As the world continued to look on with horror and continued concern over Japan’s recent earthquakes and Tsunami, reports have now surfaced of previous unheeded warnings from Nuclear safety officers that Japan’s Nuclear facilities were inadequate to withstand a sizeable earthquake and needed to be strengthened before disaster occurred. Japan portrayed to the world an image of precision and innovation. Yet, with closer investigation, with government spending double that of GDP and unheeded safety warnings, when the earthquake suddenly struck, they were unprepared. In a culture that reveres dead relatives, Japan’s Prime Minister even speculated if their earthquake was a punishment from God. Now, an unnamed coterie of nuclear plant employees, nicknamed the Fukushima 50, maintain the Fukushima-Daiichi facility on the Japanese coast. With some receiving toxic radiation levels, they are walking dead: Physically alive, yet posessing lethal levels of radiation in their bodies. Their task is to strengthen what remains of Japan’s nuclear facilities.
(http://www.nationalpost.com/news/world/japan/Fukushima+risk+lives+prevent+meltdown/4452751/story.html)
In A.D. 17 a terrible earthquake devastated Sardis (and Philadelphia); The Historian Pliny called this the worst disaster in human memory. Sardis was rebuilt after extensive aid from Emperor Augustus. To express their appreciation, the citizens of Sardis created a coin with his likeness and inscribed it “Caesarean Sardis.” The people of Sardis had a special interest in death and immortality, and much of their religious life was nature worship focusing on the fertility cycle and bringing life out of death (Osborne, G. R. (2002). Revelation. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (172). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic.).
Of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation, Sardis was among the lowest in spiritual fervor. Its accommodation to its religious environment shielded the church from persecution, for hardly anyone took notice. Its inoffensive lifestyle yielded religious peace with the world but resulted in spiritual death in the sight of God. Apart from a few faithful members who kept the fire of the gospel burning, the church itself was gradually dying, like a fire that lacks fuel and air. Yet among the smoldering ashes were a few glowing embers (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 20: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Commentary (149). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.).
In letter to Sardis, Christ shows that the Christian never moves or advances beyond the need for forgiveness and, in fact, the vigilance that this letter demands is precisely that vigilance of remembering that every Christian man or woman must live a life of daily relationship and of daily forgiveness and of daily joy. Repentance must be a present reality. It is not a transaction that we are able occasionally to acknowledge as we would the illustrious victories and achievements of our ancestors. Our salvation is a daily, living, dynamic relationship (Palmer, E. F., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 35: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 35 : 1, 2 & 3 John / Revelation. The Preacher’s Commentary series (140). Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Inc.).
In seeing the distinction between a faith devoid of works, and a daily, living, dynamic relationship with Christ, Revelation 3:1-6 shows the: 1) The Correspondent (Revelation 3:1c), 2) The Church (Revelation 3:1a), 3) The City (Revelation 3:1b), 4) The Concern (Revelation 3:1d, 2b), 5) The Commendation (Revelation 3:4), 6) The Command (Revelation 3:2a-3), and 7) The Counsel (Revelation 3:5-6).
1) The Correspondent (Revelation 3:1c)
Revelation 3:1c [3:1] ("And to the angel of the church in Sardis write): ’The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. ("’I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead). (ESV)
The descriptions of the divine author in each of the seven letters are drawn from the vision of 1:12–17. The letter to Sardis draws an additional component from the salutation in 1:4, where the phrase seven Spirits also appears. That phrase may refer to Isaiah 11:2, where the Holy Spirit is described as
• Isaiah 11:2 [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.
It may also refer to the symbolic depiction of the Holy Spirit as a lampstand with seven lamps (a menorah), presented in Zechariah 4:1–10. In either case, the reference is to the Spirit’s fullness. Jesus Christ is represented in His church through the Holy Spirit. Mention of the seven spirits of God reminded this church that the Holy Spirit has all the power they needed to be able to achieve what Christ was asking of them. They were not dependent on their own resources but were failing because they were not using the resources available to them, resources which all Christians have in the Holy Spirit (Mills, M. (1997). Revelations : An exegetical study of the Revelation to John. Dallas: 3E Ministries.).
