Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
Seventh in a series of 8 messages
REVELATION 3:1-6 TEXT: v3 HOLD FAST TILL RECEIVED 7/8
Remember therefore how thou
hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not
know what hour I will come upon thee.
The Church/Sardis had a name to live, but was dead (v1)
In the past, they had built themselves up a great reputation as a vibrant, orthodox, evangelistic, spiritual church,
This had been allowed to slip away and was no longer true
The reputation still lingered on, but any one coming to their meetings would soon discern the stench of death
The spirituality had decayed away and their glory was very firmly buried in the past
Although the vibrancy/Sardis church was gone…all was not lost
Never forget that the One who wrote these letters/7 Churches not only
describes Himself as the One who is alive for evermore (1:18) but
elsewhere described Himself: The Resurrection/Life (John 11:25)
Folk/Sardis were exhorted to strengthen the things that do remain
Hope! Please remember if God speaks to you, even if rebukes you, then there is hope that something positive can be done
What helped in Sardis is that there were a few there who had not
defiled their garments - these were a small group/Christians
(minority) who were still maintaining a viable witness here/now
Doubtless they had happy memories of previous days (acceptable) but
they were not banking on ancient experiences to maintain/reputation
These undefiled Christians/Sardis were alive here and now
No deathly decay could be smelt here - they were vibrant for the Lord in very discouraging circumstances
To the whole church comes the exhortation to stand fast
It is not a bare exhortation, for it is surrounded by other words which throw fresh light upon them - 3 main points:
1) THE HEARING AND THE RECEIVING OF THE WORD OF GOD:
A/ If we are going to hold fast, then we need something/hold fast to
Further: implied/command: we need something worth holding fast to
Something that justifies the repentance urged upon letting it go (text)
This exhortation/repentance can only bring us: something Bible based
Repentance is only to be induced in the case/sin and sin can only be defined by the relationship of the act/Bible: Isaiah 8:20
B/ text itself urges the Sardis Christians to remember how they had received and heard (by implication) the word/God
Objection: The text does not actually mention the word/God
Answer: Implication suffices - if they had maintained their grip on
God's word then nothing else was needed nor required/remembrance
C/ The general reference to the word/God is significant
Different congregations struggled with different doctrines
Corinthians struggled with the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)
Colossians struggled with the sufficiency of Christ apart from the
input of the heretical Gnostics (2:10)
But here, the people/Sardis were being urged to remember the whole body of teaching which they had received
D/ They had first of all heard the word/God (text)
Might take heard in its lesser meaning i.e. they had given ear
They had gone further than those represented by the way side (Matthew 13:4) who switch off practically on any contact with it
How important to have an ear for the Scriptures
If we are saved, then we have tasted the good word/God
We have heard it and should continue so to do
Very easy to neglect even the simplest reading of it
Can you remember times when reading/Bible was a delight in itself?
When you enjoyed to peruse its pages? If so…hold fast to it
E/ Not only merely to acquaint ourselves with the contents/Scripture
but to go further and receive them i.e. apply them to our souls
Not in any false or feigned way, but in the way as indicated by the
good seed falling on good ground and bringing forth much fruit
The Church/Sardis had once done this
In living memory of many in the congregation
As a congregation - they had once fed on finest/wheat
(As said) gained themselves a great name in this aspect
If they had've had a Website/those days, then the counter on
www.sardis.com would be recording thousands hits from all over/world
Now they had let it go
Word was failing to impact them as it once did - no longer moved
F/ Let us kindle our own precious memories in this regard
They can only warm the heart as we remember the speaking voice/God
Do not His sheep respond well to the Good Shepherd's voice?
Does it not dispel any feelings of loneliness, weariness, and sadness?
