Participants: Pr. Kenneth Cox
Series Code: RJC
Program Code: RJC000006
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00:20 Welcome to this presentation
00:23 of Revelation of Jesus Christ. 00:27 And we are looking at the sixth presentation 00:32 that we've done so far 00:34 if you followed us each one of those. 00:36 We're to the fifth church 00:39 which is the church of Sardis. 00:43 And so that's what we'll be looking at today 00:47 as we look at the church of Sardis. 00:49 But we hope that as we've gone through each one of these 00:53 that they help you not only see what counsel 00:56 God has for you as an individual 00:59 but it also helps you to understand the church back then 01:02 and helps you understand the church age 01:06 and what is taking place there. 01:08 And so we hope this all fits together. 01:10 And to those of you who are watching by television 01:13 we thank you... glad to welcome you. 01:16 If you're listening on the radio, 01:18 glad that you're tuning in. 01:20 And those that are watching on the Internet 01:22 we hope that these presentations will be a blessing to you 01:26 as we continue to go through the book of Revelation. 01:29 This is a study. This is not entertainment. 01:35 This is a study... 01:38 a study of the book of Revelation chapter by chapter. 01:43 So that's what we're looking at. 01:45 And we hope that as we go through, 01:47 you have your Bibles with you. 01:50 Take your highlighter... highlight some of those texts. 01:53 Write down notes. Begin to put it together 01:56 so that when this series is finished 01:59 you ought to be able to read through 02:02 the seven churches of Asia Minor... 02:05 understand what God was talking about. 02:07 What He was having to say to that church. 02:09 When we're finished with the whole presentation, 02:13 you should be able to read the book of Revelation 02:16 and say: "Yeah, I know what the Lord's talking about here. " 02:19 That's the purpose of it. 02:21 And so we hope that you are following as we continue 02:24 to study the book of Revelation. 02:27 We're very happy each evening to have Chuck Allgaier 02:32 come out and to read the scripture to you. 02:35 And you can either follow in your Bible 02:37 or you can watch it on the screen... 02:39 whichever you want to do. 02:41 But we want you to get an overall picture 02:44 of what Christ is saying to that particular church 02:48 at that time and what counsel it may have to you 02:52 as an individual. So that's the reason we have it read to you 02:56 as he goes through it with you each evening. 02:59 Also, during this particular session 03:01 we've been very happy to have Joe Pearles with us. 03:05 Joe comes from a place called Greenbrier 03:09 which is just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, 03:13 where he raised his family and lived there 03:16 and conducts a music ministry traveling all over this country 03:21 and out of the country singing and praising the Lord. 03:26 And it's always wonderful to have Joe come and sing for us. 03:29 And today he's going to sing a song entitled 03:32 Something Good is Happening in Galilee. 03:36 But before he does, 03:37 Chuck Allgaier is going to come and read the Word of God to you. 03:47 If you have your Bible with you, 03:49 would you like to turn to the book of Revelation 03:52 chapter 3 verses 1 through 6. 03:56 That's Revelation chapter 3 verses 1 through 6. 04:00 Let us read: 05:34 When He was 12 He was found 05:38 in the temple 05:42 confounding 05:45 Jerusalem's wise men. 05:51 But from then till He was 30 05:55 and was baptized by John 05:59 we don't see Him in God's story 06:04 again. 06:08 What was Jesus doing 06:13 before His ministry began 06:17 but making plans to save 06:22 you and me 06:26 and growing in favor 06:30 with God and with man. 06:34 Something good was going on 06:38 in Galilee. 07:00 Was He often on the street 07:05 there in Nazareth 07:08 as He was in the town 07:13 synagogue? 07:17 Do you suppose He was happy 07:21 or was He mostly alone? 07:26 This young man whose real Father 07:31 was God. 07:34 What was Jesus doing 07:39 before His ministry began 07:43 but making plans to save 07:48 you and me 07:52 and growing in favor 07:56 with God and with man. 08:01 Something good was going on 08:05 in Galilee. 08:09 Something good 08:11 was going on 08:14 in Galilee. 08:36 Our gracious Lord, 08:39 we come to You today 08:43 praying, Lord, that we 08:46 might make sure, Lord, 08:50 that our lives are committed to You. 08:55 That they may be filled with Your Spirit. 08:59 That we might know Your presence. 09:02 Help us, Lord, to be alive. 09:06 To be active. 09:09 Carry forth their message and prepare our hearts and our souls 09:15 for Your soon return. 