Podcasts about angry god

Audio Transcript All right, well, beautiful singing. So I’ve not met you. My name is Aaron and I’m the preaching pastor here. And we’re glad you’re with us. I know sickness is kind of spreading around right now, and so I’m glad that you’re well enough to be with us this morning. So if you have a Bible with you, could open up to the Gospel of Luke. Our texture study today is going to be Luke 6, 2020. If you don’t have a Bible with you, there are pew Bibles kind of scattered throughout if you want to find your way there to Luke 6. Also, the word should be on the screen on either end of the stage if you want to follow along there. And if you’re visiting, if you open up your Bible, please do keep them open. So we do a style of preaching here. Actually, we talk about this in a sermon called Expository Preaching. So I’m going to read the passage, we’re going to pray, and then I’m going to walk us right back through the text. And so please do keep your Bibles open in this time. So Luke 6 starting verse 20. So please hear the words of our God. So Luke wrote, and he lifted up his eyes on disciples and said, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you and they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy. For behold, your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. So that’s God’s word for us this morning. Would you please pray with me? Lord, thank you for your word. And Lord, please help me to be a good communicator of your word today. Please give the congregation ears to hear what the Spirit is saying. I pray this all in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, so if you’ve been around here, you know every story starts out, at least for mine. So there we were. So there you were, myself and a man from our home church in Greenway, Wisconsin, and we’re getting together for breakfast. And this is Shortly before my wife, Tia and I were about to move to Louisville, Kentucky for seminary. Now, the man I got breakfast with that morning from our home church is actually a very influential, strong leader in his field. Before he retired, actually, he was the CEO of one of the largest and most profitable companies in the state. Over 7 billion in annual sales. And we got together that morning for breakfast. My friend had a bit of a surprise for me that was very much tied to sobering encouragement that he wanted me to have. Surprise he had for me was an autographed baseball. A baseball that I actually received through some personal connections to a legendary player who signed it for me, a former player, an all time great player named Hank Aaron, who played a good portion of his career for the Milwaukee Braves before that team relocated to Atlanta and then finished up his career for my beloved Milwaukee Brewers. And Hank Aaron not only is one of the greatest players of all time, but he also was my dad’s favorite player when he was growing up. A player that he just adored when Aaron played for both the Braves and the Brewers. In fact, my dad loved Hank Aaron so much that I was born. He named me Aaron after him. And this is something actually my friend knew, and this is one of the reasons why he got this autographed baseball for me, because he knew that it meant a lot to me to have that ball. It’s a pretty sweet gift, pretty thoughtful. But what made that ball even more sweet, even more thoughtful was the sobering encouragement tied to the ball that my friend also wanted to pass on to me. And that sobering encouragement from my friend was reminded me of a different man named Aaron. Not his last name, but his first name, Aaron. Aaron from the Old Testament, who was the brother of Moses. You may remember that now if you remember Moses. So he’s a great leader and prophet, but he also had a stuttering problem. So much so that Moses actually pleaded with the Lord to provide someone who could speak on his behalf, which ended up being his brother Aaron. As Moses spoke on behalf of, or as Aaron spoke on behalf of Moses the prophet who was speaking on behalf of God himself. And for my friend, his sobering encouragement to me through this ball, as I was about to head off to seminary to hopefully get trained to be a preacher, was that every time I look at this baseball, which is currently sitting amidst all my sports treasures in my basement ball, that I see often, by the way, college students, if you’re planning to come to my house next week for pass the pass pastor’s house, I’ll show it to You. But as I look at this baseball with the name Aaron on it, my friend hoped I had the sober encouragement that as I preach like Aaron for Moses, as I preach, I’m speaking on behalf of God from His perfect holy word. Now, obviously, I’m not a prophet like Aaron was as a preacher, but preaching still is speaking God’s word to his people, which, my friend, he wanted this to be a sobering truth for me, sobering as I went to seminary to study there, to study hard, to put forth my best effort in that seminary experience. You also want to be sobering for me one day as I write sermons, as I prep for sermons the way I should, to never cut corners, to give my best effort each sermon I write. You want to be sobering for me as I deliver sermons every time I stand behind the pulpit, that there should be a real, sober sense of what I’m doing, because the weighty responsibility and privilege it is to communicate God’s word. Now, I tell you all this this morning, so sobering this should be for me every time I do this, but maybe even more sobering for me this week, because this week and actually the next couple weeks, my assignment is to preach you from God’s perfect holy word on a passage that is often viewed as the greatest sermon of all time. Meaning my attempt is to give you a sermon from the greatest of all sermons, a sermon that was given by the Lord Jesus Christ, one that he actually gave on more than one occasion. If you’re with us, last week Wes actually mentioned this. I’m going to mention it again today. The sermon we’re about to go through is often referred to as a sermon on the plain, as we learned in our text last week. Verse 17. If you want to take your eyes there, that Jesus gave this sermon, he was standing on a level place. And this sermon on the plain that Luke records is very similar in content to perhaps the most famous of all sermons, that Jesus gave, the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in Matthew 5, where Jesus gave that the side of a mountain. Now, I will mention that for some, the Sermon on the Plain here in Luke 6, as well as the Sermon on the mount in Matthew 5. Some believe this actually is like the same event of the exact same sermon. So perhaps there was maybe like a little bit of a plateau on the mountain that gave a level ground for Jesus to preach. And while it is possible that Matthew 5 and Luke 6 record the same event, the exact same sermon, there’s enough little details between the Sermon on the Mount and the sermon on the plain that led many, myself included, to believe these are actually two different events where Jesus preached to two different people, but basically gave the same sermon two different times. You know, as mentioned, to two different people groups, which, by the way, this is actually not a problem. Jesus gave the same sermon at least two times, so. So in this time frame, rabbis are annoying, giving like the same teachings on multiple occasions throughout history, church history, many pastors, myself included, have preached the same passage more than once, where the sermons are very similar. In fact, maybe the most famous sermon, at least in our culture here, that God used to help ignite the Great Awakening first Great Awakening, the sermon titled Sinners in the Hands of Angry God. Maybe you heard that one by Jonathan Edwards. He actually preached that on multiple occasions. So it’s not an issue that Jesus preached the same basic sermon more than once. In fact, knowing that Jesus preached this same basic sermon more than once probably just highlights how important of a message this was from our Lord, which for me further underscores why this is often viewed as the greatest sermon of all time. Okay, now before we get to the text, the sermon that Luke records, just a few things, just a reminder where we’ve been the last few weeks. So. So the ministry of Jesus is now very much in public view. He’s become like the trending topic all over the region, leading more and more to come to him as great crowds were forming around our Lord. And from these crowds included some who Jesus uniquely called to himself to be his disciples, which included some fishermen who we met in chapter five, a despised tax collector who we met in the beginning of chapter six, as well as those listed in our text. Last week, in the middle of chapter six, where none of the disciples seem to be like popular people or influential people, rather they just seem to be like normal, everyday common people like you and me. Yet in his grace, in his wisdom, that is who the Lord Jesus called uniquely to himself, where he’d use these men to become his apostles that in time would like, he would use to completely set the world on his head. Furthermore, as mentioned in previous sermons, but I wanted to mention this again here, as the public ministry of Jesus is in full swing, as the crowds of people are coming to Him. No doubt a large part were coming because of the signs and wonders that Jesus was performing through various healings as well as like exorcism of demons. But the primary reason why the crowds were forming around Jesus because of the primary ministry he had, was actually preaching and teaching, which by the way, would also be the primary ministry that his disciples would have as disciples would be used by God, as mentioned, to turn the world on his head through preaching. So all the different things happening around Jesus, all the things signs he was performing, yet preaching, teaching, giving sermons like the one that we’re about to look at in the text, this is at the center, this is at the focal point of Jesus’s ministry. Which actually leads to the second thing I want to mention here this morning as it relates to sermons and the sermon on the greatest of all sermons of Jesus. The main focus I have to you this morning is to communicate to you from the text, what does the text say? However, as we work through this sermon, the sermon on the plane, I also want to just give you something that I did for myself personally this week was to try to pull insights from the sermon when it comes to preaching. So this is actually a good exercise for me this week as one who preaches often and I thought it would be a good exercise for us as a church as a whole today just to kind of help us think about preaching. What does it look like? What does that mean? Why is it so important mentioned? This is at the heart of the ministry of Jesus and hopefully it means it’s at the heart of our ministry here at Red Village Church as well. We desire preaching and teaching to be the focal point of our church. Not that other things in church life are important, but the pulpit is to me remains central. Many others throughout church history have said as the pulpit goes, so does the rest of the church. So as members, yes, pray for sermons, keep the pulpit accountable. And for some, you at some point you maybe are moving out of Madison. You have to look for another church. Unite to. There are many factors for you to consider discern as you’re trying to find a church. But the pulpit, the sermons really ought to be at the top of your priority list where there’s a steady diet of expositional Christ centered preaching. I hope I do feel for us in this time. So if that is a little bit longer intro, look back with me in the text on the sermon on the plain, they would be looking at just the start of the sermon, verses 20 through 26. So verse 20 we see in the passage that as Jesus stood on the level place, the plain, we see in the text that he began the sermon by lifting up his eyes on his disciples. Okay, not ready. Just a couple things. So first the lifting up of eyes. So commentary is read this week signified from Jesus that there’s like resolve in him, like he has resolve as he’s about to speak mean this is going to be some type of like casual conversation from his pulpit on the plane. Rather, Jesus is about to speak in ways that carried weight significance. Let’s go back to the story I began the sermon with. That’s what my friend was trying to impress upon me. When it comes to preaching, there ought to be a real weight significance that preachers are to understand as they communicate God’s word. By the way, as a church, this is why we pray for those who fill the pulpit, myself included, the preachers will preach with like resolve, resolve to you, the congregation that you have resolve. Actually you take in sermons, right? This should not be something that’s like casual lackadaisical for any of us. A lot of different points. The sermons can have some light hearted elements tied to them, but overall the tone, the tenor should have like sober minded resolve. That’s what Jesus has as he looks up as the disciples. Second, the sermon that Jesus was about to give was primarily meant for his disciples, those he named, verses 14 through 16 that Wes gave us last week. Now I assume other people are there who are listening in. In fact we get the sense when we get to verse 24 does seem like Jesus changes the primary audience that he’s talking to for just a bit there. But the first primary audience of this sermon was to disciples, those who were followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. At the risk of trying to push this too far, but unless the sermon is clearly intended for those who are not Christian, with some type of evangelistic thrust to it, which Scripture tells us is a thing, sermons, particularly in church life, the primary audience is meant for disciples to teach disciples of Jesus, those who are trusting in him, what it looks like to joyfully follow and obey him, which is certainly the case in this sermon that Jesus gave on the plane, right? This is not a sermon on how one becomes a follower of Jesus, which comes through repentance and faith. Rather, this is a sermon for those who are disciples, those who have repented, who have trusted in Jesus, as Jesus is going to help them to know how to live out their faith in ways that honor him. As Jesus looks at his disciples, we see him begin the sermon, which in our time today this will be in two parts. So the first part will revolve around the blessings that comes by faithfully following after him. Which by the way, this is why this sermon started. It as well as the Sermon on the Mount is often referred to as like the Beatitudes of Jesus with the beatitude word for like blessing. So the first part of the sermon are blessings from Christ. But then the second part, this is a series of woes, strong rebukes for actually not following after him. And we get to the woes. This is the section where I think there’s a little bit of a change in who Jesus is communicating to, as the woes have actually a bit of evangelistic thrust to them, to those who are on the plane who are not yet disciples of Christ, as Jesus is warning them that if they do not repent and believe in him, what would happen? Let’s go back to the blessings, and I want to say I’m going to read them as a whole again with the hopes of like kind of rereading these as a whole. Just capture some of the weight, momentum that I think is there in the sermon of Jesus. And after rereading it again, let me just point out a few things. So look back with me again. John, verse 20. He, Jesus told them, blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry, for you should be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you should be satisfied. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, and when they revile you and spur your name as evil on account of the Son of man. Verse 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for your reward is great in heaven. For so their fathers did so, for the fathers did so to the prophets. Okay, now just to break this up, a few things I want to point out. So first, just this term, blessing or blessed. So this is a term or phrase that’s actually scattered throughout Scripture, particularly in the Old Testament, where the word blessing is often correlated with wisdom, particularly wisdom in this life. Now, this week I thought about Psalm 1, and I did kind of wonder if Jesus maybe had this passage in mind as he gave this sermon. So in Psalm 1, so blessed or happy is the man who walks in this life in the wisdom of God, where this blessed happy one in this life does not associate with evil. Rather, the blessed happy man is the one who delights in God’s word and obeying God’s word, what plants him like a tree by streams of water. And while the sermon on the plain, this teaching of Jesus on wisdom certainly is tying to some stuff in this life. But it’s a little different in that Jesus connects the ultimate blessing, the ultimate happiness, not in this life, which so much of the Old Testament is, but rather in the life that is to come, the eternal life that Jesus would usher in. So look back with Me again just to see the forward pointing blessedness that Jesus preached on that was to come for his people. So verse 20. Yes, you’re poor now, but for yours is the kingdom of God, which is the kingdom of God that is, yes, here, now. But a kingdom, the fullness of, of it is still yet to come. And when the fullness of kingdom comes, that’s where the fullness of blessedness, happiness will be found, in the life that is to come. Verse 21. Sure, you are hungry in the here and now, but look ahead, you will be satisfied. The future will come and you will be satisfied. Yes, in the here and now, in this life you weep, but in the future, there is a time that is going to come that you will laugh. Yes, in the here and now, in this life there might be people who hate you and exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil because of your faith in Christ. But look ahead to the future, you will rejoice, you will leap for joy, because in heaven there awaits a reward for you. And for us, this is actually really important for us as we think about being disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, in this life we live with wisdom, but we do so even more with our eyes towards that which is to come. That is where wisdom is set to faithfully live out this life with an eye towards that which will last forever. And this is actually so much of the teaching and preaching of Jesus on, on the better country that is to come, the heavenly one, as Jesus reminds us, the scripture reminds us that we’re simply sojourners, pilgrims headed to the promised land. And that’s where the blessedness will fully be experienced, this eternal reality that waits God’s people. Which by the way, this is why we strive to seek up, to store up treasures in heaven. This is why we poured our lives as offering, as an offering to service to God and others. This is why we’re even willing to suffer in this life for the cause of Jesus. Because we know that our suffering is not in vain. To know that one day our eyes will be our tears and our eyes will be dried. That this will all be temporary. And as that day comes, we’ll be replaced with blessedness, with joy, with rejoicing. Second, in this sermon, Jesus is helping his disciples understand the reality that as we live out our faith like in this life, it might bring some painful, unpleasant realities that we’ll have to endure. In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus talked about the reality of potentially being poor. In the Sermon on the Mount speaks Of being poor in spirit, which is tied to humility and as maybe this is what Jesus is referring to here, the sermon on the plain. But to me this actually feels like Jesus is speaking towards like financial poverty of being poor. Where many throughout church history, including the 12 disciples falling after Jesus in his life, would bring like financial hardships for a host of different reasons which because of financial hardships at times in this present life, in this sermon, God’s people had to battle real physical hunger. Although we mentioned here, the hunger here could also be a hungering for righteousness with the sermon the Mount speaks to. However, I do think that Jesus is actually speaking towards like physical hunger here where plenty throughout church history, including his disciples. They didn’t always know where their next meal might come from, which adds meanings to like the Lord’s Prayer and give us our daily bread. Furthermore, in this life many Christians have faced hardships for being disciples of Jesus. Hardships that even the prophets had to endure. Hardships in the text has caused many to weep. Weeping that has come because of others have hated them or excluded them from certain things. Weeping because of how their name has been reviled and spurned as evil simply because of their faith in Jesus, the Son of Man. Yes, as a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, we live with the joy of eternal life that is to come, which is a joy that we can even experience in different measures in this life. However, that being said in this sermon, for disciples of Jesus, if we faithfully live out our faith, pain, difficulty, hardships, they can be a reality. A reality is part of the cost of following after Christ. A cost that we must count. A cost that many throughout history, including many today face. For us, this is like a hard truth that Jesus is giving to his disciples in this sermon on the plain. This is not like an easy thing for them to hear or for us to hear, which by the way also should be part of what preaching should have. Where at times, as the text calls for it, hard things need to be said, hard things need to be heard. Scripture warns us that sermons just can’t be there just like to tickle our ears, to just maybe tell us what we want to hear. Rather to tell us the hard truth like this, the sermon that we need to hear. As you keep going. As hard as it would have been for disciples to hear this, how being a disciple could bring a lot of hardships towards them in this life, hard things could come their way, but it actually would have been a harder truth for those who are like listening in, who are not yet his disciples, which, by the way, I do recognize might be somewhat true for some of us here this morning. That you’re here, we’re grateful you’re here, but you’re here, you’re not yet a follower of Christ. So in this sermon, after the four blessings, blessings that come for those who by faith follow him, we see in verses 24 through 26, we now see Jesus pronounced four woes, woes that come for not following him. Woes. If you’re not a Christian, I actually want to plead with you to hear hears. It’s almost like ice water, like running down your back, back that causes you to like to wake up and to by faith run to Jesus and the blessedness that he is. So let’s read through the woes again. I want to read them the same way I read through the blessings and ways that hopefully create some momentum and weight that the sermon Jesus had. And then I want to circle back to give some details, details on the Wo. So verse 24 says, but woe to you who are rich, for you received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did, the false prophets. Okay, now a few things here. So first, the four woes, these obviously stand in sharp contrast to the four blessings that Jesus started his sermon with. And this woe here, this is actually used by Jesus in very forceful ways where he’s still having like, resolve in his eyes as he communicates these woes, where through these woes, Jesus communicated like a declaration of like, judgment and misery from God on those who reject him. So I mentioned this in the past, but I want to mention this again. So in Scripture, there’s. There’s really only two ways that one can live. There’s a blessed way that comes from following Jesus, that will result in eternal life with him. But then there’s the woeful way of judgment and misery that will come with eternity apart from Jesus. Since Scripture does not give us some type of middle ground option, yes, this is a hard but important truth for us to hear to understand. This life is headed to two different, very different realities. The blessed way, the woeful way. Second, this word woe is actually something we also see throughout the Old Testament, much like we see the word blessing throughout the Old Testament, where throughout the Old Testament there’s actually woes given to God’s people for entertaining false prophets. What the sermon speaks upon and for us, I think maybe a little bit more subtle ways. So Jesus was giving his sermon here on the plain. This is like a sermon based on scripture, as Jesus is expounding, expositing scripture in light of himself. And this is actually one of the main reasons why we believe expository preaching is so important. If Jesus preached God’s word, should not every preacher and every sermon preach God’s word? Third, do you notice how the four woes, like the four blessings also are grounded in what? That. That which lies ahead. We’re in the kingdom of God as it fully comes. Like everything’s like turned around. We’re in this life. For the Christians who are suffering through hardship, in the end they’re going to be rewarded with blessing upon blessing, the fullness of joy and happiness for all eternity as you get to be with Jesus. But for those who reject God, who might be like receiving some benefits here and now, but in the end, not only will those benefits be removed, but with misery that will never wane. So back to the text. So sure, in this present life one can get rich without God in their life and enjoy some of the temporary benefits that wealth can offer. Where yes, those riches you can use to fill up your stomach. Where yes, in this life one can laugh it up and receive some type of like worldly praise. But if that’s all you have in this life, that’s all you have without God. In the end, not only will those things all vanish, but as mentioned, they’ll be replaced with misery. A couple things just on this back to winter earlier. So poor and hungry. This is why I think real physical poverty. Hungry is what Jesus is speaking to here. Not speaking about some type of poor in spirit or hunger and righteousness. This is how the rich and the full are used. So I think it’s meant to be. In contrast, second, having wealth, a full belly, laughter, reputation, others admire. So none of those things are wrong in themselves in this life. Okay, so don’t be mistaken there. In fact, in this life, those things actually be like blessings from, from God. In this life, the problem lies if we have those things apart from Christ, where these things almost become like idols to us that we’re putting like our hope and our trust in like wealth or reputation. That’s the problem, A problem that we actually must be warned of because those idols in the end will be idols that proved to be vain, where in the end they will not satisfy you, they will not in the end make you happy, they will not deliver to you what you need, which is forgiveness of sin and eternal blessedness of heaven. Only Jesus can offer those things through his death, through his resurrection from the dead, right? Those things in himself are not wrong. In the end, if you do not have Jesus, they’re in vain. They will not satisfy. They will lead you to misery. Which, by the way, kind of on that note, this is why every sermon should point us to Jesus Christ as the only one who will satisfy, as the one that we do desperately need, the One who loves us in such a way that he would die for us to take on all of the woes of God on the cross, where Jesus bore all of the misery, eternal misery upon himself to bear the punishment of our sin, so that through him we could find forgiveness and eternal life and joy forever and ever. Which leads to the conclusion of our sermon today. So let me just get a couple just summary thoughts on this greatest of all sermons of Jesus. So the first two will just be from the text and the last one is just from sermons. So first let God’s Word teach us that which is true. This is why the preaching and teaching was at the center of Jesus’s ministry, right? Jesus is the the way, the truth and the life. And he came to teach us the truth so that by the truth, the truth of God’s Word, that’s how we can be set free. So that by the truth we could have life, abundant life, both now and in eternity. While a sermon might be hard for us to digest, maybe some of the truths here in this passage might be hard for us to digest. These are truths that we need to hear, truths that we need to know, truths we need to believe in, truths we must obey, right? These hard truths are connected to the blessings of God. These harder truths are also connected to the woes of God. So we must hear that which is true. Second thing to where these truths of this text are pointing us to is we’re to live our life in light of eternal life that is to come and the kingdom of God that Jesus promises one day to usher in. So if this is it, just like just this life, nothing more, then sure, eat, drink, be merry, live for self, enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. But Scripture is so clear, including the sermon here from Jesus. The truth is, there’s so much more than just the here and now. There is an eternal life that is to come that for those who have faith in Christ will be the blessed life. Living with Christ in the heavenly places, experiencing the fullness of his joy in the new heavens and new earth. Let’s say it again. For those who reject him, there’s a life of eternal misery and judgment of sin for us. We must live our life in light of this eternal reality that is to come. Even though there could be a great cost in this life for doing so. Cost like suffering and pain. However, we must trust what our suffering that we might suffer for our faith in Christ and eternal life. Not only will Jesus fully comfort us in the text, he will even reward us when the sermon says even a great reward which reward whenever suffering we have in this life. As we get that rewards we’re with Jesus. Any suffering will feel slight and momentary in comparison to the weight of glory that awaits. And by the way, if you’re looking for some help on maybe how to think ahead, like how to live your life with an eternal like view. So there’s great ministry that is called Eternal Perspectives and I find it pretty helpful. So established by a former pastor named Randy Elkhorn who wrote one of my favorite books. I haven’t mentioned this in a little while, so I’ll mention it again. Book called Heaven. And so if you’d want some help to try to think through, you know, how do you live your life in ways that’s looking ahead, you know, I would look to eternal perspective ministry. Read the book on heaven. Especially now if you’re looking to try to read a book for the stretch run of winter that we have left, that’s one I’d recommend. Okay, last one. So be sober minded about preaching. Which brings us back to the start, what my friend wanted me to have as a preacher. But it’s actually not just preachers who are to be sober minded when it comes to preaching. The congregation should as well. Now, when it comes to preaching, obviously none of us can preach a sermon like Jesus. In fact, even the Apostle Paul referred to his preaching as folly, which is true for all preachers. Even more so, right? None of us are apostles like Paul was. It’s folly. Folly where every sermon is like soon forgotten. Almost like a meal that we consume. Soon forgotten. However, scripture tells us that it’s through preaching. That’s how God chooses to manifest His Word in ways that through His Holy Spirit he speaks to his people in ways that we can see. The Lord Jesus Christ that God is using preaching to bring people to faith, to grow us in our faith, to sustain us in our faith, to persevere us in our faith all the way to the life that is to come. So be sober minded when it comes to preaching. If a preacher should have resolve in his eyes, a congregation should have resolve in your ears. So say it again. Please pray for the preaching here at Red Village that God would use it to communicate truth, even hard truth. Please keep the pulpit here at Red Village like lovingly accountable that the word is preached in season and out of season. As a congregation, we never settle for anything less than God’s words exposited in ways that point us to Christ, who he is, what he’s done for us. Have a longing in your heart to hear the word preached. We’re actually seeking to prepare your own heart to receive sermons. By the way, this is also one of the reasons, maybe a primary reason, why we hope you’re actually here every Sunday to take in a steady diet of the word preached. I say it not to guilt you or shame you. Things can happen. But just imagine if you went weeks without feeding your physical body or if you just happen to feed your physical body just like every so often as is kind of convenient, just imagine how weak, how malnourished your body would be. As important it is to feed your physical body to the steady diet, how much more important to feed your souls week in, week out with God’s Word. Yes, most sermons are like meals. You consume them and you forget them. But yes, say it again. That is how God is revealing himself to us, to grow us, to sustain us, to persevere us in the faith. So church, whether you’re preaching God’s word or taking it in, may we all be sober minded when it comes to the word that is preached. Knowing that in the grace of God, the preached word is a pretty sweet gift, a pretty thoughtful gift from a kind and generous God. Let’s pray. Lord, I do pray that you’d help us to not only hear your word but heed to it. Lord, please help us to live rightly in ways that you defined are true for blessedness. God, help us to live in light of that which is to come. I pray for those who might be here this morning, who are not yet disciples of Christ, that today you would open up their eyes to see the beauty of Jesus, that they would turn into him. And Lord, I do pray just for just this pulpit, the sermons that come from it, whether it be me or others. Lord, please help us to rightly divide the word of truth. And Lord, please bless the preaching of your Word for our good and your glory in Jesus name, Amen. The post The Greatest Sermon of All Time – Luke 6: 20-26 appeared first on Red Village Church.

Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) was a leading pastor, theologian, and revival preacher of colonial America whose life helped shape the First Great Awakening. Born in East Windsor, Connecticut, he showed an early gift for learning and graduated from Yale at a young age. He later served for many years as the minister in Northampton, Massachusetts, where his preaching emphasized God's holiness, the seriousness of sin, and the necessity of a personal, transforming faith in Jesus Christ.Edwards became widely known for his powerful sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, preached during the height of revival. He wrote thoughtful works on spiritual experience, religious affections, and the nature of true conversion, seeking to unite earnest devotion with careful theological reflection.After leaving Northampton, Edwards later became president of now Princeton University. He died shortly after assuming the role, but his preaching, writings, and example have continued to influence Christian faith and ministry for generations.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Fleming by The Church of Christ Wheeler Area

Title: “Not An Empty Visit” Part 1 Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 FCF: We often struggle boldly giving the gospel without allowing in worldly influence. Prop: Because the gospel is God's power unto salvation, we must boldly give the unaltered gospel of God. Scripture Intro: CSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read from the Christian Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. I realize that it has been over two years since we have studied a New Testament letter. When we study this genre, it usually consists of 2 or 3 thoughts that are being conveyed, not in story, but in logical exposition. This requires us to simultaneously zoom in to individual thoughts while continuing to keep the broader picture in mind. So, with that being said – let's review what Chapter one talked about before we move into chapter two. Chapter 1 began with a greeting to the Thessalonian church and then immediately Paul expressed his and his companions' thankfulness to God for them – and for the cardinal Christian graces that they continue to demonstrate. Of course, the reason that they are thankful for the Thessalonian church is because the evangelists know that they are God's elect. How do they know that? First, because of the way the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit. Second, because they have observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ and are setting a good example for all believes both in how they receive the Word in joy amid persecution and how they shared their testimony. Paul will now turn his attention to the evangelists' example when they were among them. So, let's read Paul's next thought, starting in verse 1 and going to verse 12 of chapter 2. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: All Powerful God, we come to you today to revel in what You have done. You have rescued us from Your Holy Justice. You have placed on Christ our just reward for our sin. You have given us His righteousness by which we can, by faith, walk worthy of our holy calling. I pray that You would use Your Spirit to open our eyes to what we must be for Your glory. And Lord, give new hearts to those who need them so they too can respond to the gospel of light and life. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “We do not evangelize because we expect results. We evangelize because we are sent men.” Joe Blinco “Every single believer is a God-ordained agent of evangelism.” R.B. Kuiper “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” C.H. Spurgeon Let these ideas roll over you as we set into the text this morning. I.) The gospel is God's power unto salvation, so we must boldly preach the gospel of God in spite of opposition. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 - For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit with you was not without result. i. The word “for” obviously beckons us to look backward. 1. This conjunction explains something mentioned previously. 2. Since Paul goes on to explain how he and his companions came to Thessalonica and how they were received, we should see this entire section as an explanation of the statement from verse 9. 3. Which itself is a further result from what was stated in verse 5, how the Thessalonians knew what kind of men the evangelists were by how they conducted themselves in Thessalonica. 4. Verses 1-16 of chapter 2 is an explanation or an elaboration from the evangelists' point of view on those same events. 5. The more perplexing question is, why is Paul reviewing this content if the Thessalonians got it right? If they accurately remembered all of this information – why say it again? a. Some scholars believe that Paul is explaining how they were different from other traveling teachers and their sordid practices. b. Some scholars insist that Paul is merely reemphasizing their example to the Thessalonians so that they and their leaders could continue to imitate them. c. Still others think that Paul is addressing accusations against the evangelists raised by unbelieving people in Thessalonica, in an attempt to dissuade the Thessalonian church from abandoning their lifestyles. 6. It is my point of view that all of these can be true all at once. And most likely – they probably are all true to some degree. ii. Paul again uses the word “know” and Paul again says they know. They know what? iii. Specifically, Paul says that they know that it was not without result. 1. The words “without result” is also much debated. 2. If you want a full explanation on all the options, you should come to Thursday Night Bible Study where we always take a behind the sermon look at the text. 3. But it seems best to me to think that Paul is saying that their time with the Thessalonians did not prove to be without fruit. iv. So how was their ministry there fruitful? b. [Slide 4] 2 - On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, i. Part of the proof of the fruitfulness of the mission was is in the humble and tumultuous beginnings of the Thessalonian mission. ii. Paul and his companions didn't ride into Thessalonica with groupies and with pomp and fanfare. iii. They didn't come into the city having grown accustomed to overwhelmingly positive responses to their presence. iv. In other words – they know a poor reception when they see one. v. And it doesn't get much poorer of a reception as it did in Philippi. vi. As a reminder to us – what happened in Phillipi? 1. While going down to the river to pray, a demon possessed girl who was being used by men for the spirits' fortune telling capabilities, came against the apostles. The spirit did so, so frequently, and so obnoxiously, that Paul eventually grew irritated and cast the demon out. 2. The men who prostituted her for her sad condition were furious because their source of income had dried up. 3. They brought Paul and Silas before the city magistrates. They were beaten and thrown in prison without a trial. 4. Of course, God freed them from the jail, which led to the conversion of the Philippian jailer. But eventually they were forced to leave. vii. Paul, to the Thessalonians confesses that this treatment was outrageous, even by gentile standards. viii. So, the Thessalonian mission did not begin with an expectation of the evangelists to be received well. ix. But what did happen that made sure their entrance was not in vain? That it produced results? c. [Slide 5] we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. i. After they arrived from Philippi, they did not come in gun shy. ii. They didn't come timidly. iii. They came emboldened by God. They were given courage by God to speak His gospel to them. iv. Now what might Paul mean “in spite of great opposition?” v. This is most certainly referencing the opposition in Thessalonica itself. vi. We know that only 3 weeks into the mission in Thessalonica, Paul had to abandon his teaching in the synagogue, since the Jews had, for the most part, rejected the message of the gospel. vii. Over the next few weeks, the Jews became increasingly more and more jealous of the success of the gospel to persuade many gentiles to receive Christ. This is when they raised up a mob. viii. In spite of this, the evangelists were given boldness by God to preach His message and because of God, the results bore much fruit. d. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point: In these first two verses Paul demonstrates quite clearly that the courage to preach the gospel, the message of the gospel, and the results of the gospel are always sourced in God Himself. In the book of Romans, Paul puts this succinctly when he says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And let's imagine that these evangelists are humans like you and I. Do you think the evangelists, in their flesh, arrived in Thessalonica and were a little hesitant about preaching the gospel? Do you think they'd rather teach something else or at least do it quietly at first to make sure they weren't immediately booted out of Thessalonica too? Do you think they were tempted to use the gospel to serve themselves and care for themselves? Most likely they arrived in Thessalonica still bearing bruises and cuts from their beatings in Philippi. Do you think they were not tempted to keep a low profile or even to alter their message so it wasn't as offensive? Maybe they should focus on befriending everyone first and then worry about preaching the gospel. Instead, Paul says that the courage, the message, and the results are all of God. So, like the apostles, we too must boldly preach the gospel of God in spite of opposition. Transition: [Slide 7 (blank)] So, we see the positive side of why their mission was not vain, empty, or fruitless. It was emboldened by God, with His message and therefore He produced the results. But if you are thinking, ok, what was there to succumb to? What were the apostles tempted to replace the boldness and message of God with? What would have rendered their mission there, empty? In the next four verses, Paul identifies 6 fleshly motives they did not bring with them to preach to the Thessalonians. These 6 motives would have rendered their mission there fruitless and in vain. So, what are they? II.) The gospel is God's power unto salvation, so we must preach the gospel in accordance with His will. (3-6) a. [Slide 8] 3 - For our exhortation didn't come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. i. This word “for” is again an explanatory conjunction. ii. But what is it explaining? iii. It is explaining how they know that God emboldened them to preach his message in spite of persecution. And the evidence is in what they did not do. iv. Paul doesn't tell them what they already know happened. He tells them what they know DIDN”T happen. Which is probably to counter things that are being spoken against the evangelists. v. So what are Paul, Silas, and Timothy being accused of? 1. Paul says that their exhortation, their appeal, their plea for them to receive the gospel, did not come from error. 2. Error here carries with it the idea of unintentional ignorance. Paul and his companions did not come, begging them to receive Christ, because they were delusional or ill-informed or doctrinally imprecise. 3. Paul says they did not make their appeal from impurity either. 4. Impurity is often used to describe sexual sins, but here in the context it seems that this isn't what Paul intends. 5. More likely Paul means the more general idea that is to mix something pure with something impure. 6. And so Paul is saying that their gospel appeal was not made with their mouths while they had ulterior motives in their hearts. It isn't a bait and switch. It wasn't given to them in order to accomplish some selfish goal. 7. Finally, Paul says they did not make their appeal by way of deceit or as the CSB translates it, with intent to deceive. 8. The CSB helps us here to understand that this is by far the most egregious accusation. That the evangelists came with skillful treachery to intentionally lead them astray. vi. Paul denies all these claims and goes back to his original point. b. [Slide 9] 4 - Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. i. The source of their message and even their commissioning is God Himself. ii. God approved them for this work and entrusted them with the gospel. This word entrusted is the same word we use when we talk about belief or faith. God trusted them, His apostles, and by extension, His church, with His gospel message. iii. Therefore, they don't have the low aspiration with their appeal to woo people to themselves or to tell people what they want to hear. iv. Paul even warns in a later letter that in the last days people will gather to themselves preachers who tickle their ears. Who tell them what they want to hear. v. Indeed, part of the reason such preachers are popular is because they'd never be caught teaching anything that might offend someone. 1. Joel Osteen was on a Larry King once with John MacArthur. The question was raised concerning homosexuality. 2. Of course, John MacArthur articulated well the ancient teaching of the scriptures regarding the sinfulness of the lifestyle. 3. But Osteen, who today has a church attendance of around 52,000 people on average, did all he could to avoid taking any stand at all on the issue. He bumbled his way through trying desperately to say nothing at all. 4. Why? 5. He is an ear tickler. He tells people what they already think. He tells them what they want to hear. And if he wants to keep the 52,000 congregation… he'll continue to do just that. vi. The evangelists did not try to tickle the ears of the Thessalonians and preach something that would please them or confirm what they already thought. vii. Why? viii. Because the evangelists will not stand before the Thessalonians someday to give an account for how they handled the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, they will stand before God Himself. ix. Why? x. Because the gospel is GOD'S! It is God's power to salvation. It's message and Its effect all belong to HIM. And Him alone. We do not have the liberty to alter it or use it for selfish ends. xi. And here is the great warning to us… xii. God EXAMINES the thoughts and intentions of the hearts of every evangelist. Despite our best efforts to hide, if we have these motives, God would see right through us. xiii. Instead, the Evangelists endeavor to please God and fulfill the commission that He has given them. c. [Slide 10] 5 - For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— i. So, the evangelists did not make their appeal to them because they were ill-informed, had ulterior motives, wished to deceive them or wished to please them and gain popularity. ii. They also NEVER wished to flatter them in order to extort them. iii. We should see this flattery of speech and greedy motives as connected and not two separate things. iv. They never used buttery language set in honey to fleece them. v. It was quite common for traveling preachers to pop into a city for a short time and sell their snake oil. vi. Cults continue to make unseemly amounts of money off of people primarily by crafting their message around what people want to hear and flattering them with only positive language. vii. Before you know it, you are writing checks for the ministry. Big checks too. Why? viii. Because big gifts = big rewards. ix. But the evangelists never wished to get anything from the Thessalonians. They didn't peddle the gospel for money. Paul worked hard as a tentmaker to ensure that his expenses were paid so that he did not have to live by those who received the gospel. x. As he mentioned earlier – God sees their hearts… so God can bear witness to the fact that they did not do this to make money. xi. How else did the evangelists NOT come to Thessalonica? d. [Slide 11] 6 - and we didn't seek glory from people, either from you or from others. i. Sometimes traveling teachers would not come in for money, or for popularity, but in order that they would make a name for themselves. ii. That they would be renowned as an excellent speaker. iii. But Paul assures the Thessalonians – that isn't us. iv. May Christ increase and we decrease was their motto. v. They wished to spread the fame of Jesus' name – but not their own. vi. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, were blameless in their giving of the gospel. Because they wanted nothing from the Thessalonians other than for them to hear about God and His Christ who died to save sinners from the wrath to come. vii. They preached this message boldly, not for their hearer's sake, but primarily to please God who had approved of them and entrusted them with the gospel. e. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Paul once again, in different words, makes the same point. He says in no uncertain terms that God approved and entrusted the gospel to these evangelists. And God continued to examine their hearts too as they took His gospel wherever they went. By extension we can say that God approves and entrusts His church with His gospel as well, and continues to examine our hearts as we take it to the nations. What does this mean? Essentially it is the same point as before. The gospel is God's power unto salvation. What does that mean we must do? It means that we must not appropriate the gospel for selfish ends, and we must not alter the gospel or dilute the gospel to please those to whom we preach it. Since it is God's gospel and His power and His results which He entrusts to us, we should be very careful that our message, methods, and motives all align with His will. And we would do well to recognize that He sees our motives all the time. Conclusion: So CBC, what basic concepts have we learned today that informs and corrects our faith and shapes and guides our practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 13] The Gospel belongs to God. It is His. Its message, its power, its effect, its calling, its distribution all belong to God. It is His power unto salvation for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. Because, beginning to end it all belongs to God, full stop. Because of this, we have some explicit warnings in this passage that we would do well to heed. First, we should preach it with confidence, even in the midst of great opposition. He will give us boldness to preach His message. Why? Because it belongs to Him. And so, by the way, do we. We are not given the luxury of preaching the gospel only when it is convenient, comfortable, or pleasant. A second application we can draw from the fact that the gospel belongs to God is that we must be abundantly careful that we do not succumb to the temptation to dilute the gospel's message and/or use worldly methods to preach it, in order to pursue selfish motives. But let me rail on this a little. Because if you think that American Christianity doesn't have a problem with this – you have been living under a rock. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the Gospel is God's power unto salvation. a. In 1741 in Enfield Massachusetts, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” b. Enfield was known as a fairly sinful community and was at this time host to various preachers coming for the week. c. It is said that during his sermon people interrupted him several times. But the interruptions were not rude or antagonistic. Instead, they were weeping, rolling on the ground, grabbing hold of the pillars of the church building, crying out to God for mercy and to spare them His wrath. d. This sermon became famous for officially beginning the Great Awakening in the American Colonies. e. Now if you hear this Historical record and your first thought is that Jonathan Edwards must have been a very powerful speaker. Well, there are two things wrong with you. First, you haven't listened to the sermon up to this point and second you know nothing of Jonathan Edwards. f. Jonathan Edwards had somewhat of a weak voice. He read/memorized his sermon. He was not a boring man but he was by no means an entertainer or an exceptionally gifted speaker. g. And perhaps you think – well perhaps he wasn't an especially gifted speaker but gifted writing even in the hands of poor speakers can still have great impact. h. Ahh, two problems again. First, you haven't listened to the sermon up to this point. Second, This wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last time Jonathan Edwards would preach this sermon. i. If it were an especially excellent homiletical work, we might expect it to render results on everyone who sees it or hears it. Afterall, especially gifted pieces of art fascinate most from the connoisseur to the ignorant. Though you know nothing of musical composition, to sit and listen to Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, or Vivaldi, you cannot help but be in awe of the way the notes weave themselves together. j. And yet, history records for us that although others responded to the same sermon, it was never as powerful as it had been that day in Enfield. k. All this proves the point which Paul so masterfully drives home. l. The gospel is God's message. He gives it power and persuasion as He brings its truths to bear upon the hearers. He also gives His preachers the boldness to preach such a message. He approves and entrusts the gospel message to them while examining their hearts to be sure they are empty of self. m. The gospel is God's power unto salvation. n. Not only should men not take and meddle with it – ultimately, they cannot. o. The real power of the real gospel belongs exclusively to God. p. What does this mean for us? q. Well positively we must conclude that.. 2.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must preach the gospel boldly even amid great opposition. a. Now think about this. If the gospel's power relies on our power of persuasion. If we are responsible for convincing and drawing and wooing men to the gospel… b. How might opposition and severe persecution hinder the gospel? c. If God has entrusted the gospel to us, to the extent that the conversion of every person relies on our excellence in preaching the gospel… d. Then my friends – we are sunk. e. You might say – No Chris! I'm not afraid of persecution! They can do anything they want to me. I'll still preach the gospel with the same power and vigor. f. My friend, you are either a fool or a liar. g. In your flesh, you would crumble and succumb. Were it not for the emboldening of God, Paul, Silas, and Timothy would not have preached the gospel in Thessalonica. h. But the message of the gospel, the power of the gospel, the boldness to share the gospel, the results of the gospel, the commissioning of the gospel, the entrusting of the gospel, the examination of the gospel… is all from the Eternal and Omnipotent God of the Universe. i. Oftentimes our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. But the Lord has approved us and entrusted us with the gospel. He has sent us into this world to be His representatives. To take His gospel to the nations. To make disciples. j. We can go and do this with confidence – not trusting in our own resolve or ability to stay cool under pressure or amid threats against us – but rather trusting in His strength to sustain us and to equip us. k. Despite having just come from terrible persecution and stepping into more – Paul, Silas, and Timothy boldly shared the gospel in the strength and power of God. l. We too must do this. m. But what negative application does this truth have on us? 3.) [Slide 16] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop preaching the gospel with a diluted message, worldly methods, and selfish motives. a. If the gospel is God's message, and He gives us boldness to speak it, infuses it with power so it renders results upon those whom He is calling to repentance and faith, and He entrusts us with it while examining our hearts as we take it to others… b. What makes us think that we can be innovative in how we share His gospel? c. Imagine you have a desk job. You have your own cubicle and computer with which you do your job every day. Or perhaps you work in a shop and you have your own station with your own tools which you come into every day to accomplish your tasks. d. But you go on vacation. And you approve and entrust your work station and your work to another person at your workplace. e. Now imagine when you return to your job you find that all your desktop icons have been moved and some of them are no longer there. There are programs missing from your computer. The computer has been moved next to the coffee maker and now shares the outlet with it. In the shop, your tools are rearranged and some of them are missing. Some tools have been modified, with portions filed off for some unknown reason. f. Would it be safe to say that you might be a little angry about this? g. What was your expectation? Is it reasonable that your expectation would be that they would change nothing and simply do the job to the best of their ability but in the same manner with the same tools that you did the job? h. I think it is abundantly reasonable to expect exactly that. i. How ludicrous is it then that the God of the universe has given us His message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, has entrusted it to us, and promised to give us boldness to preach it, promising that He will empower it to render the results He desires… and then we change it. j. We think – well, it isn't exactly popular for people to hear that they are sinners, that their prized habits and pastimes, identities and orientations are wickedness before God. And that these sins will condemn them to suffer the eternal wrath of God. i. So why don't we just chop off that part of the gospel? ii. Let's just talk about how God loves everyone and has a wonderful plan for their life. iii. Let's just talk about how He sent Jesus to start a relationship with each of us. iv. God sent His most prized possession because we were worth it! v. That is much less offensive. vi. That actually makes people feel good. vii. We should preach that instead. k. Or we think - It isn't exactly pleasant to hear that we are condemned before God and there is literally nothing we can do, say, or think that will change that. i. So, let's preach that we can do something. ii. Let's preach that we can get baptized, go to church, take communion, give to the poor, confess our sins, pray a prayer, invite Jesus into our hearts – and at the end of the day one of these things is bound to save us. iii. Or because God says that salvation is by faith that must mean that we all have some pretty remarkable faith inside us and if we'd just use it God would give us salvation. iv. That is much better for us! We aren't completely hopeless. We have our human gumption and innate faithfulness that will get us there. l. Or we observe that It isn't exactly pleasant to hear that in salvation Christ not only rescues us from the wrath of God on sin, but He also cleanses us from unrighteousness and makes us into the righteousness of God whereby we become slaves to righteousness and live holy lives in order to see God. i. So, let's just preach that all you have to do is make 1 choice to believe a list of things about Jesus and then you'll go to heaven. ii. Don't want to go to church often? No problem. You decided Jesus was real. That's all that really matters. You probably don't need other people around you who did the same. And they certainly don't need you. All you need is Jesus right? Maybe you can just attend online. Or maybe you can just come for the children's church. That should be enough. iii. Don't want to love your neighbor? Sure… that's ok, I don't either. Remember – God loves YOU. That's what is important. iv. Don't want to turn from sleeping with someone who isn't your spouse? I get it! Don't worry about it. God will forgive you! v. Don't want to submit to your authorities in the church, the home, or the government? No problem. You are just fiercely independent. Jesus was a rebel too. vi. Don't want to be part of a church in order to serve other believers? That's totally fine. After all – what about your needs right? You are special after all. At least that is what mommy told you. m. Or we notice that It is very difficult to warn people that there is a cost to following Christ. That they may be hated and maligned for it. That the world will reject them just like they rejected Jesus. i. So instead, why don't we tell them that God wants them to be wealthy and healthy. ii. God always desires to heal and bless. iii. And when they come to Jesus their life will be great. iv. We can even tell them all the celebrities that have claimed to be Christians. v. Don't you want to be just like Chris Pratt and Kanye West and Kat Von D? vi. Man, that will really get them excited. They can join the club that these folks are in! Awesome! n. Or we lament that It isn't exactly compelling to hear that we need to go preach the gospel to please God. God is invisible and it is tough to be highly motivated to go out and preach the Word primarily for His glory. Especially when we see little results. i. So why don't we talk about how everyday people are going to hell? ii. Yeah, that is a great motivator – guilt. iii. Let's really lay it on thick and tell people that the only reason that people go to hell is because we never shared the gospel with them. iv. This goes perfectly with our gospel message that never mentions sin. v. Let's tell them that the fate of their friend's souls rests on whether or not they share the gospel with them. vi. That will really light the fire under them. vii. Afterall, the only thing stopping people from receiving the gospel is that they have never heard it… right? o. Do you see what happens my friends. When we meddle with the gospel: its message, or our own methods and motives in preaching it? What happens? We no longer have the gospel. Just like you no longer had your work station. It has become something else entirely. p. The gospel is the power of God. He emboldens us to speak it. He gives it power. He produces results through it. He has entrusted us with it and He will continue to examine our hearts as we preach it. q. It is best to not tamper with what isn't ours. r. But as a believer perhaps you are quite upset by this. Perhaps you are afraid that you are going to mess it up inadvertently. Maybe you'd never do it on purpose – but what if you mess up God's gospel on accident? 4.) [Slide 17] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God makes the gospel fruitful, sometimes in spite of us. a. Despite all these philosophies of evangelism and these truncated and bastardized versions of the gospel floating around today… b. People are still, by the grace of God, coming to Christ. People are still sharing the gospel to save people from hell rather than to please God. It is a great humanitarian effort rather than an act of worship and obedience. c. They still take the message of praying a magic prayer and that somehow changing you. And yet – people still come to Christ through that. d. Is that proof that Paul is wrong in this passage? e. No my friends. That is proof that God is abundantly gracious. f. In Philippians Paul comments on a group of preachers who are going around and accurately preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. But they are doing it to make money, gain popularity, and steal popularity from Paul. g. Do you know what Paul's comments are on this? h. He praises God that the gospel still goes out despite these wicked motives. i. How can this be? How can the message get garbled, the methods be odious, and the motives be wicked and people still receive Christ? j. Friends have we forgotten already? k. Answer me these questions so I know you haven't forgotten! l. Who does the gospel belong to? And whose power is in the gospel? Who gives the results of the gospel? m. Yes… God alone. n. If God can use disobedient and delinquent preachers to call His people to Himself… I'm sure He can use your bumbling words to save His own too. o. It doesn't give us an excuse to not be as zealous and accurate as we can be… but it does give us comfort that we can't prevent, by our weakness, who God is drawing to Himself in His strength. It doesn't work that way. p. And finally – we've talked a lot about the gospel this morning. Around it mostly. What does this text teach us about the gospel message? 5.) [Slide 18] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The gospel is not a talking point of which you need to be convinced. The gospel is the power of God to take something dead and make it alive. a. The definition of what is a Christian is a fairly muddled mess today. b. Many people simply assign it to a particular religious affiliation. c. It is an organization. It is an identity. d. It is interesting to me that some who would complain about a woman identifying as a man yet looking nothing like a man, have no problem identifying as a Christian yet looking nothing like Christ. e. We see Christianity as another religion in a long list of religions. Even if it is the one that makes the most sense or lines up with our values – when we do this, the gospel is little more than the elevator pitch to join the movement. f. It is the marketing mechanism to get butts into the pews. g. It is the talking point to join at the grass roots. h. Because the gospel is misunderstood or misarticulated in this way, it is possible to convince people in their heads of the truth of the gospel without them actually getting a new heart from God and receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. i. My friends the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again is not a sales pitch. It isn't a talking point. It isn't the path to getting in on the ground floor. j. In fact, it isn't a mechanism that you can access by any human means. k. The gospel is something that happens to you more than it is something that you do. You don't go and get the gospel… it falls in your lap and you receive it. l. You can intellectually understand the Jesus died on a cross for sinners and rose again the third day and is coming again. But until God closes the loop for you and you realize that i. YOU are the sinner who rebelled against a Holy God ii. You are the one Christ came and was tortured, bloodied, bruised, ripped open, spilled out, hung up and asphyxiated for. iii. YOUR Sins are the ones that Christ endured the cup of wrath from God for iv. You are the dead one that Christ's resurrection promises life for v. You are the one He has entrusted His Work to. vi. You are the one who will suffer for His name vii. You are the one that will live a holy life viii. You are the one who will be saved one day by His return ix. You are the one who will reign with him in the New Kingdom... m. Until GOD DOES THIS IN YOU… you are still dead in your sins. n. In short, there is a difference between knowing the facts of the gospel… and experiencing them. o. So, has God made you experience these truths this morning? Then I'd invite you to repent of your wickedness before Him. And trust that He has done this… For you. p. And would you tell an Elder, myself or another, that you have experienced His gospel today? We'd love to rejoice with you and guide you on your next steps. [Slide 19 (end)] Let me close with a prayer from the Puritan Joseph Alleine. For those who do not know you yet, Lord, grab on to them now, and do your work. Take them by the heart, overcome them, and persuade them, until they say, "You have won. You are stronger than I." Lord, did you not make me a fisher of men? We have worked all this time and caught nothing. Have we spent our strength for nothing? We will cast our net one more time. Lord Jesus, stand on the shore and show us how and where to spread our net. Give us the words to enclose the souls YOU seek, that they will have no way out. Now, Lord, for a multitude of souls. Now for a full portion. Lord God, remember us, we pray, and strengthen us, O God. Amen. Benediction: May the One who sent His Son with power to save From guilt, and darkness and the grave, Whose ways are mercy and truth; May He never stop doing you good; May He inspire you to fear Him so that you will never turn aside from Him. Until we meet again, go in peace.

