So we're in chapter 3 of Revelation. Looking at another one of these letters to the churches. And let me pray before I read it. Our Father and our God, we pause before I even begin to read your word, Lord, to ask your blessing upon it. And Lord, bless us. Lord, we pray you give us ears that can hear, hearts that can receive, minds that can understand. Lord, may we be a people that have been changed for the better because we spent time with you and in your word. And we thank you for that, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. So this is Revelation 3, one through six, which is the letter to the church in Sardis. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, these things says he who has the 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 have 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. You have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the book of life. But I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. So I'm going to follow the exact pattern that I've been following, because the letters all have the same pattern. And I want to talk just for a little bit about the city of Sardis. I've been bringing this up as well. If you would hold the view that these letters are written to the church as a whole, the universal church, Throughout the ages, those who hold that position will say this letter is written probably to the church age from the time of the Reformation till about 1800, if you hold that view. So I like to throw that out there. And I'll probably do that as we move through the rest of the book, is say, hey, here's a couple other views, but here's kind of where I'm at with it. You know, my view is it's a letter that was written to the church in that day, around 90 AD or so. But there's a lot here for us to learn from for our church. We had some more obscure cities that we didn't know much about. Sardis we actually know quite a bit about. It has a lengthy history, well-known, well-archived history. It was famous for arts and crafts and the like. They are known as a city as the birthplace or the first place where gold and silver coins were minted. So the archaeologists have discovered many of these coins, and the coins tell a story, usually about a city. So that's kind of unique and interesting. In ancient BC times, Sardis was extremely wealthy. It was the capital of the kingdom of Lydia. And this is before the coming of Christ. We're talking about in antiquity, back when that region was little realms and there was kings and a lot of people conquering other people. But that was the capital city. It was captured by Persia, Cyrus, in 549 BC. It was captured again by Rome in 229 BC. So it's gone through a couple of changes. Religiously, they had a temple to Artemis. And if you remember, if you've been listening, Ephesus had a temple to Artemis. And it's interesting because they found a coin that showed the religious agreement between Sardis and Ephesus, because they both dedicated much worship to Artemis. They also, as their patron god, was the goddess Sybil, which was the Roman god, at least in the day of the writing of this letter, and was the Roman goddess of motherhood and nature and fertility and agriculture. If you want to look up what that god looked like, you can see these statues and whatnot on the internet. In A.D., now after the death of Christ, A.D. 17, they had a tremendous earthquake that destroyed almost the entirety of the city. If you remember, these cities in antiquity, these Grecian type cities, at least Hellenistic, there are stones stacked upon stones. It doesn't do real good with earthquakes. And so much of their city became rubble. Tiberius actually gave them a lift of taxes for five years to do a rebuild project, and he actually poured money into the city to do a rebuild. They found coins that show the city basically paying homage to the Caesar because of what he had done to rescue them from that. And they did rebuild it, but it never was quite what it used to be. It wasn't the city of old, especially of AD, back when it was a superpower and a wealth stronghold. If you get on the internet, I really encourage you to do this. You can see the ruins. Google Street View. You can drop yourself right in there and just kind of do a 360 look. I found a great archaeological website, not a religious website, but archaeological. And they did drone footage. And you can click on all these different things to see all the various ruins that are left. There are some significant ruins there, not quite like Ephesus when we were there. There was a lot that you could look at. But in antiquity, the city itself was built upon, if you look at it, I don't know how to describe it, it just looks like a mountain, kind of like a citadel. And it was a stronghold. It was easy to defend. It was hard to attack. But eventually they did get attacked. But as the city grew and got bigger, it actually was down at the base. They ran out of room up there. Sardis is actually, in the original languages, in the plural. It's the cities, the twin cities. You could almost call it Minneapolis or whatever it is. It's Sardis. So you have the upper section and the lower section. Later the upper section became sort of like the Acropolis, where you'd look up and see just the pagan temples and whatnot. Just to get a little bit of a picture of what this city was like. It was not just an obscure place. But it had entered into sort of a decline in the day that this letter was written. And I think there's a little significance in what Jesus has to say to the church with that little bit of history in your minds. Jesus in his self-disclosure. He tells them who is bringing this