The Seven Churches of Asia

Transcription

1 The Seven Churches of Asia Sardis Background on Sardis Sardis was one of the oldest cities in Asia Minor It had been been a city of extreme wealth in the past At the time that John wrote the book of Revelation it was still a very wealthy city Sardis was the first known place mint coins. The city was originally built on top of a mountain It had steep cliffs on three sides and a river that ran across the other making it easily defended 1

2 Sardis Background on Sardis Their great faith in those natural defenses was eventually the downfall of the city In about 547 bc Cyrus King of Persia attacked the city of Sardis with little success. After offering a reward to any of his soldiers who could find a way into the city, A soldier named Hyroiades did Hyroiades saw one of the Lydian soldiers on top of the wall drop his helmet down the side of the mountain. After a while this soldier popped out of a crevice in the rock at the base of the mountain to retrieve his helmet. 2

3 Background on Sardis Hyroiades immediately recognized there must be a path into the city thru this crevice. He and several soldiers with him climbed up into the city with no resistance because no guard was posted in this area. They did not expect to be attacked from this side. Therefore, no one was watching Sardis was once again taken in a similar manor about 200 years later, because no one was watching. Background on Sardis As we mentioned, Sardis was a very wealthy city. Much of their wealth could be attributed to the large amounts of gold found in the Pactolus river which formed one of the cities natural defenses Like the other cities already addressed, Sardis was filled with idolatry. The remnants of the temple of Artemis are still clearly seen today. 3

4 Temple of Artemis at Sardis So far in our studies we have looked at what Jesus had to say to the Churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergomas and Thyatira In each of these cases Jesus starts off commending these congregations for the good works they were doing After commending them, He then addresses problems with false doctrine spreading among them with the exception of Smyrna who He had nothing to condemn. 4

5 Some of these sins Jesus condemns were very severe. At Ephesus they no longer had the love for God they once had At Pergomas some were teaching for profit that it was ok to participate in idolatry and fornication At Thyatira they were allowing Jezebel who claimed to be a prophetess, to teach it was ok to participate in idolatry and fornication Jesus strongly condemns these sins but He waited until after he found something good to say This may be a tactic we need to use when trying to help others see the light of the Gospel. Whether we are dealing with the alien sinner or a backsliding Christian. Try to find some common ground. Find things they are doing right and commend them for it before addressing the problems in their life. Remember Jesus was and is the Master Teacher! Paul used this same tactic when writing many of his epistles. 5

6 When it comes to the Church at Sardis, Jesus uses a different tactic. He gets right to the sin. The situation at Sardis was so bad that it demanded direct and abrupt attention and Jesus gives it the attention it needed! Sometimes in life we will find our friends and family in such terrible situations to where we have to tell it like it is. They need a wake up call. This wake up call is exactly what Jesus was going to give to the Church at Sardis. Re 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 6

7 3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' 7

8 Jesus as in the other letters immediately identifies Himself as the one who is speaking 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: The number 7 represents perfection or completeness God does not literally have 7 Spirits. This means that Jesus authority and actions are in complete and perfect agreement with God the Father Remember the 7 stars were the messengers to the Churches After identifying Himself, Jesus gets right to the problem Vs 1 I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Others maybe even other Christians thought that this congregation was doing fine. It may have been a large congregation, might have had a lot of young people, could have been involved in a lot of different works Sounds like some congregations of the Lord s church doesn t it? 8

9 Man many times has a problem with distinguishing what is truly good from what is evil. Many will look at a church and see them feeding the poor, supporting orphan s homes, hosting sports programs for the youth and think that these things are good. In reality these things are evil for a Congregation of the Lord s people to participate in because they do not have the Authority from Christ to do so. is absolute proof that it does not matter what men think about a Church. It is only what God thinks that will really matter in the end. This kind of blows up that whole idea of attend the church of your choice doesn t it. The common idea of you get to heaven your way and I will get there mine just is not going to work This congregation at Sardis was doing things their way and they were DEAD! 9

