Title: People in robes (Revelation 3:1-6)
Contents People in robes (Revelation 3:1-6)
Text / Revelation 3:1-6
Title / People in Hinbok
Among the words of the Lord to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea in today's Turkey, Asia Minor, today we share the word of the Lord toward the fifth church, the Sardis Church. I read it.
What is the voice of the Lord to us today in the words we read today?
I hope that it will be a time for you to open your ears to hear and hear the voice of the Lord.
The Lord's words to the church in Sardis are clearly shown in verse 1. Read verse 1 together again.
To the angel of the church in Sardis, he who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars said, "I know your works, you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
They have the name of being alive, but in reality they are dead.
This is our problem today.
It is the result of the diagnosis by Jesus Christ, who has seven spirits and seven stars in his right hand, through the eyes of a flame.
In the Greek word kai nekros ei, translated as dead, 'ei' is the present tense of the verb 'amy', which means to be. The problem, however, is that it is rapidly dying, and on the other hand, it appears to be alive and well.
What does this mean?
At the end of verse 1, it says: “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” It means that you are alive, but you are dying.
The word for name in “the name that lived” is the Greek word “onoma”. It is a word that has the meaning of fame and reputation.
In the end, the reputation and reputation of the world that the Church of Sardis lived was growing. In other words, the rumors spread, but in reality, they are in a state of spiritual stagnation and dying.
It is a spiritual disease that the Korean church should be wary of today, and it is a disease that our Yangjeong Church should be careful about.
The mission is to establish a church that does missions by using the Yangjeong Church as a model and to become a church that catches up with the Yangjeong Church after some time.
Up until now, I have served the Lord, but I often feel uncomfortable because it seems that I receive more compliments than I have served the Lord.
Because they are afraid of becoming like the church in Sardis.
The church in Sardis did not seem to have any problems on the outside. They all worked hard, and the organization and finances were never second to other churches. He also worked hard. So it was such a church that had a very good reputation and beautiful rumors among people. However, in the text, it is clear that the church in Sardis is a church that has dirty clothes.
People who got their clothes dirty...
In the text of Revelation 3:4, it is said that there were some who did not soil their clothes in Sardis.
But there are you in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and you will walk with me in white robes, for they are worthy.
“There are some who have not soiled their clothes” is paradoxically saying that everyone has their clothes dirty. All the people of the Sardis church were people who got their clothes dirty.
① To be defiled means to be stained with the world.
Outwardly, they were very good members of the church. But the problem is that at the same time they are very good unbelievers.
In the church, I served and did missionary work. However, when I went out of the church, I changed into clothes of unbelief for idolatry and immorality according to the behavior of those outside.
② It means falling into human-centered convenience.
The religious life is only a formality, and they are like unbelievers, luxury, licentiousness, and morality to the ground. Self-centered and indulged in human convenience.
Seeing this, the Lord says that his clothes are dirty.
There is an act of worship, but there is no life of worship. They appear to be alive but in reality they are dead. As 2 Timothy 3:5 says, people who have the form of godliness but lack the power of godliness are people who have soiled their clothes.
③ I got a sickness.
Sardis Church was a very good church at first. Their loyalty and their devotion created a beautiful rumor. The faith of the members of the Sardis Church spread throughout the region. It was a praiseworthy church, and it was the members.
But at some point the church started to get sick.
I fell into complacency.
People do not like to move when they are full. The more comfortable you are, the more lazy you become. Restlessness is a lazy disease. If you fall into peace and quiet spiritually, you will not pray. Not dedicated. And I know that God is with me and blesses me.
There are more and more people who know that even if they do nothing, the church will spontaneously become a missionary work.
The same goes for our church.
There should not be any saints who fall into complacency. Even church members who don't pray properly for missions even once look like church members who are diligently doing missions from the outside. There should not be too many people who enjoy the praise of being members of a church that does missions even with a penny of missionary expenses. Everyone must wear a belt. You have to work as much as you get praised. To take pride in hearing compliments should pay the price of devotion worthy of it. That way we are renewed every day.
People in hooded clothes...
But there are people who are really pure white. They weren't many. I don't know how many, but it must be a very small number.
But there are you in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and you will walk with me in white robes, for they are worthy.
Today the Lord is looking for people in robes
They are people who have the experience of the grace of redemption and the assurance of salvation. As Romans 13:14 says, people are clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ.
If we look at Revelation 19:8, we can see that clothing refers to the deeds of the saints.
“He gave him permission to put on a bright and clean linen linen, which is the right course of the saints.”
Right deeds That is the clothes the saints should wear. In other words, it means that faith and faith appear as one. It means that there is a life of worship rather than the ritual of worship.
What is the right conduct that Christians should have in this day and age?
It means being a believer in the church and appearing as a sincere Christian to unbelievers outside of the church.
Last Wednesday was the day of sending out the 4th missionaries of our church, Simon Bang and Esther, and it was a very happy and good day. As a result, our church sent missionaries to Thailand, China, and Kyrgyzs in Central Asia.
In the face of the fact that missions is what the Lord wants the most, and it is the absolute command and mission we have been given, it is perhaps the right thing to do, but we are just thankful that you use us for that natural task.
Thank you for looking back on the past.
I was grateful that the church that started with one family has grown into a church that can send missionaries from four families. And I am grateful that he has given me and all the members of the church the mission of missionary work.
Thank you for allowing such precious servants as Eungyun Lee, Jaejeong Kim, Byungkwon Park, and Simon Bang. But at the same time, I felt my shoulders getting heavier than ever.
Isn't it a fearless thing to do?
Numerous questions have been asked in my own mind whether it is possible to send a family of four missionaries on the scale of our church and fully support their ministry without any problems.
Can we afford it?
What do the saints think? I suddenly felt weak. So, I couldn't put down my heavy heart during the dispatch service.
Missionary Bang, moving to Kyrgyzstan right away, needed 12 million won for airfare, container fees for moving luggage, and money to get an apartment.
I didn't have enough finances.
Even 12 million won is a problem right now, but thinking about the things we need to do in the future, I felt that my shoulders became too heavy. In addition, on the day of the dispatch service, the congregation gathered less than expected.
Have the members of the church lost their enthusiasm for sending missionaries?
Or do you have other thoughts? Thoughts made my heart feel heavier. Even though I know it's all pointless thoughts...
It was really heartbreaking.
God knew our hearts and answered our prayers. He worked the next day. One of the butlers came to see me. It means that God will touch your heart and donate 10 million won. God had impressed the husband and wife equally.
It was the loud voice of the Lord.
Without faith, I was only worrying about nothing.
God's work is God's work.
There were people in the church in Sardis dressed in hooded clothes.
Even though there were only a small number of them, it is because of them that it becomes a church. These are people who wash clothes on the cross while looking at the cross of the Lord.
In Revelation 7:14, it is well explained who the people wearing robes are.
“I said to you, “My lord, you know.” He said to me, “These are those who have come out of the great tribulation, and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
① They are the victorious people who overcome tribulation.
② Those who bathed in the blood of Jesus. .