The Watchful Church-3

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.”