II. THE PRESENT ("THE THINGS WHICH ARE ON"), Part 2--3:1-13
B. The Individual Letters--Part 2 (Chapter 3:1-13)
5. The Sardis letter--3:1-6
a. The church
addressed--v. 1a
(I)
The name "Sardis"
(A) Escaping
(B) That which remains
(II)
Located 30 miles south of Thyatira
(III)
Name descriptive
(A) This church had escaped the corruption of the Thyatira
church.
(B) It was exhorted to establish the things that remain.
(IV)
Represents
(A) Any church that has escaped from Romanism
(B) Any church that holds the faith but which must strengthen
its position in that faith.
(C) Protestantism
(D) Reformation Church--1500-1700 A. D.
(E) NOTE: This is not to demean the reformation; it was
great and good, but it did not go far enough.
b. The Christ described-v.
1b
(I)
Description taken from 1:4 and 1:16a
(II)
Speaks of utter searching
c. The condition known--v.
1c
(I)
I know thy works.
(A) This church also had works.
(B) Their true condition is clearly known by the Lord.
(II)
Thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou are dead.
(A) Newell, 62--"Nothing could describe ;Protestantism' more
accurately! As over against Romanish
night and ignorance, she has enlightenment and
outward activity: the great 'state churches,' or
'denominations,' with creeds and histories, costly
churches and cathedrals, universities and seminaries,
'boards,' bureaus of publication and
propaganda, executors of organized activities, including home
and foreign missions, even 'lobby' men to 'influence
legislation' at court!"
(B) Yes, Protestantism has a great name that it lives.
(C) Protestantism had a good beginning.
(D) But our Lord says it is dead.
(1) We are considering this church, Protestantism,
in general, and not as a reflection of any particular
local assembly of
believers.
(2) Look at Protestantism today with
church-membership yoked with
(a) Worldlings by marriage
(b) Lodge-fellowship
(c) Narrow sectarian bigotry
(Fundamentalists are often accused of this because of their
strong
stand on
separation.)
(d) Crass ignorance of the
Word of God
(e) Ignorant of the
way of salvation
(3) If you say this is too strong, go to
almost any church (Protestant) and ask one of these questions
of the people.
(a) Are you born again?
(b) Are you saved?
(c) Are you a new creature
in Christ Jesus?
(d) Are you a Christian?
(They may respond in the affirmative to this one until you define
“Christian”
as one who
has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior by His death on the Cross having shed
His blood
for the remission
of sins.)
d. The commendation
(I)
I know thy works.
(II)
No real commendation
(III)
Even the Romanish church as bad as it was, was commended for its love, service,
and faith .
(IV)
This church has works. but no love and no faith--at least none to be commended
for.
(V)
Which has departed from the fundamentals of Christianity?
(A) Romanism? (At least they say they adhere to them.)
(B) Or Protestantism?
(C) Your answer, if correct, is an indictment of
Protestantism of today.
e. The condemnation--vv.
1c, 2b
(I)
The fact of a name that it lives, but actually is dead has already
be considered.
(II)
I have not found your works perfect before God.
(A) "Neither in doctrine nor in walk did the
Reformation go back to the early days of the Church."
(Newell, 63; italics are his.)
(B) Granted they returned to the wonderful doctrine of
justification by faith apart from works.
(C) They failed to return to
(1) The wonderful truth of the believers'
identification with Jesus Christ in His
(a) Death--Romans 6
(b) Resurrection--Romans
6
(c) Glorification--Romans
8
(2) The blessed truth of Christ coming
for His own, and then coming with His own to rule on this earth
(3) The complete separation of law and
grace
(a) This kept the believer
under the law as a rule of life.
(b) Note that the law made
nothing perfect.
(c) This was the Judaizing
process that the Apostle Paul was so roundly condemning in Galatians.
(4) Freedom from sacramentalism
(a) Thus, baptism became
a sacrament of initiation into the church.
(b) The Lord's Supper became
a sacrament of a means of grace.
