well everybody man I want to welcome you to our study through the Book of Revelation we're looking at the first
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three chapters not the whole book and we will be here a whole year you know but uh I've been wanting to do a study on
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the seven churches for years and years and years I mean this thing has been sort of burning within me for a number
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of years and I would take a note and I would read a passage and I thought man we got to preach on this I've got to
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teach on this but today I believe today and I'm encouraged I want to welcome all
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of you here from all of our locations from Bluefield and Marin and Bristol and those of you that watch on TV and online
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I want you to stay with me through the entire seven weeks we're going to look at the seven letters from Jesus Christ
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himself to the Apostle John in the first three chapters The Book of Revelation now a little study I would encourage you
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to bring your Bible matter of fact I know we've spoiled you at Highlands because the scripture is always on the screen but hey one of the ways you know
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I'm always teaching it right is you got it looking you're looking looking at it with me so this next few weeks why don't
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you bring your Bible and we'll look at these early churches and these letters in Revelation now it's real interesting
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Revelation is the last book of the Bible the 66th book of the Bible it was given
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to John the Apostle John when he was 90 years old in a dream in a vision and
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Jesus comes to John and he gives him this vision and it is an incredible
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passage of scriptures on the end times how it's all going to end and he starts
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out talking to the churches now I think this is extremely relevant for where we are today in our culture not only in
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America but around the world I think you're going to find something that will be beneficial to you personally in your
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own walk but let's remember he's talking to Christians he's talking to the churches so this is a study for those of
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you who have found Christ and if you're here these weekends and you're still a skeptic or you're still on your job
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Ernie I want to tell you you need to come because this is how you will know and you will find Jesus is the way to
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peace and joy in your life so I want to get right into it let's look Revelation chapter one look at verse 9. this is
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what he says I John your brother and companion in the suffering and Kingdom
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and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus and I want you to catch this part
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was on the island of Patmos some pronounce it Patmos because now why was
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he on this island he's a prisoner on the island he's in Exile at 90 on this island and he is there because of the
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word of God and the testimony of Jesus so the Apostle John the last remaining
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Apostle all the others have been martyred for their faith and now John in
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his old age he is still teaching and preaching Jesus and now he is arrested and he has taken in the Aegean Sea over
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to the Isle of Patmos and there he stays in Exile and he gets this vision from
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God and the reason they put him there they wanted him away they want they wanted to get rid of John so they put
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him on the small island and he his crime is he's been teaching the Deliverance of
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Jesus look in verse 10. it's where the Revelation happens and he says on the
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Lord's day I was in the spirit it's interesting language and I heard behind
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me a loud voice like a trumpet now again this is Jesus this is the
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resurrected Jesus and these are truly the last words of Jesus and now Jesus is
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speaking to John and he explicitly tells him in verse 10. I want you to write
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these seven letters to the seven churches and uh you know we know we're going to
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look at all those next week we're going to talk about the church in Smyrna and then perking them and then thyatara and
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laodicea these all these seven churches we're going to go through and John gets this Vision this Revelation from Jesus
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and actually he tells him exactly what he wants to write in this in this Vision
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that John receives now behind me we have a map of the Isle of Patmos where John
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is and then you can see that he is right in you know on sort of the in the middle
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of the agency and then you'll see all these seven churches and this is today modern day turkey and you'll notice that
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the first church that we're going to talk about today at the church at Ephesus is right on the sea now it's
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interesting and you have to sort of understand this because we Jesus is different here he's the same but he's
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actually different the this these are the words these are the letters of the resurrected Jesus and and when you read
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the first couple of chapters Jesus tells us how he's going to return and it says
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that his eyes are like Blazing Fury and we think wow you know is he mad or
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something no he he's just declaring that he is God that he is the beginning and
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he is the end and these letters that he writes to these churches are actually
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letters of commendation they're letters of the things they're doing right but they're also warnings from Jesus and he
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says I want you to get this because when I return I want you to get it right I want you to be the church that is
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actually doing the right things and so these letters when we think of Jesus
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they're really not love letters like we think of the gospels you know all these little love letters from Jesus no you'll
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understand he is serious here and he gets to the point very quickly and he is
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gracious on what the churches are doing great but he is also evaluating and
