Who are you following? In this life, we all follow someone. Influencers. Celebrities. Friends. Politicians. Ideologies. Ourselves. But have you considered this: who you follow in this brief life has eternal consequences. This sermon confronts a sobering reality from Scripture: a famous following, a faithful following, and a failed following. Some followed Christ in truth. Others walked beside Him yet remained lost. Jesus does not merely ask for admiration, interest, or occasional attention. He calls sinners to repent, trust Him, and follow Him completely. There is forgiveness for every sin in Christ today. But the warning is real: if you refuse to follow Jesus now, one day it will be too late. Not today. Not now. "Seek the Lord while He may be found." Ask. Seek. Repent. Follow Jesus Christ — in this life and forevermore.

Question 17 asks why our Mediator must also be true God. The answer: only by the power of His Godhead could He bear God's wrath in His human nature and restore to us righteousness and life. The catechism has carefully shown that God's justice must be satisfied, that we cannot satisfy it ourselves, and that no mere creature can redeem us. The Mediator must therefore be both a true and righteous man and also true God. God's omnipotence is essential because only divine power could endure the infinite burden of God's wrath against sin. Scripture reveals God's power in creation, providence, sovereign rule, and miracles. Mere humanity could never sustain divine judgment or complete the work of atonement. The Redeemer must also possess the other attributes of God. He must be perfectly holy, for a sinful man could not endure suffering without falling into bitterness or sin. He must be eternal and infinite because sin is committed against the infinite God and therefore deserves eternal punishment. Only an infinite Redeemer could offer a sacrifice of infinite value. The Mediator must also be true God because of divine love. Christ willingly gave Himself for His people out of love for the Father and for those given to Him. No mere creature could willingly endure such suffering apart from the perfect love of God. Finally, only God could reveal and accomplish redemption: establishing the New Covenant, conquering death, giving the Spirit, preserving His people, and restoring sinners to righteousness and life. In Adam we lost righteousness and fellowship with God, but in Christ we receive even more: forgiveness, His righteousness, eternal life, and restored communion with God.

The sermon centers on the profound truth that believers are loosed from their sins through God's sovereign mercy, mighty power, and the meritorious work of Christ, as revealed in Scripture from Psalm 32 to Revelation 1. It emphasizes that forgiveness is not merely the overlooking of sin but a divine act of carrying sins away, blotting them out, and remembering them no more—achieved through Christ's substitutionary sacrifice, which satisfies divine justice and imputes His righteousness to the sinner. The message underscores that salvation is entirely by grace, not earned by repentance or faith, though these are necessary responses to the gospel, which calls all to repent and believe. The Lord's Table becomes a sacred celebration of this complete liberation, where the believer rejoices in being cleansed by Christ's blood and declared righteous through faith. Ultimately, the sermon affirms that the forgiveness of sins is a powerful, gracious, and eternal reality rooted in Christ's atoning death and the Father's eternal purpose to glorify His own name.

Take Comfort! (Isaiah 40:1–2) The sermon centers on the transformative message of divine comfort found in Isaiah 40:1–2, marking a profound shift from judgment to grace in God's dealings with His people. It emphasizes that God's comfort is not mere sentiment but a theological reality rooted in His established relationship with His people, revealed through covenantal love, marital imagery, and unbreakable promises. This comfort is grounded in the completion of spiritual warfare, the establishment of peace through Christ's reconciling work, and the full pardon of iniquity achieved through the sacrificial atonement of the suffering servant. The preacher underscores that God's comfort is both personal and universal—available to all who turn to Christ, whether in deep distress or burdened by guilt—because God has fully paid the price for sin and desires intimate, unashamed fellowship with His redeemed. Ultimately, the message calls listeners to receive this divine comfort, to rest in God's forgiveness, and to live in the assurance of His enduring presence.

The Sixth Commandment, 'You shall not murder,' is not merely a prohibition against intentional killing but a profound declaration of the sanctity of human life, rooted in the fact that every person is made in the image of God. Far from being limited to physical homicide, this command extends to the prevention of suicide, abortion, and euthanasia, all of which are seen as violations of God's sovereignty over life. The sermon emphasizes that the command also encompasses broader cultural and personal implications, including reckless behavior that results in death, and calls the church to uphold the dignity of all human life—especially the vulnerable, the unborn, the elderly, and the disabled—while rejecting the cultural devaluation of life. Though the law exposes deep guilt and the seriousness of sin, it ultimately points to the gospel: God, in His holiness and compassion, offers complete forgiveness and cleansing to all who repent and turn to Christ, affirming that no sin is beyond His grace. The Sixth Commandment, 'You shall not murder,' is not merely a prohibition against intentional killing but a profound declaration of the sacred value of human life, created in God's image, which demands reverence and protection in all its forms. Far from being limited to physical homicide, this command extends to the cultural realms of suicide, abortion, and euthanasia, all of which are condemned as violations of the sanctity of life, grounded in Scripture and consistent with God's design.

