Part 10b: The Seven Churches In the Book of Revelation... An Explanatory Case Study of Love Grown Cold

GOD’S WAY BIBLE STUDY

The Seven Churches In the Book of Revelation... An Explanatory Case Study of Love Grown Cold

Part 10B: The Dead Church In Sardis 

Tuesday July 15,  2025

Revelation 14:13 NKJV Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'" "Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.”

Revelation 3:1-6 NKJV "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. [2] Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. [3] Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. [4] You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. [5] He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. [6] "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."’

God Always Has a Remnant.

[4] But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy

As we have seen previously,  God always has a Remnant. 

Who are remnants? 

Remnants are simply those who remain… those who remain faithful to God, when everybody else has gone their own way. 

Jesus referred to two types of remnants in this church. While each type has its own unique qualities, they both have one thing in common… They both remain. We can deduce that from their name… Remnant. Let’s reverse the order and first examine type 2 because they are few in number, and there’s little to say about them

• Remnant Type 2… Undefiled  and Victorious

Revelation 3:4-6 LSB But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. [5] He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. [6] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

4] But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy

The city of Sardis was well known for its garment industry hence Jesus, the Master-teacher, used imagery of clothing, something they could well relate to.

Those who have not defiled their garments were those who have not been affected by the impurities of their environment. God always has a remnant of faithfuls even in the most faithless of places and times.

These will be marked for eternal distinction. Their white garments will be a constant testament to their undefiled faithfulness. 

Now before we dismiss the importance of their reward, “white garments,” let us consider who is speaking here. If our Lord, our Savior and our God,  makes a big deal out of a thing, we will be wise to make a big deal out of it too, even if we don't understand. 

• Remnant Type 1:  weak, barely alive, going quickly downhill. This is the larger of the two types.

 [2] Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which are about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. 

There is a ray of hope offered here. They are about to die, but they are not yet dead. They can be revived. 

 Solution: Jesus's prescribed solution is TWOFOLD:

 Awakening + Empowerment=Revival

There are two aspects to revival.. Awakening and Empowerment. Wake up and receive strength.

 [2] Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. 

• First, The Awakening: 

The Remnant needs an awakening from discouragement and stupor.

The faithful Remnant has become overwhelmed by the enormity of the work. They are deeply discouraged.

1 Kings 19:10 NLT

They have prayed, fasted, preached and the world is not being changed so they just throw up their hands in frustration, they resign and essentially give up. This condition is really a loss of faith.

Going from there, they settle into the enjoyment of their blessings. Soon a spirit of stupor comes upon them and they are weakened. The Remnant looks sedated; they feel powerless and look lifeless, as it were.

In truth though, the Remnant is neither powerless nor lifeless. They are just sleepy and only need a wake up call. 

Matthew 26:40-46 LSB Peter, James and John fell asleep in Gethsemane, but they were aroused when Jesus announced that the hour had come. 

The Remnant needs an awakening. Let us consider this our wake-up-call. We are called to repent of our loss of faith, our loss of hope, our yielding to discouragement. We are called to wake up to our original fervor. 

Romans 13:11-14 NKJV First we need to be awakened from stupor, from the sleep of death. When we are awakened to God, our eyes open and we see the poverty of our condition. 

How are we awakened? 

The Holy Spirit is the One who wakes us up.

Romans 8:11 LSB But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The Holy Spirit never works in isolation. He always waits for the word.

Genesis 1:1-3 NKJV In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. [2] The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. [3] Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

The word of God is not being preached faithfully, the Holy Spirit cannot move.  When the Word of God is no longer believed in, the Holy Spirit will not move. 

God always sends His word first. 

Amos 3:7 NLT Indeed, the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.

Moses: 

Exodus 5:1 NKJV Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.'"

John the Baptist:

Matthew 11:10-11 NKJV For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.' [11] "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

An awakening happens when the word of God is restored to its place of honor. It must be studied carefully, interpreted correctly, lived reverently, preached faithfully and taught clearly. 

When we do this,the Holy Spirit will apply the word, sinners will be convicted, believers will be encouraged and the devil  will be put to flight. 

The word of God on the lips of an anointed believer is more potent than nuclear power.

