March 6 2019 -- Revelation 3:5-6 -- Too busy to not pray!

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.’

Revelation 3 English Standard Version

These are the words written centuries ago to the church in Sardis—a church that had a reputation of being alive, looking like they really followed Jesus—but in fact, were dead. The grace of Jesus Christ is found in these things: He sent a prophet, John to rouse them from their slumber; He is giving them ample warning; He promises He has already supplied all their needs by His Word and Holy Spirit so that they could conquer the inertia and deadness that was causing them such internal rot.

Those words, written to Sardis so long ago, have been preserved because we need to hear them as well. We need to wake up. We are called to walk in the New Life only Jesus can give. It is hard work.

Do you find yourself struggling to pray and keep a regular time of Bible reading? You are, unfortunately, not alone! The moment we make a commitment to do this, the battle is on. In his book, Prayer, O. Hallesby writes: “Instinctively and automatically it [our old, sinful nature] will mobilize all the reasons it can conceive of for not praying now: You’re too busy; your mind is too preoccupied; your heart is not inclined toward prayer…”

What a glorious image is given to us in Revelation 3. The one who conquers, fighting against his own sinful nature will have Jesus Himself stand and confess his name in the presence of the Father! It is almost too beautiful to contemplate! The woman who will not cave in to putting anything before Jesus, things like: social media, or friends, or family, work or money, but will give her first and best thoughts to Jesus Christ in prayer and scripture reading and lives her life in obedience to Him will hear Jesus say: “Father, welcome this daughter with the crown of life.”

Let me be clear, we do not, we can not earn our way to heaven! The work is always Jesus’ work. He lived a perfect sinless life. He was punished in our place. The sins we commit because of which we should spend eternity in hell have been placed on and punished upon the Person of Jesus. When the Father declared us guilty, Jesus stepped up and said, “I will bear their guilt and their punishment!”. And in exchange we receive His righteousness. What a glorious Savior!

Then why do we live for Him? Why do we strive to conquer our sinful, old nature? Because we love Him so intensely we desire to live for HIm and show Him our thankful hearts by our words, our thoughts, our actions and our refusing the old patterns of sin. What if we fail? What if we slip up? Confess it. Remember the context of our passage today. Jesus was warning a church that had gone off the rails and was not acting or living like Jesus-followers should live. So, in His mercy He warned them and called them back to Himself. That is the time we live in now—we hear Jesus’ warning and His invitation: “Come to me. Lay down the burdens of sin and the chains holding you down—leave behind your sinful nature.” In Jesus Christ we are new, a completely new creation—the old has passed away, and look, the new has taken hold.

One of my favorite pastors, Rev. Timmer, used to say: “My old, sinful nature was drowned at my baptism. But he is such a strong swimmer, I have to hold him down under the water again and again.” Our old nature will always lead us to sin. We use our freedoms for sin and evil only. We cannot chose what is right. So how is this scripture passage at all hopeful? If it is stirring your heart, and causing your soul to respond, then know this: Jesus’ words are for you. He is calling you to wake up and live for Him. He is also promising He will give you the strength you need, the Holy Spirit, so that you can make it, every step of the way.

Charles Wesley wrote the hymn “And Can It Be?”. The third verse reads:

He left His Father’s throne above—
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me!

Refrain:
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

C. Wesley, published 1738

God of infinite kindness and patience, with King David of old, we cannot help but pray: “who am I Lord? And what is my family that You should bring us so far?!” Though we sin a hundred times, Your forgiveness over reaches it a thousands times. Help us to walk in Your amazing love. Help us to set aside our schedules and our excuses and live for Jesus. Revive us so that what was dead can now be raised to life for the glory of Jesus Christ, our King. Amen.