Revelation 03: Jesus Calls to Us
The third chapter of the book of Revelation picks up where chapter two left off. Jesus continues to speak to churches directly under the leadership of the Apostle John. Again, Jesus speaks to situations these churches are going through, and they are unique to those churches. One church is struggling, one church appears to be spiritually dead, and another church needs to make a decision. Have you ever found yourself around people who were all going through something different? Amazingly, God speaks to us all right where we are. Let us read and see who we identify with in this chapter.
Text: Revelation 3 (click to expand)
The Message to the Church in Sardis
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:
“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.
4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine.
6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
The Message to the Church in Philadelphia
7 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:
8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
The Message to the Church in Laodicea
14 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:
15 “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! 17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. 19 I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. 21 Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.
22 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
Chapter Overview and Summary.
The third chapter of Revelation continues with the discourses to the different churches. In this chapter, there are two aspects to be observed. First, the church of Philadelphia is encouraged to persevere through troubles and trials. This encouragement is crucial because it shows that Jesus does not always rescue us from troubles. Sometimes Jesus rescues His church from troubles. Jesus encourages them to stand firm and assures them that He will be with them throughout all their efforts. He ends with encouragement and reminds the church that Jesus sees it all. The second aspect to notice is the way Jesus speaks to the church of Laodicea. This church was situated in an area where hot and cold springs converged, producing a semi-salty mixture that was undrinkable. Jesus is using imagery they would have understood to challenge their compromise with the Roman emperor worship cults. He encourages them to stand firm and commit fully to following Him. He concludes with a powerful invitation to fellowship with them, using the imagery of a dinner among friends.
SOAP Bible Study.
Title: The Lord is Waiting
Scripture- (Revelation 3:20) “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
Observation- The Lord is telling the Church of Laodicea that He wants to come and be part of their lives. This means He is currently on the outside looking in. The first step in getting closer to God is to take an accurate assessment of your current standing with Him. Is he part of your life, or is He on the outside looking in? The great thing about this metaphor is that Jesus was not on the outside just waiting. He was on the outside knocking. He is working to get their attention because He is calling out to be let in. The same is true for us. He is calling out to us and saying, “Let me in. Let us fellowship together.”
Application- Are you allowing God to be present in every area of your life? Is there an area you need to give over to the Lord more fully?
Prayer- Thank You for constantly calling out to us.
Reflection Questions-
- Which of these churches do you identify with from this chapter?
- If Jesus were to write a letter to your small group, what would He say?
- If you could have dinner with Jesus, what would you serve?
- How does this chapter help you see that Jesus “calls to us?”
- Based on this chapter, what is the next step you need to take?
Additional Resources.
- (Video) Hamrick, Gary. Verse by Verse Bible Study – Revelation 3. YouTube video, 54:45. Aug 15, 2018. (Link)
- (Book) Aune, David E. Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 1–5. Waco: Word Books, 1997.
- (Article) Guzik, David. “Revelation 3 – Jesus’ Letters to the Churches.” Enduring Word Bible Commentary. (Link)
- (Article) “Revelation 3 Commentary.” Precept Austin. (Link)
- (Article) “Revelation 3.” BibleRef.com. (Link)
- (Video) Nolan, Allen. Revelation 3 Overview & Study. YouTube video, 47:30. Jan 10, 2025. (Link)
