Wake up! In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares Jesus's message to the church of Sardis. 

Sardis had once been one of the most powerful cities in the world. Unlike the other 7 churches in Revelation, there's no mention of persecution, idolatry, or false teaching, by Jesus but they had gotten complacent.

Revelation 3:1 

The seven stars are symbolic of the seven angels or messengers which refers to the pastor or leader of each church. 

Revelation 3:1-2 

You can fool the crowd, but you can't fool Christ.

They're asleep, so their movement is just sleepwalking. Church activity is not church vitality.

Revelation 3:2-3 

Repentance is a mind change that results in a behavior change. It's turning toward a new direction. It's not just feeling bad, it's doing good. Repentance happens when heart transformation leads to behavior modification.

Revelation 3:4 

God doesn't just examine our actions, He examines our intentions. 

Revelation 3:5-6

Hearing from Jesus always requires a response.

And that's the letter to the church of Sardis and what it meant to them. So, what are the timeless truths for us in this letter, and how can we respond to what Jesus has revealed?

1. Your reputation is not as important as your righteousness.

Matthew 23:27

Yesterday's victories can become today's excuses. We'll be tempted to embrace programs over presence, structure over Spirit, and appearance over anointing. 

There are seasons of rest in the life of a Christian, but there are never seasons of complacency. Yesterday's obedience does not cover today's calling. God isn't impressed by your highlight reel; He is looking for present obedience.

2. Wake up before spiritual drift becomes spiritual death.

Spiritual sleep happens one ignored conviction at a time.

Romans 13:11

Jesus doesn't want to write us off, He wants to wake us up. 

3. Strengthen what remains.

God can do a lot with a spark, but you have to stop pouring water on it and start fanning it into a flame.

Strengthening what remains means you stop coasting and start pursuing God again.

Spiritual renewal does not come from willpower; It comes from the power of the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 11:2

Romans 8:11

Revival rarely begins with something spectacular. It usually begins with someone returning to the basics. 

Some of the stars we see shining above us are actually already dead. Because many of them are light-years away, the light they produced years ago is still traveling through space. 

In other words, we may be seeing the glow of something that no longer exists and died years ago.

And that's exactly what Jesus says was happening in Sardis.  

It's the same for us. Church, there are too many "bored-again" Christians who are trapped in the rut of religion, regurgitating Christianese phrases, and mindlessly attending, but not engaging.

Wake up! Strengthen what remains. Repent, and return to the Lord.

Are you spiritually alive, or just known for being spiritually alive?

The church in Pergamum had lost its edge, so Jesus brought His sword to church. In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally continues the sermon series on the letters of Revelation.

Pergamum, the Roman capital of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), faced intense pressure to worship Caesar and was filled with temples to false gods.

Revelation 2:12 (NLT): This is the message to Pergamum from the one with the sharp two-edged sword...

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT): The word of God is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword...

The word of God has two edges: comfort and correction—one delivers, the other disciples.

Revelation 2:13 (NLT): I know that you live where Satan has his throne.

Pergamum was saturated with idolatry.

Revelation 2:14–15 (NLT): You tolerate teaching like Balaam and the Nicolaitans—the doctrine that sin is no big deal.

Jesus confronts their compromise with sexual immorality and idolatry.

Revelation 2:16 (NLT):

God wants to fight for you, but if you play for the other team, He will fight against you. Refuse His correction, and you will face sin's consequences.

Revelation 2:17 (NLT):

The promises: manna—provision now and in the life to come—and a white stone with a new name. A white stone meant "not guilty" and was a token of admission.

Timeless Truths

1. Where you live shouldn't affect how you live.

Philippians 3:20 (ESV): Our citizenship is in heaven.

You live here, but obey there—address here, allegiance there.

James 4:4 (NLT):

Be friends to the world, not of it. A friend OF the world imitates it; a friend TO the world calls people out of it.

You can't be like the world and help it. Boats belong in the water, but water doesn't belong in the boat. You're in the world; it shouldn't be in you.

2. Jesus gives freedom from sin, not freedom to sin.

Grace empowers you to meet the standard.