The seven stars are the seven messengers or elders (cf. 1:20), one from each of the seven churches, who likely carried a copy of the book of Revelation back to their respective churches. The imagery shows Jesus Christ, as the One who sovereignly works in His church through the Holy Spirit and godly leaders. That introduction served as a reminder to the Sardis church of what they lacked. Devoid of the Spirit, the church at Sardis was dead, populated by the unredeemed.
2) The Church: (Revelation 3:1a)
Revelation 3:1a [3:1] ("And to the angel of) the church (in Sardis write: ’The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "’I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead). (ESV)
Though the details are not recorded in Scripture, the church at Sardis was probably founded as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:10). From the description given of the church, it appears that its members, with the exception of a small remnant, were almost entirely secularized. Though occupying a correct position in respect of creed and worship—having the name of life, therefore—the faith of the church was a dead faith, and its life of that worldly ....( Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Moore, E., Craven, E. R., & Woods, J. H. (2008). A commentary on the Holy Scriptures : Revelation (125). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
Once a church has a good reputation in the public eye, it is possible to mechanically continue in the same activities but lose the original motivation that made it great. The incentive to good works can shift from a desire to serve and please God to simply a desire to maintain the good public face that the church has come to enjoy (Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views : A parallel commentary (Re 3:1–6). Nashville, Tenn.: T. Nelson Publishers.).
3) The City: (Revelation 3:1b)
Revelation 3:1b [3:1] ("And to the angel of the church in) Sardis (write: ’The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. "’I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead). (ESV)
In the sixth century B.C. Sardis was one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world. Yet by the Roman period it had declined to the point that Ramsay could describe it as “a relic of the period of barbaric warfare, which lived rather on its ancient prestige than on its suitability to present conditions.” It was located some fifty miles east of Ephesus on a northern spur of Mt. Tmolus overlooking the broad and fertile plain of the Hermus. The acropolis, with its nearly perpendicular rock walls rising 1,500 feet above the lower valley (on all but the south side), was essentially inaccessible and provided a natural citadel. As Sardis grew, it became necessary to develop a lower city to the north and west of the acropolis on the banks of the Pactolus, a southern tributary of the Hermus. Excavations in the lower city have unearthed a Roman theater and stadium as well as an exceptionally large (160 by 300 feet) temple dedicated to Artemis. Its seventy-eight Ionic columns (of which two are still standing) are each fifty-eight feet in height. Built on the sixth-century-B.C. foundations of an ancient temple constructed by Croesus, it was destroyed in 499 B.C. and reconstructed but never completely finished in the time of Alexander the Great. It was dedicated to a local Asiatic goddess usually referred to as Cybele, who was identified with the Greek Artemis. This patron deity was believed to possess the special power of restoring the dead to life (Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (91–92). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
Its seemingly impregnable location caused the inhabitants of Sardis to become overconfident. That complacency eventually led to the city’s downfall. Through carelessness, the unimaginable happened: Sardis was conquered. (Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting [Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1986], 133).
Sardis never regained its independence, eventually coming under Roman control in 133 B.C. Why did both Jews and Romans leave this church undisturbed (unlike some of its neighbours)? The answer may well be its lack of aggressive and positive Christianity. ‘Content with mediocrity, lacking both the enthusiasm to entertain a heresy and the depth of conviction which provokes intolerance, it was too innocuous to be worth persecuting’ (Caird G. B. Caird, A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine (Black, 1966; Black’s New Testament Commentaries).
4) The Concern (Revelation 3:1d, 2b)
Revelation 3:1d-2b [3:1]"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ’The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.) "’I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. [2] (Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for) I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. (ESV)
Because the Sardis church was dead, Christ skipped the usual commendation for the moment and went directly to His concerns for it. Though its outward appearance may have fooled people since it had a reputation/name, a reputation of being alive), the Sardis church could not fool the omniscient Lord Jesus Christ, who knew its works/deeds.
Like the unfinished temple of Artemis, the works of the church constantly fell short of completion. They lacked the appropriate motivation and spiritual orientation, without which all external activity is morally impotent (Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (94). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
With His infallible knowledge, Christ pronounced the Sardis church to be dead. Like so many churches today it was defiled by the world, characterized by inward decay, and populated by unredeemed people playing church.
