Revelation Chapter 3 May 24, 2015

Revelation Chapter 3

Let’s notice the names of Jesus in these last three letters.

Revelation 3:1-3

¹And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.²Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.³Remember 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.

These verses have directives from Jesus to the church in Sardis. Look for 5 action verbs.

·        Be watchful

·        Strengthen what remains

·        Remember my teachings

·        Hold fast and Repent

And a warning from 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Revelation 3:4-6Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.⁵He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.⁶He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

As in other churches and in the world today God has kept a remnant that remains faithful and walks worthy. No matter the church as a hold has little to brag about. Think back to Sodom and Gomorrah. There were few righteous people in the city and it had to be destroyed with fire and brimstone. Lot had not made a good decision choosing this evil land to raise his family. Nevertheless Moses bargained with good to save Lot and his daughters. The remnant will be clothes in white. White is the representation of purity throughout the Bible. No matter what sin we have committed in action or thought or spoken word; Jesus is able to cleanse us completely.

Psalms 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Even King David cried out to God to purge him of his sins. Have you confessed your sins to Jesus? Before we offer a prayer or take communion or go to bed each night we need to confess our sins, sins of commission but also sins of omissions. Those things we did not do for the Kingdom of God.

Revelation 3:7-8    And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; ⁸I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

This description is a preview to what happens to the devil in the chapter 20 when he is cast into the pit and locked away for 1000 years. How many doors has Jesus opened in your life? Did you have the faith to walk through? What God calls us to do He will equip us for the task. Jesus says “I Know” they are weak but they has been faithful. We are told that in our weakness, He is strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9 My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Revelation 3:9-11 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.¹⁰ Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

¹¹Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Because they were faithful Jesus promised to keep them from the “hour of temptation” and time of judgment of the world. Verse 11 tells He will come quickly. This does not mean soon, but instead it means it will happen in a blink of an eye. Notice He promise “no man can take their crown.” There are 5 crowns for martyrs, soul winners, ministers of the gospel, righteous living, and endurance in the face of tribulation.

What do you think we will do with our crowns in heaven? We will cast our crowns at the feet of Jesus.

Revelation 3:12-13 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. ¹³He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Roman 3:4    God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

What do we have to overcome? Anger, selfishness, greed, jealousy, pride, lusts of the flesh. We as Christian have the responsibility to “hold fast” and “stand” in the gap at a time when our liberties are slowly being stolen.

Notice the promise in verse 12 God tells us New Jerusalem (our eternal home) which is detailed in Chapter 21 will come down out of heaven and God will dwell with man forever in a new earth. Can I get an Amen? We better start practicing our praise because the next chapter will be before the throne and all will bow and praise the LORD.

Revelation 3:14-16 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Notice the name of Jesus; “Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;” This is a statement records that Jesus was present at the creation of the world, a proof of the Trinity. How wretched would a church have to be to be “spewed out” of the mouth of God? How about you? Are you lukewarm?

When it comes to politics do you sit on the fence? Can you pick a side and stick with it? Since I have trust issues with politicians, I have a hard time believing either side. However when it comes to trusting my Savior, I know on whose side I will stand.

Revelation 3:17-18 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see.

What Jesus is stating that this church has money, prestige, and position but they are unaware of their condition.  The gold the LORD possesses has been tried by fire. Ladies God will test us by fire with trials and circumstances in our daily life. Will you be able to stand the test? So many times I have failed to honor Him. Praise God He gives us another chance. After we have been through the fire, we will be stronger, purer, and more reflective of our Savior’s character. Surely by this time in our Christian life we can attest to the fact that true joy is not about amassing wealth here on earth, but about storing up treasures in heaven.

Matthew 6: 19-21Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Revelation 3:19-22

¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

²¹To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

²²He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We can rest in the fact that as God’s children He loves us enough to discipline us for our own good. If you were a teenager in the sixties, (as I was) you could sure feel the love of your parents as they chastised you and imposed limits for your safety. Those God loves He disciplines.

Hebrews 12: 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Look at verse 20-The LORD is standing at the door of your heart knocking. Are you ready to open your heart to Him? This is a good verse to share with our loved ones who are lukewarm.

Another promise to the overcomers-to sit with Jesus at His Father’s throne.

Jesus uses the word overcome in his letter to all three churches, so I looked back to Chapter 2 and discovered Jesus included that word in every letter.

There were 300 occurrences of the word in the Bible Concordance. As Christians are overcomers!  We are equipped to handle any darts or arrows thrown at us by the enemy.

SYNONYMS:  get the better of, prevail over, control, get/bring under control,  master, conquer,  defeat, beat; get over, get a grip on, curb, subdue;

1 John 5:4-5 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Teaching notes of Ann Human Sanger

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A special "Thank you" to Mark Copeland at http://executableoutlines.com/ for

REVELATION QUESTIONS Chapter 3 

1) What are the main points of this chapter?

2) For what does the Lord condemn the church in Sardis? (1-2)

3) What does the Lord exhort those at Sardis to do? (2-3)

4) What warning is given to them? (3)

5) What did the Lord find commendable at Sardis? What did He promise them? (4)

 6) What did the Lord promise to those who overcome? (5)

7) What had the Lord done for those in Philadelphia? Why? (8)

8) What was the Lord going to do to those who claimed to be Jews but were actually the synagogue of Satan? (9)

9) What did the Lord say He would do for those in Philadelphia?  Why? (10)

10) What warning and exhortation does He then give? (11)

11) What promise does the Lord give to him who overcomes? (12)

12) For what does the Lord condemn those at Laodicea? (15-16)

13) What does the Lord say He would do because of their lukewarmness? (16)

14) What had they claimed?  What was their true condition? (17)

15) What does the Lord counsel them to do? (18)

16) What justification does the Lord give for such a strong rebuke? (19)   

17) What does He say to such Christians? (19,20)

18) What will be granted to him who overcomes? (21)

19) What exhortation is given at the end of each letter in this chapter?(6,13,22)