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This sermon provides a verse-by-verse exposition of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, emphasizing that true blessedness is rooted in spiritual humility rather than material wealth or self-esteem. The speaker argues that acknowledging one's total depravity and sinfulness is the necessary prerequisite for salvation, citing David's confession in Psalm 51 as a model of honest self-assessment. Each beatitude is presented as a divine fact describing the character of God's saints, who mourn over sin, submit to God's chastening, hunger for righteousness, and extend mercy despite their own unworthiness. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging listeners to rely entirely on God's grace and the finished work of Christ, while warning against the false security of self-righteousness or the world's approval. The message concludes by affirming that those who remain faithful in the face of persecution possess an eternal inheritance that no earthly loss can diminish.

Bible Reading: Judges 6:1-16 "Impoverished is an adjective meaning reduced to poverty, very poor, or lacking essential resources, strength, or quality." Sin brought Impoverishment to Israel. 1. An Impoverished People. 2. A Repentant People. 3. A Delivered People. This sermon examines the spiritual and physical consequences of sin by analyzing Israel's subjugation by the Midianites in Judges 6. It argues that sin leads to a state of spiritual impoverishment, stripping believers of the joy and peace of walking with God, much like Israel lost their material blessings and security. The message highlights that God often uses hardship or chastening to reveal this internal poverty, driving His people to recognize their desperate need for Him. Through the conviction of His Word, believers are called to repentance, which is the necessary precursor to true deliverance and restoration. Ultimately, the sermon affirms that God's enduring love ensures that He will repeatedly bring back those who fall, offering abundant pardon and renewed fellowship in Christ.

2 Samuel 16:1-14

I. God our Light in the Darkness A.God Chastens Even His Forgiven Children: Absalom B.God's People Often Besieged by the Wicked (vv. 1-2) C.God Remains our Faithful Helper and Hearer (v. 3-4) D.God Blesses Us in the Darkness (vv. 5-6) E. Plead with God to Save Us from the Wicked (v. 7) II. God Our Salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ A. His Sufferings and the World's Hatred...Now in Us B. He Trusted in His Father; Promises Ours (Eph. 1:3) C. He Purchased Salvation; Secured for Us (Heb. 9:14) III.God Our Salvation in the Darkest Hour (v. 8) A. Expect warfare: world/flesh/devil –Arm Yourself! B.Trust the Lord: salvation belongs to Him. C. Fix faith upon the Lord's promised blessing.

This sermon explores Hebrews 12:4-13, arguing that divine chastening is evidence of God's fatherly love rather than abandonment. The text emphasizes that while discipline is often grievous in the moment, it serves the purpose of training believers in holiness and producing the peaceable fruit of righteousness. By contrasting earthly fathers with the Heavenly Father, the message highlights that God's correction is always for the believer's profit and spiritual maturity. The sermon urges Christians to maintain a right perspective on suffering by relying on Scripture, specifically Proverbs 3:11-12, to avoid despair. Finally, it calls for a communal response where believers lift up one another's weak hands and feeble knees, ensuring that their endurance encourages others to run the race with stability and faith.

The sermon explores the theological principle that God is the sovereign agent behind both the blessings and the hardships in a believer's life, emphasizing that afflictions are often just responses to unrepentant sin. Drawing from 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, and Daniel, the message argues that acknowledging God's hand in one's suffering is the necessary precursor to receiving His forgiveness and restoration. The preacher challenges the audience to reject pride and the tendency to blame external forces, urging them instead to humble themselves, confess their specific transgressions, and seek God's face. This act of acknowledgment aligns the individual with God's justice, allowing Him to direct their paths and restore what has been lost. The tone is convicting yet ultimately comforting, presenting repentance not as a burden but as the gateway to experiencing the goodness of the Lord and finding true peace.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:1-2) ~~~~~ Harvest Thanksgiving Evening Service Brixton Tabernacle, London ~~~~~ *1/ An end in view - fruit that brings glory to the father. 2/ The husbandman's use of means. 3/ The Fathers treatment of the different characters of his people.* **Sermon summary:** The sermon explores the parable of the true vine in John 15, emphasizing that God the Father acts as the husbandman who prunes and purges branches to ensure they bear abundant fruit. The central message is that this divine work serves to glorify the Father and provide assurance to believers that they are truly grafted into Christ, distinguishing genuine disciples from those who merely profess faith. The exposition details the specific fruits of the Spirit, such as joy, sacrificial love, and obedience, which are produced not by human effort but by the Father's work through the Son. It further illustrates how God uses various means, including trials, chastening, and providential circumstances, to prepare the soul and refine character, much like a farmer prepares the ground. The tone is pastoral and comforting, urging listeners to trust in the Father's wisdom and measure in their dealings, recognizing that even severe pruning is intended to yield righteousness and honour to God.

Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. (1 Samuel 12:17-19) *1/ God's promise to a people that had done wickedness. 2/ God's way of making us perceive and see that our wickedness is great. 3/ The effect.* ~~~~ Harvest Thanksgiving Service Preached at Bodle Street Baptist Chapel, England. ~~~~ **Sermon Summary:** This sermon examines the account in 1 Samuel where God sends thunder and rain to spoil the harvest, using this event to convict Israel of the wickedness of demanding a human king. The central message emphasizes that God's providential acts, even those involving loss or hardship, serve to reveal sin and direct believers toward the Gospel. The preacher argues that while God may permit circumstances that appear neutral or even favourable, it is His Word that defines righteousness, and He uses the 'rod' of chastening to ensure His people recognize their need for a Saviour. The discourse highlights that the remedy for sin was always present in the person of Jesus Christ, who stands as the ultimate intercessor. Ultimately, the intended effect of such divine dealings is a reverent fear of the Lord and a deepened appreciation for the grace found in the Gospel.

Most parents know the kids need exhortation. We sometimes shorten it to encouragement, but in all honesty they exhort. This is when we tell them that they need to do something and push them toward it. In our lesson today, the writer of Hebrews is exhorting us. After looking at God as a father who lovingly disciplines His children, we are exhorted to strengthen up and plan the path forward. Join us as we look at what this is like.

This sermon examines the narrative of King David's adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent murder of Uriah, illustrating the severe spiritual and earthly consequences of unconfessed sin. The speaker highlights how David's initial attempt to cover his actions led to a heavy divine chastening, described as a wasting away of vitality, until the prophet Nathan confronted him with the truth. The central message emphasizes that sin must be confronted, confessed, and repented of, noting that while God forgives the spiritual offense, natural consequences such as family turmoil and the death of the child remain. The tone is pastoral and convicting, urging the audience to recognize the weight of their own sins and to find restoration through genuine repentance and faith in Christ.

God uses various trials, afflictions, and persecutions to cause the Christian to bear spiritual fruit and prepare the believer for glory.

We have to access God by inviting Him into our hearts, the affairs that we are tending to, this makes sure we are aware that we're asking for His guidance in what we are doing. So many times we go into situations and circumstances we think are minor or that we can easily control which end up controlling us, usually these are matters we kind of know they are fleshly led not really desiring the answer we know we will get from God.