The Church in Sardis
读经∶启三1～6
壹 就表号说，在撒狄的召会预表从改教至基督再来时的更正教——启三1上：
I. As a sign, the church in Sardis prefigures the Protestant church, from the time of the Reformation to the second coming of Christ—Rev. 3:1:
一 当召会一直堕落到耶洗别的时期，神不能再容让了（二18、20）；在撒狄的召会乃是神对推雅推喇的反应。——引用经文
A. When the church, in her continuous fall, came to the stage of Jezebel, God could no longer tolerate it (2:18, 20); the church in Sardis is God's reaction to Thyatira.
二 撒狄来了，因为主看见推雅推喇的情形；撒狄原文意“余数”、“余剩者”或“恢复”。
B. Sardis emerges because the Lord has seen the condition of Thyatira; in Greek Sardis means "the remains," "the remainder," or "the restoration."
贰 “我知道你的行为，按名你是活的，其实是死的”——三1：
II. "I know your works, that you have a name that you are living, and yet you are dead"—3:1:
一 许多人以为更正教是活的，主却说她是死的；她已经失去生命的活力，不过徒具虚名。
A. Many have considered the reformed Protestant church to be living, but the Lord says that she is dead; she has lost the vitality of life and is living in name only.
二 更正教历史中一再出现的复兴运动，正是证明更正教各公会的死沉。
B. The frequent revivals in the history of the Protestant denominations are a proof that they are dead.
三 我们当然不要留在撒狄召会的光景中；我们要在传福音上，在滋养新人上，在成全圣徒上，在申言建造基督的身体上，是活的、是活动的——约十五16，太二四45，弗四12，林前十四1、3～5、12。
C. We surely do not want to be in the condition of the church in Sardis; we want to be living and active in gospel preaching, in nourishing the new ones, in perfecting the saints, and in prophesying to build up the Body of Christ—John 15:16; Matt. 24:45; Eph. 4:12; 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-5, 12.
叁 “那有神的七灵和七星的，这样说”——启三1：
III. "These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars"—Rev. 3:1:
一 神的七灵是为着使召会加强的活，七星是为着使召会加强的亮——一4、16上、20。
A. The seven Spirits enable the church to be intensely living, and the seven stars enable her to be intensely shining—1:4, 16a, 20.
二 死沉、改革的召会需要神七倍加强的灵，以及发亮的领头人——三1。
B. The dead, reformed church needs the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God and the shining leaders—3:1.
三 这七倍加强的灵是活的，是死的字句知识所永远不能顶替的——林后三6。
C. The sevenfold intensified Spirit can never be replaced by the dead letters of knowledge—2 Cor. 3:6.
四 七灵与七星相符——启三1：
D. The seven Spirits correspond to the seven stars—Rev. 3:1:
1 星是召会的使者，就是在地方召会中的领头人；这样的使者应当与神的七灵是一。
1. A star is a messenger of a church, a leading one in a local church; such a messenger should be one with the seven Spirits of God.
2 星乃是那些在黑暗中发光，并使人从错误的路上转到正路上去的人——但十二3。
2. The stars are those who shine in the darkness and turn people from the wrong way to the right way—Dan. 12:3.
3 启示录一章二十节和三章一节表明：星不只联于那灵，也联于众召会；我们若要有那活星或众活星，就需要那灵和召会。——引用经文
3. Revelation 1:20 and 3:1 show that the stars are linked not only to the Spirit but also to the churches; if we would have the living star or the living stars, we need the Spirit and the church.
肆 “我没有见到你的行为，在我神面前有一样是完成的”——2节：
IV. "I have found none of your works completed before My God"—v. 2:
一 在神看来，在所谓的改革召会中，没有完成的工作；都是有头没尾。
A. In the eyes of God there is nothing completed in the so-called reformed churches; everything has a beginning without an end.
二 改教运动发起的事，没有一样借更正教完成；所以，需要在非拉铁非的召会（7～13），表征恢复的召会，来完成。——引用经文
B. Nothing begun in the Reformation has ever been completed by the Protestant churches; therefore, the church in Philadelphia (vv. 7-13), signifying the church in recovery, is needed for the completion.
