Understanding Christianity

In this controversial passage, Paul addresses how both men and women should conduct themselves in the church. Men are to lead with moral purity, a spirit of unity, and earnest prayer. Women are to joyfully respect and submit to the male elders who teach them. What does it mean when Paul prohibits a woman from teaching or exercising authority over a man? Pastor Sean attempts to navigate these difficult waters in this podcast. www.seancole.net

A church and its leaders should demonstrate a reciprocal love for one another. In this passage, we see a healthy model of how a church should love and support its pastors and how its pastors should lead and love the church. www.seancole.,net

Paul urges Timothy to pray for "all" kinds of people. Does "all" mean every single person without exception, or kinds of people without distinction? Pastor Sean dives into this difficult text which addresses how we pray strategically for lost people. How does God's absolute sovereignty relate to human responsibility? What did Jesus accomplish on the cross? Pastor Sean will answers these questions and more in this episode. www.seancole.net

in Galatians 4:1-11, Paul continues to show us the dire contrast between being under the law and being adopted in Christ. Remember that your former life without Christ was dominated by slavery. Rejoice that your current life in Christ is dominated by freedom. Resist the danger of rejecting that freedom by returning to slavery. www.seancole.net

Pastor Sean continues the podcast through 1 Timothy. In 1:12-17, Paul reminds us of the power of the gospel in God's mercy of saving sinners. In 1:18-20, Paul returns to the issue of false teachers and reminds Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. This passage shows the extravagant nature of God's mercy in Christ. May we never "get over" the amazing grace of Jesus coming into the world to save sinners! www.seancole.net

One of the greatest privileges of our salvation is being adopted by God as our Heavenly Father. In this passage, Paul presents two contrasts: (1) Being UNDER the laws brings traumatic despair while (2) Being IN Christ brings tremendous blessings. Pastor Sean explores four blessings of what it means to be "IN" Christ from Galatians 3:23-29. www.seancole.net

For the summer of 2018, Pastor Sean will be doing a verse-by-verse teaching through 1 Timothy. If you're a pastor, elder, deacon, or church leader, this series will benefit you as you lead the church. If you're not a church leader, 1 Timothy gives great insight into what it means to function as a Biblically faithful church. This introduction focuses on the city of Ephesus in Acts 19 Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20 to set the context for the letter. He then provides an exposition of 1 Timothy 1:1-11.

In Galatians 3:15-22, Paul gives the second use of the law. The law is a mirror to show us the sinfulness of sin and compound our guilt. The law also imprisons us in a bondage of despair to drive us to flee to Christ for salvation. You have to be bruised and hit by the law until you can admit your need for Jesus. You need to feel the overwhelming guilt of being imprisoned by the law before you can call out to Jesus to rescue from your chains. You need to be killed and cut by the law before you can call to Jesus to give you new life and heal your soul. You need to be humbled to the very depths of hell before you can turn to Jesus in the gospel to give you the gift of heaven. www.seancole.net

Paul paints for us a devastating dilemma: If you want to be accepted and righteous before God, all you have to do is obey His law perfectly 100% of the time with 100% accuracy in thought, word, and deed. This is a devastating impossibility. The satisfying solution is that Jesus satisfied the demands of the law by taking God's wrath for us on the cross and buying us out of spiritual bondage. We receive the bountiful blessing of the promised Holy Spirit to live in us forever. www.seancole.net

When you trust in Christ alone by faith alone, you experience the wonderful blessing of being counted righteous before God. If you're a believer in Christ, you are a true child of Abraham--the man of faith. What should be our response? Father Abraham had many sons, many sons had father Abraham. I am one of them, and so you are; so let's just PRAISE the LORD!! www.seancole.net

What does the doctrine of unconditional election produce in God’s chosen people? Using insights from the Canons of Dort, Dr. Sean Cole gives five fruits or responses we should have in regards to God's sovereign election. (1) A solid assurance in our salvation, (2) A reason for daily humility, (3) An opportunity to love the depths of God’s mercy, (4 )A motivation to live holy and unpolluted lives, and (5) To give fervent love back to God in return of His love for us.

The church has two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Baptism is the initiating oath-sign of the new covenant whereby a new believer formally submits to the Triune God in obedience to Jesus’ command to be baptized by immersion. Baptism does not save anyone, but instead shows visually and verbally that God has saved him or her by His free grace alone. Baptism is a sign of the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. The Lord’s Supper uniquely depicts continuing fellowship with God, a repeated act whereby the believer remembers the Lord’s death and renews his commitment to Christ and participation in His church. Lord’s Supper is a means of grace through which Christ is present by his divine nature and through which the Holy Spirit nourishes the souls of believers with the benefits won for us by Christ’s death. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole continues this series on famous pastors and theologians who have shaped his life and ministry. Jonathan Edwards, the father of America's First Great Awakening, was a prolific writer, pastor, missionary, and seminary president. Pastor Sean gives a brief history of Edward's life and then interacts with a Treatise Concerning Religious Affections and the marks of genuine conversion. www.seancole.net

We are initially SAVED by the gospel of grace, but we also continually GROW by the gospel of grace. The Galatians had been bewitched by a demonic seduction to forget the gospel. They needed a renewed vision of Christ and his glorious finished work. The Holy Spirit is indispensable to our initial salvation by effectual calling/regeneration as well as to our ongoing sanctification through His indwelling and empowering. www.seancole.net

Philadelphia—was the beloved church that held fast and was the godly example and witness Laodicea—the blind, arrogant, self-sufficient, nauseating church

Dr. Sean Cole addresses a highly misunderstood topic--spiritual warfare. What is it? He demonstrates how Genesis 3 serves as not only the essence of spiritual warfare but as a paradigm for all expressions of spiritual warfare. He then explores Revelation 12 to show how Satan and his demons have been cast down to earth and their time is short. He then shows how God sovereignly uses or ordains Satan to carry out His purposes in both believers and unbelievers.

Thyatira—was the seduced church with the false prophetess who tempted them to engage in worldly behavior and to not stay true to God’s Word Sardis—was the church in name only—it had the reputation of being alive, but was dead

Galatians 2:11-21: Three foundations of a faithful church: (1) doctrinal purity, (2) relational unity and (3) spiritual vitality. www.seancole.net

How can you as a guilty sinner be right with a holy God? The answer: Not by works of the law, but through faith in Christ alone.

Pastor Sean Cole and youth pastor Andrew Hayes reflect on their experience at T4G 2018 in Louisville, KY, last week. They discuss the sermons, the break out sessions, the singing, and what they came away with. Enjoy! www.seancole.net