The Alarm Clock Sounds
Read the Text: Revelation 3
Memorize the Text:
Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you
(Revelation 3:3 CSB)
Consider the Text: Revelation 3:1-6
The apostle John addressed the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6. The church in Sardis rested in their declaration of Christ as Lord and their past merit but lived in a spiritually lifeless state. The Christians in Sardis gave lip service to the Lord but did not experience a genuine relationship. Thus, these believers resembled the cultural Christians in the West today. The church in Sardis received a strong warning to wake up from their condition and to seek the Lord. Just like the Lord spoke to Sardis through the apostle John, so does he call cultural Christians today to awaken. The Lord declared five parts to the process of waking up.
WAKE UP
Sardis experienced two moments of an enemy overtaking the city because no one kept a watchful eye on the enemy. They lived in a town that did not take diligence to protect themselves because of the effort required. The self-proclaimed believers in Sardis followed this influence and did not guard themselves against the threats of the evil one and the flesh. They fell prey to laziness and unconcern and, as a result, lived in a spiritual slumber.
The first step to responding to the spiritual slumber occurs when we hear the alarm to wake up. An alarm clock calls the one asleep that the time has come to awaken and carry out the day's task. In a spiritual sense, the Lord sounds the alarm to the cultural, slumbering believer to wake up and take responsibility for carrying out the spiritual tasks of the day. Thus, the first component of the command from the Lord comes as a call to hear the alarm.
STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS
When the alarm clock is heard, the task starts with strengthening what remains. John charged Sardis to see the embers of their spiritual life and to care for them. If the people continued to ignore the embers, then the embers would cease, and ignition could not occur. The awakening calling is a call to action to rekindle the embers before they are gone. Thus, the challenge comes to awaken before it is too late.
The second step in responding to spiritual slumbers occurs in tending to the spiritual embers. When we deal with spiritual embers, we must concern ourselves with the condition of our life before the Lord. Thus, we assess our life and see where we need to address a lack of spiritual flame. At the same time, when we attend the embers, we must set up an avenue of caution where we guard ourselves against spiritual slumber again.
REMEMBER TWO THINGS
John called the church in Sardis to remember two critical realities, what they had received and heard. John called them to return to the truth by remembering the truth of God’s Word and living in the reality of the truth. The believers in Sardis needed to remove themselves from the world's influence and build their life on the foundation of God’s Word. Life becomes subject to destruction when the Word does not exist as the foundation.
The third step of responding to spiritual slumber comes as we remember the Word of God we have received and the Word of God we have heard. It means that we place the Word of God as the foundation of life and construct all of life on the truth. To maintain a life of certainty, we must place all hope, trust, and faith in Christ and rest on the foundation of truth. We must remember the promises that come from resting in truth.
KEEP AND OBEY
John declared that the believers in Sardis did not need to remember the ways and Word of the Lord alone but that they needed to keep and obey the truth. Obeying the Word meant that the church in Sardis sought to live in a manner that reflected Christ and that they sought to live in righteousness by living out the truth of the Lord. A life that keeps the Word of the Lord reflects a complete trust in the Lord and puts this trust into action.
The fourth step of responding to spiritual slumber occurs when we live out the truth we remember. When we live out the truth, we must elevate the Word as absolute truth and demonstrate this belief by living out the truth in life. The activities of life become defined by the truth, and our approach to life becomes subject to the truth. Thus, we must seek to keep the will and ways of the Lord and put these truths into practice in our lives.
REPENT
The church in Sardis needed to awaken to the alarm in response to repentance. Repentance is not being sorry for wrongful actions but is a state of sorrow because of the presence of sin and the separation from the Lord. Repentance is not guilty because of being caught, but the remorse of deep pain. Thus, true repentance occurs as the church seeks genuine forgiveness and reconciliation by identifying sin and turning from that way of life.
The fifth step in responding to spiritual slumber comes in repentance. We must recognize our waywardness and experience genuine remorse and sorrow. These feelings of remorse and sorrow should propel us to acknowledge our sinful, separated state and drive us to seek forgiveness from the Lord and a turn in our activities. Repentance is the ultimate moment of response to the spiritual alarm.
As followers of Christ today, we must evaluate our life and see where cultural Christianity slips in. We must strive to live for the Lord and actively pursue Christ and a life with Him. As we think about the church in Sardis and the command of the Lord to awaken, what awakening needs to occur in our lives? Will we hear the alarm clock sound and awaken, or will we continue to hit snooze and reject the calling of the Lord?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
