Robert Thomas describes the church at Sardis as one with a good reputation for following the Lord, but only a few members of the church were still doing so. Most were acting contrary to what Jesus calls the church to be.
In His message through the apostle John, Jesus warns this church that they are near death, that now is the time to wake up and get back on track to be a faithful and loving assembly – or else. Jesus states:
3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you. Revelation 3:3 (HCSB)
Jesus coming back to earth as a thief in the night is a recurring theme in the Bible. The apostle Paul wrote about it to the church at Thessalonica, warning them also to be faithful, walk in the light of God and not allow themselves to slip into darkness through complacency:
1 About the times and the seasons: Brothers, you do not need anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 4 But you, brothers, are not in the dark, for this day to overtake you like a thief. 5 For you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2,4-5,9-10 (HCSB)
While on earth, Jesus taught His disciples about the dangers of letting faith wane and starting to behave according to the ways of the world once again:
35 “Be ready for service and have your lamps lit. 36 You must be like people waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 Those slaves the master will find alert when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready, have them recline at the table, then come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn, and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and starts to beat the male and female slaves, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 that slave’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers. Luke 12:35-40,45-46 (HCSB)
Some of the lessons we can draw from these passages are:
· If we neglect our relationship with God, we can grow cold over time, and our hearts may lose the “oil” of the Holy Spirit that keeps our spiritual lamps lit. Without God empowering our Christian walk, we begin to experience more of the darkness of sinful behavior, and follow the ways of the world around us rather than the righteous ways of God.
· There is hope – Jesus is extending this warning so that we can wake up, repent, and be restored to Him as at the first. Christ is abounding with grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness for all those who turn to Him, no matter where we have been or what we have done in our past.
· If Jesus should find us acting like unbelievers when He returns, we are in danger of being treated as unbelievers – He will be coming against us. All people sin and fall short of the glory of God. We all have days when we act contrary to God’s will, so this is likely referring to former believers who have become hardened and consistently cold in their attitude toward Him and others.
· Our relationship with God is our top priority. We commit time to prayer, worship, self-reflection and confession, wearing the garments of Christ’s righteousness, not our own. He has done for us what we could never do for ourselves and continues to do so daily.
· We seek to learn the works and deeds that Jesus has assigned us to do, and to fulfill them in His power. These bear fruit for the kingdom and for our eternal reward.
The window of opportunity is open to receive the warm sunlight of the Spirit, the loving presence of Jesus in our hearts. This is true whether we are currently feeling close to Him, far from Him, or have never even invited Christ into our heart before. He loves each of us and wants to bless us abundantly, now and into eternity.
Reflection
Where does my relationship with Christ fall today – close to Him, far away, or somewhere in between? What do I need to repent of to get back on track with Him?
Perhaps I have not yet invited Jesus into my heart. If this is the case, now is the time to do so.
Let us pray:
Lord Jesus, thank You for taking all my sins upon Yourself at the cross, sins of the past, present, and future. Help me to walk with You, awake and looking for Your coming, doing Your will and serving You in the power of the Holy Spirit. Forgive us for all the times we have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, including the sins I now recall. I humbly confess my disobedience to You – help me to turn around and walk in the righteousness of God. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Have a blessed and beautiful day walking with the presence of the Lord today.
Times and Seasons - The Book of Revelation FOR TODAY 