Part Three: Jesus and The Churches, Revelation 3
We are going to continue our Revelation series this boring. Last time we looked at four churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira.
Churches are people, and human nature has not changed. So, as we continue our study, we must not look on these letters as ancient relics. They are mirrors in which we see ourselves!
Sardis, the Feeble Church (3:1–6)
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Ancient Sardis, the capital of a province called Lydia, was a most important city. It lay about fifty miles east of Ephesus at the junction of five main roads; so it was a centre for trade.
It was also a military centre, for it was located on an almost inaccessible plateau. The acropolis of Sardis was about 1,500 feet above the main roads, and it formed an impregnable fortress.
The main religion in the city was the worship of Artemis, one of the “nature cults” that built on the idea of death and rebirth.
Sardis was also known for its manufacture of woollen garments, a fact that has bearing on Christ’s message to the church. Sad to say, the city at that time was but a shadow of its former splendour, and the church, unfortunately, had become like the city—itwas alive in name only.
The message to Sardis is a warning to all “great churches” that are living on past glory.
Sardis had moved from a movement church to a monument church. But there was hope! There was hope because Christ was the Head of the church and He was able to bring new life. He described Himself as the one possessing the seven Spirits and the
seven stars.
Seven Spirits of God: There is only one Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:4), but the number seven demonstrates fullness and completeness. The Holy Spirit gives life to the church, and life is exactly what the people at Sardis needed.
The sevenfold Spirit of God is pictured as seven burning lamps (Rev. 4:5) and as seven all-seeing eyes (Rev. 5:6).
All of the church’s man-made programs can never bring life, any more than a circus can resurrect a corpse. (Warren Wiersbe)
The church was born when the Spirit of God descended on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and its life comes from the Spirit. When the Spirit is grieved, the church begins to lose life and power. When sin is confessed and church members get right with God and with each other, then the Spirit infuses new life—revival!
Seven Stars: Most Riley the governing angels of the churches. Remember, much of what John is relaying tot he churches would be understood by them and not us. But he does give the explanation as to what the stars are in Revelation 1:20.
- Commendation
There are no words of commendation to the believers at Sardis.
There’s no doctrinal problems that required correction.
Neither is there any mention of opposition or persecution.
The church would have been better off had there been some suffering, for it had grown comfortable and content and was living on its past reputation. There was reputation without reality, form without force.
Like the city itself, the church at Sardis gloried in past splendour, but ignored present decay; they were about to die.
The believers had gone to sleep. Twice in its long history, the citadel at Sardis had been captured, each time because sentries had failed to do their jobs faithfully. It is when the church’s leaders and members get accustomed to their blessings and complacent about their ministry that the enemy finds his way in.
The impression is that the assembly in Sardis was not aggressive in its witness to the city. There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemy’s territory.
- Crunch
Our Lord’s counsel to the church began with, “Be watchful! Wake up!” (3:2, cf Rom. 13:11ff.) The “sentries” were asleep!
The first step toward renewal in a dying church is honest awareness that something is wrong.
When an organism is alive, there is growth, repair, reproduction, and power; if these elements are lacking in a church, then that church is either dying or already dead.
If the believers at Sardis did not follow His orders, He would come as a thief, when they least expected Him, and this would mean judgment. (3:3)
- Correction
However, a remnant of dedicated people often exists in even a dying church. Where there is life, there is hope!
What was different about this dedicated remnant? They had not defiled their garments (Rev. 3:4).
“Wake up! Be watchful! Repent! Remember the Word you have received and obey it!” This is the formula for revival. It is good to guard our spiritual heritage, but we must not embalm it. It is not enough to be true to the faith and have a great history. That faith must produce life and works.
The promise in Revelation 3:5 (“clothed in white raiment”) would have been especially meaningful to people who lived in a city where woollen garments were manufactured.
And the statement: “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels,” (3:5) would also be significant to people in the Roman Empire, where citizenship was vitally important (see Acts 22:24–30).
The book of life is the same book referred to in Revelation 20:12. There is a reassurance to the truly faithful Christians that their names are in it. But some who presume their names are in it, but have never surrendered to Jesus, are in for a shock. Unless they wake up, repent and turn to Jesus!
Jesus told His disciples to rejoice because their
names were “written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The Greek verb is in the perfect tense, which means it can be translated, “your names have been written in heaven and are on permanent record up there.”
