Revelation 3:1-6
DOCTOR, IS IT TIME TO PULL THE PLUG?
Intro: Life is full of cold, hard realities! For instance,
there are times when decisions must be made
concerning the life of a loved one. Sometimes these
bodies can become so diseased and so badly damaged
that there is no hope for the continuation of life. During
those times, many families will make a decision to forgo
medical treatment for their loved ones, thereby affording
them the right to die. Certainly, this is not euthanasia,
but it is facing the fact that there are times when you
must face the facts! There are times when there can be
no recovery and no quality of life and the best gift you
can give that loved one in to pull the plug, so to speak,
and allow them to die with some semblance of dignity.
(Of course, not everyone feels this way. There are
those who want to keep their loved ones alive as long
as possible using machines and medicine. This is not
a condemnation of that approach either.)
While this is true concerning the human body, it is
also true concerning churches! Churches die! There
are churches that once walked in the glory and power
of God, who are now living on their past success.
There are some churches that are kept alive by nothing
more than the machinery of their organization. If
someone were to walk by and pull the plug, that church
would silently fade away into oblivion.
Such is the church in our text this morning. They
looked alive, but the Great Physician felt their pulse and
declared them to be dead! Jesus is telling this church
that unless there appears the certain signs of life, then
He has no choice but to pull the plug and let them go
forever.
As we listen in on Jesus' words to this church, I
would like for us to lay our fingers on the pulse of
Gilead Baptist Church. Let's allow the Great Physician
to give us a check-up this morning and let Him tell us
just how alive we really are. We may or may not like
what we see about ourselves and our church, but
regardless of the diagnosis, there can be no treatment
until we understand our condition. We may be fooled
about how we think of our church! We may think we
are something when we are not. Let's allow Jesus to
show us our true condition and lets allow Him to
prescribe the proper treatment.
I am going to preach for a few minutes this morning
on this thought: Doctor, Is It Time To Pull The Plug?
As I do, lets find out if we will survive, or if it is indeed
time for the Lord to pull the plug on us.
I. V. 1 THE COLD REALITY OF
THE CHURCH'S CONDITION
A. The Reviewer - To determine the identity of the
One speaking in these verses, we need only look
back at 1:16. There, we are told that it is Jesus
Who holds the seven stars. He is the One Who
comes to this church to tell them of their
condition. This tells us that Jesus is intimately
interested in what happens in His churches. He
is concerned and He is watching the things that
take place. And, in His time, He will come to set
all records straight!
1. He Holds God's Power - In His hand is the
plentitude of the Holy Spirit. This is a
reminder to the churches that we are to
operate, not under the power of human skill,
leadership and organization, but under the
awesome power of the Holy Spirit. When the
church walks in the power of the flesh, we will
surely fail, but when we walk in the power of
the Spirit, there will be success. There will
be glory and there will be power and life
instead of deadness and ineffectiveness!
(Ill. When the human spirit is in control of the
human body, amazing things can be
accomplished. For instance, a pianist can sit
down at a keyboard, perform thousands of
delicate, precise movements that will produce
beautiful music. However, let that same
pianist suffer some injury that leaves the
arms paralyzed, and the mind is no longer in
control of those arms, hands and fingers.
Then, try as it might, the human spirit cannot
will the hands to make music. So too, when
the Spirit of God is in control of the members
of the church, great things can be
accomplished. However, when He is not,
paralysis is the result and nothing can be
accomplished for God.)
2. He Holds God's Preachers - This is a
reminder that even the men of God are in the
hand of the Lord. It is His desire that He be
in control of the Pastor, as well as the
membership. If the preacher will not yield to
God, then the Lord cannot bless the church
as greatly as He desires to. Just as the
church as a whole must yield to the Lord, so
too must the man of God!
3. He Holds God's Perception - "I know thy
works!" The Lord tells this church that He
knows all there is to know about them. He
knows their achievements and their failures.
He knows their motives and their priorities.
He knows where He stands in relationship to
their agenda. He knows everything about
them. The Lord still knows! He knows what
we are doing here at Gilead. He knows what
He is calling us to do. He knows where we
are obedient and where we have failed to
obey. He knows why we do what we do. He
knows everything about us! He knows our
works! (Ill. 2 Chron 16:9, "For the eyes of
the LORD run to and fro throughout the
whole earth.")
(Ill. This knowledge ought to make us stop for
a moment and think about what we are doing
as a church. Are our works the kind that
please the Lord? Are we carrying out His will
effectively in this world? Does what He knows
about us make Him glad or does it break His
heart?)
B. The Reputation - Jesus tells this church that
they have a reputation. Everyone who knows
about this church perceives them to be alive in
the things of God. They have the name that they
are a church that is on fire for God! This wasn't
a lazy church! They were busy and they were
active. They had a good name among the other
churches!
