Understanding Christianity

The Southern Baptist Connvention annual meeting is just weeks away. Dr. Sean Cole is planning on going to Anaheim as a messenger from Emmanuel Baptist Church to vote for Voddie Baucham as president of the Pastor's Confrence and Tom Ascol as President of the Convention. In this podcast, Sean details the journey he and the church have taken over the past few years in navigating the progressive drift in the SBC. He addresses the issues of CRT/Intersectionality, egalitarianism and women preachers, Ed Litton's plagiarism, and why he is voting for Tom Ascol. Even if you are not SBC, this is a helpful discussion on the liberal drift we are seeing many conservative evangelical denominations. www.seancole.net

In Luke 17:20-37, Jesus addresses His Second Coming. It will be visible to all. It will be take those by suprise who are not ready. It will bring both salvation and judgment. What does the generation of Noah and Lot have to do with Christ's return? How can you be ready for the Second Coming? Listen and find out... www.seancole.net

Jesus heals ten lepers, and only one returns. He understands that he needed more than mere physical healing. Instead, he needed spiritual healing from his sin. In this passage, we see the historic Reformed understanding of guilt, grace, and gratitude. First, we are all guilty of the spiritual disease of depravity. Second, Jesus alone saves us by grace alone through faith alone. As as result, we should live our lives in joyful gratitude for this great salvation. It is a strange thing to see an ungrateful Christian. We as believers in Christ should be the most thankful people on earth! Listen and enjoy. www.seancole.net

In this passage, God ordains or incites David to take a census. How do we reconcile the theological difficulty of God ordaining David to sin and then holding him accountable? This concept is called compatibilism: God's absolute sovereignty is compatible with human responsibility. In 2 Samuel 24, we see God display both His wrath and His mercy. The events in this chapter are a powerful foreshadowing of what Jesus as the Good Shepherd accomplished on the cross. www.seancole.net

In 2 Samuel 23, we find the last words of David. This is an oracle or a sermon that he preaches and it centers on Christ and the future kingdom. In essence, we could say that David here is functioning as a prophet, or a preacher and his sermon is all about the prophecy of how Christ as his future Son would rule and reign as the only perfect King of His people. He gives four powerful assurances about Jesus as absolute LORD over our lives. The entire sermon focuses on the Lordship of Christ which has been lost in much of evangelicalism today. www.seancole.net

Why do those who profess Christ often fail to forgive, fall into temptation, and cause disunity in the church? In Luke 17:1-10, Jesus gives four teachings concerning how believers get along as the body of Christ. These demands are impossible without sovereign grace. We desperately need God's grace to function properly as the family of God. www.seancole.net

Absalom conspires to take over David's throne. David has to flee Jerusalem. He is betrayed by three men who previously pledge him loyalty. Nevertheless, God provided three other men to help him and rescue him from death. In the midst of all the conspiracy and treachery, David does not fight God's sovereignty, but instead, resigns himself to accept whatever God ordained for his future. He understand the consequences of his grievous sin and knows that God is orchestrating His plan behind the scenes for His glory alone. www.seancole.net

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus teaches three truths about the reality of hell. (1) People in hell will be conscious. (2) People in hell will suffer extreme torment, and (3) Hell is a fixed eternal reality. In this sermon, Dr. Sean Cole soberly addresses the doctrine of hell. He also exposes three false views of hell that are popular today. He also shows how the Bible is sufficient to warn you of the dangers of hell. www.seancole.net

In 2 Samuel 13, we see the immediate aftermath of David's egregious sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. Nathan warned him that the "sword" would not depart from his house. His son Amnon rapes his half-sister Tamar. Absalom, her blood brother, exacts revenge and has Amnon murdered. In this teaching, Dr. Sean Cole focuses on what we can learn from the five characters in this narrative. This is a depressing, shocking chapter that should leave you hating sin and seeing your need for Jesus as Savior. www.seancole.net

Peter marveled at the empty tomb in Luke 24:1-12. He could not get over the resurrection. Dr. Sean Cole explores the great mercies of the empty tomb from 1 Peter 1:3-5. We see four wonderful blessings that God gives us in the resurrection. Listen and find out what they are and how you can receive them this Easter 2022. www.seancole.net

