The Church: Its Meaning - The Playground for the Enemy of God, Part 3

Two weeks ago, I told you that the sermon I was going to preach was the most important I've preached in 30 years. And it's true, just happens to be in three parts. And today I want to finish what the Bible says concerning the church being the playground of the enemy of God.

It's one of the points in a long list of points that talked to us about the meaning and mission and ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ. But to recognize that the church is a playground of the enemy of God is so incredibly important. In fact, very few of us realize that we're in a war, a war that happens every single moment of every single day, a war that consists of an adversary that seeks to devour everything about your life, your church, your ministry, your family, your testimony. In fact, most of us have fallen asleep.

We've been lulled to sleep, not even vigilant or alert or aware as to really what is happening all around us. We know that because Paul told those in Corinth that they should not be ignorant of Satan's devices. But but they were. He would go on to say that he was concerned that they would be deceived as Eve was and that they would be tempted to fall away from the purity and devotion they have to Christ. So Paul was very well aware of satanic activity happening within the spiritual realm of one's life, recognizing that we're at war and we can't afford to fall asleep.

We can't afford not to be awake. We must listen to what the Lord says. And so in the book of Revelation, there are seven churches that receive a letter. And five of those seven churches are told to repent. And those five churches show us Satan's steps to the downgrade of the church. And God's been very good to us to show us and to warn us. The question comes, are we listening? So in each letter, there's a command. So there are seven commands. There are seven concerns. And there are seven conquests.

So I want you to make sure that you understand this. The seven commands are at the end of each letter. He who has ears to hear. Let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, plural. In other words, there is a warning that's given. Make sure you're listening. Make sure you pay attention. And this is when the theme of our Lord all throughout his ministry. He was concerned that people. Don't listen.

They don't hear what he has to say. And so he wants to make sure that people hear sincerely. And not superficially. He wants to make sure that they hear in a way that honors the Lord. He wants to make sure that when you listen, you listen not half heartedly, but wholeheartedly. Not reluctantly, but truly. Responsibly. And so he says in Matthew's gospel, in Matthew chapter 13, he gives a parable about how those. In the kingdom age, we'll listen.

We'll hear the word of the Lord. And so he gives a parable about the sower and the soil. This is how the the word of God is spread in the kingdom age. And when he gives us a parable and all a parable is, is that earthly story. With a heavenly meaning. That's all it is. It's an earthly story that everybody in the arena was familiar with. That they would all know the story. But the story has a heavenly meaning. That's a parable. And Christ gave them all the time. At the end of the parable of the sower, the soil in verse number nine, he says, he who has ears.

Let him hear. Well, of course you have ears, but are you listening? And so he interprets the parable of the sower, the soil this way. In verse number 18 of chapter 13 of Matthew. Here, then the parable of the sower. Are you listening? Do you hear it? When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom the seed was sown beside the road. And the one on whom the seed was sown on the rocky places.

This is the man who hears. There it is again. Who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary when affliction or persecution arises because of the word. Immediately, he falls away. And the one on whom the seed was sown among the thorns. This is the man who, again, hears the word. And the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choked the word and it becomes unfruitful. And the one on whom the seed was sown on the good soil.

This is the man who hears the word. And the stands it. Who indeed bears fruit. And brings forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some 60. And some. 30. So the Lord makes it very clear. That during the kingdom age, the word of God is going to be sown and people are going to hear the word of God. They're not going to respond because the evil one comes and snatches it away. That's the seed that's sown on the roadside. And then he says, there is those who hear the word of God in the rocky places. And they hear the word of God and they receive it with joy.

But, but because of persecution and affliction, they fall away. And they hear the word of God superficially. They hear the word of God half-heartedly. And then there are those who hear the word of God and they're the ones who the seed is sown on the thorny soil. And they hear the word of God and yet, because the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches, it chokes out the word. Because it can't give up the world. But they receive the word with joy until they realize the world has more to offer than God's kingdom in their eyes.

So they fall by the wayside. So they don't hear the word of God in terms of a true genuine repentance. They hear the word of God half-heartedly. Then there's those who hear the word of God. They receive it with joy. And these people, they bring forth fruit. Some, some a hundredfold. Some 60-fold, some 30-fold. Which is very, very interesting because if you had a bumper crop in the land of Israel, it was a crop that was 10-fold. But he says, those in my kingdom, they hear the word of God and they receive it with joy.

