Confidence and not Arrogance!

(Hebrews 11:6) “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

 I find it hard to hold back from the confession I now need to make. It is a confession of glee rather than sorrow and I have considered the difference between arrogance and confidence; all I am left to say is that I love my great Saviour more than I can express; He has ransomed me with His own life and yet almost twenty-four years down the line I am once again where I once was, so long ago. I thank God for my lighthouse; I owe my life to Him, as this is an obvious conclusion. Yet it is only when we experience His love first hand in our lives will we understand this to be true. There is so much I need to pen and yet there seems to be an overload of thoughts all happening at the same time. Maybe I should unpack them and take them one at a time; maybe it is time to write another book; less of me and more of my great Saviour, and yet He will only ever be great in our own eyes if we understand that it was Him who first loved us.

“The Shield of Faith” I think must be the topic and maybe even the title. So many of us lose our way because we do not understand the impact that faith in our lives; it is either miss appropriated or avoided in order to correct the mistake of others; we tend to love the “pendulum theory” (to counter the mistakes of others we overcorrect leaving us just as guilty). Therefore we are left battling against sin in our lives but not flying the “banner of faith” not using our shield to good effect, we begin to take the onslaught of the trials of life on our chin and before long we are dusting the dirt from our knees.

It is when we are arrogant that we are humbled. But confidence is something beautiful, and only when our confidence is in God’s ability. Subtle nuances of distortion to correct biblical application in our lives affect our ability to walk as victorious Christians and everything pivots around “unbelief”. How so? Let us hear from a great biblical teacher our brother who has long gone on to be with the Lord…

“I shall this morning invite your attention to two things—the man's sin and his punishment. Perhaps I shall say but little of this man, since I have detailed the circumstances, but I shall discourse upon the sin of unbelief and the punishment thereof.

I. And first, the SIN.

His sin was unbelief. He doubted the promise of God. In this particular case unbelief took the form of a doubt of the divine veracity, or a mistrust of God's power. Either he doubted whether God really meant what he said, or whether it was within the range of possibility that God should fulfill his promise. Unbelief hath more phases than the moon, and more colors than the chameleon. Common people say of the devil, that he is seen sometimes in one shape, and sometimes in another. I am sure this is true of Satan's first-born child—unbelief, for its forms are legion. At one time I see unbelief dressed out as an angel of light. It calls itself humility, and it saith, "I would not be presumptuous; I dare not think that God would pardon me; I am too great a sinner." We call that humility, and thank God that our friend is in so good a condition. I do not thank God for any such delusion. It is the devil dressed as an angel of light; it is unbelief after all. At other times we detect unbelief in the shape of a doubt of God's immutability: "The Lord has loved me, but perhaps he will cast me off to-morrow. He helped me yesterday, and under the shadows of his wings I trust; but perhaps I shall receive no help in the next affliction. He may have cast me off; he may be unmindful of his covenant, and forget to be gracious." Sometimes this infidelity is embodied in a doubt of God's power. We see every day new straits, we are involved in a net of difficulties, and we think "surely the Lord cannot deliver us." We strive to get rid of our burden, and finding that we cannot do it, we think God's arm is as short as ours, and his power as little as human might. A fearful form of unbelief is that doubt which keeps men from coming to Christ; which leads the sinner to distrust the ability of Christ to save him, to doubt the willingness of Jesus to accept so great a transgressor. But the most hideous of all is the traitor, in its true colors, blaspheming God, and madly denying his existence. Infidelity, deism, and atheism, are the ripe fruits of this pernicious tree; they are the most terrific eruptions of the volcano of unbelief. Unbelief hath become of full stature, when quitting the mask and laying aside disguise, it profanely stalks the earth, uttering the rebellious cry, "No God," striving in vain to shake the throne of the divinity, by lifting up its arm against Jehovah, and in its arrogance would

"Snatch from his hand the balance and the rod,
Re-judge his justice—be the god of God."

…Then truly unbelief has come to its full perfection, and then you see what it really is, for the least unbelief is of the same nature as the greatest.
I shall attempt this morning, for a little while, to shew the extremely evil nature of the sin of unbelief.

And first the sin of unbelief will appear to be extremely heinous when we remember that it is the parent of every other iniquity. There is no crime which unbelief will not beget. I think that the fall of man is very much owing to it. It was in this point that the devil tempted Eve. He said to her, "Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" He whispered and insinuated a doubt, "Yea, hath God said so?" as much as to say, "Are you quite sure he said so?" It was by means of unbelief—that thin part of the wedge—that the other sin entered; curiosity and the rest followed;

But secondly; unbelief not only begets, but fosters sin.

But there is a third point. Unbelief disables a man for the performance of any good work. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin," is a great truth in more senses than one. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." You shall never hear me say a word against morality; you shall never hear me say that honesty is not a good thing, or that sobriety is not a good thing; on the contrary, I would say they are commendable things; but I will tell you what I will say afterwards: All these things put together, without faith, do not please God. Virtues without faith are whitewashed sins. Obedience without faith, if it is possible, is a gilded disobedience. Not to believe, nullifies everything. It is the fly in the ointment; it is the poison in the pot. Without faith, with all the virtues of purity, with all the benevolence of philanthropy, with all the kindness of disinterested sympathy, with all the talents of genius, with all the bravery of patriotism, and with all the decision of principle—"without faith it is impossible to please God." Do you not see then, how bad unbelief is, because it prevents men from performing good works. Yea, even in Christians themselves, unbelief disables them.” (C.H.Spurgeon) - Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 14, 1855, by the REV. C. H. Spurgeon At New Park Street Chapel, Southwark.

What I find rather delightfully intriguing is this was at the beginning of Spurgeon’s ministry and he had understood the importance of faith as opposed to the traps of unbelief and look at the effect he still has on the church today. I’ll even go as far to say as it would appear that everything in our lives pivots around this truth.

Remember the shield of faith! It is glorious when we see our King as the “Conqueror Supreme”, praise His name, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

  

Our Sovereign God!

