Spirits on SermonAudio

When a believer is caught in a trespass, the church has a biblical responsibility to restore that fallen brother in a spirit of gentleness. This requires genuine Christian accountability and discipleship relationships grounded in sound, reformed theology. Pastor Richard Caldwell provides expository preaching on Galatians 6, explaining how to bear burdens biblically without falling into the trap of legalism. True spirituality fulfills the law of Christ through humble love, helping believers overcome sin issues while recognizing that each person must also rely on the Lord's sufficient grace to carry their own load.

This study explores one of the most sobering and psychologically intense scenes in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress: the character of the Man in the Iron Cage. By taking a deeply casuistic and pastoral approach, we examine the critical distinction between objective judicial hardening (true apostasy) and subjective spiritual desertion—the tragic state in which an anxious, tender conscience falsely fears it has committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Drawing upon a rich array of historic Reformed and Puritan theology—including the classic diagnostic criteria of William Gouge, William Guthrie, and William Gurnall, the exegetical insights of John Brown of Edinburgh, Thomas Chalmers' analysis of spiritual light and moral insensibility, Archibald Alexander's dual diagnosis of physical melancholy versus spiritual trial, and John Bunyan's own autobiographical struggle in Grace Abounding—this session provides a compassionate, biblically grounded framework designed to help troubled souls dismantle the false iron cages constructed in their minds and anchor their hope solely in the external sufficiency of Jesus Christ.

Truth is increasingly being redefined around personal identity, experience, and cultural approval. Christians therefore face growing pressure to remain silent, adjust their convictions, or compromise the teaching of Scripture. In this episode, Dave Jenkins explains why Christians are called to stand firm in the truth of God's Word even when the culture rejects it. He examines the cost of following Christ, the subtle pressure to conform, the relationship between biblical conviction and Christian courage, and the endurance believers need for lifelong faithfulness. Christians do not stand in their own strength. God sustains His people through His Word, His Spirit, His grace, and the fellowship of the local church. By fixing their eyes on Jesus, believers can remain steady because Christ is faithful and worth more than anything the world can take away. For more from Contending for the Word, please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/contending-for-the-word-podcast/

Throughout this sermon, Spurgeon complains that he is falling short of the subject which he has taken. I think other preachers, reading and responding to what he says, might long for such a failure as this! The text itself is a casket of pearls, and Spurgeon, after giving us a survey of them, urges us to ponder them more carefully for ourselves: "Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all my heart and with all my soul." Having considered some of what that means, perhaps the high point of the sermon then comes as Spurgeon considers the fact that this whole-hearted, whole-souled demonstration of practical love comes from the triune God, and is manifest in all the dealings of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those paragraphs are worth soaking in! Finally, he offers consolation and exhortation to the people of God, as we consider God's heart toward us and examine our own hearts toward him. The whole closes with a heartfelt plea from the preacher for those who do not yet know God's love in this way to come to him and receive all that is held out. I would urge you to read the whole sermon. I am persuaded it will do much good to our souls.

This episode introduces Chapter Two of the Westminster Confession of Faith, focusing on theology proper and the nature of God. The speaker emphasizes that there is only one living and true God who is infinite in being and perfection, distinct from idols or created beings. Key attributes such as purity, invisibility, and impassibility are explored to highlight God's transcendence over finite human understanding. This episode warns against reducing God to measurable concepts and encourages a deep, reverent study of His incomprehensible nature. Ultimately, the goal is to deepen the believer's awe and relationship with the infinite Creator.

In this episode of From NAR to Christ, Dawn Hill responds to a teaching that claims the Bible is the problem and that Christians must hear God beyond the written Scriptures. Dawn explains that Scripture is not opposed to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit authored the Word, testifies of Christ, illuminates Scripture, and never contradicts what God has already revealed. This episode addresses the danger of extra-biblical revelation, the misuse of Matthew 4:4, claims of modern apostolic authority, and why Christians must rest in the sufficiency of God's Word. This episode encourages believers to test every teaching, every claimed revelation, and every spiritual experience by Scripture. For more from Dawn Hill, please visit: https://servantsofgrace.org/dawn-hill/

The sermon encourages believers to persist in prayer despite unanswered questions or delayed responses, emphasizing that trust in God supersedes the need for understanding. It highlights practical disciplines such as maintaining a state of continuous prayer, utilizing structured methods like ACTS, and establishing prayer partnerships to sustain spiritual vitality. The speaker illustrates the efficacy of fervent intercession through personal anecdotes and biblical examples, noting that God hears and answers prayers even when they seem forgotten or unfulfilled in the short term. Key themes include the boldness to approach God's throne, the role of the Holy Spirit in aiding weak prayers, and the command to pray without ceasing as modeled by Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the message asserts that prayer is a vital weapon for the faithful, connecting them to God's power and will.

It is the frequent and mournful condition of many a precious soul, under the dark clouds of spiritual desertion or the heavy affliction of bodily melancholy, to apprehend themselves entirely swallowed up in total despair; yet it remains the unalterable covenant-grace of God that His children are never left without such a secret presence and support of His Holy Spirit as keeps them from final shipwreck. Though the felt sense of assurance may be utterly withdrawn, and the believer, like a bruised reed, can discern nothing in themselves but smoke and darkness, the root of faith abides invisibly preserved beneath the soil. As the chief casuists of the church—from Goodwin and Owen to Sibbes and Ridgley—have tenderly demonstrated, the Spirit's supporting hand in the dark is rarely measured by sensible comfort, but by that holy, secret tenacity which causes the downcast soul, even in its deepest agonies, to cry out from the depths and cast itself upon the bare mercy of Christ. To mistakingly judge the absence of light as the absence of life is to misapprehend the subtle workings of grace; for where there remains even a groaning desire after God, a unwillingness to depart from Him, and a casting of the soul upon His bare promise, there Christ is secretly sustaining the smoking flax, guaranteeing that while a saint may walk in deep darkness, they shall never sink into utter ruin.

This sermon emphasizes the imperative for preachers to focus exclusively on Jesus Christ rather than human achievements or moral duties. It highlights the Holy Spirit's role as the divine revealer who guides believers into the truth of Christ and regenerates souls through faith. The speaker contrasts modern preaching trends with the apostolic model found in Scripture, where the gospel is defined by the person and work of Christ. Key passages illustrate that true ministry glorifies Jesus by proclaiming His death, resurrection, and intercession without relying on worldly methods or self-promotion. Ultimately, the message calls for a return to centering all teaching on the sufficiency and supremacy of Christ for salvation.

~~~~~~~ No 25 in the series - The Epistles of Peter. ~~~~~~~ **Considering 2 Peter 1:10-11** Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. *1/ Give diligence - our attitude. 2/ What is calling? How can we make it sure? 3/ The marks of a true call. 4/ The wonderful prospect set before those truly called.* **Sermon summary:** The sermon exhorts believers to diligently examine their lives to confirm the reality of their divine calling and election, drawing primarily on 2 Peter 1:10-11. It contrasts general religious zeal with true spiritual regeneration, using Romans 8 and 10 to illustrate that authentic faith produces specific fruits such as the indwelling Holy Spirit, confession of Christ, and obedience. The preacher emphasizes that assurance comes not from perfect performance but from observing God's work in transforming a sinner's heart and desires. By recognizing these marks of grace, believers can find comfort and confidence in their salvation, knowing it rests solely on God's sovereign choice rather than human merit. Ultimately, this examination leads to the hopeful prospect of an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom.