Grieving a loss

“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”

“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”

“wickedness and the injustice going on in the world, it comforts me to know that God, God will make every wrong right at the end of the age. That's a comfort. And yet it's that same justice that forms the foundation of his love and his patience and his kindness to anyone who might draw near to him through his son. God doesn't look at your sin and say, you know what? That's pretty”

“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”

“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”

“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”

“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”

“The creator God, the God of the universe, the God who's in absolute control is for you and with you and actively engaging your life to bring you comfort. He gives us comfort in the face of loss and death. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And so, Jesus says, blessed, happy, secure”

“your attitudes and actions, how do you see people? Do you allow your preferences to influence your actions towards people. True saving faith puts to death the sin of partiality in our heart. And it all begins with recognizing and understanding the lordship of Jesus in all things, especially his church.”

“You know, we live in a world that is unapologetically partial. And as a result, what we find is that humanity is deeply divided. It's full of pride and hate and sorrow and injustice at every turn. And so what we need to understand is that partiality is not some small benign fact of”

“You know, sometimes there's a level of loss and grief in which you cry out all your tears. And there's no more tears left. And yet, all you're left with is that heavy heartache and heartbreak, that sense of mourning, of loss. In the Greek, there are nine different verbs that express grief.”

“a comos and dying faith in light of his urgent alarm to Sardis all of us who tend towards spiritual stuper must turn from stale and safe religious routines and embrace the Abundant Life only Christ can provide he extends a sincere invitation to you right now if you feel the stiffness of spiritual rigor mortis setting in take Christ's words to Heart”

“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”

“step of obedience and then all of a sudden you look behind you and those things that were there that used to be a struggle aren't there anymore because you got a bigger vision for your life and in the same way God's calling us to take a step of obedience like what is that for you as you sit here today that he would aesh speak something in your heart and in your mind to step out and experience his power as you get out of the boat of your comfort zone and take a step of obedience towards him when you hear the word stewardship this is completely kind of we sto there”

“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”

“Sardis there were a Remnant there whose garments were not soiled one of the interesting things about Sardis is that they were known for the garments they created they made white Woolen garments and so it was interesting that Jesus use that analogy from the history of the church to talk about the fact that there were a remnant of people there who who were not a part of the dying Church they were the Living Church today I thank God in”

“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”

“or dying faith in light of his urgent alarm to Sardis all of us who tend toward spiritual stuper must turn from stale religious routine and embrace the Abundant Life only Jesus Christ can provide he extends a sincere invitation hear this today he extends a sincere invitation to you right now if you feel the stiffness of spiritual rigor mortise setting in take Christ's words to Heart wake up and declare your”

“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”

“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”

“the sales of indulg indulgence by the Roman Catholic church and he ignited what is now known in history as the Protestant Reformation but what it really was was a Revival it was a church that was dying it was a system that was dead it was a religion with no power and Luther recovered the message of the gospel and the message of the Gospel was simply that salvation and eternal life are gifts of God they're not earned through”

“rejected for he found no chance to repent though he sought it with tears why well it wasn't that the Lord wasn't willing to forgive him it was that his heart was so callous and numb and cold though he wanted to repent he couldn't come and authentically repent before the Lord so we got to wake up number two we've got to step up he says wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die what does that mean well it means”

“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”