Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson

The Four Last Things

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our lives as Christian are shaped by the way we think about the future. Today, Sinclair Ferguson expresses the importance of thinking about the end of...

Glorification: Perfected in Christ

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

God has set His heart on perfecting us in the likeness of His Son. Today, Sinclair Ferguson presents the glorious destiny that has been guaranteed for...

Justification: Final and Irreversible

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the moment we first trusted in Christ, we were declared as perfectly righteous in the sight of God as Jesus Himself is. Today, Sinclair Ferguson ...

Calling: Awake, O Sleeper

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, the gospel message meets with ears that are asleep in spiritual death. Today, Sinclair Ferguson illustrates Go...

Predestination: He Loved Us First

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While predestination might seem an unsettling doctrine at first, the Bible shows that this is a wonderfully comforting teaching. Today, Sinclair Fergu...

A Golden Chain—Or Is It?

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Romans 8:30 is often called the “golden chain” that links together several elements of our salvation. Today, Sinclair Ferguson explains that there...

How Does the Gospel Work in Our Lives?

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The gospel transforms our relationships with fellow Christians in the church, with those in authority over us, and even with our enemies. Today, Sincl...

The Unfailing Promises of God

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After extolling the riches of the gospel, the book of Romans raises a sudden question: What about God’s promises to Israel? Today, Sinclair Ferguson...

The Wonders of the Gospel

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is the gospel: The holy God we’ve offended is the One who delivers us from sin’s condemnation and clothes us in Christ’s righteousness thro...

None Is Righteous

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The opening chapters of Romans provide a devastating analysis of humanity’s lost and sinful condition. Today, Sinclair Ferguson explains how these v...

The Letter That Changed the World

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All Scripture is inspired, yet some portions of God’s Word are especially known for their transformative impact. Today, Sinclair Ferguson turns to t...

The Cup That Could Not Pass

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We will never know the full cost of our redemption, which drove Jesus to pray, “Let this cup pass from me” (Matt. 26:39). Today, Sinclair Ferguson...

A Foretaste of Christ’s Glory

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Little did Peter, James, and John know that when they saw the glory of Christ in His transfiguration, He was preparing them to witness His shame in th...

The Turning Point in Jesus’ Ministry

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus’ disciples began to truly understand His identity and His mission. Today, Sinclair Ferguson identifies the turning point...

Baptized into the Sins of His People

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In His baptism, Jesus was symbolically drenched in the sins of others so that He might carry them from the River Jordan to the cross of Calvary. Today...

Living under the Shadow of the Cross

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The whole of Jesus’ life was lived under the shadow of the cross. As Christ faithfully served His Father each day, the agony of Calvary loomed ever ...

What’s New in the New Covenant?

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The prophets promised a new covenant for God’s people, and Jesus announced its arrival. But what change did this new covenant bring? Today, Sinclair...

God’s Law and Grace

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why did God give so many commands to Israel? How do these laws relate to His gracious salvation through Jesus Christ? Today, Sinclair Ferguson conside...

The Covenant Made at Sinai

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re bound to misunderstand the law that God delivered to His people at Mount Sinai if we forget His deliverance of Israel from slavery. Today, Sin...

Safeguarding the Promise of Grace

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even after the earth was deluged with a flood, and even after the world united in rebellion at Babel, God kept His promise to save His people. Today, ...

The Promised Covenant of Grace

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After Adam sinned in the garden, God made a promise of salvation that would shape the course of history and require the greatest sacrifice ever made. ...

When Two Become One

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As with Adam and Eve, God delights in uniquely fitting a man and woman for lifelong unity. Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers the deep friendship in m...

A Husband’s Integrity and a Wife’s Respect

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Superficial attraction doesn’t produce respect—character does. Today, Sinclair Ferguson identifies a key characteristic for every faithful, fruitf...

Honoring Our Parents for Life

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

God’s love for families is seen in His dedicating one of the Ten Commandments to the relationship between children and parents. Today, Sinclair Ferg...

Raising Children in the Church

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

God has given us a church family to help us raise our children for Christ. Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers the benefits of receiving the wisdom and...

