Preachrblog

Revelation 3:1-6 “Jesus' Letter to Sardis” “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ The Church in Sardis was not what it see...

  Some may wonder what our sermon series on the letters to the 7 churches had to do with Lent. Some may think, “how is all of this business from the Book of Revelation connected to the Passion – the arrest and trial, the suffering and death of Christ?” In truth, it's not directly connected to all that.   But it is a very timely series for the season of Lent. Throughout these letters, Jesus calls the churches to repent. Repentance is a major theme of this season. Lent is the most penitential time of the church year. It is a time for all of us to reflect on our own sins, and listen to God's word which calls us to turn away from sin, and turn to him in faith. When God calls, and when Jesus calls sinners to repent, he is very serious. And you'd certainly know that if you lived in Thyatira. There, they had a false prophetess among them who was sinning gravely, and also leading others into sin. Hear the words of Jesus’ letter to the church at Thyatira: To the Church in Th...

  Revelation 2:8-11 “Jesus' Letter to Smyrna” We’ve begun a series, this Lent, looking at Jesus’ letters to the 7 churches in the early chapters of the book of Revelation.   These 7 churches in Asia Minor, which is today known as Turkey, represent a broad spectrum of the challenges and blessings that all Christian churches face.   Last week we heard about the church of Ephesus, and how while they stood firm against false teaching, their love had grown cold.   We saw that Jesus’ love shines forth to us in the truth of his Word, and that word warms our hearts to love our neighbors. Tonight, the second letter that Jesus wrote to the churches of Revelation goes to the church in Smyrna. And I have to tell you that this letter holds some personal importance for me. Please bear with me, as I don’t usually include personal things in a sermon.   Some years ago, I sat down with my grandparents and learned some family history. They told me that my great-great grand...

Sermon - Ash Wednesday - Revelation 2:1-7 Revelation 2:1-7 “Jesus' Letter to Ephesus” 1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who co...