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.
The Truth for a born again Christian is that we are crucified with Christ, but nevertheless we live, yet it is not us who lives, but it is Christ within us Who lives, Galatians 2:20. We are also told that now we are 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 four churches that we have studied so far in Revelation 2 and 3 cannot truly be part of the Bride of Christ. 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 our Father 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 of Jesus, 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 church ages. 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.
2 Rouse yourselves and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight.
Jesus tells us in the Gospel’s to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Matthew 5:48. Jesus can say this to us, because this is how He is, He is perfect, and we are now one with Him. This is why our burden is light and our yoke easy. Being perfect is easy for Jesus! But yet we read that the church of Sardis is dead, they are dead because their works are human, so nothing they do can be perfect. Jesus plainly tells them that He knows their works, not that He knows the works of the Father within them.
Notice here too, that Jesus tells these people to rouse themselves, not that they should seek the power of our Father to be great within them. The Shepherd, our Lord, is leading the wolves, or the elders of Sardis, away from the flock here. Jesus is speaking directly to them, and they are being told to go and do it on your own. While Jesus is telling true believers through the Holy Spirit that is within them, that we can do nothing without Him being the power doing it, John 15:5. Read the Gospels and you can clearly see the difference in Jesus’ teachings for the saved and what He is telling these church leaders.
This is an important Truth to see because during the end times we will be empowered with the Holy Spirit to see past the lies and deceptions of the anti-christ and false prophet. We may be asked to be around these organizations, but we will be empowered to know the Truth and not take the mark of the beast. Look at Jesus' life and you can see this. He was always around the Jewish leaders, but He never was drawn into their lies and deceptions.
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