10 Jesus does not zero in on any one particular problem with them He tells them the following: vs 2.for I have not found your works perfect before God. But I thought our works didn t have any thing to do with our salvation? Isn t that what a lot of preachers teach? Obviously our works do have something to do with our salvation. The wrong works had killed this congregation and those individuals who participated in them Although they were in such bad shape there was still opportunity to correct it and Jesus tells them how Re 3:2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die Be watchful: If there were ever a city of people who should have understood the necessity of being watchful it was Sardis This phrase be watchful should have gotten their attention 10

11 Be Watchful The greek word translated watchful here is, gregoreuo which means to stay awake. The Church in Sardis needed to Wake Up! This is the same lesson that Jesus taught the multitude. To be watching or be ready. Lu 12:37 "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. Be Watchful Lu 12:38 "And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. 39 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 40 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Just like the thief does not call and make an appointment neither will Jesus at His coming. 11

12 Be Watchful Since we don t know the time of His return or the time of our death we need to be on constant watch, awake, ready to meet Him. Paul encourages the Christians in Thessalonica to to do likewise. 1Th 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. Be Watchful 1Th 5:3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. Paul gives similar advice to the Christians at Rome 12

13 Be Watchful Ro 13:11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. Conclusion The importance of being Watchful, Awake or Ready at all times is taught time and time again in the scriptures It is found in the parables of Jesus, the writings of Peter, Paul and even John. We need to understand there is never a time in the life of a Christian when we can take a break, or a vacation from being ready to meet God. We simply have to much at stake not to be ready at all times. 13

14 Conclusion We need to ask ourselves this question: am I ready? If Jesus was to come back today, would He find me watching? Or, would He find me involved in things the master does not approve of? If we are found asleep or not ready, We cannot say that we were not warned! The Seven Churches of Asia Sardis 14

15 The city of Sardis has a very interesting history which we discussed a little bit of last time. It sat on a mountain with natural defenses on all sides The people of the city trusted greatly in theses defenses, especially the steep cliffs on three sides of the city. It had been an extremely wealthy city at certain times in its history Gold had been discovered in the river that ran at the base of the mountain The kingdom of Sardis was a major power in the world during the days of the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires It was the first place that we know of to mint coins Twice in its history the city was captured by surprise when the enemy entered the city from the side of the cliffs. The area where the enemy entered was unguarded because the people of Sardis felt those areas were secure Not watching was their downfall and a major problem with the Church in Sardis. 15

16 Re 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' 16

17 As we mentioned in the last lesson, the Church at Sardis had a serious problem. They were Spiritually DEAD! That is without a doubt the biggest problem a human being can have! To make matters worse, evidently many of them didn t even know it. Many of those who were familiar with this Church didn t know it Re 3:1 that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Spiritually Dead What a terrible situation. To be in such a condition and think everything is OK. Its like having a fatal but curable disease and not knowing we are sick. We go on and live our lives as though everything is Ok all the while that disease is eating away at our bodies Until its to late and the disease takes us in the prime of our life! How sad it would be to know it could have been cured. 17

18 Spiritually Dead This is the situation many of those in Sardis were in and so many we see today are in. They feel that everything is ok, when actually they are spiritually dead. How sad it will be on the day of judgment to know this could have been prevented. The cure was available. Fortunately for the Church at Sardis the Cure Himself was writing them this letter. The cure for all of our spiritual diseases and shortcomings is Jesus Christ the Son of God! The Cure Jesus immediately begins to tell them what they needed to do in order to bring themselves back into a right relationship with God. Re 3:2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. We have discussed the first thing He tells them Be watchful This carried with it the idea to be awake or wake up! Those who sleep are easy prey for their enemies! 18