Compromise treats forgiveness as a reset instead of transformation.

God's forgiveness gives freedom to say no.

Titus 2:11–12 (NLT):

Live with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion. Grace gives power over sin, not permission for it.

3. Change comes from repentance, not remorse.

Remorse feels; repentance acts. Remorse looks back; repentance moves forward.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT):

Worldly sorrow repeats the pattern; godly sorrow produces change.

God's word is a sword—it cuts to heal, not humiliate. Repentance isn't "I'm sorry," but "I surrender."

4. God's promise is greater than your compromise.

God's grace outruns our failures.

2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT): If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful.

Your failure isn't final. God warns to welcome, not write you off—He writes a new name on a white stone.

Closing

Compromise is a destructive fire—ignored, it spreads and consumes.

Though compromise destroys, Jesus restores. He calls us to repent, not to shame us, but to save us.

What compromise is God asking you to deal with today?

What if your problems aren't crushing you but growing you? In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally teaches us how to face suffering as he shares about Jesus's letter to the church in Smyrna.

Smyrna had been destroyed in 600 BC and rebuilt by Alexander the Great around 300 BC. When this letter was written, Smyrna was the center of emperor worship in Asia Minor. Christians were seen as suspicious, unpatriotic, and disruptive because they refused to join civic rituals. Persecution wasn't occasional—it was daily life. Believers faced exclusion, job loss, harassment, slander, and even death.

Revelation 2:8–9 (NLT)

Suffering (thlipsis) means "affliction, tribulation, persecution"—literally, "crushing pressure." Jesus says, "I know your poverty"—extreme poverty in a rich city, caused by persecution.

One of Smyrna's main exports was myrrh, a fragrant oil made by crushing the myrrh tree. In the same way, Christians were being crushed by persecution and poverty.

Citizens were expected to burn incense before Caesar's image and say, "Caesar is Lord." Jesus also mentions a group claiming to be Jews who were actively persecuting Christians.

Revelation 2:10 (NLT)

"Ten" symbolizes completeness—their suffering would be limited and measured. Jesus promises a "crown of life": be faithful unto death and receive the reward.

Revelation 2:11; 20:14–15

The second death—the Lake of Fire—is the final judgment for the devil, demons, and those who reject Jesus. Christians die once and live twice. Unbelievers live once and die twice.

What does this mean for us?

1. God sees your suffering.

We all face "thlipsis"—crushing pressure. Suffering isn't a sign of God's absence but the promise of His nearness.

2 Corinthians 4:17–18 reminds us our present troubles are small and temporary, producing eternal glory. If you navigate suffering with God, temporary pain becomes eternal reward.

2. Don't measure spiritual success by worldly wealth.

Jesus called Smyrna "rich." Heaven measures wealth differently.

Luke 12:15—life isn't measured by what you own.

1 Timothy 6:18–19—be rich in good works.

The world counts possessions; Heaven counts faithfulness.

3. Sometimes idolatry isn't a god, but a government.

Smyrna's temptation was emperor worship. Christians should be informed and involved, but the political process isn't the world's savior. Make political opinions subject to God's Word.

4. Real faith leads to resolute faithfulness.

Talent gets applause; faithfulness gets a crown (1 Peter 1:7).

Faith that only works when life works isn't real faith.

When suffering comes, it may not stop immediately. But God fills you with His love, peace, joy, and presence. What was meant to destroy you loses its power to define you.

John 16:33—In this world you will have trials, but take heart; Jesus has overcome the world.

Jesus is the solution to your suffering. He is faithful to you. Remain faithful to Him, and you will receive the crown of life.

Will you be faithful like the believers in Smyrna?

What happens when a church does all the right things but with the wrong motivation?  In this message, Pastor Eric Robertson shares our necessary response. Ultimately, the Book of Revelation is about a problem that is only solved when God's people wake up, repent, and faithfully wait on the return of Jesus.

• One of the worst problems is the one you don't know you have.
• Even worse are the problems you can see but don't recognize.

