The Letters to the 7 Churches - Part III

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Last week, we covered Part II of our 3 week study of the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation
We discussed the letters to the churches in Smyrna (the Persecuted Church), Pergamos (the Compromising Church), and Thyatira (the Corrupt Church).
We don’t have much time to recap those letters, so if you missed it, be sure to head to our website or our Facebook page to watch the message
Intro
This morning, we will cover our final 3 churches and wrap up our mini series
We’ll look at the letters to the churches in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea
If you’ve studied these letters before, it’s very easy to say, “I’m the church in Philadelphia, and I’ll never be the church in Laodicea” - you can have your mind made up as to how these letters apply to your own walk
But remember what we’ve read with each letter, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”
We should have an open heart to what God wants to speak to us today. I pray that we can all say we are Christians living in the spirit of the church of Philadelphia. But just as I did this week while studying, we have to be open to areas that God wants to speak to us and work on our heart.
Sardis - Revelation 3:1-6.
Verses 1-6
Sardis was a city that used to be a powerhouse, but was on the decline.
Once a stronghold that men like Cyrus the Great fought over for strategic value, it had been destroyed in 17 AD by a powerful earthquake
While the Roman Empire helped to rebuild the city, it never recovered to it’s former level of importance
It was still a prosperous city at this time with it being a leader in the carpet industry.
It is also noted as the birthplace of modern currency which is really interesting
There was a large temple there to the mother goddess Cybele who was honored and worshipped by sexually immoral acts
In fact, Sardis had a reputation even among the other pagan cities of the time for being a loose city (think Las Vegas type of reputation)
The church at that time happily fit in with society. We don’t see one mention of struggles or persecution
Historically, this church represents the period of the Protestant Reformation from 1517 AD to today
At first, it seems counteractive that the church labeled “The Dead Church” would be associated with such a famous part of church history.
We are here as a church today b/c of the Protestant Reformation
Up until this point, the Roman Catholic Church was the church in the world. There were no denominations
In 1517, Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, nailed his 95 Theses to the Catholic Church in Wittenberg, Germany, publishing his ideas on what Christianity really was an challenging the Catholic Church
He had 3 basic truths at the heart of his 95 Theses - salvation by faith (which came from Luther’s study of the book of Romans), the total depravity of mankind (we are all sinners and need a Savior, we can’t earn our way to heaven), and the authority of God’s Word
From that 95 Theses, the Protestant church (non-Catholic church) was born
While there was a lot of life at the beginning of this movement, it quickly morphed into several state churches that were full of dead traditions.
Luther’s own Lutheran church became the Church of Germany, and you had others like the Church of England rise up
The Church of England had a lot of corruption that caused a group of Puritans in 1620 to sail aboard the Mayflower to the new world where they landed near Plymouth, Massachusetts (BTW - the rock in Plymouth is a tourist trap. Visit Plymouth, don’t pay to see the “rock”)
Maybe if you’ve been to another protestant denomination before, you’ve seen how some of them look and feel very much like the Catholic church full of tradition and ritualism.
Let’s break this one down a bit further
Verse 1
Jesus’s description of Himself from Chapter 1 highlights that He is the one with the 7 Spirits and who holds the 7 stars in His right hand
Remember, we talked during Part I that 7 in the Bible is the number of completeness
The 7 Spirits is the Holy Spirit and represents the 7-fold work of the Holy Spirit from Isaiah 11:2.
I think it’s interesting that Jesus says He “has” the Holy Spirit
The Greek word for this is échō (eh-ho) which can be translated “has” or “possesses”
In the Upper Room with His disciples, Jesus kept telling them that He was going to send or give them a helper after He was gone
John 16:7–14 NKJV
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are part of the trinity, one God with 3 distinct persons
A way to think of this that makes sense in my brain is different roles
Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit to us after He ascended into heaven, and that took place on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
Today, the Holy Spirit is either with us before we get saved convicting us of sin (like we just read in John), is in us when we accept Jesus as our Savior and are born again, or comes upon us to empower us mightily to do God’s will.
His primary role is to speak truth and point us to Jesus
Sometimes we get the idea that the Holy Spirit is this different part of God that is super spiritualized and what the Spirit does is different than what Jesus does. Some churches take it way too far and get charismatic in their actions as the “feel” the Holy Spirit’s leading.
