Last 5 Days
Wake up!
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. 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.’
The letter to Sardis began with a rebuke, that while they were alive in name, but they were dead in reality, and it was as a summon to the sleeping church to wake up!
Sardis had a strong and powerful Jewish community, but it was also full of paganism. That there was no mention of persecution against Christians in such a city, and that the synagogue was next to the city gymnasium (a center of pagan Greek culture), were significant. It suggests that the Christians co-existed peacefully with the city establishment and that they had tolerated and mixed well with the different communities.
Jesus said that their works were not found complete. It seems that it was in this lack of opposition and persecution, in a lack of crisis, that the church in Sardis had grown comfortable. They had grown comfortable in their relationship with the world, not seeing a need to be alert, and being unaware of the potential dangers.
And so, Jesus warned them that he will be coming like a thief (verse 3) – unexpectedly, reminding us about Jesus’ words about the end times (Matthew 24:43, Luke 12:39). For the church in Sardis, it not only reminded them of the words spoken by Jesus, but also of their history, when they city were twice conquered unexpectedly because they had not kept watch adequately. This powerful reference was a strong reminder to the church in Sardis to keep watch and to remain alert, so that they may be ready for the coming of God.
Jesus also used the symbol of garments to remind the church of Sardis about the state of their lives. Those who have not “soiled” themselves by compromising their lives, living with the paganism of their culture, will walk with Jesus in white. White because they remained pure and loyal in their faith. It was a call to reflect on the condition of their lives, and likewise our own.
Jesus’ promise to those clothed in white garments was that their names will never be blotted out of the book of life. The symbol of the book of life reminds of God’s sovereignty, guidance and judgement, and if their names were written on in the book of life, then God will remember and will protect His own.
Dear brothers and sisters, staying awake in an asleep world is difficult. Likewise, a frog in pleasantly tepid water that is gradually heated up will not notice the heat until it gets boiled alive. Today, we live in a world that satisfies our needs, and that is comfortable. In Singapore, we hardly face persecution nor any danger when we proclaim our faith. It is exactly this comfort and this lack of danger that we need to guard against. We need to wake up! We cannot lose ourselves nor the focus of our calling in our comfort. May we stay faithful, abide in Christ, grow in His Word and draw close to God. May we put on the full armour of God and be ready. May we be alert, aware and ever ready, for the coming of Christ.
