“Gentle Jesus meek and mild” is an old hymn suitable for boys and girls but only partly correct in terms of depicting the character of our Saviour. Yes, Jesus is full of kindness and gentleness and all of us who have faith in him know that for sure. But he is also the Jesus who overturned the tables in the temple and made a small whip to drive out the money changers who were profaning his Father’s house. Here in these verses of Revelation 3 we see the Saviour addressing the church in Sardis not with tenderness and compassion but with words of strong rebuke.

The City⤒🔗

Sardis was the ancient capital of Lydia and a hub of the woolen and dyeing in­dustries. It was a stronghold of the cult of the pagan goddess Cyble and was known to be a place of licentious and wild living. It was a busy place, a hive of commercial activity.

The Church←⤒🔗

Despite the obvious paganism of the city the church does not seem to have been primarily troubled by massive pressures from outside. Indeed the main problems lay within. The church had the reputation of being very alive and vibrant but according to Jesus this was an outward sham. They were in fact “dead” (Verse 1). If you had been on holiday in Sardis and had visited the church you wouldn’t imme­diately have come to this conclusion as there was a lot of things going on. There was in the congregation of Sardis a real ‘buzz’. Indeed their reputation was that they were very alive (verse 1). However Jesus is not convinced that this ‘buzz’ is particularly spiritual but rather just formal, outward, mechanical. It’s activity that the believers are engaging in because that’s what they’ve always done. Jesus found their deeds to be “incomplete” or imperfect (verse 2).

The Remnant←⤒🔗

However, as is so often the case, the congregation of Sardis had a number of faithful folks within the membership (verse 4). They are described as those who have not soiled their clothes which is really an allusion to the fact that this rem­nant have sought to lead clean lives – lives characterised by obedience and service. God often has his remnant. A small faithful group of genuine believers within a church – men and women who love the Lord and are walking with him and seek­ing to maintain spiritual priorities in the life of the church.

The Appeal←⤒🔗

Jesus appeals to the whole church that they would become like this faithful remnant. (verse 5). All is not lost. Whilst the church is in a poor spiritual condition there is still time to turn the situation around. For this to take place certain things must happen.

“Wake up” (verse 2)←↰⤒🔗

The believers who are deluding themselves that all is well in Sardis need to face the reality of the situation before them. They need to wake up. So do we. We need to soberly take a look at the local church to which we belong and ask ourselves some direct questions about the spiritual health of the congregation. There may be a full programme of activities printed on the back of the bulletin but to what extent are we just going through the motions? How many of us, like the faithful remnant in Sardis, are seeking to walk with Christ in close fellowship and communion.

“Obey” (verse 3)←↰⤒🔗

Jesus encourages them to remember “what they have received and heard”. This is undoubtedly a reference to the apostolic teaching, and if they are going to go forward then first they must go back to basics. Back to the Word. If there is to be any recovery, if what remains is going to be invigorated, then they need to put the Word first. They need to get back to the teaching which they’ve received and start obeying it. Please note carefully that it’s not just a matter of getting in to the teaching but also a matter of acting upon it. One of the tragedies of the reformed world today is that there is a huge amount of preaching going on both ‘live’ Sunday by Sunday and also ‘online’ through the many websites to which we have access but is there obedience? It’s not just a matter of hearing: we need to start obeying – putting the word into practice in our own lives.

‘Repent” (verse 3)←↰⤒🔗

Some have wondered why this call to repentance did not come before the call to “wake up” and “obey”. I think there is a natural progression going on here. First the believers in Sardis must realistically face where they are at. Then they need to do something about it – reading the Word and obeying it. But these steps must not be taken coldly or mechanically. Jesus isn’t setting before them the ABC of spiritual recovery as if all you have to do is follow these steps and all will be well. No. The heart has to be engaged. That’s where the repentance comes in for it speaks of brokenness, of tears. They need to cry to God confessing the hypocrisy and sham of their congregational lives and seeking the help of the Lord to get back on track spiritually.

The Warning←⤒🔗

The need for spiritual recovery is urgent. Jesus warns them that unless they pay heed to what he’s saying then the future is bleak. “I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you” (verse 3b). Many think that this is a reference to the sudden appearance of Christ on the day of his return. Certainly the reference to his coming like a thief would prompt us to think along those lines but I do think it is more likely to be a reference to Jesus coming in judgment against the church in the event of them failing to listen to his appeal and instruction.

The Promise←⤒🔗

All is not lost. Spiritual recovery is a real possibility but not just for the individual but for churches, congregations of Christ’s church. When the saints humble themselves before the Lord, recognise their failings, turn to the Word and seek the Lord in brokenness there is a way forward. Jesus reminds them here of that future glory which will be the portion of all those who, by God’s grace, persevere to the end. “They will walk with Him, dressed in white” (verse 4). The “walking” speaks to us of perfect communion with Jesus while the “white clothes” speak to us of perfection. Of total cleansing from all sin and defilement.

There was also given to our brothers and sisters in Sardis a rather unusual promise when Jesus said: “I will never blot out your name from the book of life”. (Verse 5) Is such a thing possible? Could my name be erased from the Lamb’s book of life? Philip Hughes helpfully comments:

It would be altogether wrong to imagine an activity of constant book – keeping in heaven, involving not only the registration of new names but also the removal of names previously entered and the restoration of names previously removed. Such a conception could only be conducive to insecurity on the part of God’s people (whose names might be in His book today and out tomorrow) and to uncertainty even in the mind of God himself regarding the ultimate out­come of his redemptive action, which is unthinkable.¹

No our names cannot be erased from God’s book. As Derek Thomas puts it:

God stoops to our weakness and accommodates himself to our way of thinking in order to reinforce the point that what he desires is our compliance and obedience.²

So let’s listen to Jesus. Let’s “wake up”, “obey” and “repent”.