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Dr. Tony Evans is the founder and senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, founder and president of The Urban Alternative and author of over 100 books, booklets and Bible studies. The first African American to earn a doctorate of theology from Dallas Theological Seminary, he has been named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University. Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American. His radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can be heard on over 1,400 radio outlets daily and in more than 130 countries. Dr. Evans’ sermons are also streamed and downloaded over 20,000,000 times annually.
Jesus has a cleaning service he can
clean you up from your sins he can clean
you up from your Rebellion he can clean
you up for your resistance he can clean
you up from your unrighteousness and let
me tell you about his cleaning service
he does pickups so he will come to where
you are and pick you up and give you the
cleaning so that you can be unspotted
from the
[Music]
world
we are studying Overcomers as John the
Apostle writes the seven churches of
Asia as a template for all the churches
that would would come today
we we take a
tour to Sardis Sardis Bible
Fellowship located some 50 miles east of
Smyrna and some 30 Mi Southwest of thy
Tyra
we come to a place a City built on a an
acropolis on a on a mountain called
Sardis Sardis was the Church of What’s
Happening
Now it was the end place to
be it was the the hot location in town
for folk who wanted to go to church if
you wanted to go to
church you went to Sardis Bible
Fellowship cuz that place was
smoking that that place had it going
on in fact he says in verse
one you have a name that you are
alive if we were to ask the folk around
town about your church they would say oh
they know what they doing over there
they got it going on over there oh they
serious over there he says you got a
name meaning you got a reputation yes
your reputation Sardis is
Stella the problem comes in verse one
when he
says but what I say about you is not
what folks say about
you what I say about you is not the same
as the reputation that you have around
the city of
Sardis he says because when I look at
the church I see a bunch of dead folk
walking he says but you are dead
so that means it’s possible to look like
you
alive dress like you alive Walk Like You
Alive talk like you alive carry your
Bible like you alive dress Sunday
morning like you alive and be
comos he says you are
dead there is no life working with
you now obviously they’re physical
alive they’re still going to
church what does he mean that they are
dead well we find the explanation in his
introduction because he says the angel
to the angel of the church at Sardis wri
to the pastor of the church at Sardis
Wright he who has the seven spirits of
God and the Seven
Stars remember that the number seven
means completeness or fullness or
wholeness in the Bible so when you read
sevens a seven is a number of
completeness God created seven days he
finished his work on the seventh day
it’s it’s God finishing
something when he says the one who holds
the seven spirits he’s referring to the
completeness of the Holy
Spirit Sardis had a program Sardis had
people Sardis had a preacher
sist had some kind of
music but what they didn’t have was
life so you can have a church that that
has no life and the reason it didn’t
have life is that the spirit of God was
missing a program without the spirit is
an
activity that has no
life the Bible says everybody who’s in
Christ is a new creation
chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians says if you
belong to Christ he’s made you brand new
cuz he’s given you a brand new spirit
that is to infuse the soul and the soul
is to infuse the body he says that you
have a
reputation one of the worst things in
the world is for God to say something
about you that’s different than what
folk are saying folk is saying you got a
name we know who you are we know where
you are the job of the Holy Spirit like
a dimmer switch is to raise the Light of
Christ in our lives in the Old Testament
God the father was the Superstar he’s on
every page in the gospels Jesus God the
son is the Superstar he’s on every page
but once you hit the beginning of the
church in Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit
becomes the Superstar the father sent
the son the son sent the spirit so if
there is no relationship to the Holy
Spirit you won’t experience much of
Jesus and if you don’t experience much
of Jesus you won’t have much of God so
if you want more of God you got to have
more of Jesus if you want more of Jesus
you got to have more of the holy spirit
because without them you don’t get the
full orbed experience of the
godhead so the one who holds the seven
spirits that is the completeness of the
Holy Spirit which is why the Bible says
walk with the spirit be filled with the
spirit and in order to do
that you and I must be operating what’s
this
spiritually see once you bring a
non-spiritual
perspective you no longer are plugged in
once you bring a perspective that the
Holy Spirit does not agree with then now
you’re trying to make your equipment
work on your own and it’s not designed
to work without an outlet and that
