7 Letters to 7 Churches: Sardis - Revelation 3:1-6

Compromise.

Sometimes compromise is a good thing.

Like in marriage, you and your spouse are in a little bit of a disagreement of how much to spend on your kids' clothes.

So you're going to have to come to a compromise.

Neither of you will probably get what you want, but that's how compromises work.

But compromises like this don't happen just in marriage, but in business, you've got to compromise to make a deal to make everybody happy.

In politics, in order to pass legislation, you usually have to do some compromising in order to get some legislation through.

We need a little bit more of that.

But there's another more serious kind of compromise.

It's a compromise of heart.

A misplaced loyalty.

A loyalty instead of giving to the one who is worthy of your ultimate complete devotion, you give it to something else.

That's a more serious kind of compromise.

This heart loyalty compromise is what makes marital affairs so devastating.

It's what makes a patriot turned traitor worthy of death.

And it's what makes a church that is just kind of blended into its surrounding culture so grievous in God's sight.

We're not to blend in.

We're to stand out.

We're not to be silent.

But we're to speak up.

This morning, the risen, radiant, and reigning Christ, he speaks to a compromised church.

The church of Sardis.

And so if this is, you're here for the first time, we've been making our way to the book of Revelation.

And we're in chapters, been in chapters two and three.

And we're just making, kind of going from one letter to the next.

Seven letters to seven churches.

And we're in the fifth letter, the church to Sardis.

And each of these letters share a very similar structure.

So this morning, I'm just going to walk us through the structure of the letter.

And by the end, we need to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

So let's start with this church, this compromised church.

Just a tad of background on the city of Sardis.

It was about 30 miles south of Theatira, which we saw last week.

It was a commercial hub.

But it was also a military strategic point in this area.

It had what's called a necropolis, literally a summit city, a fortress on sheer cliffs of 1,500 feet high.

It had a commanding view of the surrounding area.

It was militarily highly strategic.

And the Sardinians thought that they were impregnable.

495, 496, Cyrus II sends Persian army there.

And because the Sardinians thought that these walls would take care of them,

they were not watchful.

And the Persians were able to sneak up a back path into this elevated fortress,

and they sacked that city.

The Sardinians thought that they were something that they were not.

And it's with some degree of irony that Jesus speaks to this church in Sardis,

and he says,

Hey, you're not alive.

You're dead.

They thought that they were something.

But they were not.

If you look at chapter 3 in verse 2,

we read,

Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die.

This is Jesus speaking to this church.

For I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

They got a big I on the top of their paper.

Incomplete.

In other words,

something major is missing in this church.

And it's more than one thing.

It's works.

There's a few things that are missing.

Something is missing in Sardis.

And you know what it is.

We're given some clues from this text of what they are.

One is,

they've got to compromise walk.

And what I mean by walk is,

a way of living your life.

If you look down,

in verse 4,

we read,

Yet you have still a few names in Sardis.

People who have not soiled their garments.

That soiled their garments kind of language,

that's referring to

impurity, defilement.

A way of being

that doesn't stand out

from the surrounding culture,

but blends in.

So what Jesus is addressing here

is the majority of this church,

not the few,

but the majority,

they were walking around

with soiled garments.

Chronic sin.

A lifestyle of sin.

Not occasional stuff.

Lifestyle.

So much is that they blend

in to the non-Christians

in Sardis of the time.

This was a church

that was compromising its walk.

They didn't look any different

than anybody around them.

They blended in.

But the other area

in which they were compromising

was in their witness.

If you look at verse 5,

Jesus is,

in verse 5,

is he's promising,

making three promises

to those who overcome,

those who conquer compromise.

And the last one,

he says,

I will confess his name

before my Father

and before his angels.

The one who confesses me,

this is Matthew 10, 32,

I will confess

before the Father.

You know what the implication,

the inference is?

This is a church

that is not witnessing

to Jesus.

He's not going to acknowledge

anyone who does not

acknowledge him.

And what I mean by witness

isn't pulling your pulpit out

and preaching

a 40-minute sermon

to your neighbors.

To witness

is not that complicated.

Think of witnessing as this.

You're just giving credit

to where credit's due.

You're just acknowledging Jesus

for the good things

that he's doing in your life.

That's all that witnessing is.

You're testifying

to the goodness

of the Lord Jesus

and his work in your life.

You might,

someone might say,

hey, you're a really nice guy.

You witness by saying,

you know what,

I was a real jerk

back in the day,

but Jesus has made me nice.

