Well, good evening, folks. It's great to be back with you again here in St. Phil. Let's come, please, in the word of God to Revelation, Chapter 3. Revelation, Chapter 3. Thank the Oversight for the invitation to come and share fellowship with you once again. And over these three Wednesday nights that I'll be here, God willing, we'll be looking at a series that you could title Heart Surgery. We'll be looking at three of the seven churches that are addressed in the early chapters of Revelation. And we'll see with the three of them that we're looking at that there's not necessarily moral problems that had to be repented of, there's not necessarily doctrinal issues that had to be corrected, but these three particular assemblies had matters with the heart. And so we'll look at the hearts of perhaps God's people this evening. Revelation chapter three, and we'll read together from the verse one. And the Word of God says, unto the angel of the church in Sardis, write these things, saith he, that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest and are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me and wait, for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear, Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Amen. We'll end our reading there and trust that God will bless the reading of his word to our hearts this evening. One of the saddest things that can be said of a person or an institution are the words, they're not what they used to be. So much potential can be spurned in an assembly, even in the lives of the individual child of God. So much blessing can lie dormant and so much time can be wasted for something to never recover or even to return to the shadow even of its glory days. Sardis was a city that never went back to its full potential. At the time of writing, Sardis wasn't what it used to be. It initially was a city that held great prominence within the Roman Empire. Its wealth and its geography made it ideal for trade routes. But as the empire experienced a great time of peace in what is called the Pax Romana, and it was during that time that Christ was born, whenever the Roman Empire was knowing a century, almost of peace. They weren't at war with any neighboring empires or kingdoms. And during this time of peace, they took this time to restructure authority and power within the empire. And with that, Sardis suffered. And at this particular point in history, it was living off its reputation. It was living off its influence that it used to have in days gone by. Whenever we think of the seven churches that are addressed in these early chapters in Revelation, it's sad to see how the world and the cities they find themselves in so easily infiltrated their own hearts and their own lives. We can go through all seven of them. We can see the cold-heartedness in some of them, the tolerance of false teaching in others, the complete immersion in immorality, the lukewarmness that had infiltrated the hearts so strongly. of God's people and we see in five of these seven churches that the troubles of the world had burrowed their way into the hearts of God's people and Sardis was unfortunately no different. As the city was living off its reputation, we'll see this evening that the fellowship, the church, the assembly in Sardis also in one way or another was living off its reputation. Remember, we read that Christ said they had a name, that they were alive, but they were dead. Christ knew their hearts. They could fool the world all they could. They could even fool other believers all they could, but Christ knew their works and he knew their hearts. And he addresses this major and this threatening problem that still troubles the lives and the hearts of God's people today. believers, and sadly, even churches and assemblies that have a name that they're alive, but at the heart of the matter, they're dead. And so we'll look at this problem of a dying church, of a dying believer this evening. First of all, as we look at all that God sees this church as, he first of all sees it as lifeless. And he does this not by comparing them to another church. He doesn't compare Sardis with how Smyrna is getting on or how even Philadelphia, the only two of the seven churches that have no major trouble against them. But he points them to himself. He redirects their thoughts and their attention to God himself. As is custom with these seven letters, he begins with an introduction of himself. Verse one, these things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Christ is reminding the believers here about the spirits of God. He's reminding them about the operating power, as it were, within the church. The operating power within the life of the believer is the spirit of God. And Christ is reminding the believers in Sardis, he knows where his spirit operates. He knows how powerful his spirit can be. He knows when the spirit is grieved. He knows when the spirit is quenched. That's why Paul takes great lengths to encourage believers to quench not the spirit, to grieve not the spirit, not to limit the power and the influence that he can have within the lives of God's people because it is a great power that is at work in your life. And in mine, Paul says in Ephesians chapter one, it's the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe. And that's the power that's at work in the lives of the child of God if it is given free reign. If it isn't, as we said, quenched or grieved. If it's not limited, how the Lord can truly and powerfully work in the lives of his people. and in the lives of his assemblies. And that's what Christ, first of all, brings these believers in Sardis' attention to as he warns them that they're dying. He points them to the Spirit of God. Again, he knows where his Spirit's presence is. He knows where his Spirit is being quenched. He's warning the believers here, nothing fake is going to fool him. No show, no facade, no great displays are going to fool the Spirit