三 改教并没有把召会改回当初的情形，不过是叫世界的召会变作国家的召会而已——参太十六18，十八17，林前一2，弗一22～23，启一1I。
C. The Reformation did not bring the church back to the beginning; it only caused the world church to become the state churches—cf. Matt. 16:18; 18:17; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:22-23; Rev. 1:11.
四 主是完成的主，所以祂要求完成——腓一6。
D. The Lord is a Lord of completion; therefore, He requires completion—Phil. 1:6.
伍 “若不儆醒，我必临到你那里如同贼一样。我几时临到，你也绝不能知道”——启三3:
V. "If therefore you will not watch, I will come as a thief, and you shall by no means know at what hour I will come upon you"—Rev. 3:3:
一 这节经文指明基督是那要像贼一样临到，偷取祂的宝物（祂所宝贵的寻求者）的一位。
A. This verse indicates that Christ is the One who will come as a thief to steal away His treasures, His precious seekers.
二 许多信徒既在属灵上是死的，就不会察觉主向寻求祂的人隐密的显现，要像贼一样临到。
B. Since many believers are spiritually dead, they will be unaware of the Lord's coming as a thief in His secret appearing to His seekers.
三 只有那些在生命里成熟，在魂里变化的人，才够贵重让主偷走——3节。
C. Only those who are matured in life and transformed in their soul will be precious enough for the Lord to steal—v. 3.
四 我们必须在主隐密的来临之前彻底预备好；因此，我们都要预备好，并要儆醒——路二一36，太二四42～44。
D. We must be thoroughly prepared for the time of the Lord's secret coming; therefore, we must be ready and watchful—Luke 21:36; Matt. 24:42-44.
陆 “在撒狄，你还有几名是未曾玷污自己衣服的，他们要穿白衣与我同行，因为他们是配得过的”——启三4:
VI. "You have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white because they are worthy"—Rev. 3:4:
一 在圣经里，衣服表征我们行事为人并生活上的所是——4节。
A. Garments in the Bible signify what we are in our walk and living—v. 4.
二 玷污衣服特指沾染死亡；玷污的衣服指有了死亡，或没有生命：
B. To defile one's garments means particularly to stain them with deadness; the defiled garments indicate the presence of death or the absence of life:
1 在神面前死比罪更能玷污人——利十一24～25，民六6～7、9。
1. Death is more defiling before God than sin—Lev. 11:24-25; Num. 6:6-7, 9.
2 启示录三章四节里的玷污，是指一切带着死亡性质的东西。——引用经文
2. In Revelation 3:4 defilement denotes anything of the death nature.
3 撒狄的玷污，不是被罪玷污，乃是被死亡玷污。
3. The defilement in Sardis was not the defilement of sin but the defilement of death.
三 那些未曾玷污自己衣服的人要穿白衣与主同行——4节：
C. Those who have not defiled their garments will walk with the Lord in white—v. 4:
1 “白”不但表征纯洁，也表征蒙称许——七9。
1. White signifies not only purity but also approvedness—7:9.
2 在三章四节，白衣表征行事为人并生活不受死亡玷污，并要蒙主称许；这是与主同行，特别在要来的国度里与主同行的资格。——引用经文
2. White garments in Revelation 3:4 signify the walk and living that are unspotted by death and that will be approved by the Lord; this is a qualification for walking with the Lord, especially in the coming kingdom.
3 穿白衣行走，是指生活不受死亡玷污，并在生命里蒙主称许。
3. To walk in white garments is to have a living that is unspotted by death and approved in life by the Lord.
柒 “得胜的，必这样穿白衣”——5节上：
VII. "He who overcomes will be clothed thus, in white garments"—v. 5a:
一 这里的得胜，是指胜过更正教死的光景，即胜过死的更正教。
A. To overcome here is to overcome the deadness of the Protestant churches, that is, to overcome dead Protestantism.
二 基督是给得胜者穿的白衣：
B. Christ is the white garments to clothe the overcomers:
1 白衣是指活着的；活着就是穿白衣。
1. White garments refers to livingness; to be living is to wear the white garments.
2 如果我们在属灵上是死的，我们就是污秽的；这样一个死了的人是最污秽的人；并且如果我们死了，我们就是赤身的——十六15。
2. If we are spiritually dead, we are dirty; such a dead person is the dirtiest one; also if we are dead, we are naked—16:15.
