Grace & Peace PGH

“You have made us for yourself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in you.” – Augustine

This is a sermon from the guest preacher, Derek Bates.

“The letter to the church at Philadelphia invites us to ask ourselves: Am I walking through the doors that Jesus has opened for me to share the gospel?” – Nancy Guthrie, Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation, 82

This week's open discussion.

This is a sermon from guest preacher, Nameun Cho.

Travis' comments on the Letter to the Church of Sardis: "Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy." - Revelation 3:4 Sardis is one of two churches in Revelation 2-3 that receives only a rebuke and no commendation. Some folks wonder if that is correct? Isn't 3:4 a commendation of this church? That is obviously a valid question, but I think the answer is no. Without going too far into the weeds here, I think what we find in 3:4 is more of an acknowledgement than a commendation. That is, while the church in Sardis overall is receiving no commendation, Jesus is acknowledging that there are a few people in the church who are walking in faithful allegiance to him. There a few reasons why I say this. First, the overall tone of this letter should guide how we interpret verse 4. Second, when compared to the other letters that receive both commendation and rebuke, the letter to Sardis is more negative in its tone. Third, even though there is commendable behavior mention in 3:4 (they are worthy), the emphasis in this verse seems to fall on the small number of people this represents (only a few names). Thus, the idea seems to be that though there are a small number of people who are faithful in Sardis, the church overall is dead and needs to wake up (3:1-3). So, while a few people receive an encouraging word of commendation, the church as a whole doesn't. That's different from most of the other letters.

Some challenges of idolatry for the modern believer: Far from idolatry being a relic of the distant past of paganism, idolatry is an ever present temptation and struggle for believers in every age, including our materialistic, rationalistic, and scientific one.

"Seven churches, different in so many ways from one another. Seven churches, similar in so many ways to the churches in which we live and serve Jesus. What one thing do all these churches need to fortify them against the enemy's frontal assaults, to make them savvy to his subtle stratagems, and to make them loyal to God and compassionate toward their oppressors? They need to hear Jesus' voice... His voice addresses us today in his letters to the seven churches of Asia, for each letter is what the Spirit says to all the churches." —Dennis E. Johnson

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." —Jim Elliot

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." —Jim Elliot