The book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. It was originally addressed to seven local churches in Asia or what is today modern-day Turkey. These churches were a real mixed bag. Some of them were excellent churches. Some were mediocre, and a couple of them were a mess. Each of these churches had a message come from Christ. Today we are looking at Revelation 3 and the final three churches that had messages sent from the Lord Himself.
It says in Revelation 3:1, “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: I know your deeds that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” So, we have a picture of Christ here. The seven spirits, most believe, is a picture of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit being seven spirits in the sense of completion or perfection. The seven stars most believe are the churches themselves. So, the Lord is in charge of and controls the seven churches or the seven stars.
His message to this church at Sardis was this: “I know your deeds. I am omnipotent and I know all things. That you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” That’s a very sorry statement isn’t it. Wouldn’t it be awful to be a local church that thought they were doing great things for God, and that they were really on target, and they were a great church, and then get a message from the Lord that your reputation in fact – in the world – is that the outward appearance is you are alive, and a growing entity and people look at you as a great church. However, Christ’s comment is that they were dead. It doesn’t really matter, of course long term, whether anybody on the outside thinks a local church is a good or great church. What matters is what Christ thinks about our local churches, my church, your church, and the church at Sardis. The Lord said, you look like you are alive and like you have it going, but the truth is you are dead. What an ugly picture. So, we have this final chapter to the churches. We have two churches that look like they are doing great: Sardis and Laodicea. Both of them, however, the Lord says are not doing well at all. Then we have one church sandwiched in between, the church of Philadelphia that seemed to the world not to be very much at all, yet the Lord gives them great commendations.
The message the Lord has for this church of Sardis it says in Revelation 3:2, “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.” So, He says look, strengthen the things that remain. So, everything wasn’t totally gone yet. There must have been some spark of life left in that church. He calls for them to recognize those things and strengthen them. He also says that He’s not found their deeds completed in His sight. Whatever they were doing was not completed. It was not what God wanted them to do. Perhaps some good starts but no good completions.
So, what does He tell them to do? In Revelation 3:3 He says firstly, “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it and repent.” Now what would that be? I think it has to be the gospel. I think it has to be the Holy Spirit. I think it has to be all the riches that Christ gives His people and His churches. He tells them I want you to remember what those are and what you have received and then keep it. This is the idea of perseverance. We find this throughout the letter to the people at Sardis. They need to persevere. They have had some good starts. They perhaps have done some good things. But they are not persevering. So, keep it, He says, and repent. So, there are sections of their lives where they need to recognize they are going the wrong direction. They are simply wrong. They need to turn around and go another direction. They need to repent of what they are doing . . .
