Sunday Sermons

In Revelation 12, we begin a new sequence of visions, following the seven trumpets. The Apostle John sees two great signs in heaven: a woman giving birth to a son and a great red dragon. And he witnesses a great battle that rages in heaven and on earth between the dragon and those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. As you study this section further, remember that we are dealing with highly symbolic literature that is representative of spiritual realities that we can’t see with our eyes. To interpret these visions we must look at the context surrounding these symbols. How do we understand chapter 12 in light of everything else we’ve read so far in Revelation, as well as what has come before in all of scripture?

This week we finally come to the seventh trumpet. Like the seventh seal that was opened in chapter 8, this final trumpet blast serves to symbolize the end of God’s judgment and the beginning of the new order of God’s kingdom. Verse 15 sums this up when it says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” That describes the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan for all creation, a plan where heaven and earth would be united as one kingdom under God. As you reflect on this passage this week, consider how that end goal of unification between heaven and earth might affect the way you live your life today.

Last week in chapter 10, the Apostle John, the author of Revelation, received a commission from God to “prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.” Now in this vision, John receives a measuring rod to measure the temple of God and those who worship there. Then he is told about the two witnesses and what will happen to them. This whole scene takes place in the context of the sixth trumpet blast back from chapter 9, which is also the second of three woes first referenced at the end of chapter 8. Which is to say, things are really starting to get confusing. But while we can get lost in the details of this winding road, we mustn't lose sight of the purpose of this highly symbolic vision—this revelation is given to strengthen the faith of the church as it waits for the return of Christ.

In this week’s passage, we find ourselves at a break in the action. The opening of the seven seals gave way to seven trumpets. The first six trumpets have been blown, bringing about the judgments of God upon the earth and the hardened hearts of those who refuse to repent. Now, before the seventh trumpet is blown, just as we saw before the seventh seal was opened, John is shown something special. Before the seventh seal he saw the great multitude of those who worship the Lamb. Now before the seventh trumpet and final judgment, John sees a mighty angel come down from heaven with a scroll. And on this scroll would be a sweet and bitter message for all peoples, nations, languages, and kings.

In this sermon, Pastor Mike walked us through the first six ‘Trumpet Judgments’. In this passage, we are given a continued picture of the sovereignty of Christ as well as the instability of this world. In true apocalyptic form, we get to clearly see just how foolish it is to place our faith in this present order of the world and that true security can only be found in the Lamb who moves these events at his will.

This Sunday, we jumped back into the book of Revelation by looking at 8:1-5. In this short passage, we have a continued vision of God’s throne room as there is a preparation for judgment in the blowing of the seven trumpets. It is a unique passage where we get to see how God responds to the prayers of his suffering people.

In this final week of our series on the local church, we look at the idea of membership. We highly value church membership here at Grace, but what about it makes it so important? In the sermon this week, Pastor Mike drew out the principles of church membership from Philippians 3 and showed us that our relationship and responsibility to each other is deeper and more profound than we probably thought.

We have now reached week 4 of our series on the local church. Jumping off from Matthew 20, Pastor Mike shared a Christ centered view of leadership when it comes to the oversight and carrying out the work of the local church. Just like so many other aspects of the Kingdom of God, the function of church leadership differs greatly from the values of the world. But it serves to magnify the Lord greatly when carried out as scripture prescribes.

In this third week of the current series on the local church, Matthew Lautz shared about the centrality of worship in the life of the believer. But specifically, the centrality of worship as participants in the body of Christ. Though the gathering of believers on Sunday is something that we may take for granted at times, it is far more crucial in regards to God’s glory than we may understand.

We are now into the second week of our month-long series on the local church. This is a chance for us to take a step back and think through our life as a local body in a biblical, yet practical and strategic manner. This Sunday, Pastor Mike walked us through what this looks like in the area of stewardship. What we have been given and the way we use it is an essential part of our lives as followers of Christ.