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helping and moving for Change and where change needs to happen so
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he sort of evaluates the churches and he commends them on what they're doing well and then he tells them where they need
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to change and I I've thought about this so many times and I fought just like
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Jesus wrote a letter to these seven churches and I want you to think about this with me I would love to to think
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you know I'd love to hear what you think what would the letter that Jesus would write to Highlands Fellowship what kind
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of letter do you think he would write to our church if Jesus and he is doing evaluation of our church what are the
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things we are doing great that he loves that he said man keep going and where are the things
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that we need to change how can we be more like the church he desires for us
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to be so as we go through this study I want all of us to think about our
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personal church because you know this was written you know years and years ago but it is still very relevant today and
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in matters just like this now all of us know this is something we all agree on
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that we are living in the last days and these words of warning to Jesus are for
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us in this culture of chaos which we live and I believe it's it's for such a
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time as this when we see Christianity uh you know beginning to decline and in our
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country uh in America the country that we love we begin to see that we're shifting away from God and so God just
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like he wrote to the churches in in in in Revelation he is writing the same kind of message to us through this
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scripture that we can learn that's still very applicable for us today so in Revelation Chapter 3 Verse 6 this
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is what he says and he says this often in in these letters he says Whoever has
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ears let them hear what the spirit says to the churches
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now you probably have ears if you're here I think almost everybody I've seen
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today has ears and he makes this point over and over and over and he says all right Whoever has ears I want you to
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hear what the spirit of God is saying to you now as he's right into these churches I want you to understand he's
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writing to us today and you have a set of ears and the Holy Spirit is here and let's just pray right
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now and let's ask God wherever you are at one of our locations at home in your office on vacation let's just ask God
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right now to speak to us through his Spirit would you do that with me Lord we come before you right now
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and God we don't come to church today just because it's a habit we come to church because we want to hear from you
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and your word teaches us in this particular passage that those who have ears to hear the spirit is talking the
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spirit is here the spirit is where you are and God just help us to hear from you
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today and Lord if there are things we need to change if there's conditions in our own
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life that we need to look at if there are things in our church that we have drifted to do that are unlike Youth and
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God just by your spirit speak to our hearts today and may we hear you and may we know it's you and
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God when we leave today may we be different because of your voice we ask
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it in Jesus name amen I've been praying for a long time about the series and here's what I would say my prayer is
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that Jesus would speak personally to you in these next seven weeks that he has
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something personally for you so let's look at the first letter it is the church at Ephesus a little uh
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there's some background pictures of what Ephesus looks like today but in those days it was a major city and it was on a
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major trade route right on the coast it was an incredible City sort of the gateway to Asia and uh if you were to
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think about a city that would be likened it today it would be like New York all right or L.A right on the coast an
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important and important city the folks who lived in Ephesus they were well educated they were well resourced they
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had one of the largest libraries at the time in the world they were into the
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Arts and to theater they had a 24 000 seat theater in those days that's
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bigger than what we have in in New York today so you got to understand this church I mean it was a commercial center
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of the world and uh they still have these incredible ruins that have been uncovered and people still visit there
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by the droves to see the church church at Ephesus but it was a church of influence it was a church of
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significance and so the Ephesian church was not a small church it was not in a
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small town but rather the church at Ephesus was a large Church in an influential City
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and this church played a major role in the early movement of Jesus you remember
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Paul pastored there for three years and it moved forward to Christian faith and
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this church now receives in his 30th year he's 30 years old now
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this sort of commendation and warning from Jesus so
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I want to look at this in Revelation Chapter 2 this is what it says in verse 1 to the angel of the church in Ephesus
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right this is Jesus speaking these are the words of him who holds the Seven
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Stars these are the Pastors in his right hand and walks among the seven golden
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lampstands these are the seven churches the lamp stands the church the church is the light should be shining I know your
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Deeds this is what he begins to say about the church's absence Jesus said I know your Deeds I know your hard work I
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know your perseverance I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men that you have tested those who claim to be Apostles