You're witnessing.

Or,

hey, you're a really nice guy.

Oh, you know what,

I used to be a nice guy

because I feared

what other people

think about me,

but Jesus has set me free

from that,

so I don't care

what you think anymore

because Jesus is doing

a work in my life.

That's witnessing.

They had compromised

their witness.

They're ashamed

of Jesus.

They're not speaking up.

They're remaining silent.

Now,

who in this room

has not,

at some time,

willfully compromised

their exclusive devotion

to Jesus

in one of these areas,

whether your walk

or your witness?

And just to let you know,

these two are very much

related to one another.

Your walk

validates

your witness.

So,

if you have

a compromised walk,

chances are

you're going to have

a compromised witness

and therefore,

you're not going to say anything.

There is an epidemic

in our culture.

It's pornography.

And what happens

to a Christian

who is entangled

in pornography

is they become ashamed

of the sin

that they're mired in

because their walk

is compromised.

And when they're given

opportunities

to witness to Jesus,

they are not going to

because they're ashamed

of themselves.

They've nothing

to point to.

Compromised life

results in a

compromised witness.

And it's

exactly the opposite

of what the Holy Spirit

is wanting to do

in a church.

The Holy Spirit

is seeking to

make us holy

and to make us bold.

Now,

if our lives

blend into

the non-Christian

culture around us,

our witness

to Christ

will make no sense.

But,

if,

when our lives

stand out

for Christ,

now that gives us

something to talk about

regarding Jesus.

It doesn't matter

what people think,

but we're able

to witness

to what He's doing

in our lives.

A compromised walk

results in a

compromised witness.

Jesus is going to

say to this church.

What is He going to

say to this church

that has just

kind of blended in

and kept its head

low and not

kind of ruffled

feathers and being

identified with Jesus?

What's He going to

say to them?

What's He going to

say to us?

We looked at the church,

now let's look at the

Christ.

Christ.

Jesus says two things

about Himself.

They're very interesting.

He says,

the words of Him

who has the seven

spirits of God

and the seven stars.

This is the pattern

with these letters.

Jesus introduces

the church

and then He says

something about Himself.

And He says two things.

Let's take the last first.

He has the seven stars.

We already know

what He's talking about

because in Revelation

1.20,

He says that the seven stars

are the seven angels

of the seven churches.

And He has them.

He's holding them.

And the idea there is

He is reigning over them.

He is sovereignly ruling

over the spiritual world

of angels and demons.

They do His bidding

as we make our way

through the book of Revelation.

And when we get into

chapter 6 and 8

and 9 and 11,

we're going to start

coming into contact

with the seven seals

and the seven trumpets.

In chapter 5,

there is the one

on the throne

holding a scroll,

God's plan

for the fullness of time.

And there's only one

who can take it.

It's the Lamb

who was slain

and is alive.

And that scroll

has seven seals.

And the one

who is able

to open the scroll

and break those seals

is the one

who is able

to execute

God's plan

for the fullness of time.

And what we see

in chapter 6 and 8,

9 and 11

as Jesus,

the risen Lamb,

breaks a scroll,

do you know what happens?

Angels scramble

to do His bidding.

He's in control.

It reminds us

that we're in a spiritual battle.

But it reminds us

that Jesus

is reigning on high,

carrying out His purposes.

It's that other

description of Himself

that I wanted to draw

your attention to now.

He has the seven spirits

of God.

That's an interesting

thing to say.

What are the seven

spirits of God?

Well, throughout

the book of Revelation,

the seven spirits

of God is a way

of talking about

the one Holy Spirit

of God.

Remember,

seven in the Hebrew mind

means fullness

and completeness.

The fullness

of the Spirit.

The fullness

we see it

in chapter 1,

verses 4 and 5

where the Holy Spirit,

these seven spirits

of God,

are connected

to God the Father

who is and was

and is to come

and God the Son

who is the true witness,

the King of the earth.

It's a triune greeting

in the book of Revelation.

In chapter 4,

verse 5,

the seven spirits

of God

are described

as being

the seven torches

of burning fire

before God.

remember,

the churches

are the lampstands

that Jesus

is in the midst of

and these torches

of fire

are on top

of the lampstands.

The Holy Spirit

is present

in His people

to light up

the church

with a contrasting

walk

of blamelessness

and a boldness

of witness

that stands

us out.

In 5, 6,

the seven spirits

of God

is described

as the seven eyes

of the Lamb

sent throughout

all the earth.

