Sermon - You Were Made for this Day: The Overcomers Series

People are spiritually hungry right now, and they don't even know what they're hungry for.

And as a church, we can respond in one of two ways.

We can complain about the age in which God has placed us.

Bob Ramon always told me you can complain, but no one's really gonna listen anyways, right?

So why complain?

Or maybe the better option is we can recognize that God has placed us here in this age for this age.

Welcome to the Church of the Lakes Weekly Sermon Podcast.

We're so glad you've joined us, and we're honored to be part of your spiritual journey.

This year, Church of the Lakes is focusing on having a human mindset and all we do by living counterculturally to the world to become more like Jesus.

Today, Pastor Jarrett starts a new sermon series called The Overcomer, which comes from the book of Revelation.

The title of today's message is You Were Made for This Day.

God has placed us in this generation on purpose.

We are called to live courageously, faithfully, and missionarily because Jesus has overcome.

And now, here's Pastor Jared.

Be blessed.

Happy Labor Day to all you who labor.

But due to the time frame this upcoming fall with a variety of things, we have to start a new series today.

And so today we're going to be starting a new series, a journey through one of the most uh intimidating, one of the most curious, one of the most fascinating, and quite frankly, one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible, the book of Revelation.

Notice how I said revelation and at Revelations.

It's not a word that's plural.

There's only one revelation.

And uh, you know, when you say you're gonna start studying Revelation, a number of questions come to mind.

People start getting either excited or nervous or terrified or confused.

They start asking questions like, uh, are we gonna finally figure out who the Antichrist is?

Uh what's with 666?

Are we gonna decode the beasts?

No, we're not gonna do any of those things.

Because if that's all you get from Revelation, you've missed the point of the entire book.

Uh Revelation, friends, despite what some end times people think, revelation was not primarily written for us to construct timelines of when it's all gonna end.

I mean, even Jesus said, I do not know the day or the hour, right?

No.

Revelation was primarily written to give Christians throughout the generations courage in the midst of what they were facing.

Uh Revelation, written 2,000 years ago by the Apostle John, on an exiled on the island of Pantmos, wrote it to people who were following Jesus in a world that seemed to be getting ever more increasingly hostile toward them because of what they believed.

Uh they were pressured, they were marginalized, they suffered some to the point of martyrdom.

Uh they were afraid, they were terrified.

And so people would ask the question in the midst of that kind of context: where is God in all of this?

Have you ever asked that question in the midst of your life journey?

Where is God in all of this?

And so, what God does with Revelation is he pulls back the curtain and he says, Let me show you what's really happening.

The people in Revelation, again, Revelation, what it actually means in terms of the term, is an unveiling.

And so the people 2,000 years ago who were facing hardship and adversity because of their faith, they were asking that question, where is God in all this?

All they could see was Rome and Caesar and persecution.

God says to them, let me show you what ultimate reality is.

Jesus, the Christ, is king, a victorious king.

And if Jesus is the Christ, the victorious king, then guess what, church?

You and I need not be afraid.

Regardless of what is happening within our world at any present moment.

That's where we're going to be going for the next eight weeks.

Because again, revelation isn't a letter written to the church primarily about dragons or beasts or seals or trumpets or bowls or numbers.

I mean, look at the first five words of the book.

The revelation of Jesus Christ.

Revelation is about Jesus.

Jesus is at the center, Jesus is victor.

Jesus is king.

And because Jesus has overcome, we can become what this series is named Overcomers.

I'm going to open up this series with the first eight verses of the letter.

Paul uh John writes, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, everything he heard and saw.

And uh this is how it goes.

Listen to God's word.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what soon must take place.

He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ even to all that he saw.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia, grace to you and peace from him who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth, to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us, here's purpose, has made us to be a kingdom, pre-serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever, Amen.

Look.

John says, Look, he is coming with the clouds, every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be, amen.

And the elf of the Omega, says the Lord God, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and who has made us a kingdom pre-serving his God.

This is the word of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Let's pray.

Gracious and loving God, I thank you so much for this morning, the worship that has already taken place.

I thank you for the book of Revelation.

And that God, as intimidating as it is at times when we dive into it, at least by reputation, I pray that you'd open the mind, uh the eyes of our minds, and the eyes of our heart to understand what is written.

