Dead or Alive
Revelation 3:1-6
Message #7
A true Christ-follower has the very life of Jesus Christ living in them, and because they have the very life of Jesus Christ living in them, they exhibit true new life traits. In other words, the life of Jesus Christ shows in them in truly Biblical ways, NOT just in parroting what they have been taught by their particular church. The evidence that we have the new life of Christ in us is the evidence that the Bible gives. The fruit of the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, crucifying self, and crucifying the old man, walking in new life – all the things that the Bible unfolds to us – that’s the sign of new life.
So, if someone says they’re a Christ-follower but what shows in their life is only an adherence to their own particular church’s ways, dogmas, and theology, they may think they’re spiritually alive, but they may actually be spiritually dead. I know that may be hard to hear, but it is clear what today’s letter to the Churches says. Let’s pray today that we would know whether we are actually spiritually dead or alive.
Today we look at the Church of Sardis. Sardis was an important and wealthy city that came next on the route of the letter carrier in what now is Turkey. Sardis was a church that had the reputation of being alive, but Jesus is going to say to them today – I know you have a reputation of being alive, but actually, and in fact, you are dead.
Jesus is never impressed by what we look like on the outside as a church or as individuals.
Jesus sees our heart
Jesus knows our heart
Jesus wants our heart – and nothing less will do
And so, the message from Jesus for the church of Sardis and for us today is:
wake up
recognize your true condition
repent
be revived from near death to true spiritual life
Revelation 3:1 (NLT)
1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has (possesses) the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
Remember, Jesus uses a description of himself that speaks to what the church needs to hear. To Sardis, Jesus describes himself as the One Who Possesses the Seven Spirits of God.
This is a reference to the complete Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit (seven equals completeness or fullness). This is exactly Who this church needs – The Holy Spirit and it’s exactly who people who are in the same spiritual condition as Sardis need.
Churches and people who think they are religiously alive but are actually spiritually dead, they desperately need the person and the power of the Holy Spirit who will lead them into a true, genuine relationship with Jesus.
And verse 1 also says Jesus “has” (possesses) the seven stars – referring to the Seven Messengers to the Seven Churches.
And then comes the “I know.”
At the end of verse 1, Jesus says,
Revelation 3:1(b) (NLT)
1(b) . . . “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
When we begin to think we are spiritually alive because we look or act a certain way on the outside, we may very well be deceiving ourselves.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
Don’t let your own heart deceive you into thinking that your religion is the same as a genuine relationship of faith in Jesus Christ.
There are so many Protestant denominations and movements that have started with the true supernatural life of God. But so often, in just a few generations, those denominations and movements end up with only the “reputation” of being alive.
William Barclay says:
“A church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past.”
And so, through this letter to the Church of Sardis, Jesus asks us that one most important question:
Are we spiritually dead or spiritually alive – today?
Do we truly have the life of Jesus living in us – today?
Or do we have only a reputation for having that life?
Paul WARNS Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:5 (NLT)
5 [In the last days, people] will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Paul warns Timothy to stay away from people who act religious but reject the power of God that could actually transform their life. They may have a reputation for being spiritually alive, but on the inside, they may actually be spiritually dead.
Jesus is addressing a spiritual life and death issue here, and he is sending a solemn warning from the One Who Knows Everything about us.
So, let’s take a look at the prophetic perspective here. Remember, in each letter, there is a prophetic perspective that amazingly reflects a time period in Church history. So, the name “Sardis” means “those escaping.” And in the prophetic perspective, Sardis represents the time that began with the Reformation. It covers (at the most) 200 years, from about 1500 to about 1700 AD. And most of what Jesus is writing about to Sardis describes what the Church of the Reformation became in only about 100 years after its Great Beginning. And in about 100 years, the Reformation went from one thing to another thing. It went from being spiritually alive to having a reputation of being alive.
The Reformation itself was clearly a great move of God. Most say the Reformation was the greatest move of God since the time of the Apostles. Nothing else compares to it. God moved in an incredible, supernatural, miraculous way to free the true believers from the stranglehold of the Church. And within a relatively short period of time, the Reformation had a great reputation of making right so many things that were one hundred percent wrong in the Church of the Middle Ages – and that reputation of the Reformers still drives many churches today.
