Revelation 3:2-3 2Stay awake and strengthen the rest that is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember, therefore, what you received and heard and keep it and repent. Therefore, if you will not stay awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
Jesus gives the church in Sardis a warning. Stay awake implies that they were falling asleep spiritually by becoming lazy, deceived, or morally compromised. Their spiritual energy and enthusiasm were low because they were getting their values from the world. They had gone so far as to be close to dying, but they still had some life and opportunity to turn the situation around. They looked good on the outside, perhaps even attractive to unbelievers, but there was a deep spiritual issue that needed to be resolved. Outward appearance is no indicator of spiritual health. The problem was that they had not completed what had been started in them (Philippians 1:6). They were like the seed planted on rocky soil: quick to spring up but lacking roots to grow (Mark 4:5, 16-17). God had started something in Sardis, but some of the Christians had failed to grow in their faith and had unfinished deeds, suggesting complacency and satisfaction with the status quo. The sight of God should have reminded them that nothing escapes God’s inspection.
Optimism for their situation comes with three commands. Remember calls them to return to what they once had learned. Someone had first shared the gospel with them, and they had positively responded to it. Somewhere along the line, however, they failed to grow deeper roots in discipleship. Keep calls for active faith and obedience. It was not enough to have an intellectual idea about Jesus. They needed to obey what Jesus taught, which would be evident in how they lived, particularly with their morals (verse 4). The needed response was to repent, a theme repeated several times in the seven letters and in other critical spots in Revelation. One of the meanings of this important word means to return to what is right, in this case, what they already should have known. They had a strong foundation of faith, but had left it and were about to die. They had taken their eyes off of Jesus and become entangled in sin (Hebrews 12:1-2). They had lost their focus because of a lack of
If the Sardian Christians did not repent, they would lose what little they had. They were at a critical point. What they needed was revival (restoration of life and health); otherwise, Jesus would come with judgment, like an unexpected thief in the night (Matthew 24:42). Spiritual laziness, cultural forces, and subtle temptations can dull our consciences until we no longer feel disturbed by sin. Like their ancient civic ancestors who thought they were safe from invasion, this church thought it was safe from judgment. But nothing escapes the One who knows our deeds.