Be Vigilant

STUDY: # 1003-CHURCH IN THE HOUSES FROM: OCTOBER 30, @ NOVEMBER 5, 2018

TOPIC: “Be Vigilant” Revelation 3:2, 3 Be attentive! A watchman is always actively on the lookout. Of course, it's not easy! It is not easy to always keep vigilant. Vigilance is to TAKE CARE AND SUPERVISE THINGS THAT YOU ARE IN CHARGE OF. In the Kingdom of God, there are many things that we are responsible for. But we do not pay enough attention to them. Vigilance implies the inspection or supervision of what is ours, and what people that concern us also do (those in our home, the children, the church).

I. Revelation 3:2 "Wake up ..."

A. "... and strengthen what remains and is about to die ..."

1. There are many things for us to fix our gaze upon, referring to what is vain.

2. The Lord calls the Church to renew their zeal for their spiritual lives (HE CALLS THEM TO STRENGHTEN).

3. He warns them: because there are things that ARE DYING!

4. God calls you to make a NEW EFFORT to consolidate (give firmness, security and solidity) to what little remains for Him.

5. When there is little left for the Lord, that is already a sign of death.

6. When you see that things are declining in your spiritual life. You start projects for Him. You say: I am going to pray, I am going to church, give Him what is His ... But unfortunately, you almost never carry it to the end. Or do you?

7. God makes demands on the brothers of the church of Sardis over the works they do for Him, about the things they have to do. Those works have to be perfect! "... for I have not found your works COMPLETE in the sight of my God."

8. We see that Jesus Himself supervises us. He tells the brothers of the Sardis church that the works they do are not perfect!

9. They leave them incomplete!

10. They do them unwillingly! And you? Do you do them with enthusiasm? Are your works perfect for the Lord Jesus?

11. When Jesus sees the works we do, He evaluates them and, in His vigilance, knows whether they are perfect or not!

12. If they are not perfect, they do not reach God’s throne. They go back to where they came from. Back to where the crumbs are; the crumbs of the churches waiting for Final Judgment!

13. God receives what is perfect!

14. Jesus had supervised Sardis, and He gave them the opportunity to restart everything they had begun and was already collapsing!

15. There was very little that remained for Him in that Church!

16. There were signs of death!

17. What we have received and heard; Save it and repent! "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." Revelation 3:3

18. We must keep watch over what has been given to us by grace, because we don’t deserve anything.

19. If they were not awake watching, He would come unexpectedly, and carry out His judgment. AWAKEN!

20. Jesus is at the right hand of the Father (Romans 8:34) praying for us!

21. You have to wake up to escape judgments! Be vigilant!

B. Colossians 4:2 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being WATCHFUL in it with thanksgiving." Be vigilant of our lives through prayer!

1. The world wraps us up.

2. Therefore, be diligent with your spiritual life.

3. Remember that by not being watchful you neglect your life! For many people it is normal to neglect their lives. They give up on watching out for themselves and what is theirs. What about you? Have you stopped watching out for what is yours?

4. Being watchful, how do you do it? IN PRAYER!

5. One of the regrets that we will all have when we get to heaven is that WE DID NOT DEDICATE MORE TIME TO PRAYER. We see the time we’ve spent, or not, in prayer; especially when we consider to what extent our prayers have been answered. Have we prayed the way it should be done?

6. There is a great mystery in prayer! You pray and expect to receive what you asked for. You pray, and God answers according to His will!

7. He answers as it really suits us. It is not what we want. It is what He knows will be best for us, for our perfection!

8. You have to pray with simple faith. (Matthew 6:10-12) May Your will be done!

9. According to His will, we will have an answer to our requests (1 John 5:14 - 15).

10. We must persevere in prayer. And we must do it, being WATCHFUL!

11. Be careful you do not fall asleep (like the disciples, who fell asleep). Watch out for our wandering mind (that goes from one thought to another).

12. And we must be vigilant, SO THAT OUR TIME FOR PRAYER IS NOT STOLEN!

13. May the prayer we make be with thanksgiving.

14. Give thanks for the prayers that have been answered and also, for those that have not been answered!

15. Someone said (Guy King): "His love always wants what is best for us. His wisdom knows what is best for us. And His sovereignty gets the best for us." Amen.