The Revelation to Sardis - “Dear Sardis - You are Dead”.
AMAZING STATISTIC: Imagine a company that has more than 500 employees and has the following record:
29 accused of spousal abuse,
7 arrested for fraud,
19 accused of writing bad checks,
117 directly or indirectly bankrupted,
3 done time for assault,
71 cannot get credit card due to credit,
14 arrested on drug related charges,
8 arrested for shoplifting
21 current defendants in lawsuits,
84 arrested for drunk driving in past year
WHAT BUSINESS? What organization? Who would hire such a group? The 535 members of the United States Congress
Now I’m not bashing americans because I am not naive enough to believe that our politians are that very different to this, but what this shows us is that sometimes the most respected of groups don’t really live up to their reputation. The church should be one of the most respected of groups in society, but unfortunately, many do not live according to what they should be. Many churches today are dead.
This morning, we are going to be looking at another of the Letters of Christ to the churches found in Revelation. Today we are looking at a church who is on a life support system, just barely clinging to life. In fact many parts of its body are already dead. It is the letter to Sardis and it goes a bit like this. Dear Sardis, You are Dead”
Well actually there is a bit more to it, and we are going to read it together now. Rev 3:1
Dear Sardis, You are Dead. They were spiritually dead, - not physically, though some may have looked that way. They had very little life in them and unfortunately there are many churches meeting today which are just like Sardis - they are going through the motions, like religious robots. It is all a sham because there is no real spiritual life in their hearts. Can the same be said about this church? Are we alive or dead?
A DISCOURAGED PREACHER told his congregation one Sunday morning that the church was dead and that next week he was going to preach their funeral service. When people arrived the next week, the curtains were drawn, solemn music was playing, and a casket had been placed at the front of the church. The pastor preached his message and then said, ’Some of you may not agree with me that this church is dead. To convince you I am going to ask you to view its remains’. Each one came to the casket to see the dead body but when they looked in the found that a mirror had been placed there instead.
Whether the Gladstone Baptist church is dead will be determined by the health of each one of you. It is not dependant upon the health of its leadership or pastor anymore than it is dependant upon your personal health. So this morning, I want you to ask yourself the question as to whether you are more alive or more dead? If you are more dead, we’ll have paramedics at the door after the service this morning. Hey did you hear about the church so dead that when a member actually died in a service that the paramedics carried out 5 people before they got the right one. I hope that is not the situation with you here this morning, but if it is, we need to be honest enough to face facts and deal with the problem.
Before we launch into the letter, lets spend some time praying ...
Lord, we ask that you would come here this morning and speak to us from your word. We ask that you make it relevant to our personal situations here today. Help us not to look at others, but to focus on our needs this morning and we pray that if we are in need of reviving this morning, that you breathe into us your breath of life. Amen
As with all the letters we have looked at to date, we want to look at four areas.
1) The church
2) The Picture of Christ
3) The Commendations and Condemnations
4) Promises to those who overcome
1) The Church of Sardis
500 years before John wrote this letter Sardis was one of the richest and most powerful cities in the world. Man named Croesus lived there and was consider the wealthiest man in the world - the Greeks called him Midas.
Sardis was virtually unassailable by enemies. The city was built on a mountain spur about 1500 ft about the valley floor. You could only approach from the south side on a very steep and difficult path. The other sides were cliffs. But even despite its natural defences, it was defeated twice in its history, once by the Persians and again by the Greeks. It is interesting that both times that Sardis fell, it was not from the front, but from the cliffs at the back. The people of Sardis were so confident, that they didn’t feel it necessary to guard the three cliffs around their city. But it was where they were confident and self assured that they fell.
Persians under Cyrus: attacked the city for a year without success until the night a persian soldier on the backside saw a soldier from Sardis drop his helmet over the cliff. Thinking no one was watching the soldier made his way down the cliff to retrieve the helmet. The persian traced his path and then that night took a band of soldiers and entered uncontested by the sleeping city.
What an illustration of how we as Christians often fall - we can be so confident that we have part of our life together that we don’t guard it carefully and it is where we think we are strongest, that we end up falling. - But that is another whole sermon.
