the serpent or the shepherd (Jesus) whose word will you believe? listen

The sermon warns that humanity is inherently depraved and deserving of eternal hell due to a nature corrupted by sin. It emphasizes that without Christ's atonement, individuals are under God's curse and subject to a strong delusion sent by God because they reject the truth. The preacher argues that good works cannot save anyone, as salvation is of the Lord, and you just seek him with humility and repentance. Believers are urged to recognize their total inability to save themselves and to plead with God for grace and power to overcome Satan's deception. Ultimately, the message calls for immediate submission to the will of God to escape the fate of "the cursed" and enter into eternal life.

The sermon defines the spiritual awakening of a sinner as the specific work of the Holy Spirit, which brings genuine conviction of sin and reveals the believer's total depravity. It contrasts this divine illumination with mere intellectual knowledge, emphasizing that only God can open a blinded heart to see its own wickedness and enmity toward Him. Using the conversion of Saul in Acts 9 as a primary example, this message illustrates how the Holy Spirit interrupts a self-righteous life to reveal the sinner's true condition before God. The preacher argues that an awakened individual inevitably agrees with God's judgment against themselves, trembling at the reality of their sin and deserved condemnation. Ultimately, this profound realization of personal guilt serves as the necessary precursor to receiving mercy and salvation through Christ.