The Church of Sardis - Great Awakening

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Reverend Dr. David Entry. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:13] Be blessed. Revelation chapter 3 verse 1. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna... Sorry, in Sardis, I'm sorry. In Sardis, right.

[0:23] 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.

[0:44] Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works perfect before God.

[0:56] Remember, therefore, how you have received and heard. Hold fast and repent.

[1:08] 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.

[1:22] You have a few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

[1:35] He who overcomes shall be clothed with 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.

[1:48] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Wow. When we were dealing with the other churches, here it says that, to the angel of the church in Sardis, right.

[2:04] But this particular text is a very, a book of Revelation is very interesting. It is the only book in the Bible which God himself dictated.

[2:15] All the books, the Bible is a library, okay. The Greek word translated Bible is Biblia. Biblia. So Biblia is plural.

[2:26] It's like books. So the Bible is Biblia, which is a collection of books. Genesis is a book. Exodus is a book.

[2:38] Leviticus is a book. Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel, Second Samuel, First Kings, Second Kings, First Chronicles, Second Chronicles, Ezra, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs of Solomon, Lamentations, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Sorry, Songs of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, Acts, Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First and Second Thessalonians, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, First and Second Peter,

[3:41] First, Second and Third John, Jude, Revelation. All these ones, all these ones are books, books.

[3:56] Every one of them are of large volumes. Others are of small volumes, but they are all books. All these books were written.

[4:06] The Bible says, holy men of God were moved. Holy men of God. Second Peter chapter 1 verse 20, 20, 21.

[4:17] Holy 21, actually. Holy men of God were moved. It said prophecy came by the will, not by the will of them, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Spirit.

[4:28] Second Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. All scripture, paragrapha is a Greek word. All scripture is given by the inspiration of God. Paragrapa theonopsis.

[4:41] Theonopsis. God, breath. So all scripture is given by the breath of God. So men, it didn't originate from men, but men, God used men to write it without violating their feelings, violating their thinking, violating their personalities.

[5:02] So when you read the Bible, you will see the personalities of the authors in it, or the various writers. When you read the Pauline epistles, or the books written by Paul, you will see Paul's personality.

[5:15] When you read Peter, Peter's epistle, you can see Peter's personality. When you read the books of Moses, you can see the personality of Moses in it. When you read the book of Samuel, you can see the personality of Isaiah.

[5:28] You can see their personality. When you look at who they are, you can tell their style of writing. God didn't violate all, but God used them and used all that to produce the word.

[5:40] Just like Mary got pregnant, and it was her ovaries and her egg that was involved. God didn't create a new egg. It was Mary's egg.

[5:51] So in the same way, the Bible, all the books were like that, apart from Revelation. Revelation, God said, come. Right.

[6:03] And God began to show him things and see. So in Revelation, you will keep hearing, and I heard, and I saw, and I heard, and I saw. It's like go to the cinema, and you are watching, and you are at the same time, you are supposed to be writing everything you are hearing and watching.

[6:18] That's a lot of work. So you'll be scribbling things. He will scribbling things. Because he was, he was like, he was like, what is called amanuensis. Amanuensis are people, or it's a person, like a secretary.

[6:30] So you speak, dictate, and they write it. So what they are writing is not from them. They are just writing everything you are saying. So in the book of Revelation, it's the same. John was being used like an amanuensis, who was just writing what God was saying, and what was being shown him.

[6:46] And so, that is how you got the book of Revelation. The only book, God himself said, I want to breathe out. There are two chapters, there are certain chapters in the Bible, Satan can't stand the word of God, but there are chapters, certain books he does not really like, because those books contain some sensitive chapters.

[7:06] There is no chapter or book in the Bible, chapters in a certain book, like Genesis chapter 1, and chapter 2, and chapter 3. That speaks of the devil more than this Genesis chapter 3, particularly.

[7:22] And there is no book in the Bible, no verses of book in the Bible that speaks more about the devil, his end, than Revelation, the last three chapters of Revelation. And Satan doesn't want people knowing that about him at all.

