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The Church of Sardis and to the 
Angel of the church and Sardis 

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right these things, says he who 
has the seven spirits of God and

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the seven stars. 
We know what they are because 

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chapter 1 tells us what are 
they, the churches remember, 

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where is Jesus in the midst of 
the churches? 

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Here's what Jesus says to this 
church. 

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Remember this letter was to be 
written read out in the church 

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at Sardis, modern Turkey today. 
I know your works, that you have

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a name, that you are alive now 
here this, but you're dead. 

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Can you imagine that being read 
out from the pulpit? 

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You're dead. 
Be watchful, interesting, he 

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says. 
Be watchful. 

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Sardis fell a number of times. 
It was had high place, great 

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fortification. 
And on one occasion those who 

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are attacking the land, we're 
trying to work out how to get 

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in. 
And they saw this guy lost his 

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helmet, fell over the side and 
he climbed down. 

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They watched him climb down, 
down, down. 

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They noted how he went back up. 
And that's how they entered the 

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city of Silas and the city of 
Salas had no Watchmen because 

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they felt that their, their, 
their place was impregnable. 

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That's why Jesus says here be 
watchful and strengthen the 

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things which remain that are 
ready to die. 

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For I have not found your works 
perfect. 

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That is complete mature before 
God. 

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Remember, therefore, how you 
have received and heard. 

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Hold fast and repent. 
Therefore, if you will not 

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watch, I'll come upon you as a 
thief, and you will not know 

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what hour I will come upon you. 
You have a few names even in 

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Sardis, who have not defiled 
their garments, and they shall 

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walk with me in white, for thou 
are worthy. 

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He whoever comes shall be 
clothed in white garments. 

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I will not blot out his name 
from the Book of Life, but I 

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will confess his name before my 
Father and before his angels. 

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He was an ear. 
Let him hear what the Spirit 

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says to the churches. 
Jesus here makes a call on his 

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own church and sawdust, much 
like a divine coroner. 

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I spent, I have spent over the 
past 20 something years, a lot 

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of time at the morgue with the 
police and the work of the 

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coroner. 
And here Jesus comes across as 

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the coroner making a call and he
pronounces that this church, he 

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says it's dead. 
The message of Jesus to Sardis 

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is one of the most severe of the
seven for the poor and 

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persecuted people of the church 
at Smyrna. 

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Remember, Jesus had nothing but 
price, but for Cyrus, Jesus had 

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nothing commendable to say, 
which is quite amazing as this 

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church had a great reputation in
the area. 

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This church, Jesus does not 
mention any false doctrine. 

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Notice there's no Lincoln, 
Nicolaitans, none of that going 

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on, no Jezebel there. 
It does not mention any 

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persecution. 
They don't have people, you 

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know, you're not killing them 
like Smyrna did. 

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The church was just comfortable.
It was wealthy. 

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Sardis, the area of Sardis is 
very wealthy. 

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It was content. 
It was coasting, you might say, 

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and living up it's good 
reputation. 

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But Sardis was a cold church. 
Not cold in temperature, but it 

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was cold like a dead body. 
No life, no warmth. 

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But even in this church, not, 
not everyone was guilty of that.

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Not all the congregation had 
died in the sense of the walk 

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with God. 
Sara still had a chance. 

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God was giving this church a 
chance, chance for revival. 

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A miracle could still happen. 
But for the most part, this 

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church amounted to a morgue with
a steeple. 

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And across the top of it, Jesus 
has spoken fairly harshly. 

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You'll remember to the church 
fire Tyre we covered, but at 

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least they had a few good things
to say to the people there. 

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Not so with Sardis. 
Jesus jumps right in with a 

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warning and an exhortation. 
Sardis was among the most 

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important and wealthy cities in 
ancient Asia. 

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It was the first place that 
coinage was actually printed 

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because of its wealth in Asia 
Minor. 

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It's location set at the 
junction what was called the 

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Imperial Highway that connected 
Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamos 

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with the inland cities of Asia 
Minor, modern Turkey. 