While the Holy Spirit does guide and lead us on a personal basis, He is still the Spirit of truth and would not tell us to do things that are non-scriptural or take away from Jesus
Jesus reminds the church that He has the Holy Spirit to bring truth and life into our lives and actions as Christians as the church during the reformation largely ignored the Spirit and fell into ritual and tradition.
The 7 stars are the 7 angels or messengers/pastors/overseers of the churches
He tells the church in Sardis that He knows their works (5th church in a row where this is mentioned
They had a name that they were alive
Name = reputation - if you heard of the church of Sardis, or looked at it from the outside, it would look like it was alive. It was a busy church with a lot happening
But they were dead
It’s interesting that while they had this name/reputation, there really was no life
Just as many denominations have a name (“we’re the whatevers”), they have no life
Remember this can also apply to Christians as individuals
It’s easy sometimes to have a name/reputation that you follow after Jesus, but really that faith is dead
You may look from the outside to be a Christian. You go to church, you sing the songs, maybe even you’re serving somewhere, but you know it’s nothing but tradition/ritual
If that describes you, Jesus has some advice for you
Verses 2-3
Be watchful and strengthen what remains
The Protestant Reformation started strong with what Luther taught, but they fell away from it so quickly. Jesus was encouraging them to go back to that simple beginning where the gospel was preached and the Word of God was read
If we are in a spiritual state where we are dead, we need to strengthen the basics, the part of your walk that is still alive.
Maybe its sitting down with a cup of coffee, a journal, and your Bible again. Maybe it’s been too long since you’ve done a quiet time and you turn off your phone and just allow the Lord to speak to you through His word
Remember, hold fast, and repent
Reminds me of what Jesus said to the church in Ephesus
They had left their first love, and although they were doing great works for God, their love of Jesus wasn’t there
A loveless church is one that will soon become a dead church, so the message to change is the same
Remember the time you first got saved, or a time you were on first for Jesus, go back to that, and repent - confess the deadness to God and ask for His forgiveness
Jesus gives them a warning that if they don’t repent, he’ll come on them as a thief in the night
This is speaking of the rapture, and the image of the thief reminds us of 1 Thessalonians 5 where Jesus describes that event (the removal of His church before the Great Tribulation that starts in Chapter 4) like a thief coming in the middle of the night
There are those who proclaim to follow after Jesus that will get left behind because it’s not real, their faith/church/denomination is dead
Verses 4-6
Jesus does commend a few in this church who had not defiled their garments, they had remained faithful and pure to the Lord
They would be clothed in white, speaking of the sanctification of Jesus who has washed us as white as snow
Something else pretty amazing about this statement
This select few in the dead church had not become defiled, they were considered pure
If you remember during our overview of Sardis and how this covers the period of the Protestant Reformation, remember that the deadness of the church came from the establishment of all these state churches
In England, there were two primary groups that opposed the Church of England b/c they had become so corrupt and had turned their backs on the Word of God.
One was the English Separatist Church, of which a group in 1620 sailed on the Mayflower to Plymouth Rock
The other was a non-separatist group that would also start to sail to America starting in 1630 for the same reason
Both groups were considered Puritans
Jesus promises to those who overcome a dead faith that they will be clothed in white and not blotted out from the Book of Life
Salvation
And then the final command to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches
Now on to our next church, the church of Philadelphia
And no, we’re not going to ready about Philly Cheese Steaks or the Liberty Bell or booing Santa Claus at the Eagles game (look it up!)
This is the ancient city of Philadelphia in Asia Minor
Philadelphia - Revelation 3:7-13.
