"Dear Church, Wake Up!" Revelation 3:1-6::You've Got Mail

[Music] if you have your Bibles revelation chapter three couple things I will remind you of we are back in full Christian discipleship mode the semester has begun and so TNT which is our personal Bible study with me to see 6:30 and Wes and Thursday at 12 and 7 here in Maine I won't invite you to come that I'm hoping that as we close out this year that you would make Bible study consistent part of your walk with God I've always told people you can't just expect what you get on Sunday to be everything you get what if you only ate once a week you'll be really hungry right this was really predicated upon a consistent diet of making sure that your heart and being in somebody said we have multiple other classes make sure you get plugged in the small group some of the growth and those things are significant for your growth and I want us to take responsibility accountability for our girl number two this Friday say this Friday 11 o'clock we're doing something we've never done before the Lord has laid to some heart a couple years ago and finally felt released to do it so at eleven o'clock in Tam West we're gonna do this thing called miracles at midnight the revolution will not be televised on be streamed it's just a moment gonna come to worship and we're gonna really really pray because I'm believing that we're in a new place where God isn't ready to show his presence through the signs and wonders every generation needs something in order to strengthen faith you if you study church history you know that we probably get into another Azusa revival season because for a long time if you notice they have and flow of how this thing works I believe this new generation needs to see God in the miraculous power of God and so this Friday 11 o'clock we're just gonna be in there and we're going to be praying I believe blinded I was gonna be open Lane will walk Jesus said something he says greater works you shall do and so that significant because it lets us know that I believe in what the Bible says and I want to see that manifest sir I want you to come with expectation on leadership let's prepare you pray for us and I believe in that if we got the faith God definitely has the power alright so I don't have no timetable on it I don't know how long but we just gonna be there till we be there amen and we're gonna ask God to kind of move in a powerful way man Revelation chapter 3 beginning to verse one here is the word of God right to the angel the church in Sardis thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God seven stars I know you're worried should have a reputation for being alive but you are dead be alert and strengthen what remains which is about to die I have not found your works complete before my god remember then what you have received and heard keep it and repent if you are not alert I will come like a thief you have no idea what hour I will come upon you but you have a few people that are those who've not to foul their clothes and they will walk with me in white because they are worthy and the same way the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my father and before his angels let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the church he says something interesting says I know your works you have a reputation for being alive but you are dead verse two that our turn be alert in Greek it literally says wake up but the time with his hours were continuing our series you got me all I want to talk from that thought today from this fifth letter I want to talk about dear church wake up touch someone besides us a neighbor to save the time to be sleeping wake up if those halves of heaven say Lord speak we need to hear may be seated in the presence of God my brothers and sisters we've now come to the fifth letter of this particular of seven that Jesus reigns to the pin of the exiled prophet by the name of John the elder since reading my brothers and sisters that each letter Jesus has written up until this point to the church in Ephesus Smyrna Pergamum Thyatira he comes with them with various specific things he's trying to get them to do and as we have tried our best over the last few weeks to kind of outline God's intent through these letters it was to talk to these individual local churches to strengthen them where they are weak to commend them for what they do well but also to spur them to things they could do better each one is unique and Jesus understood the different complexities of each one and so each letter begins to kind of outline Jesus's if you will for 'ti his definition his defining moments that he really wants them to hone in on just like the others this fifth letter to the church in Sardis is no exception what's intriguing though my brothers and sisters as Jesus writes this letter introducing himself to them as the one that holds seven angels in one hand and seven stars in the other which speaks of the total authority of Jesus he comes to them in what is one of the most unique letters of the seven because in this letter unlike the others he has nothing good to say about this church in sardis he he only sends them a critical letter because where he sees where they are he's not pleased and what he's not pleased about is that externally they seem alive but internally they are really dead in other words the problem Jesus has with his church is that they are sleepwalking they are stagnant they're stuck there they're no longer producing any new good works and since they are just resting on their laurels he says here's the problem if you don't wake up you're gonna miss my glorious return in other words he says that you're gonna sleep through some miracle sleep through some things all because she did not take responsibility and account for your own state and my brothers and sisters I think that's significant for us to ponder because I want to submit that there are times if we'll be honest that if God was to put a category for some of us we would not be alive we would be dead dead my brothers and sisters not predicated