Jesus Insists We Care For, And Love, One Another (Revelation 3:1-5) Series

In small towns, one of the most important things that anyone can have, is a good reputation. A good name. Your reputation is something that you've built over the entirety of your life in this town, as long as you've been here. People think good things about you, or bad, or a mix. There might be things about you that makes this community appreciate you. Or, there have been times, perhaps, when you've done something offensive, or badly put your foot in your mouth, and your reputation is not so hot. There are people who every small town is happy to have live there. There are also people, who most of the town wishes would leave, and the whole town does in fact celebrate when they move. No one really wants the thieves, or drug dealers, or gang members, or pedophiles, in their small town.

A reputation is something that can be built up over time. It's also something that's really hard to change. You get a reputation for being a hot-head, or being stubborn... you have to do a lot of things right, to change that. Right?

In our passage in Revelation 3 today, Jesus speaks to another one of the seven angels, who are in charge of the seven churches. Much of what Jesus says revolves around this idea of a reputation, or a name. In fact, there's a very serious play on that word.

Let's read Revelation 3:1:

(1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:

"These things, he says-- the one having the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

'I know your works: that a "name"/reputation, you have ["a name" is focused],

that you are living,

and dead, you are ["dead" is focused].

Jesus describes himself here in two ways. He's the one having the having the seven spirits of God. "Seven" is symbolic number symbolizing completeness. Probably (arguably, following Craig Koester), "spirits" here refers to angels. Jesus has authority over the entirety of the angelic host. And he has authority over the seven stars, which are the seven churches. So Jesus has great power and authority, and you're supposed to keep that in mind, when you hear his words.

Jesus often starts his messages to these churches by saying something good, and nice about them. Not here. Jesus tells this angel that this church has a flawed reputation. They have the reputation-- probably among other churches-- as being alive. But they're actually dead.

Now, I find Jesus' language here really interesting because we talk the same way. We talk about a church being really dead, or dying. We can talk about how a different church is really alive. How do we use that language?

We call a church dead, or dying, when several things are happening: (1) when the numbers are way down, or trending in the wrong direction. A church is dead, or dying, (2) when the worship feels like it falls flat, (3) when people are in a rush to leave after the service is done, (4) when new people are ignored. It's time to greet everyone, and somehow everyone manages to ignore the new person who came alone?

When do we call a church alive? When the numbers are going up, when it has a lot of programs, when the worship feels God-focused, and heart-felt, and people sing out. A church is alive when it feels like everything is going in the right direction.

This church in Sardis has a reputation as being alive. Other Christians speak well of it. It has a good name. My guess is that the Sardis church thinks it's doing pretty well, as well. But Jesus knows better. The truth, is that the Sardis church is dead.

And how does Jesus decide if a church is dead or alive?

Look at the first four words Jesus says to them: "I know your works."

"Works" are things you do. They are how you live. So there's something about this church, where they can seem to be doing all the right things, and get a good reputation among Christians, but at the same time, be missing something so crucial that Jesus calls them dead.

You and I would walk through the Sardis church, and think, "What a great, living church!" Jesus sees it, shakes his head, and says, "You're dead."

So what are the missing works?

We saw this language about "works" just last week, so probably the answer isn't actually that complicated (as long as we resist the urge to completely fragment Revelation). Let's turn back to Revelation 2:19. This is what Jesus says to the church in Thyatira:

"I know your works, and love, and faithfulness, and service, and your steadfastness, and your last works are greater than the first ones."

When Jesus piles up all these words, I don't think he's talking about five separate categories. [The Greek in Revelation is tricky-- many people think the author thinks in Hebrew, basically, and that the Greek has a number of Hebraisms. In Revelation 2:19, the "and" after "works" probably functions as a colon. "I know your works: your love, faithfulness, etc." So also Revelation 2:2: "I know your works: your toil and your endurance." See NRSV.]. I think their works include love, and faithfulness, and service, and steadfastness. I think those are the things that are missing, basically, in Sardis. And when those things are missing, all it takes is a few volunteers-- a few exceptions to the rule (or a few paid staff members)-- and you can have the appearance of being a healthy, living church, but actually be dead. Everyone shows up. They play the Christian role for an hour. And they go home, untouched. There's no genuine love, or caring about each other. There's no real acts of faithfulness/loyalty and service to each other when there's need. It's just going through the motions, without the heart really being in it at all.