Temptation on SermonAudio

The sermon exhorts believers to embrace the cost of discipleship by denying themselves and taking up their cross, contrasting the temporary comforts of the world with eternal rewards. It highlights the critical importance of daily Bible engagement for spiritual health, citing statistics on biblical illiteracy and promoting audio Bibles to reach those who cannot read. Through harrowing accounts of missionaries martyred in Peru, the message illustrates that true faith often involves suffering and sacrifice rather than ease or prestige. The preacher warns against the temptation to seek a pain-free Christian life, noting that even Peter was rebuked for desiring glory without suffering. The true story of a kidnapped missionary, Kevin Rideout, in Niger was relayed. Ultimately, the transcript calls listeners to repentance and belief in Jesus Christ as the only path to eternal life, urging them to live out their faith with urgency and devotion.

Big Questions Our Lives Depend On: Genesis 29:31-30:2 Pastor Richard Holdeman Resist the temptation to act or think as if you are God. Rather, rejoice that Jesus is God and that He rules over all things for your sake.

Salvation is not earned or kept by our works, but is the gift of God through Jesus Christ by grace, through faith. We learn from Ephesians 2, Galatians, and James that true faith does not remain dead, hidden, or merely verbal, but becomes living, visible, tried, and fruitful after salvation. We are shown that works of faith are not done to gain salvation, but because God has made us alive in Christ and given us the faith of the Son of God. The sermon calls us to stop trusting in our own strength, hate the trap of sin, resist temptation through Christ's faith and power, and let our lives show real faith by obedience, growth, and victory over the flesh.

ALL BLOOM AND NO FRUIT. [WHEN THE BLOSSOMS LOOK GOOD BUT THE BRANCHES ARE EMPTY] John 15:1–8 KJV A plant can be covered with beautiful blossoms and still never produce any fruit. Jesus warns us that the same thing can happen spiritually. A person can look religious, attend church, know the right words, and make a good outward appearance—yet still have little evidence of a life abiding in Christ. In John 15, Jesus declares that He is the Vine and we are the branches. Real spiritual fruit does not come from religion, appearance, or human effort. It comes from remaining connected to Jesus Christ. This message challenges us to look beyond the bloom and examine the fruit. Is there love, joy, peace, obedience, forgiveness, and a desire to live for Christ? The blossom may look good for a season, but the fruit reveals whether there is life in the branch. Don't just bloom—abide in Christ and bear fruit.

The sermon explores the transformation of the Gerasene demoniac to illustrate the Christian experience of being found broken and naked by Christ. It emphasizes that salvation involves being clothed in righteousness and restored to a sound mind, freeing believers from spiritual bondage. The preacher shares personal struggles with temptation and failure to highlight the necessity of surrendering control to God rather than fleeing into the world. Additionally, the message encourages believers not to fear divine or human correction, viewing it as an essential act of love that prunes away hindrances to spiritual fruitfulness. Ultimately, the central theme is reliance on God's mercy for ongoing deliverance and growth in holiness.

Practical Cases of Conscience #2 There must be a permanency in our choice of Christ against temptations unto sin, as well as against the charges from sin. Truly, the former—of abiding with Christ against the charges from sin—is our daily work: it is sometimes more high and pressing, but it is our daily work. But there are also temptations unto sin,—it may be to the neglect of our duty, or to a compliance in any evil way (which we are subject unto while in the body); and perhaps great sins. Here Joseph's reply, applied to Christ, is that which doth argue our choice of Christ to be sincere,—"How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" When the soul can draw a prevailing argument from that, "How shall I do this, and relinquish my Lord Christ?"—"I will not do this against him whom I have chosen,"—this is a good argument, if frequently reiterated, that our choice of Christ is sincere.

Several Practical Cases of Conscience - #10 What shall a person do who finds himself under the power of a prevailing corruption, sin, or temptation? Answer. I shall premise only this one thing, and then inquire whether it belongs to us or no:-- This prevalency hath many degrees. It may be a prevalency to outward scandal, or to the utter loss of inward peace, or to the disquieting and divesting of us of that tranquillity of mind usually which Christ calleth us unto. Now, pray consider that I speak to it equally and in every degree. And perhaps there may be none of us but, at one time or other, after inquiry, will have had experience in one degree or other, either to disquietment, loss of peace, or scandal. What shall such a person then do, who finds it so with him? I answer, -- First. He should labour to affect his mind with the danger of it. It is not conceivable how subtle sin is to shift off an apprehension of the danger of it.