Title: “Not An Empty Visit” Part 1 Text: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-6 FCF: We often struggle boldly giving the gospel without allowing in worldly influence. Prop: Because the gospel is God's power unto salvation, we must boldly give the unaltered gospel of God. Scripture Intro: CSB [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to 1 Thessalonians chapter 2. In a moment we'll read from the Christian Standard Bible starting in verse 1. You can follow along in the pew bible or in whatever version you prefer. I realize that it has been over two years since we have studied a New Testament letter. When we study this genre, it usually consists of 2 or 3 thoughts that are being conveyed, not in story, but in logical exposition. This requires us to simultaneously zoom in to individual thoughts while continuing to keep the broader picture in mind. So, with that being said – let's review what Chapter one talked about before we move into chapter two. Chapter 1 began with a greeting to the Thessalonian church and then immediately Paul expressed his and his companions' thankfulness to God for them – and for the cardinal Christian graces that they continue to demonstrate. Of course, the reason that they are thankful for the Thessalonian church is because the evangelists know that they are God's elect. How do they know that? First, because of the way the gospel came to them in the power of the Spirit. Second, because they have observed how the Thessalonian church has become imitators of Christ and are setting a good example for all believes both in how they receive the Word in joy amid persecution and how they shared their testimony. Paul will now turn his attention to the evangelists' example when they were among them. So, let's read Paul's next thought, starting in verse 1 and going to verse 12 of chapter 2. Please stand with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God as it is read. Invocation: All Powerful God, we come to you today to revel in what You have done. You have rescued us from Your Holy Justice. You have placed on Christ our just reward for our sin. You have given us His righteousness by which we can, by faith, walk worthy of our holy calling. I pray that You would use Your Spirit to open our eyes to what we must be for Your glory. And Lord, give new hearts to those who need them so they too can respond to the gospel of light and life. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Transition: [Slide 2] “We do not evangelize because we expect results. We evangelize because we are sent men.” Joe Blinco “Every single believer is a God-ordained agent of evangelism.” R.B. Kuiper “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.” C.H. Spurgeon Let these ideas roll over you as we set into the text this morning. I.) The gospel is God's power unto salvation, so we must boldly preach the gospel of God in spite of opposition. (1-2) a. [Slide 3] 1 - For you yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our visit with you was not without result. i. The word “for” obviously beckons us to look backward. 1. This conjunction explains something mentioned previously. 2. Since Paul goes on to explain how he and his companions came to Thessalonica and how they were received, we should see this entire section as an explanation of the statement from verse 9. 3. Which itself is a further result from what was stated in verse 5, how the Thessalonians knew what kind of men the evangelists were by how they conducted themselves in Thessalonica. 4. Verses 1-16 of chapter 2 is an explanation or an elaboration from the evangelists' point of view on those same events. 5. The more perplexing question is, why is Paul reviewing this content if the Thessalonians got it right? If they accurately remembered all of this information – why say it again? a. Some scholars believe that Paul is explaining how they were different from other traveling teachers and their sordid practices. b. Some scholars insist that Paul is merely reemphasizing their example to the Thessalonians so that they and their leaders could continue to imitate them. c. Still others think that Paul is addressing accusations against the evangelists raised by unbelieving people in Thessalonica, in an attempt to dissuade the Thessalonian church from abandoning their lifestyles. 6. It is my point of view that all of these can be true all at once. And most likely – they probably are all true to some degree. ii. Paul again uses the word “know” and Paul again says they know. They know what? iii. Specifically, Paul says that they know that it was not without result. 1. The words “without result” is also much debated. 2. If you want a full explanation on all the options, you should come to Thursday Night Bible Study where we always take a behind the sermon look at the text. 3. But it seems best to me to think that Paul is saying that their time with the Thessalonians did not prove to be without fruit. iv. So how was their ministry there fruitful? b. [Slide 4] 2 - On the contrary, after we had previously suffered and were treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, i. Part of the proof of the fruitfulness of the mission was is in the humble and tumultuous beginnings of the Thessalonian mission. ii. Paul and his companions didn't ride into Thessalonica with groupies and with pomp and fanfare. iii. They didn't come into the city having grown accustomed to overwhelmingly positive responses to their presence. iv. In other words – they know a poor reception when they see one. v. And it doesn't get much poorer of a reception as it did in Philippi. vi. As a reminder to us – what happened in Phillipi? 1. While going down to the river to pray, a demon possessed girl who was being used by men for the spirits' fortune telling capabilities, came against the apostles. The spirit did so, so frequently, and so obnoxiously, that Paul eventually grew irritated and cast the demon out. 2. The men who prostituted her for her sad condition were furious because their source of income had dried up. 3. They brought Paul and Silas before the city magistrates. They were beaten and thrown in prison without a trial. 4. Of course, God freed them from the jail, which led to the conversion of the Philippian jailer. But eventually they were forced to leave. vii. Paul, to the Thessalonians confesses that this treatment was outrageous, even by gentile standards. viii. So, the Thessalonian mission did not begin with an expectation of the evangelists to be received well. ix. But what did happen that made sure their entrance was not in vain? That it produced results? c. [Slide 5] we were emboldened by our God to speak the gospel of God to you in spite of great opposition. i. After they arrived from Philippi, they did not come in gun shy. ii. They didn't come timidly. iii. They came emboldened by God. They were given courage by God to speak His gospel to them. iv. Now what might Paul mean “in spite of great opposition?” v. This is most certainly referencing the opposition in Thessalonica itself. vi. We know that only 3 weeks into the mission in Thessalonica, Paul had to abandon his teaching in the synagogue, since the Jews had, for the most part, rejected the message of the gospel. vii. Over the next few weeks, the Jews became increasingly more and more jealous of the success of the gospel to persuade many gentiles to receive Christ. This is when they raised up a mob. viii. In spite of this, the evangelists were given boldness by God to preach His message and because of God, the results bore much fruit. d. [Slide 6] Summary of the Point: In these first two verses Paul demonstrates quite clearly that the courage to preach the gospel, the message of the gospel, and the results of the gospel are always sourced in God Himself. In the book of Romans, Paul puts this succinctly when he says that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. And let's imagine that these evangelists are humans like you and I. Do you think the evangelists, in their flesh, arrived in Thessalonica and were a little hesitant about preaching the gospel? Do you think they'd rather teach something else or at least do it quietly at first to make sure they weren't immediately booted out of Thessalonica too? Do you think they were tempted to use the gospel to serve themselves and care for themselves? Most likely they arrived in Thessalonica still bearing bruises and cuts from their beatings in Philippi. Do you think they were not tempted to keep a low profile or even to alter their message so it wasn't as offensive? Maybe they should focus on befriending everyone first and then worry about preaching the gospel. Instead, Paul says that the courage, the message, and the results are all of God. So, like the apostles, we too must boldly preach the gospel of God in spite of opposition. Transition: [Slide 7 (blank)] So, we see the positive side of why their mission was not vain, empty, or fruitless. It was emboldened by God, with His message and therefore He produced the results. But if you are thinking, ok, what was there to succumb to? What were the apostles tempted to replace the boldness and message of God with? What would have rendered their mission there, empty? In the next four verses, Paul identifies 6 fleshly motives they did not bring with them to preach to the Thessalonians. These 6 motives would have rendered their mission there fruitless and in vain. So, what are they? II.) The gospel is God's power unto salvation, so we must preach the gospel in accordance with His will. (3-6) a. [Slide 8] 3 - For our exhortation didn't come from error or impurity or an intent to deceive. i. This word “for” is again an explanatory conjunction. ii. But what is it explaining? iii. It is explaining how they know that God emboldened them to preach his message in spite of persecution. And the evidence is in what they did not do. iv. Paul doesn't tell them what they already know happened. He tells them what they know DIDN”T happen. Which is probably to counter things that are being spoken against the evangelists. v. So what are Paul, Silas, and Timothy being accused of? 1. Paul says that their exhortation, their appeal, their plea for them to receive the gospel, did not come from error. 2. Error here carries with it the idea of unintentional ignorance. Paul and his companions did not come, begging them to receive Christ, because they were delusional or ill-informed or doctrinally imprecise. 3. Paul says they did not make their appeal from impurity either. 4. Impurity is often used to describe sexual sins, but here in the context it seems that this isn't what Paul intends. 5. More likely Paul means the more general idea that is to mix something pure with something impure. 6. And so Paul is saying that their gospel appeal was not made with their mouths while they had ulterior motives in their hearts. It isn't a bait and switch. It wasn't given to them in order to accomplish some selfish goal. 7. Finally, Paul says they did not make their appeal by way of deceit or as the CSB translates it, with intent to deceive. 8. The CSB helps us here to understand that this is by far the most egregious accusation. That the evangelists came with skillful treachery to intentionally lead them astray. vi. Paul denies all these claims and goes back to his original point. b. [Slide 9] 4 - Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts. i. The source of their message and even their commissioning is God Himself. ii. God approved them for this work and entrusted them with the gospel. This word entrusted is the same word we use when we talk about belief or faith. God trusted them, His apostles, and by extension, His church, with His gospel message. iii. Therefore, they don't have the low aspiration with their appeal to woo people to themselves or to tell people what they want to hear. iv. Paul even warns in a later letter that in the last days people will gather to themselves preachers who tickle their ears. Who tell them what they want to hear. v. Indeed, part of the reason such preachers are popular is because they'd never be caught teaching anything that might offend someone. 1. Joel Osteen was on a Larry King once with John MacArthur. The question was raised concerning homosexuality. 2. Of course, John MacArthur articulated well the ancient teaching of the scriptures regarding the sinfulness of the lifestyle. 3. But Osteen, who today has a church attendance of around 52,000 people on average, did all he could to avoid taking any stand at all on the issue. He bumbled his way through trying desperately to say nothing at all. 4. Why? 5. He is an ear tickler. He tells people what they already think. He tells them what they want to hear. And if he wants to keep the 52,000 congregation… he'll continue to do just that. vi. The evangelists did not try to tickle the ears of the Thessalonians and preach something that would please them or confirm what they already thought. vii. Why? viii. Because the evangelists will not stand before the Thessalonians someday to give an account for how they handled the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Instead, they will stand before God Himself. ix. Why? x. Because the gospel is GOD'S! It is God's power to salvation. It's message and Its effect all belong to HIM. And Him alone. We do not have the liberty to alter it or use it for selfish ends. xi. And here is the great warning to us… xii. God EXAMINES the thoughts and intentions of the hearts of every evangelist. Despite our best efforts to hide, if we have these motives, God would see right through us. xiii. Instead, the Evangelists endeavor to please God and fulfill the commission that He has given them. c. [Slide 10] 5 - For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness— i. So, the evangelists did not make their appeal to them because they were ill-informed, had ulterior motives, wished to deceive them or wished to please them and gain popularity. ii. They also NEVER wished to flatter them in order to extort them. iii. We should see this flattery of speech and greedy motives as connected and not two separate things. iv. They never used buttery language set in honey to fleece them. v. It was quite common for traveling preachers to pop into a city for a short time and sell their snake oil. vi. Cults continue to make unseemly amounts of money off of people primarily by crafting their message around what people want to hear and flattering them with only positive language. vii. Before you know it, you are writing checks for the ministry. Big checks too. Why? viii. Because big gifts = big rewards. ix. But the evangelists never wished to get anything from the Thessalonians. They didn't peddle the gospel for money. Paul worked hard as a tentmaker to ensure that his expenses were paid so that he did not have to live by those who received the gospel. x. As he mentioned earlier – God sees their hearts… so God can bear witness to the fact that they did not do this to make money. xi. How else did the evangelists NOT come to Thessalonica? d. [Slide 11] 6 - and we didn't seek glory from people, either from you or from others. i. Sometimes traveling teachers would not come in for money, or for popularity, but in order that they would make a name for themselves. ii. That they would be renowned as an excellent speaker. iii. But Paul assures the Thessalonians – that isn't us. iv. May Christ increase and we decrease was their motto. v. They wished to spread the fame of Jesus' name – but not their own. vi. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, were blameless in their giving of the gospel. Because they wanted nothing from the Thessalonians other than for them to hear about God and His Christ who died to save sinners from the wrath to come. vii. They preached this message boldly, not for their hearer's sake, but primarily to please God who had approved of them and entrusted them with the gospel. e. