In small towns, one of the most important things that anyone can have, is a good reputation. A good name. Your reputation is something that you've built over the entirety of your life in this town, as long as you've been here. People think good things about you, or bad, or a mix. There might be things about you that makes this community appreciate you. Or, there have been times, perhaps, when you've done something offensive, or badly put your foot in your mouth, and your reputation is not so hot. There are people who every small town is happy to have live there. There are also people, who most of the town wishes would leave, and the whole town does in fact celebrate when they move. No one really wants the thieves, or drug dealers, or gang members, or pedophiles, in their small town.
A reputation is something that can be built up over time. It's also something that's really hard to change. You get a reputation for being a hot-head, or being stubborn... you have to do a lot of things right, to change that. Right?
In our passage in Revelation 3 today, Jesus speaks to another one of the seven angels, who are in charge of the seven churches. Much of what Jesus says revolves around this idea of a reputation, or a name. In fact, there's a very serious play on that word.
Let's read Revelation 3:1:
(1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
"These things, he says-- the one having the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
'I know your works: that a "name"/reputation, you have ["a name" is focused],
that you are living,
and dead, you are ["dead" is focused].
Jesus describes himself here in two ways. He's the one having the having the seven spirits of God. "Seven" is symbolic number symbolizing completeness. Probably (arguably, following Craig Koester), "spirits" here refers to angels. Jesus has authority over the entirety of the angelic host. And he has authority over the seven stars, which are the seven churches. So Jesus has great power and authority, and you're supposed to keep that in mind, when you hear his words.
Jesus often starts his messages to these churches by saying something good, and nice about them. Not here. Jesus tells this angel that this church has a flawed reputation. They have the reputation-- probably among other churches-- as being alive. But they're actually dead.
Now, I find Jesus' language here really interesting because we talk the same way. We talk about a church being really dead, or dying. We can talk about how a different church is really alive. How do we use that language?
We call a church dead, or dying, when several things are happening: (1) when the numbers are way down, or trending in the wrong direction. A church is dead, or dying, (2) when the worship feels like it falls flat, (3) when people are in a rush to leave after the service is done, (4) when new people are ignored. It's time to greet everyone, and somehow everyone manages to ignore the new person who came alone?
When do we call a church alive? When the numbers are going up, when it has a lot of programs, when the worship feels God-focused, and heart-felt, and people sing out. A church is alive when it feels like everything is going in the right direction.
This church in Sardis has a reputation as being alive. Other Christians speak well of it. It has a good name. My guess is that the Sardis church thinks it's doing pretty well, as well. But Jesus knows better. The truth, is that the Sardis church is dead.
And how does Jesus decide if a church is dead or alive?
Look at the first four words Jesus says to them: "I know your works."
"Works" are things you do. They are how you live. So there's something about this church, where they can seem to be doing all the right things, and get a good reputation among Christians, but at the same time, be missing something so crucial that Jesus calls them dead.
You and I would walk through the Sardis church, and think, "What a great, living church!" Jesus sees it, shakes his head, and says, "You're dead."
So what are the missing works?
We saw this language about "works" just last week, so probably the answer isn't actually that complicated (as long as we resist the urge to completely fragment Revelation). Let's turn back to Revelation 2:19. This is what Jesus says to the church in Thyatira:
"I know your works, and love, and faithfulness, and service, and your steadfastness, and your last works are greater than the first ones."
When Jesus piles up all these words, I don't think he's talking about five separate categories. [The Greek in Revelation is tricky-- many people think the author thinks in Hebrew, basically, and that the Greek has a number of Hebraisms. In Revelation 2:19, the "and" after "works" probably functions as a colon. "I know your works: your love, faithfulness, etc." So also Revelation 2:2: "I know your works: your toil and your endurance." See NRSV.]. I think their works include love, and faithfulness, and service, and steadfastness. I think those are the things that are missing, basically, in Sardis. And when those things are missing, all it takes is a few volunteers-- a few exceptions to the rule (or a few paid staff members)-- and you can have the appearance of being a healthy, living church, but actually be dead. Everyone shows up. They play the Christian role for an hour. And they go home, untouched. There's no genuine love, or caring about each other. There's no real acts of faithfulness/loyalty and service to each other when there's need. It's just going through the motions, without the heart really being in it at all.
