Church For All Nations

I have heard it said that there is a different explanation between the Old Testament and the New Testament when mentioning the Seven Spirits of God. Let me say categorically that although the verses may differ in their visions, there is no difference in their interpretation.

The seven spirits of God or not separate spirits as there is only one Holy Spirit. The seven spirits are to describe who the Holy Spirit is and the Character of the Holy Spirit.

 The Holy Spirit manifest each of those seven spirits and they all work together. What a wonderful blessing to know that the Holy Spirit manifest each of these seven spirits and they all work together for the glory of God and for the extension of His kingdom.

These seven spirits, working together, are seen as essential for believers to experience spiritual growth, overcome challenges, and fulfil God's purposes. They are often linked to the concept of God's fullness and perfection, as the number seven is frequently associated with completeness in the Bible. 

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The seven spirits are mentioned in both the books of Isaiah 11:2 in the Old Testament and the book of Revelation (1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6.) Whist the book of Revelation doesn’t explicitly list the seven spirits it does refer to them as “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

In the book of Isaiah, 11:2; the seven spirits are described as resting on the Messiah

It is only by studying the seven individual characteristics we can learn how the seven spirits work together and manifests themselves in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ.

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And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; Isaiah 11:2

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

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18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

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20 And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.

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21 And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Luke 4:17-21

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The Seven Spirits of God

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If we go back into the Old Testament and into the book of Isaiah, in chapter eleven verse two we will find what those seven spirits of God are. The seven spirits mentioned:                                                                                                                           

1. The Spirit of the Lord

2. The Spirit of Wisdom

3. The Spirit of Understanding

4. The Spirit of Counsel

5. The Spirit of Strength

6. The Spirit of Knowledge

7. The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord

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The spirit of the Lord is the spirit of power. It is through this spirit that we receive power from God.

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It is so easy to quench the Holy Spirit by refusing to listen to Him or to ignore His prompting, listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you or prompting you, don’t ignore Him but rejoice in the blessing that He has bestowed upon you.

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Don’t let the excuse of being too busy make you miss out on what God has planned for your life.

 

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8

 

Quenching the Holy Spirit refers to hindering or suppressing the Spirit's work in a believer's life. It's like putting out a fire, diminishing the Spirit's power and influence. This can happen when believers resist the Spirit's promptings, ignore convictions, or fail to use the gifts He's given. Essentially, it's choosing to disobey or disregard the Spirit's leading, often motivated by self-serving desires or a lack of faith.

 

​Of course, I would like this to be a full study on “The Seven Spirits of God but that would only take us away from our original study. I would encourage you all to study this lesson using the Old and the New Testament as your guide.

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‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.

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It is so easy to become a church that is more interested on pleasing the world and living to its standards and not living for Jesus Christ and serving God with all our hearts, souls and minds. Which is what happened to the church in Sardis.

The church of Sardis had the reputation of being alive but in fact took on the reputation of the city whose name was synonymous with pretensions. The church of Sardis was possibly compromised with its pagan environment that it eroded the witness of the church in Sardis that it was a Christian church in name only.

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Synonymous with "pretensions" includes terms like affectation, arrogance, conceit, ostentation, pretence, pretentiousness, showiness, and snobbery. These words all describe a tendency to act or speak in a way that suggests greater importance, talent, or worth than was, the case.”

 

V 2.  Be constantly alert, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.

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Our Lord continues to give this degenerate church the best advice that any church would need to hear, whether they would listen and take His advice was another matter.

It is evident that the church in Sardis was a Christian church in Name only, it is so easy for the church to behave like Christians one day a week, but it is sometimes very hard to permanently live a life for Jesus Christ.

Revival and repentance were urgently called for; otherwise, the church, which was the case in Sardis, will die.

 

Our Lord continues to give this degenerate church the best advice that any church would need to hear, whether they would listen and take His advice was another matter.

 

 

 

V 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

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Keyword

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Watchful

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• Be Watchful! And strengthen the things which remain.

• Be on your Watch! The cause of their sinful deadness which a condition of decline or moral deterioration. The church of Sardis had let down their watch. Whenever we are off our watch or let down our guard, we lose ground, and therefore must return to our watchfulness against sin, and against the attacks of Satan, and whatever is destructive to the life and power of godliness.

• Strengthen! Strengthen the things that remain and that are ready to die. Some understand this to mean that in the church of Sardis; that there were a few Christians who had retained their integrity, but they were in danger of declining with the rest of the church.

• This was a stark warning to the church in Sardis but a warning that is echoing through time from generation to generation.

• Those churches that have heeded to this message have grown, those who have heard this message and are comfortable being a church that happily meets just once or twice a week will stay stagnant and will become spiritually dead.

• Those churches that ignore the written word and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, people who swap their church attire for the world that we live in today. Those churches will, as the church of Sardis, cease to be a place of worship and the people will follow the desires of their heart.

• In every decision there must be consequences. 

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Keyword

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REMEMBER!

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Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.

1. Remember! Never forget what our Lord did for YOU. (The church of Sardis had soon forgotten)

2. Heard! The preaching of the gospel

3. Received!  the good news about Jesus Christ with joy and thanksgiving.

4. Hold Fast! Never look back, always move forward with your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.

5. The people of Sardis had left their first love, “Jesus” and soon became entangled in sin.

6. Repent! Repenting isn’t something that we do once in our lives but should be ongoing. The people of Sardis never repented of their sins and then continued with the ministry that they had been commanded to do.

If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Revelation 3:3

Some bible translations says, “If therefore thou shalt not wake up.”

• The word “Watch” is mentioned 61 times in the bible

• Watch & Pray is mentioned 4 times in the New Testament Matthew 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40 and 1 Peter 4:7

• Wake Up appears dozens of times, Romans 13:11 urges believers to “Awake out of sleep,” In Mark 13 Jesus repeats the command to “Stay Awake” 6 times emphasizing the need for vigilance.

• Repent or Repentance is mentioned 106 times in the King James version of the bible. This includes both the Old and the New Testament.

 

Jesus Christ the perfect judge has judged the church at Sardis Spiritually dead. The church is called upon to wake up and to strengthen what remains, to remember what it has received and heard, (God’s Word) and to keep it, to hold onto what they have heard, keep it safe within their hearts, never forgetting to repent asking God’s forgiveness and to change its present course from spiritual death.

The church in Sardis have now been given a choice, failure to listen and take to heart what our Lord was saying to the church, 1. Failure to do so would mean unsuspecting judgement instead of a blessing from our Lord at His coming.

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For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  

1 Thessalonians 5:2

 

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10

 

V 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

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The Christian church in Sardis was in the middle of a sin riddled place and the hardest thing for any Christians was to stand firm in their faith amidst everything that a Christian had to face daily for their faith in Christ Jesus.

This now separated the sheep from the goats, those Christians who stood tall in their faith, refusing to follow the multitude who went to church one day per week and committed gross sin for the remaining six day each week.

 

How many times have you heard people say that Satan isn’t real?

 

Remember that Satan is a liar and a murderer, when he speaks, he uses his native language. Satan is very happy

when people deny his existence. The church in Sardis was listening to Satan’s and bringing his lies into the church meeting and affecting the hearts of other Christian believers. The bible says that Satan prowls like a lion looking for his next victim to devour.

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Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

 

The church of Sardis had the reputation of being alive but was considered dead by Jesus.

 

With everything that must have been happening in the church of Sardis there must have been some Christians who refused to bow to the false gods of Sardis, how many? We don’t know, Jesus mentions a few names which have not defiled the garments with the encouraging words, and the promise that they will walk with our Lord, clothed in white garments, symbolising purity and worthiness.

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• "Which have not defiled their garments": (This refers to those who have not been corrupted by sin or moral compromise.)

• "They shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy":

• This is a promise of reward for the faithful few. Walking in white garments symbolizes purity, righteousness, and being found worthy in God's sight. 

• The message to Sardis is a call to repentance and faithfulness, emphasizing the importance of spiritual vigilance and not being complacent in one's faith.

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If only the church in Sardis had understood the scriptures, yes! Satan is a deceiver, but GOD is a loving Father who loves His children dearly and was waiting with open arms for His children to repent and be reunited with Him.

 

Warning!

Don’t let Satan, through all his lies, rob you from the blessings that God has waiting for you.

 

V5   He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

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• Once again, the promise the “he that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.”

• Christ will not blot out those names that overcome Satan’s temptations but continue to follow Jesus Christ and serve Him only.

• Repeating the promise that Jesus had made whilst on earth.

 

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32

 

Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God. Luke 12:8

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Conclusion

The seven spirits of God, the Holy Spirit, are crucial for us as believers to have in our lives. The seven spirits of God that we can get from the only one Holy Spirit is what will help us as one body in Christ, to conquer all the earth for the kingdom of God. This is more than the seven lamps, seven stars, or seven eyes in Revelation, but is a life-changing addition to our lives.

Bible Verses

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Isaiah 11:2

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

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Revelation 5:6

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

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Revelation 4:5

Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

 

Here's a breakdown of the seven spirits, often cited as: 

• The Spirit of the Lord: Represents the fullness of God's ability and presence. 

• The Spirit of Wisdom: Enables understanding of God's will and purposes. 

• The Spirit of Understanding: Allows for deeper insight into spiritual truths. 

• The Spirit of Counsel: Provides guidance and direction in decision-making. 

• The Spirit of Strength: Empowers believers to overcome challenges and fulfil God's will. 

• The Spirit of Knowledge: Helps in understanding God's ways and His word. 

• The Spirit of the Fear of the Lord: Fosters reverence and awe for God. 

 

Other interpretations of the Seven Spirits:

• Some interpretations link the seven spirits to the seven churches mentioned in Revelation. 

•   Others see them as seven distinct expressions of the Holy Spirit, rather than separate entities.

•   The number seven in biblical numerology often signifies completeness and perfection, suggesting that   the seven spirits represent the fullness of God's spiritual power. 

• In essence, the Seven Spirits of God represent the multifaceted nature of the Holy Spirit and His work in the lives of believers.

 

Note!

• The ancient capital of Lydia was located at the foot of Mount Tmolus, not on the mountain itself. Sardis was situated on a spur of the mountain, with its citadel built on the mountain's slopes. The Pactolus River also flowed near the city, further defining its location. 

• The city of Sardis is also known for being one of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the Book of Revelation. It was a significant city in both Lydian and later Roman history. 

• Sardis was also said to be the chief city of Asia the less, (Asia Minor)

• As the name "Asia" broadened its scope to apply to the vaster region east of the Mediterranean, the word “vaster” means “more vast.” Which means very great in size.   

 

Some Greeks in Late Antiquity came to use the name Asia Minor (Μικρὰ Ἀσία, Mikrà Asía), meaning "Lesser Asia" to refer to present-day Anatolia, whereas the administration of the Empire preferred the description Ἀνατολή

 

• Rev_3:1 Matthew Henry wrote: Sardis is "the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of John; and, some say, “the first that revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in its ruins,” in which it still lies, without any church or ministry."

• Sardis: Admonished for being dead in spirit, despite its good reputation, and called to repentance. 

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Amen!