Sermon of the week: “Validating the Gospel in Modesty” by Albert Martin.

As a follow-up to Brother Michael’s post on modesty (found here) which was a follow-up to my post on modesty (found here), I present your sermon of the week by Albert Martin entitled  Validating the Gospel in Modesty.

At the 40:45 mark, Pastor Martin does something startling with his congregation. Although he sticks his neck out, I think it was very effective at driving home his point.

Sermon of the week: “Creation, Day 2” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur Your sermon of the week is Creation, Day 2 by John MacArthur from his series The Battle for the Beginning. We’ve been featuring this series every other week on DefCon. The next installment will be in two weeks.

Sermon of the week “The How, Why, and When of Creation” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur Your sermon of the week is the third edition of John MacArthur’s The Battle for the Beginning series with a two-part message entitled The How, Why, and When of Creation.

The How, Why, and When of Creation (Part One)

The How, Why, and When of Creation (Part Two)

Sermon of the week: Semper Reformanda – “Children in Worship” by Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman Your sermon of the week is Semper Reformanda: Children in Worship by Brian Borgman. This message is from a 1996 church service when the church decided that they would no longer dismiss the children and separate them from their parents during the main worship service. This is a very enlightening sermon as Borgman makes the case for why children and their parents should worship together in church. I highly recommend this message; it will challenge you to change the way you’ve always done things.

Sermon of the week: “God – Creator and Redeemer” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur This is the next installment on the subject of creation vs evolution by John MacArthur from his series The Battle For the Beginning. It is entitled God: Creator and Redeemer. Look for the next installment in two weeks.

Sermon of the week: “You Must Be Born From Above” by Randall Easter.

Your sermon of the week is another must-hear powerhouse sermon by Randall Easter entitled You Must Be Born From Above.

If you haven’t heard Randall Easter’s previous sermon on Jonah (and I highly recommend that you do), you can find it on this post.

HT: The Bororean

Sermon of the week: “Creation – Believe it or Not” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur We’re beginning a new series here on DefCon by John MacArthur on the subject of God’s  creation (versus man’s theory of evolution) from his series The Battle for the Beginning. We begin with the following two-part message entitled Creation – Believe it or Not.

Creation: Believe it or Not (Part One)

Creation: Believe it or Not (Part Two)

Look for the next installment in two weeks.



Sermon of the week: “Preaching the Gospel in the Age of Apostasy” by Josh Williamson.

I had another sermon scheduled for this week, but then I heard this one and didn’t want to wait to share it with the readers of DefCon. It’s a bold message entitled Preaching the Gospel in the Age of Apostasy by twenty-four year-old Josh Williamson. It’s also very apropos for the persecution that some of us are currently enduring for the sake of Christ.

Josh Williamson is pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church in Australia, and I think I’ll be listening to more from this guy.

Sermon of the week: “The Coming Final Persecution” by Steve Lawson.

As a follow-up to last week’s post on the coming persecution (found here), we bring you DefCon’s sermon of the week.

Steve Lawson discusses the uncomfortable subject of Christian persecution in the message  The Coming Final Persecution. This message is not just about persecution in general, but is more specifically about the coming final persecution that Jesus warned us about.


Sermon of the week: “Ministry in an Age of Itching Ears” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur Today’s sermon is another great one from John MacArthur entitled Ministry in an Age of Itching Ears.  This is not a message that most American pastors would appreciate; which is precisely why it’s DefCon’s sermon of the week.

Sermon of the week: “Saving Faith: Genuine or False?” by Steven Cole.

Your sermon of the week is Saving Faith: Genuine or False? by Steven Cole of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship (fcfonline.org). This is a great exposition on the erroneously ‘supposed conflict’ between James and Paul on the matter of justification.

Sermon of the week: “Jonah” by Randall Easter.

Your sermon of the week is simply entitled Jonah. I listened to this sermon after posting my short piece on Jonah (found here) and wish I had listened to it earlier.

This is yet another powerful hour of preaching from Randall Easter. He pulls no punches as he steps on toes while preaching the gospel that is so desperately lacking in far too many churches.

HT: The Bororean

Sermon of the week: “The Atonement: Real or Potential?” by John MacArthur.

John MacArthur Your sermon of the week is a fantastic one. Grab a pen and paper because you will be taking copious notes (I had to keep pulling the car over to write). I bring you this Thursday’s sermon by John MacArthur entitled The Atonement: Real or Potential?

