Sardis, Philadelphia, & Laodicea (Revelation): What if Jesus wrote our church a letter? Revelation 3 records the last three messages from Jesus to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia. Jesus provided encouragement and warnings, but assured them that if they opened the door to him, it would be the defining moment of their lives. Recorded on May 24, 2026, on Revelation 3 by Pastor David Parks.
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This sermon is part of the Revelation: All Things Made New series. Christians live in incredible tension. In Christ, we’re already saved, but we’re not yet delivered from this broken world. We’re being made holy, but we’re not yet perfected. We have love, joy, and peace, but we still long for justice, healing, and the death of death. How can we endure all this without giving in to complacency or compromise? In our series, we’ll pull back the veil of reality, exposing both a cosmic spiritual battle and the truth about how this story ends. One day, Jesus will return and bring a final end to evil. He will defeat his enemies and vindicate his people, wiping away every tear. Jesus will finally, fully establish his kingdom on the earth, making everything new. “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Sermon Transcript
I distinctly remember being in my mid-twenties, regularly going to church, serving on ministry teams, and being part of a community group, and yet still feeling like my Sundays didn’t really connect to my Mondays or Tuesdays, and so on. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in God, I did! But I had this sense haunting the back of my mind that if I really took my faith seriously, then a lot would have to change in my life. I was headed for one of the great defining moments of my life: Was I going to live as if what I believed was actually true? Was I going to actually follow Jesus in my work and at home and everywhere else, or not? I think we all face these kinds of defining moments in life, when we’re faced with something like a crossroads, a decision point, where we can clearly see different paths forward. Which way will we go? For me, the defining moment was about putting the faith of my childhood into practice as an adult. Was my faith in Jesus really going to be the defining characteristic of my life? Not only do we all have these defining moments, but Christians have had them since the beginning. In fact, our early brothers and sisters might’ve had even more at stake because of the culture of the Roman Empire they were living in. We’re continuing a series on the book of Revelation called All Things Made New. And in its apocalyptic style, Revelation, God pulls back the veil of reality, exposing both a cosmic spiritual battle and the truth of how our world and this current age will come to an end with the return of Christ. By God’s grace, we know how the story ends. Because of its unique style in the New Testament, Revelation can be hard to understand, but it’s worth it. From the beginning of the Jesus movement, the prophetic visions in this book have given Christians real strength to endure every defining moment they faced. Revelation begins with a message from Jesus Christ himself to each of the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia to which it was addressed. Last week, Pastor Nate started the first four of the seven letters, and today we’ll consider the final three. When each of these churches received these letters, it marked a defining moment for them. How would they respond? If you have a Bible/app, please open to Rev 3:1. We’ll cover the whole chapter today, but we’ll unpack it as we go.
