WEBVTT 00:00:01.750 --> 00:00:05.910 Well, Nathaniel is, like I said, back east, so he's not with us today. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:08.880 So you're going to have to put up with me for the next four weeks. 00:00:09.280 --> 00:00:11.780 So sorry, but we'll do what we can. 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:12.000 All right. 00:00:13.800 --> 00:00:19.360 so when I, when he told me what time frame he was going to be gone, I knew we were going to be in the middle of this remodeling project. 00:00:20.260 --> 00:00:25.060 And in case you're wondering why it still looks like a construction site is because it still is. 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:28.340 we intentionally took this week off. 00:00:28.340 --> 00:00:33.490 So the guys that have been working on the project could spend some time with their families, have a little bit of a break. 00:00:34.300 --> 00:00:36.400 So this week though we will be getting started back with that. 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:41.080 So hopefully next week we won't have as much of a construction site, if not any. 00:00:42.500 --> 00:00:49.500 but I knew we'd be in the middle of this expansion, and I wanted to try and think of a series or 00:00:49.500 --> 00:00:54.940 a topic that would be very applicable to our church where we are. 00:00:55.220 --> 00:01:02.400 And as I thought about it, I thought about the Book of Revelation And, some of you might 00:01:02.400 --> 00:01:03.280 have just got excited. 00:01:03.440 --> 00:01:06.530 Some of you might have just taken a deep sigh because I said we were going to be in revelation. 00:01:07.720 --> 00:01:14.760 But don't worry, we're not going to be talking about the apocalypse or the end of the world, or the tribulation or anything like that. 00:01:15.800 --> 00:01:22.860 If you are excited about that kind of stuff, see Russ, he'll talk to you for probably longer than you thought 00:01:22.860 --> 00:01:23.800 possible about it. 00:01:23.940 --> 00:01:24.500 He loves it. 00:01:24.720 --> 00:01:26.940 So if you want to talk about that kind of stuff, talk to Russ. 00:01:27.460 --> 00:01:30.720 We're not going to focus about the end times and the end of the world and things like that. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:38.280 What we want to focus on is in the beginning of revelation, if you look at revelation chapter two, we're going to look and there's seven mini letters 00:01:38.280 --> 00:01:41.380 that John writes within the Book of Revelation to seven different churches. 00:01:42.480 --> 00:01:46.940 And he, encourages some and says, good job, you're doing good. 00:01:47.160 --> 00:01:49.600 And others he says, what in the world are you doing? 00:01:50.140 --> 00:01:51.880 And so we're going to look at both of those. 00:01:52.440 --> 00:01:57.260 And this next four weeks, we're going to look at church, the right and the wrong way to do it. 00:01:58.800 --> 00:02:02.320 there is like with everything, a right and a wrong way to do church. 00:02:02.780 --> 00:02:03.000 Okay. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:04.800 Church isn't just coming and showing up. 00:02:05.880 --> 00:02:07.600 it's more than that. 00:02:07.940 --> 00:02:10.139 And we want to see what that is. 00:02:10.340 --> 00:02:10.520 What? 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:13.080 What makes church more than just showing up on a Sunday? 00:02:14.480 --> 00:02:16.720 so the first church we're going to look at, there's seven of them. 00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:19.180 Like I said, we're not going to go straight through them. 00:02:19.180 --> 00:02:22.940 We're going to kind of jump around because some of them grouped together a little better than others. 00:02:23.540 --> 00:02:28.500 So the first one we're going to look at, though, is found in revelation chapter two, verses one through seven. 00:02:28.540 --> 00:02:29.400 It's the church at Ephesus. 00:02:31.120 --> 00:02:32.090 I don't know if you can read that. 00:02:32.120 --> 00:02:34.330 It's a little small, if not in the Bible. 00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:35.430 In the back of your chair. 00:02:35.460 --> 00:02:36.460 It's on page 190. 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:38.560 that we're going to be looking at. 00:02:40.040 --> 00:02:47.180 So it says to the angel of the church in Ephesus, write, the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:54.180 seven golden lampstands says this I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men. 00:02:55.240 --> 00:02:58.550 And you put to test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not. 00:02:59.100 --> 00:03:05.340 And you found them to be false, and you have perseverance and have endured for my name's sake, and have not grown weary. 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:09.820 But I have this against you that you have left your first love. 00:03:10.820 --> 00:03:15.480 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. 00:03:16.040 --> 00:03:20.860 Or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. 00:03:22.480 --> 00:03:26.660 Yet this you do have that you hate the deeds of the nicolaitans, which I also hate. 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:31.060 He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:36.800 To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. 00:03:38.600 --> 00:03:45.240 So before we look at the church, specifically in Ephesus, we want to look at what where Ephesus was, what kind of city was it? 00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:47.850 What kind of history background did it have? 00:03:48.440 --> 00:03:51.190 Because culturally it does make a difference. 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:59.100 different churches, based on where they're at will do different things, different ways, and it's all on the basis of culture. