Darkness on SermonAudio

(Sunday Service) 1 Timothy 3:14-16: "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."

Robert Strivens preaches from Colossians 1:13-14 on the great change God brings about in a believer. Three things are set out: God has delivered us from the power of darkness, transferred us into the kingdom of His dear Son, and given us redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. The sermon calls believers to thankfulness and holy living, and urges those who are not yet Christians to turn to Christ.

We live in a world filled with spiritual darkness, but Jesus Christ is the Light of the World! In this thought-provoking message, Pastor Byron Chesney challenges believers to examine their lives and consider what others see in them. Are we reflecting the light of Christ, or have we allowed the cares of this world to dim our testimony? Through Scripture and a personal childhood illustration, this sermon reminds us that even a small light can make a tremendous difference in a dark world. Listen and be challenged to let your light shine for Jesus Christ!

"O lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength: Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand. Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah." Psalm 88:1-7

This sermon explores the identity of Jesus as the true light entering the world, as presented in the prologue of the Gospel of John. It examines the role of John the Baptist as a witness who directs attention to Christ rather than himself, establishing a model for believers to testify to the gospel. The message addresses the rejection of this light by a world that loves darkness, emphasizing that spiritual sight is a gift from God rather than a human achievement. Finally, it highlights the privilege of adoption into God's family through the new birth, which is entirely the work of divine grace and not of human will or effort.

This sermon examines the final instructions of Jesus to His disciples in John 14, focusing on the resolve to face impending trials with divine equipment. The central message highlights the ministry of the Holy Spirit as the primary tool for believers, detailing His roles in teaching, reminding, and providing peace that surpasses worldly understanding. Listen along as Pastor Gable emphasizes that receiving this ministry requires a foundational relationship with God the Father and faith in Jesus Christ, while also illustrating the necessity of personal responsibility to allow God's peace to rule over anxiety and fear. By analyzing Jesus' perspective, purpose, and path, the text presents Christ as the ultimate example of obedience and love for the Father, even when confronting darkness. The sermon concludes with a call to action, encouraging believers to rely on the Spirit's guidance and Christ's example to confidently step into the challenges God has placed in their lives.

Luke ordered his account carefully to ensure our certainty in the things we have been taught concerning Christ. His last scene in Luke 24:50–53 brings his work to a close in the same place where our story began, worshiping in the Lord's temple, yet with an entirely new situation. Darkness is replaced by light, the proud have been brought low, the lowly have been exalted, and the good news of great joy that dawned at the incarnation is ready to go out at the empowerment the Spirit sent by the ascended Christ.

This sermon explores the theological foundations of the Protestant Reformation, specifically the five solas, to clarify the nature of Christian salvation and authority. It begins by tracing the historical struggle for vernacular Bible access from John Wycliffe to Martin Luther, framing the Reformation as a movement from darkness into light. The central message emphasizes that Scripture alone is the infallible authority, superseding tradition or human interpretation, while salvation is rooted entirely in God's unmerited grace rather than human merit. Faith is presented not as a work to achieve righteousness, but as the means by which believers receive Christ's finished work and live in ongoing trust. The sermon concludes by encouraging believers to recognize their identity as God's workmanship, empowered to walk in the good works prepared for them by His grace.

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."