(c) Sacrament is from the
Latin sacramentum, mystery, which was used to refer to the mysteries
of
the pagan
religions.
(d) Since church membership
was often made possible through infant baptism, membership became
a birthright
rather than by the New Birth. This is no mere supposition, for repeatedly
one hears
of
ministers (granted liberal ones) saying of baptized ones who
have never joined the church
that they
belong to the church but they don't know it yet.
(D) Protestantism has made few converts in Europe since the
17th century. Today Europe, the cradle of
the reformation, together with the liberal elements
of American Protestantism, are seeking every means
to rejoin hands with Romanism, the harlot, who
at one time was completely renounced and denounced
by Reformers.
(E) Unfortunately, the more evangelical portion of
Protestantism has been leaning more and more in that
same direction.
(F) Only the fundamentalists (and even some of them have
begun dialog with other evangelicals) have
tried to hold the line.
f. The Counsel of
Love--vv. 2a, 3a
(I)
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.
(A) Protestantism has not lost everything yet.
(1) It has lost its protest against
(a) Biblical error
(b) Dead religious formalism
(c) Sin
(2) It has not completely lost
(a) Biblical doctrine
(b) Biblical separation (although
it is now worse than it was when this study was first made)
(3) Union with activities of dead religious
and apostate works only dulls the keen edge of one's own
spirituality.
(B) Christ's loving counsel is to WATCH.
(1) Mark 13:33
(2) 1 Corinthians 16:13
(3) 2 Timothy 4:3-5
(C) Strengthen the remaining things.
(1) There is ever need to strengthen remaining
things.
(2) Certainly this refers to
(a) Truths
(b) Spiritual life
(c) Standards
(d) Service methods
(D) Note the warning here that these things are about to die.
(II)
Remember,therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent.
(A) REMEMBER how thou hast received and heard.
(1) How often our blessed Lord has to remind
us to remember.
(2) This same exhortation was given to the Ephesus
church (Apostolic era).
(3) The Reformation did return to many of the
teachings and principles of the Apostles.
(4) We are here exhorted to remember this wonderful
return to Apostolic doctrine and practice--
however imperfect it was.
(5) Sad to say that Protestantism is, instead
of remembering, giving up its wonderful heritage
(However, it does still
pay lip service to that heritage).
(B) HOLD FAST
(1) Keep what thou hast received and heard.
(2) Cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58
(C) REPENT
(1) Change your minds
(2) The Lord is ever calling the church to
repentance.
(3) Same exhortation was given to
(a) Ephesus Church (Apostolic
era)
(b) Pergamos Church (Compromising
era)
(c) Thyratia Church given
space to repent and it did not (Roman era).
g. The consequential
action--v. .3b
(I)
If you will not watch--we are exhorted to watch--but if we don't, our
watchlessness must be judged.
(II)
I will come as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come.
(A) Does not refer to our Lord's second coming. but a visitation
in judgment.
(B) In connection with Sardis itself', the very place of the
Sardis assembly has been completely removed
without a trace.
(C) Dead Protestantism will likewise be removed, perhaps by
being swallowed up by the Harlot during the
Great Tribulation.
(D) This judgment again may have its complete fulfillment when
Christ returns to rule during the millennium.
(E) However, even today He has removed churches in judgment.
h. The call--vv. 4-6
(I)
The few in Sardis with undefiled garments
(A) God always has His faithful remnant.
(B) Thus in Protestantism there are a few who are
(1) Hearing
(2) Separated from the world
(3) Pray privately
(4) Attend prayer meeting
(5) Work for the Lord
(6) love the Word of God
(C) Every Pastor knows the faithful few in his church.
(D) Remnant were not defiled.
(1) Pictured here is one who has not been in
contact with a dead body.
(2) Speaks of separation from worldliness
and here particularly from dead Protestantism.
(E) Walk with the Lord in white
(1) You cannot walk with the Lord in an unseparated
condition.
(2) White speaks of righteousness and
worthiness.
(3) Worthiness here is not based on separation.
(4) 'The wearing of white is because of
worthiness.
