The Church of Sardis, Rev. 3:1-6
Rev. 3:1 “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” What an intriguing picture of Christ. He’s pointing us to what He has, something no one else has. Commentators say the seven Spirits represent the seven-fold traits of the Holy Spirit listed in Isaiah 11:2—Spirit, wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord. He also has the seven stars, which is explained in Rev. 1:20, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” When something is in His hand, it’s in His protection, and the angels, or messengers of the churches, are in His protective care. Why should these be important to us?
Sardis is described as, “you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” Yet Jesus said, “the Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). The apostle Paul said the same thing: “the letter [of the law] kills, but the Spirit gives life” (1 Cor. 3:6). If you are dead, the Spirit has not been making any headway. You do not receive wisdom or understanding of the ways of the Lord. You are not receiving counsel about your wrongdoing so you can receive strength to overcome it. Your prized knowledge is foolishness because it does not lead to the fear of the Lord, of putting Him above all else. Only the Spirit can revive a sinner; He can make the contrite alive again.
So we come to the Lord to be revived. Job tells us that God bruises and binds up; “He wounds, but his hand make whole” (Job 5:18). Several verses speak of the works of His hands, of creation. Everything we need is in His hands. He has the seven stars, people in the church that He protects, that they may continue to convey truth to those who have the ears to hear. Ask the Lord for ears to hear. Ask the Lord for everything you need to persevere in your spiritual walk with Him. He is the Savior still. This is the work He has taken upon Himself to do.
You might look around at the church you are in and recognize their deadness in the things of God. They go to church, but do not show any interest or eagerness for the things of God, unlike you. The Lord’s promise is for you “who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy” (Rev. 3:4). Jesus will acknowledge you before the throne of God and give you a white robe of righteousness. Although all believers are accounted as righteous before God, God expects us to live up to the calling He has called us to, that we live out the righteousness by our lifestyle. So in the end He will judge us according to our works (Matt. 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:9-10).
Christ came to call sinners to repentance. What does He offer to those who overcome their sin by His grace? He will not blot out their name from the Book of Life, and He will confess your name before the Father and the angels (Rev. 3:5).
