Revelation 3:1-6
The
Read text…
Rev. 3:1 “And to
the angel of the church in
Rev. 3:2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Rev. 3:3 “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. 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.
Rev. 3:4 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Rev. 3:5 “He who overcomes shall be clothed in 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.
Rev. 3:6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
Pray
Intro
√ A happening church!
You’ll remember that the church in Sardis had a reputation amongst people as a…
“Happening, or alive church”
…yet, the Lord’s estimation of the church was that it was…
“Dead”
The root problem was that this was a church that was cut off from life-giving power of the Holy Spirit.
A church that was sustained by the strength and wisdom of Men.
A church that was rich in tradition, but impoverished in spirit.
A church in which Jesus could find nothing praiseworthy!
So, the Lord now comes with a rod of correction that He might breath life back into this dead church.
Ap. The ministry of the Holy Spirit
WE need the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives that we don’t become victims of our own esteem!
Warning & instruction (vs. 2-3)
Rev 3:2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. 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.
√ Warning & instruction
Jesus ends His instruction with a sober warning of sudden and unexpected judgement – coming like a thief.
“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.” – vs. 3
Ex. The history of Sardis
In time past the city of Sardis had rested in her over-confidence in her military defense of the city. The imposing cliffs, high walls and strong gates gave her inhabitants a false sense of security.
Yet, twice in her recent past Sardis had fallen to invading armies because of her overconfidence and failure to watch…
Cyrus the Great - 549 B.C.
Antichus the Great - 218 B.C.
…both had found a weak link in her defense and took advantage of the inhabitants slothfulness.
So Jesus' command to "be watchful" cut right to the heart of this church. They knew all too well the possibility of sudden and unexpected judgment!
Ap. A cure for spiritual apathy – watch!
The apathetic Christian is the Christian who doesn’t really believe that Jesus is coming soon. Yet, the Lord warns us over and over to keep our eyes open and watch for His Return!
Mt 24:42 “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
In fact, in context with His
teaching on the Last Days Jesus warned us against slothfulness…
Mt 24:48 “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is
delaying his coming,’
Mt 24:49 “and begins to beat his
fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,
Mt 24:50 “the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not
looking for him and at an hour that
he is not aware of,
Mt 24:51 “and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Friends, if you’re feeling dead spiritually – or if you’re apathetic toward the things of God…
…take the Lord’s warning to heart lest He come when you’re not ready.
Ex. We’ve all got something the Lord has given us to do, let’s be busy about doing it.
Promise (vs. 4-5)
Rev 3:4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in 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.
√ Promise
There was a small remnant of believers who had remained true to the Lord and served Him in a way that was pleasing to God.
Therefore, the Lord promises them that they will walk with Him in “white” (garments).
In the scripture the garments of the saints of God are a symbol of his/her own service and godly character.
Rev 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
So then, the promise to those in Sardis who heard the instructions of the Lord and put them into practice was...
They would be honored in heaven for their faithful service.
Jesus Himself will confess, or acknowledge them before the Father and the whole heavenly host!
Another reminder that Jesus rewards us for our faithfulness even when we might be tempted to think that no one notices our labor of love.
√ “Blot out his name”!!!
I better say something about what Jesus means in vs. 5 when He says...
"I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life;"
This verse has troubled Bible scholars and students for years as the implication would seem to be that it is possible for a person to be saved, your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life…
….and then by some failure to have your name removed!
A troubling thought!
The problem with that interpretation is that it would make one's salvation dependent upon one's works! That of course would completely contrary to the work of Grace.
If you can't be saved by good works
How can you stay saved by good works?
It's Grace and Grace
alone that saves us and keeps us saved!
Jud 1:24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25 to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
√ The Book of life
Some have suggested that the Book of Life is that record of every person ever born for whom Jesus died. That is, all people.
Then, as each person reaches that age of maturity, or personal accountability, they are then judged by their response to the Gospel.
Those who reject Christ have their name blotted out of the Book of Life.
Those who receive Jesus do not have their name blotted out.
This view has some merit as it would address the issue of children who die before birth, or before they are old enough to chose or deny Christ.
Ex. David’s experience – II Sam. 12:23 & Moses’ experience – Exo. 32:32-33.
Regardless of which interpretation is correct it is best to simply take the Lord’s promise to heart and make sure that our names are not blotted out by simply doing as Jesus asks.
Invitation (vs. 6)
Rev 3:6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
√ Invitation
The message to the church of Sardis is a timeless message. The great challenge to every church in every age until the Lord returns is to not live in the past.
Sustained by the power of men and empty tradition.
Applauding ourselves for what we once did in the service of Jesus.
Living on memories of faded passion for the Lord and not on a current life-giving relationship with Him.
Rather, we are called to…
Stay close to the Lord
To live by the Spirit
Press forward in His service
Keep our eye ever toward the sky!
While the message is certainly directed to a church in Asia some 2,000 years ago…
…and symbolically represents the church at the time of the Reformation (1500)…
…it is a message that every Christian and every church in every age needs to hear and receive lest we find ourselves under the judgment of God.
Ap. What about you?
Do you have an ear to Hear what the Spirit says to the churches?
Are your works current with the Lord? Or are your works all historical?