The Christian Family and the Church

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christians come from many different homes and backgrounds, but we’ve all been adopted into the family of God. Today, Sinclair Ferguson addresses the...

A Consecrated Feast

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we come to the Lord’s Table, we are to give our hearts entirely to the One who gave all to save us. Today, Sinclair Ferguson describes the Lord’...

A Meal of Anticipation

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Each time Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we’re reminded of another meal that awaits us in the presence of Christ. Today, Sinclair Ferguso...

Participation in Christ’s Body and Blood

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What does Scripture mean when it says that our receiving the Lord’s Supper is “a participation in” the body and blood of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16)? ...

The Cup of Blessing

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus drank the bitter cup of divine wrath so that His people may freely enjoy the cup of God’s blessing. Today, Sinclair Ferguson marvels at the wo...

The Lord’s Supper: A Proclamation

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Lord’s Supper is a form of proclamation, a visible dramatization of the gospel message. Today, Sinclair Ferguson expresses the truth conveyed to...

What It Means to Be in Christ

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One prepositional phrase lies at the heart of our identity as Christians: we are “in Christ.” Today, Sinclair Ferguson concludes our gospel gramma...

Positive and Negative Steps in the Christian Walk

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our daily walk with the Lord involves positive and negative steps: we are to pursue Christlike characteristics while turning away from sin. Today, Sin...

Already and Not Yet

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Faithful Christian living involves looking back on Jesus’ finished work of atonement and looking forward to His triumphant return. Today, Sinclair F...

Gospel Indicatives and Imperatives

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The gospel’s indicatives—all that God has done for us in Christ—are always the basis for our Christian imperatives—the ways we respond in fait...

The Grammar of the Gospel

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Apart from the influence of the Holy Spirit, the message of the gospel will seem like a foreign language to fallen people. Today, Sinclair Ferguson de...

The Hundredfold Harvest of God’s Word

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we yield our lives to the Lord with hearts prepared to receive His Word, He works to make us spiritually fruitful. Today, Sinclair Ferguson describ...

Choked by the Cares of This World

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Weeds grow naturally, but a healthy lawn requires care and attention. The same is true of our spiritual condition. Today, Sinclair Ferguson encourages...

The Kind of Faith That Falls Away

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us may know someone who seemed suddenly converted to Christ, but they just as suddenly fell away. Today, Sinclair Ferguson shows that the joy ...

Hardened Hearers

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even people who sit under the preaching of God’s Word every week are capable of hardening their hearts against the truth they hear. Today, Sinclair ...

Take Heed How You Hear

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s important for us to hear the Word of God preached. But Jesus also instructs His disciples to be careful about the way we hear. Today, Sinclair ...

The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Jesus we know and serve today is the same wonderful Redeemer we read about in the Gospels, forever faithful and true. Today, Sinclair Ferguson sha...

Dead to Sin’s Dominion

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If we are united to Christ by faith, we have died to the dominion of sin and must no longer live in it. Today, Sinclair Ferguson reflects on a passage...

Servants for Jesus’ Sake

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can we measure true success in ministry? Today, Sinclair Ferguson opens the Bible passage that was preached at his ordination, verses that have sh...

Following the Light of the World

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Until we come to saving faith in Christ, we remain lost in the darkness of sin and condemnation. Today, Sinclair Ferguson reflects on the verses of Sc...

Come to Christ for Eternal Life

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being a Christian is not about reading enough of the Bible to balance out our failures; it’s coming to Jesus Christ for eternal life. Today, Sinclai...

The Power of the Spirit in Preaching

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All truly effective preaching shares one thing in common: it is attended by the power of the Holy Spirit. Today, Sinclair Ferguson focuses on the cruc...

Different Kinds of Preachers

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Faithful, biblical preaching doesn’t have to follow a specific formula in order to bless God’s people. Today, Sinclair Ferguson reflects with grat...

The Effects of Preaching

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What effects should the preaching of God’s Word have on us? Today, Sinclair Ferguson shares words of wisdom from Jonathan Edwards on the influence t...

What Is Wrong with Preaching Today?