They had the reputation of bravely reforming (by the power of God) the Church that had started in Rome and had gotten so contaminated by man’s rule.
However, after the initial move of God to reform the wrongs of the Roman Church, the Reformers became known as “Protestants,” and they soon developed their own religious system that was also designed and instituted by man and was also state-sponsored which means they were also tied to the powers of the government.
The Protestant Reformation – It had the power of God in the beginning, but then the churches had to grow into this new thing, and the state sponsored the Catholic Church. All the Churches and Priests were state-sponsored, government-sponsored. And so, when the Reformers began to organize under churches, they felt they needed the state’s sponsorship. And so, all these churches, the Anglican churches, the Lutheran churches, all these different denominations that broke away in the Reformation, maintained their connection to the state. They were still state-sponsored and still state-controlled churches.
They did do away with the clearly unbiblical decrees of the Roman Church, but by the year 1619, they had replaced those unbiblical decrees with their own set of decrees. The difference was that while the Roman Church became primarily focused on controlling the people, most of the decrees of the Reformation Church had to do with developing hard and fast doctrinal truths.
Some of which were clearly hard and fast in the Bible
Some of which were not so hard and fast in the Bible
And within just 100 years, the next generation of Reformers became more interested in protecting and worshiping their own decrees and doctrine than they were in developing a genuine personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
You need Jesus! You don’t need the Roman church; you don’t need the Reformation church. You need Jesus. You don’t need the Catholic church, the Presbyterian church, the Baptist church, the Methodist church – you don’t need this church. YOU NEED JESUS!!! And you need the Word of God to come alive in your life so that you can have a real relationship with Jesus Christ that is not dictated by a set of mankind’s rules. It’s dictated by the supernatural Word of God.
This is legit, and this is happening today. They became more concerned about defending their doctrinal position than they were concerned about leading people to Christ. And today, you STILL see it.
So, they had a reputation of “being alive” because they had won the battle with the Roman Church. But because they became so committed to protecting their own views of the Bible, the new life of Jesus Christ in them and the true power of the Holy Spirit IN their relationship with Christ – died.
Here’s the problem – they’re more committed to their doctrinal stance than they are to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But some of their doctrinal stances aren’t clear in the Bible; they’re views, interpretations, opinions. So why are you hammering me with that? The Bible says I need Jesus. I’m going to just stick with Jesus. Right? I’m just going to build a relationship with Jesus Christ, and I want to experience his power – the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering (that’s what Philippians 3:10 says).
Samuel H. Turner – Scholar & Professor in the Anglican Church (that came directly out of the Reformation) Writing in the 1800’s
The Reformers began well, but many of their successors were not so consecrated (set apart) as they and so their works were not found perfect (acceptable) before God. They had a name to live and yet were dead, and the life of vital godliness which sprang from the great doctrines of the Reformers, gradually degenerated into lifeless formalism.
And today, there are many, many, many Christian churches that are still operating in this reputation of being alive but who may actually be spiritually dead. And the number one way you can tell when a person is caught up in this “Church of Sardis” problem is when they are more interested in converting you to their doctrine than they are in helping you develop a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
To this Church of Sardis, Jesus has nothing good to say to them, only the warning of the next two verses.
Jesus always gives hope, and he always has an answer. And for the Church of Sardis, his answer starts in verse 2.
Revelation 3:2 (NLT)
2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
It’s not just the Roman Church that Jesus lit up last week; he is lighting up the Protestant Reformation here for a similar reason. It’s for moving away from a real radical relationship with Jesus and moving toward religion.
Here’s why. Because religion is about a thousand times easier than having a relationship with Jesus. You “check all the boxes.” Got up. Check. Showered. Check. Went to church. Check. Made nice. Check. Smiled at everyone. Check. Didn’t cuss for 90 minutes. Check. Okay – I’m good to go. That’s religion.
