Revelation 3:1-6

Notes from Bible study with Dr. Chuck Missler


The Letter to the Church at Sardis
Revelation 3:1-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbjkyHpi9R4
“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. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 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. 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. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.




7 ELEMENTS OF THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH OF SARDIS


1. Name of the Church: Sardis
Because of its history, its name became synonymous with failure:
- Pretensions unjustified
- Promise without performance
- Appearance without reality
- False confidence that heralded ruin
- Betrayed themselves by lack of watchfulness and diligence


The word Sardis has no meaning. And that’s exactly the point. The church during this period of time had a name, but it is empty in meaning. It was supposed to be precious but it has become so common, it has no uniqueness.


2. Title of Christ Chosen
“These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars” (Revelation 3:1)


3. Commendation
None!


4. Concern
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1)


5. Exhortation
Be WATCHFUL and STRENTHEN the things which remain; 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. 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 (Revelation 3:2-4).


“I will come like a thief in the night”
Jesus warned he would come as a thief in the night; Sardis was repeatedly conquered by their enemies who came like a thief in the night.


“Be Watchful”


- Be vigilant: 10 Virgins of Matthew 25


- Watchfulness: Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 16:13
We should be watchful of…


- The wiles of the devil: 1 Peter 5:8


- Temptation: Matthew 26:41


- His Coming: Matthew 24:42-43; Mark 13:37; 1 Thessalonians 5:6


- False Teachers: Acts 20:29-31 (Ephesus was watchful of false teachers. This was their commendation.)


“Strengthen things which remain”


There weren't many things that remained during that time, because great truths are being lost:


- The justification by faith alone (Reformation era really hit this point home)


- The inerrant Word of God


- The depravity of man (Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” There is no way man can work his way to deserve salvation.)


- Redemption by His blood


“… works nor complete”


Works such as...


- our love


- our fear (awe, respect, etc. for God; which are all reflected in our devotional life)


- our loyalty (our ambassadorship; if we are representing the King, we better make sure we represent Him correctly!)


- our service


Matthew 7:21-23
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”


This passage also suggests that if we do remain watchful, if we are strengthened, if we remember, if we obey, if we repent, we will not miss Jesus’ coming!


6. Promise to the Overcomer
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 (Revelation 3:5).


7. Close
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 3:6).




Levels of Application


1. Local


- Sardis was one of the oldest cities on Earth


- It was strategically located between Pergamos, Smyrna, Ephesus, Philadelphia, and Phrygia: became very wealth because its location was at a hub for commerce


- It was accessible only via its south side: Sardis was highly elevated, with its northern, eastern, and western sides facing 1000 ft cliff drops; its base flowed the river Pactolus which served as a moat, rendering the city practically inaccessible


- Persian King Cyrus besieged Sardis in 549 BC by offering a reward to any man who could find a way of scaling the precipitous cliffs on the three sides of the city. The land was largely of clay, which produced cracks that made the cliffs scalable. Worse, King Cyrus was able to succeed because Croesus (then King of Lydia) left the cliffs unguarded, leaving the scalable cliffs open to intrusion. This city was taken like a thief in the night. In 214 BC, the city was taken again. Hegel: “History teaches that history teaches us nothing.” Sardis appeared to be secure but not really so!


- Today, only fragments of its proud history stands


2. Admonitory (to all churches)
Do not be empty in the name.


3. Personal (Homiletics)
Be watchful and diligent--Do not lose our sight of God




4. Prophetic
If Thyatira represented the papacy church, then Sardis would represent the reformed church.




Reformation


- As early as the 13h century (before Martin Luther’s prime), the papacy had become vulnerable to attack because of the greed, immorality, and ignorance of many of its officials in all ranks of the hierarchy


- In the 14th century, John Wycliffe (English reformer) boldly attacked the papacy for 1) the sale of indulgences; 2) the excessive veneration of saints; 3) the moral and intellectual standards of ordained priests. To reach the common people, he translated the Bible into English rather than Latin.
- In the 15th century, Wycliffe’s teachings spread to Bohemia, where they found Jan Hus (John Huss) to be their powerful advocate




The Gutenberg Press


- Invention of printing with movable metal type


- The Guten berg Bible is the 1st book so printed


- Increased efficiency of printing, and a more literate population, enhanced the spread of ideas, fueling the 16th-century Protestant Reformation in Germany


- Scholarly studies laid the basis on which Luther, Calvin, and other reformers claim the Bible rather than the church as the sole authority




Martin Luther


- In 1483, Martin Luther was born to a coal miner.


