Podcast appearances and mentions of Jonathan Edwards

Science needs Jesus. Let's talk about why that is. It's time to learn apologetics.Watch my whole Apologetics Answers playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSpUNYR5qo6sv8Pk8x0tmaq8lLQHHlTm&si=FlnSB-pBhZ6SSaJE==============================♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ SOCIETY: Christian men get equipped for their Christian life, in community. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society now. Go to https://thethink.institute/society.The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. How I got here: 2009: Left the business world.2010: Became a Bible teacher at a Christian school in Chicago. Realized I needed more education.2011: Enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). 2013: I joined a suburban church as pastor-in-training.2013–2016: Served as a youth pastor, discipling middle and high school students.2014: Wife diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. God taught us faith.2014–2015: Discovered Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and Presuppositional Apologetics.2015: Our thirdborn diagnosed with leukemia. God tested and trained us in real time.2016: Joined Chicago multi-site church as Associate Pastor overseeing men's, students, and family ministry and evangelism—later becoming interim lead campus pastor.2016 Wrote Catakids! catechism to teach my young kiddos the faith.2017: Graduated cum laude from TEDS. Capstone papers on apologetics of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame.2018: Joined Cru Church Movements as missionaries.2019: Thirdborn got heart failure. God built our ministry from Lurie Children's Hospital.2020: Started homeschooling. Son received heart transplant. 2020: Launched the Hammer & Anvil Society during Covid.2021: Started teaching at homeschool co-ops.2022: Launched The Think Institute as a nonprofit.2023: Wrote The Bible Based Worldview. 2023: Re-launched the Hammer & Anvil Society as a nationwide men's fellowship. 2024: Joined Village Bible Church, teaching apologetics and worldview classes, family camps, men's retreats, student electives, and Sunday sermons.2025: Launched on Substack. YouTube channel hit 1M views. We now reach 75K+ people monthly and distribute hundreds of educational resources each year. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.===========================================================The Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

How should we live now so that we will have no regrets later? As we look at the life of Jonathan Edwards who modeled living with integrity and eternity in view, grounded in Jesus' words from Matthew 5:37. Relying on Christ rather than self-effort, Edwards sought to be a man of his word, shaping his life, ministry, and perseverance through trial. In a time of spiritual coldness, God used his faithfulness to bring a great awakening, reminding us that when we depend on Christ, He empowers us to live truthfully and use our lives for His glory.

Let's look at 13 quotes from the fathers of the Scientific Revolution and what they had to say about the relationship of their faith to their science. GRAB YOUR FREE PDF GUIDE TO THIS VIDEO HERE: https://thethink.institute/store/p/science-to-the-glory-of-god-13-quotes-from-the-christian-founders-of-modern-scienceWatch my whole Apologetics Answers playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSpUNYR5qo6sv8Pk8x0tmaq8lLQHHlTm&si=FlnSB-pBhZ6SSaJE==============================♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ SOCIETY: Christian men get equipped for their Christian life, in community. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society now. Go to https://thethink.institute/society.The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. How I got here: 2009: Left the business world.2010: Became a Bible teacher at a Christian school in Chicago. Realized I needed more education.2011: Enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). 2013: I joined a suburban church as pastor-in-training.2013–2016: Served as a youth pastor, discipling middle and high school students.2014: Wife diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. God taught us faith.2014–2015: Discovered Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and Presuppositional Apologetics.2015: Our thirdborn diagnosed with leukemia. God tested and trained us in real time.2016: Joined Chicago multi-site church as Associate Pastor overseeing men's, students, and family ministry and evangelism—later becoming interim lead campus pastor.2016 Wrote Catakids! catechism to teach my young kiddos the faith.2017: Graduated cum laude from TEDS. Capstone papers on apologetics of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame.2018: Joined Cru Church Movements as missionaries.2019: Thirdborn got heart failure. God built our ministry from Lurie Children's Hospital.2020: Started homeschooling. Son received heart transplant. 2020: Launched the Hammer & Anvil Society during Covid.2021: Started teaching at homeschool co-ops.2022: Launched The Think Institute as a nonprofit.2023: Wrote The Bible Based Worldview. 2023: Re-launched the Hammer & Anvil Society as a nationwide men's fellowship. 2024: Joined Village Bible Church, teaching apologetics and worldview classes, family camps, men's retreats, student electives, and Sunday sermons.2025: Launched on Substack. YouTube channel hit 1M views. We now reach 75K+ people monthly and distribute hundreds of educational resources each year. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.===========================================================The Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

Senior Pastor, Clint Pressley Wednesday, March 4, 2026"Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards  

Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists famously described the First Amendment as building a "wall of separation between church and State." This line has been the gold standard for those who point to the secular origins of America and the threat of funding any sort of religious activity. But this idea of America as a secular republic built on Enlightenment ideals misses a critical truth: Christianity has been at the center of American public life since European colonization began 500 years ago. The Constitution didn't create a wall between church and state—it inadvertently created a "free market" for religion that allowed Christian activists to expand their influence in unexpected ways. Today's guest is Matthew Avery Sutton, author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity. We see the different versions of Christianity imported during European colonization and how the absence of state control unleashed wildly eccentric religious movements that couldn't have happened in Europe. From revivalist preachers like Jonathan Edwards and Peter Cartwright to Billy Graham, and from liberal Congregationalists to twentieth-century mainline denominations, American Christianity constantly evolved. We see this in the story of Abraham Lincoln, whose skepticism toward traditional Christianity in his twenties nearly derailed his political career. In his 1846 race against Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright, Lincoln faced accusations of being an infidel after openly rejecting his family's Christian faith. This episode reveals how, contrary to popular belief, America's founding generation allowed religious liberty not out of principle, but pragmatism—they needed to keep a fractious coalition together. To understand what makes America unique, we must account for how Christianity shaped—and was shaped by—every major historical development in U.S. history. From tent revivals to megachurches, from abolition to segregation, Christianity's "free-market" evolution in America created something unlike anywhere else in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's time to get introduced to one of the most powerful apologetics arguments against atheism: Alvin Plantinga's Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism. For further reading: What Is the “Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism?” by Joel Settecase https://settecase.wordpress.com/2018/06/27/what-is-the-evolutionary-argument-against-naturalism/==============================♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ SOCIETY: Christian men get equipped for their Christian life, in community. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society now. Go to https://thethink.institute/society.The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. How I got here: 2009: Left the business world.2010: Became a Bible teacher at a Christian school in Chicago. Realized I needed more education.2011: Enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). 2013: I joined a suburban church as pastor-in-training.2013–2016: Served as a youth pastor, discipling middle and high school students.2014: Wife diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. God taught us faith.2014–2015: Discovered Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and Presuppositional Apologetics.2015: Our thirdborn diagnosed with leukemia. God tested and trained us in real time.2016: Joined Chicago multi-site church as Associate Pastor overseeing men's, students, and family ministry and evangelism—later becoming interim lead campus pastor.2016 Wrote Catakids! catechism to teach my young kiddos the faith.2017: Graduated cum laude from TEDS. Capstone papers on apologetics of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame.2018: Joined Cru Church Movements as missionaries.2019: Thirdborn got heart failure. God built our ministry from Lurie Children's Hospital.2020: Started homeschooling. Son received heart transplant. 2020: Launched the Hammer & Anvil Society during Covid.2021: Started teaching at homeschool co-ops.2022: Launched The Think Institute as a nonprofit.2023: Wrote The Bible Based Worldview. 2023: Re-launched the Hammer & Anvil Society as a nationwide men's fellowship. 2024: Joined Village Bible Church, teaching apologetics and worldview classes, family camps, men's retreats, student electives, and Sunday sermons.2025: Launched on Substack. YouTube channel hit 1M views. We now reach 75K+ people monthly and distribute hundreds of educational resources each year. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.===========================================================The Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

Is "interracial" marriage biblically acceptable? Let's look at the theology laid in the biblical worldview.Watch my whole Apologetics Answers playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSpUNYR5qo6sv8Pk8x0tmaq8lLQHHlTm&si=FlnSB-pBhZ6SSaJE==============================⏰ Timestamps ⏰TBD♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ SOCIETY: Christian men get equipped for their Christian life, in community. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society now. Go to https://thethink.institute/society.The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. How I got here: 2009: Left the business world.2010: Became a Bible teacher at a Christian school in Chicago. Realized I needed more education.2011: Enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). 2013: I joined a suburban church as pastor-in-training.2013–2016: Served as a youth pastor, discipling middle and high school students.2014: Wife diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. God taught us faith.2014–2015: Discovered Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and Presuppositional Apologetics.2015: Our thirdborn diagnosed with leukemia. God tested and trained us in real time.2016: Joined Chicago multi-site church as Associate Pastor overseeing men's, students, and family ministry and evangelism—later becoming interim lead campus pastor.2016 Wrote Catakids! catechism to teach my young kiddos the faith.2017: Graduated cum laude from TEDS. Capstone papers on apologetics of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame.2018: Joined Cru Church Movements as missionaries.2019: Thirdborn got heart failure. God built our ministry from Lurie Children's Hospital.2020: Started homeschooling. Son received heart transplant. 2020: Launched the Hammer & Anvil Society during Covid.2021: Started teaching at homeschool co-ops.2022: Launched The Think Institute as a nonprofit.2023: Wrote The Bible Based Worldview. 2023: Re-launched the Hammer & Anvil Society as a nationwide men's fellowship. 2024: Joined Village Bible Church, teaching apologetics and worldview classes, family camps, men's retreats, student electives, and Sunday sermons.2025: Launched on Substack. YouTube channel hit 1M views. We now reach 75K+ people monthly and distribute hundreds of educational resources each year. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.===========================================================The Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

Tuesday Night Service - Jonathan Edwards: Christ's Example to Ministers - Pastor Mark Ralston Legacy Standard Bible John 13:15-17John 13:21-25 For more from Reformation Church please visit: www.reformationchurch.co.uk

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.Hebrews 3:12-19BETTER DELIVERERTherefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.Hebrews 3:12-19“They shall not enter my rest.”6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on.Hebrews 3:12-19Green Day - American Idiot “Don't want to be an…”Rage Against The Machine - Killing in the Name “I won't do what you tell me”JONATHAN EDWARDS(photo)70 Resolutions by Jonathan EdwardsResolution one: “I will live for God.”Resolution two: “If no one else does, I still will.”Resolution six:“I won't live halfway — I'm going all in while I have time.”Resolution seven: “I'm going to live now the way I'll wish I had at the end of my life.”Deliverance: the action of being rescued or set freeDeliverance is not a transition from something bad to something neutral, it's going from some bad to something good.According to Morris, the ancient Rabbis considered Moses to be the greatest man ever, greater than the angels.The writer to the Hebrews does nothing to criticize Moses.David Guzik7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,“Today, if you hear his voice,8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,     on the day of testing in the wilderness,9 where your fathers put me to the test     and saw my works for forty years.10 Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;     they have not known my ways.'11 As I swore in my wrath,     ‘They shall not enter my rest.'”12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. Hebrews 3:7-12What they did —> What that shows us about God —> The outcomeMoses - (OUT)What Moses did: freed God's people from 400 years of oppressionWhat that shows us about God: God cares deeply about rescuing us from our burdens16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Hebrews 4:16The Outcome: It was not enough for themJoshua - (IN)What Joshua did: Brought God's people into the Promise Land after 40 years of wanderingWhat that shows us about God: God cares deeply about fulfilling our desiresThe Outcome: It was not enough for them19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.Hebrews 3:15-19One can truly believe God, yet be occasionally troubled by doubts. There is a doubt that wants God's promise but is weak in faith at the moment. Unbelief isn't weakness of faith; it sets itself in opposition to faith.David GuzikYour unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune.Charles Spurgeon6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.Hebrews 4:6-10Jesus - (NOW)What Jesus did: Paid for sin with His own life once and for all.What that shows us about God: What God cares most about is our DEEPEST good.“Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same.”C.S. LewisThe Outcome: Jesus is enough and can be en...

