God Speaks
“To the leader of the church in Sardis write this letter:
“This message is sent to you by the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars.
“I know your reputation as a live and active church, but you are dead. 2 Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains—for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me again. Unless you do, I will come suddenly upon you, unexpected as a thief, and punish you.
4 “Yet even there in Sardis some haven’t soiled their garments with the world’s filth; they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 Everyone who conquers will be clothed in white, and I will not erase his name from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that he is mine.
6 “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
7 “Write this letter to the leader of the church in Philadelphia.
“This message is sent to you by the one who is holy and true and has the key of David to open what no one can shut and to shut what no one can open.
8 “I know you well; you aren’t strong, but you have tried to obey and have not denied my Name. Therefore I have opened a door to you that no one can shut.
9 “Note this: I will force those supporting the causes of Satan while claiming to be mine (but they aren’t—they are lying) to fall at your feet and acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have patiently obeyed me despite the persecution, therefore I will protect you from the time of Great Tribulation and temptation, which will come upon the world to test everyone alive. 11 Look, I am coming soon! Hold tightly to the little strength you have—so that no one will take away your crown.
12 “As for the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; he will be secure and will go out no more; and I will write my God’s Name on him, and he will be a citizen in the city of my God—the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from my God; and he will have my new Name inscribed upon him.
13 “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
14 “Write this letter to the leader of the church in Laodicea:
“This message is from the one who stands firm, the faithful and true Witness of all that is or was or evermore shall be,* the primeval source of God’s creation:
15 “I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!
17 “You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.
18 “My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire—only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won’t be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight. 19 I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.
20 “Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me. 21 I will let everyone who conquers sit beside me on my throne, just as I took my place with my Father on his throne when I had conquered. 22 Let those who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
Source: The Living Bible: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: [The author of this blog thinks of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 as a unit. Therefore, they will be addressed as ” Christ’s Message to the Churches” parts one and two. Some of the same comments may appear in both PrayThrutheBible.com entries. This author must additionally note that The Wiersbe Bible Commentary also had a major influence on the reflections on the book of Revelation.]
Revelation chapter 3 contains Christ’s message to the following churches: Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Christ’s message to the majority of the people involved in the church in Sardis was one of condemnation. They appeared to be active and thriving, but His internal examination showed them to be nearly dead. Jesus called for the resuscitation of remembrance, repentance, and return to their original strong reliance on Himself. Only a few were commended for their faithful avoidance of sin which would be rewarded with white robes and their names permanently recorded in the Book of Life. The message of the One who is holy and true to those in Philadelphia: the Lord knew their faithfulness to Him, what they were going through, and how weak and powerless they felt. He promised to open a door of ministry for them, protect them through their trials and tribulation, make their enemies admit that they were wrong, and remove His people if necessary. Christ would come soon and take His faithful ones to be with Him in the new Jerusalem where they would receive a crown and His new name. The message to believers in Laodicea: quit being lukewarm, wake up, and answer Jesus’s knock at the door. Recognize their true condition, shake off their apathy, and turn to Christ in repentance and faith. Jesus was coming soon to either discipline or reward His people. It was up to them which it would be.
Prayer: Dear gracious God, You are the only one who can examine our hearts (our inner being) and know if we are truly alive in Christ. Lord, please show me where I need resuscitation or rehabilitation, and then help me to correct the situation. It’s only by staying close to You, avoiding sin, and obeying You that I will see my name written in the Book of Life. Lord, You know my level of faithfulness, what I am going through, and how weak and powerless I feel. You promise to open a door of ministry for me, protect me through the trials and tribulation ahead, make my enemies admit that they were wrong, and remove me if necessary. You, my Messiah, will come soon and take Your faithful ones to be with You in the new Jerusalem where I will receive a crown and Your new name. Holy Spirit, please help me to quit being lukewarm, wake up, and answer Jesus’s knock at the door. I recognize my true condition, shake off my apathy, and turn to You, my Savior, in repentance and faith. Jesus, You are coming soon either to discipline or reward me as one of Your people. It is up to me which it will be. I yield to whatever will bring You the most glory. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will ask the Lord to show me where I need resuscitation or rehabilitation and to help me to correct the situation.
- I will ask the Lord to show me how I can help those I am closest to (whether physically or relationally) to stay close to God, avoid sin, and obey the Lord. Then I will do whatever He shows me.
- I will use these messages to the seven churches to encourage and/or admonish various individuals or congregations as God directs.
- I will do whatever God shows me to help my local congregation to be all that He desires them to be and do.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with _________.