<inaudible><inaudible> Good morning. Welcome to the Collierville church of Christ Sunday morning streaming live stream service. We do have a few with us here this morning. It’s great to see each and every one of you. Glad that you were able to venture out. And for those of you that were unable to make it out this morning, we truly understand that you are staying home to be safe.
It’s unprecedented times that we’re living in, but we know that our good Lord above and we’ll take care of each and every one of us. I have several announcements this morning and they are in no particular order, so bear with me as I get through these. I was joking with Aaron before us. I think I got everything from the start to finish the service today with these announcements.
We want to, uh, congratulate the Kali and Gil’s Bach family in the birth of a new great granddaughter, Eliza Jane. She was born on Friday. The Potter’s Chilton home pantry item for the month of may is bottled water Beverley price. Her father passed away this past week on Thursday. I do believe it was Marvin. Man, there will be a private funeral service for uh,
Marvin man. This week. Uh, our sick Ruby Brad has stage four neuro, uh, blastoma which has stems, uh, doing some STEM cell surgery for that. She is back home, so please keep, uh, Ruby in her prayers. Joan Springer is still dealing with pneumonia, so please keep her in your prayers. Janell Grizzard who is Janet Jones,
his oldest daughter was diagnosed with liver cancer, so please keep Janell and Janet and that entire family and your thoughts and prayers. They’re going to need all the thoughts and prayers that they can get at this time as they work on dealing with what a course of action the medical professionals are going to deal with for her. Paul Montgomery deletes his dad is at home recovering from his ankle surgery and getting better.
Roger Wright, who is a preacher in Indiana, has been diagnosed with cancer, so please keep Roger and his family and your thoughts and prayers. Josh Howe, who was a preacher in Oklahoma, was in a bad car accident. He has 16 broken ribs, so please keep him your thoughts and prayers. Sylvia pass, as most of you probably know from the email that went out earlier this week,
had a stroke, a mini stroke. She did suffer a second stroke yesterday and she’ll, she is back in the hospital. So please keep Sylvia and her entire family and your thoughts and prayers. Uh, Susan MacDonald’s father Tom Boyett, who is a minister for the Pennington ban church of Christ in Nashville, passed away this past Wednesday. Susan and Adam McDonnell used to be members here at Colleyville church.
Christ. So we ask that you please keep each and every one of these and your thoughts and prayers as we go through our week. And again, welcome to our Sunday morning service. Thank you.<inaudible><inaudible> And uh, as we dream, we see, uh, Uh, Uh, Uh, He And uh, nah, fuck me.<inaudible> Right.
Well, a dad, man.<inaudible> Uh, My one Bri chain, um,<inaudible> Uh huh. Mmm<inaudible>. He, As we prepare to partake in the celebration of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, let each and every one of us go to our father in prayer. God, our father in heaven. We come to you at this time thanking you for having sent your son,
Jesus, to live here on earth, to teach us and show us the way that we should live as Christians. But most importantly, we thank you for sacrificing your son. And as we prepare to partake of this bread which represents his body, help each and every one of us remember what he truly sacrificed as he hung on that cruel cross at Calvary.
We pray this in your son, Jesus’ name. Amen.<inaudible> Let us continue in prayer. God, our father in heaven. As we prepare to partake of this fruit of the vine which represents the blood that Jesus said shed for us so that our sins may be washed away. Help us to remember and concentrate and think on that fact of what he truly did for us and that was sacrifice his life so that we may one day have an opportunity to live with you in eternity.
We pray this through your son, Jesus name. Amen.<inaudible> Separate and apart. We are commanded in the Bible to give back, so let us pray. God, our father in heaven. We know everything comes from you and through you. And at this time was we prepared to give back a portion of what we’ve been blessed with. We ask that you help each and every one of us do it with true,
truly cheerful hearts, and that you help the men of this congregation make wise decisions on how these monies should be used to better the spread of your word and your kingdom here on earth. We pray all this in your son. Jesus’ name. Amen.<inaudible> The song before our lesson will be number 450. Give me the Bible. Give me the Bible.
Give me the Bible star of gladness. Gleam me into cheer though.<inaudible> no. Post Ken. Hi dad. Read and speak. Small beam mean since Jesus came to seek and save the us gave me the Holy message. Uh, I need, uh, in light show guide me in a narrow way. Hey,<inaudible> to notch out.<inaudible><inaudible> my heart is bro hook and when’s,
and then grieve. Half filled my soul with<inaudible> gave me the precious words by Jesus. Oh God. Oh God. Face to face. I save your knee. Give me the BA ball. Holy message. Uh, I need, uh, I light shout God, Me and a narrow, Hey Priests, Dan<inaudible><inaudible> to nine sharp<inaudible> Any turn off?<inaudible> Gave me the<inaudible> Or<inaudible><inaudible> by the up<inaudible> from heaven shining.
