Okay, Revelation chapter 2 and chapter 3, if you will, going to continue and probably finish up our study on the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. We're going to finish up this morning with the church in Philadelphia and the church in and also we're going to touch just briefly on the Church at Sardis, which we haven't touched on yet. The seven churches represent seven periods of time throughout history, seven periods of different church theologies. They also represent seven literal churches at the time and seven types of church doctrine that we have in the world today. The first church was the church of Ephesus from about 30 AD to 100 AD. Smirna from about 100 AD to 300 AD. Pergamus, 300 to 500, Thyatira until about 1500. And then the church of Sardis from 1500 to about 1700, roughly. These are just rough estimates. And then the church in Philadelphia, which is the church in revival, The Revival Church, about 1900, and then finally the Church and Laodicea, which I believe is the Church Age that we're living in today. The Laodicean Church Age. We have some things to look at here before we… Before we go in for a hold your place in Revelation. I want you to go up your will over to the book of Mark chapter 1. We'll come right back to Revelation, so hold your place here, but go over if you will. to the little book of Mark chapter 1 verses 14 and 15. Mark chapter 1 verse 14 and 15. And kind of take close attention, if you will, to what we're trying to present here, verse 14. Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God and saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is in hand. Repent and believe the gospel. I'm going to take just a minute to explain these verses here because it will help you to understand what we're going to talk about in Revelation. In the book of Mark, we have the account of the Lord Jesus Christ offering the kingdom to the nation of Israel. However, he was preaching the gospel. Can anybody tell me what the gospel is? That's it. The gospel, the good news, is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the center and heart of the Bible. The cross is the center of the Bible. Christ died, was buried, and rose again. the message that Jesus Christ was bringing to the nation of Israel. Had they accepted that message and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they would have had the kingdom 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years ago we would have been living in the kingdom. Instead, we're living in the church age. The kingdom has been put on hold. Verse 15, preaching the gospel the kingdom and saying, the time is fulfilled, the Old Testament prophecy. The time is fulfilled, your Savior, your Messiah is here. And the kingdom of God is at hand. The kingdom promised to the nation of Israel was at hand because the king was there. And he said, repent and believe the gospel. The word repent is the Greek word metanoa and it means change your mind. Change your mind is real about your false religion. Change your mind is real about the fact that your self-righteous. Now we're going to leave that verse for just a minute but remember that he is saying to the nation of Israel. Repent Israel and and change your mind and believe the gospel, believe that Christ will suffer a death. Now remember, he had to die and rise again, he had to do that no matter what. Had they accepted him, he would have still went to the cross in one way or another. Now go over, if you will, through Romans chapter 10. I've been through this many times and I'm going to keep going through it until you understand it and have it in your memory, but this is important. In order to understand the way things are in the world today, this is important. Romans chapter 10, verses 1 through 4. The reason Jesus Christ, we have these words in Mark chapter 1, verses 14 and 15. Remember what the Lord said. The gospel, he said to kingdom as a hand, repent, and believe the gospel. Chapter 10 Romans verses one through brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. Isn't that what we do on Sunday mornings? Don't we pray for our family members if they might be saved? For a bear them record Israel that they have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. Pay attention to that if you will. If you watch TV preachers and so They have a zeal, you know, the Muslims have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. There's the false God. It's a false God, but they have a zeal for God. He's not the God of the Bible. They don't realize that, but they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. It's false religion. The Mormons have a zeal for God. You ever watch the Mormons evangelist? They walk the streets, they dress nice, they look nice, they're young, had some people, they knock on your door, they have a zeal, an honest zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. It's self-righteousness, but not according to knowledge. For they, Israel, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves into the righteousness of God. You need to memorize that verse. Seriously, you need to memorize that verse. For they, every false religion, being ignorant of God's righteousness. Why are they ignorant of God's righteousness? Read the next line. And going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves into the righteousness of God. If you listen to worldwide preachers, I'll say if you're still sent and you're not saved, you know what that is? That's establishing your own righteousness and not submitting yourself into the righteousness of God. That's false religion. Verse four, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believe it. Your righteousness comes from believing the gospel. Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Jesus told the nation of Israel, repent and believe the gospel. Don't rely on your own righteousness. Your righteousness comes from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You can be as good as good as a driven snow as pure and white as but if you don't put your faith in trust in Jesus Christ, your righteousness is worthless. Absolutely nothing. Okay, now back to Revelation, if you will. Chapter 3. Last week, I think it was, we took a look at Jezebel and what that was all about. Chapter 3, verse 1, the Church of Sardis. And unto the angel, verse 1 of the church in Sardis, write these same say of he that had the seven spirits of God. And the seven stars, I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou live us and are dead. Sardis was a dead church. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. It was actually a spiritually dead church almost completely spiritually dead. I have not found that works perfect before God. He says, remember therefore how that has received the gospel and heard the gospel and hold fast the gospel and repent. See, they had lost the gospel. Made them a dead church. They thought they were alive and all they were just a rousing church. I was watching TV. Yes, I've been watching a certain thing on TV here on the spiritual channel. Spiritual, I use the word loosely. And a group of men on this channel have been asking for support. They call it pledge. Their pledge is to pledge $77 a month for seven months. This is the number they came up with. and it's supposed to be spiritual and all their jumping and jiving and screaming and one lady called in from North Carolina and said she asked Jesus into her heart and she made a pledge but a joke with an absolute disgusting joke but last night I was watching and I'll tell you what they did they built a fire out in the yard all these preachers saw this big time so-called spiritual revival They built a fire about this wide, and about 30 feet long, and these idiots were just dancing around the fire of praise Jesus. You saved your money in this fireable, burn away all your troubles. I'm thinking, what are you guys? A bunch of pagans from Zulu Land or what? That's the circus channel. Yeah, this is called religion. And the people in our country are sitting home saying, oh, praise Jesus. Oh, just praise Jesus. This is what's going on. Do you think God likes this kind of stuff? Absolutely not. Matter of fact, He hates it. Go to Isaiah chapter 65. Don't do it now. When you get home. And read what God says in the first 10 verses about false religion. Activity. Remember the church in Thyatira? the never-ending sacrifices. You know, we don't ask you to make sacrifices in this church. We don't ask you to make pledges. We don't ask you to do anything, do we? The only thing we ask that you put your faith in Jesus Christ, that's it. That's the gospel. And so Sardis was a dead church. They had lost the message. He said, I'm going to come upon you as a thief in verse three. And then on down, if you will, later on probably next week, we're going to begin looking verse four, if you will. We're going to begin looking at all the seven churches and all the promises that Jesus Christ made to him that overcomes. You're going to receive a white stone in verse four. You're going to have white garments and your name will not be blotted out of the book of life probably next week. We're going to begin going over these things that the Lord promises to the seven churches to him that overcome it. We're going to be looking at all of your crowns, the Christian crowns. There are probably five Christian crowns that you can earn. We're going to take a look at that. But in the meantime, we want to finish up here on the last two churches, the Church of Philadelphia and the Church of Laodicea. And what I would like to do is compare the to. Look at the church at Philadelphia in verse 7 chapter 3 into the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right. These saints say that he that is holy, he that is true, he that had the key of David, he that opened it, and no man shut it, and shut it, and no man I know thy works in verse 8, behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can and shut it for thou hast a little strength and has kept my word and has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. By the way, you know what this verse is referring to in the present Mormonism and we'll prove that on Wednesday night to you on these days. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. So the Lord promises to the Church of Philadelphia which he does not condemn the only church which he except for Smirna, the particular church he doesn't condemn Philadelphia. The word Philadelphia really means brotherly love. You can only love if you are a Christian and the truth. If you love a lie, then you are not a Christian. If you love the lie, you might be a Christian, but you have a corrupt Christianity. But notice what he said, I said before the an open door, which no man can shut and I want you to go to chapter 3 and verse 20, if you will. church at Leodicea. I want you to see the difference in the two churches. In verse 20 he says, Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will suck with him and he with me. He stands at the door and knocks at Leodicea. But at the church of Philadelphia He says, I have set before thee an open door. Why? Because Christ is the open door. The church of the day has Christ locked out. The church of the day has Christ locked out. He is the open door. But what he's saying here, all of that and more is I will have fellowship and communion with you if you remain in the truth. I have an open door. No man's going to shut it. We will have fellowship, one with another, but the Church of Leo DeSia, he said, you have a shut door. We have no fellowship, no communion. I have nothing to do with you. Now, there are a few people in Leo DeSia that were saved probably, but not many. also to the church in Philadelphia. He says he has an open door that no man shuteth and and shuteth and no man opens it. He is the open door and you can shut the door to the Lord Jesus Christ by simply perverting his word and he will not have any fellowship. He also told the church that the church in Philadelphia. He says in verse 8, I know thy words. I've said before thee an open door and has kept my word, has not denied my name. And then he says in verse 9, bottom half, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee. He loved the Church of Philadelphia because he kept the truth. But notice what he said to the church and Leo to see you. In verse 15, I know that I worked that I were neither cold nor hot. I would, that were cold or hot. So then because I had lukewarm, that I needed and neither cold nor hot, I was spewly out of my mouth. Imagine that. And notice that the two differences between the Church to the one he says, I love thee to the other and he says, I must spew you out of my mouth. I don't know about you but I don't like drinking warm water. You ever try to take a pill and you draw water out of the tap and the wife just did the dishes and the water's hot? You ever do that? I've done it. Take a pill and you can take a drink of this water and it's warm. It's kind of hard for me to swallow warm water. He said, I'll spew you out of my mouth. you're neither cold nor hot. Neither cold nor hot. Why not? They had a false gospel, a false message. The door is shut to Leo to see it and the door is open to Philadelphia. But I want you to notice another thing. Remember how we started with Mark chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 repent? Go if you will to chapter 2. Revelation here chapter 2, go to verse 5, Ephesus. Notice the church at Ephesus. In verse 5, remember therefore from where they are fallen and repent. Change your mind to Ephesus. Isn't that what he told the nation of Israel? Do you know why he told that the nation of Israel because they were trying to establish their own their own righteousness. Every church, every false religion is based on two things and they're both the words of Satan. They are, has the Lord said, are you sure of the Lord said that? And the other one is, you shall be as God. Every false religion is found on those two statements by Satan in Genesis chapter 3. If you don't sin anymore, you'll be like God. We had a fellow speaking our church once here not too long ago, about a year ago, who had that attitude. I'm like God. I don't sin anymore. You see a Christian can fall into the same category of the saved as the lost. I can get saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then I can go to a church that has some good works and think I'm good and think I'm like God. I don't sin anymore. I quit sinning. God loves me because I don't sin. That's what makes me good. That's why I'm going to heaven. That's false religion. The Lord said in verse 5 back here again, remember, therefore, from where there are fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will will come into the quickly and will remove the candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. Change your mind about your false, self-righteous, godly, false religion. Verse 16, if you will, same chapter. Remember that was to the church at Ephesus. To the church at Smyrna, he never made that statement. He never said repent because they were rich. He loved them as much as he loved the church at Philadelphia. But notice the next church, Purgamas, the worldly church, the state religion in verse 16. Notice what he said to the church. Repent. Change your mind or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth, his word, his word. Repent, change your mind about your false self righteous religion. You're not gods, you never will be, no matter how hard you try. Satan has lied to you. Repent, change your mind. Look in verse 21, through the church at Thyatira, and I give her space to repent, change her mind of her fornication, and she repented, changed her mind not. Change your every church that was founded that had become founded on Paul's religion. Remember every church started with the simple gospel. Believe it or not. The Lord Jesus Christ and now shall be saved and then they begin to add worse. Regulations chapter 3 verses 1 through 5. Paul said who has bewitched you? Who who has bewitched you?" We'll say it in that. Verse 21. I gave her space to repent, and she repented. No, look in verse 22. Behold, I will cast her into a bed in them that commit adultery with her into great circulation. Pardon me, except they repent, change their mind about their deeds. What deeds? False religion. False religion. Remember what he said to Israel. Change your mind Israel, because you're going about to establish your own righteousness