TedTalk and Therapy

 The Word only works by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The Word will not work without the Holy Spirit. If we lose the supernatural part of ministry, all we have left is Christian TedTalk and Pulpit Therapy. 

• Second, Empowerment

When the remnant wakes up, God always gives strength. 

Hebrews 12:12-13 NKJV Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, [13] and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Isaiah 35:3-10 NKJV Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. [4] Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you." [5] Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. [6] Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert. [7] The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes. [8] A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray. [9] No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, [10] And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

How Do We Receive Strength?

Luke 24:49 NKJV Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

God’s power is PROMISED to true believers. 

Mark 16:17-18 NKJV And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; [18] they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

The Holy Spirit always works with the word and by the word. 

The Holy Spirit always works with the Word and by the Word. If we lose sight of the Word, what we are left with is spiritism. 

Some spirits will come in and take over. They are not the Holy Spirit, they are unholy spirits. No wonder the Bible calls them “unclean spirits.”

Many claim to be led by the Spirit of God but do not heed the word. They are soon misled and derailed because the Spirit works with the word and by the word. 

We test the spirit by the word. 

1 John 4:1-3 NKJV Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

We know a spirit by the words of its prophets. The Holy Spirit will never counter the Word, He is called the Spirit of Christ. Everytime we hear anything contrary to the word, (Anti-word, Antichrist) we can be sure that a false spirit is at work. Here we are not referring to the occasional error born out of ignorance, but a firmly-rooted false doctrine about Jesus.

The Father sends the Son, (the Word,) and the Son sends the Spirit.

John 4:34 NKJV Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

John 15:26 NKJV "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 16:7 NKJV Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The Son did not come to do His own will but the will of the Father who sent Him. 

John 6:38 NKJV

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Likewise, the Holy Spirit does not have His own separate agenda from that of Jesus. Father,  Son and Spirit are all about the same assignment. 

John 16:12-15 NKJV

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. [13] However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. [14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. [15] All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Spirit of God is a life-giving Spirit. The church in Sardis was dead because they no longer heeded the Holy Spirit. 

Having forgotten the word, what the church in Sardis held on to was deception, pretending to be life-giving, when it was actually deadly. Having forgotten the truth, they were easily deceived by a false spirit. 

John 6:63 LSB The Spirit is the One who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

True believers are followers of the words of Jesus.

John 8:30-32 NKJV As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. [31] Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

We receive power when we live in the word by the Spirit. 

Romans 8:1-7 NKJV There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

By LIVING in obedience to the word of God. 

He addresses their doctrine. 

Remember, keep, repent

Revelation 3:3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. 

• He calls them to remember and to keep what they had received and heard. 

They had obviously forgotten what they were taught and had departed from the truth. Jesus is the Word of God. 

John 1:1-5 NKJV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. [4] In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

When Jesus said “Keep it,” the Greek word used has two meanings. In one sense, it means  “observe it, put it into practice.” In another sense, it means “keep it pure, guard it from pollution.” 

• Any church or any person who stays PROPERLY in the word will remain lively and remain on the right path. 

John 16:13-14 LSB But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. [14] He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Looking for extras outside of the word.

Jesus, the word of God is enough.

Outside of Jesus, you will not find God. 

Outside of Jesus, you will not find the Holy Spirit. 

There are many false gods, and many spirits and many believers are often misled and seduced to pursue them. This was the error of the Gnostics and all other heretics in church history… always looking for some hidden power, some hidden mysteries outside of Jesus.

God is a mystery for which Jesus is the code. 

John 14:6 NLT Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

Jesus is God-revealed.

John 1:18 NLT No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

John 1:18 ESV No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

John 1:18 LSB No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Jesus is God's mystery revealed.

God is such a mystery, even the angels do not fully know Him. 

 1 Corinthians 2:7-16 NKJV But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, [8] which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. [9] But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." [10] But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. [11] For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. [13] These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. [14] But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [15] But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. [16] For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

The only way to grow spiritually is to grow in the knowledge of God. Since Jesus is the way to God, as we grow deeper in our knowledge of Jesus,  the mysteries will begin to unfold to us.

Outside of Jesus, there is only darkness, masquerading as light. 

2 Corinthians 3:15-18 ESV Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. [16] But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. [17] Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.