(1Timothy 6:15) “--He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Chance or co-incidence is there room for it in God’s economy? It is an important question for us to find an answer; as this will help us apply with precision the shield of faith to our lives. Come let us reason together…

God is Sovereign; Sovereignty (dominion, rule, power, authority and dominance) belongs to God and we all accept that, the debate is now over there is nothing else then to consider. Why then do we not live with that understanding? The last two nights I have had disturbing dreams and they have worried me, not to the point of desperation but rather leaving me with a plaguing question, why? Is it just a co-incidence and nothing more? Many would say, it’s just a dream don’t worry about it. But when I ask myself these types of questions what can I learn from it? It puts a different spin on the outcome. We far too often do undermine the lessons of life! We use this type of rational far too frequently; it plays into the hands of our enemies. Everything is designed to teach us to become more like our great Redeemer; Let me explain…

The best example for us to use would be the children of Israel who were once slaves in Egypt as we too where once slaves to sin. We both have something in common, a journey to the Promised Land. And many of them fell along the way in the Wilderness; they never made it across the Jordan River; In fact it was only Joshua and Caleb from the original masses that made it across, a rather sobering thought. We too are on a journey, what will be our end? We have been given instruction to examine those who journeyed across the Wilderness and to learn from their mistakes. It was their sin that lead to their unbelief which in turn caused them to disobey resulting in them never arriving at their final destination. When we face a test in life we often are inclined to rebel. I know this as I have often rebelled, thank you for your forgiveness Father! However, we must eventually arrive at a place of accepting our responsibility and we must face our challenge head on; “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)   

Let us now with soberness consider the ironies in our lives. A hardship brings us to a junction in the road, how do we reason and what do we say? Woe is me! It is too difficult so we run to sin in order to find an escape, we drink or we swear or we respond with anger or sink into a cocoon of depression and the like. It is the easy out, but we forget from where we have been saved. Testing is there for our good, although it would not seem so if we misunderstand their purpose. Christ ransomed himself for our sin; we have been afforded the opportunity to no longer be slaves to it. Paul is very clear on this; “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

I have concluded that there is no such thing as coincidence in the life of a believer; it is only a hireling and not the good shepherd that leaves a lamb to fend for itself. We have the greatest of shepherds; it is the Lord Jesus, who is God and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We have His Spirit! It is now of great importance that we learn to use the shield of faith skilfully. Everything in life that carries with it chance is not of God. If we place any hope on the “lotto of life” we hanker after our own lusts and play into the hands of the devil. How many of us have been ensnared into this type of thinking, I am guilty as charged! Just maybe if I take a lotto ticket I might win; a life full of uncertainty. This is not the way of our God! He has left nothing to chance!

Therefore when we reach our crossroad in life we must conclude that God is behind it and He is teaching us to wield our shields of faith, regardless of the trial. We must believe it! He is fashioning us through the test to become more like our glorious Saviour. There can be no if’s and but’s! We must embrace His promise to us by grace through faith. There is no short cut or any other way for us to arrive in the Promised Land. Let us not overthink it, but just in childlike faith, we must trust our God. He has promised to get us home so best we leave all doubts aside and believe.

Regardless of the challenges of life, in fact they are obstacles allowed by God to help us learn to trust in Him. They are also needful; let not deception rob us of God’s great plan for our lives. Even the Lord Jesus as a man learnt obedience through the things He suffered. Remember His account in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed asking if possible for the cup to pass Him by, but God had orchestrated the trial for His and our benefit. It was such a daunting test that the Lord began to sweat drops of blood, but once He was through it He found peace; “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow.” (Luke 22:44-45) – Sleep causes sorrow!   

  

Victory through suffering teaches us to put off sin; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.” (1Peter 4:1)

I realise how far off I am from obediently living out this truth. “Abba Father”, please help us to come to grips with this truth for our lives, so that through the trials of life the critics both on earth and throughout the heavens may be silenced bringing glory to your name, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone  

     

The shield of faith!

(Ephesians 6:16) “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

God is so magnificent and so merciful and full of grace that I almost cannot contain my excitement. The Bible has much to do with faith. In fact there are three pivoting words that will always appear for the believer if we scratch the surface of God’s Word, and we needn’t scratch deep to find them; they are “faith, hope and love”! They are sisters and inseparable, they co-exists in perfect harmony. What we need to learn is how to use them wisely, which will bring glory to God and will then make us beneficiaries of His divine nature in and through none other than our great Saviour Jesus Christ the Lord.

But so many seem to misunderstand the application of faith needed for daily living. Why would it be so? Then the penny drops, it is the “shield of faith that we are instructed to use to extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one”. It is a great weapon and has immense power, so for it to be nullified the father of lies sow seeds of doubt amongst the “fields of faith” hoping to confuse all those who wield the shield. This is a tactic we must not be ignorant of.

Faith is a mighty weapon, it is part of our armour and we have been instructed to employ it with vigor. “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;” (Ephesians 6:16)

Is it our faith, should be our first question? Initially it is not as it belongs to God and we as sinners were not entitled to its saving power. But once we have received it, it now does belong to us: - who must take up the shield of faith? Well we must! We use faith to overcome all doubts. How great is our God? Praise his majestic name for He is full of wisdom. His ways are far above the normal run of the mill mundane psychotherapy, we must start to live it out. It is imperative for us to be effective with our “shield of faith”.

Instead of asking why this is happening, I don’t understand it! Let us rather see it as an opportunity that God is affording us to test our own hearts through the assessment, as we are tested, we must be verified to see what we are made of. It has to happen!

I am not for one minute looking to temp fate in that sense as we are clearly taught by the Lord Jesus on how we should pray; “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:13) – therefore our prayer and attitude must always be to avoid trial and temptation, but when the time for our test arrives, we must learn to welcome it; in fact we are instructed to “count it all joy”, think of it like this a student studies for an exam, they prepare with long hours and much effort, but the day does eventually arrive for the exam. It is never a great day but the hope of qualifying drives that person to excel and pass the examination.

Where we have got it wrong is we think that there has to be sin in our lives if trial is upon us, not so! It is needed for us to change and become more like our glorious Saviour. When we are then tested think of it like this; we have found favour from God. He is now calling out His children and saying to us that what you now will face is for our benefit, be happy because this affliction when passed will make you more like my Son.