But a relationship with Jesus is like, “Oh, Lord. I’m about to get out of bed, Jesus. I need you. I need your help. Help me today.” Right? It’s so different.
Jesus is saying I haven’t found anything in you that is complete (perfected) in the sight of God.
Philippians 2:12 says – show the results of your salvation
2 Timothy 1:6 says – fan into flames the gift God has given you
2 Peter 1:10 says, – be diligent to make your call and election sure
And in verse 3, Jesus tells us how to do just that!
Revelation 3:3 (NLT)
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
If you are at risk of trading your genuine relationship with Jesus for spiritually dead religion – get Back – get back to where you once belonged.
Look what Jesus says… Go back to what you heard and believed at first; what did you hear and believe at first? Jesus Christ loves me, and he died for me to forgive me of my sins. And if I receive him and make him my Lord and Savior, then he’ll be with me, and I’ll go to heaven in his righteousness. That’s the Gospel.
We want Jesus here. That’s how we started. 1979, April 29, I received Jesus Christ, and I’ve held onto him personally for forty-four years.
Get back to the life-transforming truth of the Gospel that you believed at first, and then hold on to it and hold on firmly. Repent from trusting in your religious concepts of Jesus and return to a real personal relationship with him. Turn to Jesus. Don’t end up spiritually dead while thinking that you are religiously alive.
And Jesus says at the end of verse 3 If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. He’s talking about coming with judgment there, as unexpected as a thief.
Sardis sat high on a hill with mostly sheer cliffs all around it, it had one secret entrance, and it should have been easily protected. The people thought they were safe, but twice, this city had been conquered by the enemy through sneak attacks. Because they thought they were so safe, they weren’t watching that one secret entrance, and the enemy easily came in like a thief and conquered them. That’s most likely Jesus’ reference to coming like a thief.
Alright, are you ready for some Good News?
The good news is – there is a faithful remnant even in the spiritually dead church.
Revelation 3:4 (NLT)
4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
God always ensures that there is a faithful remnant, even in the darkest times and places. And when we find ourselves in those dark times or dark places, may we always remain truly faithful to God.
Listen, Jesus has no denomination! That is a work of man. There is no church that is THE Church except the greater Church of all people who are saved.
And ten times in Revelation, the righteousness of the Saints is pictured by us being clothed in white. Listen, when we read Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 about putting on Christ – when we read those chapters – the idea is to put on clothing. It’s to put on a new life. And that righteousness that is white that we put on is the righteousness of Christ that’s given to us freely through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not our righteousness. We don’t earn it; we don’t deserve it. We receive it, and he clothes us in his righteousness. And it is us receiving his righteousness. And then he says they will walk with me in that righteousness for they are worthy. Praise the Lord!!
It’s the righteousness of Christ that makes us worthy. Not our religious institution, our religious intellect. It’s Christ.
It’s not a worthiness earned
but a worthiness received in Christ
Which is why religion (by itself), no matter how cleaned up, is still only spiritual death. The only way for us to walk with Christ and be worthy is to have the genuine life of Christ living in us through our faith in him.
The Good News continues in verse 5.
Revelation 3:5 (NLT)
5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
The Book of Life is the record of all who are saved and who will live for eternity with the Lord. God says to those who are “in Christ” – they have assurance their names will forever be in the Book of Life.
Guys (from your perspective), your name was written in the Book of Life the day you truly made Jesus Christ your Savior and your Lord. (Where God exists, your name has always been in that Book.) And we say it all the time if you’re truly saved, then you’re truly saved. And it was all done by God’s grace alone and through your faith alone.
And it is displayed by your ever-increasing relationship with him in which his life is continually transforming your life from within.
And Jesus also says at the end of verse 5 I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
This word “announce” means to confess, to honor, or to speak out in introduction.
Matthew 10:32 says, “. . . whoever confesses (same word) Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
You announce his name HERE before men
and he’ll announce your name THERE before the Father
Revelation 3:6 (NLT)
6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
Do we have ears to hear?? Will we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us – personally?