If you're familiar

with the gospel

of John and all,

you'll know

that in John 14, 26,

Jesus talks about

He and the Father

sending out

the Holy Spirit

to remind

His disciples

of all that

He has said,

to speak

to the world.

And in John 15, 26,

Jesus again says,

He and the Father

have sent out

the Holy Spirit,

the helper,

to bear witness

to Jesus.

And then in 16, 7,

through 12,

Jesus again says,

the Holy Spirit,

He is sending Him

out into the world

to convict

the world of sin,

righteousness,

and judgment

in order to expose

the world

of their need

for Jesus.

the seven spirits

of God

is the one Holy Spirit

sent forth

to empower the church

for global witness.

He is the life-giving,

the Holy Spirit

is the life-giving power

of a local church

to walk blameless

and witness boldly.

Breath is to your body

as to the Holy Spirit

is to a church

and just to clarify,

at the moment

you believed,

brother,

sister in Christ,

God the Holy Spirit

took up residency

in your life.

He came to dwell in you,

sealing you for Himself,

Ephesians 1, 13,

the moment you believed,

enabling you to walk

in holiness

and to bear witness

to your Lord Jesus Christ.

So,

why is Jesus saying

all this stuff

to a church

that is essentially

flat-lined?

He's got life.

I've got life

to give to you,

Sardis.

I have the Holy Spirit

who will enliven you

and empower you.

Jesus doesn't want

His church flat-lining.

He wants His church thriving.

The prayer that Brian

prayed this morning,

oh, may that be

the prayer of all of us.

Oh, God,

would You pour out

Your Spirit upon us,

Your people,

reviving us

to live holy lives

and to proclaim Jesus

with boldness,

to give Him credit

for everything good

He's doing in our lives.

So, here we have the Christ,

Jesus,

saying to this church,

remember me,

I'm the one

with the seven spirits

and the seven angels.

I'm ruling over it all.

And He knows something.

Look at the claim.

We're still in verse one.

I know your works,

He says to this church.

I know your works.

I can see your heart.

Now, we have seen Jesus

say this now.

This is the fifth time

in five weeks

Jesus has said this.

I know.

I know your works.

We're going to see it

in the next two weeks

to Philadelphia,

3.8.

I know your works

to Laodicea,

3.15.

I know your works.

And we can start thinking,

yada, yada, yada, yada.

I know, I know, I know.

Jesus knows,

Jesus knows,

Jesus knows.

Jesus knows.

Remember the fire eyes.

He has eyes

like flames of fire.

They penetrate

into the hidden depths

of every person,

every church,

and His penetrating sight

is a purifying presence.

He purposed

before the foundation

of the world

to present His church,

His bride,

to Himself

in splendor,

without spot or wrinkle,

holy,

and without blemish,

blameless.

That's His purpose

in our midst.

1 Thessalonians 4.7,

for God has not called us

for impurity,

but in holiness.

No compromises.

He wants us

to walk blameless,

and He knows

when we don't.

Here we have a picture

of Jesus poised,

purposed,

to purify His people.

It's the most loving thing

He can do for us.

He loves us so much,

He wants us to share

in His holiness.

It's a holy happiness.

A holy joy.

And just to remind you,

the happiest person

in all of existence

is God Himself,

and He's the holiest of all.

Now, I can imagine right now

that the Spirit of God

is at work in some of you.

And here's what's happening.

You may be hearing

what I am saying,

and simultaneously

to you hearing

what I'm saying,

you are trying

to keep something

compartmentalized.

You're trying

to keep something

away from these words

falling on your ears.

There is something

in your life

that you'd rather

ignore than to address

because you know

that it's grievous

to the Spirit of God,

maybe even

quenching of the Spirit

in our midst.

And what you're trying

to do is compartmentalize it.

Don't look there.

There's an area

of your life

that you don't want

to open the door to

and let the light

of Christ shine in.

Brothers and sisters,

if you're there,

Jesus already sees it.

He already sees it.

I know your works.

He knows where

you're compromising

in your walk

or your witness.

And out of love

for you,

His uncompromising,

commitment to you,

He wants to grow you,

purify you,

make you holy

in both walk

and witness.

I know your works.

Your Lord Jesus Christ

wants good for you.

So what is this

risen, radiant,

and reigning Christ?

What does He have to say

to this compromising church?

I know your works.

And what He says next

is striking.

We're still in verse 1.

You have the reputation

of being alive,

but you're dead.

You think you're alive,

but I know you're dead.

