Spirits on SermonAudio

In Part 2 of "Calling Out Carnality," Keith Voyles continues warning Christians—especially young people—about the danger of yielding to temptation and living according to the flesh. The message explains that carnality develops when a believer allows fleshly desires, worldly influences, and sinful temptations to control his decisions. Temptation often begins in the mind and grows when it is entertained, excused, or hidden rather than immediately resisted. Keith challenges young Christians not to assume they are strong enough to remain close to sin without falling. The believer must recognize personal weaknesses, guard what enters the heart and mind, separate from influences that encourage sin, and flee temptation rather than attempting to manage it. The sermon emphasizes that victory cannot be achieved through willpower alone. Christians must depend upon the Lord, submit themselves to God, fill their minds with Scripture, and walk in the Spirit. A carnal life brings spiritual weakness and damages a believer's testimony, while obedience produces spiritual growth and usefulness to God. Primary themes: temptation, resisting the flesh, spiritual watchfulness, separation from sinful influences, and dependence upon God. Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 10:12–13; James 1:14–16; Galatians 5:16; 2 Timothy 2:22. "Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace…" — 2 Timothy 2:22, KJV

In this message, Keith Voyles preaches about the temptations that Christians commonly fall into and the danger of allowing the flesh to gain control. The sermon explains that temptation itself is not sin, but yielding to it leads a person into sin. Temptation often appeals to a believer's own desires, weaknesses, and appetites. What begins as a thought, attraction, or seemingly small compromise can grow into sinful action when it is entertained instead of resisted. Keith warns Christians not to become overconfident in their own strength. A believer who thinks he cannot fall is already in danger. The message calls God's people to recognize their weak areas, remain watchful, pray, avoid situations that feed temptation, and depend upon the Lord rather than the flesh. The sermon also emphasizes that God provides a way of escape in temptation. Victory comes through submission to God, obedience to Scripture, and walking in the Spirit. Christians must call temptation and sin what God calls them and refuse to excuse carnal behavior. Primary texts: James 1:13–16 and 1 Corinthians 10:12–13. "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." — James 1:14, KJV "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." — 1 Corinthians 10:12, KJV

In Part 3 of "Calling Out Carnality," Keith Voyles continues examining how the flesh influences a Christian's thinking, decisions, attitudes, and conduct. The message warns that carnality is not limited to outward or scandalous sins. It begins when believers follow their own desires, reasoning, emotions, and appetites instead of submitting themselves to the Word of God and the leadership of the Holy Spirit. When the flesh is continually fed, spiritual discernment weakens, temptation becomes harder to resist, and sinful behavior begins to appear normal or excusable. Keith challenges Christians to identify the areas where the flesh has gained influence, quit defending disobedience, and deliberately walk in the Spirit. Spiritual victory requires honest self-examination, repentance, prayer, separation from influences that strengthen temptation, and obedience to Scripture. "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh." — Galatians 5:16, KJV Key texts: 1 Corinthians 3:1–3; Romans 8:5–8; Galatians 5:16–17. Strong's: "Carnal" in 1 Corinthians 3:3 is G4559, sarkikos, meaning fleshly—governed by human nature rather than by the Spirit. First mention: The first KJV use of "carnal" is Romans 7:14: "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin."

How can an infant—devoid of cognitive reasoning, language, or the ability to process the preached Gospel—be born again? Across centuries of church history, Puritans, Particular Baptists, and Reformed giants like Charles Spurgeon, John Gill, Charles Hodge, and B.B. Warfield wrestled with this profound theological enigma. Rejecting both the error of baptismal regeneration by infant baptism, and the myth of natural innocence, these theologians pointed to something far more awe-inspiring: a sovereign, unmediated work of the Holy Spirit who transforms the soul beyond the reach of human intellect. Join us in this episode as we journey through the 1689 London Baptist Confession, historical debates, and the mechanics of divine grace to discover how God secretly regenerates the most vulnerable among us, proving that salvation is, from first to last, entirely of the Lord.

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The sermon emphasizes the essential partnership between the Word of God and personal spiritual testimony, arguing that true faith requires both scriptural truth and lived experience. Drawing from Isaiah 8, the preacher explains how fearing God leads to finding safety in His sanctuary rather than fleeing from it. The message critiques reliance on external sources or emotionalism alone, insisting that authentic spirituality is grounded in humility and submission to divine authority. It contrasts the deceptive promises of worldly spirits with the reliable power of the Holy Ghost who validates the Word through personal transformation. Ultimately, believers are urged to seek a genuine testimony born from walking in the law, allowing God's love and justice to reshape their lives.

In John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, Christian's burden is a vivid theological analogy representing the conscious, crushing weight of guilt and terror of divine judgment that presses upon an awakened sinner when enlightened by God's Law. To the Puritans, this burden is not sin in the abstract, but the painful realization of one's own total depravity, heart-sins, and complete inability to satisfy God's unyielding justice through moral reform or religious duties. Driven by this "law work," the sinner is systematically stripped of self-righteousness, legalism, and mercenary self-trust—such as Christian's terrifying detour under Mount Sinai—until they are emptied of self-sufficiency. Though Christian is truly regenerated and justified upon entering the Wicket Gate, his burden remains until he arrives at the Cross, illustrating the historic Reformed principle (reflected in WLC Q.81 and Owen's exposition of Psalm 130) that a soul may be in a state of grace for some time before the Holy Spirit grants the conscious, liberating sense of pardon and full assurance.

If we are to be Spirit filled, then we ought to produce the fruit of submitting to one another for the glory of Christ.

This sermon concludes the book of Revelation by highlighting the final blessing, invitation, warning, and promise found in chapter 22. The preacher emphasizes that Jesus removes the curse of sin through His sacrifice, offering righteousness and peace to those who believe by grace rather than works of the law. The Holy Spirit and the Church issue a universal call for all to come to Christ freely, underscoring the urgency of responding to this invitation while there is still time. The message warns against altering Scripture and assures believers of Christ's imminent return, urging them to live in eager anticipation and share the gospel with others. Ultimately, the sermon calls listeners to accept salvation through faith in Jesus alone before it is too late.