How You Live Matters

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good job, guys.

So, I'm very burdened on my heart about this message. And uh some messages are just easy and they flow. And then some just take work. And this one was taking work.

And Monday, then Monday night, then Tuesday morning. And I'm driving to um I have a chiropractor that I go to once a month. It's in Alpharetta. Um, I only go there once a month because it's in Alpharetta and it's like an hour drive, you know, um, from where I'm at at the only time that he's available, which is closer to rush hour.

So, so I know I've got an hourong drive. I'm all chill. I'm I'm uh gonna put on some 70s music and just enjoy the ride, you know, as best as you can in in uh Atlanta traffic. And uh the music is playing off my phone.

Well, I get a spam call, you know, because that's what happened. Um, you know, the decline button or whatever, the little red decline button, and all of a sudden, it went to my YouTube channel. My my phone just went to the YouTube channel. It pulled up a a message that was there that I never heard before, never been on this site before, nothing like that.

I mean, it was just it was freaky. And the verse that came up, it it it didn't start at the beginning of this message. It started like two and a half minutes in. And the verse that came up was the exact verse I had preached last week when I said that in Matthew 24 when Jesus says, "This generation will not disappear."

He's talking about this generation, the one we're in, the one who sees all these signs. And that's what I shared last week. And that's where they started that message. And I'm like, "Oh man, God is working here."

And so I just listened for the next and it was almost an hour. So, I took the whole ride in and it was everything that I've been talking about for the last like six months. It was amazing. It was to me it was affirmation uh from God that what I'm doing is the right thing.

Um what's that? And Todd's got stuff going on over there. Um and uh that and also an affirmation of this message. So, um, 2 Timothy 4:es 3 and 4, we're going to start there.

Uh, for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables. Um, the spiritual deception will use all the vocabulary of Christianity. It'll sound like they're talking about biblical stuff, but it's removing the heart, which is repentance and the cross. You can't take repentance out of the equation, or else you're getting a hallow Christianity that has all the appearance of it, but none of the power.

And I and and Jesus said that the deception will be so well done that even the elect may be deceived. He said that in Matthew 24:24. And I see it, man. I see people that I know to be Christians reposting stuff from from these gurus and these guys with the all the followers and everything.

And and when I'm listening to what they're what they're reposting, I'm like, that's not biblical. That's that's not that's not what's in here, you know? And we're in a s a world now where you grade spiritual authority by social media metrics instead of by the word of God. Okay?

And as soon as we do that, we're in trouble. And the problem is so few people read the word of God, they don't know. So this well manicured podcaster posts something, then this person posts similar and this person posts similar. And because all of the all the person is getting, you know how the feeds work, they're just going to give you whatever it is that you're already watching, right?

Soon all you're getting is a doctrine that sounds like doctrine, but it's not. And it's not just a small thing. This is a movement. There are mega churches.

There's conferences and there's people that are all coming to praise a God who makes them feel celebrated and seen. Okay? Instead of praying and focusing on what we did in that last song, Jesus, King Jesus, that's where we need to be focused on. And I'm going to make a startling statement here.

Not everyone who claims to be Christian is going to go to heaven. And that is not Brian Pier saying that. That is Jesus Christ saying it. Okay.

So if if something happens in scripture, if we read something in scripture and it's different than we believe, we need to change our belief to match the scripture because this is the truth. Otherwise, what you have is everyone believing different things. There is no truth. And then but you get a lost world.

Okay. Um not only that, but when two scriptures seemingly contradict each other, neither is wrong. We just have to figure out how they merge and mesh. Okay?

And this is where it gets subtle. What Jesus did on the cross was amazing. Okay? It it was love and justice in one fell swoop.

Okay, I've heard this story told. It's been told by many preachers and maybe you've you've heard it. The king makes a proclamation. If anyone's going to do this one thing, um they're to be put to death with beatings and lashes.

Okay. And the king's daughter violates the thing. So now the the village is there and they're they're ga what does he do? You know, justice says he has to execute judgment, okay, and and kill her.

But love is like, I don't want to I don't want to kill her. So, the day of the execution comes, everyone's gathered around. They they bring the daughter out. They tie her to the table.

And just as the executioners are about to to whip, the king goes, "Wait." Takes off a shirt, lays over her, and says, "Now do it." And they beat the king to death. Justice was served.