[7:36] All the other books will mention him, mention him, but this book, concentration on Satan, who he is, what he does, and how he's ending. And don't wonder, there is a lot of controversy about the book of Genesis, and especially Genesis chapter 1 to chapter 3.

[7:54] So, Revelation chapter 3, then, when we get into chapter 1, or chapter 2, chapter 1 says, I heard and I saw. I heard and I saw.

[8:06] I heard and I saw. It was full of hearing and seeing, because things were being said and things were being shown. And then, when you read chapter 3, verse 1, he says, let's not read it from the screen together.

[8:17] Revelation chapter 3, verse 1, that's why ideally. Let's read it. Let's go. All of us, let's start again. Let's go. One more time. Louder.

[8:34] He said, write to the church, the angel for the church. You are writing. And then, so, he said, write. So, you are supposed to be writing these things. Don't just watch. Write. And he said, these things says, he who has, I told you, every time he's about to address the church, he describes himself as a certain personality.

[8:53] Right. Here, how does he describe himself? How does he reveal himself? He has the seven spirits of God and what? I can't hear you. What does he have? Seven spirits.

[9:04] Two things he has. He said, who is he? He who has. The seven spirits of God. And the seven stars. Now, when you come to the church of Ephesus, he said that, to the church of Ephesus, right, this is, he who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the middle of the candlesticks.

[9:28] Why? Because he was going to, he, this is depicted as walking amongst the candlesticks. It means that he's amongst the church, caring for the church.

[9:42] He's in the church because his belt is on his breast, not on his waist, his breast is hard. So he was loving the church, caring for the church. He's walking amongst the church.

[9:52] When he was coming to talk to the church of Ephesus, he said, I'm the one who cares for the church and not just that, I'm holding the leaders of the church in my hand. All right?

[10:03] So he, then when he came to the church of Smyrna, he describes himself as, this is he who was dead and now I'm alive. He reveals himself as the one who has a resurrection power because the church of Smyrna were going through very difficult times, persecution.

[10:23] So he reveals himself as, I'm the one who has the ultimate power. It doesn't matter what you go through, you are going to come out successful again. And then when he came to the church of Pergamos, the worldly church, the worldly church, the church that has allowed the world to enter, he describes himself as the one who has the two sharp-edged sword is two-edged sword, two-edged, the sword with two edges.

[10:47] Okay? So he has the two-edged sword in his mouth and that also reflects the worldly church needed the judging and the saying or the judging and the word of Christ.

[11:03] All right? So they needed the judging and the word that slays, the word is sword that cuts. So he's coming to, you are worldly church, I'm coming to judge you and cut you, slay you.

[11:18] And then when he came to the church of Titeria, which is the apostate church, church that has turned his back on God completely and Jezebel is teaching and Jezebel is ruling. He says that, I am the one, he said, the one who has eyes like the flaming fire and feet like the brass, okay, fiery or shining bronze, which is the apostate church needed the searching, flaming fire is searching, the searching and the judging.

[11:47] Bronze is coming to crush things under his feet. And then when, now he gets to Sardis and how does he describe himself? He said, I'm the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

[12:00] The seven spirits of God is for life. The spirit of God, seven is not because it's seven, but intensified spirit of God. Seven is a figure that shows intensity and completeness.

[12:14] So intensified spirit of God that brings life. And he said, the church is dead. So he's the one who is bringing life, but not only the seven spirits of God, but he has the shining messengers of God.

[12:29] The messengers who are shining in the church. He said, I have them. In the times of deadness in the church, we need some shining messengers. Shining messengers who are going to bring the message of the one who has the seven spirits of God for our great awakening.

[12:48] Oh, it's going to be good. Praise the Lord. And so he says that this is he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

[13:00] I know your works. Isn't it interesting from Revelation chapter two, all the four churches, anytime he's going to talk about them, especially those who think they are doing well, who he has something against, he mentions their works.

