Revelation Letters: Sardis

Revelation Letters: Sardis

Bible Blast: Read Revelation 3:1-6

I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Revelation 3:1

Imagine you went to your grandma’s house to hang out. While you’re there, she asks you to make a cup of tea. You open the kitchen cabinet to get a mug, choosing the one you gave her for her birthday. It has “World’s Greatest Grandma” written on it in gold cursive letters. When you set it on the counter, you gasp because the inside of that beautiful mug is disgusting! It’s dirty and moldy and even has an old tea bag in it. “Grandma!” you shriek. “The inside of this mug is filthy! Don’t you wash things before you put them away?” Your grandma says, “Of course I wash them, dear! But I just wash the outside. It’s a lot less work, and the mugs still look pretty stacked and lined up in the cabinet.”

That may sound ridiculous to you, but that’s what Jesus’ problem was with the church in Sardis. The believers looked great on the outside and appeared to be alive and well, but actually the people of the church were full of sin and filth.

In Matthew 23:25-26, Jesus challenged the Pharisees with the same problem. Pharisees were religious leaders who followed lots of laws but didn’t know much about love and grace. Jesus said to them, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.”

Don’t judge churches or people on all the things they do for Jesus. A person can be really busy with church activities, yet still be almost dead in her faith in Jesus, just like the church of Sardis. In verse 3 of today’s Bible Blast passage, Jesus told them to get back to what first brought them to Christ and grab onto it tightly. They also needed to repent.

Being busy with lots of churchy things isn’t what gets you to heaven; Jesus paid that price. Being alive in your faith is all about loving Jesus with everything you’ve got.

Girl Gab: Write Matthew 23:25-26 on a piece of paper. Post it by your dishwasher or sink for a week. As you do dishes or load the dishwasher, make this a prayer for yourself, like this: “God, help me not just be concerned about what people see on the outside. Help me make sure the inside of me is clean and pure too. Amen.”