Theological term
Election and Predestination
3 sermons · All terms
The Christian Life of the Apostle Paul
Between justification and glorification lies the life of sanctification, and in Philippians 3:12–16 the Apostle Paul names that interim existence perseverance. Paul's honest self-assessment — 'not that I have already attained or am already perfected' — anchors both the doctrine and the practice: the believer presses on, forgets what is behind, and strains toward glory not to secure justification but as a necessary consequence of having been freely justified by God's grace. The sermon grounds perseverance in the immutability of the divine decree, the intercession of Christ, and the empowering work of the Spirit, before calling the congregation to single-minded use of the ordained means of grace.
Exodus 10
Exodus 10 records the eighth plague of locusts and the ninth plague of darkness, both of which expose Pharaoh's hardened pride and vindicate the sovereignty of God over Egypt, its rulers, and its gods. The hardening of Pharaoh's heart is examined not as a capricious act but as a judicial act of divine justice against a man and a dynasty already guilty of enslaving and murdering God's people. The passage carries forward two covenantal purposes: the public declaration of God's supremacy and the transmission of that knowledge to successive generations within the covenant community. Believers are called to pray for God's glory above all earthly concerns, to refuse embarrassment over God's justice, and to trust his sovereignty even in prolonged seasons of affliction.
The Judgment of God in the Early Church
Acts 5:1–11 records the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, struck down by God for lying to the Holy Spirit. This sermon works through the passage under two headings: the deceitfulness of the couple (vv. 1–4) and the death they suffered by God's direct judgment (vv. 5–11). The preacher grounds the episode in a high doctrine of God — holy, just, and a consuming fire — and insists that the primary practical lesson is the fear of God, not merely ethical instruction about honesty. The sermon closes with the gospel: no one can stand before this holy Lord God except Christ alone, and all who are savingly united to Him by faith stand in Him.