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Study 3 – The Letters to the Seven Churches
Revelation 3:1-22
 
V.
The letter to the Church in Sardis
The Dead Church
 
/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./
We have seen that the figure of the seven Spirits refers to the Holy Spirit in the fullness of His ministry.
Our own spiritual life depends upon the presence of the Holy Spirit in us and in the midst of our congregations.
The seven stars are the pastors of these seven churches.
The ministers are to be as stars through whom the light of Jesus Christ shines.
It is very probable that the church in Sardis had many members who were persons of high society.
Perhaps it was a church that enjoyed prestige and a good reputation among the other churches.
People could point to it and say, “Now that is a large church.
It’s really on the move!”
There is the same tendency today to talk about a congregation in terms of its size, the cost of its edifice, and the number of people who attend.
But Christ said that the church in Sardis was dead.
The Lord has a system of values very distinct from the human system.
Many churches that are considered large and of great influence for the Lord are, in fact, dead, without any spiritual life.
The Lord is not looking for great numbers.
He is looking for people who are faithful, and who have a high quality of faith, devotion, and love for Him.
 
/2         //Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God./
/3         //Remember therefore how you// have received and heard;  hold fast and repent.
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./
Here again we see the patience of the Savior.
He is not willing to cast off this church without giving it an opportunity to repent.
But, Jesus warns, the church must not abuse His patience lest He come suddenly against her.
Many are the congregations which have disdained the patience of the Lord until He has acted in judgment.
They have fallen, ceased to exist, or remained like cadavers -- having an appearance of godliness but denying the power thereof  (II Timothy 3:5).
/4         //You have a few names even in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy./
Jesus is almost at the point of blotting out the name of this church.
Nevertheless there are a few faithful persons in it, and the Lord says, “They are mine.”
These people will be kept who have remained firm in the purity of their faith and their love.
An individual has to consider his own spiritual condition.
He must maintain his own fellowship with the Lord.
Though others who call themselves Christians may walk badly, one must answer for himself.
/5         //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./
Jesus had said in one of His sermons that when He came in glory:  /“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”/ (Matthew 13:43).
It seems that He was referring to this text when He promised that His followers would wear white garments.
Let us examine the promise:  /I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life/.
There is mention made of such a book in Exodus 32:31-33:  /“Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have sinned a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
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.”/
The hand of the Lord was extended against the Israelites because of the golden calf which they had made and worshipped.
Moses was so concerned for his people and he loved them to such an extent he offered to be condemned in place of them.
But the Lord answered, /“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.”/
What we see in Exodus, and here in Revelation, is that God has a Book of Life.
In it are written the names of  every one of His followers.
It does not make any difference the church in which one is enrolled.
What is important is that one has his name written in the Book of Life in heaven.
There are those who insist that salvation cannot be lost.
They say that a Christian can commit any sin and that he still retains his salvation.
They even teach that if a Christian behaves very badly God will punish him by taking his life, that is, by taking him home to Heaven.
This is often actually preached from the pulpi t and over both radio and television.
But, how can a name be blotted out of a book where it has never been written?
Is our Lord giving a warning of something that He is not thinking of doing, or that He cannot do?
Of course not.
The truth is that one can have his name written the in the Book of Life for years and then, by his own choice, become rebellious and obstinate, giving himself over to sin.
In such a case, the Lord will blot his name out of the Book of Life.
Only those who remain faithful to the end will keep their names in the Book of Life.
(For more on this topic, please see the appendix at the end of this chapter.)
Again, the last part of verse 5:  /but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels/.
On one occasion Jesus said to His disciples:  /“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven”/ (Matthew 10:32).
We confess Jesus before men when we show by our words and our actions that we love Him above all else.
It will be a moment of inexpressible joy when the believer, there in the Celestial Kingdom, hears the Savior say before God the Father and the holy angels, “This one is Mine.
He has loved Me and served Me faithfully to the end.”
That moment, without even considering all the glories of Heaven, will more than repay the overcomer for all the trials and difficulties of this life.
/6         //He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches./
VI.
The Letter to the Church in Philadelphia
The Church Faithful to the Word of God
 
/7         //And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens./
By this greeting of the Savior, it is shown that He has a message of consolation.
Jesus Christ is He who is holy, because He possesses absolute perfection.
By means of the Holy Spirit the Lord shares His holiness with the believer.
He purifies him and He prepares him for his eternal kingdom.
Jesus Christ is the One who is true.
He is the fountain of truth who brings liberty  from the slavery of sin:  /Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make your free”/ (John 8:31,32).
The true Christian loves the One who is true and he keeps His Word.
There is mention made here of the key of David.
It belongs to the Savior.
God made a pact with King David in which He promised:  /“And you house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.
Your throne shall be established forever”/ (II Samuel 7:16).
With these words God the Father was saying that the promised Messiah would be a descendant of King David.
God the Son existed from eternity past, but when He entered the world He received a human nature and he was born of the lineage of David.
Jesus is the God-Man, the Messiah, whose throne will be established forever.
“Messiah” is the Hebrew word that means “the anointed of Jehovah.”
The word for “Messiah” in the Greek is “Christ.”
Jesus Christ has the key of David.
He gives entrance into His eternal Kingdom to any repentant sinner who comes to Him for salvation.
When Jesus opens the door to someone, no church, nor any ecclesiastical official, can close it.
Likewise, Jesus denies entrance to those who continue in sin and~/or place their hope in some other person, some other religion, or some other philosophy.
In such a case, no person or church can open the door.
Jesus Christ, the God-Man, alone has the final word concerning our eternal destiny.
/8         //I know your works.
See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;  for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name./
Like the church in Smyrna, it seems that the church in Philadelphia was composed of very poor people from the lower classes of society.
Although the members of this congregation had neither strength nor influence in their city, Jesus Christ assures them that they have an open door to reach many souls and lead them into His kingdom.
The Lord promises His blessing on this church because it has kept His Word.
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