19 Strengthen The next step in their cure is to strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die We've all seen movies or TV shows where someone is lost in the desert for days and then is rescued. This poor fellow is at the point of death. What is the first thing they do for him? They give him water and then food. Those things that he has been deprived of. Food and water are necessary to sustain our physical lives. Strengthen These at Sardis did not need physical nourishment but rather those things that would strengthen them spiritually. Those at Sardis needed to nourish themselves with the water that Jesus told the Samaritan woman about. That living water that brings eternal life. Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 19

20 Strengthen Joh 4:14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. This water is the Gospel or the Words that Jesus taught Joh 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. Strengthen The Apostle Peter makes this even plainer in vs 68 Joh 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. The words of Christ and this water are one and the same. These Christians in Sardis also needed the nourishment of spiritual food in order to strengthen themselves. 20

21 Strengthen Joh 6:35 And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. We consume this spiritual water and bread that gives eternal life as we study the Word of God. This is not some strange and complicated thing! Just as our physical body needs food and water to survive our soul needs a constant intake of the Word of God in order to survive. Without it, we become weak and die! Strengthen So In order to strengthen themselves the Christians in Sardis needed to feed on the Word of God! But there is more to strengthening ourselves than just eating. After receiving nourishment from the Word of God we need to exercise. 1Ti 4:6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 21

22 Strengthen 1Ti 4:7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness. 8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. After consuming the Word of God then we are to put it into practice in our lives. This word exercise in vs 7 & 8 carries with it the idea of training or practice. Strengthen The dedicated athlete will train or practice his sport many times for hours each day. They realize that repetition makes them better. The professional baseball player will take tens of thousands of ground balls in his lifetime. Knowing that each one he does successfully will make him that much better. The dedicated Christian should be the same way. We should be practicing the things we learn in the Word of God on a daily basis. 22

23 Strengthen Some only want to be Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night Christians. Those who think like this are trying to serve two masters and that doesn t work. Lu 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Being a part time Christian simply won t get us into heaven. This is a constant daily pursuit for Godliness. Strengthen As we put these things to practice in our lives we will see results. We will become stronger Christians. Each temptation we overcome makes it that much easier to overcome the next. Although we may feel alone in these challenges we face, we are not. Just like athletes often train together to push each other to become stronger, we have other Godly men and women to help us. 23

24 Strengthen We can look to the examples of those in the Old Testament for help and encouragement. Many of them are mentioned in Hebrews 11 Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Strengthen 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35 Women received their dead raised to life again. And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 24

25 Strengthen 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented-- 38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. 39 And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. Strengthen These Old Testament examples should be an encouragement to us and serve as proof that we can do what God expects of us. Heb 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, We have an even greater example than these. We have the example of the Son of God! 25

26 Strengthen Heb 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. When we become weak and discouraged we should look to His example for a source of encouragement and strength. Strengthen And finally we have each other! We can look to other Christians for strength and help. Ga 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. We should look for ways to help each other live the Christian life and guard against temptation ourselves. 26

27 Strengthen I believe often we fail to take advantage of the opportunity to be strengthened by other Christians. Maybe we are to embarrassed, ashamed or maybe even to proud to let others know about our weaknesses and to ask for help. James commands us to seek the help of other Christians in living a Godly life. Jas 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Conclusion In order to correct their situation, Jesus tells the Church at Sardis to Strengthen the things that remain. The way we strengthen our physical bodies is thru good food, exercise and the help of others. We strengthen our spiritual bodies in a similar manner Feeding on the Word of God Putting into practice the things that are taught in it Looking to the examples of others who have gone before us Helping and praying for each other. 27

28 7 Churches of Asia Sardis Re 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 28

29 Re 3:4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' The Church in Sardis was in Bad shape Although many thought they were on the right path, they weren t. Jesus says they were Dead! One good thing in all of this is that it wasn t too late. They still had an opportunity to get things right with God once more. Jesus tells them to be watchful or as it sometimes translated Wake Up. They needed to realize the Danger they were in and be on guard against our enemy the Devil 29

