Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the last sanctification done by God to the church in Sardis so that they are always in the spiritual revival and watching, especially about the service and ministry to God and the second coming of Jesus. The watching is related to the white garments.
Revelation 3:4
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.
There are a few names in Sardis who are worthy to walk with Jesus in white.
Acts 5:41-42
5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
We are worthy to walk with Jesus in white when we are counted worthy to suffer with Him and experience the death or cross willingly with Him.
Philippians 3:18-19
3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame––who set their mind on earthly things.
Be careful because there are many servants of God who become the enemies of the cross, reject the cross, and do not want to suffer with Jesus. It means that they are not worthy to walk with Jesus in white.
They have on the other garments, not the white, and go towards perdition forever. There are three kinds of the other garments as follows.
Matthew 22:11-12
22:11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
22:12 "So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
Jesus comes with the true teaching Word sharper than any two-edged sword to point at our condition and sin, and rebuke us so that we can confess our sin and take off the other garments. He is willingly stripped on the cross and drinks the sour wine to give us the garments and new wine or make us joyful. We can get the white garments through the Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
Nevertheless, there was one who was speechless when he was asked. It means that he did not confess his sin, but despised the mercy of God and blasphemed Him.
Luke 23:39
23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemedHim, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."
The criminal crucified beside Jesus refers to one who is in total failure, being ashamed and afraid, suffering, in many tears with the unsolvable problems, and without the future, but perdition.
Luke 23:40-43
23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
23:41 "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."
23:42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 23:43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
The right attitude is confessing sins to God and others or giving the sour wine mingled with gall to Jesus to drink. It means that we cry out the powerful name of Jesus, look at and worship Him, the King of all kings or Heavenly Bridegroom, saying Alleluia. Jesus answers “It is finished.” It means that all impossible problems have been finished by God. He also gives us the new wine or heavenly joy.
Revelation 21:5-6, 27
21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
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.
We are renewed until enter New Jerusalem.
God blesses you.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the last sanctification done by God to the church in Sardis so that they are always in the spiritual revival and watching, especially about the service and ministry to God and the second coming of Jesus. The watching is related to the white garments.
Revelation 3:4
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.
There are a few names in Sardis who are worthy to walk with Jesus in white.
Acts 5:41-42
5:41 So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.
5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
We are worthy to walk with Jesus in white when we are counted worthy to suffer with Him and experience the death or cross willingly with Him.
Philippians 3:18-19
3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame––who set their mind on earthly things.
Be careful because there are many servants of God who become the enemies of the cross, reject the cross, and do not want to suffer with Jesus. It means that they are not worthy to walk with Jesus in white.
They have on the other garments, not the white, and go towards perdition forever. There are three kinds of the other garments as follows.
- Foreign apparel.
Zephaniah 1:7-8
1:7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; For the day of the LORD is at hand, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.
1:8 "And it shall be, In the day of the LORD’S sacrifice, That I will punish the princes and the king’s children, And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
Ephesians 2:19-22
2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangersand foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
2:21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
All servants of God must be shepherded well and correctly so that the service and ministry to Him may aim at the building of the perfect body of Christ. It begins from the pastor that must be shepherded.
The main priority in the shepherding is the food for the sheep, namely the shepherding Word or the voice of the shepherd. It is the Word trusted to a pastor by God that he may deliver to the congregation faithfully, regularly, and repetitively to become their food growing their spirituality up to spiritual maturity and the one perfect body of Christ. We become one flock with one Shepherd or one body with one Head.
Having on the foreign apparel means that one feels that he is a stranger in the shepherding. It means that he is not shepherded, but wandering. Why?- Because of the hardness of heart.
Hosea 8:12
8:12 I have written for him the great things of My law, But they were considered a strange thing.
It means keeping the sins up to the peak, namely the sins concerning eating-drinking and marrying-being given in marriage until one feels strange to or rejects the shepherding Word or the hard teaching Word sharper than any two-edged sword that points to the sins. - Because of the strange voice.
Hebrews 13:8-9a
13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.
It means giving opportunity to hear the strange voice or other teachings that are not in line with the true shepherding Word. For example, Eve heard the voice of the serpent and transgressed the commandment of God. Consequently, she lost the atmosphere of paradise and entered the curse.
