From Him Who Has the Seven Spirits and the Seven Stars

Revelation 3:1-6
May 31, 2020
Abraham Hong

Sermon Script

Here’s a story from a long time ago. I remember driving home in my car one afternoon. I was super tired. And I was on the verge of falling asleep at the wheel. So in my foolishness I pulled out all the tricks. I blasted the radio. I put all the windows down. I sang songs. I started to talk to myself. I didn’t think that I would fall asleep on the wheel. So I just kept driving.

I kept up with this shenanigan until all of a sudden there was a horrendous loud noise coming from my car. The entire front passenger side of my car was scraping against the concrete barrier wall on the side of the highway. Upon hearing this noise, I got woke. The adrenaline kicked in. I immediately swerved back into my lane. And then I got off at the next exit, inspected the damage, got back in the driver’s seat, reclined it all the way back, and took a nap.

It was a miracle that my car only ended up with light scratches and a misaligned wheel. And it was a miracle that other people in other cars did not get hurt because of me. But one could only imagine the worse things that could have happened that day. What a scary story. It’s scary because I could not tell if or when I was about to fall asleep at the wheel. And at the end of the day, I thought that I was awake, when in reality, I was asleep.

This was the problem of the church in Sardis. They thought that they were awake and moving along just fine. But, in reality, they had fallen asleep at the wheel and they were in grave danger. They thought that they were alive. But in reality they were dead.

This is very scary. The other churches that came before Sardis had their issues. Ephesus abandoned the love they had at first. Smyrna had to go through tribulation and poverty and slander. Pergamum held to the teachings of Balaam and his idolatry and sexual immorality. Thyatira tolerated the woman called Jezebel. All of these churches struggled with serious stuff. But Sardis was unique. Sardis was a living contradiction and they didn’t even know it. Sardis thought they were alive and awake. But in reality Sardis was asleep and dead.

The problem with their church was this. They were doing a Christ-less Christianity.

On the outside, they looked like a church that was alive - a church that was brimming with activity and full of energy, a church that was growing in many ways, a church that was going places and doing things. This was their reputation. And it was a good reputation. People would have looked at the church in Sardis and thought, “That church is alive!”

But Jesus’ assessment of their church was the exact opposite. He said that they were dead. He brought up the fact that they did not remember or keep what they received and heard. What did they receive and hear? They received Jesus. They heard his gospel. They received their Savior and Lord. They heard the good news about his life and death and resurrection. But they forgot about him. They lost the content of who he was and what he did for them. In other words, they had Christianity. But they did not have Christ. And if you are a church without Christ, then you are, simply put, dead.

This is really sad. But this can really happen. Especially here in America. Churches can actually stop focusing on Jesus and start focusing on moralism and just how to be a good person by using Jesus as merely a good example to follow. Churches can actually stop focusing on Jesus and start focusing on living your best life now and just offering self-improvement tips and positive-thinking skills. Churches can actually stop focusing on Jesus and start focusing on contributing to society and just become robust cultural institutions or cozy community centers or contemplative personal resources for Americans to live out the American dream. Churches can actually stop focusing on Jesus and start to redefine salvation and make the ultimate goal about abundant prosperity and well-rounded happiness. This can really happen. And this is really sad. These kinds of churches are often upheld as the best churches in the land with great reputations. They look like churches that are brimming with activity and full of energy, churches that are growing in many ways, churches that are going places and doing things. Many people look at them and think, “These churches are alive!” But they are not. They are dead. Because there is no Christ in their Christianity. This is the sadness of Sardis.

But Jesus knows. Jesus cares. Jesus provides the church with her identity. And she owes her existence to the fact that Jesus holds her in his hand. We know this because of how Jesus describes himself in the beginning of Sardis’ letter. Jesus is the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. In each and every letter to these seven churches, Jesus begins with a description of himself. And each and every description of himself has something to do with what was going on in these seven churches.

When Jesus says that he has the seven spirits of God, he is talking about the fact that he knows and that he cares. According to Revelation 5:6, the concept of seven spirits is connected to the idea of seven eyes and how God sees all things and keeps watch over and provides care for his people. And the number seven means that God’s seeing and keeping of watch and provision of care is all perfect. In Zechariah 4:10, it is written, “These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.” In Proverbs 15:3, it is written, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good.” And in 2 Chronicles 16:9, it is written, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” Jesus is the one who has the seven spirits of God.

And when Jesus says that he has the seven stars, he is talking about the fact that the church must be true to self and true to the Lord. According to Revelation 1:20, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, which is ultimately a personification of each church’s identity. The bride of Christ has a given identity. She must never forget who she is. And according to Revelation 1:16, the seven stars, that is, the holy identity of the church, is held in Jesus’ right hand. Christ is sovereign over his church. He is the head of the church, he is the focal point of the church, and all of the church’s meaning is centered around him. Jesus is the one who has the seven stars.

And so, Jesus knew the church of Sardis. Jesus cared about them. Jesus provided them an identity. And Jesus held them in his hand. The church of Sardis did not know what Jesus knew. The church of Sardis did not care about him. The church of Sardis forgot who they were. The church of Sardis forgot whose hand they were in. And yet, the Lord loved them. What a good and wonderful Shepherd is our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has the seven spirits and the seven stars.

