Rev 3: 1-6 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ’These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Do you know what causes a church to die?
1. They become satisfied with themselves.
2. They refuse to change, they keep things the way they have always been.
3. They live on past accomplishments.
4. They dream of days gone by, they long for the way it used to be.
A church like this may very well be respected and even loved by the community, because all of the outward evidence says that they are alive while on the inside they are dead or dying.
This was the church @ Sardis. They had an excellent reputation and were highly respected, but they were dead, there was no heartbeat.
Sardis has 2 historical facts that we know about. Sardis was city with 2 sections. The 1st development set on a ridge that stuck out from the side of a mountain. It was 1500 ft. straight up with no way to overtake it. Sardis was safe from any enemy. The city out grew the space so another development began @ the base of the mount. Legend has it that gold was found just lying on the ground in the river that flowed through the city.
Sardis had a history of wealth and security, but by the time John wrote this letter, the city’s wealth had passed and most of the glory faded. The people had become flabby and complacent, living on their past.
The city had only been conquered twice & Both times were because of a false sense of security.
They failed to post enough guard to properly watch the enemy. Once while under attack by Cyrus of Persia, a Sardis guard dropped his helmet down the cliff & climbed down the crevices to get it.
Well the enemy was watching and later that night they climbed up, using the very same crevices they saw the guard using.
When Alexander the Great conquered the city someone remembered this and they to used the same strategy to conquer the city. The church understood what Jesus meant when He said “watch and strengthen… hold fast… I will come on thee as a thief…”
VERSE 1. THE SPEAKER:
Jesus said that He has the seven Spirits of God. This is a reference to the Holy Spirit of God.
a. The number seven means the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes this clear in the upper room when He said who the Holy Spirit was to be.
1. He is the Comforter, the other Helper Jn. 14: 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever”
2. He is the Spirit of Truth Jn. 14: 17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
3. He is the personal presence of Christ Jn. 14: 18-20 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20 "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
4. He is the manifestation of Christ with the believer Jn. 14: 21-22 “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."
22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, "Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
5. He is the abiding presence of the Trinity Jn. 14: 23-24 “Jesus replied, "All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.
24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me.”
6. He is the Teacher Jn. 14:25-26 “I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.
26 But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative--and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.”
7. He is the Peace of Christ Jn. 14: 27 “I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Some Bible scholars say this is a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit found in 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 of the fear of the Lord. KJV
b. The number Seven also means completeness fullness or perfection in the Bible, so we can see that the seven Spirits means the Holy Spirit in all His fullness.
Jesus has the seven stars in His hand, we remember from earlier studies means that He holds the minister in His hand.
VERSE 1. THE COMPLAINT:
Have I skipped something? Did you notice that there is no commendation?
This means that this church has a serious problem. The church was lifeless and dying.
BUT WAIT!! This church had a lot going on, they had works. They had programs. They had ministries. They had lots of activities. They had so much going on that they had a great reputation among the other churches. The other churches actually looked up to Sardis much like many churches today look up to those who seem to have it made. You know the ones that Are. Progressive * seem so alive * they have huge crowds attending * well liked
* prosperous * busy * they have great fellowship and on and on we could go with our list.
The problem with our list is that all of this is from the outside, looking in. Jesus is more concerned with the inside than He is with the outside.
If we jump ahead to verse 2 we see that Sardis is dying but not completely dead. How can a church be so active and have so much going on, be dying? What does it mean to die spiritually?
1. We have what we call worship but we deny the very power source.
2Tim. 3: 5 “They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.”
2. We focus on ritual and ceremony, rather than Jesus Christ.
3. We focus on activities rather than on Christ.
4. We do lots of things that will keep the organization alive and going, rather than learning about Christ, which keeps the organism alive.
5. We conduct services or activities merely for social fellowship instead of spiritual growth and edification.
6. We lose our desire for witnessing for prayer and spiritual growth.
7. Bible study becomes a chore and we no longer hunger or thirst for God and His righteousness.
8. Preaching and teaching become nothing more than a dog & pony show…
In other words “the works don’t have the Spirit of God and His power in them.
Scripture:
Ezek. 33: 31-32 “So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money.
32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t do it! ”
Mt. 15: 18 “But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.”
2Tim. 3: 5 “They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.”
Tit. 1: 16 “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”
VERSE 2. THE COUNSEL:
Watch and strengthen what still has life left in it. Two things are to be understood here.
1. WATCH: In order to watch you must stay alert. They needed to rethink why they, as a church were on the earth.
What are we called to do? * Why do we gather together? * Why do we claim the name of Christ?
Scripture:
Mt. 24: 42-43 “So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 "Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into.”
Mt. 26: 41 “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!”