on a mortal state but dead when it comes to our worship dead when it comes to our witness and dead when it comes to our works and and it's the horrible thing my brothers and sisters to serve a live god but be dead it's it's pretty awful to have a God that continually blesses us over and over again but our response to his goodness and his benevolence is to give him dead parts of our selves and and as we've been going through why is that significant why is he speaking to the church in sardis such way well as we've been going through these letters it's important for us to set the context because without the context it becomes pretext and then you'll be taken this whole letter out of where Jesus wants this letter to be known the city of Sardis within itself was a pretty significant town in that time it was built on a heel it was a pretty massive place and because of its proximity and its platform for which it was built it was considered a military power not just that it was also situated on what we considered a main thoroughfare a highway of traffic and trade and so it is not only a military power is also a commercial power it it was literally the capital of this Lydian Empire which is what we consider now modern-day Turkey and so from the outside it would seem like Sardis has it all together but but there were some challenges with this position even though it was a military power it assumed that his ranks were impenetrable and at least twice in the history of Sardis there had some enemies that infiltrated and came up besides of the mountain and when they came into the city they noticed a city was unguarded they were unguarded my brothers and sisters because they assumed that no one could enter they were unguarded because they assumed that no enemy could get inside and because they put their guard down because they were sleeping on the watch they were captured twice because they thought that their prominence and position was enough to keep them immune from the enemies attacks they literally end up being defeated and my brothers and sisters I think that's what Jesus meant is he talked specifically to the church in sardis because if we were to look at them historically they were an incredible Church they had done great things in the past but they had rested on their laurels they began to think that because of what they've done they were impenetrable and now Jesus says because you have this false assumption because you think you are better than what you really are you've allowed the enemy to distract you you've allowed the enemy to low you to sleep and here's the danger my brothers and sisters is that when we get low to sleep we're gonna miss out of something that God wants to do in our lives I come to challenge you my brothers and sisters because I don't just believe that's a corporate statement is also an individual statement because sometimes we can get so complacent in the presence of God sometimes we can get so stagnant in the presence of God that you'll assume you've got everything you will assume you've already arrived and there's nothing worse than to read your own press clippings there's nothing worse to assume that you got it all figured out and here is the danger my brothers and sisters the enemy don't care what you did yesterday the enemy does not care how many scriptures you knew yesterday the enemy does not care about any of that here is the problem if we are not careful how complacency can be our own worst enemy and that's why I tells this church that's why the main thesis of this particular passage is he tells them listen I need you to wake up because if you don't wake up there is doom coming your way if you don't wake up in your worship your witness and your work you're gonna miss out on my glorious return and that's my simple thing for you today all I came to tell you is that wherever you are in the kingdom of God touch your neighbor and tell them stay whoa you you got a stain whoops they work on your job stay walking your service they walk in your sacrifice because the minute you fall asleep is the time that Jesus just may surprise you and come on back that's what he's telling the church universal he wants us to know we gotta stay what we got greater works to produce we got things we got a conference that's what he's telling each individual believers stay woke because I still got things I need you to do and perhaps he gives a warning in this next because if we don't wake up we gonna miss out that's what the text seems to convey to us today and I I'm gonna share something in what he is like I said before not a commending letter but a critical letter where he writes this to let them know that I need you to move from being dead to being alive are you interested today I see a few movements in this passenger because I really believe that there is something to be said about what he speaks to the Sardis church here it is my brothers and sisters if we are to move from being dared to alive if we are to operate and wake up the first thing he says to do is we need to number one complete it in other words what he simply tells us is that you've got to operate in an opportunity to be complete in all that you do that's what the text says if we look here at verse two notice what it begins to open up it tells us be alert that word be alert that that phrase simply means to wake up he he says here is my challenge you you're now slumbering when you should be up the reason I need you to wake up because I needed you to strengthen what remains because what remains is about to die here's what's interesting Jesus makes this astute observation of this church and he says here's my problem you need to wake up because literally you are living on life support now when he says this he's not speaking externally externally Sardis seemed to be a church that had it going on matter of fact if he studied them they had a lofty Presti prestigious history they were known as being a great church but here is the challenge Jesus says my problem is you look externally alive but on your heart in your spirit you are spiritually