Verses 7-13
The word Philadelphia in ancient Greek means brotherly love (why Philly in the States is known as that city) and the ancient city of Philadelphia was a relatively new one at the time that John wrote this down
It was established less than 200 years before Jesus, but had grown into a prosperous and important city connecting Europe to Asia
It was known for its beautiful buildings and many temples, but it had also suffered from the earthquake in 17 AD
Unlike Sardis, Philadelphia had rebuilt and was stronger than ever
It was known as the “little Athens” of its time
The church in this city was a strong one and had a very long impact on it’s community
It was an independent Christian City until nearly the 14th century when the Turks eventually took it over
The period in church history this church represents is the modern missionary movement which started around 1750 and continues to today
This period came because of the Protestant Reformation which produced many dead state churches
God started this great revival in England, Europe, and America which lead to many missionaries being sent out all over the world
People like Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, William Carey, and Amy Carmichael all came from this movement
This period was also marked by the rapid spread of God’s word in the hands of the people
This started when Martin Luther translated the NT into German, and continued through men like William Tyndale (who was martyred for his work)
I also read from one commentator, Tim LaHaye, who said that the third factor of this revival and a cause of all the mission work was the renewed interest in the second coming of Jesus
Around 1800, with more and more people having Bibles in their hands, the teaching of the second coming of Jesus was revived in the church
It had been dead since the 3rd century, and this wake up call that Jesus was coming back soon encouraged this wave of evangelism
This church is still in existence today, and as we read it, my prayer is that Calvary would be a church like the church of Philadelphia
Verse 7
Jesus’ picture of Himself is not out of Chapter 1 in this letter
It’s the only letter where Jesus doesn’t remind the church of that image John wrote down in Chapter 1
Jesus says that He is holy
When speaking of God, it means majestic, perfect, or pure
Jesus also says that He is true
The Greek word here for true is alēthinós (al-a-thi-nos) and refers to things which are genuine, or not fake
Jesus is telling this church, this era, telling us, that He is perfect and real - He is the real thing
He is also powerful, He has the key of David is what He tells us
This speaks to His authority, no one can overpower or tell Jesus what to do
Think of when you were a kid at elementary school and the Janitor would walk around with that big key ring - you just knew that was an important person who could go wherever they wanted
This is that same idea.
It makes verses like Matthew 28:18-19 more powerful
Matthew 28:18–19 NKJV
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Jesus has all authority - and that’s what He empowers us with to share His gospel!
We can get so nervous or timid - me included! - to share God’s word
We don’t think we’re equipped or have the right training or we’ll say something bad or get asked a question that we don’t know or worse yet, we’ll just embarrass ourselves if we tell that person about Jesus
But Jesus has the authority above all, He empowers us as He fills us with His Spirit
That’s what made this church era so impactful. Faithful men and women, who didn’t have the backing of mega churches or fundraising programs or technology, just had a heart to see people saved and went and spread the gospel to where they were called, and God used them in mighty, might ways.
Verse 8
Again, Jesus knows this church’s works
Had He had set an open door in front of this church
Open doors in the Bible often speak of opportunities for evangelism
Holds true for this time period, God was opening so many opportunities for evangelism and missionary work
And b/c He holds the keys, He is the one that opens and closes those doors and no one else can lock/unlock them
Just b/c there is an open door doesn’t mean that the church is automatically effective - we still need to walk through those open door
This church did
Although they only had a little strength, they had obeyed Jesus and kept His word
They weren’t the large, powerful state church. Like we said before, it was men and women who were faithful to the call that God gave them to serve Him.
It doesn’t take extensive training and a doctorate in theology to effectively share Jesus and to be used by Him in mighty ways! All it takes are eyes to see the open door, and the faith to walk through it
You might feel that you have just a little strength, but remember on whose authority we’re going out by - not ours, but Jesus!
Calvary, we don’t need to be the big mega church with deep pockets to be effective for the gospel, we just need to walk through the open doors God is giving us
Verses 9-11
Apparently there was a group of Jews that were persecuting the church in Philadelphia, so Jesus encourages that church to let them know that one day they will be on their knees worshipping the true God that those Christians were serving
Philippians 2:9–11 NKJV
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus then gives the church of Philadelphia this promise - b/c they had been faithful to keep God’s commands, He was going to keep them from the hour of trial that the whole world is going to go through
The great trial that Jesus speaks of is the Great Tribulation, the 7 year period described in Chapters 4-19 in Revelation and Daniel Chapter 7 where God pours out His wrath on an unbelieving world
Matthew 24:21 NKJV
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Jesus promises that He was going to keep them from that Great Tribulation
The Greek word for “keep” is tēreō (tay-rey-o) which is translated “keep” or “reserve” - and it comes from the root word thĕōrĕō (they-o-rey-o) which means “to be a spectator”
This promise is that the true believer will be kept from, or be an observer of the Great Tribulation - they will be raptured from this earth before it happens
Jesus had flat out told some of these other churches that they were going to go through the Great Tribulation - Thyatira & Sardis
That’s also what makes this promise such a contrast. He doesn’t tell them that they’ll go through it but protect them, Jesus says that He’s going to keep them entirely from it
Then He gives us the reminder - hold fast b/c He’s coming soon!
