Revelation 3:1

And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Sardis write: These are the words of Him Who has the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] and the seven stars: I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

·         Sardis means those who come out.

·         We are empowered with the Holy Spirit to come out of being in a dead church, a dead group of supposed believers. Those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of it.

·         The Truth for a born again Christian is that we are crucified with Christ, and nevertheless we live, yet it is not us who lives, but it is Christ within us Who lives, Galatians 2:20. We are now dead and our lives are hid in Christ in God, Colossians 3:3.

·         Jesus however starts off by telling the church of Sardis, that they are dead, He is not alive in them. Do you see how these churches that we have studied so far in Revelation 2 and 3 cannot truly be part of Jesus’ real church. Jesus is speaking to them, but He is not speaking to them as actually being one with them. He is pointing out their strengths and faults, but God is not getting the glory for their strengths and Jesus is not being given His glory as their Shepherd Who will lead them to righteousness. They can’t be part of Jesus’ Church, because Jesus is not dead, He is alive! Jesus cannot leave Himself or allow false teachings into Himself. This is another reason that I believe these letters are to styles of churches and not to true church ages or periods in our growth. I just can’t believe that there has been a time in our history when Jesus allowed His church, which is His body, to be dead! 

·         Remember what the Seven Fold Spirit represents: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, reverence, and obedience. Jesus has control of the Holy Spirit and who Jesus is One with has the full force of the Holy Spirit operating within them. This is why Jesus told the Disciples that it was better if He went away, John 16:7, because if He did, He would send the Holy Spirit to us. This means that Jesus has sent us the strength of our Father to cause us to be wise, understanding, mighty, knowledgeable, reverent, obedient, and so that we would always have our Fathers righteous counsel. We have been sealed with all of the power of our Savior until the day of our redemption. So it is impossible to leave our first love, allow false teachings in, or be dead.