Oh or Sean, The glory gilding. Jordan<inaudible> Give me the<inaudible> Holy message. A name<inaudible> Me and a narrow Priests. Dan<inaudible>. No. And uh, I’ve come ah, I need to catch up The news. Annie, turn off.<inaudible><inaudible> Good morning. It’s good to see everyone. We’ve got a few here, which is great.
And uh, I’m going to try to figure Out how to preach this direction in this direction. So hopefully I can do that. It was good to see everyone here this morning and, and good to have you that are watching online and we can’t wait until we have everyone back together. I want us to think about what it would be like to receive a letter.
And this letter is not no ordinary letter, but this letter has written in it the good and bad things that you have done in your life. Imagine receiving that type of letter that knew everything, knew every detail, it gave you encouragement, but it also told you what you needed to work on. That’s what the letters to the seven churches of Asia was like.
Our Lord wrote these letters to them. There were some condemnation and there were some commendation for the things that they had done. And it’s interesting what we can learn from these letters. We know as Hebrews chapter four and verse 12 through 13 States for the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing division of soul and spirit and of joints and Morrow and his discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
And there is no creature hidden from his side. But all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. God knows everything. God knew these congregations. He knew what they needed and what things that they had done. And it’s interesting. If you look at the first part, go to revelation. Chapter two is where we’re going to be this morning.
Revelation chapter two and three be noticed the beginning of every letter. For example, look at verse revelation two one 32 says the two, the angel of the church of Ephesus write these things, says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden golden lampstands. I know your works. That phrase is used repeated every two EV in every letter.
I know that works. Think about that statement to someone that’s living right. That’s a great thing to hear, right? You know most people may not know the things that you do. It may not be seen, but God knows and that’s a great thing to hear those words. I know that works, but for someone that’s not living right, for someone that’s thinking that people don’t know what I’m doing,
God knows it’s a scary thing. That’s what it would be like to receive this letter from our Lord this morning. I want to look at some lessons that we can learn from the seven churches of Asia. The first one we can learn is that we should remember our first love. Let’s look at the first congregation. This is emphasis. We already read verse one let’s start in verse two.
It says, I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil and you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my namesake and have not become weary. This is a congregation that the Lord starts out with a commendation.
He’s saying, you guys have done great works. He lists seven things that they had done. They were great. They were a congregation strong against false doctrine. They tested those who said they were apostles. They tested them by seeing if they were not. They were a congregation continuing to labor for the Lord, but there was another thing. Look at the next verse.
Verse four. Nevertheless, I have this against you that you have left your first love. This congregation. If you read in the book of Ephesians, they were strong for the Lord. They had a great love for the Lord, but they had lost that first love. They had done many works. They continue to labor for the Lord, but their heart was not in it.
They did not have the love that they should. Think about it in a husband and wife situation, you have a husband and wife who feel that they need to keep that marriage together, whether it be for kids, their children, or the obligation to stay together, but they don’t truly love one another. We can do works. We can do go through the motions of life,
go attend to services and and do good things for other people, but if we do not have love, it’s not worth anything. That’s what Paul tells us. Go to first Corinthians chapter 13 First Corinthians chapter 13 in verse one through three Paul speaking here says, no, I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not love. I have become sounding brass or a Chang lean symbol,
and though I have a gift, the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains but have not love, I am nothing. Paul was able to speak any language. He was able to, Hey, I had the faith to move mountains, but yet if he did not have the truly have love,
It was worth nothing. Look at verse three and though I was still all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned but have not love it profits me. Nothing. You’re saying that if I give, if I give my my wealth to others and help those that are not led, that are less fortunate, I’ve done all of these great things,
but if I don’t have love, it’s not worth anything. What if I give my life up for the Lord but I don’t have love? That’s worth nothing. Matthew chapter 22 verse 37 through 39 it tells us that I shall love the Lord thy God with all their heart. With all his soul. Follow your mind. And with all our strength, our first love is Christ is his God.
