Real Truth Matters Podcast

Send us Fan Mail You haven't walked away. You haven't denied the faith. You still attend, still serve, still read. But somewhere along the way, the ache went quiet — and what frightens you most is that you've grown comfortable with its absence. Lukewarmness doesn't arrive with a warning. It arrives looking like stability. Episode Summary In this message from Revelation 3:14–22,...

Send us Fan Mail In A Lost Sheep, A Lost Coin, A Lost Son, Part 2 , RTM founder and director Michael Durham explores the startling contrast between two kinds of lost people: the openly rebellious sinner and the outwardly moral, self-righteous sinner. Through Jesus’ powerful parables, this message exposes the danger of trusting in religious performance while revealing that both the prodigal and the...

Send us Fan Mail In A Lost Sheep, A Lost Coin, A Lost Son, Part 1 , RTM founder and director Michael Durham opens one of Scripture’s most beloved chapters to reveal the astonishing heart of God toward sinners. Through three unforgettable parables, Jesus answers a question that still troubles many hearts: Can God truly receive those who have wandered far from Him? This message exposes the tragedy o...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to truly believe in Jesus Christ? In One Thing Necessary, Part 2 , Michael Durham confronts the shallow, intellectualized faith that fills many churches and calls listeners back to the heart of genuine Christianity: devoted trust in a living Savior. This message exposes the danger of knowing doctrine without truly knowing Christ, and challenges the listener to ex...

Send us Fan Mail Why did Jesus answer the rich young ruler with commandments instead of comfort? In One Thing Necessary, Part 1 , Michael Durham exposes the shocking purpose behind Christ’s words and reveals how easily the human heart can hide behind morality, religion, and outward obedience while remaining enslaved to self. This message cuts through superficial Christianity and confronts the subt...

Send us Fan Mail What if the greatest display of God’s power is not what we naturally expect—but what looks like weakness, surrender, and even death? In The Most High and the Most Humble, Part 2 , Michael Durham, founder and director of Real Truth Matters, takes you deeper into the mystery of the cross, where Christ’s humiliation is revealed as His triumph and the very power of God on display. Thi...

Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful being in existence is also the most tender, the most approachable, and the most self-giving? In The Most High and the Most Humble, Part 1 , Michael Durham, founder and director of Real Truth Matters, draws you into the stunning paradox of Christ revealed in Philippians 2—where exalted glory and profound humility meet in the person of Jesus. This message c...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the God who loves you most is the One you wound the deepest? In Grieving the Holy Spirit, Part 2 , Michael Durham, founder and director of Real Truth Matters, presses this sobering truth even further—revealing that when we grieve the Spirit, the greatest loss is not His presence, but our experience of it. The silence, the distance, the fading joy—these are not ac...

Send us Fan Mail What if your sin is not merely a failure of discipline, but a wound inflicted on Someone who loves you deeply? In Grieving the Holy Spirit, Part 1 , Michael Durham, founder and director of Real Truth Matters, confronts the often-overlooked truth that the Holy Spirit is not distant or impersonal—He is relational, present, and capable of deep sorrow. When we minimize sin, we miss it...

Send us Fan Mail The cross doesn’t flatter you—it confronts you. It dismantles every instinct you have about fixing yourself, proving yourself, or saving yourself. What if the greatest obstacle to your salvation isn’t your failure, but your confidence that you can overcome it? In this episode, Michael Durham presses past surface-level religion and exposes the deeper issue: not what you do, but who...

Send us Fan Mail Why is the cross so offensive—and why does that matter for your daily life? In The Wisdom and Power of the Cross, Part 1 , RTM founder and director Michael Durham uncovers a neglected truth: the cross is not only where your sins were forgiven, it is the very pattern by which your life must now be lived. This message confronts the deeply rooted instinct to measure spiritual growth...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when you fail—again? When the resolve to do better collapses and the weight of your weakness feels overwhelming, How to Walk in the Spirit Part 2 confronts the lie that spiritual growth comes through trying harder. RTM founder and director Michael Durham delivers a piercing and hope-filled message that exposes the futility of self-determination and calls you into so...

