Cities and places matter. The Christians life is about two cities.One is our here.One is our hope. Babylon represents the total culture of the world apart from God.  We are shown the… 1. The Lust of Wickedness (v.1-5) 2. The Lure of Wickedness (v.6)        -In 2026 what are you going to say “NO” to? 3. The Leader of Wickedness (v.7-8) 4. The Line of Wickedness (v.9-13)        -Wickedness may look chaotic but it is most certainly not.  It is organized, structured, planned, and premeditated. 5. The Loss of Wickedness (v.14-18)  - Wickedness will lose! Wickedness will lose to the Lamb of God (v.14) Wickedness will lose to the Lordship of God (v.15-18) See Babylon for what she is. Run to the Lamb!  

HOPE GROWS! • Luke 2:7 "...and she gave birth to her first born son..." • Luke 2:22 “...they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord…” • Luke 2:40 “...and the child grew and became strong…”   I. Faithful Followers II. Frightened Family (John 8:29) III. Finding Focus (Luke 8:56, Acts 2:7, Acts 8:13) IV. Father's Forming (Luke 1:80, 2:40, 2:52)   Our Obedience in 2026 • Seek His presence • Trust His ways • Follow His will

"Is there any hope?" See the moment... Hope Came Into the World v.8-13 Because of God’s Hope… 1. The Angels are Rejoicing v.13-14 2. The Shepherds are Responding v.15-20 3. Mary is Reflecting v.19-20 On Christmas, rejoice like the angels, respond like the shepherds, and reflect like Mary!  

Irony – a state of affairs or events that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects See the irony in these… 1.Two Decrees v.1-3 2.Two Parents v.4-5 3.Two Moments v.6 The first moment is biological The second moment is theological 4.Two Kings  

Christmas and celebrating go hand in hand. Luke Records... A Greeting of Affirmation v.39-45 A Song of Celebration v.46-56 Mary celebrated…. 1. The Gift of Christmas v.46-47 2. The Grace of Christmas v.48-50 3. The God of Christmas v.51-56 Christmas brings real hope.Real hope is worth celebrating!  

Luke wrote about the hope of a Savior because of his love for a friend. This announcement comes with… 1. The Person God Chose v.26-28       Luke tells us about Mary... Her Credentials Her Condition 2. The Plan God Used v.29-33      - God's plan had not changed 3. The Power God Showed v.34-38    - God showed His power through… 1. An Impossible Conception v.34-35 2. An Improbable Conception v.36-37 3. An Implicit Courage v.38 Look again this Christmas at the people, the plan, and the power God used to redeem us.    

4th Bowl: The Bowl of Despair v.8-9a 5th Bowl: The Bowl of Darkness v.10 6th Bowl: The Bowl of Deception and     Deployment v.12-16 7th Bowl: The Bowl of Destruction v.18-21 We need to understand… 1. The Sad Commentary of the Condemned v.9 2. The Sad Commentary of the Condemned v.9 3. The Second Cry of Completion v.17    

Those with power like to display it! God displays His power too! Through Creation Through Provision Through Salvation When God’s power is poured out… 1. His Presence will be Inaccessible 15:5-8 2. His Wrath will be Unavoidable 16:1-4 3. His Justice will be Indisputable 16:5-7 In the end the enemies of God will get what they deserve. And God will be Right!  In the end the enemies of God will look at us and wonder why we don’t get what we deserve.  But God has displayed His power in His blood!   The power in His blood offers…  Forgiveness  Access to Him  Power to live for Him Are you washed in the POWER of His blood?  

Live your life like it’s choir practice. John Witnessed... 1. The Coming of the Completion v.1 2. The Choir of the Conquerors v.2 3. The Chorus of the King v.3-4   - God is right in all of His ways The Saints celebrate... The Unrivaled Nature of His Character The Universal Nature of His Salvation The Unblemished Nature of His Acts  

Keep In mind... 1. The Harvest of the Lord v.14-16   - The harvest of the Lord is TOTAL and FINAL 2. The Harvest of the Lost v.17-20 3. The Harvest and the Laborers How to share? What was your life like before you accepted Christ as your Savior? How did you come to understand the gospel and respond to Christ’s call for salvation? What is your life like now that you have a right relationship with God through Christ? Why is knowing Christ so life changing that you want others to have a relationship with Him too? Come to His table Then go work His fields

We rejoice in love, acceptance, and grace…as well we should.  But what about judgment, fear, and obedience. We Ought to Be... 1. Motivated by the Fear of God’s Judgment v.6-7      -The Gospel is available for all, but it won’t be available forever! 2. Validated by the Fate of God’s Judgment v.8 3. Devastated by the Fullness of God’s Judgment v.9-11      - Hell will be worse than you can imagine 4. Dedicated to the Faithfulness of God’s Judgment v.12-13 What should we long and pray for? The lost without Christ—Repentance The dying with Christ—Relief The living with Christ (us)—Revival  