(a) Not one's own worthiness,
for no one has any
(b) The Lord makes us worthy
through the New Birth.
((I)) Keep
in mind that the writer of Revelation is the one who sets forth the
New Birth so
completely.
((II)) Christ
alone is our righteousness.--cf. 1 Corinthians 1:30
(II)
The promise to overcomers
(A) Arrayed in white garments--idea covered above
(B) "In no wise blotted out of the book of life."
(1) If you are truly saved, your name is
written in that book of life.
(2) If you are truly saved, you will ultimately
be an overcomer.
(3) Therefore, if you are truly saved,
your name will never be removed from the book of life.
(4) This is the Lord's doing--cf. 2 Timothy
4:18.
(C) Jesus Christ will confess each believer's name before God
the Father and the angels of heaven
(1) O blessed thought! O blessed Day!
(2) What a wonder to think that He, Lord of Glory
, will confess our names.
(III)
The call to hear
(A) again the call goes out after the remnant has been spoken
to.
(B) Only the true believer will really give ear to the Lord
by the Spirit.
(C) How deaf mere professors are.
6. The Philadelphia letter--3:7-13
a. The church
addressed--v. 7a
(I)
The name "Philadelphia"
(A) Means "brotherly love"
(B) Faithful remnant
(II)
Name descriptive
(A) This church showed love for the brethren.
(B) This church was a faithful to the truth of the Word.
(III)
Represents
(A) Any church that shows forth love for the brethren--other
Christians (those who are born-again)
(B) Any church that holds to the truth of the gospel
(C) The fundamental church
(D) The Missionary Church--1700-1900 A. D.
b. The Christ
described--v. 7b
(I)
This description is not found in chapter one except by suggestion.
(II)
Description is in part from Isaiah 22:2.
(III)
"He that is holy"
(A) Encouragement to the minority who live Christ-like lives
(B) A view of Christ's holiness prepares for missionary
endeavor--cf. Isaiah 6:1ff.
(C) This description is necessary for the fundamental, sound
church.
(1) There is always the danger of the sound
church slipping into the Ephesus or Sardis conditions.
(2) Faithfulness to doctrine is not enough; there
must also be holy living.
(D) Reminds that Christ alone remains holy (NOTE: The “Holy
Roman Church” is a big misnomer), and
that the Lord alone does not change (The
unchangeableness of the Roman Church is a farce.).
(IV)
"He that is True"
(A) Newell, 67; italics are his.--"The more you read church
history the more you realize that absolutely
everything depends on CHRIST
HIMSELF!”
(B) This statement is a warning to every skeptic, infidel, atheist,
and false teacher.
(C) Is it not strange that that all unbelief centers about the
person of Christ, He who is the Truth?--cf.
John 14:6
(V)
“He that has the key of David"
(A) Certainly this phrase looks to the establishment of His
kingdom on earth.
(B) Here His royal claim is set forth.
(C) A key is for locking and unlocking--this is suggested by
the phrase at the end of the verse.
(D) The Davidic covenant assures the millennial reign of
Christ--Thus we are reminded "that earthly
Millennial blessing is only unlocked and released
when Christ returns and fulfills the Davidic Covenant."
--McCarrell (source unknown)
(E) The evidence is increasing that "Christians and churches
that manifest interest in prayer, desire for
God's Word, earnestness as to holy living, separation
from worldliness, and practice of evangelism and
missions, believe in Christ's pre-millennial
return to earth." (source unknown unless McCarrell)
(F) Furthermore, it is also increasingly evident that deniers
of the pre-millennial return of Christ--for the
most part not only minimize the gospel, but think
little of the Scriptures and demonstrate a general
worldliness of life.
(G) Of interest is the fact that this period of church
history (The Philadelphia Period--1700-1900) was
the one which primarily restored the truth of
the pre-millennial coming of Christ, and His reign on
earth.
(VI)
"He that opens and none shall shut and that shuts and none opens"
(A) Despite all opposition it is the Lord the opens doors and
no one, not even an ecclesiastical body or
governmental body can shut that door.
