Revelation 3

v1-6: “Hypocrisy and a lamentable decline in religious faith are the sins that [the church in Sardis] is accused of.” Though this church had gained a great reputation, “for purity of doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in worship, decency, and order,” and on the surface, it appeared that everything was going fine, “this church was not really what it was reputed to be.” It was dead. “There was a great deadness in their souls and in their service, a great deadness in the spirits of their ministers, and a great deadness in their ministry, in their prayer life and their praying, in their preaching, in their ordinary lives, listening, and conversation.” To prevent this from happening to us, we must not let down our guard “against sin, Satan, and whatever destroys the life and power of godliness.”

v7-13: Jesus is the One who “opens a door of opportunity to his churches… a door for the message spoken by his ministers… the heart… a door of entrance into the visible church” and “the door of admission into the church triumphant, according to the terms of salvation established by him.” He also shuts the door. “He shuts the door of opportunity and the door for the message, leaving stubborn sinners closed in the hardness of their hearts… the door of church fellowship against unbelievers and worldly people,” and “the door of heaven against… evildoers, however proud and confident they may be.”

v14-21: Lukewarm or indifferent faith is the worst attitude in the world. “If religious faith is real, it is most excellent, and that is why we should be serious about it. If it is not real it is the vilest deception, and we should be seriously set against it. If religious faith is worth anything, it is worth everything; indifference here is inexcusable.” Jesus “expects people to declare themselves seriously either for him or against him.” One reason for this indifference is pride or self-delusion. “Christ is graciously pleased to come, by his word and Spirit, to the door of the heart of sinners.” If He find the door shut against Him because they are overcome with lukewarmness, “he uses all proper means to wake sinners up and cause them to open to him. He calls by his word, he knocks by the impulses of his Spirit on their conscience.” If they “open up their hearts to him,” they “will enjoy his presence, to their great encouragement.”

v22: “Just as all succeeding churches will resemble these descriptions [of the 7 churches] to some extent, both in their graces and in their sins, so they may expect that God will deal with them as he dealt with these churches, which are models for all ages of what faithful, fruitful churches may expect to receive from God and what those who are unfaithful may expect to suffer from his hands.”