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:05.560 So Ephesus, at its peak, at its highest point, was around 250,000 people. 00:04:05.580 --> 00:04:08.820 So for that day is a very large city for today's standards. 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:09.840 It's still pretty big. 00:04:10.420 --> 00:04:11.220 So it was a large metropolis. 00:04:12.260 --> 00:04:14.180 Lots going on, people. 00:04:14.180 --> 00:04:14.940 It was a major port. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:17.420 So you had people from all over the world stopping in. 00:04:18.040 --> 00:04:24.680 A lot of wealthy business people would have probably had a second home there to manage their finances in that area. 00:04:25.540 --> 00:04:30.300 It was most famous for its temple to the goddess Artemis or Diana. 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:37.540 If you actually look it up the temple to Diana, there was one of the seven Wonders of the ancient world. 00:04:37.740 --> 00:04:41.060 So it's a very prominent place wealthy, extravagant. 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:45.540 It was pretty much the central location in the Roman Empire at that time. 00:04:45.700 --> 00:04:51.620 It was about dead center, with Rome as a, as a center point. 00:04:51.620 --> 00:04:52.930 It was a very important city. 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:57.240 And Paul actually is the one that started the church in Ephesus. 00:04:57.280 --> 00:05:00.160 And you can read that in acts chapter 19, and we'll be there in just a second. 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:05.480 But the church grew really rapidly. 00:05:05.480 --> 00:05:12.720 Paul, on his missionary journey there, started the church, and it saw explosive growth and 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:20.200 really quickly grew to the point that even the silversmiths that worked in Ephesus started 00:05:20.200 --> 00:05:22.140 to riot because of it. 00:05:22.780 --> 00:05:26.420 The silversmiths trade their monetary um. 00:05:27.080 --> 00:05:34.140 Their living was based on making and selling shrines and mini idols of Diana and these other gods 00:05:34.140 --> 00:05:35.710 to people. 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:39.560 And Paul starts this church and says, those aren't. 00:05:39.880 --> 00:05:40.660 That's not God. 00:05:40.860 --> 00:05:42.020 That's just a chunk of metal. 00:05:42.580 --> 00:05:43.340 It's not worth anything. 00:05:44.580 --> 00:05:47.720 And people started to listen and they started to walk away from these false gods. 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:55.060 And God was doing great things here, so much so that the silversmiths are running out of business, and one silversmith in particular gathers 00:05:55.500 --> 00:06:00.980 everybody together at a union meeting and says, hey, we got to get rid of this guy because he's going to run us out of business. 00:06:01.400 --> 00:06:02.040 And that's no good. 00:06:02.600 --> 00:06:03.960 So the church was very prominent. 00:06:04.160 --> 00:06:05.040 It was a strong church. 00:06:05.700 --> 00:06:06.680 It had rapid growth. 00:06:06.780 --> 00:06:13.920 And if you actually will go ahead and read that account in acts chapter 19, and we'll see this exchange between 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:16.100 Demetrius and the other silversmiths. 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:24.520 For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines to Artemis, he was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. 00:06:25.540 --> 00:06:32.000 These he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, men, you know that our prosperity depends on this business. 00:06:32.820 --> 00:06:37.000 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia. 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:44.360 This Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:44.580 all. 00:06:45.460 --> 00:06:53.100 Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great Goddess Artemis be 00:06:53.840 --> 00:07:00.700 regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of Asia and the and the whole world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.240 When they heard this, they were filled with rage. 00:07:06.900 --> 00:07:14.040 If you want to change the economy of a city, you got to be really influential, okay? 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:21.260 If you have to threaten the entire livelihood of a whole trade industry, that's pretty big. 00:07:21.380 --> 00:07:24.700 And the church at Ephesus, was that okay when Paul came? 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:33.760 The people that were being converted and following Christ weren't just everyday blue 00:07:33.760 --> 00:07:34.560 collar kind of people. 00:07:35.420 --> 00:07:36.010 There were politicians. 00:07:36.760 --> 00:07:37.700 They were white collar. 00:07:37.720 --> 00:07:39.830 They were higher ups. 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:47.340 And because of that, this church saw, like I said, rapid growth and great influence in the city. 00:07:47.500 --> 00:07:54.840 So how does a church go from driving all of the idol worshippers and 00:07:54.840 --> 00:07:59.760 the idol makers out to here in revelation? 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:05.160 They're being reprimanded because they left their first love. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:06.020 How does that happen? 00:08:06.180 --> 00:08:13.460 How do you go from being so powerful that you influence an entire city, and thus a nation to what 00:08:13.460 --> 00:08:13.920 are you guys doing? 00:08:15.260 --> 00:08:16.100 How does that transition happen? 00:08:19.020 --> 00:08:20.980 Something like that doesn't happen overnight. 