Responsibility on SermonAudio

This sermon is part of an ongoing verse by verse study through the epistle of I John. The subject of this sermon is the believing, justified sinner's responsibility to "try the Spirits", a command given by John to Christ's church by inspiration of God the Holy Spirit.

Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ: The Canons of Dort (1618-1619) is not equal to the Bible, but it is a faithful summary of 5 major doctrines in the Bible. Those doctrines were under attack following the Reformation and the church needed to clarify what the Bible actually taught. Those 5 doctrines were: Unconditional Election, Limited (Definite) Atonement, Total Depravity (Inability), Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance (Preservation) of the saints. You can remember them by the acronym ULTIP, though TULIP is more common. Those 5 false doctrines which were corrected have been having a revival, so we must address them, just as they were addressed 400 years ago. We started looking at the doctrine of Unconditional Election. You saw God did not have to elect anyone, but based on God's love, he chose to elect some to eternal life, and you saw that God works election through preaching. Today we will pick up with how man responds when he hears that Word of God preached and why he responds that way. Our headings are: 1. Responses to the Gospel 2. Reasons some reject the Gospel Our goals are: That you will praise God who gave you faith and his Holy Spirit so you responded and received salvation through Jesus, and you will promote preaching so the elect can hear and believe.

The sermon exhorts believers to live in a manner consistent with their new identity in Christ, drawing primarily from Ephesians 4:17-24. It contrasts the futile, darkened life of the unregenerate with the purposeful, holy existence of those made new through union with Jesus. The preacher emphasizes that salvation by grace alone is not a license for licentiousness but a call to daily put off the old self and put on Christ-likeness. By grounding ethical imperatives in the believer's positional truth of being raised and seated with Christ, the message encourages a life marked by repentance and spiritual growth. Ultimately, it asserts that Christians must abandon former worldly patterns and actively pursue righteousness as a response to God's redeeming work.

The sermon outlines a comprehensive framework for how believers should engage with Scripture, structured around three key areas: attitude, interaction, and response. It urges Christians to cultivate a heart of gratitude, love, and high esteem for the Bible, viewing it as more valuable than earthly treasures. Believers are called to actively read, meditate on, study, obey, and trust God's Word as the essential nourishment for spiritual growth and daily living. Furthermore, the message emphasizes the communal responsibility to share, speak, preach, teach, defend, and fight with the truth of Scripture in a fallen world. Ultimately, the text asserts that one's relationship with God is linked to their reverence for and obedience to His written Word.

In this sermon from John 4:1-15, Pastor Rockhill opens the account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, showing that this was no chance encounter but a divine appointment kept by the eternal Son of God. Pastor Rockhill sets the scene against the deep, centuries-old animosity between Jews and Samaritans, underscoring that Jesus deliberately went through Samaria to seek out one despised and outcast woman. His central burden is that the gospel is to be freely offered to everyone, of every nation and station, just as Christ regarded neither the learned Pharisee Nicodemus nor this sinful woman as beyond His grace. Pastor Rockhill draws out the true humanity of Christ, weary and thirsty at the well, even as He remains fully God, so that He might identify with sinners as their perfect Mediator. He then unfolds the meaning of the living water Jesus offers: not the temporary relief of Jacob's broken cistern, but the Holy Spirit, springing up to everlasting life and satisfying the deepest thirst of the soul. With patient persistence, Christ pursues the woman despite her rude, earthly, and stubborn responses, modeling the compassion believers must show as they witness to the lost. Yet she remains fixed on physical water, blind to her spiritual need. Pastor Rockhill applies this searchingly, warning against a surface-level faith that wants forgiveness without repentance or Christ without transformation. He tenderly invites every hearer to come to Jesus and ask, "Sir, give me this living water," that they might be washed, renewed, and made new to the glory of God alone.

To be involved in Christ's glorious cause of truth and righteousness is a great privilege which has been given to all His people. To overcome the spiritual forces of darkness that hinder the advance of His kingdom, we must pray. We know that together with the exercise of the graces of faith, hope, and love, which we have been given by Christ Himself, that prayer is our greatest spiritual responsibility. We know this because of the comprehensive language of the verse 18; the "alls" of the text. 1st – The words "praying always". 2nd – The words "with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit". 3rd – The words "being watchful with all perseverance". And 4th – The words "for all the saints". Let me open them up for you one at a time.

Paul wants to make certain that the readers do not misunderstand. Just because God will give us freely all things and that all things come from His hand, does not mean that everything will be easy. When we suffer persecution or tribulation, it is being directed by God for our good even though the people doing it mean it for evil. It is still good for the people of God. He wrote that for the name of God, we are like sheep being slaughtered. There is a good purpose for it, but there is no promise that it will be pleasant. The sheep are for the sake of the owner of the sheep. In this case, for the glory of God to be seen and often God's work is most evidence in the response to difficult things. We need to be persuaded that nothing can separate us from God. That everything, things that we like and things that we don't like, are from the hand of God.

Bible Reading: Acts 24:10-27 1. The preaching that distressed him 2. The pleasures that failed him 3. the presumption that damned him The sermon warns against the peril of spiritual conviction without genuine conversion, using the biblical figure Felix as a primary example. It explains that while the Holy Spirit can disturb the conscience through preaching on righteousness, self-control, and future judgment, this emotional response does not equate to salvation. The preacher highlights how sin, greed, and social pressure detained Felix from accepting Christ, illustrating that partial obedience is insufficient before God. Furthermore, the message emphasizes the danger of procrastination, asserting that delaying repentance hardens the heart and risks missing the opportunity for grace entirely. Ultimately, the audience is urged to respond immediately to the gospel rather than settling for a state of being 'almost saved.'

Revival involves a heart to do right and hearing the Word. Revival involves a humble and honest response to the Word. Revival involves a continually renewed commitment to right.