Life Study of Revelation message 14

the Church in Sardis

Revelation 3:1 And to the messenger of the church in Sardis write: These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead.

Revelation 3:2 Become watchful and establish the things which remain, which were about to die; for I have found none of your works completed before My God.

"Sardis" in Greek, means "remainder", or "restoration". after the condition of the church in Thyatira, what Satan has did to damage and corrupt the church, the Lord came to react with the church in Sardis, as the restoration, recovery. the Lord used Martin Luther to release the Bible to common people, and to recover the truth of justification by faith. but not long, the church became degraded again. in the verses, the Lord said that Sardis was living in name, but actually was dead, and even their reformation work, none of which was completed before God. but the most crucial thing we see in the church in Sardis, is that they were dead and were about to die. so they need the Lord as the intensified seven Spirits of God to enliven them.

Revelation 3: 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and keep it and repent. If therefore you will not watch, I will come as a thief, and you shall by no means know at what hour I will come upon you. 

here the Lord mentioned that He would come as a thief and they would not know when the Lord would come upon them. as we mentioned before, which is here, the significance of the Lord's secret coming as a thief to His overcoming believers, we need to be watchful and prepare ourselves for the Lord's secret coming. the church in Sardis was dead, which means that they would not be aware of the Lord's coming. so there is the need to be watchful. 

Revelation 3:4 But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white because they are worthy. 

because Sardis was dead and about to die, to overcome in Sarids means to overcome the death and deadness. here the Lord said that those who overcome are those who have not defiled their garments. not defiled by what??? considering the condition of Sardis, here, to be defiled is not to be defiled by sin, but by death. God hates death more than sin. if we sin, we can confess our sins and apply the precious blood of the Lord, then our fellowship can be restored. but according to the record in Numbers and Leviticus, if someone touched corpses, which means to be defiled by death, they need to stay outside the camp, wash they body and clothes, and be unclean until evening, which means that they could not  come back to the camp (the fellowship with God and with God's people) immediately after being cleansed and washed, rather, they needed to wait for some time. this is why God hates death more than sin, and why death is more defiling and more damaging than sin. we need to be careful not to touch and be defiled by death, to make sure that we will be able to stay in the presence of God and the fellowship with God. for our church life today, we also need to be aware of the presence of death, which is the absence of life. whenever we feel there is death in the meetings, we need to exercise more, so that life can come in to swallow up death. 

Revelation 3:5 He who overcomes will be clothed thus, in white garments, and I shall by no means erase his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 

the Lord's promise to the overcomers is 

1. to be clothed in white garments

this white garment is the same one mentioned in chapter 19, the wedding garment of the Bride, white fine linen, which are the righteousnesses of the saints. this is also the same one as mentioned in Psalms 45, the second garment of the queen. today, while we are waiting for the Lord to come back, we are preparing our wedding garment, the white garment. how do we do?? day by day, to spend time with the Lord, to allow the Lord to make more home in all our hearts, and to live out this wonderful Christ, to allow His glory shine forth through us, so that we will express the Lord in our daily living, to be His living testimony. when our garment is completed, when the wife has made herself ready, the marriage of the Lamb will come!!!!!!!!

2. the name not being erased from the book of life

for our name to be erased, first means that our names are already in the book of life. our salvation is eternally secure, and we will not lose our eternal salvation. then why does it says here that if we do not overcome, our name will be erased from the book of life?? we have to be clear that here the Lord is not talking about our eternal salvation, but the reward during the millennial kingdom. if we do not overcome, do not get mature in life, we will not be qualified to be the Bride of the Lamb. therefore, while the overcoming believers are enjoying the marriage of the Lamb for one thousand years during millennial kingdom, the rest of the believers will be cast into the outer darkness, to suffer the discipline of the Lord to help us to get mature in life. during this one thousand year period, the names of these believers will be temporarily erased from the book of life. the Lord is wise in using this as the incentive, to motivate us to forget the things which are behind, and to stretch forward towards the prize.  so, in order to get the reward, we need to cooperate with the grace of the Lord to grow in life day by day, to prepare ourselves to be ready in this age. 

3. name to be confessed by the Lord before the Father and His angels.

if our names are not erased from the book of life, of course, the Lord will confess our names before the Father and the angles. 

Luke 17:7-10

Luke 17:7 But which of you, having a slave who is plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, Come immediately and recline at table?

Luke 17:8 Will he not rather say to him, Prepare something that I may dine, and gird yourself and serve me until I eat and drink; and after that you will eat and drink?

Luke 17:9 He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were ordered, does he?

Luke 17:10 So also you, when you do all the things which are ordered you, say, We are unprofitable slaves; we have done what we ought to have done.

We should not say that since we have accomplished much, we should eat and be satisfied. We cannot enjoy or boast of our achievements yet. After we plow and tend the sheep—that is, preach the gospel and shepherd the saints—we should still serve the Lord in order for Him to be satisfied first. After He is satisfied, we can have a little satisfaction and enjoyment. In addition, we should have the attitude that we are useless slaves and that we have done what we should have done. On the one hand, such an attitude will save us so that we may be one with the Lord. On the other hand, it will preserve us from being discouraged or proud. We are not discouraged, because the Lord has chosen us and given us a small amount of faith as our capital. With this capital we serve Him. If we obtain results, we are not proud, because we realize that no matter what we do, we are unprofitable slaves. 

- "the Sufficiency, Pursuit, and Learning of the Lord's Serving Ones" P10