Forgiveness on SermonAudio

The article explores the story of the paralytic man in Mark 2, highlighting how Jesus prioritizes spiritual forgiveness over physical healing to address humanity's deepest need. It explains that true biblical faith is active and desperate, demonstrated by the friends who tore open a roof to bring the man before Jesus, and emphasizes that only God has the authority to pardon sins. Ultimately, the piece calls readers to live in the freedom of this grace, forgiving others and actively interceding for those who are spiritually stuck.

The sermon teaches that God's covenant with Noah is a gracious, universal promise to preserve life and the created order until His greater redemptive plan is fulfilled in Christ. As a new Adam on a renewed earth, Noah receives once again the mandate to be fruitful, multiply, and exercise dominion, while God expands His provision by permitting the eating of animals, yet preserving the sanctity of life by requiring respect for blood and establishing capital punishment because every human being bears the image of God. The Noahic Covenant is presented as an unconditional covenant of common grace, guaranteeing that God will never again destroy the earth by a worldwide flood despite humanity's continuing sinfulness, thereby preserving the world for the coming of the promised Redeemer. The rainbow, God's covenant sign, is explained as His "bow" hung in the heavens—a symbol that His judgment has been restrained and His mercy triumphs over wrath, reflecting the very radiance of His glory. The sermon concludes by showing that while the Noahic Covenant preserves temporal life, the New Covenant infinitely surpasses it through Jesus Christ, whose sacrificial death satisfies God's demand for justice, secures eternal forgiveness, removes the curse, and guarantees an everlasting inheritance in the new creation where God's glorious presence will forever replace every covenant sign.

Forgive Us Our Sins - Rev John Armstrong

We look at some of the "one anothers" of scripture beginning with "love one another" as all the others flow from love.

Throughout the Bible, God helped various people overcome the pain of their past. In John 16, Jesus likened it to the joy a mother experiences as soon as her baby is born. The pain melts away as tears of joy flood her eyes. How can we move beyond the pain of our past?

The sermon explores the dual aspects of Christian identity through Paul's declaration in Acts 27, focusing on belonging to God and serving Him. It contrasts natural spiritual alienation with the redeemed status achieved solely by Christ's sacrificial grace. The preacher emphasizes that true faith involves a personal, bold, and constant profession of trust in Jesus for forgiveness. This salvation leads to a life of devoted service, where believers offer themselves as living sacrifices to glorify God. Ultimately, the message calls listeners to examine their own hearts and affirm their secure position as God's possession.

If we confess our sins, we can be found blameless come judgement day.

Text: Acts 3:1-26 | Speaker: Levi Bakerink | Description: As Peter and John entered the Temple they healed a man who was lame from birth. But this act of divine healing was not an end unto itself, but an opportunity to present the gospel. As a crowd formed to witness this healing miracle, Peter preached about an even greater gift available to everyone that day, the gift of life from the Author of Life himself, Jesus Christ. Through repentance and faith in his name, we all can have times of refreshing, forgiveness of sins, and new life.

This sermon examines James 5:14-20, focusing on the connection between physical sickness, spiritual discipline, and the power of effective prayer. The preacher clarifies that while not all suffering results from specific sin, believers should confess their sins when facing calamity, trusting in God's forgiveness and potential for healing. Emphasizing the example of Elijah, the text encourages Christians to pray with confident faith within a covenantal relationship with Christ, rather than demanding specific outcomes. The message concludes with an urgent call to pursue those who have strayed from the truth, highlighting that turning sinners back to God is an act of love that saves souls from spiritual death.

A NEW HEART FOR A NEW FAITH Luke 5:33-39; Hebrews 8:6-12 SUMMARY: In one of the more difficult parables to interpret, Jesus, in declaring the superiority of the new covenant over the old, seems to refer to the great divide between two systems, two groups of people, and two kinds of hearts. I. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW SYSTEM AND THE OLD. A. Old System: a dead external religion. B. New system: a spiritual relationship with God. C. The two systems: Incompatible. II. A DIVIDE BETWEEN FRIENDS AND ENEMIES OF THE BRIDEGROOM. A. The Pharisees. B. The Disciples of John. C. Jesus & His Disciples. III. A DIVIDE BETWEEN THE NEW HEART AND THE OLD HEART. A. A new mind & a new heart. B. A new understanding of God: C. A new freedom in Christ's forgiveness. KRETZMANN: "The piety of the Pharisees, the religion of works which they flaunted before the eyes of the people, on the one hand, and the doctrine of Jesus, the preaching of the free grace of God through His blood, on the other, will never agree. If one insists on wearing his old garment of self-righteousness and works, and then believes it possible to cover an occasional revealing sin with the Gospel, he will find but poor comfort. His heart is still bound up in the old garment, and he will only make the incongruity appear the more glaring. It is just as foolish to keep new wine, grape-juice in the early stage of fermentation, in old skins that have lost their elasticity. The result is disastrous: The skins burst, the wine is spilled. But new skins and new wine are perfectly suited to each other. The sweet Gospel of the forgiveness of sins by the mercy of God does not fit into carnal, Pharisaic hearts.