Someone had to get had to serve the punishment. But love was there, he did it for us. That's a beautiful picture of what Jesus did for us. Okay.

But what you don't hear, what if when they pulled the king's dead body off, the daughter gets up and says, "All right." And she goes out and does it again. That doesn't even sound right. Right.

That sounds like that's wrong. Like Like how could you not? It's like the king died for nothing. All right?

And what's being taught today is a grace with no consequences. And it and it's it's not biblical. Yes. Everything you've done from the day you asked Jesus into your heart, everything prior to that is washed away.

It's an absolute truth. Okay? But where we've taken it is to where it doesn't matter what you do from now on. Anything you do, you're totally set.

You're still going to go to heaven. He's still going to forgive you. And what that is is is they've taken the doctrine of eternal security to a place that it was never meant to be. Okay?

You can't read this Bible and come to that conclusion that Jesus doesn't care how you live. You can't come to that conclusion from this Bible, from all the lessons of Paul, from all the lessons of wonder. You can't come to that conclusion. And yet Sunday after Sunday in churches across America, they're taking one little blip of it and saying yes and celebrating the freedom that we have, which Paul clearly says we're not supposed to use that freedom to exercise our flesh.

And yet we celebrate it ever. And so how I was thinking about this I was thinking about how what what's an analogy, you know, because people are like, "No, man. Uh my you know my God wants me to have a life of comfort and no cross. He wants me to to to to have everything that I desire.

Okay, my dreams and my wishes and and it's just not right. Okay, that's not how it is. Last week we talked about repentance and sanctification. Um, if you weren't here, I strongly encourage you to listen to it because once you ask Jesus into your heart, the Holy Spirit is working in us, okay?

And when we slip up, we have the ability to repent, okay? And be forgiven and get back in the game. All right? But there's a growing church number that takes that repentance and sanctification out.

So it has a form of godliness but no power. Now please I'm not saying you can save yourself. Okay? I'm not saying that you can't.

Only Jesus can. But Todd, if you can hand these out. What I'm saying is there's a lot of people, one to each person. There's a lot of people in America that think they're saved and they're not.

And we're going to go through different types of people that Jesus himself said are not where they need to be. And then I as we go through that, if you think of a person that you know, I want you to jot their name down on that index card. Okay? Because you're not responsible for people in other countries, but it your friends and family, the people that you know, God wants you to reach those people.

Okay? So, if as I'm going through some of these things, you're like, "Oh, man. That sounds like my cousin Louie." Okay, jot cousins Lou, cousin Louis's name down.

And then this week, pray for cousin Louie. For God to open up cousin Louisy's eyes and for cousin Louie to repent. Because the key, no matter where you slip up, if you repent, you're you're right back there again. Okay?

You can't screw up too bad. The the key is the heart. It's your heart. Are you living for Jesus and trying or are you not and living for yourself?

When you live for yourself, you're on a treacherous road. And uh it's a dangerous road. And I feel like I missed something here. Like I missed a scripture.

I did. I missed a whole page. All right. So that's going to look good on the camera on the film the video.

So talking about the scriptures the doctrine of eternal security people will argue that you know once saved always saved. And the doctrine of eternal security says you know Romans 10:13 says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. What a great promise right? Means anybody.

It doesn't matter if you're black, white, ugly, it doesn't matter. you you get to call on the name of the Lord and you get to be saved. Okay, what a beautiful thing. But Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23 said this, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. So it almost sounds like they these contradict each other.

Then you pop over to John 10:28 through30. Another big eternal security passage. This is Jesus now speaking. All of these are Jesus's quotes.

Well, not Romans, but the others. Um this is Jesus saying, "And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand." What a great promise.

My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch him out of my father's hand. I and my father are one. So he's claiming his divinity there. If anyone says Jesus wasn't God, he's claiming it right there.

But he says very clearly, no one can snatch them out of his hand. So how do these verses reconcile? Okay. um we're about to look in multiple places where Jesus specifically says he will remove these people from his hand.

Okay? So we must reconcile and how they reconcile is in the person of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18 says, "All power and authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth." This is Jesus speaking.

Okay. Now go and make disciples of all nations. Um teaching them to obey everything that he does. We have to obey what he what he what he does.

But he has all authority. He gets to choose who goes and who who who doesn't. At the great white throne judgment, it's him who separates the sheep and the goats. Okay?