G/ When called/remember, it means more: a trip down memory lane Call to take heed of the things which we have heard/received
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we
have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip (Hebrews 2:1)
Hold fast such memories as these and use them to spur you on to a total/daily reliance upon the word/God
2) THE SIN OF FORSAKING THE WORD OF GOD:
Already emphasised the word "repent" in relationship/God's word
A/ The hearing/receiving the word/God had not been total, hence the deadness that now characterised the congregation
If everyone was going full steam ahead - then no deadness would be experienced and no repentance required, but it was not so
B/ A sin to forget/neglect/forsake the word/God for several reasons:
[i] Of the One whose word it is i.e. the word of the Living God
Those who see this Book merely as a collection of pithy/wise sayings
and beautiful/inspiring poetry without any regard for the fact that its
writers were moved by the Holy Spirit miss the whole point
They fail to do justice to the Author/Book and are likely then to miss
its main message i.e. Redemption by the blood of the Lamb
[ii] Generally when the word/God is forsaken, it is for something else
There is no such a thing as a spiritual vacuum - soul must be engaged
God's complaint: For my people have committed two evils; they have
forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns,
broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)
[iii] Such sins usually lead on to other sins - if the word/God is lamp to our feet/light to our path (Psalm 119:105)
Then the removal of that light cannot but bring greater darkness
Our wicked hearts will still seek out carnal pleasures
Satan will still continue to tempt us with fresh sins/desires
By neglecting/Bibles, we enter into combat without the sword/Spirit
Worse, we enter into battle with something else we think sufficient
The Devil will have a field day with us
Other sins will flow on like the great waters of a river
We are lost without a compass and a light
We are easy meat for any teacher whose path we stumble across
Think of those mentioned in Ephesians 4:14
Our situation is worsened seeing we once had light but forsook it
If the light that is in thee be darkness…how great is that darkness (Matthew 6:23)
C/ The only road back is to repent of such backsliding/failure
Once our text focus's our mind with a call/remembrance, it immediately
urges simple repentance i.e. to positive return unto the Lord again and
to abandon that which is sinful
Only those who confess/forsake their sin find mercy (Proverbs 28:13)
D/ Notice emphasise on not only what we heard etc., but on the how Corresponds to two exhortations/Christ:
Take heed what you hear (Mark 4:24)
Take heed how ye hear (Luke 8:18)
When we listened unto salvation we listened with reverence/faith
Might not have been deep - but it was genuine and acceptable/God
Nothing less will do in our regards to the Scripture/truth
3) THE WARNING OF NEGLECTING THE WORD OF GOD:
A/ The fact that it is a sin is a warning/itself
No sane person will ever argue that doing wrong can be right, least of
all a professing Christian with his knowledge of the suffering/Christ
Such is the intensity with which the Bible denounces sin that the very mention of the word causes us to recoil with horror/fear
B/ Another verb appears/text: Watch
Having let these things slip away and so caused to engage our memories
and to exercise genuine repentance etc., the Saviour exhorts us unto a
watching - so that it doesn't happen again
Failure to watch is followed by a direct threat (Call it nothing less)
Our Lord will come upon us as a thief
[i] He will come at an unannounced time (text)
[ii] He will come to take from us what we already possess
(Morally: Not thieving to take what we have well nigh abandoned)
[iii] We will be left with very little indeed: Obadiah 15
[iv] We are worse off after the thief has come than before
Avoid this kind of thing as much as lies within you
Hold fast what we have not already lost
A holding fast of such things sends a signal to Heaven that we mean business with God again and he will respond in kind
Instead of a loss, there will be a giving back of what we have already lost - the years/locust hath eaten (Joel 2:25)
If we exercise our muscles, then they will become strong and we will increase in strength and make gains
Failure to do so means that they lose their strength and we are weak
C/ I want to finish on a high note: God Himself does so (vs 4/5)
[i] Mentioned these few pure Believers in the introduction
How exemplary they were
Defiling/garments associated with pollution: Some Leviticus references
particularly with no contact with the dead (cp. vs1-2)
Pure religion/undefiled… keep unspotted from the world (James 1:27)
Here were folk who could do it and were noticed/praised by Christ
One day they would be elevated to glory for their faithful stand
Walk with Him/white - the very colour of His transfiguration (17:2)
[ii] Promise to all the overcomers (v5)
Again - the emphasis on purity and glory with the white clothing
The safety in holiness - the promise of glory also
What does it take to gain these things?
God ward: Grace alone: we cannot overcome except by God's grace
No merit in overcoming, although there is glory at it's end
Man ward: By holding fast what we have (defensive) and overcoming every last obstacle before us (aggressive)
They shall walk with me in white, for
they are worthy - in the stola, the white robes of justification, and
adoption, and comfort, or in the white robes of honour and glory in the
other world. They shall walk with Christ in the pleasant walks of the
heavenly paradise; and what delightful converse will there be between
Christ and them when they thus walk together! This is an honour proper
and suitable to their integrity, which their fidelity has prepared them
for, and which it is no way unbecoming Christ to confer upon them,
though it is not a legal but a gospel worthiness that is ascribed to
them, not merit but meetness. Those who walk with Christ in the clean
garments of real practical holiness here, and keep themselves unspotted
from the world, shall walk with Christ in the white robes of honour and
glory in the other world: this is a suitable reward. (Matthew Henry)
THE END