Truth Matters 88 (June 21-25)

Hello, I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis and this is Truth Matters.

Thank you for listening. And last time we were together, we surveyed the church of Thyatira. We ended in chapter 2 of Revelation in John's letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3. Last time in looking at the church at Thyatira, the Lord found some good things to talk to them about. They were faithful, they were loving, they were loyal, they were long suffering, and also there was evidence of maturity within the church. But just like Jesus to give commendation, Jesus always gives an option for repentance.

There is always a way out here and even to the church of Thyatira. But those that did repent and those that overcame, He gave a strong promise that He would give power over the nations, that He shall rule them with a rod of iron and they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels as I have also received from my Father and I will give Him the Morning Star. So these are promises that those that would hold fast what you have until Jesus came, He pushed them to be faithful. But moving on to chapter 3, we get into the first six verses where John is writing the letter to the church at Sardis. Let's begin in chapter 3 verses 1 through 6.

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, These things say He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard.

Hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blab out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Each time that we break down these letters, first we look at the destination of the letter, so this time will not be any different. The destination of this letter is to the church at Sardis. Just to really get into some historical info about the city before we digest the letter. The city of Sardis was considered to be one of the most impregnable cities of its day, much like Babylon. And when I say impregnable, what I mean is that the city was unable to be penetrated from an outside force. It was like a fortress, it was on lockdown, very secure.

Sardis was located about 1,500 feet above the valley floor, on top of a mountain spur, and there was a fortress around the city. The greatest king of Sardis was named Croesus, a man remembered for his great will. Unfortunately, it was his overconfidence in the security of his city that caused its downfall. Croesus, against better advice, went to war against Cyrus, king of Persia. He was defeated and driven back to his city that he thought was safe.

But Cyrus was smart. He knew the art of reconnaissance. The Persian soldiers camped outside of Sardis and saw a Sardinian drop his hat at the top and then appear at the bottom of the wall to retrieve it. So he knew, or Sardis and his men knew, that there was a secret passage to get into the city. They raided the city late at night and opened the gates from the inside.

There was no guard posted at the gates, a sign that they had faith in their fortress. 100 years later, the city was destroyed a second time the same way. You know, when I hear this story, I think about the old saying, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. This will be important in looking at the letter and its message to the church at Sardis. The letter to the church at Sardis is the fifth letter that was written by John, inspired by his visions on the isle of Patmos.

Sardis is known as being the first center for the minting of gold and silver coins, and the city was defeated by a surprise attack. In addition to looking at the destination of the letter, each time we look at the designation of the Lord. And in verse one, and to the angel of the church in Sardis write, these things says he, and he is the Lord who has the seven spirits of God and who has the seven stars. And until next time, where we'll get into the next church in the next letter of Philadelphia. I'm Dr. Cheryl Davis with Truth Matters.