Eric Ludy Sermon Podcast: Church At Ellerslie

Oftentimes we act boldly in times of ease and become cowards in time of crisis. But God is in the business of building us strong for the most difficult hour and to exude the most magnificent attributes of Jesus Christ amidst the darkest trials. This message is a rousing one, delineating how a Christian can calmly and nobly maintain their position throughout the most trying times and challenging difficulties.

This message contains the spiritual tool that transforms marriages, changes families, and restores health unto broken church bodies. It is a spiritual truth that seems to have fallen by the wayside in our modern generation, and it is high time we got it back.

It’s difficult to navigate the modern minefields of doctrinal dispute. It would seem that there are a thousand opinions on every point and few that ever actually agree on these doctrinal points within the Church. However, this doctrinal contention and chaos is not the work of the Spirit of God, but the work of the author of confusion himself, Satan. The Devil is always laboring to beguile the saints of God and woo them away from the simplicity that is in Christ. And when the Church walks in this Spirit-simplicity, with the humility and faith of a little child, all its countless debates are solved in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is a message you will not want to miss!

Is it true that God is all we really need? In modern American Christianity it would seem that Jesus is lumped in amongst a host of other gods that we turn to for health, strength, peace, comfort, security, and pleasure. What would it look like if the Church of Jesus Christ left everything to follow Jesus?

This is a deeply impacting message on the sensitive theme of "the weaker vessel." It's always been God's pattern to choose the "weaker" through which to reveal His great strength. NOTE: This message was edited differently than all the previous. As part of our annual Set-Apart Girl simulcast, this one was filmed, edited, and finalized on the fly. So please forgive the few editing foibles.

Believing is important business in the kingdom of Heaven. In a sense, you could call it "the work of the kingdom." Most Christians are paranoid of the concept of work even being associated with the idea of faith. But the kind of work which we as Christians are supposed to be antagonistic towards is termed in Scripture as "the work of the flesh." The work of faith is an altogether different operation. And it is this heavenly work of faith that saves.

You thought genealogies were boring? Well, not after this message, you won’t! Throughout world history, the Hebrews have stood unmatched in their maintenance of genealogies, lineage, and descent. God promised them that from their bloodline would come One who would rescue the world from sin. This "Deliverer" would be of the seed of the woman, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, and would be from of everlasting. Well, this "Deliverer" has come. And just as promised, He was born of a virgin girl in Bethlehem, and He was no mere man. He was God born in the body of a man. Buckle your seat belt for this one!

As it says in Scripture, it was by one man's disobedience (Adam) that sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and that thusly death passed upon us all. But that is not the end of the story. For it was by one man—the last Adam, Jesus—that the gift of grace has abounded to many, and many shall be made righteous... and live! To behold the love, beauty, power, and majesty of this “last Adam” is to witness the heart of God for each one of us.

This message is a study in the sway of public persuasion. It is uncanny how the opinions of others can weigh so heavily upon our decisions in this life. Most of us would consider it Heaven to be free for just one day from the pressures of what others think. But the Gospel promises to do better than that. If we receive the liberating power of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection into our lives, it will free us from the tyranny of public approval... forever.

This is a study in the inextinguishable, unstoppable power of life. If you put death against life, life wins. Satan may have had the power of death, but Jesus arrived 2,000 years ago toting the power of an endless life. The showdown at Calvary proved to all the watching world that the agenda of everlasting life will not be stopped. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?

If you are familiar with the Ellerslie Short Film entitled “The Gospel,” then you will be duly prepped for this message, which is the full-blown sermon edition (thunder and all). At Ellerslie we are not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation! Praise God for such a message of resounding victory, redemption, and grace!

This is a powerful enunciation of one of the most abused and twisted doctrines of our day: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a force, a mere influence, a convicting vibe—He is a Person. To be even more specific, He is God. He is the Almighty, the All-Powerful, Tri-Holy God come to dwell within us and live His almightiness through us.

As Christians, may we not deal in the cheapened love of mere emotion and relational fancy. May we not diminish the heavenly love of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit by intermingling the world's self-entreating love with Heaven's self-expending love. May we shun the cheap imitation and only handle the sacred river of pure love which flows clear as crystal from beneath the throne of grace unto the saints of God and through the saints of God out onto this love-parched world. This message gives a fresh vision of the Cross and the love that sent our precious Jesus there and held Him there with cords of compassion until all was accomplished.

Unfortunately, the concept of confession has become a negative concept for many in the modern church. But Spirit-orchestrated confession is an essential instrument in the toolbox of a mighty Christian. Without it the soul grows tepid and weak and strays from the sure footing of the Scriptures. But the soul that is grounded in a healthy and powerful understanding of confession is certain to thrive.

Many Christians today struggle with the idea of knowing for certain that they indeed are saved by Jesus Christ. And yet, assurance is a gift of grace that each and every believer can know and enjoy. This message tackles this challenging issue head-on and is certain to leave you strong in your personal confidence of the great saving work of the Cross.

It's not just the giver, but the "cheerful" giver that God loves. However, most Christians are anything but cheerful when it comes to parting with their time, energy, and hard-earned resources. The Biblical pattern for joyful, eager, ready giving is desperately overdue to make a comeback in the Church.

A trial of faith proves if a man's faith is genuine or not. For faith is not faith unless it is thoroughly tested. However, most of us would like a test of faith like we would like punch in the nose. We shrink from such tests and wish to avoid them at all costs. But such tests are what build mighty men and women of God who change the course of history. So, the mature Christian learns to shout, "Bring on the trials!"

Most of us know that flattery is not healthy, but many of us do not realize how truly dangerous it can be. Flattery has the power to undermine a nation. It's the technique of history's most infamous conspirators and saboteurs, starting with the devil himself. The story of Absalom is far more than a Bible story. If we examine its message closely, it can help us preserve the integrity and health of the Church of Jesus Christ as well as the integrity and health of our individual souls.

This message serves as a surprisingly refreshing picture of the bold beauty of God's law. Law cannot save us, but it can acquaint us with our need to be saved. The Bible declares that the law is a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. When the law is preached properly, the Cross is magnified and the work of Jesus is cherished.

There are two incontrovertible facts that make up the basis of "expectancy”—one being that God cannot lie, and secondly, God has promised. If it's true that God cannot lie, then when He promises we can be fully assured that He will perform that which He promises. This is the make-up of faith. And this is the make-up of expectancy. For when God says He's coming, the "expectant" soul sits at the window and awaits His coming, doubting not for a moment, knowing that God said it and will therefore surely do it.