Without faith it will be an impossible task, let us remember our astute brothers teachings; “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4)    

Great Father God please give us ears to hear, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

The trial of our faith will come!

(Hebrews 11:33)  “Who through faith… stopped the mouths of lions.”

Wait! There seem to be much more to faith than initially uncovered, in my understanding anyway. The pending question I woke up to this morning and now requires correct biblical answers is why do I habitually continually do what I do? In fact why does everyone do what they do without any apparent change to their lives? Let me re-phrase that, any drastic changes to their lives. Yesterday we but scratched the surface.

I concluded with only a portion of the counsel, it is far more specific and personal; it’s one thing to say we believe and want to hold onto faith when times are tough. But our emphasis now needs to shift from the idea to an actual living experience.

It is easy to believe that God is capable of all things and many of us believe Him to be God and we pay Him due benevolence as the only true God. But where the “takkie hits the tar” is when we find ourselves alone staring down the barrel of faith. The proof of it all is our reaction to the trial. This understanding has been a revelation and it happened overnight. I will by scripture now prove my consideration.

I concluded yesterday’s blog with this statement; “We too just like Abraham must believe God if we are to see Him smile back at us.” Like I said it is easy to believe God is capable; But do we believe that He can do it in our lives, there is a huge rift between the two mind-sets. 

Believe God for what should be our next question! Let us look at some text; “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13)

Faith will test our commitment, it demands an answer, and it was no different for those who died in faith. Faith is a very personal friend and will not let us escape her clutches without understanding her demands within this friendship. To think I understood faith, I did, but only from a distance. Crunch time is what is needed for faith to shine in our lives. It will and it must come in one form or another. Here where a group of people that had been promised a physical land, the land of Canaan and yet they died on their way to that land. They could have been somewhat bereaved as it was not a simple man’s promise but God have vowed it and yet they never made it to Canaan and yet they arrived in heaven. For all who believe it is our ultimate goal but we so often lose sight of this truth. It didn’t matter in that sense to those who lived by faith that some “suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—“.As we look around do we see the same happening to us, not on your life! We are so caught up with tomorrow and it is very scary when we converse with our friend, Faith! She exposes our hearts!

Many if not most of us are interested in the promises of God as they have hope attached to them but we do not receive them, Why? “The present state of the saints on earth is that their happiness lies more in promise and deterioration than in actual enjoyment and possession.” It is more of a “now mentality”, it is all about the present and earthly rewards. This is not what these saints of old where commended for; this was there commendation; “These all died in faith, not having received the things promised”. They were praised for believing despite never making it to the Promised Land here on earth, in other words they never reach there earthly goal, but are now in heaven awaiting there glorified bodies. Even though their bodies began to fail and they must have known that their physical death was near, they never stopped believing. What fantastic examples!

You see faith is a very personal companion, when the chips are down, that is when we will be tested and this relationship will show it true colours.

God no doubt often would have smiled back at Abraham, not because he believed God was God, which he obviously did, but he believed God would be God in his life. There is a difference! Whatever God had promised him, he never doubted but believed. He was tested by God and we too will be tested. Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac and he never flinched. As I look at this man in compassion to my life, there is no contest, how weak my understanding of faith, Forgive me Father God!

In order for our great God to smile back at us we must believe He is capable of overcoming trial and tribulation in our lives, it must become personal. As I look at my own life and I look around at the general understanding of those around, I am forced to conclude we are in trouble. We have but scratched the surface on the topic of faith.

Everything hinges on faith and yet we will not live there, may God help us! It is as if I have been in limbo but now felt a sharp crack to my jaw. There have been so many weaknesses in my character and in the way I conduct myself in certain areas of my life. I have to now confess and conclude, the reason they still live is because of my unbelief. I have always believed God is greater than these flaws but have not believed that He was capable of rooting them out of my life; I was not willing to make it personal. May God help my unbelief! Many of my past failure keep me from victory, but is my God not able to turn those failures around. Of course He can, not only that but I believe He will.

There has been a shift in my understanding, thank you Lord Jesus for opening my eyes. The trial of our faith must come; otherwise we will not know what is in our hearts.

The Lord Jesus will see all His saints home, may we learn to lay our lives down for Him as He laid His life down for us.

Signing off

Tyrone

   

The importance of Faith!

(Hebrews 11:13) “These all died in faith…”

We have or should have understood that it is our faith (the substance of things hoped for) that pleases God, in fact without it we are not even acknowledged. This is a clue; it will help us with our relationship with our Heavenly Father, it will cause Him to smile. And which child does not love to see their fathers smile back at them?

Come let us reason together, this is often a good instruction we should heed when wanting to understand the deeper truths of God. So when we reason, we must first agree that we will use the same source to reason from; in this case the Bible! Amongst family and friends we must first establish the source that we base our reasoning on. Without the Word of God being foundational we would be wasting our time and eventually fall over from dizziness.

If I am alone with God as I am now and my intention is to seek His face, and I seek to be led by my great God as God the Holy Spirit teaches me and guides me into all truth. This is where I believe many Pentecostals make their mistakes, as I often have. When the voice of God speaks and an idea springs to mind; you could say this is the time we claim that, “When God spoke to me”. I understand that God does not speak to his Children as He once did; His voice does not audibly boom from heaven. God the Holy Spirit has been assigned to teach God’s children. Yet we have a text book which must be used in conjunction with His voice. If we hear God speaking to us what then is our responsibility? We could, run off in “faith” with much zeal thinking that what we are doing is of God, because we heard his voice in one form or another. Zeal without knowledge is not the wise choice. How can I be sure that I have heard the voice of God?

Let me now use my morning’s thought as an example and hopefully it will help all of us…

If I want to please God my Father I must apply faith to my life, it sounds right, I think it is right, but how can I be sure? Let me now go to God’s text book (the Bible) to find proof to justify my initial thought. This cannot be optional amongst believers, it is imperative that on a daily basis we use this type of application in our lives. Faith is not blind; “it is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen”. That does not mean we cannot see any direction for our lives, in fact the opposite is true, because we now have an itinerary for our lives, in and through the Word of God we now in FAITH are able to reach for our unseen goal, which is heaven. This statement now needs to be proved and confirmed. Why? We have been warned that many false teachers and prophets will arise and deceive many. We must be sure what we hear is of God and simply not vain imaginations.

