Revelation 2:1-3:22; Jesus' Words To His Church pt 3
Revelation 2:1-3:22; Jesus’ Words To His Church pt 3
Sermon in a sentence: Jesus’ words are for his Church.
Sardis (3:1-6)
The city of Sardis believed it was invincible from attacks—its fortress was on cliffs thought to be unscalable, but twice in its history the cliffs were scaled and the city defeated. The church in Sardis was repeating the history of its city.
The risen Jesus addresses the church as the one who has the Holy Spirit and the seven angels. Every church up to this point has received a commendation, but Sardis receives none. The church may appear to be alive, but it is actually dead, or at least near death. They are summoned, therefore, to wake up and act. The matter is urgent. The church is summoned to remember and repent, for if they continue to degenerate, Jesus will come as a thief and judge them. The criticism of the church isn’t universal, for there are some who are worthy and live in a way pleasing to God. Only those who overcome will receive white garments, have their names inscribed in the book of life, and be acknowledged before the Father and the angels. This is the message from the Spirit for all the churches.
Thus, in the OT, the book of life was a register of all those who held citizenship in the theocratic community of Israel.28 The idea was common in the secular world as well. “When a criminal’s name was removed from the civic register of an Asiatic town, he lost his citizenship.”29
It is hermeneutically unsound to base theological doctrine solely on either parables or apocalyptic imagery. Better to allow the text, even when theologically awkward, to present its own picture.
Philadelphia (3:7-13)
With an economy based on agriculture and industry, Philadelphia enjoyed considerable prosperity. Its one major drawback was that it was subject to earthquakes. The devastating earthquake of A.D. 17 that leveled twelve cities of Asia overnight2 had been particularly severe on Philadelphia, perhaps because it was nearer the fault line and also suffered a long series of tremors that followed.
Jesus commends the church for its works, and, quite surprisingly, there is no corresponding rebuke. The words about open and shut doors (v. 7) are now applied to the Philadelphian church. Jesus has opened a door for them that no one can shut. It may be that the open door refers to an opportunity for mission and evangelism, since elsewhere the NT speaks of an open door with this meaning (Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3). It seems more likely, however, that the reference here is to entry into God’s presence (cf. Rev. 4:1).
They have the open door to God’s presence and access to the heavenly city. The Jewish synagogue did not represent those favored by God; rather, the promises of end-time blessing were given to believers (both Jews and Gentiles) who put their trust in Jesus Christ.