Please turn to Ephesians 2
Spiritual death in the New Testament is always connected with its cause—sin. Ephesians 2:1 describes the unregenerate as
Ephesians 2:1-2 [2:1]And you were dead in the trespasses and sins [2]in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- (ESV) (cf. Luke 9:60; 15:24, 32; Col. 2:13; 1 Tim. 5:6; 1 John 3:14).
• Just as was instructed to the Ephesians, although dead, people may still walk, and they do so following the prince of the power of the air, which is Satan.
• The church at Sardis was like a museum in which stuffed animals are exhibited in their natural habitats. Everything appears to be normal, but nothing is alive. Sin killed the Sardis church.
Quote: What are the danger signs that a church is dying? One author has said that: "A church is in danger when it is content to rest on its past laurels, when it is more concerned with liturgical forms than spiritual reality, when it focuses on curing social ills rather than changing people’s hearts through preaching the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ, when it is more concerned with material than spiritual things, when it is more concerned with what (people) think than what God said, when it is more enamored with doctrinal creeds and systems of theology than with the Word of God, or when it loses its conviction that every word of the Bible is the word of God Himself. No matter what its attendance, no matter how impressive its buildings, no matter what its status in the community, such a church, having denied the only source of spiritual life, is dead (MacArthur, J. (1999). Revelation 1-11 (107–116). Chicago: Moody Press.).
The congregation at Sardis was performing works/deeds; they were going through the motions. But those works/deeds, Christ declared in Revelation 2b, were not complete in the sight of My God. Though sufficient to give the Sardis church a reputation before people, those works/deeds were insufficient and unacceptable in God’s sight. They were but the pointless, lifeless motion of corpses; the Sardis congregation’s good works merely grave clothes of the unregenerate. The spiritual zombies (cf. Eph. 2:1–2) populating the Sardis church were living a lie. They had been weighed on the scales by the Righteous Judge and found wanting (cf. Dan. 5:27).
5) The Commendation: (Revelation 3:4)
Revelation 3:4 [4]Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. (ESV)
In the midst of this dead church, filled with unregenerate people, a true remnant, a few true Christians were scattered like flowers in a desert.
There were not enough of them, however, to change Christ’s overall evaluation of the church as dead. But He had not forgotten those who remained faithful to Him (cf. Mal. 3:16–17; Heb. 6:10).
Please turn to Romans 11
That God preserves His faithful remnant is a frequent theme of Scripture. Paul writes:
Romans 11:1-5 [11:1]I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. [2]God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? [3]"Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life." [4]But what is God’s reply to him? "I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal." [5]So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. (ESV)
God had His remnant even in the dead church at Sardis. There were a few sincere among the hypocrites, a few humble among the proud, a few separated among the worldly, and a few stalks of wheat among the tares.
Christ described the faithful remnant as those who have not soiled their garments. Soiled is from molunō, which means “to stain,” “to defile,” “to smear,” or “to pollute.” It was a word that would have been familiar to readers in Sardis because of the city’s wool dyeing industry. Garments symbolize character in Scripture (e.g., Isa. 64:6; Jude 23). The faithful remnant could come into God’s presence because they had not defiled or polluted themselves, but manifested their godly character.
Specifically, Christ says of them that they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. In ancient times, such garments were worn for celebrations and festivals. Because they refused to defile their garments, Christ would replace those humanly preserved clean garments with divinely pure ones (cf. 7:14). The white robes of purity Christ promises here and in verse 5 (cf. 6:11; 7:9, 13; 19:8, 14) are elsewhere worn by Christ Himself (Matt. 17:2; Mark 9:3) and the holy angels (Matt. 28:3; Mark 16:5; Acts 1:10). Those who have a measure of holiness and purity now will be given perfect holiness and purity in the future.
6) The Command (Revelation 3:2a-3)
Revelation 3:2a-3 [2]Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, (for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God). [3]Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. (ESV)
Christ addressed the command to the faithful remnant of true Christians at Sardis; there is no point in talking to those who are dead. If their church was to survive it desperately needed life. Christ laid out for them the path to spiritual restoration by giving them five steps to follow.