(B) This opening and shutting can be seen in the leading of
the Apostle Paul in Macedonia--Acts 16:6-8
(C) The Lord for many years shut the door in lands where the
gospel was known but despised. Until
recent years Spain had been practically closed
to the gospel as has France; also the lands taker over
by Mohammedism.
(D) Today there still is an open door here in America, but for
how long.
(E) Cf. 1 Corinthians 16:9
c. The condition known--v.
8
(I)
I know thy works
(A) This is a working church.
(B) This is truly a 1 Corinthians 15:58 church
(C) This church has had the way open by the Lord for them to
work (again cf. 1 Corinthians 16:9)
(II)
A little strength or power
(A) This church lacked the energy of the early Church
(Ephesian).
(B) Some criticize the Authorized Version rendering of
"strength" saying it should be "power."
(1) They say that the AUTHORIZED VERSION conveys
the idea "you have some strength" whereas
properly rendered it would
convey the notion "your strength is but small."
(2) The Greek word is dunamis which is
generally rendered "power."
(3) Thayer, 159 states that it can be rendered
"strength, ability, power"; universally,
"inherent
power, power residing
in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing
exerts
and puts forth." (Italics
are his.)
(4) So once again the KJV is unduly criticized
while commentators give into revisionist translations
instead of sticking with
the tried Textus Receptus.
(5) There is no manuscript evidence that is contrary
to the Textus Receptus; therefore, it is not a
textual problem, but one
of how to render it.
(C) It was little
(1) Unimportant in world's eyes
(2) Probably small in number
(3) Maybe poor in property
(4) Possibly low in social class
d. The commendation--v.
8
(I)
Lacked strength, but had three precious things
(A) A little power or strength
(B) Kept (obeyed) the Word of God
(C) Did not deny Christ's name
(II)
A little power
(A) Discussed in part under condition known
(B) Their spiritual power feeble compared with Pentecost
(C) Their power did not rest in wealth, property, or human prestige.
(D) Its power rested in protests against and separation from
(1) Empty religious ritualism
(2) Apostasy
(3) Sin
(E) Its power rested in dedication of everything to Christ.
(1) Evidenced by stewardship of
(a) Time
(b) Talents
(c) Means
(d) Life
(2) Evidenced also by
(a) Alertness to service
opportunities
(b) Application of
world-wide missions
(III)
Kept the Word
(A) The word of the Lord--"My word"
(B) It did not permit anything to supersede the Bible
(1) Human reason
(2) Denominational ecclesiasticism
(3) Minister, priest, or pope
(C) Opposition to the Word
(1) Satan attempts to corrupt it.
(2) Critics subtract from it.
(3) Roman Catholicism adds to it.
(4) Protestantism neglects it.
(5) Modernism supplants it.
(6) World rejects it.
(7) A rash of so-called new translations
changes it.
(D) The true church's attitude
(1) Loves the Word
(2) Reads it
(3) Desires it
(4) Studies it
(5) Treasures it
(6) Obeys it
(7) Defends it.
(E) Evidence of love for the Lord--John 14:23
(IV)
Does not deny Christ's name
(A) McCarrell--"Christ's name, person and work are inseparable."
(B) Such a church that is true to the name of Christ is
a witness to and delights in:
(1) His miraculous incarnation
(2) His blood atonement
(3) His bodily resurrection
(4) His heavenly intercession
(5) His headship over all things to the church
(6) His earthly return
(a) As bridegroom of the
church
(b) As King of Kings
and Lord of Lords over all the earth
(7) His earthly reign
(8) His personal Deity
e. The condemnation
(I)
Praise God, there is none!
(II)
cf. Romans 8:1--this is the secret of this church
f. The consequential
action--vv. 9, 10
(I)
Here the consequences come before the counsel of love, for there is
no action as the result of failure to
heed the counsel.
(II)
The action here is a consequence of their faithfulness and love to
and for their Lord.