They hold on to it with joy. They respond because the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, persecution and affliction make no difference to them because they are sold out on the word of the Lord in the kingdom age. So much so that they bring forth fruit in such a way it is completely and totally recognizable. In other words, you're not searching for fruit on the tree. You know what kind of tree it is because of the abundance of fruit on the tree. But it all depends on how you hear. That's why the Lord says very clearly in Luke 11, 28, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.

In Luke eight, he says, be careful how you hear. In Mark four, he says, be careful what you hear. In Revelation chapter one, Revelation chapter one, verse number three, the book of Revelation begins with this blessing.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy. The blessed man is the one who hears and obeys the word. So in the seven letters to the seven churches, the Lord gives seven commands. He who has ears to hear, make sure you hear what the spirit says to the churches. Why is that so important? Because if you're not listening clearly, if you're not listening in a way that helps you understand, you will fall prey to Satan's schemes. And because he says, he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches, those seven commands follow seven concerns.

Because in each letter, he says, I know. And he sums it up in three ways. Number one, I know your deeds, says that five times.

Then he says, I know your difficulties, that's to the church of Smyrna. And then he says, I know your dwelling, that's the church of Pergamon. So I know your deeds, I know you dwell, and I know every difficulty that you experience. I know everything. So I want you to understand that the reason I'm telling you if you have ears to hear, you better listen is because I know exactly what's happening in your life. I know everything. In fact, the Bible says in the book of Proverbs 15, verse number three, the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

In other words, you can't escape the all seeing eye of the living God. He sees the evil and the good. That the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter four, verse number 13, all things are laid bare and open before him, the one we must give an account. He hears everything, he sees everything, he knows everything. So the reason there are seven commands to hear is because there are seven concerns that he has about the church, and he expresses it by saying, this I know, and I know it for certain. You might not think I know, but I do.

And then he gives seven conquests, and that is to the overcomer, it's a promise he gives. Every church has given a promise to those who overcome, they will receive this, they will receive that, they will receive this, and the overcomer, simply first John five, three and four, is the one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and has given his life to him.

This is the conquest, this is the victorious warrior. The word overcomer means victorious warrior. You want victory, you want to overcome these things? You need to believe in me, give your life to me, but you gotta listen to make sure you hear exactly what I am saying. Having said that, the Lord gives us the five-step process. Church of Smyrna, Church of Philadelphia, Church of Smyrna was the crushed church, the Church of Philadelphia was the committed church, and those two churches receive no accusation, no condemnation, why?

Because they are able to stand strong, but the other five churches, they receive an accusation. Upon receiving that accusation, they receive an admonition. Why? Because God admonishes them, and four of those five receive an affirmation. One of them receives no affirmation, and the reason it receives no affirmation is because there are no believers in the church. So let me explain that to you, okay?

There's an affirmation, there's an accusation, there's an admonition. We began last week by looking at the Church of Ephesus, right, the Church of Ephesus, that's the cold church, because I know your deeds, I know what's happening, but I have this one thing against you, you've lost your first love, you've lost your passion for me.

The Church of Ephesus experienced the fact that Satan's first way in which he infiltrates the church, the people of the church, is he steals their passion, and that was the Church of Ephesus.

They had lost their first love. He says, if you don't remember from where you have fallen, if you don't go back and repeat the first deeds, if you don't repent from your deeds, I'm gonna come to you and turn out your lampstand, I'm gonna destroy your church.

And he did, because their love life waned so badly. We talked about that last week, that's the cold church. And then you move to the Church of Pergamum, and that's the compromising church. Once your love for the Lord grows cold, the very next step is that you compromise. You compromise, so once he steals your passion, he then supplants your devotion. And that's exactly what happened to the Church of Pergamum. He says, I know where you dwell. Not only you know, I have a few things against you. He had one thing against Ephesus, because that's where it begins, just that one thing, just losing that first love, just losing that passion for Christ.

