Real Truth Matters - Resources: Essential Resources

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Essential Resources

Sermons

If you want to know more about Real Truth Matters Ministries, here are 11 sermons that will give you the heart and soul of the ministry.

What Does It Mean to Abide
John 15:4
07-27-2008

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In this message Michael Durham explores the Parable of the Vine in John 15. We are commanded to abide in Christ. Abiding is the very essence of the Christian life. But how does one do that if they don’t know what it means to abide? Many have approached this parable and its picture of abiding in the vine as a salvation metaphor. But this is not what the parable is about. It’s for believers. This sermon is part of a series that expositionally treats the entire parable.

How to Abide in Christ Part 1
John 15:4-5
08-24-2008

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This is another sermon from the series on the Parable of the Vine. In this message Durham reveals a very personal struggle with abiding. His struggle ended with discovering how to abide in the Vine. This message is his discovery. Trying to abide is the very opposite of abiding.

A False Repentance and Confession
Luke 15:17-19
05-13-2007

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There has been a collapse in the understanding of genuine repentance and faith. Consequently, many professing Christians are false converts. They insist they have repented and believed but their repentance is false and so is their confession of faith. If you want to understand biblical repentance this is a message you need to hear.

Faith, the Ground of our Relationship with God
John 6:27-29
11-11-2007

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Like the preceding sermon, this message examines biblical faith. A large number of evangelicals believe they are Christians for a variety of reasons that are simply not gospel reasons. What is faith? Why does God require faith and how does it work in justification? And how do you know you have biblical faith? These questions are answered in this sermon.

The Self Denial of Discipleship
Matthew 16:24
02-12-2006

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This sermon is the heart and soul of the entire Demands of Discipleship series. Jesus called us to make disciples, but discipleship is one of the most misunderstood aspects of modern Christianity. We really know so little about true discipleship. It’s no wonder that most Christians are meager disciples and even worse at making disciples. In this message Michael Durham gives biblical insight into what it means to really follow Jesus.

Experiencing Holy Spirit Power
Acts 1:8
07-02-2006

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Since the rise of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movements there has been a lot of confusion about the Holy Spirit’s function in the Christian life. Frankly, many non-Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians are afraid to tackle this question. Most are complete strangers to the historic orthodox position on the Spirit’s role in the church. It seems most non-Charismatic believers are shy to speak of Holy Spirit power fearful someone may think them unbiblical. Real Truth Matters has at its core the belief that without the power of the Spirit nothing for the kingdom will be accomplished. This sermon unashamedly calls for churches to not be afraid of the truth because of the errors and excesses of some.

The Gospel: It's Essence and Nature Part 1
Romans 1:16-17

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The Gospel: It's Essence and Nature Part 2
Romans 1:17

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The Gospel: It's Essence and Nature Part 3
Romans 1:18

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The Gospel: It's Essence and Nature Part 4
Romans 3:9-20

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The Gospel: It's Essence and Nature Part 5
Romans 3:21-26

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Ask someone who doesn't attend church what the gospel is, and they will probably not have a clue on how to answer. Ask a church member what the gospel is and you'll not get much better. Their answers will range from "asking Jesus into my heart" to "going to church and obeying the Ten Commandments." There is a major void in understanding the essential elements of the most important information known to humanity.

This country has more a access to Christian information than any people, anywhere, anytime. Yet it is rapidly becoming an anti-Christian culture having no tolerance for truth in any facet of the marketplace. Why? Because the church has become irrelevant. Its message and methodology cannot answer the deepest questions of America's soul. We have abandoned the gospel and its purity for an impersonation of a click, Madison Avenue ad agency. We have nothing different to offer this generation. They have bought into our polluted gospel of empty promises of wealth, health, and beauty and have felt ripped off. They have fallen for the sting operation of American Christianity, and it has left this nation embittered against the church. Why does the very best statistic say that only 16% of people making professions of faith today remain in a church one year later?

Pastors and men of God must return to the fundamental truth of Christianity. But do we know how? What re the essential elements of the good news? How do you preach them to this trendy, consumer-oriented culture?

This series of messages from the 2004 Living Priorities pastors' conference will help you understand the biblical gospel after years of abuse, additions, and apathy.

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