What it means to be clothed in white:

He 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. – Revelation 3:5

To be “dressed in white” means to be set apart for God and made pure. Christ promises future honour and eternal life to those who stand firm in their faith. The names of all believers are registered in the book of life. This book symbolises God’s knowledge of who belongs to him. All such people are guaranteed a place in the book of life and are introduced to the host of heaven as belonging to Christ (see Luke 12:8, 9).

(Remember, 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. – – Revelation 3:3. The church at Sardis was urged to obey the Christian truth they had heard when they first believed in Christ, to get back to the basics of faith. It is important to grow in our knowledge of the Lord, to deepen our understanding through careful study. But no matter how much we learn, we must never abandon the basic truths about Jesus. Jesus will always be God’s Son, and his sacrifice for our sins is permanent. No new truth from God will ever contradict these biblical teachings.)

(“To the angel [banks, The Great Hall] of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no-one can shut, and what he shuts no-one can open. – Revelation 3:7. Philadelphia was founded by the citizens of Pergamum. The community was built in a border area as a gateway to the central plateau of Asia Minor. Philadelphia’s residents kept barbarians out of the region and brought in Greek culture and language. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17, and aftershocks kept the people so worried that most of them lived outside the city limits.)

(The key of David represents Christ’s authority to open the door of invitation into his future kingdom. After the door is opened, no-one can close it – salvation is assured. Once it is closed, no-one can open it – judgment is certain.)

(Camp)

Kinds used by David’s men:

…they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-hand or left-handed; they were kinsmen of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin – – 1 Chronicles 12:2

Archers and slingers had special weapons. The sling was unassuming in appearance but deadly in battle. A shallow leather pouch with a cord of leather or goat’s hair attached to each side, the sling was whirled around the head. When one side was released, it sent a stone to its target. The bow and arrow had been in use for thousands of years. Arrowheads were made of stone, wood, or bone because the Philistines still had a monopoly on metalworking (1 Samuel 13:19, 20). Arrow shifts were made of reed or wood, and bowstrings were made of animal gut.

Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. – – 1 Chronicles 12:8

While the men of Benjamin were expert archers and slingers, the warriors of Gad were experts with the shield and spear. Israelite spears had wood shafts and spearheads of bone or stone and were often thrown through the air toward their mark. Philistine spears had bronze shafts and iron spearheads, and their shields were made of wood and overlaid with leather. Large shields were often carried by an armour-bearer, whose main task was to protect the warrior.

All the warriors mentioned here were from the tribe of Benjamin. Even members of Saul’s own tribe (1 Samuel 9:1, 2) were deserting him to help David become king over all Israel. It was clear to them that God had chosen David to be Israel’s next leader.

Flower Arrangements)

Coming spiritual adultery:

See how the faithful city

has become a harlot!

She once was full of justice;

righteousness used to dwell in her –

but now murderers!

Your silver has become dross,

your choice wine is diluted with water. –  NIV Isaiah 1.21-22

“The faithful city” refers to Jerusalem, representing all of Judah. God compares the actions of his people to a harlot.  The people had turned from the worship of the true God to worshipping idols.  Their faith was defective, impure, and diluted.  Idolatry, outward or inward, is spiritual adultery, breaking our commitment to God in order to love something else.  Jesus described the people of his day as adulterous, even though they were religiously strict.  As the church, we are the “bride” of Christ (Revelation 19.7), and, by faith, we can be clothed in his righteousness.  Has your faith become impure?  Ask God to restore you.  Keep your devotion to him strong and pure.

Committing mental adultery:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  –  NIV Matthew 5.27-28

The Old Testament law said that it is wrong for a person to have sex with someone other than his or her spouse (Exodus 20:14). But Jesus said that the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is mental adultery and thus sin.  Jesus emphasised that if the act is wrong, then so is the intention.  To be faithful to your spouse with your body but not your mind is to break the trust so vital to a strong marriage.  Jesus is not condemning natural interest in the opposite sex or even healthy sexual desire, but the deliberate and repeated filling of one’s mind with fantasies that would be evil if acted out.

How lust can lead to:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.  –  NIV Matthew 5.27-28

Some think that if lustful thoughts are sin, why shouldn’t a person go ahead and do the lustful actions too? Acting out sinful desires is harmful in several ways: (1) it causes people to excuse sin rather than to stop sinning; (2) it destroys marriages; (3) it is deliberate rebellion against God’s word; (4) it always hurts someone else in addition to the sinner.  Sinful action is more dangerous than sinful desire, and that is why desires should not be acted out.  Nevertheless, sinful desire is just as damaging to righteousness.  Left unchecked, wrong desires will result in wrong actions and turn people away from God.

And divorce:

“No-one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”  –  NIV John 8.11

Jesus didn’t condemn the woman accused of adultery, but neither did he ignore or condemned her sin. He told her to leave her life of sin, Jesus stands ready to forgive any sin in your life, but confession and repentance mean a change of heart.  With God’s help we can accept Christ’s forgiveness and stop our wrongdoing.