The sermon centers on the transformative nature of true knowledge of God, contrasting a mere superficial, intellectual awareness of God—whether among Gentile converts from paganism or Jewish believers from the Old Testament era, both of whom served false gods. It emphasizes that genuine faith is not merely doctrinal assent but a life marked by trust, love, and obedience, rooted in God's prior, sovereign, and intimate knowledge of His people. The preacher warns against reverting to legalistic observances of Old Testament rituals, which are mere shadows now fulfilled in Christ, as such a return denies the gospel's completion and risks nullifying the grace of salvation. With pastoral urgency, the message calls believers to examine their hearts: is their desire to know God growing daily through Scripture, prayer, and communion, or are they content with a mere factual knowledge that fails to produce love, joy, and obedience? Ultimately, the goal of salvation is not merely forgiveness or sanctification, but the eternal joy of knowing and enjoying God and being known by God, which should be the deepest longing of every believer.

"Repent." This is a command that many, even those outside of the church, are familiar with. But what actually is repentance? In this sermon on Isaiah 1:10 titled "Repentance and Salvation," Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on what it means to repent and why every single person ever born is in need of repenting. People who trust in Christ for their salvation from sin do so because they see their need. The word "repent," he says, means literally to stop and think again. With the culture moving along from day to day at a blistering pace, it is imperative that all stop and think soberly about what they believe regarding eternity— they must repent. The second aspect of repentance when someone is coming to faith in Christ is a changing of the mind, realizing they have been wrong regarding their beliefs about Him, and put their complete dependence on Him for forgiveness from their sins. Third, repentance is ceasing to rely on one's own capacity and wisdom. Finally, repentance is utter submission to God and His word. Repentance is not when one cries over their sin; it's when they turn from it and change to follow the Lord instead.

The sermon centers on the transformative power of forgiveness through Christ's atoning sacrifice, drawing from Psalm 22 to illustrate how Jesus bore humanity's sin and abandonment on the cross, securing redemption for all who repent. It emphasizes five essential principles—Responsibility, Remorse, Reconciliation, Restoration, and Renewal—as a pathway from brokenness to spiritual wholeness, rooted in biblical truth and personal transformation. The preacher calls believers to confess sin, embrace godly sorrow, pursue reconciliation with God and others, experience restoration after backsliding, and allow the Holy Spirit to renew the mind and heart through faith in Christ. With a tone that is both urgent and hopeful, the message underscores the completeness of Christ's work, inviting all—especially the lost and weary—to come to Him for rest, forgiveness, and eternal hope, while urging the church to share this life-giving gospel with a world in need.

The sermon centers on the imperative for believers to actively 'put on the new man'—a deliberate, ongoing choice to live in alignment with Christ's finished work, rooted in Scripture and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Drawing from Colossians 2 and 3, it emphasizes that while believers are already complete in Christ and freed from condemnation, spiritual growth requires intentional effort: mortifying sinful desires, setting affections on heavenly things, and renewing the mind through biblical knowledge. The preacher warns against the deceptive influence of worldly philosophies and self-reliance, urging a return to disciplined obedience, humility, forgiveness, and love as evidence of genuine transformation. Ultimately, the message calls for a personal, daily decision to pursue holiness, reject spiritual complacency, and prioritize a Christ-centered life, trusting that God's grace enables the very transformation He commands.

Bible Reading: John 19:27-37 Christ's Sixth Cry from the Cross - "It is finished" 1. A Cry of Conquest. 2. A Cry of Comfort. 3. A Cry of Command. 4. A Cry of Victory, not Defeat. The sermon centers on Christ's final cry from the cross—'It is finished'—presenting it as a triumphant declaration of completed salvation, not defeat. Through the Greek word *telestai*, meaning a work fully accomplished, the preacher emphasizes that Christ's atonement is complete, rendering further human effort unnecessary, and offering forgiveness, reconciliation, and access to God's presence. The cry is portrayed as a victory over sin, Satan, and death, with the tearing of the temple veil symbolizing the end of separation between humanity and God. It is also a call to personal commitment: believers are invited not only to rest in Christ's finished work but to faithfully complete the divine mission entrusted to them, knowing that their labor, suffering, and sorrow will end in eternal glory. The tone is both pastoral and urgent, inviting listeners to abandon self-effort and embrace salvation through faith alone.