"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shall not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shall not know which hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation 3:3). The residents of Sardis lived with the thought that they were safe from intruders, but as was mentioned earlier, armies conquered the city twice. The Church at Sardis must learn to put their trust in the Lord, not in man. Jesus would swiftly bring judgment upon them if they did not repent. They would not know when that judgment was coming. It would come as a thief, unannounced. They must take hold of the things of God and not allow them to slip away. They needed to repent and begin living for the testimony of the Lord. Jesus said to "watch." This is basically the same Greek word used in verse two when Jesus said to be "watchful." We are given a guard post and we must not sleep or slumber. God’s judgment could come upon them at any time. Jesus may come at any hour to take His Church home to be with Him. We must be busy, doing His will. God looks at the hearts of His people. He knows all about the powers that seek to lord over His people. He knows when a person desires to serve Him but is hindered tremendously, as the reformers were hindered. God does not have a Roman Catholic Church, a Baptist Church, a Presbyterian Church, and on, and on. God has one Church, one Body, one faith and we, the true Saints, are together His Church. The false teachings are the problem and those teachings originate in the evil, fleshly hearts of men, false teachers, and those who wish to use God‘s people for their own benefit. We must separate from such and come out from among them. When all else fails we must find a congregation that is serving the Lord in truth. Jesus said to "remember." He is telling them to keep it in their memory what He was teaching them. They were to "hold fast," which means to "keep" the things He has told them. Jesus is teaching them to repent of what they were previously doing, and then to travel down the straight and narrow road. Notice that Jesus first told them to be watchful and to repent, but if they did not repent He would come with judgment upon them, they would be caught by surprise, and in their ignorance. The city, along with the church, was soon destroyed. Jesus reminded them how they had received, and how they had heard the Word of God previously. God had sent the right teachers, men who are well equipped to teach the Church. (See Ephesians 4:11-12). However, they had not listened to God’s servants.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:12:02 +0000
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