Read or listen The Book of Revelation, chapter 3 online (ESV, YouVersion)

Letter to Sardis 3:1‑6

Sardis was located about 80 km inland from the Mediterranean coast. The city had a glorious history behind it. 600 years earlier, it had been the city of Croesus, famous for its wealth, and the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. Over the centuries, Sardis had changed: the city had decayed.

By the time the book of Revelation was written, it was no longer as wealthy and vibrant as it had once been. The church in Sardis was like the city. It had a glorious past and a good reputation, but the reality of the church at that time was different from what its reputation might have suggested. The congregation was as if dead, although it was said to be still living a great life.

In verse 1, Jesus severely rebukes the church and its shepherd. Despite what people said, Jesus knew the truth about the church in Sardis. To the eyes of men, it looked like a model church, but Jesus could not be fooled. The life of the church was only a superficial one. In reality, the church was dead, or at least it was dying.

We do not know for sure what was the cause of the miserable condition of the church in Sardis. It was evidently not heresy. If some heresy had caused death, Jesus would certainly have named it. It was evidently not moral decay that had corrupted the church. If contempt for the will of God were the cause of death, it would certainly be mentioned. It was probably a matter of indifference that had taken hold of the church. Perhaps faith in Jesus was no longer taken seriously and indifference resulted in death. This is what Jesus’ call to wake up indicates. The church was as if asleep. It indicates indifference.

In verse 2 Jesus speaks of works that are not "complete in the sight of God." This can be understood to mean that the works of the church in Sardis were not completed. The church therefore lacked endurance. The journey to heaven was left unfinished. The struggle that is the part of God's people in this world ceased and a sleepy indifference took its place.

Jesus calls the church to wake up and reminds it of what awaits it if the current trend continues. Jesus will return to earth in his glory and if the church sleeps then, it will receive the same judgment as the ungodly world. Therefore, Jesus commands the church to repent: to wake up, turn around and return to the path that God's church should follow. On that path, faith is made real and it is seen in life.

There were still a few in Sardis who "have not soiled their garments." The clean garments represent what we received in baptism and what is ours when we believe in Jesus. The Bible says that Christ himself was put on us in baptism:

"For as many of you as
were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ."
(Gal 3:27)

Clothed in him we are acceptable to God. Without this garment, God sees our filthiness and His Holy Judgment will surely come upon us. The majority of the members of the church in Sardis had abandoned Jesus - perhaps without realizing it - and so stained their garments. Only a few believed in the Savior and these wore a garment that was fit to go to God in heaven.

In verse 5 Jesus reminds us how serious this matter is. The name of every baptized person is written in the book of heaven. But if the baptized person abandons his Lord, the name is erased from the books of heaven. The one whose name is not found in the book of heaven will once perish at the last judgment, because Jesus does not recognize him as his own. That is the worst that can happen. Again, the one whose name is once found in the book of heaven will be given a tremendous promise. Jesus knows him and the gate of heaven will be opened to him.

The Letter to the Philadelphians 3:7-13

Philadelphia suffered from frequent earthquakes and therefore remained a relatively small, albeit prosperous, city. Geographically, the city was close to Sardis, but its church was quite different from that of Sardis. The church in Sardis received mostly rebukes from Jesus, while the church in Philadelphia was not rebuked at all. The letter sent to the church in Philadelphia has much in common with the letter to the church in Smyrna.

The members of both churches are promised a crown. They have not given up their faith in Jesus even in the midst of difficulties. That's why heaven is waiting for them, symbolized by the crown. The churches also have common enemies. The Jews persecuted the Christians in both Smyrna and Philadelphia. Therefore, both letters speak of the "synagogue of Satan."

In verse 7, Jesus is said to hold the key of David. The book of Isaiah tells of an official of King Hezekiah who was given the task of taking care of David’s palace. The faithful official had the authority to open and close all the rooms and storerooms of the palace. This was reminded by the key hung on the official’s shoulder (Isaiah 22:22). Jesus has even greater authority. He has the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). He has the authority to let people into heaven and to condemn them to perdition. To whomever he opens the gate of heaven, no one will shut it. To whomever he shuts the gate, no one can open it.

