Heart on SermonAudio

This sermon explores the distinction between being brought low by circumstances and willingly submitting to God's sovereign hand, urging believers to bow rather than merely be bent by life's trials. Drawing from 1 Peter 5:6, the message emphasises recognising God's active power in human affairs, which may chasten, restrain, or deliver, while maintaining that submission is not fatalism but a trustful reliance on His wisdom. The preacher addresses the internal struggle of pride, identifying it as a refusal of creaturehood and a demand for God to explain His purposes, contrasting this with the humble heart that accepts pain without ceasing to trust. By examining the character of God as a caring Father rather than an angry tyrant, the sermon reassures believers that their suffering is held within the context of redemption and grace. Finally, it points to the eschatological hope of exaltation in due time, illustrating that the path to glory runs downward through humility, as seen in the life of Christ, before rising to eternal glory.

As we have seen in Romans 9:1-5, the apostle Paul is broken-hearted about his people - his fellow Jews - who have not, in large measure, come to trust in Jesus as their Messiah. They were given tremendous advantages, including favored nation status, ancestors who saw and experienced the glory of God, His covenants, and His promises, and yet most of them rejected Jesus rather than embraced Him, because the salvation He offered did not meet their expectations. Paul explains that it is not that God's Word and promises to them have failed, but it is because salvation is always and only due to God's mercy and grace, not ethnic lineage or human desires, traits or behavior. He illustrates that principle in the family of Abraham, graciously blessing some but passing over others: Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau, concluding "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy" (Romans 9:16).

During my lifetime, I have heard about people who claimed to have been brought back to life. Sometimes, it was by the hands of a skilled surgeon. The person's heart stopped beating and the medical team worked to bring him back. But there are also others who claim to have miraculously brought another person back to life. These claims are usually made by people whom you would be wise to treat with skepticism. While God has raised people from the dead in the past, many of these modern claims leave you with more doubts than tangible evidence. With so much skepticism about modern claims, why should we believe that Jesus raised people from the dead? And why should we believe that Jesus Himself was raised from the dead after three days in the grave? Let us examine the evidence in John 20 and find out.

This passage is a lot more meaningful if you can have a better understanding of the word for "sure" and the word for "simple". Sure is used by Paul and Peter in the New Testament and compared to their experience with Christ. The word for simple is actually a word that means an open-gate or door. And the image here is compared to our mind that has an open gate with no filter to keep things out or keep things safe inside our mind. In other words, don't have an open mind without filters or guards to keep bad stuff out, if you don't you are simple minded and you will have no discernment to guide you through the vicissitudes of life. The Word of God will give you the wisdom needed for life.

How does the Lord address and expose our idolatry? Jeremiah 2:29–37 prepares us for the evening sermon on the coming Lord's Day. In these nine verses of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit teaches us that the Lord addresses and exposes our idolatry through affliction, His Word, tokens of His covenant love, and frustrating our idolatrous efforts.

"In the heart of fog-bound, 19th-century London, a neglected and starving young street urchin named Jessica wanders up to a morning coffee stall run by Daniel Standring—a hardened, self-interested man who secretly keeps the keys to a prosperous chapel. Drawn by a rare gesture of kindness and a warm cup of coffee, Jessica quietly follows Daniel into the grand, empty church, where for the very first time she hears the Gospel message and offers a simple, sincere prayer from her heart. What begins as a starving child's search for food transforms into a deeply moving story of redemption that utterly upends not only her own life, but also soft-hearted Daniel's, proving that the most earnest faith can shatter the hardest hypocrisies. I am thrilled to bring this forgotten masterpiece out of the archives and present my full audio narration of Hesba Stretton's Jessica's First Prayer."

On today's episode, Dr. Jim Townsley is visiting Bible Baptist Church in Bennington, VT, pastored by Michael Twardy, for a special weekend and Revival services. He has the opportunity to sit down with Bill Smith and his wife to talk about the layman's point of view of ministry and Bro. Smith's responsibilities in helping Pastor Twardy.

The sermon examines the complex relationship between the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, arguing that while the former provided essential intellectual and technological preparation, it ultimately fell short of the latter's spiritual depth. It highlights how Renaissance humanism, through the recovery of Greek and Hebrew texts and the invention of movable type, created the conditions for biblical scholarship and the spread of Reformation ideas. The discussion contrasts the Erasmian view that human ignorance is the primary problem, solvable through education, with the Lutheran conviction that human sin is the root issue, requiring justification by faith alone. By analyzing the works of Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, the presentation demonstrates that the Reformation succeeded where the Renaissance failed by addressing the doctrinal and spiritual needs of the church rather than merely its cultural or moral corruption. The sermon concludes by emphasizing that true revival requires a transformation of the heart through the Gospel, not just an elevation of human knowledge.

This sermon was first delivered on a Thursday evening in the March of the previous year, and then repurposed for reading on the first Lord's day of the year 1890. It is a delight to think that Spurgeon would preach something so sweet and substantial at an ordinary midweek service, and no surprise to find such a topic so well suited to the opening of a year. Here he develops the sermon with us, moving us on from point to point, thinking about the wonder of man blessing the God who blesses, the spirit in which we go about that happy work, the God whom we bless—that Jehovah who has made himself known to us in mercy—, and the self-awareness that we ought to exercise, as we address ourselves in the face of all discouragements within and without, to go on blessing the God of our salvation. Here is a preacher marked by simplicity of speech, plainness of address, and warmth of tone. Here we are stirred not just to think about what it means to bless the Lord, but to get involved with the business, and to get on with it, that the Lord shall not lack a witness to his majesty and mercy from us.

LORD, SET THIS CHURCH ON FIRE AGAIN! Luke 24:49; Acts 2:1–4; Acts 18:24–28; Proverbs 26:20 (KJV) What happens when a church has beautiful buildings, powerful technology, and countless activities—but has lost its spiritual passion? In this Friday Night Fire message, i want to calls believers to rediscover the power of the Holy Spirit, the necessity of personal holiness, and the urgency of sharing Jesus Christ with a lost world. Drawing from the Day of Pentecost, the example of Apollos, and biblical warnings against gossip and division, this message examines three vital needs: the fire that ignites the heart, the fire that purifies the life, and the fire that spreads through the church. With a special emphasis on prayer for the sick, encouragement for struggling families, and compassion for the lost, this sermon challenges every believer to move beyond religious routine into a life of genuine faith, obedience, and service. We don't need more religious activity without spiritual power. We need hearts surrendered to Jesus Christ!