[13:14] Those who place an extreme emphasis on grace. Because, you see, we are saved by grace, but now we are judged by works.

[13:28] So he comes in to say, I know your works. He should have said, I know your heart. Listen, God is interested in your works, not just your intentions, not just your heart.

[13:46] He's interested in your works. Tell someone, God is interested in your works. As long as God is concerned, what you do matters.

[13:59] Or what you are doing matters. I say, God is, God is a God of love. And I know, I don't know why people would think God will understand.

[14:13] Oh, God understands. He understands my, my particular situation. And you know, I mean, I don't think God should be. God is a God of justice. Never forget this.

[14:24] He's a God of justice. He's a God of holiness and purity. And he has judgment for anything. In fact, justice requires that God must judge and punish iniquity.

[14:39] So he will not overlook. If he overlooks wrongdoings, it makes him unjust. And Paul said in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 8, he said, and there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, who?

[15:04] The righteous judge. What is the Lord? The righteous judge. Wow. When he is now coming to give reward, he said, there's a crown, there's laid for me a crown of righteousness.

[15:18] When he's bringing the crown, he's coming to bring it as a judge, not as a savior. Wow. He rewards as a judge, not as a savior.

[15:30] He saves based on our heart and our faith and the condition of our heart on his grace. He judges and he rewards based on his righteousness.

[15:42] He rewards based on his judgment, righteous judgment. He said that, I know your works and you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead.

[15:59] The Greek meaning for Smyrna is the remainder or the remaining or what remains. Why do I keep saying Smyrna? Please forgive me. Sadist.

[16:10] I'm sorry. Sadist. So sadist means that there's something remaining because, watch this, let me just give you the church history.

[16:22] The church of Ephesus, which was the first church, was a church of sincerity with God, passion, the initial church. They had a few things together.

[16:33] They were fine. Just that they had lost the first love. But they were the church of sincerity. They were the church of, initial church.

[16:45] And then, we go to the church of Smyrna, which the church, the suffering church, the persecuted church. And after persecution came in, God turns their captivity around and relief comes.

[16:58] And when relief came, worldliness entered the church through Empire Constantine, brought worldliness in the church. And so we have church meetings but it's full of worldliness. And very soon, so that's the worldly church.

[17:11] And the worldly church progressed to become an apostate church. An apostate church, they just moved God out. So God is not even a day forgot about God. So now it has become an apostate church.

[17:22] Now, so after the apostate church, what looks like a revival, which is called the Reformation. Let Martin Luther, they came and brought back, rescued things like salvation or justification by faith.

[17:40] They brought these things because this is Christianity. At that time, the Roman Catholic church has swayed everything off and the church is no more about the Bible. The bishops and the pope were corrupt.

[17:53] Corrupt personalities. And they were teaching things the Bible didn't teach. It was around that time they introduced all kinds of statues into the church.

[18:06] All kinds of rituals into the church that were not in the Bible. Up to now, there are some churches who practice things that you will never find in the Bible. That's a serious thing. Think about it.

[18:16] That's a very serious thing. Practicing things that the Bible does not teach. Praying to a Mary the Bible doesn't instruct.

[18:28] I know some of you are very sensitive. Oh, you can't mention that. I prayed more than you did. You are doing. And my mom still does it even though she's born again.

[18:40] So being in a Catholic church or some churches doesn't mean you won't go to heaven. But your growth will be significantly compromised. Depending on. Your growth is a function of who is teaching you the word of God.

[18:51] Your spiritual growth. That's why it's important. So for those of you who say, as for me, this is the church I was born in. Dying, dying. If you have met Christ, church doesn't become the objective or your focus.

[19:03] Christ becomes your focus. At the center of it all is you that eyes. Christ becomes your focus. Not the community. A church community.

[19:14] I think I was somewhere with Pastor, I was somewhere and I was saying that there are certain churches that are even Pentecostal or evangelical in approach but they have become clubs.

