Title [Rev 3:1-6] Sardis Church
1. To the angel of the church in Sardis, one who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars said, I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2. Awake you, and establish what is left to die; for I have not found the perfection of your deeds before my God.
3. Therefore, remember how you received and how you heard it, and keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.
4. But there are some of you in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and you will walk with me in white robes, because they are worthy.
5. He who overcomes will be clothed in white like this, and I will not forget his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Sardis Church, located in the south of Thyatira, was famous for its wealth and luxury due to the characteristics of the region. We hope that through this church, who was rebuked for having poor spiritual vitality compared to its appearance, we will once again look back on ourselves and struggle for spiritual restoration.
1. A church that appears to be alive but is dead (1)
The Lord said to the church in Sardis, “They have a name that they are alive, but they are actually dead.” On the surface, it seems to be active and doing great things, but in a spiritual sense, it means a dead church. A church can only be said to be a living church when it is filled with the work of the Holy Spirit. However, the Holy Spirit is only a name, and there are many churches that are operated by humans and move by means and methods. These churches are, in fact, dead churches. “I know your works,” said the Lord. The Lord knows everything we do. In particular, he knows whether the act is done by the Holy Spirit or artificially. I hope that we will strive to become our ministry through the work of the Holy Spirit. I hope that we all become believers who entrust ourselves to the Holy Spirit and obey and follow it so that it may appear to be dead on the outside, but in reality the Holy Spirit is working, and is a living and working church.
2. The command to awaken and establish what is left to die (2)
The Lord commands the dying church to wake up and be strengthened even now. He urges us not to throw it away or turn away, but to revive it again. This is the Lord's love for the Church. Even though their deeds were not found perfect before God(2), just as He did not hate them or forsake them, let us remember the love of the Lord, who commands us to be restored and not forsake us even though we lack only what we lack.
And let's wake up from our deep sleep and become saints who stand upright spiritually.
① Let's be sure that even a small spark can be rekindled. The Gangwon-do wildfire scene proves this fact. We often despair because of our weakness. But the Lord is reminding us that even a little spirituality (faith) that is almost dying can be restored. Isaiah 42:3 says, “A God who does not break a bruised reed, nor quench a smoldering lamp.” In this way, please remember that God does not give up on us easily and is waiting for us to be restored.
② I was told to look back on the grace I received in the past. This is the first road to recovery. “Therefore, think about how you received and how you heard.” Those who remember the time of receiving grace will never turn away from the Lord or become weak spiritually. You can always live a life filled with the Holy Spirit. Even those who have been weakened spiritually can come back to life if they think deeply about the time they received grace.
③ He said “keep it”. It means to keep. This is the second path to recovery. It is a message to hold fast to the gospel that you have already received and heard.
④ He said, “Repent.” This is the third path to recovery. Repentance means to turn around. The text is especially imperative to turn back quickly. Let us not give up or be discouraged, but let us awaken quickly and be revived spiritually. If you do not wake up, the Lord will come like a thief and judge you.
3. Saints who do not soil their clothes (4-6)
It refers to the faithful saints who remain in a holy state, washed by the blood of the Lord. They must be very few, but he tells them that great blessings will come to them.
① He said he would go with the Lord. It is telling us to live in fellowship with the Lord in heaven. There is no such thing as a great blessing. Let us remember that true believers are with the Lord on earth, but live in concrete fellowship in heaven.
② His name is not obscured from the book of life. If your name is erased from the book of life, you cannot go to heaven.
③ He said that he would confess his name before the Father and the angels. When we stand before the judgment seat, the Lord, our Mediator, acknowledges our name and we will go to heaven. If we deny that we do not know, we will be punished forever.
Let us not defile the holy white garment to the end. Let's become a church where the Holy Spirit works strongly on the inside, not the outside. Even if we are spiritually dying, let us resurrect and become a burning spiritual church.