(Ill. Every church ought to be on fire for God.
Every church ought to have a witnessing, soul
winning membership. Every church ought to be
a beehive of activity for the glory of the Lord. It
is wonderful when a church has such a
reputation. It is even more wonderful when that
reputation is true!)
C. The Reality - Regardless of what others may
have thought about this church, Jesus knew the
truth. He tells them that even though everyone
thinks they are alive, they are, in fact, dead! This
word means just what it says! Like a dead man,
the church at Sardis was "destitute of force or
power. They were ineffective and
inoperative." They were dead! Though there
was activity, it was not spiritual in nature.
Though there was business, they were bringing
nothing eternal to pass. They were preaching,
but lives were not being changed and sinners
were not being saved. They were busy, but they
were operating in the energy of the flesh and not
the energy of the Spirit of God. Everyone looked
at them and spoke of their life. Jesus, the One
Who knew then better than anyone, looked at
them and pronounced them dead!
(Ill. I wonder what He would say about the
reputation and reality of Gilead Baptist Church?
Would He say, "You are living up to your
reputation! Everyone thinks you are alive
and doing great things for me, and so you
are!" Or, would He say, "Oh, you have a good
name in the community and with other
church, but I have felt your pulse and I feel
no life in you at all?" What would He say to us
this morning? What is He saying to you, as an
individual this morning?)
I. The Cold Reality Of The Church's Condition
II. V. 2-3 THE CLEAR REMEDY FOR
THE CHURCH'S CURE
(Ill. This church has a real problem, but there is hope for
their recovery! Jesus gives them the good news that it
is not time to pull the plug! They can live, but there are
some things they must do. To refuse to do them leaves
Him with no choice but to finish them off for good.)
A. They Are Told To Watch - They are told to "be
watchful". Literally, this means that they are to
"chase sleep." This church is a church with a
glorious past. However, they have allowed their
past successes to lull them into a state of
complacency and spiritual slumber. Jesus calls
upon them to chase away sleep. His command
is for them to wake up and realize that the
victories of yesterday are not sufficient for this
day!
(Ill. This happens so many times in churches that
it is not funny. A church will struggle in its
beginning and the core group who founded that
church will have to work, pray, witness, give and
yield to God to see the church stay alive.
However, over time, more people come. More
money comes. There are buildings built and
good services are enjoyed. Yet, in the midst of
these good things, something terrible happens.
The church begins to lose the vision that made
them so strong in their early years. They
become content to sit back an enjoy the fruits of
their labors. And, certainly, we ought to be
thankful for what the Lord has done for us, but
there is no time for stopping! There is no time
for looking back at yesterday! Our vision ought
to be for today and for tomorrow. Look around!
We are aging! Who will take our place? Look
around! We are full, but our vision is gone!
Look around! We are satisfied with what we
have and we have lost the fire that made us
strong!)
(Ill. The people in Sardis would have understood
exactly what Jesus was talking about. Sardis
was located on the top of a mountain. It had one
entrance on the southern side which was the
only way you could get into the city in the old
days. Therefore, all that Sardis had to do was to
put a detail at that one place to watch the city.
But on two occasions in their history they had
been invaded by their enemies because they
had felt secure, believing that the hill was
impregnable, and the guard went to sleep on the
job. In 549 B.C. the Median soldiers of Cyrus
scaled the parapet, and then again in 218 B.C.
Antiochus the Great captured Sardis because a
Cretan slipped over the walls while the sentries
were careless. When we allow ourselves to
sleep because of what we have enjoyed in the
past, we are going to find ourselves conquered
by the enemy, 1 Pet. 5:8.)
B. They Are Told To Work - The Lord gives this
church four activities that they are to be busily
engaged in. These things will help any church
that has been caught napping on Jesus!
1. Revive - He tells them that not everything
about them has died. There are still some
things that have a spark of life in them.
These things are to be revived before they
die out. (Ill. The phrase, "that are ready to
die", literally means, "that are knocking on
death's door.") This is a call for them to get
stirred up again for the things of God! It is a
call to revival!
(Ill. "For I have not found thy works
perfect before God." This means that their
"works are incomplete and do not reach
Heaven." They have sone things in their
midst that are good, but they are works that
need reviving before they will make an
eternal difference. It is possible to be busy in
the things of God and yet to be doing nothing
for God. Unless our works are complete,
they will never reach Heaven, and there will
be no glory for God in the church. What
churches like this need is revival! To be
stirred by the Spirit of God into new life and
activity for the glory of God!)
2. Remember - These people are counseled to
remember where the Lord brought them from
and what He has done for them. They are to
remember the days when they served the
Lord our of a glad heart and wanted more
than anything to do His will! They are to
remember what it was like to walk in the
power of God while the fire of His glory
burned in and around them!