[19:27] People are in it because, oh, you know, it's a social gathering and if we have to, listen, we are not an exception. We can easily, as a church, become like a club, like a society, like an ethnic grouping and we can easily become like that.

[19:44] That's why today's message is important. That's why this month's theme is important. Greater awakening. If you don't wake up, you will become something you are not supposed to be.

[19:57] So, the church slept. The church slept and all kinds of things crept. Worldliness, that's when Christmas, Easter, and all those things came into the church.

[20:09] Some of them may not be bad in themselves but a lot of things came into the, human traditions came into the church and thank God for people like Martin Luther. God used to rescue. So, now, the saddest church is the recovered church.

[20:23] God had to come and recover what was remaining in the actual doctrine and recover his people from the dead church and the apostate church. And so, this letter was written to the church of Sardis.

[20:34] You have started something good but you haven't finished it. Something is still not right. So, we can be, this is very laughable when I was thinking about this.

[20:45] We can be calling our church ourselves Revival Seeking Church and yet, we are not doing squat. We just have the name. We have the name that we are seeking revival but in reality, we don't have fruit of revival.

[21:02] That's why today's message and this month's theme is important. So, going back to the text, it said, I know your words that you have the name that you are alive but you are dead.

[21:21] Let me tell you this. About the city of Sardis, I almost said Semenra again. The city of Sardis was a city that was built on a hill and, you know, those days, what keeps a city safe is the guards.

[21:37] you guard the city before enemies attack. But it was, it's one city that was very difficult to break into because it was on a hill and where it was located, enemies found it difficult.

[21:51] You can't get up there. Before you can get up there, they have killed you. They see you and kill you. So, it was very difficult. So, they didn't know the route. Enemies didn't know the route. It was overtaken and run down twice by, I think, the Romans and Alexander the Great, I think so.

[22:09] How did they do it? No, no, I think the Persians. It was an impregnable city but some enemies managed to do it twice. How did they do it? Because the officers and soldiers are at the top of the hill.

[22:23] Every now and then, maybe something, maybe your heart falls and so they go down to pick it. So, the enemies managed to steady their route down. But most of the guards really don't do much well because their place is so, you can't find a route there.

[22:36] So, they just will be sitting there most of the time and the city was doing well. They didn't need help. They didn't need money from the Roman authorities because they were fine. They were doing well. They had their own entertainment systems.

[22:48] They had their own security. So, they were doing well. They didn't need help from outside. And, there was, you'll see later, that there was a thriving synagogue there too.

[23:00] Yeah. Sardis was a good place for business and there were Jews there and they had a thriving synagogue. So, everything was going on. There was a thriving synagogue and the church had also compromised because they were doing fine.

[23:13] They were organizing. At least, they had some recovery. They have recovered the real truth. So, they were organizing big events. When you go to their church, the choir could sing, now the center of it all is you.

[23:27] But Jesus was not there. We can be having exciting services, but dead. That is what is happening to a lot of churches in America.

[23:40] Majority of churches in America are dead. Even though the preachers are dead. Even though the preachers, are dead.

[23:54] When you talk about some of the preachers of our times, their theology and their eloquence. What? Their theology, their eloquence, their insight, illumination.

[24:12] What? What? They will teach you the Bible and you will be flabbergasted. They will teach you. They break the text and they preach.

[24:25] They ask you, can I go deep? Can I go deep? Are you not ready for deep? I want to go deep. And then they say, and they say, wait, wait, wait. I'm coming your way. I'm coming your way.

[24:35] And everybody can stand. They are excited. Activities, but not productivity. Get pregnant.

[24:46] Just don't be doing activities. We need to see the fruits of your activities. We can be going out for outreach. It's not every outreach that brings souls.

[25:02] And a lot of pastor friends who have told me, pastor, how are you doing here? Because we also go to outreach but people don't come to church. That's the pastor said, I've done it and I've done it and people are rather living in their church.

[25:16] We went for outreach last year. We say 300 souls were one. Sometimes people say, Lord Jesus, I give my life to, some of you know, I give my life to Jesus but you don't mean it.