(III)
The synagogue of Satan
(A) Discussed in connection with the Smyrna letter
(B) Notice the change here from the Smyrna letter as to the
order.
(1) There the order is
(a) They say they are Jews.
(b) They are not.
(c) They are the synagogue
of Satan.
(2) Here the order is
(a) The synagogue of Satan
(b) They say they are Jews.
(c) They are not.
(d) "They do lie" is added.
(3) This change places the emphasis on the synagogue
of Satan.
(C) Clearly in view is a mixing of truth with error
particularly the error that works must be added to the
work of Christ for salvation
(D) During this period of church history, the truth was
mixed with the error of postmillennialism so that
the church at large became allied with human
methods, movements, worldliness, so that by the
beginning of the 20th century modernism
was able to rear its ugly head to its full.
(E) Note that this synagogue of Satan will be forced to
come and worship before the feet of the true
church and will then know that Jesus loved the
true church.
(1) When you become disheartened and are despised
for your faith, then remember someday these
very despisers will know
that you are loved of the Lord.
(2) The despised church, the one which the
ecumenicists look down their noses at and say it does not
belong to Jesus, will someday
be know to be loved of the Lord.
(3) CAUTION: This verse does not say that
these will be worshipped, but rather that the despisers
will be forced to worship
at their feet--the worship will be of the Lord Jesus Himself.
(a) cf. Philippians 2:10
(b) BUT, the true church
will be at HIS side sharing it all with HIM.
(IV)
The consequence of keeping the Word of patience
(A) The Word of patience
(1) Certainly this has to do with the patient
waiting for the Lord's return.--Cf. James 5:7, 8
(2) Patience is connected with saints seven times
in this book.
(3) 1Thessalonians 1:3c, 10
(B) Because of this keeping, the Lord will keep the true
church (those who have trusted Jesus Christ as
their personal Lord and Savior--those born-again)
from the Great Tribulation.
(1) The verb is tereoo means "to keep,"
but has two basically different meanings depending on the
accompanying preposition.
(a) With en it means
to "cause one to persevere or stand firm in a thing."--Thayer, 622
(b) With ek it means
"to cause one to escape in safety out of" it--Ibid.
(c) The preposition in this
passage is ek.
(2) Thus "John is promising a removal from the
sphere of testing, not a preservation through it."
--Pentecost, Things to
Come(?)
(3) This idea is further evidenced by the use
of "The hour."
(a) The word is hoora
which means "a certain definite time" or "any definite time, point of
time,
moment."--Thayer,
679
(b) "God is not," therefore,
"only guarding from the trials but from the very hour [the very moment]
itself when
these trials will come."--Pentecost
(4) NOTICE: This trial is to come upon
all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth--to try
those who are
earth-dwellers.
(5) What further evidence is needed for the believing
heart that the believers, i. e., the true church, will
not go through the Great
Tribulation?
(6) NOTE: Earth-dwellers here is a term
used which implies "the idea of permanence in it; thus, it
refers to those who have
settled down in the earth as their real home who have identified themselves
with the earth's commerce
and religion."--Thiessen (Source unknown)
(7) Other Scriptures
(a) 1 Thessalonians 1:9,
10
(b) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
((I)) Not
written to teach the resurrection, although, it is often so used
((II)) Written
to show that at the rapture the living would have no advantage over the dead
in
Christ.
((III)) "If
the Thessalonians had believed that the church would be going through the
seventieth
week [the Great Tribulation], they would have rejoiced that some of
their brethren [those
who had fallen asleep in Christ] had missed this period of suffering
and were with the Lord
without experiencing the outpouring of wrath.--If the church
were going through the
tribulation it would be better to be with the Lord than to have to
await the events of the
seventieth week. They would be praising the Lord that
their brethren were spared these
events instead of feeling that those had missed some of the
Lord's blessings. These
Christians evidently believed that the church would not go through
the seventieth week and in
their anticipation of the return of Christ mourned for
their brethren, whom they thought had
missed the blessing of this event."--Pentecost.