We've all had times maybe where that's been us. We're super disillusioned with God, or church. We got burnt by someone, and we're hurting. When we really needed help, no one was there for us, and some part of us just died on the inside. Or maybe it's all much more simple than this-- maybe our true priority is worldly things, not God, not this church. We will still come to church, but mentally, spiritually, we are one foot out the door. When we are here, we greet each other. We're polite. We listen; we ask questions. But there's some part of us that is uncaring, unloving, and untouched. We greet each other with a smile, but that smile doesn't touch our eyes, and there's no joy at seeing each other behind that smile (here, alluding to The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder, a book I've just started reading).
And this is a church filled with those type of people. They can maybe fool outsiders. But not Jesus.
And so Jesus challenges this church, starting in verse 2:
(2) Be alert/watchful, [Rev. 16:15]
and strengthen the remaining things (neuter, so things, not people)
that are about to die.
So in verse 1, Jesus calls this church dead. In verse 2, Jesus talks about things, as though they are on life support. These things, are their works. They need to strengthen their works of love, and faithfulness, and service, and steadfastness.
Still in verse 2, Jesus then strengthens his point with a "for" statement. "For" statements strengthen some point just made in some way, and the trick with them, is to figure out in which way they strengthen it (*Steven Runge, Discourse Analysis of the Greek New Testament).
For I haven't found your works having been fulfilled/completed before my God.
Jesus has this vision of what he wants his church to look like. What he wants his church to do. That vision revolves around loving each other, committing to each other, serving each other. Not in a shallow, superficial, keep-the-church-programs-going-and-the-lights-on kind of way, but out of a place of genuinely caring for each other. Jesus' vision is being like half-filled, half-fulfilled, half-completed. And when it's done this way, the church is actually dead. Things are actually on life support.
Before I go on, let's leave the book of Revelation completely, and turn to Romans 13:8-10. Here, we find Paul's language about fulfilling the law, and what God actually expects from the church (NRSV updated no reason).
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not murder; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
It's sometimes argued that Jesus fulfilled the law, in the sense that he died on the cross and freed us from the law. But the NT talks about fulfilling the law, or "filling up the law," in two separate ways. In Matthew, when Jesus talks about "fulfilling the law," he means that he is raising the bar to meet what God actually wants from his people. The law said, don't murder. Jesus raises the bar, fulfilling the law, by saying, "Don't even hate your brother. Forgive." The law said, don't commit adultery. Jesus raises the bar, fulfilling the law, by saying, "Don't look at someone else's spouse with lust. Don't run a dirty movie in your head with that person."
The other way the NT talks about fulfilling the law, is here in Romans 13:8-10. We fulfill the law-- we do-- when we love our neighbor as ourselves. That's how we fulfill God's expectations.
So there's a way of being Jesus' disciple, of doing church, in a way that's half-filled. To some extent, you're going through the motions. Your heart is not really in it. You lack genuine love, and care. You stop really caring about each other.
Do that, and the church goes on life support.
If that's you, and if that's this church, Jesus calls us to "strengthen" these things. Renew your commitment, from the heart, toward God and people.
Verse 3 (the "and so then" often signals a resumption of the argument, after a "for" digression):
(3) And so then, remember how/what you have received
and [how/what] you heard,
and keep/obey [it] [Revelation 1:3]
and repent.
And so then, if you are not alert/watchful, I will come like a thief,
and you will absolutely not know the hour I will come against you,
So what you heard originally, was that the entire law is summed up in two commands: Love your God with the entirety of who you are, and love your neighbor as yourself.
Keep that. Obey that. Repent, if you've lost sight of that.
With this, we come to Jesus' language about being alert, and watchful. The easiest way to explain this, might be to talk about the classic picture of two moms at a park, both of them with their kids.
Those moms, more often than not, are actually there for each other's friendship. They want to hang out, and have their kids hang out. The moms find a bench to sit on, and catch up on life, and see how they're doing. They care about each other. At the same time, they are alert, and watchful, toward their kids. There's this constant awareness of where their kids are, and what their kids are doing. There's also this awareness of the park's overall environment. Is there a mean dog nearby? Is there a suspicious looking adult nearby? Is someone doing drugs? The moms look like they are mostly paying attention to each other, but there's this alertness, and watchfulness, to everything they do.
When you go through life as Jesus' disciples, this is the picture we are invited to have in mind. Whether you're at work, or with your friends and family, or with this church, at every moment, you're always alert, and watchful, toward Jesus. You're aware of Jesus at all times, always keeping in mind his expectation that you love God and love people.
If you lose track of Jesus-- if you stop being alert toward Jesus-- Jesus says that he will come like a thief. You won't see him coming. And when he comes, he is coming as someone who is "against" you.
So does Jesus care, if you care about people? Does Jesus care, if you're just going through the motions, doing things halfway? Does Jesus care, if you lose your awareness that Jesus is always watching?
