Be Watchful lest we die !
Rev.3:1-2, ‘And to the [a]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. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before[b]God.’
Being alive and dead at the same time is the most dangerous mask . The outer appearance being attractive with the inner self stinking with ugliness of death is no more a new phase in the spiritual world. Most of us have tasted such lives and continue to struggle to identify true children of God within the boundaries of well known so called born again churches. The truth is that God has allowed the weeds and tares to grow together (Mt.13). And the much awaited harvest alone will separate the wheat from the tares. Till then, the lives who claim to be the wheat ought to be watchful, lest they get transformed to tares knowingly or unknowingly.
The church in Sardis had a name that showed that they were alive spiritually. For this, regular worship services, cell meetings, reach out programmes etc …might have continued to be organized in a committed way. They might have never made any compromises on such matters. They might have made sure that they attended all meetings, paid tithes etc and might have had a good relation with all in the church . Thus they might have been well known in the church, society and even in nation. But the Lord said that they were dead. V 2 says that there were still some things in them that were alive but were ready to die. Half dead is like ‘dead’ in the sight of God.
To be called living in the complete sense, more than breath, we ought to be responsible & we ought to respond. Gen.2:15-17, ‘Then the Lord God took [d]the man and put him in the garden of Eden to [e]tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you[f] shall surely die.”’
Being responsible : God made Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (Gen.2:7) . Thus Adam became a living soul. Soon after in V 8, God planted a garden in Eden. He took Adam into the garden and gave him the responsibility of tending and keeping the garden. This might have included tilling the ground, sowing seeds, pruning the plants and keeping the garden in clean and orderly way. Every person has been created by God and has been given a responsibility. The primary responsibility of a living person i.e a born again person is to tend and keep one’s soul. The garden of Eden represents one’s soul. Adam was made as a living and a righteous person who did not know sin. He was responsible for taking care of this garden. A person who has a responsibility is accountable to the person who gives him the responsibility. Adam was accountable to God for everything that happened in the garden of Eden. Similarly, we who have been redeemed are primarily responsible and accountable for all that happens within the garden of our heart & soul. From time to time, we need to till the soil of our heart, plant seeds of His Word and pull out the unwanted weeds of sin that might creep in any time, thus watching over our own souls and keeping them clean in God’s sight.
Being responsive : God then gave Adam a commandment to eat from all trees except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Commandments displays God’s heart’s desires. And a person’s response to the commandments talks about the condition of one’s heart in terms of his or her relation with God. Right response is doing exactly what has been commanded, which represents right relation with God. A dead person does not respond to any sound or touch. Similarly, a spiritually dead person cannot respond to God’s commandments by obeying them. And this in turn proves one’s spiritual status of being alive or dead. Half obedience shows broken relation with God . Such lives are pronounced as ‘dead’ by the Lord.
Being responsible and responding are like the two sides of the same coin of being ‘alive’ spiritually. If we have realized that we are responsible for keeping and tending our souls, we will make all efforts to respond rightly by complete obedience to all His commandments.
The Lord commanded the church of Sardis to ‘be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die,..’ Being watchful is to be always on guard of our soul, for our hearts are always prone to sin. Death had captured a few areas of some lives in the church of Sardis and was spreading fast to the other areas of their lives & they had not realized it. Lk.21:36, ‘Watch therefore, and pray always that you may [i]be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”’ Unceasing prayers is the only way to watch over our souls. When we pray, we are connected to light which keeps highlighting the condition of our soul and warns us of the evil snares that look for an opportunity to creep into our lives. Unceasing prayers builds strong walls around our souls and are possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord charged the church in Sardis that their works were not perfect before Him. Can any man be perfect before God ? Even after being born again, the striving towards perfection continues till the end of our lives for we still dwell in flesh . Our works become perfect before the Lord when our heart is perfect in His sight. For this, we need to have a heart that is eager to be transformed more and more like Him through a continuous renewing of mind and spirit. Rom.12:2, ‘And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.’ And all the works done through such a perfect heart are accepted as perfect works by heaven. The moment our heart stops desiring to be transformed into His image, our heart & works are seen as imperfect by our Lord. Yearning for transformation is sign of spiritual growth and also the sign of life in fullness.
The Lord commanded the church of Sardis to hold fast to His Word, to be watchful and to repent. He loved them and so warned them of His coming like a thief. When God warns us of His judgement, He is expressing His deep love for us. Rev.3:4 points out to the remnant in this church who had been watchful over their souls to keep their garments white and spotless before the Lord. Remnant are those lives who refuse to be influenced by anything that happens around them. They choose to be influenced only by the Word of God. Being influenced is our choice.
The message to this church ended with the note of rewards for overcomers and the invitation to those who had ears to hear. Let’s examine ourselves and watch over our own souls. Lets realize that we are responsible to respond rightly & thus keep our redeemed souls safe in His presence. May we be found spiritually alive when He comes in glory.
God bless us all
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