That's Jesus addressing

the church,

and He's the guy

with the flames of fire,

eyes.

He knows it all.

He says you have a reputation

of being alive.

Literally,

it's the word name.

You have a name

for yourself

of being alive,

but I know you're dead.

What kind of reputation?

Who knows

that they are alive?

Well, contextually,

it seems like

most likely

the other churches

know that they are alive

or think that they are alive.

Maybe something like this happened.

Imagine,

the church of Sardis,

maybe years before,

was not compromising,

but walking in spirit power,

and they were experiencing growth.

They had a thriving

children's ministry,

vibrant corporate worship.

The six other churches

were like sending them emails

and sending them texts

and sending them

kind of groups of people.

Hey, what are you guys doing?

This is amazing.

Help us understand

how you're growing so much.

Show us, show us.

You guys are alive.

But somewhere along the way,

they let go of the rope.

Sardis,

they were just

gliding.

Have you ever seen somebody

water skiing before?

I read that.

I read this illustration

this past week.

I got to use it.

Maybe you're out at Silver Lake.

You see someone

water skiing.

They're holding on

to that rope

of that power boat,

and they're just being

pulled along.

Eventually,

a water skier

is going to need to say,

hey, I'm worn out.

I'm just going to let go.

And usually,

the water skier

just kind of glides

for 10, 20, 30 feet,

depending on how fast

the power boat's going.

Now,

it would be a mistake

for that water skier

at that moment

he is gliding along

to think that he is

actually powering

his gliding.

because he's let go

of the rope.

As soon as he lets go

of the rope,

it's a precursor

to his sinking.

How long do you think

a church can glide

after compromising Jesus,

after letting go

of the rope,

after letting go

of the power

of the rope?

How long can a church

go through the motions

after compromising

their exclusive

devotion,

dependence,

think,

Jesus is the vine

where the branches

broken off.

How long can you go

as a church?

You can go for a while.

You can go through

the motion for years.

But what I'm calling

gliding,

Jesus calls

flatlining.

You have a reputation

of being alive.

You may look like

you're living,

but I know

you're flatlining.

You know what I mean

by flatlining?

Maybe you've seen

a TV show.

A patient is hooked up

to an EKG machine

and it's displaying

a patient's heartbeat.

It's like,

beep, beep, beep, beep,

tracking their heartbeat.

As long as they've

got a heartbeat,

everything's good.

But when the heart

stops,

the EKG flatlines

and goes,

beep.

No heartbeat.

The church in Sardis

was flatlined.

Beep.

Beep.

Their compromise

is a compromise

induced death coma.

Now, by God's grace,

I don't believe

Christ the King

church is flatlining.

It's by His grace.

But here's what I do know.

We're just one

letting go of the rope

away from gliding.

We're on the edge,

always on the edge,

of letting go

of the rope,

letting go

of our power source,

Jesus and His Spirit.

We can just let go

and we can glide

for a while.

But in the sight of God,

we're beginning

to flatline.

Compromising Christ

in our walks,

compromising Christ

in our witness.

It's letting go

of the rope.

We're starting

to flatline.

We're denying

His power.

We're denying

this is a sharp criticism.

You think

you are alive,

but I know

you're dead.

Could you imagine

receiving this letter

if you're Sardis?

Here's what Jesus

is doing.

He's calling

this church out.

He's saying

to this church,

okay, church,

you've got to decide.

You've got to decide

what you think

others are saying

about you is true

or are you going

to believe

my word

and what I'm saying

about you

is true.

You pick.

Their compromise

had led to

a self-deception.

They think that

they're spiritually

rocking it,

but they're spiritually

flatlining it.

This is his criticism.

But you know

what I'm so grateful for?

He doesn't leave it

at that.

This church

whom Jesus

criticizes,

he provides

correction.

And it's

life-giving correction.

This is words

from the uncompromising

Christ

committed to his church.

But I've got to tell you

up front,

they're a bit shocking.

In verses 2 and 3,

we see the correction.

Jesus speaks

five shocking commands

to revive

a flatlining church.

We've talked about

the EKG machine.

Let's talk about

the AED machine,

automated external

defibrillator.

What these things do

is they basically,

you stick patches

on either side

of a person's heart

whose heart

has stopped beating

and they're hooked up

to a machine

that generates

an electric charge

and that machine

on its own

decides to when

it releases

the charge

and then the charge

goes through one part

of one's chest

through the heart

to the other part

of that patch

and it's designed

to jumpstart

a flatlined heart.