which doesn't work, establishing your own righteousness does not work. Look if you will in chapter 3, verse 3. The Church at Sardis. Remember there, for how thou hast received and heard what, the simple gospel. If it wasn't founded on the gospel, it wouldn't be a New Testament Church. It was a literal church founded on the gospel. Remember there for how thou hast received the gospel and heard the gospel and hold fast and repent. Change your mind about the fact that you're falling away from the simple gospel. If there are poor thou shalt watch, thou shalt not watch. I will come on thee as a thief. And thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Change your mind, Sardis. To the Church of Philadelphia, he never told them to repent because they had not left the simple gospel. The church and revival roughly in modern day up until my 1900 BC remember all the old preachers and 1800s and up until the 1910 all the great old preachers, Scofield, Moody, Spurgeon, all these old preachers during the church of the revival and then in verse 19 chapter 3 as many as I love I I rebuke and chase him. These elves therefore and repent. Change your mind, Laodicea. I personally believe we are living in the Laodicean church age. It's the church age that was founded on the gospel. But now it's to the point where there is no gospel. It's neither hot nor cold. The Lord will spew the out of His mouth when He comes for the church. Can you imagine how many people in the legacy in church are going to be left behind? But notice what he said in verse 10 to the church in Philadelphia. The church that has the truth, the church of brotherly love, the church of the open door. I hope we fit into that category here in Christian Bible Church. Notice what he said in verse 10 because now has kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, I believe that's the rapture, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. When the Lord comes for his true church, that is, everybody who has put their simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not one person in the true church will be left behind. He will keep thee from the hour of temptation that will dwell, that will try everyone who lives upon the earth. Do you know what's coming next? First of all, it's a rapture. And then after the rapture, seven years of tribulation called the wrath of God upon the entire world and everybody who has not put their faith and trust in the The Lord Jesus Christ will be left behind to go into the 7-year tribulation. All the entire world. The Church of laudicee is going to be a lot of people surprised because there are going to be a lot of people left behind. And they're going to look back and they're going to say, we thought that was a Christian. I can't understand what happened here. I was good. I didn't sin. I quit sinning. I thought I was a Christian. I quit sinning. my heart and I ask him into my life but I don't know where that's at in the Bible but that's what they did. That thing I was watching the other day, I don't know how many times someone called in from so called, I don't know if they even did or not. We had a lady called in from North Carolina and asked Jesus into her heart. You know what? That poor lady is lost. If she honestly thought that asking Jesus into her heart saved her, she's lost. If she thought that asking Jesus into her life, Savior she's lost. If she thought to walking down an aisle and kneeling at an altar, Savior she's lost. If she thought confessing her sins to a Catholic priest, Savior she's lost. If she thought praying to the Virgin Mary, quote, Savior she's lost, or praying to St. Jude. If anyone thinks that's what saves them, they're lost. In the Baptist Church, if anyone thinks they're safe because they quit sending, they're lost. If they think they're safe because they did this, or they did that, or they jumped, or shouted, or squealed, or from what I've seen on TV yesterday dancing around the fire saying, praise Jesus, if those people honestly think they're saved, they're lost. They're on their way to hell when they're died. They're part of the layout to see in church and the Lord will spew them out of the tower. But the Church of Philadelphia, he loved because they kept Jesus Christ's loves, the truth. Do you know why we live in a chaotic world? Someone mentioned the school system we prayed for. Do you know why the school system is corrupt? They threw God out. They threw God out. But even worse than that, even more than that, the Church today has thrown Christ out of the Church. out of the church. Go into a church anywhere when you see it during the week. I suggest you try this. I've done it many times. I don't care what kind of a church it is, what the nomination is. If you see a car in the parking lot, go to the front door and if it's open, walk in and look for the owner of the car. When you find the owner of that car, ask them how to go to heaven. I've done it many times. I've done it many times. I enjoy that. It's called harassment. I enjoy that because I'm a mean human being. I'm despicable, rotten, but I enjoy that because you'll find out right away if it's the truth or it's alive. Joe. What he says there about to be neither how they're called feeling you out of this mouth, saying it's ever heard of Christ anyway. Oh yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's the message that he's talking about. It's the message. What happens is this. I put my faith in Christ or maybe I think I did, but I did. Let's suppose I