Sunday November 12 2017

Sermon: “Message to the Seven Churches”

The Message to the Church in Sardis

"Fifth Church Message"

       Pastor Kim Wenzel

Revelation 3:1-6 NLT

3 “Write this letter to the angel^[a] of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit^[b] of God and the seven stars:

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. ² Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. ³ 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.

⁴ “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.

⁶ “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

The Message to the Church in Philadelphia

"Sixth Church Message"

Revelation 3:7-13 NLT

⁷ “Write this letter to the angel[a] of the church in Philadelphia.

This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
    the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
    and what he closes, no one can open:^[c]

⁸ “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. ⁹ Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

¹⁰ “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. ¹¹ I am coming soon.^[d] Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. ¹² All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

¹³ “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

  Footnotes 
a. 3:1a Or the messenger; also in 3:7, 14.
b. 3:1b Greek the seven spirits.
c. 3: 7 Isaiah 22:22,
d. 3:11 Or suddenly, or quickly.

Today's Verse 
 Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows dis-cord among brothers.

The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts,
The safest place to be is in someone's
prayers, and the
Very best place to be is in the hands of God.