Scripture to Read: Revelation 3:3
We know that our Lord Jesus Christ has called the church in Sardis to “wake up” because they were dead in their sin. Remember, the people in this church thought they were alive, but Jesus proclaimed them dead. If the church in Sardis did not wake up, just as their enemies had overtaken their city, so the church would suffer great loss by missing the Lord completely. Jesus said in Revelation 3:3, “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” The church had heard the gospel and Jesus said they even received it. The people in the church of Sardis could be compared to those Jesus describes in Luke 8:13, “Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.” The people in Sardis initially heard and received the gospel but were never genuinely transformed by completely surrendering to Christ as Lord. Jesus tells the people in Sardis that they must “keep” His word and “repent.” As we examined in the devotion on Day 2, keeping/obeying the Word of God is evidence of a transformed life. We must continually walk in obedience to our Lord. We must also live with an attitude of repentance so that we continually turn away from the temptations of this life.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about keeping His Word and also about living with an attitude of repentance?
2. How are you pursuing your fellowship with Christ and His Word so that you are not destroyed by the temptations of this world?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!