Community Baptist Church of Fargo

As a preacher seeking inspiration for a sermon I shall be preaching next Sunday on Colossians 1: 9-18, I turned to Pastor Vandermeulen's sermons at SermonAudio.com. I knew that I wanted to bring out the special glory and purity of the gospel message, and had many notes. But the unity I was seeking was still to be found. This sermon provided that unity, namely that the Law reminds one that he is a sinner, whereas the Gospel of Jesus Christ that he is forgiven. Pastor Vandermeulen announces this simple but profound principle of understanding towards the beginning of this sermon, and then proceeds to add layer upon layer of understanding of this basic point. Christ is the One prophesied for centuries. He and He alone takes away the corruption of sin and frees us for eternal life with Almighty God. Christ Alone, Faith Alone, For the Glory of God Alone are profoundly brought together as the sermon awakens our minds as well as our hearts to the salvific power of the Gospel. And, as I have noted in other reviews of sermons by Pastor Vandermeulen, his preaching now has an intensity and focus that were not present to as great a degree 15 years ago. Although the word "anointing" is overused in some circles, I can only say that I believe this sermon is truly anointed.

Great exposition of this text . You are a very clear communicator , thank you brother .

Pastor VanderMeulen reminds us at the very beginning of this sermon of the endless wonders of the book of Romans. It is a fountain of truth and wisdom that could engross our attention for many lifetimes. In it, we drink deeply of Almighty God through Jesus Christ transforming our lives to that which is the acceptable, good, and perfect will of God. There are so many layers of wisdom and truth in this sermon, it would be beyond a SermonAudio comment to try to re-state them. But this commenter was struck particularly by the preacher's recounting of the contention between Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Billy Graham. Lloyd-Jones did not accept Mr. Graham's invitation to sit on the platform at Graham's first crusade in England. He explained to Mr. Graham that he (Graham) had reversed the process by which one followed Jesus, namely we do not first make a decision and then begin to move into being born again. We are first to be born again. We are born again by faith ALONE. (John 3:3) The sermon is rich with details, but it is an impassioned call to be thankful for our faith, to live out our faith, to rejoice in our faith, and to know that our faith has set us free -- it is a thrilling panorama as we move towards those "pearly gates."

This sermon was delivered with unusual passion and intensity. It deserves this treatment because Christian biblical commitments and beliefs are increasingly being challenged in our society. However, Pastor Doug VanderMeulen reminds us at the beginning of the sermon how the demonic homosexuals attacked another pastor about 40 years ago in San Francisco when he fired a homosexual man who played the organ in an Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Although the case was won in court, the man and his family suffered years of persecution. The story of that horrible case can be read here: https://www.billygraham.ca/stories/attacked-but-not-silent/ However, in the sermon that episode is to reflect a commitment to Christ that is parallel to that of Stephen in Acts. When we are blessed by the Lord, of course we should be grateful. But when horrible treatment abounds in our lives, we are equally challenged to be grateful and to respond in humble gratitude to our Lord and Savior. The sermon emphasizes that no matter what the appearances may be Jesus Christ is in control. The Lord is the Lord of society no matter whether we are seeing outcomes and behaviors we agree or disagree with as Christians. We must welcome His will in our lives and must maintain a strong witness of His Lordship!!

Such a motivating sermon to trust in the God who hears our earnest prayers.

Good sermon, gives good background to understand, thanks brother

Good sermon. It was interesting to hear what workers at suicide hotlines are trained to say to people who call in. In these times when we have an epidemic of what they call “deaths of despair”, we should have training like that in our churches.

I ran out of characters in my first comment, but wanted to add that the presentation is passionate, which added to the encouragement it provided.

I have had the privilege of posting many comments about Ptr.Doug’s sermons over the years. This sermon is a masterpiece of forceful encouragement. Next week I’m facing my third medical heart test. The first one, an echocardiogram, showed a small mass in my heart’s left ventricle. The second test was a cardiac MRI. This found everything to be normal. How to resolve the disconnect? I was sent to take a Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE). In this one, they put a camera down the patient’s esophagus and take close-up photos of the heart. The only problem was they couldn’t get the camera down my esophagus. So now I’m scheduled to go back and have the procedure under general anesthesia, not merely under sedation. Having these many tests on one of one’s vital organs is something I find VERY STRESSFUL. Doug’s sermon powerfully drove home the point that this does not mean the Lord is punishing me for sin(s). And whether the third test determines that I will or will not need surgery it is in His perfect will. All that happens to us is for the sake of glorification of His Name. The net result of our joys AND our groanings is that both give us hope of glory—a future with Christ where there will be a New Heaven and New Earth. I drew great solace from this sermon.