Jesus expects his people, his church, to truly, fully, love God and each other. A church that stops doing this might have a great name, a great reputation. But it's dead. The stuff that remains, is on life support.
It's all super sobering. Jesus goes on to give some good news, for a few people. Verse 4:
(4) but you have a few "names" in Sardis
who haven't defiled/stained their clothing ("defiled" elsewhere, Rev. 14:4),
and they will walk with me in white
because worthy, they are ["worthy" is focused].
There's a few names, where the name they have of being alive actually matches reality. Jesus says these people haven't stained their clothing.
Now, what I find surprising about this, and a little bit mind-bending, is that the flaws in this church are more about what they're not doing, than what they're doing. This is a church where people don't really care about each other. They aren't coming close to doing the good works that God expects of them-- works of love, and service, and faithfulness.
The end result, basically, is that the people in this church have stained their clothing, by doing nothing. Do nothing, and you get dirty. Stay busy in love and service, and the clothes Jesus gives stay white.
So things are really bad for this church, potentially. But it's too late for anyone, yet. In love, Jesus warns this church that there is time to repent, and recommit to God and to each other. There's time to become like a mom at a park-- to become aware of Jesus, at all times.
And to those who repent, and live this way, Jesus gives a promise-- they will get to walk with Jesus, wearing white, because they are worthy/deserving (same word used to describe enemies of God "deserving/being worthy" of judgment in Revelation 16:6, and Jesus being worthy/deserving to be the one to open the scroll in Rev. 5:2, 4, 9, and God being worthy of glory and honor and power in Rev. 4:11).
Now, we might find this language about being worthy, or deserving, to be a bit of a struggle. At least in the church in the West (U.S., Europe), Christians tend to have this constant feeling of unworthiness. In many churches, we are invited to view ourselves as being unworthy sinners, week in, week out. You feel like you're doing something right, when you feel this way. You feel safest, when you declare that you are in bondage to sin. And you worry that to think otherwise, would be to live in a place of pride, and self-righteousness.
How does Jesus feel? What does Jesus think?
Jesus thinks we can operate out of a place love, and commitment, and genuinely caring about each other, where we become worthy to wear white clothing, and walk with Jesus. Jesus declares that those people are worthy to wear white, and walk with him. And it's what Jesus thinks, that matters most.
Verse 5:
(5) The one conquering/overcoming in this way will be dressed in white clothing ["in this way" is focused], [Rev. 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 16:15 (without "white" there; 19:14]
and I will absolutely never erase his "name" from the Book of Life,
and I will confess his "name" before my Father and before his angels.
(6) The one having ears should hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
One of the things that Jesus expects us to conquer, is an uncaring attitude. Following Jesus, being faithful, isn't just about avoiding the big, obvious sins. It's not just about knowing when you've had enough to drink, or when it's time to stop watching a TV program. It's not about realizing when money has become an idol, and that we've somehow along the way become greedy, and that we need to repent. It's not just about recognizing when there's a mutual attraction between you, and someone other than your spouse, and stopping that in its tracks.
Jesus expects us to also conquer an uncaring attitude. Jesus expects us to fill up, or complete, our works, and
love, and faithfulness, and service, and steadfastness.
How do we conquer an uncaring attitude? How we do move from a place of apathy, and half-heartedness, to actually loving each other?
For some of us, this place of apathy and half-heartedness is a simple matter of priorities. At some point along the line, we lost our awareness of Jesus, and life became about work, and family, and vacations, and sports, and a hobby. It's not that you don't care about Jesus' church at all, or that you're super hard-hearted. You do care about this church. You've just lost focus. It's not hard, in that situation, to just repent, and reprioritize, and make an effort to reach out to people, and look for ways to build them up and strengthen them.
There's another group of Christians who will find it harder to conquer an uncaring attitude. Some Christians live out of a place of hurt, and scarring. At some point, someone was insensitive to them, or failed them in their time of need. Or maybe, there was a bruising church fight, and things were never quite the same after that. Those Christians tend to become hyper-sensitive to being hurt, and offended. They tend to take things the wrong way really quickly, and they are always ready to pull back into a protective shell. What these people want most from church, many times, is to be able to attend a church service, and then leave a church service, with minimal contact. You want to slip out the door, as quickly possible. You want to go to church, maybe once or twice a month. And you're ready to leave one church for another, the first time you get hurt again, until one day, you realize you've run out of churches.
