Duane Sheriff Ministries - Messages

How holy is God—and why does holiness matter? Many people misunderstand holiness or pursue it for the wrong reasons, trying to earn God’s love, blessings, or acceptance through their own performance. In Episode 13 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff distinguishes between cultural and man-made definitions of holiness and the true holiness of God revealed in Scripture. Because holiness is God’s...

How holy is God? Scripture describes Him as a consuming fire—so pure, righteous, and glorious that no sinful person could stand in His presence apart from His mercy and grace. In Episode 12 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches that understanding God’s holiness is essential to understanding both the fear of the Lord and the greatness of salvation through Jesus by distinguishing between...

What happens when sinful humanity encounters a God who is perfectly holy, pure, and described in Scripture as a consuming fire? Who can stand before such awesome holiness? God’s holiness is not merely a theological concept, but a reality that demands reverence. In Episode 11 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches that we can only stand in God’s presence by grace through faith in the aton...

What happens when a culture no longer fears God or recognizes the destructive power of evil? In Episode 10 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches that one of the clearest biblical definitions of the fear of the Lord is “to depart from evil.” True godly fear is not hatred toward people, but a holy reverence for God that causes us to hate what destroys lives and turn away from sin. Drawing...

What does it really mean to fear God in a culture that demands tolerance for virtually everything? Are Christians ever called to hate—and if so, what? In Episode 9 of The Fear of the Lord, Duane Sheriff explains that Scripture clearly teaches there are things God hates, and that a proper fear of the Lord requires us to hate what He hates and love what He loves. Drawing from Proverbs, Psalms, and R...

What happens when you truly encounter the holiness, majesty, and awesomeness of God? In Episode 8 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches that fearing the Lord is not a tormenting fear that drives us away from God, but a holy awe and reverence that draws us deeper into His presence. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet sees God high and lifted up, filling the temple with His glory. In that...

Why do some people grow closer to God through hardship while others pull away from Him? In Episode 7 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff defines what the fear of the Lord truly means—and why it cannot be reduced to a mere concept or religious formula. The fear of the Lord is not a tormenting fear of punishment or rejection, but a holy reverence, awe, honor, and worship that flows from a genui...

What fear is keeping you from fully trusting God? In Episode 6 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff exposes four major fears that paralyze believers: the fear of faces (people and peer pressure), the fear of fences (obstacles, hardships, and persecution), the fear of foes (spiritual warfare and demonic opposition), and the fear of failure (past mistakes and future uncertainties). Each of these...

Fear is one of the enemy’s greatest tools for silencing truth, trapping us in compromise, and hindering our spiritual growth. When we fear God more than people, everything changes. In Episode 5 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff teaches on the fear of man versus the fear of God, revealing how the fear of the Lord delivers us from the fear of rejection, intimidation, hardship, and failure. Ki...

Fear has a way of silencing truth, compromising convictions, and keeping us trapped by intimidation. But what happens when the fear of God becomes greater than the fear of people? In Episode 4 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff reveals how God’s perfect love delivers us from the tormenting fears that paralyze our faith journey and dominate our lives. Duane identifies four major fears that hi...

Why do so many believers still fear God's judgment if Jesus already bore our punishment on the cross? In Episode 3 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff reveals the difference between the unhealthy, tormenting fear of judgment and the healthy, reverential fear of God that draws us into intimacy with Him. Through the finished work of Jesus, we have been forgiven, made righteous, and given boldne...

What kind of fear brings blessing instead of bondage? Many believers struggle to reconcile the Bible's warnings against fear with its command to fear the Lord. In Episode 2 of "The Fear of the Lord," Duane Sheriff reveals the critical difference between tormenting, demonic fear, and the wholesome, reverential fear of God that leads to wisdom, joy, and intimacy with Him. Ungodly fear paralyzes and...

What does it really mean to fear God? The Bible speaks about fear in seemingly contradictory ways. For many believers, the fear of the Lord is one of the most misunderstood concepts in Scripture. The Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear and that perfect love casts out fear. Yet throughout Scripture, we are also commanded to fear the Lord, and tremendous blessings are promised to those...