Matthew 24:36–44 NKJV
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Verses 12-13
The promise to those that overcome:
They will be made pillars in the temple of God
Pillars = strength & stability (when properly supported by a foundation - Jesus!)
The “little Athens” of Philadelphia would understand that image well with all of the famous Greek architecture of these columns/pillars supporting buildings.
They would go out no more
Speaks of more stability and surety w/ God
Interesting picture for a city who had recently been destroyed by an earthquake
And they will have Jesus’ new name written on them
Kids, use that as justification to get your parents to get you that tattoo....
Marks of identification, showing who we belong to for eternity, we belong to Jesus
I pray that our church, and that each one of us would be a Philadelphia. A church with a little strength, but one that was faithful to obey God and to go through the doors that He opens for us
Onto our last church!
Laodicea - Revelation 3:14-22.
Verses 14-22
Laodicea was another wealthy city in Asia Minor that was known for 3 things
Its wealthy banking industry
Its medical school and production of a eye ointment
Its water supply
The banking industry and the wealth there made that city very prosperous and self sufficient
An earthquake in 60 AD caused a lot of damage to Laodicea, and instead of accepting help from Rome to rebuild (like Philadelphia and Sardis after the 17 AD earthquake), they did it on their own
They were also very proud of their medical knowledge and considered themselves a highly educated people
There was a medical school there, and they produced this eye ointment that was exported around the world
They had a terrible water supply and had tried to spend a lot of money fixing it
If you go to Turkey today and go to the historic ruins of Laodicea, you’ll find a lot of infrastructure related to their water supply - more than just the aqueducts that you’d normally see in a city in the Roman Empire.
They had this thermal spring about 6 miles away that was their primary source of drinking water
So by the time it got to Laodicea, it was lukewarm, and quite undrinkable
They spent all this money on building infrastructure to try and fix it b/c everyone knows room temperature water is the worst
The period in time this church represents is the modern church area which started ~1900 and continues today
It’s the modern era of churches that are filled with unsaved people
We’ll study in more here is just a minute, but we read that this church had everything it ever needed and more, and yet it was poor.
It thought that it was following the Lord but it wasn’t, in fact Jesus was repulsed by this church.
Christian, hear my heart of this. It can be so easy after studying the church in Philadelphia to go, “that’s me!” and to tune this church out, “I could never”
But anytime we search the scriptures, we’re called to have an open heart. So we should prayerfully consider, “God is this me in any way?”
And although Jesus doesn’t have a single good thing to say about this church, He does give them a recommendation and a promise to those who overcome, so there is a way to change!
Verse 14
The picture of Jesus starts off with Him calling Himself the “Amen”
“Amen” = “so be it” and gives an idea of totality and finality
He is the faithful and true witness
What Jesus says is true, it’s not made up or unreliable
He’s the beginning of the creation of God
A better translation is “the beginner of the creation of God”
What important reminders for the church in our society in today’s day and age
Jesus is the creator - we are not here by chance
Jesus is faithful and true - His word is not made up or full of stories
I can’t get into it right now, but Yahoo News had a fascinating article about how archeologists proved that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah actually happened and that there was a bunch of salt found in the area too! His Word is true even if many churches are discrediting all or portions of it
Jesus is the totality of life - nothing else we can add means anything
Verses 15-17
Jesus doesn’t have 1 good thing to say about this church, He gets straight into the condemnation
Jesus said He knew their works, but for the first time of any church He criticizes their works
He gives them a picture that the residents of that city would connect with right away b/c of their water problems - lukewarm water
Jesus wished that they would either be hot or cold, but they were lukewarm
Hot = on fire for Jesus
Cold = dead and lifeless
Jesus would have rather seen a dead church than one in the middle!
