1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,333 2 00:00:01,417 --> 00:00:06,208 [music] 3 00:00:07,667 --> 00:00:10,417 ♪ Oh, who's that writing? ♪ 4 00:00:10,500 --> 00:00:12,417 ♪ John the Revelator ♪ 5 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:14,458 ♪ Who's that writing? ♪ 6 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:16,458 ♪ John the Revelator ♪ 7 00:00:16,500 --> 00:00:18,250 ♪ Oh, who's that writing? ♪ 8 00:00:18,333 --> 00:00:20,292 ♪ John the Revelator ♪ 9 00:00:20,333 --> 00:00:23,833 ♪ A book of the seven seals ♪ 10 00:00:23,917 --> 00:00:26,292 ♪ Tell me, what's John writing? ♪ 11 00:00:26,333 --> 00:00:28,333 ♪ Ask the Revelator ♪ 12 00:00:28,375 --> 00:00:30,250 ♪ What's John writing? ♪ 13 00:00:30,333 --> 00:00:32,250 ♪ Ask the Revelator ♪ 14 00:00:32,333 --> 00:00:34,417 ♪ Tell me, what's John writing? ♪ 15 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:36,292 ♪ Ask the Revelator ♪ 16 00:00:36,333 --> 00:00:40,667 ♪ A book of the seven seals ♪♪ 17 00:00:53,208 --> 00:00:54,625 All right. 18 00:00:54,667 --> 00:00:56,667 How about if we start with some prayer? 19 00:00:56,708 --> 00:00:59,333 Father God, thank you for a very beautiful day 20 00:00:59,417 --> 00:01:01,250 in a lovely country. 21 00:01:01,333 --> 00:01:04,333 God, I thank you that we have an opportunity to meet here. 22 00:01:04,417 --> 00:01:09,417 God, I pray as well, for this city and this region, 23 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:13,083 and ultimately this country, as the place that we find ourselves 24 00:01:13,167 --> 00:01:14,792 here in Turkey 25 00:01:14,833 --> 00:01:18,000 is a place of ancient pagan worship, and demonism, 26 00:01:18,083 --> 00:01:22,083 and lots of grief in your heart, Lord God. 27 00:01:22,167 --> 00:01:24,583 And we pray against the darkness here, 28 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:27,500 and we pray against the darkness in this country. 29 00:01:27,542 --> 00:01:32,000 And we pray that what was once a lighthouse for the gospel, 30 00:01:32,083 --> 00:01:36,083 would find itself renewing in love for Jesus, 31 00:01:36,167 --> 00:01:42,000 and also resurging with an interest in being devoted 32 00:01:42,042 --> 00:01:43,833 to you Lord God. 33 00:01:43,875 --> 00:01:46,417 Thank you as well, Father, for our hosts. 34 00:01:46,500 --> 00:01:49,750 That despite an ongoing archaeological dig right around 35 00:01:49,833 --> 00:01:52,792 us at this time, they've been gracious enough to allow us 36 00:01:52,833 --> 00:01:54,250 to come here. 37 00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:58,083 And so we give our time to you, and we thank you that we get 38 00:01:58,167 --> 00:01:59,583 to open the Scriptures. 39 00:01:59,667 --> 00:02:02,458 And we ask that you would help us to learn them, 40 00:02:02,500 --> 00:02:03,917 in Jesus' good name, amen. 41 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,792 Well, here's where we find ourselves, friends, 42 00:02:05,833 --> 00:02:07,250 we're in Sardis, Turkey. 43 00:02:07,333 --> 00:02:11,000 Look around, it's an absolutely, magnificently beautiful place. 44 00:02:11,083 --> 00:02:14,917 And in the time of the New Testament 45 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,292 this was a fairly large city. 46 00:02:17,333 --> 00:02:20,000 You're looking at upwards of 30,000 people, perhaps, 47 00:02:20,083 --> 00:02:23,333 and that's because they had, essentially, a gold rush. 48 00:02:23,417 --> 00:02:26,333 It was rumored that gold was found in this area, 49 00:02:26,417 --> 00:02:29,292 and so just as had happened in California, 50 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:31,333 everybody came here for the gold rush 51 00:02:31,417 --> 00:02:32,958 hoping to strike it rich. 52 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:34,833 And some, in fact, did. 53 00:02:34,875 --> 00:02:37,958 And it may have actually been the place where the myth of 54 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,083 Midas, the golden touch, could actually perhaps be traced back 55 00:02:41,167 --> 00:02:43,792 to this very region of Sardis. 56 00:02:43,833 --> 00:02:46,167 Today, it's nothing more than just a handful 57 00:02:46,208 --> 00:02:47,917 of very small villages. 58 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,167 So, as we travel about, you'll see just hundreds of people, 59 00:02:51,250 --> 00:02:53,917 not thousands, not tens of thousands of people. 60 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,500 It's not the kind of glory that it once was. 61 00:02:56,583 --> 00:02:59,458 But in its day it was a magnificent place. 62 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:02,500 And nearby there is the Gymnasium that is 63 00:03:02,542 --> 00:03:05,167 being restored by the archaeologists. 64 00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:07,500 It's magnificent and gorgeous. 65 00:03:07,542 --> 00:03:09,125 And that was just after 66 00:03:09,167 --> 00:03:10,750 the writing of the New Testament, 67 00:03:10,833 --> 00:03:12,417 within a few hundred years. 68 00:03:12,500 --> 00:03:16,583 Additionally, where we find ourselves right now is just up 69 00:03:16,667 --> 00:03:20,500 the hill from what was a very large Jewish synagogue as well. 70 00:03:20,583 --> 00:03:23,167 And it was built over the course of many years. 71 00:03:23,208 --> 00:03:25,667 A very large Jewish presence in this area. 72 00:03:25,708 --> 00:03:27,958 But where we find ourselves here, 73 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,833 at this ongoing archaeological dig, 74 00:03:30,917 --> 00:03:33,667 is actually the ancient Temple of Artemis, 75 00:03:33,708 --> 00:03:36,417 which is very important to understanding the book 76 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:38,792 of Revelation, the book of Ephesians, 77 00:03:38,833 --> 00:03:41,750 and much of Paul's teaching in the New Testament, 78 00:03:41,833 --> 00:03:44,000 as a full two-thirds of the New Testament 79 00:03:44,083 --> 00:03:47,000 comes to or from what is modern-day Turkey. 80 00:03:47,042 --> 00:03:50,583 And a lot of what was happening in that day, in this region, 81 00:03:50,667 --> 00:03:53,917 centered around two primary pagan temples 82 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:55,667 dedicated to Artemis. 83 00:03:55,708 --> 00:03:58,625 One is just outside of the city of Ephesus, 84 00:03:58,667 --> 00:04:01,250 and there are just a few columns that remain there. 85 00:04:01,333 --> 00:04:03,667 It really is not much to see. 86 00:04:03,750 --> 00:04:06,750 And then this is the second major temple here in Sardis 87 00:04:06,833 --> 00:04:08,625 that was dedicated to Artemis. 88 00:04:08,667 --> 00:04:11,583 And as you can see, there is quite a bit here, 89 00:04:11,667 --> 00:04:14,583 including a Byzantine church that is hundreds of years 90 00:04:14,667 --> 00:04:16,458 after the writing of the New Testament, 91 00:04:16,500 --> 00:04:17,917 just around the corner. 92 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,333 As apparently there were enough Christians in this area 93 00:04:20,375 --> 00:04:22,917 to plant a church, and they did so right here, 94 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,833 taking what had been a place of pagan worship, and idolatry, 95 00:04:25,875 --> 00:04:28,083 and demonism, and reclaiming it for the worship 96 00:04:28,167 --> 00:04:29,667 and service of Jesus. 97 00:04:29,750 --> 00:04:32,792 But I think it's important that I tell you about this place. 98 00:04:32,833 --> 00:04:34,500 And it'll be interesting, perhaps, 99 00:04:34,583 --> 00:04:37,125 one day to come back and see the rest of 100 00:04:37,167 --> 00:04:38,583 the archaeological excavation. 101 00:04:38,667 --> 00:04:41,583 This is a very large area, and they've been gracious enough 102 00:04:41,667 --> 00:04:45,000 to allow us to meet here, even though they're still digging. 103 00:04:45,083 --> 00:04:47,667 But basically, what this was, this was a center 104 00:04:47,708 --> 00:04:51,083 for the worship of the goddess Artemis; 105 00:04:51,167 --> 00:04:54,500 also, it was a banking and commerce center. 106 00:04:54,583 --> 00:04:57,083 And the way these temples worked in their day, 107 00:04:57,167 --> 00:04:59,000 they had multiple functions. 108 00:04:59,083 --> 00:05:03,917 They were used politically to gain favor with the emperor. 109 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,583 It also was used economically as a banking center. 110 00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:10,292 It was used spiritually for people to make pilgrimages 111 00:05:10,333 --> 00:05:13,625 and to give homage to their gods and goddesses. 112 00:05:13,667 --> 00:05:16,833 There are upwards of 50 gods and goddesses that were worshiped in 113 00:05:16,917 --> 00:05:18,667 the region at that time. 114 00:05:18,708 --> 00:05:20,750 There would have been smaller temples here dedicated 115 00:05:20,833 --> 00:05:22,250 to lesser gods. 116 00:05:22,333 --> 00:05:23,917 But the big god was Artemis. 117 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:27,000 And when it comes to Artemis, what had happened in that day 118 00:05:27,042 --> 00:05:28,833 was a number of religious beliefs 119 00:05:28,917 --> 00:05:30,958 had really come together. 120 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,625 When you're looking at the Romans, 121 00:05:32,667 --> 00:05:34,333 and you're looking at the Greeks, 122 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:37,250 and you're looking at those who were native to this area, 123 00:05:37,333 --> 00:05:39,833 in that day it was called the region of Anatolia, 124 00:05:39,875 --> 00:05:41,417 as you're doing your historical work, 125 00:05:41,500 --> 00:05:44,333 each of these people groups had goddesses that they worshiped. 126 00:05:44,375 --> 00:05:48,583 So there was Diana, there was Artemis, there was Cybele, 127 00:05:48,667 --> 00:05:51,167 there were various goddesses that were worshiped 128 00:05:51,250 --> 00:05:52,750 as very powerful. 129 00:05:52,833 --> 00:05:55,250 And even the ancient Anatolians, from whom the Turks 130 00:05:55,333 --> 00:05:58,625 are descended, they worshiped the great Mother Goddess. 