We need Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want our religious activities or our religious intellect. He wants our heart!! He wants a genuine personal relationship with you.
He wants to come into your life, and he wants to give you his new life, and in the end, that is the only thing that will determine whether you are spiritually dead or alive.
Whoever has an ear to hear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
So, if someone says they’re a Christ-follower but what shows in their life is only an adherence to their own particular church’s ways, dogmas, and theology, they may think they’re spiritually alive, but they may actually be spiritually dead. I know that may be hard to hear, but it is clear what today’s letter to the Churches says. Let’s pray today that we would know whether we are actually spiritually dead or alive.
Today we look at the Church of Sardis. Sardis was an important and wealthy city that came next on the route of the letter carrier in what now is Turkey. Sardis was a church that had the reputation of being alive, but Jesus is going to say to them today – I know you have a reputation of being alive, but actually, and in fact, you are dead.
Jesus is never impressed by what we look like on the outside as a church or as individuals.
Jesus sees our heart
Jesus knows our heart
Jesus wants our heart – and nothing less will do
And so, the message from Jesus for the church of Sardis and for us today is:
wake up
recognize your true condition
repent
be revived from near death to true spiritual life
Revelation 3:1 (NLT)
1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has (possesses) the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
Remember, Jesus uses a description of himself that speaks to what the church needs to hear. To Sardis, Jesus describes himself as the One Who Possesses the Seven Spirits of God.
This is a reference to the complete Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit (seven equals completeness or fullness). This is exactly Who this church needs – The Holy Spirit and it’s exactly who people who are in the same spiritual condition as Sardis need.
Churches and people who think they are religiously alive but are actually spiritually dead, they desperately need the person and the power of the Holy Spirit who will lead them into a true, genuine relationship with Jesus.
And verse 1 also says Jesus “has” (possesses) the seven stars – referring to the Seven Messengers to the Seven Churches.
And then comes the “I know.”
At the end of verse 1, Jesus says,
Revelation 3:1(b) (NLT)
1(b) . . . “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
When we begin to think we are spiritually alive because we look or act a certain way on the outside, we may very well be deceiving ourselves.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
9 “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
Don’t let your own heart deceive you into thinking that your religion is the same as a genuine relationship of faith in Jesus Christ.
There are so many Protestant denominations and movements that have started with the true supernatural life of God. But so often, in just a few generations, those denominations and movements end up with only the “reputation” of being alive.
William Barclay says:
“A church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past.”
And so, through this letter to the Church of Sardis, Jesus asks us that one most important question:
Are we spiritually dead or spiritually alive – today?
Do we truly have the life of Jesus living in us – today?
Or do we have only a reputation for having that life?
Paul WARNS Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:5 (NLT)
5 [In the last days, people] will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Paul warns Timothy to stay away from people who act religious but reject the power of God that could actually transform their life. They may have a reputation for being spiritually alive, but on the inside, they may actually be spiritually dead.
Jesus is addressing a spiritual life and death issue here, and he is sending a solemn warning from the One Who Knows Everything about us.
So, let’s take a look at the prophetic perspective here. Remember, in each letter, there is a prophetic perspective that amazingly reflects a time period in Church history. So, the name “Sardis” means “those escaping.” And in the prophetic perspective, Sardis represents the time that began with the Reformation. It covers (at the most) 200 years, from about 1500 to about 1700 AD. And most of what Jesus is writing about to Sardis describes what the Church of the Reformation became in only about 100 years after its Great Beginning. And in about 100 years, the Reformation went from one thing to another thing. It went from being spiritually alive to having a reputation of being alive.
The Reformation itself was clearly a great move of God. Most say the Reformation was the greatest move of God since the time of the Apostles. Nothing else compares to it. God moved in an incredible, supernatural, miraculous way to free the true believers from the stranglehold of the Church. And within a relatively short period of time, the Reformation had a great reputation of making right so many things that were one hundred percent wrong in the Church of the Middle Ages – and that reputation of the Reformers still drives many churches today.
They had the reputation of bravely reforming (by the power of God) the Church that had started in Rome and had gotten so contaminated by man’s rule.
