Eric Ludy Sermon Podcast: Church at Ellerslie

This message focuses upon our tendency as humans to shift the blame on someone else when we are in the wrong. Wanting to escape the sting of conviction, we make rash accusations and attempt to clear our names of guilt. Therein lies the problem: there is no justification apart from Christ. "Lord, It Was the Woman!" takes us back to the heart of the Gospel and opens our eyes to the ways that we subtly discount the sufficiency of Christ's death.

"What is my calling? What is my unique role in the Body?" These are questions that we are frequently encouraged to consider, but they can easily tempt us to focus upon how we can be significant on our own. This sermon focuses upon how men were built with a desire to be significant and world-changing. However, God's pattern for making a man significant is not the world's way. God's way of making men world-changers is by taking them through the cross—through dying to make Christ significant.

Scripture says that Abraham was justified by faith, but it also says that he was justified by works. Have you ever struggled with understanding faith vs. works? This message takes on the challenge and exhorts us not to have one or the other, but to have a "faith that goes to work." True faith is not limp and passive, but it labors hard and exerts itself to believe God regardless of the evidence of the natural realm. Let us exert the faith we have to joyfully believe an eternally trustworthy God—He will not fail us!

Sheep are pathetically weak, dumb, and slow. It's not a label any of us would prefer for ourselves. But the longer we walk with Christ, the more we have to admit that it is a fitting description. Despite weakness, the saving grace of the sheep is the fact that they have a Shepherd who leads and cares for them. This message reminds us of the profound truth that our Shepherd is just as powerful to keep as He is to save. We do not need to fear moral failure because He has promised to complete the work He began.

"He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord ... but the high places were not taken away." This phrase is repeated throughout the Biblical history of Israel, but it also describes many of us. We are too content to worship the Lord with half of our hearts, putting some of our sacrifices on the altars of high places. God desires for us to destroy those high places and turn to His most high and holy place for salvation and security. Allow the Spirit to search your soul through this message and unite your heart to fear His name alone.

In this message, Eric Ludy describes the vision and goals for Ellerslie Training and establishes twelve principles that are needed in Christian leadership. Using King David’s youthful years of development as a muse, a clear picture emerges in and through this message for how God disciples a young life and grows them from a novice into a great leader.

What is truth? Pilate asked this question before Christ's crucifixion, and it is a question the world is still asking today. We as Christians have the answer but our relationship with truth usually remains merely intellectual. We should be asking the question, “Who is Truth?” This message forces us to examine whether we really love Christ as Truth or if we avoid the discomfort of the conviction He brings. Glad surrender to Truth is the only way we can offer the person of Truth to this world's questions rather than just factual answers.

Are there things that you are afraid to pray? We feel more comfortable praying for those things which seem reasonable for God to give. This message defies small praying and challenges us to make God-sized requests. We pray safe prayers because we do not really believe that God will answer big prayers. Let us no longer be afraid to pray with boldness and audacity, because God delights to answer. Even better, He promises to do abundantly more than our most audacious request!

Christ was the ultimate Revolutionary. Set aside your mental images from history textbooks and behold Christ as the Redeemer who overthrew the kingdom of darkness and ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven. His battle- cry was "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" This message explores the promise of judgment in Scripture and takes a long look at Christ as the one who brings judgment upon darkness. Listen to this sermon with a soft heart, for it's a doozie!

Though we know that we have victory in Christ over principalities and powers, we find ourselves not walking in that mindset. We reason from a position of weakness, as opposed to one of strength. This message encourages us to walk in bold confidence, for Christ has indeed crushed the head of the serpent and defeated every last enemy!

Sometimes we just need to hear a message again. This sermon strikes the oft-needed note of the necessity of immovability in the life of a Christian. When the winds and rains are raging, wisdom tells us that we must take our refuge in the Rock. It is there—in Christ our Spiritual Rock—that we will be unshakable, impenetrable, and ultimately untouchable.

This message is about Jesus, the Bread of Life, who came to save all who partake of Him. The showbread in the tabernacle was much more than just bread; it was a foreshadow of the one born in Bethlehem (the House of Bread). Jesus came to show forth the Father, and in Him we behold the Great I AM. Come and see what the Showbread revealed!