He's the judge that gets to choose. I don't get to choose. Okay? He gets to choose.

Um Brian, I don't believe that my God doesn't want anyone to perish. It's true. He doesn't want anyone to perish. But man, what more can he do?

He created you in his image. He went to a cross and died for you so that he made the way for you to go. He sent the Holy Spirit into your heart so the Holy Spirit can convict you. You got to like actively want to live for yourself and not Jesus to to screw this thing up.

I mean, what more does he have to do? Does he have to come in and bodily live our lives for us? I think about, you know, I'm going on a trip with my kids, say, okay, and and we're going down to Florida. We're going to drive down to see Jeff.

All right, down there in Florida. It's a nine-hour drive, in a car with my kids, which is normally very easy, but let's pretend one of my kids just likes to stab people, okay? He's just he just he just something happens and he just starts wanting to stab people. Would I go on a nine-hour drive with all my kids with one of them wanting to just stab them all the time?

I mean, I'm gonna hurt them. They may even die. Okay, that's not what a loving father would do. People say, "But but but Jesus chases after he leaves the 99 to get the one."

Yes, he does. But if that one is sick and diseased, he's not going to bring him back and let the 99 get sick and diseased, too. That's not loving. Okay.

So, how do you remove that infection? Repentance. Repentance is the key. All right.

No matter how sick in God's eyes you may be, you can repent and get reconciled to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and spend eternity with him. That is such a beautiful a beautiful thing. And it when you're chasing after the Lord, it should be convicting you. You should have convictions.

you should feel like gosh, you know, uh I I could have done better there. I could have done better there. And those are opportunities for growth. Okay.

So, we're going to go over Revelation 2 and three. Um these are the words of Jesus to explain this passage. I wrote a book about these passages, but I'm going to look at it from a different angle. One of the beautiful things about scripture is you can look at things and learn so many things.

You can read a verse that you've read 10 times before and something new comes out, you know? It's amazing. Isn't that amazing? It's just it's just stunning to me.

This book is literally alive. And so, we're going to um we're going to go through there. And as I go through them, I want you to jot down the names of people that you might know that are like that. And then we're going to pray for them to repent.

Okay? Because the key is repentance. You're going to see at the end of each one of these that Jesus says, "Repent." It's just just repenting, man.

It's just God, I'm so sorry that I slipped up there. Please forgive me. And he will. And then step up and try not to do it again.

Okay? You're going to fail. It's okay. You can still go to heaven.

You're not going to lose your salvation unless you just that thumb your nose and stab that God who died for you and say, "I'm going to live for me." Then we're going to see passage after passage here where Jesus himself says like he did in in Matthew 7:21-23, "Get away from me. I never knew you." Okay.

So, let's read this. We're going to start in Revelation 1 20 through through 2 uh five. Okay. So, John sees this uh vision and it's Jesus holding seven lampstands and seven stars and and Jesus now in in verse 120 describes that the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lampstands.

The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. So, he's writing these churches. These are types of of Christians that we will see around us today. As I go through them, you're going to be like, "Oh, yeah, that sounds like Cousin Ted."

And and I want you to write down Cousin Ted. Okay. Um and pray for Cousin Ted because he's your responsibility. Um this is now two verse one.

To the angel of the church of Ephesus, these things says he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. 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've persevered and have patience and have labored for my name's sake and have not become weary.

These people are out there doing things for Jesus. Okay? They they're they're they're doing a lot of good. But he says, "Nevertheless, I have this against you that you've left your first love.

Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen." Their first love was Jesus. So they're out there doing these works, but not for Jesus. They're doing these works to be seen.

These people are Pharisees. Okay? They would be most like the Pharisees that we saw back in Jesus's time that he was always ripping into them. The Pharisees did everything right.

They kept the law perfectly, but they had no heart and Jesus got onto them because they had no heart. Okay? You may see people um that are doing good works not not for Jesus, but so that people can see how good they are. Okay?

I've got a friend like that. I've added him to my list after this thing this week. I've added him to my list. He he all the good stuff he does.

Every little thing he does and it's but it's all for him to be seen. It's it's got nothing to do with he needs to repent of that. Okay. Jesus says here, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent.

Repent. Do the first works or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent." Remember the lampstand was the church. He's saying, "I'm going to remove you from your place.

