CCF Weekly Services Podcast

Mystery Babylon's judgment is as absolute as it is final. Everything wrong with this world is shown in all its glory in order for it to be taken away from us forever. Those who invested their hope for the future in it will weep. Those who invested their hope apart from it will rejoice.

1. Babylon during the Tribulation is given the same type of judgment literal Babylon was given in the Old Testament.
2. Justice will be accomplished for every wrong committed in this world.
3. If this life is coming to an end, invest in the next one.

The first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection began with the historical fact that stumps skeptics to this day. The Riddle of the Empty Tomb is the challenge every Christian needs to understand inside and out in order to appreciate exactly what the Gospel is to them and what it could mean to those it's being shared with.

1. The Empty Tomb is a verifiable fact of History.
2. The Empty Tomb verifies Jesus' promises.
3. The Empty Tomb is a foreshadowing of our future.

In a very heavy section of scripture, we are shown a symbolic representation of the Antichrist's kingdom. In direct contrast with how the Bride of Christ will be described in Revelation 19, it's described as a prostitute who will appeal to everyone, but ultimately be cast aside when her usefulness has reached its end. That's a system we can all buy into if our eyes aren't on who Jesus truly is.

1. Mystery Babylon describes this world's system, whereas the Bride of Christ contrasts herself through Heaven's.
2. There are things we don't understand about this passage, but enough to form practical conclusions.
3. The purpose of Mystery Babylon will be to unite the world against Jesus until the 2nd half of the Tribulation.

The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the gospel itself. It is what gives us reason to live the Christian life as well as the only thing we have to share with people who reject Jesus' claim to be God. If we take the time to understand the facts on the table, we will be able to answer every challenge to our faith. This includes death itself.
1. The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact that passes every objective examination of the facts.
2. The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact we need to understand.
3. The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact we need to be prepared to defend.

John is given an explanation of the Mystery Babylon figure that is mentioned for the first time in Revelation 16. In this clarification, he is shown everything that appeals to our fallen sinful nature. The significance of every detail with the rest of scripture in mind shows us just how ugly the most beautiful thing in the world can be.

1. The world's counterfeits haven't changed. The Lust of the Flesh, The Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life.
2. Every generation has the opportunity to pursue or forget the work God wants to do in their lives today.
3. Exchanging Jesus for anything is always a trade-down.

Luke's account details for us the crucifixion of Jesus from a unique angle. While Matthew had a Jewish audience in mind, both drew careful attention to Jesus' deliberate quotations of scripture as well as the events surrounding the crucifixion that were prophesied. From the significance of the darkness and the tearing of the veil, all the way down to the last words He spoke. None were without significance. All were pointing us to what He was doing, why He was doing them, and who He was doing them for.

1. Jesus was willing to experience Hell so we wouldn't have to.
2. Those who trust in Jesus' promise are seen by God as already in Heaven as far as He's concerned.
3. The reason we trust Jesus' promise is because of the evidence He gave to show how much He meant them.

The Holy Spirit is as much God as The Father and Jesus. The reasons for this are because He's called God, credited with the things God alone has done, does the sort of things only God does, and is given the same status by which we identify Jesus as God. The Holy Spirit is not Jesus or the Father because He is distinguished from them, send by them, and serves purposes in the world that aren't performed by the Son or Father.

1. The Holy Spirit is referred to rightfully as God through His unique characteristics that only God has.
2. The Holy Spirit is the most involved member of the Trinity in the lives of believers.
3. The Holy Spirit is distinguished from the Father and Son.

Joshua is an example of a faithful person in ministry. He sought out the company and influence of Godly people like Moses. He made his life a regular pattern of being in the house of God and making the lives of those who served there easier. And most importantly, he was the same person when he was charged to be faithful as he was before responsibilities were given to him.

1. Faithful people always make themselves available to be used by God in the lives of those around them.
2. Faithful people seek out the company and influence of faithful people before them.
3. Faithful people find their ultimate comfort in God.

The final judgment of the Tribulation before Christ's return tells us a lot about God and this world by contrast. God has been delaying the ultimate expression of His wrath until the last possible second. The only people affected by it are those who have consciously rejected His mercy. And even in the midst of this chaos, God is still providing for and protecting His people.

1. An understanding of the last book of the Bible comes from a familiarity with the first 65 books of the Bible.
2. The nature of the demonic is deception. False doctrine is how the enemy does his greatest work.
3. The only ones who experience the wrath of God are those who consciously reject His mercy.

The account of the two thieves on the cross is a significant one. It not only fulfills prophecies made 1000 years in advance, but clarifies the difference between the person who is going to Heaven and Hell. One thief refused to believe who Jesus was and to respond to His offer of salvation accordingly. The other acknowledged his sin, recognized who Jesus was, and put himself at His mercy.

1. The only thing that put and kept Jesus on the Cross was His love for us.
2. The only thing that made the difference between the two thieves was a willingness to ask Jesus for mercy.
3. The only thing that will get us to Heaven is receiving the salvation Jesus freely offers.