09:18 For this we ask in Christ's name, Amen. 09:26 Well, step by step 09:29 we are going through the different churches. 09:32 Started out with Ephesus 09:34 talking about this church that had a problem... 09:38 it had left its first love. 09:40 And then we looked at Smyrna which 09:43 went through a great amount of suffering... 09:46 and yet no rebuke. 09:49 Christ talked about what she had done. 09:52 Told her to be faithful. 09:54 But there was no rebuke to that church. 09:57 And then we looked at Pergamos, 09:59 this church that finds itself elevated. 10:04 And we find the inroads of the world and the state 10:08 coming into the church. 10:10 Then we took a look at Thyatira 10:14 and we found out that as the world moved into the church 10:18 much of what she held she lost. 10:22 What she faced at the beginning of the Reformation. 10:27 And now we're taking a look at Sardis here... the 5th one. 10:32 And He addresses the church and says: 10:38 To this particular church... writing and giving them counsel 10:43 as to what is happening. 10:45 This word Sardis means that which remains. 10:51 And that's very, very important 10:54 because of the situation of that church at that time: 10:58 that which remains. 11:00 As you can see on the map, we've come from Ephesus 11:06 up to Smyrna, Pergamos... all along the coast 11:09 of the Aegean Sea. 11:11 Then we moved to the east and a little south to Thyatira 11:15 and now we're moving a little farther east 11:18 and a little farther down to that of Sardis. 11:21 But when you come down here and you start over to 11:27 Sardis, all of a sudden you come to a large mountain. 11:33 Mount Tmolus rises 6,700 ft. 11:39 from the plain there. And as you get over close to the mountain 11:43 and approach it, up on the edge of the mountain 11:47 partly up on the side of the mountain about 1,500 ft. 11:51 you find the city of Sardis. 11:54 That's where it was built. 11:56 Behind there you can see... these are the ruins 11:59 and behind of it you can see the fog there... 12:01 but there's Mount Tmolus back behind it. 12:05 This is where Sardis was built. 12:08 This was a Lydian city 12:12 built about 1100 BC was when it started and all. 12:18 And it was... it became the capital of the Lydian Empire 12:23 and was an extremely wealthy city 12:26 and really governed the whole part of the world 12:30 at that time from Lydia. 12:33 And it was a very, very important part. 12:38 Went there... and there they carried on their activites 12:43 and operated the government and all from that. 12:47 Since it was built here on this 12:51 side of the mountain 12:53 the embankment that came up there was almost perpendicular. 12:59 I mean, and the only way you could get to Sardis 13:03 was through a narrow passage up that. 13:06 And it was easily guarded and was considered impregnable... 13:10 that you couldn't possibly get into it. 13:13 The only problem with that is 13:16 is when you have something like that 13:19 and you think something can't change or can't be overtaken 13:23 or it's impregnable or whatever, 13:25 you have a tendency to be over-confident. 13:29 You know. And when Cyrus of the Medes 13:33 came down to where that city was there in the valley 13:38 they saw him there but they didn't pay any attention. 13:41 They figured it was impregnable; 13:43 that nobody could get to them; that they were all right. 13:47 And one of Cyrus's soldiers 13:51 went over that night to the edge of the mountain 13:56 and was just studying it... trying to figure out 13:59 how they might could get into the city. 14:01 And while he was there, he noticed some soldiers - 14:06 Lydian soldiers up there in the city - 14:09 talking and laughing. And while they were, one of them 14:13 dropped his helmet, and his helmet fell over the embankment 14:18 down quite a little ways. 14:20 And he watched this soldier come down the embankment 14:26 through a pathway that they didn't know about... 14:30 came down and got his helmet and went back up. 14:34 And he went and got the soldiers and followed that same thing 14:38 back up into the city. And they overthrew the city 14:43 of Sardis. 14:44 Over-confident, see? 14:47 So often we can be over-confident. 14:52 I hear - and I'll say a little more about this - 14:56 but I hear church members say: 15:00 "Oh, we've got the truth. " 15:03 Be careful. You know, there's a great, great danger 15:08 in being so confident that I don't give study, 15:14 I don't give care of the truth that I should. 15:17 Very, very important. 15:19 Also, this was where most historians will tell you 15:23 that money was invented - coin money - was invented. 15:28 And you're looking at a coin that was minted at that time. 15:32 And this was where it came into use 15:35 and exchange was in this city of Sardis 15:38 where they began to use coin money. 