The strange voice refers to gossips.
Hearing the strange voice, one is doubtful to the true teaching Word. Moreover, he will release it.
Acts 20:28, 32-33, 35
20:28 "Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
20:32 "So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
20:33 "I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
20:35 "I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’"
If we are firm in the shepherding or able consume the shepherding Word by hearing until obeying it, we will get the spiritual growth and sanctification from the evil desire or the love of money until we can feel more joyful to give than to receive. It means that we have the fine linen, clean and bright.
Revelation 19:8-9
19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
19:9 Then he said to me, "Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’"And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." - Because of the hardness of heart.
- Filthy garments.
Zechariah 3:1-4
3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him.
3:2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.
3:4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him." And to him He said, "See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes."
It means ministering to God with filthy garments or the spots.
Jude 1:11-12
1:11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
1:12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
Judges 19:23, 25-26
19:23 But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act so wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage.
19:25 But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go.
19:26 Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master was, till it was light.
There are four kinds of spot as follows.- The spot of Balaam.
2 Peter 2:15
2:15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wagesof unrighteousness;
It means serving to God in order to get physical wages. It is a ministry without the faith. Consequently, one loses the wage of the eternal life.
We have to sacrifice the physical things for the ministry. - The spot of Korah.
Numbers 16:10-11
16:10 "and that He has brought you near to Himself, you and all your brethren, the sons of Levi, with you? And are you seeking the priesthood also?
16:11 "Therefore you and all your company are gathered together against the LORD. And what is Aaron that you complain againsthim?"
It means ministering to God with murmuring because of insisting physical things such as wage, praise, position, and so on. This is a ministry without the hope. Consequently, one decreases until perishes.
We must minister to God with a thanksgiving. - The spot of Cain.
It means ministering with envy, hatred, and without love. - The spot of Gibeah or uncleanness.
It means the sexuality sin with all its kinds, sexual deviation or homosexuality and lesbianism, sexuality to oneself, wrong marriage or mixed-marriage and divorce-remarrying, as well as marrying-being given in marriage or free sex.
3:1 "Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," Says the LORD of hosts.
3:2 "But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fireAnd like launderer’s soap.
3:3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
Jesus, the High Priest, always pays attention to the priests or His servants to sanctify them from the filthy garments with these two things.- Launderer’s soap.
It means the true teaching Word preached repetitively to sanctify the outer spots, namely in our saying and doing. - Refiner’s fire.
It means the true teaching Word preached repetitively to sanctify the inner spots, namely in our heart and mind.
- The spot of Balaam.
- The old garment.
Mark 2:21-22
2:21 "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse.
2:22 "And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins."
Isaiah 64:6
64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
It refers to the self-truth, namely the truth coming from blaming others and God or covering the sin by blaming others and God. It means being naked and leprous. Consequently, one drinks the sour wine that is bitter and perishes.
Matthew 22:11-12
22:11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.
22:12 "So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.
Jesus comes with the true teaching Word sharper than any two-edged sword to point at our condition and sin, and rebuke us so that we can confess our sin and take off the other garments. He is willingly stripped on the cross and drinks the sour wine to give us the garments and new wine or make us joyful. We can get the white garments through the Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
Nevertheless, there was one who was speechless when he was asked. It means that he did not confess his sin, but despised the mercy of God and blasphemed Him.
Luke 23:39
23:39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemedHim, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."
The criminal crucified beside Jesus refers to one who is in total failure, being ashamed and afraid, suffering, in many tears with the unsolvable problems, and without the future, but perdition.
Luke 23:40-43
23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
23:41 "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."
23:42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 23:43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
The right attitude is confessing sins to God and others or giving the sour wine mingled with gall to Jesus to drink. It means that we cry out the powerful name of Jesus, look at and worship Him, the King of all kings or Heavenly Bridegroom, saying Alleluia. Jesus answers “It is finished.” It means that all impossible problems have been finished by God. He also gives us the new wine or heavenly joy.
Revelation 21:5-6, 27
21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."
21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
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.
We are renewed until enter New Jerusalem.
God blesses you.