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Paul once again, in different words, makes the same point. He says in no uncertain terms that God approved and entrusted the gospel to these evangelists. And God continued to examine their hearts too as they took His gospel wherever they went. By extension we can say that God approves and entrusts His church with His gospel as well, and continues to examine our hearts as we take it to the nations. What does this mean? Essentially it is the same point as before. The gospel is God's power unto salvation. What does that mean we must do? It means that we must not appropriate the gospel for selfish ends, and we must not alter the gospel or dilute the gospel to please those to whom we preach it. Since it is God's gospel and His power and His results which He entrusts to us, we should be very careful that our message, methods, and motives all align with His will. And we would do well to recognize that He sees our motives all the time. Conclusion: So CBC, what basic concepts have we learned today that informs and corrects our faith and shapes and guides our practice? Basics of Faith and Practice: [Slide 13] The Gospel belongs to God. It is His. Its message, its power, its effect, its calling, its distribution all belong to God. It is His power unto salvation for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. Because, beginning to end it all belongs to God, full stop. Because of this, we have some explicit warnings in this passage that we would do well to heed. First, we should preach it with confidence, even in the midst of great opposition. He will give us boldness to preach His message. Why? Because it belongs to Him. And so, by the way, do we. We are not given the luxury of preaching the gospel only when it is convenient, comfortable, or pleasant. A second application we can draw from the fact that the gospel belongs to God is that we must be abundantly careful that we do not succumb to the temptation to dilute the gospel's message and/or use worldly methods to preach it, in order to pursue selfish motives. But let me rail on this a little. Because if you think that American Christianity doesn't have a problem with this – you have been living under a rock. 1.) [Slide 14] Mind Transformation: “What truth must we believe from this text?” or “What might we not naturally believe that we must believe because of what this text has said?” We must affirm that the Gospel is God's power unto salvation. a. In 1741 in Enfield Massachusetts, Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” b. Enfield was known as a fairly sinful community and was at this time host to various preachers coming for the week. c. It is said that during his sermon people interrupted him several times. But the interruptions were not rude or antagonistic. Instead, they were weeping, rolling on the ground, grabbing hold of the pillars of the church building, crying out to God for mercy and to spare them His wrath. d. This sermon became famous for officially beginning the Great Awakening in the American Colonies. e. Now if you hear this Historical record and your first thought is that Jonathan Edwards must have been a very powerful speaker. Well, there are two things wrong with you. First, you haven't listened to the sermon up to this point and second you know nothing of Jonathan Edwards. f. Jonathan Edwards had somewhat of a weak voice. He read/memorized his sermon. He was not a boring man but he was by no means an entertainer or an exceptionally gifted speaker. g. And perhaps you think – well perhaps he wasn't an especially gifted speaker but gifted writing even in the hands of poor speakers can still have great impact. h. Ahh, two problems again. First, you haven't listened to the sermon up to this point. Second, This wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last time Jonathan Edwards would preach this sermon. i. If it were an especially excellent homiletical work, we might expect it to render results on everyone who sees it or hears it. Afterall, especially gifted pieces of art fascinate most from the connoisseur to the ignorant. Though you know nothing of musical composition, to sit and listen to Brahms, Beethoven, Bach, or Vivaldi, you cannot help but be in awe of the way the notes weave themselves together. j. And yet, history records for us that although others responded to the same sermon, it was never as powerful as it had been that day in Enfield. k. All this proves the point which Paul so masterfully drives home. l. The gospel is God's message. He gives it power and persuasion as He brings its truths to bear upon the hearers. He also gives His preachers the boldness to preach such a message. He approves and entrusts the gospel message to them while examining their hearts to be sure they are empty of self. m. The gospel is God's power unto salvation. n. Not only should men not take and meddle with it – ultimately, they cannot. o. The real power of the real gospel belongs exclusively to God. p. What does this mean for us? q. Well positively we must conclude that.. 2.) [Slide 15] Exhortation: “What actions should we take?” or “What is this passage specifically commanding us to do that we don't naturally do or aren't currently doing?” We must preach the gospel boldly even amid great opposition. a. Now think about this. If the gospel's power relies on our power of persuasion. If we are responsible for convincing and drawing and wooing men to the gospel… b. How might opposition and severe persecution hinder the gospel? c. If God has entrusted the gospel to us, to the extent that the conversion of every person relies on our excellence in preaching the gospel… d. Then my friends – we are sunk. e. You might say – No Chris! I'm not afraid of persecution! They can do anything they want to me. I'll still preach the gospel with the same power and vigor. f. My friend, you are either a fool or a liar. g. In your flesh, you would crumble and succumb. Were it not for the emboldening of God, Paul, Silas, and Timothy would not have preached the gospel in Thessalonica. h. But the message of the gospel, the power of the gospel, the boldness to share the gospel, the results of the gospel, the commissioning of the gospel, the entrusting of the gospel, the examination of the gospel… is all from the Eternal and Omnipotent God of the Universe. i. Oftentimes our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. But the Lord has approved us and entrusted us with the gospel. He has sent us into this world to be His representatives. To take His gospel to the nations. To make disciples. j. We can go and do this with confidence – not trusting in our own resolve or ability to stay cool under pressure or amid threats against us – but rather trusting in His strength to sustain us and to equip us. k. Despite having just come from terrible persecution and stepping into more – Paul, Silas, and Timothy boldly shared the gospel in the strength and power of God. l. We too must do this. m. But what negative application does this truth have on us? 3.) [Slide 16] De-Exhortation: “What actions should we stop doing” or “What behaviors do we naturally practice that this passage tells us to stop doing?” We must stop preaching the gospel with a diluted message, worldly methods, and selfish motives. a. If the gospel is God's message, and He gives us boldness to speak it, infuses it with power so it renders results upon those whom He is calling to repentance and faith, and He entrusts us with it while examining our hearts as we take it to others… b. What makes us think that we can be innovative in how we share His gospel? c. Imagine you have a desk job. You have your own cubicle and computer with which you do your job every day. Or perhaps you work in a shop and you have your own station with your own tools which you come into every day to accomplish your tasks. d. But you go on vacation. And you approve and entrust your work station and your work to another person at your workplace. e. Now imagine when you return to your job you find that all your desktop icons have been moved and some of them are no longer there. There are programs missing from your computer. The computer has been moved next to the coffee maker and now shares the outlet with it. In the shop, your tools are rearranged and some of them are missing. Some tools have been modified, with portions filed off for some unknown reason. f. Would it be safe to say that you might be a little angry about this? g. What was your expectation? Is it reasonable that your expectation would be that they would change nothing and simply do the job to the best of their ability but in the same manner with the same tools that you did the job? h. I think it is abundantly reasonable to expect exactly that. i. How ludicrous is it then that the God of the universe has given us His message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, has entrusted it to us, and promised to give us boldness to preach it, promising that He will empower it to render the results He desires… and then we change it. j. We think – well, it isn't exactly popular for people to hear that they are sinners, that their prized habits and pastimes, identities and orientations are wickedness before God. And that these sins will condemn them to suffer the eternal wrath of God. i. So why don't we just chop off that part of the gospel? ii. Let's just talk about how God loves everyone and has a wonderful plan for their life. iii. Let's just talk about how He sent Jesus to start a relationship with each of us. iv. God sent His most prized possession because we were worth it! v. That is much less offensive. vi. That actually makes people feel good. vii. We should preach that instead. k. Or we think - It isn't exactly pleasant to hear that we are condemned before God and there is literally nothing we can do, say, or think that will change that. i. So, let's preach that we can do something. ii. Let's preach that we can get baptized, go to church, take communion, give to the poor, confess our sins, pray a prayer, invite Jesus into our hearts – and at the end of the day one of these things is bound to save us. iii. Or because God says that salvation is by faith that must mean that we all have some pretty remarkable faith inside us and if we'd just use it God would give us salvation. iv. That is much better for us! We aren't completely hopeless. We have our human gumption and innate faithfulness that will get us there. l. Or we observe that It isn't exactly pleasant to hear that in salvation Christ not only rescues us from the wrath of God on sin, but He also cleanses us from unrighteousness and makes us into the righteousness of God whereby we become slaves to righteousness and live holy lives in order to see God. i. So, let's just preach that all you have to do is make 1 choice to believe a list of things about Jesus and then you'll go to heaven. ii. Don't want to go to church often? No problem. You decided Jesus was real. That's all that really matters. You probably don't need other people around you who did the same. And they certainly don't need you. All you need is Jesus right? Maybe you can just attend online. Or maybe you can just come for the children's church. That should be enough. iii. Don't want to love your neighbor? Sure… that's ok, I don't either. Remember – God loves YOU. That's what is important. iv. Don't want to turn from sleeping with someone who isn't your spouse? I get it! Don't worry about it. God will forgive you! v. Don't want to submit to your authorities in the church, the home, or the government? No problem. You are just fiercely independent. Jesus was a rebel too. vi. Don't want to be part of a church in order to serve other believers? That's totally fine. After all – what about your needs right? You are special after all. At least that is what mommy told you. m. Or we notice that It is very difficult to warn people that there is a cost to following Christ. That they may be hated and maligned for it. That the world will reject them just like they rejected Jesus. i. So instead, why don't we tell them that God wants them to be wealthy and healthy. ii. God always desires to heal and bless. iii. And when they come to Jesus their life will be great. iv. We can even tell them all the celebrities that have claimed to be Christians. v. Don't you want to be just like Chris Pratt and Kanye West and Kat Von D? vi. Man, that will really get them excited. They can join the club that these folks are in! Awesome! n. Or we lament that It isn't exactly compelling to hear that we need to go preach the gospel to please God. God is invisible and it is tough to be highly motivated to go out and preach the Word primarily for His glory. Especially when we see little results. i. So why don't we talk about how everyday people are going to hell? ii. Yeah, that is a great motivator – guilt. iii. Let's really lay it on thick and tell people that the only reason that people go to hell is because we never shared the gospel with them. iv. This goes perfectly with our gospel message that never mentions sin. v. Let's tell them that the fate of their friend's souls rests on whether or not they share the gospel with them. vi. That will really light the fire under them. vii. Afterall, the only thing stopping people from receiving the gospel is that they have never heard it… right? o. Do you see what happens my friends. When we meddle with the gospel: its message, or our own methods and motives in preaching it? What happens? We no longer have the gospel. Just like you no longer had your work station. It has become something else entirely. p. The gospel is the power of God. He emboldens us to speak it. He gives it power. He produces results through it. He has entrusted us with it and He will continue to examine our hearts as we preach it. q. It is best to not tamper with what isn't ours. r. But as a believer perhaps you are quite upset by this. Perhaps you are afraid that you are going to mess it up inadvertently. Maybe you'd never do it on purpose – but what if you mess up God's gospel on accident? 4.) [Slide 17] Comfort: “What comfort can we find here?” or “What peace does the Lord promise us in light of this passage of scripture?” God makes the gospel fruitful, sometimes in spite of us. a. Despite all these philosophies of evangelism and these truncated and bastardized versions of the gospel floating around today… b. People are still, by the grace of God, coming to Christ. People are still sharing the gospel to save people from hell rather than to please God. It is a great humanitarian effort rather than an act of worship and obedience. c. They still take the message of praying a magic prayer and that somehow changing you. And yet – people still come to Christ through that. d. Is that proof that Paul is wrong in this passage? e. No my friends. That is proof that God is abundantly gracious. f. In Philippians Paul comments on a group of preachers who are going around and accurately preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. But they are doing it to make money, gain popularity, and steal popularity from Paul. g. Do you know what Paul's comments are on this? h. He praises God that the gospel still goes out despite these wicked motives. i. How can this be? How can the message get garbled, the methods be odious, and the motives be wicked and people still receive Christ? j. Friends have we forgotten already? k. Answer me these questions so I know you haven't forgotten! l. Who does the gospel belong to? And whose power is in the gospel? Who gives the results of the gospel? m. Yes… God alone. n. If God can use disobedient and delinquent preachers to call His people to Himself… I'm sure He can use your bumbling words to save His own too. o. It doesn't give us an excuse to not be as zealous and accurate as we can be… but it does give us comfort that we can't prevent, by our weakness, who God is drawing to Himself in His strength. It doesn't work that way. p. And finally – we've talked a lot about the gospel this morning. Around it mostly. What does this text teach us about the gospel message? 5.) [Slide 18] Evangelism: “What about this text points us to Jesus Christ, the gospel, and how we are restored?” The gospel is not a talking point of which you need to be convinced. The gospel is the power of God to take something dead and make it alive. a. The definition of what is a Christian is a fairly muddled mess today. b. Many people simply assign it to a particular religious affiliation. c. It is an organization. It is an identity. d. It is interesting to me that some who would complain about a woman identifying as a man yet looking nothing like a man, have no problem identifying as a Christian yet looking nothing like Christ. e. We see Christianity as another religion in a long list of religions. Even if it is the one that makes the most sense or lines up with our values – when we do this, the gospel is little more than the elevator pitch to join the movement. f. It is the marketing mechanism to get butts into the pews. g. It is the talking point to join at the grass roots. h. Because the gospel is misunderstood or misarticulated in this way, it is possible to convince people in their heads of the truth of the gospel without them actually getting a new heart from God and receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. i. My friends the gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners, risen, and coming again is not a sales pitch. It isn't a talking point. It isn't the path to getting in on the ground floor. j. In fact, it isn't a mechanism that you can access by any human means. k. The gospel is something that happens to you more than it is something that you do. You don't go and get the gospel… it falls in your lap and you receive it. l. You can intellectually understand the Jesus died on a cross for sinners and rose again the third day and is coming again. But until God closes the loop for you and you realize that i. YOU are the sinner who rebelled against a Holy God ii. You are the one Christ came and was tortured, bloodied, bruised, ripped open, spilled out, hung up and asphyxiated for. iii. YOUR Sins are the ones that Christ endured the cup of wrath from God for iv. You are the dead one that Christ's resurrection promises life for v. You are the one He has entrusted His Work to. vi. You are the one who will suffer for His name vii. You are the one that will live a holy life viii. You are the one who will be saved one day by His return ix. You are the one who will reign with him in the New Kingdom... m. Until GOD DOES THIS IN YOU… you are still dead in your sins. n. In short, there is a difference between knowing the facts of the gospel… and experiencing them. o. So, has God made you experience these truths this morning? Then I'd invite you to repent of your wickedness before Him. And trust that He has done this… For you. p. And would you tell an Elder, myself or another, that you have experienced His gospel today? We'd love to rejoice with you and guide you on your next steps. [Slide 19 (end)] Let me close with a prayer from the Puritan Joseph Alleine. For those who do not know you yet, Lord, grab on to them now, and do your work. Take them by the heart, overcome them, and persuade them, until they say, "You have won. You are stronger than I." Lord, did you not make me a fisher of men? We have worked all this time and caught nothing. Have we spent our strength for nothing? We will cast our net one more time. Lord Jesus, stand on the shore and show us how and where to spread our net. Give us the words to enclose the souls YOU seek, that they will have no way out. Now, Lord, for a multitude of souls. Now for a full portion. Lord God, remember us, we pray, and strengthen us, O God. Amen. Benediction: May the One who sent His Son with power to save From guilt, and darkness and the grave, Whose ways are mercy and truth; May He never stop doing you good; May He inspire you to fear Him so that you will never turn aside from Him. Until we meet again, go in peace.