You got set up in heaven, but now I'm going to remove you because you have no love in your heart because you don't love." What did Jesus say? The main commandment, love God, and then love others, right? And the these people aren't doing it.

So, if you know someone who's out there that might be doing good works, but their but their heart is not in it, okay? um or everything they do they do for show so that people will see how great they are. Jot that person down, you know. Um and and repent that that spirit will will move and they'll come back to love.

Okay. Um do you see the danger in a church culture that removes repentance altogether? It's it's it's a dangerous subtle thing. They they feel like they're kind of Christians.

They're doing these good works. They feel like they're doing good. And yet Jesus is out there saying, "I don't know you, man." You know, the second church is the persecuted church.

And they actually don't aren't told to repent of anything because they're just persecuted. No one in America is really persecuted. So, I'm not going to dive there today, but we can talk about it another time. Um or you can grab me afterwards.

But we're going to skip over to the third church which is kind of the compromising church. And around us we will see compromising Christians. Revelation 2:es 12-6. Let me read that.

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos, write these things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know your works and where you dwell where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast my name and did not deny my faith even in the days in which Anipus was my faithful martyr who was killed among you where Satan dwells.

But I have a few things against you because you have there are those who hold the doctrine of Balum who taught Bao to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have these those who hold to the doctrine of the niclatians which thing I hate. Repent or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against you with the sword of my mouth. So here's a group of Christians and all of these are churches.

They're all Christians and these are all Jesus saying this. So these are all red letters. Okay. The doctrine of the niclatians and the doctrine of ba bao or balum are compromising doctrines.

They teach you that you can uh bend the rules, do what you want to kind of do and as long as you you know you you still claim that you love Jesus. So these these people are people that that you may know that look kind of they talk kind of the game of of Jesus. Okay? They talk that game.

But you see in their life that they're doing things that they're not supposed to be doing. Okay? Um they are uh they're compromising in what they do. They teach that uh love means everyone is right.

They teach that um you can't judge anyone. You can accept everyone. Okay? which which again you can't find that in scripture all right everyone's welcome to ask Jesus into their heart but after that they have to start living towards him moving towards him okay and what does Jesus tell him to do repent okay um in verse 16 repent or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against you with the sword of my mouth so where I see this is like I've gone on dates, okay?

I'm a single man. I can go on dates and the women will claim that they're Christian, but then they'll they'll do things that like I can't believe you think that's okay, okay? Um that you believe that uh homosexuality is just they were just born that way or that you believe that you can have sex with anyone you want on date one. I just I it's just not what's here.

That's a compromising church. That's a compromising person. Well, when when when you embrace what the culture says is okay while claiming the name of Jesus. That's a compromising church.

Okay? That's a compromising person. If you know anyone like that, jot their name down because we need to pray for them to repent because we don't want them Jesus fighting with them, which he literally says he's going to do. Okay?

So, that's that's the third church. The fourth church is the corrupt church. the church at Thyrira. Um these people are saved but they've been sinning for so long they don't even realize it.

Last week I talked about the the um Bara did that survey and extensive survey in 2024 about porn use amongst Christians and I said that you know they found that literally half of all Christians watch porn. Um, but the corrupt church, um, what's was stunning, the most stunning fact I saw from all of that data was, um, because I bought the survey so I could have the data, 49% of the Christians who watch porn are okay with their level of porn use. In other words, they're all right with it. All right, that's a that's corrupt.

They've they've been doing it so long, they don't even see it as wrong. They don't repent of what they're doing because they don't even see that they're doing it wrong. So that's Revelation 2:18-23. Let's read that real quick.

And to the angel of the church at Thyira, 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 patience. And as for your works, the last are among the first. They're still doing good things.

See, all of these people are doing some things that are good. That's why it's deceptive. Okay? That's why it's tricky.

You have to look for the actual works and the actual heart and the actual deeds. You know, God is looking at those things. Um, where was I? Patience.

And then the first, nevertheless, I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetist to teach and seduce my servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality and she did not repent. Indeed, I will cast her into a sick bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death.

And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the minds and the hearts, and I will give to each one according to their works. I mean, that's like tribulation, death. I mean, this is Jesus now saying, "If you just live in your sin and refuse to repent and just do what you want to do, no matter what, he may allow you to go through tribulation." And he says here, "Kill the children with death."

