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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
If I Were Told the Future - Lesson 26
Letter
to the Church of Sardis
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Let's pray before beginning this lesson:
Lord God,
We wish to go on with the study of the letters to the seven churches, not only to satisfy
our curiosity, but above all to learn how to better love and serve You.
Today we will give particular attention to the fifth letter, addressed to the church of
Sardis.
We humbly ask You to guide us, so that our understanding of this letter may be in harmony
with the message You want to give us. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 1:11
«What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis (...).»
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The fifth letter is addressed to the church of Sardis, a name
meaning «That which remains».
The city of Sardis, former capital of the kingdom of Lydia, fell into the hands of the
Persian king Cyrus in 547 B.C., during the reign of the rich and legendary king Croesus.
In A.D. 17, it lost much prestige when a terrible earthquake devastated it. At the time of
the writing of Revelation, the city was still in the process of restoration.
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Revelation 3:1
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, «These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.»
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Revelation 1:4,16
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to
come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne. (...)
He had in His right hand seven stars.
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Similar to the previous letters, this letter begins with a
portrait of Jesus taken from the initial vision of John.
What does this portrait symbolize?
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Revelation 3:1
These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God.
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Revelation 5:6
And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
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First, the seven Spirits of God, which are the «seven eyes of the Lamb», illustrate the omniscience of Jesus: He knows everything, He sees everything, since the seven Spirits are «sent out into all the earth».
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Proverbs 15:3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
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Jeremiah 16:17
For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes.
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So Jesus introduces Himself to the church of Sardis as the One
who sees everything, beyond what man can see or perceive.
By deepening our search in the Bible, we can even identify the nature of the seven Spirits
of God...
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The prophecy of Isaiah 11 speaks of Jesus and the Seven Spirits of God:
«There shall come forth a
| ===> | Announcement of Jesus' first coming
Rod from the stem of Jesse, | ===> | (see: - Romans 15:8,12;
and a Branch shall grow | ===> |
- Revelation 5:5; 22:16).
out of his roots. The Spirit |
of the Lord shall rest upon | First Spirit : «Spirit of the Lord».
Him, the Spirit of wisdom | Second Spirit : «Spirit of wisdom».
and understanding, | Third Spirit
: «Spirit of understanding».
the Spirit of counsel | Fourth Spirit : «Spirit of
counsel».
and might,
| Fifth Spirit : «Spirit of might».
the Spirit of knowledge and | Sixth Spirit : «Spirit of knowledge».
of the fear of the Lord.» | Seventh Spirit: «Spirit of the fear of the
(ISAIAH 11:1,2) |
Lord».
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Revelation 3:1
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, «These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.»
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Revelation 1:16,20
He had in His right hand seven stars. (...)
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.
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Furthermore, as we have seen in the letter to Ephesus, Jesus introduces Himself as He who has the seven stars, thus indicating that, in spite of the sad spiritual state of the church, He continues to be with it.
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Revelation 3:1
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,
«These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know
your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."»
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For the first time, Jesus doesn't begin the letter with a
positive point.
Reputed to be alive, Sardis is in fact a dead church. It perfectly represents what
happened to the Church between the years 1517 and 1755.
It's sad news since, after the period of spiritual darkness and generalized apostasy of
538 to 1517, the Reformation was announcing better days.
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Revelation 3:1
I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
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The first years of the Reformation, a movement initiated by
Martin Luther in 1517, brought about the rediscovery of the Bible and its message of
salvation by grace in Jesus Christ.
But this spiritual awakening didn't last. Protestantism soon politicized itself and became
a national religion, thus making the same errors as the Church it had left.
Theologians became more preoccupied with defining the Gospel than with living it in their
hearts. Piety was transformed into a cold formalism, without any meaning or power.
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Revelation 3:2
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
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James 2:26
Faith without works is dead.
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So Jesus advises Sardis to renew a personal relationship with
God, to rediscover genuine faith. This faith goes together with a transforming power,
urging the believer into action.
For obedience to God isn't only an outward submission: it is, above all, a service of
love.
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Revelation 3:3
Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
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Revelation 2:5
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.
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As with the church of Ephesus, Jesus calls Sardis to come back to its first love, to its zeal of the early years of the Reformation, when the Bible had been reinstated as the only basis of the Christian faith, putting aside human traditions marked with paganism.
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Revelation 3:3
Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
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The city of Sardis was really aware of the danger of not being
watchful.
Located on a high plateau at a height of about 1000 feet, and protected by very steep
slopes, the city was considered to be safe from enemies. Yet, it was invaded by surprise
twice: in 547 B.C., by the Persian king Cyrus the Great; then in 218 B.C., by the king
Antiochus the Great.
However, Jesus' warning is addressed particularly to His Church through the ages, not only
to the local church of Sardis.
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Revelation 16:15
Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
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1 Thessalonians 5:2,4
For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
comes as a thief in the night. (...)
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
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Jesus will come as a thief, that is, in a unexpected way.
But he who is watchful won't be surprised by this sudden event.
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Matthew 24:42-44
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is
coming.
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come,
he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not
expect Him.
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The Bible is very clear: nobody knows the day or the hour of
Jesus' second coming.
But God invites us to always be watchful, to be ready when our Savior and Lord appears.
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Revelation 3:4
You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments.
