1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,220 Revelation chapter three, as we continue looking at Jesus' letters to the seven churches. 2 00:00:11,220 --> 00:00:14,520 And all these are super fun, right? 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,420 All these letters make us feel real good about ourselves. 4 00:00:18,420 --> 00:00:24,420 You can see that the issues they were dealing with back then are still many of the issues 5 00:00:24,420 --> 00:00:26,660 that we deal with today. 6 00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:36,280 And as you come to Sardis, you come to a really sad church because Jesus is going to say that they're dead. 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,280 They are a dead church. 8 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:46,620 And it really causes us to consider how churches die in the first place. 9 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:53,000 And as I was thinking about this and their situation, it became apparent that Sardis, 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:59,000 if you were to talk with anyone in the church, they wouldn't have thought they were dead. 11 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,500 It's one of the saddest parts, you know? 12 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:05,200 They thought that they were a living and active church. 13 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:07,800 And Jesus surprises them with this message. 14 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:14,400 It reminded me, I'm kind of a sucker for pretty much any Gordon Ramsay show. 15 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:15,600 It doesn't matter what he does. 16 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,100 I don't know what it is about that man. 17 00:01:18,100 --> 00:01:20,900 But like any show that he does, I'm a sucker for those. 18 00:01:20,900 --> 00:01:23,200 And he has one called Kitchen Nightmares, right? 19 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:30,200 Where he'll go into these restaurants that are failing and he tries to revive them and keep them from shutting down. 20 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,400 And there was one episode in particular that stuck out to me. 21 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:39,300 It was a restaurant called Penta Leones and it was known for their pizza. 22 00:01:39,300 --> 00:01:43,100 And they advertise paper that I framed on the wall and it said, 23 00:01:43,100 --> 00:01:46,200 Penta Leones named best pizza in Denver. 24 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:48,100 Which one do you prefer? 25 00:01:48,100 --> 00:01:50,500 They picked the frozen pizza. 26 00:01:50,500 --> 00:01:53,100 And so here was this restaurant, Sardis. 27 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:58,300 No one in Sardis realized they had a dead church. 28 00:01:58,300 --> 00:02:03,800 Question I think that we need to consider is what causes churches to die? 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:05,900 Die. Look at the very beginning there. 30 00:02:05,900 --> 00:02:09,300 Verse one, Jesus says, 31 00:02:09,300 --> 00:02:12,800 into the angel they were full of life and vigor. 32 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:16,700 And now they were living in that reputation. 33 00:02:16,700 --> 00:02:18,600 Here's what we earned in the past. 34 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:22,200 And no matter how much time has gone by, we're still worthy of it now. 35 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,900 They said. They convinced themselves of that. 36 00:02:24,900 --> 00:02:28,100 I mean, you look at this church and they were still gathering, right? 37 00:02:28,100 --> 00:02:30,000 They still had their programs. 38 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,400 They were still doing stuff. 39 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:33,200 They were moving. 40 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,200 But just as a body can still move after death, 41 00:02:37,200 --> 00:02:40,500 so too the movements and activity in Sardis. 42 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:44,900 Because the people themselves were very religious, 43 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:48,000 but they were hypocrites. 44 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,600 The dead churches are filled with religious hypocrites. 45 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:53,200 And you remember in Jesus's day, 46 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,500 there were a bunch of religious people who had the reputation of being alive, 47 00:02:57,500 --> 00:02:59,600 but they were actually dead, right? 48 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:02,400 You remember these people, the Pharisees? 49 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:04,700 They were all sorts of religious. 50 00:03:04,700 --> 00:03:05,800 Were they not? 51 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:07,600 They were going to the temple. 52 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:10,900 They were doing all of their religious duties. 53 00:03:10,900 --> 00:03:14,700 They were making their offerings and they were praying in public places 54 00:03:14,700 --> 00:03:16,400 and they were fasting and twisting their faith. 55 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:18,200 They were doing everything you can do. 56 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,700 You looked and the people said, 57 00:03:19,700 --> 00:03:22,100 Oh, the Pharisees, they're great. 58 00:03:22,100 --> 00:03:25,200 They're a picture of holiness and what we should be. 59 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:27,100 They're alive and Jesus said, you're right. 60 00:03:27,100 --> 00:03:31,400 They are beautiful on the outside. 61 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,900 But what was the problem? 62 00:03:34,900 --> 00:03:36,700 Dead on the inside. 63 00:03:36,700 --> 00:03:38,300 Remember what Jesus compared them to? 64 00:03:38,300 --> 00:03:40,100 They were like a what? 65 00:03:40,100 --> 00:03:41,900 A white wash tomb. 66 00:03:41,900 --> 00:03:43,900 You're beautiful on the outside. 67 00:03:43,900 --> 00:03:45,100 It's gorgeous. 68 00:03:45,100 --> 00:03:46,900 It looks perfect. 69 00:03:46,900 --> 00:03:51,400 Exactly how it should be. 70 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,700 But on the inside, full of dead people's lives. 71 00:03:55,700 --> 00:04:01,400 And I think it's incredibly easy for individuals today and for churches today 72 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:03,800 to become like that white wash tomb. 73 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,500 How about you? 74 00:04:06,500 --> 00:04:09,500 It's real easy for churches to look the part today. 75 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:10,900 Is it not? 76 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:12,400 They know what to say. 77 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,900 The pastor has come up with a few taglines that he knows will get an amen 78 00:04:15,900 --> 00:04:17,800 and he can get the people going that way. 79 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:19,500 They've got the music down to a T. 80 00:04:19,500 --> 00:04:20,600 You go and they've got that. 81 00:04:20,600 --> 00:04:21,600 I mean, they just are there. 82 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:23,700 The picture. 