of God into thinking that this is a move of God. And that this is a place that God is moving. This is a believer where the Spirit has free reign. Christ reminding them He knows what's going on. He knows what's going on. Whenever Paul was writing to the churches in Galatia, He said to them, be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. We often apply those words to the unbeliever, and yes, they are true to the unbeliever, but that is not just a warning to sinners. It's a warning to believers who are trying to pass off as genuine, who are trying to fool other believers. Assemblies who try to fool other assemblies, that there's a great life in the place, that there's a great move of God in the place. And Christ is just reminding them tonight, He knows where the Spirit is. He knows what Spirit is at work, whether it's the Spirit of God or the Spirit of self. And as he challenges these believers in Sardis and as he calls them lifeless, as he calls them dead, again, he doesn't point them to another church, he points them to himself. And then he points them to what other people think of them. I know thy works, continuing on in the verse one, that thou hast a name that thou livest. This wasn't a church that had tainted its testimony. This wasn't a church that had ruined its witness, as Corinth was at great danger of doing, as the churches in Pergamos and Thyatira in chapter 2 of Revelation were at danger of doing. As we said, this isn't one of the churches that has a great moral dilemma that had to be rebuked and had to be corrected. This was a fellowship that had a solid reputation among other believers and indeed among the world. Nobody pointed at the Church of Sardis and were able to call them hypocrites, preaching one thing and practicing another. They believed all the right things. They taught all the right things. They sang all the right things. They had a name that they were living. They may have been used as an example in other assemblies. Other churches may have looked at Sardis and seen the great numbers that were coming to them and may have even went to the pastor of Sardis or some of the elders in Sardis and asked them, what is it that you're doing that we're not? Are there any programs, are there any things that yous are doing in Sardis that we might be able to implement where we are? What is it that's working with you that's not seems to be working with us? What a great name the church in Sardis had, a name that they were alive, that they were thriving. Other churches may have wanted to associate themselves with them and join with them in endeavors and in different works and programs. Perhaps some of the young people out of Sardis who seem to be filled with such life and filled with such spirit, maybe they can come and help us out for a season or two. Others wanted to join and associate with them. What a name the church in Sardis had. But as we said, this was a church that had a great reputation. And as we see in this letter, that's all they had. All they had was a reputation. They had a name that they were living, but really they were dead. Not tonight, dear believers, the great difference between having a reputation and having a testimony. There's times where we can think it's one and the same, but it's not. When we think of the church in Sardis, they had a reputation that they were living, but in terms of their testimony, there was very little there. There was very little there. Christ says to them in the verse two, be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. He's saying to them, look, all the world thinks you have much. I know the little that you have. And you better make sure you keep hold of it before you lose it. Reputation is what others perceive us to be and what others would say about us. But a testimony is what we really are. We can think of different people that we meet and the reputation that they once had. Of course, they fooled everyone. They might have been known as an honourable person, a person who was faithful, a person who knew right from wrong. And yes, it seemed that that was what they were, but their testimony was something very different. They had a reputation that they were living, but they were dead. They were dying. Whenever Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray in Matthew chapter six, he's in some ways telling the difference between a reputation and a testimony. Remember he said, when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men. And verily I say unto you, they have their reward. Jesus said, whenever you come to pray, don't be like the Pharisees. Don't be like the hypocrites who have a reputation of being great men of prayer. But Jesus says all they want to do is to be seen of other men and that's the reward they get. All they want to do is have a great reputation in the world and that's all they had. And that's what happened with the church here at Sardis. To them at that point, it didn't matter what Christ thought of them, they just built this reputation up and they were thriving on that alone. rather than on how God could work in their lives. I know thy works that thou hast in name that thou livest and are dead. Indeed, it's a challenge to all of God's people this evening that simply believing and teaching all the right things is not a sign of a burning and flourishing spiritual life. As we said, the church in Sardis didn't have any doctrinal issues that had to be corrected, nor did the church at Ephesus. And yet Christ still says to them, I have somewhat against thee. They still had a heart issue. Ephesus had left their first love. Sardis, as we said here, had a name that they were thriving, but they were dead. We can see it in the history of the Old Testament people of Israel. Remember, Jeroboam set up the golden calves. And whenever he set up those golden calves, there wasn't great outcry. There wasn't great calls of repentance. There wasn't great protest to those acts of