Grieving a loss

“felt to lose the first of my parents. And then just five years ago, my father passed away. He lived a number of years after her. And losing your mom and losing your dad, I mean, those are things that are kind of natural order of life. I'm thankful that it was them in that they never had to grieve the loss of me or my brother. But loss and grief is hard. My dad would have been 95 today. Today was his birthday. But I share that with you to say that in life, whether it's”

“There are going to be no more tears because hurtful memories will be replaced. There will be no more death because mortality will be swallowed up in life. There will be no more mourning because sorrow will be completely comforted. No more crying because sounds of weeping will be soothed. No more pain because all human suffering will be cured. No more thirst because God will graciously quench all desires. No more wickedness because all evil will be banished.”

“that we're content to let us remain like that. We need to go and sow and pray and weep and ask that God would bring life to the church by bringing new birth into the hearts and the lives of people. Swindoll said this, and I close. Finally, a dead church lacks evangelistic missionary zeal. Turn inward on their own needs, preference, and comfort.”

“we are one of the churches that need to hear what the spirit is saying this church did not die because it was attacked outwardly. This church died because of the death of its members. There was no vibrancy. There was no faith. There was no risk. The church became a dead church. In his commentary on this passage, Chuck Swindoll gave some telling indicators”

“compromised and sick and ultimately dying and this church was in the curve of death it's very interesting that the word that is used here when Jesus said you appear to be alive but you are dead the word that is used is the Greek word necross necross is the Greek word for death there's another word in the Greek thas which means the death of the physical body but necros means something that is in the process of of corrupting”

“and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all have sinned the bible says that we may not all be as bad as we can be but we're all as bad off as we can be but then he comes down to the 15th chapter of romans and having described god's work for all have sinned and that the wages of sin is death but that the gift of god is eternal life through jesus christ our lord and then he says there in romans chapter 15 and verse 5. Now may the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another”

“breathe in the power of the spirit of God because we are a born again people born again to life that which is of the flesh is flesh fleshly things die and the reason that this church was dying is because it had become a fleshly church so what did Jesus say to the church how did he address address this issue in the church go back to Revelation 3 we talked about observing the autopsy of a Dying church”

“of they have to actually sign over a deed to a developing company to make it into a restaurant called Grace restaurant how does that happen well we're going to talk about how that happens and I think one of the things that I want to begin with if you're taking notes with me today I want us to observe the autopsy of a Dying church I want us to observe deserve the autopsy of a Dying church because this was the case in Sardis they were dying and they”

“Born again to life. That which is of the flesh is flesh. Fleshly things die. And the reason that this church was dying is because it had become a fleshly church. So what did Jesus say to the church? How did he address this issue in the church? Go back to Revelation 3. We talked about observing the autopsy of a dying church as it moved from being a mission to a ministry to a monument to a morgue. But now let's consider the admonition of the living Christ.”

“It's very interesting that the word that is used here when Jesus said, you appear to be alive, but you are dead, the word that is used is the Greek word nekros. Nekros is the Greek word for death. There's another word in the Greek, thanatos, which means the death of the physical body. but necros means something that is in the process of corrupting and something that is in the process of dying. It can mean that which is departed. It can mean that which is ultimately in the process of moving away.”

“answer be and would that answer center around the fact that Jesus rose died Rose and conquered death for you and that you have made him Lord and Savior and that his blood has cleansed you from all sin if you if you can't say that today then you don't know Jesus and you don't have saving Faith are you having any particular seasons of deep Delight in the Lord is he teaching you and instructing you are you seeing his faithfulness and”

“Decay what was true of the city of Sardis had become true of the church at Sardis let's begin to work our way through this passage today and let's start by first observing what I would call the autopsy of a Dying Church let's observe the autopsy of a Dying Church Jesus the great physician Jesus the”

“through us and outward to the community around us so in light of that let's learn something now from the church at Sardis so we don't ever become the church at Sardis and I think he's not only writing to the church he's also relating to two kind of groups within the church a faithful group and a dying group and for the dying group he's meaning to write this in such a way that it would convict them and it would draw them and it would renew them by his spirit and so the question we got to ask”

“this is a crucial issue for us to consider and for us to understand because we are a church living today and we believe that God has given us a mission that we must be passionate and attentive to and prioritized for in our lives but we cannot Overlook the fact that the loss of churches means the loss of light and witness across Ross the landscape of America and of course we've”

“Let's begin to work our way through this passage today and let's start by first observing what I would call the autopsy of a dying church. Let's observe the autopsy of a dying church. Jesus, the great physician, Jesus, the omniscient and omnipresent God, saw this church and as he saw this church, he spoke to this church and said, the words of he who has seven spirits of God”

“Did you notice that Jesus did say here in another part of this passage that he said, you are about to die, the end of verse 2, he says, strengthen what remains and is about to die. It wasn't that they couldn't wake up, but they needed to wake up. Paul expressed this about the church in Rome in Romans 13, and I think it's a critical passage for the church in America and the church at large today.”

“and we believe that God has given us a mission that we must be passionate and attentive to and prioritize for in our lives. But we cannot overlook the fact that the loss of churches means the loss of light and witness across the landscape of America. And of course, we've seen this in Europe before America and we know today that there is a desperate need for the church to be about the call and the commission of God that is to be fulfilled. Just to give you an example, last week we had a team”

“I'm saying the church itself is not an organization. A church is an organism. It's a living, breathing thing. And just like the organisms in your body, they are either healthy and revitalized and strong or they are weakened and compromised and sick and ultimately dying. And this church was in the curve of death.”

“and something that is in the process of dying it can mean that which is departed it can mean that which is ultimately in the process of moving away and so here he's talking about the ebbing out of the life that that this church is in a a dying State and it's necrotic I love the way way that John MacArthur said it in such a straightforward manner he said the”

“then died like every other person ever. Jesus said all that, planned his death, told people about his death, died and then rose again. And even though this world is full of brokenness, the brokenness of sin, things like death and grief and suffering, it is palpable and it changes people. And sin has”

“But then the Bible speaks of the rest as being lost. And yet, lost is the condition by which all of us are born into the world. We are not born unto life, we are born unto death. Why? Because of sin. The reality of sin. The consequence of sin. The reality that there's something wrong with us from birth. It's not like you have a good seed and a bad seed,”

“that and so why does he say this where does this go what does this mean Tom rer in his book in 2014 wrote a book called the autopsy of a dead church he used to be the president of LifeWay and they've done all kind of Christian research and his findings were that there are some symptoms that are kind of relative and alike for most churches that started strong but did not end strong and this is what he said he said these churches that are dying they treat their past as”

“our hands up grow apathetic and cold and just kind of go with the flow and check the boxes like we're supposed to check the boxes and we got to be a people of fery that want a fresh move of God in our hearts and in our lives and in our church and you step out in faith and experience him the second thing he says in verse two is not only to wake up he then says this he says and strengthen what remains is about to die for I have not found your Works complete I want to talk about that word complete in the sight of God so it says two things to”

“surrendered spirit filled Spirit engaged Spirit fruit bearing church and the day that we fail to recognize the essential movement and work of the spirit is the day that we begin to die as a church we must we must understand that this autopsy of a dead church is a a powerful reminder that the church is not just a body of people it's not a social order it's not”

“sides of the mountain and to come in and to Siege the city and churches began to die when they assumed that their Traditions will be sufficient to ultimately sustain them George lad in his commentary said this the admonition this admonition suggests that the church was not yet entirely Beyond hope it was not too late to awaken from spiritual lethargy there still remained a ridium of Life which”