Let me call your attention this morning to the word of God as it is recorded in Revelation chapter 3. Revelation chapter 3. Begin our reading at verse 1. If you follow along with me, you'll find these words. 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. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not found your works perfect before God. 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 come upon you. 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. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We return once more to our series, Christ's Message to His Church. We've studied thus far four of the seven letters that the glorified head of the church, our Lord Jesus, commissioned the exiled aged apostle John to write in a book and send to the churches which were in Asia. For the past three Lord's Days, we've been considering the fifth letter of the churches, which is the letter to the church in Sardis. Some have called this the dead church because of our Lord's words in verse one. You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Sardis had a reputation of being a great city. But when this letter comes to the church in Sardis, it was in decline, much like the city, whose former glory had faded away. Much of the downfall of this city and the church planted there was due to a lack of vigilance. So they received this imperative, be watchful. Verse two. Listen to the instructive words of the 17th century preacher William Gurnall, who is probably best known for his volume titled The Christian in Complete Armor, a treatise of the saints' war against the devil. Gurnall writes, watchfulness is more important for the Christian soldier than any other. In temporal battles, soldiers fight against men who need sleep the same as themselves. But the saint's enemy, Satan, is always awake and walking his rounds. Since the devil never sleeps, the Christian puts himself in grave danger by falling asleep spiritually, that is, by becoming secure and careless. Either the unregenerate part of his nature will betray him or grace will not be alert to discover the enemy and prepare for the assault. Satan will be upon him before he is awake enough to draw his sword. You should be aware that the saint's sleeping time is Satan's prime tempting time. He goes on and says, even a fly dares to creep on a sleeping lion unless he wakes up. There is nothing to fear. The weakest temptation is strong enough to foil a Christian who is napping in security. While Samson slept, Delilah cut his locks. While Saul slept, his spear was taken from his side, and he was none the wiser. A drunken Noah slept, and his graceless son took pleasure in seeing his father's nakedness. Eutychus slept, nodded, and fell from the third loft and was taken up for dead. Thus the Christian sleeping in false security may be taken by surprise. He may lose much of his spiritual strength, be robbed of his spirit or armor, his graces I mean, or have his nakedness uncovered by graceless men and bring shame to his profession. Sleep stills upon the soul as quietly as it does on the body. The wise virgins fell asleep along with the foolish ones, though not so soundly. Take heed that you do not indulge yourself in laziness. Stir yourselves to action. As we tell someone who is drowsy, stand up and walk around. Yield to idleness and sloth and they will grow upon you. Busy yourself in your Christian duties. and spiritual drowsiness will flee. Grinnell says we must stand up and not go to sleep, be vigilant. We must be on the guard, on our guard, we must watch. Grinnell's words highlight the danger of what the prophet Amos calls being asleep or being at ease in Zion. Grinnell said, yield to idleness and sloth and they will grow upon you. Busy yourself in your Christian duties and spiritual drowsiness will flee. So I took last week to look at the chapter on good works in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. Because Christ said to this church, I have found your works, I have not found your works perfect before God. And so last week we looked at good works. sought to understand what is required of us for God and to be in God's work and his vineyard and doing his business in the earth. In the second point of our outline, we find the remedy for correcting the things for which Sardis was rebuked. Be watchful, strengthen, remember, hold fast, and repent. And if you will not watch, Christ says, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. The people in Sardis, the citizens of Sardis, understood something about this being taken by surprise, or being taken while not watching. For twice in their history as recorded, though they were on what they thought was an impregnable hill, they were captured by soldiers who sought to bring them into captivity. They knew something about being taken by surprise, taken off guard. Perhaps some of you this morning know something about being taken off guard. not being diligent in your Christian walk and having the evil one come upon you and surprise you with evil thoughts or gross temptations. It ought to alarm us to the danger. We're not in Beulah's land yet. We're still on enemy grounds. We're still soldiers. We're still the church militant. Attached to this remedy is a threat. It's a serious warning, much like what the doctor says when he prescribes a certain course of treatment. The doctor says, do this, do this, do this. Now, if you don't, the outcome will not be good. So he gives you a prescription or a regimen to follow, and he warns you. about what will happen if you don't. And that's what we find here with our Lord speaking to this church in Sardis. Linsky says, to sleep on and to sink deeper into death will continue only not so for a long time. Then the Lord will suddenly come in judgment as a thief comes to rob the sleeper who shall not even realize what hour it is. When judgment comes, everything is too late. We need not here think of the final coming of the Lord, although it is never excluded. Many preliminary judgments descend upon such men. Judgment, eternal judgment is reserved for that day when our Lord returns, when he shall put his enemies under his feet. But there is also a judgment that comes upon men in this life. And sometimes men are judged because of their sin before they even breathe their last. Is that not what we see when God's ancient people did not obey him? Nor did they give heed to the warnings or take seriously his threats. A multitude