Jeroboam. Solomon, as it were, had already laid the groundwork on living on a reputation. The kingdom was already lax under Solomon. He had let the nation start to slowly drift away from the things of God. As he himself turned away from the Lord, the nation followed suit. And whenever it came to Jeroboam, there wasn't much fight in them to try and turn things around. The church in Sardis, the believers in Sardis, they had a name that they were living, but they were dead. All their faithful works, as they would have called them, were a complete vanity project. They had a name that they were living and they were dead. Again in the verse two, be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. We can picture the church in Sardis. They had a name that they were living. Again, we can think of the many people that would have had a good word to say about the church in Sardis, about the believers in the church of Sardis. What a packed calendar they would have had. The announcements would have gone on and on and on as to all the different programs that they would have had. Every night of the week, they would have had something. They had a great name that they were thriving, that they were on fire for the Lord, that they were truly living. But as we said, Christ knows exactly what's going on. They had a name that they were living, but they were dead. The wonderful words of life were lying dormant in their hearts, as if they never really knew them or trusted them at all. They saw the numbers that were flocking in. They heard people talking about them on the street in positive light. And they thought to themselves, boy, we're some church, we're doing right. They had a name that they were living, but they were dead. You know, as we read through the New Testament and as we read through the epistles of Paul and of Peter and of James, we are made aware of just how much of an insult it is to God to know his truth without it bearing fruit. to simply be a hearer of the Word and not a doer of it. Remember what James says about those that are hearers only of the Word, like ones who look in a mirror and turn away and immediately forget what it was they were looking at. We can think of the parable that Jesus said about the wise man that built his house on the rock and the foolish man that built his house upon the sand, and Jesus uses that parable to illustrate the types of people that hear his words and practice them and those that don't have have much practicality with them. Again, believer denied. It's not just enough to believe all the right things or to teach all the right things, to know all the right things. They had a name that they were living, but they were dead. See how, first of all, Christ views these believers, views this church as lifeless. Secondly, he's going to hold them liable. He's going to hold them accountable. for what it is they have done. Into the verse two, he says to them, be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not found thy works perfect before God. When Christ is trying to get these believers to repent, he first of all challenges them to take responsibility. to take responsibility for their own individual lives, for the life of the assembly, be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. God is holding them to account. What he doesn't tell them to do is to wait for a feeling of joy. He doesn't tell the believers in Sardis, wait for the emotion to build up. He doesn't tell them, wait until you feel like sorting yourselves out. He's telling them not to wait for emotions or for feelings. He knows that believers, he knows that churches cannot live from mountaintop to mountaintop. And there are some believers, and that is sadly the way they live, seeking the next spiritual high, as it were, moving from one thing to another. They never settle down. And they never find peace, they never find contentment, because they're always looking for exactly what's being described here about the church of Sardis, looking for something that has a name that it's alive. And once that flame sparkles out, it's on to the next one and on to the next one. Christ is challenging these believers in Sardis. That is not how the Christian life is lived. It's not about jumping from mountaintop to mountaintop. from jumping from experience to experience, but it's about laying the foundations, about strengthening the things that remain, as he says here in the verse two. Again, that parable that Jesus gives of the wise man that built his house, he said he's like a man that built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock. This is someone that Jesus says took the time to make sure the foundations were right. This is someone who made sure that they took their time in ensuring that this would not be some sort of superficial work, that this wouldn't be a flash in the pan thing, that this wouldn't be something that would be there for a moment and have a reputation as being something grand. But even if it did turn out to be something humble, he knew he could trust it because the foundations were sure. And believer, for you and I to move on in the things of God, for you and I to avoid this position that the believers and sardists find themselves in of simply having a reputation but no testimony, it takes work. It takes effort. It means digging deep spiritually. It means laying the solid foundations in Him. It's about having a proper awareness of who God is. of his holiness, of his righteousness. It's even about being aware of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us, how Paul encourages the believers in Ephesus early on in his epistle, how they're blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, how God has given them all they need to live for him. And it's on the foundation of that that Paul expounds his great epistle of Ephesians. Once they know that they are blessed with all spiritual blessings, then they can greatly move on in the things of God. See, believer, how