1600-5 Church

REVELATION 3:1-6
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the
good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and
would not have suffered his house to be broken up” (Mt.24:42-43).
“Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak” (Mt.26:41).
“And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mk.13:37).
“Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every
one night and day with tears” (Acts 20:31).
“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salva-
tion nearer than when we believed” (Ro.13:11).
“Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong” (1 Cor.16:13).
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Col.4:2).
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Th.5:6).
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seek-
ing whom he may devour” (1 Pt.5:8).
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame” (Rev.16:15).

2. Strengthen the things that remain. As stated, not all the services and activities were wrong and unneeded in the
church. The church had been led by Christ to start the ministries in earlier days when the church was alive. But note: even
these ministries were now dying. The believers desperately needed to arouse themselves and take hold of these ministries and
put new life into them. Jesus Christ counsels: “Give immediate attention to these things. Watch, arouse yourselves. Streng-
then these ministries now.”
Shockingly, Christ says that He has not found any of their works perfect, that is, complete, fulfilled, or finished. Not a
single ministry had been completed or carried out like it should be—not in the eyes of Christ.

“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a
foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mt.7:26-27).
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Mt.24:12).
“And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according
to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Lk.12:47).
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by
the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (Heb.2:3).
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can
faith save him?” (Jas.2:14).
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double minded” (Jas.4:8).
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas.4:17).
“Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully” (Jer.48:10).

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(3:3) Warning: there is the warning. The believers of a dead, lifeless church are warned to do four things.

1. They must remember how they received and heard the gospel; that is, they must remember how it gripped their lives
with a dynamic spirit of...
• devotion
• readiness and love
• alertness and energy
• hunger and thirst
• life and vitality
• service
• witnessing
• ministry
2. They must arouse and awaken and hold fast to the original spirit that gripped their lives.
3. They must repent. They had done wrong and sinned against Christ by losing their fervor and becoming lethargic.
They desperately needed to confess their wrong and repent; they needed to turn away from their error and turn back to Chr-
ist. They needed to have prayer meetings, seeking Christ to stir their hearts and to set them aflame for Him.
4. They must know that the judgment of Christ will fall upon them if they refuse to repent, and it will fall unexpected-
ly. If the church and its believers refuse to watch—refuse to arouse themselves—then Christ will come upon them as a thief.
And note: they will not know what hour He is coming to judge them. The idea is that Christ will come and strip them of all
their valuables just like a thief. They will be left bare, without anything worthwhile. The church and its believers will be
worthless, of no value or worth to Christ and His kingdom. No matter what the church and its members may think, they will
be found vain, empty, and useless. They will have done no good whatsoever for the kingdom of God. Their profession will
have been meaningless.

“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house;
and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mt.7:27).
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