SARDIS - The Dead Church - Revelation 3:1-6 - STUDY GUIDE

SARDIS

The Dead Church

Revelation 3:1-6

STUDY GUIDE

1. Jesus Christ is represented in His church through the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2).

2. Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Lord, mediating His rule through godly leaders.

3. Sardis had the outward appearance of being alive, but its inward appearance was dead.

SPIRITUAL DEADNESS

4. Spiritual death in the New Testament is always connected with its cause, which is sin(Ephesians 2:1; Luke 9:60, 15:24, 32; Colossians 2:13; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:14).

5. Sardis could not just go with the flow, they had to reverse it.

6. Christ exhorted the true Christians at Sardis to fan into flame the dying embers of theremaining spiritual graces in the church.

7. They were the pointless, lifeless motion of corpses, and their good works were merely grave clothes of the unregenerate.

8. They needed to go back to the truths of the Word of God, remembering the gospel andteachings of the apostles (2 Peter 3:15-16).

9. The picture of Jesus coming like a thief always carries the idea of imminent judgment(Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15).

10. In the dead church at Sardis, a few true Christians were scattered like flowers in a desert (Malachi 3:16-17; Hebrews 6:10; Romans 11:1-5).

11. Garments symbolize character in scripture (Isaiah 64:6; Jude 23).

12. The white robes of purity Christ promises here and in verse 5 are elsewhere worn by Christ Himself (Matthew 17;2; Mark 9:3) and the holy angels (Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Acts 1:10).

13. We overcome by steadfastly maintaining the works of genuine Christianity.

14. All true Christians are victorious through Christ over sin, death, and Satan.

15. The Book of Life refers to the book of the living, the record of those who are alive (Psalm 69:28, Philippians 4:3).

16. Christ will affirm that we belong to Him (Matthew 10:32; Romans 8:28-29).

17. The indifferent believers needed to wake up before it was too late to save their church.

The character of the church at Sardis is a fair outline of the church period from A.D. 1520 – Tribulation.

 (Protestant Reformation)

PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE (Matthew 13:44)

MYSTERY OF ISRAEL’S BLINDNESS (Romans 11:25)

©2012 Kenute P. Curry. All rights reserved.