpost of a heavenly kingdom, the church’s worship is to be God-centered and shaped by the gospel.