A Message to the Church #5: Are You Dead?

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.


Welcome to the fifth installment of Messages to the Church in our study from the book of Revelation. In case you missed the first four posts, you can find them here:


A Message to the Church #1: Have You Left Your First Love?
A Message to the Church #2: Are You Fearlessly Faithful?
A Message to the Church #3: Have You Compromised?
A Message to the Church #4: Are You Tolerant of Spiritual Adultery?

Before we begin today's study, let me reiterate my belief that these letters were written not just for the churches in John's day, but for the body of Christ, which is the church. So John's vision of Christ and His message to the church is just as relevant today as it was back then.



“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and 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.’" ~Revelation 3:1-6 (NASB)



Symbolism

Once more reference is made to the seven stars mentioned in Revelation 1:16 and 2:1. According to chapter 1, verse 20, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches addressed in Revelation.



In addition, the seven Spirits of God are mentioned, just as in Revelation 1:4; 4:5; and 5:6. Theologians have various interpretations of this, but most believe that since seven is a number of perfection and completion in the Bible, that the number indicates the completeness and perfection of God's Holy Spirit. In fact some translations use the phrase "the sevenfold Spirit."



This goes along with another interpretation that some believe ties into Isaiah 11:2 which says: The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ~Isaiah 11:2 (NASB) According to this view, the seven aspects of God's Spirit are: 1)the Spirit of the Lord; 2)the spirit of wisdom; 3)the spirit of understanding; 4)the spirit of counsel; 5)the spirit of strength; 6)the spirit of knowledge; 7)the spirit of the fear of the Lord.



In my own humble estimation, God's Spirit is all these things, but any attempt to categorize Him too closely is to put Him in a box narrowly defined by human perspective and verbiage. I think the best approach is to simply recognize this phrase as God's Spirit, complete and perfect. It's especially important to remember that the description of One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars is a reference to the risen Christ (see Revelation 1:12-16).



What They're Doing Right

Unfortunately, nothing is mentioned, other than to recognize further down in the passage that there were some in the church in Sardis who had not soiled their clothes.



What He Has Against Them

Though they have a reputation of being alive, he calls them dead. This is so scary to me, and reminds me of the passage in the gospels which says: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." ~Matthew 7:21 (NASB)



It's scary because it indicates there are people who truly believe they are alive in Christ, when in reality they're spiritually dead. It's all too easy to profess faith in Christ, put on a Sunday School face, do good works, and think we're on the right track. But devils believe (James 2:19), Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and our righteousness (our pride in our good works to save us and make us acceptable to God) is like soiled menstrual rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). Busy activity doesn't mean we're alive!



Younger generations who grew up in church are now leaving the church in droves, in a large part because they see a disparity between the teachings of Jesus and how those in the church live out those teachings. To be alive in Christ means loving and following Him with all that we are, humbly admitting our unworthiness and inability to save ourselves, depending on His sacrificial atonement to cleanse us from our sin, and living in obedience to Him in following His revealed will for our lives.



This message to the church in Sardis also mentions that Christ had not found their deeds completed in the sight of God. We can't live with one foot in the fountain of faith and the other foot in the world. It's an all-or-nothing proposition. We can't half-serve Him. This was the very behavior Christ criticized in the religious leaders of His time on earth. Being a Christian is more than outward appearances.



What They Need To Do


Wake Up!!!
Strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die - This phrase, though definitely a call to immediate action before they completely died, also acknowledges that there was still hope for them.
Remember what you've received and heard - We've received salvation and forgiveness of sin; we've heard the good news of Christ's atoning sacrifice on our behalf and His Word which tells us how to live in accordance with His teaching
Keep it and repent - Do what you know to do according to what you've received and heard. Turn back from your sin and toward God. 

The Warning

If they don't wake up, He is going to come like a thief in the night--in other words, at a time they least expected Him. In Luke 12:35-48, Jesus tells the parable of what happens to servants who know to be ready but aren't. Matthew 25 is devoted to this same message through the parable of the ten virgins, the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servants, and the sheep and the goats.



The Reward

Those who had not soiled their clothes and those who overcame would receive the same reward: garments of white, which indicated purity. It's mind-boggling to consider that only Christ, and not our own efforts at righteousness, can give us those snow-white robes we long to wear.



In addition, Christ would not erase their names from the Lamb's book of life, and would confess their names before the Father and His angels.



Application

Of all the letters, I see this one as one of the most applicable to the church in America, though it hurts to have to say it. We claim the name and "work" for the Lord, but don't do what He says in His Word. The application from this letter boils down to one simple question:




Are you dead?


Eternal Father, we come before You with broken and contrite hearts, confessing that our spiritual lives are often more about external appearances and busy activity than You. Forgive us, Lord. Wake us up and enable us to strengthen what remains, to remember the precious treasure of what we've received and heard, to keep it and repent. Thank You for the garments of white that You'll one day bestow on us if we wake up from our prosperity-induced complacency and apathy. Thank You, Lamb of God, that our names are written in Your book of life, and that there is hope for us if we turn back to You with all our hearts. Thank You, Jesus, our Advocate, that You promise to acknowledge us before God and His angels if we acknowledge You as Lord and Master of our lives. To You, and You alone, belong all glory, honor, and praise. Amen.