I continue to preach through the messages to the churches of Revelation (chapters 2 and 3), and this past Sunday we were in Sardis. God had some issues with the church. In fact it resembled a lot of places I have seen in my years going to church.
The writer said that they had a reputation for being alive. They did good things. They even sounded good. But a reputation is what God is looking for.
They were dead. On the outside they looked the part. On the inside there was no life. Jesus spoke to this as He encountered the Pharisees. Listen in to that conversation that got very real …
Matthew 23:37-38 NLT
"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs-beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.
The problem that I shared about is the fact that doing nothing brings many issues to the surface. In fact the riskiest thing we can do is to do nothing. We are saved to serve. We have faith that shows in how we live.
Luke 12:8 NLT
“I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels.
It is easy to miss so much if we do nothing. We will miss God. We will miss what God is saying. We will miss what God is doing all around us, and we don’t want to miss Him.
That is why the church at Sardis was warned to return to God and to repent of where they missed Him. It is so easy to miss His guidance and His generosity and grace. Make a change that will change you and change the people around you.
Acts 3:19 NLT
Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
I have heard many times that things we will regret most in life are the things we didn’t do rather than the things we do. The biggest risk we can take is doing
May we take the steps God has put before us and walk in the direction that might seem a bit risky. You won’t regret it. And you will experience the freedom that God offers.
John 8:36 NLT
So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
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