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but are not and you have found them false you have persevered you have endured hardships from my name and have
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not grown weary man it sounds like a church you want to be a part of right I mean it's a pretty incredible place and then he says this yet I hold this
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against you you have forsaken your first love
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remember the height from which you have fallen repent and do the things you did at
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first and if you do not repent a Stern warning warning I will come to you and I
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will remove your lamp stand from its place but you have this in your favor
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you hate the practice of the nicolations which is also hate now we'll talk about
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this a little bit and then he finishes like he does so many times he who has an ear to hear Let Him hear while the
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spirit of the Lord says to the churches to him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the Tree of Life very
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interesting language which is in the paradise of god so let's break this down
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again the lamp stand is a symbol for the church the Stars the Seven Stars are the symbol for The Messengers of the church
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and Jesus is actually walking among his church he's uh you know he's the boss
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right and he is looking at everything the church at Ephesus is doing well
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and he's inspecting the fruit here and he's seeing how each individual believer
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in Ephesus is doing personally individually so it's for you and again
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he's the CEO here he he's really the boss he is the boss of our church he is
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the CEO of our church but each church had its own Pastor like we have our own pastors here it's sort of like that show
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undercover bosses I know it's corny but that's one of my favorite shows actually I sort of like it and I've watched a lot
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of episodes and you know the the CEO the owner of the company I think they did one was Chipotle or they did one with
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Taco Bell but you know this guy dresses up and he takes off his suit and tie and he leaves the corporate office and it's
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either you know the the owner is the Lady or or a guy and they go out into just one of their normal restaurants and
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they put on the uniform and I remember the one I think it was Taco Bell and and uh there they are and they work side by
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side their employees and it was so funny I remember they were making some kind of taco and here the boss is you've never
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done anything like this and this worker this young worker says you're not doing that right and I thought that's pretty
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cool you're not folding the chalupa the right way you're not putting you know all the ingredients where you're supposed to do it yeah fix this make it
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right but it was impressive for the Undercover Boss because he realized here's this young guy who's getting paid
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you know probably not what he thinks he deserves and yet he sees him and he's
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grateful for his you know his perseverance in a difficult at times
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situation and this guy has no idea that the CEO you know the owner of the company is working along beside him and
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then he comes in and then finally he reveals that he was working with you it's a good show if you haven't seen it
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I encourage you to watch well this is what Jesus is doing in these churches he is he's taken notice and in verse two
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let's go back and let's sort of dissect this Jesus says hey guys I know your Deeds he watched us he knows our motives
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he sees our service and he is uh he's giving our church the
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review and it's real interesting Jesus like a good ball starts with positive things they're doing you know I love
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this about Jesus and he says you guys you are hard-working it's been tough here at Ephesus to
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really be a stand-up Christian with all the influence of the worldly City in which you live but you have persevered
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you have endured hardships and you didn't follow false teaching when false
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teaching tried to come into the church if you were to sum up in one word to church at Ephesus with all the things
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that Jesus says they're doing great it would be a church of endurance I mean they endured they stuck with their faith
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even though it was hard and it was difficult but they pushed through and even though when they didn't want to
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these guys stayed the course I mean there were so many great things about them have you ever had a tough job and
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you hated it but you had a family to feed and you decide you know what this
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is not a job I want to stay in the rest of my life but I got to feed my family and you persevere I remember in school I
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had a physics class and you had to have physics to graduate with a degree in chemistry I had to have that course it
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was killing me and I hated it but I knew that if I'm going to get my degree I got
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a persevere and it was eating my lunch every day it's sort of a quality of
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character that Jesus sees in the Christians at the Ephesian church and he commends them and
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he says you guys in so many ways are doing awesome sir like you know if you're an old baseball fan I used to
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watch Cal Ripken and a lot of you young people probably don't even know him but that dude he was incredible you know
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um he played 17 Seasons without missing a game
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that's just amazing you know he played in
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2632 consecutive games they called him Iron Man and so what does that mean he
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played on days he was sick he played on days he was hurt I mean the dude was
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committed and he you know he still goes down as somebody who just he loved the
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game and he was he was committed to the task if you parallel that to the church
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any church that is growing and doing great you know what at the core of every
