Rev 3:2-3 A Church That Is Almost Dead 4/24/2005 ßà

Thou Hast a Name That Thou Livest (Rev 3:1-6, Rom 10:17, Matt 24:22)

#1. Be Watchful and Strengthen (Rev 3:2, Matt 5:48)

I Have Not Found Thy Works Perfect (Rev 3:2,4,5, Matt 5:48)

#2. Remember How Thou Hast Received (Rev 3:3, 2Tim 3:5, Rom 11:6, Psalm 50:16-17)

I Will Come Upon Thee As a Thief (Rev 3:3,1:4,16, 2Pet 3:10)

#3. What Is This Book of Life? (Rev 20:12,15, Heb 4:13, John 12:48)

Can We Be Blotted Out of this Book? (John 11:26, Psalm 69:28, Ex 32:33, Luke 10:20, Rev 13:8, 17:8, 1Pet 1:23, Rev 20:15)

Who Are These Overcomers? (Rev 3:4-6, 1John 5:4-5, Eph 1:4-5)

Please open your Bibles to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev 3:1 (2X). We have here the letter of the Lord Jesus Christ to the church at Sardis. The Lord Jesus said to them:

Thou Hast a Name That Thou Livest (Rev 3:1-6, Rom 10:17, Matt 24:22)

And art dead! This is letter number five to the churches in the province of Asia. The sequence of these letters to the churches is not arbitrary. Beginning at the high level of Ephesus and Smyrna, every following church was worse off than the previous one. The spiritual condition of the church at Sardis was so close to death that the Lord already calls them dead. The title of the present sermon is, “A Church That Is Almost Dead” (2X). And when we come to the last of the seven churches, the church at Laodicea, we shall see that this one is the most miserable of all. God sketched for us the condition of the church in the world over time, and God warns us that toward the end of time the church will be in the most miserable condition of all. Today we hear a lot of rumors that the church is dead. Let us find out if any of those 7 churches is truly dead and let us hear Christ’s words to Sardis:

Rev 3:1-2 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Rev 3:3-4 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This is very ominous language, and yet there is a glimmer of hope there. First of all, to whom is this letter addressed? It is addressed to the pastor of the church at Sardis. The first three verses are addressed to the pastor. The Lord Jesus said to him: "I know thy works, that thou hast a name (a reputation) that thou livest, but thou art dead" (Spiritually dead) The Lord Jesus is not addressing the whole church here, because "thee" and "thou" refers to a single individual. But most of those in the congregation at Sardis are following their pastor. They are busy for the Lord, but they too are dead. The church at Sardis is representing many churches around us today. They have a name that they really are alive, and vibrant, and on fire for the Lord, doing lots of works for the Lord. But the Lord Jesus says: "You are dead". The reason they are dead is because their pastor is spiritually dead. The pastors do not know that, because the pastors have never been “Born Again”. They have been brought up hearing a gospel that cannot save, and they continue to preach a gospel that cannot save, because God the Holy Spirit does not agree with their gospel. God only saves people who are under the hearing of the true Gospel. God says in Rom 10:17, “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God”. Sardis had a dead church and a dead minister. There is nothing more disgusting than a dead minister. But a living minister of the Word of God has a holy calling that is the most exalted in the world. A living minister is zealous in his work, devotes himself wholeheartedly and with all his power to the study of the Scriptures, the preaching of the Word, the instruction of young and old in the truth, to his pastoral work, to meditation and prayer. And he is very careful to be an example to the flock and to beautify his work of the ministry by a walk in all good works. When I look at myself, I see that there is much I can still improve on. But let us be fair. Most of these activities should also be considered normal for any saved individual in the church. And although our church is not dead yet, I can see in many of our members a decreased emphasis in the study of the Scriptures, not zealous to take up work for the church, a reluctance to keep the Sunday Sabbath holy and dedicated to the Lord, and without any thought that their lifestyle will be copied by their children and their errors will be multiplied. And all my preaching about those things is not making it any better. And then I understand what the Lord Jesus meant when He said in Matt 24:22, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved”. That is why I said that our church is not dead yet. Not yet! Nevertheless, we understand from reading all six verses in this chapter that this deadness is not to be interpreted in the absolute sense of the word. There is a glimmer of hope here in Sardis. The Lord comes to the pastor with the admonition to wake up out of his sleep, and repent. First of all to repent, because without repentance there is no salvation. And secondly, the Lord admonishes him in verse 2,