David does evil in the sight of the LORD by committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband Uriah killed in battle. In essence, David breaks most of the Ten Commandments and thinks he got away with the sin. In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan the Prophet rebukes David with a parable. In anguish over his grievous sin, David pens Psalm 51 which shows us four stages of confession and repentance. In this teaching, Dr. Sean Cole shows us how to avoid temptation as well as the amazing mercy God has for those who have sinned. www.seancole.net

How often do we mediate upon the glories of the cross? How often do we fix our gaze on what Jesus experienced in those dark hours when He was suspended on the cross? John Calvin wrote, “In the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theater, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world. The glory of God shines . . . never more brightly than in the cross.” Pastor Sean takes us through both the physical torture and the spiritual anguish Jesus experienced on the cross. May our hearts be prepared for Easter 2022 as we focus on the cross. www.seancole.net

Most scholars believe this is Jesus' most difficult parable to understand. It's baffling and shocking. Dr. Sean Cole does his best effort to try and explain what Jesus means in Luke 16:1-13 with the parable of the shrewd manager. Do you master your money for the glory of God, or does your money master you? How does this parable not become just another ethical lesson on money managemetn? How does the Gospel play a crucial part in this passage? Listen and find out. www.seancole.net

As a father of a disabled son, Dr. Sean Cole resonates with how King David treats Mephibosheth (Jonathan's disabled son) in 2 Samuel 9. The key word in this passage is "Kindness" which shows up 3 times. David, as King, shows kindness to this man. In the same way, King Jesus showers us with grace upon grace. What are the spiritual parallels between us and Mephibosheth and King David and the ultimate King Jesus? We continue the theme of Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude in this beautiful passage of Scripture. www.seancole.net

In 2 Samuel 7, we see the Davidic Covenant. David wants to build God a house, but God flips the script and promises to build David an eternal "house" or dynasty. The Heidelberg Catechism expressses our faith in three phases: Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. We see this paradigm with David. Listen as Dr. Sean Cole explains these gospel truths in the life of David. www.seancole.net

The Pharisees grumbled that Jesus received or welcomed the prostitutes and tax collectors. Jesus tells three parables about something being lost, then found, followed by a party. How do the 3 parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son picture our Savior's acceptance of sinners? Our heavenly Father loves to receive sinners who genuinely repent. In this sermon Pastor Sean asks three questions: (1) What does it mean to be a sinner? (2) What does it mean to genuinely repent? and (3) How does God respond to sinners who genuinely repent? www.seancole.net

When the Ark of the Covenant is returned to Jerusalem, the Lord's anger breaks out against Uzzah. In 2 Samuel 6, we see two key issues: (1) Are you worshiping the right God? (2) Are you worshiping the right God in the right way? This entire chapter focuses on the attributes of a holy God and how we should worship Him. www.seancole.net

Jesus addresses the crowd and issues three radically impossible conditions for following Him. We often think that we can fulfill these conditions with intensity and devotion in order to become a disciple of Jesus. What Jesus does in this passage is actually preach the LAW to crush us and show us our utter sin and guilt and inability to give up all and take up our cross and follow Him. The law condemns, but the gospel grants the grace to be Jesus' disciple. The point of this passage is to challenge us to sit down and count the cost of what it means to truly follow Jesus. Dr. Sean Cole explains the distinction between law and gospel and how often get this passage wrong. www.seancole.net

One of the key tenets of Reformed theology is the Covenant of Works. If Adam would have obeyed God's command in the Garden he would have earned life for both himself and his posterity. Yet he failed miserably and God instituted the Covenant of Grace. In the effectual call, the Holy Spirit makes sinners both willing and able to come to faith in Christ. Dr. Sean Cole has noticed that within Provisionism theology, there is not much interaction with the Covenant of Works. He also notes that a key distinction is that they assume that when God issues a command it must be common sense that we are able to fulfill it. Why would God issue commands that He knows we cannot fulfill? Listen as Dr. Cole discusses the differences between Reformed theology and Provisionism on these issues. www.seancole.net

Jesus tells a parable about a host who invited people to a banquet. Those invited offered lame excuses. There is no good excuse to refuse to come to faith in Christ. Pastor Sean addresses the issue of "compelling" sinners to come to Christ. What does it mean to "implore" the lost to place their faith in Jesus? How do we plead with the unsaved to repent and believe? www.seancole.net