Your sermon of the week is a wonderful exposition of the parable of the prodigal son like you’ve never heard before, entitled A Tale of Two Sons. This sermon by John MacArthur was delivered at the 2006 Resolved Conference.
I found this to be a delightfully fresh teaching on this well-known parable, an insight that will make you look at this parable in a whole new–and much deeper–light.
Aside from our new look, here are three things I wanted to notify DefCon readers about:
1). We’ve updated our Rules of Engagement page. The revisions were performed solely for the purpose of clarity.
2). For those who are new to DefCon you can also find us on FaceBook.
3). WordPress has recently provided a new feature on blogposts in which you can “Like” it. If you like a certain post, all you have to do is click on the comments link and between the post and the thread of comments you will see a button that says, “Like.” Just click on that button and it will register that you liked that particular post. However, you must be logged in to WordPress in order to use this feature. Creating a WordPress account only takes a moment of your time, is free, and does not require you to manage a blog of your own. Plus, once you have a WordPress account, you can upload a cool little avatar to appear alongside all your comments instead of the standard generic avatar automatically generated by WordPress.
Your sermon of the week is A Passion for God’s Glory by Phil Johnson.
Wow.
And still, man, in the wickedness of his heart, is so depraved that he has the audacity to shake his fist at the sky and proclaim God doesn’t exist . . . or he goes to church and lives his life like God doesn’t exist.
Study God in the creatures as well as in the Scriptures. The primary use of the creatures, is to acknowledge God in them; they were made to be witnesses of Himself and His goodness, and to be heralds of His glory, whose glory of God as Creator “shall endure forever” (Psalm 104:31). . . . Nature is not contrary to Scripture, nor Scripture to nature; unless we should think God contrary to Himself who is the Author of both.
– Stephen Charnock
1628 – 1680
If we’re not attracting the same people that Jesus attracted, it’s because we’re not preaching the same message that Jesus preached.
– Tullian Tchividijian
Sin goes in a disguise, and thence is welcome; like Judas, it kisses and kills; like Joab, it salutes and slays.
– George Swinnock
1627 – 1673
Your sermon of the week is–without a doubt–going to step on some toes, but it is one that needs to be heard. Paul washer pulls no punches in his message simply entitled: Dating.
I found myself saying out loud, “Amen, Paul Washer, Amen” when he compared a teenage boy’s desire to date his daughter without his consent like that of the theft of his truck. (You have to hear it in its context to truly appreciate it.)
This message is a combination of three shorter talks he gave on the subject of recreational dating (for a total run time of around 90 minutes) and it is a must-hear for those whose kids are dating or about to engage in dating.
If you’re not sure whether this sermon is worth your while, just listen to the first ten seconds. It’s not a message everyone will want to hear, but then again, DefCon’s not known for posting sermons that tickle the ear.
If you want to hear more on the subject of dating, see Pastor Tim Conway’s message The Ungodly Practice of Dating found on this previous post.
Paris Reidhead (1919-1992):
When you think of a summer-time Christian music festivals, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Well, if you said zombies, you hit the nail on the head (sadly).
For those of you who would have never guessed zombies, and have no idea what zombies have to do with Christianity, then you evidently missed the Cornerstone Christian music festival and you’ll have to check out the article I’ve linked to below to understand what in the world I’m talking about.
We at DefCon have taken a beating time and time again whenever the subject of music comes up when we dare to question the type (and utter idolization) of music that has infiltrated the church and captivated this generation of professing Christians.
Perhaps what took place at the Cornerstone Christian music festival is simply one of those inevitable conclusions some of us have been sounding the warning about. Whatever it is, it should cause us to step back and re-evaluate what we allow to entertain us.
You will be utterly shocked at the report (and accompanying videos) of what this person experienced at a music festival operating under the guise of “Christian.” It seems that nowadays, we–and not God and His Word–define what “Christian” is (and anyone who dares question it best be ready for a fight).
If this music festival is what a generation of youth groups and contemporary Christian rock music has brought us to, I shudder to think of what American Christianity will look like in another ten years.
Brace yourself: Here’s A Reader’s Experience at the Cornerstone Festival from Apprising Ministries.
