Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
Arizona Conference 2006, Part 2. The Church at Sardis.
Friday PM, January 20, 2006
Robert McLaughlin
Bible Ministries
Arizona Conference
Friday PM,
January 20, 2006
To walk – peripateo = to walk, to live, to progress, to conduct oneself.
 It is not like the word stoicheo, which means to march in ranks, or to advance in ranks.
We are privileged when we are able to march with others who think the same things, maintain the same virtue-love, are united in soul, and are concentrating on the same objective, PHI 2:2.
GAL 6:5 For each one shall bear his own load.
Inevitability, your comfort in time of sorrow must come from the Lord. You cannot be people dependent.
1. Do not resent them.
 2. Do not despise them.
 3. Do not impose the heavy burden of your sorrow and grief on them.
Christian virtue does weep with those who weep, and rejoices with those who rejoice, ROM 12:15.
Hegel – “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.”
There are times that we just have to peripateo, walk alone with the Lord, and bear our own burdens.
MAR 14:50 And they all left Him and fled.
“A 20th Century Testimony.”
“It is the cross more than anything else that has called me relentlessly to Christ.”
“His words were infallible as He spoke them, and I cannot identify with infallible words.”
“His words were miraculous, and I cannot identify with miraculous words.”
“His presence and His character were perfect, and I cannot identify with perfection.”
“His pain was deep. That is what draws me relentlessly to Christ.”
PSA 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Thy word.
In the Christian life, there are certain things that are learned through the hardship and the disappointment and the disablements of life that no other ordeal can teach us.
PSA 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.
The Psalmist says, “It is good for me that I was afflicted.”
Muggeridge said, “It’s the cross more than anything else that draws me relentlessly to Christ.”
“In white” – preposition en + locative plural – adjective leukos =
“in whites”
It describes the uniform of glory, which is a transparent garment, probably made of light, worn over the resurrection body, as an unparalleled honor.
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ wears the uniform of glory right now, at the right hand of God the Father.
He first showed it to Peter, James, and John, even before He had received the resurrection body.
 The uniform of glory was modeled at the mount of transfiguration.
2. This uniform of glory mentioned here is the fulfillment of MAT 16:28.
3. While on the mount of transfiguration, Peter, James, and John could not see our Lord in His resurrection body, but they could see the uniform of glory, which He would wear over His resurrection body in the future.
4. In MAT 17:2, the modeling of the uniform of glory, TLJC was transfigured before them.
5. The robe of REV 1:13 is that same uniform of glory.
6. The uniform of honor is the life of the mature believer in time, and is manifest to the world by functional virtue, such as impersonal love.
7. The uniform of glory is the transparent garment of light, which is awarded to the mature believer at the judgment seat of Christ.
“hoti axioi eisin”
hoti = because
Pres-act-ind – eimi – to be – “Because they are” =
refers to the fact of advance to maturity in past time, but is emphasized as a present reality.
Predicate nominative from the adjective – axzios = worthy.
REV 3:4 But you have a few persons in Sardis, the pivot of mature believers who have not soiled their clothes; in fact, they will walk with Me in whites, because they are worthy.
While all believers will have the white pebble, or the resurrection body at the rapture of the church, only those believers who achieve maturity through life in the PPOG will have the uniform of glory covering their resurrection body.
The uniform of glory is a part of our Lord’s third royal title as the morning star.
This decoration, plus the uniform of glory also, gives the mature believer special privileges and special fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ, both after the rapture in heaven, on the earth, during the Millennium, and forever and ever in the eternal state.
The winners have a resurrection body, plus the uniform of glory, plus the order of the morning star, plus the crown of life, and there are vast differences; and differences in heaven, a perfect place, represent the principle of freedom.
The differences between believers in eternity is not the resurrection body, but the rewards, the decorations, and the privileges presented at the judgment seat of Christ.
The elite of Christianity are not visible in time, for their uniform of glory is worn in the soul.
The elite of Christianity are those believers who exploit to the maximum the divine provisions of logistical grace and parlay right decisions into spiritual maturity.
The uniform of honor was from His residence in the PPOG; the uniform of glory anticipated His resurrection, ascension and
session.
MAT 25:21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.’”
Right now the issue is not what you can see; Peter, James and John saw the uniform of glory; therefore empirically they understand something that we can only understand theologically.
“That with reference to which doctrine you perform honorably.”
The lamp shining in the dark place today is Jesus Christ who controls history.