God's Word with Pastor Tom Smith

The imagery of the bride, the New Jerusalem, starts to clarify. But rather than get caught up in the architectural details, we need to stand back and understand the glory and majesty of what's being seen through the imagery.

Titus lays out the power of the gospel to save and transform.

A major shift happens from Revelation 20 to 21. The book is no longer showing conflict, struggle, judgment, and final judgment. Revelation 20 completed the work of God that started back in Genesis 3. Now, Revelation shifts to the new creation, returning us back to Genesis 1 and 2, but better. We start with New Jerusalem, a direct contrast to Babylon. But don't get caught up in the physical descrip...

The call from God through Haggai is “Think carefully about your ways.” God calls us to keep our priorities in order by not getting distracted by other concerns. He calls us to work. But, the central promise from God is “I am with you.”

Revelation 20 moves from the Saintt's reign with Christ and Satan's binding to judgment. All of the negatives that came from the fall in Genesis 3 finally are reversed and the world is prepared for the new creation.

To become the men God calls us to be, the answer isn’t “try harder,” it’s “draw nearer to Christ.” The Bible shows us how to embrace the responsibility God has given men for the good of others.

We all desire belonging. It is a trait God has built into us. But the counterfeit promise of belonging on our own terms fails every time. We have been given belonging in God’s family through Christ and the things that we try to avoid turn out to be the very things that exist in deep belonging.

Revelation 20 opens by giving us a glimpse of Christ's reign and Satan's binding, an assurance to believers that their faithfulness is worth it.

We all pursue truth. What we must be careful of is where we obtain that truth. Max walks us through where truth can be found and the counterfeits offered by the world that we must be cautious of.

As we finish Revelation 19, we move from the worship scene and marriage supper of the Lamb to battle.

Comfort promises a counterfeit truth: get enough and you will find rest for your soul. But Jesus counters this counterfeit with an invitation, "Come to me... and I will give you rest."

We close Revelation 18 and turn from earthly mourning to heavenly worship in Chapter 19.

The world is full of counterfeit love. Jesus shows us what true love looks like. It is sacrificial giving for the good of another.

We begin Revelation 18, which shifts the focus from unveiling Babylon in Chapter 17 to revealing the cause of her judgment and the results of her destruction.

There are not many counterfeits bigger than what surrounds the question “Who Am I?”. Identity is critical to every area of life. We refute the counterfeit of self-determination by looking at who God says you are and who Christ is restoring you to be.

As Chapter 1 closes, we get a surprise twist that the evil alliance turns on itself and destorys Babylon.

The world tells us how to find a woman’s worth. But it can only offer counterfeit solutions to people's real needs. We examine the counterfeits and then reveal God’s truth about the value of women.

Babylon has been revealed as attractive yet corrupted and in league with the Beast. The Beast is now shown to be aligned with worldly political systems, rulers, and powers who are coming together to fight the Lamb. Yet the Lamb conquers because He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

The ascension is the precursor to Christ’s reign and the sending of the Holy Spirit. How should we respond to the reality of the Risen King and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit?

After restoring and teaching his disciples, Jesus commissions them to take the Gospel to the world. Discover what the Great Commission meant for the first disciples and what it means for us.

Chapter 17 takes us back for a closer look at Babylon. What is she? Why is she being judged so severely? This chapter also will set up a deliberate contrast between two women (cities): Babylon, the Prostitute and New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ. We peel back the outward appearance of Babylon to see that appearances can be very deceiving.

Jesus has restored his broken disciples, but to prepare them to take his message to the world, Jesus must teach them. His teaching transformed the disciples and it should transform us.

As we complete Revelation Chapter 16, we study the 6th Bowl judgment which prepares the way for the united earthly powers to face God and the terrible consequences of the 7th Bowl. Amazingly, people still do not repent. The divide between those who worship the Beast and those who worship the Lamb has never been greater than what we see in these judgments.

Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples after the resurrection. He used this time for more than proving he was alive. In today’s text, Jesus restores his broken disciples.

Chapter 6 begins the bowl judgments, the complete outpouring of God's wrath on the evil world. Tonight, we cover the first five judgments and hear confirmation that God is just and righteous in judging evil.