This Sunday we conclude our sermon series through the 7 churches of Revelation. Jesus offers some of his most challenging words of discipline to this final church whose city and culture is not unlike our own. We'll see what leads to spiritual complacency and how we can receive well our Lord's discipline.
It’s possible to claim to be a Christian yet not truly possess saving faith. This was the case in Sardis, the 5th of the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3. So how can we be sure we’re alive and not dead? Jesus says it’s all about the clothes we’re wearing, a metaphor for godly works that prove genuine faith.
Like fish, we're constantly swimming in the waters of our culture all around us. If we're not careful, we may end up like the church of Pergamum--faithful in some ways but compromised in others. This Sunday we'll hear Jesus' remedy for the church that is compromising in both doctrine and life, and we'll consider: Are there areas of our life, our church's life, in which we're compromising our faith?
Most people in Boston don't worship Jesus. Many don't understand and are even hostile to our faith. How do we persevere and not hide or give up in the face of persecution, not to mention the sufferings day-to-day life? Jesus has an encouraging word for the church in Smyrna, and for us.
If you're looking for a perfect church in Boston, you won't find one--Ruggles included, of course. Praise God that Jesus loves imperfect churches! This summer we're going to see how Jesus loves his struggling people through his letters to the 7 churches in Revelation 2-3, through words of commendation and a call to repent. We begin with the church at Ephesus. We'll see that it's possible to have right doctrine but lack love.
What is heaven like? It's a question that almost everyone has at least considered before, at least if sales of "heaven tourism" books over the last decade are any indication. But our passage this Sunday offers us something much more reliable than these dubious accounts of near-death experiences. In the final chapter of the final book of the Bible, the Apostle John shares with us his final vision of Christ. And it's here that we get a glimpse of what heaven will be like for those who trust in Him.
We come to one of the most confusing and controversial chapters in all of Scripture. And yet amid all the intellectual debate, this passage is incredibly practical. It overviews the history of the time from Christ's ministry to the end of the world, and then it provides us with one of the clearest pictures of the final judgment in Scripture. As Christ opens God's book of history, we see that our eternal state depends on another open book of life.
In most jobs you receive a "job description": a formal list of tasks and responsibilities for your position. This Sunday's passage shows the church our cosmic job description in light of eternity. It's Revelation's "Great Commission" passage with a weighty twist. In light of the two contrasting pictures of eternity in Revelation 14, we'll see clearly our purpose, our job description, for today.
It's so easy to feel overwhelmed with all the sin and suffering in the world around us. Whether in the news or in our social media feeds or even in our own experiences, sometimes the world just seems like chaos. For those of us looking for hope and purpose and goodness in the chaos of life, Revelation 4-5 paints us a picture we have to see. This week we explore John's second vision of Jesus: a glorious glimpse of what's really going on in our world and our own lives.
They had it all--except for the most important thing: "You have forsaken the love you had at first." This Sunday we examine the Lord Jesus Christ's prophetic message to the church at Ephesus. As we saw last week, Revelation isn't just a vision of the future. This book is a letter written to particular 1st Century churches in order to encourage them not to give up but to look up, to persevere by getting a vision of Christ. Still, in Christ's specific message for the Ephesian church is also a message for our church. How can we cure the common cold of the heart?
This Sunday we begin a six-week journey through the book of Revelation. Above all of the controversy and complicated explanations, this bizarre book has a clear message of encouragement for the church. This week, we'll explore what Revelation is, why John wrote it, and how it applies to us today.
