Grace Community Church Sunday Morning Messages

This week’s church is in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Yes that’s the tagline for the Philadelphia in the US, but we didn’t coin the phrase. Brotherly love is what Philadelphia means in the Greek. This is a place along a trade route linking Europe to Asia and where earthquakes are common.  This little church was harassed by what Jesus refers to as “the synagogue of Satan, those who claim to be Jews but are not” Jesus’ reassurance to this ‘church of little strength’ is poignant; “I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.”To be loved is a basic human need – we must have it and we try all sorts of ways to get it. When feeling crushed under the weight of pain, rejection, and suffering one of the most jarring accusations, whether it be from within or without, is the thought that God has forsaken, that I am not loved by Him. Alternately, one of the most strengthening, courage giving realities is that God does in fact love me – regardless of what the circumstances may be. God has loved me with an everlasting, unfailing, secure and steadfast love. This truth is often under attack when trials come our way. This question of being loved is common for us to ask when we are hurting. There is one place we can go for assurance of God’s love and that is the cross of Christ. It doesn’t answer our confusion or the why of our pain. But it does prove that we are in fact loved. We can trust Jesus because He has loved us. Let this truth sink in and give you strength to keep His word and declare His name.Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading Revelation 3:7-13 with Romans 8:31-39------To keep the gospel in the forefront as we read these letters, we invite you to memorize Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”-----

Jesus has told us;  "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me….apart from Me you can do nothing. ---John 15  “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.” ---John 6:60After His resurrection, Jesus told His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before doing anything else. We know that it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that anything a church or a pastor does bears any fruit that will last. And yet, the wealth we have as Americans enables us to function within our own power and strength – even Christian things can be powered by the flesh instead of the Spirit.This was the problem the church in had. Wealth, pleasure, luxury, and decadence are words that have been used to describe Sardis. Theirs was a culture of ease and comfort which prioritized earthly pleasures and afforded them easy money. If we can’t relate, we aren’t paying attention!The church in Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but this reputation was not accurate. From the outside it appeared everything was good and fruitful. A church may appear sound and successful, they may say the right things and do good deeds – all by the power of their own flesh and intellect rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus saw through all of this into what they really were – dead!  Jesus reminds this church of His authority and that it is from Him the Holy Spirit is made available to them as the Father’s gift. They need only to repent and receive Him! So it is for all of Jesus' disciples. We must remain connected to the giver of Life and we must be diligent about doing so.------To keep the gospel in the forefront as we read these letters, we invite you to memorize Revelation 12:11:  “*They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”* ---Revelation 12:11-----Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading **John 15 with Revelation 3:1-6**

Lydia was from Thyatira and was a dealer in purple cloths. She was converted in Philippi when she heard Paul speak (Acts 16:1-15) Paul accepted her invitation stay with her in her home and he and Silas returned to her home when they were released from prison. (Acts 19:16-40)   Thyatira was a small and insignificant area famous for the dying of cloth.  The trade guilds were places of idolatry and sexual immorality yet essential for all who conducted business in the arts and trades.  This posed a significant problem for the Christians there as they would need great fortitude to continue in their trade and earn an income while abstaining from the idolatrous practices that were so prevalent among the guilds.  Jesus knows that they have been growing in their love, faith, service, and endurance. He knows the level of idolatry they are facing and it is reassuring to know He addresses it with authority and with mercy. He quotes from Psalm 2 when He encourages the overcomers and this Psalm is a reminder that He is more powerful than any nation on this earth. This knowledge would help the church of Thyatira to endure and stand strong in the midst of their trials and is a comfort for us in the midst of all that is wrong in our world today. Repentance is available to us for the areas we have compromised along with strength for maintaining loyalty and commitment to Christ above all else.  When our livlehood is threatened, we can remain faithful by the power of the Holy Spirit and by remembering that our time on earth is short. Our trials are temporary and our God is mighty. He will forgive us when we repent, He knows how hard it is and what we are up against. His mercies are new every morning and His love does not fail. ------To keep the gospel in the forefront as we read these letters, we invite you to memorize Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”-----Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading **Psalm 2, Acts 16, and Revelation 2:18-29**

Pergamum sits north of Smyrna and about 16 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. Their massive library rivaled the library in Alexandria housing thousands of works. It was in Pergamum where the use of more expensive and longer lasting parchment was developed (1). In addition to three temples dedicated to the emperor, Pergamum also had a temple for Asclepius, god of healing; Dionysius, god of “wine and ecstasy";(2) Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, along with the great alter to Zeus(3) (considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world)The Christians here stood strong in their faith in and worship of Christ, but struggled with tolerance and compromise over wrong teachings about Him. Living in such a hostile environment towards the things of Christ would have been difficult. The belief systems and practices surrounding them were idolatrous and immoral and to hold fast not just to declaring Christ as Lord but also discerning practically how that applies to daily life would require courage and fortitude. Allowing idolatrous and immoral teaching and practice to creep into their church hindered their ability to fully honor Jesus and maintain faithfulness to His word. The church needed to take these things seriously and stop. -------To keep the gospel in the forefront as we read these letters, we invite you to memorize Revelation 12:11:They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.-------Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading **Revelation 2:12-17**

Smyrna was a city of wealth, trade, and deep loyalty to Rome. In 195 BC Smyrna built a temple to Roma, the goddess of Rome. Theirs was a city for whom Emperor worship was central, in AD 12 a temple was built to honor the Emperor Tiberias and during Domitian’s time (A.D. 81-96) it was a requirement for every Roman citizen to give worship, allegiance, and loyalty to Rome’s emperors. For a Christian to give allegiance solely to God alone would be unacceptable and punishable by death. The temptation to compromise would be great, wouldn’t it? At the yearly feast, why not just say the words to the Roman officials without actually meaning them? Is it so wrong to call Ceasor ‘Lord’ – what are words anyway? It’s what is in the heart that matters, right? When facing poverty, hardship, and death these rationalizations would sound convincing.  Though living in this wealthy city, Jesus tells us that the Christians there were poor. It appears their commitment to declaring *Jesus only* as Lord has cost them. To this suffering church, Jesus reminds them of His deity (I am the first and the last) and His conquering of death. He has seen their suffering – they are not alone or unknown in all that they have been facing. What comfort these words must have been!------To keep the gospel in the forefront as we read these letters, we invite you to memorize Revelation 12:11:  “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”------Prepare for this week’s teaching by reading Revelation 2:8-11 with Isaiah 44:6