We live in interesting times, and many of the world’s events indicate to us who have the discernment to see it that the return of Christ is very near. However, the book of Revelation still seems very much a taboo subject in churches. There are very understandable reasons for this; the area of eschatology can come across as complex and uncomfortable for many, at least in the congregation if not among the leadership.
It is thus a very refreshing thing to see the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC), a major church in Malaysia, dedicating a whole series of sermons to this particular subject.
DUMC had embarked on this series of sermons since Feb 12th, 2022. In their notes accompanying the first sermon, entitled Jesus Christ: The Cosmic King, the church seem to recognize that the reception towards this series would likely be mixed:
‘Some could be unexcited about the series as it would seem irrelevant to their lives while others would find it exciting as it would be an opportunity to help them understand and learn the meanings of various metaphors and symbols as well as predictions of the future.’
However, there is applicability to this subject even to our current times, and not just for the future:
‘[T]he purpose of this series is not for us to interpret the book academically. Rather that it would teach us how to live our lives courageously and with great hope in our current circumstances. It is to help us align with God’s thoughts, and to be prepared with what is being revealed to us.
‘Revelation was Jesus’ personal letter addressed to the seven churches so that they could explore their problems and challenges that they faced in order to be aligned back to the discipleship path of Jesus. The letter, written in its time, was a manual to the churches which were under intense persecution and martyrdom. It was a message to encourage God’s people to “stick it out, endure and overcome”.
‘The key verse that reinforces this message is found in Revelation 14:12. It says, “This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.”
The Bible does not hide things from us and the Christian understanding is that in these Last Days, things will steadily get worse before the return of Christ when things will get better and remain that way forever. As Christians, though it may be difficult to make sense of the world today, we should not be surprised. Instead, we ought to remember that Christ is still in control and be encouraged to rise up.
The first sermon in the series gives six assurances from Jesus to us taken directly from Chapter 1 of the Book of Revelation. Foremost of this is that Christ Jesus will always be with us and He will always be in control.
The sermon series will encompass the whole book of Revelation. It covers the whole spectrum of the revelations seen by John, from Revelation 1 to Revelation 22. It includes hard topics like The Vengeance of God, God’s Final Wrath, and The Final Judgement, but the tone throughout is one of confidence in the sovereignty and our victory in Christ. Of particular relevance to the churches today is the sermon entitled Jesus and the Seven Churches.
The full list of the sermon titles are as below:
- Jesus Christ, the Cosmic King
- Jesus and the Seven Churches
- The Throne, the Lamb and the Scroll
- Last Days’ Visions of Earth and Heaven
- The Vengeance of God
- Christ and Satan: The Cosmic Conflict!
- God’s Final Wrath – the Bowls of Judgment
- Bye Bye, Babylon!
- Vision of Perfect Justice and Perfect Rule
- All Things New!
All sermons are presented by three stalwarts of DUMC, Pastor Mike Ngui, Senior Pastor Chris Kam, and Pr Dato’ Daniel Ho. Each sermon is also accompanied by notes presenting the big idea and summarising its content in an easy-to-read form. In each note, there is also a section on applicability, including question banks, and a reflection by a member of the church on the sermon.
As the End of Time draws near, we should grab every opportunity we can to learn about what we can expect in these exciting times and grow in our relationship as we wait for Him in expectation. This sermon series by DUMC is a particularly rare and good instance of such an opportunity. The series is still ongoing until the end of April. For those interested, you can access the sermon and notes at https://dumc.my/resources/sermons/
Note: This is an independent news article and is not affiliated in any way with Damansara Utama Methodist Church. The purpose of this article is to highlight a noteworthy event. All content and expression thereof in the sermon series are wholly DUMC’s and their ownership remains with the church.
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