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There were two main features to 
Sardis that distinguished it 

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from others. 
It had a an Acropolis, you know,

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this big citadel building and 
that function, however, as a 

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necropolis. 
What is that? 

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That is a graveyard, the 
cemetery it was called it was 

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called the cemetery of 1000 
hills from over 7 miles away. 

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As you viewed Sardis, you could 
not only see the temple of 

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Diana, this great temple that 
there was built there same Diana

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is also Artemis atop the the 
Acropolis. 

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Some of you have been to Greece,
you've seen the work there. 

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But secondly, this cemetery was 
filled with hundreds of burial 

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mounds and tombstones. 
So it was truly, as they say, 

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the dead, dead centre of the of,
of the city, the city Saras, it 

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was occupied with death, 
significant. 

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So it's significant that Jesus 
tells this church you're dead, 

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there's no life in you. 
In other words, Sardis was a 

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church full of hypocrites. 
Hypocrites. 

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The term hypocrite comes from 
the term hoopocrites. 

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During the Greek plays and 
everything that were written, 

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the hoopocrites, the actors 
would have a face mask of the, 

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the part that they're playing on
a, on a stick, and they would 

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speak and act with the mask in 
front of them of the part 

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they're playing. 
They were called hoopocrites. 

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So Jesus is saying to this 
church, you guys, you know, 

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people said well the church is 
full of hypocrites. 

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Well, Sardis was. 
Paul calls such people that 

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Jesus is Speaking of in Two 
Timothy 3/5. 

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He says it would be like this in
the last days there will be 

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people who have a form of 
godliness. 

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They know all the words but have
denied its power. 

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They know all the words you 
know, carry Bibles maybe, maybe 

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serve and only but they deny the
power of God. 

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We cannot see the work of the 
Holy Spirit in their lives. 

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It's not evidenced saddest as a 
church lacked the one thing it 

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needed the most, life, which is 
the Holy Spirit. 

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So Jesus introduced himself. 
Revelation 31 did the church and

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the Angel of the church and 
Sardis write these things, says 

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he who has the seven spirits of 
God and the seven stars. 

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I know your works, that you have
a name, that you're alive, but 

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you're dead. 
Apparently many people in this 

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church, Sardis, profess to be 
Christians, but we're unsaved. 

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How many people do you talk to 
often when you're talking about 

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the Bible or Christianity or 
something like, well, I'm a 

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Christian too, and you, you go, 
oh, are you? 

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Because you know, it's probably 
a long call to say such. 

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Jesus, the great Physician, 
takes the pulse of this church 

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and spiritually speaking, he 
finds there's nothing there. 

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But the church itself had a 
great reputation in the city of 

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Sardis for being alive, man. 
You want to know where? 

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What church should I go to? 
Sardis. 

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It's happened in it. 
Go there, man. 

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There's always people there. 
They're coming and go on. 

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They always got this on and that
on. 

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That was Sardis. 
Jesus is using an idiom here. 

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What's an idiom? 
An idiom is a group of words 

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which when used together have a 
different meaning from the one 

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suggested by the individual 
words. 

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And Jesus quotes, he has the 
seven spirits of God. 

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He quotes from Isaiah Chapter 11
verses one to two. 

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Isaiah said out of the stump of 
David's family will grow a 

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chute, yes, a new branch bearing
the fruit from the old root, and

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the Spirit of the Lord will rest
on him, the spirit of wisdom and

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understanding, the spirit of 
counsel and might, the spirit of

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knowledge and the fear of the 
Lord. 

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The seven functions of 7 powers.
The number 7 denotes here, and 

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the terms used. 
We see 7 descriptions there 

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denote the fullness of the Holy 
Spirit. 

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And so here Sardis as a church 
needed the infusion of the 

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sevenfold Spirit of God. 
What is that? 

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Just as an individual needs, you
know, how do you become born 

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again? 
You can't be born again without 

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you must be born again without 
the Spirit of God. 

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Remember, Nicodemus said, how 
does that happen? 