83 00:04:23,700 --> 00:04:27,300 They are beautiful on the outside. 84 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:29,700 But what's their substance? 85 00:04:29,700 --> 00:04:31,600 Is there substance? 86 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:33,600 Are they just going with the routine of it? 87 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:35,800 Are they just going through the motions of it all? 88 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,100 Or are they actually alive? 89 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:43,200 Because it's possible to have all these things going on and still be a dead church. 90 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,000 That's exactly what you see in Sardis. 91 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,200 I mean, you see it right there. 92 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:47,000 They were moving. 93 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:47,700 They were active. 94 00:04:47,700 --> 00:04:49,100 They were doing all sorts of things. 95 00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:51,900 They had works because Jesus said, I know your works. 96 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:55,900 And yet he says, you got all this stuff going on. 97 00:04:55,900 --> 00:04:58,200 But you're dead. 98 00:04:58,200 --> 00:05:00,800 How does the church get to this point? 99 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,200 Well, let me ask you a question. 100 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:09,000 Why do you think it is that the Pharisees did not realize that they were like white wash tombs? 101 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Anybody have any idea? 102 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:19,000 Why didn't the Pharisees realize they were like white wash tombs? 103 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:27,000 It's probably because if you think you're good with God, you're never going to have any time to self-reflect, right? 104 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:28,500 Make some assessments. 105 00:05:28,500 --> 00:05:33,000 If your whole thing is, I'm doing all the things that I think I should be doing, 106 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,000 I'm going to do all the things that I think I should be doing. 107 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,000 And all the things I think God wants me to do. 108 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:43,500 And if I've convinced myself I'm good with God, I'm not going to question it. 109 00:05:43,500 --> 00:05:46,000 I'm never going to self-reflect at all. 110 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:50,000 And so you begin not to worry about certain things. 111 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:54,000 And I want you to notice what Jesus says to this church here. 112 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:59,000 He says, you have the reputation of being alive, but you're dead. 113 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:00,500 And then I want you to skip to verse three. 114 00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:02,000 Look at verse three. 115 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:06,000 He says, remember them what you received and heard. 116 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Keep it and repent. 117 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,000 If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief. 118 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:17,000 And you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 119 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000 Now this is really interesting, okay? 120 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:26,000 Jesus says if they're not going to change their ways, he's going to come like a thief. 121 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:30,000 And they're not going to know when, but he's going to come against you. 122 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,000 And they're not going to know when, but he's going to come against them. 123 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:38,000 And this would have really gotten under the skin of the church in Sardis 124 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,000 because of the history of the city of Sardis. 125 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:47,000 You see, I wish I had my whiteboard, but I was playing music with Rylan. 126 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:54,000 If you picture the city of Sardis, picture a city literally built into a mountain, okay? 127 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Giant mountains all around. 128 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:01,000 They put their city backed up into a mountain, so it was wide open to the front, 129 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,000 but to the back they just had these huge mountains behind them. 130 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:08,000 And so the city of Sardis was said to be impenetrable. 131 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,000 It was unable to be conquered. 132 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:15,000 And the city, like the Pharisees thought, we're good. 133 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,000 What is there to worry about? 134 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,000 No one can conquer us. 135 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,000 No one can penetrate our walls because we've got these huge mountains 136 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,000 and we can see everything coming at us. 137 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:27,000 And so you know what the city did? 138 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:32,000 They became so comfortable that they took all of their guards off the walls 139 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,000 that they had built into the mountains and they put them all in the front of the city. 140 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,000 They said, is that wise? Should we do that? 141 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Because what endo, like, what? 142 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,000 Are they going to climb the mountains and conquer us? 143 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,000 It would never happen. It could never happen. 144 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,000 So they put all the guards in the front. 145 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:55,000 And then Cyrus, when he was wanting to overtake this city, 146 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:58,000 said, hey, they don't really have any guards on their walls back there. 147 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:03,000 What's stopping us from climbing the mountain and attacking them from behind? 148 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:05,000 And that's exactly what he did. 149 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,000 And he conquered the city of Sardis in that same way. 150 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,000 He went over the walls exactly the way they said could not happen, 151 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:14,000 and he conquered the city. 152 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:19,000 And from that point on, Sardis was humiliated and they became known for their overconfidence. 