Your sermon of the week is Conquest and Compromise from the book of Judges by Brian Borgman of Grace Community Church. He shows how in the wake of great triumph, the Israelites (much like us with the world and culture we are in) begin “living with” the Caananites and “tolerating” their wicked practices, and soon begin to adopt the Caananite way of life to the detriment of their faith and in open rebellion of God’s clear commands.
Sermons
Your Sermon(s) of the week: “The Cupp” and “The Resurrection of Jesus” by C.J. Mahaney.
For this Wednesday’s sermon of the week you will not receive the usual one sermon, but two! In honor of Resurrection Sunday I have chosen to post the following two powerful messages by C.J. Mahaney on Jesus’ suffering and resurrection.
Sermon of the week: “Errors in the Modern Day Gospel” by Voddie Baucham.
Your sermon of the week is Errors in the Modern Day Gospel. As always (with a Voddie Baucham sermon), prepare to be challenged.
Dr. Steven J. Lawson: “You Foolish Galatians!” (Galatians 3:1-3:5)
Galatians 3:1-5 (NASB)—1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain–if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
In this day and age we live in, when so many supposedly mature Christians are being carried away with every new wind of doctrine. When they go running after evey newfangled idea. When they are tossed to and fro like a wind on the sea. When the goofier, and kookier, and crazier and more off-the-wall, the more “spiritual” it is supposed to be. When many who call themselves Christian are following a wanna-be pro wrestler who kicks cancer patients in the gut and puts his boots in an old lady’s face–then use the Scriptures that talk about what happened on the Day of Pentecost to justify these nonsesical shenanigans (while they ignore the clear teachings that all things are to be done decently and in order). When all of these things are going on in a body of people that is supposed to be glorifying Christ on earth, we can echo the sentiments of the apostle Paul when he declared, “You foolish Galatians!”
God has performed a miracle by transforming our dead hearts of stone to living hearts of flesh–yet Charismaniacs need more and bigger experiences to “build their faith” (which is a bit of a paradox. If they need more experiences to build their faith, then what does that say about their faith to begin with?) This is the theme that Dr. Lawson builds upon in this message.
Here is the seventh installment of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link.
Sermon of the week: “The Way of Salvation – God Centered vs. Man Centered Evangelism” by Jim Stitzinger.
Your sermon of the week is The Way of Salvation – God Cenetered vs. Man Centered Evangelism by Jim Stitzinger. This is a great message from the 2005 Shepherds’ Conference on the difference between evangelism done God’s way, and evangelism attempted man’s way.
Steven J. Lawson: “Contending For the Gospel” (Galatians 2:11-21)
Galatians 2:11-21 (NASB)—11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. 13 The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews? 15 We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles; 16 nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
17 “But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 18 For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
What is the gospel? The gospel is this: that God the Son came into the world, clothed in sinful flesh, to reconcile those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life with the God they had spent many years rejecting, hating, and rebelling against–all the while putting ourselves on the throne that rightly belongs to God. But here’s the thing. Our sins still need to be punished, or they had to be forgiven. Otherwise, a man could not rightly enter into the kingdom of God. In other words, we have to be justified in the eyes of God in order to gain admission to His kingdom–the kingdom of His dear Son.
Listen closely starting at about the 26:00 mark, and you will understand why we at DefCon don’t associate with or support certain “ministries”–and why this tripe about how the most important thing we should be concerned with is “UNITY! UNITY! UNITY!”–is nonsensical rubbish.
So, how is a man justified? Is it by keeping the Law? Does he have to do enough “good works”–which are, in fact, nothing more than wicked works performed by vile men? Or does God justify us, declare us not guilty, because of our faith in Christ? Find out in this, the sixth installment of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link.
Sermon of the week: “Sound Doctrine; Sound Words” by Phil Johnson.
Your sermon of the week is the one you’ve all been waiting for: Sound Doctrine; Sound Words by Phil Johnson of Grace Life Pulpit and Pyromaniacs. Its subtitle should be The Pornification of the Pulpit. This sermon is from this month’s Shepherds’ Conference.