If that's you, I'm not sure that I'm the guy with all the answers, in how to help you. I know Scot McKnight wrote a book about this, A Church Called Tov, that many people have found helpful. I know in my own life, when I've been hurt, at a certain point I find myself confronted with Jesus' words about forgiveness. If I don't forgive people when they sin against me, God won't forgive me (Matthew 6:14-15). God expects me to forgive, and show grace to people (Ephesians 4:32). God expects me to reconcile with people. God expects me to live at peace with all of you, and with everyone, as much as it depends on me (Romans 12:18). And Jesus expects me to walk in love, and faithfulness, and service, and steadfastness.
So for myself, part of my own solution has been to accept that I have no choice, in any of this. I can't live how Jesus wants without making myself vulnerable to being hurt.
There are two other things I've found helpful. The first, is asking God to empower me through his Holy Spirit for all of this. The fruit of the Spirit, is love and peace. So if I'm more filled with the Holy Spirit, more empowered, I should find it easier to live how Jesus wants.
The second thing I've found helpful, for the people I really struggle with the most, is going to God with two specific prayer requests. (1) I ask God to bless that person in a super abundant way, to shower blessings on them and do good for them. (2) And I ask God to give me his heart for that person, to see them the way that He does. Once you see people the way that God does, you will care about them, and you will love them.
At this point, let's reread verse 5-6, and focus on what Jesus promises:
(5) The one conquering/overcoming in this way will be dressed in white clothing ["in this way" is focused], [Rev. 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 16:15 (without "white" there; 19:14]
and I will absolutely never erase his "name" from the Book of Life,
and I will confess his "name" before my Father and before his angels.
(6) The one having ears should hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To those who conquer an uncaring attitude, and move to a place of love, faithfulness, service, and steadfastness, what does Jesus promise?
He's already promised that we will get to walk with him. Jesus again tells us that we will get to wear white clothing, which I'm guessing (following everyone?) symbolizes holiness, and purity, and righteousness.
That part is pretty straightforward. But then, Jesus uses this "name" language two more times.
If you conquer in this way, Jesus says he will never erase your name from the Book of Life.
This "Book of Life" language is found in two or three places in the OT, and Jesus' words here are deliberately echoing one passage in particular. Let's turn to Exodus 32:30. This story describes part of the aftermath of Israel worshipping the golden calf idol:
30 On the next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of the book that you have written.” 33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel shall go in front of you. Nevertheless, when the day for punishment comes, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron had made.
So God has this book. Moses' name is in this book. The names of the idolaters are currently in this book as well. What Moses wants, is for God to forgive the people. If God won't forgive them, Moses wants his own name blotted out. In verse 33, God refuses to go along with this. Moses' plan doesn't work. Instead, God says in verse 33: "whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book." God then goes on to promise that there will be a day of punishment, when he punishes the people for their sin. And that's verse 35-- God sends a plague.
If we stick only to Exodus 32, I think it's just barely possible to take this "Book of Life" to mean "the list of all currently living people." [Kind of like a list of voters in Republican states]. Moses uses this language about a book as a way of asking God to take away his life, if God takes away the life of the people by killing them. And God responds by saying, "That's not how this works. Those who sinned against God by worshipping the idol get blotted out." And then God sends a plague, killing them, in verse 35.
But if go to Revelation 20:11-15, that kind of falls apart (NRSV updated no reason):
11 Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his[c] presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire, 15 and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Here, we find several books described, but only one-- the book of life-- is specifically named. This book of life is filled with names, and if your name isn't found in that book, you get thrown into the lake of fire, and die a second death.
We read that, and it raises all sorts of other questions I don't want to get in to. I just want to point out three things:
(1) The Book of Life has names in it, right now, of dead people. So the book is not a list of currently living ("living-on-earth") people.
(2) The Book of Life is God's master list of people who get to live forever.
(3) The basis for the judgment in this passage, verse 12, is works. So we find the same language about works here, that we do in Revelation 3. In chapter 3, Jesus says, "I haven't found your works fulfilled/completed/filled up before my God." And then the basis of the final judgment is works. It all fits together.
So right now, it is hopefully the case that our names are written in the book of life. Hopefully, we are walking with Jesus on earth, so that we will get to walk with him forever. If we veer from that, and stop loving people, we are running the risk that Jesus will blot our names out, and that we will miss out on eternal life.
I don't think there's any other explanation, for how to put these three passages together. There's a way to live, where you will end up losing everything with God in the end.
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What I'm teaching here aligns perhaps most closely with the classic Reformed Calvinist view. I'm not sure Lutherans typically explain it quite like this-- although Lutherans well-understand that faith must be a working faith, to be a living faith, and an ultimately saving faith (James). They also understand that faith and the Holy Spirit can be lost/taken away. In many ways, this is perhaps the most lost doctrine in the entire church.