outlet is the spirit of God which means
you must operate spirit or what the
Bible calls in 1 Corinthians 2 a
spiritual mind that is you must think
like God thinks and respond like God
wants you to respond in order for the
spirit to get kicked in so that the
parts work because the parts the new
nature only works by that which the
spirit quickens in the life of a
Believer 1 Timothy 35 says you have a
form of
godliness you you got a you you you got
a form of godliness you look in the
part it’s a Christian Halloween
mask where you put on a mask that makes
you look like
Jesus you’ve got a vocabulary that makes
you sound like
Jesus but there is no reality of Jesus
at work he says you’re dead I don’t care
what the people
say you have faked it to make it sorry
this Bible
Fellowship you’re not
authentic you’re not for
real but when Jesus the Risen ascended
Christ comes he says I’m looking for the
real
thing I’m not looking for fake not
looking for plague
Christianity I come and I’m looking for
the real
thing authenticity full commitment so
that’s his
complaint you got a reputation but
you’re
dead verse two wake
up is there an echo in the house wake
up wake up he
says well if he’s telling you to wake up
you sleep
so he’s not talking about folk who
physically dead he talking about they’re
spiritually dead they’re spiritually
asleep wake
up you ever had folk in your house that
don’t want to get
up he tells them in the second line of
verse two he says wake up and strengthen
the things that remain which are about
to
die the things that remain
here’s our problem the problem at Sardis
Bible Fellowship with the church and
with many of its members not all as
you’ll see but with many of them is they
had become spiritually
asleep so they got started but wouldn’t
keep going the things that remain they
began following Christ but then they got
used to it they began serving the lord
but then they
quit so they were not
continuing to build on the
faith they were getting so comfortable
being a
Christian that there was
no aggressiveness to
complete what it meant to fully follow
Christ you see you can get used to being
saved you can get be used to being
forgiven when you first get saved all
your sins for given you’re on your way
to heaven and you’re excited to be with
the Lord to spend time with the Lord to
read his word to pray to witness for the
Lord but after a while you can get used
to
it and so you can get sleepy and I don’t
want to be fully
committed Jesus Christ paid full price
on the
cross his words on Calvary was it is
finished the Greek phrase tasi means
means paid in full he paid a full price
but he didn’t pay it for half a
Christian he didn’t pay it for half a
commitment he didn’t pay it for half of
dedication he says whether you eat or
drink or whatever you do do all to the
glory of God I paid a full price for a
full commitment what are you doing
giving me half a
Christian he says give me the things
that
remain yeah I know you go to church and
I know you know you say grace and I know
you do that but I I I paid for a little
bit more than
that I paid for your Eternal Destiny in
heaven and for you to follow me as a
disciple of Christ on earth that is what
I paid for give me give me what I paid
for he says that’s not what you’re
doing you’re not plugged into the spirit
and that lack of commitment is keeping
the spirit from operating in your midst
he says for I have not found your Deeds
verse two to be completed in the sight
of my God you you you don’t finish you
you make a commitment to me but you
don’t complete it you don’t follow it
through no I want all of you y and so he
tells them to do three things in verse
three he says remember what you have
received heard and keep it and
repent he said
remember remember what remember what you
have
heard he’s referring to the Bible
teaching they had gotten from the
apostles what you had heard they had
learned some things that they were not
applying they had had enough Bible to
know how to do something that they
weren’t
doing remember the things you have
heard because the spirit responds to the
word kept not just the word word heard
known amened appreciated valued and when
I or you or we collectively as a
church don’t do that we just become a
church of a
reputation without a
reality because the spirit is not
moving and then he says
repent repent of what repent means to
turn turn from what you’re not doing
that the word word says to do and start
doing
it because that’s the order because
remember the spirit’s like a dove he
real sensitive that’s why the Bible says
grieve not the holy spirit because
he’ll Fly Away real quick when he’s not
comfortable in the
environment
so he tells them to remember to obey and
to
repent because if you don’t he
says you don’t know the hour that I will
come to you like a
thief to let you know how serious this
is if you gonna stay comos I might as
well pull the plug yeah if you’re gonna
stay comos you’re gonna stay dead then I
have just have toci because you know
when people pull the plug on somebody
the person who the plug is being pulled
on doesn’t know it don’t even know cuz
they cuz they in a sleep state they’re
in a com state so somebody’s going to
come at a time they know not and pull
the
plug because he can’t he can’t use you
he can’t do anything with you because