00:08:22.320 --> 00:08:22.980 It takes time. 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:32.820 And by the time revelation is written, when this letter gets to Ephesus, most of the believers in Ephesus that Paul had converted 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:40.760 and talked to the founders of the church in Ephesus had either passed away or had moved on or had left, moved 00:08:40.760 --> 00:08:41.640 away, whatever. 00:08:42.400 --> 00:08:45.220 And most of the Christians in this church were second generation Christians. 00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:53.920 And when it says they left their first love, they forgot why it was they did what they did. 00:08:55.820 --> 00:08:58.900 You see, to them, church was what Mom and Dad did. 00:08:59.020 --> 00:08:59.600 So that's what we do. 00:09:00.800 --> 00:09:08.200 Well, Mom and dad went to church on Sundays, and they sat there and they sang the songs, and they even helped out every now and then on extra days. 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:09.880 And they might even make it to a Wednesday night service. 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:10.720 So that's what we'll do. 00:09:12.180 --> 00:09:13.240 And so that's what they did. 00:09:13.420 --> 00:09:15.060 But they didn't know why they did those things. 00:09:15.060 --> 00:09:15.660 They just did it. 00:09:15.760 --> 00:09:16.620 It became tradition. 00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:24.260 It's like the story of the lady who always cut the ends off of her ham before she baked it. 00:09:24.920 --> 00:09:32.120 So finally her husband, wondering why she would waste that portion of the meat, asked her, why do you cut the ends off the ham before 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:32.940 you bake it? 00:09:33.680 --> 00:09:34.540 I don't know, that's what my mom did. 00:09:34.820 --> 00:09:35.940 So that's just the way I make ham. 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:37.320 He's like, okay, all right. 00:09:38.760 --> 00:09:39.040 What? 00:09:39.040 --> 00:09:40.640 Not settled with that at Christmas? 00:09:40.780 --> 00:09:40.880 Then? 00:09:41.340 --> 00:09:45.970 Going to his in-laws, he asks his mother in law, so why do you cut the ends off the ham? 00:09:45.980 --> 00:09:47.880 You know, I noticed that my wife always does it. 00:09:48.280 --> 00:09:49.310 She said she learned it from you. 00:09:49.340 --> 00:09:49.940 Why do you do it? 00:09:50.680 --> 00:09:51.240 I don't know. 00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:52.080 My mom always did it. 00:09:52.160 --> 00:09:53.040 So that's just the way that. 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:54.560 That's the way I make ham. 00:09:55.920 --> 00:10:01.360 So finally he gets to the grandmother and says, all right, so they don't know why I got to know, because it's just driving me nuts. 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:03.020 Why do you cut the ends off the ham? 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:07.020 Well, we didn't have a whole lot of money in my roaster. 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:07.440 Pan. 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.990 Wasn't big enough to fit a whole ham, so I had to cut the ends off to make it fit. 00:10:12.400 --> 00:10:12.760 So they didn't. 00:10:12.880 --> 00:10:15.450 They were doing this to make this ham, and it was pointless. 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:17.660 It was just because she couldn't get it to fit in the pan. 00:10:17.780 --> 00:10:18.880 But they saw her do it that way. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:19.890 So that's the way they did it. 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:22.420 And these believers in Ephesus were the same way. 00:10:23.340 --> 00:10:26.240 They saw Mom and Dad do this stuff and it was good things. 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:27.700 It wasn't mom and dad doing bad things. 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:29.260 So we'll do good things too. 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:37.920 And I mean, if you read the passage, they do a lot of good things two through three and then even again 00:10:37.920 --> 00:10:41.020 in six, they're doing good stuff. 00:10:42.100 --> 00:10:48.520 It's not that they're doing bad things, but the thing that they weren't doing is they left their first love. 00:10:49.740 --> 00:10:56.800 One of the things I really enjoy about youth ministry, I love you guys, but I take a room full of teens any 00:10:56.800 --> 00:10:57.080 day. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:00.660 it's fun. 00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:07.980 And one of the things that I really enjoy about youth ministry is to watch when they're in a relationship for, like, the first time or something. 00:11:08.660 --> 00:11:11.210 And I don't encourage youth to date. 00:11:11.260 --> 00:11:16.120 If you've ever been to youth group or any youth function, I typically recommend waiting till at least college to date. 00:11:17.120 --> 00:11:17.960 It's a better way. 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:19.120 That way. 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:22.920 but they typically don't listen to me on that advice. 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:30.000 So when they're in a relationship, you get to just kind of sit back and watch the way they interact, and you'll see 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:37.000 the kid that at the last youth party, you had to break up a fistfight because somebody cut in front of him in line for food. 00:11:37.080 --> 00:11:42.400 All of a sudden he's waiting patiently and carrying a plate of food to his new girlfriend who showed up to youth party or whatever. 