Guilt on SermonAudio

The sinner brought guilty before Christ discovers both the seriousness of sin and the wonder of grace. When our guilt brings us face to face with Jesus Christ, we discover that His grace neither excuses our sin nor leaves us unchanged by it.

We are preparing to enter into the most sacred and holy truth of all scripture. We come closer and closer to the beating heart of the Gospel and find the One waiting there is glorious beyond all description! He is the One who has loved us, who has given Himself for us and who will one day return and take us home to be with Him forever!! He is not the cold vengeance-filled god born of Muhammed's imagination… He is not the feeble, vapid and effete godlett of American liberal "Christianity". He is not the demon-gods of the Hindu, nor the happy fat Buddha, but He is the God of the Bible. He ALONE is God and He ALONE is worthy to be praised!! The God who holds out the glory of the Gospel is YHWH, creator of Heaven and Earth... He is Jesus Christ, YHWH made flesh, the second person of the Eternal Godhead and He has entered the true Holiest Place, entered the very throne room of Heaven and paid the ransom for our sin! He has purchased us back with the price of His Own Blood!! The most perfect sacrifice and the absolute, total payment for sin!

The sermon emphasizes that salvation is a legitimate offer extended to all humanity through the crucified Christ, who was lifted up for everyone to see and believe. It argues that Jesus came specifically to save wicked sinners rather than to provide a moral example or assist good people, requiring individuals to recognize their own guilt before God. The message highlights God's willingness to save, noting that He desires repentance and rejoices when sinners turn to Him. By examining passages such as John 3, 1 Timothy 1, Isaiah 45, and Revelation 5, the text assures listeners that Christ's victory is certain and His purpose cannot fail. Ultimately, believers are encouraged to trust in this unshakeable future and come to Christ immediately without delay.

The sermon examines Job 20 to illustrate the deceptive nature of sin, which offers temporary pleasure but leads to inevitable divine judgment. Using illustrations like poisonous candy and fleeting sunsets, Rev. Barnhart highlights how wickedness appears sweet yet contains hidden destruction that leaves the sinner empty and doomed. The message warns against envying the prosperity of the wicked, emphasizing that their triumph is brief and their end is despair. While Zophar correctly describes the horrors of sin, his application to Job's suffering is corrected to prevent false assumptions about personal guilt. Ultimately, the sermon directs listeners to Jesus Christ as the only refuge from God's wrath, who bore the judgment deserved by sinners.

Luke tells us of three hearings that Jesus has before secular judges: first before Pilate where he is declared not guilty; a hearing before Herod, who also finds no guilt; and a final hearing before Pilate where twice more Pilate declares him not guilty before sentencing him to death and releasing a murdering insurrectionist. How did this trial go so wrong? As we consider Jesus trial, we also consider the meaning of Jesus' atoning death? Is the atonement directed towards man as the 'Moral Influence Theory' teaches -- Jesus giving man the ultimate example of love to correct their selfish behaviour? Or is this the 'Ransom to Satan' or 'Christus Victor' as its so often called in our era -- the atonement is directed towards Satan, ransoming humans from his evil power? Or is the atonement directed to God the Father as the 'Penal Substitutionary Theory' teaches, satisfying justice by a willing substitute so that the sinners debt can be erased.

Paul was forced to address numerous problems within the congregation in Corinth. One of those had to do with the Lord's Table. It is one of two "ordinances" (11:2). The other being "baptism" he named in the first chapter. The heart of the observance is "the body and the blood of the Lord" (11:27). The elements of bread and wine are typical and convey no blessing. Guilt comes by the improper doctrine of both.

Paul uses a compare-and-contrast format here in this passage: Adam and death on the one hand, and Jesus and righteousness on the other. When Adam sinned, death entered the world and guilt was imputed to each of us. But the perfect work of Jesus is greater, and He has given us the free gift of justification! All we have to do is receive this gift; we can never earn Christ's favor by our own works. We are either still under the dominion of sin and death, or we have been brought into Christ's Kingdom of life and grace! Which kingdom are you in? Who is your ruler? Which dominion are you under? The kingdom of Adam and condemnation? Or is Christ your King – reigning over you and freely giving you righteousness, joy, and peace that the world can never take away from you?

This sermon addresses the sanctity of human life from conception, arguing that abortion constitutes the unjustified taking of innocent life made in God's image. The preacher emphasizes that God actively forms and knows each individual in the womb, citing Scripture to refute the notion that a fetus is merely a cluster of cells. While condemning the practice as murder and highlighting its prevalence, the message also extends profound pastoral care to those burdened by guilt or facing tragic pregnancy complications. Through personal testimony and biblical exposition, the sermon encourages trust in God's sovereignty and offers assurance of forgiveness through Christ for all sins, including abortion.