dead matter of fact you're just a few moments few breaths away from croaking you are literally hanging on by a thread and my brothers sisters here he begins to be real with him and he says here's why you are literally literally living on life-support is because the stuff you were supposed to do has now shown up in complete in essence what he says is a challenge not only for the church in sardis but I also believe is a challenge for us because in essence what he said is that your issue is not how you start your issue is how you finish that if you remember when you first got saved when you first planted the church when you first started to evangelize all y'all were on fire for the Lord you were passionate and and everything was going well you had a heart for trying to reach the loss for Christ but now after some time you've lost a little bit of your enthusiasm you've lost some of your desire your passion has now went away Nessus my brothers and sisters what he said is that no longer can I trust you to be on fire for me it seems as if your fire has cooled down the question my brothers and sisters and what asked is what could have happened how could they who start it so good now seem to be sputtering near the end and the reality is my brothers and sisters what really begins to quench our desire and our passion is that many times in life just gets hard see it's easy to be passionate in the beginning but the question is how do you sustain your passion how do you sustain your desire I mean when your first lock eyes with that individual oh it makes your heart flutter and you thought that this was the best thing since sliced bread but now it's been some months or years and now the love singer has wilted away what do you do when it seems like you lost your first love there you were when you first got in minister you were excited you were serving you were doing this until some issues came up somebody gave you the side-eye somebody sat in your seat and where you used to be enthusiastic now you don't seem to have the same passion somebody can testify that I started out red-hot pastor all I was excited I was I was really on fire for the Lord but all of a sudden some stuff started to happen that things started to come in my life and let me tell you that's what the enemy does he knows he can't deny you so he tries to distract you he'll throw the cares of the world in your life to make you start to doubt God's goodness you'll start to allow some stuff to happen and won't be unto us if we allow that stuff to take our passion this is his problem why I have fought with you is not of the promises you made to the pastor not of the promises you made to your servant leader but what about the promises you made to God when I start to check the record Jesus says you keep coming up short in what you said God you was gonna do I wish I had time I know you ain't gonna admit that today but there's about 17 of y'all in here that can testify that there have been moments and times that there's some stuff you told God you was gonna do and you still have fallen short there there's still some overdue unpaid bills of stuff that God has been waiting on you to do but yet you keep giving him excuse after excuse and keep saying well God I mean you really know my heart you know how it is and God said that's the problem I know your heart and the reason why I'm struggling is because your heart is not where it needs to be tells us texts that we struggle in completing what we tell the Lord to do Sardis was struggling so one just that they failed to complete it but also the text tells us we're gonna move from there to life we also got to wake up by number 2 we got to learn how to keep it because I love this in the text verse 2 tells us how we lost our passion how we were asleep at the wheel how we have renewed don't some promises to God but verse 3 gives the remedy to verse 2 verse 3 tells us how we get our passion back and the thing it tells us how to get our passion back is the first word in verse 3 remember okay y'all have been slopes m14 was slow now I must throw now for the Firestone everything okay let me try that again verse 2 they were struggling they Jesus had to give them a nudge tell them y'all on life support y'all are losing your passion losing your strength your you're coming up short you are incomplete and what you told God you was gonna do but then Jesus gives him the remedy to what was ailing them in verse 3 he says remember ok you you can't shout over that because you think this word remember is just a one-time occurrence actually this word remember written in the Greek is written in the present imperative which means literally is better translated to mean go on remembering and never let yourself forget he says that here is the key and here is the thing that you need to make sure you do to keep your passion and your desire for God is you need to learn how to remember see may I submit to you the greatest threat to you as a kingdom builder and impactor is not what happens to you externally because life will bring trials and tribulations but the greatest threat to you influencing the kingdom is that you failed to remember the goodness of Almighty God may I tell you the biggest problem we face in our contemporary context is we get too many people who get spiritual amnesia you wake up this morning as if today is the first day you've ever been on this earth but when you are a child of God you need to be in a perpetual state of learning how to remember the goodness of God y'all gonna help me but I'm a preaching anyhow he tells them this way you remember in two ways remember on what you received and remember what you heard let me unpack that because that word received is what he says the first way you ought to remember is based upon what you have internally experience for yourself in other words my brothers and sisters the first way we remember is we remember what God has done in our lives every single moment that we are alive in other words my brothers and sisters if you really want to give God glory just remember in other