Christ Church Bartlett

Joy of Perseverance — Philippians 1:12-18 • We discover joy in our trials when we understand that obstacles are actually opportunities to be a gospel witness. [Philippians 1:12-14] • Don’t let hypocrites steal your joy and stop you from serving Jesus. [Philippians 1:15-18] • We must always be prepared to give a defense not only for what we believe but more importantly why we believe it. [Philippians 1:16] As We Go … Consider it joy when you face various trials and always be ready to give an answer for the joy that you have.

35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing[e] what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus[f] saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged t

Unspeakable Joy — An Introduction •Paul is remembering the extraordinary beginning of God’s work in Philippi. [Philippians 1:4] •Paul is rejoicing in the privilege to participate and partner in gospel ministry. [Philippians 1:5] •Paul is reassured in God’s promise to always finish what He starts. [ Philippians 1:6] As We Go … Rediscover the joy of serving the Lord Jesus in the most fulfilling work of all! Partnership in the Gospel!

Pressing In and Pressing On to the End — Philippians 3:10-16 * When faced with the uncertainty and difficulty of life, we must be willing to press in to God that much harder. [Philippians 3:10-12] * The only way to overcome the pain and problems of our past is to press on in our daily pursuit of Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:13-14] * The only way to finish the race and persevere in the faith is to hold on to the eternal truth of God. [Philippians 3:15-16] APPLICATION — As we approach a new year, let us press in harder to God, press on with our eyes fixed upon Jesus and finish well the race of faith!

The Five Languages of Christmas — Affirmation and Affection I. Jesus came with transforming truth and words of affirmation for the world by telling sinners how to become sons of God. [John 1:1-14] II. Jesus came near in the flesh full of compassion and showed loved to those who needed it most through physical affection. [Matthew 8] III. We are called to be the heralds of truth and the hands of Christ in a lost and hurting world! [Matthew 25:31-40] Putting the Word into Practice Demonstrate God’s language of love this Christmas by speaking words of truth and by being the hands of Christ in a hurting world.

The 5 Love Languages of Christmas i. God the Son entered space and time as a man to demonstrate divine love and initiate a personal relationship with us. [Galatians 4:4-7, John 1:1-14] ii. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be present with us always and to pour out an endless supply of His love into our hearts. [John 14:15-24] iii. Jesus provided the only way for us to spend an infinite amount time in eternity with Him. [John 3:16, Revelation 21:1-7] iv. When we obey Jesus by spending quality time with Him and others, we are speaking His love language the loudest. [John 14:15-24] Putting the Word into Practice Show Jesus your love by setting aside quality time with Him each and every day and then allowing His love to pour over into the lives of others.

Session 37 — The Dawn of a New Creation and 1,000 Years of Rest [Revelation 20] — November 14, 2021 I. Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath coming to rule as King for 1,000 years and declare One Day of rest for all creation. II. REST FROM DECEPTION — Jesus will cast Satan into the abyss and bind him with chains for 1,000 years and render him powerless over the earth. III.REST FROM CORRUPTION — Jesus will recreate new heavens and a new earth and all of creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption. IV.REST FROM THE TOIL OF WORK AND THE TEARS OF WAR — Jesus will supply every need in abundance and cause the wars to cease. V. RESTORED INTIMACY WITH GOD — Jesus will make us into a holy nation of kings and priests and we will forever reign with God as sons of the first resurrection. Application — ➡ May we Live our lives now in a way that reflects the coming kingdom! What we do here MATTERS! ➡ Rejoice in the good news of the kingdom! Go tell the world!

Session 35 — The Marriage Supper of the Lamb [Revelation 19:1-10] — October 24, 2021 I. God chose Israel to be His cherished bride forever and Jesus is the faithful Bridegroom. II. Jesus made a way for Gentiles to be included in the commonwealth of Israel through the new covenant of His blood on the cross. III. Jesus is coming again to universally gather His elect bride to be presented to Him in splendor and be united to God forever! IV.After the consummation of the marriage between Christ and His bride, all the righteous will be invited to rejoice at the great wedding supper of the Lamb. V. We must always be ready and dressed for our Bridegroom to return, so that we may be found faithful and worthy of the coming kingdom. Application — ➡ May we all be found faithful and ready to stand as a pure and blameless bride before Jesus on our wedding Day ➡ Repent of the worldly pursuits that are hindering you from being worthy of the coming kingdom.