(Ill. Memory can be a bad thing, especially
when our memories cause us to live in the
past and rest on past glory. However, if
memory wakes us up and causes us to be
resurrected in the present, then memory
serves a great purpose! By the way, what do
you remember about the past concerning this
church? What do you remember concerning
yourself?)
3. Resolve - This church is told to hold on to the
things that are still alive in their midst. They
are to resolve before the Lord that they will
not allow those things to die as well.
(Ill. There is always a danger in focusing our
attention in one area or another. We must
not revive one thing while we allow another to
die. To do so leaves us in the same
condition we are already in. What we are
looking for is a total transformation that
preserves the living things, and revives the
dead things!)
4. Repent - In this verse, they are confronted
concerning their sin. When the things of God
are allowed to die, the only recourse the
church has is repentance!
(Ill. The idea of repentance is a foreign one to
many in our day and time. People seem to
have the opinion that whatever they want to
do is just fine and should be accepted by
everyone. My friends, God is not obliged to
accept the things you do! When there is sin
in the life of an individual, there must be
repentance before there can be restoration
and revival. The same if true for a church.
When a church has allowed themselves to be
lulled into a state of slumber, their only hope
is that of repentance! What does it mean to
repent? It means that we come to a place
where we experience a change of mind
about our sins that results in a change of
direction. We turn from our sins and we turn
toward God. Repentance is a change of
mind that results in a change of action!
How long has it been since we as individuals
and we as a church have repented before the
Lord for our laziness, our complacency, out
apathy, our wickedness, our deadness, etc?)
C. They Are Told To Wait - This church is told that
if they will not do the serious work of changing
themselves, the Lord Himself will come into their
midst and take away the things that remain alive
and that church will be totally and fully dead!
(Ill. Many churches are in that very condition
today! When the call to repentance came from
the Lord, they ignored it and He came to them in
swift judgment. Now, they function the same as
always! They have services. They have
preaching. They have outreach ministries. They
give to missions. But, they are dead! They are
ineffective! They are merely going through the
motions! There is no life in their midst. Jesus
has pulled the plug and pronounced them dead!)
(Ill. Friends, do not let that happen here at
Gilead! Let us heed the warning from the Lord
and repent before Him with a sincere heart! Let
us come before Him at His call and follow Him
into new live and real revival!)
I. The Cold Reality Of The Church's Condition
II. The Clear Remedy For The Church's Cure
III. V. 4-6 THE COMFORTING REWARD FOR
THE CHURCH'S COOPERATION
(Ill. As bad as things are in Sardis, there is still hope!
There are some in the church, who in the midst of
death, still cling to life. There are others who can
repent and be restored by the Lord. He speaks to both
groups in these closing verses.)
A. V. 4 A Promise To The Remnant - Those who
are living for the Lord and walking in His life are
counseled to continue. They will be rewarded for
their faithfulness to Him. The day will come
when they will join Him in Heaven and they will
walk with Him there. Why? Because they are
worthy! Not because they are faithful, but
because they are saved! His righteousness has
been applied to their lives and they will spend
eternity in His presence.
(Ill. Friend, you may be one of those believers
who is still fired up about Jesus. If you are, then
I challenge you to stay the course! God is
watching and He will keep you through the
deadness that surrounds you. When this life is
over, you will join Him in His heavenly kingdom.
Then, it will have been well worth the struggle!)
B. V. 5 A Promise To The Repentant - Those who
turn from their deadness are promised by Jesus
that He will openly confess their names before
the throne of God. Why? Because by their
repentance, they confessed His name before
men - "Whosoever therefore shall confess me
before men, him will I confess also before my
Father which is in heaven.", Matt. 10:32.
(Ill. Friend, you might be one of those who has
allowed the fire in your life to die out. If that is
the case, you need to repent before the Lord this
morning! You need to get right with God! If you
will openly confess Him before men, He will call
your name out before the Father as one of His
Own. Some of you need to do just that right
now!)
Conc: When these bodies die, there is no more hope.
We are gone from this world forever. However, when a
church dies, there is still hope. There can be
repentance. There can be restoration. There can be a
day of new beginning. There can be real revival!
Jesus has His finger on the pulse of this church right
now. I wonder what His diagnosis is? Are we alive and
well? Are we strong in the things of God? Are we
vibrant and active? Or, have we allowed ourselves to
become weak and ill? Are we knocking on death's door
this morning? Is there hope for Gilead Baptist Church?
Or, is it time to pull the plug?
No one can answer that question but you! After all,
you are the church, and what you do determines
whether we run to the winner's circle or we are carried
to the graveyard.
Our own finger has been on our pulse while I have
been preaching. What is your diagnosis of the
condition of Gilead Baptist Church? Will we live and
bring glory to God, or should we just pull the plug and
end our suffering and misery?
You respond as the Lord has dealt with your heart!