I've taken the title of the sermon from Jonathan Edwards, who in 1738, he wrote, There's an admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies in Jesus Christ. It's quite a mouthful. In Jesus, there is a coming together, a conjunction of excellent qualities we admire that are different and wonderful. An admirable conjunction of diverse excellencies. We look to the reading of God's word if you join with me in prayer. Our gracious God, we do not live by bread alone, but

Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/editorialtpv El día de hoy hablaremos sobre la primera parte del libro "Afectos religiosos" por Jonathan Edwards. Ver aquí: https://teologiaparavivir.com/edwards-afectos-religiosos/  Video: https://youtu.be/o095KAGo638  PPT: https://teologiaparavivir.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Afectos-Religiosos.pdf  La esencia de la verdadera religión cristiana reside fundamentalmente en los afectos santos del corazón. En este episodio de nuestro podcast, exploraremos la monumental obra teológica Los afectos religiosos, escrita por Jonathan Edwards y publicada originalmente en 1746. Edwards, uno de los pensadores más importantes de Norteamérica , argumenta que la fe auténtica va mucho más allá del simple conocimiento doctrinal; requiere una transformación radical que se manifiesta en inclinaciones vigorosas y espirituales hacia Dios. Históricamente situado en el contexto del Gran Despertar , este libro surge como una respuesta crítica a dos extremos de su época: aquellos que rechazaban cualquier expresión emocional en la religión y quienes aceptaban ciegamente cualquier entusiasmo como evidencia de salvación. Edwards establece claramente que el alma humana posee dos facultades principales: el entendimiento, que percibe, y la voluntad o inclinación, que ama o rechaza. La verdadera espiritualidad se localiza en los ejercicios vivos de esta voluntad, a los que llama afectos. Analizaremos por qué indicadores externos, como el fervor intenso, los efectos físicos sobre el cuerpo, la fluidez al hablar de religión o la dedicación de mucho tiempo a los deberes externos, no son pruebas seguras de un estado espiritual genuino. En su lugar, el amor a Dios constituye la fuente primordial de todos los afectos válidos, impulsando progresivamente virtudes objetivas como la compasión genuina, la esperanza inquebrantable y el celo por las buenas obras. Comprender esta estructura teológica es vital para no caer en el autoengaño. Si buscas evaluar la autenticidad de tu experiencia religiosa con rigor analítico y bíblico, acompáñanos en este profundo recorrido. Aprenderás a examinar tu propia alma a través del lente de la teología puritana , descubriendo que el fruto práctico es la mayor evidencia de un corazón verdaderamente transformado.

Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/editorialtpv El día de hoy hablaremos sobre la segunda parte del libro "Afectos religiosos" por Jonathan Edwards. Ver aquí: https://teologiaparavivir.com/edwards-afectos-religiosos/  Video: https://youtu.be/c2UU8tW_v6Q  PPT: https://teologiaparavivir.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Afectos-Religiosos.pdf  ¿Cómo distinguir el fuego verdadero del Espíritu Santo de las meras chispas de la emoción humana o la imaginación exaltada? Tras haber descartado en secciones anteriores las señales negativas o inciertas, este episodio se sumerge de lleno en el corazón de la Tercera Parte de la obra maestra de Jonathan Edwards: las pruebas positivas e irrefutables de los afectos verdaderamente religiosos. Basándonos exclusivamente en el análisis profundo del texto provisto, exploraremos las doce señales distintivas que separan la fe genuina de sus falsificaciones más sutiles. Edwards nos desafía a buscar un origen incuestionablemente sobrenatural y divino en nuestra experiencia. Nos habla de un "nuevo sentido espiritual", una percepción que no nace de la mente natural, ni del miedo al infierno, ni siquiera del mero interés propio de salvación, sino de la contemplación de la suprema excelencia moral y la santidad de Dios amadas por sí mismas. Descubriremos que la verdadera gracia no infla el ego con presunción, sino que produce una profunda y quebrantada "humildad evangélica", un cambio radical de naturaleza y un temperamento semejante al de Cristo, marcado por la mansedumbre y la misericordia. Veremos cómo los afectos genuinos poseen una hermosa simetría y proporción, no siendo emociones desbordadas aisladas, y cómo generan un hambre creciente por más santidad, en lugar de complacencia espiritual. Finalmente, abordaremos la prueba suprema, la señal principal para nuestra propia conciencia y para los demás, propuesta por Edwards con contundencia: la práctica cristiana. ¿Tienen tus experiencias internas, por sublimes que parezcan, un fruto visible y constante en un comportamiento santo? Acompáñanos en este riguroso examen del alma, un mapa definitivo diseñado para disipar el autoengaño y fundamentar la seguridad en la evidencia tangible de una nueva creación.