[25:33] You are not saved. And so there are some other calls we make. People come forward and really it's not true salvation. It has the name that is salvation but in reality it's dead.

[25:50] Some of you know what I'm talking about. There are people in our choirs, in our churches, in our ashes, in our teams, different teams, in our sound team and in some churches, people are messing up big time.

[26:07] Messing up, sleeping around. We will have to pray in our church so that when you come here, you will feel comfortable fornicating.

[26:17] some people cannot clap. I can tell. I know why. I know why. But pastor, is it only fornication?

[26:31] No, everything is involved but fornication is the father of all of them. Sexual immorality is the father of sins and the mother of sins is idolatry.

[26:47] If you engage in sexual immorality, idolatry will follow. They go hand in hand and other things will also come. Then you begin to gossip. You begin to get offended in church. You get people in church.

[26:58] You begin to be late in church. You can't pray. You can't read your Bible. Or a lot of other things. You are low and slow and you have become stale and cold.

[27:09] but I see revival coming to somebody. Some people may not be happy when I talk about these things. Remember, I didn't come to make you happy.

[27:22] I came to wake you up. Nobody should be living in any kind of sin and feel comfortable in church. I'm not talking about feel condemned but you shouldn't feel comfortable.

[27:36] No, you must be cut to the heart. by the time you are finishing church, you have changed a lot of plans. You need some people's numbers.

[27:47] I say, no, no, it's okay. I have a feeling for her, I have a feeling for him but no, no, no, no. It's okay. So, he said, you have a name that you are alive and there was this gentleman who was in the army and I think when you are there, I mean, some of them, they go and they are sent on guard duties.

[28:12] Okay, so you go guard, you know, something like that. I think he was on duty and he was, he was on duty and the soldier, he was tired, so he was sleeping and his commanding officer came and saw him.

[28:27] So, when he lifted his eyes and saw the commanding officer, he closed his eyes again and said, he closed his eyes again and said, this and all we ask in Jesus might.

[28:43] The commanding officer said, good man, keep it up. Ready? All your stories are true.

[29:01] All my stories are true, you know. I know your works that you have the name that you are alive. That's my biggest concern because I know we are a very lively church, but it can be a name.

[29:18] That's my fear. In the absence of intensity of prayer and God's word, not just the teaching of God's word, but privately reading, we are teaching and people are reading, we will have a name.

[29:32] That's revival, revival we are talking about. Most of you, to be honest, are you seeing it showing? Even your family members have now, those who used to go to church have stopped going to church.

[29:43] Since you started saying revival, we hear testimonies only of jobs, which is good, it's good, but only of, as revival, we should hear a testimony of people giving their life to Christ, people turning to Christ.

[30:01] Don't worry about the past. Just keep running fast. Everybody has got some past, that's why it's called past. And sometimes, some of you, your past will chase out of the age.

[30:11] You know, past has a way of creeping into your future. Yeah, it's called shadows of the past. Visitors from your past. Most of us have got very interesting pasts before you found Christ.

[30:28] Interesting pasts. I found a way to deal with unpleasant pasts. I found it. If you want to stay safe from your bad past, which can bite you, keep focusing on Jesus and just keep running, keep going, loving him, serving him, that's the only thing that brings your past under injunction.

[30:54] Once you start slowing down, it's beginning to catch up on you. I'm telling you the truth. Some of you are doing so well in Christ. Keep doing and keep pushing because the past is coming.

[31:08] You are running, it's also coming behind you. It's just trotting, warming up, it's behind you. And sometimes you don't see it. It's gone, you think it's gone. No, past never dies. Past never dies.

[31:23] I'm telling you how to deal with an unpleasant past. You can't bury it, you can't kill it. Moses was a murderer and it remains in his history permanently.

[31:36] After today, the only way is to keep getting yourself busy working with God. Say, walking with God. Say, walk with God. Walk with God.