In this controversial sermon, Phil Johnson steps up and takes on the crass, crude, gutter-mouth ways of many in the modern church today, with special attention to Mark “The Cussing Pastor” Driscoll. You don’t want to miss this message. His text for this message is Titus 2:7-8.
It’s about time someone spoke out on the juvenile and profane potty-humor, profanity, and lust-filled stories that have replaced sound, doctrinal, exposition of the Bible in many churches today. I stand up and applaud Phil Johnson for having the courage to speak out and even take on the modern evangelical’s Golden Calf from Mars Hill Church.
This is a great follow-up to last Wednesday’s sermon of the week (also by Phil Johnson) entitled Programs, Get Your Programs: Exposing the Flaws of the Fad-Driven Church.
Dr. Steven J. Lawson: “Paul Continues His Defense” (Galatians 2:1-10)
1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage), 5 to whom we did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you. 6 But from those who seemed to be something—whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man—for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me. 7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter 8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles), 9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
Paul continues to hammer away at his critics who question his credentials as an apostle of Christ. They are willing to concede that he may have been sent out by men–but they will not acknowledge that he was sent by the risen Christ Himself. Here, Paul lets it be made known that even the apostles of Christ knew that Paul was who and what he said he was. Here is the fifth of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link.
Sermon of the week: “Programs, Get Your Programs: Exposing the Flaws of the Fad-Driven Church” by Phil Johnson.
Your Wednesday sermon of the week is Programs, Get Your Programs: Exposing the Flaws of the Fad-Driven Church, by Phil Johnson. This is a great follow-up to last Wednesday’s sermon of the week (found here).
Those who hold dear to such fads as The Prayer of Jabez, the WWJD junk, the Left Behind craze, and those who adore the likes of Christianity Today, TBN, Jan Crouch, JI Packer, Tony Campolo, Brian McLaren, TD Jakes, George Barna, Ted Haggard, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels, James Dobson, and the can’t-do-no-wrong, practically-walks-on-water evangelical favorite Billy Graham, may take issue with this message. But for the rest of us, it’s a breath of freash air to finally hear someone call a spade a spade.
Dr. Steven J. Lawson: “Paul Defends His Apostleship” (Galatians 1:11-1:24)
11 But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.) 21 Afterward I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ. 23 But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God in me.
In this installment, Paul defends himself against those who questioned his credentials as an apostle–even though he had been chose by the risen Christ Himself.
Here is the fourth of this series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link.
Sermon of the week: “Improving the Gospel – Exercises in Unbiblical Theology” by Mark Dever.
Your sermon of the week is Improving the Gospel – Exercises in Unbiblical Theology by Mark Dever. When I heard this message I immediately pushed back all my other scheduled sermons for March to make room for this one; I simply couldn’t wait till April to make this available to the readers of DefCon.
Mark Dever–addressing pastors at the 2008 Together For the Gospel (T4G) conference–systematically explains the five major problems facing evangelism today and what we as Christians should be putting first and foremost in our message to the world. One of the problems Pastor Dever addresses in his message is one that I’ve touched on several times on this blog in such posts as:
Priorities Completely Out of Whack
Distractions, Distractions, Distractions
Pastor Dever’s sermon is a must-hear.
Sermon of the Week: “For God So Loved the World” by Brad Buser.
Your Sermon of the Week is For God So Loved the World by Brad Buser. Brad, a long time missionary to Papau New Guniea, challenges you to consider world missions as he smases most of the common excuses people employ to resist going into all the world, including “There are needs here,” “If God wants me there I guess I’ll end up there,” and the infamous but all too common: “I haven’t been called.”
Sermon of the week: “Jesus’ Call to Silence” by Don Green.
Your sermon of the week is Jesus’ Call to Silence by Don Green. This is one of those very important sermons especially for those in apologetics who contend for the faith. Don Green really lays it down as he explains when enough is enough and when we should stop casting our pearls before swine. A must-hear for readers of this blog.
