Vienna Assembly Of God Sermons

We are light-bearers in the shadows we inhabit. And our role is not to control the effects of the light, but to allow the light to shine and for that light to do its good work wherever it is shown.

Today we are providing space to process the losses and griefs we each have experienced. Chaplain Liz Danielsen, a grief counselor and Founder/Director of Spiritual Care Support Ministries in Warrenton, Virginia, will lead us and inspire us.

Following Jesus is a life-commitment to walk in the light that we receive, and to shine our light so that others may also find their way.

God is encouraging us to keep the lights on, keep our hearts expectant and waiting for Christ's return, and be faithful witnesses for Jesus while we are waiting.

As a believer in Jesus, we can accept that there truly is a 'happily ever after' promised to us. The Church is described as a beautiful bride, the Bride of Christ. This reference to the church as the Bride is also embedded in the Apostle Paul's household code in the letter to the church at Ephesus. It's like inserting the 'happily ever after' naivety into the very stark reality of every-day life.

The church of Jesus Christ is not a momentary entertainment or fly-by-night show. All of us together are the temple of God, and the Holy Spirit lives within us.  We must be diligent not to build a facade of spirituality, but to allow the master builder to help us renovate spaces in our lives, take the old wood out to the trash pile, and build back better with gold, silver and jewels.

God is our creator; you are fearfully and wonderfully made.  You are beautiful, you are designed by God, and he does not want you imprisoned by a false lie about body image, but instead to be free to love and be loved. And in the church, each person is important and matters in God's design.

Jesus is building his church upon the rock.  That rock is the revelation of Jesus.  But the 'road' part is coming to understand how that revelation has been received and carried forward by the Apostles and the early church, and grounding our identity as a church in that foundation.

How do we flourish in this life according to God's vision for us? It happens in community - both here within our church family and then moving out from here into our larger community.

This is not the end! Death does not have the final say! Our struggles and trials, pains and sorrows, doubts and fears, persecutions and rejections, loneliness and awkwardness, disappointments and discouragements - none of these things are the end. We have a future hope and it is dazzling, it is joyful, it is powerful, it is eternal.

The message of the Book of Revelation is not to make us afraid of secret numbers or accidental tattoos.  It is giving us the invitation and the opportunity to see beyond the outer layer of things, to understand there is a cosmic battle and to encourage us to take our stand with Jesus.

Viewed through the Exodus narrative, the reader asks: Where am I? What choices do I have here? What is God going to do about my situation? God is not absent or asleep at the wheel - he is in control of this age and the age to come, and we can wholeheartedly put our confidence in God.

This imagery is not just a momentary escape from ’the real world’ - rather it is a blessed glimpse through the veil to the current and eternal reality of Christ’s Lordship, his authority, his glory. He has the church in his hands. He has the future in his hands. He has the victory, and even through suffering and difficulty and struggle and pain - He is Lord!

Today's three oracles can be summarized thus: Wake up! There are doors that only God can open. There is a door that only the church can open.

What does it mean to identify with the last days? Scripturally, it is the time of opportunity for unbelievers to repent and turn to God, and of responsibility for believers to proclaim the gospel. It is exciting to live in a time with such promise! Salvation is here, and we still have the message of hope for a lost world.

In this message we are encouraged by the oracles given to the churches at Smyrna and Pergamum.

Part of the overarching message of Revelation is that we must remind ourselves to see things from heaven’s perspective. We must remember who it is that is speaking to us when we approach the Scripture. We must shake ourselves out of complacency and a ho-hum attitude toward God’s kingdom and accept that we have a part to play in walking in the light and freedom that Jesus purchased with his blood.

First and foremost, this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center of this book. All the imagery and drama build to the ultimate revelation of Jesus’ victory, glory and honor to him forever and ever. If you come to this book looking for answers outside of Jesus, you won’t find them. He is the reason for our hope.

Today, we end this series with “Follow Me”, the phrase Jesus used over 20 times in the gospels. It was a frequent command and invitation that he offered. Sometimes he said it to new followers, someone who had not yet begun to follow Jesus. But sometimes he said it to those who were already following him, showing that the decision to keep following is one we have to make regularly. Learn more about "Flourish in July" at https://www.viennaag.com/flourish-in-july.

We are going to have missteps - and we need to humbly acknowledge that and find the grace of God to help us as grow in him.