THE WATCHFUL CHURCH-III—Revelation 3:1-6
Jesus rebuked the church in Sardis for maintaining a mere semblance of life in Christ.
The church of God must exhibit the vitality inherent to life in Christ.
The church of God must exhibit more than a semblance of life in Christ.
How does a church exhibit a watchful character?
OR
What does a watchful church exhibit?
12 Attributes/Traits/Features of a watchful church.
The watchful church exhibits...
1. AUTHORITY(:1a)
2. SOLIDITY(:1b)
3. STABILITY(:2a)
4. COMPLETION(:2b)
5. MANAGEMENT(:3a)
6. READINESS(:3b)
7. REMNANCE(:4)
8. WORTHINESS(:4b)
9—The watchful church exhibits...
PURITY(:5a)
—Explanation:(:5a)
“‘He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments;....”
“Clothed”—periballw—‘To throw around’; Wrap.
“In white”—
—Argumentation:
Rev. 19:7-8—““Let us rejoice & be glad & give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come & His bride has made herself ready.” And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright & clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
—Illustration:
Tropicana Orange Juice/No additives or preservatives/Not from concentrate/PURITY
—Application:
?Are we a PURE Church?
?Are we a Watchful Church?
10—The watchful church exhibits...
PRESENCE(:5b)
—Explanation/Argumentation:(:5b) In the Book/Place
“‘....& I will not erase his name from the book of life,....”
“Erase”—Wipe away
*Implies that ALL names of all mankind were/are originally in the Book! & rejection God’s design(Acceptance of God’s will by faith; Acceptance of Jesus) seals their erasure!
“Name”—God knows you by name!
“The Book of Life”—
Ex. 32:33—“And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”
Rev. 17:8—“The beast that you saw was & is not, & is about to come up out of the abyss & to go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth will wonder, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast, that he was & is not & will come.”
Rev. 20:12, 15—“And I saw the dead, the great & the small, standing before the throne, & books were opened; & another book was opened, which is the book of life; & the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”....“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
—Illustration:
Last payment for a loan sent/Thrilled!/Receive overdue notice/Company records show no final payment ever existed/Proof is in the PRESENCE in the Book
*Many believe that the ‘Church Roll’ is the ‘Book of Life’!
—Application:
?Are we a PRESENT Church?
?Are we a Watchful Church?
11—The watchful church exhibits...
CONFESSION(:5c)
—Explanation:(:5c) Declaration
“.....& I will confess his name before My Father, & before His angels.”
What is the nature of the confession?
—That we have believed God’s witness!
Ex. 14:31—“And when Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, & they believed in the LORD & in His servant Moses.”
1Jn. 5:10—“The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son.”
—Argumentation:
Mat. 7:21—““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.”
Mat. 10:32-33—“Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”
Lk. 12:8-9—“And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.”
Jude 1:24-25—“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, & to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion & authority, before all time & now & forever. Amen.”
—Illustration:
Boyfriend who will not confess his girlfriend’s name before others/CONFESSION before others
—Application:
?Are we a CONFESSED Church?
?Are we a Watchful Church?
12—The watchful church exhibits...
PLIABILITY(:6)
—Explanation:(:6)/Yieldedness/Plasticity
“‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
“Has an ear”—Right equipment for listening.
“Let Him hear”—Comprehend spiritual matters.
1Cor. 2:14—“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, & he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”
“The Spirit”—
Rom. 8:5-8—“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life & peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; & those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”
—Argumentation:
Ezek. 11:17-20—““Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “I shall gather you from the peoples & assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, & I shall give you the land of Israel.”’ “When they come there, they will remove all its detestable things & all its abominations from it. “And I shall give them one heart, & shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh & give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes & keep My ordinances, & do them. Then they will be My people, & I shall be their God.”
Jer. 18:2-5—““Arise & go down to the potter’s house, & there I shall announce My words to you.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, & there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,”
Isa. 64:8—“But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, & Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand.”
—Illustration:
Bentwood rockers/Soak wood & gradually bend it over time/Then dry & assemble it/PLIABILITY ensures its usefulness.
—Application:
?Are we a PLIABLE Church?
?Are we a Watchful Church?
—CONCLUSION—
Action:
The watchful church exhibits...
PURITY(:5a)
PRESENCE(:5b)
CONFESSION(:5c)
PLIABILITY(:6)
AUTHORITY(:1a)
SOLIDITY(:1b)
STABILITY(:2a)
COMPLETION(:2b)
MANAGEMENT(:3a)
READINESS(:3b)
REMNANCE(:4)
WORTHINESS(:4b)
Presented 05/19/02am to:
Providence Baptist Church
975 Providence Road
Whigham, GA 31797
