Seven Keys: Living Life in Uncertain Times
RF, February 25, 2018
The Dead Church: Sardis
The Key of Life
CONNECT Kari Jobe’s grandparents, Walter and
Francis Bragg, were good friends of ours.
One day, Walter was sharing his testimony at a church in Kentucky. He said, "I have one question for you
all. I have been all over the campus and
I can't find it. Where did you hide the
tombstone? This is the deadest church I
have ever been in!"
TEXT Revelation 3:1–6 (NKJV) And to the angel of the church in Sardis
write, "These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the
seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but
you are dead. 2Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,
that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3Remember
therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if
you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what
hour I will come upon you. 4You have a few names even in Sardis who
have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they
are worthy. 5He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments,
and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his
name before My Father and before His angels. 6“He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
TENSION In mid-December, I read this passage in my daily devotions. Notice
that this letter is addressed to the angel, the pastor. The first verse hit me
like a rock:
Revelation 3:1a
(NKJV) I know
your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
God spoke to me
that this was me. I was on the verge of death. I looked OK on the outside; I
had a good reputation. But on the inside, I was dying! It reminded me of what
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
Matthew 23:27–28
(NKJV)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed
tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but
inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28Even so you also
outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness.
That encounter led
to this series, “SEVEN KEYS”. RF is a church with a great reputation, but,
unknowingly, we may be on the verge of death. The church is people, so if the
church is on the verge of death, then all of us may be on the verge of death.
The question: How can we avoid dying spiritually!
SOLUTION The Lord gives us the “Key of Life” so
that we can can enjoy life now and for all eternity!
INSTRUCTION The Bible talks about different forms of
death: Vine's Expository Dictionary
says nekros (νεκρός, G3498) is used
of (a) the death of the body, cf. Jas. 2:26, its most frequent sense: (b) the
actual spiritual condition of unsaved men, Matt. 8:22; John 5:25; Eph. 2:1, 5;
5:14; Phil. 3:11; Col. 2:13; cf. Luke 15:24: (c) a church in declension,
inasmuch as it is inactive and barren, Rev. 3:1: (d) the faith that does not produce
works, Jas. 2:17, 26; cf. v. 20.
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says that nekros can mean:
Physical death:
One that has breathed his last, lifeless, deceased, departed, one whose soul is
in heaven or hell, destitute of life, without life, inanimate.
Spiritual death:
Destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God, given up to
trespasses and sins, inactive as to doing right, destitute of force or power,
inactive, inoperative.
Let’s take a little test… The Scripture
identifies at least four different kinds of spiritual death…
- Ephesians 2:1 (NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
The phrase, “dead
in trespasses and sins”, is used at least three times by Paul to describe
someone who has never met Christ, has never been born again. The Bible calls
him a natural man, a lost man…
1 Corinthians 2:14
(NKJV) But the natural
man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The good news is
that these are those who Jesus came to. In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables
about The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and
The Lost Sons. He sums up His ministry by saying:
Luke 19:10 (NKJV) for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that
which was lost.
Are you lost
today? Have you had a life-saving encounter with Jesus Christ? Jesus told
Nicodemus that “you must be born again” …
John 3:1–7 (NKJV) There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews. 2This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him,
“Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these
signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3Jesus answered and said
to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God.” 4Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born
when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6That
which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is
spirit. 7Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You
must be born again.’
PERSONAL TESTIMONY
2.
1 Timothy 5:6 (NKJV) But
she who lives in pleasure is dead while she
lives.
What do you
desire? Pleasure or Jesus?
1 John 3:3–9
(NKJV) And everyone who
has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4Whoever
commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5And
you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no
sin. 6Whoever
abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7Little
children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous,
just as He is righteous. 8He who sins is of the devil, for the devil
has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested,
that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9Whoever has been born
of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he
has been born of God.
3.
James 2:26 (NKJV) For
as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also.
