February 16, 2025
In an age where many feel the emptiness of purely material explanations for life, many people are increasingly open to spirituality but hesitant about the institutional church. Practices like mindfulness, meditation, and alternative spiritual frameworks are on the rise, as people search for meaning beyond the visible world. Pastor Jay’s sermon speaks directly into this moment. It both affirms the longing for something more and issues a clear, urgent call: amid a flood of spiritual options, do not miss Jesus. Only He can cut through confusion, offer true identity, and provide the hidden sustenance our souls crave. The sermon challenges listeners to identify modern-day “thrones of Satan”—any loyalty or framework that subtly displaces Christ—and instead embrace the freedom and intimacy that come from consecration to Him.
In this sermon, Pastor Jay explores Revelation 2:12–17, Jesus’ message to the church in Pergamum. He begins by framing the cultural shift we’re living through today, drawing on philosopher Charles Taylor’s concept of the “buffered self”—the idea that modern individuals often see themselves as sealed off from the transcendent. Yet Pastor Jay notes that this buffer is weakening. From Eastern spirituality in corporate settings to Marvel’s magical cosmologies, people are hungrier than ever for something beyond the material. But this hunger also mirrors the environment of Pergamum, a city immersed in religious pluralism and imperial cult worship.
In this spiritually saturated context, Jesus appears as the one who speaks with the sharp two-edged sword—His word cuts through the noise, revealing truth and issuing judgment. Pergamum is called the place “where Satan’s throne is,” likely referencing both the grandeur of pagan worship and the deep cultural opposition to Christ. Yet even in this hostile climate, the church remained faithful, as seen in the martyrdom of Antipas, a possible bishop burned alive for his witness.
However, Jesus also rebukes the church for tolerating false teachings and moral compromise. Drawing from the story of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, Pastor Jay warns that even small compromises, often done to avoid social or economic exclusion, can pull believers away from the joy and presence of Christ. In our day, this might look like idolizing autonomy, politics, health, or personal pleasure.
Jesus ends His message with a promise: to the one who overcomes, He will give hidden manna and a white stone with a new name. Pastor Jay explains these as signs of intimate relationship with Christ, divine sustenance, spiritual identity, and eternal belonging. In a world full of voices offering false freedom, this sermon calls us to consecrate ourselves to Jesus—the only source of true life, joy, and security.
February 9, 2025
A defining struggle for many people today is the search for meaning in an age of digital saturation, existential anxiety, and fragmented identity. This sermon speaks directly into that ache. It challenges the reduction of the self to desire or performance and presents an alternative: a secure, purpose-filled identity found in Jesus Christ. Through the example of Polycarp and the promises of Revelation, Pastor Jay calls listeners to courage, clarity, and a deeper kind of hope—one that can endure even in a culture bent on distraction and self-distortion.
This sermon, delivered by Pastor Jay, rooted in the letter to the church in Smyrna from Revelation 2, offers a powerful call to faithfulness amidst suffering and cultural pressure. Pastor Jay begins with a vivid illustration from a funhouse of mirrors—spaces that distort one’s image—to show how self-perception apart from God can be misleading. People often define themselves by transient desires—whether sexual, financial, relational, or vocational—but such self-understanding is inevitably warped. In contrast, Pastor Jay points to the grounding identity offered in Christ, who knows us, loves us, and gives us a future.
To deepen the point, he references a now-viral interview with Mike Tyson in which the former boxer tells a young girl that there’s no legacy—“we die and go in the ground.” This worldview, rooted in materialism, leaves no room for ultimate meaning, hope, or justice. Pastor Jay identifies this nihilistic undercurrent as pervasive in modern culture and particularly resonant with Gen Z and Gen X, who often struggle with existential meaning and emotional dislocation despite material abundance.
In contrast, the sermon highlights the example of Polycarp, the early Christian bishop of Smyrna martyred for his faith. Drawing from historical accounts, Pastor Jay describes the cultural pride and imperial power of ancient Smyrna, where allegiance to Rome and emperor worship were civic expectations. Polycarp’s refusal to renounce Christ—even under threat of fire and wild beasts—demonstrates a courageous, joyful, and rooted faith that transcends fear and cultural conformity.
Pastor Jay concludes by inviting listeners to examine what is distorting their identity today. While martyrdom may feel distant in a Western context, he warns that spiritual dangers remain. Many live lives of distraction, numbed to deeper meaning and seduced by the lie that fulfillment can be found apart from God.
February 2, 2025
For many people, there is a tension between disillusionment with the institutional church and a growing spiritual curiosity. Many are leaving the church altogether, even as expressions of faith are appearing in surprising places—from football fields to podcasts to social media. Some speak passionately of Jesus, while others are leaving church—walking away, wounded, or bored. What explains the gap? Pastor Jay’s sermon on Revelation 2:1–7, the letter to the church in Ephesus, speaks directly to this divide. It reveals that the greatest threat to our spiritual vitality is not always outright rebellion, but the slow drift from love to cold belief in a set of doctrines or propositions. This message invites listeners to examine whether what they believe about Jesus is still connected to a deep, vibrant love for Him—and offers a path back to joy, intimacy, and enduring hope.
In this sermon, Pastor Jay opens Revelation 2:1–7, Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus, with a clear invitation: to examine whether our love for Christ has grown cold, even as we hold onto truth. He notes the irony of modern spiritual culture, where faith in Jesus appears to be growing in some unexpected public places—like college football—while widespread church disaffiliation continues elsewhere. These contradictory experiences suggest not different opinions about Jesus, but entirely different encounters with Him.
Jesus addresses the Ephesian church as one filled with admirable works: theological discernment, patient endurance, a rejection of false teaching. Yet He says, “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Pastor Jay explains that this text challenges us to go beneath the surface of doctrine and ethics to ask: Do I still love Jesus?
He recounts how the early Ephesian believers were so captivated by Christ that they turned away from Artemis worship, even at great cultural and economic cost. Over time, that initial passion faded. Pastor Jay reflects on how love can wane in any relationship, and how Jesus calls us not merely to believe rightly, but to return to love—to remember, repent, and resume the works of love we once did.
The sermon closes with a reminder that obedience flows from love, and that Christianity is, at its heart, a relationship built on God’s initiating love for us. Pastor Jay draws attention to the promise Jesus makes to those who conquer: they will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. Like a patient awaiting discharge from a hospital, knowing joy is just ahead changes everything. This message, grounded in the Ephesians’ story, offers a way forward for anyone longing to rediscover their first love for Jesus and live with hearts rekindled by His goodness.