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Like that's a bit weird what 
you're saying. 

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Jesus, I'm an old man. 
I'm not going to go back and 

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have that happen again. 
No, Nicodemus, you don't 

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understand. 
You must be born again. 

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The Spirit of God must become in
must come in you and change your

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heart. 
In the book of Genesis when God 

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created man, when he created 
Adam, remember there was just a 

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pile of dirt, pile of clay 
looked good, looked great, just 

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looked like a a person Adam 
first one, but it was dead 

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wasn't alive. 
Then it says God breathed in 

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humour the breath of life, 
Genesis 27. 

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And it says that then man became
a living being. 

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Only then was he alive. 
The church at Sardis had become 

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so much like the world. 
This is what Jesus is saying 

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about this church so much alike 
the world around it in the way 

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that it behaved. 
It thought that it spoke that it

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could no longer confronted 
society. 

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You know, we often have people 
come say, well, it's I'm finding

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it difficult being a Christian. 
I go out and people have a go at

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me at work and people say this 
and you know, and I and I I feel

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pressure because now that I'm a 
Christian, this is happening and

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in my class and the teacher has 
a crack at me at the university,

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the lecturer has a crack at me. 
Guess what, it's because you're 

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different. 
You're alive and you're hanging 

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out with dead people and they 
see you as something that's not 

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like them because you're you 
confront society. 

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I remember Helen doing a further
studies in studies in 

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anthropology, doing a master's 
and going on and the lecturer 

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said, she said to her, I'm not 
going to write about evolution 

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because I don't believe 
evolution. 

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I will write my answers 
according to creation. 

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Oh, well, that's the way you go.
So she did you see you, you 

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confront society. 
That's why when you are around a

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group of people, all of a sudden
you get picked on or, or or 

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you're the square peg, the round
hole. 

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It's because you you you're full
of the Spirit of God, but Sardis

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no longer confronted in society.
This is what being spiritually 

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dead means. 
If if when you're out in your 

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sporting group, in your woman's 
group, in your men's group or 

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and then and you're getting 
along with everybody and you 

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just blend in with everybody 
else. 

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Be careful. 
It could be that you're 

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spiritually dead, but you don't 
have the Holy Spirit alive 

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within you. 
There are three factors that had

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contributed contributed to 
Christ's sobering assessment of 

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Silas. 
Just what did Jesus spiritual 

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post mortem reveal? 
1 The Church died because its 

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members relied upon their past 
successes. 

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Well, I've been baptised. 
I've, I've done this, I, I've 

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been through Holy Communion, I, 
I've been confirmed, I've, I've 

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done the catechism. 
I, I, I go to church. 

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None of those make you a 
Christian. 

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And the past successes. 
It's a sure sign of death when a

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church worships its past, it's 
history and it's tradition. 

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This is how we've done it 
always. 

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We've always done it this way. 
Secondly, this church lived on 

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the surface of things. 
It's members cared more about 

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their reputation than the 
reality that was taking place 

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around them. 
We had a little note left on our

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servery here during the week one
of the guys picked up. 

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It was about to from the river 
to the sea about Palestine 

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people. 
You know, we had a the Israeli 

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flag at in one morning when 
we're setting it up, guys, you 

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can have that flag up there, but
you can't have that flag out the

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front. 
You see, if you, if you stand 

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for Israel, you're standing for 
God and you're going to be 

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different. 
The reason that you stand for 

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Israel is not because I think 
they're a great people because 

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the Bible says they just, they 
weren't anything great about 

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them. 
We stand for Israel because the 

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Bible says stand for Israel, 
pray for them, love them. 

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They're my people. 
But the Church of Sardis was 

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more concerned about their 
reputation than the reality that

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was taking place around them. 
And whilst they he said, Jesus 

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says you have a few names even 
in Sardis who have not defiled 

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their garments. 
They shall walk with me and 

225
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white for thou worthy those who 
were saved. 

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So while the church at Sardis 
had a great exterior and 

227
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supposedly sound reputation, 
underneath he was dead. 

