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3 "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. 2Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, 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.
4Yet 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. 5He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
INTRODUCTION SardisThe impregnable, situate upon a nearly inaccessible hill, its people were proud arrogant, over-confident. They were sure that no one could scale its perpendicular sides. Only one point of access. A very narrow neck at the south and this could be fortified very easily. But the enemy came in B.C. 549 and B.C. 218 and took Sardis. One unobserved, unguarded weak point, a crack in the wall. The chance of a thousand for a night attack. But the enemy came. Skillful mountain climbers scaled the slopes and dealt the crushing blow. Today all that remains is a cemetery. Many of our great churches of the past are now living monuments. This church had no doctrinal problems--no mention of persecution or opposition. All it had was reputation without reality, form without force. Both times in history the city had been captured because sentries had gone to sleep and failed on their jobs, likewise, when God's sentries gets complacent the church is invaded by enemies. One writer called them a decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry. It is good to guard our heritage from Campbell but not embalm it. We must infuse spirit and life into a church.
EXPOSITION 1 You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. This church was a corps in a religious cloak. They had lost interest and enthusiasm.
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. It enjoyed peacethe peace of a cemetery. Dead professorsprofession is one thing, character is another.
They had sunk into spiritual stupor and are now called upon to shake off slothfulness and fan the dying sparks.
3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, 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. Jesus calls upon them to remember the happy days of the past. The best way to prevent spiritual declension is to remember the happy days of when we first knew Jesus. We need to hold fast like a drowning man holds fast to the rope thrown to him.
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. A few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. FEW! True too many places. Faith, love, genuine and sincere were lacking.
Some put on the Christian uniform and fight for the world.
5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. Not blot out his name. While the lamp holds out to burn the vilest sinner may return. When church members die he removes their names from the book of life.
6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This life giving message is enough to revive a dead church.
To the Church in Philadelphia
INTRODUCTION Philadelphia has been called a church with an opportunity. Today about 10,000 people live there. This city was situate in a valley on a very important road. It derived its name from Attalus II, 159-138 B..C. Whose loyalty to his brother Eumenes won him the epithet "brother lover." It was founded with the intention of being a center for the spread of the Greek language and manners in Lydia and Phrygia. Hence from the beginning it was a missionary city and very successful in its purpose. It was located 20 miles from Sardis.
EXPOSITION 7 "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.
He that is true.
Key of David.
Such characteristics were a guarantee that his pronouncements would be true.
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. "I know thy works" (KJV). Only Jesus truly knows our works and efforts and labors and difficulties.
No one has the power to prevent you from rendering service. Little strength: This may mean that they were small compared to the pagan populace. They are complimented for resisting temptation and keeping his word.
9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liarsI will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Synagogue of Satan: see comments 2:9. I will make them to come and worship before thy feet: This would be a fulfillment of Isaiah:
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 upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
We see that divine protection and human exertion go hand in hand. I will also keep you from the hour of trial
The period when temptation endangers your soul, Jesus will give you grace to sustain you.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. When Jesus comes He will raise the dead.
He will Judge the world.
He will give us a new body.
He will sentence the wicked.
So that no one will take your crown. Let no man take thy crown. cf. 2:10. Fear, unbelief and delay has caused many churches to neglect its God-given opportunities.
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him 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 him my new name. Overcometh is a favorite word of Jesus. When you feel crushed, defeated and downcast Jesus calls upon you to surmount, and subdue and conquer and overthrow your enemy. Dear reader if your soul has wandered into sin you may overcome the fetters that hold you. If you have been in the lowlands of strife and despair Jesus calls upon you today to overcome. If you are in dread sway you can overcome today. If you are bruised and fainting, footsore and weary, Jesus calls upon you to overcome. If your days are dark and fears possess you then Jesus says overcome. I John 2:13,14; 4:4; 5:4,5, Peter Marshall said, "It is better to fail in a cause that will ultimately succeed than to succeed in a cause that will ultimately fail." I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.
Jesus promises to make them strong leaders and that they will be justly honored. Dear reader please trust in the promises.
l3 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Jesus begs us to hear his humble pleas. If you will hear him he will heal your wounds, help your unbelief, he will intercede for you if you will cast your heavy burden upon him.
To the Church in Laodicea
INTRODUCTION Laodicea has been called the complacent church. It was located 40 miles south west of Philadelphia. Hot springs here emitting lukewarm water. A figure which they understood. Here grew up a famous school of medicine. Among other things it produced a remedy for weak eyes. Laodicea was famous for wealth. Home of millionaires. It had theaters, stadiums, gymnasiums, baths, etc. When partly wrecked by an earthquake in A.D. 61. they refused government aid. Even the church possessed this proud defiant, conceited attitude.
EXPOSITION 14 "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. The Amen: The word Amen occurs 150 times and it translated 50 times "Amen" and 100 times "verily." Thayer says that at the beginning of a discourse it means "Surely, of a truth, truly." He says a repetition of a word as John alone uses it, has the force of a superlative, "Most assuredly, "And at the close of a sentence means, "So be it, so be it, may it be fulfilled."The faithful and true witness. We can put complete reliance in Jesus. The ruler of God's creation.The beginning of the creation of God.
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! "I know thy works" (KJV): See comments on 2:9. "Thou art neither cold nor hot." This church was filled with self conceit and self deceit. The Lord does not want us to indifferent. Hot means full of zeal and enthusiasm while cold means complacent and full of apathy.
16 So, because you are lukewarmneither hot nor coldI am about to spit you out of my mouth. The ancient city and church have passed away. It has been spit out.
17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. They were blinded by their riches.
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. Gold tried in the fire. They needed tried faith
White clothes .
They needed the garments of righteousness.
And salve to put on your eyes, so you can see Anoint your eyes. This city manufactured eye salve so Jesus tells them they better buy some for themselves. Eye salve caused the eyes to smart and brought a flood of tears and washed away the obstruction. Oh! how they needed it.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Oh! That is why he writesbecause he loves them. The emphasis is on the pronoun "I." Jesus says shake off your complacency 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 him, and he with me. Knocking represents two things. (1) The desire of admittance and (2) The right of him who dwells within. If Christ is on the outside there is something wrong on the inside. When is Christ on the outside of a church? (a) When in its fellowship respectability is thought more of than spiritual fervor. (b) When talent is thought more of than spiritual power. (c) When wealth and social position is recognized and growth in grace is not. (d) When a church boasts of its contributions instead of its faithful.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. To him that overcometh. Dear reader are you overcoming daily with the Spirit's sword? Are you overcoming your struggles and temptations, your tribulations and woes? Have you overcome your clouds of doubt? Jesus will give you power to conquerHe will set you free. Have you overcome where your wayward feet have lead you. If your spirit is oppressed, if fetters of sin bind you, if the lowlands of strife has latched on to you then be assured that you can overcome. The joy of salvation and all that it entails can be yours. Let Jesus into your life. Open the door today. "I will give the right to sit with me on my throne."
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is the same admonition that he has given to all of the churches. Links to other Revelation chapter commentary below e-mail echo@4thewordofgod.com
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