Professing Christ – Revelation 3:1-6
Revelation 3:1: “And to the messenger 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.”
Jesus introduces Himself to Sardis as the One who has the seven Spirits of God, that is the fullness of God’s Spirit.
Isaiah 11:2 articulates the sevenfold Spirit of God: “The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
In John 3:30-31, John the Baptist testified that he wanted Jesus to increase. He said that He who comes from heaven [meaning Jesus] is above all. Then, in John 3:34, he said, “For He whom God has sent speaks the Words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” In Matthew 3:11, John testified that Jesus is the One who baptizes people with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the source of spiritual supply for His churches.
In Revelation 1:20, Jesus described the seven stars as the seven messengers of the seven churches that He is addressing in this book.
Sardis had a name – a reputation – as being alive to Christ, but Jesus called them dead.
In Ephesians 4:18, the “dead works” to be repented of are works performed by those who are “separated from the life of God.” They are “dead” because they lack God’s life in them. Repenting of one’s own works is foundational to trusting Christ and is thus called an “elementary doctrine” of Christ in Hebrews 6:1.
In John 15:5-6, Jesus taught, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
According to Revelation 5:10, the Lord has made us “to be a kingdom of priests to serve our God.” In Leviticus 10:10, the ministry of priests is to “distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean.” When we abide in Christ, He helps us to see clearly between right and wrong, and between helpful and harmful.
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.”
Jesus exhorted the Sardians to take care of their spiritual life, to strengthen that which remains, to not let their spiritual lives to die. He told them that their works were perfect in God’s sight.
In Jude 1:20, the Lord says, “Dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith praying in the Holy Spirit.”
In Zechariah 4:6, we read, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.”
In Acts 2:4, after the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 4:8, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit as he spoke to his persecutors. In Acts 4:31, those who prayed were “filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly.”
Why do some “Christians” speak against people who are filled with the Holy Spirit! Is it really crazy to love the Lord and serve Him wholeheartedly? What is the Spirit saying to “Christians” who live carnal lives rather than Spirit-filled lives?
Revelation 3:3: “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.”
Jesus uses the metaphor of a sudden invasion by a thief when He wants people to realize that they are not ready for His return.
In Revelation 16:15, Jesus said, “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
In Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus compares people of the last days with the people in Noah’s day. He said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”
Revelation 3:4-5: “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. 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.”
Sardis had a few people who were actively making efforts to save others. In Jude 1:23, the Lord says, “Save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
Jesus gives white garments (garments of righteousness) to those who believe in Him and profess Him. White was also the color of triumph to the Romans. In Matthew 5:8, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they see God.”
In Revelation 3:5, Jesus makes a promise to overcomers. They will not have their names blotted out of His Book of Life. After Jesus removes the stains of a person’s sin, there is no stain on that person’s name in the Book of Life.
Moses mentions a book with names of God’s people in Exodus 32:32-33.
David mentions a book of the living in Psalm 69:20-28.
Daniel 12:1 says that everyone found written in the book shall be delivered.
In Luke 10:20, Jesus told His disciples to rejoice because their names are written in heaven.
Revelation 13:8 says that those whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will worship the beast. Revelation 17:8 says that those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will marvel at the beast.
In Revelation 20:12, John sees the dead judged by the things written in this book. In Revelation 21:2, only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life may enter New Jerusalem. In Revelation 22:19, “If anyone removes words from the Revelation prophecy, God removes his part in the Book of Life.”
Revelation 3:6: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Are we listening to Jesus? Our eternal happiness depends on Him.
What did Jesus convey to the Christians in Sardis and what is He saying to us in Revelation 3:1-6? He is telling us that He loves us and wants us to be with Him for all eternity. How much do we want to be with Him? May the Lord by His grace and by the power of His Holy Spirit help us to be branches that bear good fruit for His glory. Now all glory to God!
Attached is a link to a power point version of this article which I have recorded on my YouTube channel:
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