you’re useless
because he is not the focus the meaning
the
drive he says but there are a few people
in
Sardis verse
four there are a few people who have not
soiled their
garments
H there are a few folk there who I can
still
use he says I’ve got a few folk in
Sardis who’ve not sold their garments so
let me tell you why he’s bringing up
clothes garments you see Sardis was a
garment district it made clothes that’s
what it was known for so he uses what
they did as a city to describe these
faithful people in the church now you
know what it is to soore your garment it
means to get dirt on your clothes you
know we’ve D we’ve dropped grease or or
or drippings or barbecue or ketchup or
whatever it was on our we’ soiled our
garment he said there are a few people
who have not soiled their garment now
what does he
mean James 1 127
says that we are to keep ourselves
unspotted from the
world unspotted from the
world that means to be soil to be to put
spots on your
clothes so here’s the problem with
Sardis and the problem with so many
Christians and Christian churches
today
worldliness okay let me put it another
way trying to accommodate the culture
compromise with the culture rather than
commitment to Christ within the culture
am amen we want to be so acceptable for
the non-Christian world will compromise
our Christian values so they will like
us that’s why you don’t read about any
persecution in Sardis you don’t read
about anybody coming against them in
Sardis cuz everybody was applauding
Sardis even the Pagan un Christians why
because the Christians were so
secularized so culturized wanting to be
so
popular that their commitment was
missing so they would just do
enough
see you can do enough just to make folk
think you love
Jesus let me Define worldliness again
worldliness
means it is that system headed by Satan
that leaves God out that’s
worldliness when you have to push God to
the sideline cuz you don’t want to
offend anybody when you have to push
Jesus Christ to the sideline because
what they gonna think about you how they
gonna feel about you whether they gonna
like you whether they’re going to accept
you whether they going to date you
whether they g whatever you that it is
if you have to push Jesus to the
sideline in any category you just became
worldly if you got to hide the
fact Jesus says If you deny me before
men I will deny you before my father if
you confess me before men I will confess
you before my father not not I believe
in God that’s vague and generic no I am
a follower of Jesus
Christ like Paul said I am not ashamed
of the Gospel it is the power of God and
to Salvation to everyone who believes
starting with the Jew and going to the
Greek this is not time this is not time
for we Christians you know
why cuz you with the way the culture is
going now you can’t hide no more see
there used to be a time when Christians
could hide cuz everybody was religious
and everybody kind of respected the
Christian faith and everybody kind of uh
went to church but now you can’t hide
anymore cuz your kids in public school
are going to confront things that you
didn’t have to confront they things
coming across social media that you
didn’t have to use to deal with that
there they their viewpoints out there in
the public now that that would they’ll
knock you back on your heels so now the
culture is going to force you to put up
or shut
up he says but there are some at
arst who is not acquest to the culture
and don’t get me wrong I’m not talking
about being foolish I’m not talking
about being irresponsible I’m not
talking about being mean or
mean-spirited no but I am talking about
being
clear being clear about Jesus
Christ because that’s what gets the
spirit’s attention because the holy
spirit says I’ve come to glorify the
son and so look at what he says he’s
going to do for the
Overcomer he ends verse four by saying
and they will walk with me in white for
they are worthy he who overcomes will
thus be clothed in white garments so he
uses the word white
twice what’s what’s this white thing I’m
going to get white cloes cuz you back to
the clothes thing cuz they’re in Sardis
that makes
clothes okay let me give you another
word to help you out with white
garments tuxedo and a
gown okay white garments was Formal Wear
to special
occasions that’s what white garments
were so if I would put it in everyday
contemporary language he says to the one
who overcomes overcomes complacency and
gives me full commitment I will dress up
him up in a tuxedo and her up in a gown
why cuz only those people will be
invited to my Formal
Affairs remember what I explained when
we did our 40th anniversary event down
at the Omni one of the requirements was
tuxedo and gown okay it was our 40th we
were doing Special okay there are a lot
of people in the hotel but we were the
only ones walking around there with
Tuxedos and a gown because we were in
the ballroom for a speci event all those
other folk in the hotel they couldn’t
come to that event one they w’t invited
and number two they wouldn’t have been
dressed appropriate to the event God
says for those people who are willing to
be fully committed to
me who get this thing straight finish
what they remain full commitment not
play Church fully identified with
me when we meet he going to walk with me
