Topical Sermons - Executable Outlines

What Can Kill A Church
Mark A. Copeland
INTRODUCTION
1. In Re 3:1, the church at Sardis was described as a “dead” church
2. This reveals that churches can die - and they often do...
a. Where are the congregations we read of in the New Testament?
b. At some point in their history, they died
3. There are at least two ways a church may die...
a. It may cease to exist
b. It may die inwardly, even while it still lives outwardly
4. What can kill a church?
a. Are we aware of the different weapons Satan can use to destroy us?
b. Are there things that threaten our very existence even now?
[In this lesson, “What Can Kill A Church”, we will examine four things that can jeopardize any
congregation of God’s people. The first is perhaps a rather obvious one...]
I. PERSECUTION
A. SATAN HAS OFTEN RESORTED TO PHYSICAL PERSECUTION...
1. E.g., against the church at Smyrna - Re 2:9,10
2. Indeed, he did so against many churches in the first century - 1 Pe 5:8-9
-- We should not be surprised if he does so today - 1 Pe 4:12
B. PEOPLE RESPOND TO PERSECUTION DIFFERENTLY...
1. Some are silenced by it - cf. Jn 12:42-43
2. Others rejoice in it - Ac 5:41-42; Ro 5:1-5; Ja 1:2-3
C. HOW WE REACT WILL DETERMINE OUR FUTURE AS A CHURCH...
1. A church that is silenced by persecution will soon die
2. A church that rejoices in persecution will not go unnoticed by the Lord - Mt 5:11-12
a. As the Lord took note of the church in Pergamos - Re 2:13
b. As the Lord took note of the church in Philadelphia - Re 3:8
[But persecution is not the only weapon in Satan’s arsenal; when a congregation resists persecution, he
will often seek to kill it through another means...]
II. FALSE TEACHING
A. SATAN HAS USED THIS TACTIC TO THREATEN MANY CHURCHES...
1. It threatened the church at Ephesus, but they had overcome - Re 2:2,6
2. It threatened the church at Pergamos, who while handling persecution faithfully, they
were floundering with error in their midst - Re 2:13-15
-- Both Paul and Peter warned of the danger of error - Ac 20:29-30; 2 Pe 2:1-2
Topical Sermons 368