This is a great message. The only disappointment I had was that in this 30 minute sermon MacArthur did not (in my opinion) spend enough time dealing with the arguments against limited atonement. For another great sermon on limited atonement in which the opposing arguments are dealt with in greater depth, check out the sermon Grace Secured: Limited Atonement found on this post.

MacArthur sums up the universalist atonement proponent’s argument perfectly when he says those who reject limited atonement believe that Jesus died for everybody in general, and no one in particular.

Sermon of the week: “The Grace of God’s Law – God’s Law in the Life of the Saints” by Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman We have finally reached the end of Brian Borgman’s thirteen-part series  entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith. The Grace of God’s Law – God’s Law in the Life of the Saints is the concluding installment of this great series on the Doctrines of Grace that we began in October 2009.

I hope it has been a blessing to you all. For those who want to download the entire series, you can find it here.


Sermon of the week: “The Assurance of Grace – Assurance in the Life of the Saints” by Brian Borgman.

Brian Borgman Another fantastic sermon! Your sermon of the week is The Assurance of Grace – Assurance in the Life of the Saints by Brian Borgman. This is one that will not sit well with Roman Catholics and anyone else who rejects the idea of assurance.

This is part twelve of a thirteen-part series on the Doctrines of Grace entitled Introduction to the Reformed Faith by Pastor Brian Borgman. Be sure to check out the final installment next week.

Sermon of the week: “The Shack Uncovered” by Michael Youssef.

Your sermon of the week is The Shack Uncovered by Michael Youssef. In this message Youssef lays out thirteen heresies in the book The Shack that, for some reason, many professing Christians think is a good book and sound in its doctrine.

The following video is a snippet from this message. You can watch the entire message here, or you can download the audio by right-clicking here. Additionally, I’ve included (below this video) the thirteen heresies Michael Youssef levies against this book.

Thirteen Heresies in The Shack

1. God the Father was crucified with Jesus.

Because God’s eyes are pure and cannot look upon sin, the Bible says that God would not look upon His own beloved Son as He hung on the Cross, carrying our sins (Habakkuk 1:13; Matthew 27:45).

2. God is limited by His love and cannot practice justice.

The Bible declares that God’s love and His justice are two sides of the same coin — equally a part of the personality and the character of God (Isaiah 61:8; Hosea 2:19).

3. On the Cross, God forgave all of humanity, whether they repent or not. Some choose a relationship with Him, but He forgives them all regardless.

Jesus explained that only those who come to Him will be saved (John 14:6).

4. Hierarchical structures, whether they are in the Church or in the government, are evil.

Our God is a God of order (Job 25:2).

5. God will never judge people for their sins.

The Word of God repeatedly invites people to escape from the judgment of God by believing in Jesus Christ, His Son (Romans 2:16; 2 Timothy 4:1-3).

6. There is not a hierarchical structure in the Godhead, just a circle of unity.

The Bible says that Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. This doesn’t mean that one Person is higher or better than the other; just unique. Jesus said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent me. I am here to obey my Father.” Jesus also said, “I will send you the Holy Spirit” (John 4:34, 6:44, 14:26, 15:26).

7. God submits to human wishes and choices.

Far from God submitting to us, Jesus said, “Narrow is the way that leads to eternal life.” We are to submit to Him in all things, for His glory and because of what He has accomplished for us (Matthew 7:13-15).

8. Justice will never take place because of love.

The Bible teaches that when God’s love is rejected, and when the offer of salvation and forgiveness is rejected, justice must take place or God has sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross for nothing (Matthew 12:20; Romans 3:25-26).

9. There is no such a thing as eternal judgment or torment in hell.

Jesus’ own description of hell is vivid … it cannot be denied (Luke 12:5, 16:23).

10. Jesus is walking with all people in their different journeys to God, and it doesn’t matter which way you get to Him.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one will come to the Father but by me” (John 14:6).

11. Jesus is constantly being transformed along with us.

Jesus, who dwells in the splendor of heaven, sits at the right hand of God, reigning and ruling the universe. The Bible says, “In Him there is no change, for He is yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 11:12, 13:8; James 1:17).

12. There is no need for faith or reconciliation with God because everyone will make it to heaven.

Jesus said, “Only those who believe in me will have eternal life” (John 3:15, 3:36, 5:24, 6:40).

13. The Bible is not true because it reduces God to paper.

The Bible is God-breathed. Sure, there were many men through 1,800 years who put pen to paper (so to speak), each from different professions and different backgrounds, but the Holy Spirit infused their work with God’s words. These men were writing the same message from Genesis to Revelation.