words your praise ought to be predicated on you remembering the faithfulness of God which means I don't need a praise team to get me excited I don't need my favorite preacher to pump me up to get excited as long as I remember how good the Lord s being okay some of y'all need a reminder he woke you up this morning he started you on your way put food on your table kept your mind in perfect place Rick he restored your broken heart got your kids off drugs restored your relationship he even continued to pay your bills when you were laid off that's when you remember how good god has been matter of fact grandma was saying this way if it had not been for the Lord my side okay maybe I need some help in here just helping you to remember cuz some of y'all acting real bad and bougie but let me remind you you didn't do it yourself he woke you up this morning you didn't pull yourself up by your bootstraps the Lord's been good to do it and somebody ought to testify when I look back over my life it was nobody but God oh I know mama want to take some credit I know Pookie ray-ray won't take some credit but look at somebody tell her okay nobody taking criticals ain't nobody do me up like the Lord is AME remember as he of the Houston that can testify that he did it for me he is moved in my life he's touching my body bless my family help my stuff happy and I'm here to tell you that every good Saint I have a good memory you oughta know for yourself what the Lord has done for you he says I remember since I remembered number one because I of what I've experienced but then he says I remember based on what I heard this heard is done in two ways number one through the Word of God that literally what Jesus says is remember what you was taught remember the lessons from my word because my word is in essence me that's why most of us fail to understand that's why most of us miss it because you don't want to get in your word and here's the warning to you my brothers sisters winner you failed to get in your word you fail to know what God has promised in your life I wish I had time that's why the Bible says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and if you don't know the word you can't remember the word see that's why some of us struggle because when God speaks his word because you don't know it you can't declare and decree what you need to have happen in your life which means that when I operate in the spirit of faith based upon his word I don't get troubled in what I'm in because his word says the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want his word says he shall supply all of my needs according to his riches in glory his word says by His stripes I am healed his word says he's a I'll be a lender and not about his word says that I'm the head and not to tell his is what gives me hope my brothers and sisters and what Jesus said is don't act like I ain't said it just getting your word and know that when my word is given to you it will help you do what you need to do he said here so the first way is through this word but the second way we hear is through other people's testimony that's why revelation 12 is a powerful reminder to us it tells us the enemy's defeated about the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony it is important my brothers and sisters that when you share what God has done in your life you're not just doing it to talk about his goodness in your life you're providing a sneak preview to somebody else that if he can do it for you he can do it for them that's why you do a disservice when you don't share how good god has been to you that's why David the sweet singer of Israel said it this way o magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together which means when I start declaring and decree what he's done in my life it just might be God trying to give you some encouragement and I would not be able to give you the break do you need if you didn't know what God has done for me I know it's early in the sermon but grab somebody by the hand and say I don't think it's by happenstance God sent me next to you but I believe God stepped me next to you because he wanted me to tell you of the goodness of God matter of fact you're holding the hand of a miracle right now you're holding the head of a survivor right now you're holding the hand of someone that's been healed by God you holding the hand that you sing God move in miraculous ways I saw neighbor eating gotta listen to PG the rest of his sermon just look at me neighbor and because of what he's done for me I believe he can do the same thing in your life I need some a radical rider folk in the house that don't mind getting excited and touch your neighbor and say neighbor I'm a shopper what he bout to do in your life because if he did it for me he can do the same thing for you I said that's it remember touch three people tell them remember remember remember this ain't the time to forget remember remember remember remember what doors he opened remember what stuff he's already done remember remember he said the only way you gonna get your passion back is you got to remember [Applause] but here's the crazy thing the remembrance keys to things he says when you remember you gotta keep it cuz it ain't just like you remember it just to remember it you got to remember and hold on to cinema tell you why some of us failed in church is because you come to church and you know we dismissed up because we ain't going through it right now let me tell you how awesome God he is he don't always give your word for your now lot of times he gives you a word for your not yet and I know what some of y'all do y'all be saying by I don't know passing I missed it today because I ain't dealing with that and so I only know why he preached it well baby Baba let me tell you real quick do not dismiss and discard that word today because keep on living you still gonna need that word you may not need a word of healing today but just keep on living is gonna come a time you gonna need to know the Lord is a healer I know you got a good job now and so you