Gracelife Sarasota

Have you ever seen a complicated mural telling a story? You have to interpret each image in order. This is a mural of the history of Mexico, to understand it, you would need guide who has studied it. That’s today. This passage is a verbal mural of the story of the church proclaiming the Gospel throughout church history. Last week at the end of ch11, John was commanded to eat the scroll & prophesy the bittersweet Gospel to nations. (REVELATION 10:11) I WAS TOLD, “YOU MUST AGAIN PROPHESY ABOUT MANY PEOPLES, NATIONS, LANGUAGES & KINGS.” The Gospel would be both sweet as honey, mercy & grace to those with ears to hear what the Spirit says. But it would also be bitter, with words of judgement & condemnation for those who don’t believe & repent. Proclaiming the unfiltered, bittersweet Gospel puts us at odds w/ a world that just doesn’t want to hear it. Today’s passage describes the entire age of the Gospel, the church… the past, present, and the not yet. This passage

Have I ever said anything in a sermon that made you cringe? Not a Joe Davis cringe, my wife knows that feeling well. I am talking something cringe-worthy in God’s Word, some kind of clear warning, correction, or judgement. The parts of God’s that taste bitter, seem to condemn, harsh, cutting to the heart, words that leave no wiggle room. Have you ever heard something, sweet, promising, encouraging from God’s Word? You like that? Me too! How do we know what to say, and when, and to who? It’s a hard job, and we need some guidance, right? Especially in a world that is primarily hostile to anything God’s Word says, particularly in the area of sin. That’s what Rev 10 is about. How the church has everything it needs to successfully, faithfully proclaim both the bitter and sweet words of the Gospel, no matter what happens in the world around us.

Do you remember the 1st time you ever saw pictures of Auschwitz and images of the Nazi’s 7 mill genocide of Jews? Do you remember when you first learned about Joseph Stalin killing 20-30 million people during His reign in Russia? Mao Zedong, killed an estimated 65million Chinese in his attempt to create a new socialist, communist China. Pol Pot killed 2million in His attempt to create a Communist society in Cambodia. These are just 20th century examples. This doesn’t even count WW1, WW2, and dozens of other wars fought by both “bad” countries, and “good” ones. Since the 1st century, we’ve seen an exponential rise in humanity’s ability to kill unlike any other period in history. If I could chart it for you, you would see a stark, steep line going up and up. Yet we have mostly normalized it. Today’s passage, the 6th trumpet explains this phenomenon of evil’s impact in the last days.

How do you feel about some of the insects we have in FL? Massive flying cockroaches, horse flies, prehistoric moths? Deep woods mosquitoes, hornet’s nests, I hate them, I run from them always, and if they are swarming? Child please! If anything, bigger than a small raisin flies around my head, I want to be out of that general area or I want it dead! Last week doing yardwork a massive bug chased me, w/the speed of an Olympian I dashed fully clothed into the pool. I have especially always despised the thought of locusts. Frightening! Flying, leaping, huge, massive swarms! If one landed on me now I would jump off stage, running, waving arms, like some of our Pentecostal brothers & sisters. I can’t even imagine being caught in a swarm! But there is a horrible spiritual reality that isn’t so funny. Today we will learn about the swarm of evil spiritual forces around us, what they’re capable of, and their limits. Also how followers of Jesus should view them, what we should do in response

2 years ago, I watched in person in our home stadium, my childhood team Bucs beat KC in the Super Bowl. Being there in person in the stadium during COVID was amazing. An elevated perspective watching it all play out! Surrounded by a multitude, watching, celebrating, cheering every act of judgement from the Bucs visited on the Chiefs. Driving home, I listened to the radio, thirsty for expert analysis of how thorough the judgement was on the field. I got home around midnight… immediately I turned on the tv to watch the recorded game. I wanted every detail up close from the field cameras of all the plays I cheered for, I cried tears of joy (don’t judge). I saw things on TV I couldn’t see in the stands, like the Chiefs futile attempts bring order back to the game, bitterness. I saw a repeated cycle, whenever they made a first down or something, BAM! More judgement from the Buccaneers! Closeups of the joyful Bucs sideline, celebrating a total victory, like being there all over, but from a dif