(c) 1 Thessalonians 5:3--This
verse indicates that the Rapture is to occur after the announcement of
"peace and
safety", a period of false security which will come on this earth before
the great
tribulation.
Therefore, the church can not go through the great tribulation which.
is a
period of
anything but peace and safety.
(d) 1 Thessalonians 5: 9
(7) Furthermore, this view is the only one which
follows completely the literal method of interpretation.
(a) The amillennialist admits
that literal versus figurative interpretation is basic
(b) The honest Amillennialist
admits that literal interpretation of this and related passages will
lead
to the
pre-tribulation rapture.
(c) The post-tribulationist
must interpret passages such as these in a figurative sense.
(d) The mid-tribulationist
takes the last half of the 70th week literally, but allegorize the
first half.
g. The counsel of
love-v. 11
(I)
BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY
(A) For nearly 2000 years the church--the true church, that
is-- has been expecting His return.
(B) To this representative true church, He says, "I come quickly."
(C) These words ring out at the end of this great book--Rev.
22:20a
(D) The Response of the believing heart is always:
“Amen, Even so come, Lord Jesus.”--Rev. 22:20b
(II)
"Hold fast which thou hast"
(A) Sardis Church was exhorted to hold fast.
(B) Protestantism is very much in danger of losing what
it has received.
(1) To liberalism and modernism
(2) To Romanism
(3) To secularism
(C) This Philadelphia Church, the great missionary church, yea,
the marvelous true church, which has no
condemnation needs this constant exhortation.
(D) Individual believers need this exhortation.
(E) Includes
(1) Maintenance of spiritual standards
(2) Maintenance of spiritual fellowship
with Christ
(3) Contending for the faith
(III)
"That no man take thy crown"
(A) This is not salvation which no one can lose.
(B) It is a warning that one's crown of reward may be
won an lost through later watchlessness.
(C) Several crowns are mentioned in Scripture.
(1) The incorruptible crown
(a) Reward for victory over
fleshly desire and habits (NOTE: This is not a reason for refusing
to
use natural
desires for food, drink, etc., but rather has to do with desires of the
flesh that are not
right.)
(b) 1 Corinthians 9:25
(2) The crown of life
(a) Reward for life poured
forth in daily living
(b) Reward for life poured
forth in martyr death
(c) Scripture
((I)) James
1:12
((II)) Revelation
2:10
(3) The crown of rejoicing
(a) Reward for Biblical
evangelism
(b) Philippians 4:1
(c) 1 Thessalonians 2:19
(4) The crown of glory
(a) Reward for giving forth
the Word of God
(b) Does not refer only to
preachers, but any person who faithfully gives forth the Word of God
whether ordained
or not.
(c) 1 Peter 5:4
(5) The crown of righteousness
(a) Reward for proper attitude
toward Christ's return
(b) 2 Timothy 4:8
(D) Notice that these crowns have to do with rewards, not
salvation.
h. The call--vv. 12,
13
(I)
The promise to overcomers
(A) Evidently not everyone in the church is an overcomer.
(B) Overcomer is a pillar in the temple of God.
(1) Little strength on earth, but made a pillar
above
(2) Pillars exhibit “permanency, strength,
and beauty." --Newell, 73
(C) The name of God and the city of God written
upon him
(1) Fulfilled as set forth in Revelation 22:4
(2) The city of God is the new Jerusalem.
(a) In the Gospel of John,
John uses the word hierosalyma which is the Greek name and is more
recent and
more secular and political.
(b) In the Book of
Revelation, John uses the word hierousalem which is a
transliteration from the
original Hebrew;
it.is original word for it and the holier one.
(D) Christ's new name will be written on the overcomer.
(1) This new name is unknown.
(2) Doubtlessly it will in some way describe
the fulness and glory of Christ as God.
(II)
The call to hear
(A) Every born again one has the spiritual ear, and therefore,
the personal responsibility to respond to the
voice of the Spirit.
(B) "The Spirit keeps speaking to all opened ears and willing
hearts in all these wondrous solemn
messages. Are we really listening?"--Newell,
74; italics are his.