Back to my initial thought, “We have or should have understood that it is our faith (the substance of things hoped for) that pleases God, in fact without it we are not even acknowledged.” I did not preconceive this thought; it appeared and got me thinking. Did God place it there? I would very much like to believe He did! I then say to myself, I need confirmation to prove this thought. “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) – Now I am excited because I can say with an assurance that my initial thought has confirmation, I can then with great gladness find reassurance that God is leading me. Now I know I am on the right track, but for me to begin to understand what this actually means for my life I now need to examine this verse in context; I will now look at what those men of old did to please God and in turn be rewarded by Him. No new formula is needed! God does not change, “He is the same yesterday, today and forever!” When I read through Hebrews chapter 11 it is very clear that all people mentioned had something in common, Faith!

My conclusion then is we all must find faith in our lives to please God. How then do I get this faith? Again I have some ideas that spring to mind, but I must confirm them, and how do I do that; it is obvious, I look for answers in this great text book, the Bible!

How do I add to my faith? “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) – In other words I must hear the voice of Christ (God) if I want faith. To get saved or to be born again I must hear an accurate gospel message, it is only in and through the message of the cross where I find life and receive faith. This now explains salvation. Give some other man-centred gospel message and what we will be left with is man-centred conversion. And many of these apparent conversions are not from God by from man and the devil. How do I prove this, once again I look to confirm this statement by the Word; "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'” (Matthew 7:21-23) – Faith then is needed in salvation and the Word is the catalyst used to supply faith.

If we have been saved what role does faith now play in our lives? We are now just as dependent upon it as it was Christ through faith who has saved us; look at these verses; “Let me ask you only this: “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith--just as Abraham "believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"?” (Galatians 3:2-6)

We did initially believe the Word of God for salvation and we must now continue to believe the Word to see us home and to help our faith gain momentum.      

We too just like Abraham must believe God if we are to see Him smile back at us.

Signing off

Tyrone

  

            

I Know your Works!

(Revelation 3:15) “I know your works:”

Today is Father’s Day but before we get to involved with earthly mundane run of the mill paraphernalia, and before we get “lost in translation”, let us remember to start every day like this; “our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name”; if this is not our daily routine may we then learn through the renewing of our minds to begin to appropriate this principle into our lives. We must continue to war against all that which opposes the will of God in our lives. When we think of the goodness of Jesus and we think of what it is He has done for us, our very souls cry out hallelujah, praise God for saving us! However it is a personal daily walk, just one day at a time sweet Jesus is all we ask of you; in fact, that is all He requires from us. He needs to see each and every one of us regardless of age or standing placing our dependence solely upon Him and His finished work. This is a walk of faith, “the just shall live by faith!” But it is faith in Him and not our own abilities; get this wrong and we miss it.

Correction is never a popular subject but needful; today we look at the last letter to the churches…

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" (Revelation 3:14-22)

“We now come to the last and worst of all the seven Asian churches, the reverse of the church of Philadelphia; for, as there was nothing reproved in that, here is nothing commended in this, and yet this was one of the seven golden candlesticks, for a corrupt church may still be a church. Here we have, as before,

I. The inscription, to whom, and from whom. 1. To whom: To the angel of the church of Laodicea. This was a once famous city near the river Lycus, had a wall of vast compass, and three marble theatres, and, like Rome, was built on seven hills. It seems, the apostle Paul was very instrumental in planting the gospel in this city, from which he wrote a letter, as he mentions in the epistle to the Colossians, the last chapter, in which he sends salutations to them, Laodicea not being above twenty miles distant from Colosse. In this city was held a council in the fourth century, but it has been long since demolished, and lies in its ruins to this day, an awful monument of the wrath of the Lamb. 2. From whom this message was sent. Here our Lord Jesus styles himself the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. (1.) The Amen, one that is steady and unchangeable in all his purposes and promises, which are all yea, and all amen. (2.) The faithful and true witness, whose testimony of God to men ought to be received and fully believed, and whose testimony of men to God will be fully believed and regarded, and will be a swift but true witness against all indifferent lukewarm professors. (3.) The beginning of the creation of God, either of the first creation, and so he is the beginning, that is, the first cause, the Creator, and the Governor of it; or of the second creation, the church; and so he is the head of that body, the first-born from the dead, as it is in Rev_1:5, whence these titles are taken. Christ, having raised up himself by his own divine power, as the head of a new world, raises up dead souls to be a living temple and church to himself.

II. The subject-matter, in which observe,

1. The heavy charge drawn up against this church, ministers and people, by one who knew them better than they knew themselves: Thou art neither cold nor hot, but worse than either; I would thou wert cold or hot, Rev_3:15. Lukewarmness or indifference in religion is the worst temper in the world. If religion is a real thing, it is the most excellent thing, and therefore we should be in good earnest in it; if it is not a real thing, it is the vilest imposture, and we should be earnest against it. If religion is worth any thing, it is worth every thing; an indifference here is inexcusable: Why halt you between two opinions? If God be God, follow him; if Baal (be God), follow him. Here is no room for neutrality. An open enemy shall have a fairer quarter than a perfidious neuter; and there is more hope of a heathen than of such. Christ expects that men should declare themselves in earnest either for him or against him.

2. A severe punishment threatened: I will spue thee out of my mouth. As lukewarm water turns the stomach, and provokes to a vomit, lukewarm professors turn the heart of Christ against them. He is sick of them, and cannot long bear them. They may call their lukewarmness charity, meekness, moderation, and a largeness of soul; it is nauseous to Christ, and makes those so that allow themselves in it. They shall be rejected, and finally rejected; for far be it from the holy Jesus to return to that which has been thus rejected.

