The Hidden Truth About the Dead Church of Sardis (Part 2)

Summary

In this episode of the Kathy Barnette Show, Kathy delves into the letter to the church of Sardis, exploring the themes of spiritual deadness, the necessity of the Holy Spirit, and the importance of repentance. She emphasizes that the church, despite its reputation for good works, is spiritually dead due to a lack of reliance on God's power. Kathy calls for a return to the teachings of Jesus and a strengthening of faith, urging listeners to remember their spiritual roots and prepare for the judgment that awaits everyone.

Takeaways

The church of Sardis is known for its dead works.
Compromise leads to spiritual deadness.
Jesus is the only way; he is exclusive.
Reliance on self leads to spiritual decay.
Good works without faith are meaningless.
Repentance is necessary for spiritual revival.
Strengthening what remains is crucial for survival.
We must remember the teachings of Jesus.
Judgment awaits everyone; be prepared.
Seek God's guidance in all endeavors.

Chapters

00:00 The Dead Church of Sardis
04:08 The Power of the Holy Spirit
07:00 Strengthening What Remains
12:20 Remember, Repent, and Prepare for Judgment

 

Part 1: The Book of Revelation EXPLAINED: An In-Depth Introduction https://youtu.be/ORMKqeUjhUs

Part 2: The Book of Revelation EXPLAINED: A Deep Dive into Chapter 1 https://youtu.be/xcdrTdy7F6U

Part 3: Unlocking Ephesus: Hidden Treasures in Revelation Chapter 2 https://youtu.be/UOQi4zseayw

Part 4: Want PEACE During Hard Times? Watch This Now https://youtu.be/vxE8YBFqqp0

Part 5: Choosing the Right Fight when Life gets Hard https://youtu.be/YY7wyDig9K8?si=KdQ4pBh-i3i4WNJS

Part 6: Top 5 Hidden Dangers of Tolerance You've Been Ignoring https://youtu.be/kbXsmoH9RNI

Part 7: The Hidden Truth About the Dead Church of Sardis (Part 1) https://youtu.be/LssHSUtJke8

Part 8: The Hidden Truth About the Dead Church of Sardis (Part 2) https://youtu.be/tqbqwIujB38

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Welcome back.
This is the Kathy Barnett Show.
I am your host, Kathy Barnett, and we are picking up where we left off in the study ofSardis.
This is part two regarding the letter Jesus sent to the church of Sardis.
This church is considered the dead church.
Everyone knows their name.
Jesus said, have a reputation for being alive.

(00:24):
You have a reputation for being a little busybody everywhere.
Everyone knows you.
But he said, I am here to tell you, your works are dead.
What you're doing is all dead and is for naught.
And he tells them why, the reason they're dead, he considers all of the works they've doneto be dead is in how he introduces himself because they are not doing any of the things

(00:54):
that they're doing by the power of God.
They have the form of godliness.
while denying the power of God.
They are getting along.
They're going along to get along.
So the dead church, they're dead because they have compromised themselves.
They are, let's just get along.

(01:16):
Let's just get along with the community around us.
But here is the reality.
Either God is who he says he is or he's a liar.
That's the hard truth.
God cannot, God of the Bible cannot be both.
He cannot be all things to all people.

(01:39):
Either he is who he says he is and this book, all of it, or he's a liar.
They don't want to offend the church and Sardis.
They don't want to offend because this book is offensive to a world that does not want tohave anything to do with him.

(01:59):
And they don't want to offend.
They just want to get along.
They just want to be happy.
They just want to do good things.
And there are a lot of good people who are doing a lot of good activities, but theseactivities are not unto life.
They are dead.
Jesus says that Christians and Sardis are surrounded
by all of these little G gods.

(02:20):
And they attempted to say, all roads lead to heaven.
You have your God, I have my God.
We'll agree to disagree, but we're both right.
All is well.
Let's just move forward.
That's hypocritical because either God is who he says he is or he's not.

(02:42):
Jesus did not come.
to conform, Jesus is not interested in blending in.
Once we conform, we kill the message, we kill the distinctiveness of God.
Either Jesus is the way or just one of many ways.
And if he is one of many ways, then he has schizophrenia.

(03:06):
We should not listen to anything in this book because he did not.
present himself as my way, your way, we will agree to disagree, let's just all get along.
That is the message of Jesus.
It is not one of conformity.
And even today in our pluralistic world where we want to pick and choose the passages weagree with and disagree with, with Jesus is either all or nothing.

(03:37):
Either you are in for that or you're not.
But he said this church who is known for doing a lot of good, he said, you are dead.
What caused this?
Jesus' introduction tells us what caused their current state of death, and that is notoperating in and not seeking the power of the Holy Spirit, relying on their self, relying

(04:05):
on what they think is good.
is what caused them to fall into a state of death.
Turn with me to Zechariah chapter four.
Verse six, and I'm going to read this out of the Amplified Bible.

(04:46):
of whom the oil is assembled, says the Lord of hosts.
So here you have the word of God coming before the ruba bell saying, I have big plans foryou, Zub.
I have big plans for you.
There's a lot of things I want you to get involved in.
A lot of things you're going to build.
have big plans, but I need you to know these plans will be accomplished not by might, byyour strength, not by power.

(05:16):
Not by your power, not by your strength, not by your Rolodex, not by your networkingopportunities that you have.
They will be accomplished by my spirit and anything that is done outside of my spirit.
am here to tell you those things are dead.

(05:38):
Jesus is not a way.
He's the way.
Jesus is exclusive.
I don't care.
What your rabbi told you, I don't care.
What your priest told you, I don't care.
What your pastor told you, all roads do not lead to Jesus.
All roads do not lead to the Jesus of this Bible.