It's shocking.

And that's what

these five commands

are to this church.

Jesus loves this church

and so he is going

to shock them,

to revive them,

to bring them back

to life.

Here they are.

Verse 2,

he says,

wake up,

rouse yourself,

see what's going on.

You're comatose.

You've compromised.

Two,

strengthen what remains.

Don't just wake up.

Strengthen what remains.

Strengthen those

who are remaining

to live exclusively

for me

and strengthen those

who are willing

to live exclusively

for me.

Strengthen them.

How do you strengthen them?

How do we strengthen

one another?

How do we strengthen

one another

in our living

for Jesus?

Well,

at this church,

that's why we have

life groups,

to be honest with you.

Life groups

are groups of Christians

who kind of work

around this book

because this book

gives life.

And these are groups

of Christians

who are seeking

to live out

their lives,

their walks

for the glory

of Jesus.

Jesus.

And for our life groups,

it requires

a proximity

in which these

groups of people

are coming together

on a regular basis.

And it requires

an honesty

with one another.

This is my life.

This is the hardships

I'm facing.

This is the temptations

I'm dealing with.

And the reason why

we're honest

with each other

is so that we can

strengthen one another.

We can encourage

one another.

We can say to one another,

oh man,

that temptation

is real, brother.

But let me just

remind you

that your Lord Jesus

who died for you,

he is worth it all.

Don't give up.

Press on through.

How can I help?

Let's pray.

We strengthen

one another,

pointing to each other

to this book

so that it can have

its intended effect

to give us strength

to persevere.

We strengthen

each other.

And then the third

shock

is that word

remember.

Verse 3.

Remember then

what you have received

and heard.

Remember what you've

received and heard.

What you've heard

is from the apostles

the gospel

in its fullness.

Apostolic teaching

of the gospel.

And part of that teaching

is teaching on

the Holy Spirit

whom they have received

when they were saved.

The Holy Spirit

is in them

to produce

holiness

and bold witness.

Remember.

The tense in the Greek

is keep on remembering.

Don't stop

remembering.

Remembering.

Remember the life-giving

doctrine of

biblical Christianity

says Jesus

to this church

seeking to revive them.

remember my words.

And just don't remember.

Next shock.

Keep it.

And again

the tense in Greek

is keep on

keeping it.

Hold fast

to what you have heard

until I come.

Revelation 2.25

hold fast

to the gospel.

Hold fast

to me

Sardis.

Prioritize me.

Protect

our relationship.

I'm your first love.

Hold on.

Don't let go

of me.

I am

what you need.

We can only live

for one thing

brothers and sisters.

There's only one thing

that warrants

our ultimate

all-encompassing

devotion.

and Jesus

makes no

has no reservations

in saying

it's me.

I'm your treasure.

I'm your life.

I'm your everything.

Keep it.

Don't let go.

Hold on

to Jesus.

Keep on

keeping on.

And the last

zap

is that word

repent.

keep it

and repent.

What Jesus

is talking about

is a decisive

turning away

from compromise.

If you're aware

of where you're

compromising

your life right now

what Jesus

is saying

hey don't linger

there.

Don't feed

that little pet.

Don't house

that little pet.

Kick it out.

Turn from it.

And when you

turn from your

compromise

you're going to

turn to the

living Christ.

One of my

favorite

Psalms

is Psalm

119

and in

verses 59

and 60

we read this

when I think

on my ways

when I think

on my compromise

I turn my feet

to your testimonies.

Turn.

And then in

verse 60

I hasten

and do not

delay

to keep

your commandments.

Not only

do I

turn away

from my

compromise

and turn

to your

testimonies

I go.

I move.

I don't

linger.

I'm not

slow about it.

I hasten

and do not

delay

to keep

your commandments.

Repentance

is a turning

from your

compromise

and a

turning to

with thrusters

on full blast

to Jesus.

Don't

linger

in your

compromise.

Repent.

These five

commands

they are

the verbal

shock

to revive

this

flatline

church.

And we

also see

this warning

in verse

3.

If you

will not

wake up

if you

will not

respond to

what I'm

saying

if you

will

just

kind of

arch your

back

at this

I will

come like

a thief

and you

will not

know the

hour I

come

against

you.

The one

who is

holding out

life

to his

church

in mercy

in love

and in

grace

says

hey if

you're not

going to

respond to

this

I'm

going to

come

at a

time

where

you

don't

know

I'm

going to

come

against

you.

