Understanding Christianity

Dr. Sean Cole begins a new sermon series on Spiritual Warfare. What exactly is spiritual warfare? What role does Satan play in my life? Does he have unlimited power? How do I fight the good fight? Do I have to engage in weird things like exorcisms or things I see in horror movies to fight Satan? In this first sermon, he answers some basic questions about this ongoing battle with the forces of evil. The battle began in Genesis 3 and will continue until Satan is thrown into the lake of fire. Ultimately, the devil wants to do two things to the church: (1) DISTORT the truth of the gospel, and (2) DISRUPT the unity of the Body. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole continues Chapter 8 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession on Christ the Mediator. He focuses on the WORK of Christ by addressing SIX truths including Limited Atonement: (1) As fully God and fully man, he was thoroughly qualified to be our one Mediator. (2) He perfectly fulfilled the demands of the Law and lived the life we could never live. (Active Obedience of Christ) (3) He exhaustively endured God’s righteous judgment on the cross, bearing our sins. (4) He victoriously rose from the dead, ascended to heaven and is now seated at God’s right hand, interceding for us as our King. (5) He will literally return to earth in power and glory. (6) Jesus actually, not potentially, paid for our sins on the cross, securing our eternal redemption, not just making us savable--DEFINITE ATONEMENT or particular redemption. www.seancole.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sean.cole.16144/videos/1184496299378053

Dr. Sean Cole interacts with a tweet on X from Leighton Flowers at Sotierology 101 concerning regeneration. He mischaracterized what the Reformed view is by asserting that we believe sinners undergo an ONTOLOGICAL change in nature. Since Provisionism denies total inability, they logically deny any need for an internal, sovereign, and efficacious work of grace in the mind, heart, and soul of a dead sinner to bring about new life. What actually happens in regeneration? Sean also plays a short clip from the John 6:44 debate with James White where Leighton answers a question bout the miraculous nature of conversion. There are stark differences between Provisionism and Reformed theology on the nature of the fall, the spiritual condition of man, and what happens when God regenerates a sinner. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole preaches from Acts 3:1-21 for Resurrection Sunday. What does this miracle say about Jesus? What is the significance of the resurrection? What are the wonderful blessings of repentance? They killed the Author of Life. How ironic that the Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers, thought that by killing Jesus, they were doing the world a favor when, in reality, they were killing the very AUTHOR of life—if that was even possible. They did kill the Author of Life, but since Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One who is King of kings and Lord of lords, they could not keep Him in the grave! www.seancole.net https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXcGeJnlOv0

In Judges 16, we see the epic failure of Samson at the hands of Delilah. He ends up captured, enslaved, and blind with no hope. However, he finally repents and cries out to the LORD for sovereign grace. This passage teaches us that no true believer who fails Jesus is beyond His amazing grace. How does the death of Samson compare to Jesus' death on the cross? There are surprising similarities. As we prepare for Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, may we all find REST in Jesus alone. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole covers paragraphs 1 and 2 in Chapter 8 on Christ the Mediator. What does it mean that Jesus is our Prophet, Priest, and King? He also focuses on five absolutely essential truths from paragraph 2 that teach the nature and person of Christ. (1) Jesus is the eternal Son of God, (3) Jesus was born of a virgin, (3) Jesus came in the flesh as fully man. (4) Jesus never once sinned in thought, word, and deed, and (5) Jesus was one person with two natures--human and divine. He is truly man and truly God. He also addresses two heresies that deny the truth about Christ. Check out Sean's two books: 40 Days in Philippians: Finding Joy in Jesus https://g3min.org/shop/books/g3press/40-days-in-philippians-finding-joy-in-jesus-sean-cole/ Your Identity in the Trinity: Discovering God's Grace in the Gospel https://www.amazon.com/Your-Identity-Trinity-Discovering-Gospel/dp/153267385X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KIeKb-Q5beNqevUYicehf7XYgmQPS6Lk2f5ooq2qfKLw__5j4XwDuivd

In Judges 15, Samson retaliates against the Philistines. He gets captured by his own fellow Israelites--the tribe of Judah. He supernaturally burst the bonds and killed 1000 men with the jawbone of a donkey. Afterward, he gets extremely thirsty and, for the first time, cries out to the LORD for help. What's the point of this narrative? Only Jesus can truly satisfy your thirsty soul? How does Judges 15 point us to Jesus and His final words on the cross? How does God bursting water from a rock correspond to Jesus' promise to give living water to all who thirst? Listen and find out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_oYeERztoQ

In Judges 14, we see Samson who wants to marry a pagan Philistine girl because he was driven by the lust of eyes. In verse 4, we find the theological key to the entire narrative. God may purposely create conflict in your life to purify you from sin. This passage teaches compatibilism. (1) Samson acts freely out of his sinful desire and disobeys God’s moral will, and (2) God also acts freely out of his sovereign desire to accomplish a greater purpose. What do we mean by the theological term “Compatibilism”? The basic definition is that God’s absolute and meticulous sovereignty over everything is compatible with human freedom. The Bible affirms two simultaneous truths: (1) God is absolutely sovereign, and (2) humans are responsible and accountable creatures who act freely by our nature. These two truths are not in conflict with each other but coexist. While we may be unable to explain HOW these things work, the Biblical revelation affirms that these two truths exist side by side. https://www.youtube