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church that's moving the kingdom forward there is a team of people staff and
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volunteers who are iron men and women I mean there's times they're tempted to quit
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every time some of you volunteers that have volunteered and you're you're on Nursery Duty or you're in children Duty
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and and you're like oh my Lord I don't want to go but you know what you understand the kingdom mindset of that
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and you go and that's how great churches are built and Jesus Christ knows that
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because these guys are doing this in the name of Jesus Iron Man and Iron women
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well in verse 2 he goes on to say he says you guys can't tolerate Wicked
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people that's a good thing you protect the sheep and you have hard conversations with Wolves now that's
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true today especially in our culture I mean do you understand that on a given weekend uh there's some people who come
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here with unpure motives and you know we're going to point that out I mean you know we're not a singles club we're a
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Church of Jesus Christ you know you're not going to come and stalk people and those kinds of things we're going to protect our people and so on Monday
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morning our campus pastors have to have some hard conversations sometimes it's rebuking conversations and when they
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have those do you think that the people they're talking to oh well thank you so much for your rebuke no it's tough in
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the world in which we live at times but that's our responsibility and Jesus says you guys are awesome at this you're
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willing to have the hard conversations because you know it's the right thing to do you protect the flock against false
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teachers you know we have Grace and Highlands for all kinds of stuff
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but we're always going to reject false teaching go back to Paul remember he
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pastored The church here in Ephesus and notice what he said to them in Ephesians 4 29 he said do not let any unwholesome
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talk come out of your mouth they had a issue with gossip but only what is helpful for building others up according
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to their needs that they may benefit those who listen this is what Paul said to the Ephesian church when he was their
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Pastor now Jesus says you guys have done great at that but there's something Jesus says it
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troubles me even though you've done all these amazing things and he turns the
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tide here in verse 4. and this is what he says he says yet I hold this against
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you you have forsaken the love you had at
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first oh man I I read that that's convicting for me I don't know how you take that
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but that's convicting for me because I see what Jesus is saying he's saying it is actually possible to come to church
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and to serve and to give and to listen and yet still lose your love for Jesus
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and it can happen to those of us who have been Christians for many years again this church is filled with seasoned Saints this is a 30 year old
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church when Jesus gives them this letter here's what I conclude from that sometimes your season grows old
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and your heart grows cold and it can happen to all of us somewhere along the way your tender heart for the
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crucified Jesus gets callous or gets cold
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and I would just say as we go through this study ask yourself this could this be you I as I Was preparing the message
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I thought Alan is this me is that me is that you
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do you do this because you have to or you do do you do this in your Worship
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in your service to Jesus because you get to and you understand why he's done for
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you in your life and it's not out of Duty it is out a privilege and Delight
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somewhere along the way the church at Ephesus grew cold and their hearts became sort of like ice and they kept
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doing Church but they lost their passion for Jesus
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you know I I think the verse that says search my ways o God now that's a great verse for us to pray
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so I was sort of think as we wrap this up as how do you know if your heart's
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grown cold well there's probably a lot of reasons you have but I would say there's three real quick things here's the first one
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you've grown complacent I've grown complacent I just find myself going through the motions whether at church or
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small group or in my quiet time it's going to have my 15-minute morning devotion with God and get that checked out but really my mind's somewhere else
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on Facebook or social media the news or newspaper I go to church but you know I sort of
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get in about second or third song and then I sort of head out before I ever hear anything the campus Pastor would
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have to say but I checked it off the list you know I got I got my word from God today
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I go to a small group when it's convenient I got a lot of other things I'm really busy with and I just really
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don't have time for that small group very often but when it's convenient I'll try to bless them with my presence
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it's sort of like you know I'm I'm older I remember the first time
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ever heard that hymn Amazing Grace I was a fairly new Christian I was 18 years
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old that was sort of crazy isn't it that you could live in America and we you know we
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didn't really go to church that much and those kind of things in those early days and if we did I didn't listen to anything that was going on but after I
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became a Christian and I started listening to some of the great hymns of faith and I remember hearing Amazing Grace
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and I may not speak to you but man I just remember as that you know that that
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I was a wretch that he saved a Wretch like Me and I realized that Jesus had given me
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that Grace and and honestly I just remember weeping through that song
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I knew I didn't deserve it but you know maybe today I could hear that