Send us Fan Mail God has every right to judge, yet He chooses to love, remain, and pursue—even when we neglect Him. That kind of love calls for a response. In this message, Michael Durham asks a vital question: how do we actually walk with God in daily life? From Galatians 5 and John 6, it shows that walking in the Spirit is not about effort, but dependence. The Christian life is relational—learni...

Send us Fan Mail Many Christians believe growth comes from trying harder and doing better. But beneath that effort is a deeper issue—an independent spirit that wants to live for God without depending on Him. In this message, Michael Durham exposes that struggle and shows why self-effort leaves believers weary and defeated. From Galatians 5 and John 6, we see the true answer: not striving, but abid...

Send us Fan Mail What if everything you’ve believed about spiritual growth has been pointing you in the wrong direction? Many Christians exhaust themselves trying harder, following formulas, and measuring progress by performance—only to find themselves frustrated and defeated. This message confronts that mindset head-on, exposing the futility of legalistic thinking and calling you back to the true...

Send us Fan Mail In The Hindrances of the Flesh – Part 2 , Michael Durham exposes one of the most dangerous realities in the Christian life: the flesh often looks respectable, responsible, and even religious. From anxiety disguised as maturity to obedience fueled by self-exaltation, this message reveals how easily believers drift from simple dependence on Christ into subtle self-reliance. With pie...

Send us Fan Mail In this searching and deeply personal message from Galatians 5, Michael Durham exposes one of the greatest threats to the Christian life—not open rebellion, but subtle self-reliance. What if the very things you believe make you spiritually strong—your prayer life, your ministry, your discipline, your responsibility—are actually disguises the flesh uses to keep you in control? With...

Send us Fan Mail Why does the Christian life feel like a war within? In this episode, Michael Durham explains why the flesh isn’t destroyed at salvation—it’s dethroned—and why that ongoing struggle is evidence of the Spirit’s presence, not your failure. With clarity and urgency, he exposes the trap of trying to defeat the flesh through self-effort, rules, or rededication, and calls us back to the...

Send us Fan Mail Can your desire to be holy actually work against you? In this gripping introduction to Walking in the Spirit , Michael Durham exposes a sobering truth from Galatians 5: even sincere Christians can slip into spiritual bondage when self-effort replaces trust in Christ. Drawing from Paul’s sharp warning to the Galatians, this episode explores the inner conflict every believer faces—t...

Send us Fan Mail In this concluding episode of What Is the Gospel? , Michael Durham presses us to look unflinchingly at the cross—not merely as a symbol of love, but as the public display of God’s perfect righteousness. Drawing from Romans 3 and the imagery of the Day of Atonement, this message unfolds the weighty truth of propitiation: Christ’s blood does not merely cover sin; it makes God approa...

Send us Fan Mail The gospel does not begin with us—it begins with God. In this concluding message of the second sermon in What Is the Gospel? , we are confronted with a truth both sobering and glorious: God is righteous, God judges sin, and the gospel has only one hero—Jesus Christ. Drawing from Romans 3:20–28, this episode presses past surface-level belief and exposes the inadequacy of moral effo...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 4 of What Is the Gospel? , we conclude the second sermon by confronting the sobering reality of God’s righteousness and judgment. Drawing from Romans 1–3, this episode explores how God’s wrath is not only future, but already being revealed as He gives people over to their own sinful desires. The moral decline of a culture is shown not merely as social decay, but as evid...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 3 of the Real Truth Matters Podcast , Michael Durham confronts one of the most unsettling yet essential questions of the gospel: How good do you have to be? Continuing his series What Is the Gospel? , this episode turns to Romans 1:18 and addresses why a righteous God must judge sin. If God Himself is the standard of righteousness, then human goodness—whether measured b...

Send us Fan Mail In Episode 2 of the Real Truth Matters Podcast , Michael Durham continues his exposition of Romans by pressing deeper into the heart of the gospel: the righteousness of God. Before Paul ever speaks of God’s love, he grounds salvation in who God is —righteous in His very nature. This episode confronts a common misunderstanding that righteousness is merely something God does, rather...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Real Truth Matters Podcast , Michael Durham begins a foundational series in Romans 1:16–17 by asking a vital question: What is the gospel? Challenging modern assumptions, he argues that much contemporary gospel preaching has subtly shifted its emphasis away from God and toward man. While acknowledging humanity’s real need for salvation, this message calls li...