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ADDENDUM
Lest some are persuaded to believe that the writer of the Apprising Ministries article (and this DefCon post) are casting aspersions and making judgments on the music festival based on a one-sided view, I offer for your consideration the following videos produced by the Cornerstone festival which should provide a better, all-around, perspective:
Zombies! What band will make it?
Adventures with Allan (2009)
Adventures with Allan (2010)
Seminars: Eric Greene Interview
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.
If you can’t wear it to church, then you shouldn’t wear it to the beach either. God does not change his standards because sand and/or water is present.
-Jeremy Sonnier
If inanimate creatures could but speak, your food would say, “Lord, must I nourish such a wretch as this, and yield forth my strength for him, to dishonor Thee? No, I will choke him rather, if Thou wilt give commission.” The very air would say, “Lord, must I give this man breath, to set his tongue against heaven, and scorn Thy people. . . . No, if Thou wilt but say the word, he shall be breathless for me.” His poor beast would say, “Lord, must I carry him upon his wicked designs? No, I will break his bones, I will end his days rather, if I may have but leave from Thee.” A wicked man; the earth groans under him, and hell groans for him, till death satisfies both.
– Joseph Alleine
1634 – 1668
Steve Lawson asks us to declare war on sin in our lives in his sermon Blessed Bankruptcy. Additionally, in this message Lawson gives a fantastic exposition of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18.
“For a single religion to spawn so much hatred, so much inhuman capacity to commit violence against the innocent–even if those innocent are the citizens of a perceived enemy nation or culture–there must must be a cause. That cause cannot be the preaching of tolerance and peace so often ascribed to it.”
– Terror at Beslan (page 376)
John Giduck of the Archangel Group wrote a shocking and terrifying book on the terror attacks that took place on September 1, 2004 on a school in Beslan, Russia. Not only shocking and terrifying because of his detailed portrayal of what took place, but also because this same type of attack has been promised to come to America, and that Beslan was only a dress rehearsal for what we are to experience.
I don’t read many secular books but this is one that I highly recommend. Giduck details the history of conflict in Russia that led up to the horrific attack on the innocent men, women, and children at the Beslan school on that fateful day. He also details the initial attack as well as the counter-attack by Russian forces. Giduck even chronicles the history of Islam, including the laundry list of terrorist acts perpetrated by the “Religion of Peace” on innocents around the world. Giduck also gives warning to those in America’s schools, law enforcement, and private sector of what to look out for, because it’s not a matter of if, but when a similar attack occurs on our soil; the terrorists have made this clear, including Bin Laden.
Here’s what others are saying about the book:
“Don’t just read this book, study it and apply it.” – Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
“This should be required reading for law enforcement and school officials alike.” – Connie Bond, Editor of The Police Marksman Magazine
“An explosive expose of Russian failure and what America must do to protect its children.” – John A. Anderson, Retired Sgt. Major U.S. Army Special Forces
“Without doubt, in my 37 years of law enforcement the Beslan tragedy . . . makes for one of the most chilling analyses and accountings of any event I have ever experienced. Only 9/11 was more appalling to me.” – Ed Ray, Director of Security, Denver Public Schools
You can purchase this book on Amazon where currently it is rated at 5 out of 5 stars.
Warning, the books contains graphic descriptions and images. The book also contains profanity on page 238.
I’ve included the following video to acquaint you with what this book is about.
Finally, here’s another great video and a great detailed review of the book.
“With our destruction as the common goal that has brought them [terrorists] together, how is it that our survival has not yet served as the common goal necessary to bring us together?”
– Terror at Beslan (page 327)
We believe that much that is called evangelism today is little more than psychology and salesmanship; we are appalled by the superficial work which goes on under the name of evangelism; we are appalled by the pressures, gimmicks, and schemes all calculated to produce “decisions” and impressive statistics but which work havoc in the souls of men. No! Because we believe in evangelism does not mean that we are going to cooperate with every scheme which bears that name. We believe that in evangelism as in everything else . . . we must be governed by the Word of God. The message of evangelism must be according to the Scriptures, and the method of evangelism must be governed by the Word of God!
– William Payne
1938 – 1997
Christ Alone Wyoming 