What if one of the most important moments in history wasn’t the cross or even the resurrection, but the day Jesus ascended into heaven? In Episode 18 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff explores the sixth element from 1 Timothy 3:16—Jesus being “received up into glory.” After conquering sin, death, and the powers of darkness, Jesus didn’t merely rise from the grave—He ascended to the righ...

What if the chaos, deception, and darkness rising in the world are not signs to fear—but reminders that God’s kingdom is advancing, and His angels are still ministering to His people? In Episode 17 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff teaches from the declarations of 1 Timothy 3:16, that the gospel must be preached to all nations and believed in the world. As confusion increases in the las...

What if the message of Jesus was never meant to be contained—but to be shared with the whole world? In Episode 16 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff teaches on the fourth declaration of 1 Timothy 3:16: Jesus was “preached unto the Gentiles,” revealing that the gospel is radically inclusive. God’s plan of salvation reaches far beyond Israel to every nation, race, and people group in the w...

What if that sudden delay, the unexpected detour, or the split-second escape wasn’t a coincidence - but a divine interaction by an angel assigned to watch over you? In Episode 15 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff explores the third declaration of 1 Timothy 3:16—“seen of angels”—to describe the role angels played in the life of Jesus and how they have been assigned to every believer. Ang...

What if the most powerful forces at work in your life are the ones you cannot see? In Episode 14 of The Mystery of Godliness, Duane Sheriff teaches on the role of angels in God's plan for humanity. Angels are “ministering spirits" sent to serve those who inherit salvation—protecting, strengthening, and assisting believers according to God's purposes. Drawing from 1 Timothy 3:16, Duane teaches that...

What if the resurrection of Jesus isn’t just something to celebrate—but the very truth that defines who you are, how God sees you, and how you live today? In Episode 13 of The Mystery of Godliness, Duane Sheriff teaches that the resurrection is not optional to the gospel—it is everything. Without it, our faith would be empty, our message meaningless, and we would still be trapped in our sins. Draw...

What if your struggle to overcome sin isn’t about willpower—but about understanding you were never meant to live with two identities? In Episode 12 of The Mystery of Godliness, Duane Sheriff teaches that God sees only two kinds of people in the earth—those in Adam, living in sin and death, and those in Christ, living in righteousness and eternal life. Through Scripture, we see how Adam and Jesus f...

What if your entire identity—and your authority with God—comes down to one decision: whether you are in Adam or in Christ? All of humanity exists in one of two families—either in Adam’s family, bound by sin and death, or in God’s family through Christ. In Episode 11 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff teaches how humanity transitions from being “in Adam” (the family of man) to being “in C...

What if the greatest struggle in your life was shaped by two men you've never met—one who brought death, and One who brought life? In Episode 10 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff teaches the profound theological truth of the Incarnation—why God had to become human in Jesus Christ to redeem humanity. Two men, Adam and Jesus, have fundamentally shaped every human destiny. Through Adam cam...

What if the reason Jesus had to become man reveals far more than being redeemed—it reveals how God intended humanity to reign? In Episode 9 of The Mystery of Godliness, Duane Sheriff teaches that at the heart of our salvation lies a profound mystery Satan never saw coming: God became flesh. Without the incarnation, humanity could not be saved, born again, or made into new creations. "God made fles...

What if the missing key to spiritual growth isn’t trying harder—but understanding what God has already placed within you? In Episode 8 of The Mystery of Godliness, Duane Sheriff teaches that believers are not called to manufacture godliness through human effort, but to grow by adding spiritual virtues to the faith already given through Christ. Drawing from 2 Peter 1, he reveals that virtue, knowle...

What happens when evil disguises itself as virtue—and how can you discern the difference between true godliness and counterfeit righteousness? In Episode 7 of "The Mystery of Godliness," Duane Sheriff exposes the dangerous deception of "a form of godliness" that appears moral on the outside but rejects the very power that transforms lives. Drawing from 2 Timothy 3, he reveals how false religion, c...