sitting high on the hog and everything's good but there's gonna come a time when you ain't gonna have it like you're heavy ain't gonna be no big baller shot caller and you're gonna need to be reminded that my God can provide you need to be reminded and God said don't just remember you ought to keep it hidden in your heart cuz you never know when the times gonna come when you gonna need what I gave to you very doesn't as I remember keep it but that also ought to breathe repentance main thesis of this letter is not only do we remember but we repent this word repent means to turn around it means to say God I'm sorry because here is what Jesus saying how can you not be good to a god that's been good to you I gotta ask you a personal question I don't mean to be nosy in your business but here's my question if you were to put your goodness on one side and God's goodness on the other side does your goodness even somewhat match the goodness God has been to you and if they know we're close to matching there's some repenting you need to do because if God's been good to me the least I can do is be good to God y'all may help that that was the thing some years ago there was a article written in Florida that that talked about this man that every Friday he would go out rain storm no matter what and he would feed the seagulls he had a bucket of fish guts and he would go feed the seagulls he did this till he died that was an an interview of someone that wanted to know his story because everyone was surprised rain it didn't matter he was gonna go out on the coast of Florida with a bucket of fish guts and feed seagulls well come to find out they went to interview the man and come to find he had amazing stories nameless Redenbacher and actually was an officer in the Air Force around 1942 him and his crew on their plane over the South Pacific Ocean when they lost radio contact and their plane crashed in the water luckily they survived but all of them happen to have to be on this raft that was about nine feet in length it's about eight of them on this this raft and they were being buffeted not just about the wind and waves but also about sharks in the water luckily they survived that and they ran ashore what was a deserted island they realize the only way they can survive is they just got to stay alive but they had some problems because of the crash in the salt water it destroyed their rations so now they had no food and now brother ridden Barker talks about it was the eighth day they were there on that island but they even though they had ran out of food they were getting hopeless he said they still had something they did every night they would sing a hymn and recite scripture said that night he had a huge hat on his head to kind of help him from the elements that was there and he said as he was get ready to lay back his head and take a nap all of a sudden he felt something dropped on his hand his crew looked at him and they told him hey man there's a seagull on your head you can imagine the astonishment it was hundreds of miles from land this seagull just came out of nowhere and landed on his head so you know story goes in you could tell what happened he had to be still because they needed to catch the seagull they end up catching a seagull they uses flesh for food took his intestines and used it to fish and get fish and because of this one seagull they were able to sustain themselves until help came so when he makes it to land he made a promise to himself since this seagull sacrificed itself for me he said every week until I die I'm gonna take care of as many sickles as I can he did this until he died now Lina and child of God here's my question to you if Redenbacher can be that kind to a seagull that showed up out of nowhere and decided to pledge the rest of his life to helping other seagulls what's your excuse to a god that woke you up this moment started you on your way how dare you hold back on your brains when you know if it had not been for the Lord on your own side I wish I had a witness here that can testify listen I gotta give him praise cuz you don't know like I know when he just showed up out of nowhere he became Bread on my table he became Aubry I wish I had somebody that can celebrate the fact you gotta remember who here's one just completed one just keep it for the third thing in this formula is you got to also learn how to expect it because in essence what Jesus says how you really transition from being there to alive is you need to learn how to live your life with urgency that that's what he says in this text he says if you're not alert I will come like a thief and you have no idea what hour I will come here Jesus gives warning to them Jesus says listen here's the main reason why you can't be sleeping cuz I'm gonna come at a time when you least expect me and if I catch you unprepared you're gonna miss out on receiving me when I come that this is interesting my brothers and sisters I would admit to you because it stretches me theologically because for most of us we have great attributes and adjectives that we give to Jesus he's our Lord he's our Savior he's Lily in the valley he's bridge over troubled water he's bright and Morning Star he's a doctor in a sick room he's a lawyer in the courtroom but Jesus says yes I'm all that Goodman but I'm also a thief I know that's weird that's gonna stretch it because you you automatically assumed the negative with thief but when he uses it in turn anybody knows anything about a thief they just show when you least expect them they don't come when you're ready they they come when you have gone to bed they come when you have turned off the lights and put on the PJs for the sleep thing they come when you have think that they'll have nothing else to worry about that when the thief shows up if you know how to follow Jesus and most of his teachings he begins to put himself that when he talks about how you will not know when I'm coming matter of fact the majority of his teachings talks about this parasya the second coming of Christ is this notion that he'll come