Col. 4: 2 “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
1Th. 5: 6 “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober.”
1Pt. 5: 8 “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”
2.STRENGHTEN: what remains alive. There was still some life left in the church. This church was once full of life and was on fire for God and His Kingdom. Somewhere along the way they seem to have fallen asleep. They kind of nodded off.
They were doing a lot of good things but there was no life and no strength in what they were doing.
How much of the work at Sardis did Jesus find perfect? † All †Some †None
Scripture:
Mt. 7: 26-27 “But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
Mt. 24: 12 “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”
Lk. 12: 47 “The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it.”
Jas. 4: 17 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
Jer. 48: 10 “Cursed be those who refuse to do the work the LORD has given them, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!”
VERSE 3. THE WARNING:
Those who are part of a dying church are warned to do four things.
1. Remember what they were like when they first heard the gospel. Do you still remember what you felt when you accepted Christ?
* The devotion you had to serving and learning.
* The hunger * the love… Has it been so long that you have forgotten the joy of knowing Christ?
2. Hold fast to that spirit that once gripped their lives
3. Repent, stop going the wrong way and doing the wrong things. Turn around and get a grip on your relationship to Christ.
4. Understand just how serious Jesus is.
How did Jesus say He would come? Call first Sneak up you, when you least expect it. Like a thief does
He’ll be so noisy that you will see Him coming a mile away.
Scripture:
Mt. 7: 27 “When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
Mk. 8: 36 “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?”
Lk. 14: 26-29 “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
27 And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.
28 "But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you!”
1Cor. 3: 13-15 “But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value.
14 If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.”
VERSES 4-6. THE PROMISE:
There were still a few in the church who were faithful and had not defiled themselves. They were not activity centered or program centered, they were centered on Christ and His power.
They were not, as some were, using the church for business or social contacts * a salve to sooth their guilty conscience * a place for nothing more than fellowship * a place to improve or boost their image in the community * a place to provide activities for the family.
IS THIS STILL HAPPENING TODAY?
Three promises are made to those who overcome.
1. They will be clothed in white. This is a symbol of righteousness and purity. When you get to heaven you are given the garment of righteousness and purity.
2. They are guaranteed a page in the Book of Life.
Scripture:
Lk. 10: 20 “But don’t rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven.”
Ph. 4: 3 “And I ask you, my true teammate, [fn] to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.”
3. The overcomer will be acknowledged by Christ before God. Christ will stand and joyously proclaim that He knows your name.
Scripture:
Mt. 10: 32-33 “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven.
33 But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.”
Lk. 12: 8 “And I assure you of this: If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man, will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God’s angels.”
Rom. 10: 9 “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Ph. 2: 11 “and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
1Jn. 2: 22-23 “And who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are antichrists, for they have denied the Father and the Son.
23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.”
1Jn. 4: 15 “All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.”
STUDY 9 IN REVELATION
Looking alive but really dead
Rev. 3: 1-6
Rev 3: 1-6 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ’These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.
6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Do you know what causes a church to die?
1. They become _________________ with themselves.
2. They refuse to change, they keep things the way they have ____________ been.
3. They live on __________accomplishments.
4. They ____________ of days gone by, they long for the way it used to be.
VERSE 1. THE SPEAKER:
Jesus said that He has the Spirits of God. This is a reference to the of God.
a. The number seven means the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit. Jesus makes this clear in the upper room when He said who the Holy Spirit was to be.
1. He is the , the other Helper Jn. 14: 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever”
2. He is the Spirit of Jn. 14: 17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
3. He is the personal of Christ Jn. 14: 18-20 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.
20 "At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
4. He is the manifestation of Christ with the Jn. 14: 21-22 “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them."
22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, "Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
5. He is the abiding of the Trinity Jn. 14: 23-24 “Jesus replied, "All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.
24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me.”
6. He is the T Jn. 14:25-26 “I am telling you these things now while I am still with you.
26 But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative--and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit--he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you.”
7. He is the P of Christ Jn. 14: 27 “I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”
Some Bible scholars say this is a reference to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit found in 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 of the fear of the Lord. KJV
b. The number Seven also means c f or p in the Bible, so we can see that the seven Spirits means the Holy Spirit in all His fullness.
Jesus has the seven stars in His hand, we remember from earlier studies means that He holds the in His hand.
VERSE 1. THE COMPLAINT:
Have I skipped something? Did you notice that there is no commendation?
This means that this church has a serious problem. The church was and .
BUT WAIT!! This church had a lot going on, they had . They had .
They had . They had lots of . They had so much going on that they had a great reputation among the other churches.