153 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000 People looked at them and they said, well, what did you expect? 154 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,000 You took all your guards off the wall. 155 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:27,000 You got too comfortable thinking you were good. 156 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,000 And that's embarrassing, is it not? 157 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:33,000 When you make a mistake like that and it's exploited, 158 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,000 they would never, ever make the same mistake twice. 159 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,000 Right? 160 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,000 Right. 161 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:44,000 I mean, if that's part of your history and everybody makes fun of you for doing that, 162 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:48,000 that really dumb decision, you wouldn't make that mistake again, right? 163 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:53,000 Well, three centuries later, when they were free again, 164 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,000 they said, you know what? 165 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,000 I don't think it could be done again. 166 00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:02,000 I don't think anyone's going to climb those mountains and overtake our city. 167 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:05,000 And so they once again took all the guards off the wall. 168 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:10,000 They put all the guards in the front, and then King Antiochus came around 169 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,000 and he said, there's no one on those walls. 170 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000 What if we climbed them like Cyrus did? 171 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:19,000 So he and his men climbed the walls, came through from the mountains, 172 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,000 and took the city of Sardis over. 173 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:27,000 And they literally became conquered the same way twice 174 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,000 because of their own dumb decisions that they did, 175 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,000 because of their overconfidence. 176 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,000 They were just like the Pharisees where they said, 177 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:39,000 we're good, what is there to worry about? 178 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,000 And that's why Jesus says, if you don't change, I'm going to come against you. 179 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:46,000 And you're not going to know when, you're feeling pretty good about yourself now, 180 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,000 but it's going to be like a thief. 181 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:53,000 And you're beginning to see a picture of what causes churches to die. 182 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:55,000 What word would you put to that? 183 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:57,000 That whole situation that we just described. 184 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:04,000 There's a word that I'm looking for here that is a key to dying churches. 185 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Comfort, yeah, that's a good word, similar. 186 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Wait, who said it? 187 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Complacency, that's right. 188 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:17,000 That's exactly what it is, complacency. 189 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,000 That is the key to churches dying. 190 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:24,000 That's exactly what led the Pharisees to not realize that they were a bunch of whitewashed tombs. 191 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:29,000 That's what led the city of Sardis to falling twice in the exact same way, 192 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:33,000 and that is what is contributing to the death of the church in Sardis. 193 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 They had become complacent. 194 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,000 And so here's what I want to tell you. 195 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:48,000 We must not be complacent but vigilant in our faith because complacency kills churches. 196 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:53,000 Few things will kill a church quicker than complacency. 197 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:56,000 So here's my question then. 198 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:01,000 Is there any hope for dead and dying churches? 199 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:07,000 What can a church do to be revived and considered worthy in the eyes of the Lord? 200 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:10,000 Well, I want you to see what Jesus says to this church. 201 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:12,000 Notice what he says in verse 2. 202 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,000 He says, wake up! 203 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die, 204 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:26,000 for I have not found your works complete in my sight. 205 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,000 Now here's what I want you to notice here. 206 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,000 You can circle this word, do whatever you want, but that phrase, wake up, 207 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,000 is not the typical word used to mean to wake from sleep. 208 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,000 It's not what it means. 209 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:43,000 It's actually a word that means to be watchful and vigilant. 210 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,000 So there's a difference here. 211 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,000 He's not saying, oh, you fall asleep, you need to wake up. 212 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 He's saying, you're complacent. 213 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:52,000 You're not paying attention to what you're doing. 214 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:54,000 You're not being watchful. 215 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,000 You're not being vigilant here and you need to get with it. 216 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,000 Otherwise, the rest of the parts of the church that I haven't died yet, 217 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,000 it's going to die. 218 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,000 I don't want to go off on a rant about this, 219 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:08,000 but I think this is one of the main things that kills churches today, 220 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,000 where churches are content to just go through the motions, 221 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 do things the way they've always been done. 222 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:16,000 They just sit back and they think that we're just doing the routine 223 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:20,000 and they never think about how we can actually be watchful and vigilant, 224 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:24,000 how we can be active, how we can be our keyword here at this church, effective. 