Revelation 2-3 are 7 personalized messages to 7 churches. To each church the angel of the church is addressed. And while addressing these 7 churches, each message ends with, 'Anyone who has an ear should listen.' That is a challenge to you and me to listen and adjust accordingly. In these messages to the church, listen for the message to you. The 7 churches can be broken into three groups. 1 and 7 are not good, in trouble. 2 and 6 are in good condition. And the three in the middle are in the middle, not so good, not so bad. Today we are going to look at 1 and 7, the church in Ephesus and Laodicea.

Revelation 2-3 are 7 personalized messages to 7 churches. To each church the angel of the church is addressed. And while addressing these 7 churches, each message ends with, 'Anyone who has an ear should listen.' That is a challenge to you and me to listen and adjust accordingly. In these messages to the church, listen for the message to you. The 7 churches can be broken into three groups. 1 and 7 are not good, in trouble. 2 and 6 are in good condition. And the three in the middle are in the middle, not so good, not so bad. Today we are going to look at 1 and 7, the church in Ephesus and Laodicea.

Christianity is on trial. Is it worth it to follow Christ? A mom is fed to the lions. A brother is imprisoned. A friend’s business is constantly harassed by authorities. Many of the leaders of this fledgling movement called Christianity have been killed. There is a high cost for following Jesus. Where is God in the midst of that? And Jesus steps up to answer as the key witness in this trial. Is He a credible witness? The truthfulness and authority of a witness has to be established. I am guessing many of us do not feel like Jesus needs to prove Himself, but we do need to hear because our roots need to run deep into the trustworthiness and authority of Christ so we can survive if such a cost comes.

Christianity is on trial. Is it worth it to follow Christ? A mom is fed to the lions. A brother is imprisoned. A friend’s business is constantly harassed by authorities. Many of the leaders of this fledgling movement called Christianity have been killed. There is a high cost for following Jesus. Where is God in the midst of that? And Jesus steps up to answer as the key witness in this trial. Is He a credible witness? The truthfulness and authority of a witness has to be established. I am guessing many of us do not feel like Jesus needs to prove Himself, but we do need to hear because our roots need to run deep into the trustworthiness and authority of Christ so we can survive if such a cost comes.

Last week we introduced our series on Revelation from the book of 2 Peter and learned in order to rightly read Revelation, we need to ask, "In light of God’s plan for the future, what sort of person should I be today?” With that we charge into Revelation today with a goal to get our bearings. If we don’t have a sense of direction, a sense of the whole, the pieces confuse more.

Last week we introduced our series on Revelation from the book of 2 Peter and learned in order to rightly read Revelation, we need to ask, "In light of God’s plan for the future, what sort of person should I be today?” With that we charge into Revelation today with a goal to get our bearings. If we don’t have a sense of direction, a sense of the whole, the pieces confuse more.

Every fall I go away for a several days to pray about and plan my sermons for the coming year. I lay all that before the Lord and ask Him to lead me on what I am to feed you from the pulpit each week in the coming year. Five months ago, I felt the Lord leading me to begin a 24-message series on Revelation, to start April 19. I had no idea of what a Covid-19 was. I had no concept of our nation’s economic self-collapse in fighting a virus. I had no idea that we would be wondering, 'Is this what the end of the world feels like?' I say all that to say, I am not beginning a long series in Revelation today to capitalize on end of the world feelings, but rather because God knew we would need this. God tells us the future for a reason.

Every fall I go away for a several days to pray about and plan my sermons for the coming year. I lay all that before the Lord and ask Him to lead me on what I am to feed you from the pulpit each week in the coming year. Five months ago, I felt the Lord leading me to begin a 24-message series on Revelation, to start April 19. I had no idea of what a Covid-19 was. I had no concept of our nation’s economic self-collapse in fighting a virus. I had no idea that we would be wondering, 'Is this what the end of the world feels like?' I say all that to say, I am not beginning a long series in Revelation today to capitalize on end of the world feelings, but rather because God knew we would need this. God tells us the future for a reason.

I’ve had a very different approach this Easter, not as much looking at what happened on the cross, but on the way to the cross. We’ve seen people and forces trying to keep Jesus from the cross; people and forces fighting to put Him on the cross. We’ve seen the battle raging around Jesus and His resolve to battle that battle to get to that cross for you. I am going to show us today a strange moment for me, we are going to see Jesus’ own struggle with getting there come right up to His greatest resolve to get there. It all happens in the Garden of Gethsemane within moments.

I’ve had a very different approach this Easter, not as much looking at what happened on the cross, but on the way to the cross. We’ve seen people and forces trying to keep Jesus from the cross; people and forces fighting to put Him on the cross. We’ve seen the battle raging around Jesus and His resolve to battle that battle to get to that cross for you. I am going to show us today a strange moment for me, we are going to see Jesus’ own struggle with getting there come right up to His greatest resolve to get there. It all happens in the Garden of Gethsemane within moments.