-Sung Psalm- 106-----One of the central themes in the seven letters is the call to repentance. Five of the seven churches are deeply flawed. The other two are suffering under persecution-----Things are not the way they should be- We are not the way we should be-----It never surprises me when I see sin in the church. The church is deeply flawed. But that's not okay-- It's not okay for the church to be deeply flawed- When we see sin in our lives, or in our life together - we need to repent.----We need Jesus.----But this is why John said to us - -I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and kingdom and patient endurance that are in Jesus-----At our worst, we have sinned and need to repent. At our best, we suffer trials and tribulations.---- But the whole of the Christian life is lived in Jesus.----Also, each of the letters to the seven churches begins by connecting backwards to the vision of the Son of Man in chapter 1, and ends by connecting to the final vision in chapters 21-22.----That also suggests that the middle of each letter connects to the middle of the book of Revelation.----Which means that the basic point of these letters is very much the same as the basic point of the whole book-----The Christian life always starts with Jesus. It is characterized by suffering and affliction -the way of the cross- and for those who persevere - for those who conquer - it ends in glory-

As we saw last time, the prophet Haggai addresses the people of God at a time when they were rebuilding their lives after the exile - rebuilding their houses - restoring their fields and vineyards - but not really seeking the LORD. They were drifting.----Drifting is dangerous.----Last time I quoted D. A. Carson and his warning- -People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance- we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom- we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation- we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism- we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.- -D. A. Carson, For the Love of God, 2.25-.----The only way to holiness is the way of the cross. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus. Or as Haggai 2-4 puts it- -Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of Hosts.-----And since all of the Christian life is about temple building - building up the body of Christ - Haggai's basic point is a point that we need to hear-

-Sung Psalm- 81-----The Lord speaks through Jeremiah of Jerusalem's first love. -I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride- - And what does God mean by this- Back during the Exodus - and the conquest in the days of Joshua - when God redeemed his people and gave them a good inheritance.----But Jerusalem has exchanged the LORD her God for those who are no gods.----And so the LORD concludes- -my people have committed two evils- They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.-----That's a great picture- Over here, there is a fountain of living water -living water can just mean -flowing water- - a spring that never runs dry-. And over there, is a cistern - a cistern is an underground water storage tank.----If you don't trust that the spring will last, then you might choose to dig a cistern to store water.----But of course, if the LORD himself is the fountain of living water - then you know that the LORD will never run dry. And so the decision to dig a cistern is itself a declaration of unbelief------I don't trust God to provide - so I'd better take care of myself, thank you------Isn't that a good picture of how we tend to act- We don't trust God. We rely on our own efforts - our own wisdom - our own bright ideas - but our own best efforts are broken cisterns that can hold no water.----In short - we have lost our first love - our devotion to our Lord Jesus-----Welcome to Ephesus...

Haggai is short. Only 38 verses. We've got two - maybe three - sermons here. But that's because Haggai's point is very simple - and very clear-----If you focus on building your house - your labors will be in vain-----But -I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts- - so get back to work building my house.----And since all of the Christian life is about temple building - building up the body of Christ - Haggai's basic point is a point that we need to hear-----And at the heart of Haggai's point is the importance of hearing the Word of the LORD.----Haggai only has 38 verses. But in these 38 verses, there are 29 references to divine revelation- Four times we are told that the Word of the LORD came to Haggai. Five times we hear -thus says the LORD- Twelve times we hear -declares the LORD- along with a handful of --oice of the LORD-, -the LORD's message-, etc.----Likewise, there is not only a focus on divine revelation, but also divine sovereignty.----In these 38 verses, God is called -the LORD of hosts- 14 times. He is the one who speaks - who acts - and whose Word controls the fortunes of his people - and indeed over all nations - and all creation-

-Sung Psalm- 80-----If you would understand the book of Revelation, you could do worse than spend a day meditating on the first half of verse 9- -I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus...-----Tribulation.--Kingdom.--Endurance.----For now, tribulation and kingdom go together- These are present realities for John. And they are all present in Jesus. Some people want to say that Tribulation comes first - and then Kingdom. But John says that he is already a partner with us in Tribulation and Kingdom - and patient endurance... in Jesus.----Jesus is King. And his kingdom comes in the context of tribulation and suffering. How did Jesus' kingdom come- Through the cross. How does Jesus' kingdom continue to come- As we bear the cross.----How do we participate in the kingdom- We conquer by not compromising our faithful witness in the midst of trials. We conquer by defeating sin in our lives - and walking faithfully with Jesus until the end-----That's why John calls it the tribulation and kingdom and endurance that is in Jesus.----The Christian life is a long obedience in the same direction. Which direction- The way of the cross. And we see this illustrated in John himself...

-Sung Psalm- 89-----What is Revelation about- In a nutshell- God rules history and will bring it to consummation in Jesus Christ----In the book of Daniel, Daniel was told what would happen -in the latter days.- But John says that these are things that must soon take place. What was the latter days for Daniel is -soon- for John.----This is because Jesus is risen from the dead and seated at the right hand of God- From the moment that Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, all of the events in the book of Revelation became -soon.-----Likewise Daniel is told to seal up the book -Dan 12-4-- but John is told NOT to seal his -22-10- - his revelation is immediately to be read, heard, and practiced.----And there are two blessings here at the beginning- First, there is a blessing on the one who reads this aloud. Second, is the blessing on those who hear - and who keep what is written in it.----These two blessing cannot be separated.----The one who reads it to the congregation is blessed. And those who hear it - and do it - are blessed If you hear, but you ignore it - then you are not blessed.----Some of you may be fearful when you hear this - you may think - but Revelation is so difficult to understand - how can I be sure that I am keeping it properly------Revelation is not a puzzle book, rather, it is a picture book. Look at the pictures-----And if you want to know how to understand the pictures - read your Bible- The pictures in the book of Revelation are all rooted in the Old Testament - and woven together with the themes used throughout the NT as well.----So let's start right here in the first 8 verses-

Sermon Outline-----1- Reader - Understand the Tradition of the Elders----2- Pharisees - Scribes - Understand the Hypocrisy of Externalism----3- Crowd - Understand the Parable of What Defiles----4- Disciples - Understand Foods are Clean but Hearts are Not

Sermon Outline-----Three Scenes ----1- The Roman Empire - Mighty Caesar Augustus - a Nameless Jewish Baby -vv. 1-7-----2- The Fields in Judah - the Celestial Glory - the Sign of the Manger -vv. 8-14-----3- Bethlehem - A Rough Night - Confirmation of Favor -vv. 15-20-

Sermon Outline-----1- Job - -God passes by - I perceive Him not- -Job 9-11-----2- Hardhearted Disciples - Jesus passes by - they perceive Him not -Mark 6-45-52-----3- Folks of Gennesaret - Jesus passes by - they recognize Him - are Healed-Saved -Mark 6-53-56-

-Sung Psalm- 80-----Associate Pastor Joel Irvin delivers a sermon about Mary and Gabriel.----Sermon outline-----1. The Grace Initiating God----2. The Question - the Mystery ----3. Teenage Faith That Amazes