225 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,000 They never think about this. 226 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 And these churches die. 227 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,000 And they watch themselves die. 228 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:35,000 There's a real danger here. 229 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,000 You see, with the city of Sardis, 230 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,000 they thought they had a strength. 231 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,000 They're mountains. 232 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,000 The mountains protect us. 233 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:46,000 But they left it unguarded, right? 234 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:51,000 I like the way my former seminary professor, Dr. Herschel York, said, 235 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,000 he said, an unguarded strength is twice a weakness. 236 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:00,000 And I just want you to consider for a moment, 237 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:05,000 what is it in your life that you would consider a strength 238 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:08,000 and so you've left it unguarded? 239 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,000 Because that's where you're vulnerable. 240 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,000 That's where you can be attacked. 241 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:18,000 That's where your overconfidence and your complacency will ruin you. 242 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,000 For many people, it's their marriage, right? 243 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,000 I've got a strong marriage. 244 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:26,000 Me and my wife, we're good. 245 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,000 So I don't have to worry about dating her or pursuing her 246 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:33,000 or making her feel special or reminding her of how much I love her. 247 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,000 We're good. 248 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:36,000 Why would I need to go and do this? 249 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,000 I don't even have to worry about it. 250 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:43,000 Ladies, do you have anything to say about that? 251 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:47,000 Yeah, right. 252 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:50,000 A lot of people get very complacent in their marriage. 253 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:53,000 And what do you start to do? 254 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,000 You say, well, my marriage is a strength, 255 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:57,000 so I don't really need to do anything about it. 256 00:13:57,000 --> 00:14:00,000 You leave it unprotected, you leave it unguarded. 257 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,000 You don't try to pay attention to it. 258 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,000 You're not vigilant with it. 259 00:14:04,000 --> 00:14:07,000 That's what leads many people to having marriages that fall apart. 260 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,000 Spouses growing apart. 261 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000 Infidelity happening. 262 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,000 Because you thought it was a strength, 263 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,000 so you left it unprotected, you grew complacent, 264 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,000 and now look at the state of your marriage today. 265 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 I'm going to be honest, 266 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:25,000 and this might not hit as hard for as many people here tonight, 267 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,000 but there are a lot of people in a lot of churches today 268 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,000 who have gotten very complacent with their children. 269 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:35,000 A kid makes a profession of faith early on. 270 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:38,000 Seven or eight years old, five or six. 271 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,000 They make a profession of faith. 272 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,000 They get baptized. 273 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,000 The parent says, my kid's going to heaven. 274 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:44,000 It's a strength. 275 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:45,000 So what do you do? 276 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Leave them unguarded. 277 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:48,000 They don't have to worry about them. 278 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:49,000 They're going to heaven. 279 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,000 They never come to church anymore. 280 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,000 They don't read the Bible. 281 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,000 Haven't really seen any sanctification happen lately. 282 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,000 There's no commitment to the Lord and His purpose and His mission. 283 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 There's no holiness that's happening here. 284 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,000 But I don't need to worry about it 285 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,000 because they made that profession of faith, 286 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,000 and kids would never lie. 287 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:11,000 They were baptized, so they're good. 288 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:13,000 And we won't so desperately to believe 289 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 that this is a security and a strength in our lives 290 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:16,000 that we leave it unguarded. 291 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,000 And how many kids today have deceived their parents and themselves 292 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,000 into thinking that they are in a right relationship with God 293 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,000 and the parents have not done anything to nurture that relationship. 294 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:27,000 They've just left it unguarded 295 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,000 and sent their kids out into the world to be schooled 296 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:32,000 by the education system that we have today, 297 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,000 by the culture that we have today, 298 00:15:34,000 --> 00:15:37,000 by social media that they are exposed to all the time. 299 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:43,000 And then we wonder why Johnny's not in church anymore. 