And God, as I offer reflection on this life-giving word, I ask that you bless my words.

That you bless the meditation of all our hearts, that they be of profit to us and acceptable to you, for you indeed are our rock and our redeemer.

Amen.

Let me ask you a question.

Do you believe you're here on purpose?

Let me ask it one more time so it can kind of settle into your soul.

Do you believe you're here on purpose?

Because before John tells us where history is going, John is going to remind us of something very important.

It's simply this that God has placed his people in history on purpose.

Think about it this way: you could have been born and lived in any other generation.

You could have lived during the Roman Empire.

You could have lived during the Reformation in the 16th century.

You could have lived during the Great Awakening in the 18th century, but you didn't.

You're here.

Right now, 2026, in this generation, in this community, in this church, with the family you were born into, with the neighborhood you reside in, with your co-workers at work, and with the opportunities that have been bestowed to you.

I think sometimes, friends, we look around at the world in which we see maybe even our own little world, and we think to ourselves, Lord, couldn't you have picked an easier time?

I mean, let's be honest, we are living in some strange days in America, aren't we?

I mean, anxiety is at an all-time high.

And I say that even knowing, and we know this, that when it comes to creature comforts, we have been given more creature comforts than any other generation in all of history.

We are more secure than any other generation in all of history, and yet we anxiety is an all-time high.

I mean, anger is everywhere.

Like you sneeze in front of the wrong person, they might snap on you, right?

Like everybody is bottled up in just like tents.

Families are struggling, people are lonely and confused.

Technology is moving and advancing faster than you and I can even process it.

I mean, with the onset of AI, anyone else wondering if they're going to have a job in the next five, ten years or if AI is going to take it over?

People are spiritually hungry right now, and they don't even know what they're hungry for.

And as a church, we can respond in one of two ways.

We can complain about the age in which God has placed us.

However, my mom always told me, you can complain, but no one's really going to listen, anyways, right?

So why complain?

Or maybe the better option is we can recognize that God has placed us here in this age for this age.

So Matt Chandler is a pastor out of the village church in Fort Worth, Dallas, Texas.

And he preached a series out of Revelation during COVID, I think six years ago now.

Can't believe that was six years ago.

And he took that series and he compiled it into a small group curriculum that many at our church are going to be going through over the next eight weeks.

And uh in that series that he preached, and even in that curriculum, he says something that I kind of want hanging over our heads throughout this entire series, and it's simply this these are our days.

Paul had his days, Peter had his days, John Wesley had his days, my mother had her days, those were their days.

These are our days.

Like, God did not accidentally put his church right here in 21st century America.

Like, friend, hear me, you were not placed in the wrong generation.

You were made for the day, and this day was made for you.

Here's something I want to pull out of the text from this morning as we kind of kick off this series with a survey of Revelation.

Uh the first is this God has placed you here on purpose and for a purpose.

Look at Revelation 1-1 again.

It starts out with these words the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what soon must take place.

Okay, newsflash.

God knows what's happening.

God knows what's coming around the corner.

Well, like God knows where history is heading, which means, even though we may feel like it, history, the world is not actually spinning out of control.

Again, it might feel like it is, but it isn't.

So we're the most anxious generation in all of history, right?

Do you know who's not anxious?

God.

God's not anxious.

God is not overwhelmed by the current state of affairs.

God has never surrendered his throne to another person.

Like again, the world may feel like it's spinning out of control, but the world is not outside of the sovereignty of our God.

That's why Revelation as a book is not supposed to elicit fear amongst the people of God.

It's supposed to evoke within us courage.

Now, courage doesn't come from knowing everything in life's going to be easy and okay.

Because it's not.

Courage comes from knowing that God is still king, even when life isn't easy or okay.

And this sovereign God, man, He has placed you and I here at this current moment for a purpose.

This week go to Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

God is uh Luke says in Acts 17 that God has determined the time and place in which his people would live.

So hear me, your neighborhood that you reside in isn't insignificant.

Your place of employment isn't insignificant.

The family you were born into isn't insignificant.

Your circles of influence that you move in and out of throughout any given week isn't insignificant.

I I think some of us are waiting for God to send us somewhere important.

And God's looking at you saying, You're already there.

Friends, kingdom mission happens where kingdom people are.

Can I say it again?

Kingdom mission happens wherever kingdom people are.

