The sermon centers on the urgent exhortation to 'hold fast to the word of life'—the gospel of Jesus Christ—as a call to persevering faith amid spiritual warfare, temptation, and trial. Rooted in Philippians 2:12–18, it emphasizes that salvation is not earned but is to be actively lived out with reverence and dependence on God's work within believers, who are called to remain steadfast in the truth despite distractions such as worldly relationships, career demands, false teaching, or personal struggles. The ultimate purpose of this perseverance is not self-glory, but the joy of seeing God's work fulfilled in the lives of believers, which brings deep satisfaction to both the faithful and their spiritual leaders. This joy is not fleeting, but rooted in the eternal hope of Christ's return and the certainty of eternal life, making the Christian life a joyful, enduring commitment that overcomes suffering and fuels mutual encouragement within the body of Christ.

This sermon, rooted in Romans 14:7–9, presents a profound meditation on the Christian life and death as lived in union with Christ, emphasizing that believers neither live nor die for themselves but for the Lord, who died and rose again to become Lord of both the living and the dead. Through the personal grief of losing a son, the preacher illustrates how the gospel's truth—memorized and internalized—sustains faith amid the unpredictability of life and the certainty of death, transforming sorrow into a testimony of hope. The message unfolds with theological depth, connecting the believer's identity to Christ's death and resurrection, the assurance of God's love, and the ultimate triumph over death through faith in Jesus, who is the unchanging Lord in whom all things are held together. The sermon calls listeners to live and die in conscious dependence on Christ, to embrace the gospel as the foundation of identity and hope, and to find comfort in the promise that nothing—neither death nor life—can separate them from God's love in Christ, urging all to respond to the gospel while it is still today.

The doctrine of God's covenant as the foundational framework for understanding Scripture, emphasizing that salvation is entirely the result of God's sovereign, voluntary condescension—initiated not by human effort but by divine grace. It distinguishes between the covenant of works, implied but not named in the confession, and the covenant of grace, which is the sole means of salvation for fallen humanity, revealed progressively from Eden through the Old Testament covenants and fully realized in Christ. The covenant of grace is grounded in the eternal covenant of redemption between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and its substance lies in God's free offer of life through faith in Christ, secured by the Holy Spirit's work in the elect. The sermon underscores the exclusivity and certainty of this covenant, affirming that no other covenant or human effort can bring salvation, and concludes with a call to trust in God's unbreakable promise, finding assurance and comfort in His everlasting, ordered, and secure covenant of grace.

1. The public preaching of God's word is the primary means of grace and must be kept central in the life of the church. 2. Pastoral counseling is also a necessary and important aspect of ministry and must not be neglected. 3. Preaching and counseling complement eachother.