Apologetics a little rusty? Tune into this video explaining why logic makes no sense without the one true God. Clarify your worldview, deepen your theology, and sharpen your ability to defend the faith.Watch my whole Apologetics Answers playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSpUNYR5qo6sv8Pk8x0tmaq8lLQHHlTm&si=FlnSB-pBhZ6SSaJE==============================⏰ Timestamps ⏰TBD♱ SUBSTACK: Read weekly articles to help you learn and grow: https://thethinkinstitute.substack.com/♱ CHURCH TRAINING: Bring an IMPACTFUL weekend training event to your church or ministry ➡️ https://thethink.institute/forchurches♱ SOCIETY: Christian men get equipped for their Christian life, in community. Try out the Hammer & Anvil Society now. Go to https://thethink.institute/society.The easiest method for teaching your kids the faith we can help you learn (catechism): https://thethink.institute/catakids Men: Want to become the worldview leader your family and church need? We provide in-depth education and community for Christian men: https://thethink.institute/societyMy name is Joel Settecase. I'm the president of The Think Institute, NFP. How I got here: 2009: Left the business world.2010: Became a Bible teacher at a Christian school in Chicago. Realized I needed more education.2011: Enrolled at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). 2013: I joined a suburban church as pastor-in-training.2013–2016: Served as a youth pastor, discipling middle and high school students.2014: Wife diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. God taught us faith.2014–2015: Discovered Calvinism, New Covenant Theology, and Presuppositional Apologetics.2015: Our thirdborn diagnosed with leukemia. God tested and trained us in real time.2016: Joined Chicago multi-site church as Associate Pastor overseeing men's, students, and family ministry and evangelism—later becoming interim lead campus pastor.2016 Wrote Catakids! catechism to teach my young kiddos the faith.2017: Graduated cum laude from TEDS. Capstone papers on apologetics of Jonathan Edwards and John Frame.2018: Joined Cru Church Movements as missionaries.2019: Thirdborn got heart failure. God built our ministry from Lurie Children's Hospital.2020: Started homeschooling. Son received heart transplant. 2020: Launched the Hammer & Anvil Society during Covid.2021: Started teaching at homeschool co-ops.2022: Launched The Think Institute as a nonprofit.2023: Wrote The Bible Based Worldview. 2023: Re-launched the Hammer & Anvil Society as a nationwide men's fellowship. 2024: Joined Village Bible Church, teaching apologetics and worldview classes, family camps, men's retreats, student electives, and Sunday sermons.2025: Launched on Substack. YouTube channel hit 1M views. We now reach 75K+ people monthly and distribute hundreds of educational resources each year. To every Christian man trying to live a Christian life: God will give you what you need for your journey (Eph. 2:10). I am living proof of that. And now my job is to help you build a worldview legacy, where you, your kids, and your wife will be able to confidently answer the world's questions with confidence, and see Jesus change lives as you share your faith.===========================================================The Think Institute relies on the generous support of our Ministry Partners to pursue our mission. Thank you for your help in preparing thousands of regular believers to explain, share and defend the Christian message all over the world.The Think Institute, NFP is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN: 88-3225438). Donations to The Think Institute are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.Donate now: https://thethink.institute/partner

Sydney Ahlstrom refers to the First Great Awakening as “America's conversion experience.” This profound revival did more to create a single national identity than any military or commercial venture ever could. Thirteen separate colonies would unite under the banner of the United States only after God's Spirit swept the land and created a bond that had previously been non-existent. Spiritual awakening produces political unity.

Pastor Josh Moody of College Church in Wheaton, IL talks with Wayne Shepherd about his love of Scripture and how to make it a regular part of life.    (click for more...)Website:  www.GodCenteredLife.orgIn this First Person conversation, Pastor Josh Moody, senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, Illinois, reflects on his journey from England to pastoral ministry in the U.S., his deep appreciation for Jonathan Edwards, and his passion for helping believers engage Scripture as the living Word of God. Moody recounts formative influences from his parents' example, a transformative mission trip that awakened his love for the Bible, and his conviction that daily dependence on God's Word is essential for spiritual life and perseverance. He discusses his book Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know as an accessible, interactive guide meant to draw readers into Scripture without guilt or pressure, emphasizing that faith, growth, and evangelism ultimately flow from hearing and responding to God's Word.                                            NEXT WEEK:  Greg WheatleySend your support for FIRST PERSON to the Far East Broadcasting Company:FEBC National Processing Center Far East Broadcasting CompanyP.O. Box 6020 Albert Lea, MN 56007Please mention FIRST PERSON when you give. Thank you!

7News reporter Jonathan Edwards joined David & Will from the scene of an overnight home invasion in Munno Para where shots were fired. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

Michael Horton, Justin Holcomb, Walter Strickland, and Bob Hiller answer audience questions on Jonathan Edwards, deliverance ministries, dispensationalism, infant baptism, recommended reading, and more. PARTNER WITH US - https://solamedia.org/partner/?sc=AS2502V When you become a partner today, you'll receive two remarkable books as our thanks: Rediscovering the Holy Spirit by Dr. Michael Horton and Praying with Jesus by Pastor Adriel Sanchez. We believe these books can guide you into a clearer understanding of the Spirit's work and a richer prayer life. FOLLOW US YouTube | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter WHO WE ARE Sola is home to White Horse Inn, Core Christianity, Modern Reformation, and Theo Global. Our mission is to serve today's global church by producing resources for reformation grounded in the historic Christian faith. Our vision is to see reformation in hearts, homes, and churches around the world. Learn more: https://solamedia.org/

