Peace and grace in the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the church in Sardis.
Revelation 3:1-4
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.
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.
3:3 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.
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.
Jesus appears as He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars to preach the Word to the church in Sardis, to conduct the last sanctification to them or to all of us. It is so that we are always in the ambience of spiritual revival and always watch. We must watch especially in two things as follows.
Being watchful about Jesus’ second coming is related with two things as follows.
There are three meanings of the white garment as follows.
How do we keep the white garment spotless?
God blesses us.
Revelation 3:1-6 is about the church in Sardis.
Revelation 3:1-4
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.
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.
3:3 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.
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.
Jesus appears as He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars to preach the Word to the church in Sardis, to conduct the last sanctification to them or to all of us. It is so that we are always in the ambience of spiritual revival and always watch. We must watch especially in two things as follows.
- Being watchful about the ministry or consecration to God.
- Being watchful about Jesus’ second coming.If we are left on His second coming, all things that we have reached in this world will be meaningless, useless, and destroyed forever.
Being watchful about Jesus’ second coming is related with two things as follows.
- The time of His second coming is as a thief. Therefore, we must be watchful.
- Keeping the white garment so it is not defiled or stained.
There are three meanings of the white garment as follows.
- The Word of God on which a name ‘King of kings and Lord or lords’ is written, that is the Bride teaching Word or Bride Tidings. It is the true teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword to sanctify our life up to perfection as Jesus.
Revelation 19:11,13-14,16
19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him wascalled Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
19:13 He wasclothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
19:16 And He has on Hisrobe and on His thigh a name written:KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:6-7
19:6 And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!
19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Keeping the white garment’s being spotless means we must hold fast and obey the true teaching Word that is sharper than any two-edged sword.
1 Peter 1:22
1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
The results are as follows.- We experience sanctification.
- Sanctification from the sins that scatter the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:11
5:11 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.
It is the sanctification from six ingrained sins as follows.- Being sexually immoral, that is sin concerning marrying-being given in marriage, sexuality sin with all its variety.
- Being covetous, that is being unable to give. It will be accompanied with being greedy, that is seizing the right of God or the others.
- An idolater. Idol is something that obstructs us so we cannot be obedient to God.
- A reviler, who says right the wrong matter, or says wrong the right matter.
- A drunkard, that is sin concerning eating-drinking (smoking, getting drunk, consuming drugs).
- An extortioner or a liar.
- Being sexually immoral, that is sin concerning marrying-being given in marriage, sexuality sin with all its variety.
- Sanctification from false teaching.
Romans 16:17
16:17 Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.
- Sanctification from the sins that scatter the body of Christ.
- We can love one another sincerely and without any purpose.
- We experience sanctification.
- The garment of ministry, meaning the ministry and gifts of Holy Spirit.
Matthew 25:23
25:23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done,good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
Jesus must die on the cross and descend into the lower parts of the earth to equip us with the ministry and gifts of Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 4:8-9
4:8 Therefore He says:“When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.”
4:9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
In order to keep the white garment spotless, we must minister with faithfulness and goodness, meaning ministry that is accompanied with good deeds. We must also minister with faithfulness and righteousness, meaning ministering according to the true teaching Word and the will of God.
The results are as follows.- We are entrusted great thing, that is being entrusted in the ministry of building the body of Christ.
- We will experience the Heavenly joy from the present time until forever.
25:26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The spot of the white garment is being wicked and lazy. The consequence is living in weeping and suffering, until entering the outer darkness in the hell forever. The spot of being wicked and lazy equals to having the guilt of bloodshed to Jesus that cannot be paid by anything else. - We are entrusted great thing, that is being entrusted in the ministry of building the body of Christ.
- The garment of holiness and glory.
Exodus 28:39
28:39 “You shall skillfully weave the tunic of fine linen thread,you shall make the turban of fine linen, and you shall make the sash of woven work.
The white garment that is made of fine linen thread with many holes equals to the garment of holiness and glory. It is the garment worn by the High Priest (in the past it was Aaron, now it is Jesus) to conduct the ministry of reconciliation in the Most Holy Place by sprinkling the blood seven times twice so Shekinah Glory happens. Now it means the garment of holiness and glory in the anointing of Holy Spirit. The proof of being anointed by Holy Spirit is our spiritual eye can always see God wherever, whenever, and under any situation, so we always have the fear of God.
Isaiah 11:1-3
11:1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
11:2 (1)The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, (2)The Spirit of wisdom and (3)understanding, (4)The Spirit of counsel and (5)might, (6)The Spirit of knowledge and (7)of the fear of the Lord.
11:3 His delight isin the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
The anointing of Holy Spirit with its seven manifestations peaks on the fear of the Lord, so we can be truthful and do not need to hide something.
The practices of having the fear of God are as follows.- Hating sin up to hating lie.
Proverbs 8:13
8:13 The fear of the Lord isto hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. - Doing the commandments of God.
Ecclesiastes 12:13
12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
- Hating sin up to hating lie.
How do we keep the white garment spotless?
- Through worship prayer, together with fasting prayer and all night prayer.
- The tunic must be dipped in the blood, meaning flesh suffering without any sins or the sprinkling of blood.
Genesis 37:31
37:31 So they took Joseph’s tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.- The test in facing the wild beast or wild flesh, that is envy, hatred, and grudge.
Genesis 37:33
37:33 And he recognized it and said, “It ismy son’s tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” - The test in facing sin up to its peak, that is facing the wife of Potiphar.
- The test in facing the jail, that is the world with all its influences, its bustle, its pleasure, its sadness and suffering.
Thus, His eyes will also only see us. He as the High Priest always cares, understands, and struggles for us.
The results are as follows.- Joseph experiences the light of glory from God.
Genesis 45:3-4,15
45:3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I amJoseph; does my father still live?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.
45:4 And Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I amJoseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
45:15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
Joseph experiences life renewal from the flesh man to the spiritual one. He does not repay evil for evil, but good for evil. We do not hate ones who hate and harm us, but we pray for them. - The High Priest sympathizes with our weaknesses until we feel peace and everything becomes easy and light.
Hebrews 4:14-16
4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast ourconfession.
4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all pointstempted as we are, yetwithout sin.
4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - The High Priest is able to help us and solve all our problems even the impossible ones, right on His time.
- The High Priest opens a new and living way for us.
Hebrews 10:19-20
10:19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
10:20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,
A living way means the High Priest is able to care our life in the middle of difficulties and impossibilities in this world.
A new way means there is a beautiful and successful future in this world until in the New Jerusalem forever.
- The test in facing the wild beast or wild flesh, that is envy, hatred, and grudge.
God blesses us.