[31:46] God always talks about work. That's why when David said, I want to build you a temple, he said, no, just the tent is fine because I'm always moving. God is always on the move. That's why he didn't like buildings to be built for him in that time because he was, anyone who is a serious Christian is called, he's walking with God.

[32:05] God is always, you have to walk, we have to walk with Jesus. Keep moving. Don't stand. I'm standing with God. No, God is walking. Keep moving.

[32:18] Keep moving. Keep moving. I know I'm talking to somebody. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You look like an angel but your past looks like a devil and you have to keep running.

[32:34] sometimes some negative things may show up but stay focused on the right course. Stay focused on the right course. Stay focused on the right course and keep pushing and keep working.

[32:47] Keep fulfilling your assignment in God. It becomes his responsibility to keep the assignment going. The only thing God is committed to, watch this, many people don't realize this, the only thing God is committed to is what he is doing on earth.

[33:03] and everyone here has a role to play in that. Once you find yourself in that role, you get his attention. He protects you from things that can interact with that purpose.

[33:16] Your eye, your relevance and usefulness and beauty, your color in life has everything to do with your purpose of God for your life which you are fulfilling.

[33:28] Outside of God's purpose for your life, your life is not colorful. Things may look like it's working. I want to beg everybody. I found a secret, a help to deal with my unpleasant past.

[33:43] Serve God fully. No case of your unpleasant past goes permanently. Sometimes, one day, all of a sudden, Satan will trigger a clause.

[33:59] God is to God to God is to God to get engaged in some things.

[34:11] May God help us pursue him so our past doesn't have a poisonous effect on us. May God help us to pursue him so our past will not have a poisonous effect on us.

[34:25] Praise God. Let's finish this. So it says that you have a name that you are alive. It's scary, isn't it? But you are dead. You are dead.

[34:36] In the Bible, sometimes, the word dead, especially Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping. It meant he was dead. Paul said those who sleep means they die. So sometimes, you use the word dead.

[34:48] It means you are asleep or asleep. The Bible says that Jesus told the parable in Matthew chapter 13 of how a man sold good seeds in his land. But when man slept, you have a name that you are very alive, but you are busily snoring.

[35:12] While man slept, an enemy came and so tears among the wits and went his way. Your sleep, there is a certain sleep that is very expensive.

[35:27] How many of you know how sometimes you are in church and people think you are doing well? But you know, they don't know. You have a name that you are living, but you are dead.

[35:42] You are dead. So what am I supposed to do about that? I will show you. It is there in the Bible. Let's look at it. Verse 2. Be watchful.

[35:54] Be watchful. And straining the things that remain that are ready to die. For I have found your works. For I have not found your works perfectly for me.

[36:07] Now, there's something little remaining. It's about to die. God is. That little devotion you are now able to do with on the telephone, even that is about to die.

[36:23] You have slept your work with God away. Meanwhile, you are very active in church. Active in church, but dead in God.

[36:39] Sadist. Sadist. Sadist. Sadist. Sadist. Sadist. Give us the New Living Translation of verse 2 and 3.

[36:51] Let's all read there together. You see that?

[37:05] Let's go ahead. Verse 3. Don't wake up.

[37:17] I will come. Wow. Wow. Verse 2 and verse 3. Verse 2 and 3 in the Living Translation. No, message.

[37:28] Message. Sorry. Message. Let's read that. Let's go. Up on your feet. Take a deep breath. Maybe there's happening, yes. I will be by the national of my altar.

[37:42] And so it's okay. verse 2. It's okay. Let's keep there. Verse 2. See, he said, I won't know. Verse 2. Verse 2. He said, maybe there's life in you yet.

[37:54] But I wouldn't know. It's by looking at your busy ways. You look like you are fine. You are spiritual. When we begin to pray. But you know.

[38:14] You know. You know. You know. You know. You know. You are so busy. But you are dead. Asleep.

[38:27] Asleep. Gotta wake up. Because many people are sleeping. You are busy in church. But you are spiritually asleep. Spiritually asleep.

