Revelation 3:1-6
Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:
- Sevenfold = Totality
- There is no God’s Spirit’ stuff outside of what Christ is and taught
- The messengers (angelic or human?)
- The Church Universal is ‘ALL’, (number seven) in His Control / Possession
I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
- Christ knows who and how you are, no matter what everyone else thinks
- Demanding / Easily Offended / Entitled (can’t be Christ focused and be these)
- Talking about consistent, unchanging attitude and action
Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.
- Being dead spiritually is like sleep walking, ask God to wake you up!
- Christ is trying wake us up EVERY DAY!
- Build on what you have, baby steps
- Sow attitude, reap action, sew action, reap habit, sew a habit, reap a lifestyle
- Is there a part of your spiritual life that needs life-support? (Purpose of Church)
- Inaction in these areas will result in some aspect of ‘Spiritual Death’
I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
- Our actions can never be good enough to earn salvation (Works vs Gospel)
- All the religious posturing and posing we do cannot save us
- What are the requirements of Jesus Christ / God?
Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly.
- The original Gospel that was codified in Scripture is ALL WE NEED
- How do we hold to it firmly?
- Engagement / Practice / Commitment
- To do these things we need to have a valuable ‘Why’
Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
- This speaks of those who had looked to Christ in the past but didn’t surrender
- They have been exposed to the Gospel but have held God at arms length
- God is patient, wants all to come to faith, there is an end to that at some point
Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
- The only way our clothes can be unsoiled is to give our lives to Christ as Lord
- The walking with HIM makes us white (Walking Signifies Surrender To HIM)
- The walking comes from HIM making us worthy
All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
- Symbolism of ‘Clothed in White’ a faultless state only Christ can make happen
- Once you are there it is permanent
- You will be known by the “All Knowing One’ and His representatives as Christ’s!
Victorious:1 John 5:1 & 4-5
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too…For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
- As one of Christ’s Churches be are on mission against ‘Spiritual Deadness’
- He is saying: Be a Church that is a ‘Birth Center’ rather than ‘Hospice Care’
- How well are we listening?
Application Questions:
Why are being demanding and easily offended symptoms of “Spiritual Deadness’
How aware are you of what needs to be strengthened in Your Spiritual life?
How might you ‘Spiritually Invest’ in the Church rather than ‘Play Church’?
Why does Christ keep telling Churches to go back to their original faith?
How do ‘Waking up’ and Repentance go together for you?
Why would Jesus Christ announce you as belonging to HIM?