Prayer is a fascinating human pastime. Prayer is a widely practiced spiritual discipline in America & across the world. According to Pew Research, 55% of Americans say they pray every day, 21% say they pray weekly or monthly, 20% of people who consider themselves unaffiliated with any religion say they pray daily. 65 and older are far more likely than adults under 30 to say they pray daily (65% vs. 41%). Prayer is easiest thing a follower of Jesus can do. It’s also the easiest thing to neglect, easy to abuse, or misunderstand. What things do you pray for most often? Healing, especially for friends & family are a big % of our prayers for sure. Are there types of prayers God loves more than others? Do you ever wonder if God likes or hears your prayers? Do you ever worry if you are praying the right way? Are there things we should be praying for that we don’t?

Last week part 1 of the answer is the church in battle on this earth, this week: “THE CHURCH IN VICTORY!" As a Christian, do you ever feel lament about the direction of America or the world? Do you ever get frustrated when it seems like evil always wins, injustice is rampant, culture & society seem depraved. Every human wants to celebrate victory over their perception of evil or injustice, long for some sort of win. That’s why people develop obsessions with politics, culture wars, social movements, hoping for a victory somewhere. Christians don’t need to hope in these things, for we know there is only one way evil will be defeated. Revelation is written to encourage Christians to look to Jesus but are you too obsessed w/this world to be encouraged? Yes, we wrestle w/darkness & evil, daily, yes, it’s hard, but there’s a great day coming, and the evidence is everywhere! Even when life seems as far removed from heaven as it can get, evidence of the Kingdom of Heaven is everywhe

Ever been in an argument, someone asks a hypothetical, accusatory question you’re supposed to be unable to answer? Laura asked me yesterday: “Did you change the air filter like you promised?” “Actually, yes” (Man that was so fun) That’s what Ch 7 is, an answer to a hypothetical question, “Well, actually this is the group that escapes judgement.” What are some of the most important things the Holy Spirit does for us as followers of Jesus? The Holy Spirit certainly at times prompts us to specific actions, words, or choices we otherwise wouldn’t engage in. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit provides intangible, experiential, spiritual moments prayer, prophesying, tongues, etc. Many different perspectives on frequency, purpose, and specifics, but certainly the Holy Spirit is active. These experiences can be powerful emotionally, spiritually, sometimes they are life changing. But there is something else the Holy Spirit does for each follower of Jesus, the fir

When you preach systematically through scripture w/out skipping passages, you’ll have to preach judgement sermons. I’ve had to preach a few of these sermons, and I must tell you I don’t enjoy them. Yes, there is the Jesus who for us represents mercy, grace, & forgiveness. As comforting as His grace & mercy are, there’s also another the side of Jesus just as frightening. When I was younger in hard core fundamentalist circles, I heard men preach fiery sermons on God’s judgement. It almost seemed as though they found pleasure in preaching on judgement day, like they enjoyed it. They were emotional, dramatic, & effective in inciting emotional responses especially from younger people. How does it make you feel, know wrath is part of who Jesus is? That He’s not just the gentle Lamb of God? But what if a passage on the wrath of God isn’t intended to be scary at all? What if the wrath of the Lamb is intended to be encouragement, affirmation for those who follow Jesus?

Have you ever been frustrated with God? Why does God allow His children suffer at the hands of evil in this world? I’m not talking about suffering because of our own choices, that’s not suffering, that’s consequences. I am talking about paying a price for identifying with Jesus, the Gospel, and the Kingdom of Heaven. Globally, there are over 90,000 people killed each year because of their faith. Mostly in Africa, Asia, & the middle east. Paul says we should be joyful when we suffer because of Jesus or the Gospel (though Americans can’t really relate). This is one of those truths in scripture we all nod w/a serious face & say “Amen”, but secretly hope we are spared. Why can’t the prosperity Gospel be a real thing? Why can’t we just expect blessings to flow when we follow Jesus? And what is a proper response to real persecution? Just smile, remain stoic, strong, brave, act unphased? Why is this kind of suffering even necessary? Why doesn’t J

