Revelation 3:1-6  The letter to the church of Sardis.   Jesus.. "who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.. " is complete.. perfect in authority and in power.  

Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah.. the "shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord."   John's letters to the churches began with the presentation of "Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth."  - These messages are from the Father, the Spirit, and the Son. There is full authority and power given to Christ Jesus.. He has the Spirit.  He also has the seven stars.. the angels or pastors of these churches.  He has authority to say what He says to them.  He has authority to judge sins, to erase names, and to call His people to repentance.

Jesus tells the church of Sardis.. " I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."   They might have looked good on the outside, but they were decaying corpses on the inside.  Dead. 

The problem was that they were not complete.  They were lacking in complete obedience and complete surrender.  They had "soiled" their garments.  They were asleep.  If they did not wake up quickly.. it would be too late, for Christ was about to come and remove them. 

"Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent."  Jesus warns them. 

This reminds me of  Paul's letter to the Galatians, where he tells them that they needed to remember that they had received the Spirit.. not by works.. but "by hearing with faith". In Galatians 3: 5 he wrote "What about God, who supplies you with the Spirit and works miracles among you - does he do it because of your legalistic observance of the Torah commands or because you trust in what you heard and are faithful to it?" ( CJB).  Paul tells of the example that Abraham was, " He trusted in God and was faithful to Him, and that was credited to his account as righteousness."  Verse 11 says, "The person who is righteous will attain life by trusting and being faithful." 

Those in the church at Sardis, who failed to trust what they heard.. who failed to be faithful to God..needed Life. They were dead or dying. "Remember .. what you have received and heard; and keep it!" 

Trust and obey.. for there is no other way!

Those who overcome will be clothed in white garments.. their names written in the book of LIFE.. their names confessed by Jesus Himself before the Father and His angels.  

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." 

Father in heaven, I surrender all... my heart yearns to be completely Yours. May the Life of Jesus be fully mine..Let me say, along with Paul,  with complete confidence.. that I have been "crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me." ( Gal. 2:20)  Father, I pray for our church.. that we might not just have a reputation for being alive.. but that we might be completely alive, walking in a manner worthy of You... fully surrendered, complete in Jesus Christ.  Spirit, come and fill us now we pray, in the Name of Jesus the Lord of all. amen.