15:42 So Sardis had a lot of things that was very interesting, 15:46 very helpful, and gave impetus 15:51 to the world's wealth and direction. 15:54 Now He comes to His identification. 15:56 Christ is identifying Himself to them, and He says: 16:07 You see, it's the Holy Spirit - 16:10 the seven Spirits, the Spirit of God - 16:12 and that word star, folks, refers to messenger - 16:18 it refers to minister. And I can tell you 16:22 it's only when the Spirit of God 16:25 fills a person that he shines. 16:30 Put it down. It doesn't work any other way. 16:33 Without the Spirit of God it's dead. 16:36 It's the Spirit of God that comes in 16:38 and makes the difference, lights up the person's life. 16:42 That's what it does. He - Christ - is the One 16:45 that has the seven Spirits and the seven stars. 16:48 And so what is the condition of the church at Sardis? 16:54 What do we find? 17:06 All of the churches... 17:09 all four of the churches that we have looked at... 17:14 when we come to this part here where He talks about 17:17 the condition of the church He has commended them, 17:21 but this one He condemns. 17:26 He says: "You have a name that you are alive 17:29 but you are dead. " 17:32 Something very, very drastically has happened. 17:36 They have lost their spiritual experience. 17:39 They have lost their experience with Christ. 17:42 They are spiritually no longer alive. 17:46 Now... church age. Uh, again I must emphasize 17:51 this is talking about an age. 17:54 Really when we say beginning about 1700 AD 17:57 that really laps back into the other age 18:02 because there's several things that happened back then 18:04 that brought about the condition of the church here. 18:07 And there's some things in 1800 that take place 18:10 that lap into the next one. So don't try to tie it down 18:14 to an exact date... but it represents an age. 18:18 The dates that I give you there are just to kind of give you 18:21 an idea of the time slot that it fits in. 18:26 But this was the period of time that several things happened - 18:30 that take place - that typify the church of Sardis 18:34 and what happened as far as the church age is concerned, 18:38 and we will talk about that. 18:40 You see, as you read 18:43 about the church of Sardis 18:47 God doesn't say a word about there being a Jezebel. 18:51 He doesn't say anything about there being a Balaam. 18:55 He doesn't say anything about there being the Nicolatians. 18:59 You don't read any of that about that in the church of 19:03 Sardis. Why not? 19:06 I mean, this church is existing. 19:09 Why... why doesn't He talk about this and say 19:12 "these are problems with this church? " 19:15 He doesn't. And the reason He doesn't, folks, 19:19 as far as the church age is concerned 19:22 the Reformation has cleared all that out. 19:25 I mean, those men have got up and they have preached 19:29 and they've cleared all that kind of stuff out. 19:31 And so through the preaching of Luther 19:34 got up and told the people that they found faith 19:39 in Jesus Christ and it was in their commitment to Him 19:42 their acceptance of Him... and he preached 19:44 the gospel to those people and he cleared out all those 19:47 teachings of Gnosticism and all that... got rid of them. 19:52 Along came Calvin, along came Knox 19:55 and Zwingli and all that 19:57 and they cleared that out in the Reformation. 20:00 These people had the truth; they knew what it was. 20:03 It was clear, 20:06 and that had all been done. 20:09 So this is... this is why you don't read anything about 20:14 Jezebel or Balaam or Nicolatians. 20:18 Those are all things that they had taken care of; 20:21 the Reformation had cleared all that out of the churches. 20:26 But the Reformation 20:30 was tremendously hard 20:34 on the Catholic church. 20:39 The reason it was is, of course, 20:43 Luther and Knox and Zwingli 20:48 and all those men preached righteousness by faith. 20:53 They taught the people that Jesus Christ was their Redeemer. 20:58 That He was the Mediator. 21:00 That He was their Savior. 21:02 That the church did not save them. 21:03 And they taught them all those truths. 21:06 And secondly they did something else: 21:08 they preached the prophecies of God's Word. 21:12 They stood up and preached about the prophecies. 21:15 They preached Revelation! 21:16 And Luther got up and he said: 21:19 "That beast there in Revelation 13... 21:21 that's the papal power. " 21:23 And preached it and talked about it. 21:25 And those... preaching of those things 21:29 pulled the people out of Catholicism 21:33 and they came out of Catholicism by the thousands. 21:38 Folks, just through the preaching of John Calvin 21:43 500,000 Frenchmen accepted the Reformation. 