Pastor's Pulpit

2011 is finally here! A new year with new challenges, opportunities and new dreams. I trust each of you reading this post will determine to be the best Christian you can in this new year and will serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully in your local church.


Our theme for 2011 is Revival: A time of refreshing! We are praying for God to send revival to our church in this year. Our desire is to see souls saved and Christians stirred to live for God, to glorify God in all that we do.


With the New year we challenged our people to begin to seek the Lord in prayer and the Word of God. Services yesterday we blessed by God's presence and decisions at the altar in both services. Yesterday morning the following message was preached, and the altar was full on both sides with people making decisions to strengthen areas in their lives that were dying spiritually. I want to thank Pastor Mike O'Neal for the outline I borrowed from his website: TheBiblebelievingfundamentalist.com, Brother O'Neal is the pastor of the Gospel Light Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. He has an interesting website with a lot of sermon outlines that are alliterated. Let him know I sent you there.

Here is the message preached in the morning service:

" Strengthen the things that Remain "

Rev. 3:1-6

Vs. 2 text " Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. "

The church at Sardis had a reputation, but no reality. They were a progressive church, they were known as " the live church," well attended and well advertised. It had been a church of activity, but in reality it had a name that it was living, but it was dead! This church had a glorious past, they prayed, and they paid their bills, but it had no fire. They were like these flowers on the communion table, they appear to be living, but if you were to examine them closely you would see they are artificial. Many a church today, denomination ran, church board ran has faded from the glory of what it once was, the only commendable thing about them is their past. They are dead! Let me ask you a question this morning, are you alive or dead? Are you living in the past victories or are you still seeking God for His blessing?
Someone may ask, " Preacher, why do you still preach from the KJV Bible? Why do you still preach against sin? So many today are preaching feel good sermons, positive thinking, nothing negative-but you, you're still preaching like you have for all these years! " ( vs. 2 ) I'm trying to strengthen the things which remain! If we don't strengthen what's still alive in our churches, we're going to die!! We must strengthen the things which remain.

I. Don't let your freshness die.
I love the smell of a new car, my wife's uncle just bought him a new 2011 Mercury Milan and he drove it over to her mother's house on New Year's day. I haven't had a new car in 11 years so I haven't smelled a new car in a long time. So I asked him if I could take a look at it. There is something about driving that car for the first time, it only has a couple of miles on it. You dodge every spec of mud you can, you are real careful about where you park it, etc. You do everything to keep the freshness and newness of that car. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could keep the freshness of our salvation? To stay on fire for God, read vs 3, " Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent,..." The church at Ephesus had lost its first love, ( 2:4-5 ) Each of us can remember the day we first got saved. Remember, the sky was bluer, and the grass was greener. It seemed the birds were singing just for you and pointing your attention to the Lord, the Creator. I am saying we should never let our freshness die. The freshness of our salvation. We should have sense of wonder about it. Paul never got over the miracle of his salvation, everywhere he went he told of his Damascus rd. experience. Why? because he wanted to keep his salvation fresh in his own heart. How do we do that?
1. Vs. 3, received and heard, Bathe yourself in the Word of God. Stay in the Book. Someone may ask why do I still use the KJV? Why not use the other perversions? I'll tell you why, because I want to strengthen the things that remain! The old time religion, we can't let it die. Let's bathe ourselves in the Word of God in 2011.
2. Believe God for great and new things. Jer. 33:3 tells us to Call on the Lord and ask for great and mighty things which we know not. We need some Christians with great faith, to believe God. The early church was built by simple people, ordinary people like you and me-but they begged God for His fullness and power. ( Acts 4:23-33 ) So many Christians talk about what they use to do, or what they use to be. So many churches sit around dwelling on their past. Church, what are we doing for the Lord now? Christian, are you doing anything now for God? God wants to use us now. Let's not let our freshness die.

