Week 10: Sardis - A Reputation of Life

11/30/2025 - Paul Bernard

Additional Resources/Articles

Individual/Small Group Study

1. Read the articles attached. Highlight the questions you have. Write one statement from each article that resonated with you.

2. Jesus says to Sardis, “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (v. 1). What might this look like in a modern church or believer’s life? Discuss the danger of external appearances versus internal spiritual reality.

3. In verse 2, Jesus calls the church to “Wake up, and strengthen what remains.” What might this say about God’s willingness to revive even a spiritually dying church?

4. How does the warning in verse 3—“If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief”—connect with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 24:42–44 and Paul’s warning in 1 Thessalonians 5:2–6? How should the unexpectedness of Christ’s coming impact our daily lives?

5. Verse 4 mentions a few in Sardis who have “not soiled their garments.” What does this say about personal faithfulness in the midst of a compromised church? How can we remain spiritually pure even when others around us are indifferent?

6. Pray that God would reveal Himself to you through our study of Revelation.