bpchurch Sermons

Let me be brief - Jesus is coming back this Sunday! You don't want to miss it so you will really want to be there. Okay, I'm talking about the topic of Revelation 19, not saying for sure that the event will actually happen this Sunday. But either way, you don't want to miss it. Since you may already know that Revelation 19 is about Jesus returning, we'll also look a little at some things you might not know. For example, what is it about Jesus' return that Heaven gets really excited about? And, how does God use a 1st century meme to drive the point home?

What makes you happy? Most people on this earth are searching for happiness and a lot of times we look for it in things like expensive jewelry, designer clothing, nice houses, expensive perfumes and spices, and even extravagant food. If any of these things make you happy then you would have loved Babylon. Babylon was a great city with music in the streets, lots of shops, an exciting nightlife, and people getting married. But it's time is coming to an end, and when it's all gone will you mourn or will you rejoice? Join us as we dig into that question from Revelation 18 this Sunday. See you then!

Does that title refer to religion at the end of the world or the ending of religion in the world? Do you sometimes wonder what happens to followers of other religions in the world when Jesus returns? Last week a guest speaker reminded us that Muslims need Jesus. But, some would suggest that Jews, Mus-lims, and Christians all worship the same God, but use different names and forms. Can that be true if Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6)? Revelation chapter 17 points us back to the founding of human religions in Genesis 11 and tells us what their end will be in ways that even amazed the Apostle John. This ending of what is not true also has some applications for us as Chris-tians who know him who is true.

God seems very angry. In Revelation chapter 16 God's judgement pours out in terrible ways upon hu-manity on the earth. Recently I was asked, "of what edifying value is this graphic description of God's judgement?" How do we benefit from knowing this? Fortunately, I didn't have to wonder about this in my own head for too long. This chapter actually pauses three times in the midst of this description of God's judgement to make specific points for the church. There are three specific things we can learn from God's wrath. Read through the chapter, look for those three applicational interruptions, and let's talk about it on Sunday.

In various stages of life, we reflect and wonder, "How will I finish? Will I finish well?" Revelation chapter 15 is not expressly about how we finish. It is about what God will finish, that God will bring the chaos on earth to His intended end. And yet, having faith in how God will finish His work does impact how we finish ours. This Sunday, beginning with Revelation chapter 15, we will consider what God will finish, what God has finished and what we must finish.

Revelation was originally sent to Christians in seven churches who were undergoing harsh persecution for their faith in Jesus. They could identify with the raging of Satan and his antichrist ruler as described in chapters 12 and 13, because their own experience felt something like that. Revelation chapter 14 shows us heaven's perspective on that same time period when the enemy rages and Christ-followers suffer. In this chapter God reminds us of our future and one last time invites others to share in His fu-ture before it is too late for them. This Sunday, I hope you will be encouraged both by our God's heart of mercy and by our hope in His future.

A prominent 20th century leader said: "What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the alle-giance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him." But how can you know if a dynamic leader is from God or from the devil? How can you know if you should follow or flee? In a world of competing voic-es and perspectives, how can you know who to listen to and who to ignore?

Revelation chapter 13 is intended to help Christians know who they can trust in, which leaders they should align themselves with and which prophets or PR spokespersons to believe. This Sunday we'll learn about governments and propaganda, both during the Tribulation and today.

Revelation shows us how terrible it will get as God's judgement begins to unfold, going from bad to worse to catastrophic. But why does it have to happen like this? What is the root cause of this terrible end? This week, the litany of unfolding judgements is paused to provide a cosmic panorama of the root of the rebellion, which God must end.

There's a woman, a child, and a beastly dragon made all the more dangerous because he is defeated and frustrated. And while all this is terribly fascinating, the best part is when we are reminded of the keys to our experiencing, even today, the victory which Jesus has won.

Sometimes it's brought close to home - what we long for comes with a sense of loss. It must be, it's the way of things, and yet we wish we could have the good without the loss. For instance, the teen years prepare parents to long for empty nesting, but then the nest is so...empty. Or, a young mom looks forward to that weekend or even week away when the kids will stay with grandparents, yet she misses the little rascals the whole time.

We long for the coming of Jesus our King, who will make all that's wrong right. And yet, removing the wrong will also require His removing all those who have not received His rescue. That's the bitter in the sweet which Revelation 10-11 describes. These chapters will help us have a right perspective about rescuing others from wrath on our way to Christ's righteous reign.

Terrible things are coming. One-third of farmland and forest will be destroyed, a mega-volcano poi-sons the ocean, and its tsunami makes a shamble of shipping. A meteorite will cause fresh water sup-plies to be undrinkable. Dust or smoke block out sunlight, so that gloom settles over the earth. Then, a demonic jailbreak makes mass riots look like mostly peaceful protests. It's too much to bear and so WWIII breaks out and moves toward Israel.

It is by now obvious to everyone that God's time of judgement has come. What will people do? How will they respond? What can we learn from this about how to be the Lord's witness in rebellious times?