- He was determined to become a lawyer until a violent storm changed his course to purse a doctorate in theology in 1504.


- He visited Rome and became very disillusioned but found that Habbakuk 2-4 was the key: The just shall live by Faith.


- On Oct. 31, 1517, he nailed 95 theses to the door at Wittenburg College – His point was to get these churches to reform, to shed all the pagan practices.


- However, on Dec. 10, 1520, Luther was excommunicated, given the warning of “retract within 60 days or death.” Luther burned that notice publicly, and the Reformation was born.




The Centuries of Wars


- The point was to stamp out the Reformation and make sure the papacy retained power


- The war on the German Protestants (1455-1609)


- The War on Protestans of Netherlands (1566-1609)


- Huguenot Wars in France (1572-1598)


- Philip’s attempt against England (1588)


- Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
Jesuits


- An order founded by Ignatius Loyola Spaniard on the principle of absolute and unconditional obedience to the Pope, having its object the recovery of territory lost to Protestants and Muslims, and the conquest of the entire heathen world for the Roman Catholic Church.


- Their supreme aim was the destruction of heresy—that is, thinking anything different from what the Pope said to think.


- For this accomplishment anything was justifiable: deception, immorality, vice, even murder.


- In France, they were responsible for St. Bartholomew’s Massacre, persecution of the Hugenots, revocation of the Toleration Edict, and facilitating the French Revolution.


- In Spain, Netherlands, south Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Poland, and other countries, they led in the massacre of untol multitudes, and thus saved the Papacy from ruin.




Revolution of the Church


1054: Eastern Orthodoxy
1173: Waldensians (Peter Waldo)
1379: Lollards (John Wycliffe)
1415: Hussites (Jan Hus)
1517: Lutheranism (Martin Luther)
1521: Anabaptists (Scandanavian Lutherns)
1523: Swinglianism (Huldreich Zwingli)
1534: Anglicanism (Henry VIII broke off from the Roman Catholic Church for political reasons to create the church of England)
1536: Mennonites (Menno Simons)
1536: Calvinism (John Calvin)
1540s: German Reformed Church
1550s: Hungarian Reformed Church
1560s: French Calvinists (Huguenots)
1560s: Scottish Presbyterians (John Knox)
1560s: Congregationalism (Puritans)
1570s: Dutch Reformed Church
1606: English Baptists (John Smyth)
1647: Quakers (George Fox)
1690: Amish (Jacom Ammon)
1739: Methodism (John Wesley)
1785: Protestant Episcopal Church
1800: United Brethren in Christ
1819: Unitarianism (William Channing)
1831: Disciples of Christ (Thomas Campbell)
1863: Seventh-Day Adventists (William Miller)
1865: Salvation Army (William Booth)
1879: Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy)
1914: Assemblies of God





State Churches
220: Origen introduces infant baptism
312: Constantine “adopts” Christianity
325: Edit of Toleration: state endorsed religion
380: House churches outlawed (Lutherns and Calvins outlawed house churches because house churches represent loss of control of the mind)
431: Council of Ephesus: Mary worshiped as the “Mother of God”
440: Leo the Great became the “Bishop of Rome”
445: Valentian confirmed as “Spiritual leader of Western Empire”
500: Common priestly dress code
565: Justinian: state-ordained church
607: Boniface III: 1st “Pope” of Catholic Church
709: Kissing Pope’s foot begins
786: Worship of images and relic develops
850: Use of holy water begins
995: Canonization of dead Saints
998: Fasting on Fridays and before Lent
1070: Celibacy of the priesthood instituted (to prevent Popes from inheriting estates; to ensure the state still maintain the wealther/power)
1090: Prayer beads adopted from paganism
1184: Inquisition begins: Jews, witches, etc. are burned and killed
1254: Pope Innocence IV officially establishes Sale of Indulgences
1215: Transubstantiation of water and wine
1229: Reading the Bible was forbidden for the layman
1414: Communion cup was forbidden to the lay people
1439: Doctrine of Purgatory was decreed (completely non-biblical)
1492: Jews were outlawed in Spain (which was why Columbus had to leave with his crew before midnight)
1545: Traditions were granted equal authority with the Bible (By who? Not by God. By man!)