That's how it begins. 2 Corinthians 11 three, Paul said what? I'm concerned about you being deceived like Eve was. And you lose your purity and devotion to Christ. Ephesus did, they did. So once he steals your passion, he supplants your devotion. He says to the Church of Pergamum, I got a few things against you guys. Got more than one, because they compromised the truth. Again, that was last week. So this is where you pick up church number three, which is really church number four, because we skip over the Church of Smyrna, because they are the crushed church, because Satan tried to crush them through persecution, but persecution only stimulates the church.

It doesn't suppress the church. It weeds out all the tears. And so the Church of Smyrna was a purified church. But you come to the church then of Thyatira. Church of Thyatira is in chapter two. It's the longest of the letters, in that we know the least amount about Thyatira. And in this long letter, there's commendation as well as condemnation. In fact, they're probably one of the most commended churches. It begins by saying, into the angel verse number 18 in the Church of Thyatira, the son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet are like burnished bronze.

In other words, Satan can't have anything on me because I see everything. And because I see everything, my feet are like burnished bronze. In other words, he's coming forth in judgment. His eyes are like flame of fire. They gaze deeply into the heart and soul of a man. I know everything. I know your deeds, your love, and faith, and service, and perseverance. And it's interesting that he commends them for their love. And he tells the Church of Ephesus, you've lost your first love.

But the Church of Thyatira, he commends for their love, but their love was a superficial kind of love because it wasn't rooted in sound doctrine. And so he commends them with an affirmation. I know your deeds, your love, your faith, and service, and perseverance, your long suffering. You labor hard. You love me. He says, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.

So he affirms the fact that what you're doing now is greater than when you began. How can something be so wrong in this church? Simply because the church, once it grows cold, it compromises. Once it compromises, it becomes corrupted. And that was the Church of Thyatira. He says, but I have this against you, verse number 20, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and leads my bond servants astray that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Wow. Now her name wasn't Jezebel, okay? Nobody names their kid Jezebel anymore, especially after what happened with Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, marrying Jezebel, right? And now Jezebel was instrumental in turning Israel's heart away from the Lord to worship Baal, and she killed the prophets of God. She wanted to kill Elijah. Elijah came on the scene and came against her. God sent his strongest prophet against Jezebel and against Ahab in her effort to kill the prophets, in her effort to overrun Israel.

She was destroyed. And the Lord says, you had this woman among you, this prophetess. How do you know a church is being corrupted? They have women preachers in their church. Now that might step on a few toes this morning, but you know, that's what I do. And the bottom line is 1 Timothy 2 speaks against that. The woman's not to usurp authority over a man in the local assembly. They violated scripture by letting this woman, this prophetess, begin to teach and lead the people in the church away from the Lord, to commit acts of immorality.

In fact, it goes on to say this. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Wow, what a harsh statement. That's why he introduces himself as the God with eyes with flames of fire and feet with burnished bronze because I see everything, I know everything and I'm gonna come in judgment.

I am because you tolerate this woman Jezebel to continue to teach things that are contrary to the scripture that lead the people of God into immorality, into idolatry and her children, those who follow her, I'm gonna deal with them as well. I'm gonna throw them on a bed of sickness and I'm gonna cause them to engage in pestilence and realize the severity of my judgment upon their lives. Judgment's gonna begin, Peter says, 1 Peter 4, 17, with the beginning of the house of God. The Lord's serious about sin.

And so he gives the affirmation by telling them he knows their deeds, but then he gives this accusation that's severe and strong because they're moving not just from compromise but to total corruption in the church. And this is Satan's plan. See, Satan doesn't want to neutralize your church. He wants to overtake your church. See, this is what Satan wants to do. He begins in a very subtle way by getting you to grow cold in your passion for Christ. So he's gonna steal your passion. Once he steals your passion, he supplants your devotion.

He uproots it. And once he supplants your devotion, he then can subvert your affection. He'll overthrow it. He'll override it. And all your affections will be drawn elsewhere instead of the things of God. That's why the Lord says, "'But I say to you, the rest who are Thyatira, "'who do not hold this teaching, "'who have not known the deep things of Satan,' "'as they call them.'" So this woman was leading them away from the Lord into the deep things of Satan. Listen, if you're not leading people toward the Lord, you're leading them away from the Lord.