Thanks, SermonAudio for having the SErmons by Topic choice to find good sermons like this one. But it is sad to note that it is 15 years old, and it is the most recent sermon on this topic, which should be at the top. Because Biblical womanhood is neglected in the US, we have so many problems in our society, and the key verse is Isaiah 3:12, where the curse is given, where children oppress and women rule. Nothing would better describe the US than this verse, much better than the verse commonly brought out for May's National Day of Prayer, "...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves..." Many problems with that verse, like 'my people' does not equal every resident in the US (illegal immigrants included), and 'humble themselves' the US is not a humble country! But lets' focus on the Isaiah 3:12 verse, which gives us the root cause of so many problems. Did you know that even liberals will agree with conservatives that one reason why the Crime Rate in the US has gone down is that there are less young people around (both sides give abortion the reason for that decrease)? Isn't that like saying 'children oppress' by being criminals? How many cases have you seen of shootings or robberies done by seasoned citizens?

Powerful sermon. Thank you for uploading.

I am very grateful to Ptr. Doug for this Good Friday message. This morning, the day after Good Friday, I went out for a late breakfast/brunch with my wife. We were discussing various matters, and at one point I said, "The Lord revealed to me that he's not finished with us in this matter yet." So the Lord has taken us successfully through certain difficult situations, and in those same areas, He will continue to lead us and give us perseverance and wisdom. But when Christ said it is finished on the Cross, that saving work, the forgiveness for ALL our sins, is finished. Yet, the sermon reveals that there are many saved Christians who still are vexed with guilt and fears, and have not realized the hope and the peace that passeth understanding that flows from Christ's "It is finished." (Only one word in the Greek) I am one of those still overly vexed by guilt and fear of man. Perhaps you are too? The sermon promises that if we keep knocking on heaven's door, we will attain that level of perfect peace and hope. This is helpful to me because I have found myself asking myself how I can be saved but yet not have the peace that passes understanding. I am now encouraged that it is not beyond my reach.

This sermon is refreshing and inspirational. It begins as a preaching about the Tenth Commandment about not coveting, but this commandment and our meditation on it draws us into even deeper issues of our sinfulness. Though those who follow Christ are called "saints" in the Bible (different from the special designation used by the Roman Catholics), we know we are converted sinners, and those not in the body of Christ are unconverted sinners. So in this sermon Pastor Doug explores how we should think about and deal with this sinful condition that abides in our hearts and minds even after we have been born again. But he not only explores the matter but proclaims our need for good works, obedience to the Word of God, and recognition that through Christ we shall eventually be in that perfect place where we can 100% worship (and serve) in spirit and truth. At the same time, he clearly is not antinomian, and in no way putting a positive spin on our basic sinfulness. He recommends good works in keeping with the Ten Commandments and recommends greater study of those commandments. Following the sermon I purchased Thomas Watson's work on the Ten Commandments, and printed out a couple of sections that are available at monergism.com Have a blessed Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas. Jeff

To continue the previous comment.... This shows that even unsaved society is deeply conflicted over sexual morality; yet the impurity and sensuality and the lewd language and bodily activity on TV, the internet, and movies continues. Then, for someone like me who resides in New York City, we not only have to deal with various stages of undress in shopping malls as in smaller towns, but just on the subways where folks are packed together there are vulgar advertisements (like Pompeii in Pastor Doug's sermon), much showing of flesh, and sometimes physical contact between the sexes. You have to be prayed up. But the pastor brings out a key quality -- both mental and attitudinal -- namely honor. The Christian must have a deeply engrained sense that giving into temptation or even allowing oneself to feel tempted is beneath the high calling of having been elected by Jesus Christ to spend an eternity with Him. Thus, self-control and self-purification are not mainly a product of fear of God (although fear is warranted I believe) but by cultivating a sense of an elevated life based on honor and a nobility of purpose. Pastor Doug had a Facebook post about being a gentleman (he didn't say lady, but I'll add that term). That too is part of honor I believe.

This is a powerful sermon on the subject of sexual sins. When was the last time you heard this topic preached on either in church or even in a men's group? Yet, we are living in an incredibly sexualized society. The power of lust is a tremendous theme of fallen humanity. Roger Bacon's philosophy stressed the need not to commit the Seven Deadly Sins. Now we're seeing headlines every day about celebrities and politicians groping women, and worse, even raping. There has been a line of public figures over the years who have been dubbed "bad actors" for their sinful behavior. Yet, this finger-pointing response as Jerry Newcombe wrote about in a recent article at americanprophet.org (it's still up)is after the fact, and in contrast with the loose and ever-loosening sexual mores of our society. If it feels good, do it, but at the same time take all the right precautions, and if you are really bad, then don't get caught. So there are reprisals if you are caught abandoning yourself to sin but sin is portrayed as not that sinful. The babies keep being born out of wedlock. STDs are on the rise. Feminism clashes with the ideals of sexual freedom and the demand for government birth control pills and abortions.