2) The Picture of Christ
(vs 1) These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
As with all letters Christ sends to his seven churches, this one begins with a description of the Author. In fact, as you may recall from previous sermons on these letters, the description Jesus Christ gives of Himself in the opening line of a given letter gives a critical message to the particular church addressed in that letter. So there is need to understand Jesus’ description of Himself in our text. Here Christ describes himself as possessing or holding 2 things.
a) Seven Spirits of God
This phrase only appears in the book of Revelation (1:4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6). The phrase is a reference to the Holy Spirit. But what about the 7? Maybe because 7 is the perfect number. Maybe is is related to the fact that the descriptions are in the context of 7 letters to 7 churches. It would be easy for our human minds to imagine that as the Christian church spread and grew after pentecost, that the Holy Spirit would be spread thinner and thinner to try to cover all the churches. At Pentecost, where all the action is in the one place, all the power of the Holy Spirit was concentrated and great things happened. But as the churches spread, so too did the Holy Spirit. Now this is not right because the Holy Spirit as part of the Godhead shares the characteristic of being omnipresent (being everywhere at the same time), but maybe this is what John is trying to emphasis here with the description of the 7 spirits of God, that the Holy Spirit is present in each of the 7 churches in full and so all his power is available for their use.
b) Seven Stars
This symbol is interpreted for us in 1:20 where we are told that the 7 stars are the 7 angels of the 7 churches. The word “Angel” means “messenger” and there are differences of opinion about whether this refers to a heavenly being, an earthly messenger or perhaps the essential spirit fo the churches. What ever the true meaning, Christ is saying that the message comes from him as he has their messenger in his hand.
3) Commendations & Condemnations
the letter to Sardis is unique in that there is nothing at all Christ commends them for. There is no positives here, only negatives. And that negative was that although they had a great past and a fantastic reputation, they were dead.
(Rev 1:1 - 3) I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 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.
How do you know that a body that once was full of life is dying? Organs cease to function and begin to shut down: kidneys, lungs, heart. One thing after another just stops. Dying churches are the same: praying stops, giving stops, God’s Word is no longer relevant, there is no sharing of faith, service is lifeless and irelevant and people attend when there is nothing better to do. Churches like that offer nothing to a lost world. People in that state offer nothing to a lost world.
An artist was once asked to put on canvas what he considered to be the picture best symbolizing a decaying and dying church. After several months, he returned and reported that he had finished the task. The hour finally arrived when the painting was to be unveiled and Several people standing around the easel had already given their description of what they thought the church would look like. Some had said it would be a rundown building in great need of repair and paint. Weeds would be growing in the church yard, and there would be some broken window panes. Everyone in the group seemed to have a similar picture in mind. However, when the cloth was removed, a hush fell over the group. Everyone was stunned. Before their eyes was an absolutely beautiful church building. The grounds were well kept and the exterior of the building was in excellent condition. After a few minutes, one person stepped forward and said to the artist, "I thought we asked you to paint a dying church?"
The artist smiled and invited everyone to step closer to the painting. He pointed through the windows to the empty pews and to the collection plate on the table. There was nothing in the plate but "cobwebs."
The church that has cobwebs in its collection plate is a church that is decaying and dying. Without the giver, there is no giving. Without the giving, ministries cannot be conducted by the church. Without ministries being conducted, the mission of the church cannot be carried out. If the mission of the church is not carried out, the church is purposeless and dead.
Now I am not going to preach a sermon about giving. You can read the bulletin to draw the conclusion about where we are at with our giving as a congregation. You (and oh God also) knows whether you give to his work in this church. You can determine for yourself whether you are dead, on lifesupport, or are thriving.
Sardis had a great reputation as a church. They had a fantastic name and if we were church shopping in that day, we would have no doubt have ended up at Sardis. We are not told why they had a good name or how they got it. It may have been as a result of their lovely building, their vast numbers, their comprehensive programs, their inspring worship. We are not told and so we can assume that it doesn’t matter. What does matter though is that Christ said to Sardis and he is saying to Gladstone Baptist, that reputation means nothing,. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past and it doesn’t matter what other people think about your congregation. What matters is what Christ thinks. They had a name all right, but they were dead. What is your reputation? Are you known as a Christian at work? Do others see you as a righteous and good person? Be careful, because although you have a name, you may still be dead in God’s eyes. The greek for name here is and this is where we get the word “nominal” from. Although we have the name Christian, it doesn’t stop us being nominal Christians.
So why was Sardis dead? Notice that we can’t find any reference to Sardis having problems with persecution of false teaching. Sardis was not aggressive in its witness to the city. There was no persecution because there was no invasion of the enemies territory. This church in Sardis was "a perfect model of inoffensive Christianity." The city saw the church as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry. Satan didn’t need to send any attacks on the church or any false teachers there to lead them astray because the church just wasn’t a threat ... Are we a threat to Satan? Is he keenly trying to hinder our advances for the gospel by sending persecution and false teaching into our midst? Or are we on our death bed like Sardis, posing no threat at all. Someone once said that the hospital is not on the initial hit list for an invading army. The invalid and the infirmed usually don’t pose much of a threat.
We can find some other hints about the problem if we look at the commands given by Christ to this church... Christ gives 5 sharp imperatives to the church as a solution to their deadness. They are not just instructions - they are urgent commands. Listen again as I read and see if you can pick them up.