It's

akin to

what he

says

in

Ephesus

in

verse

5

if

not

if

you

don't

repent

Ephesus

I'll

come

to

you

and

remove

your

lamb

stand

from

its

place.

Jesus

is

going to

come

against

this

church

if

they

don't

respond

to

his

life

giving

words

and

it

seems

as

though

in

the

thinking

of

Jesus

it

goes

something

like

this

better

no

church

than

a

compromised

church

that

is

unwilling

to

repent

and

is

confusing

everybody

about

who

I

am.

What a

Jesus.

He's

simultaneously

giving

this

church

an

opportunity

to

respond

but

he's

so

jealous

for

his

name

he's

not

going

to

tolerate

their

compromise

for

everything

forever.

Now if

you're in

this room

and you

know

you're

compromising

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

there's

that

one

area

of

your

life

you

just

want

to

keep

the

door

shut

on

but

you

got

to

open

it

if

you're

saying

oh

that

is

compromise

in

the

sight

of

God

he's

calling

you

to

repent

because

of

his

uncompromised

commitment

to

you

he

loves

you

he

wants

you

to

share

in

his

holiness

this

correction

turns

to

commendation

in

verse

four

yet

you

still

have

a few

names

in

Sardis

this

church

is

not

completely

dead

and

I

think

that

this

reference

to

the

few

names

is

connected

to

what

remains

those

people

who

are

willing

to

still

repent

verse

four

there

are

just

a few

in

Sardis

who

have

not

compromised

and

Jesus

knows

their

names

he

knows

who

they

are

he

knows

these

faithful

few

who

have

not

compromised

so

it's

not

completely

over

for

the

church

in

Sardis

the

Lord

by

his

spirit

has

preserved

a

faithful

few

a

remnant

whom

he

also

calls

worthy

worthy

to

wear

the

white

garments

of

the

new

Jerusalem

and

they

will

walk

with

me

in

white

they

remain

faithful

they

have

proven

to

be

mine

are

these

uncompromised

few

in

Sardis

are

they

perfect

no

but

neither

are

they

compromising

their

walk

in a

chronic

sense

they're

not

blending

in

they're

standing

out

they're

not

compromising

their

witness

they're

not

keeping

their

mouth

shut

out

of

fear

of

what

other

people

think

about

them

they

are

actually

giving

credit

to

where

credit

is

due

in

the

work

that

Jesus

is

doing

in

their

life

so

this

commentation

leaves

us

with

this

sense

of

hope

for

this

church

Jesus

isn't

done

yet

he's

held

a

remnant

and

he's

certainly

not

done

with

us

is

he

he

wants

Christ

the

king

church

to be

the

uncompromising

few

in the

city

of

Kenosha

this

commendation

is

hope

giving

and

then

there's

the

closing

call

in

verses

five

and

six

in

all

these

letters

Jesus

closes

each

one

with

a

call

to

individuals

to

conquer

to

overcome

the

one

who

conquers

in

verse

five

will

be

clothed

thus

in

white

garments

just

like

those

the

faithful

few

and

Sardis

who

will

wear

white

with

me

and

walk

with

me

in

the

new

Jerusalem

so

will

anyone

who

conquers

who

overcomes

it's

for all

the

churches

to

hear

the

call

here

is

to

overcome

compromising

one's

walk

and

one's

witness

and

the

way

that

Jesus

does

it

is

by

pointing

to

three

promises

the

first

promise

is

this

he

excuse

me

the

one

who

conquers

will

be

clothed

thus

in

white

garments

these

are

new

Jerusalem

white

garments

and

they're

white

because

the

robes

had

been

washed

in

the

blood

of

the

lamb

revelation

7

13

you know

if there

was a

color

swatch

for

this

color

white

do you

know

what it

would be

called

justified

white

new

Jerusalem

white

forgiven

of all

your

sins

white

it's

a picture

of

purity

Jesus

is saying

hey

if you

overcome

if you

don't

compromise

all the

days of

your

life

you've

got

the

white

wardrobe

of the

new

Jerusalem

waiting

for

you

I'll

put it

on you

myself

the

second

promise

to the

one who

conquers

or the

one who

overcomes

Jesus

says

I will

never

blot

his

name

out

of

the

book

of

life

the

book

of

life

is

going

to

show

up

a

few

times

in

the

book

of

Revelation

at

the

end

in

Revelation

20

anyone

whose

name

is

not

written

in

the

book

of

life

will

be

thrown

into

the

lake

of

fire

now

what's

helpful

to

know

is

when

you