he not going to just be in the
neighborhood he going to walk with me
with his tu
with her gown cuzz they will be the ones
invited to the Formal Affairs because
they were an overcomer and then he
throws an interesting phrase in verse
five and I will not erase his name out
of the book of
life now that poses a little problem
doesn’t it what does he mean he will not
erase the name first of all I thought we
believe eternal security that you
couldn’t lose your salvation yeah that’s
what the Bible teaches once saved you’re
saved forever okay but he says you’re
going to erase your name out of the book
of life isn’t The Book of Life where
saved people’s names are registered yeah
the Book of Life is where save people’s
names are registered but he says I’m
going to erase your name out of the book
of life so doesn’t that sound like I’mma
lose my salvation if I’m not an
overcomer well it sounds like it but
that can’t be true because that that
would be a contradiction of Eternal
salvation so what does it mean so let me
give you one rule of Bible study one
rule of Bible study is when you see a
phrase or a word that doesn’t makes
sense see if the phrase or word is used
in the same context if the phrase or
word is used in the same context see how
it was used previously to determine what
it means now if you go back to verse one
you see the word name in verse one what
did he mean by name in verse one you
have a name but you are dead well he
means reputation in verse one he’s
talking about you have a reputation with
no reality so when he uses the word name
he’s talking about their identity or
their reputation so when he says I will
not erase your name out of the book of
life he doesn’t mean they going to lose
their salvation he means they’re not
going to lose their identity and
reputation it means that they will be
recognized eternally for their
commitment in history why does that
matter let me tell you why because
nobody may know your name now nobody may
be appreciating you for what you’ve done
now nobody may be calling you up front
and giving you a plaque now but Jesus
says if you are an overcomer and you are
committed to me I will not forget your
name watch this and I will not let
anybody else forget your name because I
will advertize your name ongoingly it
will never be erased you’ll be invited
to every event every affair because you
will be in that special class of
Overcomers look if Beyonce came in
church right now service would be half
over I know service would be half over
if Beyonce came in here or somebody of
her caliber in entertainment or Sports I
know what would happen people would
pretend that they’re listening to me
people would pretend that they’re paying
attention to me but really what they
would try to do is catch a glance so you
sitting here she or somebody of notice
sitting there
you any opportunity you could get a
glance you try to get a glance then
other folk would be looking at their
smartphone pretending that they reading
their Bible verses when actually click
click click click click click they
taking a picture you know why because
somebody of notoriety has walked through
the door that has captured your
undivided attention he says to the
Overcomers who are committed to me when
you strut out in your tuxedo and gown
and you cross over Gold Street and
silver Boulevard everybody’s going to
know oh that’s Ruth oh that’s Betty oh
that’s butch or that’s Ralph oh that’s
one of those overcoming folk cuz look at
how they are dress God is going to
recognize in perpetuity those who are
committed even through difficulty and
even though you didn’t get the
registration or recognition that others
got on Earth and so he concludes and he
says in verse six I will confess his
name before my father and before his
angels and he going to advertise you you
going to be a billboard so here’s the
question we got to ask in
closing do you want to be a
mortuary where dead folk
live do you want to be a
melim which is a monument to where dead
folk hang out or do you want to be a
Ministry that God can
use to bring glor glory to him good to
you and benefit to others do you want to
give him the whole deal so that he can
work all the good that he has in your
life well you say but wait a minute my
garment’s already
soiled I’ve already I’ve already gotten
messed
up well I I’ll close with
this I know a
cleaners I know a
cleaners last time I checked the job of
cleaners is to clean up soil clothes
when clothes get soiled you take them to
the cleaners so that they can laundry
them or they can wash them so that they
can give you back something zestfully
clean you take it to the cleaning so
they can fix up what you’ve messed up I
know a fountain filled with blood drawn
from Emmanuel’s vein and sinners plunge
beneath the flood lose all their guilty
stain so I’ve got some good news that if
you’ve got a little dirt on you Jesus
has a cleaning service he can clean you
up from your sins he can clean you up
from your Rebellion he can clean you up
for your resistance he can clean you up
from your iniquity he can clean you up
from your unrighteousness cuz he’s got a
cleaning service and let me tell you
about his cleaning service he does
pickups so he will come to where you are
and pick you up and give you the
cleaning so that you can be unspotted
from the
[Music]
world
a