honestly did. I believe Christ died on the cross for my sales. Then I start going to church and the preacher preaches that you have to do this, you have to do that. And so I mix that with my salvation. My salvation becomes lukewarm. Because my message after that, when I tell somebody else how to be saved, instead of, look, oh, you have to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but my preacher taught me that I have to do more than that. And I believed it. And so I said, no, you have to believe but you have to say a little prayer. So let's get down on our knees and say a prayer. That's false religion. Where does it even say that? It doesn't say that. I don't know where people get that from. It doesn't say that. I don't know where they get it from either. But that part of it is from the Romans' road in Romans chapter 10 where it says, whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord Jesus, probably shall be saved. But that has absolutely nothing to do with salvation in Romans chapter 10. That has to do with our service. But that's where they get it from. That's where the… But a Christian can be lukewarm and doesn't mean you lose your salvation. But when it comes to having fellowship and communion, we've locked the door. We've locked him out. He is locked out. I often wonder how so many of these self-righteous preachers who honestly believe, and I know some that are saved, but they honestly believe because they don't sin anymore. They're pleasing God. Well, that's true. But not when you make it part of your salvation. What I often wonder is, how in the world do they have fellowshiped with Jesus Christ when they've made their gospel message alive? Well, if you don't sin the more than you can, you can't. You know, that's why it's worth it. Yeah, I don't know how they do it. But they managed to do it. OK, I just don't know how. But yeah, a Christian can have a lukewarm message. All you have to do is mix the gospel, which is free, with a works righteousness and its lukewarm. Yeah, a Christian can do that. But yeah, next week we'll pick it up again. We'll begin in chapter four, and we'll look at the Christian rewards that the Lord promised for all Christians, the crowns, we'll take a look at the crowns, and so forth. and then we'll carry on with the book of Revelation. In closing, let me say this. I probably told you this before, but a couple of weeks ago, and on last week, I think it was a week before, I had the opportunity to do two funerals. I didn't know the people, and I didn't know the families. I just, I didn't know. I didn't know what to say about the people who died. And so I didn't say anything. So when I got up to do the funeral, I said, I don't know these people. I don't know what to say about him. I just mentioned a few things. But I said, what I'm here to do is to tell you what they might tell you if they could come back. The, I don't know if the people were saved or lost. And I didn't try to preach them into heaven if they're funeral because I didn't know. And I just gave the simple gospel. I went to John 3, 16. I explained John 3, 16. Or God so loved the world that you, that He gave His only be gotten soon, that's Jesus Christ, that whosoever, believe within him, that's you, whosoever shall never perish but have everlasting life. That's all I did. And I got to tell you these people were glad to hear it. It's amazing. They even enjoyed that more than Christians do. When I do that, at a Christian funeral, they'll complain about me being a fire and burns on preaching. People are nuts. So wacky world. Anyway, the Bible says I'm a sinner. I am still a sinner. So when you find out I'm sinning, you can't go behind my back and say, you know that old preacher's a sinner because I told you ahead of time. You can't do it. You have no right to go behind my back and say he's a hypocrite because I told you ahead of time. I'm a sinner. Always have been. I'm good at it. I've been practicing it for 68 years. Ask my wife. She'll tell you. Yeah, he's good at it. I should have a doctor in a sin. It should be called Dr. Dairn Arberg as a doctor of sin. I should have it on my wall. However, the Bible says if I believe that Jesus Christ died was buried and rose again for the forgiveness of sin, my sin is paid. past, present, and future. Isn't that neat? Or, if I don't believe that, I'll go to hell for all eternity. But I refuse to go. I'm not going to hell. I refuse. When I die, I'm going to say, Lord, I'm not going to hell. You cannot send me because I trusted you as my savior. You made a promise. I'm going to hold you to it. I can do that. He took my sin. Mark the paid, put it to his account on the cross. My sin is paid. That's the message. That is the simple message. Anything else is lukewarm and it locks Christ outside. Let's have word of prayer and we'll close it for you. Dear Lord, we ask that we be more like the church at Smurna and Philadelphia. You didn't rebuke them, you didn't tell them the repent because they had the clear gospel and they still aren't. Allow us to do the same. Then we will not be rebukeed by you and your word. There's anyone here this morning that doesn't know they're going to have them when they die just but right now between you and the Lord just say Lord I thank you for paying for my sin with your death barrel and resurrection. Believe he did it and your sins will be marked paid. Can't get any more simple than that. Let's see each one that was here this morning. Bless your word and Christ's name. Okay.