(05:59):
He is exclusive.
It's not Jesus and even in the political space, it's not Jesus and Donald Trump.
I know, I know.
Don't shut it
Trump is a tool in the hands of God.
I'm a tool in the hands of God.
Cyrus was a tool in the book of Isaiah in the hands of God.

(06:23):
And he uses these tools to accomplish his will.
But the tools are not God, not equal to God.
Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus says, you, your works are dead.
The primary way to stop walking in the Holy Spirit is to start relying on your ownabilities and ingenuities.

(06:49):
We get comfortable and act like we got this.
We confuse material gain with spiritual blessings.
We become deceived.
They removed the distinctiveness of Jesus in order to gain peace and comfort and to justget along with the rest of the world.
Jesus said, strengthen what little you have.

(07:15):
This is how you overcome it.
We know what caused it.
They turned away from God.
They wanted to just get along.
And he said, this is how you overcome it.
He said, strengthen what little you have left.
Remember.
What you learned at first.
I am the way, the truth and the life.

(07:36):
No one comes to the Father except by me.
They soiled their garment as if they brushed against something and got some soil on theirgarment.
They stained themselves.
Their false collaboration with the world system has stained their garment.

(07:57):
Jesus said, repent.
And remember my words, Sardis was working.
Their works went before them.
Everyone knew their name.
They were known because of their great works.
James says, without works, you're dead.
I have faith, but no works.
That's not good.
Well, I have works, but no faith really.

(08:21):
I'm doing it all by myself.
Jesus said, no, that doesn't work either.
They can't be the most important things, works.
Neither can faith alone be the most important thing.
It's a collaboration.
Works flow from a soul that has been surrendered to God's Word.

(08:45):
God searches the heart to determine the legitimacy of our works.
He does not reward based on works alone.
He rewards based on the contents.
or the intents of the heart?
Why do we do what we do?

(09:05):
What can we do to change it?
Jesus said, wake up.
Stop sleeping.
If we start over relying on ourself, we begin to under rely on the Holy Spirit's power andprovision.
Jesus says, strengthen or establish the little spirituality that you have.

(09:28):
Stand firm and hold on to God's word.
Turn with me real quick to 2 Thessalonians.
starting at chapter two, verse 15, chapter two, verse 15, the word of God says, so thenbrothers stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of

(09:50):
mouth or by letter, hold on to the teachings and traditions we passed on to you.
He says, hold on to those things.
Turn with me to Philippians chapter two.
starting at verse 12, I'm gonna read in the amplified.
Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed my suggestions, so now, not only withthe enthusiasm you would show in my presence, but much more because I am absent.

(10:20):
Work out, cultivate, carry out to the goal and fully complete your own salvation withreverence and awe and trembling.
Here's that word, trembling.
So work out your own salvation with trembling, meaning with self-distrust.

(10:40):
Don't trust yourself.
Trust yourself in the things that you know you should, but don't just run out here withself-distrust, with serious caution.
Tenderness of conscious, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking.
from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of God, not in your own strength,for it is God who is all the while at work in you, energizing and creating in you the

(11:12):
power and the desire to both will and to work his good pleasure and satisfaction anddelight.
Don't just jump out here and say, I got it.
got the skills to be a good planner.
I can put this event on.
I will just call my network.
I will bring everyone in, but be thoughtful.

(11:34):
Going back to the seventh foe spirit, seeking God for his wisdom, seeking God forunderstanding, seeking God for counsel, for the strategy.
What's the winning strategy, God?
Seeking God for his might, for his courage.
Seeking God for knowledge, seeking God to have a sense of fear before him, to shrink fromdoing anything that might displease God.

(12:06):
This is what we're called to do.
Remember and repent.
Remember what the word of God has said, which means you have to read the word of God, butremember,
what the word of God has said and then repent, change, literally exert effort and dodifferently.

(12:29):
It's not osmosis.
God, just come down and change everything.
No, it's not osmosis.
We have to work out.
We have to work this salvation thing out.
It's not just going to land in your lap.
You're going to have to read the word.
You're going to have to look at God, seek his face.
Figure out what it is he wants you to do.

(12:52):
Why am I here?
Ask yourself that question.
What was I made for?
What am I supposed to be doing?
God, what is the winning strategy for me to complete the task that you have in front ofme?
God, guide me.
Lord, search my heart and make sure that the things I'm doing are the things you want meto do.

(13:12):
And if they're not, Lord, I'm willing to change.
Here's the promise.
His coming will surprise you for those who are not looking for him.
We will stand before him, each and every one of us.
Before I leave, let me go to 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 10.

(13:35):
He says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one mayreceive what is due to him for the things
He has done while in the body, whether good things or bad things, we are each going tostand before a righteous God.

(13:56):
So he says, before you get to me, wake up, strengthen what little you got.
Read the word, remember what I've said, repent, which means to turn from what you weredoing and start down a new path.
Praise the Lord.
Thank you each and every one of you for tuning in, for listening to the Kathy Barnettshow.

(14:22):
In addition to talking about the world of politics, because I, you know, he has placedthat in my heart.
I am very interested in what is going on in the world of politics locally, as well asinternationally.
So I talk about those things to the best of my ability with great knowledge andunderstanding.

(14:43):
But...
Apart from the word of God, apart from the power of God, none of that matters.
Hence the reason why we have also started teaching the book of Revelation.
You can look in the show notes, you will see what we all the lessons we have taught up tothis point.
I asked that you like that you hit the like button on this podcast, that you hit thenotification button, that you leave a comment.

(15:11):
Let me know what you're thinking.
and that you share it.
And always pray for us.
And as we pray for you, pray for our nation.
In Jesus' name, bless you.