If you spend much time reading the news, it’s easy to become fearful about the state of the world. Are the right people in control? Is anyone in control?
The early Christians would’ve felt this way, too. They lived as a minority under a hostile government. They were persecuted. Many were killed for their faith in Christ. Many more lost their jobs and had material possessions taken from them. Certainly, they must have wondered from time to time, Why does it seem like the wrong people are in power? Is God really in charge, here, and now?
This was not a new question even then.
Hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophet Habakkuk cried to God:
You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? —Habakkuk 1:13
And hundreds of years before him, Job asked:
Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? —Job 21:7
People have always wondered why the wrong folks are in control.
That’s why the reminders we’ll look at in two weeks, on September 9, are so eternally relevant. We’re going to open up Revelation, chapter 1, and start a new sermon series called 7 Letters from Jesus.
On the 9th, we’ll see 14 things that are true about Jesus, some of which you may have forgotten or have never heard before.
One of those truths is that Jesus is “the ruler of kings on earth” (Revelation 1:5). How can that be true, given all the chaos and evil of this world? And if it is true, how can we live with faith and hope in the midst of suffering and wickedness?
We’ll talk about all this and much more in 7 Letters from Jesus, starting September 9. We’ll discover together what it means to wait faithfully for the return of the King of kings, who is ruling, even now.
In the meantime, this Sunday we’ll hear from 1 John 3:1-3 about God’s love, our hope, and our lives today.
Join us for worship this Sunday, and be praying about who you know who needs to hear the comfort and warnings about Jesus’ current reign and future return. Invite them to worship with us on the 9th.