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Belonging to the church will always increase our obligations and decrease our independence. And this is good.”~Megan Hill in A Place to Belong: Learning to Love the Local Church  “There in heaven this fountain of love, this eternal three in one, is set open without any obstacle to hinder access to it. There this glorious God is manifested and shines forth in full glory, in beams of love; there the fountain overflows in streams and rivers of love and delight, enough for all to drink at, and to swim in, yea, so as to overflow the world as it were with a deluge of love.” “Love dwells and reigns in every heart in heaven. The heart of God is the original source of divine love, existing inherently, like light in the sun. From God, love flows necessarily towards all inhabitants of heaven.” “That which was in the heart on earth as but a grain of mustard-seed, shall be as a great tree in heaven. The soul that in this world had only a little spark of divine love in it, in heaven shall be, as it were, turned into a bright and ardent flame, like the sun in its fullest brightness, when it has no spot upon it.” “In heaven all shall be united together in very near and dear relations... In heaven all shall have property and ownership in each other.” “[In heaven people] will have no doubt of the love of each other. They shall have no fear that the declarations…of love are hypocritical; but shall be perfectly satisfied of the sincerity and strength of each other's affection, as much as if there were a window in every breast, so that everything in the heart could be seen. There shall be no such thing as flattery…in heaven, but there perfect sincerity shall reign through all and in all. Everyone will be just what he seems to be, and will really have all the love that he seems to have.”~Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in “Heaven Is a World of Love” “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”~Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), civil rights activist and Baptist minister “If a person doesn't love the church, they don't love Jesus.”~Voddie Baucham (1969-2025), former Dean of Theology at African Christian University (Zambia) “To dwell in love with saints above— Oh that will be glory! But to dwell below with saints we know— Ah! That's a different story!”~Christopher J.H. Wright, Anglican clergyman and authorSERMON PASSAGE Ephesians 2:1-3:13 (ESV)Ephesians 2 1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached the peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Ephesians 3 1 For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Segment 1: • Let's talk about hell. • The church has been debating and systematizing beliefs on hell as long as Christianity has been around. • Certain beliefs about hell, like annihilationism and universalism, have been outside the bounds of orthodoxy for thousands of years. Segment 2 • Many church fathers were crystal clear—hell is eternal punishment. • Annihilationism is in the grey: not heresy, and certainly not orthodoxy. • If hell isn't eternal, we truly have no urgency to see people saved. Segment 3 • Some claim Luther doubted hell—he didn't. He affirmed eternal, conscious torment. • Jonathan Edwards' view? The terrible sinfulness of sin deserves equally momentous justice. • Minimizing hell minimizes sin, and ultimately minimizes God's justice against sin. Segment 4 • William G.T. Shedd: early Christians didn't even entertain annihilationism. • The clearest voice on hell? Jesus Himself - and he makes the eternality of hell clear. • If universalism is true, then the cross becomes unnecessary. ___ 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!

In this powerful episode, I sit down with Dr. Nathan Finn, one of evangelicalism's foremost historians of spiritual awakenings, to tackle one of the most pressing questions facing the church today: How do we discern between authentic moves of God and emotionalism that burns out as quickly as it ignites? Dr. Finn brings decades of research studying every major revival from Jonathan Edwards' Northampton awakening to recent movements like Asbury 2023, helping us understand what genuine spiritual renewal really looks like.We dive deep into the patterns that mark authentic revival throughout history - from the Moravian hundred-year prayer meeting that birthed modern missions to the controversies surrounding Charles Finney's revival techniques. Dr. Finn shares crucial insights about why some movements with unusual manifestations turn out genuine while others fizzle into hype, and reveals the red flags that indicate spiritual manipulation versus the Holy Spirit's authentic work. This conversation is especially timely as we see growing spiritual curiosity in our culture and wonder if we might be approaching another great awakening.In this episode you will learn:The biblical distinctions between revival, renewal, and awakeningThree unmistakable marks that appear in every genuine move of God throughout historyHow Jonathan Edwards discerned true conversion from religious excitementThe connection between authentic revival and missional explosionWarning signs that distinguish spiritual manipulation from real revivalWhy the church often becomes a counterculture right before major awakeningsHow to evaluate modern movements like Asbury 2023 while they're happeningThe historical patterns suggesting we might be approaching another great awakeningWhat pastors and Christians should be doing now to prepare for potential revivalWhy "staying close and staying clean" matters more than revival techniquesConnect with Dr. Nathan Finn:Website: nathanfinn.comSubstack: Think Christianly, Live FaithfullyBooks: Historical Theology for the Church (B&H Academic)Stay Connected with Johnny and The Dig In Podcast:Subscribe and follow our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thejohnnyovaFollow all things Johnny Ova: https://linktr.ee/johnnyovaGet Johnny's book, The Revelation Reset: https://a.co/d/hiUkW8H#Revival #SpiritualAwakening #ChurchHistory #NathanFinn #Christianity #HolySpirit #JonathanEdwards #CharlesFinney #Asbury2023 #ChurchRevival #BiblicalDiscernment #DigInPodcast #ChristianPodcast #TheologyPodcast #ChurchMovementsSupport the show

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.

