The fifth church in our study of the seven churches of Revelation is Sardis. This church was marked by its reputation of being in a wealthy city, and they became overconfident in their military strength. They weren’t persecuted or enduring difficulty like the other churches we’ve studied so far. This led them to be full of pride in their standing. They boasted of being a thriving booming church, but Jesus tells them differently. The true condition of the church is that they are barely holding on, and they need to “Wake up…go back to what you heard and believed at first.” This church needed a spiritual awakening. As you study the church of Sardis this week ask yourself: where is God calling me to wake up and be spiritually alive for Him?
This message is a reminder to us to fight the temptation to compromise our pursuit of holiness.