This church was lukewarm, it had the appearance that it was alive and on fire, but really it was cold and dead inside
I can’t tell you how often I see this, especially in Western Christianity
You see these huge mega churches that draw thousands of people, and it’s a self help seminar. There’s no mention of the cross, no mention of sin, no mention of redemption, no sharing of the gospel, but you feel really good about yourself when you leave.
Jesus says He will vomit that church out of His mouth b/c it is so disgusting
Tell story about Youth Group Water game
He points out why they were lukewarm
They said they were rich and didn’t need anything
But really they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked
This church put their faith in their prosperity
A trait the city made their foundation on
But in stark contrast to the church in Smyrna who was economically persecuted and were very poor, but God saw them as rich
Jesus tells them how they really were
Wretched & miserable = it’s amazing how many Christians today are miserable. They are joyless (not unhappy, joyless) and depressed, consumed with what is wrong with themselves, always looking how they can fix themselves
You can’t fix yourself! But Jesus can
Psalm 32:1 NKJV
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
Blessed = “oh how happy”
Joy doesn’t come from getting a pep talk each week about how you are perfect just the way God made you, joy comes from realizing that even though you are a train wreck, God still loves you and He forgave all of your sin by dying on the cross. And we can have that sin covered or taken away put asking Jesus to forgive us.
Poor = material blessings don’t equal favor from God
A church can trust in itself and in its programs and funding instead of trusting where the Lord leads
You want to see the faith of someone who trusted God each and every day for every penny and crumb of food? Read the autobiography of George Muller who ran an orphanage in England in the 1800s and see how God dis so many amazing things to provide for Him so that he could love and serve the kids there.
Look at the last church, Philadelphia, who had just a little strength, but was doing mighty things for the Lord
Zechariah 4:6 NKJV
6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
Blind = they thought they knew the way but were really wandering blind
I can struggle with this so badly. I think I know what I’m doing or the right way to go but I’m trusting in myself and my experience instead of allowing God to lead me one step at a time
Naked = As we’ll see more in a minute, being clothed by God or clothed in righteousness equates to being born again. So by Jesus telling them that they were naked, He is saying that they weren’t saved
Then He gives this plea to them
Verses 18- 19
Jesus wanted this church to do 4 things
Buy gold refined in the fire
1 Peter 1:7 NKJV
7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
This church needed to come find faith from Jesus
Be clothed in white garments
Isaiah 61:10 NKJV
10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
This church needed to be saved and to have their sins washed away. To have their old dirty self-righteous rags thrown away, and to receive a new white robe from God
Anoint their eyes with eye salve
After Jesus healed a blind man, he was brought to the Pharisees for questioning, and he gave this great mini sermon when asked who Jesus was
John 9:25 NKJV
25 He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
True sight comes once our eyes are opened spiritually to the truth of Jesus
Repent
You cannot be rich, clothed, or see if you don’t repent
As Christians, we can’t stand before God just because He loves us, we have to repent of our sin
To repent means we say I’m not good enough! My life falls so short of your standards God. And I can’t be good enough to get to heaven on my own, please forgive my sin and wash me clean
That’s how we find joy! That’s how a church or a Christian can be lit on fire for the Lord, by having their sin washed away.
Jesus then gives us this great call to salvation
Verse 20
Jesus is knocking. He’s not going to kick the door down or secretly come in through the window, He is patient and will wait for us
He just wants fellowship with us.
All we have to do is open our heart to Him
Verses 21-22
The promise for those who overcome? To sit with Jesus on His throne in a place of glory one day
Closing
We made it, through all 7 churches
What does the # 7 represent in the Bible? Completeness.
And as we saw that every church age was represented by these 7 churches, we have studied the complete church history. So what comes next?
Revelation 4:1.
After these things, after the complete church age, there is a trumpet, and John is told to come up or ascend in the Greek, to heaven
A picture of the rapture!
Our responsibility from all that we’ve learned?
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches
Take this, apply it. There is a special blessing in reading, hearing, and then doing what the book of Revelation says
Above all, if you haven’t opened the door of your heart to Jesus yet, do that today.
This stuff is true, it is real, Jesus is coming back and soon. The world is going to go through some great pain, even worse than what we’re seeing today.
But we can have joy, we can overcome, by receiving the forgiveness of our sins and being born again into a new life that follows after Jesus.
Pray & Close
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