The Reformation: They did an excellent job with reforming soteriology (salvation by faith), but they retained erroneous traditions


1517: Luther’s 95 theses ignited the Reformation period (other known participants are Zwingli, Melanchlon, Clavin, John Knox, and others)
1526: Reversions to traditional forms of services (vs. Anabaptists etc.)
1530: “All lay pastors teaching publicly are to be killed” – Lutherns, Calvinists, etc. have their own power problems
1600: 40 translations from the Latin Bible, to put the Bible into the lay people’s hands
1700: Huguenots were murdered (Claude Brousson publicly executed before 10,000 people)


Protestant leadership, following the Reformation, continues to persecute deviant groups that adhere to Biblical doctrines





What is wrong with the Church today


- Allegorical myths: Tends toward “soft” hermeneutical traditions (Takes, for example, the Bible overly allegorically, often ignoring the most literal meaning)


- Denies the Millennial Reign


- Denies Israel’s prophetic destiny


- Ignores a Biblical devotional life


- De-emphasizes the Gospel of Christ as emphasized by Paul


- Ignores the imminent return of Christ


- promotes pagan fallacies, such as “there is no absolute truth; everything is relative”




To address these issues, let us re-visit how the Church first started


- A group of 12 disciples gathered alongside the seashore


- The church was born at Pentecost (Acts 2:2)


- The early church met in houses: Acts 2:46; 5:42; 9:3; 9:11; 12:12; 16:40; 18:7; 20:20; 21:8; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; Colossians 4:15; 1 Timothy 5:13-14; Philemon 1:2)


- The Church is supposed to be a place where people can literally see the Body of Christ



- Christianity is a way of life, not a series of meetings.


- The first disciples of the church referred to Christianity as “the Way” (Acts 18:26)


- There is no such thing as “a house of God”! God does not live in temples made by human hands! We ARE His temples!


- There is no bureaucratic clergy recorded in the New Testament! There are no clerical mediators; the only mediator between us and God is Jesus! (1 Timothy 2:5)


- We should consider the open, organic styles of the New Testament church, instead of being limited to the man-dictated structured approach canonized by the state in the 4th century. That is, allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our path toward righteousness through Jesus, as opposed to following the follies of men.




Henry' Commentary 

Rev 3:1-6


Here is, I. The preface, showing, 1. To whom this letter is directed: To the angel of the church of Sardis, an ancient city of Lydia, on the banks of the mountain Tmolus, said to have been the chief city of Asia the Less, and the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of John; and, some say, the first that revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in its ruins, in which it still lies, without any church or ministry. 2. By whom this message was sent - the Lord Jesus, who here assumes the character of him that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars, taken out of Rev_1:4, where the seven spirits are said to be before the throne. (1.) He hath the seven spirits, that is, the Holy Spirit with his various powers, graces, and operations; for he is personally one, though efficaciously various, and may be said here to be seven, which is the number of the churches, and of the angels of the churches, to show that to every minister, and to every church, there is a dispensation and measure of the Spirit given for them to profit withal - a stock of spiritual influence for that minister and church to improve, both for enlargement and continuance, which measure of the Spirit is not ordinarily withdrawn from them, till they forfeit it by misimprovement. Churches have their spiritual stock and fund, as well as particular believers; and, this epistle being sent to a languishing ministry and church, they are very fitly put in mind that Christ has the seven spirits, the Spirit without measure and in perfection, to whom they may apply themselves for the reviving of his work among them. (2.) He hath the seven stars, the angels of the churches; they are disposed of by him, and accountable to him, which should make them faithful and zealous. He has ministers to employ, and spiritual influences to communicate to his ministers for the good of his church. The Holy Spirit usually works by the ministry, and the ministry will be of no efficacy without the Spirit; the same divine hand holds them both.


II. The body of this epistle. There is this observable in it, that whereas in the other epistles Christ begins with commending what is good in the churches, and then proceeds to tell them what is amiss, in this (and in the epistle to Laodicea) he begins,


1. With a reproof, and a very severe one: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Hypocrisy, and a lamentable decay in religion, are the sins charged upon this church, by one who knew her well, and all her works. (1.) This church had gained a great reputation; it had a name, and a very honourable one, for a flourishing church, a name for vital lively religion, for purity of doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in worship, decency, and order. We read not of any unhappy divisions among themselves. Every thing appeared well, as to what falls under the observation of men. (2.) This church was not really what it was reputed to be. They had a name to live, but they were dead; there was a form of godliness, but not the power, a name to live, but not a principle of life. If there was not a total privation of life, yet there was a great deadness in their souls and in their services, a great deadness in the spirits of their ministers, and a great deadness in their ministrations, in their praying, in their
preaching, in their converse, and a great deadness in the people in hearing, in prayer, and in conversation; what little life was yet left among them was, in a manner, expiring, ready to die.


