Grieving a loss

“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”

“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”

“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”

“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”

“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”

“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”

“to end by saying we need to hear the spirit calling us today hear the spirit calling us today we observe the autopsy of a dead dying church we consider the instructions of the living Christ but now number three let's look together and talk about hear in the spirit calling us today because before we leave this Cemetery of dead of a dead Church let's recognize our own vulnerability and”

“in relics on the streets what I see at this Men's Conference is life and at the end of Joseph preaching the third and final message we had a moment where we wanted to give guys the opportunity to respond to the gospel and guys to get right with the Lord and God to shut off their sin and before he could even pray there's about 30 men on their knees confessing their sin giving their lives to Jesus and though there's dying churches around the state of Maine God is always in the business of taking a Remnant and small few in moving in power in Dark Places and so I'm just grateful”

“alive read the next phrase with me but you are dead you have a reputation of being alive Chestnut Street Church looks like a church on the outside but on the inside it is dead spiritually and so Jesus goes on to say wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die for I have not found your Works complete in the sight of my”

“ministry of that church and what had happened to this church was that it continued to live out its tradition it continued to practice it religion it continued to walk through its patterns and Pathways but somewhere along the way this church was not living in the spirit it had been broken in the flesh flesh and as a result this church was dying you see ladies and gentlemen it is”

“million-- dooll renovation Grace the restaurant accommodates nearly 200 diners on its ground floor and balconies and still finds room for a gigantic Central circular bar and so as I approach the subject at the church at Sardis this is exactly the same thing that's going on with Sardis how on Earth could a church like this with all these people all this vibrancy all this move of God all these baptisms all this faithfulness within a couple Generations turned into a dying Church to the point”

“order that he would draw the church and then he's going to give the church a promise look what he says in verse four and five he said yet you have still a few names in Sardis people who have not soiled their garments that's the idea of of di that's like my boys when they take their jeans and they go outside and they play outside on an acre and a half and they come in and the knees are always skint and they have green on them and they have brown on them from the dirt this idea of like soiling something you see this church at Sardis would have understood this because the primary kind of economic way that they made money was actually dying wool in their context and”

“not Marvel that I say to you you must be born again the way that a person becomes a Christian is through a supernatural birth a birth of life through the spirit of God in the human spirit and where we begin to gain eternal life not when we die and go to heaven but it's a gift that we receive when we receive Jesus Christ and the”

“pattern number two how clear and Vivid is your assurance and your certainty of God's forgiveness and fatherly love for the sins and the things that you struggle with if you died and went to heaven today and Jesus asked you why should I let you into my heaven what would your”

“churches were planted but the fact of the matter is that churches that are dying and closing are outpacing every effort to reestablish to replant and to ultimately Revitalize churches around us today of course Co brought a massive escalation to this trend to this move because many churches found themselves at a place of not being able to survive beyond the pandemic and the crisis but”

“church at Sardis was like a museum where stuffed animals are exhibited in their natural habitat everything appears to be normal but nothing is alive what a description of many churches today they're in their habitat everything looks normal but they're dying they're dead there's no power of the spirit they needed Revival they needed new breath”

“today you're in retirement and it's a new season but somehow a retirement from your career has slipped into a retirement in your walk and Jesus says be very careful because as much as you are alive quickly you can turn and spiritually you can die the Lord tells us that we are not done until we stand in front of him and”

“danger before we can do anything about it I don't know if you've ever driven late at night and inevitably I've got to be careful when I drive at night because I'll be driving and I'll get comfortable and then the hum of that road and before I know it and you wake up you've got to realize man I'm in trouble if I don't change something very quickly it's going to end in a very fiery crash for me and so you”

“so he's writing to a church that this would have really Illustrated something for them because they understood the process of dying and soiling something and what he's saying is there's some among you that are the remnant that are still faithful you haven't given in you haven't given up you haven't drifted away but you've still been faithful to God and they will walk with me and white for they are worthy what I want you to hear in that verse four is that God commends the faithful I think some of us have this approach to God as if he's”

“to choose to make this church a church where 80% of the people give 80% of the people serve and the other 20 are the 20 we're seeking to reach God help us to be a church that steps up then Jesus told them they need to call up do you see what he says here he says wake up strength than what remains for you're about to die and then he says for I have not found your Works complete in my sight but then he says in verse”

“dead wake up strengthen what remains and is about to die for I have not found your Works complete in the sight of my God remember then what you received and heard keep it and repent if you will not wake up I will come like a thief and you will not know at what hour will come against you yet you have still a few names in Sardis people who have not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in”

“to hear the call to wake up and that was the first thing that Jesus said to this church wake up but then he said step up what does it say there go back to Revelation Chapter 3: 2 again it says wake up and then it says and strengthen what remains and is about to die have you ever noticed how easy it is to set an alarm clock and to wake up but not get up H you hit that snooze”

“Hearts they've already considered All Things a loss just to know you Jesus because you change everything and so God we are very grateful to be in the church today worshiping you spirit and Truth we're so grateful to have activities on our campus today and tonight the rest of the afternoon grateful that you are moving in the life of our church we've SE people get baptized so many people this past year you're doing amazing things”

“preferences and comfort unhealthy churches give half-hearted attention to the conversion of the Lost in contrast living churches devote time and resources and energy to both local evangelism and worldwide missions in the message to Sardis we saw Christ revealed as the lifegiver he alone grants spiritual Vitality to those with a comos”

“Ministry is but but the the over and over and over again what I find when I disciple guys and I'm discipling one now on Wednesday mornings is that when we first get into this you realize that there's kind of some big sins that they're struggling with like there's big stuff that keeps them in their Brokenness which leads them ultimately to conviction which usually leads them to guilt and sorrow and then they kind of find themselves on the sideline not doing anything for the Lord because they're really ashamed of what they're struggling with and what I often tell them is if you just focus on your sin you're never going to win like you're”