I mean, and he says here, he searches the minds in verse 23, and the hearts, and I'll give to each one according to his works. Works doesn't save you, but that's how you'll know what people are like. Okay? Um, after we get saved, what we do matters.

It matters. We can't just live for ourselves. We have to live for Jesus. It matters.

Okay? It matters to Jesus. He doesn't want heaven filled with a bunch of people who just want to sin all day long. He wants heaven to be filled with people.

It says the bride has made herself ready. We're supposed to be making ourselves ready for his coming. We're supposed to be cleaning up, allowing the Holy Spirit to clean us up. We're live however we want.

In uh 2 Timothy 3, Jesus said, I mean, Paul says, the end times are going to see people that are lovers of themselves, all right? And boy, we have a generation like that. But what happens when a generation focused on themselves with a phone that keeps them focused on themselves, okay, seeks spiritual fulfillment? They're going to find teachers that tickle their ears and adhere to what they believe and tell them that they're okay and everything's okay and they're okay.

They can keep doing it because God just made them that way. And and and it's just not found if you actually read this book. It's just not like that. Okay?

It's not. They're taking things out of context and twisting it. They want a gracefilled Jesus who has nothing but success and good things for them. All right?

And Jesus does give us good blessings. Okay? Cleaning up, having the Holy Spirit. You know what the fruit of the Holy Spirit is?

It's love, joy, and peace. Joy, and peace. Because you can't control this this game. You can't stuff comes at you.

You can't control. You can't you can't promise that you're going to be on time because there could be a traffic jam. You can't control this game. All you can control is your heart turned towards Jesus.

Or you can pretend to try to control your life, but you're not going to succeed. Okay? It's just there's too many variables that you don't control to be able to actually have control of your life. The only safe play is to chase after Jesus and let him handle the details because he will.

And then you'll have love and joy and peace. It's more fun to chase after Jesus than it is to chase after our own things. It's not what the world tells you. You got to have that car.

You got to have that that awesome thing. Okay? All success and comfort and no cross. But we're seeing here in passage after passage Jesus saying it does matter how you live.

Okay, that super popular influencer preacher, you don't know their heart. You actually don't know them. So, you don't know their heart. You hope they're teaching you right, but you don't know their heart.

But you know the heart of the author of this thing, okay? He died for you. You know the heart. It's so important more than ever for us to read here because if you just listen to podcast, you don't know what you're being fed, okay?

And and and it and it's but it's gonna sound good. You may even re repost it, okay? But but but it's actually blasphemous. And so if you know people like that that are just living for themselves, man, even though they say they're Christian, maybe they got sprinkled when they were born as a Catholic or maybe they, you know, as a kid and then they just, you know, started living for themselves instead of that.

What are we praying for? We're praying for them to repent. Okay? For God to change their heart and for them to repent and to turn back towards Jesus.

That's the key. Fifth church, the church at Sardis is called the dead church. And we're going to go quickly now. Okay?

These are people that ask Jesus into their heart and then he they ghost them. All right. They just have no relationship with Jesus whatsoever. They will, if you ask them, they'll probably say they're Christian, but there's no evidence because they are uh they've just ignored them.

They've ghosted them. All right? They're called a dead church. Jesus says that they've got to turn back to him or he's going to blot their name out of the book of life.

Now, when you get saved, okay, it says that in Revelation 3:5. When you get saved, your name is written in the book of life and you can't get blotted out of a book that you weren't in. So, he's literally saying, "These people were saved because they spent no time with me and no relationship with me. I'm going to pull them out."

And that's different than what's being taught. We're being taught that doesn't matter what we do, no matter what we do, no matter how bad we act, we're going to get to skip to heaven anyway. And that's this is Jesus saying this, not me. I'm I'm not doctrinally unset.

We're we're we're reading 60 different passages of scripture here. Okay? This is all Jesus speaking. I'm not making it up.

It's he says it right there. Okay? And so we've got to get serious. How we live actually matters.

So if you know anyone who identifies as a Christian but has no presence of God anywhere in their life, okay, jot that name down. We need to pray for them. Okay, we need to invite them to church. There's invitation cards back there.

Let's invite them to church. That's something we can do. You know, it's hard to change people's minds anymore because they get fed their that whatever they believe, they get fed it so much that it becomes their truth. You know, you can't reach a far-left person from the right and you can't reach a far right person from the they've just been fed so much they there's no way to reconcile.