3. We have one cause of this indifference and inconsistency in religion assigned, and that is self-conceitedness or self-delusion. They thought they were very well already, and therefore they were very indifferent whether they grew better or no: Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, etc., Rev_3:17. Here observe, What a difference there was between the thoughts they had of themselves and the thoughts that Christ had of them. (1.) The high thoughts they had of themselves: Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, rich, and growing richer, and increased to such a degree as to be above all want or possibility of wanting. Perhaps they were well provided for as to their bodies, and this made them overlook the necessities of their souls. Or they thought themselves well furnished in their souls: they had learning, and they took it for religion; they had gifts, and they took them for grace; they had wit, and they took it for true wisdom; they had ordinances, and they took up with them instead of the God of ordinances. How careful should we be not to put the cheat upon our own souls! Doubtless there are many in hell that once thought themselves to be in the way to heaven. Let us daily beg of God that we may not be left to flatter and deceive ourselves in the concerns of our souls. (2.) The mean thoughts that Christ had of them; and he was not mistaken. He knew, though they knew not, that they were wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. Their state was wretched in itself, and such as called for pity and compassion from others: though they were proud of themselves, they were pitied by all who knew their case. For, [1.] They were poor, really poor, when they said and thought they were rich; they had no provision for their souls to live upon; their souls were starving in the midst of their abundance; they were vastly in debt to the justice of God, and had nothing to pay off the least part of the debt. [2.] They were blind; they could not see their state, nor their way, nor their danger; they could not see into themselves; they could not look before them; they were blind, and yet they thought they saw; the very light that was in them was darkness, and then how great must that darkness be! They could not see Christ, though evidently set forth, and crucified, before their eyes. They could not see God by faith, though always present in them. They could not see death, though it was just before them. They could not look into eternity, though they stood upon the very brink of it continually. [3.] They were naked, without clothing and without house and harbour for their souls. They were without clothing, had neither the garment of justification nor that of sanctification. Their nakedness both of guilt and pollution had no covering. They lay always exposed to sin and shame. Their righteousnesses were but filthy rags; they were rags, and would not cover them, filthy rags, and would defile them. And they were naked, without house or harbour, for they were without God, and he has been the dwelling-place of his people in all ages; in him alone the soul of man can find rest, and safety, and all suitable accommodations. The riches of the body will not enrich the soul; the sight of the body will not enlighten the soul; the most convenient house for the body will not afford rest nor safety to the soul. The soul is a different thing from the body, and must have accommodation suitable to its nature, or else in the midst of bodily prosperity it will be wretched and miserable.

4. We have good counsel given by Christ to this sinful people, and that is that they drop their vain and false opinion they had of themselves, and endeavour to be that really which they would seem to be: I counsel thee to buy of me, etc., Rev_3:18. Observe, (1.) Our Lord Jesus Christ continues to give good counsel to those who have cast his counsels behind their backs. (2.) The condition of sinners in never desperate, while they enjoy the gracious calls and counsels of Christ. (3.) Our blessed Lord, the counsellor, always gives the best advice, and that which is most suitable to the sinner's case; as here, [1.] These people were poor; Christ counsels them to buy of him gold tried in the fire, that they might be rich. He lets them know where they might have true riches and how they might have them. First, Where they might have them - from himself; he sends them not to the streams of Pactolus, nor to the mines of Potosi, but invites them to himself, the pearl of price. Secondly, And how must they have this true gold from him? They must buy it. This seems to be unsaying all again. How can those that are poor buy gold? Just as they may buy of Christ wine and milk, that is, without money and without price, Isa_55:1. Something indeed must be parted with, but it is nothing of a valuable consideration, it is only to make room for receiving true riches. “Part with sin and self-sufficiency, and come to Christ with a sense of your poverty and emptiness, that you may be filled with his hidden treasure.” [2.] These people were naked; Christ tells them where they might have clothing, and such as would cover the shame of their nakedness. This they must receive from Christ; and they must only put off their filthy rags that they might put on the white raiment which he had purchased and provided for them - his own imputed righteousness for justification and the garments of holiness and sanctification. [3.] They were blind; and he counsels them to buy of him eye-salve, that they might see, to give up their own wisdom and reason, which are but blindness in the things of God, and resign themselves to his word and Spirit, and their eyes shall be opened to see their way and their end, their duty and their true interest; a new and glorious scene would then open itself to their souls; a new world furnished with the most beautiful and excellent objects, and this light would be marvellous to those who were but just now delivered from the powers of darkness. This is the wise and good counsel Christ gives to careless souls; and, if they follow it, he will judge himself bound in honour to make it effectual.

5. Here is added great and gracious encouragement to this sinful people to take the admonition and advice well that Christ had given them, Rev_3:19, Rev_3:20. He tells them, (1.) It was given them in true and tender affection: “Whom I love, I rebuke and chasten. You may think I have given you hard words and severe reproofs; it is all out of love to your souls. I would not have thus openly rebuked and corrected your sinful lukewarmness and vain confidence, if I had not been a lover of your souls; had I hated you, I would have let you alone, to go on in sin till it had been your ruin.” Sinners ought to take the rebukes of God's word and rod as tokens of his good-will to their souls, and should accordingly repent in good earnest, and turn to him that smites them; better are the frowns and wounds of a friend than the flattering smiles of an enemy. (2.) If they would comply with his admonitions, he was ready to make them good to their souls: Behold, I stand at the door and knock, etc., Rev_3:20. Here observe, [1.] Christ is graciously pleased by his word and Spirit to come to the door of the heart of sinners; he draws near to them in a way of mercy, ready to make them a kind visit. [2.] He finds this door shut against him; the heart of man is by nature shut up against Christ by ignorance, unbelief, sinful prejudices. [3.] When he finds the heart shut, he does not immediately withdraw, but he waits to be gracious, even till his head be filled with the dew. [4.] He uses all proper means to awaken sinners, and to cause them to open to him: he calls by his word, he knocks by the impulses of his Spirit upon their conscience. [5.] Those who open to him shall enjoy his presence, to their great comfort and advantage. He will sup with them; he will accept of what is good in them; he will eat his pleasant fruit; and he will bring the best part of the entertainment with him. If what he finds would make but a poor feast, what he brings will make up the deficiency: he will give fresh supplies of graces and comforts, and thereby stir up fresh actings of faith, and love, and delight; and in all this Christ and his repenting people will enjoy pleasant communion with each other. Alas! what do careless obstinate sinners lose by refusing to open the door of the heart to Christ!

