Heaven is not escape—it is Christ’s coming Kingdom. In this lesson from Luke 19:11–27 (KJV), Jesus corrects the false hope of an immediate Kingdom, then commands His servants, “Occupy till I come.” The King went away to receive a Kingdom, but He will return, call His servants to account, reward faithfulness, and judge rebels who say, “We will not have this man to reign over us.” Your hope is not vague: He reigns, and His saints shall reign with Him.

Be Encouraged (Safeguarding the Church #8) — Revelation 2:8–11. Christ, “the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive,” speaks to the suffering church at Smyrna. He knows our “tribulation” and “poverty, (but thou art rich),” warns of trials, and says, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer” and “be thou faithful unto death.” Stand fast in His rewards: “I will give thee a crown of life”—and the overcomer “shall not be hurt of the second death.” Hope for believers in hard days.

In a land where “there was no king in Israel” and “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25), Ruth opens “in the days when the judges ruled” (Ruth 1:1). This sermon traces the downward spiral of Judges—covenant amnesia, compromised worship, and social chaos—then shows Ruth as God’s quiet mercy in dark times. From famine and funerals to fields and hope, through Naomi, Ruth, and a kinsman redeemer, see the LORD preserve His promise and encourage our homes today.