Jesus’ Words of Warning

Our Lord warned the dead church in Sardis with five commandments: (1) Be watchful; (2) Strengthen the things which remain; (3) Remember how thou hast received and heard; (4) Hold fast; and (5) Repent. 

Be Watchful: Here our Lord does not mean our physical alert, as He asked His disciples to watch and pray with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:40-41), but it is our spiritual alert. We have to arise from our sleepy spirit and be spiritually alert:

(a) to make sure that our works are perfect before the Lord (Rev 3:2);

(b) to pray and stand firm in temptations, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:41);

(c) to be sober and be vigilant to defend ourselves from our spiritual foes, either false prophets and wrong doctrines (Acts 20:29-31) or our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8); and

(d) to be ready for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching… Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:37, 40).

This command is in the present tense, denoting a continuous action, “Keep on becoming watchful.” Then are you and I watchful now? When we are working in the sight of our boss, we cannot be sleepy. When we are informed that tonight a thief will break into our house, we cannot be sleepy. When we see a lion walking around us, we cannot be sleepy. Are our works perfect before the Lord? Is our spiritual life alert to the snares and attacks from Satan? Are we always ready for our Lord’s return? What happen if we fail to do this? “If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (v 3).

Strengthen the Things Which Remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. The Lord commands us to strengthen, establish, and confirm what remains in our spiritual life that is about to die: our faith in Him and His Word, our zeal and love for Him and His Word, and our service to Him.

Remember How Thou Hast Received and Heard: This refers to the Word of God. This command is in the present tense, denoting “Keep on remembering, keeping in mind, thinking of.” We have received and heard His Word, but do we still remember it and keep on thinking of it?

Hold Fast: This command is also in the present tense, denoting “Keep on holding fast, observing, obeying” God’s Word. It is sad that many do not honour God’s Word, treasure it, obey it, live by it and submit to it. Are you and I holding God’s Word fast now?

Repent: if we only have a name without our reality, if our works are not perfect before the Lord, if we are not watchful, and if we do not remember God’s Word and hold it fast, then we have to come back to the Lord in repentance.