FROM DULL TO DANGEROUS Recovered by a Fresh Look at Jesus The Fall of the Faithful Is Not Fatal Because the Faithful One Is Forever True Kingdom life is an intentional walk of faith. There is no such thing as accidental obedience. God speaks, we hear His message, He gives us light to see as He sees, and faith responds by trusting and acting upon what He has revealed. But even faithful people can stumble, become distracted, or get off course. Circumstances can begin controlling our hearts like an environment controls water. When that happens, we need recovery. Revival is recovery unto the Lord so that we can remain steadfast with the Lord. Psalm 37 reminds us that although the righteous may fall, they are not utterly cast down because the Lord upholds them. The fall of the faithful is not fatal because the Faithful One is forever true. The first step toward recovery is recommitment. Proverbs 16:3 calls us to roll our works upon the Lord and trust Him to establish our thoughts. We need this fresh surrender every day because yesterday's victories cannot replace today's dependence upon Jesus. Pride says, "I can handle today without Him." Humility says, "Lord, order my steps, establish my thoughts, and give me grace for today." The second step is refocusing our eyes upon Jesus. Hebrews tells us to run the race set before us by "looking unto Jesus." He is not only our Substitute and Sacrifice; He is our Example. We learn how to live, love, endure, resist temptation, and finish our course by looking at Him. Luke 24 gives us a beautiful picture of this recovery. The disciples on the Emmaus road were disappointed, confused, and "slow of heart to believe." Jesus came along

The doctrine of scripture directs the response of the people of God. The church is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. How we respond to Him is important. The church glorifies the Lord, and also gives a home for believers to live their lives in love and thanksgiving to God. A beautiful community of service.

The sermon explores the prophecy of Isaiah 61, illustrating how Jesus Christ fulfilled the promise to preach good news to the poor and bind up the brokenhearted. It emphasizes that true salvation requires humility and spiritual poverty, acknowledging one's need for God rather than relying on self-sufficiency. By connecting Isaiah's words to Luke 4, the message highlights Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who exchanges mourning for joy and offers liberty from sin. We should remember that while Jesus came first to save, He will return to execute judgment, urging listeners to accept His healing grace before the acceptable year ends.

What did Jesus mean when He told the scribe, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:34)? Was that a compliment—or a warning? In this verse-by-verse exposition of Mark 12:32–34, we explore one of the most intriguing encounters in Jesus' final week before the cross. A Jewish scribe agrees with Jesus about the greatest commandment, and Jesus responds with words He never speaks to anyone else: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." But what does it mean to be close to God's kingdom without actually entering it? If you enjoy the episode, please consider subscribing to the podcast and leaving a 5-stars rating. This helps others find the podcast. My sermons are the fruit of nearly 30 years of pastoral ministry, biblical counseling, formal seminary training, and a lifelong passion for God's Word. Since childhood, I've been drawn to the beauty and power of expository preaching—opening Scripture verse by verse and applying it to real life. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute, I spent the next 27 years serving as a youth pastor, senior pastor, church planter, and host of the Food For Your Soul radio broadcast. Along the way, I also earned a Master of Sacred Literature and a Doctor of Religious Studies. For more content from D. Richard Ferguson, visit TreasuringGod.com. Follow on social: • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DarrellFerguson • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrell.r.ferguson/ • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Dr.DRichardFerguson

Wise to Receive and Reveal Proverbs teaches us that God has not left us to stumble through life learning everything by painful experience. Through His living Word, He offers wisdom that can make us wiser than our years by allowing us to see life through His eyes. Proverbs 9 presents two houses and two invitations: Wisdom has built her house, prepared her table, and calls the simple to turn, eat, learn, and live. Folly also calls, but her way ends in destruction. Every day, we are choosing which voice we will follow and which house we will dwell in. Proverbs 12:4 describes an excellent wife as a crown to her husband, while one who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones. This contrast reminds us that our influence can either strengthen others like a crown or slowly harm them like a cancer. God calls us to become people whose presence blesses, builds, and brings beauty into the lives of others. One of the clearest marks of wisdom is how a person responds to correction. A scoffer rejects rebuke, attacks the messenger, and often tries to shame the person who speaks truth. But a wise and humble person welcomes correction, appreciates the warning, and loves the one who cared enough to help. Correction does not destroy the wise; it develops them. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It is a holy concern that says, "I do not want to miss what God is saying, doing, or showing me." When we receive His knowledge, God adds eternal experience to our lives. He can teach a young person truths that others may never learn through a lifetime of human experience. There are no shortcuts to this wisdom. Proverbs 2 repeatedly says, "If you receive, treasure, incline, cry

Isaiah 25 gives us one of the clearest and most beautiful Old Testament pictures of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophet declares that the Lord Himself has prepared a great feast for His people—a feast of grace, salvation, and everlasting joy. Through the promised Messiah, God removes the veil of spiritual blindness, swallows up death forever, wipes away every tear, and takes away the reproach of His redeemed. This glorious prophecy finds its fulfillment in the life, death, resurrection, and future return of Jesus Christ.

Theme: Christ's Beauty Displayed and Spoken Of 1. Christ's self revelation v1 2. Christ's declaration concerning his bride. 3. Applications. Service including Lord's Supper Administration Psalter 27:1,4 Song of Solomon 2:1-14. Text: Song of Solomon 2:1-2 Psalter 28:1,2,3 Sermon Psalter 15: 1,2 Reading the second part form for the administration of the Lord's Supper and prayer Psalter 17:1,4 Administration of the Lord's Supper Psalter 30:1 Closure of the Lord's Supper and Thanksgiving Psalter 29:1,2 Doxology

In a culture that increasingly rejects God's design for men and women, the church must stand firm in embracing the wisdom of God's created order. In this sermon, we examine Paul's teaching on headship, authority, and the relationship between husbands and wives in 1 Corinthians 11. While the issue of head coverings may seem distant from our modern context, the principle behind Paul's instruction remains profoundly relevant: God has designed men and women with distinct roles that display His glory and wisdom. The church must not import the values of the world but instead joyfully submit to God's good design. Dr. Robb Brunansky explains the principle of headship, showing how God has established authority structures in creation, with Christ as the head of every man and husbands as the head of their wives. He explores the cultural background of Corinth, the meaning of honor and shame, and why Paul's concern was not merely external appearance but the heart's posture of submission to God's order. As Paul argues for this design, he points to creation, the angels, cultural understanding, and the consistent practice of the church. Ultimately, this passage calls men to embrace godly masculinity, women to embrace godly femininity, and husbands and wives to reflect the beauty of God's wisdom through their relationship. The gospel transforms the battle between men and women into a picture of God's grace, where both men and women find their true dignity and purpose in Christ. The church should be the place where God's design is celebrated, displayed, and treasured for the world to see.

This sermon examines Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 on the seventh commandment, exposing the inward sin of lust as equivalent to adultery. The preacher argues that true righteousness requires a radical mortification of sin, urging believers to take drastic measures to remove temptations from their lives. Rather than relying on self-effort or superficial fixes, the message emphasizes that holiness is found only through dependence on Christ and the Holy Spirit. By confronting the destructive nature of sexual sin and the futility of hiding behind 'fig leaves,' the sermon directs listeners to find hope and purity in the finished work of Jesus. Ultimately, it calls for a heart transformation where believers gaze upon Christ's beauty rather than forbidden desires.