Sermons About Persecution
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.
0 Amens
Acts The Big Picture
The book of Acts is the story of Jesus spreading the gospel to all peoples through His Holy Spirit empowered messengers despite persecution.
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Truth in Prayer, No.1: Absolute Belief
Are you to busy to pray earnestly? Is work, tv, sports, even family more important than God? Are you squeezing in a prayer before dinner and right before bedtime because you feel obligated to do so? Or are you in CONSTANT prayer and honor God as He deserves as the creator of all things.
3 Amens
The Church in Ephesus: Revelation 2:1-7
The letter to the Ephesians in Revelation begins with a commendation. Jesus commends the Ephesians for their doctrinal purity. They have fought false teachings and have remained faithful to the truth without growing weary and giving up. Yet, though they have remained doctrinally pure, they have ceased to be faithful witnesses for Jesus because they lost her first love for Jesus. Jesus calls them to remember the depths of their sin and how much they have been forgiven. Some of us are like the prodigal son or the sinful woman in Luke 7, and we know we have been saved from a life of sin. We have been overwhelmed by his grace, but over time, the memory fades and we grow prideful and self-reliant. For others of us, the danger is that we have never had a sinful woman experience. We may not have ever felt desperate, out of control, absolutely empty, and needy. Our savior walks among his people and he sees them all. He will forgive us if we will stop trying to be perfect and simply fall at his feet and beg him for mercy. Run to the one who, though his face shown like the sun, willingly took on flesh to die on the cross in our place.
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What's your first reaction when life looks grim?
Sometimes our plans don't quite work out, sometimes we wonder why on earth God lets some things happen. What do we do then? What should we do then?
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Declaration of (in) Dependence Part 23
Jacob was a mama's boy who listened to Cold Play and The Dave Matthews Band, but God loved him and hated Esau, who liked Metallica and Ted Nugent.
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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.
1 Amens
We Study to Assist the Working of God - Part 1
Please note this is a two part sermon... Paul brought a great deal of comfort to the Christians in Thessalonica with this letter. Yet one way in which comfort was brought to the Thessalonians (their lives proved it, as did their suffering) should startle us in America. We don't suffer for being Christians here (outside of extremely isolated instances). What has the church throughout the history of the world endured? What do many endure today? We ignore the plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ to the detriment of the Kingdom.
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We Study to Assist the Working of God - Part 2
Please note this is a two part sermon... Paul brought a great deal of comfort to the Christians in Thessalonica with this letter. Yet one way in which comfort was brought to the Thessalonians (their lives proved it, as did their suffering) should startle us in America. We don't suffer for being Christians here (outside of extremely isolated instances). What has the church throughout the history of the world endured? What do many endure today? We ignore the plight of our brothers and sisters in Christ to the detriment of the Kingdom.
0 Amens