When I think about Sardis, I think about newborn babies who don’t know anything about pee pee or poo poo. Newborn babies who soil their diapers but don’t even know it. Yes, it’s smelly. Yes, it’s messy. But what do their parents do? Their parents clean them. Their parents clean up the pee and the poo and replace soiled diapers with fresh new ones, over and over and over again. That is grace and love.

In Jesus’ eyes, some people in the church of Sardis soiled their garments. And they didn’t even know that their garments were soiled. But what did Jesus do? He sent them this letter through the Apostle John. He spoke to them. His desire was to clean them up. This is grace and love. Jesus knew the church of Sardis. Jesus cared about them. Jesus provided them an identity. And Jesus held them in his hand.

And Jesus knows us, Highland Church. Jesus cares about us behind the gas station. Jesus provides for us an identity. Jesus holds us in his hand. This is why Jesus speaks to us this morning from Revelation 3. What a good and wonderful Shepherd is our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who has the seven spirits and the seven stars.

Look at what Jesus does in the remainder of his letter to the church in Sardis. Jesus commands them to wake up. They were falling asleep on the wheel. They were in grave danger. And so Jesus wakes them up. Jesus also commands them to remember what they received and heard. They forgot about him. They lost the content of who he was and what he did for them. And so Jesus get them back on track, back on the road. And Jesus commands them to repent. They needed to stop, pull over at the nearest exit, and deeply realize that they were not alive. They were actually dead. They were doing a Christ-less Christianity. These were Jesus’ commands to Sardis.

Dear Highland, what about us? What about you? Is your Christianity a Christ-less Christianity? Has this coronavirus pandemic uncovered the painful truth that your Christianity is actually not brimming with activity and not full of energy and not growing in many ways and not going places and not doing things - that your Christianity is actually not alive but really dead? Have you forgotten about Jesus? Have you lost the content of who he was and what he did for you? I hope not. But if so, then wake up. Wake up. Wake up and repent.

Listen to what Jesus said to the church in Sardis. He says that if you will not wake up, then he will come like a thief. And you will not know at what hour I will come against you. These are strong but loving words of warning and discipline.

A thief is someone who takes things away from you. And a thief is someone who takes things away from you suddenly and in a surprisingly way. Dear brothers and sisters, if you will not wake up, then Jesus will take things away from you. And he will take things away from you suddenly and in a surprising way. Make no mistake. Jesus is not a thief. If he take things away from you, then you would need to understand that he is not taking away your things. Instead, he is taking back his things - his things that were once given to you but ultimately belong to him. This is very serious and urgent. But it is very good and necessary. Because the goal is for you to wake up and realize that you have some very serious and urgent issues.

Listen to Jesus. Hopefully the church of Sardis listened to Jesus words here, especially because their city was famously known for being thieved by enemies, looted and sacked and captured twice because they were caught off guard, because they were, so to speak, asleep at the wheel. Hopefully you would listen to Jesus as well.

Listen to Jesus during this coronavirus pandemic, a time in which it seems that the Lord has taken certain things away from churches here in America. Please do not think of this time as a nice break or a vacation from the routine of church. Please do not think that it’s cool and fun that we are online. This very well might be a wake up call for anyone who has nodded off to a Christ-less Christianity. I hope that the Lord has not come to you individually like a thief. But if he has, then wake up and repent. I hope that the Lord has not come to us corporately like a thief. But if he has, then let us altogether wake up and repent.

As I bring this sermon to a close, listen to how Jesus encourages the church of Sardis.

He reminds them that his people will walk with him in white garments. They will walk with him in purity and in holiness. The conquering church will be clothed in this way. This will be the church’s true identity - an identity given by the one with the seven stars. This is going to happen. This is the will of Christ our king. Be encouraged, brothers and sisters. As you strive to keep your garments clean and unsoiled by Christ-less Christianity and sin and worldliness and spiritually falling asleep at the wheel, you will walk with Jesus in the new heavens and new earth. This is your motivation to wake up and stay awake. This is your identity. This is who you are being made to be. So be encouraged. And wake up and repent.

And finally, Jesus reminds the church that he will never blot his people’s names out of the book of life and that he will confess their names before the Father and before his angels. It is one thing to hear your name pronounced during a graduation ceremony. It is one thing for hear your name from the lips of your future spouse during a marriage ceremony. It is one thing to confess the name of Jesus Christ each and every Sunday during worship. It is a whole different thing to hear your name pronounced from the book of life. It is a whole different thing to hear your name reverberate in the kingdom of the new heavens and new earth. It is a whole different thing to hear your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ confess your name before the Father and before his angels. Can you believe this? You better. Because it’s going to happen. Be encouraged by this promise. Let this be your motivation to wake up and stay awake. This is your identity. You belong in the kingdom of God. You are a citizen of the new heavens and new earth. So be encouraged. And wake up and repent.

Highland, hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Hear the words of the one who has the seven spirits and the seven stars. And remember that he who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” And so we say: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria