Heart on SermonAudio

Landis OPC Morning Service 10/25/26 Pastor Johnny Serafini Sermon text: Romans 5:5,8 Sermon Outline: 1. Hope of Heaven 2. Love from Heaven

John 13:21, 33, 38 21 "When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me." 33 "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you." 38 "Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice." This sermon examines three specific prophecies made by Jesus in the Upper Room, focusing on the imminent betrayal by Judas, His own departure from the world, and Peter's denial. The message highlights the veracity of Christ's knowledge, contrasting the disciples' inability to discern Judas's deception with Jesus's perfect insight into the heart. It further explores the solemnity of a soul abandoned to Satan and the comfort found in the promise that believers will ultimately follow Christ to heaven. The sermon concludes by emphasising the new commandment to love one another as the mark of discipleship and the necessity of relying on God's grace rather than human confidence to remain faithful during trials.

John 7:1-24 shows why people who knew the Scriptures well still rejected Jesus. His brothers urged him to show his works at the Feast of Booths and win the world's notice, because they did not believe in him. The crowd muttered about him but feared the leaders, and the leaders asked where he had studied instead of whether he spoke the truth. Each group sought its own glory. Jesus sought the Father's glory, and he says that anyone whose will is to do God's will recognizes his teaching as from God. Knowledge alone leaves a heart unchanged, so the Holy Spirit must renew it. A renewed heart judges with right judgment, lets go of the praise of others, and finds joy in obeying the Father.

This sermon explores the criteria for being considered great in the eyes of God, using the life of Mary and John the Baptist as primary examples. The central message emphasizes that true greatness is not defined by worldly success or recognition but by a life of intentional obedience, holiness, and surrender to God's will. Key themes include the necessity of working without a precedent, maintaining a pure mind, and accepting the challenges and attacks that come with faithful service. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging believers to prioritize their relationship with Christ over daily distractions and to rely on the Holy Spirit's power for daily living. The speaker encourages the congregation to examine their hearts, ensure their salvation is secure, and commit to raising families and influencing others for the Kingdom of God.

In this Haggai 1 expository sermon, Pastor Richard Caldwell urges us to Consider Your Ways. Discover how to align your priorities with God. When God speaks His truth, it imparts an immediate responsibility to those who hear it. It is impossible to receive the Word of God irreverently and expect to experience His blessing. True spiritual correction must begin at the heart level before it results in outward obedience. The Lord assessed His people in Haggai's day and exposed their misguided priorities. They had focused on building their own houses while the house of the Lord lay in ruins. This covenant disobedience brought material leanness, demonstrating the loving reproof of a sovereign God. Turning back to the Lord requires humble self-evaluation and a proper heart posture. The ultimate motive for our obedience must never be mere material relief or personal gain. True repentance is driven by a deep desire to please the Lord and seek His glory above all else. Key Biblical Takeaways: - Truth received is a responsibility received, requiring an obedient and reverent response. - Spiritual correction demands humble, penitent self-evaluation at the heart level. - The true motive for biblical repentance is to please and glorify God, not personal relief. - God lovingly uses our circumstances as reproof to draw our hearts back to covenant faithfulness.

What does the Bible teach about worship music? In Ephesians 5:18–19, Paul shows how Spirit-filled believers are called to worship God through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Worship music is more than a melody or an emotional experience. Scripture gives us biblical principles for music that directs our hearts to praise, communicates sound doctrine, encourages spiritual maturity, and ministers to one another. This sermon examines six principles of biblical worship and challenges believers to prioritize music that engages the mind, honors Christ, and strengthens the church.

Do you hear Jesus' words of warning to protect your faith and heart, to guard the Gospel truth, when liars come to lure you in the midst of rising trouble and coming judgment? Though the Good Shepherd remains spiritually present, as He would physically depart, the wolves came and continue to come to distract, influence, try to take His place, and have your ear in order to steal your heart.

This sermon explores the relationship between Christian liberty and the command to flee from idolatry, using the example of Israel in the wilderness to illustrate the danger of taking spiritual freedom to an extreme. The central message emphasizes that true liberty is not the freedom to approach sin, but the freedom to run from it, grounded in the faithfulness of God who provides a way of escape from every temptation. The preacher defines idolatry broadly, including not only the worship of images but also the distortion of God's character, the worship of the true God in false ways, and the elevation of any created thing above God. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging believers to examine their hearts for hidden idols and to respond with immediate repentance and a habitual practice of fleeing from sin. The sermon concludes with an appeal to trust in Christ as the only refuge, contrasting the pride of those who inch closer to the edge of sin with the wisdom of those who turn away in the light of God's Word.

In "Jonah: Mad That It Worked," Charles Sebold continues the Sunday evening series through the Minor Prophets with the book of Jonah. Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah set the stage; Jonah asks what happens when God shows mercy to His people's own destroyer, and His prophet cannot bear it. Keeping a running scorecard, the lesson shows that everything in the book obeys God: the wind, the sea, the pagan sailors, the great fish, the repentant king of Nineveh, even the cattle in sackcloth, the plant, the worm, and the east wind. The lone holdout is God's own spokesman, who flees downhill to Joppa and Tarshish. From the belly of the fish Jonah's psalm confesses the truth at the heart of Reformed faith: "Salvation belongs to the Lord." A five-word warning is enough for Nineveh to repent, because God's Word is powerful, and God does not change His mind but graciously recognizes the repentance He Himself produced. Yet Jonah is furious, quoting the creed of Exodus 34 as a complaint: he fled because he knew God is gracious, merciful, and relents from disaster. God's closing question, whether He should not pity Nineveh, confronts every believer who quietly hopes certain enemies never reach heaven. Grace for ourselves can seem obvious and grace for our enemies outrageous, but no one's sin overwhelms God. The lesson closes with Christ, the One greater than Jonah, who slept through a storm, went down in obedience, rose after three days, and sends His people gladly to the nations, as Peter learned at Joppa when the gospel opened to the Gentiles.

1. The humility required for such joyful love 2. The hindrance resisting such joyful love 3. The heart reflected in such joyful love