III. We now come to the conclusion of this epistle; and here we have as before,

1. The promise made to the overcoming believer. It is here implied, (1.) That though this church seemed to be wholly overrun and overcome with lukewarmness and self-confidence, yet it was possible that by the reproofs and counsels of Christ they might be inspired with fresh zeal and vigour, and might come off conquerors in their spiritual warfare. (2.) That, if they did so, all former faults should be forgiven, and they should have a great reward. And what is that reward? They shall sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame, and have sat down with my Father on his throne, Rev_3:21. Here it is intimated, [1.] That Christ himself had met with his temptations and conflicts. [2.] That he overcame them all, and was more than a conqueror. [3.] That, as the reward of his conflict and victory, he has sat down with God the Father on his throne, possessed of that glory which he had with the Father from eternity, but which he was pleased very much to conceal on earth, leaving it as it were in the hands of the Father, as a pledge that he would fulfil the work of a Saviour before he reassumed that manifestative glory; and, having done so, then pignus reposcere - he demands the pledge, to appear in his divine glory equal to the Father. [4.] That those who are conformed to Christ in his trials and victories shall be conformed to him in his glory; they shall sit down with him on his throne, on his throne of judgment at the end of the world, on his throne of glory to all eternity, shining in his beams by virtue of their union with him and relation to him, as the mystical body of which he is the head.

2. All is closed up with the general demand of attention (Rev_3:22), putting all to whom these epistles shall come in mind that what is contained in them is not of private interpretation, not intended for the instruction, reproof, and correction of those particular churches only, but of all the churches of Christ in all ages and parts of the world: and as there will be a resemblance in all succeeding churches to these, both in their graces and sins, so they may expect that God will deal with them as he dealt with these, which are patterns to all ages what faithful, and fruitful churches may expect to receive from God, and what those who are unfaithful may expect to suffer from his hand; yea, that God's dealings with his churches may afford useful instruction to the rest of the world, to put them upon considering, If judgment begin at the house of God, what shall the end of those be that do not obey the gospel of Christ? 1Pe_4:17. Thus end the messages of Christ to the Asian churches, the epistolary part of this book. We now come to the prophetical part.” (Matthew Henry)

Signing off

Tyrone

 

Above All Else....

(1Peter 4:8) “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.”

It is intriguing how we tend to resist certain types of reading material; I wonder how often we neglect what normally is needed? Nevertheless we soldier on… if only this was our testimony…

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. "'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you. Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:7)

We have now come to the sixth letter, sent to one of the Asian churches, where observe,

I. The inscription, showing,

1. For whom it was more immediately designed: The angel of the church of Philadelphia; this also was a city in Asia Minor, seated upon the borders of Mysia and Lydia, and had its name from that brotherly love for which it was eminent. We can hardly suppose that this name was given to it after it received the Christian religion, and that it was so called from that Christian affection that all believers have, and should have, one for another, as the children of one Father and the brethren of Christ; but rather that it was its ancient name, on account of the love and kindness which the citizens had and showed to each other as a civil fraternity. This was an excellent spirit, and, when sanctified by the grace of the gospel, would render them an excellent church, as indeed they were, for here is no one fault found with this church, and yet, doubtless, there were faults in it of common infirmity; but love covers such faults.

2. By whom this letter was signed; even by the same Jesus who is alone the universal head of all the churches; and here observe by what title he chooses to represent himself to this church: He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, etc. You have his personal character: He that is holy and he that is true, holy in his nature, and therefore he cannot but be true to his word, for he hath spoken in his holiness; and you have also his political character: He hath the key of David, he openeth, and no man shutteth; he hath the key of the house of David, the key of government and authority in and over the church. Observe, (1.) The acts of his government. [1.] He opens. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens a door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, opens the heart; he opens a door of admission into the visible church, laying down the terms of communion; and he opens the door of admission into the church triumphant, according to the terms of salvation fixed by him. [2.] He shuts the door. When he pleases, he shuts the door of opportunity and the door of utterance, and leaves obstinate sinners shut up in the hardness of their hearts; he shuts the door of church-fellowship against unbelievers and profane persons; and he shuts the door of heaven against the foolish virgins who have slept away their day of grace, and against the workers of iniquity, how vain and confident soever they may be. (2.) The way and manner in which he performs these acts, and that is absolute sovereignty, independent upon the will of men, and irresistible by the power of men: He openeth, and no man shutteth; he shutteth, and no man openeth; he works to will and to do, and, when he works, none can hinder. These were proper characters for him, when speaking to a church that had endeavoured to be conformed to Christ in holiness and truth, and that had enjoyed a wide door of liberty and opportunity under his care and government.

II. The subject-matter of this epistle, where,

1. Christ puts them in mind of what he had done for them: I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it, Rev_3:8. I have set it open, and kept it open, though there be many adversaries. Learn here, (1.) Christ is to be acknowledged as the author of all the liberty and opportunity his churches enjoy. (2.) He takes notice and keeps account, how long he has preserved their spiritual liberties and privileges for them. (3.) Wicked men envy the people of God their door of liberty, and would be glad to shut it against them. (4.) If we do not provoke Christ to shut this door against us, men cannot do it.

2. This church is commended: Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name, Rev_3:8. In this there seems to be couched a gentle reproof: “Thou hast a little strength, a little grace, which, though it be not proportionate to the wide door of opportunity which I have opened to thee, yet is true grace, and has kept thee faithful.” True grace, though weak, has the divine approbation; but, though Christ accepts a little strength, yet believers should not rest satisfied in a little, but should strive to grow in grace, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. True grace, though weak, will do more than the greatest gifts or highest degrees of common grace, for it will enable the Christian to keep the word of Christ, and not to deny his name. Obedience, fidelity, and a free confession of the name of Christ, are the fruits of true grace, and are pleasing to Christ as such.