And as a church, we've seen this kind of at on a corporate scale.

Let me give you a few examples of that.

We've seen families within our faith, faith, our collective faith family, aid in particular, that have looked at children experiencing hostility and instability and brokenness, and they had this conversation with themselves.

Maybe God has given our family a home and a capacity to love that we can provide a safe place for these kids to land for a season.

And then they foster.

That's kingdom work.

We've seen people pick up hammers and show up on habitat for humanity build sites.

Like they're not behind a pulpit.

They're climbing up a ladder.

They're carrying lumber, they're helping somebody have a home.

That's kingdom work.

We've seen people uh walk into hospital rooms, sit beside people receiving maybe treatment for cancer who are recovering from illness.

We've seen people bring a meal to a family that maybe is grieving the loss of a loved one, calling on the phone to offer someone a word of encouragement.

We've seen people pray over the sick, not even know what to say to simply show up and sit there with somebody who's suffering loss.

Hear me, that's kingdom work.

I think we sometimes imagine that calling has to be something dramatic and big.

You know, a lot of bravado to it.

But but kingdom work happens in ordinary places through ordinary people who just simply say, Jesus, use me here.

And that's exactly why verse 3 matters so much.

John goes on to say, Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.

Blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written.

Take to heart.

Like revelation wasn't just written to be understood, it was written to be obeyed.

Like we can analyze it, study it, underline verses, take notes in the margins of our Bible, and God said that's that's well and good.

But now go live it.

Because Jesus didn't save us so we'd merely survive the generation we find ourselves in.

Jesus saved us so we could serve his purposes within the generation we find ourselves in.

Friends, listen, somebody within your circle needs Jesus.

You're probably already thinking about who that person is.

Somebody needs Jesus, somebody needs encouragement, they need prayer, they need maybe an extra dispensing of grace.

Somebody needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ within your circles of influence.

And maybe you're within those circles of influence.

So you can muster up the courage that Revelation gives you to actually share and extend to them the words of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Look, maybe your calling isn't to preach to thousands of people.

If it is, praise be to God, that's awesome.

But maybe it's not.

Maybe your calling is simply to disciple the children or grandchildren that God has entrusted you, entrusted to you for a season in their life.

Maybe it's to welcome a child of vulnerability into your home for a season.

Maybe your calling is to swing a hammer on a habitat build.

Maybe it's sitting at the bedside of somebody in the hospital who's sick or dying.

Maybe it's praying for the person who works right next to you in the office.

Maybe your calling is to live so differently than the anxious and angry world in which we find ourselves in that it actually gives people pause when they notice it.

And they have to ask the question.

They're compelled to ask the question, what makes you so different?

And you get to say, Let me tell you about Jesus.

Friend, you were made for the day, and the day was made for you.

Here's number two.

Yes, we were made on purpose and for a purpose, but that purpose does not start with what we do for God.

It starts with what God in Christ Jesus has first done for us.

Here's where the message can go terribly wrong.

You can hear everything I'm saying and think to yourself, okay, I just need to try harder.

I need to do more.

I need to live out the principles of revelation with the courage that it's called it evokes within me.

Listen, if that's all you get, that's not the gospel.

Look at verse 5 of the text.

John says, To him who loves us has freed us from our sins by his blood.

Okay, stop there.

Before revelation tells us what we're supposed to do for God, revelation tells us what God has done for us in the person of Christ Jesus.

Friends, Jesus loves you.

Do you believe it?

He has freed you from sin.

How?

By his precious blood.

Therefore, our confidence in life isn't look at what I've done for God.

No, no.

Our confidence is rooted in this reality of what Jesus has done for us.

Look, I was guilty.

He took upon himself my guilt.

I was condemned to die.

He took my condemnation.

I was enslaved to sin.

He broke the chains of my slavery.

I owed a debt I could not pay.

And Jesus Christ, John says, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth, went to a cross, shed his blood, and paid it all.

Like paid it all.

Friends, you don't overcome by becoming strong in yourself.

Like I'm getting towards my later 40s.

I'm not as strong as I used to be in my 20s.

Believe it or not, I could bench almost 300 pounds.

I could curl 60-pound dumbbells like they were nothing.

Not to brag, man.

Man, I don't care how much creatine or TRT you do, you can never become strong enough in yourself to overcome.

