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

He who has an ear

Jesus again appeals to those with positive volition to Himself and His message.

let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches

The Holy Spirit said something powerful to the church at Sardis. It is a penetrating message for churches of our generation that emphasize activity over integrity, the end-result over fellowship with the Lord. There is nothing wrong with being end-result oriented or activity-oriented. It is a matter of what is priority.

The phrase “let him hear” is a decisive and imperative command. Jesus wants the churches to give attention to this matter.

PRINCIPLE:

Churches must operate with integrity above all.

APPLICATION:

Many churches of our day accommodate to the culture about them. They do not want to appear different from the world. They fear that someone may charge them with being a speckled bird. They do not want to be different. They water their message down to something anemic and ineffective to be acceptable to a pagan society.

Jesus calls these churches to “repent.”