Herein is Hope

Articles

Ross Triplett
03/13/22 - Articles

“I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die: for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God” (Revelation 3:1-2).

Could you imagine getting a letter from, “he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars”? Talk about getting your attention! Do you think the church of Sardis got the message, and established “the things that remain, which were ready to die”?

There is one part of this admonition that we want to focus on for a moment, i.e., “I have found no works of thine perfected before my God.” This statement doesn’t say they didn’t have works. As a matter of fact they are told, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest.” The church in Sardis had a name, or a reputation for being alive, but they were dead. How is that so? They had an existence, they were apparently doing something that some entity thought was praiseworthy, but they were dead. Paul dealt with a similar situation of a live entity that was dead, when he said, “But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth” (1 Timothy 5:6). Just because an individual, or in the case of our text, a church, has a name of being alive does not make it so.

The death blow came when the church was weighed in the balance and the judge of all men and churches, said, “I have found no works of thine perfected before my God.” They simply didn’t complete what they started.

It is all well and good to have works that are approved of God: Paul told Timothy that the “man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17), through a knowledge of the inspired word of God, but it is equally important to finish the works that have been started. So, the church of Sardis is told to “Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it.” The consequence of failing to do so, “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Rev. 3:3)

Herein is hope: “He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5). Is your name written in the book of life? Ross Triplett, Sr.