#1. Be Watchful and Strengthen (Rev 3:2, Matt 5:48)

The things which remain, that are ready to die. And now you can see that this church was not entirely dead. There were still some truly saved people in that church. And so, as long as there are still some saints in the church it is still the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. When is a church truly dead? The church at Sardis had a reputation of being alive. You can see that it does not depend on their works, but it must depend on their doctrine. It must depend on Who their God is. A church is dead when she has left the God of the Bible, who is infinitely righteous. The righteousness of God is the chief attribute of God. The righteousness of God was the reason that Christ had to come to this earth and die on a cruel cross. The righteousness of God is the same as His justness. God's justness or God's righteousness refers to His administration of rewards and punishments among the beings in His universe. God's righteousness demands that all sinners must be under the wrath of God, and that He must punish all the bearers of those sins with an eternity in Hell. When God demands that people must be righteous before Him, God demands that they are perfect, like He is, because God made us in His image so that we would glorify Him. The Lord Jesus said: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt 5:48). This is a requirement for every human being. And since the entire human race are sinners, and are in rebellion against God, and are refusing to glorify Him, the entire human race is condemned to Hell. The righteousness of God demands this. If we leave this aspect out of our Gospel presentation, we have essentially left the righteousness of God, and all our striving to save people is as salt that has lost its savor: It is good for nothing. Why is this doctrine so important? It is important because, before we can become saved we must first realize what we are saved from. We were saved from going to Hell, and we were incapable to do anything about it. Only by the grace of God were we snatched away from this slippery slide into Hell. The Lord Jesus said to the pastor of the church at Sardis: "Thou art dead". You are not perfect before God, dead you came into the world, you have never been saved, and therefore you are still dead. In verse 2 the Lord Jesus says, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God”. The whole church is not dead yet. There is a glimmer of hope. There are some things, which remain faithful in the eyes of God, but they too are ready to die. For example, the Lord Jesus could have said: you still have a Sunday School that remains faithful, and you still have a Bible study that is conducted faithfully, but they too are ready to die. Therefore, be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain. This is still My church.

For I Have Not Found Thy Works Perfect Before God (Rev 3:2,4,5, Matt 5:48)

And that is a requirement? How can we do anything perfect? How can God require that from us? Humanly speaking that is indeed impossible, but Matt 5:48 demands it. If God would not interfere, then indeed we all will end up in Hell. But praise God that He did interfere. Praise God that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to save sinners, just like us. Praise God that He allowed the principle of substitution, whereby the Lord Jesus Christ would take our sins upon Himself, and pay the penalty required for those sins. Praise God that He erased all the sins in our life, so that all our actions become perfect and righteous in God's sight. Praise God that He sent the God Holy Spirit into our life and regenerated our soul so that we now have a perfect soul. We must become saved. Only in this way can we be perfect in God’s sight. Were there any saved people in the church at Sardis? Indeed there were. The Lord Jesus speaks about them in verses 4-5,

Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.

Why are they worthy? I thought no one was worthy because there is None righteous, No Not One! That is true. But these are the people for whom the Lord Jesus has suffered and died on the cross. They have become worthy, because Christ suffered and died for them, and since they have become Born Again they have received the righteousness of Christ. Since Christ has purchased them, and God the Holy Spirit has given them a regenerated soul, they have become overcomers. Their past, present and future sins have all been paid by the Lord Jesus Christ, so there is no insoluble obstacle that Satan can put in their path of life. They shall be clothed in white raiment, which means symbolically that they shall wear the robe of Christ's righteousness. And they shall wear it into eternity. They have become the Bride of Christ eternally. What God has joined together, no man can put asunder. But these people were way in the minority there in the church at Sardis. How is it that the unsaved people in the church at Sardis have defiled their garments? In verse 4 their garments are identifying them as members of the church of Jesus Christ, but many in that church have defiled that garment. They are unfit to be called “of the family of Christ”. But in verse 5 their raiment identifies them as saints, and some in that church at Sardis will receive such a beautiful covering, which identifies with the robe of Christ's righteousness. And then the Lord Jesus brought back to the pastor at Sardis the remembrance of how he first heard the Gospel.

