The Comfortable Church
Revelation 3:1-6
* Having read about this church and preached this text many times, I have labored over the proper name for this church. Terms like dead, decaying, or dying, as well as confused, contented, or cozy, were tops on my list. However, comfortable is the description used by others, it is the word which I have used in days past, and it is the description which we will use today. Whatever term you choose to use for the church at Sardis, it is indeed a sad state of affairs.
* In Matthew 16, Jesus tells His disciples that He will build HIS church which will be strong enough to overpower the very gates of hell. He goes on to intimate that His church will possess to KEYS which are able to bind & loose in heaven & earth. In other words, HIS church is an unstoppable force on earth.
* It serves us well to consider HIS words and comprehend Sardis.
* The city of Sardis was like the USA of today. People were wealthy, the days past were good days, & life seemed good. Among the citizens, there existed an arrogance of sorts because of the geographic location of the city itself. Economically, militarily, and culturally, the town thought itself to be untouchable so this place exuded self-confidence and self-assurance.
* The church in Sardis, evidently, had become like the community, that is, very successful. It would seem that they had the best programs around, the most wonderful members, and had everything clicking on the same cylinder. It is in these times that we, as God’s people, are the most vulnerable. When we think things are good and right, it is easy to get comfortable and rest on our laurels.
* In numerous places within the Bible where we are told that God will comfort us, but no place in God’s word does He promise us to be comfortable. He knows that when anyone gets comfortable they get listless, apathetic, and ultimately go to sleep. This is both a spiritual & physical truth. God has called us to be a part of the redemption process which places us in harm’s way because the process of redemption is like the show ‘Intervention.’ To be a part of the Work of God’s Kingdom is to become a spiritual warrior not wimp.
* I believe it was in Rocky III that Apollo Creed, an old boxer, told Rocky Balboa to not lose the eye of the tiger which was to say, ‘don’t lose your focus.’ When God’s people lose passion for Him, this is what happens, we lose our focus.
* This is what happened to the church at Sardis and is exactly what is happening in the American church today. Consider two thought for this church.
1. God’s Indictment – To indict is to accuse of a fault, an offense, or a crime. Unlike us, God minces no words, but lays it out straightforward.
a. The Confusion in the Church – Nothing is more dangerous than confusion & particularly confusion in the midst of a battle or even confused about ‘being’ in a battle. God’s church is in a battle for the souls of people. We get confused about what we are doing. Are we focused on building a church for our grandparents or our grandchildren? Do we sense this eternal battle?
* The church in Sardis was confused about a number of things. They were confused about their guidelines, their goal, and their god. Their guidelines had obviously become something other than the words of God through the Apostles, their goal had seemingly been to be accepted in the community, and their god had become to have the right reputation. Interestingly, they think they are doing pretty good. In fact, they had the opinion that they were “THE CHURCH” & they were good!
* Jesus had another opinion. Generally, opinions are like thumbs, everybody has one, but let us never forget that the authentic church is HIS. He is the one who charts the course, He is the one who sets the standard, and He is the one who judges the church. The confusion at Sardis, like many churches today is this: Whose church is it? What is the correct scorecard for it?
* Once when umpire Babe Pinelli called Babe Ruth out on strikes, Ruth made a populist argument. Ruth reasoned fallaciously (as populists do) from raw numbers to moral weight: ‘There’s 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head.’ "Pinelli replied with the measured stateliness of John Marshall: ‘Maybe so, but mine is the only opinion that counts.” As the umpire, when Pinelli spoke, it was law & there was no confusion. It is the same in the church when God speaks! There is no confusion. Hear Him give;
b. The Charges against the Church – He says, “You THINK you’re alive,” “You believe your own press,” “ you can believe it, but in fact, ‘you’re wrong’, more to the point, “YOU’RE DEAD!” What a message from God! Am I the only one who this message stings? How convicting!
* Think about it this way; we know that our Lord is the “Great Physician” who is able to heal. Not only is He able to heal, He is able to diagnose. This Great Physician is also able to check vital signs. From what I read, He watched for the Spiritual breathing in this church & there was none, He put His fingers to the jugular vein of the church at Sardis and felt nothing, then placed His stethoscope on the heart of this church and heard nothing. When there is no signs of life, the Physician has no option but to pronounced death.
* But how could this church be dead, they were active, busy, & doing. They had the resources which most congregations would have killed to have had. Everyone in the city knew about this church & their reputation was great. We may not like to hear these words but, large attendance does not mean life, great music does not mean life, great Bible preaching does not mean life, & great student or children’s ministry does not mean life. In fact, a church can gain all the notoriety which mankind has to offer & still NOT BE ALIVE SPIRITUALLY. They may put on a good show because remember man looks on the outside. I dare say that the church will never be able to ‘outdo’ the world in activities & entertainment, but guess what, that is not our goal. Activities, as good as they are, will never change lives (this is our benchmark).