If we do not have that love, we not love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We’re just going through the motions. We’re just attending services, doing things for others just because we feel like we’re obligated to do that. We have to do that. We should have a true love for the Lord. So you get back to that point,
go back to revelation chapter two so you get back to that point. Look at verse five remember therefore from where you have fallen, repent and do the first worse or else I will come quickly and remove your lampstand from its place. Unless you repent. Go back to rekindle that love you have for the Lord. If we have lost that first love, we need to study his word.
Look at what Christ has done for us and have that true love. So the first thing we can learn is that we should remember our first love. But then the next thing is that we learn in revelation chapter two verse eight through 11 we learned from the church at Smyrna. Now Smyrna, we learned that no matter the status we have in this life,
we are rich in Christ. Smyrna was one of those congregations that didn’t receive any condemnation at all. They were a congregation working hard, striving for the Lord, and we can learn from them that we are, we have a live rich in Christ. Yo read with me, verse eight into the angel of the church in Smyrna, write these things, says the first and the last who was dead and came to life.
I know your works, tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. And I know the blasts, mini blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. The Jews troubled the Christians wherever they went. And in Smyrna, this was a place where the Jews worked hard to make the lives of Christians miserable. Even to the point where Jesus says here that they are a synagogue of Satan and they were persecuted day in and day out.
And not only that, they were in poverty, they had nothing. We don’t know what caused that. It could be the fact that they were not able to sell their goods. They don’t not work, be able to provide for their families like they needed, but they were in strict, they were in terrible poverty, but yet, notice what Jesus says they were in poverty.
But you are rich. These men though they were greatly persecuted as these people and as Christians in this congregation, though they were greatly persecuted and though they were very poor physically, they were the richest men in the world because they were Christians. They had a great blessings, great blessings, spiritual blessings. Look at second Corinthians, Second Corinthians chapter six Paul is talking here in verse four but notice what Paul says,
but in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God and in much patience and tribulations and needs and distresses in stripes and imprisonments and two mullets and labors and sleeplessness in fastings by purity, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God. By the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left by honor and dishonor by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true as a known and yet well known as dying and behold,
we live as chastened and yet not killed as sorrowful. Ye always rejoice as poor, yet making many rich as having nothing and yet zesting all things. Paula understood that the things in this life meant nothing because the gospel made them rich. Spiritually. Think about those riches. Go over just another chapter or chapter eight in verse nine Paul States again for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. Ephesians chapter one in verse three blessed be the Lord. Let’s be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ. No matter what status in life we have rich or poor,
we are rich because we are Christians. We have great eternal blessings. We learned that from the congregation at Smyrna and that was an encouragement to them. Go back to chapter two, One of the most famous verses that we use a lot in verse 10 but in the context they were dealing with great persecution and what is, look at this occurring moment for them.
Verse 10 do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer, and Dee, the devil is about to throw some of you in a prison that you may be tested and you will have tribulation 10 days, 10 days means complete. They’re going to have great tribulation and persecution they’re going to deal with, but notice be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.
They were going to receive a great, great blessing. Eternal life. We are rich and in Christ, so we’ll know. Not only do we learn the no matter the status we have in this life, we are rich in Christ, but notice next that in a world of sin we can still be a shining light. Let’s look at Pergamum chapter two starting in verse 12 says into the angel of the church in Paramus writes these things,
say, says he who has a sharp twoedged sword. I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is, and you hold fast to my name. It did not deny my faith. Even in the days when Antipas was my faithful martyr who was killed among you where Satan dwells. Now, Pergamon was a congregation that received a commendation and a condemnation.
The condemnation was the fact that they, they did not deal with those that were holding to false doctrine, that were teaching false doctrine. And Jesus tells them they need to fix that. But he starts out by telling them, you have a great, you have endured a great amount of persecution there. Now, Pergamum was an area, it was a set up on a very high Hill and in Pergamum there was tons and tons of different temples and worshiping the different idols.
This city was given over to idolatry. There was the, uh, Pergamum was the first place to have a temple dedicated to emperor Augustus. So they had emperor worship in Pergamum on top of the Hill and the edge of the cliff where you could see down through the Valley there was a temple of Zeus and it was known as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
At that time was this massive building that was shaped like a seat. Jesus was referring to that temple that they saw that they could see from all over this Valley at temple of Zeus, Satan’s seat. Even with all of that evil that was going on with them. I imagine the practices and the wickedness that was going on, it would make today in our community seemed like nothing but yet they still had a shining light.
Go to Matthew chapter five and Jesus his sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter five notice what Jesus says in verse 13 Matthew chapter five verse 13 through 16 you are a salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is in good for nothing to be thrown out and trampled under foot of men. Ye you are the light of the world.