3. Here is a promise of the great favour God would bestow on this church, Rev_3:9, Rev_3:10. This favour consists in two things: -

(1.) Christ would make this church's enemies subject to her. [1.] Those enemies are described to be such as said they were Jews, but lied in saying so - pretended to be the only and peculiar people of God, but were really the synagogue of Satan. Assemblies that worship God in spirit and in truth are the Israel of God; assemblies that either worship false gods, or the true God in a false manner, are the synagogues of Satan: though they may profess to be the only people of God, their profession is a lie. [2.] Their subjection to the church is described: They shall worship at thy feet; not pay a religious and divine honour to the church itself, nor to the ministry of it, but shall be convinced that they have been in the wrong, that this church is in the right and is beloved of Christ, and they shall desire to be taken into communion with her and that they may worship the same God after the same manner. How shall this great change be wrought? By the power of God upon the hearts of his enemies, and by signal discoveries of his peculiar favour to his church: They shall know that I have loved thee. Observe, First, The greatest honour and happiness any church can enjoy consist in the peculiar love and favour of Christ. Secondly, Christ can discover this his favour to his people in such a manner that their very enemies shall see it, and be forced to acknowledge it. Thirdly, This will, by the grace of Christ, soften the hearts of their enemies, and make them desirous to be admitted into communion with them.

(2.) Another instance of favour that Christ promises to this church is persevering grace in the most trying times (Rev_3:10), and this as the reward of their past fidelity. To him that hath shall be given. Here observe, [1.] The gospel of Christ is the word of his patience. It is the fruit of the patience of God to a sinful world; it sets before men the exemplary patience of Christ in all his sufferings for men; it calls those that receive it to the exercise of patience in conformity to Christ. [2.] This gospel should be carefully kept by all that enjoy it; they must keep up to the faith, and practice, and worship prescribed in the gospel. [3.] After a day of patience we must expect an hour of temptation; a day of gospel peace and liberty is a day of God's patience, and it is seldom so well improved as it should be and therefore it is often followed by an hour of trial and temptation. [4.] Sometimes the trial is more general and universal; it comes upon all the world, and, when it is so general, it is usually the shorter. [5.] Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation. By keeping the gospel they are prepared for the trial; and the same divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace will make them faithful in times of persecution.

4. Christ calls the church to that duty which he before promised he would enable her to do, and that is, to persevere, to hold fast that which she had. (1.) The duty itself: “Hold fast that which thou hast, that faith, that truth, that strength of grace, that zeal, that love to the brethren; thou hast been possessed of this excellent treasure, hold it fast.” (2.) The motives, taken from the speedy appearance of Christ: “Behold, I come quickly. See, I am just a coming to relieve them under the trial, to reward their fidelity, and to punish those who fall away; they shall lose that crown which they once seemed to have a right to, which they hoped for, and pleased themselves with the thoughts of. The persevering Christian shall win the prize from backsliding professors, who once stood fair for it.”

III. The conclusion of this epistle, Rev_3:12, Rev_3:13. Here,

1. After his usual manner, our Saviour promises a glorious reward to the victorious believer, in two things: - (1.) He shall be a monumental pillar in the temple of God; not a pillar to support the temple (heaven needs no such props), but a monument of the free and powerful grace of God, a monument that shall never be defaced nor removed, as many stately pillars erected in honour to the Roman emperors and generals have been. (2.) On this monumental pillar there shall be an honourable inscription, as in those cases is usual. [1.] The name of God, in whose cause he engaged, whom he served, and for whom he suffered in this warfare; and the name of the city of God, the church of God, the new Jerusalem, which came down from heaven. On this pillar shall be recorded all the services the believer did to the church of God, how he asserted her rights, enlarged her borders, maintained her purity and honour; this will be a greater name than Asiaticus, or Africanus; a soldier under God in the wars of the church. And then another part of the inscription is, [2.] The new name of Christ, the Mediator, the Redeemer, the captain of our salvation; by this it will appear under whose banner this conquering believer had enlisted, under whose conduct he acted, by whose example he was encouraged, and under whose influence he fought the good fight, and came off victorious.

2. The epistle is closed up with the demand of attention: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, how Christ loves and values his faithful people, how he commends, and how he will crown their fidelity. (Matthew Henry)

It is imperative that we glean from such examples, to be found a Christian without fault, not from men but from God. Give us ears to hear Father God we do indeed pray, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Alive or Dead!

(Revelation 3:1) “…I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”

As I mentioned yesterday, we are always on the move and life seems to be a race, in fact it is sprinting by! I remember as a youngster watching TV and some of those advertisements back then, but there was one commercial that I can still vaguely recall and that was “Salua45”, it promoted a vitamin supplement for old people. That is exactly how I perceived it! I have now joined that group, who would have thought! Not so long ago there I was running barefoot with my friend Johan through the streets of Blairgowrie.

Before long we will all be seated at the judgment seat of God…

It may seem like ions away, but before we can blink within the timespan of eternity that day will soon be upon us. With that in mind we will not rush but rather slowly look at the letters to the rest of the churches with hopeful anticipation, that hopefully we may find life for our souls. The Word of God, the Holy Spirit and Matthew Henry our teacher! God give us eyes to see we pray!

"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (Revelation 3:1-6)

Here is, I. The preface, showing, 1. To whom this letter is directed: To the angel of the church of Sardis, an ancient city of Lydia, on the banks of the mountain Tmolus, said to have been the chief city of Asia the Less, and the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of John; and, some say, the first that revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in its ruins, in which it still lies, without any church or ministry. 2. By whom this message was sent - the Lord Jesus, who here assumes the character of him that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars, taken out of Rev_1:4, where the seven spirits are said to be before the throne. (1.) He hath the seven spirits, that is, the Holy Spirit with his various powers, graces, and operations; for he is personally one, though efficaciously various, and may be said here to be seven, which is the number of the churches, and of the angels of the churches, to show that to every minister, and to every church, there is a dispensation and measure of the Spirit given for them to profit withal - a stock of spiritual influence for that minister and church to improve, both for enlargement and continuance, which measure of the Spirit is not ordinarily withdrawn from them, till they forfeit it by misimprovement. Churches have their spiritual stock and fund, as well as particular believers; and, this epistle being sent to a languishing ministry and church, they are very fitly put in mind that Christ has the seven spirits, the Spirit without measure and in perfection, to whom they may apply themselves for the reviving of his work among them. (2.) He hath the seven stars, the angels of the churches; they are disposed of by him, and accountable to him, which should make them faithful and zealous. He has ministers to employ, and spiritual influences to communicate to his ministers for the good of his church. The Holy Spirit usually works by the ministry, and the ministry will be of no efficacy without the Spirit; the same divine hand holds them both.

