Theological term
Sovereignty of God in Salvation
2 sermons · All terms
The Ministry in Iconium, Part 1
Acts 14:1–7 records the ministry of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium during the first missionary journey, and this exposition focuses on God's blessing in verse 1 — specifically the sovereignty of God in salvation and the instrumentality of gospel preaching. Drawing on Acts 13:48, Acts 16:14, Romans 10, 1 Corinthians 1, and 2 Timothy 4, the sermon argues that while God alone opens hearts, He ordains the foolishness of preaching as the ordinary means of saving sinners. The sermon closes by examining the relationship between faith and repentance in Acts, contending that the two are inseparable sides of the same coin and that repentance must never be preached as a work the sinner performs before coming to Christ.
The Joy of Abraham in the Day of Christ
John 8:54–59 presents the most concentrated claim to divine identity in this chapter: Jesus asserts unity with the Father, declares that Abraham rejoiced to see His messianic day, and finally identifies Himself as the eternal 'I Am' of Exodus 3:14. The sermon traces Abraham's anticipatory faith through the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15, the Abrahamic covenant promises, and their fulfilment in Christ alone, demonstrating that old covenant saints were justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The response of the religious leaders — picking up stones for blasphemy — confirms what they rightly understood Jesus to be claiming: equality with the Father. The sermon closes with a direct call to faith, contrasting the animosity of unbelieving Jerusalem with the joy of Abraham, and urging hearers not to harden themselves against the one who promises that whoever keeps His word shall never see death.