This message is a study in the discipline of readiness—being fit to rise in strength, grit, and confidence to meet the adventures of life in Christ. As Christians, we must be prepared for whatever difficulties or foes we might encounter. We must be instant and immediate in our responses. However, our hearts are usually crowded with distraction and sluggishness, and we prove spiritual snails when spiritual sprinters are required. Are you ready?

Knowing and believing that Christ died for our sins and rose again is basic Christianity. But we so often glaze over the fact that the Cross was a mystery hidden for ages and generations, revealed to us only by His miraculous grace. Let us not lose our wonder, for our God is a revealer of mysteries, and we are exceedingly privileged to have eyes to see.

The command to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is familiar to many of us, and yet we often struggle to practically implement it in the realm of purity. Let us freshly consecrate ourselves to walk in the way of holiness and allow no mixture in the temple of Christ, for the Man without mixture, Himself, Jesus Christ, now dwells within us as believers. We have been given the authority to stand strong against the pull of temptation of impurity.

In a modern Christian culture whose motto is to just love each other and never judge, we as Christians have rejected the idea that judgment is ever appropriate or loving. But we also have an unbelievable knack for criticizing and fault-finding. The Bible makes it clear that judgment (decision-making tested by the Word of God), if done from a spirit of love and humility and with proper jurisdiction, is healthy and actually necessary to the functioning of a society, church, home, business, or personal life. So we as the Church must learn how to humbly sit in our "summer spot" and mind our own business as well as properly, Biblically, and lovingly judge when it is our responsibility.

This message addresses the topic of self-control from a very unique angle. So many of us try our best to behave as Christians, but the behavior of Christianity is not something that is possible through mere human will- power and determination. Christian behavior is a supernatural byproduct of the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. As the Church, we are called to showcase Jesus Christ, but we must understand the Gospel, and walk in it's power, in order to actually do this.

Oftentimes we act boldly in times of ease and become cowards in time of crisis. But God is in the business of building us strong for the most difficult hour and to exude the most magnificent attributes of Jesus Christ amidst the darkest trials. This message is a rousing one, delineating how a Christian can calmly and nobly maintain their position throughout the most trying times and challenging difficulties.

This message contains the spiritual tool that transforms marriages, changes families, and restores health unto broken church bodies. It is a spiritual truth that seems to have fallen by the wayside in our modern generation, and it is high time we got it back.

It’s difficult to navigate the modern minefields of doctrinal dispute. It would seem that there are a thousand opinions on every point and few that ever actually agree on these doctrinal points within the Church. However, this doctrinal contention and chaos is not the work of the Spirit of God, but the work of the author of confusion himself, Satan. The Devil is always laboring to beguile the saints of God and woo them away from the simplicity that is in Christ. And when the Church walks in this Spirit-simplicity, with the humility and faith of a little child, all its countless debates are solved in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is a message you will not want to miss!

Is it true that God is all we really need? In modern American Christianity it would seem that Jesus is lumped in amongst a host of other gods that we turn to for health, strength, peace, comfort, security, and pleasure. What would it look like if the Church of Jesus Christ left everything to follow Jesus?

This is a deeply impacting message on the sensitive theme of "the weaker vessel." It's always been God's pattern to choose the "weaker" through which to reveal His great strength. NOTE: This message was edited differently than all the previous. As part of our annual Set-Apart Girl simulcast, this one was filmed, edited, and finalized on the fly. So please forgive the few editing foibles.

Believing is important business in the kingdom of Heaven. In a sense, you could call it "the work of the kingdom." Most Christians are paranoid of the concept of work even being associated with the idea of faith. But the kind of work which we as Christians are supposed to be antagonistic towards is termed in Scripture as "the work of the flesh." The work of faith is an altogether different operation. And it is this heavenly work of faith that saves.

You thought genealogies were boring? Well, not after this message, you won’t! Throughout world history, the Hebrews have stood unmatched in their maintenance of genealogies, lineage, and descent. God promised them that from their bloodline would come One who would rescue the world from sin. This "Deliverer" would be of the seed of the woman, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, and would be from of everlasting. Well, this "Deliverer" has come. And just as promised, He was born of a virgin girl in Bethlehem, and He was no mere man. He was God born in the body of a man. Buckle your seat belt for this one!

