THE SIXTY FOLD CHRISTIAN. The church at Sardis is our example. A church of much activity. They were a group that were found doing many good deeds. Depending upon their reputation as being a lively church. Filled with spiritual activity that is a mere shadow of what they had been. But you are dead. What a shocking charge for those who had been complacently depended on their past, not realizing their loss. Rev. 3:1
WAKE UP. Be watchful, be alert, be vigilant. Rescue and establish the spiritual elements, that were once very evident and practiced but now are about to die. A group whose deeds are not perfect or complete before the Lord. They have not touched the perfection that is available for the church in Christ Jesus. This would not have been an issue if it had not been expected of them, by the Lord. Certainly His expectations for today are no different. Rev. 3:2
REMEMBER THE PAST. There is a time when we are to forget the past. Then there are things from the past that become the foundation stone of what is currently being built. The old paths can be a good way where we find great spiritual benefits. Jer. 6:16
REMEMBER, The rich blessings of the Lord in salvation, the infilling of the Spirit, and the zeal and fire it produced. Consider all the rich and precious experiences from the Lord.
REMEMBER, the truths of the living WORD that you have been taught. Learn to evaluate them highly for the rich treasures that have been presented. HOLD FAST to that WORD. Let it become active and alive in your spirit. Repent, obey the WORD. Walk in the light of that which you have received from it. A stern warning. If you do not wake up. If you are not watchful, then I will come to you unexpectedly. Rev. 3:3
I WILL COME. There is most assuredly a reference here to the Second Coming. Rev. 3:3 This word <come> is used by the Lord in the parable of the servants where the subject is His coming. Mt. 24:50 It is used again in relationship to the Lord coming as a thief in the night. 2 Pet. 3:10 If our anticipation of the coming of Christ is really that of <the thief in the night> then we fit into his sixty percent category. Jesus will not return to all of the church as a thief in the NIGHT. Night time is the time of darkness. It is time for the church to wake up. Perfect knowledge, is that Jesus will come as a thief in the night. 1 Thes. 5:2 The word of that day will be PEACE and SAFETY, then will sudden destruction, {like several women on the freeway, in rush hour giving birth to their children}, come upon them. v.3 We are to read the signs and know the seasons. Then and only then will we not be taken by surprise. Do we really expect Jesus to come at any moment? Will He come according to our anticipation or as He has declared in His Word? It is time to awaken out of slumber and buy the truth