00:11:42.820 --> 00:11:50.560 And he's sitting there quietly with his napkin on his lap and eating nicely while his friends are, in the corner, seeing who can fit more pepperoni 00:11:50.560 --> 00:11:52.860 rolls in their mouth, you know. 00:11:52.860 --> 00:12:00.400 And last week he was doing the same thing, but now he's sitting there listening to her stories and her friends talk while his friends are, trying 00:12:00.400 --> 00:12:03.960 to burp their name the fastest or whatever. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:06.120 And you're like, wait a minute. 00:12:06.920 --> 00:12:07.440 You were just. 00:12:08.020 --> 00:12:09.740 How'd you get over here if you were there? 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:11.120 What happened in a week? 00:12:11.380 --> 00:12:12.190 How did that change? 00:12:12.660 --> 00:12:14.250 And it's because he's got that puppy. 00:12:14.680 --> 00:12:19.790 Like, I don't call it puppy love because I don't know how much love is really involved, but it's that puppy like syndrome where it's just. 00:12:20.020 --> 00:12:21.890 I'll do anything to make her happy. 00:12:22.060 --> 00:12:24.470 And I mean, you can even think of the relationship that you're in now. 00:12:24.580 --> 00:12:31.880 Husbands and wives, you have that honeymoon period, and then all of a sudden, this toilet seat might 00:12:31.880 --> 00:12:39.080 stop getting left down and, stuff like that, little things start to creep up, and then all of a sudden you're like, what in 00:12:39.080 --> 00:12:39.780 the world happened? 00:12:40.560 --> 00:12:41.840 Okay, well, that's what happened in Ephesus. 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:44.160 That's what happened with their relationship with Christ. 00:12:44.600 --> 00:12:51.640 It lost that special relationship, that special feeling and the things that they once did because they loved Christ and were passionate 00:12:51.800 --> 00:12:52.120 for him. 00:12:52.640 --> 00:12:54.820 They just did because that's what they were supposed to do. 00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:58.180 And that's not what church is about. 00:13:00.380 --> 00:13:03.040 Church is about that love, that special relationship. 00:13:08.120 --> 00:13:10.160 And when you think about that special relationship. 00:13:13.100 --> 00:13:20.220 If it's really special, if you truly are dedicated, you think back about those things, about 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:27.300 that person that made that relationship so special, that made you willing to do the things that you wouldn't normally do, whether it be the 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:34.460 kid in youth group who now eats politely and uses a napkin to wipe his face, or whether it be the husband that does the dishes 00:13:34.460 --> 00:13:35.850 even though he hates it. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:41.740 You do those things that are special because you remember why you're in that relationship, and it's that love that you have for that person. 00:13:44.760 --> 00:13:46.200 And in church, it's the same way. 00:13:46.260 --> 00:13:50.180 The reason that we continue to do the things we do isn't because it's tradition. 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:52.600 It shouldn't be because it's tradition. 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:59.840 It's because we love Christ, and we remember what it is that Christ did for each and every one of us that makes that relationship special. 00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:05.880 And if you don't remember what Christ did, take a minute and think about it. 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:08.480 Okay, Ephesians. 00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:10.920 You were dead in your sin and your trespasses. 00:14:11.560 --> 00:14:13.480 Dead no life. 00:14:15.560 --> 00:14:19.020 But he made you alive because of the sacrifice that he made on the cross. 00:14:20.520 --> 00:14:25.400 He gave up heaven where all Jesus had to do is sit back and listen to angels. 00:14:25.880 --> 00:14:27.060 How awesome he is. 00:14:28.420 --> 00:14:29.290 And he gave it up. 00:14:29.880 --> 00:14:36.980 Came as a little baby who couldn't even help himself, lived a perfect life and died for you. 00:14:38.400 --> 00:14:42.580 Even though at that time the Bible tells us you were enemies with God. 00:14:43.180 --> 00:14:44.750 He died for you. 00:14:45.940 --> 00:14:48.260 That's what makes a relationship with Jesus so special. 00:14:49.800 --> 00:14:56.540 We're all the way over here doing our own thing, ignoring anything that God wants, even if we're living a good life. 00:14:57.640 --> 00:15:04.660 And God says, look, I know you hate me right now, and I know you're not following me, but I died for you. 00:15:06.400 --> 00:15:07.140 That's love. 00:15:07.780 --> 00:15:09.220 That's agape love in the Greek. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:11.560 Self-sacrificing love. 00:15:11.580 --> 00:15:14.400 Even if I don't get anything in return, I'm going to love you. 00:15:15.720 --> 00:15:18.120 That's the relationship that Jesus has towards us. 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:20.520 And that's what makes that relationship special. 00:15:20.680 --> 00:15:26.720 And so we come to church on Sundays not just to sing songs and see friends and, get a free cup of coffee or something. 00:15:27.380 --> 00:15:34.520 We come to church because we love Christ, and we want other people to see that we love Christ, and we want to let them know that man this week, 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:36.020 this is what God did. 00:15:36.020 --> 00:15:38.000 And it was awesome what happened for you this week. 00:15:38.820 --> 00:15:40.160 And we encourage each other. 00:15:40.540 --> 00:15:43.500 Somebody might come in and say, it's been a rough week. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:44.860 You know, a lot of stuff happened. 00:15:45.700 --> 00:15:46.660 I got laid off. 00:15:47.160 --> 00:15:49.020 You know, me and the wife have been fighting more. 00:15:50.180 --> 00:15:55.320 And you say, man, that's awful, but let's go through this together. 00:15:55.320 --> 00:15:56.070 Let's pray together. 00:15:56.180 --> 00:15:57.740 Let's let's worship Christ together. 00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:00.080 And we come to church on Sunday to build each other up. 00:16:00.380 --> 00:16:03.440 And we do these things not because that's what we're supposed to do. 00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:06.140 We do it because ultimately we love Christ. 00:16:08.040 --> 00:16:15.220 When you think about this attitude of just doing the right thing, exteriorly and interiorly, you're indifferent 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:19.100 or hardened or, just don't care. 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:25.740 It's the Pharisees, man, the Pharisees in the New Testament. 00:16:25.860 --> 00:16:26.740 That's what they did. 00:16:27.760 --> 00:16:35.140 And Jesus, if you read any of the New Testament, any time he has an encounter with the Pharisees, he tells them, it's not that 00:16:35.140 --> 00:16:36.780 you live out the letter of the law. 00:16:37.180 --> 00:16:38.520 It's your intentions in doing that. 00:16:39.340 --> 00:16:39.400 Okay. 00:16:39.440 --> 00:16:46.200 If you read in Matthew he has the woes to the Pharisees and he says, woe to you, scribes and Pharisees. 00:16:46.460 --> 00:16:52.890 You're like whitewashed tombs outwardly look clean and full of life, but inside you're full of death and disease. 00:16:54.300 --> 00:16:58.060 Are we coming to church because it's what we're supposed to do and expect it to do? 00:16:58.520 --> 00:17:05.420 Are we even coming and maybe helping out with a remodel or going and making balloon animals for three hours until your fingers bleed? 00:17:05.579 --> 00:17:06.859 Because we love Jesus? 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:09.300 Or are we doing it because that's what somebody expects you to do? 00:17:10.520 --> 00:17:13.020 It's not about what people expect of us. 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:17.200 It's about that love and that relationship that we have with Christ. 00:17:18.220 --> 00:17:19.000 That's what motivates us. 00:17:20.760 --> 00:17:27.420 And when you see that relationship and you remember what it is that Christ did for you that made you love him. 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:35.460 That's when you avoid this situation of becoming a routine. 00:17:36.660 --> 00:17:38.700 You come to church and you sit in the same seat. 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.780 You sing same songs. 00:17:41.780 --> 00:17:46.200 You just come and you do routine and okay, now church is done. 00:17:46.200 --> 00:17:50.580 Now I'm going to go home, watch some football, take a nap. 00:17:51.300 --> 00:17:53.200 That's Sunday and it's routine. 00:17:54.100 --> 00:18:01.220 But when you remember that love that Christ showed you and that relationship, it helps Sunday from becoming routine and 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:03.940 becoming an awesome experience. 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:08.080 I look forward to coming to church more now than I ever have in my entire life. 00:18:08.600 --> 00:18:10.040 Okay, and I grew up in church. 00:18:10.040 --> 00:18:11.540 I was born in church pretty much. 00:18:12.340 --> 00:18:15.480 I was like two weeks old and I was already going on Bible retreats with my mom. 00:18:15.820 --> 00:18:23.000 Okay, so I mean, I've done church my whole life, literally, and I've never been more excited about coming to church until 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:30.140 I moved here, even when we were in that little if you guys remember the little corner, those of us that were there in Swift Printing when you had to smell the ink 00:18:30.340 --> 00:18:32.540 fumes and you always got a headache when you came to church. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:38.860 I even look forward to church then, because of the body of believers that were there, knew why they were there. 00:18:39.220 --> 00:18:46.380 And it wasn't just routine, and it was because they loved Christ that they made the sacrifice to go sit in a cramped, hot, air conditioned, 00:18:46.520 --> 00:18:51.880 less room that was like ten by 20 with 40 other people and sing and pray together. 00:18:52.700 --> 00:18:53.300 That's awesome. 00:18:53.820 --> 00:18:55.440 You don't do that if you don't love Jesus. 00:18:55.920 --> 00:18:57.480 If it's uncomfortable, you just quit. 00:18:59.340 --> 00:19:00.660 And that's why I love coming to church here. 00:19:01.180 --> 00:19:06.640 I always, whenever I'm gone, I always text Nathaniel after whatever service I've been to. 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:07.060 If I. 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:14.260 If I made it to church while I was away, just text him and say, man, our church is the best church and it is man, 00:19:14.300 --> 00:19:15.220 I love this church. 00:19:15.300 --> 00:19:15.920 It's awesome. 00:19:16.820 --> 00:19:17.800 And it's that reason. 00:19:17.800 --> 00:19:21.980 It's because we still have that focus of who Christ is. 00:19:22.540 --> 00:19:29.540 But what happens is one individual loses that focus, then another individual loses that focus, 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:35.840 and then another individual loses that focus and it's not on me. 00:19:37.020 --> 00:19:39.520 It's not on you to control everybody else's focus. 