The other churches actually looked up to Sardis much like many churches today look up to those who seem to have it made. You know the ones that Are. * * seem so * they have
huge attending * well * p * *
they have great and on and on we could go with our list.
The problem with our list is that all of this is from the outside, looking in.
Jesus is more concerned with the than He is with the .
If we jump ahead to verse 2 we see that Sardis is dying but not completely dead. How can a church be so active and have so much going on, be dying? What does it mean to die spiritually?
1. We have what we call but we deny the very source. 2Tim. 3: 5 “They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.”
2. We focus on and ceremony, rather than .
3. We focus on rather than on Christ.
4. We do lots of that will keep the alive and going, rather than learning about Christ, which keeps the alive.
5. We conduct services or activities merely for fellowship instead of growth and edification.
6. We lose our for witnessing for and spiritual growth.
7. Bible study becomes a and we no longer or t for God and His righteousness.
8. Preaching and teaching become nothing more than a d & show…
In other words “the don’t have the of and His in them.
Scripture:
Ezek. 33: 31-32 “So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money.
32 You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don’t do it! ”
Mt. 15: 18 “But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.”
2Tim. 3: 5 “They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.”
Tit. 1: 16 “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are despicable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”
VERSE 2. THE COUNSEL:
Watch and strengthen what still has life left in it. Two things are to be understood here.
1. WATCH: In order to watch you must stay . They needed to rethink why they, as a church were on the earth.
What are we to do? * Why do we together? * Why do we claim the of ?
Scripture:
Mt. 24: 42-43 “So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 "Know this: A homeowner who knew exactly when a burglar was coming would stay alert and not permit the house to be broken into.”
Mt. 26: 41 “Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!”
Col. 4: 2 “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”
1Th. 5: 6 “So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober.”
1Pt. 5: 8 “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”
2.STRENGHTEN: what remains . There was still some life left in the church. This church was once full of and was on for God and His Kingdom. Somewhere along the way they seem to have fallen a . They kind of nodded off.
They were doing a lot of good things but there was no and no in what they were doing.
How much of the work at Sardis did Jesus find perfect? † All †Some †None
Scripture:
Mt. 7: 26-27 “But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
Mt. 24: 12 “Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.”
Lk. 12: 47 “The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it.”
Jas. 4: 17 “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”
Jer. 48: 10 “Cursed be those who refuse to do the work the LORD has given them, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!”
VERSE 3. THE WARNING:
Those who are part of a dying church are warned to do four things.
1. what they were like when they first heard the . Do you still remember what you felt when you accepted Christ?
* The you had to serving and learning.
* The h * the lo … Has it been so long that you have forgotten the j of knowing ?
2. fast to that spirit that once gripped their lives
3. , stop going the way and doing the things. Turn around and get a grip on your relationship to .
4. just how serious Jesus is.
How did Jesus say He would come? Call first Sneak up you, when you least expect it. Like a thief does
He’ll be so noisy that you will see Him coming a mile away.
Scripture:
Mt. 7: 27 “When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.”
Mk. 8: 36 “And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process?”
Lk. 14: 26-29 “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters--yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
27 And you cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.
28 "But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first getting estimates and then checking to see if there is enough money to pay the bills?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of funds. And then how everyone would laugh at you!”
1Cor. 3: 13-15 “But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value.
14 If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.”
VERSES 4-6. THE PROMISE:
There were still a few in the church who were faithful and had not themselves. They were not activity or centered, they were centered on and His power.
They were not, as some were, using the church for or social contacts * a to sooth their guilty conscience * a place for nothing more than f * a place to or boost their image in the community * a place to provide activities for the family.
IS THIS STILL HAPPENING TODAY?
Three promises are made to those who overcome.
1. They will be clothed in w . This is a symbol of righteousness and . When you get to heaven you are given the garment of righteousness and purity.
2. They are guaranteed a page in the B of L .
Scripture:
Lk. 10: 20 “But don’t rejoice just because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered as citizens of heaven.”
Ph. 4: 3 “And I ask you, my true teammate, [fn] to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life.”
3. The overcomer will be acknowledged by before . Christ will stand and joyously proclaim that He knows your .
Scripture:
Mt. 10: 32-33 “If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will openly acknowledge that person before my Father in heaven.
33 But if anyone denies me here on earth, I will deny that person before my Father in heaven.”
Lk. 12: 8 “And I assure you of this: If anyone acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I, the Son of Man, will openly acknowledge that person in the presence of God’s angels.”
Rom. 10: 9 “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Ph. 2: 11 “and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
1Jn. 2: 22-23 “And who is the great liar? The one who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Such people are antichrists, for they have denied the Father and the Son.
23 Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also.”
1Jn. 4: 15 “All who proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.”