message and he's been pulling pieces out of chapter 1 to each church and here he says that he is the one who has the seven-fold spirit. He actually says, who has seven spirits, but I told you in Isaiah, that's the sevenfold spirits, the spirit of God. It's the fullness of the spirit. Remember seven, the fullness of the spirit. Jesus is the one who commissions the spirit in the gospels. In John 14, in verse 26, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I've said to you. And then in John 15.26, But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me. And he goes on to say, the Spirit will give you the ability to bring to remembrance the things that I've said. And that is a prescription that this church needs. They're a dead church. They need revival. And the Spirit of God not only brings dead souls to life in the conversion, but he can bring new life to a church. And so Jesus identifies himself as the one who has the seven spirits. He also said he has the seven stars. Ephesus was the church who had left their first love. And to that church, he says that he was the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand. That's chapter 2, verse 1. So a dead church needs to understand that Jesus still has the pastor of the church in hand. And if the gospel truth is proclaimed, if the word of God is honored, revival can come to the church, is what Jesus is conveying. Secondly, Jesus's discernment. What does he know about this church? He says, I know your works. He doesn't name them, does he? The other church, he says, I know your works. And he goes through a list of what he knows about the works. But what he tells them is, I know your works. And later in the letter, he's going to say, I know that you have imperfect works. Your works aren't wholehearted. A keist maker says, God is not interested in half-hearted attempts to serve him. Paul wrote to the Colossian church in chapter 3, and whatever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord and not to men. So they were lacking in the works, but he acknowledges that they're doing works. And he says that he knows about their reputation. I know, he says, that you have a name. He's talking about the reputation among the world. Now, I think this goes back to our little history lesson a little bit, because Sardis would have been known throughout the world. And probably people remember the heyday of the old BC years, when they were the capital of Lydia. And they were a powerhold, and wealthy, and strong. And maybe if you lived somewhere else, and somebody was visiting your town, and you got to meet them, and you talked to them, they said, oh, I'm from Sardis. You say, oh, you're from Sardis. That is one heck of a city. They go, yeah. But maybe you yourself then get to travel to Sardis, and you're like, this is it? because it entered into a decline. The city itself had a reputation of being something that it really wasn't anymore. And Jesus says to the church, I know you have a name, that you're alive. You know, the world knows of this about you. Matthew Henry writes, this church had gained a great reputation. It had a name and a very honorable one for a flourishing church, a name for vital, lively religion, for purity of doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in worship and decency and order. We read not of any unhappy divisions among themselves. Everything appeared well as to what falls under the observation of men. And I guess the word to the church and to us is we don't live our lives for the applause of men. Ultimately we are here to carry out the good pleasure of Jesus Christ our Lord. And ultimately it's to his applause. that we service and do what we do. And this is a warning to all churches that it doesn't matter what your reputation is to the world. And there's grand churches today that have these tremendous reputations. And what really counts is not what people think about that church. It matters, what does Jesus say about that church? Are they honoring Christ? So the church's supreme goal is to please Christ, right? Second Corinthians 10, 12 says this, for we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. In other words, we compare ourselves to what God has instructed through His Son, Jesus Christ, contained in the Word of God. Are we doing what our Lord told us to do? Or are we abstaining from what our Lord told us to abstain from? That's the ultimate qualifier of what's good, right? We need to do what the Bible says is good. We should have a good testimony. Paul said that was a requirement of a pastor, right? That you have to be one with good reputation to those that are outside the church. You can't be the town scoundrel and then be the pastor of the church. Reputation means nothing, but ultimately, is Christ pleased with us and how we carry out our ministry? So Jesus moves into his great displeasure because he says that they're dead. And doesn't that come across a little blunt, a little shocking? Oh, I know your name. I know what the whole world says about you as a church, that you're alive and vibrant. You're dead. You're dead. That's meant to strike to the core of the church's heart here. Jesus uses, I think, the metaphor of the city itself and applies it to the church spiritually. Incredibly wise of our Lord, obviously. I believe 2 Timothy 3.5 would probably be maybe the accusation against the church in Sardis where it says that they had a form of godliness but denying its power. Adam Clark in his commentary says, you have not the life of God in your souls. You have not walked consistently and steadily before God and his spirit has been grieved with you and he has withdrawn much of his light and power. And