Sermon of the week: “Child Training” by Voddie Baucham.
Your sermon of the week is Child Training by Voddie Baucham. Gather the parents and children for this one. It is sure to convict and change your views on raising your children. This is one of the best Baucham sermons I’ve listened to so far and I highly encourage everyone to listen to this one.
For more, I recommend his book Family Driven Faith.
Dr. Steven J. Lawson: Verse-by-verse through Galatians (1:1-1:5)
Today starts a series of sermons from Dr. Steven J. Lawson, pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, AL–which will be the church my wife and I will be attending when (God willing) we move there in a few years. From the website for New Reformation Ministries:
Dr. Steven J. Lawson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama, having served as a pastor in Arkansas and Alabama for the past twenty-seven years. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University (B.B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and Reformed Theological Seminary (D. Min.)
The focus of Dr. Lawson’s ministry is the verse-by-verse exposition of God’s Word. From this, he has authored fourteen books, the most recent being The Expository Genius of John Calvin and Foundations of Grace 1400 BC-AD 100, volume one of a five volume series. His other recent books include three titles in the Holman Old Testament Commentary Series: Job, Psalms Volume I (Psalms 1-75), and [Psalms] Volume II (Psalms 76-150).
Dr. Lawson has also authored Famine in the Land: A Passionate Call to Expository Preaching; Made In Our Image; Absolutely Sure; The Legacy; and Faith Under Fire. His books have been translated into various languages around the world, including Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Croatian and the Indonesian language.
He has contributed several articles to Bibliotheca Sacra; The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology; The Faith and Mission; Decision Magazine; and Discipleship Magazine, among other journals and magazines.
Here is the first of his series going verse-by-verse through what Dr. Lawson calls “Paul’s Most Explosive Letter.” You can listen by left-clicking this link.
Sermon of the week: “Whatever Happened to Christian Unity?” by Phil Johnson.
Your sermon of the week is Whatever Happened to Christian Unity? by Phil Johnson. This is a fantastic message on what Jesus really prayed for when He prayed for the unity of Believers. Not only does Phil Johnson do a fantastic job of explaining what true Christian unity is, he also does an equally good job explaining what it isn’t!
This sermon should be required listening to all those who feel the urge to leave the “can’t we all get along” or “we’re all God’s children,” or “quit tearing each other apart” comments on DefCon. The Scriptures are very clear about what true unity is, and it’s not what most people (including professing Christians) are proposing today.
Phil Johnson also examines in this message the unbiblical push for unity between Evangelicals and Catholics. I highly recommend this sermon to the readers of DefCon, especially those who see very little difference between Christianity and Roman Catholicism.
Sermon of the week: “The Gospel of Justifying Grace” by Brian Borgman (Part 3 of 3).
Your sermon of the week is Brian Borgman’s message The Gospel of Justifying Grace (Part 3). This is part three of three on justifying grace and is a source of encouragement for believers in the assurance of salvation and the doctrine of justification. You can find part one here and part two here.
Sermon of the week: “The Gospel of Justifying Grace” by Brian Borgman (Part 2 of 3).
Your sermon of the week is Brian Borgman’s message The Gospel of Justifying Grace (Part 2). This is part two of three on justifying grace and is a source of encouragement for believers in the assurance of salvation and the doctrine of justification. You can find part one here.
Sermon of the Week: “The Gospel of Justifying Grace” by Brian Borgman (Part 1 of 3).
We begin a three part series by Reformed Pastor Brian Borgman with The Gospel of Justifying Grace (Part 1). This is a great series on justifying grace and is a source of encouragement for believers in the assurance of salvation and the doctrine of justification.
Sermon of the week: “No Condemnation” by Tim Conway.
Your Wednesday sermon of the week is No Condemnation by Tim Conway. As usual, Pastor Conway begins his message slowly like a freight train building up steam, then comes plowing through toward the end with a message that challenges and convicts.
Christ Alone Wyoming 