Revelation 3:1–6 (NIV), “1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Some of Jesus’ messages to his churches have been more encouraging, while others have been more of a warning. This is one of the latter. This is a clear warning. This church needs to wake up! If we look at a map, we can see that John was writing to these churches while in exile on the island of Patmos, and Sardis was part of a loop a messenger would take to deliver these letters. We’ll cover Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea today. But in Sardis, we might say that Jesus was writing to Life Church (“you have a reputation [name] of being alive”), but Jesus gave them the (probably) shocking news that Life Church was actually mostly dead. Their name/reputation was great with everyone except Jesus. Isn’t that wild? But why? What went wrong in Sardis? Jesus says to them, as he says to the other churches, “I know your deeds,” but “I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” They haven’t been diligent in good works. Now, this might refer to the Great Commission work of making disciples, of following Jesus, and helping others do the same. But this might also refer to living out the moral and ethical commands of Christ. Of being honest and true, of being faithful in marriage, of loving their neighbor and caring for the poor and those who were in need, and so on. As the Apostle James wrote, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (Jas 2:26). But what was the solution? Jesus said they needed to remember what they had heard/received and hold it fast (meaning, do what they had been taught). And if they truly remembered, they’d clearly see their need for repentance! This is probably a good time to remind you that Jesus is the head of the Church (universal), but that also means he’s the head of every local church, including ours. I am not the head of this church. The elder board isn’t the head of this church. The congregation isn’t the head of this church, even though we are a congregationalist church! Jesus is the head of this church, and we are his body. But if he is the head, then Jesus is also the judge of every church. Many of us have had the frustrating experience of judging something in or on our own bodies. In fact, we can be very harsh in how we judge our bodies. But that is not what Jesus is doing. He’s not being unkind or unnecessarily harsh with this church. He’s speaking the truth in love to them. He’s rightfully warning them. It’s like a doctor looking at test results, saying, “If you don’t make some major changes, you’re going to die!” Now, we don’t know the exact situation in Sardis, but only a few people remained uncompromised, those “who have not soiled their clothes.” This is interesting because Sardis was known for producing wool and clothing. Jesus probably used the analogy of clean clothing to represent their righteousness and purity. Something like, “You are known for your beautiful clothing, but from a spiritual perspective, your clothes are filthy.” Not good. Jesus knew the deeds of the church in Ephesus, but he told them that the problem wasn’t their deeds, it was their love. Sardis didn’t have either, apparently. They were in real danger. But there was still time to repent, at least until the return of Christ. Jesus wasn’t writing an eternal condemnation; this was still just a warning. But it ends on a hopeful note, a great blessing for the one who is victorious. Jesus says he will acknowledge the faithful before “my Father and his angels.” If Jesus is the judge, then it’s as if the judge has stepped down from his judgment seat to serve as their defense attorney, vouching for them and testifying to their faithfulness. Can you imagine how that might feel for someone who experienced persecution or even gave their life because of their faith? To have endured lies, slander, or other attacks on their character, only to one day have Jesus Christ acknowledge them before God the Father in heaven. What a gift. And in that day, do you think it will really matter what anyone else said about you? Not one bit.
Revelation 3:7–13 (NIV), “7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” If Jesus’ letter to Sardis was mostly a warning, his letter to Philadelphia was mostly an encouragement. They were doing really well. Jesus said, “I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Like, “I know you aren’t strong. I know you have faced persecution. But you’ve remained faithful, you’ve kept my command to endure patiently.” What a comfort it would’ve been for the believers in Philadelphia, who, perhaps, experienced the loss of honor and respect from their neighbors for being Christians, to hear that Jesus, the one they had given their lives to follow, is the one who has ultimate authority, regardless of what anyone else thought. He held the keys of authority. If he opened or closed a door, none of the so-called powerful or influential people in their city could do a thing about it. And Jesus had flung open the door for these believers into the highest, most prestigious access you could possibly get: the throne room of God. They may not be seen as important in their hometown, but in the Kingdom of God, they would be welcomed in, wearing crowns of glory. Philadelphia was largely destroyed by a devastating earthquake about 70 years earlier, so the people of the community would’ve been concerned about the structural integrity of their buildings. But Jesus says: “I will make [the victorious one] a pillar in the temple of my God.” They will be strong and immovable. Jesus says, “Never again will they leave it.” They’ll never have to worry about being displaced or run out of town. They’ll have a permanent place in God’s house—they will become God’s house, enjoying God’s presence, going on forever and ever! Not only will they be strong and have an eternal dwelling, but they’ll also have a brand-new identity. That’s the meaning behind being marked with the name of God and the city of God and of Jesus Christ himself. What does it mean when you write your name on something? Like a Tupperware you’re bringing to a church potluck or the toys in Toy Story with Andy written on their feet? It means, “This thing is mine.” Jesus is saying, “Oh, these people? Yeah, they’re mine.” This was especially important because it appears that in Philadelphia, these early Christians were being persecuted by Jewish people who didn’t believe that Jesus was Israel’s Messiah, this “synagogue of Satan.” Now, Jesus was Jewish, and all the first disciples of Jesus were Jewish before they realized that the Gentiles were responding to the gospel as well. The inclusion of Gentiles into the church caused a crisis, not of ethnicity but of faith. John claims that their opponents were not truly Jewish, and this refers not to their ethnicity but to their faith. We don’t have time to fully explore this today, but a widespread issue in the first-century church was what to do with the Gentiles. The conclusion of the first church council in Acts 15 was that they did not need to become ethnically Jewish or obey Torah to follow Jesus. But this put both believing Jews and Gentiles in the crosshairs of their unbelieving Jew and Gentile neighbors. Jewish Christians were kicked out of some local synagogues, and they might’ve faced defining moments every day. But Jesus says, “Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.” He was with them. He knew what they faced. They were his.