30 Jesus also said they needed to strengthen the things which remain We discussed the way to strengthen our spiritual body is very similar to how we strengthen our physical body We need to feed our spiritual body with good food and not junk food. We need to fill our minds with the Word of God Then we need to exercise our spiritual body by putting in to practice those things contained in God s Word in our daily lives Look to other Christians for encouragement and support Jesus then gives them one more piece of advice to help them get their lives back on the right track. 3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard He wanted to remember back to when they 1 st heard and obeyed the Gospel. Remember the Joy of obedience and forgiveness of sins. The believers in Antioch of Pisidia had this Joy. 30

31 Rejoice Ac 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. Ac 13:52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. The Phillipian Jailer had this joy Ac 16:34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. When Phillip preached in Samaria there was great Joy Rejoice Ac 8:8 And there was great joy in that city. (Samaria) The Ethiopian Eunuch rejoiced. Ac 8:39 Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. Jesus wanted these Christians at Sardis to remember that feeling of Joy and the zeal they had when they obeyed the Gospel. Their fire needed to be relit! 31

32 There were a Few The good news for those who had fallen away was that there was still time to get back to God. With so much wrong with this congregation, we might not even think that the next group Jesus addresses would even exist there but they did. Re 3:4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. In the midst of all these problems they had there were still a few holding on to God! Those who Overcome What wonderful news! What a wonderful future Jesus lays out for them! Those who have overcome will be clothed in white and be with Jesus. Listen to how John describes what waits on those with the white robes Re 7:13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?" 32

33 Those who Overcome Re 7:14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. 16 "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; 17 "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." Those who Overcome Just imagine the joy that awaits those who overcome No more Hunger No more Thirsting No more Misery from the Sun s heat God will provide all that we need He will wipe away all tears! There are a lot of things in this life that can sadden us and bring tears to our eyes but not in Heaven! 33

34 Those who Overcome The name of those who overcome will be in the Book of Life! What does that mean? It means if our name is there on the day of Judgment, we made it! Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. Re 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. Those who Overcome Re 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. How important it is to have our name in that Book! It is the only way for us to get into the Heavenly city John describes in Chapter 21 34

35 Those who Overcome Re 21:18 The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. Those who Overcome Re 21:22 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. 25 Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). 26 And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 35

36 Those who Overcome Re 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. What a wonderful place Heaven must be. John uses things of physical beauty to describe the majesty and beauty of the spiritual inheritance of those who overcome. What must we do in order to make sure our name is in this book. We must be a member of His Body, Kingdom or Church while here on earth! Is My Name There? Heb 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, It is only those who are a member of the Church that belongs to Christ whose names are registered in Heaven. They will all enjoy the inheritance of a first born son. 36

37 Is My Name There? If I must be a part of the Kingdom, Body or Church of Christ, then how do I become a part of it We do it the very same way the Christians at Sardis did, by following the pattern set down in the Word of God. We must hear the Gospel. Ro 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Salvation can not come apart from hearing the Gospel. Is My Name There? Do we remember what the Angel told Cornelius? Ac 11:14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. We cannot be saved without these Words. We must Believe. Mr 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 37

38 Is My Name There? We must Repent Ac 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. We must confess Jesus Mt 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Is My Name There? Then we must be Baptized for the forgiveness of our sins Ac 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. It is after Baptism and only after Baptism that one becomes a member of the Body or Church of Christ. Ro 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 38

39 Is My Name There? 1Co 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. Ga 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. It is the ones who have followed these steps who are a part of that Church whose members are written in Heaven that we read about in Hebrews 12:23 These are the names written in the Book of Life Is My Name There? Once we become a part of the Body of Christ we need to be careful to continue in those things taught in the scriptures and to remain faithful. Our name can be Removed! Re 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. This is what had happened to many of those in Sardis. Remember they were Dead spiritually. 39

40 Conclusion What a shame it would be to have been so close to the reward and then to lose it. Unfortunately we know it happens! So we must be on constant watch, strengthening ourselves daily with the Word of God so that we can be among those who overcome. Re 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. 40