I hear many calls these crazy times! Covid, Trump, Biden, China, Inflation, Russia & Ukraine, Roe v Wade, etc. But are they really that crazy? Are they different from all the rest human history? I say its not even close. Many people suffer from what I call “Apocalyptic narcissism”, thinking we endure something unique in our day. Previous generations have endured “crazy times”, most of them far “crazier” than our times. For 6000’s years, human thirst for political, economic, cultural, military conquest caused suffering, pain, and death. Just the last 800 years in Europe, War of the Roses, 100 years war, Napoleonic wars, French/Indian war (1st real WW). From an American perspective, we had the civil war, WW1, WW2, the Cold War, Viet Nam, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq. Human thirst for conquest has subjected humanity & all creation conflict, famine, disease, economic ruin, & death. How do we reconcile living by faith, as part of the Kingdom of Heaven, when

One of my favorite moments each Sunday is Megan’s prayer right before I come up to preach. Why do we do that? Is it just some sort of mystical activity we hope sprinkles good fortune into our service? Or is it something more? Why do we do things the way we do? Where does GraceLife get its liturgy, its order of service? It would be a lot less work & stress if it was just Megan on the keyboard, then me just preaching. But for some reason, music is a huge part of what we do on Sunday mornings, and not just here, almost every church. What we do on Sunday morning is the biggest portion of our budget and requires much time & effort every week. Why do we believe its so important to have skilled musicians, high quality sound, lights, projection? Why did we spend so much money and time getting this worship space right before our grand re-opening? From an earthly perspective, it sure seems like a waste of money… if you don’t understand the scriptures. There’s a deep, biblical reason

What does the phrase “End of times” mean to you? Does it invoke anxiety? Feelings of reticence? Is it something you associate w/headlines some associate with the possible coming of the “anti-christ? Does it cause a mindset of Christians needing to hunker down for an onslaught of darkness? If are at all up to speed on our study, you know Revelation is about the already, right now, and not yet. What if I told you the “End of Times” is glorious, joyful… and the “right now” part of Revelation? The book of Revelation primarily is Not about warnings, but comfort. This is how it should be approached. Revelation is not about preparation for some sort of tribulation end times scenario, we know evil is here already. It’s the fulfillment of the plan of God for redemption and the relentless expansion of the Kingdom of Heaven! It explains the troubling mystery of our conflict between good & evil nobody understood until it was written!

Have you ever had a worship experience where you sensed something? a greater awareness of God’s presence? What are the things that make those moments happen? How can we experience these moments more often? Worshipping together always been an important characteristic of church community, from the 1st century until today. Throughout church history, the church has put great effort, thought, & resources into corporate worship. When we first started at McCurdy’s we built stage pieces, bought good equipment, recruited talented musicians. Members of our team arrived every Sunday 4 hours early to prepare, because worshipping in community is a priority. As we renovated this facility, getting this space ready for community was a major focus, much time & resources. We do all these things because know worshipping in community is the most distinguishing act for a church. We learned last week, when we gather together, Jesus promises to open a door to Heaven we can enter with Him. Today’s passag

Today at GraceLife we celebrate the official opening of our doors on Lockwood Ridge to the community. It’s a special day in the history of our young, little church, and we are so glad for everyone here to celebrate with us. What does the phrase “Grand Opening” mean to you? What exactly we are celebrating as a church? Yes, we celebrate the accomplishment, we’re excited, but it must be more than that, It is just a building after all. We don’t celebrate brick and mortar, We are celebrating a new door of ministry Jesus has opened for GraceLife. Future opportunities to be a lampstand, to preach the Gospel, which we know is power of God for salvation. That’s the grand opening we celebrate, & what’s on other side of the door Jesus has opened for us, His mercy, grace, majesty & glory. That’s the topic we are studying in our series on Revelation the next few weeks, starting with today’s passage. It should be read as an epilogue to the letters to the 7 chu

There was a time not too long ago GraceLife was growing a little complacent, it was right before COVID. Attendance was up, cash flow was the strongest ever. We were comfortable @ McCurdy’s, 1900, & Swift Road. I had just started preaching through Mark, and our core ministries: GL Food Pantry & GLR were booming. We had it all handled with not many uncertainties. But GraceLife was growing complacent becoming a little self-reliant & didn’t even realize it. Then COVID hit; money got tight, we couldn’t meet & some left because of it. Then grief hit us, more than once. You know what these last 2.5 years taught us? GraceLife cannot be self-reliant. We need to cling to Jesus each day.

