Terrorism on SermonAudio

Christ's Certain and Sudden Appearance to Judgment, written by Puritan minister Thomas Vincent and published in 1667, stands as a solemn and urgent awakening call to an indifferent world. Composed in the direct aftermath of the devastating Great Plague of 1665 and the catastrophic Great Fire of London in 1666—calamities that Vincent personally witnessed and ministered through—the treatise uses the stark reality of earthly mortality to point readers toward the finality of eternity. Grounded in biblical passages on the Second Coming, Vincent vividly contrasts the unexpected, swift arrival of Christ with the unprepared state of the ungodly, contrasting their terror with the joy of the redeemed. Far from a mere exercise in apocalyptic dread, the work was crafted with deep pastoral concern, urging individuals to immediate self-examination, repentance, and saving faith in Jesus Christ before the day of grace draws to a permanent close.

In the sermon today, we learn that Treasured People Live With Hope. How is this possible in our world of Brokenness, Suffering and Death?

This sermon explores the transformative work of God in making believers new creatures, emphasizing that reconciliation with God is achieved solely through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ. The message highlights the believer's identity as an ambassador for Christ, entrusted with the ministry and message of reconciliation to a lost world. It outlines the motivation for this mission, rooted in the terror of the Lord and the urgency of the present day of salvation. The preacher calls for a tender yet urgent approach to evangelism, urging believers to see people as souls in need of grace and to proclaim the gospel with confidence, knowing that God has accomplished the work of salvation.

This sermon examines the confession of the Roman centurion and soldiers at the foot of the cross, highlighting the dramatic reversal from brutal executioners to terrified witnesses of Jesus' divine identity. The text explores how the supernatural phenomena accompanying Christ's death, such as the earthquake and the splitting of rocks, struck terror into the hearts of these hardened men, compelling them to declare, "Truly, this was the Son of God." This confession is presented as a fulfillment of Jesus' promise to draw all peoples to Himself, illustrating the inclusion of Gentiles in the kingdom of God. The sermon connects this moment to the broader theological theme of the heart's belief leading to the mouth's confession, emphasizing that the death of Jesus is a life-transforming event that changes even the most unlikely individuals. Ultimately, the message invites the audience to reflect on their own conversion and the profound impact of Christ's sacrifice on their lives.

John 14:3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." This sermon explores the promise of Christ's return as a source of profound comfort for believers, contrasting the terror it instills in the ungodly with the peace it brings to the saints. The central message draws from John 14, highlighting how Jesus' assurance that He will come again pacifies troubled hearts by offering hope beyond earthly suffering and loss. The exposition clarifies that Christ's preparation of a place for His people refers to the procuring of their right to enter heaven through His atoning sacrifice, rather than the physical construction of heaven itself. Furthermore, the sermon emphasises that the Second Coming will fulfill Christ's purpose by uniting all redeemed believers with Him, ensuring that where He is, they will be also. The tone is pastoral and reassuring, urging God's people to find rest in the certainty of their eternal home and personal reception by the Saviour.

Message in the Be Joyful series through Philippians. Pastor Robert Rohlin takes up one of the most misunderstood commands in the New Testament: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). Paul says work OUT, not work FOR, and that one word makes all the difference. Writing under house arrest in Rome, 800 miles from Philippi, Paul commends a church whose obedience never depended on his being there. So who are we when the teacher steps out of the room? Joseph in Potiphar's house shows what obedience without an audience looks like. Heaven cannot be earned. Our best righteousness is "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6), as Martin Luther learned on his face in the monastery at Erfurt, and salvation runs in three tenses: penalty, power and presence. The Greek verb pictures working a mine you already own. A rich uncle leaves you a gold mine, and you can frame the deed and stay poor, or go dig out the gold. God got Israel out of Egypt in one night, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel. Fear and trembling is not terror of losing your salvation. It is the careful reverence of a child who does not want to grieve a loving Father, pictured from forty feet up on a wobbling crane. If you have ever wondered whether this verse means you must earn heaven after all, or you are rich in Christ but living like a pauper, this message will settle the question and send you out to dig. Please note: this message covers verse 12. Pastor Rohlin plans to take up verse 13, God at work in us to will and to do, next week.

Matt Wear continues in his sermon series in 1 Thessalonians, teaching on passages that have eschatological significance. For more about IRBC, visit: https://www.irbc.church/