The Town

The world was starved for hope before the first advent, but it has always had the gospel promise.

At his first advent, Jesus brought salvation. At his second advent, he will bring judgment. We can know that we will be received if we trust in the person and work of Christ.

Anticipation means hope, eagerness, and expectation. Anticipate means to "beat someone to it", get ahead, or do in advance. Christmas reminds the Christian that we live in anticipation but that in living in hope we are called to actively anticipate. We are to live like children who anticipate the Christmas season by working hard at their school work. For instance, in my home, my kids work really hard in August on their home school work so that they can take off from Thanksgiving week until Christmas. They anticipate not just with feelings but with actions as they wait for their favorite time of the year. In the Bible, those who lived before Jesus taught us how to anticipate the 2nd advent in the way that they anticipated the 1st advent during very real earthly battles, struggles, successes and failures.

There are two cultures described in Revelation. One is the culture of the Kingdom of God and one is the culture of this world. We're called to live in one while being citizens of the other.

There's a great spiritual battle going on over whom/what we will worship. Revelation depicts two types of people: those that worship the beast and those that worship the Lamb. Judgement is coming for those that worship the beast and the doctrine of hell helps Christians to endure in loving our neighbor and loving our Savior.

The devil has been warring against the church since the very beginning. His tactics are broad; he uses force and craftiness, and he engages both the people of this world and its institutions to conquer the saints. Meanwhile, the world rejoices in the splendor of its accomplishments, not realizing the reality of its state; that it is subjugated to terrible (and defeated) forces. The church should know better. It's called to stand firm in both endurance and faith, trusting in the finished work of Jesus, their champion, to bring ultimate victory. Here's the problem: the church can only stand firm against the devil if it recognizes that it's in a war in the first place.

Every one of Jesus' purposes for the church come from one main purpose - to receive His Word, hold fast to his Word, bear testimony in our lives to his Word and to proclaim his Word.

Prayer is the gracious means God has given his people to invite them into his redemptive and sovereign purposes. God hears our prayers. God accepts our prayers because of the mediating work of Christ. God answers our ultimate prayer for his Kingdom to come and His will to be done.

Jesus has given us a future to look forward to. The anticipation of this future is on aspect of the Christian hope that drives us in life and mission. When we look at what the King offers and the vision of His Kingdom that He shared with John we are filled with hope and joy as we navigate the tribulations of this life.

When Jesus died, rose, and ascended into heaven he was given all authority in heaven and on earth to rule, reign and defeat his and our enemies. He continues to reign until he returns and restores all of heaven and earth. But until then, it seems that evil often wins the day. It doesn't take long for us to see the evil in this world when we flip through our news feed. How then, can a Christian claim that Jesus Christ is in charge of history? When there is great evil, the Christian turns to the person, the promises and the purposes of God to find meaning and willingness to continue in faith.

John's vision of the throne room in heaven is a cause for worship as it is seen through the lens of Scripture. The throne room of heaven puts the worth, glory and welcoming goodness of Christ on display for all to see.

Jesus tells the church in Philadelphia that he is pleased with their holding fast to his person and work. He encourages them to remain confidence that He is holy, true and unstoppable. Their confidence is born from these facts. The confidence we have in Christ is the basis of fruitful mission, unwavering perseverance and our standing before a Holy God.

God will do even greater works through his church when they continue to hold on to the same old thing. The same old thing is the greatest news the world has ever heard - the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells the church in Pergamum that he knows they are in the thick of a heated battle. The only way to conquer was to withstand the pressure to compromise. The church today is called to the same uncompromising faith that Jesus called the early church to in Revelation. What does an uncompromising but loving church look like?

In Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus rebukes the church at Laodicea for resting in their material wealth and neglecting to provide spiritual care for the community around them. He then counsels them to come to faith in him knowing that good works can only come from true faith. In this sermon we challenge the church in America today with one question. Are we doing all we can to reach the spiritually sick, dead, and weary with the healing, life-giving, and refreshing Gospel of Jesus Christ or are we standing-by self-satisfied with our lukewarm attempts at effective outreach?

Jesus writes to a lively, active church. But he gives them some unexpected news: they're dead. Not closed. They're spiritually dead because they've severed themselves from their source of life: Christ and his Gospel of grace. We ought to learn from their negative example and guard the Gospel message which has been entrusted to us!

The calling to follow the Lord Jesus Christ requires all of our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27), and we see in the church at Smyrna saints who are willing to do this. The physical capacity of those crushed by the systems of the devil bear no weight on their spiritual capacity. God delights in using all faithful and courageous people as his mouthpieces of grace and truth, and his reward is everlasting life. The church needs to always consider the cost of our faith; to discern that suffering for Christ is viewed by our Heavenly Father as deposits into a precious treasury that will garner for us an imperishable crown of glory in the life to come. It is no less true for us today than it was for the Christians at Smyrna.

Imagine a church full of hard-working Christians who battle against heresy and fight for doctrinal truth. They know what they believe and why they believe it. They have spent years making sure that what they teach is sound. But as the church fell under cultural attack, they began to retreat into the walls of their community. They began to keep what they knew to themselves. That is until the King arrived and found his church a loveless but doctrinally sound community. Jesus sends word to the church in Ephesus that it is time to wake up and to remember the love they had for others. Sound doctrine will propel a church into urgent mission for her King.