God’s Knowledge of His People
The details activities of everyone in the church, everywhere on earth are exposed before God. He looked into the lives of the multitude members of the people in church at Sardis and discovered that many were no longer in faith. Few names among them have not defiled their garments. To such people, He assured them that if they continue, they would not regret their decision.
‘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 3:4).
‘The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him’ (Nahum 1:7).
‘I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine’ (John 10:14).
Christ’s Call to Faithfulness
God is so good that He will not allow any troubled Christian who trusts in Him to perish in his trouble. If your decision for Christ reached your heart unto death at all cost, you will not regret it. If the devil knows that you trust God beyond your flesh, he will not trouble you to an extent. Christ’s letter to the church in Sardis was to encourage them to remain faithful, obedient to God’s word unto the end. Any believer who wishes to get true deliverance from Christ must submit totally to Him in everything. You must be spotless and maintain relationship with Him in everything.
‘Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity’ (2 Timothy 2:19).
‘Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world’ (James 1:27).
‘But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled’ (1Peter 3:14).
The True Overcomers
To please Christ, you must submit to His standard by departing from every form of iniquity with a single mind to please Him. Suffering for the sake of Christ is a thing of joy and no believer must deny Christ when he is suffering for being obedient. No Christian has any excuse to defile his robe of righteousness for any reason. In the worst situation, believers must remain clean, righteous and worthy to the end.
‘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).
The backslidden believers in Sardis think that to be an overcomer, you must get rich at all cost, even if it means breaking God’s law. In Sardis church, many were deceived to believe that making money by breaking God’s word is being on overcomer. There are pastors who think that if they know the big names in the city, invite the most powerful ministers to minister in their church, they are overcomers.
Others think that once they build house, big cathedral and drive the best car, they are overcomers. They do every bad thing, horrible things to achieve the above. Others think that if they have power to heal the sick, conduct deliverance and cast out demons, they are overcomers. Others think that getting married, obtaining a certificate and working in a particular office makes them overcomers.
Others enter into cult, witchcraft group and evil organization to be powerful and as a result, they think, they are overcomers. Others think that seeing, hearing voices and prophesying accurately make them overcomers. They do everything possible to get the above without considering God’s word and they come out and believe that they are overcomers. Whatever you have now, you are pursuing but you are not born again, you may get it but your soul will suffer eternally in hell fire.
Anything you have gotten but you still live in sin, you are in no way close to being an overcomer. True overcomers overcome sin, live above sin, and other things bows on their own. The greatest achievement of overcomers is victory over sin and that will write your name in the book of life. Once your name gets into God’s book, every problems will rise against you but that will make Christ to confess you, bring your case file before God and His angels.
‘And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire’ (Revelation 20:15).
‘And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life’ (Revelation 21:27).
Therefore, all overcomers name are written down in God’s book of life. That is the start of your overcomer ship. Between the time your name is written in the book of life and the time Christ will confess you before God, you need to fight some battles. Christ’s letter is saying to every overcomer, be patient, I am introducing you, confessing you before God and His angels. As God receives your case file, and there is no defilement or anything that is abominable on your life, you will be rewarded. That is why every believer needs to bear God’s fruits.
‘Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith’ (Galatians 5:21-22).
As a believer, Christ’s letter of deliverance to you is to wait. You need to bear God’s Spirit under any situation and be steadfast. No matter what you are going through, when you remember that your case file is before God and His angel, joy and peace comes up into your mind. The knowledge that your case file is with the Almighty God will help you manifest long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance and all the life of Christ. It will give you hope and calmness. The knowledge that very soon, no matter the pains, attacks, once God minutes into your file, everything will be over. The information that God is handling your case will move you to ignore every evil presence. It will move you into prayer and gives you the power to believe that very soon, your deliverance will come.
‘And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book’ (Daniel 12:1). ‘Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven’ (Luke 10:20).