And if you're leading them away from the Lord, you're leading them into the deep things of Satan because he wants to subvert your affection. I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. The rest of you, stand strong. The temptation is there. You don't have to hold fast until I come. But the unbeliever, you'd better repent or I will deal with you. That's the downgrade in the church, the steps of Satan to override all that God is doing. Now, he can't do that.

So he works at individual people within the assembly. He sows the tares among the wheat and the tares look exactly like the wheat. That was the second parable in the kingdom age that Christ told in Matthew chapter 13, right?

And during the kingdom age, there's gonna be many tares sown among the wheat. They're gonna look just like the Christian. The believer and the unbeliever will look alike in the church and you can't separate them until the end of the age because they look so identical. Identical. Say the same thing, go on the same mission trips together, sing the same songs together, give at the offering time, always in church. But they heard the word of God only superficially, not sincerely, half-heartedly, not wholeheartedly.

And therefore, they're not true believers. And they creep in within the church. Excuse me. So it's imperative that the church deals with them. So what happens then? Once your church grows cold, or the people of the church begin to grow cold, they begin to compromise. Once they compromise, they're corrupted. What's the next step? You become a corpse. You're dead. The church is Sardis. Chapter three, verse number one, to the angel of the church in Sardis write, he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this, I know your deeds that you have in name, that you are alive, but you are dead.

Wow, this is the liberal church. This is the church that's known for its popularity, notoriety, publicity. This is a church that's engaged in the works of the flesh. That's why he introduces himself this way. He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this. In other words, the seven stars, of course, are the seven messengers, the seven pastors, the seven elders. He holds them in his hand. But it's a church that's run by the spirit of God. That's why he talks about the sevenfold ministry of the spirit, the completion of the spirit of God, because the liberal church does all that it does because it does it in the flesh, not under depending upon the spirit of God to grow the people of God.

Everything they do, they do in the flesh. The dead church is characterized by operating under its own power without ever leaning upon and dependent upon the spirit of God. So he gives this affirmation. The affirmation is in verse four. He says, but you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments and they will walk with me in white for they are worthy. So the affirmation comes to a few because even in the liberal church, God has a remnant, right? There are a few that have yet to soil their garments.

In other words, they walk in the cleanliness of my righteousness. They have the garments of God. They've been washed in the blood of the lamb and they're clean. They haven't polluted their garments. These are clean people. Not many of them, there's a few, just a few in the dead liberal church. It doesn't look dead from the outside. It looks alive. This is the church that has the Easter egg hunts during the resurrection weekend. This is the church that has the Santa Claus that comes to their church and you can get your picture taken with Santa Claus on Sunday morning.

This is the church that has the carnivals out in their parking lot because everything they do externally is all done with all kinds of deeds, but it's there to gain recognition and popularity and notoriety in the community. It's the liberal church. They're more concerned with liturgy than they are with life. The more concerned with the church's happiness instead of the church's holiness. The more concerned that when you come, you feel comfortable, not that you feel convicted. That's the dead church.

That's the church of stardust. That's the church that had already lost its first love and became cold.

That's the church that truly lost its passion because it was stolen. Church that has had their devotion supplanted because they've compromised. Their affection subverted because of corruption. And now, and now Satan secures their destruction. And the dead church, they're not alive. There are few are that haven't sewed up their garments. Look what he says. Here's the accusation. You have a name that you are alive, but you truly are dead. That's just hard to imagine. My friends, this is the majority of churches in the world.

They're liberal. They're the kind of churches that because their works are defective, their name is deceptive. They have the name church on the outside. You have a name. You have a popular name. Maybe you're on TV. Maybe everybody watches you, but in reality, you are dead on the inside. The name and the community, just because you're loved by community doesn't mean you're loved by Christ. Just because the church thinks you're great doesn't, I mean, the world thinks you're great doesn't mean that Christ thinks you're great because he knows everything.

Churches die for one reason. They die because they tolerate transgression in their teaching and in their living. That's why they die. So after the accusation comes the admonition. And by the way, the admonition is not given to the dead people because dead people can't respond. So he gives it to the living people. He says, wake up, strengthen the things that remain, which are about to die. For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of my God. So remember what you have received and heard and keep it and repent.