A city is set on a Hill that cannot be hid. Think about that. A city that’s set on a Hill that cannot be hid. What was one thing in Pergamum that was set upon the Hill that could not be here, that could be seen from all around? That was the temple to Zeus. Yet Jesus says, you are the lie of the world.
They were that shining light in Pergamum. They endured great persecution and continue to stand by the name of the Lord. They endured persecution and proclaim the Lord Jesus instead of Lord Caesar. You know, do we think about, do we think sin is so rampant in our society? Is today that we think there’s no way that the gospel can reach certain people’s hearts?
A lot of times we think, well, things are just getting so bad. I don’t see how anybody would receive the gospel. Cool. Do we not understand the power of the gospel? Romans chapter one verse 16 for I’m not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is a power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
The gospel has great power, but notice was we started out reading Hebrews chapter four verse 12 through 13 the word of God pierces every, Yeah, They may reject, they may accept it, but it reaches every. So yeah, We learn from program. No matter what is going on in our communities, we can still be a shining light. Next,
we can learn from the next congregation in verse 18 Revelation chapter two in verse 18 notice Thyratira we learn we should never reach a point where we level off in our Christianity. Look with verse 18 it says, until the angel of the church in thyre tire, right these things says the son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass.
I know your works, love service, faith and your patients and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Here again, another congregation like Pergamum, they received commendations starting out, but there was also condemnation but we’re going to look at the commendation. The condemnation was they had a woman that was like Jessebelle. Her name was not bell.
But if we are member Jaz a bell in the old Testament, in the Northern kingdom, the queen of the Northern kingdom, what Eagle, Eagle, evil and wicked thing she was doing. This woman was seducing people to do terrible and moral things and they needed to deal with her and they hadn’t. But he starts out by saying, you are a congregation that you’re worse.
The last are more than the first. Think about when we become a Christian, we have great zeal, don’t we? We have that fire. I’m a Christian. I look what I have found. We have that great zeal and fire this that helps us to be excited and to tell others about our Christianity and the things that we have. W we’ve just learned.
But after a time, a lot of times that fire kind of dwindles down the honeymoon’s over in a sense. And over time our Christianity can level off if we’re not careful. But notice this congregation didn’t, they had a fire that was greater than it was at the beginning. Their works were increasing, increasing in the Lord incur in, in it loves that.
And tells them he he’s glad that they are doing that. When we become a Christian, we have to continue to grow in our desire and love for the Lord. Go to fests. First Thessalonians, First Thessalonians chapter four the Fessel and Aikins were a congregation that were full of love. They were known throughout Macedonia, how their love, their great works,
their faith, and Paul heard of their faith. He had not spent much time with them. But notice what it says in verse nine but concerning brotherly love, you have no need that I should write to you. For you, yourselves are taught by God to love one another and indeed you do so toward all brethren who are in Macedonia. But we urge you,
brethren, that you increase more and more, that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, to work with your own hands as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside and that you may lack nothing. They had great brotherly love. They had displayed that, but Paul tells them, don’t stop,
don’t level off. Don’t stay right there, but increase your love. Continue to go forward and increase that love. Think about this. Take a look at your life and ask the question. This is a question I should ask myself. Have I increased in my zeal for the Lord since I became a Christian? Have I leveled off? If we have,
we need to make that change to continue to grow and to do more worse and to love the Lord even more. We learn from Thyratira that we should never reach a point where we level off in our Christianity. Now let’s go to chapter three of revelation. We learn another thing. This is the church at Sardis. Now, Sardis has a great rich history,
but read the first part here. It says into the angel of the church in Sardis writes these things. Say he who has seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works, that you have a name, that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die for.
I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you received and heard, hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. We learned from Sardis that we need to always be ready. Sardis has a really interesting history,
so artists was very arrogant. They thought that they would never be conquered. They were almost, they were pretty much on a mountain. The city was built around with the walls, right on the edges of the cliff, so there was a hole. It was really difficult to try to get into that city and conquer them. They thought they were in there.
Nobody had ever conquered, but Cyrus the Persian King of Persia and five 49 was standing outside this city with his army surrounding it and they were trying to figure out how to get in. One night, one of the soldiers on the wall dropped his helmet over the wall and they watched him come down a goat path to get his helmet and go right back up that night.
