I had a dream the other night. I was dreaming that I was asleep. Yes, I know that sounds very strange - but then my dreams often are very strange - perhaps an outgrowth of my personality. Anyway - I dreamed that I was asleep and that I at some point wished to wake up. That’s where the trouble started. Not only could I not wake up, I found that couldn’t move my arms or legs, and that as I became increasingly panicked I realized that I couldn’t breathe through my mouth - and I was starting to hyperventilate through my nose. It was so scary because I thought - is this what it’s like to die? I did manage to wake up eventually - much to my relief. I didn’t sleep much more that night.
My experience reminded me of the church of Sardis. Sardis is known as the dead church - or the nearly dead. It needs to wake up - desperately. The odd thing about Sardis is that if you asked someone in the community or even in the church - they would not describe it as being asleep and on the way to dieing completely. Just as while you are in a dream you really think that the dream is reality - so they too thought the illusion of life was life.
Sardis is an example of form over substance, and appearance over reality. It has application to churches today - and even sometimes to our lives, as we sometimes find ourselves relating to God by wrote - it becomes religion instead of relationship.
"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. 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. 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. 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
Sardis is the next church to the south of Thyatira. John draws this circle - from Ephesus, the closest church to Patmos - and then up and around and down - ending at Laodicea. Sardis was a big lazy city living on past glory - on a mountain top, surrounded by cliffs on three sides. It was a city in decay. Sardis had been one of the powerful cities in the ancient world. It was here that gold and silver coins were first minted, and the dyeing of wool was invented. The city requested of Rome the right to build a temple to Caesar but that honor went instead of Smyrna. The city then began a moral decline into laziness and licentiousness. Sardis was also well known for its necropolis - with hundreds of grave mounds. It is into this rich imagery that John writes to a church which completely mirrors its’ culture.
Verse 1
7 Spirits - it is only the Holy Spirit that brings life to a church (represented by the 7 stars) - the church does not have life on it’s own. If the church is in our hands, not God’s, we are doomed. And that’s just what may have happened - a few believers started the church, but as it grew it attracted those who liked the form of having a church, but never made a commitment to the person of Jesus Christ - the head of the church.
This sounds bad - but Jesus actually saves the harshest rebuke for the luke-warm Laodicea. At least Sardis was nearly all the way dead. Jesus tells the Laodecieans that He’d rather they be hot or cold - so the cold body of Sardis at least might realize it’s state and repent.
This church had a reputation (or "name" in the KJV) for life - but it was a lie. In fact they were dead. It doesn’t mean that they were physically dead - nor does it mean that the whole lot of them were destined for hell - but without the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, they were as good as dead as a church. And it’s not like they could say "but Lord - look at all we’re doing!" because Jesus says "I know your works." No works count with God - the only one that makes a difference is the work of us bowing our knee to receive Him as Lord - then allowing His Holy Spirit access to rule our lives and change us into His image.
Jesus in John 6:63 said "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail." There are churches to this day that have a great reputation - they have buildings and people and programs and money - lots of money. But none of those things brings life in people. Only the gospel does that - then the active ministry of the Spirit in the life of the believer.
So we’re going to see what brought about the death, and what can bring back the life in this church - and in our lives.
Verse 2
Jesus uses the imagery of sleeping - they are asleep but they don’t even know it. That same night I dreamt that I couldn’t wake up I also experienced a nightmare. I really don’t know what it was about but in my dream I was shouting "in Jesus name! In Jesus name!" To my wife it was probably something like "ssmf dnf, ssmf dnf" - but she ended up calling out my name until I woke up.
So here it is like Jesus is shaking this church - trying to rouse them out of the sleep of death. What was the sleep? I believe the sleep represents their inability to recognize that most of them were not even saved.
He says "strengthen what remains." It means to return vigor to something - like the pulse is weak and thready and they are going into tachycardia. "Your works are not complete" He says - I think again the work is the preaching and acceptance of the gospel. It’s like there is this little spark of Jesus in this church - but that spark is about to be snuffed out if it isn’t fanned into flame.
Verse 3
So he tells them to "remember, then, what you have received and heard." I think this is a reference to the Apostolic teaching. At the beginning the Apostle Paul shared the gospel in this area - and believers were born and started the Sardinian church. Somehow they had abandoned that teaching. And "remember" is not just to bring something to mind - but to rehearse it - focus on it - meditate.
There are churches in our day who read the Bible every Sunday. But just reading God’s Word aloud will not anything unless it is heard, received, and obeyed.
Jesus says "Keep it and repent." To keep here means to "guard or keep you eye on." It reminds me of my daughter’s little kitty - Toby, or his other name: Osama bin Kitty. When he’s running out and about in our house you literally have to keep your eye on him at all times or the next sound you hear will be the crashing of some glass vase or tea cup to the floor.
