-From the pulpit..no I am really not. -Review: When we started this journey we traveled to the church in Ephesus: Careless

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1 Fall / Winter Sermon Series Pastor Doug s, Sermon, October 9, 2016 Comfortable, Content, Complacent Revelation 3:1-6 From chair: I look around see what we have done here at LFF I am really Comfortable with all happenings. A new roof, new lights ceiling in FH. or rooms. We have a good children s program, not to big so church doesn t get to dirty, a youth program that is taking care of our young people. The worship, is good, love hymns. The window project is going better than expected. A couple hundred thous in bank.life is good here at LFF. I am comfortable & content with way things are going here at LFF.. -From pulpit..no I am really not. -We re studying in book of Revelation are studying Jesus words to seven different churches. They are very applicable for us today as churches are people human nature has not changed down through ages. Today, I brought a mirror because that is what se letter are. They are mirrors in which we can see ourselves todays letter may be most revealing yet. I want to challenge us all today to look into mirror of God s Word see what we see. -Review: When we started this journey we traveled to church in Ephesus: Careless Church. On outside it looked like it had its act toger. Yet we found out it had lost its first love---the glory of Christ was not ir highest desire. 2 nd Church---Smyrna some 35 miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna Suffering Church. They had nothing but were rich in Jesus Grace approved by Him as y live for Eternal not Temporal. -3 rd Church we looked at was north some 20 miles called Pergamum Compromising Church. Instead of living set a part lives for God s glory, y compromised ir truth of God s word to be liked accepted by greater community. -4 th Church, Last week; Thyatira Tolerant Church, that loved, but tolerated false doctrine to place of accepting sensual/sexual sin as being ok in congregation even being taught. -Let s travel up road some 30 miles SE of Thyatira to an incredibly important city called Sardis. It was at junction of 5 main roads actually sat on a plateau some

2 Page feet above roads. It wealth came from mostly textile manufacturing, dye industry jewelry trade. Most of people worshipped false gods secret religions. They lived for mselves wanted comfort contentment. -Vs. 1, No commendation for ir behavior in this letter. Seven Spirits of God is referring to Holy Spirit. There is only one Holy Spirit but number 7 in Scripture often demonstrates fullness completeness. It is an affirmation of perfection of Holy Spirit. Jesus also reminds m of 7 messages in His hs to pastors of se 7 churches. The message is quite clear to Church at Sardis: They were a church in name only. They gave appearance of being alive, but from Jesus stpoint were spiritually dead. There was not life no power in this church. They had become Comfortable & Content leading to Complacency! -The Holy Spirit gives life to church that is what this church needed. We have Churches all over America that have multiple activities multiple programs but big question that needs to be asked is What evidence is re of life power re in Church? -What is re that speaks of Jesus in our church? (Mirror). AW Tozer, If you were to take The Holy Spirit out of church most of what church is doing would go right on nobody would know difference. -Friends, programs do not bring life! The Holy Spirit brings Life! The church was born at Pentecost (Acts 2) not when a bunch of people got toger said let s do church, but when Holy Spirit descended on that day! I pray Holy Spirit would you move mightily in our midst to see souls saved, people disciple, homes strengned workers sent out to your harvest field. -We need Holy Spirit power in our midst in decisions we make, service we do, sacrifice that is made for His glory. God goes to work when Word is proclaimed

3 Page 3 Prayer is lifted high! Friends, Church is not here to make us all feel Comfortable Content, making us Complacent. It is here to get God s work done here on earth in our generation We only have but one life to live for His glory! -What a terrible thing to have said about your church by Jesus. You have a name LFF, you have a bunch of activities are playing church, but from MY stpoint you alive in name only, but are truly dead! -Vs. 2, Wake up! Be on alert. To be in a state of constant readiness. The church at Sardis had grown content comfortable which made m complacent! They were just playing church. Q. How many of us have grown Comfortable Content become Complacent in a spiritual sense? It is so easy to lose our spiritual hunger passion for His glory work He has given us to do. We ve been given this one life to live---no second chances. -We have people all around us who are lost headed for an eternal separation from Lord we have ONLY message that can save m! I have not found your deeds Completed in sight of God. People are not fully accomplishing Will of God for church because y are asleep, Comfortable Content!!! -Note something in this text, There is No persecution of church mentioned, Why? because re is no invasion of enemies territory. There is no friction when re is no movement! This church had no witness. No one was coming to Christ. Lives were not being transformed. The light was almost out for church at Sardis many churches in America! -Vs. 3, Wake Up----Remember refore what you have received heard; keep it, repent. If you choose not too judgment will come, churches close!!!! -Note formula for Revival we are to follow: Wake up----be Watchful---Repent---

4 Page 4 Remember Word you have received -----Obey it! It is not enough to have a great history heritage but it is our generation to live to see our faith produce life works! -Vs. 4, The Remnant of people even in this dying church who were faithful to Jesus. These People had not compromised with world around m, had not grown Comfortable, Complacent or Content with status quo. They walked worthy of Lord!!! -Vs. 5, I will not erase his name from book of life, This statement has caused a problem for some. If a persons salvation is secure once y trust Christ how can ir names be blotted out of book of life. John refers to book of life 6 times in Rev. re are or places in Scripture that talk about names of true believers being written in heaven. I believe that God s book of life contains name of all those for whom Christ died (The Whole World-Ps. 69:28). Rev. 13:8 & 17:8 teaches us that names of those who are saved have been written in book of life from foundation of world. By God s grace y have been chosen in Christ before foundation of World (Eph. 1:4) In Luke 10:20 Jesus tells His disciples to rejoice that ir names are recorded in heaven. The verb written or recorded is in perfect tense in Greek which means it can be translated as to read as Dr. Kenneth Wuest noted Greek scholar translates it Your names have been written in heaven are on permanent record up re. It s not likely Jesus would contradict Himself on a matter of such importance as this. So, as unbelievers die ir names are removed from book so that in final judgment book contains only names of those that are true believers. -Over-comers are those genuine real deal Christ followers like those in Sardis who are awake, watchful, repentant obedient to His Word! What an encouragement this had to be to believers, remnant re in Sardis. They had to be overjoyed. -There was still hope for church, if y would wake up, repent, strengn things that remain hold fast to God s truth!

5 Page 5 -Vs. 6, He who has an ear let him hear what Spirit says to churches. Listen up Believers..don t allow complacency, comfort contentment to drive you. Listen to Ps. 42:1-2, As deer pants for water brooks, so my soul pants for Thee, O God. My Soul thirsts for God, for living God. -Ps. 84:2, My soul longed even yearned for courts of Lord; My heart my flesh sing for joy to living God. -Ps. 27:4, One thing I have asked from Lord that I shall seek; that I may dwell in house of Lord all days of my life, to behold beauty of Lord to meditate in His Temple. Comfortable, Content, Complacency? Not when our names are written in Lambs Book of Life.