What is your life
producing? Does it look Like Jesus?
John 15:1–2 (NKJV)
I am the true vine, and My Father
is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He
takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more
fruit.
Galatians 5:16–23
(NKJV) I say then: Walk
in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17For
the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these
are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18But
if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:
adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20idolatry, sorcery,
hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, 21envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and
the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past,
that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness,
self-control. Against such there is no law.
4.
Psalms 115:17 (NKJV) The dead do not praise the LORD, nor any who go down
into silence.
Do you live a life
of worship and praise? Do you like to come to church and worship? Do you honor
Him in your personal and private life?
How did you do on the test? The intention here is not to make you feel
terrible or guilty, but to do some honest investigation about our own lives.
2 Corinthians
13:5–6 (NKJV) Examine
yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know
yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you are disqualified. 6But
I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.
1 Peter 4:17
(NKJV) For the time has
come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first,
what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
APPLICATION Revelation 2:2-3 (NKJV) Be watchful,
and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not
found your works perfect before God. 3Remember
therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come
upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
THE PROCESS
1.
Wake up! There are some things
dying around you. There are things I want you to do that are not finished!
2.
Remember! What are those
things that the Lord has revealed to you? Live in those things! Hold them close
to you.
3.
Change! The word is
repent, change direction.
THE KEY: LIFE!
Revelation 2:4-6
(NKJV) You have a few
names even in Sardis who have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5He
who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I
will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his
name before My Father and before His angels. 6He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
RF Church, this is
you! You have not defiled your garments; you walk in right standing with God;
you are worthy. Why? God has given you life! The Key of Sardis is Life, Resurrection
Life! Not just here, but for all eternity.
John 1:1–5 (NKJV)In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He
was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through Him,
and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
John 8:12 (NKJV) Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light
of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of
life.”
Brothers and
Sisters: Wherever there is death in your life, Jesus came to put His life
there; wherever there is darkness, Jesus came to put His life there; wherever
there is bondage, Jesus came to put His life there; wherever there is sickness,
Jesus came to put His life there; wherever there is brokenness, Jesus came to
put His life there! And you know what, death and darkness cannot overcome
it! Death and darkness cannot stand
where there is the life of King Jesus.
He created everything in the beginning, and if you lack something, Jesus
can make it again!
On His way to
raise a girl from the dead, a sick woman reached out and touched Him. Life flowed into her and she was instantly
healed! Another time he healed
everyone...
Luke 6:17–19
(NKJV) And
He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples
and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the
seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their
diseases, 18as well as those who were tormented with unclean
spirits. And they were healed. 19And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went
out from Him and healed them all.
He has always been
crashing death's party!
Elijah raises the
widow’s son, 1 Kings 17:17–22
Elisha raises the Shunammite’s
son, 2 Kings 4:32–35
Elisha's bones
raise a man from Moab, 2 Kings 13:20, 21
Jesus raises Jairus’
daughter, Matthew 9:23–25
Jesus interrupted
a funeral to raise the widow of Nain's only son, Luke 7:11–15
Jesus waited 'til Lazarus
died, so He could raise him from the dead, John 11:43, 44
Many saints were
raised when Jesus resurrected, Matthew 27:52, 53
Peter raises Dorcas,
Acts 9:36–40
The two witnesses
will be raised, Revelation 11:8, 11
1 John 5:12 (NKJV) 12He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the
Son of God does not have life.
Romans 8:11 (NKJV) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill,
and to destroy. I have come that they may have life,
and that they may have it more abundantly.
Jesus came to give
us abundant life, overcoming life, eternal life! We will not settle for anything less than His
life to the full!
Hebrews 10:35–39
(NKJV) Therefore
do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36For you
have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may
receive the promise: 37“For yet a little while, And He who is coming
will come and will not tarry. 38Now the just shall live by faith; but
if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39But we are not of
those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the
soul.
THE PRIZE Eternal Life!
HASHTAG #life
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