No, you overcome because Jesus overcame.

Therefore, in life, you don't fight your battles from for victory.

No, no, you fight your battles from a place of victory secured for you at the cross and in the empty tomb.

Notice the order.

To him who loves us.

Present tense.

Not to him who loves us when we can finally prove ourselves or get our lives together.

Just simply to him who loves us right now.

And because he loves us, he has freed us.

And because he has freed us, verse 6 says, He has made us to be a kingdom.

Here's purpose.

Because he has freed us, he has made us to be a kingdom and a priest to serve his God and Father.

There it is.

Identity before mission.

All last year in 2025, we spent a lot of time talking identity, right?

Identity of Christ and our identity as we've come to understand it in Christ.

And something I said about Christianity all year was Christianity is not primarily about behavior modification, it's about identity transformation.

Identity before mission.

Loved, then freed, then sent.

Don't reverse that order.

You aren't sent so Jesus can love you.

Jesus first loves you, therefore he sends you.

You don't serve so you can become somebody.

No, no, in Christ, you already are somebody.

You are his, you are forgiven, you are redeemed, and now here's purpose.

You get to walk forward and carry representation of your king.

You get to live out of purpose.

You're made for a purpose, you were made on purpose.

Yet that purpose starts with what Christ has done for us.

Here's the third one and final.

This is going to carry us all through revelation.

Jesus holds the future secure.

Friend, I don't care what's going on in our world or in your life right now, we need not fear the future.

Why?

Because Jesus holds the future secure.

Verse 7, John the Apostle, compels us to lift our eyes.

He says, Look! Church, look, look.

He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him.

History has a destination.

Jesus is coming back.

And because he is coming back, listen, that changes how you and I as Christians live today.

Friends, because Jesus is coming again, this world as we know it isn't ultimate.

This may be good news for some of you.

Your career isn't ultimate, your bank account isn't ultimate.

Your comfort or lack thereof in life isn't ultimate.

Your reputation isn't ultimate.

Your suffering, even, isn't ultimate.

Jesus is ultimate.

And one day every eye will see him.

The Jesus mocked by this world.

The Jesus rejected by this world.

The Jesus crucified by this world.

Yes, that Jesus is the coming victorious King.

And then John says in verse 8, we wrap up.

I'm the Elpha the Omega, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

The Alpha the Omega, the Greek letters in their alphabet A and Z.

The Alpha the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Here's what this means.

Think about the problems you face in life.

God was there before the problems began.

God is still present in the middle of the problem you currently face.

And God will still be God when that problem is long gone.

He is, he was, and he is to come.

That's why we need not be afraid, friend.

We need not fear because God has placed us in this day.

And because he has placed us in this day, we have to realize he already stands at the end of this day.

Maybe this whole sermon today boils down to a simple question.

Do you trust, really trust in the sovereignty of God?

Do you trust in his sovereignty?

Do you realize that our God reigns supreme?

That nothing is outside of his control.

Do you trust in the sovereignty of God?

And that if you are a Christian, it is always the best is yet to come.

Like that is our future reality, regardless of what we're facing now.

The best is yet to come because God is sovereign.

Listen, I don't know what the next decade holds.

I don't even know what tomorrow holds.

I don't know where our culture is going to be five years from now.

We keep moving the way we're moving, not looking good, right?

I don't know what challenges are going to face the church.

Again, with the onset of AI, I don't know if five, ten, fifteen years from now we're as people gonna be subservient to robots.

But here's the thing.

I don't even have to know why.

Because I know the Alpha and the Omega.

I don't have to know because I know the one who has freed me from sin and death by his blood at the cross and in the empty tomb.

I know the one who sits on the throne.

I know the one who's coming again.

So, church, why would we retreat?

Why would we spend these precious moments in this earthly existence wishing we had been born in someone else's generation?

These are our days, church.

This is our mission, this is our mission field.

And we've already seen some of this play out on a collective scale.

We've seen glimpses of people who actually believe this to be true.

For example, every foster child that's welcomed into a Christian home, it's a declaration that these are our days.

Every habitat for humanity builder where followers of Jesus Christ show up to secure a home for a person who needs a home is declaring, these are our days.

Every hospital room somebody walks into and holds the hand of somebody suffering and whispers in their ear a prayer in Jesus' name is declaring, these are our days.