#2. Remember How Thou Hast Received and Heard (Rev 3:3, 2Tim 3:5, Rom 11:6, Psalm 50:16-17)

How does Christ speak to this spiritually dead portion of the church? He speaks to this dead portion of the church like He does to the dead pastor of the church at Sardis. The Lord Jesus said:

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Remember therefore HOW you have received and heard. HOW did you receive and hear the Gospel? It was all by grace. That was the Gospel that the evangelist brought you. Did you forget? Therefore, remember this, and repent. Turn back from those works gospels. Turn back from those gospels which "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (2Tim 3:5). Turn back from those gospels that have departed from the righteousness of God. The Gospel that has the power to save must be all of grace. God says in Rom 11:6, “if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work”. And thus if salvation is by grace, it must be totally by grace. And as long as there is a nucleus of people saved by grace, Christ still calls it His church. Just like it is the soul that gives life to the body, so it is the invisible eternal church that gives spiritual life to the entire church. Without this invisible portion of truly saved individuals the entire church would be dead. But when the pastor of a church is unsaved, then the likelihood is that the majority of the congregation is also unsaved. The congregation is the one that is externally visible. What fraction there is of saints is only known by God. The Bible does not speak of an external church and an eternal church. Every church of Christ has unsaved people in their midst. But we are commanded to harmonize verses, and therefore we clearly see that there is an externally visible church and there is an eternal church. The external church is not a useless dead weight. Just like the body of a believer is set apart and is dedicated to serve the Lord, so the external church is also commanded to serve the Lord. But the eternal church is God's instrument unto salvation. The eternal church is called to bring the Gospel. The external church is not called to do the same. In fact, God says in Psalm 50:16-17, “But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee”. The unsaved in the church are under the hearing of the Gospel, but they cast God's words behind them. They take God's covenant in their mouth, they speak about grace, and about the blood of Christ, and so on, but they really do not believe the whole Gospel. They only pick and choose from the Word of God here a little and there a little, that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared. The Lord says to those who have fallen backward and have been snared,

I Will Come Upon Thee As a Thief (Rev 3:3, 2Pet 3:10, Rev 1:4,16, 3:5)

There are two ways of explaining the second half of this verse. One way to explain these words is referring to the sudden coming of the Lord on Judgment Day. All of a sudden, when it is too late, the Lord will come and they shall realize that the Lord has visited them as the Judge, while they were still sleeping. This is known as “the Day of the Lord”. God says in 2Pet 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up”. The Lord will come not silently as a thief, but suddenly, surprising everyone and He will take away everything that they have. And no one knows the day or the hour that Christ shall come again.

But there is a second way to explain these words of Rev 3:3. God uses these words “as a thief” not without reason. A thief’s aim is not to come upon you all of a sudden and inspire you with fear, but rather a thief will sneak into your house without you being aware of it, do his work, remove your valuables, and disappear without you having noticed him. In this way the Lord will come upon this church which is sleeping and which is about to die. He will come as a thief. The church shall never be aware of His coming. He will do His work as a Judge, remove the candlestick out of its place, and the church shall have died in her sleep without waking up even for a moment. In this way the Lord has come already for many churches in our day. They were never aware of His coming and they never realized that they have died already. This coming of the Lord as a thief is indicated by the self-identification of the Lord Jesus in Rev 3:1, “These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars”. The seven Spirits of God are referring to Rev 1:4. Please turn the page to Rev 1:4 (2X). The seven Spirits do not occur in the vision of the Savior to John, but they occur in the salutation from the Lord, as spoken by John. “Grace be unto you, and peace”. How can this peace from the eternal God be in our possession now? The answer is, it is instilled into our hearts by “the seven Spirits which are before His throne”. These seven Spirits are here presented to us as belonging to the source of the blessings of grace and peace. Do these seven Spirits represent the Holy Spirit? Why then are these seven Spirits before His throne? The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and with the Son. He is not before the throne of God, but He is on the throne. Therefore, “the seven Spirits which are before His throne” do not represent God the Holy Spirit, but they represent the Spirit of the exalted Christ as He is poured out into the church, to make us partakers of the covenant and of the blessings of grace and salvation. Now turn back to Rev 3:3 (2X). With a view to the spiritual condition of the church at Sardis, the mention of the seven Spirits must serve as a reminder to them of what will surely happen if they do not repent. If the Lord withholds the seven Spirits, the church will be dead. Likewise with the seven stars. The seven stars are a reference to Rev 1:16, “And He had in His right hand seven stars” which are the angels of the seven churches. Now the Lord holds the seven stars. It is He who gives them to the church, and it is also He who withdraws them. If He does withdraw them, the light of the world shall shine no more through them. And when Christ comes as a thief, the Spirit of Christ shall have departed from them before they are aware of it, and the church shall cease to exist as the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. But to the saints in Sardis the Lord holds out a beautiful promise. Christ speaks here about the Book of Life.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his

name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

#3. What Is This Book of Life? (Rev 20:12,15, Heb 4:13, John 12:48)

