Thou hast a name that thou livest…

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. (Revelation 3:1-2 KJV)

There are many today that talk about the condition of the Laodicean church when referring to churches today that have become lukewarm, but there is another kind of condition that we must deal with, it is called Sardisism! To begin, these words were directed to “the angel of the church of Sardis” which is the messenger of the church. The word angel means messenger. Oftentimes people read the rebukes to the churches, and focus in on and put all the blame on the congregation instead of focusing in on the Ministry that is responsible for allowing the congregation to get into the condition it is in. There are many messengers that have a name and reputation that they are alive but they are really dead. If the messenger is dead everyone under his ministry is under the ministration of death, and are ready to die.

Right off the bat, the Lord focused on the messenger of the church, and told him “I know thy works.” Right after that he told him “thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.” The messenger’s works determine whether he is dead or alive. Some are fooled to believe that their evil works will be overlooked by all the good accomplishments that they have done. Little by little they become a dead tree of the knowledge of good and of evil, a tree of mixed fruit, a tree of hypocrisy! All the accomplishments in the world can not blind the eyes of the Son of God from all the slander, gossip, pride, arrogance, and self exaltation of a dead messenger.

The Son of God instructed the messenger of the church of Sardis to “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Jesus told the MESSENGER to be watchful. Jesus told the MESSENGER to strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. Jesus told the MESSENGER that He did not find the MESSENGER’S works perfect before God. The works that the Lord saw in the messenger of the church of Sardis was dead works. The reason why the messenger fell into that predicament is because he was not watching, he was not being led of the mind of God. Somewhere along the line that messenger developed his own mind, and his own will. No one that is dead can say they were being led by the mind of God, if they do they are lying. If they are dead, they can say “Oh, I feel the Holy Ghost” all they want but it don’t mean God is with them. They might be feeling the Spirit of God upon them resisting them, but mistaking it as the approval of God.

When Jesus told the messenger of the church of Sardis to “strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die” the “things” He was talking about was the congregation. If the messenger is dead, what do you think will happen to the congregation? They will share the inheritance of someone that ate off a tree of the knowledge of good, and of evil. If the messenger is dead, what do you think will happen to his ministry? His ministry will become a ministration of death.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. 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. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. (Revelation 3:3-4 KJV)

The Son of God was calling the messenger of the church to repent, and warning the messenger of the church that if he did not take heed to the warning He would come upon him as a thief. He also told the messenger of the church that their were a few names that followed his ministry that “have not defiled their garments” under his ministration of death. Those few names are the only ones alive, and keeping things alive in that congregation. The messengers of modern day Sardis DEFILED THEIR GARMENTS, and are NOT numbered among the few! Defiling one’s garments is not talking about getting your clothes dirty, it is talking about getting your spiritual garments dirty with a prideful carnal mind that fights against the mind of God.

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. (Jude 1:23 KJV)

The messengers of modern day Sardis’ are dead, and full of dead works! The messengers of modern day Sardis’ are carnal minded, and not being led of the Spirit of Truth. Some of the messengers of modern day Sardis’ have a chance to repent, before the Son of God comes upon them, and when He comes upon them they will not be speaking in tongues, or prophesying! If they don’t repent the Son of God will come upon them and they will not be “feeling the Anointing of God” they will be feeling the wrath of God, and they won’t even see it coming. It might be right in front of everyone, or it might be when they are sleeping, or on they way to and fro from some specific location. It will be unexpected. It could even be in a natural peaceful death of old age. When death catches the messengers of modern day Sardis’ their space of repentance will be over, and they will be locked into the spiritual deadness that the Son of God declared unto them while they were still alive! It is finished! No more time to get it right! Wouldn’t it be a shame to go to church every week and the messenger was dead in the eyes of God, and only a few names in the congregation were righteous? The Scriptures have corrections for everyone, including the messengers of the churches that have a name that they live, but are really dead.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:5-6 KJV)

It is possible for someone remain righteous even if the messenger is dead. If the messenger is dead that does not have to cause the few to compromise and go off into sin. If we continue to be faithful unto God’s holy covenant, the New Covenant, we won’t have our names blotted out of the Book of Life. There’s no such thing as “once saved always saved” because God can write your name in the Book of Life, and then blot it out if we don’t overcome sin and death! Same thing goes with the messenger, no such thing as “once a messenger always a messenger.” We all must maintain the righteousness of God, and keep our names in the Book of Life, and not be walking corpses.