131 00:05:58,667 --> 00:06:00,500 Just like we would call Mother Earth, 132 00:06:00,542 --> 00:06:03,625 they had the Mother Goddess, and they had this concept that she 133 00:06:03,667 --> 00:06:06,667 essentially gave birth and life to us all, and provided for us. 134 00:06:06,708 --> 00:06:11,250 And as we're touring, you may occasionally even see a tree, 135 00:06:11,333 --> 00:06:17,583 or a bush, and a bit of fabric that is tied onto it, 136 00:06:17,667 --> 00:06:20,083 I don't know if you've seen that, perhaps. 137 00:06:20,167 --> 00:06:23,250 Young girls in this region still believe in the Mother Goddess. 138 00:06:23,333 --> 00:06:26,000 That she is the goddess of fertility and life, 139 00:06:26,083 --> 00:06:29,292 and so they'll take a portion of their dress, rip it off, 140 00:06:29,333 --> 00:06:32,667 and tie it to a bush or to a tree, 141 00:06:32,750 --> 00:06:35,125 as sort of an homage to the Mother Goddess, 142 00:06:35,167 --> 00:06:37,250 asking that she would allow them to marry, 143 00:06:37,333 --> 00:06:39,083 or perhaps have children. 144 00:06:39,167 --> 00:06:40,958 So it still continues to this day, 145 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:42,833 this homage to the Mother Goddess. 146 00:06:42,917 --> 00:06:45,458 Well, what happened then was the worship of Cybele, 147 00:06:45,500 --> 00:06:47,667 and of Diana, and of Artemis, 148 00:06:47,708 --> 00:06:50,083 and of also the Mother Goddess, 149 00:06:50,167 --> 00:06:53,792 all came together into one powerful feminine deity. 150 00:06:53,833 --> 00:06:56,625 And she became the goddess that was worshiped 151 00:06:56,667 --> 00:06:59,833 in the entire region, the most powerful of all. 152 00:06:59,875 --> 00:07:02,333 So the biggest temples were offered to her. 153 00:07:02,417 --> 00:07:05,250 The largest financial gifts were contributed to her. 154 00:07:05,333 --> 00:07:09,125 And those who were most involved in the region were somehow 155 00:07:09,167 --> 00:07:11,417 connected financially, politically, 156 00:07:11,500 --> 00:07:13,917 or spiritually to this temple. 157 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:15,458 So this was headquarters. 158 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:17,667 And what would happen here was, quite frankly, 159 00:07:17,708 --> 00:07:19,792 a lot of demonic activity. 160 00:07:19,833 --> 00:07:24,167 And the theology of the Bible is that people are good and evil. 161 00:07:24,208 --> 00:07:26,750 And some people love God, and they serve God, 162 00:07:26,833 --> 00:07:28,292 and they grow in holiness. 163 00:07:28,333 --> 00:07:30,958 Other people don't love God, and they don't serve God, 164 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:32,625 and they grow in unholiness. 165 00:07:32,667 --> 00:07:35,958 And just like people, there are spirit beings, called angels. 166 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,458 They were created beings to serve God. 167 00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:40,583 And some are holy, some are unholy. 168 00:07:40,667 --> 00:07:42,750 Some serve God, some oppose God. 169 00:07:42,833 --> 00:07:45,000 Some obey God, some disobey God. 170 00:07:45,083 --> 00:07:47,333 Some tell the truth, some tell lies. 171 00:07:47,375 --> 00:07:49,833 But they're all very powerful. 172 00:07:49,875 --> 00:07:53,000 And so what happens is, when you get a center like this, 173 00:07:53,083 --> 00:07:56,833 people would come here, and they would have demonic encounters. 174 00:07:56,875 --> 00:07:59,500 They would see dreams, they would have dreams interpreted. 175 00:07:59,542 --> 00:08:00,958 They'd have supernatural revelations. 176 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,833 Sometimes they'd even experience healing. 177 00:08:03,875 --> 00:08:06,750 And so what would happen is, they would have these very 178 00:08:06,833 --> 00:08:10,500 profound, significant, spiritual experiences right here, 179 00:08:10,542 --> 00:08:12,250 but it was all demonic. 180 00:08:12,333 --> 00:08:14,917 Just like in our day, other religions can have spiritual 181 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,333 experiences, supernatural healing, miraculous powers, 182 00:08:18,375 --> 00:08:20,000 but it's not from God. 183 00:08:20,042 --> 00:08:22,917 It's where 1 John says to test the spirits because not 184 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:24,833 every spirit comes from God. 185 00:08:24,917 --> 00:08:26,958 And if you don't believe in the demonic, 186 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,667 the truth is, the enemy's already won with you. 187 00:08:29,750 --> 00:08:34,167 He's already considered, and conceived a plan by which he 188 00:08:34,250 --> 00:08:37,292 could deceive you, and that is to disbelieve in his existence, 189 00:08:37,333 --> 00:08:39,167 which is one of his tactics. 190 00:08:39,208 --> 00:08:41,792 And so, what's really sad about Turkey today, 191 00:08:41,833 --> 00:08:44,167 it's a beautiful country, with some lovely people, 192 00:08:44,250 --> 00:08:46,917 but the demonic darkness is still very thick. 193 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,333 And many people still chase after false gods and idols. 194 00:08:50,375 --> 00:08:53,500 And it's why, even as we've talked in our time here, 195 00:08:53,542 --> 00:08:55,917 out of some 74 roughly million people 196 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,667 in Turkey, there's only about 3,500 evangelical Christian 197 00:08:59,750 --> 00:09:01,792 converted Turks. 198 00:09:01,833 --> 00:09:04,750 You will hear that some are Muslim—and some are Muslim. 199 00:09:04,833 --> 00:09:07,917 But it's really Turkish Muslim. It's Turkish Islam. 200 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,167 They're still devoted to a bit of paganism, a bit of animism, 201 00:09:11,250 --> 00:09:13,167 to the worship of the environment, 202 00:09:13,208 --> 00:09:15,250 to the concept of a Mother Goddess, 203 00:09:15,333 --> 00:09:17,750 and to power being in created things, 204 00:09:17,833 --> 00:09:19,750 not just the Creator God. 205 00:09:19,833 --> 00:09:23,417 And so, here's the big idea, we can read things in the Bible, 206 00:09:23,500 --> 00:09:26,667 and it's like black and white, and then we come to the place, 207 00:09:26,750 --> 00:09:29,292 and it gets color, and then we do the archaeological, 208 00:09:29,333 --> 00:09:31,750 historical work and it becomes high definition. 209 00:09:31,833 --> 00:09:34,833 And all of sudden some things in the Bible start to make 210 00:09:34,917 --> 00:09:36,333 a lot more sense. 211 00:09:36,375 --> 00:09:39,125 Well, that's the cultural, historical context 212 00:09:39,167 --> 00:09:41,000 of the first century, 213 00:09:41,042 --> 00:09:42,958 right here in the region of Sardis. 214 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,458 Lots of worship by the Jews, but not to Jesus. 215 00:09:46,500 --> 00:09:49,583 Lots of worship to Artemis, but not to Jesus. 216 00:09:49,667 --> 00:09:51,583 A very wealthy area. 217 00:09:51,667 --> 00:09:54,792 People who are essentially in it for the gold rush. 218 00:09:54,833 --> 00:09:58,000 And there was apparently a Christian church here. 219 00:09:58,083 --> 00:10:00,417 The news of Jesus, it spread from Jerusalem. 220 00:10:00,500 --> 00:10:03,000 The gospel had come to this place. 221 00:10:03,083 --> 00:10:05,125 And some people had become Christians. 222 00:10:05,167 --> 00:10:10,333 And so, John is about maybe a 4-hour boat ride from here, 223 00:10:10,375 --> 00:10:14,167 in modern terms, and he is a disciple of Jesus, 224 00:10:14,250 --> 00:10:17,292 and he is on the island of Patmos, and he is exiled. 225 00:10:17,333 --> 00:10:21,083 And Jesus shows up to him, and Jesus has a message 226 00:10:21,167 --> 00:10:23,125 for the church here at Sardis. 227 00:10:23,167 --> 00:10:25,250 So we put this all together geographically. 228 00:10:25,333 --> 00:10:28,083 And Jesus, in his ascended state in heaven, 229 00:10:28,167 --> 00:10:30,250 he's looking down on the city of Sardis, 230 00:10:30,333 --> 00:10:32,000 and he sees what's going on. 231 00:10:32,042 --> 00:10:33,917 And he writes a letter to them. 232 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,750 And we read that in Revelation 3:1-6. 233 00:10:38,833 --> 00:10:42,000 "And to angel of the church in Sardis write," 234 00:10:42,083 --> 00:10:44,583 and just I'll say this, and it bears repeating, 235 00:10:44,667 --> 00:10:46,833 as Jesus gives these seven letters 236 00:10:46,875 --> 00:10:49,583 to seven churches, there are certain things that he repeats 237 00:10:49,667 --> 00:10:51,167 over and over. 238 00:10:51,250 --> 00:10:53,625 One is, "To the angel of the church." 239 00:10:53,667 --> 00:10:56,958 And this is showing us that not only is there physical, 240 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:59,333 human leadership; there is spiritual, 241 00:10:59,375 --> 00:11:02,417 angelic leadership in every church. 242 00:11:02,500 --> 00:11:04,667 And friends, you just need to assume this, 243 00:11:04,750 --> 00:11:07,833 that what we see is only part of what's going on. 244 00:11:07,875 --> 00:11:10,958 Behind the curtain is the supernatural, the invisible, 245 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,667 and that is also what God sees. 246 00:11:13,708 --> 00:11:16,125 And there are angels and demons, 247 00:11:16,167 --> 00:11:18,458 demons are fallen angels and rebels against God, 248 00:11:18,500 --> 00:11:21,292 and there is a supernatural battle that is 249 00:11:21,333 --> 00:11:24,292 always going on for the hearts of people, and their families, 250 00:11:24,333 --> 00:11:26,667 and their legacies, and their cities, and their nations, 251 00:11:26,750 --> 00:11:28,583 and their world. 252 00:11:28,667 --> 00:11:31,167 And so Jesus, to each of the churches, says, 253 00:11:31,250 --> 00:11:33,250 "I have an angel, at least one angel, 254 00:11:33,333 --> 00:11:35,250 "who's appointed for the oversight and the protection 255 00:11:35,333 --> 00:11:36,833 of that church." 256 00:11:36,875 --> 00:11:39,958 And we don't pray to angels, and we don't consult with angels, 257 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:43,083 but we do believe that God has ministers and messengers, 258 00:11:43,167 --> 00:11:45,583 and that's what angels are, supernatural spirit beings 259 00:11:45,667 --> 00:11:48,792 that watch over the church, and that do war 260 00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:51,625 in the heavenlies against demons. 