Session 33 — The 7 Bowls of Judgment [Revelation 16] — October 10, 2021 I. Following the prophetic pattern of the Exodus from Egypt, God deliberately will pour out His final plagues directly upon the Beast and his kingdom. II. Just as the LORD supernaturally protected Israel in the land of Goshen, He once again will make a definite distinction between His covenant people and His enemies during the bowl judgments III. Just as Pharaoh and his army blindly pursued Israel to their own destruction, the Beast and the kings of the earth will rage in vain and gather against the LORD and His Anointed. IV.Armageddon will be the final battle for Jerusalem – God’s holy mountain of assembly. V. We are commanded to stay awake and encourage one another so that we are not lulled to sleep and surprised like a thief in the night. Application — ➡ STAY AWAKE! BE WATCHFUL AND READY FOR THE LORD’S RETURN. ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER ALL THE MORE! ➡ DO NOT BE AFRAID! OUR GOD WILL FIGHT FOR US!

Session 32 — The Song of Moses and of the Lamb [Revelation 15] — October 3, 2021 I. God has blessed us with the gift of song to unite, uplift, and comfort us both in this life and beyond in the life to come. II. As the end draws near, God’s righteous anger will begin to burn hotter as He pours out the final 7 plagues upon the Beast and his kingdom. III. Once God’s anger has reached a boiling point, Jesus will explode on the scene in wrath and break out upon the ungodly as an all –consuming fire. IV.The song of Moses celebrates God’s victory over Pharaoh, yet it ultimately points to God’s final triumph when Jesus returns to destroy the Beast and save His people! Application — ➡ May the LORD forever be our strength and our song, as He alone is worthy of praise both in times of sorrow and joy! ➡ Do not underestimate the power and blessing of corporate worship, as we unite as one voice to proclaim the gospel of Christ!

Session 31 — God’s Appointed Days [Revelation 14] — September 26, 2021 I. The Feast of Firstfruits reminds us to celebrate God’s daily provision and to give thanks in advance for the promise of the greater harvest to come. II. God has prepared a day of vengeance in His heart when He will gather the nations to Jerusalem for the last battle – creating a natural winepress in the land of Israel. III. The KING will return with a shout on the Feast of Trumpets, coming on the clouds with His holy angels, and the righteous will be reaped from the earth and gathered into God’s kingdom. IV. Jesus will sit down on His throne as High Priest and King to judge the wicked and to reward the righteous on the Day of Atonement. V. Once evil finally has been purged from the earth, the dwelling place of God again will be with man in Zion, as we enter 1,000 Years of Sabbath Rest and Tabernacle with God forevermore. Application — Trust God to do the appropriate thing at the opportune time! May we learn to synchronize our lives with

Session 30 — 666 and The Mark of the Beast [Revelation 13:16-18] — September 19, 2021 I. The mark of the beast will be Satan’s same old lie repackaged to seduce mankind with an alternative path to become ”gods.” II. The mark of the beast will identify those who choose to participate in Satan’s slave state and publicly pledge allegiance to the beast. III. The mark of the beast will be the genetic signature of Satan – integrating his seed with human DNA and creating the unique digital code of the man of sin. IV.Those who choose to receive the mark will cease to bear God’s image, being permanently defiled at the genetic level and transformed into the image of the beast. V. Those who bow to the beast and take his name and image effectively are selling their souls and sealing their fate in hell, while those who resist will be hunted and killed. VI.We are created to bear the image of Christ alone – in mind, body, and spirit – and take the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Application —For what are you willi

Session 29 — The Image of the Beast [Revelation 13:11-15] September 12, 2021 I. The false prophet will be a compelling religious leader who uses occult power to work amazing signs and wonders to deceive the whole world into worshipping Satan. II. The false prophet will persuade mankind to create an image of the beast by converging all available technology in the world. III. The image of the beast most likely will be a transhuman clone – a living, breathing idol – that is empowered by and integrated with artificial intelligence. IV.The image of the beast will use A.I. to create a global, realtime surveillance slave state and control humanity with a collective hive mind. V. Only those who possess the mind of Christ and are controlled by the Holy Spirit will be able to overcome the coming beast slave system. Application ➡ Transform your mind daily through the living word of God so that you will not be conformed to this world! ➡ Be conformed daily to the image of Jesus Christ as you reflect His light and love to

