Latest / The Daily Word / August 29 – Wake Up
Transcript
- Cory Barnes: Well, hello. It is Pastor Jenny here, officially Pastor Jenny and not Pastor Brandon via Pastor Jenny or however that went the other day. excited to be back with you guys as we are in the book of Revelation. So many are interested, intrigued by the book of Revelation, want to study the book of Revelation because it can be so mysterious. But while it's not a part of today's reading, I want to go back to it in case you've maybe missed a couple of days and you're just jumping in and you're going, no, it's the book of Revelation. Maybe I'll just go do something else because it's I'm I'm confused by it. I don't know what to do with Revelation. But I want to encourage you with Revelation one, chapter chapter one, verse one, it says this. This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. So be encouraged to know that the book of Revelation, it's from Jesus. It's Jesus' words to us. Of course, he spoke to John, and so John wrote as he saw. But especially these first few chapters, he's speaking directly. to churches. I love these words that he writes specifically to the churches. We can know that of course they were to the churches, the specific bodies and churches of the time. But then we receive it as we can take and say, Lord, what are you also speaking to me? And so today in chapter Revelation chapter three, I loved where it says this kinda picking up in part part of verse one it says this it says I know all the things you do and that you have a reputation for being alive okay so he's talking specifically to the church in Sardis. I know all the things you do and that you have a reputation for being alive but you are dead. Ooh right there so remember again John John's writing this but it's really Jesus talking to that church in Sardis. How many times do people see something on the outside that's going on in our lives? Things can look good on the outside. But remember, the word is very clear. God looks at our heart, what's going on on the inside. And it's clear here that while this church looked good on the outside, and things h had there was that reputation of things going good, Jesus was aware there was something else going on on the inside. At the heart level, while everything, the activity, the things they were saying, what the appearance on the outside looked alive, on the inside they were dead. So verse two, Jesus says, Wake up, strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. So really on the inside, while they're doing all the things to make it appear that they're following Christ, they're they're dying on the inside. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first. Hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly as unexpected as a thief. Man, that takes me back to the gospels. Where Jesus talks about in the end, no one knows the hour of Jesus' return, that it will come unexpectedly as a thief in the night. And here we have Jesus speaking to a church, which is representative of people who could be sleeping. And Jesus says, Don't don't be caught sleeping. Don't be asleep. Wake up. And so as I read this today, I was reminded and I was encouraged to evaluate. my own life, Lord, and to ask the Holy Spirit. because you know, we can we can really deceive our own selves, right? We we want to think more highly of ourselves, just as people look more highly at us. sometimes I think they can feel that all the good things that we're doing. But again, the Lord is the is judging our hearts. sometimes people can look on the outside and think, wow, they don't seem any good. But again, the Lord sees our hearts. Remember they I looked at David and thought, this guy doesn't look like much, but he was gonna be king. He he was who God picked to anoint us king. So that can go either way. But in this case, again, these people, they were sleeping. So when I look at my life, I want to say, not just me looking at my life, but Lord, Holy Spirit, help me to see. What do you see? Am I is there any areas in my life that I'm sleeping that I need to wake up to, that I need to repent and turn to you that I've a that I've allowed to be calloused or I'm slipping away. And this isn't about, you know, legalism, about doing all the right things. however, in what we do as we're walking in relationship with Christ, I do believe that in response to as we're walking in closeness with him, and really obedience. There there is a faith coming to life. There should be a reflection in our actions. That's the reason when Jesus says, I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Yeah, we we don't fall into legalism to where it's about our actions that are making us righteous, but there should be a reflection in how we're living. So it's very interesting to me the kind of paradox we see in this passage of to people on the outside their actions looked holy but Jesus says actually your actions aren't meeting up the requirements. I kind of think back to those sacrifices of Cain and Abel. Both made a sacrifice, but one made a sacrifice that was of the first fruits and another just kind of brought Sloppy seconds was like, I'm I'm just doing this. So as we're living, are we wholly presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice to God today? Are we doing what this scripture says in verse three, going back to what we heard and believed at first, holding to it firmly, repenting and turning to Jesus again? Because he has a pretty firm warning here. If you don't wake up, I'll come to you suddenly and as unexpected as a thief. So, Lord Jesus, we come to you today. If there's any area in our life where we are sleeping, Jesus, you're charging us to wake up. Would we wake up as if we've been in a state of deep sleep and suddenly we are awoken from that? Lord, Holy Spirit, you are our helper. Would you awaken us from that? Would we repent today? Holy Spirit, convict us of that sin, convict us of righteousness, convict us of judgment today. Lord, would we turn to you, remind us? Would we go back to what we first heard, what we first believed, and would we hold tightly to that? God, thank you for your word that continues to remind us of who you are, of who we are in you. And who you've called us to be, what you've called us to do. Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In Jesus' name. Amen.