However, after the initial move of God to reform the wrongs of the Roman Church, the Reformers became known as “Protestants,” and they soon developed their own religious system that was also designed and instituted by man and was also state-sponsored which means they were also tied to the powers of the government.
The Protestant Reformation – It had the power of God in the beginning, but then the churches had to grow into this new thing, and the state sponsored the Catholic Church. All the Churches and Priests were state-sponsored, government-sponsored. And so, when the Reformers began to organize under churches, they felt they needed the state’s sponsorship. And so, all these churches, the Anglican churches, the Lutheran churches, all these different denominations that broke away in the Reformation, maintained their connection to the state. They were still state-sponsored and still state-controlled churches.
They did do away with the clearly unbiblical decrees of the Roman Church, but by the year 1619, they had replaced those unbiblical decrees with their own set of decrees. The difference was that while the Roman Church became primarily focused on controlling the people, most of the decrees of the Reformation Church had to do with developing hard and fast doctrinal truths.
Some of which were clearly hard and fast in the Bible
Some of which were not so hard and fast in the Bible
And within just 100 years, the next generation of Reformers became more interested in protecting and worshiping their own decrees and doctrine than they were in developing a genuine personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
You need Jesus! You don’t need the Roman church; you don’t need the Reformation church. You need Jesus. You don’t need the Catholic church, the Presbyterian church, the Baptist church, the Methodist church – you don’t need this church. YOU NEED JESUS!!! And you need the Word of God to come alive in your life so that you can have a real relationship with Jesus Christ that is not dictated by a set of mankind’s rules. It’s dictated by the supernatural Word of God.
This is legit, and this is happening today. They became more concerned about defending their doctrinal position than they were concerned about leading people to Christ. And today, you STILL see it.
So, they had a reputation of “being alive” because they had won the battle with the Roman Church. But because they became so committed to protecting their own views of the Bible, the new life of Jesus Christ in them and the true power of the Holy Spirit IN their relationship with Christ – died.
Here’s the problem – they’re more committed to their doctrinal stance than they are to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But some of their doctrinal stances aren’t clear in the Bible; they’re views, interpretations, opinions. So why are you hammering me with that? The Bible says I need Jesus. I’m going to just stick with Jesus. Right? I’m just going to build a relationship with Jesus Christ, and I want to experience his power – the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering (that’s what Philippians 3:10 says).
Samuel H. Turner – Scholar & Professor in the Anglican Church (that came directly out of the Reformation) Writing in the 1800’s
The Reformers began well, but many of their successors were not so consecrated (set apart) as they and so their works were not found perfect (acceptable) before God. They had a name to live and yet were dead, and the life of vital godliness which sprang from the great doctrines of the Reformers, gradually degenerated into lifeless formalism.
And today, there are many, many, many Christian churches that are still operating in this reputation of being alive but who may actually be spiritually dead. And the number one way you can tell when a person is caught up in this “Church of Sardis” problem is when they are more interested in converting you to their doctrine than they are in helping you develop a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ.
To this Church of Sardis, Jesus has nothing good to say to them, only the warning of the next two verses.
Jesus always gives hope, and he always has an answer. And for the Church of Sardis, his answer starts in verse 2.
Revelation 3:2 (NLT)
2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.
It’s not just the Roman Church that Jesus lit up last week; he is lighting up the Protestant Reformation here for a similar reason. It’s for moving away from a real radical relationship with Jesus and moving toward religion.
Here’s why. Because religion is about a thousand times easier than having a relationship with Jesus. You “check all the boxes.” Got up. Check. Showered. Check. Went to church. Check. Made nice. Check. Smiled at everyone. Check. Didn’t cuss for 90 minutes. Check. Okay – I’m good to go. That’s religion.
But a relationship with Jesus is like, “Oh, Lord. I’m about to get out of bed, Jesus. I need you. I need your help. Help me today.” Right? It’s so different.
Jesus is saying I haven’t found anything in you that is complete (perfected) in the sight of God.