3 我们需要活的衣服来遮盖我们；这活的衣服就是基督自己，借着赐生命的灵作到我们里面；得着这衣服唯一的路，就是转到灵里并活在调和的灵中——加四19，弗三16，林前六17，罗八4。
3. We need the living garment to cover us; this living garment is Christ Himself wrought into us by the life-giving Spirit; the only way to have this garment is to turn to the spirit and live in the mingled spirit—Gal. 4:19; Eph. 3:16; 1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 8:4.
4 在启示录三章五节这应许里，穿白衣是在千年国给得胜者的奖赏；他们在今世的行事为人，在来世要成为他们的奖赏。——引用经文
4. Being clothed in white garments, as promised in Revelation 3:5, will be a prize to the overcomers in the millennial kingdom; what they have been walking in during this age will be a prize to them in the coming age.
三 每一个基督徒都需要两件衣服——路十五22，太二二12：
C. Every Christian needs two garments—Luke 15:22; Matt. 22:12:
1 头一件是救恩的衣服，表明基督在客观方面作我们的义：
1. The first garment is the garment of salvation, signifying Christ as our righteousness objectively:
a 在路加十五章二十二节，浪子回家的时候，父亲对他作的第一件事，就是把上好的袍子加在他身上。——引用经文
a. In Luke 15:22, when the prodigal son returned home, the first thing that the father did was to have the best robe placed upon him.
b 穿了上好的袍子，他就得着称义，并且蒙称许了；这就是说，他在基督里得着称义，基督作了他义的遮盖。
b. Wearing the best robe, he was justified and approved; this means that he was justified in Christ and that Christ became his justifying covering.
c 他被基督作他的义所遮盖；因此，称义的衣服是为着救恩。
c. He was covered with Christ as his righteousness; thus, the garment of justification is for salvation.
2 除了称义的衣服之外，我们还需要另一件衣服，使我们能蒙主称许，讨主喜悦——太二二12，启三5上：
2. In addition to the garment of justification, we need another garment to make us approved and well pleasing to the Lord—Matt. 22:12; Rev. 3:5a:
a 这件衣服是为使我们得称许而蒙悦纳，表征我们所活出的基督，在主观方面作我们的义——腓一21，三9：
a. This is the garment of approvedness for our acceptance, signifying the Christ whom we live out as our subjective righteousness—Phil. 1:21; 3:9:
㈠ 启示录十九章八节“明亮洁净的细麻衣”就是指这第二件衣服。——引用经文
1. The "fine linen, bright and clean" in Revelation 19:8 denotes this second garment.
㈡ 照着预表，诗篇四十五篇里的王后有两件衣服，一件是为着救恩，另一件是为着使她能与王一同掌权（8、13～14）。——引用经文
2. According to typology, the queen in Psalm 45 has two garments: one for salvation and the other for her to be with the King in His reign (vv. 8, 13-14).
b 我们已经蒙了拯救，得了称义，有了第一件衣服——为着我们的得救，基督作我们客观的义；现在我们需要往前经历基督作我们主观的义，使我们可以有第二件衣服——腓三9。
b. We have been saved and justified and have the first garment—Christ as our objective righteousness—for our salvation; now we need to go on to experience Christ as our subjective righteousness so that we may have the second garment—Phil. 3:9.
c 基督作我们客观的义是加在我们身上的，但基督作我们主观的义乃是从我们里面出来的。
c. Christ as our objective righteousness has been put upon us, whereas Christ as our subjective righteousness comes out of us.
d 启示录三章五节的白衣乃指这第二件衣服；我们需要这第二件衣服，使我们得赏赐，进入国度与主同行，就是与祂一同掌权——提后二11～12。
d. The white garments in Revelation 3:5 refer to the second garment, which is needed for us to receive the reward and enter into the kingdom to walk with the Lord, that is, to reign with Him—2 Tim. 2:11-12.
四 我们都该胜过宗教里死的光景，征服各种的死亡，并穿白衣——启三4～5上。
D. We all should overcome the dead situation in religion, conquer all kinds of death, and wear the white garments—Rev. 3:4-5a.