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Words to the Church of Sardis

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[Revelation 3:1]

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds
the seven spirits of God and he seven stars.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead..”

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Jesus appeared directly to John on the island of Patmos. Jesus appeared among the seven golden candlesticks and first spoke about the seven churches in Asia Minor.

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Today, let's take a look at the Sardis church, which has not been praised among the seven churches. why? We want to learn a lesson by examining whether Jesus only rebuked the church in Sardis.

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Jesus spoke to the Sardis church with the seven spirits and seven stars.

"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spiritsof God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive,
but you are dead.”[Revelation 3:1]

Jesus said to the church in Sardis, [You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead].

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The area where the Church of Sardis was located was a small town located between the River Hermus and Mount Tmolus. The city was surrounded by a perimeter and was like a fortress,
safe from outside invasion. It is said that the city worshiped a goddess named Cybele as the city's guardian.

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Unlike other churches in Sardis, which was built in this area, there were no external difficulties.
The people of Sardis did not persecute the church. I didn't particularly hate the church. Rather,
they recognized the Church of Sardis, so there was no difficulty in life of faith.

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Sardis Church looked like a living and healthy church on the outside.
But Jesus tells the church in Sardis that it is a dead church. Jesus does not judge the appearance or rumors of the church. Jesus knows all the ways in which the members of that church live their life of faith.

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The members of the Sardis church seemed to believe in Jesus on the outside.
However, they deviated from their initial beliefs and showed little or no true faith.
They are deeply tainted with sin. It was hard to find the good deeds they should have as believers in Jesus.

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Jesus warned the church in Sardis, who did not keep the right faith.
The first warning was to [awaken] them. He tells them to restore to their original form of faith before their condition gets worse. Jesus warned them to wake up when they had the slightest bit of strength before they were yet fully dead.

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The second is [Repent and obey!].
This word means to remember the gospel you received the first time.
He warned them to repent for not following the words of the gospel they had received.
And he told them to obey again.

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He says that if they do not repent after receiving Jesus' warning, He will judge them. Jesus said that the day of judgment will come when they do not know when a thief will come into the house.

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Jesus knew that there were some people who had true faith in that church that was almost dead. Although they were only a small number, they were not stained by sin and lived purely according to the word of God.
They did not follow the false beliefs of others and acted according to their true faith.

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Jesus granted them great blessings. To those who kept their faith to the end, Jesus clothed them in white. They said that they would be blessed to walk with Jesus in white robes.

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Jesus is still looking for people who keep and practice true faith. Even if those who have this faith are hidden from view, Jesus seeks them out. Jesus also puts white clothes on them.
And he makes it possible for them to walk with Jesus in eternal heaven.

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This is not the end. Jesus Himself sets them before Heavenly Father and the angels.
And he promised to clearly say before God and the angels, “These are belong to me”
“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white.
I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”[Revelation 3:5]

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Sardis Church looked good on the outside, but on the inside it was a poor church.
We, too, must be careful not to be tainted by false beliefs like the Sardis Church.
We must be thankful for the grace of salvation we received through Jesus and restore our first love.
You must have true faith to keep the word of God and do it without being stained by sin.
I sincerely hope that all of you who can keep this faith until the end, wearing white clothes and walking in heaven with Jesus, will become.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)