First, they needed to wake up. This is an imperative command to “show yourself to be watchful”. The use of γίγνομαι implies that the watchful state is not the (current) one—a change is needed before the watching can come about (comp. ch. 1:9, 10, 18; 2:8; 4:2; 6:12, etc.). The use of the present participle instead of an adjective (“watching” for “watchful”) makes the charge more definite; not merely “be of a watchful character,” but the Greek tense indicates they need to wake up and continue to watch (comp. ch. 16:10; Mark 1:4; 9:3, 7; Heb. 5:12) (The Pulpit Commentary: Revelation. 2004 (H. D. M. Spence-Jones, Ed.) (107). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
“Wake up.” Γρηγορῶν is often used eschatologically to depict the spiritual watchfulness that is necessary to be ready for Christ’s return (Mark 13:35, 37; Matt. 24:42; 25:13; Luke 12:36–38; 1 Thess. 5:6) (Osborne, G. R. (2002). Revelation. Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament (174). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic.)
It is especially easy for men to become so focused on a particular task to loose sight of other important responsibilities
• 1 Corinthians 16:13 [13]Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (ESV)
• Every Christian must be on guard against Satan’s attacks and their weakness within. It often happens that when we are most busy, we are least watchful.
This exhortation to watchfulness would carry special weight in Sardis because twice in its history the acropolis had fallen to the enemy due to a lack of vigilance on the part of the defenders. In 549 B.C. Cyrus captured the acropolis by deploying a climber to work his way up a crevice on one of the nearly perpendicular walls of the mountain fortress. Late in the third century the city was again captured in the same way. A Cretan by the name of Lagoras discovered a vulnerable point and with a band of fifteen men made a daring ascent, opened the gates from within, and allowed the armies of Antiochus the Great to overpower the rebel Archaeus (216 B.C.). As in history, so in life, to consider oneself secure and fail to remain alert is to court disaster (Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (93–94). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
• 1 Corinthians 10:12 [12]Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (ESV)
• By either arrogance or neglect, the moment we rest our guard we become vulnerable to a) our own sloth, b) false teaching to creep in from among us, or c) the burden or external demands to distract us
For the Church at Sardis, there was no time for indifference; they could not just go with the flow, they had to reverse it. The believing remnant needed to look at what was happening in their church, evaluate the situation, get involved in changing things, confront sin and error, and make a difference. It speaks of the “danger of [believers] reducing their full commitment to God through Christ and of allowing themselves to be seized by things of lesser value” (Nützel, EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by H. Balz and G. Schneider, 3 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990–93).
The first step toward renewal in a dying church is honest awareness that something is wrong. When an organism is alive, there is growth, repair, reproduction, and power; if these elements are lacking in a church, then that church is either dying or already dead (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Re 3:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.).
Second, they needed to strengthen what remains, and is about to die. Things is a neuter noun in the Greek and does not refer to people, but to spiritual realities. Although some members are still active, the works that they have undertaken are incomplete and in danger of becoming altogether inactive. Christ exhorted the true Christians at Sardis to fan into flame the dying embers of the remaining spiritual graces in their church (Kistemaker, S. J., & Hendriksen, W. (1953-2001). Vol. 20: New Testament commentary : Exposition of the Book of Revelation. New Testament Commentary (151). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.)
Quote: Vance Havner said that spiritual ministries often go through four stages: a man, a movement, a machine, and then a monument.
Sardis was at the “monument” stage, but there was still hope! (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Re 3:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.)
The third step was for the faithful remnant as it says in Rev. 3:3 is to remember, then, what they had received and heard. The church is called upon to bear in mind (present imperative) what they had received and heard. The change in tense between “have received” (perfect) and “heard” (aorist) is instructive. Members of the church had received the faith as an abiding trust at the moment faith came by hearing (Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament (94). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
By this time, Paul’s letters were in circulation (cf. 2 Pet. 3:15–16) and the rest of the New Testament had been written. The believers at Sardis needed to reaffirm their belief in the truth about Christ, sin, salvation, and sanctification.
In the words of Paul to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:20 [20]O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," (ESV)
• They needed to establish a solid doctrinal foundation to serve as a base for renewal.