What prompted Jonathan Edwards to publish a collection of sermons during a period of spiritual decline? Today, Stephen Nichols looks at Edwards' Discourses on Various Important Subjects and the pastoral concerns that shaped this influential book. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/the-story-of-5-sermons/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“My chief reason for choosing Christianity was because the mysteries were incomprehensible. What's the point of revelation if we could figure it out ourselves? If it were wholly comprehensible, then it would just be another philosophy.”~Mortimer J. Adler (1902-2001), philosopher, educator, and founder of the Aspen Institute “There has not been a ‘when' when the Father was not in existence. This, then, is true of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Put another question and I will answer it.Since when has the Son been begotten? Since as long as the Father has not been begotten.Since when has the Spirit been proceeding? Since as long as the Son has not been proceeding but being begotten in a non-temporal way that transcends explanation….” “How is it then that they are not co-unoriginate if they are co-eternal with him? Because they are from him, though not after him. ‘Being unoriginate' necessarily implies ‘being eternal', but ‘being eternal' does not entail ‘being unoriginated', so long as the Father is referred to as origin.”~Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329-390) in “On the Son” orations 29, chapter 3 “The saints have both their spiritual excellency and blessedness by the gift of the Holy Ghost, and his dwelling in them. They are not only caused by the Holy Ghost, but are in him as their principle. The Holy Spirit becoming an inhabitant, is a vital principle in the soul. He, acting in, upon, and with the soul, becomes a fountain of true holiness and joy, as a spring is of water, by the exertion and diffusion of itself.”~Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in “God Glorified in Man's Dependence” “This then is the order of the rule of our faith…: God, the Father, not made, not material, invisible; one God, the creator of all things: this is the first point of our faith. The second point is: The Word of God, Son of God, Christ Jesus our Lord, who was manifested to the prophets according to the form of their prophesying and according to the method of the dispensation of the Father through whom all things were made; who also at the end of the times, to complete and gather up all things, was made man among men, visible and tangible, in order to abolish death and show forth life and produce a community of union between God and man. And the third point is: The Holy Spirit, through whom the prophets prophesied, and the fathers learned the things of God, and the righteous were led forth into the way of righteousness; and who in the end of the times was poured out in a new way upon mankind in all the earth, renewing man unto God.”~ Irenaeus (c. 125-202) bishop of Lyon in The Demonstration of the Apostolic PreachingSERMON PASSAGEJohn 14:15-26, John 15:26, John 16:5-15 (ESV)John 14 – Jesus speaking 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 15 – Jesus speaking 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” John 16 – Jesus speaking 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?' 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Send us a textAs the calendar turns and the world rushes into new goals, we're invited to take a deeper, wiser approach. In today's episode, we continue the journey we began yesterday by exploring what it means to live with resolve rather than relying on fleeting resolutions. Drawing on Jonathan Edwards's intentional commitments, we'll explore how God calls us to a life of meaningful, Gospel-rooted change. Learn how to aim higher, think deeper, and build a foundation for transformation that doesn't fade by February.You'll also hear how to take your next step in biblical emotional and spiritual health through our free Navigator Level community.Key Topics CoveredThe problem with typical New Year's resolutionsWhat it means to live resolved before the LordHow Jonathan Edwards modeled intentional, Gospel-centered livingWhy change must begin with the heart, not just habitsA biblical path toward sustainable transformationA special invitation to join the Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life communityScripture ReferencesProverbs 16:3 – “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”Psalm 90:12 – “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”Proverbs 4:23 – “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”Call to ActionAre you ready to take a gentle first step into biblical emotional and spiritual health? Join the Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life community today. It's completely free, with no pressure or obligation. You'll find encouragement, prayer support, and Gospel-centered conversations—all in a safe space.

As we look ahead into the new year of 2026, it can be with a measure of fear. The children of Israel, no doubt, faced the same as before them loomed the impossibility of the Red Sea. And yet, they passed through "as by dry land." It was nothing to them, because God opened the way, by faith. And so it is with us. The command is the same, "Speak unto the children of Israel that they GO FORWARD." This meditation reads some excerpts from Jonathan Edwards who laid down the blueprint for the burden he carried in his day, as we do in our day. May God give us the faith to go forward in prayer, and not be discouraged.

I don't often give my own commentary on titles that I am narrating, but this hit me especially deep, in a convicting but joyous way. I really believe I can enter in compared to when I read it last year in January. The Narrated Puritan

Send us a textWelcome to the first episode of the new year! In today's episode, we're not just talking about setting resolutions; we're talking about crafting resolves that flow from your heart, shaped by God's purposes and grounded in Gospel truth.Drawing on the Full Focus system by Michael Hyatt and the legacy of Jonathan Edwards' Resolutions, I'll walk you through a framework for setting meaningful, spiritually rooted goals that go beyond surface-level change.You'll learn:Why most resolutions failThe importance of heart-level transformationHow to follow a simple 4-part process for setting life-shaping goalsThe power of writing down your goals and committing them to prayerWhether you're starting fresh or refining your direction, this episode will help you aim higher, grow deeper, and walk forward with purpose in 2026.Resources Mentioned:Full Focus Planner by Michael HyattJonathan Edwards' 70 ResolutionsTake Action This Week:Go to our website for more helpful resources at jameslongjr.orgJournal your top 3 life domains to focus on this yearPray through your motivations: “What is God calling me to aim for in 2026?” ABOUT JAMES and LESSONS FOR LIFE Are you seeking hope, wisdom, and practical solutions to life's challenges? Dr. James Long, Jr., pastor, counselor, and professor with over 30 years of experience, helps people discover God's solutions to emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges. Each episode of Lessons for Life points you to the peace and freedom found in Jesus Christ. Resources and Next Steps Join the free Navigator Level of the Lessons for Life Community: https://jameslongjr.org/community Explore full membership and coaching options: https://www.drjameslongjr.com/signup Listen and Subscribe: Find Lessons for Life with James Long, Jr., wherever you listen to podcasts Connect Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjameslongjr/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drjameslongjr YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LessonsforLifeCommunity

On this special New Year's episode, Jared Wilson and Ronni Kurtz discuss the teenage Jonathan Edwards's challenging resolutions. Why does he repeat himself so much? Was young Jonathan suffering from scrupulosity? What can we learn about the gospel and our own resolutions from his commitment to focus on Christ's glory?

