Revelation 3:1-6: The Letter to Sardis

Introduction

Scripture

Revelation 3:1–6 ESV

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Outline

Revelation 1 - Introduction

Revelation 1:1-3 - Prologue & Benediction

Revelation 1:4-8 - Epistolary Introduction

Revelation 1:9-20 - A Vision of the Son of Man

Revelation 2-3 - The Seven Churches

Revelation 2:1-7 - The Letter to Ephesus

Revelation 2:8-11 - The Letter to Smyrna

Revelation 2:12-17 - The Letter to Pergamum

Revelation 2:18-29 - The Letter to Thyatira

Revelation 3:1-6 - The Letter to Sardis

Revelation 3:1a- Address

Revelation 3:1b-5 - Message to the Church

Revelation 3:6 - Command to Hear

Purpose of Book

The purpose of Revelation is to challenge/encourage believers, who are expectantly awaiting the reign of Christ, to live faithfully for Him despite worldly circumstances, persecution, and the cosmic battle between God and Satan.

Main Point

Jesus rebukes the church in Sardis for their lack of faithfulness to Him. He commands them to wake up, repent, and become obedient to God.

Revelation 3:1a - Address

Revelation 3:1 (ESV)

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:

To the angel of the church

Celestial being responsible for oversight

There is help for them in the heavenly realm

Sardis

Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation Chapter 51: The Social and Geographical World of Sardis (Revelation 1:11; 3:1–6) (David A. Desilva)

Key Points

• Sardis was a flourishing city located on a major east-west highway during the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods.

• Like many of its sister cities, Sardis exhibited strong pro-Roman sentiments, seen in its bid to house provincial imperial cults and in the prominence of the imperial cult in its second- and third-century architecture.

• The Jewish community in Sardis had ancient and strong roots and was likely well-established from the Hellenistic period. If one can extrapolate from its fourth-century synagogue, it had been better integrated into the life of its city than was true for many Jewish diaspora communities.

• Very little has been discovered in Sardis to shed light on the origins of, or challenges to, the Christian community there in the late first century beyond these generalities.

Fortress city on cliffs and the citizens thought they were invincible, but they had been defeated twice

Write

Command given to John

The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

The words of him who has

The seven spirits of God

Revelation 1:4–5 ESV

4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

Seven symbolically represents the perfection/fullness of the Holy Spirit

Zechariah 4:2–7 ESV

2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it. 3 And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” 4 And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.” 6 Then he 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. 7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’ ”

Revealing God’s spirit at work in the world - GRACE

Isaiah 11:2 ESV

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

The Holy Spirit empowers the Messiah to rule over all in the end-time

Why mention the Holy Spirit?

Sardis is a dead church and only the Spirit can bring them back to revival

And the seven stars.

Revelation 1:16 ESV

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

Celestial/spiritual beings

Revelation 3:1b-5 - Message to the Church

Revelation 3:1–5 (ESV)

1“ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

***No Commendation to Sardis***

I know your works.

Jesus details how inadequate their works are - the works do not live up to Jesus’ standards

You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Reputation

Also translated as “name”

“Name” is important in this passage - 4x

Being alive

Others perceived this church as being vibrant and full of life

You are dead

The reality was they were spiritually dead and needing life only the Spirit could bring

They were Christians in name only - their works did not reveal life in God

Notice the contrast to Christ

Revelation 1:17–18 ESV

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die,

Wake up

Command

Be constantly alert - NASB 2020

Commonly used to call Christians to alertness to resist evil and remain faithful

Strengthen what remains and is about to die

Strengthen - Command

The church is on the path towards death

Instead of continuing towards death, Christ commands them to turn towards health

For I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.

I have not found your works complete

Their works fail to meet the standard of a true walk with Christ - total obedience/allegiance to God

At one point their works, service to God, was complete in His sight

In the sight of my God

In their eyes, their works were sufficient, but not in God’s

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Remember, then, what you received and heard.

Remember

Command

Bear in mind

Received and heard

The gospel!

Keep it, and repent.

Keep it

Command

Also can mean obey

The gospel

Repent

Command

Repent of their works being incomplete before the Father

If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.

If you will not wake up

I will come like a thief a you will not know at what hour I will come against you

Surprise element reminding them of their past

Cyrus II in 547/546 BC

Antiochus II 214 BC

Christ’s coming will be hostile towards the church

The church in Sardis will face the same fate as the city previously - judgment at an unknown time

Mark 13:34–37 ESV

34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

Yet you still have a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments,

Yet you still have a few names in Sardis

“Name”

Though the congregation as a whole needed to repent, there were some who continued in true faith

People who have not soiled their garments

These individuals had not compromised their faith

And they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.

They will walk with me in white

Those who have not given way to ungodliness

For they are worthy

They emulated the life of Christ and resist sin

The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments,

The one who conquers

Those who do not compromise and continue to walk with Christ

Will be clothed thus in white garments

White garments pulled from Daniel 11-12 where the saints are made white through persecution

White garments represents purity/holiness/honor after being tested

And I will never blot his name out of the book of life.

Daniel 12:1–2 ESV

1 “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Exodus 32:32–33 ESV

32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.

Psalm 69:28 ESV

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

I will confess his name before my Father

Confess - profess allegiance; Christ will be loyal to those who are his on the day of judgment

Luke 12:8 ESV

8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,

Matthew 10:32 ESV

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

Before his angels

Revelation 3:6 - Command to Hear

Revelation 3:6 ESV

6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Let him hear

Command

Meant to provoke to get the church to hear and obey

Mark 4:9 ESV

9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Isaiah 6:9–10 LES2

9 And he said, “Go and say to this people, ‘You will hear by hearing and not understand; and although looking, you will look and not see.’ 10 For the heart of this people has been thickened; and they have heard heavily with their ears, and they closed their eyes in case they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I will heal them.”

Reality that there are believers and non-believers who hear this message in the churches

Some will be enlightened, some blinded

Spirit

The Spirit is active and at work through Jesus’ letters to the seven churches

To the churches

Both to the church in Sardis, but also to the churches of all ages

Application

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can revitalize a spiritually dead church

Those who have become unfaithful to Christ need to repent and become faithful to him again

Do not commit the sin of being uncommitted to Christ for you will receive eternal life if you stay committed

Main Point

Jesus rebukes the church in Sardis for their lack of faithfulness to Him. He commands them to wake up, repent, and become obedient to God.