I think that's well summed up of what Jesus has to say to the church. Warren Wiersbe wisely wrote this. And I thought, this is a good warning for us, here serving this little church in a small town, or any church. He says, the message to Sardis is a warning to all, quote, great churches that are living on past glory. Dr. Vance Havner has frequently reminded us that spiritual ministries often go through four stages. A man, a movement, a machine, and then a monument. Ooh. That hurts. He says, Sardis was at the monument stage, but there was still hope. There was hope because Christ was the head of his church, and he's able to bring to a church new life. And that's what Jesus is saying to the church. So Jesus gives them directions in verse two to be watchful. And he's gonna go on to say, be watchful, or I'm gonna come upon you like a thief. Now, if you're a student of the Bible, I know everybody in this room, I know you know your Bibles. That's a common theme in Jesus' teaching during his earthly ministry. In 2 Peter 3.10, Peter writes, but the day of the Lord, the return of the Lord in judgment and power, but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Jesus will come like a thief in the night. And when you get to Revelation 16 verse 15, Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walked naked and they see his shame. In other words, he's saying to the church, always be ready and prepared for the coming of our Lord. Always. 1 Thessalonians 5.2 says, For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. One of my many favorite parables, but one of my favorite parables that Jesus taught is in Luke 12. It's a teaching, not as hidden and cloaked as some, but in Luke 12, 35, He says, let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from a wedding. that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him quickly. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you, that he will gird himself and have them sit down and eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. And the reason why that's one of my favorite parables or teachings of Jesus, one, it's a great warning for us, because we all tend to be like those five virgins in the other parable that fall asleep. We're not watching. But he's telling us basically, watch that doorknob. That's the way I always read that. Just you look for the turning. Have you ever been somewhere and you can tell somebody's coming in because they're turning the doorknob? You watch for the turning of the doorknob, and when you see me at the door, you open to me quickly, because you've been watchful, you're waiting for my coming." And that's what the bride of Christ should be, is alert and watchful, right? He tells them to strengthen what remains. There's remaining faithful ones within the church. They need to be strengthened that they don't get influenced by this dead church that they're in. And it kind of speaks, doesn't it? That here you have people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, Jesus says. They remain true to Christ. And there they are in a dead church. And Jesus knows that. And he says, you need to strengthen yourselves. What remains. And he tells them to remember. Right? What you've received and what you heard. Remember the gospel. Right? Repent. Received and heard is God's word. Hold fast to it. In other words, preach it. Make it central to everything that the church does. And those few that are still faithful to me, make that central in your life. And repent. There's an obedience to the gospel, not just a mental acknowledgement that, oh yes, I believe this stuff is true. Right? 2 Thessalonians 1.7 says, When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So it's not enough just to know the Word of God, we need to walk in the Word, right? In John 8, verse 1 and following, he talks about there's therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. If you read on in that chapter, he says, but for those who don't walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit. And he goes on to speak of, if you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you're not His. I mean, that's the idea, is that if we truly have embraced Christ by faith, and we believe the gospel, then we will also be those who walk according to the gospel, right? Ramsey, who I've been reading so much to you, that has a lot to say about this incredible section of Revelation, he sort of sums up this section of the letter, and he puts it this way. Be watchful, be more careful, carry out more completely and thoroughly what you have still to do. For hitherto you have always erred in leaving work half done and incomplete. Try to make an eager attention with which you, at the beginning, listened to the gospel, and with enthusiasm with which at first you accepted it. Make that a permanent feature of your conduct. If you are not watchful, you will not be ready at the moment of need. My arrival will find you unprepared, because in an hour that you think not, the Son of Man will cometh. Anyone can make ready for a fixed hour, but you must be always ready for the unexpected hour. That's a good warning to the church. And then Jesus' declaration. He says, you have a few names, even in Sardis. I like the way that's worded. Even in that city, even in that church, that dead church, you have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, he says. God's loyal remnant within a dead church, right? If that was today, and you know what? This happens today. There's dead churches that have people that are vibrant and alive and love Jesus Christ, and there they are. And maybe God has them there for a reason, to be an influence, to be a people