Every January, millions of people make New Year's resolutions—and just as many abandon them weeks later. But where did this ritual come from? In this episode, Dr. Keith Sawyer traces the surprising 4,000-year history of New Year's resolutions, from ancient Babylonian vows to Roman civic promises, Christian moral reflection, early American self-engineering, and modern consumer culture. Along the way, he shows that resolutions were never inevitable or instinctive. They're a powerful example of collective creativity: a social tradition that slowly emerged as each generation added something new. Even when resolutions fail, we still grow from reflecting on our past and thinking about the future.  Five Key Takeaways New Year's resolutions are a tradition that emerged over thousands of years.  The earliest resolutions were about social trust, not self-improvement. In ancient Babylon, people made public vows to repay debts and keep promises to maintain social order. Christianity turned resolutions inward. Over time, public civic vows evolved into private moral commitments focused on personal character and self-examination. Modern resolutions were shaped by early American self-tracking--a science of the self. Figures like Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin treated the self as something that could be systematically improved through intention and measurement. Failure doesn't mean resolutions are pointless. Even when resolutions aren't fully kept, the act of reflection helps people clarify values, imagine future selves, and move toward personal growth. Chapters  Intro Why do we make resolutions? Reflection and self-improvement.  The First Resolutions: Babylon, 2000 BCE. Vows to the gods as public tools for social trust and stability.  Rome Invents January 1. How Julius Caesar, Janus, and Roman vota reshaped the calendar and the meaning of promises.  Christianity Turns Resolutions Inward. From public ritual to private moral self-examination.  Jonathan Edwards Invents the Modern Resolution. Seventy intense resolutions and the birth of systematic self-engineering.  Benjamin Franklin Tracks His Failures. Virtue charts, black dots, and the idea that character can be optimized.  Newspapers Start Making Fun of Resolutions. By the 1800s, some people were already making fun of how often they failed.  Radio and Psychology Take Over. How 20th-century media transformed resolutions into intimate self-help.  Advertising Discovers Resolutions. When self-improvement became a January sales strategy for gym memberships and Weight Watchers.  How to Make Resolutions that Stick. Research on resolutions: when they fail and what you can do to be more likely to succeed. Collective Creativity. Resolutions are a social innovation that emerged over the centuries. Outro Closer Music by license from SoundStripe: "Sparkling Eyes" by AFTERNOONZ "Uptown Lovers Instrumental" by AFTERNOONZ "Velvet" by AFTERNOONZ "Miss Missy" by AFTERNOONZ "Blue Molasses" by Renderings "Corner Trio" by Renderings "What's the Big Deal" by Ryan Saranich   Copyright (c) 2025 Keith Sawyer

What were the best books of 2025? Pastor Heath Lambert shares not just two, but six of his favorite books from this year - including Tolkien's classic adventure, a contemporary novel with masterful prose, Churchill's wartime leadership, and Jonathan Edwards on heaven. If you're looking for your next great read, this episode delivers.Timestamps0:00 - Welcome to the final episode of 20250:33 - Annual book recommendations tradition1:02 - Breaking the old two-book constraint2:13 - Six favorite books from 20252:52 - Book 1: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien4:47 - Book 2: Theo of Golden by Alan Levi8:46 - Book 3: The Life of Martin Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray12:35 - Book 4: The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson17:32 - Book 5: On Theology by John M. Frame20:38 - Book 6: Heaven is a World of Love by Jonathan Edwards22:18 - Looking forward to 2026 readingKey Topics CoveredReading as a Hobby - Heath's love for books and why he reads extensivelyThe Hobbit - Tolkien's masterful children's story that adults will loveTheo of Golden - A contemporary novel with beautiful writing and gospel implicationsMartin Lloyd-Jones Biography - The influential 20th-century preacher who prioritized God's WordChurchill and the Blitz - Larson's gripping history of Britain's darkest hourContemporary Theology - Frame's accessible reflections on major theological debatesJonathan Edwards on Heaven - A short classic about love and the world to comeMasterful Writing - Examples of excellent prose from multiple genresHistorical Heroes - Why Churchill and Lloyd-Jones matter for todayGospel Living - How good literature helps us be salt and lightBook List SummaryThe Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - Classic fantasy adventureTheo of Golden by Alan Levi - Contemporary novel with beautiful proseThe Life of Martin Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray - Biography of influential preacherThe Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson - Churchill and the Battle of BritainOn Theology by John M. Frame - Accessible theological reflectionsHeaven is a World of Love by Jonathan Edwards - Short classic on love and eternityAbout The Ten Commandments BookHeath Lambert's new book "The Ten Commandments: A Short Book for Normal People" is now available. This accessible guide explains how God's commands apply to modern life without requiring theological education. Perfect for personal study, evangelism, or gifts to friends, neighbors, and family.Order now and download a free chapter at fbcjax.com/tencommandmentsHave a question you'd like answered? Send it to markedbygrace@fbcjax.com

Why is the incarnation at the center of our hope as Christians? Today, Stephen Nichols looks to Jonathan Edwards' sermon on Revelation 5, reflecting on the humility and majesty of Jesus' birth. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/christmas-in-new-england/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

309 | The Prince of Peace by Jonathan Edwards

Barry explores the legacies of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes, two men who's lives drastically affected their future generations in opposite ways. Discover how the decisions you make today can shape the future for generations to come. Are you ready to build a legacy worth leaving? Join FatherFuel for more: https://www.fatherseekers.org/fatherfuelFS Facebook FS Instagram FS YouTube Ask Barry a question: barry@fatherseekers.orgTIMELINE00:00 Introduction to Legacy 00:34 The Story of Jonathan Edwards and Max Jukes 02:09 Jonathan Edwards' Legacy 07:51 Max Jukes' Legacy 09:11 Reflecting on Your Own Legacy 11:17 Understanding Identity and Resources 13:52 The Importance of Stewardship 18:36 Seeking Guidance and Mentorship 20:26 fatherseekers.org--FatherSeekers helps fatherless fathers become better fathers.Get discussion guides, devotionals, and more at FS Website

Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb sits down with historian and pastor theologian Joey Cochran to unpack Jonathan Edwards' “harmony of the Word of God,” the history of redemption, typology, and why biblical fluency in America is far weaker than we think. They explore how Edwards understood Scripture, how the Holy Spirit shapes interpretation, and why deep, communal immersion in the Bible is urgently needed today.In this episode: • Who Jonathan Edwards was—and why he still matters • The Word of God: Jesus, Scripture, and the preached Word • Typology without the nonsense • How the Spirit forms integrity in interpretation • The U.S. church's growing Bible literacy problemLearn more about Dr. Joey Cochran:PNW Website: https://www.pnw.edu/people/joseph-cochran/The Anxious Bench: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/Find Joey's full article in the CPT Journal 12.2: https://glossahouse.com/products/center-for-pastor-theologians-journal-vol-12-2-essays-on-a-theology-of-the-word#Bible #Scripture #Podcast #Faith #WordofGod #God #Jesus #Revival #Typology #Edwards #JonathanEdwards #Interview #Church #Pastor #ProveText #Author #Theology***GlossaHouse resources are available at our website! - https://glossahouse.com/✏️ ***Sign up for classes with GlossaHouse U - https://glossahouse.com/pages/classes

Jonathan Edwards is our faithful, fun producer of The Art of Holiness podcasts, who listens to -- and loves! -- every single episode. Today, Jonathan and I think back on all the ones we produced this fall, discussing what stood out for us and what's worth listening to twice. 

There are many pitfalls in preaching. One area which many preachers struggle with is application. And yet, in a sense, application is the whole of preaching. David Vaughn's letter to a fellow Christian leader in the December 2025 issue of the magazine addresses this very subject.    Featured resources: – David Vaughn, 'What can we learn from John Knox?', Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 514 (March 2006). Excerpted from A Scottish Christian Heritage.      Resources Mentioned by David Vaughn:  D. A. Carson and J. D. Woodbridge, Letters Along the Way (Wheaton: Crossway, 1993), p. 99-100. Available free as a pdf.  A. T. Pierson, The Divine Art of Preaching, (New York: The Baker and Taylor Company, 1892), pp. 24-27.  Jay Adams, Review of John Stott's Between Two Worlds in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. VIII, No. 2, 1986), p. 62.  The Works of Jonathan Edwards, (repr. Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987), vol. 1, p. cxc.  Ron Taylor anecdote from an article in The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (Vol. 4, No. 4, 1980), p. 109.  John Broadus, A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1896), p. 230.      Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

William J. Federer joins us again with more history of our nation's founding on faith and revival stories. We discuss how the Gospel was portrayed and its impact on university education and their role in training clergy and missionaries. We also look at the impact of Jonathan Edwards and leading revival preachers and negative influences on education and ultimately on our kids. Intriguing! American Minute (https://americanminute.com/)

• Protestant missionary movements • The 20th century: Challenges of modernity • The impact of Methodism • The Pentecostals and the Charismatic movement • Parachurch organizations • Ecumenical movement • Churches and denominations • Reflections on the history of the Church • Append: Catholics, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses What led to the many divisions in Christianity? Listen to this message to hear about the four Great Awakenings led by men such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. See that Charles Finney taught a number of false doctrines that led to events such as the Civil War. This was followed by broad movements such as the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. As a believer it is important that you are aware Satan is always trying to cause doubts about the authority of Scripture. Every believer needs to evaluate what they hear to see if it agrees with Scripture. During this lesson Dr. Dean mentioned The God Makers video about the Mormonism.

• Protestant missionary movements • The 20th century: Challenges of modernity • The impact of Methodism • The Pentecostals and the Charismatic movement • Parachurch organizations • Ecumenical movement • Churches and denominations • Reflections on the history of the Church • Append: Catholics, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses What led to the many divisions in Christianity? Listen to this message to hear about the four Great Awakenings led by men such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. See that Charles Finney taught a number of false doctrines that led to events such as the Civil War. This was followed by broad movements such as the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. As a believer it is important that you are aware Satan is always trying to cause doubts about the authority of Scripture. Every believer needs to evaluate what they hear to see if it agrees with Scripture.

A new MP3 sermon from The Narrated Puritan is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Torments of the Wicked in Hell, No Occasion of Grief to Saints in Heaven Subtitle: Sermons Warning and Judgment Speaker: Jonathan Edwards Broadcaster: The Narrated Puritan Event: Audiobook Date: 11/21/2025 Bible: Revelation 18:20 Length: 52 min.

Romans 8:16 — Continuing his sermon series on the Holy Spirit, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers an important theological question: does the sealing of the Spirit actually exist? The short answer, he says, is yes. In his sermon on Romans 8:16 titled “The Witness of History,” he combs through historical accounts of Christian thinkers, pastors, and theologians who have experienced God's sealing of the Spirit to give evidence for this Christian phenomenon. Many of the names are recognizable as Dr. Lloyd-Jones quotes these famed Christians through the centuries. He reads the works of George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, John Wesley, D. L. Moody, Charles Spurgeon, and many more. He remarks on how astonishingly similar are these accounts of God's sealing of the Spirit. These theologians write about being overwhelmed by emotions, a profound sense of peacefulness, and a life-changing understanding. Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones explains that the sealing of the Spirit is an emotional understanding of a Christian's salvation that might occur within a believer's life. It is not necessary to a person's salvation but it is a great gift of God's choosing to give. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/603/29

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.