Messages to the Churches: Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea

The Book of Revelation Chapter 3-Amplified Version-Thoughts listed after the verses

Message to Sardis

¹ “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of Him who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead. ²Wake up, and strengthen and reaffirm what remains [of your faithful commitment to Me], which is about to die; for I have not found [any of] your deeds completed in the sight of My God or meeting His requirements. ³So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, 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. ⁴But you [still] have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes [that is, contaminated their character and personal integrity with sin]; and they will walk with Me [dressed] in white, because they are worthy (righteous). ⁵He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will accordingly be dressed in white clothing; and I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess and openly acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels[saying that he is one of Mine]. ⁶He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Philadelphia

⁷ “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the Holy One, the True One, He who has the key [to the house] of David, He who opens and no one will [be able to] shut, and He who shuts and no one opens:

⁸ ‘I know your deeds. See, I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut, for you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not renounced or denied My name. ⁹Take note, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet and make them know [without any doubt] that I have loved you. ¹⁰Because you have kept the word of My endurance [My command to persevere], I will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial, that hour which is about to come on the whole [inhabited] world, to test those who live on the earth. ¹¹I am coming quickly. Hold tight what you have, so that no one will take your crown [by leading you to renounce the faith].¹²He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God; he will most certainly never be put out of it, and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My [own] new name. ¹³He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Message to Laodicea

¹⁴ “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the trusted andfaithful and true Witness, the Beginning and Origin of God’s creation:

¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. ¹⁷Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],¹⁸I counsel you to buy from Me gold that has been heated red hot andrefined by fire so that you may become truly rich; and white clothes [representing righteousness]to clothe yourself so that the shame of your nakedness will not be seen; and healing salve to put on your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I rebuke and discipline [showing them their faults and instructing them]; so be enthusiastic and repent[change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door [of the church]and continually knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him (restore him), and he with Me. ²¹He who overcomes[the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], I will grant to him [the privilege] to sit beside Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down beside My Father on His throne. ²²He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”

Let’s Talk

Chapter 3 is a continuation of Jesus talking to the seven churches, this time to Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. What we can learn from this chapter is to not be dead or lukewarm. There are those who proclaim the word of God and say that they are all for God but are not living for God. It’s just word of mouth, just lipservice as we like to say. No good deeds, nothing actually physically showing that you are a child of God. There are also those who are in and out of the world, those who say they are christians but are not fully active in the christian lifestyle. They don’t read their bibles or try to dive deeper into the studying and understanding of God’s word. They may go to church but don’t participate in anything and going to church is more like a ritual or just something that they do on Sunday instead of actually going there to hear from God and to connect with other believers.

What must we do if we find ourselves like these people? Jesus says it to the church of Sardis as well as others; repent. We must repent and turn back to God. Repent and change our ways and actions. Try to develop a closer relationship with him, follow his word and do what is right. Then we will be able to be with Him in heaven. As he said in verse 4 we will walk with Him in white because we are worthy. Also in verse 21 we will be able to sit next to Him on His throne.

Go ahead and leave any gems or revelations that you got from this chapter below. Maybe God spoke something to you that we all can benefit from.