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:42.140 It's on you to take care of you and your focus. 00:19:44.280 --> 00:19:51.480 So when you come to church, when you when you live life, don't live it for other people, 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:53.320 live it for you and live in that relationship. 00:19:53.680 --> 00:19:58.700 And other people are going to see that you're living that relationship in light of who Christ is and that love that he showed you. 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:04.440 And they're going to realize if they're not living that way, they're going to want to start living that way. 00:20:04.480 --> 00:20:07.900 And if they are already living that way, you're going to encourage them to keep doing that. 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:13.940 But as for a church as a whole, for us to do that, us as individuals first have to do that in our lives. 00:20:16.580 --> 00:20:22.160 And the second church we're going to look at, we're going to see a lot of the same things happening here. 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:28.860 The second church, you're going to have to flip to chapter three, and we're going to be in verse one, and it's the church in Sardis. 00:20:30.340 --> 00:20:33.530 Now Sardis is very similar to Ephesus. 00:20:34.660 --> 00:20:36.860 Proximity wise, they weren't that far apart either. 00:20:38.340 --> 00:20:40.240 They were a major trade center. 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.410 They were known for the worship of Artemis or Diana. 00:20:44.220 --> 00:20:49.040 They were centrally located in Lydia, in the country of Lydia. 00:20:49.120 --> 00:20:53.330 So they had a major trade route that connected the eastern part of the country and the western part of the country. 00:20:54.060 --> 00:20:55.450 So they were they were very wealthy. 00:20:56.160 --> 00:21:03.500 Sardis was such a wealthy city, in fact, that the kings from Sardis, the name of their last king before they were conquered, 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:05.040 was synonymous with wealth. 00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:07.700 that's how wealthy this place was. 00:21:07.760 --> 00:21:12.160 They were there was a major gold and silver mint there, so they would make gold and silver coins. 00:21:14.040 --> 00:21:16.720 But spiritually they had a lot of the similar problems too. 00:21:17.700 --> 00:21:24.700 In revelation three one through three says to the angel of the church in Sardis write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:30.180 seven stars says this I know your deeds, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you are dead. 00:21:30.860 --> 00:21:34.380 Wake up and strengthen the things that remain which were about to die. 00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:37.480 For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God. 00:21:37.860 --> 00:21:41.500 So remember what you have received and heard, and keep it and repent. 00:21:42.600 --> 00:21:47.460 Therefore, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 00:21:48.760 --> 00:21:49.320 So it's the same thing. 00:21:50.120 --> 00:21:55.200 You have the reputation of being alive, but you're dead to the. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:56.520 To the rest of the world. 00:21:57.380 --> 00:21:59.600 You look like you're a healthy, functioning church. 00:21:59.720 --> 00:22:00.950 You're doing the right things. 00:22:01.520 --> 00:22:01.740 You're. 00:22:02.020 --> 00:22:04.240 You're reaching out to the to the needy. 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:06.420 You're ministering to those in your body. 00:22:06.940 --> 00:22:10.800 You're reaching out in the community and trying to see converts. 00:22:11.240 --> 00:22:15.360 But you're just doing that because that's what you're supposed to do. 00:22:18.320 --> 00:22:20.140 Jesus doesn't want our actions. 00:22:21.780 --> 00:22:22.520 He wants our hearts. 00:22:25.600 --> 00:22:32.220 A lot of the sermon on the Mount that Jesus preaches in Matthew is don't live out the letter of the law. 00:22:32.960 --> 00:22:34.300 Live out the intent of the law. 00:22:35.160 --> 00:22:35.400 Okay? 00:22:35.460 --> 00:22:37.040 It's not about following the rules. 00:22:37.040 --> 00:22:37.630 One, two, three. 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:41.880 It's about why you're following the rules. 00:22:42.080 --> 00:22:42.790 One, two and three. 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:49.470 And yeah, you might have messed up on rule number two, but your heart's in the right place and you're going to try and do better. 00:22:49.560 --> 00:22:50.400 And God knows that. 00:22:50.620 --> 00:22:51.700 And God loves you for that. 00:22:52.360 --> 00:22:54.180 When you mess up, he's not angry at you. 00:22:54.260 --> 00:22:54.520 He's not. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:56.030 He's not disappointed. 00:22:57.460 --> 00:23:03.160 He still loves you, and he still wants you to keep trying and pursuing that, but he doesn't want you to pursue it. 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:04.380 So you can say, look at me. 00:23:04.400 --> 00:23:05.460 I followed all the rules. 00:23:06.360 --> 00:23:09.960 He wants you to do that so you can say, look, this is where I was. 00:23:11.020 --> 00:23:13.240 I was a sinner that hated God. 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.520 And now look what God's done in my life. 00:23:16.420 --> 00:23:16.520 Okay. 00:23:16.840 --> 00:23:21.360 One of the things I love about our church is the background of everybody here is so different. 00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:31.660 And I love Mark Because, Mark came into work the other day and, and 00:23:31.680 --> 00:23:36.220 he came in and I talked to him for a little bit, and he left, and one of the guys was like, who's that? 