and he says here's the thing if you're caught unaware you're gonna miss it one of the famous parables he does is the parables of the ten virgins and five of them had the oil and of the fact didn't have and when the groom showed of the ones that didn't have all while out looking and they miss their moment my brothers and sisters what he said is that here's a reason why I need you to remember is because you don't know when I'm gonna come and I would have itching my brothers and sisters that causes some tension for us cuz it would be easier if we knew when he was coming back matter of fact this was crazy Jesus said I don't even know what I'm coming back but wouldn't life be so much easier if we knew when he was coming back like he said you know what I'm coming back next Tuesday at 12:58 be ready well you know if it was us we're gonna wait - about 12:30 live the life we won't live and then give him about 28 minutes of holy living cuz that is I want to say it would be easy if you know but can I tell you about what I appreciate about Jesus not allowing us to know man is that it allows us to treat every day like it could be our last in other words he says the reason why I can't let you know is because if I let you know you'll just do what you want to do but if you lived your life in urgency if you lived your life like every day could be the day I'm coming back then you make the conscious decision that I'm gonna do what I need to do because I'm not sure if the day is the day that the girl or it's gonna come back see my brothers and sisters while some of us struggle it's because you don't treat every day like it could be the day that's why some of us should wake up and say Lord if you come in today I'm ready and if you don't come today when I go to sleep tonight good just get ready tomorrow cuz tomorrow just might be your day that's my some of us don't serve like we should because you don't think he's coming back you put everything on your calendar you you've already set up your vacation time you've already put in your holiday travel but what if you treated every Lane every assignment every moment as if the Lord was coming back how much more passion would you have people asked me all the time how do you preach 5:00 on Sunday how do you travel doing the we preaching and I tell them it's not that I don't get tired but I treat every assignment like it could be as last time when I got up this morning and I mounted the pulpit at 7:15 I gave it all I got why because I didn't know if he was coming after the 7:15 I finally made it December 10 got to the 9 o'clock and I preached as hard as I could because I didn't know if he was gonna show up after the 9 o'clock but he did so I kept on going I went to the 9:45 and I preached as hard as I could why because I wasn't sure if he was gonna show up he didn't show up so I went to the lamb vitina I preached as hard as I could because I didn't know if he was gonna sure he didn't show up there but I came to 12:15 that's why I'm with you now and I'm a preacher as hard as I can why cuz I'm not sure if he gonna come while I'm preaching when church is over but I told the Lord I'm gonna give you all I got why I can't cuz I don't know where the time is gonna come touch somebody next to you and say neighbor you better give them all you got cuz you never know weird he's gonna show up that's why you gotta live your best life and give them all that you have cuz you never know where he's gonna show up they say there is danger in not being ready can I ask you a question are you ready if he was a show up right now are you ready are you sane have you been faithful are you ready over here culchie unprepared you don't believe me the danger in being unready just as this military colonel by the name of Colonel Rall he was head of the Hessian Army and it was doing the Revolutionary War and one of his spies had found out that George Washington and the Continental Army had snuck across the river and was getting ready to give a surprise attack against Colonel Rall and his army his his spy Lord your spy came and he had the news he was gonna warn him and he got to Colonel Rall but when he got to his men stopped him he said look man I got news that Colonel Rowan he's in here they said man no he's busy said now he needs to he needs to receive this word it's very detrimental it's important to I call they say no he's busy he said well at least let me write the note you don't give him a note tell him he gotta read this right now it's imperative so he wrote down on this note Tom folded together gave it to the men the man took it in to Colonel Rowe who was busy playing cards he takes the letter didn't even unfold it and puts it in his pocket and continues to play cause if anybody's a history buff you realize that at that moment George Washington and his army surprise attack Colonel roll in his army and guess what when they attack guess what he was doing playing cards he had the warning of the attack in his pocket but because he didn't heed the warning he ended up getting defeated come here lean in child of God see that's what the Bible is it is nothing more than a warning he's telling you that he's coming back now it would behoove you to not keep it folded in your pocket make sure it's open in your heart because you don't know the time the hour or the space when he's gonna come back okay can I get some people in here let's don't say I'm ready he can come right now I'm ready he he can short write it in the midst of worship I'm ready I got my heart together my mind together because unless you are prepared he made sure been surprised Jesus gives us complete it he says keep it he says expect it but then here's the last thing you gotta learn how to wash it verse four and five is intriguing I'm get ready to get out of here notice what it says he says but you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes they will walk with me in white because they are worthy this is interesting Jesus saying is there some of you who remains your faithfulness you've stayed committed to me you have stayed the course