Revelation 3:14–22 (NIV), “14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. 21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This is God’s word. And we’re going to finish with another strong warning. Again, Jesus says he knew their deeds, and, just like Sardis, this was the problem. But what did he mean by saying he wished they were either hot or cold? Some have thought that Jesus was saying that he’d rather the church either be truly for him or fully against him, represented by hot and cold, instead of lukewarm. But this doesn’t make sense, because nowhere in the Bible does God say he wants people to be against him. The Lord doesn’t want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pe 3:9). Others have thought that Jesus was referring to water that came by Roman aqueducts from the hot springs of Hieropolis, about six miles away. That this water, as invigorating as it would’ve been from the source, was lukewarm by the time it reached Laodicea, and not very good. Maybe so, but there’s no historical evidence that the water in Laodicea was bad. In fact, there’s no evidence that there was an aqueduct from Hieropolis. I believe Jesus was referring more generally to how people prefer water to be either hot or cold rather than lukewarm. Hot or cold water is more useful (for health and bathing, or for drinking), while lukewarm water is basically good for nothing. Jesus uses a vivid image, literally saying that if they don’t change their ways, he would vomit them out of his mouth. That can’t be good. But the situation was dire. They weren’t just falling into complacency; their faith had been compromised. They were trusting in their own wealth, resources, and reputation in the place of Jesus. Laodicea was known for producing very high-quality black wool; it had a medical school specializing in a particular eye salve, and it was also a center for banking, making it very wealthy. In other words, they were known for their wealth, their sight, and their clothing. From a worldly perspective, their church probably looked like they were killing it! But from a spiritual perspective, when the veil was pulled back, Jesus said they were “poor, blind, and naked.” But again, Jesus isn’t being mean or unnecessarily harsh; he’s actually being loving! He says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” Last week, Pastor Nate said, “The answer to compromise, complacency, and persecution isn’t to do more or try harder—it’s devotion to Jesus, a devotion rooted in the gospel.” And this is so true. But in case any of the people of these churches, especially in Sardis and Laodicea, were doubting how Jesus would respond to them even if they faced this defining moment and decided to turn back to him, Jesus ends this section with a wonderfully hopeful message. He’s standing at the door and is knocking. He’s not far off. He’s not expecting them to figure out how to be holy enough to get to heaven on their own. He’s near. He’s at the door. All you have to do is open it, and he will come into your heart and your life and have fellowship, have a real relationship with you. What about you? What if Jesus wrote our church a letter? What if Jesus wrote you a letter? What do you think he would say? Maybe today can be a defining moment for you. Whether you have been struggling with persecution for your faith, or you’re feeling yourself slide into complacency in your faith, or you’ve been compromised by some sin, Jesus loves you enough to tell you the truth. But he loves you too much to leave you wherever you are. If you open the door to him, he will help you, walk with you, and will give you what you need to not only endure but to run through the finish line in victory, wearing the crown of life, and bearing the name of the Victorious One, the High King of Heaven, and the Lord of all. It hasn’t always been easy following Jesus since my mid-twenties, but I’ll never regret opening the door to him. What about you? Let us pray.