Please turn to Rev 20:15 (2X). The Book of Life is prominently on display in Rev 20:15, when all the nations stand before the Judgment throne of Christ. There we read in Rev 20:15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. Yes you did see that right! It means that everyone standing there before the throne of God, old and young, men and women and children and babies, will be cast into Hell. All those whose names are written in the Book of Life, all the righteous, have all been raptured to be with Christ a little earlier on this day, according to 1Thes 4. All the unsaved have been left on this earth and are in this passage standing for judgment, because none of their names can be found in the Book of Life. And they were judged, according to verse 12, (look at verse 12) apparently out of many books. When we read Rev 20:12 and 15, what concept do we draw in our minds about the Book of Life? To what conclusion are we coming when we hear this? Let me give you 3 choices. First, how many books do we envision in our minds? Do we see many books? That is wrong! There are not many books. Secondly, do we envision that the "Book of Life" and the "Lamb's Book of Life" are 2 different books in heaven, and that these two books were written before the foundation of the world? That is also the wrong answer! I am asking these questions because I have to undo in your minds the prior teachings that you have heard about the Book of Life. Thirdly, could it be that the Book of Life is a book here on earth which we can read, and where we can recognize our names in that Book? Yes! That is the right answer! This is the answer that harmonizes with all other verses in the Bible. For example: We need books to keep records, or else we will forget those records. Does God need books to keep records? Will God forget if He does not write it down? No! Indeed, the Lord Jesus said that it would be the Bible, which shall be used to judge all mankind on the Last Day, not the many "books". Why then would God use the term "books" in Rev 20:12, if God does not need to write down anything? God does that because the term "books", plural, is used as a symbol to underscore the omniscience of God the Judge, who knows every secret thought, as well as every word and deed of every person who has ever lived. "All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb 4:13). The Lord Jesus said in John 12:48, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (2X). Now, did Jesus drop here a hint here that perhaps the Bible might be that Book of Life? The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Word made flesh, shall be the Judge, and He shall use the Bible to judge the unsaved on the Last Day. He shall use the Bible to judge between the sheep and the goats.

Can We Be Blotted Out of this Book? (John 11:26, Psalm 69:28, Ex 32:33, Luke 10:20, Rev 13:8, 17:8, 1Pet 1:23, Rev 20:15)

Please turn almost to the beginning of your Bibles, to Ex 32:33 (2X). God wrote in Ps 69:28, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (2X)

What does it mean to be blotted out of "the Book of the Living"? Since this Book is in the singular, apparently it is the same as the Book of Life. Can this also refer to the Bible? Absolutely Yes! "The Book of Life" is so named because God considers those alive whose names are in that Book. Therefore it may also be called "the Book of the living". In other words, everyone physically alive is written in that Book. Just think of the records in Gen 5 and in Gen 10 and 11 where all the nations of the world find their origin. Therefore, the Book of the living also refers to those who are, or were physically alive. In the physical sense then, "to blot out" means "to destroy from off the earth". And so, at the end of time the list of names written in the Book of the living in the physical sense, contains only the names of all the elect of God, for whom Christ suffered and died. They are the only ones who are still alive and well. The Lord Jesus said, in John 11:26, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die”. Moreover, "the Book of the living" also applies in the spiritual sense. For example, we read in Psalm 69:28, "The righteous are written in the Book of the living". The wicked were never in "the Book of the living" in a spiritual sense. But why then does God use the words "him will I blot out of My Book" for the wicked? God uses the words "blot out" for a specific reason: For example in this Psalm in verse 25, Psalm 69:25, where it refers to Judas Iscariot, it is to indicate that there is no possibility of repentance for him. And in Ex 32:33 we read, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (2X). That eradication would have included the entire congregation that the Lord had delivered out of Egypt, including Moses. There was none without sin. Did God mean that? Absolutely Yes! But in the case of His servants Moses, and Aaron, and Joshua, and Caleb, and a few others who belonged to the elect of God, the Lord Jesus Christ was their representative before the judgment throne of God, and He took the penalty of being blotted out in their place. And so, at the end of time the list of names written in the Book of the living in the spiritual sense, contains only the names of all the elect of God, for whom Christ suffered and died. Please turn now to the Gospel according to Luke 10:20 (2X). At the end of time the Book of the living has only one list, whether it is considered from the physical sense or from the spiritual sense. But is there another book in heaven? The Lord Jesus said in Luke 10:20, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”. What does it mean "written in heaven"? Does this refer to the "Book of Life"? Is there a mystical book in heaven where our names are written? Does that book contain white paper pages with black ink letters? Does God need such a material book with names, or can God remember without having such a book? You can see how ridiculous it gets. Let us be serious about it. When did God draw up this list of names? In Eph 1 God says that He has drawn up this list of names before the foundation of the world. At that time there was only God. Nothing else existed. No pen and paper existed. And even heaven itself did not exist yet. Where did God have this list of names? God had them in His mind. Therefore, when we read those words "written in heaven", we should not think of a material book in heaven, but it is "written in the mind of God, who is in heaven". Please turn now to Rev 13:8 (2X). We have seen that a predestinarian atmosphere hangs around many of the references made to the "Book of Life". Indeed it is something written in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. We read in Rev 13:8, And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This verse says that people whose names were NOT written in "the Book of Life" shall be worshipping Satan. Please turn to Rev 17:8 (2X), where we read about that same fact that all the unsaved shall be followers of Satan. Rev 17:8, And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. From comparing these two verses it is clear that "the Book of Life of the Lamb" and "the Book of Life from the foundation of the world" are one and the same Book, and both these references refer to the Bible as the One Book, which is the Word of God. God says in 1Pet 1:23 that "the word of God, liveth and abideth forever". Before the foundation of the world God knew what He was going to write in Eph 1 and in Rev 20. God knew already then the entire content of the Bible, the "Book of Life". Please turn to Rev 20:15 (2X), which is the capstone of all that we read about the "Book of Life". Rev 20:15, And whosoever was NOT found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Therefore we see that the salvation of NONE is dependent on good works, which might be written in those "books" referred to in Rev 20:12. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and all who are to be saved are saved purely by the grace of God, who elected some to eternal life, and wrote their names in His mind, and gave them to us to read and see in "the Book of Life", the Bible. Please turn now to Rev 3:4 (2X). We read there about "he that overcometh". The question I have

Is this: Who Are These Overcomers? (Rev 3:4-6, 1John 5:4-5, Eph 1:4-5)

Revelation 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

There were some in the church at Sardis who were truly saved, whose names were written in the mind of God from before the foundation of the world. Of them God says in verse 5,

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

Look at all these positives that God is saying of these truly saved people: #1. He that overcometh. How can anyone overcome, and be stronger than Satan? #2. He shall be clothed. By whom? He shall be clothed by Christ! #3. With white raiment, pointing to the "Robe of Christ's Righteousness". #4. His name shall not be blotted out of the Book of Life. #5. Christ will confess our name before the heavenly Father. #6. Christ will confess our name before all His messengers. Who are those overcomers? They are those who live by grace through faith in Christ, and whose testimony in word and deed gives evidence that Christ lives in them. (1John 5:4-5). They are those who, by the will of God, are born of God, because they were chosen by God to be "in the Beloved" before the foundation of the world. (Eph 1:4-5). Thus the promise "I will not blot out", although negatively given, is meant to be an assurance that their names are immutably inscribed in heaven, in the mind of God.

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Doesn't everyone have ears? Apparently not! To understand this sermon and the words God wrote in the Bible, and to believe and agree with those words, requires that we have spiritual ears, which only God can give you. Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And what does the Spirit say? “Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain”. Many are the churches that are dead because their pastors are dead. Shall we remain faithful? Many have defiled their garments. Shall we keep them clean? By the power of the grace of God we shall, if we fight the good fight even unto the end. Watch therefore, that no one take your crown. Watch that no one take the grace out of the Gospel that we preach. The hymn we are going to sing reflects who these overcomers are.

By the sea of crystal, saints in glory stand; myriads in number, drawn from every land.

Robed in white apparel, washed in Jesus' blood; they now reign in heaven with the Lamb of God.

AMEN.

Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.