21:49 So to give you an idea of what was happening, 21:52 these people were leaving and these were... 21:55 many, many of these people were the intelligenci of the country. 21:58 They were teachers and professor and businessmen. 22:01 This is what was coming out and accepting Christ 22:04 and the Reformation and taking their stand. 22:07 And so what had happened had shaken the Catholic church 22:12 clear to the very foundation. 22:16 And because of that, they called what was known as the 22:22 Council of Trent. 22:24 The Council of Trent was to get the church back 22:30 on a solid foundation 22:33 and to meet the problem of the Reformation. 22:38 This was what the purpose of it was. 22:40 And there was a whole group of cardinals 22:43 and archbishops and bishops, deacons - 22:48 these people that were leaders in the Catholic church - 22:51 that said: "Listen, if the Catholic church 22:54 is going to get on a solid foundation, 22:58 it must come back to the Word of God 23:01 and take a stand solidly on the Word of God. " 23:04 This is where it must stand. 23:07 But there was a group of cardinals 23:12 and archbishops and bishops 23:16 that said: "No. " They said: "If the church 23:21 is going to be on a solid foundation 23:23 then it has to build it on the scripture and tradition. 23:27 They have to be equal streams of truth. " 23:35 Well, the Council of Trent 23:38 lasted for 17 years, 23:43 and this was talked about, argued, 23:48 debated, written about... back and forth, 23:51 back and forth for 17 years. 23:57 Finally at the end of 17 years 24:01 the Archbishop of Reggio 24:04 stood up and gave a presentation. 24:09 And in that presentation he argued and he said: 24:15 "If the church is going to stand on scripture 24:19 and scripture alone, 24:22 then she will have to go back to keeping the Biblical Sabbath 24:28 because the keeping of Sunday is based on tradition 24:34 not on the Biblical teaching of God's Word. " 24:40 And the Council of Trent voted 24:45 that it would take a stand on scripture AND tradition. 24:50 And that's where she stood. 24:53 So she took that stand, and since the Reformers - 24:58 Luther and Knox and Zwingli and those men - 25:01 were preaching and were preaching the prophecies 25:05 and saying "this is the antichrist, " 25:09 the folk called in two men... two priests 25:13 by the name of Ribera and Alcazar... 25:16 and he said: "I don't care what you do, 25:19 but get the finger off of us. " 25:22 Those two priests developed two different concepts 25:28 of prophecy. Now the Reformers... 25:31 if you go back and if you want to read about this 25:34 and you want to study it, then I would recommend 25:36 to you a set of books entitled 25:38 The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers by Froom. 25:41 And He will trace that for you 25:43 step by step so that you can see. 25:45 But the Reformers... they were preaching what is known 25:48 as the historical view of prophecy. 25:51 That's what they were standing for. 25:53 But these two priests developed a view called the Predister view 25:57 and the other was called the Futurist view. 26:00 The Predister view just takes the prophecies 26:03 and sticks them all in the past 26:06 and says they've already been fulfilled. 26:09 They don't have reference to us today. 26:12 And there's still some of that around today, folks, 26:15 that teach that. That that's all been fulfilled; 26:17 it doesn't apply to us today. 26:19 But it didn't really catch on very strong. 26:22 But the other one developed what was known 26:25 as the Futurist view. 26:27 But what he said - and you need to follow me carefully - 26:31 because what he said is: 26:34 "Everything after the 4th chapter of Revelation 26:40 is future. " 26:43 Now when we finish this session on the chuches 26:47 we're going to be starting with the 4th chapter of Revelation. 26:50 And you need to see that and understand it 26:52 because he's saying: "everything from that point on 26:55 is future and the church is going to be raptured out of here 26:59 and it doesn't have any reference to you and I... 27:02 we don't have to be concerned about it 27:04 because we're not going to be here. " 27:06 That idea caught on, and it moved across Europe 27:12 and brought about what was known in history 27:15 as the counter-Reformation. 27:18 And it stopped the growth of the Reformation. 27:24 I'll assure you, it was never God's intention 27:28 that the Reformation would stop in the 1700s. 27:34 It was God's intention that that Reformation 27:37 was to continue on. And it makes reference to that 27:40 here in the church of Sardis. 27:42 I'm giving you this background because you need to understand 27:45 what killed it... what says "you're dead. " 27:49 Because all of a sudden these things begin to be preached 27:53 and people begin to have doubts about what they believed. 