Sermon by Pastor Samuel Niblack

As we approach summer vacation, we often take to the road, and sometimes we see signs pointing to historic sites, such as 13th century churches. This summer we are visiting 7 churches from the 1st century. This morning, we are visiting Smyrna (modern-day Izmir).

Let’s read Revelation 2:8-11

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander[a] of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

The church we are going to look at this morning would probably be our last choice, and yet it is one of the only ones that receives no reproach from its Lord, this suffering, persecuted church: the church of Smyrna. 

Sermon by Pastor Vincent Bourrel

Introduction

We’re starting a summer series on the letters to the 7 churches in Asia, found in chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation. We are at the end of the first century when the apostle John (a very old man in exile on the island of Patmos) receives this revelation from Jesus Christ himself who dictates these letters to him.

The 7 recipient churches were assemblies established in Asia Minor (Turkey). They have different health conditions and different circumstances. To each one Jesus sends the appropriate message. This shows us that Jesus is interested in his churches, he knows them, he is delighted by some things and saddened by other things. He knows the EBTM, he watches over us. He wants to encourage us and stimulate us in the faith.

Sermon by Pastor Samuel Niblack (preached 27/06/2021)

When we suggest to start studying the book of Revelation, you might rub your hands with glee, saying, “Great! That will help us decode the news, the COVID-19 pandemic, the situation in Israel, the geopolitical tensions, the vaccine, etc.” But that would be wrong. That’s not the aim of this book, and that’s not why we’re going to study it.

From the very first verse, we can see that it’s not a book meant to encrypt things and leave us puzzled, but the project of this book is quite the opposite: it is to reveal, to show, to make known. It is a revelation from Jesus. (According to one commentary, this book is not without challenges but is overall “easier to understand than the gospels”) It is a revelation from Jesus, and it is a revelation about Jesus. According to v3, it’s even a blessing, a real pleasure for anyone who reads and keeps these words. It is this blessing that we want to make our own this summer.

Sermon by Pastor Vincent Bourrel

Thanks to Desiring God and Cruciform Editions, we have distributed free copies of John Piper’s book “God is the Gospel” in the last weeks, if you do not have yours, I encourage you to pass by the bookstore to pick one up. If you have one but have not yet started reading it, I would like in this message to give you a little bit of content, so it will encourage you to go until the end. 

So, this morning I am in the skin of John Piper and hopefully I will not betray his thought too much, but above all, that we will have a clear understanding of God’s Gospel.

Reading of 2 Corinthians 4 : 3-6

« And even if our gospel is veiled ; it is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is he image of God. For he do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servant for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. »

When a person becomes a Christian and perceives the beauty of the gospel for the first time, they usually have an overwhelming urge to share this good news with those close to them. But what a surprise and what a disappointment when you realize that their enthusiasm is not as contagious as you imagined. Why do your friends seem blind to the new realities that now shine before your eyes?

Sermon by Pastor Sam Niblack

More than any of Paul’s letters, Philippians is the most joyful, the most uplifting, the most encouraging. (We thought it would be useful to study it considering the covid situation…) In this letter, we discover that Paul himself is a joyful and encouraging person. This is extremely unusual given his circumstances! This letter lists things that could rob us of joy: in ch 1) prison, persecution, ch2), the illness of a close friend, ch 3) the yoke of a religion and the feeling of never being able to do enough for God, or the pride of those who believe they are succeeding, (it’s hard to be a proud and joyful person!); ch 4) interpersonal conflict (which seems to impact the whole church), with thoughts that invade us, that bother us. But each time, Paul says: I rejoice, you too: rejoice!

But there is a topic that has not been addressed so far, it is perhaps the one on which our society makes us depend on joy the most easily: it is about money, about material goods. A bill, a statement at the end of the month, a tax return, there’s nothing quite like it to deprive us of joy…