Philippians 2:12 says – show the results of your salvation
2 Timothy 1:6 says – fan into flames the gift God has given you
2 Peter 1:10 says, – be diligent to make your call and election sure
And in verse 3, Jesus tells us how to do just that!
Revelation 3:3 (NLT)
3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
If you are at risk of trading your genuine relationship with Jesus for spiritually dead religion – get Back – get back to where you once belonged.
Look what Jesus says… Go back to what you heard and believed at first; what did you hear and believe at first? Jesus Christ loves me, and he died for me to forgive me of my sins. And if I receive him and make him my Lord and Savior, then he’ll be with me, and I’ll go to heaven in his righteousness. That’s the Gospel.
We want Jesus here. That’s how we started. 1979, April 29, I received Jesus Christ, and I’ve held onto him personally for forty-four years.
Get back to the life-transforming truth of the Gospel that you believed at first, and then hold on to it and hold on firmly. Repent from trusting in your religious concepts of Jesus and return to a real personal relationship with him. Turn to Jesus. Don’t end up spiritually dead while thinking that you are religiously alive.
And Jesus says at the end of verse 3 If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. He’s talking about coming with judgment there, as unexpected as a thief.
Sardis sat high on a hill with mostly sheer cliffs all around it, it had one secret entrance, and it should have been easily protected. The people thought they were safe, but twice, this city had been conquered by the enemy through sneak attacks. Because they thought they were so safe, they weren’t watching that one secret entrance, and the enemy easily came in like a thief and conquered them. That’s most likely Jesus’ reference to coming like a thief.
Alright, are you ready for some Good News?
The good news is – there is a faithful remnant even in the spiritually dead church.
Revelation 3:4 (NLT)
4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
God always ensures that there is a faithful remnant, even in the darkest times and places. And when we find ourselves in those dark times or dark places, may we always remain truly faithful to God.
Listen, Jesus has no denomination! That is a work of man. There is no church that is THE Church except the greater Church of all people who are saved.
And ten times in Revelation, the righteousness of the Saints is pictured by us being clothed in white. Listen, when we read Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3 about putting on Christ – when we read those chapters – the idea is to put on clothing. It’s to put on a new life. And that righteousness that is white that we put on is the righteousness of Christ that’s given to us freely through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not our righteousness. We don’t earn it; we don’t deserve it. We receive it, and he clothes us in his righteousness. And it is us receiving his righteousness. And then he says they will walk with me in that righteousness for they are worthy. Praise the Lord!!
It’s the righteousness of Christ that makes us worthy. Not our religious institution, our religious intellect. It’s Christ.
It’s not a worthiness earned
but a worthiness received in Christ
Which is why religion (by itself), no matter how cleaned up, is still only spiritual death. The only way for us to walk with Christ and be worthy is to have the genuine life of Christ living in us through our faith in him.
The Good News continues in verse 5.
Revelation 3:5 (NLT)
5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
The Book of Life is the record of all who are saved and who will live for eternity with the Lord. God says to those who are “in Christ” – they have assurance their names will forever be in the Book of Life.
Guys (from your perspective), your name was written in the Book of Life the day you truly made Jesus Christ your Savior and your Lord. (Where God exists, your name has always been in that Book.) And we say it all the time if you’re truly saved, then you’re truly saved. And it was all done by God’s grace alone and through your faith alone.
And it is displayed by your ever-increasing relationship with him in which his life is continually transforming your life from within.
And Jesus also says at the end of verse 5 I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
This word “announce” means to confess, to honor, or to speak out in introduction.
Matthew 10:32 says, “. . . whoever confesses (same word) Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
You announce his name HERE before men
and he’ll announce your name THERE before the Father
Revelation 3:6 (NLT)
6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
Do we have ears to hear?? Will we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us – personally?
We need Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want our religious activities or our religious intellect. He wants our heart!! He wants a genuine personal relationship with you.
He wants to come into your life, and he wants to give you his new life, and in the end, that is the only thing that will determine whether you are spiritually dead or alive.
Whoever has an ear to hear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.