Three Messages

REVELATION 3:1-6

Sardis

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. 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 (Rev. 3:13).

Protestantism has a name that is alive but is dead. It's tragic what has happened to the Protestant churches. A great percentage of the ministers don't believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. They don't believe in His atoning death. They don't believe in heaven or hell. They practically deny the faith. So many Protestant churches are just a social club and a social organization, the term, born again, is meaningless to them. They have a name that they're alive but really they're dead. The Lord encourages them to strengthen those things which are left, because He has not found their works complete.

One thing about the Protestant Reformation - it didn't reform enough. Actually, the Protestants continued to use the many pagan customs adopted by the churches of Pergamos and Thyatira. They still had infant baptism. They still had so many pagan symbols. They still had the pagan holidays. Their reformation was incomplete.

The Lord says, "I've not found your work complete before God. Remember how you received and heard? Hold fast and repent. If you will not watch, I will come as a thief and you'll not know what hour I will come." He's warning the Protestant churches of His coming; but if they're not watching for His coming, He'll come upon them as a thief. They'll be taken by surprise.

Jesus said that we should watch and be ready for we know not what hour our Lord will come (Matthew 24:42,44). Paul the apostle said that "we are not the children of darkness that the day should overtake us as a thief, but we're children of light; therefore, walk as children of light" (Ephesians 5:8).

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white," the Lord said.

For they are worthy. He that overcomes, 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. 3:4-5).

What does Jesus mean about blotting names out of the Book of Life? He means just that. Don't think I'm going to take away from this book. For in the final chapter it says that if any man shall take away from this book, his name will be taken out of the Book of Life (Rev. 22:19). I don't want mine blotted out! You say, "What did He mean by that?" I don't know but I won't try to explain it away. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 3:6).

REVELATION 3:7-13

Philadelphia

The church of Philadelphia is God's faithful church in the last days. God help us that we would be the church of Philadelphia.

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens. I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name (Rev. 3:7-8).

We're not really powerful. We have a little strength. Thank God for the little strength that we have. "You have kept my word." God help us to be faithful to the Word, to study the Word, and to keep the Word as the paramount issue within the church. And we've not denied the name of Jesus Christ; we've not denied Him and who He is.

Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee (Rev. 3:9).

In the kingdom age the Jews will know that God has loved the Gentile church.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev.3:10).

Here is God's promise to the faithful church to keep them from the Great Tribulation. In Luke 21 Jesus said as He was talking of the events of the great tribulation, "Pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things... and to stand before the Son of man" (Luke 21:36).

Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches (Rev. 3:13).

This is the promise that we'll be a pillar in the temple of God. We will be actually a part of the kingdom age and rule and reign with Him in the New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven.

REVELATION 3:14-17

Laodicea

The church of Laodicea is the apostate church of the last days.

Write, "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" (Rev. 3:14).

In Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the true and faithful witness of God. "The beginning of the creation of God" the Greek does not signify that Jesus is a created being, but that He is the original cause of creation. For "all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:16-17). "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:3). Jesus is the origination of the creation powers or the origin of God's creation. So He is actually the creative force, and that's what Revelation is speaking of here - the creative force of the creation of God.

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that you were cold or hot. So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue you out of my mouth (Rev. 3:15-16).

The reason for the lukewarm conditions: "Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17). Their trust in materialism has brought them to a lukewarm state. "You cannot serve God and mammon" (Matthew 6:24). Mixing the two will lead you into becoming lukewarm.

"You know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17). The contrasting views one was their own view about themselves, the other was God's view about them. Jesus said that you do err if you judge yourself by men (Luke 18:9-14). Many times we look around and judge ourselves by man's standard. We might think we're all right. But man's standard isn't the standard by which we're to judge ourselves or by which we'll be judged. Jesus Christ is the standard. He demonstrates to us what God intended man to be. Hold yourself up next to Him and see how you look. That will give you an idea of what the true judgment will be like. If you say, "Well, I'm better than Chuck Smith"-that's not going to buy you anything!

Jesus said, "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). You'll never make it on your own righteousness. The only righteousness which is acceptable is the righteousness which God has imputed unto you by your faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness which is of Christ through faith is the only way you'll get an entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

REVELATION 3:18-22

Those of Laodicea had their own opinion of themselves. The Lord had a different opinion of them. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white raiment, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" (Rev. 3:18-19).

"My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord... for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Hebrews 12:5-6). If you're not chastened then you're a bastard. You're really not His son. God only chastens His sons. Don't get down on God when He chastens you. Rejoice! At least it proves you're His son. If He didn't care, He wouldn't even bother. This is His first cure for being lukewarm.

The second cure for lukewarmness: be zealous. Get out of that lukewarm rut. Get out of that tepid state. Become zealous for the Lord. The final cure for lukewarmness is to open your heart to God and repent. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him [or eat supper with him], and he with me" (Rev. 3:20).

The Lord is inviting Himself into the closest, deepest, most intimate communion and fellowship with you - eating together with you, partaking with each other, becoming a part of each other by supping together. "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne" (Rev. 3:21). We'll be ruling with Christ and sitting by Him on His throne even as Jesus has been exalted and is sitting at the right hand of the throne of the Father on high. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 3:22).