The warning here is that we not grow comfortable in our churches, every church, no matter how big or alive today, is only one generation away from death.
Philadelphia, the Faithful Church (3:7–13)
“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Philadelphia means “brotherly love.”
- Brotherly love is an important mark of the Christian: We are taught by God to love one another (1 Thessalonians 4:9) because He first loved us 1 John 4:19);
- taught by Jesus to love one another, (John 13:34);
- and enabled to love by the Spirit (Romans 5:5).
- Commendation:
This church had a vision to reach a lost world, and God set before them an open door. Philadelphia was situated in a strategic place on the main route of the Imperial Post from Rome to the East, and thus was called “the gateway to the East.” It was also called “little Athens” because of the many temples in the city. The church was certainly located in a place of tremendous opportunity.
The only major problem with the location was that the area was prone to earthquakes. Philadelphia sat on a geological fault, and in 17 BC it was destroyed by a severe earthquake that also destroyed Sardis and ten other cities. Afterward, some of the citizens refused to move back into the city and remained in the surrounding countryside, which they called “the burnt land.” There did not seem to be much security in the city of brotherly love!
Jesus Christ presented Himself to the church at Philadelphia as “him who is holy and true.”
This is declaring that He is God. Jesus Christ is holy in His character, His words, His actions, and His purposes. As the Holy One, He is uniquely set apart from everything else, and nothing can be compared to Him.
Not only is He holy and true, but He has the authority to open and close doors. The imagery of the key of David is found in Isaiah 22: 15-25 (see blog bonus). Jesus Christ also has the keys of hades and of death (Revelation 1:18).
In the New Testament, an “open door” speaks of opportunity for ministry (Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3).
Christ is the Lord of the harvest and the Head of the church, and it is He who determines where and when His people shall serve (see Acts 16:6–10).
Please do not be praying for “open doors” because you want a promotion, new relationship, money etc. Open doors are to do with seeking the opportunity to spread Jesus’ name!
- Crunch
There is not ‘crunch’ or accusation against this church. They are faithful. The ‘crunch’ is would they take advantage of the open door? Could they take advantage of it?
Obstacle 1: their own lack of strength
Rev. 3:8: I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Revelation 3:10 suggests that they had endured some testing and had proved faithful.
“God’s commandments are God’s enablements.” If Jesus Christ gave them an open door, then He would see to it that they were able to walk through it!
So there was an internal obstacle.
Obstacle 2: The second obstacle was the opposition of the Jews in the city.
3:9: I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you..
This obstacle was an external one. Religious people who hated those who followed Jesus. These people may have been Jews in the flesh, but they were not “true Israel” in the New Testament sense (Romans 2:17–29).
The believers in Philadelphia were in a similar situation to that of Paul when he wrote 1 Corinthians16:9—there were both opportunities and obstacles! Unbelief sees the obstacles, but faith sees the opportunities!
And since the Lord holds the keys, He is in control of the outcome! So what do we have to fear?
- Correction
Again no correction here. They are dong well.
Instead there are three promises:
Promise 1: He would take care of their enemies (Rev. 3:9). One day, these people would have to acknowledge that the Christians were right (see Isa. 60:14; Phil. 2:10–11)!
Promise 2: He would keep them from tribulation (Rev. 3:10). This is surely a reference to the time of tribulation that John described in Revelation 6—19,“the time of Jacob’s trouble.” This is not speaking about some local trial, because it involves “them that dwell on the earth” (see Rev. 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 12:12; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8).
The immediate reference would be to the official Roman persecutions that would come, but the ultimate reference is to the tribulation that will encompass the earth before Jesus Christ returns to establish His kingdom.
T
hey would have taken hope that their persecution is temporary.
Promise 3: The third promise to the Philadelphians is that God would honour them.
3:12: The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
The symbolism in this verse would be especially meaningful to people who lived in constant danger of earthquakes: the stability of the pillar, no need to go out or to flee, a heavenly city that nothing could destroy.
The church today is like the Philadelphian church, for God has set before us many open doors of opportunity. If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts the doors, we must wait.
Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunities, not the obstacles. If we miss our opportunities, we lose our rewards (crowns), and this means being ashamed before Him when He comes (1 John 2:28).
