Bottom line:
With his authority to speak, his presence to embolden, and his word to proclaim to the nations, Jesus recommissions his church in the tribulation to multiply disciple-makers around the corner and around the world.
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Bottom line: God‘s judgment is horrific and only those who God seals (who repent and believe) will be protected from it.
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A continuation in our study of Revelation - "The Best is Yet to Come". Bottom line: We pray because our prayers change things—sometimes mercifully; sometimes justly.
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This parenthetical chapter between the 6th and 7th seals takes the time to share this truth that God seals his people. Therefore, they do not need to fear God’s judgment for he will protect them from them.
I. The sealing of the servants of God on the earth. (7:1-8)
II. The singing of the servants of God in heaven. (7:9-17)
Bottom line: We sing because we’ve been sealed.
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Bottom line: We must prepare for the end of life and the end of the world the same way: as if living and dying for Christ was worth it. And ordering our lives accordingly. Pastor Darien Gabriel walks us through Revelation 6:1-8 and the reality of martyrdom both in the early church and now. This sermon is one of the most important you will hear as it relates to the effects of the gospel and what it means to follow Christ no matter what.
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Last week: Jesus worshipped as Redeemer
This week: Jesus worshipped as Righteous & Just Judge
Our need: Grace and truth from our creator-redeemer
Bottom line: In light of our need for grace and truth in a world of hurt, let’s proclaim and embody Jesus where we live, work, and play.
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Revelation 5 teaches us that Jesus is in control of the past, present and future of world history; that Jesus has taken over. This equips us to be able to live and die well. Knowing the future—how it all ends (we win!)—changes our whole perspective on life...if you believe it.
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There are certain things about the future that we don’t know and that we are not supposed to know. However, there are other things that you can know about the future and that makes a real difference to your life now. Today we see why the echo the world needs to hear is from God through his people. That is worship.
Bottom line: Be the echo the world needs to hear from God through his people.
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Our series is “The best is yet to come” as we walk through the prophetic apocalypse that is the Revelation of the Risen Christ, a circular letter to the early church—and to us today.
Bottom line: Jesus calls us to fully rely on him instead of ourselves. Our self-reliance makes him want to puke.
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Part 9 of our series on Revelation: The Best is Yet to Come . This sermon from Pastor Darien is from Revelation 3:14-22 and is titled “What You Don’t Realize Can Kill You.” Need: Due to it’s enormous affluence, the Laodicean church was vulnerable to self-reliance. We, the American church, need to hear Jesus’s words to this church and evaluate ourselves in light of them. Main Point (Akin): Churches that lose sight of their dependence on Christ for all things are deceived and useless, but Jesus graciously promises healing to all who will rely on him for their every need. Main point (Hamilton): Jesus calls on the church at Laodicea to rely on him and his resources rather than their own. Outline (Hamilton): 3:14 Jesus is the true witness 3:15-17 Laodicea’s self-reliance 3:18-20 The counsel of the true witness: Rely on Jesus 3:21-22 Hear the promises that the Spirit speaks.
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This week’s title: “Being a Great Commission Church”
Our series is “The best is yet to come” as we walk through the prophetic apocalypse that is the Revelation of the Risen Christ, a circular letter to the early church—and to us today. My prayer is that you’ll be strengthened, comforted and encouraged through this word today.
Tension: We must evaluate our church and ourselves to see if we’re being faithful to the Savior, the gospel, and the great commission for God rewards those who are.
Though we may be modestly influential culturally, the church that is faithful to the Savior, the gospel, and the great commission will be rewarded by God.
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Series: The Best is Yet to Come
Sermon: Keep Your Testimony Fresh
Passage: Revelation 3:1-6
Teacher: Todd Luce
Jesus' church is alive and God is shaping you into what you aren't yet in this age of the Spirit in accordance with the Father's plan for all the nations ... remember how you have received and heard, then be ready to share what God is doing in your life now ... keep your testimony fresh!
Repent from the Tolerance of Sin | Revelation 2:18-39. If we want to rule with Jesus in the future, we need to be faithful to Him in the present. Remember, in the case of Thyatira, -Tolerance is not love, it is unfaithfulness
Though we are cultural outcasts now, or ridiculed now…we will rule. If we’re not outcasts now because of our faith, or ridiculed now because of our faith, then maybe we look too much like the culture.