Ephesus: History

• Ephesus was an influential city in the Roman world: a major port city in Asia Minor—economically powerful, culturally diverse, and religiously pluralistic. Faithfulness required constant discernment.
• The city was defined by idol worship. The Temple of Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Converting to Christianity meant rejecting the city's spiritual identity and economic system (Acts 19).

Though the church seemed to be doing well, there was a glaring problem that John addressed.

What Did It Mean: Revelation 2:1–7

Each letter follows the criticism sandwich: (Good)(Bad)(Good).

Jesus gives this critique while walking among the lampstands—the churches that illuminate Christ to the world.

They served well, worked hard, corrected the wicked, removed toxic leaders, suffered faithfully, and didn't grow weary. Ephesus was a hard-working church.

Imagine hearing: "You're great—but you don't love me."

The letters were written to specific churches, but meant for all churches.

What Does It Mean?

This passage is often preached as a call to return to passion, but Jesus doesn't critique their passion.

Paul once said of them: "Your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people" (Eph. 1:15–16).

The problem wasn't their works, but their why. They disconnected from the reason they exist.

Returning to your first love is remembering why you do what you do: to love God and love others.

When a church forgets its why, it doesn't stop working—it stops breathing.

Our vision is Belong, Believe, Become, but Ephesus drifted into Believe, Become, Belong.

When love is no longer the motivation, we build walls instead of bridges and become known for what we're against instead of Who we're for.

How Do We Respond?

1. Remember – "Consider how far you have fallen."

Remember where you were when God found you and why the church exists.

2. Repent – "Repent."

Recognize how far you've drifted. The church illuminates Jesus, not itself.

3. Return – "Do the things you did at first."

Matthew 22:37–40: Love God and love your neighbor.

If you don't love your neighbor, you don't have love at all.

Closing: Revelation 2:7

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Returning to our first love is a return to paradise—the life God intended.

If we fail to hear, our lampstand will be removed.

The church at Ephesus no longer exists—only ruins remain.

Have we fallen from our first love?

VII (Seven) is a series focusing on the first three chapters of Revelation, covering seven letters written to seven churches—direct messages from God to real first-century churches dealing with real issues. We'll discover what these letters meant to them then and how we can apply them to ourselves today.

In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally takes us through Revelation chapter one, which sets the scene for the words spoken to the seven churches.

Revelation 1:1–2 (NLT)

Revelation is from Jesus as the source and about Jesus as the subject.

Verse 3 

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and all who listen and obey, for the time is near.

It's the only book in Scripture promising blessing for reading, hearing, and obeying. God doesn't bless us for reading Revelation; He blesses us for responding to it.

Verses 4–5 

The seven churches were in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), forming a strategic loop along a Roman postal road. These letters weren't random ideas; they were God's deliberate inspection of His churches, one by one.

Verse 7-8

The first time Jesus appeared quietly. The second time, no one will miss it.

Alpha and Omega—the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. Jesus is saying, "I am A to Z. Everything starts with Me, ends with Me, and holds together because of Me."

When everything else is shifting, Jesus stands unshaken.

Verse 9–11 

John writes from exile on Patmos, a Roman work camp. The Lord's Day is Sunday.

Verses 12–16 

"The Son of Man" is the Old Testament prophetic title for the Messiah found in Daniel. Revelation teaches theological truth through visual metaphor—this is prophecy, not photography. The sharp two-edged sword represents the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12).

Verses 17–20

Death is no longer a prison but a passageway. Jesus holds the keys; death can't keep anyone who belongs to Him.

Revelation addresses what is happening now and what will happen. It's not about predicting the end as much as preparing the church. When Jesus writes to the "angel" of a church, He addresses its pastor—the one responsible for carrying and correcting the message. Jesus walks among His people and works through their leaders.

When we read Revelation, we are reading someone else's mail. Jesus sends seven "performance reviews" to seven real churches.