27:57 And they began to accept it, and it began to change things. 28:00 Two churches that received no praise: 28:06 Sardis and Laodicea. 28:10 We read about Sardis, 28:14 but as far as the church age is concerned 28:18 we live today in Laodicea. 28:22 If the church in Laodicea doesn't have any praise, 28:28 then you and I better take a good, close look at ourselves 28:36 and ask ourselves some very very pointed questions 28:39 about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ 28:43 and where we stand... because He has no praise. 28:46 In fact, to be honest about it, He says the church of Laodicea 28:50 "makes Me sick" is what He says. 28:53 So you and I need to look at that. 28:55 Well let's see what He says the problem is. 29:08 "Be watchful, strengthen the things that remain... 29:16 they're ready to die. " 29:18 You see, as time passed on 29:22 and as these Reformers died and fell off 29:25 the others that came on didn't carry the same burden; 29:28 they didn't carry on. 29:29 Just as you are sitting here tonight or watching on 29:32 television or listening on the radio 29:35 forefathers believed and taught and all, and they 29:39 stood for it and it was precious in their sight. 29:41 Do you feel the same way about it? 29:46 That's the question you need to ask yourself: 29:48 do you feel the same way? 29:50 Is it a burning power and passion in your life 29:54 or is it just something you do? 29:57 Because it needs to be there. 29:59 This is what they believed, this is what they taught... 30:01 and these people didn't. And therefore He said: 30:04 "It's ready to die for I have not found your works 30:07 perfect before God. " 30:10 You know, it's one thing to be 30:15 religious... 30:18 The Pharisees, the scribes: 30:23 they were religious. 30:47 You see, exterior religion 30:51 isn't worth anything, folks. 30:54 Exterior religion isn't worth anything. 30:58 If it doesn't touch your heart, 31:01 if it doesn't speak to you in your soul, 31:07 then it's strictly on the outside. 31:10 It's like whitewashing a tomb. 31:14 That has to be real. 31:17 It has to count; it has to work in our lives in a special way. 31:33 You know, I... summer before last 31:37 I spent some time in Europe. 31:40 I can still remember going to Wittenberg 31:45 and going into Martin Luther's church. 31:50 And as I walked into the church the organist was playing 31:55 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. 32:00 And I can remember the chills that it sent up my spine 32:05 as I listened to that and stood in that church 32:08 and the mightiness of it all. 32:12 But after it was over and I walked through that church 32:18 I realized it wasn't anything but a museum. 32:23 That's all it was. 32:25 All the fervor, all the belief, 32:29 all the things that they hoped for, 32:32 all the things that they stood for... was dead. 32:36 No more! It had died! 32:42 As you go throughout Europe 32:45 and you visit these mighty cathedrals 32:48 all they are, folks, is just museums. 32:51 And some of them are graveyards. 32:54 All there... it's all dead. "Having a form of godliness 32:59 but denying the power thereof. " 33:02 No longer do they stand up and say: 33:04 "This is what the Word of God says. This is where we stand. 33:08 We won't be moved. We're not going to compromise. 33:11 We're not going to give up on the Word of God. " 33:14 They don't stand there anymore. 33:16 In fact, most of them are afraid to say anything. 33:23 God says this isn't what He wants. 33:28 You and I need to come back. Says: 33:35 If we aren't, He's going to come upon you and upon me 33:41 as a thief. 33:50 Now I... I just want to say here 33:56 if it happened back then, I can assure you it can happen today. 34:05 And if these people who stood for... so staunchly 34:11 for the truth in the days of Luther and Knox and Zwingli 34:15 and Calvin and those men 34:18 and today are willing to compromise what they believe 34:24 or even willing to go contrary to what a clear 34:27 "thus saith the Lord" says 34:29 then I ask you: 34:35 Can we be in the same position 34:38 that we are willing to compromise our belief 34:41 and say: "it's not that important? " 34:47 Are you watching? 34:49 Are you strengthening the things that remain? 35:04 "Watch out! Make sure that nobody deceives you. " 35:12 I can remember 35:14 being in the church... preaching in a church 35:19 and preaching on the second coming of Christ 35:25 and about the soon return of our Lord. 35:30 And when it was over the pastor told me... he said: 35:33 "Don't you ever preach a sermon like that in this church. 