Does God have a special place in His heart for the American church? Can the Bible be read as Americans? We tend to interpret scripture from an American perspective, I understand its easy to do because…we’re Americans. Sometimes that’s ok, but reading scripture as Americans doesn’t serve us well. The American experience is so atypical. We easily slip into flawed interpretations, missing out on something much bigger than the mere 246 years of America. Today’s passage requires us to put aside our American citizenship, in exchange for our Kingdom of Heaven citizenship. It’s a prime example of how we must read Revelation over the next several months to learn all we can from it. First, with our American experience put aside, and with the O.T. in one hand, and John’s letter in another.

What if GraceLife received a letter from Jesus saying “GraceLife is dying! Repent, return to the Gospel, or be judged!”? Is GraceLife a living, vibrant, faithful, obedient church? IF Jesus wrote us a letter, would He list any good works? I worry about this continually. Then I see God use our church for His Kingdom, and my anxiety fades just a bit…for maybe an hour… then I worry about it again. Why do I worry so much? Do any of you ever think about this? If you’re emotionally, spiritually, financially vested in GraceLife, you should ask these questions also. We’re not perfect, no church is, but are we alive? I believe right now, today, we are (More later). Can we stay alive? And What does a dying church look like? Low attendance? No money? Lots of conflict? Are those the proper metrics? Just because a church has lots of people, lots of money, a good reputation in society, looks vibrant, it can be dead. We will see that today in week 8 of Revelation. We will also lear

Every person desires a community that embraces their personal values, enhances opportunity for success or happiness. It’s a natural to desire to live in a world that affirms your core values, protects what’s important, family, faith, success… Its why people move, change jobs, chose a church, become passionate about politics, volunteer, donate to charity. People of all faiths (even atheist), cultural backgrounds, political leanings, (big gov or small) moral values (pro-life or pro-choice) economic philosophy (capitalist or socialist), have passionate opinions for what society should look like. For true followers of Jesus, the gift of faith gives us a desire for a culture that embraces our Kingdom Values. We advocate for them, fight for them, vote for them, proclaim them, hopefully we can change the culture. But one thing 1000’s of years of human history tells us. The world isn’t interested and won’t be until Jesus returns. Until then, this world will constantly pres

(REVELATION 2:12–17) “AND TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PERGAMUM WRITE: ‘THE WORDS OF HIM WHO HAS THE SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD. [13] “‘I KNOW WHERE YOU DWELL, WHERE SATAN’S THRONE IS. YET YOU HOLD FAST MY NAME, AND YOU DID NOT DENY MY FAITH EVEN IN THE DAYS OF ANTIPAS MY FAITHFUL WITNESS, WHO WAS KILLED AMONG YOU, WHERE SATAN DWELLS. [14] BUT I HAVE A FEW THINGS AGAINST YOU: YOU HAVE SOME THERE WHO HOLD THE TEACHING OF BALAAM, WHO TAUGHT BALAK TO PUT A STUMBLING BLOCK BEFORE THE SONS OF ISRAEL, SO THAT THEY MIGHT EAT FOOD SACRIFICED TO IDOLS AND PRACTICE SEXUAL IMMORALITY. [15] SO ALSO YOU HAVE SOME WHO HOLD THE TEACHING OF THE NICOLAITANS. [16] THEREFORE REPENT. IF NOT, I WILL COME TO YOU SOON AND WAR AGAINST THEM WITH THE SWORD OF MY MOUTH. [17] HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR WHAT THE SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES. TO THE ONE WHO CONQUERS I WILL GIVE SOME OF THE HIDDEN MANNA, AND I WILL GIVE HIM A WHITE STONE, WITH A NEW NAME WRITTEN ON THE STONE THAT NO ONE KNOWS EXCEP