Laodicea, the Foolish Church (3:14–22)
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Laodicea was known for its wealth and its manufacture of a special eye salve, as well as of a glossy black wool cloth. It also was located near Hieropolis, where there were famous hot springs, and Colosse, known for its pure, cold water.
The Lord presented Himself as “the Amen,” which is an Old Testament title for God (see Isa. 65:16, where the word truth is the Hebrew word amen).
He is the truth and speaks the truth, because He is “the faithful and true Witness” (Rev. 3:14). The Lord was about to tell this church the truth about its spiritual condition; unfortunately, they would not believe His diagnosis.
- Crunch
There’s no commendation here.
The Laodicean church was blind to its own needs and unwilling to face the truth.
If we want God’s best for our lives and churches, we must be honest with God and let God be honest with
us.
“The beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14)
does not suggest that Jesus was created, and therefore not eternal God. The word translated beginning means “source, origin” (see John 1:3; Col. 1:15, 18)
The Lord demonstrated four areas of need in the church at Laodicea.
They had lost their vitality (vv. 16–17). In the Christian life, there are three “spiritual temperatures”: hot, cold, or lukewarm
- Hot reminds us of the waters of Hieroplos - healing springs
- Cold in this case is not bad - reminds us of the cool, refreshing waters of Colosse.
- Lukewarm - is unpalatable .
No wonder Paul commanded that his letter to Colosse be sent to the Laodicean church (Col. 4:16)!
They had lost their values (vv. 17–18a). The church at Smyrna thought itself poor, when it was really rich (Rev. 2:9); the Laodiceans boasted that they were rich, when in fact they were poor. Perhaps we have here a hint of why this church declined spiritually: they had become proud of their ministry and had started to measure things by humans values.
They had lost their vision (v. 18b). The Laodiceans were “blind.” They could not see reality.
The solution? Apply the heavenly eye salve! The city
of Laodicea was noted for its eye salve, but the kind of medication the saints needed was not available in the apothecary shop. The eye is one of the body’s most sensitive areas, and only the Great Physician can “operate” on it and make it what it ought to be. As He did with the man whose account is told in John 9, He might even irritate before He illuminates! But we must submit to His treatment, and then maintain good spiritual “health habits” so that our vision grows keener.
They had lost their vestments (vv. 17–22). Like the emperor in Hans Christian Andersen’s story, these Christians thought they were clothed in splendour when they were really spiritually naked! They had traded their salvation for comfort.
There is no room for insipid, safe, Christianity for those who are on fire for God.
- Correction
The Laodiceans were busy com mending themselves! They thought they were glorifying God, when in reality they were disgracing His name just as though they had been walking around naked. The Lord closed this letter with three special statements:
Jesus Still Loved Them: 3:19: Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. He still loved these luke-warm saints, even though their love for Him had grown cold. (Proverbs 3:11–12; Hebrews 12:5–6).
Jesus Expects Change: 3:19b: So be earnest and repent. The church at Laodicea had to repent of their pride and humble themselves before the Lord.
Jesus Wants to Fellowship: Rev. 3:20: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
We often use this verse to lead lost people to Christ, but the basic application is to the believer.
The Lord was outside the Laodicean church! He spoke to the individual— “if anyone”—and not to the whole congregation.
He appealed to a small remnant in Sardis (Rev. 3:4–5), and now He appeals to the individual. God can do great things in a church, even through one dedicated individual.
Note that when we invite Him in, the dining room becomes a throne room (Rev 3:21)! It is through communion with Christ that we find victory and become over-comers indeed.
Wrapping this up:
The letters to the seven churches are God’s reminder, given to us so that we might examine our own lives and ministries. Judgment is going to come to this world, but it first begins at God’s house (1 Peter 4:17). In these letters we find encouragement as well as rebuke.
May the Lord help us to hear what the Spirit is saying today to the church, and to the individuals in the
churches!
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Blog Bonus:
Key of David: The background of this imagery is Isaiah 22:15–25. Assyria had invaded Judah (as Isaiah had warned), but the Jewish leaders were trusting Egypt, not God, to deliver the nation.
One of the treacherous leaders was a man named Shebna who had used his office, not for the good of the people, but for his own private gain. God saw to it that Shebna was removed from office and that a faithful man, Eliakim, was put in his place and given the keys of authority. Eliakim was a picture of Jesus Christ, a dependable administrator of the affairs of God’s people. Jesus Christ also has the keys of hades and of death (Rev. 1:18).
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