Why is love the 'crown' of the virtues?

Because it is not an isolated virtue, but the life of all the others. The sermon compares it to rain on the field: when the water flows, everything revives and bears fruit. Through the love of God poured out in our hearts, hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5); love suffers long and sustains patience; loving God's will produces contentment; it gives steadfastness, as it did to Paul, who endured all things for the sake of the elect; and it moves us to give up what is ours for others.

What do the lampstands of Revelation 1 mean?

The text itself explains it: the seven lampstands are seven churches, and the seven stars in Christ's hand are their angels or messengers (Revelation 1:20). The lampstand does not produce the light, but receives it and projects it. The light is the message of Christ, who stands in the midst of the churches and communicates it through His messengers. The church must not change that message, but keep it and spread it in worship and in daily life.

What is the regulative principle of worship?

It is the principle, held by this church, that God accepts the worship He Himself asks for, and not whatever seems good to us, even if God does not forbid it. According to the sermon, the elements of worship are the reading of the Scriptures, prayer, singing, the preaching of God's Word, the ordinances and the offerings. It is in this worship that the lampstand is prepared and receives the light of Christ.

Are earthquakes judgments of God?

According to Luke 21:11 and the trumpets of Revelation 8 and 9, yes. Calling them 'natural disasters' describes only part of the reality. Behind them are the angels who carry out God's orders, and a moral cause: man's sin and God's justice. They are temporal judgments that warn people that they have sinned against God and that a final judgment is coming, so that they may repent and be reconciled to Him through Christ.

How should a Christian respond to a catastrophe?

By remembering that, for whoever bears the seal of God, these calamities are no longer wrath, because Christ suffered God's wrath in their place and there is no condemnation for them. God may also bring them on believers, but to teach, correct and sanctify them, or to take them to their heavenly home. That is why the Christian should give thanks, keep serving God and examine what his heavenly Father wants to teach him.

What are the seal of God and the mark of the beast?

They are not something visible, like a tattoo or a chip, but symbols. The seal of God on the forehead marks the one who has been transformed by God, is guided by His will and serves Him, because the Holy Spirit dwells in him. The mark of the beast is that of the person who has not been born again and follows the desires of the devil (John 8:44). Every person bears one or the other: either he worships and serves God, or he serves his idols.

A Love That Gives Light: The Church as a Lampstand in a World That Shakes

Introduction

Why love must increase

The church, a lampstand that gives light

A world that shakes

Why we must grow in love, how the church is light in a dark world and what earthquakes teach according to Luke 21. Close of 'Equipment for the Journey'.