261 00:11:51,667 --> 00:11:53,500 And that would have been absolutely important 262 00:11:53,542 --> 00:11:56,750 in this area, as it is in our own hometowns. 263 00:11:56,833 --> 00:12:00,417 He goes on, "The words of him who has the seven spirits of God 264 00:12:00,500 --> 00:12:03,000 and the seven stars." 265 00:12:03,083 --> 00:12:06,667 Now, this may be very curious because in that day there was 266 00:12:06,750 --> 00:12:10,083 a Roman emperor named Domitian, and he thought he was god, 267 00:12:10,167 --> 00:12:11,833 he declared himself to be god, 268 00:12:11,917 --> 00:12:13,750 and he wanted to be worshiped as god. 269 00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:15,667 And he minted a coin of himself, 270 00:12:15,708 --> 00:12:19,167 and on the coin it was him with seven stars. 271 00:12:19,208 --> 00:12:22,333 And he was showing that he was the ruler of the world 272 00:12:22,375 --> 00:12:23,917 and the ruler of the heavens. 273 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,667 And Jesus, even though he's in his ascended state in heaven, 274 00:12:26,750 --> 00:12:29,000 he not only knows what's going on in Sardis, 275 00:12:29,042 --> 00:12:32,292 he also knows that the emperor has made a coin of himself, 276 00:12:32,333 --> 00:12:35,083 that a lot of the people who are reading this letter, 277 00:12:35,167 --> 00:12:36,625 they've got it in their pocket. 278 00:12:36,667 --> 00:12:38,458 It would be like in America today, 279 00:12:38,500 --> 00:12:40,000 what does our money say, right? 280 00:12:40,083 --> 00:12:41,500 "In God we trust." 281 00:12:41,542 --> 00:12:44,250 It would be like Jesus sent a letter to your church, 282 00:12:44,333 --> 00:12:47,583 or our church, and it said, "I'm the God in whom you trust." 283 00:12:47,667 --> 00:12:49,667 You'd go, "Oh, that sounds like our money." 284 00:12:49,708 --> 00:12:52,083 Apparently Jesus is connecting himself even to our currency. 285 00:12:52,167 --> 00:12:54,917 And what he's saying here is Domitian is not lord, god, 286 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,167 and savior, and that's what Domitian had called himself. 287 00:12:57,250 --> 00:12:59,167 Jesus is saying, "I'm Lord, God, and Savior. 288 00:12:59,208 --> 00:13:03,000 He's not the one who rules over the stars, I am." 289 00:13:03,042 --> 00:13:06,083 And so Jesus is here showing his supreme, exalted, 290 00:13:06,167 --> 00:13:08,333 post-resurrection authority. 291 00:13:08,375 --> 00:13:09,917 He says, "I know your works. 292 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,750 You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead." 293 00:13:12,833 --> 00:13:14,458 That's not a compliment. 294 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:16,792 That's like somebody walking up to you and said, 295 00:13:16,833 --> 00:13:19,583 "I heard this nasty rumor that you were a nice person." 296 00:13:19,667 --> 00:13:21,792 Like, "Oh, really sorry you heard that." 297 00:13:21,833 --> 00:13:25,958 He tells the church, he said, "You guys have this really 298 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:28,667 "amazing reputation for being alive, 299 00:13:28,708 --> 00:13:30,917 but I know that you're just dead." 300 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,583 And some people would say, "If you don't have anything 301 00:13:33,667 --> 00:13:35,583 nice to say, don't say anything at all." 302 00:13:35,667 --> 00:13:37,250 Jesus doesn't abide by that. 303 00:13:37,333 --> 00:13:38,917 Jesus writes to 304 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,333 the seven churches in Revelation. 305 00:13:40,417 --> 00:13:42,750 Some he only has very nice, good, positive, 306 00:13:42,833 --> 00:13:44,583 commendations for. 307 00:13:44,667 --> 00:13:49,583 Others he has only very harsh, critical, condemnations for. 308 00:13:49,667 --> 00:13:53,625 This is a church he has nothing nice to say to or about. 309 00:13:53,667 --> 00:13:56,417 This is just a dead church. 310 00:13:56,500 --> 00:13:59,083 And he says, "You're dead." 311 00:13:59,167 --> 00:14:02,583 He goes on, "Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is 312 00:14:02,667 --> 00:14:05,333 "about to die, for I have not found your works complete 313 00:14:05,375 --> 00:14:06,833 "in the sight of my God. 314 00:14:06,917 --> 00:14:08,750 "Remember, then, what you received and heard. 315 00:14:08,833 --> 00:14:10,167 "Keep it, and repent. 316 00:14:10,250 --> 00:14:13,833 "If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, 317 00:14:13,917 --> 00:14:17,417 "and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 318 00:14:17,500 --> 00:14:20,250 "Yet you still have a few names in Sardis, 319 00:14:20,333 --> 00:14:22,750 "people who have not soiled their garments, 320 00:14:22,833 --> 00:14:26,083 "and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 321 00:14:26,167 --> 00:14:28,083 The one who conquers," or overcomes, 322 00:14:28,167 --> 00:14:30,333 "will be clothed thus in white garments, 323 00:14:30,417 --> 00:14:33,917 "and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. 324 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,125 "I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 325 00:14:37,167 --> 00:14:40,250 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says 326 00:14:40,333 --> 00:14:41,750 to the churches." 327 00:14:41,833 --> 00:14:44,125 So, we'll unpack what Jesus says to this church. 328 00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:47,083 And it's important for us to always consider, what does Jesus 329 00:14:47,167 --> 00:14:48,917 have to say to our church? 330 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,500 Would he commend us? Would he criticize us? 331 00:14:51,583 --> 00:14:53,167 Would he correct us? 332 00:14:53,250 --> 00:14:55,083 What would he say to you individually 333 00:14:55,167 --> 00:14:56,833 if he was writing you a letter? 334 00:14:56,917 --> 00:14:58,625 What would he say to your family? 335 00:14:58,667 --> 00:15:00,458 What would he say to your church? 336 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:02,458 And here Jesus has a specific letter. 337 00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:04,792 And like I said, number one, there is no, 338 00:15:04,833 --> 00:15:06,250 there's no encouragement. 339 00:15:06,333 --> 00:15:08,333 There's nothing in there that is praiseworthy. 340 00:15:08,375 --> 00:15:10,833 He says, "This is just a bad church." 341 00:15:10,875 --> 00:15:13,833 Have you ever seen just a bad church? 342 00:15:13,917 --> 00:15:16,333 Just worthless, no good at all. 343 00:15:16,375 --> 00:15:18,333 It's a church like that. 344 00:15:18,417 --> 00:15:22,292 Additionally, he has lots of rebukes. 345 00:15:22,333 --> 00:15:24,083 He doesn't mention heresy, 346 00:15:24,167 --> 00:15:26,083 so they're not into false teaching apparently. 347 00:15:26,167 --> 00:15:29,917 He doesn't mention persecution, so they're not suffering. 348 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,083 Here's what's happened: they're their own worst enemy. 349 00:15:34,167 --> 00:15:36,583 They can't blame suffering, they can't blame persecution, 350 00:15:36,667 --> 00:15:39,750 they can't blame poverty, they can't blame anyone. 351 00:15:39,833 --> 00:15:42,667 They just don't care. 352 00:15:42,708 --> 00:15:44,917 They just don't care. 353 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,583 They're completely indifferent. 354 00:15:47,667 --> 00:15:50,458 They're hard-hearted, they're stiff-necked. 355 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:54,667 They're simply spiritually dead. 356 00:15:54,708 --> 00:15:56,625 Just dead. 357 00:15:56,667 --> 00:15:59,333 And it's tragic when this happens to a church. 358 00:15:59,417 --> 00:16:02,583 Just in the US alone, about 3,500 churches die 359 00:16:02,667 --> 00:16:04,458 and close every year. 360 00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:06,292 How many of you, in your neighborhood, 361 00:16:06,333 --> 00:16:07,750 have churches like this? 362 00:16:07,833 --> 00:16:09,583 You drive by, nobody's ever going in, 363 00:16:09,667 --> 00:16:12,250 nobody's ever coming out, nobody's ever getting saved, 364 00:16:12,333 --> 00:16:15,625 nobody's getting baptized, nothing is happening. 365 00:16:15,667 --> 00:16:18,083 It's just dead. 366 00:16:18,167 --> 00:16:20,583 That's exactly what was happening in the church at Sardis. 367 00:16:20,667 --> 00:16:24,750 Now in context, you have a large number of people 368 00:16:24,833 --> 00:16:27,667 who are converging on the Temple of Artemis. 369 00:16:27,750 --> 00:16:30,250 They're very committed to demonism, 370 00:16:30,333 --> 00:16:32,500 to pagan worship of the environment, 371 00:16:32,542 --> 00:16:35,833 to worshiping false gods and goddesses, to giving their time, 372 00:16:35,917 --> 00:16:38,458 talent, and treasure, they're very devoted. 373 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:42,125 And nearby there's a church that just doesn't care about Jesus 374 00:16:42,167 --> 00:16:46,000 and just doesn't care about people. 375 00:16:46,042 --> 00:16:49,792 It continues by him saying 376 00:16:49,833 --> 00:16:52,667 that they keep meeting, 377 00:16:52,708 --> 00:16:55,000 but there's no life in their meeting. 378 00:16:55,083 --> 00:16:57,667 Have you been to a church service like that? 379 00:16:57,750 --> 00:17:00,792 You just sit there and you wonder, "Why are we here? 380 00:17:00,833 --> 00:17:02,917 "What are we doing? Why do we exist? 381 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,750 Where are we going? Who are we reaching?" 382 00:17:05,833 --> 00:17:09,083 These are people who were just going through the motions. 383 00:17:09,167 --> 00:17:11,750 Kind of like people who were born in the church, 384 00:17:11,833 --> 00:17:15,250 or grew up in the church, and they go out of a sense 385 00:17:15,333 --> 00:17:17,292 of tradition, but there's just no heartfelt connection, 386 00:17:17,333 --> 00:17:19,667 there's no life-transforming passion, 387 00:17:19,750 --> 00:17:22,417 there's just nothing there. 388 00:17:22,500 --> 00:17:24,667 That's exactly what's happening. 389 00:17:24,750 --> 00:17:28,667 And he tells them that there are a faithful few Christians. 