Alan is a best selling author of The Pilgrim's Progress: A Readable Modern-Day Version of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. He has also written a companion study guide. His books can be found at https://brownchairbooks.com/ #PilgrimsProgress #AlanVermilye #JohnBunyan #ChristianClassics

The sermon centres on the call to 'keep thy heart with all diligence,' presenting the heart as both precious ground and a spiritual battleground. Rooted in Proverbs 4:23, it emphasizes the heart's eternal significance, its role as the source of life and moral living, and its need for divine renewal through Christ. The preacher underlines that the heart, though naturally deceitful and prone to wander, is the battleground where the Christian must wage constant warfare against internal and external enemies: particularly the devil's schemes and the world's allurements. Through vivid imagery drawn from John Bunyan's Holy War and practical exhortations, the message calls for vigilant self-examination, guarding the senses (ear, eye, mouth, feet), and deliberate obedience to Scripture. Ultimately, the encouragement is grounded in God's promise to sustain His people, inviting believers to guard their hearts with unwavering diligence, knowing that their eternal destiny depends on it. 1. Precious ground 2. Battle ground

Pastor Paul Chapman gives a powerful message from Proverbs 20:6-7 that challenges us to examine the true inheritance of integrity we're leaving behind. While most people proclaim their own goodness through carefully curated social media profiles and polished public images, the Scripture asks a piercing question: where are the truly faithful people? The answer lies in verse 7 — the just man who walks in integrity, whose children are blessed after him. We discover that integrity isn't perfection, but wholeness — a life with no separate compartments, no hidden digital life that contradicts our real one, no secrets that give the enemy leverage over us. The Hebrew construction reveals something profound: it's not righteousness that produces walking, but walking that produces righteousness. Day after day, week after week, our consistent choices to follow God create the character that outlasts our lifetime. Through inspiring examples like John Bunyan, who spent 12 years in prison rather than stop preaching Jesus, and Adoniram Judson, who labored six years in Burma before seeing a single convert, we see that integrity means doing right when it's hard, when it costs us something, when no one else understands. This message calls us to build something that matters—not wealth or fame, but a legacy of faithfulness that will bless generations we'll never meet.

Elder John James works carefully through 1 John, John 6, John 10, and Romans 8, showing that the believer's confidence rests not on shifting emotions or personal performance, but on the finished work of Christ, the witness of the Spirit, and the keeping power of God. Along the way, he draws on Spurgeon, Calvin, Luther, and the 1689 Confession, and closes with the last words of dying saints like Bunyan and Brainerd, words that breathe peace and certainty. If your heart has ever wavered, this message will steady it.

Another comforting gem on the wisdom and love of God in afflicting His children.

We highly suggest that you READ the TEXT at the link below, as you listen to the audio above. https://gracegems.org/2026/ Feel free to FORWARD this gem to others!

We highly suggest that you READ the TEXT at the link below, as you listen to the audio above. https://gracegems.org/2026/adoption1.htm Feel free to FORWARD this gem to others!