2. Our Lord proceeds to give this degenerate church the best advice: Be watchful, and strengthen the things, etc., Rev_3:2. (1.) He advises them to be upon their watch. The cause of their sinful deadness and declension was that they had let down their watch. Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground, and therefore must return to our watchfulness against sin, and Satan, and whatever is destructive to the life and power of godliness. (2.) To strengthen the things that remain, and that are ready to die. Some understand this of persons; there were some few who had retained their integrity, but they were in danger of declining with the rest. It is a difficult thing to keep up to the life and power of godliness ourselves, when we see a universal deadness and declension prevailing round about us. Or it may be understood of practices, as it follows: I have not found thy works perfect before God, not filled up; there is something wanting in them; there is the shell, but not the kernel; there is the carcase, but not the soul - the shadow, but not the substance. The inward thing is wanting, thy works are hollow and empty; prayers are not filled up with holy desires, alms-deeds not filled up with true charity, sabbaths not filled up with suitable devotion of soul to God; there are not inward affections suitable to outward acts and expressions. Now when the spirit is wanting the form cannot long subsist. (3.) To recollect themselves, and remember how they have received and heard (Rev_3:3); not only to remember what they had received and heard, what messages they had received from God, what tokens of his mercy and favour towards them, what sermons they had heard, but how they had received and heard, what impressions the mercies of God had made upon their souls at first, what affections they felt working under their word and ordinances, the love of their espousals, the kindness of their youth, how welcome the gospel and the grace of God were to them when they first received them. Where is the blessedness they then spoke of? (4.) To hold fast what they had received, that they might not lose all, and repent sincerely that they had lost so much of the life of religion, and had run the risk of losing all.


3. Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening in case it should be despised: I will come unto thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know the hour, Rev_3:3. Observe, (1.) When Christ leaves a people as to his gracious presence, he comes to them in judgment; and his judicial presence will be very dreadful to those who have sinned away his gracious presence. (2.) His judicial approach to a dead declining people will be surprising; their deadness will keep them in security, and, as it procures an angry visit from Christ to them, it will prevent their discerning it and preparing for it. (3.) Such a visit from Christ will be to their loss; he will come as a thief, to strip them of their remaining enjoyments and mercies, not by fraud, but in justice and righteousness, taking the forfeiture they have made of all to him.


4. Our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some comfort and encouragement: In the midst of judgment he remembers mercy (Rev_3:4), and here (1.) He makes honourable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, though but small: Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; they had not given into the prevailing corruptions and pollution of the day and place in which they lived. God takes notice of the smallest number of those who abide with him; and the fewer they are the more precious in his sight. (2.) He makes a very gracious promise to them: They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy - in the stola, the white robes of justification, and adoption, and comfort, or in the white robes of honour and glory in the other world. They shall walk with Christ in the pleasant walks of the heavenly paradise; and what delightful converse will there be between Christ and them when they thus walk together! This is an honour proper and suitable to their integrity, which their fidelity has prepared them for, and which it is no way unbecoming Christ to confer upon them, though it is not a legal but a gospel worthiness that is ascribed to them, not merit but meetness. Those who walk with Christ in the clean garments of real practical holiness here, and keep themselves unspotted from the world, shall walk with Christ in the white robes of honour and glory in the other world: this is a suitable reward.


III. We now come to the conclusion of this epistle, in which, as before, we have,


1. A great reward promised to the conquering Christian (Rev_3:5), and it is very much the same with what has been already mentioned: He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment. The purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory. Holiness, when perfected, shall be its own reward; glory is the perfection of grace, differing not in kind, but in degree. Now to this is added another promise very suitable to the case: I will not blot his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. Observe, (1.) Christ has his book of life, a register and roll of all who shall inherit eternal life. [1.] The book of eternal election. [2.] The book of remembrance of all those who have lived to God, and have kept up the life and power of godliness in evil times. (2.) Christ will not blot the names of his chosen and faithful ones out of this book of life; men may be enrolled in the registers of the church, as baptized, as making a profession, as having a name to live, and that name may come to be blotted out of the roll, when it appears that it was but a name, a name to live, without spiritual life; such often lose the very name before they die, they are left of God to blot out their own names by their gross and open wickedness. But the names of those that overcome shall never be blotted out. (3.) Christ will produce this book of life, and confess the names of the faithful who stand there, before God, and all the angels; he will do this as their Judge, when the books shall be opened; he will do this as their captain and head, leading them with him triumphantly to heaven, presenting them to the Father: Behold me, and the children that thou hast given me. How great will this honour and reward be!


2. The demand of universal attention finishes the message. Every word from God deserves attention from men; that which may seem more particularly directed to one body of men has something in it instructive to all.