35:39 I don't want my people thinking that Jesus is coming. " 35:48 Dear friend, let me tell you something: 35:51 you can give up the belief, but He says: 35:58 "Take heed that nobody deceives you. " 36:00 Are you spending time in the Word of God? 36:07 Are you too busy today to have worship? 36:13 Are you taking time in the morning and in the evening 36:18 to have worship? 36:21 Or are you so busy you just don't have time to do that? 36:26 Those of you that have children 36:29 are you making sure that child 36:33 understands that to you that is the most important thing 36:40 is to have worship with them? 36:42 That that should be ahead of any other thing 36:47 that you worship God together. 36:52 Are you spending time in prayer? 36:58 Oh, I'm not talking about saying grace at the meal. 37:05 And I believe in that... don't misunderstand me. 37:08 But I'm asking you: do you take time to pray? 37:12 Are you conversing with your Lord? 37:17 Are you talking to Him? 37:19 Are you visiting with Him? 37:23 Are you inviting Him into your life 37:26 to change you and to make you different? 37:30 Are you taking time just to praise Him? 37:36 This we are to be doing. 37:40 I put down just some things that I feel that the church 37:45 of Sardis did that you and I need to be very careful 37:49 of today. And one is self-righteous. 37:56 Be careful, friend, be careful. 38:00 I'll assure you, if your relationship is right 38:05 with Jesus Christ then you won't feel 38:10 self-righteous. I'll assure you. 38:13 That relationship just doesn't promote that. 38:17 It changes that, and there's no such thing 38:21 as being and feeling self-righteous 38:23 if your relationship's right with the Lord. 38:26 Self-importance. 38:29 Like I said, you know: "Oh we've got the truth. " 38:33 You know? 38:36 I have a sister-in-law who's not a Seventh-day Adventist. 38:42 And I can remember talking about 38:48 being in one of our churches, and she had been there visiting. 38:53 And one of the dear saints asked her, said: 38:56 "Are you one of us? " 38:59 You know? You know, in other words 39:04 we place self-importance on ourselves. 39:08 We need to be careful and realize 39:11 that you're not here, that you don't have anything 39:16 if it wasn't for Jesus Christ. 39:18 You and I have nothing to offer. 39:21 It's only through Him that we do. 39:23 Pride in the possesion of a knowledge of truth, 39:27 which they fail to practice. 39:30 I have a knowledge of the truth, 39:33 but I don't practice it. 39:36 No. If you're not walking the talk 39:42 then dear friend, let me tell you something: 39:45 your witness is considered nothing. 39:50 Absolutely nothing! 39:54 You and I must practice what we believe. 39:59 I cannot say: "This is what I believe 40:02 and this is how I act. " 40:06 That won't work. 40:08 You've got to put both of them together. 40:11 And only when you put them together... 40:14 only then will people believe you. 40:17 They won't believe you otherwise. 40:20 You can say all you want to 40:21 about "this is what I believe, " 40:22 but if they see your actions are over here 40:24 they're going to believe your actions. 40:26 That's what they're going to believe. 40:28 So I need to be careful about the truth... what I possess. 40:33 Well, let's see what counsel He gives to the church of Sardis. 40:56 You see, if you and I don't watch, 41:00 we're not going to be ready. 41:04 I will never forget when I was at the Seminary 41:09 in Washington, D.C., 41:11 the teacher gave us an assignment. 41:14 The assignment was that we were to visit five churches 41:17 in the D.C. area and out of that five 41:22 pick one and to write a paper about that one. 41:27 We were to write when the church started. 41:29 We were to write about what their mission was. 41:31 What kind of missionary activities there had been, 41:34 what they had done, and all about their past. 41:37 And so I visited five different churches, 41:40 and I found one that I particularly liked - 41:43 very, very beautiful church - 41:45 and I decided that's the one I'd write the paper on. 41:51 I went to their church library. 41:56 I looked up everything I could find about the church 41:59 and studied the whole history of that church... 42:03 and wrote my paper about it. 42:05 But I just wasn't really satisfied. 42:10 Particularly for the last ten years of the church 42:13 I just didn't feel like I had enough information. 42:17 So I decided to go back and visit the church. Now folks, 42:21 this is a beautiful, beautiful church in Washington, D.C. 42:25 I mean, it's a beautiful structure. 42:30 It looks like a church. 42:32 And when you get there, I can still remember 42:36 when you walk in the front door 42:39 you're met by the deacons. 42:41 A deacon dressed in a tuxedo - 42:44 I mean they are dressed - he will take you 42:49 and usher you to your seat and give you a church bulletin. 