Therefore, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will know at what hour, you will not know, excuse me, at what hour I will come to you. Wake up, you're asleep. You don't know what's going on. You need to remember the things that you've heard. Go back and listen again because you listened not effectively, but you have listened in a way that's turned you away from the truth, not toward the truth. You haven't listened with all of your heart. You haven't listened genuinely. Therefore, you need to realize that your deeds are incomplete.

You need to remember, keep what you've heard and truly repent of your ways. So this is Satan's plan. Once the church grows cold, once the church then is compromised, once the church is corrupted, the church becomes a corpse. Once it becomes a corpse, there's only one step left. And that is it becomes a counterfeit church. And that's the church that led to see you, a counterfeit church. Once Satan steals your passion, supplants your devotion, subverts your affection, secures your destruction, he seals your deception.

Seals it. And you become the church that led to see you. And the church that led to see you receives no affirmation. Why? Because there's no true believer in the counterfeit church. So it receives no affirmation. It goes right to the accusation then right to the admonition. So to the angel of the church and lay it is here, right? The amen, the faithful, the true witness. The beginning of creation of God says this, I am the amen.

I am the finality on everything. And I am the faithful and true witness because you are an unfaithful and untrue witness. You are a counterfeit. This is the apostate church. This is the fake church. This is the counterfeit church. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you or vomit you out of my mouth. Now, some people will tell you, some people say these are carnal Christians. That's not true.

Because the Lord never vomits up or rejects carnal Christians. When you vomit, you are rejecting what's on the inside. You're getting rid of it. You don't want it anymore. And Christ says, I'd rather you be cold or hot.

I'd rather you be on fire for me or completely cold toward me. But instead you nauseate me because you're a lukewarm. You're neither cold nor hot. And therefore I reject you. Why? Because you say I'm rich. I have become wealthy, have need of nothing. And you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. You are so self-deceived, you can't see yourself for who you really are. That's the counterfeit church. They think they're good. We're rich, we're wealthy, we're good.

We got people coming. We got celebrities in our church. Things are rolling, things are happening. We're on television, people love us. Christ says, you're poor, you're blind, you're naked.

You have no shame. But you should have shame. Because you're guilty. I advise you to buy from me gold, fine by fire. This is the admonition. That you may become rich in white garments that you may be clothed yourself. And that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed. And eyesalve, to anoint your eyes so you may see. May you see, it was known for its medical technology because they had developed an eye ointment for people's eyes. But they thought they were so medically advanced that they did not understand that they were so spiritually paupers and poor.

So Christ says, you need your eyes anointed with truth. So you can really see how far you have gone. How it is you have been self-deceived. You need to buy gold, refined by fire. You say, what do you mean, buy gold? What does that mean? Remember back in Proverbs 23, 23, the Lord said, buy truth, never sell it. When you buy something, you're all in. You give all that you have for it. And salvation is a transaction. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? That's a financial term. What will a man give in exchange for his soul?

Will you give your life away to obtain Christ's life? Will you deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow the Christ? Will you give yourself away that you might attain the life that Christ wants to give you? That's a transaction that takes place. And Christ says, I want you to buy gold, refined by fire.

And scripture all the time is referred to as gold in the Bible, the precious treasure of the scriptures. He says, I want you to receive white garments. White garments, the white garments of righteousness. Because also like the book of Revelation, those who are clothed in white linen are those who have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. I admonish you, this is what you got to do. And this is so good, listen to this. Those whom I love and reprove and discipline, therefore be zealous and repent. God is telling the unbelieving counterfeit church, I love you.

Now, some people might think, well, there got to be believers there if he loves them. God has a unique love for his elect. It does not diminish the love he has for the world. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, John 3, 16. Remember the rich young ruler? The Lord felt love for that man, he rejected Christ. He was an idol worshiper. You need to remember these things in the scriptures. Also, also, you need not to forget the fact that in the scriptures, the Bible speaks of those, in Matthew 5, when Christ says, love your enemies.