How to Read Someone Else's Mail

1. Understand what it meant to them.
    Revelation wasn't written to us, but it was written for us (1 Corinthians 10:11). The Bible can't mean now what it didn't mean then.
2. Look for timeless truth.
    God's truth is eternal (Psalm 119:89). If God's Word is timeless, our obedience can't be seasonal or occasional.
3. Respond to what Jesus reveals.
    Revelation blesses those who act on what they hear (James 1:22). Truth ignored becomes trouble guaranteed.

Are you ready to heed the warnings from the Lord? 

There's a tale as old as time itself: an athlete, a star, a musician—someone of sheer brilliance and raw talent—bursts onto the scene, destined for greatness. In this message, Pastor Eric Robertson shares through Sampson's story how grace doesn't always stop the fall. Sometimes it lets you feel the ground.

They show all the signs. They excel. They taste success early. And then everything comes crashing down. Addiction. Entitlement. Laziness. Self-destruction. It's rarely one bad decision—it's years of unchecked compromise finally collecting its debt.

This isn't new. It's been happening since ancient times. Samson is a biblical picture of wasted potential.

After Joshua and the elders die, Israel breaks covenant with God and worships the idols of the surrounding nations. A pattern emerges: idolatry, oppression, crying out, and deliverance through a Judge.

But something changes in Judges 13. Israel is no longer crying out. They've grown comfortable in oppression and compromise. A compromise is a tradeoff between the Kingdom of God and the corruption of the world—having every good thing from God, yet wanting the one thing you cannot have.

Enter Samson.

Samson is a Judge of Israel, a Nazirite by birth, set apart for a higher level of consecration. The more corrupted a culture becomes, the more set apart God's people must be.

Samson's life begins with extraordinary grace. God chooses him before he does anything right or wrong. Yet almost immediately, Samson lives against his calling. He desires what he was told to resist, touches what he was commanded to avoid, and goes where he was called not to go.

Instead of delivering Israel, Samson reacts. A riddle becomes a feud. A marriage becomes a battlefield. A conflict becomes a massacre. He wins battles, but Israel is never delivered. Each time he crosses a line, the Spirit of the Lord still rushes upon him.

God empowers him again and again—but God being with you is not proof of approval, only mercy.

At the climax, Samson doesn't realize the Lord has left him. The bill for compromise always comes due. A compromised life hardens the heart until we forget what God's presence even feels like.

Samson isn't the hero—God is. His grace is meant to lead us to repentance. The grace meant to break Samson ultimately crushed him.

God is the real hero. He never gives up on us. His grace blocks our paths of destruction. Samson played with fire, and it burned him—but God's promise remains: if we turn and cry out, He will restore us.

 Most of the regret in our lives doesn't come from the last domino—it comes from the first one. It started with a decision that we didn't stop to examine. In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally teaches us to pause and ask, "Are you sure about that?" It's space between the dominoes that can stop the next one from falling.

Lamentations 3:40 NLT Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Most regret isn't from bad intentions—it's from unexamined decisions.

1. What would I think about someone who made the choice that I'm about to make?

We're really good at evaluating everyone else, yet God calls us to turn that discernment inward.

1 Corinthians 11:31 NASB But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.

The Word of God is first a mirror to examine our own lives, not a microscope to inspect everyone else's. 

You can tell a lot about yourself by paying attention to who else is making the same choices that you are.

2. Have I gotten Godly advice?

Proverbs 12:15 NLT Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

Proverbs 27:6 NLT Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.

Godly wisdom always makes room for godly voices. And if everyone agrees with you, you didn't ask the right people. 

3. Will I want to tell this story?

Haggai 1:5 MSG Take a good, hard look at your life. Think it over.

Some choices create stories you hide; others create stories you cherish. You don't write your life story all at once. You write it choice by choice. 

4. Do I really want to do this, or is this what others want me to do?

Some of the most dangerous decisions happen when we confuse God's voice with other people's opinions.

Romans 14:12 NLT "So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God."

Other people can advise you, but only you will give account to God for your decisions. Make sure its what you really want to do.

5. Will this glorify God?

Every decision reflects your devotion.

Matthew 5:16 NLT In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Your choices don't just reveal what you value, they reveal who you worship.