The concept that God actually gets angry and has similar human emotions and traits is not only theologically incorrect but spiritually damaging. This week, we hear from both listeners and the Fathers as we continue to discuss biblical language when it must not be taken literally.

The concept that God actually gets angry and has similar human emotions and traits is not only theologically incorrect but spiritually damaging. This week, we hear from both listeners and the Fathers as we continue to discuss biblical language when it must not be taken literally.

Many of us have heard of Jonathan Edwards and the American revival known as the Great Awakening. Usually remembered for his sermon with the scary title: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," there is so much more to say about Jonathan Edwards. He was not just a pastor and theologian. He was also a missionary, a biographer, and the president of a college. Today, he is regarded as one of North America's most brilliant minds. Find out more about Jonathan Edwards as Trinity, Grace, and Sean talk with Dr. Oliver Crisp, Professor of Analytic Theology at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland. Thanks to the generosity of Reformed Fellowship, we are pleased to offer to our listeners a copy of Simonetta's biography of Jonathan Edwards, written for young readers. Reformed Fellowship is dedicated to the publication and distribution of Reformed materials, and they are excited to offer a line of children's materials for the first time since their founding in 1951. Register here to win a copy.    Show Notes: Dr. Crisp's favorite book by Jonathan Edwards is The Freedom of the Will.  In addition to being a learned scholar, Dr. Crisp is a talented artist. In fact, the painting of Jonathan Edwards used for our episode today was actually created by Dr. Crisp!