that would maybe try to, by God's grace and by God's Spirit, stir the church itself back to life. By focusing people back on Jesus Christ, back on the gospel. But if you knew of this church, wouldn't you be praying for those brothers and sisters? There's just a handful of them in this church that has really holistically left and they have no spirit in them. And there you have your faithful remnant and Jesus speaks to them. Did you notice he doesn't say, you have a few people even in Sardis? And this isn't the original language. He says, you have a few names. I think Jesus is conveying, I know each one of them personally. Each one of them, personally. And I think it's because they walked with Jesus moment by moment throughout their day, whether they were in church or out of church, that they were in close fellowship with Jesus, right? The great warning in the Bible by Jesus is on that day, many will come to me and say, Lord, Lord, and they'll go on and talk about all they did in His name. And He says, depart from me, you workers of evil. I never knew you. I never knew you. You did a lot of works. You didn't know me. I didn't know you. And that's really the question. Does Jesus know you? Do you spend time with the Lord daily, talking to Him, getting instruction from Him? Right? That's what He's saying to the church. You have a few names. Jesus knows them personally. He notices that they have undefiled garments. And I think this goes back to a common problem in that whole circle of churches that we're talking about. It was so pagan in its day. It was not easy to be a Christian. in its day. It was surrounded by pressures to go to the pagan temples, to conduct yourself as the pagans did at the pagan tables. Remember Paul called going to a pagan temple to eat with the pagans was basically eating at the table of demons. And Paul said no Christian should have part in that. What part does a Christian have in that? As he rebuked a church that was caught up in that. And I think that's what was going on in this church. And he says, but I know you have a few that haven't done that. You've remained loyal to me. Even if that cost you something, you've remained loyal to Christ. And I think that's a statement for us in the day we live in. We don't live in a day where the gospel is very receptive in society. It really isn't. I mean, you can do a lot of things and dance around with trees and candles and all that stuff. All the things that we like to bring in to help us as Christians to celebrate something like a Christmas. But when you really get down to brass tacks and say, you know what, God has a law, God has a standard, and you haven't lived up to it. And just go right from there that you're a sinner just like I'm a sinner, and there's one Savior. And you go right into the gospel, a lot of people get very angry with you in this country today if you share that good news. I remember preaching a long time ago, and I'd actually get resistance from doing outreach. I thought, did I say this wrong? I mean, this is good news. I'm giving you good news. But people that aren't really open and receptive to it are going to see it as somebody who thinks they're looking down their nose at them and telling them, you sinner. I also have some problem. You know, that's our common problem is we're sinners. That's why we sin. We need a savior. But this church had those that didn't defile themselves and probably took a strong stand for the cause of Christ, even in a city like Sardis. He says that those who had undefiled garments shall walk with me in white. That's intimacy. I'm going to have an intimate, continual relationship with you as you're clothed in white. In the book of Revelation, and really the Bible as a whole, white, because colors have meaning, and white is a symbol of purity. They've kept themselves undefiled and pure, and therefore they walk with Jesus in garments of white, is what he's really saying. This is something that you'll see throughout the book of Revelation. This is all out of Revelation, but in chapter 2.17, we looked at Pergamon. And he says to the overcomers, I will give you a white stone. And to the Laodiceans, he's going to say, I counsel you to buy for me white garments. To the martyrs that we find in chapter 6, it says, then a white robe was given to each one of them. When you get to Revelation 7.14 and you're thinking, how do I get one of these white robes? It says that these are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they've washed their robes and they made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That's how you receive a white robe, is you come to Christ by faith, you're under the blood, you're cleansed, you're pure. And in Revelation 19.8, it speaks of those made righteous by Jesus' blood, how they will act righteously. It actually reads like this, And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints." It goes back to the theme. If we have right belief and faith in Christ, then we're going to have right doings. We're going to want to honor Christ with what we do. Jesus says that they shall walk with me clothed in white. And could he be thinking, possibly, about Enoch? Remember Enoch in the Bible? Remember he said that he walked with God and then was not? Right? Back in the book of Genesis. And the writer of Hebrews expounds on that in chapter 11 verse 5. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken, he had this testimony that he pleased God. He pleased God. He walked with God. And he was taken away. I remember J. Vernon McGee preaching on that a long time ago. And J. Vernon, if you've ever listened to him preach, he's a great preacher. He's with the Lord now. But he said, And he said, well, it was like this. He had this old raspy Texas voice I can't do, but he said, it was like this. Enoch was walking with God, and it was what he did every day. He would go and walk with God, and they talked every day. It was like they were hand in hand, walking through life. And it was just one day, God said, you know what, Enoch? We're closer to my house than we are to yours. Why don't you just come on home? And just took him home. I love the way that he said that. Because that's how we should walk. Our daily walk and conversation of life should be closeness and intimacy with Jesus Christ. He speaks of those who overcome. These overcomers. To him who overcomes in verse 5. In 1 John 5 verse 4. It says, for whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. In this world you'll have tribulation, you'll have troubles, you'll have trials, but be of good cheer, Jesus said. I've overcome the world. And we are overcomers because we're connected to Jesus by faith. The one who did overcome. Interesting, he says basically that those who are overcomers will continue to be clothed in white. And it's sort of your permanent garment, if you will, to the overcomer, the one who endures, even in Sardis, where the church is dead, but my faithful few endure to the end, even under great pressure. I will give you a white robe, and that white robe is yours forever. You've walked in righteousness, and after your death, you'll be glorified. You'll be with me forever, forever in white, is what Jesus says. And that immediately made me think of another passage in Revelation chapter 22. And verse 11, when you get to the judgment, and I'll save most of the preaching for when we get there, God willing. But when you get to the judgment, part of what is being conveyed is that somebody who did not care a bit for spending time with God, did not care a bit about the things of God, maybe even claimed themselves to be a Christian, but they really didn't walk with Christ. They actually walked in the ways of the world, and they loved to sin, and they rolled in the mire of sin their entire lives. They're not going to get to the judgment and say, yeah, but I raised my hand at some church 50 years ago. Because those that are defiled, the Bible says, will remain defiled. Those who are righteous will remain righteous. That's what the judgment actually conveys. In other words, if we're truly saved, we're not perfect. We stumble, we sin, we need Jesus, we need to be washed. But what he's conveying is, but you'll be a changed person. You'll be a changed person. And Jesus will identify you like that. And I tell you, and I'll commend to you a song, if you want to look it up later when you get home, by of all people, Johnny Cash, that I thought it was the best song he ever wrote. And he wrote it right near the end of his life and recorded it. And it's a really good song called, When the Man Comes Around. But he's talking about the second coming of Jesus. In that whole song he's basically just quoting different sections of Revelation. It's a great song. But in that song he says, Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still. Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still. Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still. Listen to the words long written down when the man comes around. It's too late. In other words, that's what the Revelation is saying. That's what Johnny Cash is singing about. It's too late once He's come. Once the sky rolls back like a scroll and He descends, it's too late. You're going to remain as you are. Today is the day of salvation, the Bible says. And then it mentions the Book of Life. Right? In chapter 5. He says, those who endure, those who overcome, will not blot out his name from the book of life. And that's a theme we'll see as we move through the book of Revelation. The book of life is mentioned seven times in the book of Revelation. Those that are not written in the book of life will be cast into hell. Those that are written in the book of life are overcomers. That's what he's saying here. So we'll look more and more at this Book of Life as we move through the rest of Revelation. He says, I will not blot out his name. Significant for us to see that he does not say, let me tell you the names I'm blotting out. That's not what he says. He speaks directly to those he knows by name who are faithful to him, who are not part of the deadness of the church, they're still alive to Christ. And he says to you, and you know who you are, I know who you are, to you, your name has permanent, unremovable link in the book. It's not getting blotted out. And so we don't want to reverse that and say, well, obviously people can get saved and then their name gets blotted out of the book. I don't have time to build too huge a case for that, but let me read a little bit to build a slight case for that. That you cannot lose your salvation if you're truly saved. Ephesians 1.4 says, "...just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." John 6.37 says, Jesus says, "...all that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." And then in that same chapter, in verse 39, He says, "...this is the will of the Father who sent Me." that all He has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life. And I will raise Him up the last day." You believe in Jesus, He gives you everlasting life. He doesn't give you five-year life. He doesn't give you, oh, and less life. He gives you everlasting life, this eternal life at the point of salvation. There's a lot of scriptures then that say, yeah, but there's a human responsibility for us as Christians to press on, to be