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Filth and spiritual death lay 
underneath. 

229
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You'd say the church was wearing
a beautiful burial garment. 

230
00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:13,800
Historian Herodotus said of 
Sardis that it had become LAX in

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its moral standards and open in 
licentiousness. 

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What is that saying? 
In other words, the world had 

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invited that church. 
That's why the church was 

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thought. 
That's a great church, man. 

235
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That's a Oh yeah, we all go 
there, they hang out with us. 

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We because it was the same. 
It wasn't any different. 

237
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It didn't confront you could 
live how you please and you 

238
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could fellowship there. 
The world invited it with its 

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morals and behaviour. 
The members of the church became

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so concerned with their 
reputation, what others thought 

241
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about them. 
That's what reputation is, that 

242
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they lost all their character. 
They blended. 

243
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You and I, we, we're never going
to blend. 

244
00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,119
I always run into people when 
when you're a pastor and you run

245
00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,119
into different pastors and 
ministers, they go, oh, what you

246
00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:10,560
do? 
You don't believe you're not 

247
00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,079
teaching Genesis, are you? 
You know, that's just there 

248
00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:15,280
because it's, we don't really 
know if it's Scripture. 

249
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I go what? 
Yes, and they're behind pulpits 

250
00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,640
and churches today. 
You're not one of those born 

251
00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,760
again, Isaiah. 
Well, actually, yeah, because 

252
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John chapter 3 says I have to be
Jesus said so. 

253
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Reputation is an interesting 
word. 

254
00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,520
What another's opinion is of a 
personal thing is what 

255
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reputation is. 
It's how you're being perceived.

256
00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,640
And you know what, there's too 
many people who come to church 

257
00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,960
and go to church who are more 
concerned about their reputation

258
00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:56,640
with people than they are 
concerned about their their walk

259
00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,120
with God. 
Paul just nailed that. 

260
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He said, I don't care what you 
say about me. 

261
00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,080
God's my witness. 
God's my witness. 

262
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Character is how you are really 
living. 

263
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It's who you really are. 
So saddest was a church filled 

264
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with nominal Christians who were
living superficially for God. 

265
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Thirdly, the congregation that 
Sardis became satisfied with 

266
00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,000
aimless activity. 
That's one thing we've really 

267
00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:29,840
focused on here. 
You go, well, you don't have too

268
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:35,120
many programmes here, correct? 
Correct. 

269
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Because a lot of programmes that
occur are aimless activity. 

270
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If you want a programme you can 
go to the Golf Club, the surf 

271
00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:49,400
club, the Mccramy club, the 
Bowling Club, local community 

272
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centre, the sewing centre, 
whatever. 

273
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:57,040
You can do all those things, you
go, we'll keep the same, just 

274
00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:00,240
listen to me. 
The cooking club, the muffin 

275
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:05,880
club, whatever, You can do all 
those things at those places. 

276
00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,440
It's funny how Jesus said, but 
my house shall be a House of 

277
00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,880
prayer. 
When it was a marketplace. 

278
00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:21,080
You see aimless activity. 
What's the sense of doing what 

279
00:19:21,080 --> 00:19:23,520
we're doing? 
Is it going to win souls? 

280
00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:25,680
Is it going to tell people about
Christ? 

281
00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:27,600
Is it going to impact the 
community? 

282
00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,280
What we got? 
A lot of people come along. 

283
00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,960
Great, let's have free beer, 
free hamburgers. 

284
00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:35,880
You know, we'll pack the joint 
every Wednesday. 

285
00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:38,200
Hey, it's free beer and free 
hamburgers across the road. 

286
00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,520
We pack it out. 
That church is an awesome place.

287
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,360
Jesus told the people their 
works were imperfect or 

288
00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:50,240
incomplete. 
They served and worked with no 

289
00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:55,920
heart, no life in what they did.
And what I'm saying here is that

290
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,960
Jesus saying is the Holy Spirit 
was not driving these 

291
00:19:59,960 --> 00:20:01,560
activities. 
You know what? 

