Monday Morning Reflection: Why We Need Many Tools

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Monday Morning Reflection: Why We Need Many Tools

We’re nearing the end of our Apocalypse Series through the book of Revelation. You can find all the resources connected with this series at vcnola.com/apocalypse. Yesterday I preached on the importance of conquering in Jesus! One of the elements I believe that is connected with conquering is “pursuing Jesus’ holiness.” In Revelation 18:4, John hears, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues.” Here the churches in Revelation are challenged to not pursue the sins of the Roman Empire but rather the holiness of Jesus.

The Tool Belt of Sanctification

Think about any project you’ve ever worked on, particularly if you’re building something. People who build things often wear a tool belt. Why? They need direct access to all the tools they might use—hammers, nails, screw driver, tape measure, etc. These are all tools that you might need at your disposal. 

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Monday Morning Reflection: What To Do with Satan?

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Monday Morning Reflection: What To Do with Satan?

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to preach from Revelation 12–14 in our Apocalypse Series. One of the key elements of Revelation 12–13 is the presence of evil, in particular the Dragon and his two beasts. The dragon represents Satan whereas the first beast is the anti-Christ and the second beast is the false prophet. Rather than get wrapped up in figuring out the identity of the Anti-Christ and the false prophet, we focused our attention on understanding the Devil and his associates. One of the things I mentioned yesterday was our culture’s inclination to do one of two things: (1) Not believe in Satan and his dominion or (2) to celebrate or be hyper-sensitive to Satan.

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Unveiling the Apocalypse—You Don’t Want to Miss It!

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Unveiling the Apocalypse—You Don’t Want to Miss It!

We’re more than half way through our series through the book of Revelation: Apocalypse! I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. It’s been incredible to unpack such practical truths from the book of Revelation. As we’ve unpacked the book of Revelation together, you’ve probably noticed we’ve not been able to tackle everything. We simply do not have enough time on Sundays to discuss everything. 

Enter our next Equip Series—Unveiling the Apocalypse!

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Monday Morning Reflection: The #1 Question We All Ask

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Monday Morning Reflection: The #1 Question We All Ask

This weekend was no doubt you a unique weekend with the arrival of Hurricane Nate in the gulf. While we didn’t gather corporately in person, we were at least able to gather together through technology. If you haven’t watched our online gathering, you can find it HERE. 

Nevertheless, we continued in the Apocalypse series, looking at Revelation 4–7. I want to remind you to check out all of our sermon resources, including an introduction to Revelation at vcnola.com/apocalypse. Also, don’t forget about our upcoming Equip Series: Unveiling the Apocalypse. I know I probably didn’t come close to answering all of your questions about things like the seals, 144,000, and other unique elements. That’s what the Equip Series is for! Join us for 4 Sunday nights (10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12) from 5–6:30 pm. 

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Monday Morning Reflection: Living on Purpose

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Monday Morning Reflection: Living on Purpose

Yesterday, we wrapped up our journey through the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, looking at the church at Laodicea. If you missed this sermon or any other of the sermons through apocalypse, you can find them at vcnola.com/apocalypse. 

 

Jesus levels against the Laodiceans one of the most difficult words he gives to all seven churches. Jesus says this to the Laodiceans, “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:15-16). The point of this rebuke is not about spiritual passion or apathy; the point is about purpose. As we saw on Sunday, Laodicea was situated between two other cities: Colossae and Hierapolis. Colossal was known or its cold, refreshing water. Hierapolis was known for its warm, medicinal waters. Laodicea did not have a natural water source, and so water was pumped in from these neighboring towns. When it arrived in Laodicea, it was lukewarm—good for nothing! The church at Laodicea had lost its purpose.

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