Sermons About Heaven
The Church in Smyrna: Revelation 2:8
The church in Smyrna was made up of poor people who had endured many hardships. Jesus, the First and the Last, who defeated death, knows their tribulation, poverty, and the slander from the Jews that they have endured. Jesus tells them that he hears them, and yet they continue suffering. Not only does he call the church to not be afraid, he calls them to be faithful by treasuring him above all else, even to the point of death. He promises that the sufferings we experience right now, no matter how heavy they are, will one day seem light and momentary compared to the glory that he holds in store for his people. He suffered to end our suffering. He suffered so that no matter how much we have suffered at death, it is over. We will have an eternity with him.
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Ever So 'umble
As Christians, have we really 'got' what humility means and it's value to us as well as others? And how does our church measure up to Paul's standard as set out in this passage?
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Jesus Christ & The Word, Pt. 4 (Matthew 5:19)
One of the chief marks of our fallenness is our rebellion to authority. Men want to be free, autonomous, our own person, follow own agenda, pursue own goals. The idol of American culture is individuality. Fallen man kicks at authority, because *Authority assumes *Accountability. Generally people are fine talking about God in generic terms, but when the issue of His absolute authority comes up - things change. Jesus, in 5:17-20, in absolutely unequivocal terms is establishing the absolute authority of the Word of God and His own Person. In verses 17-18, we have seen that Jesus establishes the authority of the Word in three ways: (1) Stands in judgment of false religion (2) It is fulfilled in the Messiah (3) It is permanent Now, 19-20, Jesus will establish the authority of the Word by declaring our accountability to it: (1) Accountable to its prescriptions (2) Accountable to its Righteousness.
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A Vision of Jesus for the Church: Revelation 1
Revelation is an amazing book written to a church struggling with whether or not to compromise the Gospel to avoid persecution. They wanted to know if they could have Jesus and still live like everyone else. Some had already begun to compromise, some had refused to compromise and were suffering persecution, and others where stuck looking at both of them and wondering what they should do. Jesus speaks to all three groups by saying "Look at me!" In answer to their questions, Jesus shows them a magnificent picture of himself that few Christians have ever really taken the time to contemplate. It is a vision of a massive Jesus whose face shines like the sun, whose voice is like the sound of rushing waters, and out of whose mouth comes a sharp two-edged sword. This vision is meant to comfort the suffering and to rouse the compromising from their foolishness and call them all to follow Jesus. We will discuss how such a vision could possibly comfort anyone and we will address how this whole series applies to us today.
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Who is Called the Devil and Satan (Revelation 12 7-12) 10-4-09
Acknowledging our true Enemy, the Devil, and recognizing his strategies is critical to fighting effectively in the war that Jesus has already won.
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How Do We Know Where To Start?
Brad Zinn continues the Pursuing the Peace of Philadelphia series discussing how we can identify where to join in Jesus' work in the city.
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