There is an effort that needs to be made to keep your eye on the gospel. The word can also be translated "to detain." After a church becomes outwardly successful, it becomes easier and easier to focus more on the success, and the programs and structure of the church - and less on the pure, simple gospel.
For this church - they needed to refocus on the gospel and repent - realize that they had actually turned away from Jesus.
If they refuse to awaken, but simply turn over and say "don’t bother me, I’m sleeping" they will find themselves surprised by the fact they have actually become an enemy of Jesus. I find this amazing - that something that calls itself a Christian church could actually be against the Lord. And yet, I see it even today - churches that are so open to anything the culture serves up that they can no longer claim to belong to Jesus - welcoming and celebrating sin and false doctrine.
Sardis had been sacked twice (Cyrus the Persian in 6th century BC, then Antiochus the Great (3rd century BC) because the watchmen were not paying attention and enemies climbed the cliffs and opened the gates. Now the watchmen of the church were asleep and the church was on the verge of being taken by spiritual enemies - and eventually the Lord Himself.
Most of the other churches at least had some commendation - service, love, patience - Sardis had nothing to show for itself. It looked like an incredible thing on the outside, but was like a grave on the inside
This reminds me of white washed sepulcher accusation Jesus made:
Matthew 23:27-28 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs , which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. ESV
It was form without substance - like a big beautiful building with no one inside.
Verse 4 - 5
Not everyone was asleep (reminds me of what God told Elijah "I have 7,000 in Israel who have not bowed to Baal in 1 Kings 19:18). There were some in this church that were saved - that have been washed and will walk with the Lord. They aren’t worthy on their own - but God makes them worthy. The word "worthy" means deserving - but it can also mean "suitable." By the regeneration of Jesus we become suitable for living in His realm.
Soiled garments - our righteousness is like filthy rags to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6) but Jesus can cleanse away that sin. White garments are mentioned several times - and symboliz the salvation and purity in Jesus. Jesus became our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30)
Jesus promises three things either to those who already know Him or to those who will listen up and become believers:
1. Clothed in white - again, the purity that comes from Jesus’ salvation
2. Name not erased from Book of Life - does this teach that Jesus can or will erase names in the book of Life? We should refrain from blowing up Jesus’ promise in John 6 and 10 (no one can snatch them out of My hand) just for this verse. Jesus doesn’t actually say He will erase - it is a promise, not a threat.
3. Name announced (Jesus said that if we acknowledge Him before men He will acknowledge us before the Father - Matthew 10:32)
All these have to do with salvation - you receive new life from Jesus, have your name permanently written in the Book of Life, and are welcomed into the family and ushered into relationship with the Father.
Verse 6
Like a loved calling your name out while you sleep - is your ear listening to the warnings of spiritual death?
Characteristics of a Dead Church
Church becomes the focus, not salvation (w/o the gospel a church always dies)
Disconnect between appearance and reality (reputation of life only vs 1)
Spiritual Stupor (wake up -vs 2) which is not being aware of your condition
The gospel is absent (works not complete - verse 2)
Movement towards death is the norm, not towards life (about to die - verse 2)
Spiritual hardness (repent - verse 3)
Many unbelievers in the church (soiled garments - verse 4)
Threats to a Dead Church
Jesus will come like a thief - and you will be unprepared
Jesus will be against you
Like a person who falls asleep and doesn’t realize their house is being broken into - so too Jesus will fight against that church and judge it. The idea is that judgment will overtake them, but they are so clueless about their condition that it will take them completely by surprise.
I can’t help but remember Jesus words:
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, ’Lord, Lord ,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ’Lord, Lord , did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ ESV
Solutions for a Dead Church
Wake up and stay awake - realize you are asleep and fight to awaken and stay awake to your true condition.
Strengthen - it means "to put strength back in" - they had the root of the gospel, get it back!
Complete the works - preach the gospel, get saved, invite the Holy Spirit back in! (a church with the gospel will always live)
Remember - not just "oh yeah, I remember" but "to rehearse" - work at that walk - exercise!
Repent - adjust your thinking - the church isn’t a building - it is people who love Jesus and have Him as their head!
What do you do if you are in a dead church?
Live out your faithfulness. It will be rewarded.
How does the believer fall asleep spiritually?
By living off of your reputation, rather than Jesus’ reputation (vs 1)
By focusing on the ministry instead of the Messiah (vs 1 "works")
By inattention to the gospel and to the work of the Spirit in your life (vs 1 & 3)
What is the result?
You become unaware of the spiritual threats around you
You become spiritually weak and ineffective
You start becoming more like the culture around you than like the Master who saved you.
You might find yourself disagreeing with Jesus - and thinking you are right!
What is the answer?
Jolt yourself awake - get a vitamin injection of the Word
Don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought - but with sober judgment
Be more aware of what you do and why - let worship come from heart, not just the mouth
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