under the fountains of His grace, to hear the preaching of His word, to not forsake the assembling of ourselves. And it's like, yes, that's true. We have a duty. And we press on. We strive with all of His might. But at the end, we'll be in glory because of His grace, because He sustained us. Because at times where maybe we would have let go, He didn't let go, is really what's being conveyed. John 17, 24, Jesus prayed, Father, I desire that they also, whom You gave me, may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which You have given me, for You loved me before the foundation of the world. A little quote from an old sermon by Charles Spurgeon. He says, the lamp must have fresh oil from time to time, since by shining, it consumes its fuel. Do not any of you think, therefore, if you can fix upon a certain time and say, I was converted then, that you may live as you like afterwards." God forbid. The saints prove their conversion by their perseverance. And that perseverance comes from a continual supply of divine grace to their souls. Judge then yourselves by this, not so much whether on a certain special occasion you were turned from darkness to light, but Are you still light in the Lord? And that's a good word, right? We don't go back and say, well, I wrote in my Bible this day, I said this prayer. That's wonderful, that might have been the very point of your conversion. Did you stay on with Christ? Have you been loyal to Christ? Do you still have a hunger for His Word? Do you walk with Him in fellowship daily? That's what Jesus is conveying to this church. And he says, if you do this, not only will I not blot out your name from the book of life, you have life eternal, but he says, I'm going to confess your name, he says, before my father and before his holy angels. And this is nothing different than what Jesus conveyed in his teachings in his earthly ministries, right? Matthew 10, 32, Jesus has said, therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him, I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. We're to be witnesses for our Lord, to be confessing Jesus, not to be ashamed of our relationship to our Savior in a society who has great disdain for the church today. I was talking to my old deacon from when I first was going to Berkeley Baptist, and he was talking about how society really has very little respect for the church anymore. And he's an elderly man, and so he's lived through quite a few decades. And that was his observation, was the church has lost some of its influence. And maybe some of that's the fault of the church, but I think we're living in a more and more and more pagan society, quite honestly. In Luke 12, eight, Jesus said, also I say to you, whoever confesses me before men, him the son of man also will confess before the angels of God, right? The call for us to confess Jesus before men. Years ago, and I wasn't able to make the trip, but years ago, I was gonna go to Europe. And a bunch of street preachers were going. I said, I'd like to go preach on the streets of London, and maybe get up to Scotland, and wherever they were going to go, and just go to street corners and preach. And I had to get interviewed. And the person who was heading it up said, well, I need to basically vet you. So we talked for a half hour, maybe an hour. And he says, tell me now, why do you want to go? Why do you want to be a part of this? And that scripture came to mind. I said, because I don't want to get before my Lord someday and hang my head low because I was ashamed to confess him before men. And he basically said, all right, you're in. But then something happened. I can't remember what happened, but I couldn't make the trip. Your missionary went. Nate went with a bunch of brothers. They actually got arrested in London for preaching the gospel. And then they found out it's not actually illegal, and they were released. But yeah, they'll round you up and stick you in paddy cars, or whatever they call them over there, if you stay out in the street corners and preach. That's for sure. Interesting what he says here, though. What does that mean? I will confess you before my Father. I will confess you before the angels of God. I think Holman might have picked up on what the church would have understood that to be. And it has to be with legitimizing your citizenship in a city. And here Jesus is basically legitimizing your citizenship in heaven. And let me read you the quote from Holman, because I thought it was pretty good. They write, in ancient times, all citizens of a city might be listed in the citizenship registry. To be erased from such a book would mean one was not or no longer a citizen. All those who were citizens had the right to be announced and acknowledged before the king and his court. And I think that's what's really being conveyed here, is your name is still on the registry in heaven. And I will announce your presence before my father when you enter in. Isn't that beautiful? He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. Our Father and our God, we thank you for your word. And Lord, we pray that by a work of your spirit, that we who are here and those who hear this sermon, that Lord, you would cause us to endure. And Lord, we know we have our responsibility. Lord, we need to press on. The Bible talks of those who press their way into the kingdom. But Father, we also know that we can do nothing without a work of your spirit. So please, Lord, be with us, cause us to endure, and we thank you. In Jesus' name, amen. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Go in the peace of Christ Jesus to a world that desperately needs to hear the gospel. In Jesus' name.