In verse 7, Jesus is said to hold the key of David. The book of Isaiah tells of an official of King Hezekiah who was given the task of taking care of David’s palace. The faithful official had the authority to open and close all the rooms and storerooms of the palace. As a reminder of this, the key hung on the official’s shoulder (Isaiah 22:22). Jesus has even greater authority. He has the keys of Death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18). He has the authority to let people into heaven and to condemn them to perdition. To whomever he opens the gate of heaven, no one will shut it. To whomever he shuts the gate, no one can open it.

Verse 8 again speaks of an opened door. This time it is probably about the missionary work that the church in Philadelphia had been given the opportunity to do. Paul expresses it in the same way (1 Cor 16:9, the original text also uses the word door in this verse) when he speaks of the missionary work that had been opened to him. The church in Philadelphia has remained faithful to Jesus and his word and has not denied their Lord even in times of difficulty. And that is precisely why Jesus used the church in the work that he had entrusted to his own. A church that had rejected its Lord would have been of no use in this work.

The church of God also proclaims the gospel to its enemies. This is evidenced in verse 9. Jesus promises that some Jews will become Christians. They will discover that the Church of Christ is the true Israel, the people of God whom God loves.

The life of God's own in this world is not easy. A follower of Jesus walks the way of the cross like his Lord. This was experienced in Philadelphia. The persecuted church receives a great promise: Jesus promises to protect it and save his own on the last day, when God judges this world. This promise applies to us too. We will be saved at the last judgment, as long as we remain Jesus' own.

Letter to Laodicea 3:14‑22

Laodicea was a wealthy city on a busy trade route. In 60 AD the city was destroyed by an earthquake. By the time the book of Revelation was written, Laodicea had been rebuilt and was living a prosperous life.

Jesus begins his speech to the church in Laodicea by saying that he is the “Amen.” Amen is Hebrew and means, “Truly, so it is.” After someone speaks, you can say “amen” to confirm that the word is true and trustworthy. When Jesus says that he is the “Amen,” he means that everything he says can be followed by the word amen. His words are always true.

"The beginning of creation" probably means the same as what is said about the Word at the beginning of the Gospel of John (John 1:3). Jesus was involved in the creation of the world and through him God the Father created everything.

The church in Laodicea, like the church in Sardis, receives severe rebukes from Jesus. It is not a church that is fighting with its Lord. The church is indifferent, lukewarm, and therefore completely worthless. As in Sardis, in Laodicea it was imagined that everything was fine. The church even boasted that they were rich, but in reality the church was miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. Jesus' word to the church in Laodicea is the opposite of the word to the church in Smyrna. The church in Smyrna looked poor and miserable on the outside, but it was rich. It had the greatest wealth that Laodicea lacked.

The church in Laodicea was a useless church to Jesus. It was neither cold nor hot. Cold water has its own important function, as does hot water. Lukewarm means stagnant, not fresh flowing water, and therefore it was unusable. That is exactly what the church in Laodicea was. It was stagnant, so it was not capable of the task that God’s churches have. That is why Jesus threatens to vomit the church out of His own midst.

In verse 18, Jesus advises the church in Laodicea to buy from him what he can give to the church. Buying does not mean ordinary trading. Money does not buy anything from God. It is about what the book of Isaiah speaks about:

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."
(Isaiah 55:1)

So Jesus offers the church for free what it lacks. The church can accept the gift or not. If the gift is not suitable for the church, it shows its pride and is vomited out of Jesus' mouth.

Jesus does not just awaken the church. He speaks to each of its members individually. He stands at the door and knocks. The Lord of the church had therefore been thrown out of the church in Laodicea, and surely that is precisely the reason for the church's problems.

Even if the entire congregation does not hear the voice of their Lord, Jesus asks that a few, or even one, member of the congregation open the door for him. Jesus promises much to the one who does so. He will one day sit with Jesus on the throne (verse 21).

Jesus fought the path of suffering on the cross and won. The life of his followers is also a struggle and carrying the cross. However, victory is ahead, because Jesus is the Victor. We too are victors when we belong to the Victor.