That's why I say we should be praying for these people because Jesus can reach a heart. Jesus can change a heart. I can't, but Jesus can. So, I can pray for Jesus to change the heart of my friend and this person and my, you know, whoever in my life that fits into one of these molds.

We can pray for them. That's called intercessorary prayer. We we we are responsible for praying for the people we love because we want to see them up in heaven with us. Okay?

I don't want any of my friends blotted out because they ghosted Jesus. I want to get them in here. I want to talk to them. There's not a friend that I have that doesn't know what I'm doing, that hasn't been invited to this church.

Okay. Um I got one from Florida that's up here. You know, it's cool. you know, um he's the first one in my friend group from high school that made it in actually here.

Um and so that's cool. Okay. The the last church we're going to look at, well, second to last, it's the loudest church. And you've probably heard this before.

It's called the lukewarm church. I think between this church and the compromising church embodies most of the churches that are in trouble and most of the people that are in trouble because they think they're Christians and they're not. So, let's read Revelation 3:14-20. I'm not even saying they're not.

I'm just saying they're not skating up to heaven like they think they are. Um, Revelation 3 14- 20. Let's pop there. Where is it?

Okay. And to the angel of the church of the Ladyans, write these things, says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. It's a nice, nice phrase. Because you say, "I am rich, I have become wealthy, and I have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich, and white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye sal that you may see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasen. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Again, each one of these as he warns them, he tells them to repent. Okay, these people are successful people.

I know a lot of people like this, okay? They are successful. They will tell you that they love God. They will.

Okay? But they are controlling. And because they're successful, they're able to roll on a level that other people look up to. Okay?

And it's very hard. Jesus said, "It's so hard for someone who's rich to get into heaven." Okay? It's very hard for them, as hard as a camel to get through the eye of a needle.

And you know how little an eye of a needle and how big a camel is. Okay? It's very hard because the world thinks these people are great and they're they're winning at the game of life. All right?

They've got the nice houses. They've got the nice cars. They've got it all rolling their way. And they don't really need God.

They do, but they don't need him in their daytoday the way the person who's struggling with a a a drug addiction has to cling to God to get through it. Okay? That's a humble place right there. A broken place.

These people aren't humble or broken because they they they they haven't had to be. Okay? Life's rolling their way. And I know a lot of people like that.

They're good people. But if they don't repent and get zealous, see, they're not cold. He says here, they're not cold. They they acknowledge Jesus.

If you go, "Gosh, you're so you're so wealthy. You're so this." They'll say, "Yeah, God's blessed me." They'll acknowledge, okay?

But he's not really a part of their life. All right? Because they don't they're not they don't need him. You know, life is rolling their way.

Everyone thinks they're the swellest guy on the planet. They get to do the vacations and do everything else. Most even middle class Americans are wealthier in than most people in most countries. Okay?

We are a very wealthy country. Okay? Very wealthy. And so there's a lot of people in America today that are like this and they've got to repent and get back to Jesus and get begin to get zealous.

Jesus says here, "Therefore, be zealous and repent or else he's going to puke them out." Wow. These are people we might think, gosh, they're such a super. They might even show up at church, might give the bit most money in the church that day.

But if they're not chasing after Jesus, he might vomit them out. It's stunning. Okay. In his end times discourse in Matthew 24 and 25, Jesus tells parables.

We've just gone through four or five examples of where how you live matters. And if you don't repent and and begin to focus on Jesus instead of focusing only on yourself, you may not get to go. Jesus may decide to pull you out of his hand. Okay?

But he tells three other parables in uh Matthew 24 and 25. And I'm not going to read them. I'm just going to paraphrase them, but they all say the same thing. Um so 24-2, Jesus answers the question, what's going to it look like at the end times?

In the first half of 24, he explains what's coming. And then he goes into three parables. First parable all of them are a master is leaving and leaving his servants in charge. Okay, he which is what Jesus did.

He left. He went back up to the right hand of the father. We are the stewards of we're supposed to be taking this message to the world. We're supposed to be loving God, loving others.

We're supposed to be the things. And so all of these are are examples. They're parables. They're stories of what how we should be living while he's gone.