300 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000 It's because the parents said he's good. 301 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,000 I don't need to worry about him. 302 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:54,000 For many people, it's stuff that goes on in the church all the time. 303 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:59,000 Well, I don't need to volunteer for that thing, right? 304 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,000 I don't need to volunteer because someone will. 305 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000 Yeah, we want to have a VBS this year. 306 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,000 I don't need to volunteer. Someone's going to. 307 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 I know that we need stuff done around the church, 308 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:13,000 but I don't need to worry about it. 309 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,000 Tommy Burdine's going to do it. 310 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:19,000 Tommy Burdine, ladies and gentlemen. 311 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,000 I don't need to try to help out with music or sound or anything else 312 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,000 because we've got people for that. 313 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:26,000 I don't need to get involved in gospel groups 314 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,000 because I'm sure someone will. 315 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,000 How easy it is for us to grow complacent in the church, 316 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:34,000 especially when we do see that other people are doing it. 317 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:37,000 It's great that we've got ourselves a Tommy Burdine 318 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,000 and a Gene McKinney and a Michael Stevenson. 319 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,000 That's fantastic. 320 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,000 They are strengths in our church. 321 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,000 But you still have to protect those strengths, don't you? 322 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:53,000 Because I know that these guys would never get burned out, ever. 323 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:58,000 It sure would be nice if we could have someone to go alongside them, 324 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:04,000 boost them up, help them out, not leave that strength unguarded. 325 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,000 I mean, you look around our church today 326 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,000 and it seems like everybody is content to just let everyone else do the work. 327 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,000 The spirit of complacency that killed Sardis 328 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:17,000 is killing churches all across America today. 329 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:19,000 I don't need to worry about it. 330 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,000 We're good. We've got people doing it. 331 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000 It's not going to be like that forever. 332 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,000 I've got more to say on that in upcoming sermons, 333 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,000 so I'm not going to preach it tonight. 334 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,000 But just stay tuned for that. 335 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,000 I just want you to understand that complacency kills churches. 336 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,000 I want you to notice the second thing Jesus says. 337 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:40,000 So not only does He say, 338 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,000 you've got to wake up and strengthen what remains. 339 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,000 He says in verse 3, notice what He says there. 340 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:51,000 Remember then what you received and heard and keep it. 341 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:54,000 He says, remember and keep it. 342 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,000 And they were doing a great deal of remembering here, 343 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 but what were they remembering? 344 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,000 The old times, that's right. 345 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,000 Jesus is wanting them to remember the gospel 346 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,000 and the mission of the church. 347 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:08,000 How often we forget the mission of the church? 348 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,000 We think church is just something we go to. 349 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,000 How often we forget that we have a mission as a church. 350 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,000 Jesus wants them to remember that, 351 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,000 but as Michael said, they're getting hung up on the good old days. 352 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:19,000 Oh man. 353 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Like Jesus, we are remembering. 354 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,000 Best pizza in Denver, right? 355 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,000 We're the best church there is. 356 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,000 We're Sardis. 357 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,000 We wake up on the good old days, the glory days, 358 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,000 and they can't move by it. 359 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:36,000 You know, Tom Rainer, some of you know the name, 360 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,000 he's one of the leading church experts in the world today. 361 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:43,000 He's researched more churches than I think any other person alive has. 362 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,000 And he studied a lot of dying churches and dead churches. 363 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,000 And he said the number one most common thing 364 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:57,000 that they all had in common was that they were clinging to the past. 365 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,000 That's interesting, isn't it? 366 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:03,000 They had thousands upon thousands of dead churches and dying churches. 367 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:06,000 And every single one of them had a same problem, 368 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,000 had a lot of different problems in many ways, 369 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,000 but they all shared one problem at least. 