292
00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,680
When we should do something is 
when God says do this. 

293
00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,640
Because I know what it's like in
my early years as a young 

294
00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:12,680
minister, I go, here's a good 
idea, let's do this. 

295
00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:18,680
God says over the years I learnt
that's good, I don't want you 

296
00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:20,080
doing that. 
I'm not interested in that. 

297
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:26,080
You see, the Bible is very clear
what the early church did. 

298
00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,600
Holy Spirit driven activities is
what we need. 

299
00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:36,040
Whilst the surrounding community
saw Sardis as a great church, 

300
00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,800
they had the reputation. 
Jesus saw them as empty, 

301
00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:43,880
lifeless shell. 
It had a lot of irons in the 

302
00:20:43,880 --> 00:20:48,640
fire, but none were hot, none 
had life. 

303
00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,720
Well, what's the antidotes of 
such a spiritual, spiritual, 

304
00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:59,360
serious spiritual malaise? 
1 realised Firstly something is 

305
00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,440
wrong that's the first thing. 
Isn't that what Alcoholics and 

306
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,880
non obstique realise first I got
a problem realise first thing 

307
00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:09,160
Realise firstly something is 
wrong. 

308
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:13,000
So Jesus tells those who still 
had a little lie for them wake 

309
00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,280
up. 
Verse 2 strengthen what remains 

310
00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:20,920
and is about to die for I found 
what your deeds unfinished in 

311
00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:25,320
the sight of my God. 
Wake up, the NIV says I think 

312
00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:28,480
wake up, realise there's 
something wrong. 

313
00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,240
Secondly, Jesus then says 
strengthen what remains and it 

314
00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:36,480
is about to die. 
The Greek word used here means 

315
00:21:36,520 --> 00:21:41,480
stabilise that which is frail. 
Paul used the same term when he 

316
00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,760
was on his third missionary 
journey through Galatia, when he

317
00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,680
said in Acts 1823, after he had 
spent some time there, he 

318
00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:52,000
departed, went over the region 
of Galatia and for India in 

319
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,000
order strengthening all the 
disciples. 

320
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,240
This is the same word. 
I will go and strengthen the 

321
00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:01,200
brothers. 
Paul wanted to return to these 

322
00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:03,920
Christians and strengthen them 
lest they fall away. 

323
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:09,080
Thirdly, this church, they would
have called to memory the basics

324
00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,360
once again. 
What are we supposed to be 

325
00:22:11,360 --> 00:22:12,880
doing? 
That's what you and I should 

326
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,520
always be asking yourself. 
You know, that's a good thing in

327
00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:20,080
a role of a husband, the role of
a wife, the role of a mother and

328
00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:22,240
a father, the role of a 
Christian. 

329
00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:24,280
What is it that I'm supposed to 
be doing? 

330
00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,760
We should always go back. 
What actually is it that I 

331
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:32,240
should be doing? 
We can only assume that they had

332
00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,680
received the core things of the 
faith, such as the gospel and 

333
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,560
the Holy Spirit. 
Jesus instructed the church 

334
00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:42,960
members at Sardis to look to 
their past and get in touch with

335
00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:46,960
their heritage. 
Look how far you've drifted from

336
00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,400
where you began. 
Similar to the church at 

337
00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:56,400
Ephesus, that which had once 
made them great, the foundation 

338
00:22:56,400 --> 00:23:00,120
on which they built was a wise 
one originally member, wise 

339
00:23:00,120 --> 00:23:02,640
builder, foundation. 
Who's the foundation? 

340
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:04,120
The rock. 
Who's the rock? 

341
00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:08,400
Christ, the unwise builder, just
continues building and building 

342
00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:14,360
and building on sand. 
Yet Jesus urged them to use 

343
00:23:14,360 --> 00:23:18,920
those things of their past as a 
guidepost. 

344
00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,360
Remember what we used to do? 
That's what we should be doing. 

