Dead Or Alive Series

Dead or Alive

lanny smith

Seven / Sardis / Revelation 3:1–6

• Three years ago this month, I had a table saw accident which damaged two fingers on my left hand.

• It was, like most injuries, completely avoidable.

• I hurried.

• I took a shortcut.

• I was inattentive to the risk.

• It is a blessing that the ends of my fingers grew back. The consequence, however, was nerve damage to the tips which means I have very little feeling in the ends. (The fingernails feel weird, too.)

• In short, I got complacent.

• Complacency is becoming careless with important tasks, being overly satisfied with circumstances.

• We’ve all been there. Likely nearly all of have a scar, physical or otherwise, from a time when we become complacent and got hurt.

• This is actually studied by industrial engineers. Complacency costs dearly in lives and money.

• At work - in 2020, over 4000 people lost their lives in workplace accidents. Many were traced back to complacency on the part of the individual or someone else. Another 4 million workers required medical treatment from accidents. The price tag was $643 Billion.

• In the car - Deaths were 10x that: 42K people lost their lives in accidents. Many were the result of people being inattentive or ignoring risks. There nearly 5 million people who were injured enough to need medical treatment. Cost: $473 Billion.

• At home - The riskiest place to be inattentive, complacent. 156,300 people died at home in accidents. Another 47 million injuries serious enough to need medical care.

• The total cost of complacency at work, travel and home in the trillions.

• Complacency is a danger at church, too. Beyond “slip and fall” risks, to become spiritually complacent has serious risks.

• What does complacency in the church look like?

• As we continue to study through the churches of Revelation, we have come to a city called Sardis.

• [MAP]

• Ancient city - about 60 miles east of Smyrna, on the roman postal road.

• On a high hill, cliffs on three sides.

Are You Dead or Alive?

Revelation 3:1 NLT

1 “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.

• Dead or alive?

• The first step in combatting complacency is to understand what it looks like.

• Everything appears to be fine. Activity is happening. All systems seem to be functioning normally.

• But are they?

• Reputation - among their community?

• So inoffensive that nobody paid any attention?

• No indication that the church was under any kind of persecution.

• Had they totally sold out to their culture?

• Was there no price to pay for their allegiance to Christ?

• Their cultural context was a city that was living on its past glory.

• The reality: Jesus judges the church as spiritually dead - or nearly so.

• The interpretation is that the church was so comfortable, so used to their circumstances, that they were complacent.

• They judged themselves as doing right, living right, “living” the mission.

• They could no longer discern the difference between the peace of well-being and the peace of death.

• True in our culture as well.

• thousands of churches across America close their doors every year.

• Many simply got comfortable with the status quo.

• They got comfortable with their circumstances.

• They mistook activity for spiritual vitality.

• Now their buildings house BNBs, hotels, condos, got torn down, etc.

• Clearly, Jesus does not want this fate for His body on earth. What to do?

Wake Up!

Revelation 3:2 NLT

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.

• Red alert! The alarm is going off! Right now!

• Get out from under the covers! Quit napping!

1 Thessalonians 5:6 NLT

6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded.

• Strengthen - regain a sense of purpose for our existence.

• Get what is working going and do better.

• Jesus’ judgment - not growing, maturing in Christ as evidenced by their lack of progress in the mission.

How to Fight Complacency

Revelation 3:3 NLT

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.

• Go back - recall. “remember someone or something and respond accordingly.”