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Like He did in the letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus
recognizes here the presence of faithful believers within the dead Church.
Indeed, many Christians showed perseverance between 1517 and 1755. The main groups were
known under the following names:
- «Reformed Christians» in central Europe;
- «Huguenots» in France;
- «Puritans» in England.
They had to face the attacks of the Church of Rome, as well as the opposition of the
protestant world.
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Revelation 3:4
You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
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Revelation 7:14
[They] washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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The white garment which Jesus promises is the robe of
righteousness He offers to the sinner, so that he may be able to stand before God and
inherit eternal life.
Let's look at the following verses about this white garment.
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Jesus offers the white robe imparting His perfect righteousness to us:
«I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for
the word of God and for the testimony which they held. (...) And a white robe was given to
each of them.» (REVELATION 6:9,11)
«After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of
all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.» (REVELATION 7:9)
«All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.» (ISAIAH 64:6)
«Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.» (ROMANS 13:14)
«I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has
clothed me with the garments of salvation.» (ISAIAH 61:10)
«Let your garments always be white.» (ECCLESIASTES 9:8)
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Revelation 3:5
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.
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Revelation 20:15
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
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Jesus also promises to him that overcomes that He won't blot out his name from the Book of Life, containing the names of those who accepted Him as their personal Savior, thus allowing them to inherit eternal life.
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The Book of Life contains the names of those who are saved in Jesus:
«And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who
labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose
names are in the Book of Life.» (PHILIPPIANS 4:3)
«And all who dwell on the earth will worship [the beast], whose names have not been
written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.»
(REVELATION 13:8)
«And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.»
(REVELATION 20:15)
«At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of
your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a
nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who
is found written in the book.» (DANIEL 12:1)
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Exodus 32:32,33
«Yet now, if You will forgive their sin - but if not, I pray,
blot me out of Your book which You have written.»
And the Lord said to Moses, «Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My
book.»
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Psalm 69:28
Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
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Just as indicated in the letter to the church of Sardis, it is
really possible to have one's name blotted out of the Book of Life.
This is why perseverance is so important.
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The Bible is clear: perseverance is essential to our salvation.
«But he who endures to the end shall be saved.» (MATTHEW 24:13)
«In your patience possess your souls.» (LUKE 21:19)
«Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you
received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word
which I preached to you - unless you believed in vain.» (1 CORINTHIANS 15:1,2)
«For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may
receive the promise.» (HEBREWS 10:36)
«He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if
anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him. But we are not of those who draw back
to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.» (HEBREWS 10:37-39)
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On the contrary, a lack of perseverance is a threat to our salvation:
«But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and
commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does,
shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of
the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of
them he shall die.» (EZEKIEL 18:24)
«And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book.» (REVELATION 22:19)
«But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to
others, I myself should become disqualified.» (1 CORINTHIANS 9:27)
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The best way to persevere is to abide in Jesus:
«And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears,
we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.» (1 JOHN 2:28)
«If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out.» (JOHN 15:6)
«For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast to the end.» (HEBREWS 3:14)
«We are [the house of Christ] if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the
hope firm to the end.» (HEBREWS 3:6)
«[Christ] has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and
blameless, and irreproachable in His sight, if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded
and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard.»
(COLOSSIANS 1:21-23)
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Revelation 3:5,6
He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will
not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father
and before His angels.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Finally, Jesus promises to him that overcomes that He will
confess his name before His Father and before His angels.
When He was on earth, Jesus said that He would confess our name before God and before His
angels, but on one condition...
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Matthew 10:32,33
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also
confess before My Father who is in heaven.
But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
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Luke 12:8
Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.
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Jesus' position is logical: if we profess to be His brothers and sisters, and if we act accordingly, He will do the same before His Father.
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Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.
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Ephesians 5:14
Therefore He says: «Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.»
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Now, what is the personal application of the letter to Sardis?
We must always make sure that our faith, so ardent at the time of our conversion, does not
fade away into a formalism which induces sleep... or death!
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Revelation 3:1
I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
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1 Corinthians 10:12
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
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After having rediscovered and proclaimed the Bible's message of
salvation by grace in Jesus Christ, Sardis, the Reformation Church, ceased to be watchful,
and slowly slipped towards spiritual death. Let's avoid this grave error.
Let's end this lesson with a summary of the letter to the church of Sardis.
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The five points of the pattern in the letter to the church of Sardis:
1. Portrait of Jesus, according to the spiritual state of
the church.
«He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.»
(REVELATION 3:1)
2. Praise, acknowledgement of the positive points.
Jesus mentions no positive point for this church.
3. Condemnation, identification of the negative points.
«You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.»
(REVELATION 3:1)
4. Correction, counsels to restore the situation.
«Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are
ready to die (...). Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and
repent.» (REVELATION 3:2,3)
5. Promise, encouragement to persevere.
«He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will
not blot out his name from the Book of Life.» (REVELATION 3:5)
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Let's end this lesson with a prayer:
Father,
Your Son said to us: «Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with
carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.»
(Luke 21:34)
The church of Sardis did not follow this valuable advice, and let itself be put to sleep
by the success of the Reformation's first years.
Please help us to always remain watchful, and to persevere in the faith, in order that our
name may remain written in the Book of Life of the Lamb, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
In His name we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 26 is waiting for you!