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why can it sometimes seem that the preaching in our church isn't bearing much fruit? Today, Sinclair Ferguson considers this problem and explains how ...

How Important Is Preaching?

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether we’re preachers or listeners, the proclamation of God’s Word plays a role in our lives as Christians. But just how important is preaching?...

Who Shall Separate Us?

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By God’s sovereign grace, the very things that threaten to separate us from Christ are tools in His hands to make us more like Him. Today, Sinclair ...

Who Is to Condemn?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With all our falls and failures in the Christian life, what hope do we have of escaping the sentence of condemnation that our sin deserves? Today, Sin...

Who Shall Bring Any Charge?

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Satan accuses the people of God day and night. We’ll never escape his charges of sin and guilt by looking to our merits. Today, Sinclair Ferguson po...

Who Can Be against Us?

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If God is for us, then all the devil’s efforts to destroy us will ultimately fail. Today, Sinclair Ferguson expresses how we can come to the deep, u...

Beloved Bible Verses

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is your favorite passage in the Bible? Today, Sinclair Ferguson turns to one of the most cherished sections of Scripture and begins to address th...

Named in Baptism

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

God places His name on us in our baptism, marking us out as those called to trust in the Father, believe in the Son, and live in the power of the Holy...

Baptized: A New Identity

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Discussions about baptism often focus on what we are baptized with—how much water and how it’s to be applied. Today, Sinclair Ferguson encourages ...

Why Was Jesus Baptized?

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sinners were coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. Why did Jesus, the sinless Son of God, ask to be baptized with that same water? Today,...

The Meaning of Baptism

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Baptism wasn't given to us just for the experience of a moment--it's a sign that affects every day of our Christian lives. Today, Sinclair Ferguson re...

The Promise of Baptism

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If we think of baptism primarily as a point of controversy rather than a gift from God, we need to take some time and think again. Today, Sinclair Fer...

Principles for Holiness

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

"The way to measure genuine growth in holiness is..." How would you finish that sentence? Today, Sinclair Ferguson draws principles from two figures i...

Sanctification Summarized

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens in a person's life that causes a sinner to become a saint? Today, Sinclair Ferguson looks closely at a familiar Bible verse that gets to ...

Sanctification Summarized

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What happens in a person’s life that causes a sinner to become a saint? Today, Sinclair Ferguson looks closely at a familiar Bible verse that gets t...

A More Excellent Way

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sanctification--becoming increasingly like Jesus--takes place more often in the ordinariness of life than in our moments of apparent greatness. Today,...

The Fruit of Sanctification

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being holy isn't merely about doing the right things. Nor should we mistake being holy with being gifted. Today, Sinclair Ferguson identifies the true...

The Fruit of Sanctification

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being holy isn’t merely about doing the right things. Nor should we mistake being holy with being gifted. Today, Sinclair Ferguson identifies the tr...

Set Apart for God

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Bible teaches us a new vocabulary for understanding the Christian life, and one crucial word it gives to our identity is "sanctified." Today, Sinc...

The Anger of Jesus

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus wept at the grave of Lazarus out of love for His friend and out of a holy hatred of the destruction wrought by sin. Today, Sinclair Ferguson exp...

Christ, a Man of Feeling

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scripture reveals not only the power and authority of our Lord Jesus but also His heart as our compassionate Savior. Today, Sinclair Ferguson consider...

Christ, a Man of Feeling

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scripture reveals not only the power and authority of our Lord Jesus but also His heart as our compassionate Savior. Today, Sinclair Ferguson consider...

Rest for Our Souls

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus understands our weakness and draws close to us in our need. Today, Sinclair Ferguson beckons us to come near to the One who provides rest for ou...

He Grew in Favor with God

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To see whether you have a healthy, biblical view of Jesus, turn to Luke 2:52, which says He grew "in favor with God and man." Today, Sinclair Ferguson...

The Personal Jesus

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Christian life involves an ongoing transformation of becoming more like Jesus, we need to know what Jesus is actually like. Today, Sinclair ...

The Legacy of a Godly Life

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bill never ministered to large churches or spoke at conferences. But he touched lives by remaining the same constant Christian year after year. Today,...

