[Insert infamous "I see dead people" quote from the Sixth Sense here]
If I had a dollar for every time I heard a church leader use this quote around the time the movie came out- I’d be a rich man. Leaders used it in reference to thousands of people we come across in our lifetime that don’t know Jesus and are like “the walking dead.” I would agree that life without God leads to death. The Bible is clear on this (i.e. Romans 6:23, Matthew 5:22, John 3:16-18, Romans 6:11-14).
But, in today’s reading from Revelation, Chapter 3; we see this walking dead reference used to describe Christians. Yep, people who claim to love and follow Jesus. Take a look:
1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”
Now, let’s note some things as we look at this passage.
First, this is written to a church. Not a bunch of people just residing in a town, but a church. So these are people who knew better, surrendered their lives to God, and vowed to follow after Him. now this angel in John’s vision is essentially calling them “the walking dead.”
Second, their reputation did not match up with God’s view of their heart/actions. People knew them as alive and flourishing, but God labels them as dead. This is an eye opener for many people. “You mean I can think I’ve got it all figured out and doing all the right stuff and still not be 100% in line with God?” Well, I would take a look at this and say, yes. There are times when Christians get so caught up in the “doing” and “check list” that they forget that we don’t (and can’t) live up to the rules and regulations. That was the Law in the Old Testament. We’re now under grace. Thank God. But, in the quest to be “super Christian” people can wander away and forget the true reason they serve and live this life. In their greatest efforts to try and honor God, they’ve actually walked away from Him completely. This is why I believe Jesus talked so much about the church and building true community. A place for people to share, carry one another’s burdens, and live in true biblical accountability.
Third, there’s good news for those who hold to Him alone. In verse 3, we’re told that we’ve seen & heard and should obey and repent. What happens if we do this and draw near to God? Well, in verse 5 we’re told that “I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” I don’t know about you, but this is good news no matter how you slice it.
So, it’s a little frightening to know we can be under grace and somehow walk away entirely from God. But, the best news of all in today’s reading is staying the course. The reward and amazing gift is that we’ll spend eternity with God in heaven. Coming out of the Thanksgiving weekend, that’s definitely something to be thankful for.
Jason *over and out*
