Understanding Christianity

Dr. Sean Cole debated the Deity of Christ on the Gospel Truth YouTube channel. He used the material from the debate for this Christmas sermon. He gives four essential truths that prove that the New Testament affirms that Jesus is fully God. You can watch the sermon here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk57_1tvTa0

In Judges Chapter 5, we see Deborah and Barak invite Israel to sing a song of praise to God for His victory. This is one of the oldest songs in the Bible and points us to the sovereignty of God in our salvation. What is our response to God's victory in our salvation? You can watch the video sermon here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWsS8YcQaw

In the middle of his prayer, the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel with a word of comfort and begins to tell him about the future and to give him an answer to his prayer. Historically, there have been two predominant ways to interpret this difficult passage. Number One: The Traditional Messianic Interpretation This passage is a prophecy about the first coming of Jesus, His death on the cross, and the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Roman army. Number Two: The Dispensational Interpretation This views the prophecy as a great parenthesis between the 69th and 70th week. When the 70th week begins, the antichrist will appear and make a covenant with the Jewish nation, promising them seven years of peace. The physical temple will have been rebuilt during this time, and the sacrificial system will be re-instituted. In the middle of this, at 3 ½ years, he will break this covenant and end the temple worship, ushering in the Great Tribulation. Since Sean is Reformed and holds to Covenant theology, he ho

You can purchase Sean's new book from G3 Press called 40 Days in Philippians: Finding Joy in Jesus here: https://g3min.org/product/40-days-in-philippians-finding-joy-in-jesus-sean-cole/ God alone gets the glory in salvation, even through the sinful actions of responsible humans. How do human responsibility and God’s absolute sovereignty work together? In theological terms, we call this compatibility. This account of four characters--Deborah, Barak, Sisera, and Jael shows us how God conquers His enemies through human agents but still gets all the glory. You can watch this sermon on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_ryhTsbCY0

We see a recorded prayer from Daniel to the living God, which gives us a powerful template or example of how we should pray. We see Daniel's attitude in prayer and then three aspects of the prayer itself: Adoration, Confession, and Petition. And most importantly, we see the basis or foundation for his prayer.

The following Judge after Othniel is Ehud, from the tribe of Benjamin. This section is comical, contains some PG-13 humor, and will leave us scratching our heads about God’s plan to save Israel from its enemies. Here is this passage of Scripture's central theme or main idea: Idols will only let you down and enslave you! John Calvin said, “The human mind is a perpetual factory of idols…men have in almost all ages since the world began, set up imaginary idols before their eyes to take the place of God.” The left-handed Ehud assassinates the enemy King Eglon. This shows us a deeper spiritual issue about the gospel of salvation and how we kill sin with the double-edged sword--the Word of God. You can watch the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK1VhzqOC8w

How were the Old Testament saints saved? Were they saved the same way we are today? How did the Holy Spirit work in the Old Testament, and more specifically, in what ways did He operate on individual Old Testament believers? In this sermon, Pastor Sean answers these two questions. He shows how the Covenant of Grace announced in Genesis 3:15 is the foundation for the salvation of OT saints. He also argues that OT believers were regenerated and indwelt by the Spirit. He also shows how the role of the Holy Spirit is vital for communion with Christ in the Lord's Supper. You can watch this sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCtP-UYCdmc

Verses 1-6 give us the thesis or central teaching of the book of Judges. The LORD disciplines His people because they have been paganized by the world around them. In verses 7-11, we first see this cycle that will be repeated throughout the book of Judges, and it involves seven steps. First, Israel does evil, which angers the LORD. Second, the LORD disciplines Israel by selling them under the oppression and distress of a foreign enemy. Third, the people cry out in anguish for relief. Fourth, the LORD raises up a Spirit-empowered judge to save Israel. Fifth, the LORD grants victory over the enemy. Sixth, the land has a period of rest from war and oppression. Seventh, the judge dies, thus removing his restraining influence on Israel’s sin. Pastor Sean concludes the sermon by showing how this passage points to God's grace in the gospel of Christ. www.seancole.net

