Revelation 3:2 Commentary and Bible Study

Missing from this letter and the letter to the Laodiceans is any commendation. The only works that Christ speaks of are superficial, lacking sincerity and vital heartfelt love for God. This was a church that had slipped far. The fact that it was addressed by Christ at all as a true church was only because it had once been so and there were still a few who kept themselves unspotted from the world. But the majority, it had to be said, were dead, or ready to die. They had a name that they were alive, but this was based on the past. Once they had received the truth of the pure gospel and had embraced it. There had been a wonderful work of God in that city. They still knew how to appear to walk with the Lord, so that others outside of their church still had a high regard for them, but a profound change had taken place. They had not maintained their inner life. They were no longer careful to keep their consciences free from offence. They did not relish the word of God. Their prayers were half-hearted. Perhaps they had reduced the number of times they met together for worship. ‘Be watchful’ – we might translate that today, ‘watch out’, ‘stand guard’. Just as this city on two notable occasions in her history mounted no guard, and was brought down, so the church had better examine itself and make an honest assessment of itself. The church at Sardis appeared to live comfortably with the unbelievers in the city. They were not challenged. That is why you do not have trouble yourself, is the implication here, because you do not worry anybody, you do not preach the gospel as you should. Your role here is to turn this city upside down, and they barely know that you exist.‘Strengthen the things which remain.’ There were some remaining elements in that church, some who tried to keep the old traditions and tried to witness to others, but not very many. Focus on those things, strengthen and expand that activity. That is the word here to the church at Sardis.