390 00:17:28,708 --> 00:17:31,917 And what's interesting, to this very day in this region, 391 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,125 there's only a few faithful Christians. 392 00:17:35,167 --> 00:17:38,333 There's not enough Christians in this general area 393 00:17:38,417 --> 00:17:41,458 to constitute even a church. 394 00:17:41,500 --> 00:17:43,667 Just a few Christians. 395 00:17:43,750 --> 00:17:46,292 And in that day a few thousand years ago, 396 00:17:46,333 --> 00:17:48,167 there were just a few. 397 00:17:48,250 --> 00:17:50,167 A few people who did love Jesus. 398 00:17:50,208 --> 00:17:53,000 And so when he's rebuking the church he is saying, 399 00:17:53,042 --> 00:17:56,750 "But there's a few people there, and I want them to know that I 400 00:17:56,833 --> 00:18:00,083 "see who they are, and how they behave, and what they believe. 401 00:18:00,167 --> 00:18:02,792 "And as a result, I don't want to broad-brush everyone; 402 00:18:02,833 --> 00:18:05,500 "I want to broad-brush almost everyone. 403 00:18:05,542 --> 00:18:08,250 "And that I want to commend the faithful few 404 00:18:08,333 --> 00:18:09,833 that are walking with me." 405 00:18:09,917 --> 00:18:12,667 And here's the truth, I've been to a lot of churches, 406 00:18:12,750 --> 00:18:15,500 I've been a lot of places, sometimes even in the deadest, 407 00:18:15,583 --> 00:18:19,500 most compromised, uncaring, hard-hearted, horrendous church, 408 00:18:19,542 --> 00:18:23,000 there's still a few people who love Jesus and are good people. 409 00:18:23,083 --> 00:18:24,833 Good people in that they love Jesus, 410 00:18:24,917 --> 00:18:27,083 and they're walking with him, and they're serving him, 411 00:18:27,167 --> 00:18:28,583 and they care. 412 00:18:28,667 --> 00:18:31,583 And it's horrible to be one of those people because you know 413 00:18:31,667 --> 00:18:33,083 if you leave, it's over. 414 00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:35,125 Nobody's caring, you're the only one who does. 415 00:18:35,167 --> 00:18:37,292 But if you stay, no one else cares, 416 00:18:37,333 --> 00:18:38,792 and you're all by yourself. 417 00:18:38,833 --> 00:18:41,583 It's a horrible position to be in as a Christian. 418 00:18:41,667 --> 00:18:43,417 It's sort of a lose/lose scenario. 419 00:18:43,500 --> 00:18:46,250 And so Jesus honors them and he acknowledges that. 420 00:18:46,333 --> 00:18:51,083 And he says that if they continue to walk with him 421 00:18:51,167 --> 00:18:55,250 they can wear white, and that they will be with him. 422 00:18:55,333 --> 00:18:58,250 Otherwise they'll face judgment like a thief in the night. 423 00:18:58,333 --> 00:19:00,792 And there was an occasion where a thief had come 424 00:19:00,833 --> 00:19:03,083 in the middle of the night to this region, 425 00:19:03,167 --> 00:19:05,417 and there was a big heist and a theft. 426 00:19:05,500 --> 00:19:07,167 And so they're all aware of that. 427 00:19:07,208 --> 00:19:09,458 And Jesus says, "I could come at any moment. 428 00:19:09,500 --> 00:19:12,083 "I could judge you. Your life could end any second. 429 00:19:12,167 --> 00:19:14,333 "Don't hesitate, don't delay, have a sense of passion, 430 00:19:14,417 --> 00:19:16,958 have a sense of urgency, walk with me in white." 431 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,250 And when you hear the color white in the Bible, it's to show 432 00:19:20,333 --> 00:19:23,167 purity, and cleansing, it's to represent forgiveness. 433 00:19:23,250 --> 00:19:28,000 When Jesus died, he cleansed us from sin. 434 00:19:28,083 --> 00:19:31,667 So friends, we're not just forgiven, we're clean in Christ. 435 00:19:31,708 --> 00:19:33,833 You're not defined by what you've done 436 00:19:33,917 --> 00:19:35,750 or what's been done to you. 437 00:19:35,833 --> 00:19:38,083 You're defined by what Jesus has done for you. 438 00:19:38,167 --> 00:19:41,125 And you may feel dirty, you may feel guilty, 439 00:19:41,167 --> 00:19:44,833 you may feel unworthy, but Jesus looks at you because of his 440 00:19:44,875 --> 00:19:48,500 death and says, "I love you. My death was for your sin. 441 00:19:48,542 --> 00:19:52,000 I'll take your sin, give you my righteousness." 442 00:19:52,042 --> 00:19:53,792 And when believers in the Bible 443 00:19:53,833 --> 00:19:55,250 are shown to wear white, 444 00:19:55,333 --> 00:19:58,083 it's to show that we wear the righteousness, the purity, 445 00:19:58,167 --> 00:20:00,917 the sinlessness, the perfection of Jesus. 446 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,667 So you see this in places like Zechariah 3, 447 00:20:03,750 --> 00:20:05,958 where the people of God get to wear white. 448 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:07,667 You see this in Revelation 19, 449 00:20:07,750 --> 00:20:09,458 at the wedding supper of the Lamb 450 00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:12,583 at the end of the age, where God's people are wearing white. 451 00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:14,417 You see this at a Christian wedding, 452 00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:16,500 where, no matter what a woman has done, 453 00:20:16,583 --> 00:20:19,125 if she has repented of sin and trusted in Jesus, 454 00:20:19,167 --> 00:20:20,917 she gets to wear a white dress. 455 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,125 Because why? Because Jesus makes her clean. 456 00:20:24,167 --> 00:20:27,583 And so here he says, "If you come to me, I'm not going to 457 00:20:27,667 --> 00:20:30,583 "berate you, I'm not going to harm you, 458 00:20:30,667 --> 00:20:33,250 "I'm not going to condemn you. 459 00:20:33,333 --> 00:20:35,833 "If you'll come to me, I'm going to cleanse you. 460 00:20:35,917 --> 00:20:38,167 "We can fix this lifestyle of yours. 461 00:20:38,208 --> 00:20:39,833 "We could change your heart. 462 00:20:39,875 --> 00:20:41,667 We could give you a new life." 463 00:20:41,750 --> 00:20:43,625 And this is an invitation from Jesus. 464 00:20:43,667 --> 00:20:46,500 And for those of you who have sin in your life, 465 00:20:46,542 --> 00:20:47,958 it's not secret sin. 466 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:49,417 Jesus sees and knows all. 467 00:20:49,500 --> 00:20:52,583 And sometimes we don't want to confess our sin because we don't 468 00:20:52,667 --> 00:20:55,417 want to get caught, so we'll blame shift, we'll deny it, 469 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:57,958 we'll ignore it, we'll downplay it, we'll hide it. 470 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,167 Jesus is saying, "Just bring it to me. 471 00:21:00,208 --> 00:21:02,667 "I'll embrace you. I'll deal with the sin. 472 00:21:02,708 --> 00:21:05,583 "I'll clothe you in righteousness and in white. 473 00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:09,750 And then you can go live a new holy life as one of my people." 474 00:21:09,833 --> 00:21:11,500 That's the invitation that Jesus gives. 475 00:21:11,583 --> 00:21:14,917 Well, here's what's going on in this area today: 476 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,667 There are only a handful of potential Christians. 477 00:21:17,750 --> 00:21:20,792 There is no church, necessarily, to speak of. 478 00:21:20,833 --> 00:21:23,958 It's no longer a very large, populous area. 479 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,583 It's a series of small villages. 480 00:21:26,667 --> 00:21:31,583 And the question is: what could compel us to end up hearing this 481 00:21:31,667 --> 00:21:33,750 same thing from Jesus? 482 00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:38,250 What would compel us, that if Jesus was writing a letter 483 00:21:38,333 --> 00:21:42,917 to us, or to our family, or to our church, that he would say, 484 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,125 "You're just dead. 485 00:21:45,167 --> 00:21:46,583 You're just dead." 486 00:21:46,667 --> 00:21:48,333 And this is different than dry. 487 00:21:48,417 --> 00:21:51,250 How many of you have had a season of spiritual dryness? 488 00:21:51,333 --> 00:21:53,667 Feel like, "Man, it's a little dry right now." 489 00:21:53,708 --> 00:21:55,750 That's different than deadness. 490 00:21:55,833 --> 00:21:59,000 Dryness is, "I don't feel like I'm connected to the Lord, 491 00:21:59,042 --> 00:22:02,083 and it bothers me, and I want to get beyond that." 492 00:22:02,167 --> 00:22:04,750 Deadness is, "I don't feel connected to the Lord, 493 00:22:04,833 --> 00:22:06,583 "and it doesn't bother me. 494 00:22:06,667 --> 00:22:09,750 I'm really not interested in connecting with the Lord." 495 00:22:09,833 --> 00:22:13,167 And so, I want to distinguish between dryness and deadness. 496 00:22:13,208 --> 00:22:16,833 But here's a couple ways we could get there, 497 00:22:16,875 --> 00:22:21,250 and it begins with how you view the church. 498 00:22:21,333 --> 00:22:23,167 Is it something you're born into? 499 00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:25,250 See I was raised as a Catholic boy. 500 00:22:25,333 --> 00:22:28,125 And some Catholics love Jesus, and I wasn't one of them. 501 00:22:28,167 --> 00:22:31,458 But for me, being part of the church was just born into it. 502 00:22:31,500 --> 00:22:33,333 Like you're just born into your country. 503 00:22:33,375 --> 00:22:34,917 You're just part of a people. 504 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,167 But it wasn't a real personal, passionate, loving, 505 00:22:37,250 --> 00:22:40,250 intimate relationship with Jesus. 506 00:22:40,333 --> 00:22:42,167 Sometimes it's just a social club. 507 00:22:42,208 --> 00:22:44,083 It's, "Well, that's where my friends are. 508 00:22:44,167 --> 00:22:45,667 "And that's where we do business. 509 00:22:45,708 --> 00:22:47,417 And it's a good place to network." 510 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:49,833 Sometimes it's just what you do out of guilt. 511 00:22:49,875 --> 00:22:53,125 "I feel bad, and when I do something really bad I go to 512 00:22:53,167 --> 00:22:56,250 "the church, and then that makes me feel a little bit better. 513 00:22:56,333 --> 00:22:59,333 "I feel like at least I put in a little God time, 514 00:22:59,417 --> 00:23:01,250 or I gave a little God money." 515 00:23:01,333 --> 00:23:03,667 Sometimes as well, the deadness can come from borrowing 516 00:23:03,708 --> 00:23:06,083 the faith of your parents, right? 