Jesus and Justice: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Melanie BockmannIs God angry… or deeply moved? For centuries, many have pictured a God of wrath holding humanity over the fire. But the story of Lazarus reveals something far different—a God who weeps, who waits, and who calls life out of death.Let us know your thoughts by reaching out and joining the conversation with your questions and comments using the information below:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607Email: podcast@wholelife.church#ThisIsWholeLife

Jesus and Justice: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Melanie BockmannIs God angry… or deeply moved? For centuries, many have pictured a God of wrath holding humanity over the fire. But the story of Lazarus reveals something far different—a God who weeps, who waits, and who calls life out of death.Reach out to us with your questions and comments:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607 Email: podcast@wholelife.church#SpeakingOfGraceGet Connected with WholeLife! Reach out and let us know how we can serve you: http://wholelife.church/connectSUBSCRIBE NOW to our companion podcast, This Is WholeLife, which dives deeper into the message and topic with Pastors Ken Wetmore, Melanie Bockmann, Assistant Communication Director Lucas Moraes, and Communication Director Randy Magray as the host. It's the perfect midweek commute podcast to stay connected with your family at WholeLife Church. We encourage your questions, comments, and feedback, which we are ready to discuss and share in the next episode! Speaking of Grace is available everywhere you listen to podcasts! If you've enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform and share it with your family, friends, and social media, where you will find us at the following links! X, Facebook, and Instagram. Thank you for listening! To learn more about our podcasts at WholeLife Church, visit the Podcasts page on our website.NEXT WEEK: Jesus and Justice continues with ‘Dirt' by Melanie BockmannFind out what's happening at WholeLife Church by visiting our Events Calendar: https://wholelife.church/events!To learn more about WholeLife Church, visit our website: www.WholeLife.Church The theme music for Speaking of Grace was written, produced, and performed by WholeLife Church's own Phillip Burks - https://www.phillipburks.com/.#WholeLifePodcast #ThisIsWholeLife #Overflow

Jesus and Justice: Hanging on Every Word - Melanie BockmannWhat if words could do more than just speak—what if they could create? From “Let there be light” to the quiet words that healed and forgave, this message uncovers the mysterious power hidden in every utterance. Step closer and discover how your own words might carry the breath of creation itself.Reach out to us with your questions and comments:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607 Email: podcast@wholelife.church#SpeakingOfGraceGet Connected with WholeLife! Reach out and let us know how we can serve you: http://wholelife.church/connectSUBSCRIBE NOW to our companion podcast, This Is WholeLife, which dives deeper into the message and topic with Pastors Ken Wetmore, Melanie Bockmann, Assistant Communication Director Lucas Moraes, and Communication Director Randy Magray as the host. It's the perfect midweek commute podcast to stay connected with your family at WholeLife Church. We encourage your questions, comments, and feedback, which we are ready to discuss and share in the next episode! Speaking of Grace is available everywhere you listen to podcasts! If you've enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform and share it with your family, friends, and social media, where you will find us at the following links! X, Facebook, and Instagram. Thank you for listening! To learn more about our podcasts at WholeLife Church, visit the Podcasts page on our website.NEXT WEEK: Jesus and Justice continues with ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' by Melanie BockmannFind out what's happening at WholeLife Church by visiting our Events Calendar: https://wholelife.church/events!To learn more about WholeLife Church, visit our website: www.WholeLife.Church The theme music for Speaking of Grace was written, produced, and performed by WholeLife Church's own Phillip Burks - https://www.phillipburks.com/.#WholeLifePodcast #ThisIsWholeLife #Overflow

John and Maria reflect on the memorial for Charlie Kirk. Did that memorial start a Christian revival in America? The devastating persecution against Christians in Nigeria continues. And another prediction of the Rapture proves false.    Recommendations  The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity by Philip Jenkins  Truth Rising on X   #truthrising Segment 1 – The Charlie Kirk Memorial  The Man in a New Suit  Segment 2 - Revival?  Jonathan Edwards and Revival  Truth Rising Documentary  “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards  The Kingdom of Cain: Finding God in the Literature of Darkness by Andrew Klavin  Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby Segment 3 - Persecution in Nigeria and the Rapture  Free Press: “He's Christian. In Nigeria, That Meant Torture and Prison.” by Josh Code Comments from Listeners  ______________________  Support Breakpoint by becoming a Cornerstone Monthly Partner between now and October 31 at colsoncenter.org/september.  Watch Truth Rising, now available at truthrising.com/colson.  

Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

Are we serving a happy or an angry God?Stay Connected!Facebook - bit.ly/3jf0QGQYoutube - bit.ly/34gHJGF

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Audio Treasures is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: What must the strength of an angry God be! Subtitle: Puritan Devotional Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: Grace Audio Treasures Event: Devotional Date: 7/16/2025 Bible: Psalm 47:8; Romans 9:22 Length: 3 min.

Psalm 47:8, "God reigns over the nations! God sits on His holy throne!" When the soul is perfectly reconciled to God, and comes to delight in Him--then it rejoices in all of His attributes. At the first, perhaps, it dwells almost exclusively upon His love and His mercy, but it afterwards proceeds to find joy in God's sterner attributes, and especially delights itself in His holiness and in His power. It is a mark of Christian growth when we begin to distinguish the attributes, and to rejoice in God for each one of them. It betokens meditation and thought, when we are able thus to discern the things of God and to give to the Lord a song of praise for each one of His perfections. It also indicates a growingly intimate communion with our heavenly Father, when we begin to perceive His adorable character, and to rejoice so much in all that He is, that we can take the attributes in detail, and bless, and praise, and magnify Him on account of each one of them. We see the attribute of God's omnipotence manifested in His providential control and care of everything that He has made. His overruling hand controls all the major events in His universe, as well as all of the common events of our daily life. His mighty hand guides the fall of every leaf in autumn, and adorns each blade of grass with its own drop of dew. It is also clearly manifested in all the events of human history. His power is seen in the rise and fall of empires, in the growth of nations, or in their overthrow. It ought to be a subject of great joy to all the godly, that the world is not left to the control of chance, or luck, or accidents, or to tyrants. There is a Governor and Ruler who is Lord of all. Another

A new MP3 sermon from Grace Audio Treasures is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: What must the strength of an angry God be! Subtitle: Puritan Devotional Speaker: C. H. Spurgeon Broadcaster: Grace Audio Treasures Event: Devotional Date: 7/16/2025 Bible: Psalm 47:8; Romans 9:22 Length: 3 min.

Segment 1: • Free evangelism tool alert: “Play the Man” challenges young men to grow up spiritually. • Video games and porn will keep you weak, distracted, and stuck in immaturity. • Want to fulfill your God-given purpose? Put away childish distractions and step up. Segment 2: • Genuine preaching fuels your mind with God's truth and beauty, not just feelings. • Does your pastor preach so that you leave knowing “God reigns”? • If the supremacy of God isn't clear in sermons, something vital is missing. Segment 3: • Jonathan Edwards refused to manipulate emotions; he aimed for real heart change. • His “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” still challenges us today. • Are your sermons about pleasing crowds or proclaiming God's serious truths? Segment 4: • You're the host: would your sermon pass Jonathan Edwards' 10-point test? • Great preaching stirs holy affections, saturates with Scripture, and calls for a response. • Real preaching probes the heart, pleads for action, and exalts God above all. ___ Thanks for listening! Wretched Radio would not be possible without the financial support of our Gospel Partners. If you would like to support Wretched Radio we would be extremely grateful. VISIT https://fortisinstitute.org/donate/ If you are already a Gospel Partner we couldn't be more thankful for you if we tried!

Jesse grew up as a pastor's kid, surrounded by religion but missing real relationship. Behind closed doors, he battled abuse, trauma, addiction, and spiritual darkness. After a near-fatal overdose and a terrifying encounter with demonic forces, one cry to Jesus changed everything. What happened next will leave you speechless. Listen on Podcast Spotify Podcast ⇨ https://spoti.fi/3RBKdq3Apple Podcast ⇨ https://apple.co/3evzCuuConnect with ushttps://www.facebook.com/delafetestimonieshttps://www.instagram.com/delafetestimonies/Credits:Testimony by Jesse HernándezDirected by Eric Villatoro Interviewed by Eric Villatoro Edited By Darvin RamirezAudio Mixed by Paul Nicholas Testimony Recorded in Houston, TexasDelafé Testimonies is a global evangelistic project with the mission of creating the world's largest archive of Jesus testimonies until His return. Chapters00:00 Introduction00:21 Growing Up In a Strict Home as A Pastors Kid 02:21 Believing God Was an Angry God 04:01 Experiencing Sexual Abuse As a Child05:52 Being Exposed To Sexual Things in The 5th Grade 07:55 The Start Of My Sexual Brokenness08:44 Discovering My Passion For Dance 11:13 Hiding My New Found Passion From My Parents 14:38 Attending My First Rave 17:38 Trying Ecstasy For The First Time 20:15 Feeling The Love I Desired Through Drugs 23:49 Searching For Freedom Within Drugs 26:44 My Parents Discover My Drug Use 29:46 I See a Vision While on Drugs 32:24 No Longer Finding Joy Through Drugs 35:40 My Intro To a Harder Drug39:12 Experiencing Another Vision While On Hard Drugs 42:14 Hearing The Audible Voice of God 44:01 I Decide to Move Back In With My Parents 46:28 Going To Church But Living My Way 49:57 I Cry Out To God and He Shows Me a Vision53:45 The Holy Spirit Came Into My Life 58:02 Prayer 58:28 My Relationship With My Parents Today 1:01:02 Who is Jesus to You?1:01:25 Final Words My Drug Addiction Was BROKEN When JESUS Told Me THIS...

The wrath of God against sin was famously and rightly highlighted in Jonathan Edwards' sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” We do well to reflect on such truths. Listen to Toby Phillips' exhortation for more.

••• Victory In Christ, Ep 385a••• Bible Study Verses: Matthew 26.1-41, Luke 22.44, Hebrews 2 . ••• " We cannot believe that the church of God is already possessed of all that light which God intends to give it; nor that all Satan's lurking places have already been found out", Jonathan Edwards 1703-1758, Widely regarded as America's greatest theologian was a brilliant colonial American Congregational preacher, theologian, & missionary to Native Americans. Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian" His work is very broad in scope, but he is often associated with his defense of Reformed theology, the metaphysics of theological determinism, & the Puritan heritage. His famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," is credited for starting the First Great Awakening. Edwards is widely known for his books Religious Affections & The Freedom of the Will. He died from testing a smallpox inoculation shortly after beginning the presidency at the College of New Jersey (later to be named Princeton University). † ••• “And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,[a] and whoever would be first among you must be slave[b] of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Mark 10:42-45, KJV . ••• What is the meaning of Gethsemane? ••• Why was Jesus in so much pain and distress at the Mount of Olives? ••• What were 4-reasons why Jesus choose Gethsemane? ••• Where is victory birthed? ••• What are 5-reasons why the death of Christ Jesus the most important event in history? ••• Are you going to ask your small group to pray that you will be more intentional at achieving victory in Christ through the power of Holy Spirit? ••• Pastor Otuno expounds on this and much more on the exciting journey of Fresh Encounter Radio Podcast originally aired on July 5, 2025 on WNQM, Nashville Quality Ministries and WWCR World Wide Christian Radio broadcast to all 7-continents on this big beautiful blue marble, earth, floating through space. Please be prayerful before studying The Word of God so that you will receive the most inspiration possible. ••• This Discipleship Teaching Podcast is brought to you by Christian Leadership International and all the beloved of God who believe in its mission through prayer and support. Thank you . ••• Broadcaster's Website - https://www.lifelonganointing.com/ . ••• Exceeding Thanks to Universe Creator Christ Jesus AND photo by Stacey Franco, https://www.instagram.com/staceyfranc0/, on unsplash, Art Direction by gil on his mac with free mac layout software . ••• Study Guides at - https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/episodes . ••• SHARING LINK: https://shows.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast/250614-the-secret-behind-the-believers-dominion-ep385a . ••• † http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/Jonathan-Edwards-Quotes/ . ••• RESOURCE - https://www.soundcloud.com/thewaytogod/ . ••• RESOURCE - https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/kjv/john.1%20 . ••• FERP250614- Episode#385a GOT250614 Ep385a . ••• The Secret Behind the Believers Dominion: Victory In Christ, Segment-A . Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/fresh-encounter-radio-podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new MP3 sermon from The Narrated Puritan is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sinners In the Hands Of An Angry God Speaker: Jonathan Edwards Broadcaster: The Narrated Puritan Event: Audiobook Date: 6/13/2025 Bible: Deuteronomy 32:35 Length: 45 min.

This sermon edition was recorded for Monergism for the new app.

What if many foundational things you thought about God’s justice, grace, and love has been misunderstood? Is God really angry? Does He demand punishment—or is He radically more loving, gracious and merciful than we’ve been taught? Join my special guest, Steve McVey, bestselling author of Beyond an Angry God, and myself as we dismantle religious fear and rediscover the true, scandalous grace of God. This conversation will provoke your thinking, liberate your heart and transform how you see God! In this episode, we explore:
 * Is God truly angry, or have we misread the Gospel?
 * The toxic effects of penal substitution theology
 * What divine justice looks like from a grace lens
 * How to break free from fear-based religion
 * Why fairness and grace are not the same—and that’s GOOD news! Connect with Steve McVey: Facebook: @SteveMcVey Website: https://stevemcvey.com Email: mstevenmcvey@aol.com Get Beyond an Angry God on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0736952841 Don’t Miss My Protect Your Purpose Masterclass!
Struggling with distractions, doubts, or feeling stuck in your God-given purpose? I’ve created this powerful masterclass to help you gain clarity, overcome obstacles, and step fully into your divine calling. Find the recording here: https://mbl.catherinetoon.com/saveyourspot To support the ministry with tax-deductible donations: https://catherinetoon.com/support/ Resources to Bless You: * "Marked by Love, Revised & Expanded Edition" (#1 Best Seller!): https://bit.ly/3UGeJBI * Get God, Male & Female? on Audible: https://amzn.to/49hzCIM * FREE “How to Hear God” eBook: https://bit.ly/3cTNb49 * FREE Chapter from Marked by Love: https://markedbylovebook.com/free-chapter/ * Explore more resources: https://catherinetoon.com Stay Connected and Share God’s Love! * Facebook: @CatherineToonMD * Instagram: @catherinetoon * Twitter: @CatherineToonMD * YouTube: @CatherineToon, MD Like, Share, and Subscribe to support this message of hope. Every click helps spread God’s love to a hurting world. Thank you!