Okay. The first one, the the the master leaves and one servant handles his stuff like a good steward. The other one doesn't. He he um beats the servants and he and he and he he willfully sins and does things wrong.

Okay? And when Jesus comes back, when the master comes back, he says, "Take that person and throw him out where there will be weeping and nashing of teeth." Now, he was a servant. He was one of the guys.

But there, boom, out where there's weeping and nashing of teeth. That's hell. Hell for all eternity because of the way he acted while the king was gone. Okay.

The next one is the parable of the 10 virgins. Five virgins were wise. Five were foolish. The five foolish ones weren't ready.

They didn't prepare. They didn't have their supplies ready. Um they goofed off. And Jesus comes.

The ones that are ready go in. And then the door is shut. And they come knocking. Let us in.

Let us in. And he goes, "Get away from me. I never knew you." and he doesn't let them in.

Okay? How we live matters, man. And the third one is the parable of the talents, which is an end times parable. You know, he's gives five to one, two to another, and one to the other.

The five and the two double it. They're working. They're actively working. But the one guy buries his talent.

And when Jesus comes back, when the master comes back, he rewards the two that did something. But the one that did nothing, he took that talent and gave it to the other. And then he threw them out where there would be weeping and nashing of teeth. You can read these for yourself in Matthew 24 and 25.

They start around halfway through 24 and they end about halfway through 25. All of these are examples of how it matters how we live today. We're saved. These people are saved.

Those people in the parables are saved. But how we live matters. Okay? And we have friends out there that are not living the right way.

And we need to be praying for them. And maybe maybe this is convicting you in an area. Write your name down. Let's let's get this right.

Okay? Let's repent and get this right. Because all you got to do is bow the knee, apologize for taking what he did on that cross and and and casting it aside like it was nothing, like it was dirt or trash, and living for yourself and get back to living the way he wants to live. Revelation 3 7-12 is the faithful church.

That's where we should be trying to be. Okay. Now, I want to read that so we can see how we're supposed to be and then that's the challenge is for us to be that way and then for the people around us to repent and get back to living this way and then the people around us to be praying for them and and and help. And sometimes if you you may be praying for someone and God will tell you to do something for that person.

Okay? So do it. Jot that down. That happens to me.

God will say, "Follow up on your sister. Do this or do that, you know, and I'll just jot it down and then later that day, you know, during my workday, I I add it to my work something I have to do, you know, and I'll just text or it's usually something simple, but a lot of times that person's needing something right then that I could give them by that call or whatever. And just so so God can use you to reach your friends and your loved ones through this process, but be praying for him.

So the faithful church, Revelation 3 7-12, 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've set before you an open door and no one can shut it. I've heard people preach that that, you know, open door and that God can just pour out blessings and he can.

I tell you, I have a blessed life, man. I have a blessed life. Yesterday, I'm up at the yach club doing cornhole with my buddy. The day before that, I'm golfing.

The day day before that, I'm doing a men's night out. I have a blessed life. God can pour blessings down on you. Okay?

But the real blessing is the love of God and and that relationship. Okay? That's the real blessing. But I've heard it preached where, you know, they take that one verse and then they say, "You're just going to get showered with, you know, the door is never going to be shut and you're just going to have money, money, money, all the money you want."

And it's just not truth. But God does bless us. I mean, look at the sunrise. Look at the trees.

Look at the weather. Look at I mean, we're surrounded by beauty. We were in our Bible study. We were looking at Genesis, man.

how overthe-top God is to there's sea creatures we still haven't under we still haven't seen yet like he he just went nuts man just just doing all this stuff for us it's amazing right um so so the door opens for uh and then he goes for you have a little strength have kept my word and have not denied my name indeed I will make those hold on so we keep his word all right Jes Jesus said, "If you love me, you'll keep my commandments." Okay? I died for you. I did everything for you.

If you love me after all that, just keep my commandments. That's all he says. Just keep my commandments. We can do that.

He doesn't ask for much. He says, "Love God. Love others." Doesn't say love me.

He doesn't say love ourselves. But that's what the gospel is being twisted to today in America. And it's just wrong. It's not biblical.

And it's going to lead to people being thrown out who think they're getting in. And I don't want that to be anyone that we know. Okay? Love him.

Love others. Uh indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not. That's another topic for another day. But lie.

Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you. Because I have kept my because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. The hour of trial that's going to test the whole world is the mark.

