The Whole Counsel

This week we are continuing our series through the Servant Songs of Isaiah. The song in Isaiah 49 is unique because in it we get a glimpse of the internal thoughts of Jesus Christ, His prayers to the Father, and the Father's response to Him. There is great deal we can learn about how to pray, how to respond to God in faith, and how to walk the path Jesus walked during His earthly life. To read the...

Having gone through the backdrop and context of the Servant Songs, this week John begins discussing the first of the songs in Isaiah 42. As John says, this song is like a slowly brightening sunrise.  Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-songs-iii Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts  

John is continuing his small detour from Salvation in Full Color to discuss the four Servant Songs from Isaiah. But before we dive into the texts themselves, there is still a bit of foundational work we need to do. Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-ii Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts  

Chuck is still on vacation and rather than moving forward with Salvation in Full Color without him, we decided to start a short series walking through the Servant Songs of Isaiah. This week John gives important information that we need to have before going into the specific chapters. Check out the Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/servant-song-i Check out the Media Gratiae Podcast Network: www...

This week Chuck is on vacation with his family. John wanted to take the opportunity and present you with a trustworthy ministry that has been a blessing to him for decades. That ministry is Chapel Library, a ministry of Mount Zion Bible Church. Listen to this week's episode to learn about how Chapel Library will send you solid, trustworthy resources with a very unique payment method. Visit Chapel...

Samuel Blair was a godly minister and used by the Lord in the Second Great Awakening. He was also a teacher. Blair was much heavier on the doctrine than the application. Blair’s sermon is entitled “The Gospel-Method of Salvation” and his text is Romans 10:4: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” The nature of true faith in Christ. The necessity of faith in...

“Repent, you must either in time or eternity, upon earth, or in hell. You cannot possibly avoid it. The question is not, Shall I repent? for that is beyond a doubt. But the question is, “Shall I repent now when it may reform and save me; or shall I put it off to the eternal world, when my repentance will be my punishment, and can answer no end but to torment me?” And is this a hard question? Does...

John and Chuck are taking a much-needed week off. We thought the time would be best used to reintroduce new listeners to the book we are taking a long soak in on The Whole Counsel, titled Salvation in Full Color. In this inaugural episode of The Whole Counsel (previously The Behold Your God Podcast) John introduces several of the changes to the podcast. We are in a new location, we have a new coho...

John and Chuck have mentioned a few times the importance of the order of the sermons presented in Salvation in Full Color. This week bears the fruit of that importance as it is the first sermon describing the sinner's response to God's rights, our need of regeneration, and the hope of the work of the Spirit. In Seeking the Lord, Devereux Jarratt explains that having a right grasp of God's sovereig...

We have mentioned the beauty and importance of hymns before, but in this special episode, John is joined by Ryan Bush, host of the podcast Hymn Stories, a weekly podcast that gives a glimpse into the lives and stories behind our favorite hymns. During their conversation, John and Ryan discuss why they use hymns in their corporate, family, and private worship over praise choruses and other Christia...

This week John sits down with Ryan Bush, editor of the Guide to Family Worship and teacher of the Practical Guide to Family Worship Bible Study Set. The duo discuss their experiences and obstacles to leading their families in worship and give practical tips you can apply right now to leading your family in the worship of the living God. International Church Planters: http://intlchurchplanters.squa...

Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His role in turning someone from a person who hates the law of God to someone who loves to meditate on it night and day? George Whitefield explains that while spending a great deal of his time pleading with sinners to cry out to the Holy Spirit to do the work that only He can do. Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blogs/the-work-of-the-holy-spirit Pick up your copy...

*There was a problem uploading the audio file. Please refresh your cache to get the corrected episode.* What is the effectual calling of the Lord to a rebellious soul? What makes it different than the normal conviction someone feels when listening to a sermon or reading Scripture? While the term may be unfamiliar in today's culture, its reality has been experienced by every true Christian. Purchas...