II. Don't let your Fruit-bearing die.
( John 15:8,16 ) These verses talk about soul winning. In Luke 13:6-9 Jesus told about the parable of the fruit tree, and the master that was going to cut down a non-productive fig tree. The gardener said not to, but to allow him to dig around it and dung and try one more time before cutting down. Are we bearing fruit for the Lord today? do we have a right to occupy the ground that we take up?
1. Let's acknowledge our barrenness. When we realize that God has left us here to be a witness, we should be obedient to the Great Commission. God sends us, He chose us, and He has ordained us. ( John 15:16 ) How can we bear fruit?
2. Abide in the vine. ( John 15:1-8 ) The secret to bearing fruit for the Lord is abiding in Him. Letting His Word fill us and letting His power control us.
3. Ask God for fruit. ( vs. 7 ) Pray for the power of God for soul winning. ( Acts 1:8 ) This power is available to make us witnesses. Soul winning, strengthen the things that remain. So many have abandoned the New Testament command to go. They say you can't win souls in this day and time. Tell that to those who are sitting here that were won to Christ through soul winning. Tell that to those who witness and see souls saved. Is God dead? Who preached His funeral? No my friend, Matt. 28:18-20 is still in the Bible and He still has all power in Heaven and earth. He said He would be with us till the end of the age. Amen!

III. Don't let your fellowship die.
Hebrews 10:25 " Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more as ye see the day approaching. "
1. Make church a priority in 2011. Be faithful, some may forsake the house of God, but we can't let our fellowship die. We are commanded to be faithful. It didn't say to attend church so much the less in these last days, but so much the more as we see the day of the Lord approaching.
2. Make Christians your partners. The best people on earth are God's people. I thank God for good christian friends. Thank God for those who name the name of Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for those who joined our church in 2010. They have been a blessing to this preacher. I look forward to serving together with you for many years as the Lord permits. May God continue to bless us that others will join with us, Let's strengthen the things that remain together as a church.
3. Make church a pleasure. Be a part of it, pray for God's blessings, promote every program and event. Let's believe God for miracles and see God work in a wonderful way, Amen? I believe church ought to be a place where you can enjoy yourselves, but at the same time, be a place where we praise and worship the Lord. We don't need to jam down on rock and roll to praise Him. The Bible says, "...with spiritual songs, hymns, making melody in your heart to the Lord. "
Church ought to be a place where music is Queen and preaching is King.

IV. Don't let your faith in God and Faithfulness die.
( I Tim. 1:9 )
I've already mentioned expecting greater things for 2011. God has some great things in store for this church. Our theme for the new year is revival. Ask God to give you faith. Ask God to keep our hearts right. Let's not let pride creep into our lives. It will rob us of His blessings. Let's remember where the blessings come from. Let's stay under the spout where the blessings come out, Amen?
2ndly, keep your habits right. ( Rev.3:4 ) Some in Sardis had defiled their garments. Don't let sin have it's way in your life. Deal with it, slay it, confess it and forsake it. Don't forget what it did to Israel at Ai, it caused the battle to be lost, lives to be lost and a reproach on the name of God. When there is sin in the camp, faith in God begins to die. Strengthen the things that remain by being faithful in your heart and habits.

V. Don't let your fire die.
In Rev. 3:15, the church at Laodicea was neither cold nor hot, but was lukewarm. It made God sick, do we as a church make the Lord sick on His stomach? We are told in Rom. 12:11 to be,
" Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. "
1. Let's be fervent in our expressions of praise. ( Jer. 31:7 )
When you sing the songs of the Lord, sing with joy and gladness. Praise Him in sincerity.
2. Be fervent in your efforts in prayer. ( James 5:16 ) " The effectual fervent prayer..." We need to pray more fervently more than ever, especially for revival.
3. Be fervent in your excitement about preaching. We need more amen-ers. Baptist say amen! Liberals say aamen. Amen!!
4. Be fervent in your expectation of power.
Like our Brother says, ( pastor O'neal ) Don't be surprised when someone is saved. Be surprised if someone doesn't get saved. I am asking God to keep the fires burning in our church. Revival fires. I want to see God do something so big that it would be evident that only God could do it.
Strengthen the things that remain.

May the Lord bless you this year. Let's pray for revival in our lives and in our church.

Pastor Johnny Taylor