[38:40] You have a name that you are a pastor. You have a name that you are a minister. You have a name that you are a church leader. You have a name that you are a cell leader. But you are asleep. You are asleep.

[38:55] Sleep. God help us to wake up. Lord help us to wake up.

[39:08] Help us to wake up. Help us to wake up. The things that are beginning to excite you are things that shouldn't have excited you. The things that are beginning to get your attention are things that under normal circumstances when you are on fire shouldn't have gotten your attention because you are asleep.

[39:25] You are a dead man walking. Sad this. He said wake up. Wake up. He says that we are not the children of darkness.

[39:38] We are the children of light. In Romans chapter 13 verse 12 he says the night is far spent. The day is as hand.

[39:49] Therefore let us cast off the webs of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. The night is far spent. Are you still sleeping? I just needed to introduce this message.

[40:02] Today I was just going to lead us in prayer. And stare it up in our hearts again oh Lord. Do you know why you have become so lost some of us lost is growing you don't know why am I feeling this way.

[40:16] It's because spiritually things are so low. You are using your mind to suppress your desires. Your Lord Watch and pray lest you fall into temptation.

[40:46] Revelation chapter 16 verse 15. Look at what it says. Interesting text. Revelation 15 says, Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walks naked and they see his shame.

[41:03] Watch and keep your garments. Wake up! Wake up! We are making noise because we are comparing ourselves with other sleepers.

[41:13] Other sleepers. Who have slept longer than us, but they have become our yardstick. And we have slipped into thinking that we have competitors.

[41:27] So our competitors, when you are an athlete and you are running, and when you are getting towards the finishing line, and you realize there's a big gap between you and those, you begin to relax. You begin to relax because you think you are doing better than the rest.

[41:40] The one-eyed man is a king among the blind. But your condition is still not good. I'm telling you, the church in the West and in everywhere, there's a lot of places where there are no persecutions.

[41:54] The churches are dying. And most of you know what I'm talking about. You look like you are doing well, but you know your spiritual life is bad. You are in a bad shape. I'm not talking about those who are not born again.

[42:05] I'm talking about those who are always in church. Front line members. Some of you are always in church. But your spiritual life is in a bad shape. Bad shape. You have the name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.

[42:19] Say, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Because I'm going to come as a thief in the night. Don't let me come and catch you. And read the Bible very carefully.

[42:30] There should know how this is going to come as a thief for those, the unbelievers, and those who are sleeping. But those who are not asleep, it will not be like a thief to them. It's not going to be like a thief to them.

[42:42] Because when a thief comes, it's going to take something away from you. First, it's a learning chapter 5 from verse 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

[42:53] See, it said from verse 1, but concerning the times of the season, brethren, you have no need to ask you. I should write to you again. Go to the next verse. For you yourself know, pretty, where the day of the Lord is coming, and the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

[43:06] Watch the verse 3. Look at this. For when they say, peace, peace and safety, then suddenly the strashing come upon them as a labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they shall not escape.

[43:17] Look at the verse 4. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that the day shall overtake you as a thief. Verse 5. You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day.

[43:31] We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Why are you sleeping like that? Why? Why, he said, all the noise is just surface.

[43:46] Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Rolling, crying, screaming, but it's lifeless. It's void or devoid of the life of God. I want to preach to the church today. Preach!

[43:56] Preach! You are preaching. You are preaching. As for me, my heart is broken. I feel that Lord help me.

[44:09] God, now you have become so busy. You are dying. Yeah. Busy world. Busy world. You are dying. Lord help me. Help us. Lord help us. Lord help us.

[44:25] Lord help us. We have so much time. When was the last time you spent hours behind your Bible? Hours on your knees, privately. Most of us have public prayer life, but no, zero private life.

[44:39] Zero. It's a joke. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!

[44:50] Wake up! Wake up! Yes! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Yes! You are a prophet. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! The reason why you are struggling with addiction is because you are asleep.

