Revelation 3:7b He who is true,
Christ tells the church of Philadelphia that He is first holy, and then that He is true. Once our Lord simply stated that He is, “the way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6. Homing in on this with greater focus, Jesus tells us, “I am…the truth.” Holiness and truth are interwoven, and the reason why is simplicity itself.
Revelation 3:7a “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy,
We have come to a pristine, spiritually vital church. Unlike Sardis, who was falling apart at the seams so to speak, Philadelphia was a spiritually active and powerful organism. God was clearly at work in them mightily. But we will get to that in due time.
Revelation 3:6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
Before merely skipping past verse 6 since we have covered it several times now, I would like to briefly relate God’s penchant for instructional repetition. God inspires the writers of Scripture to repeat something several times, and that for good reason. We easily forget, gloss over, or outright ignore something staring us plain in the face.
Revelation 3:5 “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.
Verse 5 cinches the truth revealed in the previous verse. Those who are worthy and walk with Christ in white are not made worthy by human effort, but by divine interposition. This is the crux of what John meant when he wrote, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right (authority) to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God,” John 1:12, 13.
Revelation 3:4 “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.
We arrive at the deplorable spiritual state of the church in Sardis. The Lord attests that there are only a few in Sardis that have not defiled their garments; that is, conducted themselves carnally. Jude says of such people, “But others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh,” Jude 23.
Revelation 3b 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.
This language hearkens back to Matthew’s Gospel. There our Lord informed the apostles, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming,” Matthew 24:42. He also specifically says to the apostles, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” Matthew 24:44.
Revelation 3:3a "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
Verse 3 merely continues the Lord’s dialogue from the previous verse. Sardis is cautioned to be watchful, to strengthen the things that remain, and that their current works are not perfect before God.
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.
The Lord issues a solemn warning: the disciples are to be watchful. In other words, now that attention has been directed to the source of the church’s issues, amend them at once. Vigilance is required, and more than a little humility.
Revelation 3:1b “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
Five times now the Lord has told the church that He knows their works. Scripture states, “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account,” Hebrews 4:13. David writes in the Psalms, “You know my sitting down and rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether,” Psalm 139:2-4.
Revelation 3:1a “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:
The Lord turns His attention to Sardis and reveals Himself thusly: as He who has the seven Spirits and the seven stars. We know that the seven stars represent the seven angels Jesus is currently addressing, Revelation 1:20. He also refers to the seven Spirits, seen later before God’s throne, Revelation 4:5.
I write today, asking my fellow believers in Christ to lift up an acquaintance of mine in prayer. Her name is Kim, and she is having a number of issues right now in her life, which is causing all manner of havoc for her. She is having trouble focusing on work because of personal and family issues, and it is causing her thoughts to spiral into a bad place.
Revelation 2:29 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
The Lord Jesus Christ instructs believers to listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. Not just these seven Asiatic churches, but every church of every age from the onset of Pentecost to the last day when the Rapture occurs and the church ceases.
Revelation 2:28 “and I will give him the morning star.
This is an interesting verse because of the language Jesus uses to describe Himself. He told overcomers that they will sit on His throne reigning over the nations with Him, and then they will likewise receive the morning star. So, what is the morning star?
