Dead Church
About this sermon
In “Dead Church,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about prayer, the condition of the church, revival. Drawing especially from Isaiah 64, Matthew 26, Luke 21, Ephesians 6, the teaching emphasizes that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise.
Chronological teaching outline
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Odle focuses on the condition of the church while working through Isaiah 64. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through Matthew 26, Luke 21, Ephesians 6. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through 1 Peter 4, Isaiah 62, Matthew 21. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through Ezekiel 33, 1 Timothy 5. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on healing and faith. The message argues that the message connects prayer for healing with faith in Christ, pastoral care, and submission to God. It connects this with the conviction that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on prayer. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that revival begins with repentance, renewed hunger for God, and practical obedience among His people. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
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- 0:00:00
but lord we also know that you are serious god about your holy word you're serious about us not being hearers only but doers of the word god you're serious about holiness you're serious about repentance you're serious about prayer and seeking after you you're serious lord about us forsaking the world and taking up our cross and following you individually and corporately god we're we're here god we don't want church as usual we don't want to just keep going through the motions of having church services uh two nights a week or two days a week we want to see the glory of the lord fall we want to see you come in power and truly bring revival and renewal and an outpouring of the spirit to auburn and opelika in this region now we're not satisfied and we we just cannot let ourselves be satisfied with just a little church here and there and a good service here and there we've got to have your glory and your power so that people can be convicted of sin so they can be broken so we can see people converted so we can see the city shaken by the power of god father we pray this this morning that you will rent the heavens and come down that is the prayer that isaiah prayed in isaiah 64. ren the heavens and come down lord that your enemies may tremble at your presence that you would make your name known even to your enemies that people would fall at our feet or you said that the the strong church philadelphia in revelation that the people you said i will make those of the synagogue of satan which say they are jews that are not to fall into worship at your feet lord you want we we want your power so that people will come in and the secrets of their heart are revealed and they fall down and they go you know what god is in this place and lord i know we've had a little bit we've had a little bit of your presence we've had a little bit of your glory we've had a little bit of the manifestation of the gifts but lord there's so much more we want to see revival we want to see hundreds even thousands of people saved whether they come to this church or not that does not matter to me but truly converted truly walking in the fear of the lord truly in love with jesus truly forsaking the world and taking up their cross we want to see miracles follow the true revival true miracles the crippled walking the blind seeing the deaf hearing the dead being raised all those things we want to see your glory fall and lord i pray your people realize this is not just dean pastor dean making things up but if we do what your word says and
- 0:03:01
what old revivalists have proven works you will come and do a mighty mighty work father we pray this in jesus name amen um take your bibles out this morning we're going to get into the word um something on my heart real heavy this morning i want you to turn with me to the book of revelation chapter 3. revelation chapter 3 i've i've mentioned this passage before even kind of gone through it preaching a little bit but the title this morning is called the dead church the dead church and before before you we start talking about the dead church see i'm going to tell you what the devil does already with most of us a lot of time when a when a pastor an evangelist or a minister gets up and they start preaching or teaching something and they name something like this immediately we start thinking of other people or other churches and what god is wanting to say to us this morning this right here is us before we talk about any other church out there this morning is about firing grace church this morning's about not just firing grace church but us individually because each of us is the temple of the holy ghost each of us is a church amen i'm going to show you something this morning about what it means to be a dead church even though that you may have a reputation or a name that you are alive and i want to say something outward things outward looks really to god don't mean anything something can look like the most awesome church in the world and still be dead or dying or on the verge of dying so i want you to look at revelation chapter three let's read this real quick this morning let's go to it is we'll put the first verse up here but it says to the angel of the church in sardis write these things saith he that 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 now this is jesus talking to a new testament church and just in case we don't think that these things apply to us today first corinthians chapter 10 paul said all the things that happened in the bible are for examples to us so everything that happened so you know
- 0:06:01
some people could just point out say well that was for the church of sardis no god put that in the bible so we could see it and it applies and it if especially if it applies specifically then we need to look at it but he said to this church new testament church spirit filled tongue talking miracle operating church he said you have a name that you are alive and when it says their name it means you have a reputation that you are alive he said but you are dead now think about that for a second just let that sink in here is a church that they're you know they're going about their business of being a church they're having their you know back then i'm sure they met on saturdays they had their sabbath meeting or their worship service they had maybe a prayer meeting during the week maybe they got together in somebody's home and ate a meal or something they were doing things maybe they had some people in the church that actually shared the gospel with people in the in the town of sardis they had a church they spoke in tongues the gifts operated in their services but yet jesus comes on after the church had been going at this point probably somewhere around oh i don't know 20 30 years and and jesus comes into the scene gives john a word gonna give him the whole vision the whole prophecy of the book of revelation but the first thing he says is i gotta deal with these seven churches over here and then he says to this one you have a name you have a reputation of being alive but you're dead let me say this to you they thought they were alive they thought they were alive and on fire for jesus they thought they were okay if if they happen and you say well pastor how do you know i can tell you because if they hadn't jesus wouldn't had to tell them you're dead think about that y'all think about jesus walking in that door right there we think we're a good church we think we're alive we think we're we're something else we think because we have the holy spirit or we have the gifts or we have the truth we that we have some things that we're something and jesus walks through the door and he says you have a name even in the in the city even in the in the area of being a church that's on fire a church that's strong or a church that tells the truth or a church that's not afraid and we may have a reputation and yet jesus walks in the door and he says you are dead wake up call wake up it's like shake and wait and listen this morning i want to say this i'm not just preaching to you guys because god has shaken me to the bone
- 0:09:02
about this why why would jesus why did jesus say this to this church and why why could he say it to us let's go to the next verse why were they dead why did jesus say this to them why did he say you have a reputation of being alive but you're dead let's look at the next verse he says verse two be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for i have not found thy works perfect before god the word perfect there in the in the greek can mean complete but it really means if you look at further in the definitions i like this definition within that it says not satisfactory think about that i have not found your work satisfactory before god god's not satisfied see let me let me just clue you in on something it doesn't matter whether you're satisfied all that matters is is god satisfied and let me say this too god's satisfied when you do what you're supposed to do i may have something else i have to do and god's called me to do something if i don't do that then god's not satisfied you may not be called to do exactly what i'm called to do but you better be doing exactly what god wants you to do and what you know to do and what the bible says to do or what god is not satisfied and he can look at you and he can say you think you are alive you think you're on fire you think you're spirit-filled but you're dead spiritually dead i don't want to be a dead christian walking around thinking i'm alive i don't want to be a dead church walking around thinking we're something and getting into pride and strutting our stuff because maybe yes we have the truth in some areas maybe yes we speak in tongues and have the gifts maybe yes we see somebody healed once in a while maybe yes we have the gift of prophecy flowing maybe we have those things and can still yet to god be dead now he tells this church there was two reasons they were dead he tells them two primary reasons they were dead they would not watch and pray as they should and they were too busy defiling their garments let's read that one read on down here he tells them in verse 2 be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are not rated i look at verse 3 remember therefore how you have received and heard
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