10/26/13. Revelation 3:1-13. AN OPEN DOOR – My devotional

Key Verse: 3:8                                                                                                                                                                       Kevin E. Jesmer

“I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” (ESV)

     Dear Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping me to realize that I have been living in idealism in regards to my Christian life and in my relationships with other Christians. I was expecting relationships that nobody, not even you promised and yet I expected. When they did not materialize I lived in disappointment and even blame at times. Thank you from freeing me from this darkness. Help me to have honest expectations of others. I pray that you shed your light on my heart today through your word. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Wake Up! (1-6).

Verses 1-6a, “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (ESV)

The church in Sardis looked spiritually alive–but it was dead. The Lord commands them and us to wake up–to repent and strengthen the faith we have by remembering God’s grace and following his word. Time is running out, for Jesus will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. It is possible to look outwardly alive and resting on past laurels, but actually be dead on the inside. I became spiritually dead before, even though I was doing a lot of things. I headed up a house church for 12 years. We did it all, weekly group studies, daily devotionals with the whole family (Monday to Friday), 6 to 10 1:1 Bible studies a week, world mission night, Sunday worship service, daily bread writing, church staff meetings, participating in the conferences, preaching. I went into debt to support what was going on. We did this consistently and unrelentingly. But on the inside I was withering, spiritually. There were moments of great joy, but so often I felt depressed for over 10 years. The family was not excited about anything that was happening. I was losing my excitement about my mission. My relationships with others close to me were getting strained. Those who met me for the first time felt that there was a dark cloud over me and they were right. We were an example of a Christian fellowship that was doing a whole lot for Jesus but the words in verses 1b-2 would be true for us, “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.”  Our situation could never glorify Jesus nor could our family atmosphere ever attract someone to Christ. (I want to point out that what happened over the last 27 years all served a great purpose in our lives and ministry. It helped develop who we are today. It has all been an act of convergence in our lives by the Almighty God.) Something had to change and Christ helped us to change. Praise the Lord!

We need to wake up and strengthen what was about to die. We need to make our works complete in the sight of God. Does that mean that we needed to do more things? No. Just doing more things was not the answer. I needed to make our works complete in the sight of God. For us, that meant getting my marriage relationship in order, letting go of my legalistic demands of my kids and wife, forgiving and asking for forgiveness, letting go of my idealistic expectations of what my life as a shepherd should produce, and mostly finding the Christian mission that has been custom made for me and my family and following God’s will for my family. It meant letting Jesus build our family from the ground up in his love, grace and truth and following the Missio Dei in our context. It did not mean doing more. It meant following Jesus and trusting God to unfold his perfect and pleasing will among us.

Yet, within the church in Sardis there was a faithful remnant. Look at verse 4 again, “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. “ Not soiling your garments does not mean that you have successfully avoided non believers and have kept to yourself and never engaged in any non Christian activity. No. We should be engaged in loving the people of this world. We should be in the world but not of it. Not soiling your garment means that they have maintained a pure love for Jesus in their hearts. They have sincere and living faith. They not only love Christ, but they love their neighbors as themselves. They are not legalistic or exclusive, but they seek to save the lost, just as their Savior Jesus came to do. (Luke 19a) They are alive spiritually. I thank God for bringing new life into my heart over the last 1 ½ years. I am reviving. I am gaining strength. A light has dawned. Praise the Lord for his grace.

There is a great promise for those who remain in Christ. Look at verse 5, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.” Jesus promises that he will never blot them out of his book of life. They will walk with Jesus, dressed in white. They will receive praise from God the Father and the angels in heaven. Those who live Gospel centered lives, remaining in Jesus, will overcome the world and enter victoriously into the next. What a great reward this is. It is better than $ 1 million and a beach house in the Caribbean surrounded by my grandkids and this reward is for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ. I pray for strength to remain in Jesus. Please work through me to preach this truth to the people of Illinois and the people of NW Ontario.

Part 2: An Open Door! (7-13).

Verses 7-13,  “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (ESV)

Jesus saw the intense struggle of the church in Philadelphia. They had a little strength. Yet Jesus opens the doors to eternal life and to spiritual victory, despite their situation. Satan tries to slam doors shut to salvation. He wants us to doubt the love of God. He wants to keep us away from Jesus and his word. He wants to scatter the church. We are weak and tempted to give up living by faith, but when we keep Jesus’ word and do not deny his name, he will open for us a door that no one can shut. That door is eternal life in the Kingdom of God with our Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever.  He loves us and upholds us before all our enemies. He promises to be with us while we endure patiently and to come again to take us to his kingdom. Praise the Lord.

As I mentioned there is not much physical persecution of Christians in this region. But there are lots of inners sufferings that go on in the inside. For me, my interpersonal relationships were strained and darkness was encroaching upon me. There was a temptation to say that I didn’t care anymore and just give up living as a servant of Christ. But, Jesus has been with me to encourage me and to help me keep up the spiritual quest. Though I am weak he is strong. I know that through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, there is an open door that no one can close. That is the door to eternal life where I will be with my Savior forever.

As far as an open door for ministry, I believe that there is an open door for ministry in every situation, but it may not be in the form that we envision. God will open and door and keep it open, but it probably will not be the door that we want to keep open. We need to find follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and see how God is working in each and every community and culture. The ways of ministry change over the years. Think about ministry 70 years ago. Large churches were built. In the 1960’s and 1970’s there were youth group facilities flourishing in these large churches. There were youth rally days in the past. People think that that is the way the churches were to work forever and ever. But now, today, the way of the church building and the young people, gathering in the basement den, are coming to a close. People are hanging out in the church buildings less and less. There are other ways of conducting ministry. The doors to one way of ministry are coming to a close and other doors are opening. Those that are inflexible and unchangeable, will have their doors closed. They may think it is Satan closing the doors, but it may be God himself closing them, while he opens others. We just need to be sensitive to enter the doors that God is opening and not be stuck at the threshold of the wrong door. May God grant us the spiritual sensitivity.

There is a great reward for those who remain in Jesus and conquer the dark spiritual forces in this world through faith in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 12, “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” (ESV)  We become a pillar in the temple of God. Wow! Pillars are very important and essential in any building. Before I met Jesus I knew that I was of little importance in this world. Even after meeting Jesus I felt that I was of little importance in the church. But to know that when I remain in Jesus that I will be a pillar in the temple of my God, my heart rejoices. God’s name is written upon me. That means that I belong to the Creator of the heaven’s and the earth. I will dwell and worship in the presence of God forever and ever. My soul will be so satisfied that I will not want to leave God’s temple. It will be deeply satisfying to be there with God and his people.

Prayer: Lord, I rejoice over the open door of eternal life. Grant me your power to be your witness in a hostile world.

One Word: Wake up and follow Jesus.