Brother Gary Sunday Evening 4/12/15

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 4/12/15

Rev 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Jesus gave this message to John on the Isle of Patmos to the ministry.

Rev 3:2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Sardis was a prosperous city but was also a city of much pleasure and much entertainment.  Wherever there is pleasure, without men and women that love God, there is always much sin.  It is sad, but important that we know that and teach our children. 

One of the shocks that we had as we hiked into Sperry was at the alcohol that was packed in, some of it was packed 12 miles.  This lawyer and his wife had been everywhere and had money and were planning to go to where they hadn’t been.  It is so sad that men and women without God ruin so many things that God has created. 

Sardis was a city of loose living; there were still some saints there.  God will save from the guttermost to the uttermost.  This city reminds me of many cities in the USA. 

It is sad how many have left God and caused many things to even become unenjoyable to the saints because of what they are exposed to. 

There was a ministry in that city and a church.  God told them to be watchful and strengthen those things that remain lest they die.  May God always convict us when a spirit of being critical gets a hold of us.  We are saved, sanctified, and church of God but we need to be watchful.

One of the most dangerous things that has ever got a hold of the people of the church of God is that “Nothing can ever happen to us.”  Yes it can.  Just look and see what has happened.  When a brother and sister gets attacked by the enemy, let’s do everything that we can to strengthen them.

The scripture says, “I have not found their works perfect before God.”  We want to do a good job at our job of preaching, teaching, loving, and doing everything we can to help souls.

When there is something wrong, don’t try to profess over it but confess and repent.  This is the message that the church of God has.  Without repentance there is no remission of sin.  Study 2^nd Peter Chapter 2.  Unless people get on the solid rock and stay there they will go right back to sin.

If you don’t watch, He will come as a thief.  Can you imagine us allowing things to enter in until we become so worldly that we are not watching and ready?  The standard is not just on the outside.  We can be perfect in an outward standard and be empty and lost on the inside. 

This message is for the church of God.  If we don’t stay watching and measured on the outside and on the inside, Jesus will come as a thief.

“They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy.”  We live in a world where people want you to agree with just a little bit of apostasy and rebellion, and just a little bit of an attitude and ugly spirit.  As bad as the spiritual atmosphere was in Sardis there were those there that would not allow their garments to be spotted.

We want to know every bible truth and do everything that He wants us to do and not try to get by with any less.

“To him that overcomes the same shall be clothed in white and I will not blot His name out but will confess it to the Father.”

Jesus says He prays for us.  Can you imagine prayers from the other side of the cross?

Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

It is a snare that will affect the whole world: surfeiting, the party life, not having our appetites in control.  We each need to draw a good line for our self and say, “I am going to have all my appetites in control.”

I wanted to hear the songs that the choir sang over and over again.  I don’t believe the radio is bad but too much of it will get you in trouble.  You cannot allow it to take from your prayer life.  If you have neglected bible study, visitation, fasting and praying, you need to get your life in order.  You need to watch what you watch.  Get your life in order. 

We need real filters today.  We need a filter on what we allow to come in, what we watch, what we listen to, and what we say.  This is a serious day.  In the day of Sardis there were those that looked like they were saints but they weren’t.  They looked like they were worshipping and yet inside they were out having a party. 

We believe in love, marriage, families but we have to have a balance.  People get drunk on buying.  We live in a terrible day.  It used to be stores were only opened certain hours.  The enemy of our soul and wise merchandisers make it so that we can shop 24/7.

I want to sober up.  Drunk people don’t want you to be sober.  They want you to take a little sip so that you are not really as sharp as you ought to be.  It is a snare that comes on all the world.  It doesn’t just come on New Yorkers, it is not just on the beach.  It is a snare.

The cares of life: the world has progressed to where we are forced by the government to have a lot more cares than are necessary to live.  We cannot get under it but say, “I am going to reign, it is not going to reign over me.

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

In the world you will have tribulation.  You cannot get away from all stress and pressure.  It will not happen.  The only way to do that is to die.  We might as well settle it, “I am going to be an overcomer.”  I am reign sweetly reigning in this life.

The word tribulation means affliction.  Even children get sick.  We have to overcome in our affliction.  When I am afflicted the enemy attacks my mind, and my devotions.  We must be determined, “I am going to fellowship and have communion with God in my affliction.” 

You are a lot better off having communion and fellowship with Him when you are limping than to have other things.

Anguish:  probably all of you adults in this audience know anguish to whatever degree.  Karen and I experienced anguish this last week.  Love deep, seek God, and pray.  Sometimes people don’t want to love because they don’t want to get hurt.  They don’t want to have pain.

Burden, trouble, stress, distress, and pressure:  tribulation is another description of how life is sometimes.  There are going to be spirits and people that tell you that you can have more liberties if you will leave your home, family, and the church.  As dangerous as it is, there are men and women today that will try to seduce you children away from your parents, your home, and godly influences with the thought that you will have more liberty.

2Pe 2:19  While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

The other thought is people that want to compromise the message, throw away the standard, the thought of divine healing, having no pastoral authority, “I want to be saved but I don’t want to be responsible to a congregation.”  Those are spirits that promise liberty but bring bondage.

God have me a good filter so that when that stuff comes it doesn’t get lodged, but stops right there.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Brother Emerson Wilson spoke of carrying his 44.  (1 Jn 4:4)  Carry your 44 with you.  He is greater. 

Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Be an overcomer.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Rev 12:11  And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Today is the day of salvation.

It is the day of strength.  It is the day of the kingdom of God.  It is the day of power.  The accuser is cast down.  The overcomers overcame by the blood of the lamb and by their testimony.