(Rev 1:1 - 3) I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 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.
Did you see them??? Wake up (or be Watching)! Strengthen! Remember! Obey! Repent! They are all imperatives - that is commands and are all in the active voice which means that is the people of Sardis that must actively do these things, not someone else. Be Watching, Remember and Obey are all in the present tense which means that they require continuous activity. It is not a case of wake up and go back to sleep, or remember and then forget or even to obey and then don’t worry. They must all continue to happen - even in the lives of alive Christians. Strengthen and Repent are not continuous, but are in the aorist tense. They are a once and for all action. This is the way to escape from the graveyard.
a) Wake up! First we must wake up and be on the alert, ever watchful. This would be particularly relevant to a city who suffered two defeats from failure to keep a watch. The church of Sardis and possibly some of us here this morning need to wake up and see the seriousness of our condition. Once awake, we need to keep watch for those things which may lead us astray, those things which lull us into a state of compromise as well as for Christ’s coming. Vs. 3 says 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.
This was a common theme of Christ.
Mat 24:50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
Mat 25:13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
Mark 13:32-33 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
b) Strengthen! - We are to strengthen or literally “establish” what life is left. Even in Sardis there was some hope - some things had a few remaining breaths left. The fire had gone out, but there were still some coals and ashes. How do you start a fire from a few coals. You blow upon it. They needed the wind from Heaven to blow upon them and revive them before it was too late. The life of a Church is not in its popularity - programs - possession - personality. The life of a Church is in a Person; the person of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. When He is gone the fire will go out. When He comes, He will fan the dying embers into a mighty flame. How do we know that the Holy Spirit is available to us? Christ has promised he will send him - remember Christ holds the 7 spirits.
c) Remember! - Remember what you heard. Remember what made you turn from your sin initially. Remember the basics of the faith and practice them.
d) Obey! - Obedience is always a key. Obeying what what we know to be true - those things which we remember as being important.
e) Repent! - They needed a change in direction if they were going to survive and it needed to be now. That is what repentnace is.
Are you ready for Christ’s return or will you miss it? The dead church will be caught off guard. Are you being watchful, remembering that which is important and obeying God’s instructions. Or are you like the church in Sardis with a need to be woken, strengthened, remembering, obeying and repenting?
4) Promises to those who Overcome
The letters of Christ always end on a positive note with promises for those who overcome. For even though most in Sardis were dead, there were some who were alive.
4 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. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
For those who are found alive, who have not compromised their stand and are not stained by the things of this world, they will
a) walk with Christ - He will welcome their fellowship and
b they will be dressed in white clothes fitting of their moral purity. The word used for white here is the same as that used of Christ’s appearance when he was transfigured - he was bright and shone like the light (Mt17:2).
c) not ever, never, never, ever, under any circumstances have their name removed from the book of life. That’s the meaning here - it is the strongest negative available - talk about security in Christ.
d) Those living will also have their name acknowledged before God and his angels. My name will come from Christ’s lips as being righteous. Mt 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33“But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven”.
So how are we as a church going? Is our corporate pulse strong? Are we living or dead? Not sure ??? Well here is a bit of checklist
• Live churches are constantly changing. Dead churches don’t have to.
• Live churches have lots of noisy kids. Dead churches are fairly quiet.
• Live church’s are always desperate for more money so they can make a difference in the kingdom. Dead churches take in more than they ever dreamed of spending.
• Live churches are constantly improving for the future. Dead churches worship their past.
• Live churches move out in faith. Dead churches operate totally by human sight.
• Live churches focus on people. Dead churches focus on programs.
• Live churches are filled with tithers. Dead churches are filled with tippers.
• Live churches don’t have "can’t" in their dictionary. Dead churches have nothing but.
• Live churches dream great dreams of God. Dead churches relive nightmares.
• Live churches strategise about reaching the lost. Dead churches focus on the mundane.
• Live churches evangelize. Dead churches fossilize.
How are we going as a church? Remember that the church is made up of individuals and it can never be spiritually stong unless the individuals within it are spiritually strong
So what is your spiritual pulse like today? Is it beating stongly or is it nearly gone. Are you facing the same criticism that Sardis faced today - that of having a name, but being nominal or dead? - that of not being a threat to Satn, because we are a perfect model of inoffensive Christianity? Is Christ calling you to Wake Up and keep watch, Establish what little life you have left, Remember the basics of the faith, Obey them and Repent of our failings?
Be warned that if we fail to take seriously this message, we will remain spiritually dead and will miss Christ’s return. We need to listen and take on board the criticisms levelled at Sardis, because I think that many of them are applicable to us to some extent. But for those of us who are alive and living pure, Christ promises a wonderful reward - eternal life and all that brings. The choice is ours - life or death which will you take? He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
