THE AUTOPSY OF A DEAD CHURCH
The Autopsy of a Dead Church
Dr. Adrian Rogers
Revelation 3:1-6
I trust God tonight that you're listening. For here is a message from the Lord Jesus Christ to this church that existed in Asia minor so long ago, actually in Turkey, this church in Sardis that has long since been removed even from the map. There's not even a remnant of this church that's left because it died, it got away from the message and it did not listen to the warning that Jesus gave when He said he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. They had ears, but they did not hear.
I want you to notice by way of introduction something very interesting. Here in verse 1, the Bible speaks of the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Now, the seven stars we know are the messengers or the angels of the seven churches. He's already told us that in chapter 1. And the angel of the church is the pastor of the church. It seems to be getting worse folks. Now, we're discovering that your pastor is not only an angel, he's a star. But the seven stars are the seven messengers of the church. Now, we know what they are and it's a comfort to me to know that the Lord Jesus holds his pastors, his stars in his hands, but what are the seven spirits of God? How many Holy Spirits are there? There's only one Holy Spirit. Why then does the Bible say the seven spirits of God? Well, you know, or you ought to know by now that seven is more than a mathematical number. Seven is a symbolical number, and seven is used here not to mean that there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven holy spirits. There's only one Holy Spirit, but seven is used here to speak of his perfection, to speak of his fullness, to speak of his plentitude, to show us that for every pastor there is enough of God's Holy Spirit. And here it speaks of the fullness of God's wonderful Spirit in the greatness and the majesty and the glory of God's Holy Spirit.
Now, having said that by way of introduction, there are four things I want you to notice ...
Dr. Adrian Rogers
Revelation 3:1-6
I trust God tonight that you're listening. For here is a message from the Lord Jesus Christ to this church that existed in Asia minor so long ago, actually in Turkey, this church in Sardis that has long since been removed even from the map. There's not even a remnant of this church that's left because it died, it got away from the message and it did not listen to the warning that Jesus gave when He said he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. They had ears, but they did not hear.
I want you to notice by way of introduction something very interesting. Here in verse 1, the Bible speaks of the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Now, the seven stars we know are the messengers or the angels of the seven churches. He's already told us that in chapter 1. And the angel of the church is the pastor of the church. It seems to be getting worse folks. Now, we're discovering that your pastor is not only an angel, he's a star. But the seven stars are the seven messengers of the church. Now, we know what they are and it's a comfort to me to know that the Lord Jesus holds his pastors, his stars in his hands, but what are the seven spirits of God? How many Holy Spirits are there? There's only one Holy Spirit. Why then does the Bible say the seven spirits of God? Well, you know, or you ought to know by now that seven is more than a mathematical number. Seven is a symbolical number, and seven is used here not to mean that there are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven holy spirits. There's only one Holy Spirit, but seven is used here to speak of his perfection, to speak of his fullness, to speak of his plentitude, to show us that for every pastor there is enough of God's Holy Spirit. And here it speaks of the fullness of God's wonderful Spirit in the greatness and the majesty and the glory of God's Holy Spirit.
Now, having said that by way of introduction, there are four things I want you to notice ...
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