A young American couple travels to Central America and hear villagers' superstitions about an “angry god” demanding a sacrifice – and they might be the next offering! Hear the story from CBS Radio Mystery Theater! | #RetroRadio EP0401Get the Darkness Syndicate version of this episode at https://weirddarkness.com/syndicateCHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate and for Commercial Version Only)…00:00:00.000 = Show Open00:01:50.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “The Angry God” (February 17, 1976) ***WD00:48:11.959 = The Hermit's Cave, “Buried Alive” (October 06, 1940)01:13:51.629 = Mystery Is My Hobby, “Ben Cramer” (1945-1951)01:39:45.319 = Sherlock Holmes, “Night Before Christmas” (December 24, 1945) ***WD02:08:08.019 = Inner Sanctum, “Till Death Do Us Part” (October 16, 1945)02:35:15.459 = The Key, “Bank Robbery” (1956)02:59:51.409 = Lights Out, “Valse Trieste” (March 30, 1938) ***WD03:29:02.989 = The Lineup, “Red Shirt Case” (June 05, 1951) ***WD03:53:51.799 = Macabre, “Midnight Horseman” (December 11, 1961) ***WD (LQ)04:21:11.439 = Philip Marlowe, “Heat Wave” (April 16, 1949)04:50:50.759 = Show Close(ADU) = Air Date Unknown(LQ) = Low Quality***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing.Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library= = = = ="I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46= = = = =WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness.= = = = =CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0401TAGS: true crime, paranormal, science fiction, old time radio, otr, otr horror, classic radio shows, horror radio shows, vintage radio dramas, suspense radio classics, 1940s radio horror, old radio mystery shows, creepy old radio shows, true crime radio, supernatural radio plays, golden age radio, eerie radio mysteries, macabre old time radio, nostalgic thrillers, classic crime podcast, retro horror podcast, weird darkness, weird darkness podcast, retro radio, classic radio

Your comments are welcome! Send a text my way!Without question, Jonathan Edwards is the greatest pastor/theologian in American history, and certainly one of the greatest in church history. Many, when they think of Edwards, believe he was no more than a "hellfire and brimstone preacher" because of his sermon, "Sinners In the Hands of an Angry God" that they read while in high school or college. Nothing could be further from the truth on this matter. Edwards could preach on heaven, the Christian life, salvation, love (as seen in his "Charity and Its Fruits" sermon series, along with many other topics of faith just as well as he preached on eternal punishment. This episode of 2Days Denarius gives the listener a glimpse of another side of Edwards that is often ignored. How he could preach about Christ, forgiveness of sin, and salvation in the two devotionals in this podcast with a gentle but total focus on the truth about God's forgiveness for the greatest of sinners will give great encouragement to the lost and those who are saved as well. This is great listening! And may help listeners with a new desire to explore other works by Edwards that are readily available to this day. In addition, this podcast includes Jonathan Edwards own personal testimony about how he came to faith in Christ in the beginning of this podcast. There is a special bonus at the end of this podcast too! Information for this podcast were used under the Fair Use Act of 1976 for commentary and education purposes. These materials include:Jonathan Edwards, "Great Guilt No Obstacle to the Pardon of the Returning Sinner," in Classic Sermons on the Grace of God, comp. Warren W. Wiersbe (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997)."The Works of Jonathan Edwards," Vol. 16, p. 793, (Yale University Press, 1998).Theme song, "Holy Is the Lord," is used by permission of songwriter/performing artist, Pastor Steve Hereford, of the Changed By Grace Church in Jacksonville FL. His inspirational Scripture songs by be found on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and many other media streaming sites.2Days Denarius is a Bible believing teaching ministry devoted to the inerrancy, infallibility, and authority of Scripture as our only rule of faith and practice. It also holds to the doctrinal tenets of the London Baptist confession of 1689. This ministry may be reached at 2daysdenarius@gmail.com Material used in this podcast are provided under the educational and commentary provisions of Section 207 of the Fair Use Act of 1976.

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Prepare to uncover the transformative power of faith, discipline, wisdom, and justice in shaping a life anchored in purpose and peace. What happens when you align yourself with a higher vision through prayer and persistence? Inspired by the lives of Billy Graham, President Lincoln, and Kobe Bryant, we promise a journey into the heart of spiritual commitment. By setting aside moments each day for reflection and intentionality, you can find true fulfillment and strength. We'll discuss the parallels between spiritual resilience and physical training, highlighting how honesty and integrity are essential in both our personal and professional lives.As we explore, the often-overlooked lessons of the Song of Solomon will reveal insights into marital love and its symbolic connection to Christ and the church. We'll dive into the enduring impact of Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," reflecting on the power of words to shape belief and action. The impartiality of justice and the pitfalls of turning to faith as a last resort are also on the table. Through this episode, we aim to inspire a steadfast connection with God and cultivate a life grounded in resilience and wisdom, drawing lessons from historical figures like Stonewall Jackson and John Quincy Adams.Support the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe

Today I enjoyed visiting with Dr. Gerald McDermott. Dr. McDermott is an Anglican priest as well as a church historian and scholar who specializes in the theology of Jonathan Edwards. He has written dozens of books, eight of which focus on various elements of the life and legacy of Jonathan Edwards.  Today we talk about why Edwards was and still is important, and we focus on Edwards' unfinished book,  A History of Redemption. After many years of research, Dr. McDermott has written a book that seeks to finish what Edwards might have written had he lived to complete it (he tragically died at age fifty-four). We discuss Edwards further legacy, as well as why "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is both the best and the worst known sermon in American history.  A New History of Redemption Everyday Glory: The Revelation of God in All of Reality One Holy and Happy Society - the Public Theology of Jonathan Edwards Famous Stutterers

Pastor and theologian Jonathan Edwards wrote "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and preached it to his congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts on July 8, 1741. Said to have been given in monotone, this stirring sermon profoundly affected the church and was the catalyst for the First Great Awakening. The main text was Deuteronomy 32:35. This is a reading of the sermon taken from SermonIndex.Learn more about the Bravehearted Voices Podcast and how you can be discipled and grow spiritually by visiting braveheartedvoices.com

Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God | Narrated Puritan. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cbtseminary/support

Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God | Narrated Puritan. For more information, visit CBTSeminary.org

A new MP3 sermon from The Narrated Puritan is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God Subtitle: Jonathan Edwards's Sermons Speaker: Jonathan Edwards Broadcaster: The Narrated Puritan Event: Audiobook Date: 9/27/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 32:35 Length: 51 min.

A lecture had been appointed, and the neighboring people, the night before, were so affected at the thoughtlessness of the inhabitants, and in such fear that God would, in his righteous judgment, pass them by, while the divine showers were falling all around them, as to be prostrate before him a considerable part of it, supplicating mercy for their souls. When the time appointed for the lecture came, a number of the neighboring ministers attended, and some from a distance. When they went into the meeting-house, the appearance of the assembly was thoughtless and vain. The people hardly conducted themselves with common decency. The Rev. Jonathan Edwards, of Northampton, preached, and before the sermon was ended, the assembly appeared deeply impressed and bowed down, with an awful conviction of their sin and danger. There was such a breathing of distress, and weeping, that the preacher was obliged to speak to the people and desire silence, that he might be heard. Benjamin Trumbull, The History of Connecticut, Volume 2, Page 145

A lecture had been appointed, and the neighboring people, the night before, were so affected at the thoughtlessness of the inhabitants, and in such fear that God would, in his righteous judgment, pass them by, while the divine showers were falling all around them, as to be prostrate before him a considerable part of it, supplicating mercy for their souls. When the time appointed for the lecture came, a number of the neighboring ministers attended, and some from a distance. When they went into the meeting-house, the appearance of the assembly was thoughtless and vain. The people hardly conducted themselves with common decency. The Rev. Jonathan Edwards, of Northampton, preached, and before the sermon was ended, the assembly appeared deeply impressed and bowed down, with an awful conviction of their sin and danger. There was such a breathing of distress, and weeping, that the preacher was obliged to speak to the people and desire silence, that he might be heard. Benjamin Trumbull, The History of Connecticut, Volume 2, Page 145

I will be teaching on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as found in Acts 2:16-21 and show that the real outpouring is for today. The reality is power to preach the gospel, win souls and make disciples. This outpouring is NOT limited to a few, but it is for everyone.

We all experience anger. It's part of being human. But have you ever wondered what it is like when God becomes angry? Join us, as talk about an often misunderstood characteristic of God, on the Bible Study Hour teaching you to think and act biblically. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/81/29

On July 8, 1741 Jonathan Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" in Enfield, MA. He described folks living in comfort & ease yet hanging off of a spider web over the pit of hell. They didn't realize the great danger they were in. Today Pastor Rich will show from Zechariah 5 that apart from the grace of God we are in a similar danger. We need God's grace at work in our lives because our own best efforts are feeble and temporary (like a spider web). Zechariah 5

A new MP3 sermon from Holy War - Reformational is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: b-Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Subtitle: Reformation's 29 Failures toda Speaker: Jonathan Edwards Broadcaster: Holy War - Reformational Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/14/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 32:38 Length: 55 min.

A new MP3 sermon from Holy War - Reformational is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sinners in the hands of an Angry God Subtitle: Reformation's 29 Failures toda Speaker: Jonathan Edwards Broadcaster: Holy War - Reformational Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/7/2024 Bible: Deuteronomy 32:35 Length: 36 min.

Date: March 29th of 2024  Speaker: Rev. Dr. Matthew Richard  Text: John 19:1-42  Context: Good Friday Sermon at St. Paul's Lutheran of Minot, ND  Manuscript: CLICK HERE  

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" was a sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards in 1741 during the First Great Awakening.Edwards is perhaps the greatest theological mind America has ever produced, and Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is one of the most famous sermons of all time.Its vivid imagery depicting the precarious position our lives are in — and the judgment that awaits us if we do not find forgiveness for our sins through faith in Jesus Christ — had an impact that spread far wider than Edward's congregation.As important as this sermon is, few in our day have taken the time to read it in full, and fewer still have ever heard it preached as it would have been originally delivered.On this edition of the Reasonable Theology podcast, you can get a chance to listen to the complete, unabridged sermon delivered with the dynamic of live preaching.So here is Jonathan Edwards famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. It was recorded by the late Tod Magstadt.Get the newsletter at ReasonableTheology.org/Subscribe. The weekly email includes:the latest article or podcast episodea helpful theological definitiona painting depicting a scene from Scripture or church historya musical selection to enrich your daythe best book deal I've found that week to build your library.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS: A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library SUBSCRIBE HERE

Jonathan Edwards is regarded by many as the greatest mind America has ever produced and he is held up as an excellent example of a pastor-theologian. Even so, many people's familiarity with Edwards does not extend beyond his famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”In this conversation with Dr. Jeremy Kimble we discuss the life and writings of Jonathan Edwards as well as what Christians can still learn from him today.For more on Jonathan Edwards, check out his famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God: https://youtu.be/HoDfZR6nWUATo view the show notes for this episode, visit https://reasonabletheology.org/jonathan-edwards-his-life-and-writings-podcast-18/Pick up a copy of A Reader's Guide to the Major Writings of Jonathan Edwards  Get the newsletter at ReasonableTheology.org/Subscribe. The weekly email includes:the latest article or podcast episodea helpful theological definitiona painting depicting a scene from Scripture or church historya musical selection to enrich your daythe best book deal I've found that week to build your library.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS: A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library SUBSCRIBE HERE

Jonathan Edwards is regarded as many as the greatest mind America has ever produced, and he is held up as an excellent example of a pastor-theologian. Even so, many people's familiarity with Edwards does not extend beyond his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."On this episode, we speak with Dr. Jeremy Kimble about the life and writings of Jonathan Edwards and discuss what Christians can still learn from him today.On This Episode We'll Discuss:A biographical sketch of Edwards' life and ministryWhy you need to read more than "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"Edwards' key role in the First Great AwakeningWhat Edwards was like as a pastorAn overview of many of his major written works and where you should startWhat Jonathan Edwards' lasting legacy has beenGet the newsletter at ReasonableTheology.org/Subscribe. The weekly email includes:the latest article or podcast episodea helpful theological definitiona painting depicting a scene from Scripture or church historya musical selection to enrich your daythe best book deal I've found that week to build your library.Support the showGET THE NEWSLETTEREach edition of the Reasonable Theology newsletter contains my latest article or podcast episode PLUS: A Theological Word or Phrase Explained Quickly and Clearly A Painting Depicting a Scene from Scripture or Church History Audio of a Hymn or other Musical Selection to Enjoy A Recommended Book or Resource to Expand Your Library SUBSCRIBE HERE

Today we're discussing the American Academy of Pediatrics' new childhood obesity treatment guidelines, which suggest surgery and medications in severe cases of childhood obesity. Of course, we've seen obesity rates skyrocket in the past few years due to lockdowns and school closures, as well as the increasing glorification of obesity in Hollywood and the music industry. We talk about what real solutions might look like, without the insanity of surgeries and pharmaceuticals not intended for children, and why we should be skeptical of these "expert suggestions" in light of what "experts" did during COVID. Then, we look at the Miss Universe pageant, which is owned by a biological male who identifies as female. In last week's competition, he announced that the pageant is run by women and made for women, revealing yet another space for women that has been taken over by men. We also look at some of the crazy costumes from the pageant. We're catching up on the gas stove controversy, covering the Left's original discussions about banning, their hypocrisy, and all the gaslighting when they got pushback. Lastly, we discuss Beth Moore's recent Twitter thread in which she states she doesn't agree with Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." We dive into Edwards' sermon and break down the uncomfortable truth of the wrath of God, the choice he has given us to be redeemed, and why the wishy-washy doctrine Beth Moore seems to prefer offers nothing new. --- Timecodes: (04:30) New guidelines for treating childhood obesity (18:49) Miss Universe (23:14) Miss Universe costumes (30:10) Gas stoves (39:00) Beth Moore vs. Jonathan Edwards --- Today's Sponsors: Cozy Earth — go to CozyEarth.com/ALLIE and use promo code 'ALLIE' at checkout to save 35% off your order! My Patriot Supply — prepare yourself for anything with long-term emergency food storage. Save $200 off a Three-Month Emergency Food Kit (and free shipping) when you go to PrepareWithAllie.com. Epic Will — be intentional about your family, your values and your wishes. Go to EpicWill.com/ALLIE and you'll save 10% on your complete Will package. --- Links: NBC News: "New guidelines for treating childhood obesity include medications and surgery for first time" https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/new-guidelines-treating-childhood-obesity-include-medications-surgery-rcna64651 The Washington Post: "Obesity among children ages 5 to 11 rises during the pandemic" https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/08/31/pandemic-childhood-obesity/ The Post Millennial: "MUST WATCH: New biological male owner of Miss Universe gives bizarre speech about 'women's empowerment'" https://thepostmillennial.com/must-watch-new-biological-male-owner-of-miss-universe-gives-bizarre-speech-about-womens-empowerment National Review: "Biden Administration Considers Banning Gas Stoves over Health Concerns" https://www.nationalreview.com/news/biden-administration-considers-banning-gas-stoves-over-health-concerns/ National Review: "Consumer Safety Commission Walks Back Gas-Stove Threat amid Backlash" https://www.nationalreview.com/news/consumer-safety-commission-walks-back-gas-stove-threat-amid-backlash/ Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God": https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/edwards_jonathan/Sermons/Sinners.cfm --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 469 | Responding to Beth Moore & Advice for Gen Z https://apple.co/3kmGRuR --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices