Revelation 3:4-6

Revelation 3:4-6

The Church of Sardis is a sad account of when a church has died and the people are blind to the fact. As I was researching, I found that there are somewhere around 3800-7700 churches that close up each year. It makes you wonder why the decline, why are these churches not succeeding? Could it be the same sickness that Sardis had? Possibly. Whatever the reason, we must take special attention that we listen to what the Lord is sharing with this church and not follow the same path.

In the second part of His address to the Church of Sardis, the Lord addresses another part of the congregation. This portion of the church we can call the remnant. This is the faithful people who were in this church.

So, let’s realize this truth – a church can be dead but have some in it that are alive. This is important to understand. Because not everyone in the church is dead. Not everyone comes to church for selfish reasons. There are some who come to church because they are truly in love with the Lord and want to live for Him. Let’s look at this address that the Lord makes to this portion of the congregation.

“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.”

· Notice that there are only a few within this congregation that the Lord says are faithful.

· There is a saying that I’m sure that many of you have heard, that there is only 10% within the church that does the work. This is the few in Sardis that are striving to work for the Lord and keep Him as their focus.

· If you want to see a church that is alive, see a church where the majority of the people are excited about serving the Lord, where they want to talk about Jesus outside the church house, where there is the desire to want to come to the Lord’s house and be among the brethren. A people that wants to hear the Word of God. That is a church that is alive.

· Listen, there may not be as many as there once was, but there is still a few. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

· Notice that the Lord knows their names. Listen, the Lord is not fooled by who is really a believer and who is a pretender. He knows the names of those, who are truly His.

· When He says “names”, He is being specific. These are individuals whose name has been recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. There will be no question to who they really are.

· He then says, “even in Sardis” – Even in a place that is dead, there is life. Just like a fire that destroys a forest, and the landscape seems barren, within the soil will begin to sprout life. The fire may have destroyed, but not all is dead.

· Even though Sardis was a dead church, there was those who were still alive. How did they live in such a place?

· Well, we learn that they did not defile their garments. These were men and women who would not yield to the world. When something was wrong, they didn’t just give in to it, they opposed it. They removed themselves from it.

· Illustration: An old French count was reduced, by the spendthrift character of his ancestors, to living in a common lodging house in Paris. It was the haunt of nefarious notables of the underworld, of burglars, murderers, and the like. Many a time they tried to get the old gentleman to join them in their lawless enterprises. To all their temptations the old gentleman would reply, as he pulled himself up to his full height, “Excuse me, gentlemen, noblesse oblige. Privilege has its responsibilities. You see, I am a French count. If I were to join in your operations, why, my family name would be besmirched. I should bring disgrace upon the name I bear. No! No! Excuse me! Noblesse oblige.” There were some at Sardis who had adopted that very attitude. They were a virtuous remnant. They had not defiled their garments. When tempted to do something wrong, they would say, “Excuse me, please. I am a member of the royal family of heaven. God is my Father, His Son is my Savior, His Spirit is my comforter and guide, the Lord’s people are my companions. If I did what you suggest, I should bring dishonor on the name I bear. Excuse me, please.” How much temptation we could surmount if we adopted the attitude of that old French count and these Sardian overcomers![1]

· The Lord has given you a robe of Righteousness, it is clean, beautiful and Holy white. Don’t go and role in the mud with it. Remove yourself from the filth.

· The Lord concludes this verse with a promise “they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.”

· These individuals who remain faithful with the Lord will walk with Christ. They will stroll the streets of Heaven right beside the King of Kings. They remain faithful to what the Lord had shared in His Word, and they have not been forgotten. They are given the Title “Worthy”.

· Will you be “Worthy” to walk with Christ? Will we keep our garments clean and not defile them with the dead acts of a selfish people? The Nazarite vow that was made by several in the Bible kept them away from the dead. We need to separate ourselves from the dead and start living for the Lord.

“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.”

· Verse 4 set the stage for what is revealed to all who believe and give their life to the Lord, a promise of assurance.

· His declaration is not one for debate or doubt, this is a statement that the Lord will do. He will not change his mind. He will not change the terms. He will keep His promise to the one who has put their trust in the Lord.

· So, the Lord uses the word again “overcometh”. This has become a word that has been repeated in this Book of Revelation. In fact, this is the fifth time this word has already been used in this Book alone.

· The focus is for us to be overcomers, and that is only possible with Jesus living in our life.

· The promise of the white raiment. Now, you may own some white clothes, but this is not a white shirt and pants that you go and buy at Belk’s. This is whiter than the white we know. This is a white raiment of righteousness. A garment that has been sized and fitted for you, and made by the master.

· You know the clothes we have here, over time begin to break down. They may get holes in the knees, picks in the shirt, dinginess around the collar, but this garment that the Lord gives us, will maintain a brilliance that will never need cleaning. It will reflect the Life of Christ from the very fabric it is made. It will be more gorgeous than anything the fashion designers may come up with. It will be more valuable than anything that this world can offer. It will be the garment of our Lord placed upon us.

· When the Lord was crucified, soldiers gambled for the garment of the Lord, they looked at it for amusement. They did not understand its worth. There will be no games of fortune for this raiment, this will be one that the Lord gives to us with love.

· In addition, the Lord promises to not blot out the name of the person who walks with Christ. I wonder how many people it will be that stands before the Lord and the Lord tells them, depart from me I never knew you? I wonder how many who are in the church will be among that number. I pray it will not be any of us.

· The last part of this verse then gives us comfort, that the Lord will speak on the believer’s behalf. Confessing them before the Father and the angels.

· I’m thankful that Jesus will speak for me, because I will not be able to say anything that will allow me to enter into Heaven, only what the Lord says on my behalf.

· The question have been asked, what will you say when you enter before the throne of God? You won’t be able to say anything that will grant you entrance, unless you say I turn my case over to Jesus.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

· How many times have you studied the Word of God? How many times have you read Revelation? Have you listened to what the Spirit has been saying to the church?

· It is so easy, to get into the car, and say to ourselves “I hope they heard the message today.” Listen, don’t be so concern for the others that you haven’t listen to what the Spirit of the Lord has said to you.

· When we come to the Lord’s house to hear the Word of God proclaim, we should be listening, not critiquing, we should be processing, not dismissing, we should be applying not denying what the Lord has said to us.

· Let us not become a church like Sardis was, let us be alive for the Lord. By you as an individual doing your part in growing and drawing near unto the Lord.

· I read a post from a member that had fallen out of a booth, and people didn’t come to help. Others laughed. Isn’t that in a sense, how many of us as Christians are living today? Not helping, just laughing.

· Are you listening to what the Lord has said? Don’t let it fall onto deaf ears of the dead, let’s live for the Lord today!!

[1] Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Revelation: An Expository Commentary (Re 3:4–6). Kregel; WORDsearch Corp.