Sunwest Fc's Weekly Sermon Podcast

As we get to the last quarter of the Book of Revelation we are introduced to two cities: Babylon and the New Jerusalem. The city of the Dragon and the city of God. Babylon, for the first-century followers of Jesus, was Rome and its empire. But every stage in history has Babylons; cities, and cultures that are moving Jesus out of the centre to the fringes of society. Are we living in Babylon? If we are, how do we live as citizens of the New Jerusalem when we live in Babylon?

Judgment is good news? Well, it depends on who you're asking. Many people feel that the judgment we read about is at odds with the loving God we read about. Yet as we'll see this week they are intrinsically linked and it may be our vantage point that is distorting our ability to see it.

The beasts in Revelation have been the source of fear, speculation, and predictions about the future. This week we will see that it is not as complicated as it has been made it out to be. Through these images, Jesus actually intended to give us clarity on how to follow him today. In fact, what Revelation 13 tells us is something I believe you already know intuitively. These last few years you have felt the temptation to follow the beast of the sea and the beast of the earth. Let's name it, and follow the Lamb instead.

This week we look at the centre of the book of Revelation, it is actually the central message of the book for the church. In Revelation 12 we are brought back to the Christmas story. There is something about that story that continues to help us understand what is going on in our story. As we look around our world today we can honestly say, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

As we continue to journey into the middle of John's Apocalypse we are bombarded and perhaps overwhelmed by a multitude of numbers and intense images. But we don't need to throw up our hands and give up. Using the Old Testament as a guide we see a picture painted that is intended to encourage the church to follow the way of Jesus. We will discover that the good news is better than we think and that everything is not as it seems.

While it is easy to make almost everything else a top priority in our lives (success, financial well-being, happiness, leisure, etc.), Jesus prioritizes spiritual health above all else. What does "spiritual health" even mean—and what would it look like to pursue this area of health? In the language of business and leadership, what are the big rocks if we care about spiritual health? Listen in as guest speaker Ken Esau, our CCMBC National Faith & Life Director, explores and challenges us on this topic.

This weekend we get to celebrate the most life-changing event in history. There is something that happened in the first century that caused eyewitnesses to radically change their lives. They counted their lives as nothing compared to the greatness of following Jesus. That event is still beckoning people to leave life as they know it and embrace a radical new way of living. Join us Friday and Sunday as we contemplate how the death and resurrection of Jesus continues to transform lives today.

This weekend we get to celebrate the most life-changing event in history. There is something that happened in the first century that caused eyewitnesses to radically change their lives. They counted their lives as nothing compared to the greatness of following Jesus. That event is still beckoning people to leave life as they know it and embrace a radical new way of living. Join us Friday and Sunday as we contemplate how the death and resurrection of Jesus continues to transform lives today.

What sort of pictures fill your mind when you think about Palm Sunday? Joyful cheers, Jesus on a donkey, maybe some kids singing a song while waving branches. The church calendar points us to remember this story every year before Easter, but why? This week we will immerse ourselves in the first Palm Sunday experience and explore how it shows us what we can expect from God this Easter.

As we wrap up Missions Month, we celebrate the fact that SunWest is on mission. We have partnered with work in international locations in Australia and Papua New Guinea, El Salvador, Burma, Thailand, Hawaii, Mexico, as well as locally across Calgary and in our own communities. The Gospels also invite us, as followers of Jesus, to be involved in mission. We are called to share what we love and help make the name of Jesus famous. We all have an active part to play.

When Jesus returns again what is going to happen? Many assume he is coming to rescue the church before the earth is destroyed. But is this actually an idea found in the Bible? This week we will look at why what we believe about the end of time matters today. Perhaps our understanding is based more on popular fiction than the Bible.

The image of the four horsemen in Revelation has captured people's imagination throughout history and shows up repeatedly in pop culture. What these horsemen leave in their wake is bleak and destructive. Yet the vision of Revelation shows us that the greater apocalypse (unveiling) isn't what happens when the four horsemen show up (people have been experiencing that hopelessness through all of history) but that somehow in the wake of violence, poverty, and death there is hope and victory.

We all have expectations towards God. What he’s like, what he should do, how and when he should show up. Sometimes God doesn’t meet our expectations and he does something unexpected. The Good News of the Apocalypse was unexpected to the first hearers and even 2,000 years later we still seem to miss its significance. This week we will look into the most important twist in the entire Book of Revelation. If we aren’t clear on this part, we won’t be clear on anything else. It not only tells us how to read the rest of the book, it also tells us how we should follow Jesus today.

The challenges that faced the first century church are the same as the challenges that face us today. Last week we addressed how three of the seven churches struggled with cultural assimilation. This week we will look at the challenge that the other churches had with complacency and persecution.

As we learned last week, the book of Revelation was first and foremost written to seven churches. It was written to them, but it is for us. Even though almost two millennia have passed since the letter was penned, we see that the threats and challenges to the church then are the same exact things we still face now.

Apocalypse. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Good news or bad news? The last book of the Bible is an apocalypse, and it's good news. Many have tried to turn this book into something it isn’t, leading to much confusion and misunderstanding. When we read it with the right lens it becomes a powerful book that speaks to us in our present moment today. Join us this week as we start our new series on the book of Revelation, The Good News Apocalypse.

If we want to experience more of God's presence, we need to let him break the boxes of our limiting beliefs. Join us for a very insightful message from our guest speaker Brad Huebert.

Do you ever have moments where you’re reactions and responses surprise you? Do you ever feel stuck on the same issues and are discouraged that you can’t seem to move forward? Over time we all experience challenges, from choices we’ve made and the choices that have been made by others that effect us. Would you like to move beyond those things and continue to grow into the person that God has called you to be? If you’re interested in being a part of this courageous journey of transformation join us this Sunday as we continue our series Break Every Chain.

Do you ever have moments where you’re reactions and responses surprise you? Do you ever feel stuck on the same issues and are discouraged that you can’t seem to move forward? Over time we all experience challenges, from choices we’ve made and the choices that have been made by others that effect us. Would you like to move beyond those things and continue to grow into the person that God has called you to be? Join as we continue this courageous journey of transformation this Sunday as we Break Every Chain.

Do you ever have moments where you’re reactions and responses surprise you? Do you ever feel stuck on the same issues and are discouraged that you can’t seem to move forward? Over time we all experience challenges, from choices we’ve made and the choices that have been made by others that affect us. Would you like to move beyond those things and continue to grow into the person that God has called you to be? If you’re interested in being a part of this courageous journey of transformation join us for our new series - Break Every Chain.