The message to the church in Sardis was distinct from those we have seen earlier.
• No words of commendation. Just a blunt statement: “you are dead”.
• Jesus says He saw their deeds. There were activities going on in the church.
• Jesus says “you have a reputation of being alive” – they were known to be alive, but it was just a name.
The reality is that there is no life in this church. Jesus saw through it.
• It is a scary thought but it is real. You can have the forms and no life.
• Paul says in 2 Tim 3:5 “…having a form of godliness but denying its power.”
• The Lord says about the Pharisees: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Isa 29:13)
My uncle had an accident last week and was confirmed brain dead a few days ago.
• When he was in the ICU hooked onto the equipments, the machines kept his body running.
• I saw his breathing and thought that it was good, but was told later that it was the work of the respirator.
• The machines kept his heart beating, his lungs breathing, and his body warm.
• But the truth is: He is dead. He looked alive, but he is not.
Spiritually speaking, we can be in such a state. The church in Sardis was, Jesus said.
• You are disconnected with the Lord of life; you are very distant from Christ.
• No longer is there a genuine and authentic walk with the Lord.
• But you deceived yourself into believing that everything is fine.
• The forms make you feel right: your occasional attendance in church, the prayers at meal times, the bible you have on your shelf, the cross you are wearing.
Everything looks so Christian. The “reputation that you are alive” is a dangerous thing. You can be deceived into a life just like the Pharisees.
• You fail to see the Son of God, even if He is standing right before you.
• You are unable to worship Him with your heart, only your lips.
• You know the rules but not God. Yet you thought you are spiritual (religious).
Jesus describes the Pharisees: “You are like whitewashed tombs, which looks beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matt 23:27-28)
You and I need an authentic and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• There is no proxy for this. No one can help you on this.
• You need to spend time with Christ, to hear Him and talk to Him.
• Don’t take it for granted. Activities in church cannot replace this.
• What we need is a relationship with Christ, not a relationship with the church.
The church can be full of activities, but done in the strength of a human spirit rather than the strength of the Holy Spirit.
In his book, Harvest of Humanity, John Seamands told this story:
"A German soldier was wounded. He was told to go to the military hospital for treatment. When he arrived at a large and imposing building, he saw two doors, one marked, "For the slightly wounded" and the other, "For the seriously wounded."
He entered through the first door and found himself going down a long hall.
At the end of it were two more doors, one marked "For officers" and the other "For non-officers." He entered through the latter and found himself going down another long hall.
At the end of it were two more doors, one marked, "For party members" the other, "For non-party members." He took the second door, and when he opened it, he found himself out on the street.
When the soldier returned home, his mother asked him, "How did things go at the hospital?"
"Well, mother" he replied, "to tell the truth, the people there didn’t do anything for me, but you ought to see the tremendous organization they have!"
The church can have a superb organization. Their people are busy.
• Theirs was a well-oiled machine, but not with the oil of the Spirit.
• Their work is earthly, full of human efforts but no life will be changed.
Without God’s presence, we know we are just going through the motions.
• We need to pray for the Spirit of God to fill us and move us.
• The forms within a church won’t change lives, only the Spirit of God does.
• The church at Sardis has become too comfortable and complacent.
History tells us Sardis was a commercially successful city.
• They were wealthy, because they were situated by a river where gold was found. Sardis was the place they made their first gold and silver coins.
• And the city was built on a steep hill that made it almost impenetrable.
• Unlike the churches we studied so far, this church has no foes, within and without. No need to deal with false teachers, with heresy, and no threat of death or persecution from outside.
And sometimes that’s the problem. We become too reliant on self.
• We are self-sufficient. We don’t need God. We become indifferent to God.
• We will neglect Him until the next crisis comes along, if there is one.
A pastor who oversees his denomination’s churches in the Kansas City area was once asked, “What you think is the biggest threat to our churches?”
He did not even hesitate, "consumerism."
“We’ve trained people to be consumers. We’ve trained people to think of churches as dispensers of religious goods and services. ‘Come to our church because we’ve got the best preacher, the best music, the best looking people...’ Rather than being churches that call people to worship Christ, to serve Christ, we’ve taught people to bow down at the altar of self, to serve the self. Which leads to an attitude of "here I am, feed me, serve me. I’m waiting."
The pastor said at the end, “Maybe that should be our new slogan, ‘Welcome to Trinity Church. Prepare to die.’ ”
This may not be the true state of every church.
• But honestly, I have to admit that we can easily slip into such a mentality.
• What can this church offers me?
Remember the message we heard two weeks ago by the TTC lecturer Yap?
• Jesus’ great commission for us is to MAKE DISCIPLES.
• To “teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:20)
• Not just believers, but people who would follow Christ and obey Him.
• We are called to challenge people to die to self so they can live for Jesus.
Are you a disciple of Jesus Christ? Or are you a mere believer?
So the Lord says to the church in Sardis: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.”
This is a wake up call from Jesus himself.
• This is important because a Christian can go on ‘going through the motions’ for years. You can remain in this comatose state for a long time.
• You have left your first love and yet you do not realise it. You’ve replaced it with other things – I still go to church, I am still singing in the choir, I am still doing a lot of church work…
I shared with SS class this thought that came to me during the last Good Friday, when we were pondering Christ’s death.
• The one line Jesus shouted from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)
• He knew the Father turned away at that point; which mean He knew the Father had been with him all along, until that moment.
• He was very close to the Father and loves the Father’s presence so much, that to see Him turn away is an agony in itself.
• He sensed God distancing Himself from him. Are you aware when you distance yourself from God? Do you long for the Father’s presence the way Jesus did?
To wake up is to take an honest look at ourselves.
• How is your walk with the Lord today? You need to keep the flame burning.
• Strengthen the things that remain. The ember is there, it’s not out, but you need to fan it to flame.
Jesus says, “…I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.”
• In order words, there is an expectation. There are unfinished tasks.
• God has a course set for them and they are expected to complete it.
• What do you think God expects from you?
• Do you know what Christ expects from you today? Are you aware of that?
If your life with Christ is just a religious ritual – going to church on a routine, or doing some church work on a maintenance mode, then you need to wake up.
• Christ says in verse 3: “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”
• Remember what you have received and heard.
• In order words, you have it inside of you. The Spirit dwells in your heart, you have the Word of God, and you heard Him and experienced Him in the past.
• You just need to take note of these. Remember and repent.
• If words cannot wake you up, Christ will come personally, and wake you up in more drastic ways. He will surprise you like a thief.
And lastly the Lord says, “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.”
• Just a few faithful ones, but will you be one of them? Will you be the spark that would bring hope to those who are dying?
• We do not know if the church in Sardis eventually heeded Christ’s call, but for us today, we must.
Draw near to God, live an authentic Christian life.
• We must neither soil our clothes nor betray our name.
• We don’t play church. We meet people needs and finish God’s task.
We look forward to the day when we shall wear white garments and walk with Christ in heaven; and our names, clearly inscribed in the Book of Life, will be acknowledged before God and the angels.