Dr. Sean Cole teaches Chapter 7 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession on God's Covenant. A covenant framework is key to understanding the Bible. The Bible teaches THREE covenants: The Covenant of Redemption took place within the Trinity before the foundation of the world. This covenant of redemption among the Persons of the Trinity is the eternal foundation for the work of the three Persons in the history of redemption. From all eternity, the Father agrees to send the Son, and the Son is willingly sent. The Covenant of Works took place in the Garden of Eden between The LORD and Adam. The Covenant of Grace, announced right after the Fall, and culminates in Christ's death and resurrection. The Covenant of Grace was revealed in steps or progressions in the OT until Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant in His death on the cross. Only the New Covenant of grace can bring sinners salvation. After the Fall, we cannot stand as Adam did in innocence; instead, we are guilty. In addition, we cannot be save

Judges Chapter 13 begins with Samson's miraculous birth. The angel of the Lord's visit symbolically foreshadows Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension as our one Mediator. We need a Substitute because God is holy and a consuming fire whom nobody can see and live; we cannot approach Him in our sins. We would be obliterated by our guilt. God would have to kill us because of our sins, but instead, God ACCEPTED the sacrifice of Jesus in our place so that we would not have to endure His justice. How do you respond to this great salvation? Listen and find out. www.seancole.net You can watch this sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/blmTZykOoDY?si=_5In7StGRQZ6Rwf1

Dr. Sean Cole teaches Chapter 6 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession on The Fall, Sin, and Its Punishment. He explores Genesis 3 and then shows four results from the fall: (1) Inherited Guilt, (2) Universal Depravity, (3) Spiritual Deadness, and (4) Total Inability. He unpacks Romans 3, 5, and 8 as well as Ephesians 2:1-3. www.seancole.net

Jephthah shows us Israel at its lowest point so far in Judges. Where are the spiritual leaders? He teaches us the importance of biblical manhood. In this sermon, Dr. Sean Cole challenges MEN to step up to the plate and be a godly leader in three spheres: (1) the Home, (2) the Church, and (3) in Society at large. This is a powerful call for men to be the godly leaders God has called them to be for His glory alone. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole teaches from Chapter 5 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession on God's PROVIDENCE. There is a correlation between Chapters 3, 4 and 5. God’s Decree describes His sovereign plan that He made before the foundation of the world. God then created the universe out of nothing for His glory. God’s Providence is the OUTWORKING or EXECUTION of that eternal decree in the created world through time, space, and history. God’s providence brings up some fundamental questions: Does it make any difference what I do if God has it all planned out? Is God the author of sin? How does any good come out of evil? He addresses these issues from the Scriptures and interacts with the wording of the 1689. www.seancole.net

In Judges 11, we see the epitome of evil in Jephthah's rash vow when he sacrifices his only daughter. His big mouth gets him into trouble. He is always talking, but God is eerily silent. Why did Jephthah do such a wicked thing? Was he desensitized to the pagan culture around him? Did he not understand God's sovereign grace? How do we respond to this chapter, which presents a "nasty"--a sordid episode in Israel's history? Dr. Sean Cole shows how the gospel of grace overshadows the worst of depravity. In light of the cross and resurrection, one of the best things we can do is to hear God speak and shut our mouths. www.seancole.net

Dr. Sean Cole teaches from Chapter 4 of the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession on CREATION. He discusses the question around a literal 24-hour day. He also addresses alternate views to the historical 24-hour view: (1) The gap theory, (2) the Day-Age Theory, and (3) Framework Hypothesis view. He also discusses what it means to be made in the image of God. He takes a detour and discusses how we as Christians are living in a negative world as opposed to a neutral or positive world of the past. Enjoy!

Does God have the sovereign right to execute His justice and punish our sins? Does God have the sovereign right to extend His mercy and forgive our sins? The answer to both of these questions is an emphatic “YES!!!” This passage raises a very important question: How can an absolutely righteous God punish our sins and yet, at the same time, completely forgive us? We must always understand that God must execute divine justice against our sins and, at the same time, is merciful, loving, and forgiving. How can God be both severe in His justice and yet compassionate in His mercy? This is most beautifully expressed when Jesus died on the cross. You can watch this sermon on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-CZzrvkomY

Dr. Sean Cole continues teaching through the 1689 Second London Baptist Confession. This session focuses on the doctrine of Predestination from Chapter 3. He examines John 6, Ephesians 1, Romans 8 and 9. He discusses reprobation, equal ultimacy, and then addresses four primary objections to unconditional election. www.seancole.net

A few weeks ago, Dr. Sean Cole was reading Volume 10 of the Works of John Owen and his essay called "A Display of Arminianism." In Chapter 13 on the issue of free will, Sean was surprised to find that the problems Owen identified with the Arminians of his day are the key tenets of modern day Provisionism. Owen interacts with these views and they are eerily similar to what Leighton Flowers and others believe about the nature of man and the nature of grace. Listen as Sean reads the words of Owen who rejects libertarian free will and actually summarizes most of the key tenets of Provisionism. www.seancole.net

In Judges Chapter 9, we see the treachery that results from the wicked leadership of Gideon's son from a concubine, the man, Abimelech. The main idea of this lengthy chapter is this: You get what you ask for when you accept bad leadership. Why do churches sometimes accept unqualified leaders as their pastors? The books of 1 Timothy and Titus clearly set forth the biblical qualifications for pastors so that there is no ambiguity or misunderstanding on the character and aptitude of spiritual leaders. Why do churches bypass these clear teachings, wiggle, or compromise on these when selecting a pastor? Dr. Sean Cole also explains how 1 Corinthians 3:5-17 relates to Judges 9 regarding spiritual leadership. www.seancole.net

In this session, Dr. Cole addresses paragraphs one and two of Chapter 3 on God's decree. He mentions three fences the confession gives to qualify the absolute and meticulous sovereignty of God. He also addresses why Reformed Baptists do not believe in mere foreknowledge but that God determines whatsoever comes to pass. Listen and enjoy! www.seancole.net