Session 28 — Mid East Beast [Revelation 13:1-10] — September 5, 2021 I. The Beast and his end-times empire will emerge from and be concentrated in the Middle East yet will have reach over the entire world. II. Ten Mid-East kings/kingdoms will give their allegiance and authority to the Beast in a revived Islamic Caliphate. III. Jerusalem will be a cup of staggering for the Beast and the surrounding nations. IV. There will be three primary destinies for those who resist the Beast – refuge, captivity, or martyr’s death. Application ➡ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for the return of the Prince of Peace – the King of Jerusalem! ➡ Prepare in such a way today that you can be proactive, not reactive, when these things begin to develop.

Session 27 — Jesus: The Greatest Superhero of All [Revelation 12] — August 29, 2021 I. Jesus had to be a human hero – born of a woman – in order to reverse the curse of Adam. II. Jesus is the most humble hero in the universe – coming to serve and sacrifice his own life for sinners. III. Jesus now is the most highly exalted hero in heaven, having sat down at the right hand of the Father. IV.Jesus is coming soon as the great head-crushing hero who will remove all evil and rule the nations with a rod of iron. V. When Jesus our Hero appears – all who believe in Him will become just like Him! Application ➡ Put your trust in Christ today and be set free from the curse of Adam and receive forgiveness and the free gift of everlasting life! ➡ To be first in God’s kingdom, we must humble ourselves before God, deny ourselves and serve others in the love of Christ.

Session 26 — The Great Red Dragon [Revelation 12] — August 22, 2021 I. After Satan plunged man into ruin in the garden, God prophesied of a perpetual war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Serpent. II. Satan has been roaming the earth seeking to devour and snatch away God’s seed ever since. III.As the ruler of this world and god of this evil age, Satan has used the kingdoms of the earth to keep humanity in darkness and lead as many souls to hell as possible. IV.Satan soon will be cast out of heaven, only to empower the Beast, establish his ultimate empire, and unleash all his wrath against God’s covenant people. V. Though Satan will be given authority to conquer the saints, we will overcome thru faith in Jesus – the Lamb who has proved His love for us by dying on a cross. Application ➡ Recognize the voice of God by meditating on the Word and in prayer so that you are not deceived by the devil’s lies. ➡ Rest without fear in the perfect love of Jesus, knowing that He has proven His love for you o

Session 25 — Woman in the Wilderness [Revelation 12] — August 15, 2021 I. The LORD first betrothed Himself in covenant relationship to the people of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. II. Israel proved to be an adulterous wife from the very start, resulting in her exile and estrangement from God. III.Jesus is the Bridegroom God who was willing to give His life for His bride in order to bring her into a new and better covenant. IV.God used Israel’s unbelief for the ultimate blessing of the Gentiles, extending salvation to all nations through faith in the Messiah of Israel. V. God has promised to preserve a believing remnant from ethnic Israel to the very end and show her grace in the wilderness where it all first began. VI.Once the Bride has been made ready and pure, the Bridegroom will return to receive her to Himself for the great marriage supper of the Lamb. Application ➡ We must Repent of our unfaithfulness and return to God with deep love and devotion, as we prepare for His return!

Session 24 — The 7th Trumpet [Revelation 11:15-19] — August 8, 2021 I. The 7th Trumpet signifies the end of this present, evil age when Messiah comes down in power to destroy His enemies, judge the world, and establish His eternal kingdom. II. The Feast of Trumpets is connected to the resurrection of the dead at the Awakening Blast – and the arrival of Messiah with triumphant shouts of joy! III.The theophany of the LORD at Mt. Sinai is the most complete prophetic pattern for the return of Jesus. IV.The 7th Trumpet is the great trumpet of God that will cause all the tribes of the earth to mourn and the whole world will tremble at His presence! V. The 7th Trumpet is the last trumpet sounded on the last day when God will resurrect the righteous in glorified bodies and gather His people to Himself. Application ➡ Pray fervently for God’s Kingdom to Come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. ➡ Prepare for and hasten the coming Day of the LORD when we all must give an account before Him.