370 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,000 They were clinging to the past. 371 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:18,000 They only wanted the worship music of the past. 372 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,000 They wanted to use evangelism strategies of the past. 373 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,000 They wanted no screens in the church building. 374 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,000 Couldn't have any screens. 375 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,000 They wanted the same number of services 376 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,000 at the same times that they'd always had. 377 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,000 They wanted the men to wear suits and ties 378 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,000 and the women to wear dresses. 379 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:40,000 They wanted the church to do everything it had done 380 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,000 during America's spiritual glory days. 381 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:46,000 And listen, we should be thankful for those days, right? 382 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,000 Praise God that we had them here in America. 383 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,000 But listen to me, those days are gone. 384 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Those days are gone. 385 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,000 And I want to just remind you of this, you already know this. 386 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:01,000 We could do absolutely everything we used to do back then. 387 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:06,000 And there is no guarantee it would be as successful today. 388 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,000 You could play the same music, you could dress the same way, 389 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,000 you could do the same strategies, same evangelism, 390 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:15,000 all that kind of stuff, and there is no guarantee 391 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000 that you'd have the same results today. 392 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:21,000 In fact, I think you'd probably have the opposite results today. 393 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Those days are gone. 394 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,000 Appreciate them, but you have to move forward. 395 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,000 You have to be willing to make changes. 396 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,000 You have to be willing to adapt. 397 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,000 We aren't to obsess over the past and memorialize the past 398 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,000 or try to recreate the past. 399 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:41,000 God has placed us in the 21st century for a reason. 400 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,000 If he wanted us to be born or exist at another time, 401 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,000 do you think our sovereign Lord, who's powerful in all ways, 402 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:48,000 could have done that? 403 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,000 Yeah, absolutely. 404 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,000 But in the infinite wisdom of God, 405 00:20:53,000 --> 00:21:00,000 he said, I want these people to be born and live at this time. 406 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:05,000 And be part of this church and do ministry in this culture, 407 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 which means we have to adapt. 408 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,000 We have to be willing to change. 409 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,000 Listen to me, I'm adamant on this. 410 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,000 The message does not change. 411 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:15,000 You ever heard me change the gospel? 412 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,000 No. 413 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:20,000 At that point, let me be anathema, as Paul says. 414 00:21:20,000 --> 00:21:22,000 If I or an angel or anyone else comes to you 415 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,000 and preach a different gospel than the one you first heard, 416 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000 let them be anathema. 417 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,000 The message does not change, but the way we share it can change. 418 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,000 You go knock door to door today trying to share the gospel, 419 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:35,000 people greet you with a gun. 420 00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:37,000 Are there other ways to share the gospel? 421 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,000 Effective ways. 422 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,000 Worship does not change, but the style can. 423 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,000 Nothing heretical about that. 424 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,000 The gathering of the church doesn't change, but the frequency 425 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:49,000 of which it meets can change. 426 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,000 The times in which they meet can change 427 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,000 to adapt to fit their people better. 428 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 None of that is against the Bible. 429 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,000 It's recognizing the times in which you live 430 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,000 and the culture in which you live 431 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,000 and say we want to be effective in this time. 432 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,000 Here's how we do it. 433 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:08,000 The church is not primarily to be a testament to the glory of its past, 434 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:12,000 but a testament to the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 435 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 Who cares if they know our history? 436 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 Doesn't it matter more that they know Jesus? 437 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:24,000 Who cares if they knew that this place used to only be standing room only? 438 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,000 Praise God for that. 439 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:30,000 Isn't it more important that they know that Jesus is still doing a good work 440 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,000 in us right now? 441 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,000 Let's focus on the stuff that actually matters. 442 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:38,000 You got to get out of the past and get with the present, 443 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:43,000 and Jesus tells them lastly in verse 3 to repent. 