instead of being dead you've been alive and because of that your garments are white because you are worthy for those reading this especially in Sardis which was a commercial town that produced wool they would automatically assume for house that they were thinking about our outer clothes and that day in antiquity it was disrespectful to walk in front of the Greek gods if you had stains or soils on your garments you had to be clean and white before you get in the presence of the gods but Jesus wasn't talking about outer garments when he speaks about white garments in this context he's not talking about the clothes on their body he's talking about the status of their heart in essence what he said your faithfulness is what produces the worthiness you have to be considered white in your heart now this is a challenge for us as we begin to look at this because in essence I struggle because if we know anything about the heart the heart is deceitful above all matter of fact the truck the matter of the fact of the matter is no matter on our birth our best day is still not gonna be good enough our righteousness is as filthy rags I mean life will cause some temptations to come out ways and let's be real sin has stained a sinner has soiled us and so the question is raised how can I who know I am sinful even though I try to be faithful now how can I have a heart that's white y'all got to catch me here and I would admit to you those of you who understand anything about one of the hardest clothes to wear is white clothes you can put on a a nice crispy white t-shirt some white shoes some white pants guess what before the day is over it's almost like some stain is gonna find you some summers dirt is gonna find you and and y'all know how it is when you watch those white clothes and you put bleaching or whatever you put in a it don't always necessarily get back to that luster of white that it used to be and it's nothing worse than thinking you white before God and ain't nothing but having a dingy heart before God but God says when I can trust you to be faithful what proves your worthiness is that your heart is white can I be honest with you I began to have a conversation with Jesus because I'm like Jesus I want to have a right heart but I need you to help me because I know I am sinful I know I don't never cross every island duck I dot every I and cross every TV please help me how can I get my heart white he said well you gotta learn how to wash it with the right stuff I said well please Jesus tell me what do I wash it when I said I got tired at the crib and Jesus said tired and gonna get that out I said well I got some bleach at the crib he said bleach ain't gonna get that out said well Jesus please help me because I I need no what do you have that I can put on my heart that can make my heart wide and he said that's good I'm glad you answer because every child of God ought to celebrate the fact that I know how hurtful your heart is I know how sin stained your heart is and so on I decided to give you a cleaning agent that can clean away all your sins all of your impropriety is all of your things if you just apply this cleaning agent to your heart it can make you as white as you need to be I see some of y'all steal stuff on slow let me help you here my grandma was saying this way what can wash away my sins it was nothing but the blood okay I know that's a little old school for some of y'all cuz you want me to give you some magic formula we want me to tell you abracadabra and God or change it but let me tell you something there is nothing that can wash you white as snow not your good works not how well you can sing not how well you can preach if you need if you got seen in your life the only thing that can make you worthy in the presence of God if you need to be covered by his blood and I want to have somebody in here that can celebrate the fact that you got a god that was gracious enough to give you something you can earn by yourself because if it was up to us to cleanse our own heart then our hearts will still be in Decatur but thanks be to God that on one Friday our Lord and Savior Jesus I get up on an old rugged cross and when they pierced his side pierced his hands blood came out and it's the blood that covers us that makes us white as snow out I have a sanctified Church in here somebody closer and tell them I ain't none but the blood the only thing that makes me worthy is the blood the only reason I'm righteous is the blood the only reason I'm worthy in his presence is the blood please don't get it twisted I'm not worthy by myself but it was nothing black the bad I gotta get out of here he says listen when I trust you to be white when you are white he says that's when you have overcome and when you overcome a it's when I can now profess your name in front of my father and angels here is the shot my brothers and sisters because in antiquity white car and signified three things number one it signified purity in other words what Jesus said is when you get covered in the blood you then become pure in my sight in other words my brothers and sisters to shout about the blood is not that it will share for us it was shared on us and when God sees the blood on herself it's the blood that makes us pure but it's not just purity that it symbolizes our but number two festivity in other words when you have been covered in white when you have been really worthy that means you live in perpetual joy which means my brothers and sisters you don't live your life predicated upon what circumstances you are in and you live your life based on the joy that God gives you and that sure you have it's in spite of what you face you still are saved that's why my brothers and sisters you can't let nobody take your joy because this joy that I had the world didn't give it to and the world came take it away it just wasn't about purity and what just about festivity but it also represented a victory because in antiquity when you were a conquering King and you will now come home in your parade you were dressed in white and all your soldiers