517 00:23:06,167 --> 00:23:08,167 If you grow up in a Christian family, 518 00:23:08,250 --> 00:23:10,250 or have believing parents, there's a season where, 519 00:23:10,333 --> 00:23:13,167 as a child, you're sort of borrowing their faith. 520 00:23:13,250 --> 00:23:17,167 But then there reaches a point where you have to have your own. 521 00:23:17,208 --> 00:23:20,083 And for some that's the teenage years, sort of, of crisis, 522 00:23:20,167 --> 00:23:23,833 and sin, or rebellion, or questioning. 523 00:23:23,875 --> 00:23:27,000 But the question is: Do you ever push through that to stop 524 00:23:27,083 --> 00:23:29,917 borrowing your parents' faith and have your own faith? 525 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,750 And so, for whatever reason, 526 00:23:31,833 --> 00:23:34,583 we can end up in this place of just being dead. 527 00:23:34,667 --> 00:23:37,583 So I'll ask you a few questions. 528 00:23:37,667 --> 00:23:40,250 Is attending church, or reading the Bible, praying, 529 00:23:40,333 --> 00:23:42,583 giving money to the cause of the gospel, 530 00:23:42,667 --> 00:23:44,667 fellowshiping with other believers, 531 00:23:44,708 --> 00:23:47,917 evangelizing non-Christians, is it routine or ritual? 532 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,167 You know the difference? 533 00:23:50,250 --> 00:23:54,167 There are things that we do all the time, and Christianity 534 00:23:54,250 --> 00:23:57,417 is not to be routine, it's to be ritual. 535 00:23:57,500 --> 00:24:00,500 Routine is where you just sort of check the boxes 536 00:24:00,583 --> 00:24:03,000 of minimal obedience and compliance. 537 00:24:03,083 --> 00:24:06,458 Ritual is where there's meaning, and there's value, 538 00:24:06,500 --> 00:24:08,333 and there's purpose, and there's mission, 539 00:24:08,417 --> 00:24:11,792 and there's passion every time. 540 00:24:11,833 --> 00:24:13,917 Don't raise your hands for this one, 541 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:16,000 but for those of you who are married, 542 00:24:16,042 --> 00:24:18,625 there's certain things in life that can be routine, 543 00:24:18,667 --> 00:24:21,917 but they should be ritual, right? 544 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:24,250 Every time you sit down to eat together, 545 00:24:24,333 --> 00:24:26,083 it could be routine or ritual. 546 00:24:26,167 --> 00:24:28,833 It could be just another thing we have to do, 547 00:24:28,875 --> 00:24:31,292 or a meaningful moment together. 548 00:24:31,333 --> 00:24:33,000 Holding hands. 549 00:24:33,083 --> 00:24:34,667 Going on date night. 550 00:24:34,708 --> 00:24:36,125 Going to Turkey. 551 00:24:36,167 --> 00:24:38,500 Whatever it is, it can be routine or ritual 552 00:24:38,542 --> 00:24:40,250 if you're with someone you love. 553 00:24:40,333 --> 00:24:43,333 It you don't really love them, if you don't really know them, 554 00:24:43,375 --> 00:24:45,333 if you're not really pursuing one another, 555 00:24:45,375 --> 00:24:46,917 you're not really cultivating the friendship; 556 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:48,458 it's just routine. 557 00:24:48,500 --> 00:24:51,792 We get up, we have breakfast, we go to work, we come home, 558 00:24:51,833 --> 00:24:54,917 we finish the chores, we do the dishes, we go to bed. 559 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,125 The exact same thing can be happening in the relationship 560 00:24:58,167 --> 00:25:00,250 of another couple. 561 00:25:00,333 --> 00:25:02,417 They could be doing the exact same things, 562 00:25:02,500 --> 00:25:04,833 but for them it's ritual. 563 00:25:04,875 --> 00:25:07,458 They wake up glad to see their spouse. 564 00:25:07,500 --> 00:25:10,958 When they sit down to eat, it's a meaningful connection, 565 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:12,833 and they're conversing. 566 00:25:12,917 --> 00:25:15,500 When they're away from one another over the course 567 00:25:15,542 --> 00:25:18,000 of the day, when they gather together at night 568 00:25:18,042 --> 00:25:19,833 and they rejoin after the day's work, 569 00:25:19,917 --> 00:25:21,417 they're looking forward to it. 570 00:25:21,500 --> 00:25:23,500 You can see it in their eyes. 571 00:25:23,542 --> 00:25:24,917 They're happy to be together. 572 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:26,417 They're happy to reconnect. 573 00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:27,833 That's ritual. 574 00:25:27,917 --> 00:25:30,292 The same thing that happens in our human relationships 575 00:25:30,333 --> 00:25:32,083 can happen in our relationship with Jesus. 576 00:25:32,167 --> 00:25:33,500 It can be routine. 577 00:25:33,583 --> 00:25:35,000 "I went to church. 578 00:25:35,042 --> 00:25:38,500 I read the Bible this morning, I went to church, I tithed 10%." 579 00:25:38,542 --> 00:25:39,958 Or it could be ritual. 580 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:41,500 "I love Jesus, he loves me. 581 00:25:41,583 --> 00:25:43,833 "I'm getting to know him, he already knows me. 582 00:25:43,917 --> 00:25:45,417 "We're growing in our relationship. 583 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:47,000 "I look forward to the opportunities 584 00:25:47,042 --> 00:25:49,667 that I have to build that relationship with him." 585 00:25:49,750 --> 00:25:51,958 And one of the ways that individuals, families, 586 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:56,167 and churches become dead is what is supposed to be ritual 587 00:25:56,208 --> 00:25:58,167 becomes routine. 588 00:25:58,208 --> 00:26:00,833 What is supposed to be ritual becomes routine. 589 00:26:00,917 --> 00:26:03,458 And if it's routine, eventually you just stop doing it 590 00:26:03,500 --> 00:26:06,500 because there's really no passion for it. 591 00:26:06,542 --> 00:26:10,167 Number two, are your affections aroused by God? 592 00:26:10,208 --> 00:26:14,000 Are you one of those people that you spend enough time in prayer, 593 00:26:14,083 --> 00:26:16,750 and with the Holy Spirit, and in the Scriptures, 594 00:26:16,833 --> 00:26:18,583 to be passionate? 595 00:26:18,667 --> 00:26:21,333 We tend to be passionate about things that we invest 596 00:26:21,375 --> 00:26:23,083 our time and energy in. 597 00:26:23,167 --> 00:26:26,250 We tend to be passionate about people that we get to know 598 00:26:26,333 --> 00:26:29,000 and take the time to invest in. 599 00:26:29,083 --> 00:26:32,833 And so the question is: With Jesus, how are your passions? 600 00:26:32,917 --> 00:26:35,750 Are your passions and affections aroused? 601 00:26:35,833 --> 00:26:40,083 How many of you truly know some people that they have 602 00:26:40,167 --> 00:26:43,000 genuine passion for Jesus? 603 00:26:43,042 --> 00:26:44,750 They just do. 604 00:26:44,833 --> 00:26:47,167 When they talk about him, their eyes light up, 605 00:26:47,208 --> 00:26:49,958 their voice goes up, they're just excited. 606 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,125 It seems to them that he's a living person and a friend 607 00:26:53,167 --> 00:26:55,125 who is in their life. 608 00:26:55,167 --> 00:26:58,458 And so they relate to him in a way that is very different 609 00:26:58,500 --> 00:26:59,833 from religion. 610 00:26:59,917 --> 00:27:02,417 It's not just dutiful check-boxing, and moralism, 611 00:27:02,500 --> 00:27:04,625 and "do this, don't do that." 612 00:27:04,667 --> 00:27:07,125 There's a heartfelt, emotional, passionate, 613 00:27:07,167 --> 00:27:09,083 affectionate connection. 614 00:27:09,167 --> 00:27:12,417 And if you don't have that, you don't have to fake that. 615 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:14,333 I tell you, don't fake it, 616 00:27:14,375 --> 00:27:16,583 but instead get your time with Jesus. 617 00:27:16,667 --> 00:27:20,458 This is silence, solitude, prayer, Bible reading. 618 00:27:20,500 --> 00:27:23,833 This is also getting time with other believers who do love 619 00:27:23,875 --> 00:27:26,000 Jesus and are passionate. 620 00:27:26,042 --> 00:27:28,792 Because sometimes when we're all by ourselves it's like a stick 621 00:27:28,833 --> 00:27:31,083 that's taken out of a fire; 622 00:27:31,167 --> 00:27:33,417 after a while it's just going to go cold. 623 00:27:33,500 --> 00:27:36,958 The key is to huddle up with the people of God and to also 624 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:39,917 capture some of the passion that they might have for us. 625 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,417 Number three, are there any parts of your spiritual life 626 00:27:43,500 --> 00:27:47,458 in which you're just going through the motions? 627 00:27:47,500 --> 00:27:51,583 It is, again, just that duty, 628 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:54,458 and some of you were raised in homes like that. 629 00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:57,417 To where, your parents would say, "Read the Bible," 630 00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:00,833 but they said it in such a way that it sounded like, 631 00:28:00,917 --> 00:28:02,583 "Read the phonebook." Right? 632 00:28:02,667 --> 00:28:04,667 It was just something you had to do. 633 00:28:04,750 --> 00:28:06,750 "Get ready, we got to go to church. 634 00:28:06,833 --> 00:28:08,333 We got to go to church." 635 00:28:08,375 --> 00:28:11,500 Like, what? Like we got to go to traffic court, right? 636 00:28:11,542 --> 00:28:14,083 We have an appointment and we have to be there, 637 00:28:14,167 --> 00:28:15,583 otherwise we get in trouble. 638 00:28:15,667 --> 00:28:18,458 The issue is Christianity is not a bunch of have-to's; 639 00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:20,500 it truly is a bunch of get-to's. 640 00:28:20,583 --> 00:28:23,167 If God does love us, if his ways are good, 641 00:28:23,208 --> 00:28:26,167 if he is a loving Father, then he invites us into community 642 00:28:26,250 --> 00:28:27,667 with him and his people. 643 00:28:27,708 --> 00:28:30,792 He doesn't command us to do something that is unpleasant. 644 00:28:30,833 --> 00:28:33,917 He invites us to do many things that are pleasant. 