444 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:46,000 You got to wake up, you got to strengthen, 445 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:48,000 you got to remember, you got to keep, and you've got to repent. 446 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:50,000 What do you repent of church? 447 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,000 A repent of your complacency, right? 448 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,000 Your apathy. 449 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,000 A repent of your misplaced focus. 450 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,000 It means to change direction, right? 451 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:03,000 You're changing direction away from all these things 452 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,000 and you're turning to Jesus. 453 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,000 And Jesus says if they don't repent, 454 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,000 He's going to come against them when they least expect it. 455 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,000 Jesus wants this church to turn from danger and turn to Him, 456 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:21,000 because Jesus himself is the hope of dying churches. 457 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,000 A church can have programs. 458 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:25,000 It's not going to stop it from dying. 459 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:30,000 A church can have a very popular preacher who's charismatic and a great communicator, 460 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 not going to stop it from dying. 461 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:37,000 A church can have the best music in the entire upstate, not going to stop it from dying. 462 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Jesus is the only hope of dying churches. 463 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,000 He's the only hope there is, period. 464 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,000 And He does see signs of life in Sardis. 465 00:23:47,000 --> 00:23:49,000 Notice what He says in verse 4. 466 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,000 He says, 467 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:53,000 You still have a few names in Sardis, 468 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,000 people who have not soiled their garments 469 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:01,000 and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 470 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:04,000 As many have gone astray, but not everybody has. 471 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:06,000 Some of them have remained faithful to Jesus 472 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,000 and He promises this great reward. 473 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:11,000 And you notice in verse 5, 474 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,000 the one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments. 475 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:17,000 And I'll never blot His name out of the book of life. 476 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:23,000 I will confess His name before my Father and before His angels. 477 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:28,000 And He's saying here, the clothes are going to be white because they've been what? 478 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,000 They've been washed in the blood of the Lamb. 479 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:32,000 It says, 480 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,000 The people who remain faithful to me, the ones who conquer, 481 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,000 the ones who persevere to the end, 482 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:42,000 they will be cleansed, they will be washed white as snow, 483 00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:46,000 they will be with Jesus forever, and He will never deny them. 484 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:47,000 In fact, He says, 485 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:50,000 Your name ends up in the book of life. 486 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:53,000 And He writes those names with a pen, doesn't He, church? 487 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,000 There is no eraser. 488 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:57,000 Your name is in the book of life. 489 00:24:57,000 --> 00:24:59,000 It is there for good. 490 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,000 And praise God for that. Anyone else thankful for that? 491 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Once your name is there, it's there. 492 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,000 He says, that's what's promised. 493 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,000 If you will remain faithful to me. 494 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:15,000 These are the steps He gives this church to be revived again 495 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,000 and considered worthy in His sight. 496 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:21,000 And I want to just remind you of something here. 497 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:25,000 It's easy to look to when you're having a dying church. 498 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:27,000 You just start strategizing, right? 499 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:29,000 What can we do? 500 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:33,000 Human effort can only get you so far, right? 501 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,000 Because I want to just take you back very quickly. 502 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,000 Look back to verse 1. Notice how He started the letter. 503 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,000 This is what He thought as He addressed Sardis. 504 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:45,000 This is what He thought they needed to hear more than anything. 505 00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:47,000 To the angel of the church in Sardis, right? 506 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:52,000 The words of Him who has the seven spirits of God 507 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,000 and the seven stars. 508 00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:00,000 What are the seven spirits of God? Do we remember? 509 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:10,000 Anybody remember seven spirits of God? 510 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Oh, it's not okay. 511 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:17,000 Yeah. 512 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,000 Remember seven is the number of perfection. 513 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,000 Did someone have it? David, were you saying it? 514 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Yeah, seven is the perfect number 515 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,000 in reference to the seven spirits. 516 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,000 It's saying it's the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 517 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,000 It's a reference to the Holy Spirit. 