Revelation 3:1

The Letter To The Church In Sardis (Revelation 3:1).

‘And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, these things says he who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.'

Sardis is a dying church so they are being reminded of the powerful forces acting on behalf of the churches. Both the seven ‘angels of the Presence' and the angels of each church are under His control and are there to minister to them. (Alternately we may translate ‘the seven spirits of God, even the seven stars'). Both are referred to in chapter 1. Angels are considered important here for they are mentioned again in Revelation 3:5, where they will be witnesses to the success of overcomers.

It must be stressed that all this does not mean we should ever address angels directly, or especially honour them. This is made clear later in Revelation, where John is rebuked for such behaviour (Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:9) and is told we must worship God alone. He is reminded that they are our fellow-servants, not our superiors in status. They are there to guard and to help, not to be exalted.

The mention of the seven angels of the Presence comforts the church in the light of the activities they will engage in. These powerful beings are active on behalf of the church. When they engage in those activities, revealed later in the Book, the church can gain comfort from the fact that they are in the hand of their Lord and therefore indestructible. The overcomers in the church will be powerfully protected.

‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead.'

This church has gone further away from God than the Ephesians. The Ephesians had lost their first love, but these have lost the life they once had. They are supposed to be Christians - they have a name that they live - but they have actually become almost nothing but a social gathering, if not worse, and they are bereft of the Spirit. They are not rebuked for idol worship or immorality. They are rebuked for formality, for having no life. They gather as a church, but their ‘worship' is lifeless. They meet for social pleasure rather than to come to a fuller knowledge of Christ.