Every child in your home discipled in the faith, every neighbor loved, every lonely person noticed, every gospel conversation, every act of mercy done in Jesus' name are all declarations that these are our days and the kingdom of God is here.

But church, there's more to do.

There are more vulnerable children who need homes.

There are families who need help.

There are sick people who need prayer.

There are neighbors who need Jesus.

And God has put you and me here.

So let me ask you a question.

What will you do with your day?

What if we're not living in unfortunate times, but rather we're living in appointed times?

What if the question isn't God, why did you put me here?

But it's God, for what purpose did you put me here?

Who has God placed around you?

Who has God given you influence over?

What opportunities are you overlooking?

What step of obedience have you been postponing?

God, friends, maybe God put you in that family for a reason.

Maybe God put you in that work environment for a reason.

Maybe God has put you in that neighborhood for a reason.

Maybe you're exactly where you're supposed to be, even though you're wanting to be somewhere else.

And maybe the darkness of our day isn't the reason for the church to retreat.

Maybe it's the reason we're here.

Because friends, I don't know about you, but light matters most when it's dark, doesn't it?

But remember, the ultimate ultimately the series doesn't have to begin, it does not begin with our calling, it begins with the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, not fear, not speculation, not outrage, Jesus.

Jesus crucified, risen, reigning, and returning King.

The Alpha and the Omega, the one who loves us, the one who has freed us from our sin by his blood, the one who has made us his kingdom and his priest.

Church, look around who needs you right now.

Where has God placed you?

Where is something broken that you have been called upon to come alongside to help repair?

Where is somebody hurting that needs you?

Where is someone who's far from God that needs to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Don't waste your days wishing you were living in someone else's.

Paul had his day, Peter had his day, John had his day, Wesley had his day.

Those were their days.

These are our days.

And guess what?

Jesus is still on the throne.

So let's live like it.

Let's serve like it.

Let's love like it.

Let's witness like it.

Because we were not accidentally born into this moment.

No, you were made for this day, and this day was made for you.

And by the grace of Jesus Christ, we will overcome.

Praise be to God.

Amen.

Will you pray with me?

Lord God, I am excited.

I truly am excited for what this collective series has in store for us here at Church of Lakes.

Lord, the book of Revelation, though it elicits fear in some people, it really is truly bursting with glorious promises for those of us who are in Christ.

As John faithfully writes down all that is in store for the church.

So, Lord God, as we begin this journey, I just ask that you'd give us the eyes of Jesus.

That you'd keep us from getting distracted by speculation or overcome by the fear of a moment.

Instead, God, that you'd reveal to us the risen, reigning, and victorious Christ, the one who loves us so much that he freed us from our sins by his blood.

Lord, will you awaken in us to the truth that you have placed us here on purpose and for a purpose?

Like these are hard days.

This is our moment, this is our mission field.

So God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, show us the people you have placed around us who need you.

Give us the courage, Lord, to step into the opportunities you've bestowed before us.

God, make us a faithful church, kingdom builders in our homes and workplaces and schools and neighborhoods and anywhere else that you send us, send us.

Lord, when the world around us feels so uncertain, will you remind us today that our future is not?

Like Jesus is king, Jesus has overcome, Jesus is coming again.

So make us courageous, make us faithful, Lord.

Make us a church that refuses to retreat, but rather presses in because we know who sits ultimately on the throne.

And Lord God, I feel led by the Spirit right now to just also throw out there for anyone here today who does not yet know that courage.

For anyone who is trying to face this life alone, I pray today that they would look to Jesus.

Jesus, meet whoever that person is or those persons are right where they are.

Let them know that courage is not found in having all the answers or being strong enough.

No, courage is found by knowing the one who has overcome.

So, God, give those people faith to trust you, to confess their sin, to receive the forgiveness purchased by your blood, to surrender their life to you and begin a relationship with the one who holds their life, their future, and all eternity in their hands.

God, may they discover today that they do not have to face another day alone.

That Jesus, you are with them, you are for them, and you have overcome.

Lord God, we are yours, Jesus.

Use us for your kingdom purposes and your glory in these days.

Pray us all in the mighty and victorious name of Jesus and all God's people.

Thank you for listening to the Church of the Lakes podcast with Pastor Jared Priestett.

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