518 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,000 It's the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit. 519 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:38,000 Do you remember the seven stars? 520 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,000 Seven stars are the seven angels. 521 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,000 Angels being of the churches. We said messengers of the churches. 522 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,000 And so Jesus is saying He is the one who is sovereign over the Holy Spirit 523 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:52,000 and the ones who are bringing the messages to the churches. 524 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 Most of all, what He's promising here in saying is that dying churches 525 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,000 need the Holy Spirit more than anything. 526 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:05,000 Without the Spirit of God, you have no hope as a church. 527 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,000 It's actually, there's an interesting Old Testament background to this 528 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:13,000 because you remember when the people of Israel were returning to Jerusalem 529 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,000 and the temple was in ruins, right? 530 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,000 Do you remember? Just a bunch of stone. 531 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000 And they're walking up to this place where the temple once stood 532 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,000 and they see a bunch of stone and God told them to rebuild it. 533 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,000 And they're like, how? 534 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,000 How could we possibly do this? 535 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:31,000 It's too much for us. We don't have the people. 536 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,000 We don't have the resources. We don't have the knowledge to do this. 537 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,000 This is beyond our ability. 538 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:40,000 What hope for us is there to make this a place of worship again, 539 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,000 to have your glory fill this place again? 540 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,000 What hope is there? 541 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:52,000 And in Zechariah, chapter 4 and verse 6, 542 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,000 God is addressing this same issue and He says, 543 00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:03,000 Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, declares the Lord. 544 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:05,000 They're scratching their heads. 545 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:07,000 What are we going to do? 546 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,000 We don't know what we're doing. 547 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:11,000 We don't have the people. We don't have the resources. 548 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,000 And God says, it's not by might. 549 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,000 It's not by power, but by my spirit. 550 00:28:18,000 --> 00:28:23,000 Will this place be rebuilt and filled again? 551 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,000 And that's the promise that He is making here for the church. 552 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:30,000 There is no church apart from the Spirit of God. 553 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:33,000 There is no life apart from the Spirit of God, 554 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:36,000 not by might of men, nor the strategies of men, 555 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,000 nor well-meaning programs. 556 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:41,000 None of these things can save a dying church 557 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,000 or in life in a dead church. 558 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:49,000 Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord. 559 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,000 Folks, what we need more than anything 560 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,000 is the Holy Spirit to be active in our midst. 561 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:57,000 If the Spirit's not here and He's not convicting, 562 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,000 there is no salvation. 563 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 There is no repentance. There is no new life. 564 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:04,000 We need the Holy Spirit. 565 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,000 And so we need to do what Jesus says here. 566 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:09,000 We need to wake up because complacency kills churches. 567 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:12,000 It's time to wake up, church. 568 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,000 It's time to wake up and strengthen what remains 569 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:16,000 before those things die as well. 570 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:20,000 It's time to remember the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ 571 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:24,000 and be willing to adapt to the time in which He has placed us. 572 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,000 It's time to repent of our complacency and our sin 573 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,000 and keep our hearts and our eyes focused on Jesus. 574 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,000 To understand that He is sovereign over the church 575 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,000 and the church's messengers, 576 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:39,000 and He alone can send the Holy Spirit to be among us. 577 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,000 And so that's what we need to pray. 578 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,000 We need to ask the Holy Spirit to come as the giver of life, 579 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:49,000 as the light of illumination, as the teacher of the church, 580 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,000 as the sanctifier of the saints, 581 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:54,000 as the manifestation of love, as the helper of God's people. 582 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:57,000 We need to ask Him to come and breathe life 583 00:29:57,000 --> 00:30:03,000 into these dead, dry bones so that we might live. 584 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:07,000 This is the only hope for dying churches. 585 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:11,000 And as Jesus says, He who has ears to hear, 586 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,000 let Him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 587 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:40,000 Mr. McKinney, you get the word of wisdom tonight.