As it says in Scripture, it was by one man's disobedience (Adam) that sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and that thusly death passed upon us all. But that is not the end of the story. For it was by one man—the last Adam, Jesus—that the gift of grace has abounded to many, and many shall be made righteous... and live! To behold the love, beauty, power, and majesty of this “last Adam” is to witness the heart of God for each one of us.

This message is a study in the sway of public persuasion. It is uncanny how the opinions of others can weigh so heavily upon our decisions in this life. Most of us would consider it Heaven to be free for just one day from the pressures of what others think. But the Gospel promises to do better than that. If we receive the liberating power of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection into our lives, it will free us from the tyranny of public approval... forever.

This is a study in the inextinguishable, unstoppable power of life. If you put death against life, life wins. Satan may have had the power of death, but Jesus arrived 2,000 years ago toting the power of an endless life. The showdown at Calvary proved to all the watching world that the agenda of everlasting life will not be stopped. Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?

If you are familiar with the Ellerslie Short Film entitled “The Gospel,” then you will be duly prepped for this message, which is the full-blown sermon edition (thunder and all). At Ellerslie we are not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation! Praise God for such a message of resounding victory, redemption, and grace!

This is a powerful enunciation of one of the most abused and twisted doctrines of our day: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a force, a mere influence, a convicting vibe—He is a Person. To be even more specific, He is God. He is the Almighty, the All-Powerful, Tri-Holy God come to dwell within us and live His almightiness through us.

As Christians, may we not deal in the cheapened love of mere emotion and relational fancy. May we not diminish the heavenly love of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit by intermingling the world's self-entreating love with Heaven's self-expending love. May we shun the cheap imitation and only handle the sacred river of pure love which flows clear as crystal from beneath the throne of grace unto the saints of God and through the saints of God out onto this love-parched world. This message gives a fresh vision of the Cross and the love that sent our precious Jesus there and held Him there with cords of compassion until all was accomplished.

Unfortunately, the concept of confession has become a negative concept for many in the modern church. But Spirit-orchestrated confession is an essential instrument in the toolbox of a mighty Christian. Without it the soul grows tepid and weak and strays from the sure footing of the Scriptures. But the soul that is grounded in a healthy and powerful understanding of confession is certain to thrive.

Many Christians today struggle with the idea of knowing for certain that they indeed are saved by Jesus Christ. And yet, assurance is a gift of grace that each and every believer can know and enjoy. This message tackles this challenging issue head-on and is certain to leave you strong in your personal confidence of the great saving work of the Cross.

It's not just the giver, but the "cheerful" giver that God loves. However, most Christians are anything but cheerful when it comes to parting with their time, energy, and hard-earned resources. The Biblical pattern for joyful, eager, ready giving is desperately overdue to make a comeback in the Church.

A trial of faith proves if a man's faith is genuine or not. For faith is not faith unless it is thoroughly tested. However, most of us would like a test of faith like we would like punch in the nose. We shrink from such tests and wish to avoid them at all costs. But such tests are what build mighty men and women of God who change the course of history. So, the mature Christian learns to shout, "Bring on the trials!"

Most of us know that flattery is not healthy, but many of us do not realize how truly dangerous it can be. Flattery has the power to undermine a nation. It's the technique of history's most infamous conspirators and saboteurs, starting with the devil himself. The story of Absalom is far more than a Bible story. If we examine its message closely, it can help us preserve the integrity and health of the Church of Jesus Christ as well as the integrity and health of our individual souls.

This message serves as a surprisingly refreshing picture of the bold beauty of God's law. Law cannot save us, but it can acquaint us with our need to be saved. The Bible declares that the law is a schoolmaster that leads us to Christ. When the law is preached properly, the Cross is magnified and the work of Jesus is cherished.

There are two incontrovertible facts that make up the basis of "expectancy”—one being that God cannot lie, and secondly, God has promised. If it's true that God cannot lie, then when He promises we can be fully assured that He will perform that which He promises. This is the make-up of faith. And this is the make-up of expectancy. For when God says He's coming, the "expectant" soul sits at the window and awaits His coming, doubting not for a moment, knowing that God said it and will therefore surely do it.