345
00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:24,040
Not a hitching post. 
Oh yeah, this church. 

346
00:23:24,040 --> 00:23:27,920
I remember when in 45 when the 
revival swept through. 

347
00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:32,400
Only we had a revival. 
We had a revival once. 

348
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:40,160
You know Revelation 3/5 heathen 
overcomes the same shall be 

349
00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:44,400
clothed in white raiment. 
And I will not blot out his name

350
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:49,520
out of the Book of life, but I 
will confess his name before my 

351
00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:56,360
Father and before his angels. 
This verse at times confuses 

352
00:23:56,360 --> 00:24:02,040
many because it appears, it 
seems to imply that a genuine 

353
00:24:02,040 --> 00:24:06,320
believer can lose his or her 
salvation. 

354
00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:12,640
But this is not what the text 
teaches at all, nor does any 

355
00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:16,800
scripture as such. 
What is meant by the Book of 

356
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,560
Life? 
Well, some believe the Book of 

357
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:23,800
Life is a register in which the 
names of people are added the 

358
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,560
moment they receive Christ. 
Others believe it's a record of 

359
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:33,000
every person who has ever been 
born since the time Christ died,

360
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,400
and that their names are removed
at the end of their lives if 

361
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,920
they die in their sins. 
Well, the Bible tells us there 

362
00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,520
are in fact two books. 
As a matter of fact, the Bible 

363
00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:45,840
tells us a lot of books, doesn't
it? 

364
00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,960
It's going to be books opened. 
Books opened in heaven. 

365
00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,680
The Bible tells us there are in 
fact two books that we need to 

366
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,520
look at tonight. 
The book of the living one. 

367
00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:02,880
Secondly, the book of life 2, 
The book of the living is the 

368
00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:06,320
record of every person who was 
born. 

369
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:12,080
When a person dies, his or her 
name is removed from the book of

370
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,520
the living. 
In Exodus chapter 32, you 

371
00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,920
remember the children of Israel 
have sinned. 

372
00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,720
They've done just just golden 
calves. 

373
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:24,000
They've just carried on. 
Moses goes back up onto the 

374
00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:29,440
mountain to speak to God, and 
there Moses intercedes on behalf

375
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,400
of the people of Israel because 
of their sin with the golden 

376
00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,880
calf. 
Moses essentially said to God, 

377
00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:39,800
God, please forgive your people.
Don't wipe me out. 

378
00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:44,840
And if you'll not forgive them, 
then blot me out of your book 

379
00:25:44,840 --> 00:25:49,040
which you've written. 
In other words, take my life 

380
00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,480
instead. 
Now Moses was willing to have 

381
00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:58,360
his life cut short in order to 
save the people who had sinned. 

382
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:05,040
But God responded, Whoever has 
sinned against me, I will blot 

383
00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:07,360
him out of my book. 
He's a holy God. 

384
00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:11,800
God was going to punish the 
guilty with physical death, and 

385
00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:16,400
it happened. 
In Psalm 6928, David makes a 

386
00:26:16,400 --> 00:26:22,120
similar statement about God 
punishing his enemies by 

387
00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,880
blotting their names out of the 
book of the living. 

388
00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:26,320
In other words, take them out, 
Lord. 

389
00:26:27,120 --> 00:26:32,000
Psalm 6928 Let them be blotted 
out of the book of the living 

390
00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:34,800
and not be written with the 
righteous. 

391
00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:40,400
But here in our text tonight, 
verse 5, Jesus is talking about 

392
00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:45,640
the book of life. 
This is a record of every 

393
00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:49,480
genuine believer. 
In Philippians chapter 4 verse 

394
00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,560
3, Paul mentions this while 
describing genuine believers who

395
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:57,280
were fellow workers. 
Paul says that their names are 

396
00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,320
in the book of life. 
Philippians 4 three. 

397
00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,120
And I urge you also, True 
Companion, help these women who 

398
00:27:04,120 --> 00:27:08,040
laboured with me in the gospel, 
with Clement also, and the rest 

399
00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:13,080
of my fellow workers whose names
are in the book of life. 

