Audio on the cross

I have recently come across several audio sermons that deal with themes related to the cross that I have found exceedingly helpful and encouraging.

At the recent Together for the Gospel conference, virtually all the speakers dealt with topics related to the cross and the atonement; I found particularly helpful the messages by Al Mohler, R. C. Sproul, and John MacArthur (though they were all excellent and worth listening to more than once).

I have also listened to a couple sermons lately by C. J. Mahaney, and been reminded how effectively he communicates themes about the cross. One three-part series that he did at Covenant Life Church is "Christ and Him Crucified."

Atonement sermons

Stimulated by the book Pierced for Our Transgressions, Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence (pastors at Capitol Hill Baptist Church) began a series at Christmas that will culminate at Easter on the penal substitutionary work of Christ. I've only listened to the first two messages, but it appears that it will be a very helpful and encouraging series on the value of the cross of Christ.

Solus Christus Audio

The audio from the Solus Christus conference held at Countryside Bible Church last weekend is now online. Here are the links to the various sermons:

• Christ: Our Only Mediator (Al Mohler)
• Christ: Our Only Righteousness (Tom Pennington)
• Christ: Our Only Advocate (Phil Johnson)
• A Tale of Two Covenants (Phil Johnson)
• Christ Alone: The Heart of Our Evangelism (Mike Gendron)
• Our Daily Bread: Applying "In Christ Alone" to Life (Rocky Wyatt)
• Christ: The Only Remedy for Original Sin (Phil Johnson)
• Christ: Our Only Master (John MacArthur)
• Christ: The Only Sovereign of His Church (John MacArthur)

As I have been spending some time on my sabbatical reading and thinking about issues related to the atonement, I particularly appreciated Tom Pennington's message on Friday evening, though all the messages were thought-provoking and helpful.

Three conferences this week

This week I will be attending three conferences (kind of).

The first is in Minneapolis, hosted by Bethlehem Baptist Church (pastored by John Piper). The theme of this pastor's conference is "The Pastor as Father and Son." And while I won't actually be in physical attendance, Desiring God generally makes the audio from each session available within hours of the actual session. So I plan on listening to as many of those messages as quickly as I'm able. One of the highlights of the Bethlehem Pastor's conferences are John Piper's biographical sermons; this year he will pay tribute to his father.

The second conference is not actually a conference, but a lecture series delivered by Al Mohler at Dallas Theological Seminary this week (Tues - Fri). While I won't be in attendance for the chapel messages, DTS likewise makes their chapel messages available online, so I'm excited to hear Mohler addresss some of the contemporary issues of the day.

The third conference I will actually be in attendance. The Solus Christus conference is being held at Countryside Bible Church and features Al Mohler, John MacArthur, Phil Johnson (Grace to You), and Tom Pennington (pastor of Countryside). This is the second of their planned five Sola conferences (Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide ['09], Sola Gratia ['10], Soli Deo Gloria ['11]), and promises to be an excellent declaration of the supremacy of Christ.

Free MacArthur .mp3 sermons

Grace to You, the radio and audio ministry of John MacArthur, is making available free .mp3 audio downloads. It appears that new downloads are being posted on a weekly basis.

This is certainly a freebie to take advantage of!

Audio worth hearing

I was first introduced to Arturo Azurdia by The Master's Seminary chapel audio. Then, while on vacation the last couple of weeks, I listened to several more of his sermons. He is clear, compelling, convicting, and faithful to the text in his exposition. His sermons are well worth hearing, because he listens to God (chapter 4).