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song and it doesn't phase me and uh I don't think twice about it just became
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so routine for me to hear these kinds of things maybe in your life there was a time you
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couldn't help but tell others what Jesus had done for you but it's been a long time since you've
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shared anything about Jesus and I would just say where are you how do you know if your
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heart's grown cold have you grown complacent here's second thing I think that happens your relationship with Jesus becomes casual this is so easy in
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the culture in which we live you know this often happens with married couples right I mean you uh start dating
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and you have passion and romance and it's so exciting I remember one time uh
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Bryn and I were dating and there was this huge snowstorm but we you know our schedules were busy we both full-time in
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jobs and I had promised I was going to go over and see her that night and I was in Richland she was in Bristol and there
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was this huge snowstorm and I remember all the news folks to stay at home stay at home stay at home I waited till a
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snow truck went by a plow I got behind that plow and I just plowed my way all the way to see her because my man I was
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going to see her you know but I find so many marriages today you're sort of buddies
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you know she has her life and the husband has his life and you sort of go in separate directions and I would just
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say Jesus is not your buddy he never wants to be your buddy Jesus makes it
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clear he is our Lord and he is our savior he doesn't want anything before
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him and he says to us in the scripture to pick up our cross daily and follow
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him surrender everything to him and here's the problem if you don't
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correct your casual attitude for Jesus you'll eventually the third thing compromise your convictions with the
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world I mean sooner or later your affections will be drawn to someone or something else and the world has plenty of options
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out there today and you start craving the idols of the world anybody remember
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what the number one job was in Ephesus the number one employment in Ephesus Idol making
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they made these one foot statues of Artemis or Diana
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and they sold them to thousands and thousands and thousands of people
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I think about America we're in idle making land honestly we
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are all these things that cry out for our attention we give our souls to making money we are
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all about Fame and popularity and sex and even good things can become Idols
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for us right travel social media Hobbies
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how do things become Idols in our life well it's real simple it's an idol if you love it more than Jesus idolatry is
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when you turn a good thing into an ultimate thing and now your life revolves around it and Jesus becomes
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secondary or third or fourth or fifth or 50th and I would just say does that describe
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you maybe somewhere along your Christian Journey I'm not talking to those of you
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that are Skeptics that have not crossed the line I'm not talking to those of you that are new Christians you're not there yet but those of you that have been
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seasoned in your commitment to Jesus have you become bored did you get
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wounded somewhere along the way and it almost took you out did you get distracted by lots of other things that
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we have to deal with today I'm not trying to guilt you that's not who I am but drifting happens and in some way
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it's a very natural occurrence so if this describes you what do you do well it's interesting when Jesus gives the
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verdict here on the church at Ephesus he also gives the solution and in verse 5 this is what he says he says repent and
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do the things you did at first Jesus said if you want to have the relationship with me that you had I
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haven't left you're the one who's left you go back and you do the things you did at first when you first came to
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Christ you know um when Pastor Mark taught through the transformational life that
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was so revealing to so many of us because it reminded us of these disciplines of prayer and fasting it
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reminded us that we need to have a Sabbath we need to take some time to have weekly worship where we serve
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someone else and I would just say don't wait until you feel like doing these
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things or it's never going to happen it's never too late to repent
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and turn back to your first love Jesus says in Revelation 2 5 if you do
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not repent it's a Stern warning that he gives I will come to you
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and I will remove your lampstand it's a church from its place
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basically he's saying hey if if you don't get your heart right in the church in which you are part of
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and you don't start loving Jesus and he becomes first and foremost in your life you know what she said it slides out at
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that church he's not interested in spiritual clubs
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he will shut the church down he will that's a powerful warning I think from
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Jesus Jesus is saying no church is permanent again he's not interested in us being
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the country club spiritual place so interesting to me and this is one of the reasons I bring this point out not
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to not to try to you know leave on a negative note but here's the thing people still go to Ephesus into these
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Seven Cities today I mean it's it's a very popular tourist place for Christians
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and here's the deal in Ephesus do you realize if you were to visit Ephesus today
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there are no churches none no lasting Christian witness in that
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region of turkey today none whatsoever that is a sobering thought