400
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,680
Later on in the Book of 
Revelation chapter 13, verse 8, 

401
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:22,160
this record is described as 
being the book of life of the 

402
00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:26,880
Lamb. 
Same Then in Revelation chapter 

403
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:31,560
20 verse 15, at the judgement of
the unsaved, the great white 

404
00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:35,720
Throne judgement all the dead 
second resurrection erased. 

405
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:40,000
At the judgement of the unsaved 
we read that their names were 

406
00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:43,320
what not found in the book of 
life. 

407
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:51,800
Finally in Revelation 2127 we 
read that heaven will be 

408
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:56,920
inhabited only by those whose 
names are written in the Lamb's 

409
00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:01,520
book of life. 
So whilst some have attempted to

410
00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:07,880
interpret Revelation 3/5 as the 
possibility of losing 1's 

411
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,680
salvation, it actually teaches 
the opposite. 

412
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:18,640
Genuine believers, like the 
Remnant in Sardis, can never 

413
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:24,440
have their names blotted out of 
the Book of Life, which is the 

414
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,560
book that records the name of 
every true believer. 

415
00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:31,640
Your salvation is sure. 
Otherwise, you know, you go to 

416
00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,160
bed. 
How would you wake up? 

417
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:34,840
You can't go to bed. 
Well, that's pretty, pretty good

418
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:36,760
tomorrow. 
Well, Gee, I hope I'm good 

419
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:41,640
tomorrow. 
It's eternal life. 

420
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:47,240
Not not possible eternal life, 
not considerable with with a 

421
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:52,600
few, you know, bits and pieces 
here Jesus told his disciples, 

422
00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:54,200
remember they came back 
rejoicing. 

423
00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:58,000
Wow, Jesus, you know this 
happened and that happened. 

424
00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:02,480
We did miracles and then Jesus 
that that's not what you should 

425
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:10,000
be rejoicing about. 
He says rejoice because your 

426
00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:14,880
name is written in heaven. 
You know how it's written in 

427
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:19,280
permanent marker. 
In permanent marker. 

428
00:29:20,080 --> 00:29:24,320
John chapter 10, my favourite 
chapter in the Gospel of John, 

429
00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,160
probably my one of my favourite 
chapters over all in the Bible. 

430
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:37,080
John chapter 10 verse 27. 
My sheep hear my voice, and I 

431
00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:44,760
know them, and they follow me, 
and I give them eternal life, 

432
00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:53,920
and they shall never perish, 
neither shall anyone snatch them

433
00:29:54,280 --> 00:29:56,840
out of my hand, Paul says in 
Romans chapter 8. 

434
00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:00,160
What shall separate us from the 
love of God? 

435
00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:06,400
Nothing. 
Death, Height, length, breadth, 

436
00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:10,240
anything created in the universe
under the universe you know man 

437
00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:15,360
nothing. 
And here when it says, and they 

438
00:30:15,360 --> 00:30:19,120
shall never perish, in the Greek
it actually says this. 

439
00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:27,160
You shall never know, never 
know, never know, never perish. 

440
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:34,560
He that has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the 

441
00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:41,120
churches. 
The key is to having your name 

442
00:30:41,920 --> 00:30:43,280
written in the Lamb's book of 
life. 

443
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:47,880
How does that happen? 
Jesus, I come to you as a 

444
00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:50,800
Sinner. 
I confess my sins before you. 

445
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,320
I know that I'm worthy of 
judgement. 

446
00:30:56,160 --> 00:31:00,120
But Lord, I call upon you now. 
I asked. 

447
00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:04,680
And in the name of Jesus, your 
Son, I believe that he died on 

448
00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:08,120
the cross for me. 
I believe that He died for the 

449
00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:13,840
penalty of my sins. 
I accept that and by faith now I

450
00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:17,880
ask you to come into my life and
be now my Lord and Saviour. 

451
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:23,320
I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. 
That's all you do.