Before a surgeon ever makes the first incision, the entire operating room pauses for what's called a surgical time-out. Everything stops and the surgeon asks a series of critical questions. If anything is unclear, the surgery doesn't proceed—because once the cutting starts, you can't undo it.

The more important the mission, the more intentional the questions. God often speaks loudest in the pause we're tempted to skip.

Are you you sure about that?

Have you ever looked back at your life and thought, "Why in the world did I do that?" In this message, Pastor Jamie Nunnally explains that your vision makes the decision, and your voices make the choices.

What is vision?

Your vision for your life is who you think you are and what you think you should be doing. Whether you realize it or not, you have beliefs about yourself, and those beliefs determine how you act. You will act like the person you think you are.

In other words, your vision isn't just what you're aiming for—it's the script you're already living from.

Matthew 7:13–14 reminds us that the narrow road is difficult and few find it. The narrow road isn't just about where you end up—it's about who you become along the way.

Your vision makes the decision.

Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint." God's vision for your life will require God to get involved. If you can do it without Him, it's not from Him.

Your voices make the choices.

Every future decision has already been affected by how you answer this question: What voices have I allowed a place of influence in my life?

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, "Bad company corrupts good morals." These voices will make your choices.

That means we have to install filters. An air filter keeps impurities out. Not everyone should have access to your decision-making process; you have to install filters and keep the harmful stuff out.

Three filters to install:

1. The Word of God.

Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." The Bible doesn't just give direction—it exposes danger. It shows what's right and wrong before you step there.

2. The Spirit of God.

The Word gives general rules for everyone, but the Spirit of God speaks God's specific instruction to you. He will never contradict the written Word, but He will personalize it.

1 Corinthians 2:11–12,14 reminds us that we can only understand God's thoughts through God's Spirit. God is speaking to you, but if you haven't turned on your receiver, you can't hear Him.

3. The People of God.

Proverbs 13:20 says, "Walk with the wise and become wise." You don't need everyone's opinion, but you do need the right people's perspective.

Engage the blade! Behind every decision you've ever made—good or bad—is a vision and voices. What vision is shaping your decisions, and which voices are making your choices?

Decisions are like dominos. And here we are—2026—standing in front of the next domino.

In this message, Lead Pastor Jamie Nunnally shares how your life hasn't been shaped by big moments as much as by little choices. This message is called "Last Year's Choices." This isn't to give you a hard time about what you did last year—we all made good decisions and bad decisions in 2025. This is to help you understand how you got where you are and how to use the domino effect for your good.

Our current lives are the sum total of our decisions. Some choices were intentional, some reactive, some made under pressure, and some dominoes were knocked over by others. I'm not saying you chose everything that happened to you, but you did choose how you responded.

"We are all born looking like our parents, but we all die looking like our decisions."

If decisions brought us here, decisions can take us somewhere new.

Where you are didn't happen all at once. It happened one choice at a time, one habit at a time, one reaction at a time. Last year's choices produced this year's realities, and this year's choices will produce next year's reality.

You really do have a choice.

Deuteronomy 30:19 reminds us God sets life and death before us and calls us to choose. You can't control your upbringing or circumstances, but you do control your decisions. You can't rewrite yesterday, but you can redirect today.

When it comes to decisions, your default is not good.

Joshua 24:15 shows that if we don't choose God, we don't choose nothing—we choose what's familiar. If you don't choose what's godly, you'll choose what's comfortable.

You are good at making bad choices.

Jeremiah 17:9 says the human heart is deceitful. Your heart doesn't just feel; it steers. That's why Proverbs 4:23 says to guard your heart, because it determines the course of your life. Good intentions don't stop bad decisions—good decisions do.

Your choices begin as thoughts.

James 1:15 shows how desire becomes action. A thought isn't a sin, but when desire meets decision, it produces direction. Philippians 4 reminds us to think on what is true and right, then put it into practice. Your thoughts are practice for your actions.

Your choices are not private.

Every decision affects someone. Numbers 32:23 reminds us what we repeat privately becomes who we are publicly. Personal choices become public patterns.

Today is next year's "last year." You can start now.

Is the domino effect working for you—or against you?