* Have you ever considered why the church at Sardis died? Clovis Chapel tells the story of a young preacher known for doing eccentric things. During the first few years of his service at his first church, this pastor became discouraged and finally told his congregation that their church was dead. He announced that he intended to do the funeral the next Sunday morning. He invited him to come to the service. When that Sunday came, attendees saw that their pastor had placed a casket right in the front of the pulpit and standing by it he began his sermon by saying, “Now some of you may not agree with me that our church is dead—so in order to convince you I am going to ask you to come forward and view the remains.” They all filed by one by one and when they looked down inside the casket they saw that he had placed a MIRROR in the bottom so that when they looked in everyone saw their own reflection.
* The only way a church can die is for her members to die spiritually. They become so comfortable that they are apathetic. This week I went online to see what some people had to say about signs or clues that a church had died. I found several lists and thought this was one worthy of our time today:
* It is entitled eight death clues for spiritually dead churches:
1. Have lost their sense of mission to those who have not heard about Jesus Christ and do not pant after the Great Commission;
2. Exist primarily to provide fellowship for the "members of the club;"
3. Expect their pastors to focus primarily on ministering to the members’ personal spiritual needs;
4. Design ministry to meet the needs of their members;
5. Have no idea about the needs of the "stranger outside the gates;"
6. Are focused more on the past than the future;
7. Often experience major forms of conflict;
8. Watch the bottom line of the financial statement more than the number of confessions of faith.
* The church at Sardis was declared dead by the one who had been dead & came to life. Jesus, the one who gives life, who overcame death, & who judges the hearts of mankind, looks at us today. If He sees spiritual death in us, He calls it like He sees it and He executes punishment on us, like them.
c. The Consequences for the Church –Christ gives them ‘fair warning’ in vs 3. Jesus says, I’ll come like a thief. Some ask, “What will He do?” To Ephesus, He said, “I’ll remove your Lampstand”, to Pergamos, “I’ll make war,” and To Sardis, “I’ll come as a thief.” Dr. Robert Gage suggests this could be one of two things; either He’ll remove the Pastor OR He’ll take away the church. It will happen so quickly you won’t know what is happening. I submit that many churches today are living under the hand of God. The have become self satisfied, self serving, & just plain selfish which leads God to pronounce them dead. This is why churches are closing at a rate of 2 per month in America. Be warned. A dead church is a corpse which God will bury.
* On February 26, 1993, a powerful bomb exploded in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring more than a thousand. It sparked an aggressive investigation with many arrests. But few law enforcement authorities recognized it as part of an international terrorist plot. When the Trade Center towers were destroyed by terrorists in 2001, police commissioner Raymond Kelly looked back on the first attack and said, "It should have been a wake-up call for America." My prayer is that this series from God’s word will be a wake-up call for every believer who hears it. God’s heart is not to bury a church, but to restore & revive it.
2. God’s Invitation – Jesus still says, “Come to me”, “repent,” & ‘return.” The truth we discovered from last week’s message is that some people don’t want to repent. Yet, God’s invitation remains.
a. The Call to His People – In verse 2 & 3, we read ‘be alert’ which means be watchful, wake up, or pay attention. The constant attitude of the believer should be to wake up & see. (Rom 13 says, “It’s High Time”). Before we’ll come to repent, we have to see the ‘wiles (schemes)’ of the devil working. Sardis was impregnable, but was captured twice because of complacency. We must wake up & see temptation or we will be just like that city because Satan knows when & how to tempt us. He knows how to ‘blow out’ the flame of our heart. We must be able to identify false teachers, the wolves in sheep’s clothing. (Acts 20:30). The call is to be watching for the second coming. If we would embrace this one principle, our lives, our focus, & our activities would be different. We would be the most responsive people in the world. When the altar call is given, too many begin collecting our things & get ready to go, as opposed to hearing God, repenting, & responding.
b. The Comfort for His People – Yes, there is comfort for HIS SPIRITUAL FILLED people. In verse 4 we are told that the church has a “few people” who have not defiled their clothes. There is still a remnant. It is these people who God will comfort. When I read this, I am reminded of Abraham pleading for Sodom. He was looking for the faithful. Jesus says the faithful will wear white. White stands for purity, festivity (Ecc 9:8), Victory (Roman triumph), and Immortality as it is the garment of God. God says, “I don’t forget you.”
c. The Cure offered the People – Verse 3a reads like many Biblical invitations. Remember, Return, and Repent is the only cure. Let’s end this message with the cure found in Christ’s invitation for you; Do you remember when you met Jesus? If so, do you recall the status of your heart & passion for Him back then? How does that stack up today? Do you still know the JOY of being His or has something stolen your joy? As God looks at this church, what would His declaration be? As God looks at your life, what would be His pronouncement about spiritual health? Dead or Alive? Please make an honest & right call today!
