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| Image sources: https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Sardis#/media/ File:Temple_of_Artemis_in_Sardis.jpg & http://www.trackingbibleprophecy.org/revelation1B.php |
The Message to Sardis
3 1 Write this to Sardis, to the Angel of the church. The One holding the Seven Spirits of God in one hand, a firm grip on the Seven Stars with the other, speaks: "I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you're dead, stone dead.
2 "Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there's life in you yet. But I wouldn't know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God's work has been completed. Your condition is desperate.
3 Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears - grasp it again and turn back to God. "If you pull the covers back over your head and sleep on, oblivious to God, I'll return when you least expect it, break into your life like a thief in the night.
4 "You still have a few Christians in Sardis who haven't ruined themselves wallowing in the muck of the world's ways. They'll walk with me on parade! They've proved their worth!
5 "Conquerors will march in the victory parade, their names indelible in the Book of Life. I'll lead them up and present them by name to my Father and his Angels.
6 "Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches." The Message
(the following is from www.easyenglish.bible)
"Verse 1 Sardis was about 30 miles south of Thyatira and 50 miles east of Ephesus. It was on the side of a mountain. Below it there was a large plain. It was in a good position for an army to defend. It had been a powerful and rich city. But it was not still as strong as it had been. Today, we might say that such a city is ‘living in the past’. In other words, the city’s most successful phase had ended.
The letter comes from Jesus, who holds the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars. The 7 spirits of God are the work of the Spirit in the churches. Christ has the Spirit who alone can give life. Jesus holds the 7 stars in his right hand (1:16). These stars mean the angels of the 7 churches (1:20). In other words, Jesus holds (looks after) the seven churches.
The church in Sardis used to be a lively church. In other words, the members used to have strong faith. But by this time, it had lost its life. This means that their faith had become weak. This process was slow. They did not see it happen. The church still seemed to be full of life (faith). But the Lord saw what it was really like. He could see that the church was dead. In other words, most of the Christians there had hardly any faith. So, they did not live as they should.
Verse 2 The Lord tells them to be awake and to watch. In the past, armies had twice defeated Sardis. They were able to do this because nobody watched. So, the Lord warns the church that, like the city guards, the church must keep awake. In other words, the Christians need to be aware of what is happening. And they need to be ready for Jesus’ return.
It was as if the church in Sardis was dead. But some things there did not seem to be dead. A sleeper may seem dead until he wakes. But, unlike a dead body, a sleeper is not hopeless. He is still alive. The church seemed dead. But perhaps it was more like a sleeper. Perhaps it could recover, like a man who wakes. The church must start to do the work of the Lord again. It must turn from its wrong actions. The Lord was not happy with it in its present state.
The Christians in Sardis were doing a lot. Much of the activity seemed to be for God. But God saw the reality. Their actions did not satisfy what God wanted.
Verse 3 Christ tells the Christians to remember what they had received. They had heard the gospel and they believed it. They received new life from God. They served the Lord and they did his work. But now they did not still serve the Lord as they used to do.
Jesus tells them to repent. They must come back again to the Lord. They must obey his word and live for him. It is as if they must wake out of their present sleep. Or, as if they must come alive again.
If they do not obey this message, the Lord will come like a thief. He will come when they do not expect it. He will not announce when he is coming. He will deal with them and he will be their judge.
Verse 4 Most members of that church did not live as Christians should. They did the same things as other people. Their belief made no difference to their lives. They were behaving like people who make their own clothes dirty.
In Sardis, the people colored wool and they made clothes. If the wool was dirty, it was not useful. So, the Lord said that these Christians were not useful to him.
A few people in the church did live clean (holy) lives. This means that they did not live by the standards of the local people. Instead, they lived by what they had learned from the word of God.
The Lord will give white clothes to these people. This means that they will be holy. God will free them from sin. They will walk with him. This means that their lives will please him. The ‘white clothes’ are the result of the good things that Jesus did. He gives to them the reward that he earned. They do not deserve it because of anything that they have done. They obtain it because they believe in Christ. What they believed changed their lives.
Verse 5 There are three parts to the promise for those who overcome. They will wear white clothes. Their names will be in the book of life. Jesus will tell the Father and the angels that they are his.
Many people died because they were Christians. In heaven, they have white clothes (6:11). The 24 elders have white clothes. All the people in heaven have white clothes (7:9). The clothes are white to show that they are not dirty. ‘Dirt’ means sin. There is no sin in heaven. So, the clothes of Christians in heaven are white because Jesus made them clean. He took away sin when he died. He gives the white clothes to those who believe. This means that he gives his own goodness to them. He makes them perfect.
Moses first spoke of God’s book in heaven (Exodus 32:32-33). The idea is that God has a book. In it, he wrote the names of all those who would be his people. Those whose names are in the book would go to heaven. Those whose names are not in the book cannot go to heaven. The book records the names of those who have eternal life. Those who overcome will enjoy life with the Lord. They will have eternal life.
Jesus will take those who overcome to be at home with him. He will introduce them to God the Father. He will tell the Father and all the angels that these are his people. They will be at home in heaven, in the Father’s house (John 14:2).
Verse 6 We all need to hear what the Spirit said to the church in Sardis. What he said to them, he says to Christians in every age."
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