Darkness on SermonAudio

John Wycliffe was, I think, really the man who publicly had the position, the learning, and the moral courage to begin to question the doctrine and practices of the Church of Rome way back in the late 1340s. He spoke the Bible's truth to show the Pope, the Cardinals, the Bishops, and the Monks, that very much of their theological system was wrong. And much of their worship and practice was God-dishonoring and even blasphemous. How did John Wycliffe proceed in his confrontation of Rome? He proceeded by faith in Christ, and by holding fast and holding forth the truth of the Bible. He showed us what a living faith in Jesus Christ is like. He recovered these things related to a living faith by studying the Bible carefully. And he compared it with what the Church of Rome was believing and doing. And when he did this, the Lord worked together with him. And the results were very great. When he preached and taught, the Light of truth came to people's minds with power. And the darkness of ignorance and false doctrine, which had prevailed for so long, began to be dispelled. And many were awakened to the truth and they believed what he was teaching. And having been instructed by this godly man, they began to walk as disciples of Christ with him. The truth of God's Word began, once again, to be seen and understood and proclaimed by many.

In this sermon from Job 42:1-6, Pastor Green brings the book of Job to its climax, where Job finally answers the Lord and repents in dust and ashes. His central burden is that this book is not chiefly about theodicy or the justification of suffering, but about God Himself—a sovereign Lord who is also immanent, present with His servant in the very depths of the storm. Pastor Green reminds the congregation that God initiated Job's trials from the heavenly courtroom, and that even Satan is restrained, a creature on a string serving God's purposes. Working through Job's confession, Pastor Green unfolds three movements: revelation, reflection, and repentance. Job had heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but now his eye sees Him. True repentance, the sermon insists, is always grounded in God's self-revelation and flows into faith. Job cannot atone for himself or be his own redeemer; he points forward to Christ, the spotless Lamb and suffering Servant who alone could be crushed for His people. Pastor Green presses the application toward pastoral care and personal holiness. Believers are called to counsel sufferers by beginning with revelation rather than scolding, and to grab hold of repentance boldly and joyfully, leaping at it as a sign of resurrection life. Repentance divorced from joy is not biblical repentance. The sermon closes by urging hearers to let Christ be the bait that draws them, to live for an audience of One, and to trust the living Redeemer in the dark, sharing this hope with gentleness toward a watching world.

Walk as Children of Light A wrong thing can become familiar enough that we stop resisting it and begin making excuses for it. Ephesians 5:6-14 calls us to remember the change Christ has made, seek the fruit of His Spirit in our choices, and wake up wherever we have grown careless. This message brings the question of light and darkness into the life we actually live. Christ gives us reason to face sin honestly and help to walk in obedience to Him. Scripture References: Ephesians 5:6-14 John 8:12

This Reformation Sunday morning, Dr. Jon Jacobs takes a break from his regular series and instead teaches on the necessity of reforming the church, the reformation, and the doctrines that make up Calvinism. Dr. Jacobs describes the era that preceded the Reformation, a time of spiritual and doctrinal darkness. R.C. Sproul writes this, "John Calvin is a gulliver in the land of the Lilliputians, a titan in the midst of dwarfs. He stands heads and shoulders above the rank and file theologian, scholar, biblical expert, all the way down through the ages. He abides in the elite company of men like St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and Jonathan Edwards."

Surveying the Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross and the Six unusual Sights that surrounded Christ on the Cross as God's divine providence unfolded redemption for His people.