645 00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,833 And this really comes down to your view of God. 646 00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:38,833 And for those who were here and Christians, 647 00:28:38,875 --> 00:28:41,500 apparently it didn't seem like anything that they were 648 00:28:41,583 --> 00:28:43,000 really interested in. 649 00:28:43,042 --> 00:28:46,000 So though they had a church, they had a relationship with God 650 00:28:46,083 --> 00:28:49,333 and one another that was really more akin to just 651 00:28:49,417 --> 00:28:52,583 a moral compliance and religious obedience. 652 00:28:52,667 --> 00:28:55,500 And the sad, cold, hard truth is that most churches, 653 00:28:55,542 --> 00:28:56,958 I think, are that way. 654 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,000 And I don't mean to broad-brush every church, 655 00:28:59,083 --> 00:29:01,667 but about 80% of churches are plateaued and declining, 656 00:29:01,750 --> 00:29:03,667 just in the Unites States alone. 657 00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:05,833 And the same is true in many nations. 658 00:29:05,917 --> 00:29:09,250 And what that is, is usually an older generation of 659 00:29:09,333 --> 00:29:13,333 guilt-ridden people going through religious exercises. 660 00:29:13,375 --> 00:29:17,292 And young people don't care because there's no passion, 661 00:29:17,333 --> 00:29:20,250 there's no mission, there's no affection, 662 00:29:20,333 --> 00:29:24,625 there's no compulsion, and guilt doesn't last a lifetime. 663 00:29:24,667 --> 00:29:29,083 Guilt cannot sustain faithful walk with God for a lifetime. 664 00:29:29,167 --> 00:29:33,917 It has to be love, it has to be joy. 665 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,583 Number four, do you really care about Jesus and people? 666 00:29:37,667 --> 00:29:40,417 You think about it, I mean, here we are. 667 00:29:40,500 --> 00:29:44,458 The Temple of Artemis was one of the great wonders of the world. 668 00:29:44,500 --> 00:29:46,000 The one in Ephesus was named 669 00:29:46,083 --> 00:29:48,750 one of the seven great wonders of the world. 670 00:29:48,833 --> 00:29:52,500 There are people coming from, at least in that day, 671 00:29:52,542 --> 00:29:56,083 all over the region and from other nations to this place 672 00:29:56,167 --> 00:30:00,958 to worship a demon god, led by a guy who emasculated himself. 673 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:05,125 And if at the end of the day you wake up as a Christian and say, 674 00:30:05,167 --> 00:30:06,583 "I don't see any opportunity. 675 00:30:06,667 --> 00:30:09,083 "I don't see any need. I don't see any mission." 676 00:30:09,167 --> 00:30:11,292 You have systematically, intentionally 677 00:30:11,333 --> 00:30:13,458 just closed your eyes to the problem. 678 00:30:13,500 --> 00:30:15,583 But this is what happens all the time. 679 00:30:15,667 --> 00:30:18,167 Because see, we get on a plane and we come 680 00:30:18,208 --> 00:30:21,167 halfway around the world and we see an obvious need. 681 00:30:21,250 --> 00:30:25,250 Yet when we get in our car and we drive to work, we don't. 682 00:30:25,333 --> 00:30:26,917 We don't. 683 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,250 We don't look at our neighborhoods and say, 684 00:30:29,333 --> 00:30:30,792 "There's an obvious need." 685 00:30:30,833 --> 00:30:33,417 We don't look at our family, friends, coworkers, and say, 686 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:35,250 "There's a big opportunity." 687 00:30:35,333 --> 00:30:40,083 We don't drive by our own temples: strip clubs, 688 00:30:40,167 --> 00:30:44,917 grocery stores, movie theaters, sports stadiums. 689 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:48,125 Were the people who lived here 2,000 years ago 690 00:30:48,167 --> 00:30:51,250 to get on a plane and fly to your town and mine, 691 00:30:51,333 --> 00:30:53,125 they would see our temples. 692 00:30:53,167 --> 00:30:56,125 They'd be sitting right now at, let's say, a football stadium, 693 00:30:56,167 --> 00:30:59,417 or a baseball stadium, or a basketball arena, saying, 694 00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:02,333 "Look at all the money these people spent to make this 695 00:31:02,375 --> 00:31:05,167 "massive, massive construction project happen. 696 00:31:05,250 --> 00:31:07,500 "Look at all the passion they brought to it. 697 00:31:07,542 --> 00:31:08,958 "They showed up early. 698 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:10,417 "They stayed late. 699 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:12,500 "They gave lots of money for entrance fees. 700 00:31:12,542 --> 00:31:15,333 "And they worshiped, they worshiped the leaders like gods. 701 00:31:15,417 --> 00:31:17,667 "So they put the names of the sports stars 702 00:31:17,708 --> 00:31:19,250 "on the back of their jerseys. 703 00:31:19,333 --> 00:31:22,333 And they cheered them like Greek gods." 704 00:31:22,417 --> 00:31:25,458 And see, what happens is, idolatry is what we tend to see 705 00:31:25,500 --> 00:31:28,167 in other cultures and miss in our own. 706 00:31:28,208 --> 00:31:31,292 And so one of the good things about coming to a place 707 00:31:31,333 --> 00:31:33,500 like this is we see the obvious need, 708 00:31:33,542 --> 00:31:37,000 and we look around and we ask, "How could a church not see this? 709 00:31:37,083 --> 00:31:38,750 How could a church not care?" 710 00:31:38,833 --> 00:31:41,750 And then we need to ask, "What am I not seeing? 711 00:31:41,833 --> 00:31:43,417 "Where am I not caring? 712 00:31:43,500 --> 00:31:46,292 "Where are the opportunities that God has given me that 713 00:31:46,333 --> 00:31:49,417 "I simply am just too busy, dead, indifferent, 714 00:31:49,500 --> 00:31:51,500 or hard-hearted to really care?" 715 00:31:51,583 --> 00:31:53,625 And it happens to all of us, friends. 716 00:31:53,667 --> 00:31:55,333 It happens to me too. 717 00:31:55,375 --> 00:31:58,125 Number five, would it really bother you if your church 718 00:31:58,167 --> 00:32:00,125 died and closed? 719 00:32:00,167 --> 00:32:02,500 Would it really bother you? 720 00:32:02,542 --> 00:32:04,250 Have you ever thought of that? 721 00:32:04,333 --> 00:32:07,292 Sometimes I have this nightmare that Mars Hill Church 722 00:32:07,333 --> 00:32:09,417 ceases to exist, where I get to pastor. 723 00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:10,958 What if it ceased to exist? 724 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:12,667 That would destroy me. 725 00:32:12,750 --> 00:32:14,625 I would be devastated. 726 00:32:14,667 --> 00:32:16,500 All these people, all these families, 727 00:32:16,542 --> 00:32:18,583 all these new Christians, all these children, 728 00:32:18,667 --> 00:32:21,583 all these church plants, all these opportunities. 729 00:32:21,667 --> 00:32:23,500 What if it all went away? 730 00:32:23,542 --> 00:32:25,083 It would destroy me. 731 00:32:25,167 --> 00:32:27,833 Yet there are some people that the death of their church, 732 00:32:27,917 --> 00:32:30,167 it does not bother them. 733 00:32:30,208 --> 00:32:32,167 I'll give you guys some examples. 734 00:32:32,208 --> 00:32:34,417 I won't name names, though that would be exciting. 735 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:38,458 But I know of one church, the church had literally died. 736 00:32:38,500 --> 00:32:41,083 They'd been in decline for decades. 737 00:32:41,167 --> 00:32:43,917 So they decided, "We're going to give the building away." 738 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,750 And it came down to, there was a list of godly, 739 00:32:46,833 --> 00:32:49,250 Bible-believing churches that requested the building, 740 00:32:49,333 --> 00:32:52,292 and also there was a basketball league that made a request 741 00:32:52,333 --> 00:32:53,833 for the building. 742 00:32:53,917 --> 00:32:56,167 And the church voted to give the church building 743 00:32:56,208 --> 00:32:58,125 to the basketball league. 744 00:32:58,167 --> 00:33:03,167 And when they were asked, basically, "Why basketball?" 745 00:33:03,250 --> 00:33:07,917 Their answer was basically, "We like basketball." 746 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,833 So a church no longer meets there. 747 00:33:09,875 --> 00:33:11,792 Jesus is not worshiped there. 748 00:33:11,833 --> 00:33:13,250 But it's basketball. 749 00:33:13,333 --> 00:33:15,750 There's nothing wrong with basketball. 750 00:33:15,833 --> 00:33:19,500 But basketball's a really bad religion. 751 00:33:19,583 --> 00:33:23,583 There was another church I was working on, working with, 752 00:33:23,667 --> 00:33:26,917 for over 20 years they've declined every single year. 753 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,167 All the young people have left. 754 00:33:29,250 --> 00:33:33,583 They've missed budget, I think, 22 years in a row. 755 00:33:33,667 --> 00:33:38,250 And so they hired a young pastor who did love Jesus, 756 00:33:38,333 --> 00:33:41,250 and he started making changes, and so they attacked him 757 00:33:41,333 --> 00:33:43,167 and fired him. 758 00:33:43,250 --> 00:33:47,083 Because new people were coming. 759 00:33:47,167 --> 00:33:51,958 And that changed things because now the way they did life 760 00:33:52,000 --> 00:33:53,833 together was different. 761 00:33:53,917 --> 00:33:55,500 Service time changed. 762 00:33:55,542 --> 00:33:56,917 Music changes. 763 00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,250 Somebody painted a wall. 764 00:33:59,333 --> 00:34:01,000 "We need to fire the pastor." 765 00:34:01,083 --> 00:34:04,417 And they did. He's a very godly man. 766 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:08,125 And let me tell you this, every living thing changes. 767 00:34:08,167 --> 00:34:10,750 This? 768 00:34:10,833 --> 00:34:12,417 This isn't going to change much. 769 00:34:12,500 --> 00:34:15,625 It's the same as it was basically 2,000 years ago. 770 00:34:15,667 --> 00:34:17,167 It's because it's dead. 771 00:34:17,250 --> 00:34:18,667 Dead things don't change. 772 00:34:18,708 --> 00:34:20,458 Living things change. 773 00:34:20,500 --> 00:34:23,750 I've got a 5-year-old son, in 5 years, he's going to change. 774 00:34:23,833 --> 00:34:25,667 I've got a 13-year-old daughter, 775 00:34:25,708 --> 00:34:27,958 in 7 years, she's going to change. 776 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,250 Anything that's alive changes. 777 00:34:30,333 --> 00:34:33,583 It either grows or dies. 778 00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:37,167 So the question is not for churches: Will there be change? 