we're not to live by emotions. Again, we can think of how Paul says we walk by faith and not by sight. Christ is going to hold these believers to account. He tells them to be watchful and to strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. As we said, this was a church that thought they had much. This was a church that with all their programs and with how busy they were and with the reputation that they had among other believers and among the world as they heard good reports about them down the street, they thought to themselves, surely we have much reward in heaven. Surely we have laid up for ourselves great treasure in the eternity to come. And Christ reveals the truth to them. Strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die. He tells him, you think you have a lot, but there's not much there. There's very little. And even what you have is at risk of being taken. These were believers. This was an assembly that was in great danger of losing whatever genuine blessings and reward that God had given to them. Again, we can think of Paul's warnings to quench not the spirit, to despise not prophesying, to grieve not the spirit of God. And as each day passed in the life of the church of Sardis, as each day passed in the lives of the individual believers in Sardis, they were at great danger of losing that power that God had given to them. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 3 talks about that day where we'll stand before the Lord and we'll be judged. and how we'll be rewarded, and how our works will be tested. And he tells the believers there, if any man build upon this foundation gold and silver and precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. Paul says there's going to be two types of work presented on that day. The gold and the silver and the precious stones, as it's tried by the fire, it'll stand firm, as genuine. It'll stand firm as something precious, as something faithful. He talks about the wood, hay, and stubble that will very easily disintegrate once the flames lick it. Those things that will just disappear in a moment. And Christ is challenging these believers in Sardis. When it comes to that day, they will stand before him. How much evidence will be left? How much genuine evidence is going to be left for a life that they thought was of abundant moves of God, and a life that they thought was lived in his power? Christ rebukes these believers here for their lack of sincerity, their lack of love for the Lord himself, their lack of devotion to the Lord himself, They were more devoted to their reputation than they were towards their Lord. As we look around the land today, as we look around the United Kingdom today, there seems to be a general theme among churches that once were on fire for the Lord and genuinely were on fire for the Lord. Assemblies that we could point to and see that God clearly blessed and the Lord was moving because they were faithful. Whenever we see how they are now, if they are still there at all, it's that lack of sincerity. It's that lack of devotion. It's that self-reliance. It's that name that they were alive but really they were starting to die out. And bit by bit they lost all that they had. Generally it starts in a lack of prayer. in the lives of the individual believer. And once the individual believer loses that desire to pray, loses their reason to pray, as it were, then the assembly loses their reason to pray together, and the prayer meeting goes. Sadly, that's the trend that's starting to happen here, if not has already happened in this land of ours. Once the prayer meeting goes, then it soon sees the lack of fellowship of God's people start to go, which tends to be the evening service. The assembly soon becomes a Sunday morning only church. And then once the novelty of the Sunday morning only church loses its, how precious it is, then there's a lack of observing the Lord's table. of slipping away because we have to get the dinner on, of slipping away because the preacher maybe spoke five or ten minutes too much. And bit by bit the light goes out and eventually it becomes dim. If any of you have been to Edinburgh, you'll know it's an absolutely beautiful city. And if you've been down that Royal Mile in Edinburgh, from the castle down to Holyrood, to the palace and to the parliament there, you'll go down those cobbled streets and you'll look left and right and you'll see dozens of old churches that are now just pubs and restaurants. And that didn't happen because the oversight met one evening. and said to themselves, you know what? I don't want us to be a church anymore. Let's just turn into a pub and restaurant. It happens over time. And before the churches there knew it, they were handing over the keys and handing over the dates. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not, Christ says, found thy works perfect before God. We've talked about the audience that the believers in Sardis had. Indeed, other believers, other churches may have been praising their name. Other churches, as we said, may have wanted to associate themselves with them. The world couldn't really point a finger at them in terms of hypocrisy. The world may have even complimented them for how warm and how welcoming they were. But the only audience that mattered didn't approve. And Jesus Christ has to come and tell them, I have not found thy works perfect before God. They had to be reminded that they weren't going to sit at the judgment seat of the church. They weren't going to sit at the judgment seat of the world. They weren't going to sit at the judgment seat of individual believers' opinions about how they should have done things. But they're going to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Paul always knew that he was going to stand before the Lord someday. And the many times he could have taken the easy way out in this world, the many times Paul could have changed his message to appeal to