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:38.980 I was like, oh, that's, he's a friend of mine from church. 00:23:39.100 --> 00:23:40.110 He's one of the leaders at our church. 00:23:40.680 --> 00:23:45.650 And they were like, he's a leader at your church, but he's got gauged ears and tattoos. 00:23:46.060 --> 00:23:47.180 You can't do that. 00:23:47.500 --> 00:23:49.620 And I'm like, no, man, I'm telling you, he's awesome. 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:55.060 And so it was it blows because we have this background. 00:23:55.060 --> 00:24:01.280 People can see, look where I was in my relationship to God, not caring, doing what I wanted to do. 00:24:02.300 --> 00:24:03.100 And now look where I am. 00:24:03.820 --> 00:24:08.230 And the reason that I'm here doing these things isn't so I can say, look at me now. 00:24:08.500 --> 00:24:11.640 I'm saying, look at where God took me from, and look where God is putting me. 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:14.320 Amen. 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:23.780 So if this is a problem that is obviously repetitive, not just in one church, but it's a problem that you fall into 00:24:23.780 --> 00:24:24.880 all over. 00:24:24.900 --> 00:24:28.840 And if you go back east, I can take you where me and Nathaniel used to live in West Virginia. 00:24:29.300 --> 00:24:35.940 There's a church every quarter of a mile, and I can take you into church after church after church after church. 00:24:36.860 --> 00:24:38.240 That's just in a routine of church. 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:43.170 And they've forgotten why they're doing what they're doing. 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:48.240 And they might look alive because the parking lot is full on Sunday, but inwardly they're dead. 00:24:50.460 --> 00:24:51.250 So this is an epidemic. 00:24:51.580 --> 00:24:54.200 This is a serious problem that we're not immune to. 00:24:55.480 --> 00:25:02.340 So if it's a problem that we as believers might face, we need to find out how we can prevent that from happening. 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:09.920 And to answer that question, we're going to flip back a little bit in your Bible to the book of Philippians. 00:25:12.040 --> 00:25:18.950 and in the book of Philippians, there are tons of passages that I love, but one of my favorites is in Philippians three. 00:25:20.080 --> 00:25:27.080 And we're going to start in verse four, and we're going to see Paul and how he 00:25:27.080 --> 00:25:32.960 deals with keeping his focus on Christ and not losing sight and letting life become a routine for him. 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:35.840 Philippians three four through six. 00:25:35.880 --> 00:25:42.980 About halfway through verse four, it says, if anyone has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more circumcised the eighth day 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:46.740 of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. 00:25:47.360 --> 00:25:51.760 As to the law of Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to the righteousness. 00:25:52.300 --> 00:25:53.180 Which righteousness? 00:25:53.180 --> 00:25:53.280 Which? 00:25:54.060 --> 00:25:55.660 Let's try that again. 00:25:56.540 --> 00:26:02.180 As to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to righteousness which is in the law found blameless. 00:26:02.460 --> 00:26:02.970 There we go. 00:26:04.280 --> 00:26:06.260 So, Paul, basically what he's saying. 00:26:07.580 --> 00:26:08.640 I'm the man here. 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:08.860 Okay. 00:26:09.800 --> 00:26:14.320 If you want to pick an area of your life that you can be proud of, I'm better. 00:26:14.380 --> 00:26:14.760 All right. 00:26:14.760 --> 00:26:15.920 My family tree. 00:26:15.920 --> 00:26:16.280 Yeah. 00:26:16.280 --> 00:26:17.010 Tribe of Benjamin. 00:26:17.460 --> 00:26:18.060 Israelite. 00:26:18.280 --> 00:26:18.780 Hebrew of Hebrews. 00:26:19.580 --> 00:26:20.020 Got that one. 00:26:20.800 --> 00:26:21.060 Okay. 00:26:21.060 --> 00:26:22.520 Well, you think you're more religious than me? 00:26:22.800 --> 00:26:23.800 I trained under the high priest. 00:26:24.120 --> 00:26:25.180 I was a Pharisee of Pharisees. 00:26:26.200 --> 00:26:27.660 Everybody wanted to be like me. 00:26:27.720 --> 00:26:28.200 I got you there. 00:26:28.820 --> 00:26:29.060 Okay. 00:26:30.340 --> 00:26:31.380 What else do you want to talk about? 00:26:31.700 --> 00:26:32.640 Did I obey the law? 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:33.800 I obeyed the law. 00:26:33.800 --> 00:26:34.100 All right. 00:26:34.120 --> 00:26:34.560 Nobody was. 00:26:35.100 --> 00:26:36.480 Nobody was better at that than me. 00:26:37.040 --> 00:26:40.820 Okay, so what does he say about all this? 00:26:40.820 --> 00:26:43.420 I was I was doing all the right things. 00:26:43.420 --> 00:26:45.380 And outwardly, you would look at me and think. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:46.520 He's got it. 00:26:47.520 --> 00:26:47.620 That's. 00:26:47.880 --> 00:26:48.800 That's the guy right there. 00:26:48.800 --> 00:26:49.300 Paul's got it. 00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:52.680 But he was doing these things and they're not bad things. 00:26:52.840 --> 00:26:55.540 It's not a bad thing to be a good person, okay? 00:26:55.600 --> 00:26:57.290 It's not a bad thing to live a moral life. 00:26:57.520 --> 00:26:58.000 That's good. 00:26:59.380 --> 00:27:06.780 But what Paul is saying, if you look in three through 14 then or seven through 14, sorry, it says whatever things 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:07.740 were gain to me. 00:27:08.320 --> 00:27:10.700 Those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 00:27:11.280 --> 00:27:11.620 Those things. 00:27:11.780 --> 00:27:13.720 And those aren't even bad things, okay? 00:27:13.720 --> 00:27:17.570 Those are good things that Paul's saying there loss for the sake of knowing Christ. 00:27:18.280 --> 00:27:21.200 These good things that I was doing aren't as good as knowing who Christ is. 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:29.740 More than that, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ 00:27:29.740 --> 00:27:37.340 Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ, and 00:27:37.340 --> 00:27:44.560 may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:51.880 the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the 00:27:51.960 --> 00:27:58.870 fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 00:27:59.540 --> 00:28:06.740 Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of 00:28:06.780 --> 00:28:09.640 that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:13.980 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. 00:28:14.060 --> 00:28:19.360 But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. 00:28:19.880 --> 00:28:24.340 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 00:28:28.000 --> 00:28:35.020 Paul says, look guys, I lived that life where I lived externally so people would think I was a good person and I followed all the rules for that reason. 00:28:36.420 --> 00:28:43.640 But now that I've met Jesus and I know who he is, and I know what he's done in my life, and he's given me a righteousness that I can't earn, that I can't 00:28:43.640 --> 00:28:46.480 deserve, and he's given that to me. 00:28:47.760 --> 00:28:48.640 All I want is Jesus. 00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:53.840 Everything else in this world, all these things that I had, all these things that I could have, it's lost. 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:54.440 It's rubbish. 00:28:55.100 --> 00:28:56.850 The word for rubbish is dung. 00:28:57.280 --> 00:28:57.420 Okay? 00:28:59.600 --> 00:29:02.020 It's nothing compared to knowing Christ. 00:29:02.860 --> 00:29:10.360 And Paul was so focused on that he says, I press on toward the goal, I 00:29:10.580 --> 00:29:13.620 press on, I endure, I persevere, I strive. 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:14.380 Okay. 00:29:14.660 --> 00:29:15.250 Pressing on doesn't. 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:19.960 The Greek word doesn't imply a leisurely stroll. 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:21.410 It's a struggle. 00:29:22.600 --> 00:29:23.050 It's a fight. 00:29:23.800 --> 00:29:25.120 It's a violent struggle. 00:29:26.560 --> 00:29:29.480 And Paul says that that's what I want. 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:30.980 I want to keep pushing towards Jesus. 00:29:31.420 --> 00:29:33.080 I want to keep pushing towards Christ. 00:29:35.160 --> 00:29:42.060 By the time Paul wrote this in Philippians, he had already started numerous churches. 00:29:42.120 --> 00:29:43.030 He had been on multiple journeys. 00:29:44.320 --> 00:29:47.710 He had already written a majority of the books that you have in the New Testament today. 00:29:49.000 --> 00:29:51.000 And still he says, that's nothing. 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:52.760 Okay. 00:29:52.780 --> 00:29:53.960 That's fine that I did all that. 00:29:55.020 --> 00:29:55.540 I just want Jesus. 00:29:56.940 --> 00:29:57.260 Okay. 00:29:57.260 --> 00:30:00.080 And in my pursuit of Jesus, if these good things are happening, awesome. 00:30:01.840 --> 00:30:02.940 But if the bad things are happening. 00:30:03.100 --> 00:30:10.180 Because by this time, he's already been beaten, thrown in jail, shipwrecked, been on trial numerous times for things 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:11.900 he didn't do, tortured. 00:30:13.460 --> 00:30:20.980 And he's still I press on whether it's good things are happening or bad things are happening, I press on to 00:30:21.080 --> 00:30:28.120 Jesus the only way we can't do it on our own, the only way we can keep from losing 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:36.460 sight of that relationship and letting that relationship that we have grow old and become routine, is 00:30:36.460 --> 00:30:40.640 our focus on Christ and our passion for him. 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:51.640 Paul knew that this life was temporary, that Christ was eternal, and 00:30:51.640 --> 00:30:54.780 he wouldn't settle just for mediocrity or just for following the steps. 00:30:57.360 --> 00:31:02.080 And he didn't want to just go through the routine because his sole focus was on Christ. 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:05.600 Christ was his first love. 00:31:05.600 --> 00:31:06.440 It was his only love. 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:16.260 And it was because he knew that he didn't have a righteousness of his own, not having a righteousness of my own 00:31:16.900 --> 00:31:24.180 derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:24.440 faith. 00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:31.800 Paul knew where he was and where he is now, and he knew that it was nothing that he could have done, but all because of Christ. 00:31:33.240 --> 00:31:40.300 That's how Paul was able to stay focused to the point of being martyred and being beheaded for the sake of Christ, because he knew 00:31:40.300 --> 00:31:42.510 what Christ did for him. 00:31:46.180 --> 00:31:53.540 So when you think about church becoming routine or becoming apathetic towards church 00:31:53.540 --> 00:32:00.800 or indifferent, when we focus on Christ, the actions that we do as a church, 00:32:01.020 --> 00:32:02.860 as an individual, won't just become routine. 00:32:04.340 --> 00:32:11.580 Those actions are going to be empowered and motivated by the sovereign, all powerful God of the universe who died 00:32:11.580 --> 00:32:12.060 for you.