42:55 I went in and had a seat. 42:57 The stained-glass windows in that church are just fabulous. 43:02 And it's one of these churches 43:05 when you walk into it even gives you a feeling 43:08 of sacredness and all, you know. 43:11 And went in and had a seat 43:14 and looking at all the beauty of that gorgeous church 43:18 and pretty soon the organist came in and began to play. 43:21 And man, I mean, from the moment he touched the keys 43:27 you could... knew that he was extremely accomplished, 43:32 and the music was beautiful as it came out of that huge 43:36 pipe organ. And after he had played a little while 43:39 the choir began to file in. 43:42 They all filed in and took their place, 43:47 and the moment they sang you could tell this was not 43:52 a choir that practiced once a week. 43:54 I mean, they... their music was fabulous. 43:59 It was just gorgeous, and I sat there... enjoyed it immensely. 44:03 And after that then the minister came out 44:05 and had a wonderful sermon. 44:07 I enjoyed sitting there and listening to it. 44:10 It was a great sermon and all. 44:12 And when the service was all over 44:14 and the deacons ushered us out 44:17 and I was out in the foyer of the church, 44:19 I just stepped over to the side and let people pass by. 44:23 And after a little bit, one of the deacons came over to me 44:26 and said: "Can I help you? " 44:27 And I said: "I hope so. " 44:30 And I told him I was a Seminary student. 44:32 I had been writing a paper on their church, 44:34 and shared some of the things that I had learned 44:36 about their church with him. And I said: 44:38 "What I need to know is I need to know some history 44:41 about the church for the last ten years. 44:43 Can you help me? " 44:44 I said: "For instance, how many people have been brought 44:47 to Christ by this church in the last ten years? " 44:51 And I can remember he hung his head 44:55 and he said: "Not one... not one. " 44:59 You see, it had a name that it was living 45:03 but it was dead. 45:06 You and I can have a name that we're living 45:10 but dear friend, if you're not witnessing, 45:13 if you're not telling other people about Jesus Christ, 45:16 I'm sorry... you're dead. 45:19 Just simply what you and I must do 45:23 if Christ is all and everything to you, 45:28 we need to be telling about Him. 45:30 We need to be preparing our hearts. 45:32 Dear friend, don't let Christ come upon you 45:36 as a thief in the night. 45:38 Because if He comes upon you as a thief, 45:42 you're lost. 45:44 That's what the scripture says. 45:56 Now He doesn't say that everything in Sardis is lost. 45:59 He said: "There's a few names who have walked with Me 46:03 in white... " OK? "They are worthy. " 46:09 These are people that stood for what God's Word said. 46:16 They said: "No, we're going to follow the Word of God. 46:19 We're going to stand here. 46:22 Not going to let teachings that are contrary to scripture 46:27 take us away from God's Word. " 46:29 You need to make sure that you're reading it... 46:33 that you're understanding what the scripture says. 46:36 Spend time in the Word of God, friends. 46:39 And as you read it, God will open it up before you. 46:43 One of the main things is you have to keep your heart open. 46:47 You have to be willing to let the Spirit of God 46:50 guide and lead you, and be willing to walk as He leads you. 46:54 You cannot say: "Well, I understand what that says 47:00 but it's so hard for me to change. " 47:02 It may be hard, but you and I need to surrender 47:07 and let the Holy Spirit do its work in our lives. 47:16 This is how you received; this is how you heard. 47:20 In other words, He's telling you: 47:22 "Get back into the scripture. " 47:25 Believe it; understand it; follow it. 47:36 And I would like to say to those who are watching by television 47:42 or listening on the radio or following on the Internet, 47:45 dear friend, if you have believed 47:49 and have left the Word of God 47:52 and gone off and accepted something different 47:55 than what the Book says, 47:58 then dear friend... come back to what it says! 48:02 Repent and come back and stand on the Word of God. 48:07 God is calling people to do that today. 48:10 And then the promise that He gives: 48:25 Ah, marvelous promise. 48:27 To him who what? Overcomes. 48:31 Dear friend, you and I by the surrendering of our life 48:37 to the Holy Spirit, we must day by day be overcoming. 48:43 That is absolutely important. 48:46 Clothed in white garments, 48:48 and "I'll not blot his name out of the Book of Life. " 48:52 Will be clothed in white garments. 48:59 What a marvelous privilege. Think about that. 49:04 To have Jesus Christ say: 49:08 "Father, John is My servant. 