Back Creek Church | Charlotte, NC

Jesus desires our health. 

Jesus fights for our holiness.

Jesus fights against our heresies. 

Jesus knows our hurts.

Jesus wants our hearts.

The book of Revelation was not written to confuse us or fill us with fear and dread. On the contrary, it is meant to give us comfort, confidence, and courage for anything we will face, because of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done, and what Jesus will do.

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6 And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

You have wearied the Lord with your words. But you say, “How have we wearied him?” By saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delights in them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God of justice?”

Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us?

"I have loved you," says the Lord.

Joyful generosity shares trouble, sacrifices treasure, and by God's grace is supplied totally. 

If we are looking to Christ for joy, we can find and cultivate contentment in any and all circumstances.

We practice joy in the Lord by patience with people, peace through prayer, and purity in what we pursue and ponder. 

When we have conflict in the church, we can reconcile with joy remembering that we share one Lord, one labor, and one life together in Christ.

We persevere in joy through faith (that Jesus has made me His own), through forgetting (what lies behind, both our failures and our feats), and through forward-straining (toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ). 

We experience joy in loss as we forsake the false gospel of confidence in the flesh (in ritual, race, religion, rank, or righteousness) for the true Gospel of confidence in Christ alone.

Connection that brings joy is spiritual, significant, sympathetic, steadfast, and sacrificially service-oriented.

We find joy in holiness as God empowers us to live out his gift of grace.

Unity that brings joy does not come from us, it comes from Christ. Unity that brings joy comes from our new mind, new motivation, new model, and new mission in Christ.

When Christ is our all, we can live and die with joy. How can we make Christ our all? How can we die with joy? How can we live with joy?

Paul finds joy in Christ even in suffering. Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves his evangelism. Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves his example. Paul finds joy in Christ as his suffering serves Christ's ends.

Because joy comes from our Savior and not from our circumstances, we can find and cultivate joy even in difficult times - even in times of longing. Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued partnership in the Gospel. Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued perseverance toward the goal.  Though we long to be together, we can find joy in our continued pa...

God, in his word, acknowledges the brokenness we experience as humans and gives us the freedom to express it through lament. Lament is a form of prayer that teaches us to address God and ourselves honestly. To lament well, we need to be honest with God about how we feel. (13:1-2) To lament well, we need to be honest with God about what we want. (13:3-4) To lament well, we need to be honest with ou...

Because Christ is risen, we have every season for hope: Because Christ is risen, we have hope that the good news is true. Because Christ is risen, we have hope that sin is defeated. Because Christ is risen, we have hope that Satan is defeated. Because Christ is risen, we have hope that death is defeated.  

For our own good, God will disrupt our plans. He will disrupt our arrogance, our aspirations, and our alliances.