They let a band of soldiers right up that path. That was unguarded cause they were not watching and conquered the city. Jesus used head example to tell them, you’re not ready. You’re not watching. You think everything’s fine. You’re not prepared. Just like in their history, they were not prepared. We need to be ready. They were a dying church.
Notice they were not dead yet, but they were close. Their light. Their candlestick was dim, but they could revive themselves. They could come back, but they needed to prepare, be prepared, be ready. Second Peter, chapter three in verse 10 and first Thessalonians five and verse two says the same thing, that he is going to come as a thief in the night just as he says here,
they needed to be ready just like us. We need to be prepared for the Lord to come. We don’t know when he, when he will come back. We need to always be ready in revel. In verse four revelation three says you have a few names even in Sardis who had not defiled their garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy.
There were still a few that followed God there in that congregation and they could help to recharge them, to get them back on track. So we learn we need to always be ready. Next we can learn. Verse seven from the church at Philadelphia, that strength of a congregation is not in its numbers. Look at verse seven and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia,
write these things, says he who is Holy, he who is true. He who has the key of David. He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens. I know your works. See I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it for you. Have a little strength. Have kept my word and have done not have not denied my name.
Philadelphia was the second congregation. They never received a common, common condemnation. They were living right and they received encouragement. They were a congregation that was little and strength. Notice what it said, they’re a little in strength. They were small in numbers, but yet they were doing great works. How many times a day we hear that we’re just too small.
We just can’t do a lot. Had Jesus commends them for how much they had been doing because they were small in numbers, but that small number had great string. They were doing a lot. Think about what they could do. Notice that the Lord said that I opened a door onto you. Philadelphia was in the borders of other regions and they were kind of the hub of the spreading of Greek culture.
There was an open door to the Greek culture to all these areas around them and yet they could use that opportunity, that open door to spread the gospel, which they did. Did. How many doors are open to us in this congregation? Think about the things that are going on in this pandemic. People are online more. They can see these videos,
we can show them these live streams. We can send them other videos from PTP, other different areas to help encourage them. People are thinking about God. We can use that open door to spread the gospel. Think about Paul and cloth and Sceptre four and Colossians chapter four. Notice in verse two and three it says continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant and all in it with Thanksgiving.
Meanwhile, praying also for us that God will open to us a door for the word to speak, the mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains. Paul is in prison. He is in chains. He is not able to leave yet. He prays that that he can have an open door If you would think that’s an obstacle. I mean if there’s an obstacle in front of us,
Paul had an obstacle Stickle he was in prison. He couldn’t leave yet. He wanted an open door, which he did. He wrote several letters from the prison. We can do the same. We can take and grab a hold of our opportunities that come before us. The last one we’ll notice. Go back to revelation chapter three Not only do we see that the strength of a congregation is not,
it’s an in its numbers, but we need to learn to be careful not to get stuck in a rut. Lay out of see as the last congregation that’s looked at here and look at verse 14 it says into the angel of the church, to the church, to the angel of the church of the layout of CDNs writes these things, say the amen.
The faithful and the true witness is the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works. That’s you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish that you were cold or hot, so then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say I am rich. I become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not and do not know that you are wretched,
miserable, poor, blind and naked. They were a congregation that was blind to what was going on to what their true state was. The city of Laodicea was in a Valley called the likeness Valley. You have higher Opolis on one side and you had Pergamon on the other side and in higher Opolis there was hot water Springs that would feed a river that would go towards later layout of SIA and the water was hot when it left there,
but when it got to lay out to sea, it was lukewarm. Jesus used that example of that Luke warm water to describe them. They were a very rich city. They were probably one of the richest cities and during that time had medicine. They dealt in a lot of medicine, had an eye SAF that they would sell. There was a black wool of the sheep that were in the Valley that they would make expensive garments and sell.
They were comfortable in their wealth. They were comfortable in their state. They didn’t think they needed to do anything. They were stuck in a rut. That’s what lukewarm means to be stuck in a rut. Can a congregation reach a point where they seem like they don’t care to grow? There’s a lot of congregations in the world today that they’re comfortable where they’re at.
Their numbers keep dropping, but they’re comfortable. They say, we don’t need to do any more. We’re fine. We don’t. We don’t need to increase. We don’t need to evangelize. We don’t need to work out in the community at all. That’s where this congregation was at. And Jesus said, I want to spew you out of my mouth because they were lukewarm.
They let their wealth make them feel comfortable that they didn’t need to do anymore. And we can easily get into that rut. And we need to be careful of that. We need to learn from the example of a layout of CDNs to not get stuck in that kind of rut. So this morning we have learned many valuable lessons. There’s so much information in the seven churches of Asia.