779 00:34:37,208 --> 00:34:40,792 The question is: Will the change be for life or death? 780 00:34:40,833 --> 00:34:45,292 Will it be for forward progress or for sinful rebellion? 781 00:34:45,333 --> 00:34:47,333 There's going to be change. 782 00:34:47,375 --> 00:34:50,583 And so I would just ask you, I know that you're scattered from 783 00:34:50,667 --> 00:34:53,750 many churches, and even for those who call Mars Hill home, 784 00:34:53,833 --> 00:34:57,333 is your first inclination to resist change? 785 00:34:57,417 --> 00:35:00,417 Is your first inclination to argue for tradition? 786 00:35:00,500 --> 00:35:03,125 Is your first inclination to keep things that are familiar 787 00:35:03,167 --> 00:35:06,750 to you, comfortable to you, or to rejoice that there's 788 00:35:06,833 --> 00:35:09,458 a new opportunity for new people to meet Jesus, 789 00:35:09,500 --> 00:35:11,583 and so change is a good thing? 790 00:35:11,667 --> 00:35:16,917 Otherwise, we really don't have this, this attitude of parents. 791 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,792 And for those of you who are parents, 792 00:35:19,833 --> 00:35:24,167 would you agree that having a child forces change? 793 00:35:24,208 --> 00:35:26,417 What changes when you have children? 794 00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:28,250 Everything. 795 00:35:28,333 --> 00:35:30,750 Your schedule, your budget, your health, your sleep. 796 00:35:30,833 --> 00:35:33,667 But you welcome that change because there's new life, 797 00:35:33,708 --> 00:35:35,917 and so you're willing to be inconvenienced. 798 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,000 As Christians we want to welcome new birth (babies) 799 00:35:39,083 --> 00:35:42,417 and new births spiritually (Christian converts). 800 00:35:42,500 --> 00:35:44,417 And then we welcome them into church. 801 00:35:44,500 --> 00:35:47,250 And what that requires is change. 802 00:35:47,333 --> 00:35:49,125 Things have to change. 803 00:35:49,167 --> 00:35:51,333 And if we're dead, we fight the change. 804 00:35:51,375 --> 00:35:54,250 And if Jesus is alive, we embrace the change. 805 00:35:54,333 --> 00:35:57,500 And Jesus' word to the church here was, "You're dead. 806 00:35:57,542 --> 00:36:01,750 You are not changing, but that's because you're dead." 807 00:36:01,833 --> 00:36:05,000 Couple other things in closing, and I know it's hot, 808 00:36:05,042 --> 00:36:07,167 and I appreciate your time. 809 00:36:07,250 --> 00:36:10,167 I'll say this to you, what happens is it goes from 810 00:36:10,250 --> 00:36:15,667 a movement, to an organization, to an institution, to a museum. 811 00:36:15,750 --> 00:36:17,417 This is what denominations do. 812 00:36:17,500 --> 00:36:19,167 This is what churches do. 813 00:36:19,208 --> 00:36:21,750 So God the Holy Spirit works. There's a movement. 814 00:36:21,833 --> 00:36:24,417 Then you've got to organize it, so there's an organization. 815 00:36:24,500 --> 00:36:26,417 You start a church, or a missions agency, 816 00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:27,833 or a denomination. 817 00:36:27,917 --> 00:36:30,000 And then what it becomes is an institution. 818 00:36:30,083 --> 00:36:31,833 An institution is not about the future, 819 00:36:31,875 --> 00:36:33,250 it's about the past. 820 00:36:33,333 --> 00:36:35,500 It's not about pushing forward; it's about defending 821 00:36:35,583 --> 00:36:37,625 what we've already obtained. 822 00:36:37,667 --> 00:36:39,917 And they start talking about the good ol' days, 823 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,250 and the glory days, and, "Do you remember when?" 824 00:36:42,333 --> 00:36:45,500 Well then, step number four, it becomes a museum. 825 00:36:45,542 --> 00:36:47,833 There's not a future. 826 00:36:47,917 --> 00:36:49,417 There's not a mission. 827 00:36:49,500 --> 00:36:50,833 There's not a passion. 828 00:36:50,917 --> 00:36:52,333 There's not a life. 829 00:36:52,417 --> 00:36:54,458 We just talk about what used to happen. 830 00:36:54,500 --> 00:36:57,792 And this is a hard word, but I think it's a good word. 831 00:36:57,833 --> 00:37:01,458 As we go back to our homes, as we go back to our churches, 832 00:37:01,500 --> 00:37:03,750 as we go back to our ministries and lives, 833 00:37:03,833 --> 00:37:07,417 we've got to ask ourselves, "Do I want to be part of a movement 834 00:37:07,500 --> 00:37:08,833 "or a museum? 835 00:37:08,917 --> 00:37:11,667 "Do I want to be part of something that is growing 836 00:37:11,708 --> 00:37:14,458 "and changing, or something that has already died and is just 837 00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:17,750 telling the stories of what God used to do a long time ago?" 838 00:37:17,833 --> 00:37:20,583 And as we go to these sites, and we look around, 839 00:37:20,667 --> 00:37:22,167 it's beautiful, it's interesting, it's historical, 840 00:37:22,208 --> 00:37:23,917 it's magnificent, but it's all museum. 841 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,083 And Christianity is about learning from the museums. 842 00:37:26,167 --> 00:37:28,125 But it's about being part of a movement, 843 00:37:28,167 --> 00:37:30,250 and staying on the mission of God 844 00:37:30,333 --> 00:37:33,333 of seeing disciples made and churches planted. 845 00:37:33,417 --> 00:37:36,917 And I just feel inclined to even tell some of you who are here, 846 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,417 and some of those who will be listening in, 847 00:37:39,500 --> 00:37:41,458 you need to repent of your attitude. 848 00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:43,583 Your criticism, your self-righteousness, 849 00:37:43,667 --> 00:37:46,500 your judgmentalism, your suspicion toward leadership, 850 00:37:46,583 --> 00:37:48,750 your preservation of tradition. 851 00:37:48,833 --> 00:37:50,583 Because at the end of the day, 852 00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:53,000 what you're arguing for is control. 853 00:37:53,042 --> 00:37:56,833 You're not in control, that's why Jesus ascended into heaven. 854 00:37:56,875 --> 00:37:59,292 He's got the control issue mastered. 855 00:37:59,333 --> 00:38:02,000 You and I just need to be faithful and obedient, 856 00:38:02,083 --> 00:38:04,250 open and willing to personally change, 857 00:38:04,333 --> 00:38:06,292 and to welcome change in our church, 858 00:38:06,333 --> 00:38:08,333 so that more people can meet Jesus. 859 00:38:08,375 --> 00:38:12,083 So that someday, in 2,000 years, tourists don't get on a plane 860 00:38:12,167 --> 00:38:15,167 from another nation to fly into your city and talk about 861 00:38:15,250 --> 00:38:17,625 how you failed. 862 00:38:17,667 --> 00:38:20,583 So we can't just look at these historical examples 863 00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:23,917 and criticize these people, we need to say that we're capable 864 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:26,000 of the exact same failure. 865 00:38:26,083 --> 00:38:29,667 And to take that to heart, and go back to our churches and say, 866 00:38:29,750 --> 00:38:31,500 "We want this place to be alive. 867 00:38:31,542 --> 00:38:33,458 "We want Jesus to be made much of. 868 00:38:33,500 --> 00:38:36,083 "We want new people to meet Christ. 869 00:38:36,167 --> 00:38:38,667 "We want legacy, and generation, and tradition. 870 00:38:38,750 --> 00:38:40,917 "And we want to hand to our children 871 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,500 "and our children's children, we want to hand to them 872 00:38:43,542 --> 00:38:46,333 "a living faith, not a dead set of rituals, 873 00:38:46,417 --> 00:38:49,000 traditions, and routines." 874 00:38:49,083 --> 00:38:52,000 And that's the big word that Jesus has for the church 875 00:38:52,042 --> 00:38:53,500 at Sardis. 876 00:38:53,542 --> 00:38:58,333 So he says, "Wake up." It's like they'd been asleep. 877 00:38:58,375 --> 00:39:01,125 "Strengthen what remains but is near death." 878 00:39:01,167 --> 00:39:04,667 Take anything that looks like it's a possibility 879 00:39:04,708 --> 00:39:07,500 and invest time, resources, and energy into it. 880 00:39:07,542 --> 00:39:09,458 He says, "Remember the truth." 881 00:39:09,500 --> 00:39:11,750 Because oftentimes we believe lies. 882 00:39:11,833 --> 00:39:13,333 He says to repent. 883 00:39:13,375 --> 00:39:15,083 And friends, this is an invitation. 884 00:39:15,167 --> 00:39:18,167 What Jesus is saying is even if you're dead spiritually, 885 00:39:18,250 --> 00:39:20,917 or your family's dead spiritually, or your church is dead 886 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,458 spiritually, or your denomination, or your network, 887 00:39:23,500 --> 00:39:26,333 or your movement is dead spiritually, you can repent, 888 00:39:26,417 --> 00:39:28,583 you can turn it around, things can change, 889 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:31,167 it's never too late so long as you're alive. 890 00:39:31,208 --> 00:39:32,958 And so there's hope. 891 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:34,583 There's an invitation. 892 00:39:34,667 --> 00:39:37,292 There's an opportunity that God gives through repentance. 893 00:39:37,333 --> 00:39:40,000 He says, for those who are believers, to keep going, 894 00:39:40,083 --> 00:39:42,417 to persevere, to walk in holiness, 895 00:39:42,500 --> 00:39:45,000 to wear the white righteousness of Christ, 896 00:39:45,083 --> 00:39:46,750 and to not get discouraged. 897 00:39:46,833 --> 00:39:49,583 And especially for those of you who are in hard places 898 00:39:49,667 --> 00:39:52,750 and tough churches, and I know even some of you are leaders 899 00:39:52,833 --> 00:39:55,167 in churches that if Jesus didn't call you there, 900 00:39:55,208 --> 00:39:56,625 you'd never show up. 901 00:39:56,667 --> 00:39:58,750 Because the fighting, and the religious people, 902 00:39:58,833 --> 00:40:00,417 and the arguments, and the inanity, 903 00:40:00,500 --> 00:40:02,958 and the silliness, and the pettiness, 904 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:05,792 and the traditionalism, and the ritualism, 905 00:40:05,833 --> 00:40:07,917 and the me-ism is overwhelming. 906 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:11,333 And he says, "Just keep going. Just overcome. 907 00:40:11,375 --> 00:40:13,500 "Keep plugging forward. Be faithful. 