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There were times in the life of our family when our girls were tempted by friends and family to try something new and truly enjoy life. Usually, alcohol or sex encouraged. Our young people especially deal with this kind of temptation on a daily basis. The temptation to compromise what we know is the wise, pure path the Lord Jesus would encourage us to follow.
Pride is the attitude that makes us vulnerable to compromising with sin.
In the meantime, the enemy tempts us to pursue sinful pleasures that promise much but never deliver what they promise. Sin never pays.
False teachings like the ones that the church in Pergamum were embracing lead us towards idolatry and immorality; towards compromise with promises that never deliver. This is the danger the church today faces.
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We are in Revelation 2:8-11 and the focus is on the letter to the second church in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Revelation is the revealing of Jesus and God’s plan for everything! Jesus shares 3 things He knows what the believers are in the midst of life in Smyrna: 1) Affliction, 2) Poverty, 3) Slander Don't fear what is to come. Be faithful. The second death will not harm the followers of Christ. The life worth dying for and the life worth living for! Be Faithful to the Point of Death. Application: Pray for the persecuted church. Check out Fox's Book of Martyrs. Visit persecution.com and pray for those who are suffering.
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Our series is “The best is yet to come” as we walk through the prophetic apocalypse that is the Revelation of the Risen Christ, a circular letter to the early church—and us today. My prayer is that you’ll be strengthened, comforted and encouraged through this word today.
Now some of you may be thinking right now...things can’t get much worse. Better is good, best, well, I’m listening.
This week’s main idea: “Rev 2:1-7 teaches us that the great commandment matters to God. Jesus identified our greatest obligation was wholehearted love for God, which declares to us that God is not pleased by dutiful obedience that does not flow from genuine love. Here, Jesus mercifully reveals his glory to the church in Ephesus to summon forth from them the first love that he requires.” (Hamilton, p. 63)
My Bottom line: Remember how far you have fallen! Repent and return doing the things you did at first. (Remember, Repent, and Return)
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This week’s main idea: “The risen Christ in glory summons forth obedience from his churches. The incomparable glory of the risen Christ motivates John’s audience to heed what John has been commissioned to write. The matchless splendor of Heaven’s King attracts the attention and compels the obedience of the churches John addresses.” -Hamilton
My Bottom line: When we (the Church) see the risen Jesus today, we’ll be super motivated to trust and obey.
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We are beginning a new series on the Book of Revelation. You will recall last week’s title: As We Wait in Uncertain Times, Put Your Hope in Him for All Time (Psalm 146). This week’s title: “The Best is Yet to Come” Main idea: “Those who hear and obey God‘s word concerning who Jesus is and what he does will be blessed by the Lord.” Bottom line: No matter how bad things get, the best is yet to come. And his name is Jesus. As pastor Darien Gabriel walks us through the book or Revelation, we look forward to Christ’s second coming just has we have remembered HIs first advent.
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Bottom Line: We should Be Praising the Lord! As we wait for His return in uncertain times, lets put our hope in Him for all time.
Times are uncertain. In times like these, it is easy to put our hope in people and things. But, our hope should not be in presidents, supreme court justices, governments, finances, or anything like that. We must hope in the Lord. You can tell whether or not someone has hope by how they react in uncertain times.
Remember that we are commanded to give an answer for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). If we don’t have hope, we can’t give an answer. Our hope must be in the Lord, because Christ has by His atoning death and resurrection saved us from the power and penalty of sin and restored us to relationship with God. Not only do we have future hope of eternity with Him, we have present hope in delighting in God day by day (Psalm 16:11).
Psalm 146 gives us a picture of what it means to worship the Lord regardless of our circumstances.
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Luke 2: What are we so excited about? Who are We Waiting for?
Bottom Line: God Became a Man
So, what we’re NOT trying to do on Christmas Eve is try to make the birth of Christ more exciting. 1. If we don’t think “God became a man” is exciting enough, we should get our pulse checked.
God Became a Man, and He shouldn’t have to compete for our affection with a new phone, nunchucks, a new car or a big guy in a red suit. We don’t have to hang lights on the Light of the World.
God Became a Man – the greatest event to occur in the history of the universe
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