How do you and I persevere in obedience while waiting for Christ’s return? Last week, we focused on the macro-level—these beasts from the earth who will rise and come against God’s people. It was on a big scale of these satanically controlled world systems opposed to Christ, and we can see this. But for most of us, especially in America, where persecution is not yet a significant threat (YET!!!), we have day-to-day struggles as we await Christ’s return. In Daniel Chapter 8, we are given a very specific vision of something that literally occurred in history about 400 years after Daniel’s death. Sean also examines 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and how it teaches us to be ready for the Day of the Lord. www.seancole.net

Chapters 1-6 were straightforward to understand. They were stories that we were familiar with and pretty clear. We are going back in time here to when Babylon was in power. Chapters 7-12 are not chronological but theological. Now, we jump into what theologians call apocalyptic literature. In this chapter, we see the transition from the earthly scene to the heavenly scene, back to earth, and then back to heaven as a dramatic way to unfold this cosmic conflict. Here is the main point of this chapter: There is a coming day of judgment when God’s enemies will be conquered, and He will win the final victory.

The generation that followed Joshua did not know the LORD. They rebelled and engaged in gross idolatry. Why did this happen? How did God respond to their sin? Listen and find out. The main point of this passage is that there is a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing God. You can watch this sermon video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg00wPaoR_I

What is genuine repentance? Dr. Sean Cole preaches Judges 2:1-5 and shows how the Israelites faked repentance because they got caught. Their tears were not from godly grief, but worldly sorrow. Sean then gives three marks of genuine repentance. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole begins a new sermon series in the book of Judges. In this message, he give the introductory issues and then focuses on Chapter One. He then provides the three main themes of the entire book. www.seancole.net

This is probably the most famous narrative in Daniel--the lion's den. In this passage, we see Daniel as a man of utmost integrity, and intense prayer. We also see the miraculous delivery. This account points to the glories of Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection.

You can purchase Sean's book 40 Days in Philippians: Finding Joy in Jesus from the G3 website here: https://g3min.org/product/40-days-in-philippians-finding-joy-in-jesus-sean-cole/?mc_cid=49311f516a&mc_eid=d2c09c6b6d Daniel Chapter 5 involves the "writing on the wall." The LORD acts in immediate judgment on the wicked king. What does this passage show about idolatry and the brevity of life?

Andy Stanley, pastor of Northpoint Church in Atlanta, created much controversy this past week in a sermon on homosexuality. In this podcast, Dr. Sean Cole interacts with a statement Stanley makes which shows that he fundamentally denies total depravity and has totally compromised on this issue. The Bible teaches that not only are outward actions sins, but inward desires of the heart. All humans are born sinful and totally depraved and deserve God's wrath--even if they don't ever act out on those sinful desires.

In Daniel Four, we see the LORD humiliate King Nebuchadnezzar because of his pride. Through this painful discipline, the King comes to the realization the God is sovereign and worthy to be praised. This Chapter show us the transformation of the King and what genuine repentance looks like.

You can purchase Sean's book 40 Days in Philippians: Finding Joy in Jesus from the G3 website here: https://g3min.org/product/40-days-in-philippians-finding-joy-in-jesus-sean-cole/?mc_cid=49311f516a&mc_eid=d2c09c6b6d This final sermon in a four-part series on the Discipleship Pathway focuses on how believers should serve generously. Pastor Sean describes three specific areas. First, believers are discovering and using their gifts to SERVE others. Second, believers are excited and equipped to SHARE the gospel. Third, believers are empowered and entrusted to LEAD in ministry. You can watch this sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suCP0L3RJ9Y

How do you grow intentionally? Believers should worship biblically every Sunday in corporate worship as the primary means of grace. In addition, we should all be involved in a small group where we can connect relationally and study God's word. However, many believers have never been connected to a gender-specific group of 3-5 people for more intentional discipleship. In this sermon, Dr. Sean Cole gives a biblical foundation from Colossians 2:6-8 and other passages to show why it's vital to your spiritual growth to be equipped to grow intentionally in a discipleship group. You can watch this sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkCagQp7LvA

Daniel Chapter Three records the golden statue erected by King Nebuchadnezzar and his idolatrous command for all people to bow down and worship. The three bold young Jewish men did not bow and were thrown into the fiery furnace. What does this passage teach us about the absolute sovereignty of God? About idolatry? About God's wrath and the cross of Christ? Listen and find out.