908 00:40:13,583 --> 00:40:15,292 Do the best you can." 909 00:40:15,333 --> 00:40:17,667 And he says to listen to the Holy Spirit. 910 00:40:17,750 --> 00:40:20,083 Something he says to each of the churches. 911 00:40:20,167 --> 00:40:22,917 The way that we keep spiritual fervor, passion, 912 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:25,500 and life is to listen to the Holy Spirit. 913 00:40:25,583 --> 00:40:27,500 He speaks through the Word of God. 914 00:40:27,542 --> 00:40:28,958 He speaks through circumstances. 915 00:40:29,000 --> 00:40:31,667 He'll sometimes give us impressions and leadings. 916 00:40:31,708 --> 00:40:33,917 He'll sometimes speak through other believers, 917 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:36,458 and circumstances, and authors, and teachers. 918 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:38,667 And as you walk with the Holy Spirit 919 00:40:38,750 --> 00:40:41,250 there will be certain times you'll hear something, it'll just, 920 00:40:41,333 --> 00:40:43,333 it's like it gets highlighted in your soul, 921 00:40:43,417 --> 00:40:45,750 and you'll realize that was from the Lord. 922 00:40:45,833 --> 00:40:48,500 That's what he's talking about in hearing the Holy Spirit. 923 00:40:48,542 --> 00:40:51,500 Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice and they listen to me." 924 00:40:51,583 --> 00:40:55,000 The longer you walk with God, his voice gets familiar. 925 00:40:55,083 --> 00:40:57,417 And through all the noise and clutter of life, 926 00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,500 when the Holy Spirit speaks you're like, "Okay, I got that." 927 00:41:00,542 --> 00:41:02,083 And it is more intuitive. 928 00:41:02,167 --> 00:41:03,500 It is more personal. 929 00:41:03,583 --> 00:41:08,417 It is more a matter of defining who God is 930 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:10,167 and then listening to him. 931 00:41:10,250 --> 00:41:11,833 But what this takes is time. 932 00:41:11,917 --> 00:41:14,250 And for those of you who are new Christians, 933 00:41:14,333 --> 00:41:15,750 what it takes is time. 934 00:41:15,833 --> 00:41:17,583 It's getting to know someone named God. 935 00:41:17,667 --> 00:41:20,917 And that Jesus says, "If you don't do this, I'm going to take 936 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,917 your name out of the book of life." 937 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:27,583 And what he's saying is, "You're going to hell, 938 00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:29,667 and I'm shutting your church down." 939 00:41:29,750 --> 00:41:32,417 Now you think that would have lit a wick, right? 940 00:41:32,500 --> 00:41:34,833 You think somebody, on Sunday, can you imagine that, 941 00:41:34,875 --> 00:41:36,583 church is all together. 942 00:41:36,667 --> 00:41:39,417 Pastor says, "We got a letter from Jesus in heaven." 943 00:41:39,500 --> 00:41:41,458 Awesome. Open it up. 944 00:41:41,500 --> 00:41:44,167 "I heard this nasty rumor you guys were alive." 945 00:41:44,250 --> 00:41:46,583 "Uh-oh, that's not starting very well. 946 00:41:46,667 --> 00:41:48,667 Well, what happens if we don't obey you?" 947 00:41:48,750 --> 00:41:51,292 "I'll send you to hell and shut the church down." 948 00:41:51,333 --> 00:41:53,917 You'd think at that point somebody would have raised their 949 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:56,292 hand and made a nomination that we do something. 950 00:41:56,333 --> 00:41:58,750 But sometimes it doesn't happen. 951 00:41:58,833 --> 00:42:02,833 And so the word for us today is a sense of urgency. 952 00:42:02,917 --> 00:42:09,125 It's a sense of passion and compassion. 953 00:42:09,167 --> 00:42:13,083 And also, as we close our time in prayer, I want to, number one, 954 00:42:13,167 --> 00:42:15,333 pray for a church that is in the region. 955 00:42:15,417 --> 00:42:18,000 There is, there's not a church in the immediate vicinity, 956 00:42:18,042 --> 00:42:20,667 but in the extended region there is a Christian church. 957 00:42:20,750 --> 00:42:23,625 So we need to pray for those brothers and sisters. 958 00:42:23,667 --> 00:42:25,583 God obviously cares about this area. 959 00:42:25,667 --> 00:42:27,750 He's named it in the Bible. 960 00:42:27,833 --> 00:42:29,958 And number two, for us to ask ourselves, 961 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:33,333 when we go home to our church, "Do I really believe that this 962 00:42:33,375 --> 00:42:36,833 "church is here for me, or am I here for God and his people, 963 00:42:36,917 --> 00:42:38,458 "and his mission? 964 00:42:38,500 --> 00:42:41,250 "Is this just a place where I want to get baptized, 965 00:42:41,333 --> 00:42:43,333 "and bring my kids, and raise my family, 966 00:42:43,417 --> 00:42:45,333 show up at Easter and on Christmas?" 967 00:42:45,417 --> 00:42:47,125 Because here's what kills a church: 968 00:42:47,167 --> 00:42:49,833 more consumers than contributors. 969 00:42:49,875 --> 00:42:51,583 That's what kills a church. 970 00:42:51,667 --> 00:42:53,667 Every church has consumers. 971 00:42:53,750 --> 00:42:56,792 Non-Christians, new Christians, people who are in rebellion, 972 00:42:56,833 --> 00:42:58,333 people who are coming along. 973 00:42:58,375 --> 00:43:01,417 And the faithful people are supposed to be the contributors. 974 00:43:01,500 --> 00:43:05,000 Where a church starts to die is when there's more consumers than 975 00:43:05,083 --> 00:43:06,625 there are contributors. 976 00:43:06,667 --> 00:43:08,625 There are more takers than there are givers. 977 00:43:08,667 --> 00:43:10,917 More people demanding things than giving money. 978 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:13,792 More people demanding service than volunteering hours. 979 00:43:13,833 --> 00:43:17,583 More people demanding commitment than prayerfully contributing 980 00:43:17,667 --> 00:43:20,500 to the forward progress and the well-being of the church. 981 00:43:20,542 --> 00:43:25,083 So I would just ask you, number one, where are you? 982 00:43:25,167 --> 00:43:27,083 Are you dead or alive? 983 00:43:27,167 --> 00:43:28,750 Are you dead or alive? 984 00:43:28,833 --> 00:43:32,792 And number two, when you go home, who is there that is dead 985 00:43:32,833 --> 00:43:34,667 that you need to speak to? 986 00:43:34,750 --> 00:43:37,000 And Jesus speaks to the dead people. 987 00:43:37,042 --> 00:43:38,458 The spiritually dead. 988 00:43:38,500 --> 00:43:40,417 Physically alive, spiritually dead, and he says, 989 00:43:40,500 --> 00:43:42,417 "This is wrong. 990 00:43:42,500 --> 00:43:44,167 "This is unacceptable. 991 00:43:44,250 --> 00:43:45,958 "This cannot continue. 992 00:43:46,000 --> 00:43:48,500 Things need to change right now." 993 00:43:48,583 --> 00:43:50,250 Is that your church? 994 00:43:50,333 --> 00:43:52,417 Is that friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, 995 00:43:52,500 --> 00:43:55,917 spiritual leaders, is that your own network, your own movement, 996 00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:58,750 your own denomination, your own tradition? 997 00:43:58,833 --> 00:44:01,500 And we need to follow in the boldness of Jesus, 998 00:44:01,583 --> 00:44:04,125 receiving a hard word for ourselves and repenting 999 00:44:04,167 --> 00:44:06,083 of any deadness we have. 1000 00:44:06,167 --> 00:44:08,917 And then modeling and mirroring Jesus' example 1001 00:44:09,000 --> 00:44:13,083 and speaking boldly, compelling people who are spiritually dead 1002 00:44:13,167 --> 00:44:15,000 toward life. 1003 00:44:15,083 --> 00:44:16,500 I'll pray for you. 1004 00:44:16,542 --> 00:44:17,958 I love you guys. 1005 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:19,750 I appreciate you guys coming out 1006 00:44:19,833 --> 00:44:21,583 from all over the world to learn. 1007 00:44:21,667 --> 00:44:24,167 And I don't want this for us to just be 1008 00:44:24,208 --> 00:44:25,625 a bunch of archaeological facts, 1009 00:44:25,667 --> 00:44:28,167 but a bunch of archaeological facts that ignite our heart 1010 00:44:28,250 --> 00:44:31,000 to go back home and be the church of Jesus Christ, 1011 00:44:31,042 --> 00:44:33,292 so that there's a legacy 2,000 years from today 1012 00:44:33,333 --> 00:44:34,792 where we are. 1013 00:44:34,833 --> 00:44:36,250 And that's why we're here. 1014 00:44:36,333 --> 00:44:38,583 So Father God, thank you for our time together. 1015 00:44:38,667 --> 00:44:40,125 Thank you for your living Word. 1016 00:44:40,167 --> 00:44:42,167 Thank you for the church of Jesus Christ. 1017 00:44:42,250 --> 00:44:45,583 Jesus, you love the church, and we want to love what you love. 1018 00:44:45,667 --> 00:44:48,417 You serve the church; we want to serve what you serve. 1019 00:44:48,500 --> 00:44:51,583 We pray for this region, God, and the church that is in 1020 00:44:51,667 --> 00:44:53,167 this greater region, not this city. 1021 00:44:53,208 --> 00:44:55,750 We pray for that little church and the leaders there, 1022 00:44:55,833 --> 00:44:57,250 that they would be faithful. 1023 00:44:57,333 --> 00:45:00,333 And God, we pray that we would receive this word for ourselves, 1024 00:45:00,417 --> 00:45:02,292 ways in which, perhaps, we are dead, 1025 00:45:02,333 --> 00:45:04,750 and need to be brought back to spiritual life 1026 00:45:04,833 --> 00:45:07,250 through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. 1027 00:45:07,333 --> 00:45:09,417 And I pray for our churches, Lord God, 1028 00:45:09,500 --> 00:45:12,583 that they would not be dead, that they would be alive. 1029 00:45:12,667 --> 00:45:15,583 That we would embrace the change that growth and life brings. 1030 00:45:15,667 --> 00:45:18,417 And not fight for the cessation of change that death brings. 1031 00:45:18,500 --> 00:45:20,250 God, we love you. 1032 00:45:20,333 --> 00:45:22,583 We thank you that hard words produce soft people. 1033 00:45:22,667 --> 00:45:26,083 And God we ask that these hard words would help us to be soft. 1034 00:45:26,167 --> 00:45:28,167 And God, as the founding pastor of Mars Hill, 1035 00:45:28,250 --> 00:45:30,917 I pray for our church, that it would not be a church 1036 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,250 that one day just talks about what used to happen. 1037 00:45:33,333 --> 00:45:35,625 But that it would always be a church that talks about 1038 00:45:35,667 --> 00:45:37,542 what's going to happen next. In Jesus' name, amen.