were dressed in white and when they see you in your white they would automatically know that you have won the victory that's what Jesus said he says that when you have been covered in the blood we know your garments have been made of white you didn't operate in victory but which means that as long as you are connected to me as long as you stay trustworthy to me your life is a life of victory and Jesus says because of that I'm gonna put your name in the book of life y'all look confused I'll get ready to get out of here I know you all want your name in different books you want you want your name in different things they get access but the book of life was I access into heaven watch this my brothers and sisters in antiquity when a person died they would erase their name from that citizen register of that city because to them death mean you were no longer a citizen but it's reversed in the kingdom because when you die and you have proven yourself faithful they put your name and was called the book of life which means there is no way you get in now unless your name is in the book I wish I had time cuz y'all don't know in the shop but can I tell you I can't wait to that day I can't wait my brothers and sisters when I put my sword in the Santa and study War no more I can't tell you what I'm gonna do when I get up in heaven I'm just gonna be chillin in liner just waiting my good turn I'm just gonna be chilling in life waiting my good turning here's the crazy thing when I now stand face to face the gay bro he's gonna ask me now tell me what's your name now because I want to make sure I get in imma give him every name I got him I give him my government name Charles Edward Goodman jr. sometimes they call me peachy sometimes they call me little Charlie sometimes they call me Chuck good man sometime they call me goodie check all them I want to make sure I get in there and I can see gay bro open up the book y'all and I and I can imagine he get to the g's and and I could see him saying I see Goodson I see good but all there you are Charles Edward Goodman jr. huh well done thou good and faithful sir I know I don't know what you gonna do but when I hear my name called ain't gonna be cool calm and collected huh I got a because if my name is him the book that means I've been faithful alway to thee may the Lord bless you're real good to grab somebody by the hand I need somebody to help me have some church shake that neighbors hand if you don't mind and that neighbors hair like you got Holy Ghost shake that neighbors hand like you know God is cool and say neighbor you gotta wake up now because if you cold sleeping you might miss out on his glory but you learn how to be alive you'll get your name in the book which means when I get to heaven I'm gonna shout like there's no show because when I get there there won't be no more sickness when I get there there won't be no more bills when I get to hell there won't be no more sorrow do I got anybody here that don't mind testify you can stay faithful down here you'll find favor up there do me one last favor and I'm gonna touch about two or three people a time like they owe you some money and said neighbor wake up wake up on your job wake up in your family wake up in your church wake up neighbor God's trying to do something but just like the ceiling to be sleep but I gotta see Jesus that God is about to do something up cuz I got any alive folk in here don't mind opening your mouth and celebrating God open your mouth and shouting yes [Laughter] [Laughter] [Applause] 20 people telling wake up wake up wake up [Laughter] everyone said that I'm done play softly for me Chris wait God says my issue with you is you become too good for your own good and you've assumed because of how great you were in the past that you don't have to continue to do great things for me the danger for the church today is and my prayer is that we realize we're not a museum we're not a museum to the things God has done we're an organism to the good things God can do and I've said this and I believe this and here's the challenge sometimes we can be cursed with success we'll assume because we've done a few things mastered a few things you you know a few verses of a song you know a couple of scriptures you think you've arrived the tension of every believer is knowing but no matter how good I might think I am now I can always be better now that's a tense place because for me personally I struggle because what it has built in me is an insatiable desire to continue to do something I know I will never finish while I'm still here it's only true people who really understand assignment and Kingdom understand that tension because I'm not chasing a thing I'm chasing a coal see most of us struggle because you you chase a thing so when you get the thing you think it's over but that's why in the kingdom we're not called a chase a thing with with charge to chase a call his attention is you'll never fulfill in totality to call so yes I'm tired yes I'm weak yes because I'm chasing something I'll never catch on this side but I still got a strive in here I'll never preach the perfect sermon I'll never give the perfect advice on every day is something else God is calling me to do that no matter what I've accomplished yesterday it doesn't matter today why because there's something greater God has for me to order - that's why the only way you can survive it if you got to have the passion that only comes from him that's why when Jeremiah almost felt like quitting he says I wanted to but this fire shut up in the phone something that I just couldn't resist I wish I had time and when you start to think of his goodness and how he's been a blessing to your life even in moments she won't quit you can't quit because he's been that good

Channel: Tabernacle Baptist Church Augusta

Views: 7,298

Rating: 4.7021275 out of 5

Keywords: Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta, Rev. Dr. Charles E. Goodman Jr., Revelation

Id: 6knARnCFbOw

Length: 50min 37sec (3037 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 25 2018