II. The body of this epistle. There is this observable in it, that whereas in the other epistles Christ begins with commending what is good in the churches, and then proceeds to tell them what is amiss, in this (and in the epistle to Laodicea) he begins,

1. With a reproof, and a very severe one: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Hypocrisy, and a lamentable decay in religion, are the sins charged upon this church, by one who knew her well, and all her works. (1.) This church had gained a great reputation; it had a name, and a very honourable one, for a flourishing church, a name for vital lively religion, for purity of doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in worship, decency, and order. We read not of any unhappy divisions among themselves. Every thing appeared well, as to what falls under the observation of men. (2.) This church was not really what it was reputed to be. They had a name to live, but they were dead; there was a form of godliness, but not the power, a name to live, but not a principle of life. If there was not a total privation of life, yet there was a great deadness in their souls and in their services, a great deadness in the spirits of their ministers, and a great deadness in their ministrations, in their praying, in their preaching, in their converse, and a great deadness in the people in hearing, in prayer, and in conversation; what little life was yet left among them was, in a manner, expiring, ready to die.

2. Our Lord proceeds to give this degenerate church the best advice: Be watchful, and strengthen the things, etc., Rev_3:2. (1.) He advises them to be upon their watch. The cause of their sinful deadness and declension was that they had let down their watch. Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground, and therefore must return to our watchfulness against sin, and Satan, and whatever is destructive to the life and power of godliness. (2.) To strengthen the things that remain, and that are ready to die. Some understand this of persons; there were some few who had retained their integrity, but they were in danger of declining with the rest. It is a difficult thing to keep up to the life and power of godliness ourselves, when we see a universal deadness and declension prevailing round about us. Or it may be understood of practices, as it follows: I have not found thy works perfect before God, not filled up; there is something wanting in them; there is the shell, but not the kernel; there is the carcase, but not the soul - the shadow, but not the substance. The inward thing is wanting, thy works are hollow and empty; prayers are not filled up with holy desires, alms-deeds not filled up with true charity, sabbaths not filled up with suitable devotion of soul to God; there are not inward affections suitable to outward acts and expressions. Now when the spirit is wanting the form cannot long subsist. (3.) To recollect themselves, and remember how they have received and heard (Rev_3:3); not only to remember what they had received and heard, what messages they had received from God, what tokens of his mercy and favour towards them, what sermons they had heard, but how they had received and heard, what impressions the mercies of God had made upon their souls at first, what affections they felt working under their word and ordinances, the love of their espousals, the kindness of their youth, how welcome the gospel and the grace of God were to them when they first received them. Where is the blessedness they then spoke of? (4.) To hold fast what they had received, that they might not lose all, and repent sincerely that they had lost so much of the life of religion, and had run the risk of losing all.

3. Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening in case it should be despised: I will come unto thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know the hour, Rev_3:3. Observe, (1.) When Christ leaves a people as to his gracious presence, he comes to them in judgment; and his judicial presence will be very dreadful to those who have sinned away his gracious presence. (2.) His judicial approach to a dead declining people will be surprising; their deadness will keep them in security, and, as it procures an angry visit from Christ to them, it will prevent their discerning it and preparing for it. (3.) Such a visit from Christ will be to their loss; he will come as a thief, to strip them of their remaining enjoyments and mercies, not by fraud, but in justice and righteousness, taking the forfeiture they have made of all to him.

4. Our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some comfort and encouragement: In the midst of judgment he remembers mercy (Rev_3:4), and here (1.) He makes honourable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, though but small: Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; they had not given into the prevailing corruptions and pollution of the day and place in which they lived. God takes notice of the smallest number of those who abide with him; and the fewer they are the more precious in his sight. (2.) He makes a very gracious promise to them: They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy - in the stola, the white robes of justification, and adoption, and comfort, or in the white robes of honour and glory in the other world. They shall walk with Christ in the pleasant walks of the heavenly paradise; and what delightful converse will there be between Christ and them when they thus walk together! This is an honour proper and suitable to their integrity, which their fidelity has prepared them for, and which it is no way unbecoming Christ to confer upon them, though it is not a legal but a gospel worthiness that is ascribed to them, not merit but meetness. Those who walk with Christ in the clean garments of real practical holiness here, and keep themselves unspotted from the world, shall walk with Christ in the white robes of honour and glory in the other world: this is a suitable reward.

III. We now come to the conclusion of this epistle, in which, as before, we have,

1. A great reward promised to the conquering Christian (Rev_3:5), and it is very much the same with what has been already mentioned: He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment. The purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory. Holiness, when perfected, shall be its own reward; glory is the perfection of grace, differing not in kind, but in degree. Now to this is added another promise very suitable to the case: I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Observe, (1.) Christ has his book of life, a register and roll of all who shall inherit eternal life. [1.] The book of eternal election. [2.] The book of remembrance of all those who have lived to God, and have kept up the life and power of godliness in evil times. (2.) Christ will not blot the names of his chosen and faithful ones out of this book of life; men may be enrolled in the registers of the church, as baptized, as making a profession, as having a name to live, and that name may come to be blotted out of the roll, when it appears that it was but a name, a name to live, without spiritual life; such often lose the very name before they die, they are left of God to blot out their own names by their gross and open wickedness. But the names of those that overcome shall never be blotted out. (3.) Christ will produce this book of life, and confess the names of the faithful who stand there, before God, and all the angels; he will do this as their Judge, when the books shall be opened; he will do this as their captain and head, leading them with him triumphantly to heaven, presenting them to the Father: Behold me, and the children that thou hast given me. How great will this honour and reward be!

2. The demand of universal attention finishes the message. Every word from God deserves attention from men; that which may seem more particularly directed to one body of men has something in it instructive to all.

Whatever it may costs us, we must wrestle just like Jacob did to be clothed in white garments.

Signing off

Tyrone