A Christian’s Enduring Influence

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even if their paths cross only for a season, Christians can leave a lifelong impact on one another's spiritual lives. Today, Sinclair Ferguson remembe...

An Older Friend in the Faith

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hamish didn't set out to be a mentor. He simply took an interest in a young man and encouraged him by his love and zeal for Christ. Today, listen as S...

The Man in Black

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One icy evening in the dead of winter, a stranger asked a young Sinclair Ferguson, "Are you saved, son?" Today, he describes this momentary exchange t...

Our Hidden Helpers

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we read the obscure names that receive greetings in Paul's letters, we're reminded of the everyday Christians who have invested in our own lives....

Shaped by Grace

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Spiritual growth isn't measured so much by the stature a Christian has attained as it is by the distance traveled and the obstacles overcome. Today, S...

Solutions for Distorted Souls

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sin can leave our souls misshapen in subtle ways. Yet the Great Physician offers treatment to reveal and straighten what has gone awry. Today, Sinclai...

The Big-Headed Soul

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pride distorts our thinking, making us more willing to heed our own minds than to submit to the mind of God revealed in Scripture. Today, Sinclair Fer...

Turned In on Ourselves

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Martin Luther described our sinful condition as being "incurvatus in se," turned in on itself. Today, Sinclair Ferguson identifies the damaging effect...

The Shape of the Soul

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By creating us in His image, God has specially fashioned us for fellowship with Him. But because of sin, our souls have been bent out of shape. Today,...

All the Kingdoms of the World

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The devil offered Jesus the dominion that Adam had lost. This is just what Christ came to regain, but only by the conquest of the cross. Today, Sincla...

The Pinnacle of the Temple

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

By tempting Jesus to jump off the temple, Satan was inviting Him to win followers by parading the miraculous power of God. Today, Sinclair Ferguson ex...

Not by Bread Alone

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whereas Adam rejected God's warning and ate from the tree, Jesus lived not by bread alone but by every word proceeding from the mouth of God. Today, S...

Christ’s Victory in the Wilderness

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus' wilderness temptation isn't recorded in Scripture primarily to help us fight temptation--it marks the beginning of Christ's victory over Satan....

He Was Tempted as We Are

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted. But how could the Son of God really be tempted? Today, Sinclair Ferguson expresses the consolation we find ...

The Gospel according to Isaiah

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Few chapters in the Bible so vividly depict the glory of the gospel in the humiliation and exaltation of Christ as Isaiah 53. Today, Sinclair Ferguson...

The Savior’s Open Ear

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Day by day, Jesus attentively submitted to His Father's Word. This obedience led in one direction: to the cross. Today on Things Unseen, listen as Sin...

A Light for the Nations

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The prophet Isaiah described the Messiah as One who would be forsaken so that people from every nation could be accepted before God. Today, Sinclair F...

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our weakness, we are as bruised reeds and dimly burning wicks. But Jesus, in His mercy, mends His people and fans them into life. Today, Sinclair F...

Meeting Christ in the Old Testament

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people are interested in finding Christ in the Old Testament, but often we miss the most important element of this approach to Scripture. Today, ...

The Family of God

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Greater than all of Scripture's pictures describing the church is the biblical reality itself: we are the family of God. Today, Sinclair Ferguson unfo...

The Temple of God

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As living stones, Christians are being built up together to display the glory of the Lord in their fellowship. Today, Sinclair Ferguson examines the B...

The Bride of Christ

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Scripture describes the church as a bride preparing to appear in unblemished splendor before her loving Bridegroom. Today, Sinclair Ferguson shows how...

The Flock of God

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When sheep hear the familiar sound of their shepherd's voice, they draw nearer to him and to one another. Today, listen as Sinclair Ferguson reflects ...

The Body of Christ

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why does the New Testament describe the church as the body of Christ? Today, Sinclair Ferguson conveys the significance of seeing Jesus as our Head an...

A Marble Pulpit in South Carolina

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A pastor's love for his people isn't so much worked up as it is sent down. Today, Sinclair Ferguson takes us to a pulpit in South Carolina, beloved fo...