A Vision that Sustains the Church

Revelation 1

About the Sermon

The Book of Revelation is an often avoided part of our Bibles, by readers and by preachers alike. There are good reasons for this, including its obscure ancient history and its extinct apocalyptic genre. But with a little bit of work, this book will yield blessing for the church in this world—strength to endure in difficult times. With this sermon we begin our series, The Seven: Jesus’ Words to His Churches in Revelation. But before we get into the letters Jesus wrote for these first century churches, we need to behold Christ in majestic glory, a vision that sustains the church.

About the Series

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a letter from Jesus Christ to a church like ours? Or, better, because no two churches or contexts are alike, how about seven letters to seven different churches? Then we’d have Jesus’ heart for his church on surround sound. We would know what he wants to change about us, and what he wants to guard. Seven such letters have been discovered, and they are found at the end of the Bible in the often-neglected book of Revelation. We need these letters: letters written to unique churches with unique challenges; letters of commendation and correction; letters concerned with the supernatural, not the superficial; every line reflecting the heart of Jesus for his churches, including ours.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a letter from Jesus Christ to a church like ours? Or, better, because no two churches or contexts are alike, how about seven letters to seven different churches? Then we’d have Jesus’ heart for his church on surround sound. We would know what he wants to change about us, and what he wants to guard. Seven such letters have been discovered, and they are found at the end of the Bible in the often-neglected book of Revelation. We need these letters: letters written to unique churches with unique challenges; letters of commendation and correction; letters concerned with the supernatural, not the superficial; every line reflecting the heart of Jesus for his churches, including ours.

Sermons in the Series