I wish we could cover, but we learn one thing, valuable thing from each one of these congregations. We learned that we should not forget our first love, which is Christ, and that we should not just go through these motions, do not just feel like what we need to do these things because we’re obligated to, but have a true love for God and a true love to do his work.
We learned that no matter what happens in this life, physically, we are richer than we can ever imagine spiritually because we’re in Christ, that we’ve learned that through the world though the world around us seems wicked. We can still make a difference by shining our lights throughout the world and throughout our communities. We learned that we should not reach a point where we think we have made it,
but yet we should always continue to grow and to do good works. We learned that we need to make sure that we are ready because we don’t know when the Lord will come. Though our congregation is small here, we can do a lot of great things, can’t we? There’s a lot of open doors for us and then last we learned that we need to make sure we do not get stuck in a rut,
but always continue to grow. It’s interesting how Christ ended each one of these letters. He started each letter by saying, I know VI works, but he ends each letter with this phrase. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. They had a choice. They could listen, they could listen to this letter,
they could hear it and obey it and change what they were doing or they could reject it. The choice was there and the choice is ours. As we read these examples of these congregations, each one of each congregation today can fit somewhere in these seven examples. Are we going to listen? Are we going to learn from what we read? I pray that we do and I pray.
If you are not a Christian that you will think about your salvation, where you’re at. As we read, the Lord will come as a thief in the night. A thief does not tell you. He does not call you before and say, Hey, I’m coming tonight at nine o’clock he comes when you want to expect, when you don’t expect him,
the Lord will come back and we don’t expect and we may die. Something may happen to us and if we’re not ready, we’re not going to be in heaven. Where are you at? Have you made that choice to put on Christ and baptism to be forgiven of your sins? That only happens through following his plan of salvation. To hear the word and to believe it,
to repent, to have true repentance, have a change of mind and a change of action. Acts chapter three in verse 19 to confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God. Romans chapter 10 verse 10 and to be baptized, to have your sins washed away, it’s acts chapter two in verse 38 tells us, have you done that? If not,
don’t put it off. Contact us, contact Erin or Ryan, we will study more with you and we will work with you. Or if you’ve listened this morning and you fit one of these categories that needs to have some changes or pray that you make those changes today. And don’t wait. Thank you for your attention and for your time this morning.<inaudible> Song before our closing prayer will be number 454 rock of ages,
rock of ages. Okay. Rock<inaudible> On me. Nah.<inaudible> Nice. Then the<inaudible> from<inaudible> side, which<inaudible> be a sin. Uh, duh.<inaudible> Cleanse me from<inaudible>. Not<inaudible>. My hands can fulfill the laws.<inaudible><inaudible> no good mind.<inaudible><inaudible><inaudible> did not. Oh No ma’am.<inaudible> then<inaudible> Nothing.<inaudible><inaudible> Sam please.<inaudible> No cross<inaudible> Naked the farm<inaudible> a plus to the far gray.
Hey, a lie to a fountain.<inaudible> wash Me.<inaudible> Alright.<inaudible><inaudible> Let us pray. Gracious father in heaven, we come before you at this time. Grateful for the day that you’ve given to us. Grateful for the opportunity that we have to worship you. We pray that our worship is in spirit and in truth. We are mindful of those who have lost loved ones in recent days and we know there are so many that have lost loved ones as a result of the Corona virus and other illnesses.
We pray that you will be with them and give them comfort and may they seek that comfort through your word. So we go through our lives. May we daily strive to put you first, to look for opportunities to serve, to do good to others, to be kind to others, to speak in a way that uplifts and edifies instead of tearing down.
We thank you for the lesson that we have heard this morning lesson concerning how we should live as Christians and operate and function as a church. We pray that we might implement these things to a greater degree and to a better manner in our own daily walks and in the body of Christ here in Collierville. We pray for the church here and we pray for the church throughout the world that it may be a strong light and encouragement and a hard time,
but that it will also be ready to be a strong light in the days to come. We know there are many things that we do not understand and will not fully comprehend for years. The impact of some choices that will be made in the coming days and months in this nation and in others, but we pray that we might always focus on the primary goal and that is reaching heaven and taking as many with us as we can.
Lord, we ask that you forgive us when we sin and fall short of your glory. Help us daily to strive to walk in the light as you were in the light. All this we pray in Jesus name. Amen.