RoboPreacher

from the enemy A sermon on Revelation 21 & 22 : I remember in college when I was going through some tough times. My pastor noticed what my real problem was. And it wasn’t my circumstances. It was how I was trying to fix them. “All your old survival skills aren’t going to serve you anymore .” He said. “You’re going to have to learn some new one.”   And he was right. Everything I was doing to try and fix my situation was only making it worse . You ever been there? Those disorienting times when all your old skills don’t work anymore. When they only make everything worse . We all have.   In fact, it’s a part of a pattern called “the hero journey.” And even if you don’t know the formula, you are familiar with it. It’s been made famous by George Lucas and the Star Wars films.   In the hero’s journey the hero is thrust into some circumstance where they must adapt to new surroundings in order to survive. And it’s like that for us when we go through some life-alterin...

i'll make things right A sermon on Revelation 6 & 7 : Today’s scripture addresses something we all have a vested interest in. Something we’ve all got. And something we all want to know what to do about. I’m talking about, of course, ordeals . Ordeals.   Now, the first thing about ordeals is that none of them happen  outside  the Lamb's scroll. And that’s a whole sermon right there. Isn’t it?!? Those ordeals that seem God forsaken are actually God blessed ! They’re blessed because they’re in the scroll that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, opens by his pierced hands! At the moment, though , it doesn’t feel like our ordeals are blessed. Does it? At the moment, it feels like our ordeals are going to tear anything loose that isn’t bolted down. God’s favor included. Now, John does tell us there is something, or someone actually, who isn’t affected by all those ordeals. It’s a great multitude. A crowd so large no one can count them—an assembly of individuals from ev...

i don't want to be a part of that shame A sermon from Revelation 5:1-14 To begin the sermon, I’d live you to do something unpleasant . Or rather, think of something unpleasant .   I want you to call to mind what it feels like when you can’t do something.   And I don’t mean when you’re prohibited . I mean when you can’t do something. Be it because of your own lack of strength, skill, or know-how. How does that feel?   For me, I get a pit in the middle of my stomach. In fact, just saying this sort of reopens the pit… It’s not a good feeling. If I’m honest, it’s one I try and avoid as much as possible. And I suspect I’m not alone in this. Now we will, begrudgingly, admit failure is a universal phenomenon. However, it’s one we are also quick to posit that must be learned from. Presumably , to overcome . And as quickly as possible, too. If , and we do mean if , failure has any place in our lives, it’s as one to get past . Our Scripture for today, though , shows us the...

you will care by the time i'm done A sermon on Revelation 4 Today’s Scripture takes us to the heavenly throne room.   And what a scene it is! Blinding hues of red and orange burst from the throne. A rainbow encircles the throne. And so do seven torches . And so twenty-four thrones! And seated on each one of those thrones, are twenty-four dignitaries, all clothed in regal attire.   Those twenty-four elders, they fall down and worship the ONE seated on the throne at the center of it all. They even take off their crowns to cast them before the foot of the throne.   Prowling along the edges of it all, are four beasts. All eyes. So that they can continually attend to nothing else but the one on the throne. In fact, these beasts even join in worship. When the elders finish the refrain, the beasts provide the chorus: “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty .” What a picture! Everything gathered around the throne, lost in praise . ...

what if it knew you by your name Final sermon on the last three petitions in the Lord's Prayer : Finally, we come to the last sermon in our series on the Lord’s Prayer. Thus far, we’ve taken our time . Covering only eight words in total. But now , for our last sermon, we’re covering three petitions in one shot! Abrupt as this shift may be, it makes sense. The first part of the Lord’s Prayer has dealt with God : God’s name, God’s holiness, and God’s kingdom.   Each one of these final petitions, though, deal with us : “Give US this day our daily bread.” “ Forgive US our sins , for WE ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.” And, “do not bring US to the time of trial .” …The first thing Jesus tells us to pray for, after praying for something as exalted as the hallowing of God’s name and the coming of God’s kingdom , is mundane . “ Daily bread.” For those who imagine God’s holiness and God’s kingdom looks anything like the world defines i...