This is the good old fashioned Gospel message presented with all the lion-hearted thunder that it truly deserves. If you have seen the Gospel video by Eric Ludy and are looking for more, this sermon goes deeper into the story of the Cross "the place of decision and place of justice" by exploring the Tale of Two Trees: "the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life."

It may sound cliche, but grace is truly amazing. In modern times, the term grace has been distorted into a creative covering for fleshly behavior and ongoing sin. But a Biblical examination of the word yields an understanding of grace as something much different—something of majestic power and strength that is able to separate a man from his fleshly behavior, eradicate the power of sin over his life, and rescue him for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Prior to a dedication service of 40 children, Eric Ludy gave this short stirring message. It presses the point that the Christian home is God's territory—one-hundred-percent, without reserve, God's sacred property. Most of us have not acknowledged Christ's supremacy over our homes, and that is precisely why seventeen families at Ellerslie made a clear declaration of this fact at the conclusion of this message.

The tension between law and grace has stumbled quite a few Christians over the years. This message untangles the two yarns and makes beautiful sense of the seeming conflict between them. And in doing so, this sermon causes the Cross to be seen with greater clarity and is sure to move you with awestruck wonder.

When the winds and rains beat against your house, are you movable? Do you grow weak in the knees when bad news strikes? Are you susceptible to the bait of anxiety, foreboding, fretting, and fear? This message holds the secret to an immovable soul. We'll give you a hint: it's a person.

The Christian life is supposed to be a life without fear, anxiety, fretting, and foreboding. The Christian doesn't bite his nails in crisis, but rather, leaps for joy. For the Christian has something that the world around him doesn't— grace.

This message is a catalyst of change for both intimacy with Christ and an intimacy in marriage. It brings this concept down from the clouds and into the realm of reality. The crucified, risen, and exalted Jesus Christ is truly knowable, and life in His kingdom is not a theory or a theology, but a very real and practical life-altering experience.

There is a yearning to be intimately near our beloved heavenly Father, but we often want nearness without following God's clear dictates for gaining nearness. Nearness is a work of the Cross. And when the Cross grabs a hold of a man, it humbles him, bends him, and breaks him that it might rebuild Him in the intimate chambers of almighty grace. This is a tender and precious message that is sure to move you. At the close of this message, a beautiful and spontaneous time of confession of sin broke forth and powerfully acquainted a brand new semester of students with the mighty and merciful work of God's gentle conviction.

A lot has been said in recent years about the importance of regaining a Biblical worldview in our society. But this message makes a powerful case for the even greater importance of regaining a "Gospel" worldview at the center of modern Christianity. As election day approaches, this is a great reminder of the preeminence of Jesus Christ in all matters—even matters of nations, laws, and earthly governments.

What would lead a man to gladly leave riches, position, fame, worldly power, and earthly comforts behind? What would cause a man to gladly embrace the disdain, mockery, and revilement of the world for the pleasure of his King? What could possibly motivate a man to gladly suffer, endure hardship, dangers, tortures, and extreme privations for the expansion of his Ruler’s fame and renown? This message supplies 66 amazing reasons why men go to such great lengths for their beloved King Jesus.

This is a message about raising ordinary boys into extraordinary men. It thunders forth a vision more grand than most modern minds have ever considered. It does not shy away from pressing a thumb to the chest of those most responsible to see this impossible "boy building" operation carried out... the fathers. Oh, for a world whereupon William Wallaces roam again!

A cult is a subject that most of us simply don't want to face, but face it we must. For if the saints lose their watchfulness and discernment, the enemy moves into the Church with speed and precision. This particular message is possibly one of the most important messages Eric Ludy has ever given at Ellerslie. It took guts to give it and it will take guts to listen to it. May it be proven true that this message becomes a thorn in the side of every spiritual manipulator in the world.

When we are harmed by others, it is our natural instinct to harm in return. It is not normal human behavior to leap for joy when falsely accused, to turn the other cheek when struck, to carry an unjust load an extra mile, or to be gentle when treated harshly. But the great secret of strength in the kingdom of Heaven is found in this "opposite" behavior. When the Christian gives gentleness and mercy in response to rude, fleshly taunts and scorn, the kingdom advances and the person of Jesus Christ is made evident in this earth.