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so I want to close with this last verse that he says Whoever has ears let them
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hear what the spirit says to the churches to the one who is Victorious I will give
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the right catch this to eat from the Tree of Life where in the world did we hear that the tree of life this is the
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last book of the Bible and he's referring to the first book of
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the Bible this is Genesis which is in the paradise of God it's
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interesting that he goes back all the way to Adam and Eve and here they were living in this paradise the Garden of
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Eden and they botched it and sin entered into the world and death entered into
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the world and here at the very end Jesus comes in Revelation to the church at Ephesus and he reminds us I'm coming
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again I am the Alpha and the Omega and this time when I come I will be the King
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of Kings and the Lord of lords I will bring a new Heaven and a new Earth I'm
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going to fix it and he will sort of like uh the Undercover Boss you
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know at the end of the story he comes back out to these faithful employees that he's worked alongside and it's
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interesting with every one of these he gives a reward to those faithful
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employees you know I can remember one whereas a single lady and she had children and so she was such a devout
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employee that he says hey you don't have to worry about your kids education we're going to pay college for them they're
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going to have a free college education another one I remember they gave a an unbelievable vacation because it was a
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family that had been under stress and they just needed some time to be together another he bought a house you
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know and that's Jesus he's looking he's watching he's doing a review he's
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evaluating your life my life he's coming again and when we go to see him I want to hear
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well done good and faithful servant he will reward those who are faithful
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those works that we do after we become a believer in Christ they are noticed by him
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and when you feel like giving up and when you feel like quitting just understand maybe you've gotten casual maybe you've
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compromised maybe some other Idol is in your life besides Jesus today's
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asking you to come back that's really the title of the whole series it's
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finding our way back I want to encourage you to find your way back because I know I'm talking to many
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of you who need to come back and I would just say to those of you online and on TV and it may be time for
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you you know it's real easy to sit on the couch and those kind of things and we love you and you're part of our
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family but it could be time for you to come back and actually come to an in-person Gathering get in church and
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start serving and start engaging all of us in some way
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need to find our way back so I want to pray with you today Father I thank you so much for this letter to
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this church this letter from Jesus himself to the church
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at Ephesus and all the incredible things they're doing man what a church it would be one that
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most of us would run to to join but yet Jesus says it was actually a
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church filled with seasoned believers that had grown cold
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and their service now was casual and they had compromised
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and other things were before Jesus that can happen so easily in the culture
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in which we live today and God I do an evaluation in my own life my own family and I would ask every
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person here as a child of God where are you is he really your first love
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do you do it out of privilege or is it out of Duty have you moved away from the passion
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and the heartbeat that you once had for Jesus the answer to bring Revival in our
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region and our country is the church and if we could ever awake this sleeping
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giant oh man it'd be incredible today God we pray you would help us find
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our way back and God we would put you first and foremost that Spirit you would speak to us you would help us we will
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begin to practice the disciplines out of the light and privilege not out of Duty
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and God we would find that you're who you say you are king of kings and Lord
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of lords we commit our church to you afresh today and if there's one here that has never
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trusted Jesus or watching online and you've never trusted Jesus I want you to pray this prayer with me right now I
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just want you to say dear Jesus I know I'm a sinner I know I've made mistakes and today I ask you to come into my life
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and forgive me of my sin I receive you as my Lord and Savior I Surrender Lord
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right now my life to you and if you prayed that prayer I want you to go online I want you to check that little
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raised hand button and all of Heaven is celebrating with you at in person go and
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grab somebody on your way out and share with them the decision you made and God help us as a church if you are
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reviewing us God help us to look and to see where we need to find our way back
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to you we ask all these things in christening amen amen well hey everybody
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today's exciting day and uh we are privileged to be able to plant NCC new
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Collective Church where we have incredible leadership team there Pastor Mark and the team are going to do
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amazing things I know thousands and thousands and thousands of lives are going to be changed in Upper East
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Tennessee and around the world and uh Mark has a little video I ask him to share with us and I want to pass off to
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him and I want you to see this video from Pastor Market New Collective