those he was writing to, how Paul, as he wrote to the church at Corinth, could have easily said, well, that's not necessarily the way I would do things, but if yous want to do that, who am I to judge? But he said in 1 Thessalonians 2, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. Paul knew who he was ultimately accountable to. And that was all that mattered to him as he served the Lord here. Paul didn't care about his reputation, but he cared deeply about his testimony. and about how the Lord would ultimately view him and his ministry. Remember whenever he left the elders in Ephesus in Acts chapter 20, he said, I am innocent of the blood of all men. How Paul made sure that he had faithfully presented the gospel so that sinners couldn't say, well, Paul spoke to me and he never told me. Paul did everything he could to ensure that those things that he did in this life would follow him into eternity. Remember in Revelation, how it says, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them. Yes, believer, eternity will be wonderful as we spend forever with the Lord. But as we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and I don't say this as talking about pride or talking about boasting, but wouldn't it be great to know that our labors weren't in vain? That what we have done here below isn't the wood, hay, and stubble, but it is that gold and silver and precious stones that will stand the test of time. Strengthen the things that remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Christ views these believers as lifeless. He tells them he's going to hold them liable, Look as well that these believers are still loved. They're still loved of the Lord. Verse three, remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent. Christ wants these believers to remember the love that they had for him. to remember the love that they had for the gospel, remember the dependency they had on the Lord, the fear they had for the Lord, how they earnestly sought the Lord and prayed and trusted that the Spirit of God would move, rather than their own ideas, rather than their own power, rather than their own influence and their own reliance. Christ brings them back to those gifts and those blessings that they had spurned. How he wanted these believers to repent. How he wanted them to grow. And he had given them absolutely everything they needed to do so. Again we can think of Paul and how greatly he cherished the power of God and the word of God. Again, in 1 Thessalonians 2, he says, Paul rejoiced that the believers in Thessalonians truly appreciated all that God had done for them, that they cherished the word of God, that they wanted to learn more of it and to do it as well. That these were believers that leaned upon the Lord for everything. That they didn't necessarily care what the world would have to say about them. They cared more about what the Lord would see them as. And that's why Christ brings them back to these things, because it's these things alone that can turn the tide. It's these things alone that can revive that deadness that's within the life of an assembly or within the life of the child of God. It's coming back to those things that we have received and heard. And whenever they've got to that point, Whenever they've realised just how far from the Lord they've drifted, and how much they really need Him, how much they need to ground themselves once again in the Gospel, He tells them, hold fast and repent. Christ loves them still and He tells them that there is opportunity. That Christ isn't going to leave them in this state. Christ isn't saying to the believers in Sardis, you've made your bed, you may lie in it. but he encourages them, hold fast and repent. There's still a chance here to turn the tide. The power of the Spirit of God can still be infused in such a mighty and a powerful way. The believers in Sardis had initially loved the gospel. They had initially loved the things of God. They couldn't, first of all, have been saved without it, and they couldn't have grown without it. but they needed that fervency to return. They needed to come back to the Lord. Again, Christ doesn't tell them to grow more in knowledge alone or to delve deeper into theological books and studies, but he tells them simply to come back to him, who even to a rebellious Old Testament people, Isaiah says in Isaiah chapter two in the verse five, O house of Jacob, come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Now as we think of the great promises that God has given to his people, how precious is the invitation he extends to you and to me to walk in the light of him. When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way as the old hymn says. and how much precious things are given to those who trust and obey. See how the believers here are still loved. And if there's perhaps a believer here, a believer perhaps listening at a later stage who's found themselves in this dying state as it were, know that the Lord is still there and he still pleads and he still invites to come back to him. that there is still life, that there is still that opportunity of reviving. We can think of David after he sinned with Bathsheba, and he pleaded with the Lord, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and the Lord did so. The Lord was gracious and merciful to him, and the Lord was good with him because the Lord still loved him. Again, we see that Christ saw them as lifeless, They were liable, they were still loved. And lastly, he reminds them that should they repent and they come back to him, they'll be lifted. How they would have sang if they had repented when no one but Christ could help love lifted me. And that's still a song as much for the believers as it is for those outside of Christ. That love still lifts us whenever we drift away from him. Look at the verse four. Christ says to the believers there, thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Even though this