Sardis Summary
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. – Rev 3: 1-5 NLT
Notwithstanding Sardis’ glorious history (historically and spiritually) they were both overrun because of carelessness. While Jesus recognized a few Christians in Sardis as faithful most of them are spiritually dead. The church is not charged with any open sin or apostasy (as the previous 2 churches), but with spiritual lethargy.
The message to the church in Sardis applies prophetically to the spiritual situation of the protestants in the post-reformation period, from approximately 1565 – 1740, as the church degenerated into lifeless formalism and a state of spiritual secularism. The church’s focus on the saving grace of the gospel and commitment to Christ waned, giving place to creedal and dry philosophical arguments. The church of this period, although appearing to be alive, was spiritually dead.
Jesus message to Sardis also applies to every generation of Christians. There are Christians who always talk in glorious terms of their past faithfulness to Christ.
Unfortunately, these same Christians do not have much to share about their present experience with Christ. Their religion is nominal, lacking true religion of the heart and genuine commitment to the gospel.
The white garment in v5 is the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ. For His righteousness is the only one that will meet the demand of His law, which is “holy, just and good.” We receive this robe of righteousness by faith alone. This robe is described by Jesus in Luke 15:22 where the loving father put the “best robe” upon his returning son. Isaiah 1:18 describes what happens when we are covered with the robe of His righteousness: “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
By faith, those who eventually stand on “the sea of glass” mentioned in Revelation 7:9-17 will have received this “white raiment.” “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
“Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” Then he said to me, “These are the ones who died in the great tribulation. They have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. “That is why they stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
What encouragement can we take from an awareness that many ancient Christians remained faithful to God during the time of Sardis in the midst of godless and corrupt times?
The following message, to Philadelphia, applies to the great revival of Protestantism during the 18th and 19th centuries. This revival motivated the church to carry the gospel to the whole world. It resulted in the greatest expansion of Christianity since the time of Pentecost.