Sardis had the reputation of being alive, but Jesus said it was dead. This Wednesday devotional works through the closing promises to Thyatira and then the hard letter to Sardis, where a church coasting on past glory is told that if it is not growing, it is dying.

Main text: Revelation 2v26-28; Revelation 3v1-6

Outline:

- Finishing Thyatira: the promise to the overcomer (Revelation 2v26-28)

- The rod of iron and the potter's vessels (Revelation 2v27)

- The morning star and why Jesus would not give his people something bad (Revelation 2v28)

- Sardis: the church with a name but no life (Revelation 3v1)

- Living on past reputation is spiritual atrophy

- The way back: be watchful and strengthen what remains (Revelation 3v2)

The teacher pulls in the Olympic swimmers who once burned thousands of calories a day and "turned into us" once they stopped training, and the weightlifter's rule that atrophy comes two to three times faster than gain. The Churches of Christ cannot live off the reputation of the 1950s and 60s, and a comfortable Christian cannot live off the faith they had ten years ago. Comfort and contentment are the door Satan walks through. The way out is to keep working, get out of the comfort zone, sit closer, welcome people who do not look like us, and trust that even what looks frozen and dead can be cultivated back to life.

Originally Aired: 2026-05-13

3949 Lithia Pinecrest Rd.

Brandon, FL 33596

Chapters:

0:00 Lesson: Revelation 2v26-28; Revelation 3v1-6

1:57 Power over the nations

6:18 The rod of iron and the potter's vessels

18:04 The morning star

23:56 Sardis: a name but no life

33:33 Living on past reputation

44:46 Be watchful and strengthen what remains