You can’t live a sinless life, but you can live a blameless life! John’s vision shows the persecuted… The Scene of Victory v.1 The Song of Victory v.2-3 The Soldiers of Victory v.4-5 How is ... The Purity of YOUR Faith The Activity of YOUR Faith The Security of YOUR Faith The Honesty of YOUR Faith      

Preparation always trumps speculation. John describes... 1. The Counterfeit Ruler of the World v.1-9        The biography of the Beast… His Wonder v.1-3 His Worship v.4 His Words v.5-6 His War v.7-8 2. The Counterfeit Religion of the World v.11-17      To understand the second beast, notice… His Deceptive Appearance v.11 His Deceptive Performance v.12-14 His Deceptive Vengeance v.15 The Call to the Redeemed in the World v.9-10, 18 3. His Deceptive Compliance v.16-17      There is always a... Call to Endure Call to Faith  Call to Wisdom “The number of the beast is 666, that is, failure upon failure upon failure!”  -Simon Kistemaker

It’s important to remember… 1. The Defeat of Our Adversary v.7-9 2. The Declaration of Our Victory v.10-12      - Notice: 1. The Savior, 2. Satan 3. The Soldiers 3. The Defense of The Godly v.13-16 4. The Difficulty of Our Reality v.17 How do you fight from Victory? Know your enemy Know yourself Know your KING!

See The Signs... 1. See the Woman as the People of God who are Faithfully Waiting v.1-2     - Who is this woman?      -Through symbolic, apocalyptic language, she is a sign, representing all the people of God 2. See the Dragon as the Enemy of God who is Always Hating v.3-4      -The dragon is Satan. Satan hates God and anything that brings Him glory. Satan has always been behind the culture of death. 3. See the Boy as the Prince of God who is Now Reigning v.5      - Even when the enemy thought he won, death gave way to life! 4. See the Wilderness as the Place of God where He is Working v.6 Do you see the signs? We are in a battle. We are not home. Wake up!  

More Than Ever God has blessed us. More Than Ever our community needs the gospel. More Than Ever we must do something about it. 4 Words about Biblical Giving: 1. Biblical Giving is Mandated by our Master - Malachi 3:7–10; Matthew 6:19–21; Matthew 6:24; 1 Corinthians 16:1–2 2. Biblical Giving is Motivated by Mercy - 2 Corinthians 8:8–9 3. Biblical Giving is Medicine for Materialism - 1 Timothy 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:17–19 4. Biblical Giving is a Mark of Maturity - 2 Corinthians 8:7    

Casual Christianity is dead. Christ is still King. He is coming back. Submit to Him. Leverage your life. More love for the Savior, the saints, and salvations are ALWAYS the goals. More campuses, better spaces, and the right amount of staff help us reach these goals.

The 7th Trumpet ushers in the Celebration of… 1. His Final Reign v.15-17  - Trumpets also announce the coronation of kings - The 7th Trumpet announces the reign of God as King  2. His Final Reckoning v.18 3. His Final Reward v.18 -At least two groups… a. Special servants – prophets, apostles b. The saints – those who fear the Lord 4. His Final Revelation v.19 - The heavenly temple and the presence of the ark represent the nearest point to the presence of God What is the posture of your life?  

Revelation 11:1-14 Three Questions… 1. What is NOW? v.1-6 A.  For God’s People: We are protected to prophesy - Protection is shown in the measuring of the temple -The temple often depicts the people of God - The court outside represents those outside the family of God who oppose God’s people 42 months 1260 days A time, times, and half a time Three and a half years -The two witnesses represent the people of God empowered to share the Gospel and warn of coming judgment -- Hebrews used “week” to represent “sevens,” not just days A week of years = 7 years 70 weeks = 490 years 490 years divided into three time periods: Period One: 7 weeks = 49 years (Temple rebuilt)  Period Two:  7 weeks + 62 weeks = 483 years (Christ) Period Three: 1 week = 7 years (The Tribulation before His return) B. For the World: They are permitted to persecute 2. What is NEXT? v.7-10 -For God’s People: We will go from Testifying to Dying - It will appear that the church has been defeated 3. What is NEAR? v.11-14 - For God’s People: We will go from Temporary Death to Eternal Life - For the World: They will go from Temporary Life to Eternal Death Every knee will bow  

This Grand Pause has... 1. A Unique Messenger v.1-3 He represents the Lord with some powerful parallels: Mighty Wrapped in a cloud Rainbow over his head Face like the sun Legs like pillars of fire Right foot on sea, Left on land Voice like a lion Seven thunders 2. An Urgent Message v.4-7 3. An Unchanging Mission v.8-11    -The scroll represents God’s plan to judge the world under the authority of Christ. John is commanded to… 1. Consume it! 2. Communicate it! ---But I’m not a prophet?  I’m just a regular person. Love The Lord Love Your Family Love God’s People Love Your Neighbor Love The Lost Leverage Your Life for Good Share the Gospel and ALL of its truth