Good morning all!
Father, we know that a walk with You is full of life, full of promise and full of hope for brighter days. Lord show us the way, show us the path You have chosen for us to walk and give us the strength to remain faithful. Thank You Lord for walking with us step by step, continue to reveal Your presence and whisper Your truth in our ear, Amen.
Revelation 3
1 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.
Hmm…I would imagine if we have an angel speaking he probably has a message from God, He knows our WORKS and our NAME and we say were living but God says were actually dead.
4 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.
Hope…there are a FEW in this city that have NOT defiled their lifestyle, and they WALK with God for they are WORTHY…oh thank God!
5 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.
Those that have OVERCOME will also receive a WHITE coat and they are included in the book of LIFE and they will be known by the Father and the angels…sounds like a good dude.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
And if you have an ear…we all do…HEAR what the spirit is saying to the church.
Bottom line
In Revelation God sends an angel to speak to the seven churches NOT the world, and he has a message for each church that will give them the power of heaven. Now the church of Sardis was known for their opulence, they were wealthy and had a high opinion of themselves. The angel said he knew their WORKS and although they thought they were living righteously, God saw that they were DEAD. Why were they dead?
[Phl 2:3-4 NIV] 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but, each of you to the interests of the others. Quite simply Sardis thought their VALUE was better than others, they were interested in their own comfort and satisfaction and not others. I mean when you get right down to it, it sounds life selfish behavior, right? And what is the root cause for selfish behavior? PRIDE…God’s only enemy.
[Jas 3:16 AMP] 16 For where pride and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice. Pride will always trample on God’s grace, it is the source of EVERY evil action and degrading practice. Now as we continue to read scripture…you know God’s eternal truth…it says can two WALK together except they AGREE? The answer according to this passage is NO, you and I don’t walk…LIVE…with God when we hold onto pride…what enemy did you think God was going to destroy? It’s NEVER people, God destroys thinking, worldly ideas, religious ideas, anything that causes us to live outside of His grace. GRACE alone saves the world so anything that opposes that truth would be considered an enemy of God and the opposition of His will, NOT my will but Yours be done. But there is hope…in Sardis the angel found a FEW that did NOT defile their garments, and they were found WORTHY, what made them worthy? They WALKED with God in WHITE, they walked HUMBLY with God and with His righteousness. What is the difference between our righteousness and God’s righteousness?
[Pro 19:11 AMP] Wisdom and discretion make a man slow to anger, And it is his honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense [without seeking revenge and harboring resentment]. God’s righteousness will OVERLOOK the sin, the offense, He considers that behavior wise and discrete…can two walk together. Think about it, when do we get offended? When pride whispers in our ear and says that’s NOT right, that’s NOT fair, I will NOT stand for it. Why do you think He says let him HEAR what the spirit is saying, quick to HEAR and SLOW to speak, slow to harbor resentment or seek revenge. It does say the one that OVERCOMES is clothed in white and those that do WORKS…make requirements…are defiled. You and I should OVERCOME our emotions, OVERCOME being offended, OVERCOME the urge to lash out at others.
[Jhn 16:1-2 AMP] I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be offended and fall away. They will put you out of the synagogues and make you outcasts. And a time is coming when whoever kills you will think that he is offering service to God. Have you made someone an outcast in your life? Did you THINK it was with God’s approval? Or were you just offended? These are the words of Jesus Christ, I think He knew a thing or two about being made an outcast and didn’t the CHURCH have him killed? And didn’t they think they were doing it in service to God? If they do this to the green tree what of the dry? Church if we are to WALK with God we have to start to OVERLOOK the offense and value the person instead…that’s the WALK!!!
Point to Ponder
Are you a child of God? [Mat 5:9 KJV] Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. He said peacemakers NOT troublemakers, quit stirring the pot and put a lid on it.
Let’s all walk with God, In Him Phil
Faith – Family – Friends