Comfort and peace often bring out the worst in us. When we experience prosperity and stability, we tend to stop striving for excellence. This complacency and comfort can be detrimental to businesses, as seen with Blockbuster and Radio Shack. These companies became too relaxed with the status quo, no longer being challenged. They stopped improving and were quickly surpassed by more dynamic competitors like Netflix.
The sneaker industry also saw a similar pattern with eBay. In the early 2000s, eBay was a giant third-party marketplace for sneakers. It was the go-to place to sell your shoes. However, eBay became too comfortable and was overtaken by more dynamic marketplaces like StockX and GOAT. To this day, eBay has struggled to recover from the losses they incurred.
I mention all of this to highlight that the same thing can happen within a church. Today, we will delve into Revelation 3:1-6 and focus on the church of Sardis. Unlike the previously mentioned churches, the church in Sardis was not undergoing any form of persecution from the outside, and that contributed to its demise. It became a lifeless Church and was rapidly turning stale as it pertains to its spiritual life and impact on the community.
The Passage: Revelation 3:1-6
“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.’
What is the historical context of Sardis?
Now let’s take a quick look at Sardis, the city itself. Based on my research, it was an important city located approximately 55 miles from Ephesus. It was famous for its purple dye, coinage, and the production of a compound metal called electrum. The primary religion in the city was the worship of Artemis, a nature deity associated with the concept of death and rebirth. However, at the time this letter was written, Sardis was merely a shadow of its former splendor. Unfortunately, the church in Sardis also mirrored the decline of the city; it was only alive in name.
How Does Christ Reveal Himself? ( Verse 1)
In Sardis, The Living Christ reveals himself as the One who has the Seven spirits of God and the Seven Stars. The word “has” in this sentence is crucial, as it signifies that HE has ultimate control over the Seven spirits of God and the Seven Stars. In other words, they are under His authority and at His disposal. This is the key understanding of this verse.
I have previously mentioned that the term “Seven spirits of God” does not refer to seven distinct spirits, but rather conveys the completeness and perfection of the Holy Spirit, who is God’s Spirit. When it comes to Jesus having the Seven Stars, it signifies that He holds power and leadership over the seven elders, pastors, or angels of the churches. Jesus possesses divine insight to judge and evaluate any church with perfect accuracy.
The Living Christ Does Not Stop With Mere Signs Of Life ( Verse 2-6)
There is almost an abruptness in the way in which the signs of life in this church are mentioned. Jesus says about them that He knows their works, that they have a reputation of being alive but they are dead. We have previously discussed how Jesus looks beyond the surface and delves into motives and character, rather than what is projected outwardly. It is almost as if Jesus was saying these things that you are doing might bring you man’s praise and even man’s confidence but I am not impressed by them. He wants to know what lies beneath, what is in their hearts. It reminds me of the following account in 1 Samuel 16:6-7,
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord‘s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This is similar to what Jesus is expressing to this church. The show and fame of a Christian life are not always genuine expressions of spiritual life. In Sardis, there was no evident moral evil threatening the church. They may have been a church with strong moral values, sound doctrine, and engaged in regular church activities. They were likely praised by the world around them and had a positive reputation. However, we must understand something important: having good morals does not necessarily mean one is spiritually awakened.
I am sure their church services were well-attended, their numbers were increasing, and their conduct was gaining respect from the public. They were probably generous and fulfilling their responsibilities. They likely had charitable services for the poor and showed sympathy towards one another in times of sorrow. While they may not have had any obvious scandals, and other churches may have recognized them as a living church, according to Christ, they were gradually losing their vitality. Now the good news is that the Living Christ wasn’t going to let them die hence the warning.
There is an interesting fact about the citadel of Sardis that ought to be mentioned. Twice in its history, Sardis had been captured, and each time because sentries had failed to do their jobs faithfully.
It is when a churches’ leaders and members get accustomed to their blessings and complacent about their ministry that the enemy finds his way in. Their works not being complete may imply that the Church 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. No friction usually means no motion. The unsaved at Sardis probably viewed the church as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were just decent citizens who simply loved to gather together and sing hymns to someone they worshipped. And there was nothing threatening about that.