[45:00] Yeah! Yeah! Yes! That's why it has become a problem. If you are awake, it's not a problem. Masturbation is not a problem if you are awake. No! No! Last thing after men and women, gossiping, anger, is not a problem to an awake person.

[45:20] Wow! It's because you are asleep. That's why we have to manage your situation. Wow! Wow! Let's wake up. Yes! Because who knows if you have come into the kingdom for such a time as this.

[45:36] We have to repent. We have to repent. The shortest road to repentance is remembrance.

[45:52] Remember where you used to be. That will help you to repent. Jesus said it. He said it to the church. He said, remember. Verse, verse, verse 4. Remember!

[46:05] Remember. There are other scriptures I would have quoted on waking up. And because of time. I believe that those who have ears, they have heard the spirit. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

[46:15] Yes, papa. Spirit speak into it. Yes, papa. Oh, that the debris will arise. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

[46:26] Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh, that the Gideons will arise. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! And said, I'm not waiting. I'm going to personally take up on myself to be fasting and praying and praying and praying and believing God for a move of God in my life, in our church, in our city, in our nation, in our generation.

[46:44] Oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord. Listen, nobody will ever see the move of God outside of prayer.

[46:56] We can have good preaching. That's the problem of American church. They have good preaching, but no prayer, void prayer. Good preaching. Good preaching.

[47:08] Spurgeon said, I would teach, I'd rather teach 10 men how to pray, or one man how to pray, than 10 men how to preach. One prayer man, praying man, can do more than 10 preaching men.

[47:24] Lord, help us so even what I'm saying doesn't become, look like it's alive, but it's dead. Lord, help us. We are a church called for an assignment.

[47:39] We are not a church just for numbers. Even though the numbers are going to be coming once we do the assignment. Help us. May God have mercy on us.

[47:53] Where are the sons and daughters of prayer? Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. UK is crying for you to wake up.

[48:04] London is crying for you to wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Don't let a pastor determine how you are going to wake up. The leadership is important. The leadership, he said, he holds the seven shining stars in his hands.

[48:20] So he holds the seven, his hope for the future is the stars in the church. The shining messengers. I got to shine for God, not for fame.

[48:33] That's one thing that has never been my target in life. Fame and popularity. It's never been my target. I just want to serve God. And me and a few who want to join me, we are going to wake up.

[48:46] We will pray thy kingdom come. We will pray thy kingdom come. We will pray thy kingdom come.

[48:58] We will pray thy kingdom come. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Please rise to your feet. Lift up your hands. You just want to cry out to God.

[49:10] That God, God, I've made you too small in my heart. I repent, Lord. We want to cry out to repent. That God forgive me. Forgive me for my laxity.

[49:22] Forgive me for my lack of fervency. Forgive me. Lord, forgive me. Everybody begin to pray right now. Lord, forgive me. Lord, forgive me.

[49:35] Forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord. Lord, forgive me, Lord. Lord, forgive me. I've pursued other things instead of your work.

[49:49] I've pursued fun. I've pursued pleasure. I've pursued material things. I've pursued favor. I've pursued the liking of men. I've pursued marriage.

[50:02] I've pursued family life. I've pursued career. I've pursued houses. I've pursued things. Either of you.

[50:13] Lord, I repent. Lord, I repent. Lord, I repent. Lord, I repent.

[50:29] Set my heart on fire. Set my heart on fire. Set my heart on fire. One more time, Lord. Set my heart on fire.

[50:40] one more time. Set my heart on fire. One more time, Lord. Set our hearts on fire.

[50:51] Somebody lift our hands and cry out. Lord, set my heart on fire. Set my heart on fire. Set my heart on fire.

[51:06] Set my heart on fire one more time. Set our house on fire one more time. The fire of the Holy Ghost. The fire of the Holy Ghost.

[51:21] Father, set our hearts on fire. We thank God for using this serve of Reverend Dr. David Entry to share this awesome word. If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it and send us an email to amen at karis.org.

[51:37] Remember to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter for regular updates on what God is doing here at Karis Ministries. Stay blessed.