49:14 He follows Me; he obeys Me. 49:17 He's given his life to Me. " 49:20 What a marvelous privilege to have Christ confess your name 49:22 before His Father. 49:25 And it says that if He confesses our name 49:28 then our name is what? 49:32 Entered in the Book of Life. 49:36 Written down in the Book of Life. 49:39 I have a name written down in glory. Amen! 49:44 Marvelous. My name written down in glory. 49:48 Don't have to be in doubt about that, dear friend. 49:51 Just tell you right now... 49:53 if today you've accepted Jesus Christ, 49:55 you've given your heart to Him, 49:57 your name is written down in glory in the Book of Life. 50:01 And because your name is there 50:04 He will confess you before His Father which is in heaven. 50:23 Yes, they're written down in heaven. 50:36 You see your name can be taken from the Book of Life. 50:42 About to be moved out. 50:45 And let me tell you, what makes it taken out of there 50:48 is if you're dead. 50:51 Spiritually you're dead? 50:54 Your name's going to be taken out of the Book of Life. 50:57 So dear friend, don't... don't die spiritually. 51:03 You don't have to. 51:04 Christ will give you life. 51:12 No, doesn't have to happen. 51:22 Marvelous. 51:23 Going to be clothed in white garments. 51:49 White robes given to you and to me. 51:55 White represents purity. 51:59 But let me tell you something: 52:03 it's not your righteousness. 52:07 It's His. 52:19 He has clothed me. 52:21 This is not something that you and I have of our own. 52:25 It's a garment that Jesus Christ gives us. 52:35 He puts that robe on you and covers you 52:40 and your sins are seen no more! 52:44 That Jesus Christ does for us. 52:53 He will confess us before His Father and His angels. 53:03 You see, it's His righteousness friend. 53:09 Not yours. 53:11 It's His righteousness that counts. 53:15 It's His worth. 53:19 Our righteousness is as "filthy rags. " 53:24 It's... He is the One who is worthy. 53:30 And you and I are counted worthy because of Him... 53:36 not because of us. 53:39 It's His integrity that counts. 53:43 He is the One that can stand before His Father and say: 53:47 "Father, I plead My blood in behalf of this person. " 53:54 Now this is talking about you and me... 53:57 and what our part is: 54:10 Dear friend, when it comes to salvation 54:13 that is totally and completely of God. 54:16 You and I can't add one thing to it 54:20 in any way, shape, form, or fashion. 54:23 That is God's. 54:26 When it comes to our responsibility, 54:29 very simple: obey. 54:32 That's it. 54:34 You and I are to obey... to follow. 54:37 He is my righteousness; He is my salvation. 54:43 And thus He says: 54:51 So, God's Word to the church of Sardis: 54:56 those that had a name that they were living but were dead. 55:00 In our next presentation we'll be covering 55:03 the church of Philadelphia: 55:05 the church of brotherly love. 55:09 May God bless you. 55:10 May you have a great, great day. 55:14 Hello, folks. 55:16 One of my favorite things to do in the springtime 55:18 is to take a walk and look at all the new growth. 55:22 The earth seems so fresh, 55:24 and each tree bursts forth with buds and flowers. 55:27 That reminds me of a parable that Jesus told His followers 55:31 in Luke 21. 55:33 You see, He had just described the events which will happen 55:36 immediately before His second coming. 55:53 But in verse 29 Jesus turns their attention 55:57 to the fig tree. 55:58 And ever since then, budding trees have served as a permanent 56:02 reminder that our time here is very short 56:05 and the second coming is very near. 56:23 Folks, many of these signs are already upon us. 56:27 The earth groans from the greed of those who have 56:30 exploited her resources, ravaged her land 56:34 and destroyed plants and animals and atmosphere alike 56:37 in a selfish pursuit of wealth. 56:40 Have you seen the signs? 56:41 Have you seen men's hearts failing with fear? 56:44 If you haven't, then I'm afraid you're not watching 56:47 very closely. However, the Holy Spirit is hard at work 56:51 and so are many Christians who long for an end to sin 56:55 and look forward to their soon-coming Savior. 56:58 That's why we continue to preach the gospel 57:01 to as many as we can through any means that we can 57:05 as often as we can. 57:08 Our ministry team is supported solely 57:10 by your contributions... and we thank you for your 57:13 faithful prayers and financial support. 57:17 May God richly bless you. 57:19 Please consider what you can do for those who still don't know 57:23 about Jesus. As the Holy Spirit impresses, 57:26 please send your tax-deductible gifts to: 57:40 Thank you for helping us spread the light of God's Word 57:43 through television and radio. 57:44 Your gifts help bring the blessed hope of salvation 57:47 to millions around the world. |
Revised 2014-12-17