Listen, grieve and repent There is so much in this sermon that should make all who claim to be Christians hang our heads in shame and ask for God's power to repent and do right. And for each church to repent and start exercising careful discipline for the sake of the individual and for the purity of the church. As the pastor says, churches should not be known for their free doughnuts, rock concerts and games, but for their holy fear of God and as places where God dwells in a special way. May the Lord lead each of us to repentance, in our own hearts and in our churches.
Great Sermon! Thank you so much for this beautiful reminder of the importance of "koinonia" - true fellowship - among believers. You are right - we American Christians really struggle with this because of our selfishness and individualism.
It's wonderful to hear about the prison ministry and how God does away with racial divisions among the prisoners who attend the Bible studies.
Great Sermon! Thank you for this strong exhortation to gather together in corporate prayer meetings. Undoubtedly, one reason our churches are so weak these days is because we do not pray enough, or for the right things. May the Sovereign Lord send His Spirit to revive us.
Great Sermon! This sermon highlights the astonishing power of unbelief to make people blind to the truth, even when it's right in front of them (the healed man in this instance). It makes me think of Romans 1:18.
Peter and John said, "We CANNOT stop speaking" about Jesus. As the pastor said, that power comes from the Holy Spirit, v. 8, and the motivation comes from having been with Jesus, v. 13. May the Lord fill each of us with His Spirit and move us to spend time with Him in corporate and private worship, and make it impossible for us not to speak about Him.
This Is Very, Very Good! Pastor Brian. I come away from your messages having learned something, and having a greater appreciation of the LORD our God as you have the focus on HIM, His character, His sovereignty, His abilities. Thank you.
Great Sermon! Dear Brian, thank you for a beautiful sermon exalting Christ and his love. It has been an encouragement to my soul. May we love like He does.
Blessed Assurance! One of the best sermons I've ever heard for the assurance of those who are in Christ. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and He paid for our sins in full on the cross. So when Satan tempts us to despair, as the song says, we must remember God's words that Jesus has made propitiation for all our sins and we must not be debilitated by shame and guilt any more.
Great Sermon! These sermons are blessing me 14 years after they were preached! Thank you so much for posting this on SermonAudio. It cost you money and it has blessed my soul.
Great Sermon! Wow! I’ve been struggling all my life with worry, fear and anxiety... this sermon spoke to my heart and mind tonight! So glad I listened.
Great Sermon! This is such enlightened teaching! I really appreciate your gentle, thoughtful, nuanced approach to evangelism. My family was not in a cult, but we were evangelized by a reformed church, and brought in as a trophy family in a new work. There was no attempt made to really know us, and when the church failed after 8 years, the “love” for us ended. The deep fellowship held out as an enticement never came to fruition, and we have realized over the years since just how much we were treated as Christians of a lower order. But God used all of that for our good! It is an encouragement to know that someone gets it.
Great Sermon! I love this depth of teaching. I am moved to add that the believer, the neighbor, the Image bearer, that God has placed in front of us at any given time is also worthy of our sanctified imagining of the struggles they have, and the story of their life. We can’t understand their life perfectly, but we can offer that interest and care up to Christ, and He will use it. If we are going to love them as Christ commanded, we should show interest in them and the biographies of their lives, for God is at work there.
Great Sermon! I listened to this again this morning and posted it on my FB page with the following intro comment:
I listened to this msg back in 2013, and just listened to it again and examined myself by it
Do you have an entitlement mentality? Actually, we all do to some extent or another. This msg on this parable by Christ should help us identify it.
God's grace in Christ is outrageous. Scandalous. Staggering. Hope my believing friends listen also and examine their hearts by it before the throne of Christ for their benefit 💖