church as a whole was starting to drift away, Christ knew there was a handful there that hadn't defiled their garments. There was a handful there that still earnestly sought the Lord. There was a handful there who were earnestly and just silently praying in the background that God wouldn't forsake that assembly, that God wouldn't write them off. And how powerful and how persistent their prayers must have been for Christ to mention them here. Thou hast a few names even inside us which have not defiled their garments. in a place where deadness was growing and there was the threat of that candle being taken away, that threat of God in one way or another just completely stepping back and letting this gathering of believers become just another social club in Sardis. He knows those that are faithful and he hears the prayers of those that are faithful. The prayers of the faithful ones that God would return, that God would still come back and God would influence what was happening in their town and in the city that they found themselves in. Believer never doubt the influence that prayer can have when it comes to us pleading with the Lord that His Spirit would return, that His influence and that His power would return again, whether it be in the life of a church or of an individual. how Christ would lift those that came back to him. Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. End of the verse five, he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment. And I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before my father and before his angels. Again, what a promise is given to the believers here in Sardis should they turn. They shall walk with me in white. Verse five, he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment. Those that wanted to grow could. Those that wanted to be closer to the Lord could be. Again, the Lord didn't wash his hands off them. The Lord didn't say, well, you've messed up. But he still invites them to repent and wishes to restore them to fellowship. And how wonderful. that fellowship and that relationship with the Lord is. And they shall walk with me in white. They'll know his help. They'll know his presence. Such light, such radiance, such joy ought to be the foundation of a child of God who's so close to the Lord. You know, the closer we draw to the Lord, it's not about becoming dark. It's not about becoming dull. It's not the Christian life becoming a drudgery. It's not simply enduring the Christian life, but enjoying the spiritual things. And Christ promises that to those who would come back to him. to those that would remember what they had received and heard and hold fast to it and repent. Those that no longer rely on themselves, those that no longer trust in what they have done in the past to claim to be faithful believers. But all they're doing right now is to stay close to the Lord. Think of what Paul said in Romans 13, the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Being close to the Lord is such a powerful thing. I wonder tonight, are you and I ready to stand out for him in this dark and dangerous world? Will we be bold enough? Brave enough? to take up this white raiment, as it were, even this side of eternity, to claim Christ as our own. Because Christ certainly claims us as his own. Again, in the verse five, he reminds them, I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. Even at this very moment, Christ is our great high priest. And He intercedes for us and He brings our names before the Father and pleads that the merits of His precious blood would atone for our sins. How Christ isn't ashamed of us. How Christ will confess our name before His Father and before His angels. Again, though, for that to happen, it's not about you and I doing everything we can, but it's about trusting in what He has done and simply trusting in Him to lead us and guide us, trusting in Him to undertake. It's not about how busy we can be for the Savior. Yes, the Lord calls us to serve Him, but it's not about how busy we are for Him. It's not about how much we know about Him. It's not about how well we can argue our theological positions, but it's about how much we love him. And that is what revives that dying heart and that dying spirit. Remember the writer in Hebrews says, without faith, it is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Again, notice, The writer in Hebrew says, without knowledge, or without acts, without service, without being busy, it's impossible to please him, but simply without faith. Without a faith, without a love, without a dependency upon the Lord. Even in such a dying state, the Lord still loved his people, and he still encouraged them to come back, believer tonight. Is there a dying heart that's there? Know that the Lord can kindle it again. And know great help and great power from the Lord in the days to come. Let's just bow in a moment's prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we give thanks for your word this evening. We pray you will write it and bless it upon each and every heart. And Father, there are times where we have to admit to that coldness. There are perhaps times where we have to admit that we have let things drift away. There are times where we perhaps thought we had much, but we've been rebuked. We've been shown that there, for that particular season at the least, wasn't a lot there. And so we give thanks for your patience towards us. We give thanks that you are long-suffering and gracious, that you are merciful, that you do wish to restore your people, that you can restore the years that the Lucas have eaten, that you can bring us back to those paths of righteousness for his name's sake. So we pray, Lord, you'd keep that love for the things of God, that love for the Savior fresh in our hearts and in our minds. And Lord, day by day, may we ever lean closer and closer and with a greater dependency upon the everlasting arms. For we ask it in the Savior's precious name.