Here's part of Robert Reymond's discussion in how salvation can be through faith, and the final judgment based on works (Robert Reymond, A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, 1020-21):
"Believers will then be judged according to their works and will receive rewards accordingly. Paul teaches that not only unbelievers but believers as well will be judged in the judgment of the Eschaton (Rom. 14:10, 12; 1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:10). To them who, by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor, and immortality, that is, to them who do good as the fruit of a lively faith in Christ, God will grant eternal life, glory, honor, and peace (Rom. 2:7, 10). The criteria of this judgment will be their works."
Here's an excerpt from James Buswell, another Reformed theologian (Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 510, emphasis mine):
"The basis of the judgment of those raised from the dead to stand before the Great White Throne is given in the last part of verse 12 and the last part of verse 13, ". . . and books were opened, and another book was opened which is the Book of Life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works . . . And they were judged each one according to works." See also Revelation 22:12, "See, I am coming speedily, and my reward is with me, to give to every one as his work is."
The objection is frequently raised, If the basis of judgment is 'works' and no one is saved 'by works,' how can it be that there will be some of the righteous standing for judgment before the Great White Throne?
The answer is that no one is saved by works but works are considered, in every judgment scene pictured in the New Testament, as an evidence of faith or the lack of faith. 'Faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone . . . Show me thy faith without they works, and I will show thee my faith by my works . . . But wilt thou know, oh vain man that faith without works is dead?' (James 2:17-20)."
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Jesus then goes on, last line in Revelation 3:5, to say the same thing using different imagery. Jesus says, For those who conquer, I will confess his "name" before my Father and before his angels.
The day will come, when each of us stands before God the Father, and all the angels. The scariest day ever. But on that day, to those who conquer, Jesus will say, "I know that one. That's [person's name]." And then you breathe a huge sigh of relief. Right?
Those who have ears should hear what Jesus says to the seven churches. What are we supposed to leave today, having heard?
What Jesus expects us to conquer, isn't just the big obvious sins like witchcraft, idolatry, sexual immorality, and greed (Galatians 5:19-21 stuff). Jesus expects us to conquer an uncaring attitude toward each other, that doesn't really love, or serve, or commit ("faithfulness") to building up the body. When we do nothing, we defile our clothing, leaving it stained, and dirty. When we work, we keep our clothes clean.
If you hear these words, and realize you've failed, Jesus calls you to repent. Strengthen what remains. Become aware of Jesus, at all times. Complete the works that God created you to do (Ephesians 2:10). This is your window of time to repent.
When you care about people, and love them, and serve them, inevitably you'll find that you're going to get hurt by God's people. It'd be nice if this church could be a place of healing, and grace, and forgiveness, where you are loved consistently. Hopefully, if you're one of those who is scarred, and hurting, and broken, you'll be better off for being here. But I expect that we will always be a family with ups and downs, where we hurt each other, and need to apologize, and seek forgiveness, and reconciliation. Family is messy, but Jesus expects us to conquer an uncaring attitude, and love and serve each other.
There are churches that have the reputation of being alive, but they are dead, or on life support. And there that look like they're dying, but Jesus sees them hanging on, loving God, and loving each other. And it's what Jesus sees, and thinks about us, that matters most.
Translation:
(1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
"These things, he says-- the one having the seven spirits of God [1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6; compare 8:2]
and the seven stars: [1:20; 3:1]
'I know your works: that a "name"/reputation, you have ["a name" is focused],
that you are living,
and dead, you are ["dead" is focused]. Matt. 8:22; Luke 9:60; *Koester
(2) Be alert/watchful, [Rev. 16:15]
and strengthen the remaining things (neuter, so things, not people)
that are about to die.
For I haven't found your works having been fulfilled/completed before my God.
(3) And so then, remember how/what you have received
and [how/what] you heard,
and keep/obey [it] [Revelation 1:3]
and repent.
And so then, if you are not alert/watchful, I will come like a thief,
and you will absolutely not know the hour I will come against you,
(4) but you have a few "names" in Sardis
who haven't defiled their clothing,
and they will walk with me in white
because worthy, they are ["worthy" is focused].
(5) The one conquering/overcoming in this way will be dressed in white clothing ["in this way" is focused], [Rev. 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 16:15 (without "white" there; 19:14]
and I will absolutely never erase his "name" from the Book of Life (Exodus 32:30-35; Psalm 69:24; some point to Isaiah 4:3; Revelation 20:11-15),
and I will confess his "name" before my Father and before his angels.
(6) The one having ears should hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