He will not command you to do something he himself does not do. For Christ loved his enemies. So as he admonishes the counterfeit church, he affirms the fact that all those I love, I rebuke and I chase it. And then he says this, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and will dine with him. Dine with me. The Lord's on the outside of the church, outside of the church. He's not on the inside, not this church, not the counterfeit church, he's on the outside.

But he's knocking on the door of the counterfeit church and saying, if anyone would open up to me, I will come into him. It's the invitation that Christ gives. Why is this so important? Because you see, that is Satan's plan. To move the church away, not to neutralize the church, but to overrun the church. And that's why there are so many counterfeit churches around the world. So many liberal churches around the world. Why? Because this is what has taken place in their lives. In those people's lives, in those churches.

And Paul warned, savage wolves will rise from within and turn you away from the truth. So the Lord says these words. Luke's Gospel, sixth chapter, the 46th verse. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? Why do you call me Lord? Lord, why do you speak to me as if you know me? And yet you do not do what I say. And then he says this. Everyone who comes to me and hears my word, are you listening? And acts on them, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man building a house. Who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock.

When a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it because it had been well built. He who hears my word and acts upon it, is like the man who's laid a firm foundation. And the foundation, of course, is the rock. And the rock, of course, is Christ. And the words of Christ are the foundation for what he believes in. When the storm comes, when the persecution comes, when the affliction comes, when the torrential rains pour down upon it, stands strong, stands firm. Why?

Has a proper foundation. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed in the ruin of that house. It was great, it was great. Heard the word, but did not act upon it. See, that's the problem in the church today. We don't come near to listen and to hear. Ecclesiastes 5, verse number one, guard your steps when you go to the house of God.

To make sure that when you go, you go to listen. Solomon knew. It's about how well you hear what God has to say. And so after these three weeks and looking at the church, how it's a playground of the enemy, God, have you listened? Have you heard? Has your love for Christ began to grow cold? If it has, Christ would say to you, I have this one thing against you. Need to recognize from where you have fallen. Repent and repeat your first deeds.

And you need to do that because if you do not do that, the next step is the wrong direction. It's a step of compromise. As parents, we watch our children, right? As they grow, is your love for Christ growing colder or hotter? If it's growing colder, then our children are moving to the stage of compromise. And you don't want that to happen. So you say to them, he who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Because from compromise comes corruption and from corruption comes the dead church.

And the dead church is a better church than the counterfeit church. It doesn't mean you lose your salvation. I'm not talking about that. No one loses their salvation. It all comes back to the fact, have you listened properly? Have you laid a foundation that's firm and strong? Because so many people in the church are deceived into thinking, I'm saying, I'm going to church, I'm going to heaven, I go to church. I go to heaven, I believe in Jesus. It doesn't mean anything. Demons believe in Jesus. Just because you believe in Jesus, that doesn't mean you're going to heaven.

You gotta confess Christ as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised you from the dead. Why? For with the mouth, man confesses unto salvation. With the heart, he believes unto God. Righteous living, that's a difference. So let's ask ourselves the question, have I listened? Have I heard? Have I responded? I implore you, don't leave today without talking to someone about your eternal destiny. To know for certain that if you closed your eyes today and died, you'd wake up in glory. Because if not, if not, the only alternative is to wake up in hell.

That's why I don't like that commercial on Fox News. Heaven or not? No, it's heaven or hell. Let's be real. Let's speak truth. It's either heaven or it's hell. There's no in between, there's no alternative. Where will you end up? I would pray, trust that you know Christ. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for today. We're so grateful for the things that you've done. Lord, you've given us your word. You speak clearly to us, you speak plainly to us. You want us to know Satan's plan. You want us to be aware, be vigilant, be alert.

He goes around like a roaring lion, seeking to destroy. Help us, Lord, to be ever mindful of your word so we don't lose our purity and devotion to Christ. Help us to live for the Lord, to honor the Lord, to love the Lord. If there'd be anybody here today who started to go cold, Lord, turn them around. Cause them to be filled with heat for you. That they might love you all the more because of your finished work on Calvary's cross. So Lord, as we leave this place today, may we leave knowing for certain that when you come again, and you most surely will, you will come to us and take us home to be with you.

That we might receive the glories of heaven. In Jesus' name, amen.