• One of the most destructive yet prevalent tendencies of our day is for people to use business models in an attempt to bring revival to the Church. The model of worldly success and what God considers health, are two different things.
Christ calls on them to remember what they had been taught. Remember (mnēmoneue) is a present imperative with the meaning ‘bear in mind’ (rather than ‘recall’). (Morris, L. (1987). Vol. 20: Revelation: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (79). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
Christ is calling them to not just recall with fondness their past glory and reminisce, but presently bring to the forefront of their minds the truths of the Word of God, remembering the gospel and the teaching of the apostles. Having the directive truths of God’s word as primary marching orders for obedience is a positive directive instead of passive sentimentality.
Fourth, having gone back to the truths of Scripture, they needed to keep them. This is a present imperative of obedience focusing on a continuing activity. Orthodox theology apart from obedient lives would not bring about renewal (Morris, L. (1987). Vol. 20: Revelation: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (79). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
• Knowing the truths of the Gospel and the command to evangelize does little good if we fail to do what we know and evangelize.
Finally, they needed to repent. With remorse and sorrow, the believers at Sardis were to confess and turn away from their sins.
These five steps, if diligently practiced, would bring about revival. The consequences if revival did not come would be severe. Christ warned them if you will/do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. The picture of Jesus coming like a thief always carries the idea of imminent judgment (Matt. 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thess. 5:2, 4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 16:15). The threat here is not related to His second coming, but is that the Lord would come and destroy the Sardis church if there is no revival. It can also be extrapolated into a warning of the judgment that faces all dead churches at Christ’s return.
Please turn to Hebrews 10
The only way to avoid the stricter judgment that awaits those who know the truth and turn away from it (Heb. 10:29–30) is to follow the path to spiritual life.
Hebrews 10:29-30 [29]How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? [30]For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people." (ESV)
7) The Counsel: (Revelation 3:5-6)
Revelation 3:5-6 [5]The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. 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.’ (ESV)
By way of encouragement, Christ described the rewards awaiting those who participated in the revival. True Christians, as already noted, will be clothed thus in white garments. In the ancient world, white garments were also worn for festive occasions such as weddings. True Christians will wear theirs at the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7–9). White robes were also worn by those celebrating victory in battle; all true Christians are victorious through Christ over sin, death, and Satan. But, as noted earlier in the discussion of verse 4, primarily believers’ white garments represent purity and holiness. Christ promises to clothe Christians in the brilliance of eternal purity and holiness.
Christ further promises every true Christian that Christ will never blot/erase his name out of the book of life. In John’s day, rulers kept a register of the citizens of a city. If someone died, or committed a serious crime, their name was erased from that register. Christ, the King of heaven, promises never to erase a true Christian’s name from the roll of those whose names were “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (13:8). A person may have his or her name on a church roll, but not be saved. What surprises there will be when “the books are opened”! (20:12) (Wiersbe, W. W. (1997). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (804). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.)
Christ will confess every believer’s name before God the Father and before His angels. He will affirm that they belong to Him.
Here Christ reaffirmed the promise He made during His earthly ministry:
Matthew 10:32-33 [32]So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, [33]but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (ESV)
• A Christian can easily avoid persecution by denying that he or she is Jesus’ disciple. But the true disciple does not fear death (Mt. 10:28) and will publicly acknowledge and confess Jesus. The eternal consequence for those who deny Christ, in fact, will be far worse than the persecution that they sought to avoid (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (2468). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.).
The letter to Sardis ends in Revelation 3:6, like the other six, with an exhortation to heed the counsel, commands, and promises it contains: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The spiritually dead zombies playing church needed to heed Christ’s warning of impending judgment. The indifferent believers needed to wake up before it was too late to save their church. And the faithful few could take comfort in the knowledge that their salvation was eternally secure.
What happened to Sardis? Did they heed the warning? Did revival come? That such a prominent man as Melito served as bishop of Sardis several decades after John wrote argues that at least some revival took place in Sardis. Until Christ returns, it is not too late to find the path to spiritual renewal.
(Format Note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. (1999). Revelation 1-11 (107–116). Chicago: Moody Press.)