Chuck and Teddy conclude their discussion on the qualifications of elders and deacons in this week's episode. While there are specifics edicts, the principle behind each of them is that an elder and deacons must be a man "above reproach." Show Notes: www.mediagratiae.org/blog/elders-and-deacons-part-ii Chuck's Sermons: https://www.sermonaudio.com/search.asp?sortby=added&sourceonly=true&currSection...

This week Chuck is joined by Teddy James to discuss the importance of an elder's character. Chuck has been preaching through the qualifications of elders and deacons for several weeks at Christ Church New Albany.  Show Notes: https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/elders-and-deacons Al Martin's three-volume set: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/pastoral-theology-the-man-of-god-three-volume-set-ma...

Richard Owen Roberts says regeneration is one of the most important doctrines American Evangelicalism must reexamine. That is a bold statement, but it bears much truth. This week's sermon by Jonathan Dickinson, "The Nature and Necessity of Regeneration" is a prime example of how much understanding we lack when it comes to this doctrine. For show notes, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-s...

In this concluding episode of 10 Shekels and a Shirt, Paris Reidhead takes a deep dive into what is wrong with a man-centered gospel. John also shares his first exposure to this sermon and how God used it in the early life of Christ Church New Albany. For the text of the sermon and show notes, visit https://www.mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-shekels-ii.

For the next two weeks, we want to present you with one of the most beneficial sermons John has ever heard. Preached by Paris Reidhead in 1965, the sermon's title is 10 Shekels and a Shirt. In the sermon, Reidhead tackles some very big issues and points us to Christ. Show Notes: mediagratiae.org/blog/ten-sheckels For more Christian podcasts like this, visit www.mediagratiae.org/podcasts.

When it comes to the atonement of Christ's death, we are again presented with the importance of grasping the bigness of God, our sin, and His love. But what is the atonement and how can the death of one man atone for all the sins of every Christian in history? These are weighty questions deserving of a weighty conversation. For help in this, John and Chuck are looking to a sermon from Solomon Stod...

A few months ago we recorded a special episode with our friend Joel Tiegreen. Joel served as a missionary to the country of Turkey for five years. While there he was diagnosed with cancer. In the discussion, we asked how we could pray for Joel and he asked that we pray he would finish his race well. On Tuesday, April 13, Joel finished his race well. We wanted to present this discussion to you agai...

"God loves you." That statement, divorced of the knowledge of the character of God or depth of man's depravity, is empty. But after spending time learning who God is and seeing Him as He presents Himself in Scripture, and contrasting His pure holiness to our rebellion and wickedness, it has an indescribably deep beauty. Why does God love us? For how long will God love us? What can make God stop lo...

Anyone who has been around The Whole Counsel long enough will know we love reading from the old writers and preachers. We believe there are incredible benefits to reading from men and women who were particularly gifted by God to speak truth into their times.   But as much as we love reading them, we are aware there are ditches we can easily fall into. To help discuss these benefits and dangers, Je...

Salvation is no easy feat for man. In fact, it is impossible for man to save himself. It is a work only God can do. But that begs the question, why. Why is it so hard for man to be saved? Why is it impossible for man to save himself? John and Chuck dissect the sermon The Righteous are Scarcely Saved by Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen in this week's The Whole Counsel Podcast. You can find the text...

Why does sin bother the Christian? It is because God gives His children an understanding of the ugliness of sin that an unbeliever simply cannot grasp. David's prayer, "Against you and you only have I sinned." is incomprehensible to one who does not understand sin. Presenting a biblical picture of sin is the point of Joseph Bellamy's sermon that John and Chuck are discussing in this week's podcast...

Few doctrines have been so misunderstood and abused than that of total depravity. However, it is an important truth we must wrestle with in our pursuit of seeing salvation in full color. In this week's episode, John Snyder and Chuck Baggett highlight a sermon preached by Gilbert Tennent titled "The Wretched State of the Unconverted." For show notes, visit www.mediagratiae.org/blog/total-depravity...