died in the wilderness. And later, many were taken into captivity again. Isn't that what we read in Romans chapter one? Verse 18 says, for the wrath of God is revealed. being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness? The wickedness that the Apostle Paul describes in Romans chapter 1 will be punished, but the Bible says God's wrath is already being poured out on such wickedness. Verse 26, for this reason God gave them up to vile passions. That's judgment. When God gives a people over to their sins, when God does not restrain wickedness, that's judgment. That's God's wrath upon a people. Verse 27 says, receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was done. Some believe many of the Diseases that are contracted is because of the wickedness of men whom God has given over to their sins. Judgment comes, even in this life, and people are taken off guard. It comes upon them unawares, because they're not watchful. So we read in the previous letter, speaking of Jezebel, I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. It's the language that God had given Jezebel some type of warning to turn from her sin. I gave her time to repent. And for some who hear the gospel, even in this place, we pray that the day of grace will not be gone before you turn and repent. He says, indeed, I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her in great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds, I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your works. So the remedy has, if I may say it reverently, a warning label. Be watchful. Flee false security. Sometimes we're secure in a wrong way. Are we secure because we're in a Reformed Baptist church or the Reformed Baptist fortress? We think nothing can happen to us because we have good doctrine, right doctrine in the head, but maybe not in the heart and in the walk. The Bible says, watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Guard, above all that you guard, your heart. Be watchful, be careful about the things that you allow to come into your heart, into your mind, that affect how you walk and how you live. We have enemies, brethren. You know these things. These things are elementary. But we must never forget that the world, the flesh, and the devil are our enemies. The devil will not only accuse us, he's a great accuser of the saints, but he will also accuse God. He'll spit out slander and dampen our affections toward God and seek to make us think hard thoughts about God. The devil will say, does he really care? Trying to make us doubt 1 Peter 5, 7, which exhorts us to cast all of our cares on him because he cares for us. But the devil, for some reason, will try to make us think that God doesn't care. Isn't that what he did with our first parents? He slandered God. and tried to make them believe that God was holding something back from them, something that they really should have, when God had given them everything in the garden except for one tree. And so he, has God really said that? Well, God knows. If you take this, you'll be like him. He's not really loving. He's not really caring. He doesn't want your best. He doesn't have your best interests in mind. You say, Ernest, we don't think like that. Well, what happens when illness comes, a job loss, or we have unconverted loved ones who are very antagonistic and hateful? Many people leave off to pray and trust their Heavenly Father because they've not seen the answer they desired from their prayers. The devil comes and he assaults us. And the world assaults us in our remaining unbelief by saying, is there no help for us in God? Those are the attacks of the evil one in our minds. He comes and he attacks us with these evil thoughts. We must guard, we must watch our hearts, we must watch for our souls. When these things come, brethren, do we have difficulty trusting God? Lay hold of Romans 8.28. And don't forget verse 29. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Instead of listening to the slander of the evil one, Let us listen to our God and His holy word. Don't forget Ephesians 1. Memorize these portions and set them, and if you have difficulty memorizing, write it out on a big card and sit it on your table and just look at it every day. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in him before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love, having predestined us to adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved. Brethren, the scripture says, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself. that in the dispensation of the fullness of times, he might gather together and want all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in him. In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Not according to our will, but according to his will. We need to be on the same page, if I may say it reverently, we need to be on the same page as God. And sometimes people get angry with God and they ball their fists up at God, and because God didn't answer my prayer. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed, and I didn't get an answer. I don't believe in this God that you talk about. He doesn't hear. I asked him to save my unconverted children, and they're still lost. I've been unemployed for two years now. Where is this God I'm praying to? And so Satan comes and he fills your mind with all these slanderous thoughts about your loving God. Do we think we're the first ones God said no to? In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul said, as he looked back on an item that was at the top of his prayer list, he recognized something after God revealed these things to him. He understood the no. Sometimes we don't understand why certain things, why certain prayers aren't answered, or aren't answered the way we would like them to be answered, or why God says, wait. He's working all things after the counsel of His will. Paul said, unless I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me. Why? Lest I be exalted above measure. He looked back and he said, you know, God has granted me such revelation and such truth, it's possible and there's the potential for me to get the big head. And lest I be exalted above measure, God humbled me with this thorn in the flesh, And it was so aggravating, I pleaded, Paul says, I pleaded with God three times that it might depart from me. And he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities, the apostle says, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities and in reproaches, in needs and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. The slanderous enemy of our souls, the hater of God, would come and destroy us if he could, and we must be on guard. We must watch. This is how we strengthen the things that remain, by not letting them die, but feeding on the Word of God and asking our gracious, loving, compassionate, tender, most kind, and gentle Heavenly Father to come to our aid. That's who our God is. That's who our Father is. God forbid that we would not allow the scriptures to bathe our minds with the truths about our God and listen to the evil one spew out slanderous thoughts about our God and that we don't have an audience with him. He doesn't really care. He does care. And whatever he's working out, we must trust him. Though painful it be, we must trust him. We must remember. tells his church in Sardis. Remember how we have heard, much like the Berean saints, we receive the word with all readiness. We need to bear in mind how we receive the word of God. There was a time in most of our lives, and perhaps God has been gracious to us and has continued us on in this path, where we can't wait to get to church. We can't wait for the doors to open. I would say perhaps most of us in our early days of conversion, we couldn't get enough coming to church. We found out that there was a Bible study somewhere. We did all we could to make it there. Rain, sleet, or snow, we would find ourselves there because we wanted to learn more about God and his word. Like a boy with a new baseball glove, we slept with our Bibles under our pillows. Not because we believed in osmosis, but God's Word was the first thing we wanted to see in the morning. We wanted to read God's Word. We wanted to learn more about our God, and we wanted to serve Him. Remember the former days. We were full of zeal. And you say, Pastor, we're still full of zeal. Praise God and abound more and more. But this church in Sardis had forgotten the former days, the glory days, if you will, the days when they were following hard after God and trusting him, ease had taken hold of that church, and they failed to watch. So we must do as we did in the beginning of our pilgrimage. We held fast to the things of God. and didn't allow tribulation and persecution or temptation to stumble us, nor did we allow, by God's grace, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things to enter in and choke the word. We happily gave ourselves to the spiritual disciplines for the health of our souls and the glory of God. It's sad when we make excuses. because of our laziness and our lack of vigilance not to meet and not to be with the people of God at the stated meetings. Brethren, don't do such harm to your souls and the souls of your brethren who long to see you with them gathered in this place as we plead month in and month out about the prayers, the communion, the Bible studies. All those things are an aid in our pilgrimage We need to hold these things fast. And when we didn't practice in those early days our pursuit of holiness and practice of godliness, we were convicted by the Holy Spirit. And we found ourselves with deep humility, repenting of our sins. So we endeavored after new obedience, There was a change of mind, a change of emotions, a change of will, a change of behavior. We were grieved. God forbid that we're not grieved when we sin against God. We're in a dangerous place, brethren. When we sin against God, and we do those things which are not pleasing in His sight, or when we omit those things which He's called us to do, and we're not grieved, We are at ease in Zion. He's calling this church in Sardis to repent, to turn from their sins, to turn around, to confess their sins. Brethren, confession of sin is a humbling thing. We're so woven with pride. It takes God the Holy Spirit to humble us and make us own up to our sins. That's what confession of sin is, is agreeing with God that this is wrong. Parents, don't teach your children it's all right just to say, I'm sorry. That's not confession. That's not an acknowledgement of evil or sin. Teach your children that when they sin, this is sin against God. and you must acknowledge your sin. Call it out, call it by name. I hope we do that as examples to our children. Perhaps when we say a sharp word to our spouse and our children hear those things, they should also hear us going to our wives or to our husband and saying, sweetheart, I was wrong, I sinned against you. I spoke in a way that I should not have spoken. It's grievous to God. Will you please forgive me? Not just, I'm sorry. It's nice to know how you feel, but it has nothing to do with confession of sin, turning from sin, pleading with God to put us on the right path. Brethren, we're called like this church. So may this be an example. You say, Pastor Ernest, we're not like this church in Sardis. May we never be. This is the heavenly medicine for this dying church. And may we keep it on our spiritual medicine cabinets as well, lest Ichabod be written over the doors of Grace Fellowship Church. Verse four tells us, there were a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments. These are they whose lives reflected the truth of Hebrews 12, 14. They pursued peace with all men and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. There were a few. By and large, the church was dead according to Christ. Perhaps unconverted people were the majority. Perhaps backslidden believers were in that group. Perhaps there were those who were living carelessly and resting on the fact that, you know, we believe in eternal security. So I said a prayer. I walked the aisle. I'm on the roll. I'm good. I can live any way I want to live. Because I got First John 1-9 in my back pocket. If that's your disposition, 1 John 1 is not for you. It's not a magic wand. It's for humble saints to know that we have an advocate with the Father, Christ Jesus the righteous. And so we pursue holiness. We run after holiness. We run after peace with all men, and we seek to follow God and honor Him. And so, this faithful remnant is given a reward. They're given a reward. The Bible says, they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Listen to Hendrickson as he comments on this portion. Thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. A few names. These individuals were known by name to the Father in heaven. They were known individually, each separately. God knew exactly who and what they were. He knows his own. God knows those who are his. Church attendance might be perfect, and people might think well of us, but does God think well of us? Does God know us? by name. Can we be put in that category of those who have not defiled their garments like those in Sardis? They are as shining lights in the midst of the darkness of this world. These few who kept unspotted the garment of grace here would by and by wear the white garment of glory. White indicates holiness, purity, perfection, festivity. So you read in Isaiah chapter 61, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bride groom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. In Revelation 19, verse 8, we read these words. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright. The fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And so, Brethren, Hendrickson says, these are they whom God knows, and they shall walk with him in white. Leon Morrison says this, it's very interesting. He says, walking with Christ in white has been understood by some as a reference to purity, by others to festivity, by others to victory. He says, but as Farah points out, the parallel with the name left in the Book of Life in the next verse strongly suggests that the white robes signify justification. Those who have not defiled their garments then walk with Christ. He says contrast this with John 6, verse 66, where it talks about those disciples who, when they heard these things, they walked with Christ no more. Where they're followed, it's really they walked with, in accordance with their status as justified persons. They walk like they belong to the Father. They walk like they belong to Christ. He says, for they are worthy, does not mean that they have merited their justification, but they have not done anything, or they have not done, but they have done nothing, pardon me, to forfeit it. They've not made shipwreck of their faith. They've not made professions and lived worldly lives. They stayed the course and they persevered to the end. And so they are blessed. They're worthy because they are in Christ. Christ is our righteousness. And when we are in Christ, we have a perfect righteousness. In this language here may stumble some, their names will not be taken out of the book of life. Does that mean is it possible for a person's name to be taken out of the Book of Life? That's not what it's saying. It's a positive statement. It talks about the surety of the fact that those who are Christ, those who are in Christ, their names are written in the Book of Life and it shall never be removed. When earthly citizens die, their names are erased from the records. The names of spiritual conquerors would never be blotted out. Their glorious life would endure. Christ himself would publicly acknowledge them as his very own. He would do this before the Father and before his angels. Matthew 10, 32 says, therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him, I will also confess before my father who is in heaven. The words of our Lord. In Matthew 10, 32. And then we read these words in Luke, chapter 12. Also, I say to you. Whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God." May it never be said of us, and may that not be the case with us, that we are ashamed of the gospel of Christ We're ashamed to own his name. It's all right if we talk about Jesus and the Bible when we're around Christians. When we're at church, that's a good conversation. But when we're in the marketplace, are we ashamed? When we're in the restaurant, are we ashamed to bow our heads and thank the God when the Bible says every good gift and every perfect gift comes from. Are we ashamed of him? Will we be ashamed to own his name in the earth, in a dark world where people need a light? They need a witness. They need those who will bear the testimony of Christ in the world. Will we be ashamed? It's one thing to be maybe ill-prepared and nervous. Maybe that's why sometimes we don't witness to people. We don't tell folks about Christ. So if that's our lot, we need to get it right. We need to repent. And we need to do what we need to do to be bright lights in the dark world. There's coming a day. when if we are ashamed of Christ and it has been recorded that we have been ashamed of Christ and we've not lived in a way that glorifies Him, Christ says, I will deny you. You'll not gain entrance into the eternal kingdom. You'll not be saved at last. Beloved, Let us rejoice in the great God who is our Savior and let us tell all that we have opportunity to about Him and warn people to flee the wrath to come. There is coming a day when men will cry for the rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of the land. But in this life now, as we preach the gospel, people can flee the wrath to come if they heed the gospel message. And that gospel message has been entrusted to us. May we be faithful to our charge and not be asleep in Zion and not be those who do not watch, but let us be vigilant and let us be on guard for the attacks of the enemy. Let us remember, bear in mind, the blessings that we enjoyed and loved and the blessings that we now enjoy and love. I don't want to speak about these things in past tense because, brethren, I believe most of you here, you love Christ, you want to serve Him, you desire to serve Him. So let us encourage one another to love and good works. Let us stir one another up. that our God might be glorified, that men might see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. Amen? Let's pray. Our Father, we confess to our shame. There have been times when we have feared the faces of men There have been times when we've sought to please men. And we ask you to forgive us. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to watch and pray. We know that our flesh is weak, even in those times when our our souls or desires are following you. So we plead for you for help. We plead with you, Father, that you would help us to glorify you and help us to heed these warnings, these things that we see in your word that tell us about your displeasure and tell us about the things in which you delight. Father, we pray that you would work in us, that you would perfect us, that you would continue the work that you've begun in us until that day. And we'll be careful to give your name all the praise and all the glory for you indeed are worthy. And we ask it in Jesus name. Amen.