The Lord’s Counsel To The Church
The Lord’s counsel began with :Wake up. The first step toward revival in a dying church is an honest awareness that something is wrong. We need to remember that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God and He also conveyed to the church in his opening message that He possesses the seven spirits of God and the Seven Stars. Therefore, what He says carries weight because He is in the very presence of God, being God himself. Upon evaluation, Jesus tells the church that He has found their conduct to be imperfect in the sight of his God. He urges them to awaken so that what remains does not die out as well. We have previously mentioned that their imperfect conduct implies a failure to truly share the gospel, as there was no external threat or persecution. I do want to clarify that the presence of persecution does not necessarily indicate that we are doing everything right. However, it is crucial to note that during the time this message was written, Emperor worship was enforced, making any church that resisted or failed to comply subject to persecution. Hence, it is evident that the Church of Sardis did not openly stand firm in their convictions. They may have been upstanding citizens with good moral values, but their witness for Christ and His exclusive truth was feeble.
The remedy for their situation was to remember what they had received and hold fast to it. They needed to repent and recall the gospel in its unadulterated truth. By doing so, their conduct would be perfect in the sight of God. Jesus warns them that if they fail to take action, He will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night and war against them. This emphasizes the urgency for immediate repentance.
The Remnant and others Encouraged ( Verses 4-5)
Even in a dying church, there will always be a remnant—those who keep the hope of the church alive. Sardis also had such a remnant, and Christ describes them using key words that deserve our attention. Jesus speaks of them, saying that they have not soiled their garments and that they walk with him in white because they are worthy. How should we understand this? Well, we know that Jesus himself walked the earth , remained untainted even though He came into contact with lepers and sinners. His life was so vigorous and untainted that neither his soul nor his body could be stained. This is the idea of having undefiled garments. It’s important to note that this has nothing to do with physical dirtiness.
Remember what Jesus prayed in John 17: He said that although we are in the world, we are not of the world. So, the challenge for us is to maintain our witness for Christ without becoming complacent or too comfortable with worldly influences. In Sardis, there were a few who had managed to preserve their witness for Christ. They were not compromised by worldliness. Their vibrant lives impacted those around them. Jesus affirms their worthiness, and it is crucial to understand that their worthiness does not come from anything they themselves have done to prove themselves deserving. Instead, their worthiness stems from being clothed in the white garments of Christ’s righteousness, which is bestowed upon us. Earlier in His letter, Jesus stated that He is the one who possesses the seven spirits of God. Therefore, it is impossible to please God without the Holy Spirit working in us, guiding our will and actions according to his good purpose. Hence, those in Sardis were considered worthy not because of their own efforts, but because they were clothed in Christ’s righteousness through the Holy Spirit—the very same Sevenfold Spirit mentioned in the opening letter.
There is an encouraging message at the end: the one who conquers will be clothed in white, and their name will never be blotted out of The Book of Life. The only one who can conquer is the one who has been clothed in white, meaning the one who has the righteousness of Christ bestowed upon them by Christ himself. The name of that person cannot be blotted out because Jesus assures us that those whom the Father has given him will come to him, and no one can take them out of his hand since they belong to him in the first place. This message is truly encouraging to us.
Now, as the Spirit works within us while we listen to the word of God and it prompts us to repent, we know that we are the children of God. The Bible tells us that God disciplines those whom He loves. So, when God’s discipline comes upon us and we listen to his word and apply it to our lives, we hear the promise that we will walk in white garments. But it is important to understand that this is not because of ourselves, but because we belong to God and He disciplines his beloved children. These are the ones who conquer.
Conquering embodies the idea of a fight and struggle, which removes complacency. Comfort is the enemy of conquering. When we conquer, we find ourselves in a position of fighting and striving. That’s the essence of conquering, being clothed in white garments, and having the righteousness given by God. We strive because we desire to be like our Lord. The Bible tells us in the Book of John that those who have this hope in them purify themselves, knowing that He is pure.
Once again, I highly recommend listening to Reverend Voddie Baucham exposition of this passage,
PS: I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. All the content generated on this website is thoroughly analyzed prior to being shared. And the site is run solely by myself, your generous support is very much appreciated
My name is Tayib Salami and I started Tayibs.com for the sole purpose of exploring difficult questions about the Christian faith that most of us shy away from. In 2017, I entered a very dark time in my life and it’s only by the grace of the Living God that I’m still alive today. It led me to really go deeper in my faith and consider a myriad of questions that I never thought about asking myself or others before. Welcome and enjoy the ride with me.