The church in Laodicea was somewhat unique among the churches in Asia. Their problem was not external, either persecution or lack of prosperity; their problem was almost entirely internal. They had it too easy. What did this ease do to the Christians there, and how did Jesus address it?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 31, 2016.)
Jesus has no condemnation for the church in Philadelphia, only praise. What was the church doing that Jesus loved so much? How can we emulate that congregation in the midst of a world that tries to drag us from Jesus?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 24, 2016.)
What is the difference between perception and reality? What makes our perception of something closer or farther from the way it really is? And how do these questions impact our relationships with the Father? As we examine Jesus’ letter to the church in Sardis, these questions form a helpful frame for the discussion.
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on Janurary 10, 2016.)
We hate intolerance, yet in Jesus’ letter to the church in Thyatira, tolerance is the sin he condemns them for. The New Testament presents us with an interesting double standard approach to tolerating sin, ending with this denunciation of the church in Thyatira. What about their tolerance was so wrong?
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on January 3, 2016.)
Why would someone defy persecution and hold to Christ in the face of death, yet refuse to follow the teachings of Christ? This is just one aspect of an inconsistent faith that Christ addresses in his letters to the seven churches. In this letter, he tells the church in Pergamum exactly what he thinks of this inconsistency.
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 27, 2015.)
Death is one of the great equalizers of the human race. Why do we fear it so? What does that fear do to us, and how can we overcome that fear? Jesus helps the church in Smyrna accomplish that very thing as they face heavy persecution.
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 20, 2015.)
What happens when a congregation “forgets their first love?” When people cling to truth without action? Jesus has a stern warning for the Ephesians.
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 13, 2015.)
To understand the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, we need to understand their author. Who is Jesus? Not who was Jesus, as depicted in the gospels, but who is Jesus, the savior we serve today and now? In Revelation 1:9-20 we see a Jesus that many might find unfamiliar.
(This sermon was preached at the Dewey Church of Christ on December 6, 2015.)
Watts in the Word 