I remember when I was in grade school, I really thought that going to school was a waste of time. I knew the teachers were well educated, but I also thought that, as we lived and grew older, nobody would ever need all the information they were trying to teach us.
A good friend of mine agreed with me. He even went so far as to say that everything we will ever need to know will come from experience, not from being taught in school.
Of course, as I became an adult, I quickly became aware of how wrong I was in my thinking! There is an old saying that says we can never be aware of anything we have not been taught. How true that is. And that applies to the Word of God, too. For us to get to Heaven, we must know what God expects from us. To know what God expects from us, we must know the Word of God. And to know the Word of God, somebody who already knows it needs to teach it to us.
That is the premise that I use when writing these sermons; I have been taught certain things and it is my desire and duty to try and teach them to you so we will all have an adequate understanding of what God wants from us and for us.
In Chapter 2, John wrote to these churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. Here in Chapter 3, he continues writing the churches, beginning with the church of Sardis.
VERSE 1:
“To the angel of the church of Sardis, write, “The One who has the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars say – ‘I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.’
John says the One who has the 7-fold nature of the Holy Spirit is the author of this letter. As we discussed last week, those spirits can be found in ISAIAH 11:2. They are: The spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, fear of the Lord and delight in the fear of the Lord.
Some versions say, “you have a name” while others say, “you have a reputation.” Both of these words come from the word “onoma” which is used in the original Greek text. It literally means “denomination”. What John is telling the church of Sardis is that they are doing what many churches do today; concentrating on their religion rather than on their relationship, and in so doing, they are spiritually dead.
VERSES 2~3:
“Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I come against you.”
Sardis was built on a high cliff and on a rock base. It was supposed to be a city that was invincible. However, in 549, while going about their daily lives and being totally oblivious to any threat, they were taken over by Cyrus and his army.
Jesus is telling them now that they need to be alert and to refocus on what remains. He is talking about the Word of God that they had received and had originally relied upon. He is telling them to get back to basics – repent and start really working for the Lord. And then He says that if they do not repent, He will come against them.
VERSES 4~6:
“But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels. Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
But Jesus said there are a few left who are righteously focused and He said they will walk with Him in white, or purity because they have deserved to. He equates this to how those who live for Him and do not give in will be with Him in eternity. And then He ends with the same message as He has given to all the churches; PAY ATTENTION AND GET BACK TO MY WORD!
VERSES 7~8:
“To the angel of the church of Philadelphia write, ‘The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says: I know your works. Because you have limited strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name, look – I have placed before you an open door that no one is able to close.”
In other churches, we see where they have strayed away from the intent focus of God and have ended up doing things their way instead of God’s way. But here, we see a church where Jesus commends and is proud of. He says they do not have all of the abundant resources that other churches might have, but they have fully used the ones they have to focus on the Lord. And this is only one of two churches Jesus wrote to that He did not condemn or find fault with.
VERSE 9:
“Take note, I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying (note this) I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.”
The synagogue of Satan refers to the Jews who persecuted Christians. Here, Jesus is saying that they are no more Jews than those Christians who persecute Jews are really Christians. He tells the church that He will make those people bow down at the feet of this church because this church has been so faithful.
VERSES 10~13:
“Because you have kept my commandment to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come over the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown. The victor: I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God – the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God – and My new name. Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
This church has remained focused and has prepared themselves to faithfully endure until the end. And because of their faithfulness, Jesus would keep from the hour of testing. The word “from” in verse 10 comes from the Greek word “ek”. That word means “taken out of”.
In other words, Jesus is saying, “You of little strength have kept My Word and haven’t denied Me. You have prepared yourself to be faithful to the end, so I will TAKE YOU OUT OF the hour of testing yet to come.”
He is encouraging them to hold on so they will be safe, but that He is coming quickly and without notice. And He will take those who have been faithful and make them citizens of heaven. Again, warning all people to pay attention and repent.
The word “quickly” is from the Greek word “Tachu” which means “suddenly”. Jesus will appear suddenly, which means that He could come back at any time, so we had better be fully prepared. And how do we stay fully prepared so nobody can take us astray? Focus on Jesus Christ, stay in the Word, love your brothers as yourselves, and then you will truly be holding on for Jesus’ sake.
VERSE 14~16:
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation says: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth.”
The Creator is telling this church that they make Him sick to His stomach! He would have much more respect for them if they were passionate, either for or against Him, but since they lack any real passion at all, He is going to get rid of them just as surely as we vomit sickness out of our mouths. This is pretty harsh condemnation for a very cold church.
One last note: Notice how Jesus starts off each letter with a word of love, giving each of the churches a chance to repent and once again gain full blessings from Jesus. He gives us those same chances as Christian individuals. Repent – turn towards Him – be blessed!
LET US CLOSE IN PRAYER
NOTE:
If you are giving this message as part of a small group, here are some questions that might help your members remain focused on understanding this chapter.
1. In verse 1, who are the ones who “hold the 7 stars” and what are the “lampstands”?
. . . The elders (church leaders) and the churches themselves
. . . The angels and the candles that light the church’s interior
2. Verse 2 says, “I know your deeds.” Who is that talking about? Who knows them?
. . . The Apostle John
. . . An Angel
. . . Jesus Christ
3. Verse 6 talks about the Nicolatians. Who were they?
. . . People who thought they were the only ones who knew the deep things of God
. . . People who were the travelling evangelists of their day
4. Verses 8 -9 talk of the church of Smyrna. What was happening with them?
. . . They were very rich people who had trouble focusing on Jesus
. . . They were very poor, but had kept their intent focus on and faith in Jesus
5. In verse 12, John talks about a two-edged sword. What did he mean by that?
. . . The sword Jesus will use t slay his enemies at the End Time
. . . The strong and cutting Word of God that Jesus will say
6. The first 3 churches that had letters written to them were -
. . . The churches in Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum
. . . The churches in Philadelphia, Cleveland and Tucson
7. The last church I chapter 1 that received a letter was -
. . . The church in Thyatira
. . . The church of Jerusalem