Okay? He's going to keep us from that. That means he's going to rapture us up at that time. This is the only church he says is going to get raptured up.

Not everyone that's a Christian is going to get raptured up. All right, that's amazing. According to Jesus, not according to me. But what's being taught is Jesus saves you one time forever.

No matter what you do, you're always going to be saved and oh, you'll get to skip up to heaven and and and you get raptured up. And I mean, it's just it's just not truth. It's not being taught truthfully. Okay.

Um the focus of the faithful church is Jesus. They kept my commandment to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial. Behold, I am coming quickly.

Hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out no more. The focus of the faithful church is obedience to Christ. Okay?

And it's about your heart. It's about you trying to obey him. It's not about you being perfect. The faithful church slips up.

I slip up. It's impossible to be perfect. Okay? God knows we're going to slip up.

And yet, every time we come to him and say, "I'm sorry I slipped up." He forgives us over and over and over again until we get it. Until we finally learn, we just have to have to have to focus on the Lord. It's not what's in it for me.

It's how can I serve you, Lord? Okay. Simple obedience. Um he says here they kept we kept the command to persevere.

Why would a church that's being blessed that's doing everything right have to persevere? Because we're in a sinful world because bad stuff happens to people. My people we love die. That happens.

People we love get in accidents. That happens. Bad stuff comes our way. Bad business just stuff happens.

Okay. We live in a fallen world. Life is hard and we do have an enemy. We talked about that last week.

We have an enemy and we need to be ready to fight. But we also have an advocate, the Holy Spirit who's there for us and inside of us and helping us. Okay? And and we've got to by going to Jesus by embracing that.

We're embracing that Holy Spirit. We're allowing him to work inside of us. And we're getting better and better and better as we go along. I'm a different man than I was even a year ago.

I'm way different than I was 30 years ago. And that's all because of Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in me. Paul challenges Timothy in second Timothy 4 5. Be watchful in all things.

Endure afflictions. We're going to have afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. What's that?

Reaching people for Jesus. Reaching and teaching, right? And fulfill your ministry. The faithful church is not perfect, but they're overcomers because we're focusing on God and we're obeying God.

We're to be overcomers. Okay? And then we're loving others by going and making disciples. Reach and teach.

That's what I say. We want to reach them and teach them to obey God. Okay? These are serious times.

There's an apostasy happening in the church. We've got to first be faithful ourselves reading this word and then we've got to be praying for the people we love, praying for them to repent and being open to God to use us to reach them in some way, shape or form. Okay? We all know people um so pray that God will draw them back to him and that they'll repent.

Okay. Um, as a band comes up, hopefully God has revealed to you some people that you need to be praying for. Okay? This is your job.

If they're in your sphere of influence and you see these things that they're walking, but but not they're not walking their talk or however that is, talking the walk, walking the talk, whatever. If you see them maybe uh being very judgmental and critical but with no love in their heart. If you see them in these different areas, no not not not giving Jesus any credence. Okay, be praying for them.

If they act like they've never heard of Jesus, invite them to church. Maybe if you saw yourself in some of these, we can just repent today, man. Just lay it down today. He's going to forgive you, but you got to lay it down.

You have to acknowledge before a holy God that I screwed up here, okay? I messed up God and he's going to forgive you. He will. But you have to have that heart turned towards him.

You It can't be a proud and blasphemous heart. It's got to be a humble and contrite heart that chases after God. And if you don't know the Lord, if you're here and you don't know Jesus, then then today is the day of salvation. But regardless, let's do business with God today as we're in this place now as the band plays.

Um, let me pray over us and then let's let's let's do business with the Lord today. Lord, Lord, I uh the crying need of this generation, Lord, is repentance. The crying need is a recognition that what you did on the cross was enough, but that we're to be living, picking up that cross daily and following you, living with a heart turned towards you and living as if what we do matters because it does. It does to you, Lord.

And Lord, I pray over everyone in this room that as we go into this week, we will be praying for these people that we love. will be asking you to heal them, to bring them back to you. Lord, I pray for everyone who needs to repent right now today, Lord, to lay it down. And I pray if anyone doesn't know you, they come.

They come and uh I'll be right here. Lord, we love what you've done. We love you. We love everything about you, Lord.

And I just pray that your presence and your spirit be here right now in this place in Jesus name. Amen.