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Churches of Revelation#5 - Sardis
March 2006 • Chris Rowney
These messages are also available as audio podcasts at www.tcfnet.org.au/podcasts
“1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. 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.
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.
6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3:1-6, NIV.
SUMMARY of previous weeks
Return to the first love
Endure through Suffering
Remain True to the name (character) of Christ.
Not tolerating things opposed to God’s Kingdom
And today – to Sardis…
SARDIS
Well today we are on to message number 5, the fifth of the seven churches written to at the beginning of the book of Revelation in the Bible.
But unlike the silly robot movie SHORT CIRCUIT some year ago, this time number 5 is definitely NOT alive…
If you hang around churches or Christians long enough you are bound to hear some conversation in which a person or place is described as being ‘really alive’ or else a ‘pretty dead church’
Sometimes people might be described as NOMINAL Christians (nominal = in name only)
I won’t ask you what you think of TCF in that regard… but the sad thing is that whatever we think about some other church, or even us here, we may have it all wrong!
Lots of people, great music, activities – all the things that might lead to a reputation as a ‘really great, alive church’ may just point to the presence of movement, - not of meaning…
Sardis had a reputation to be envied.
I spoke only a few weeks ago of the important of having a ‘good name’… well Sardis sure had a good name – but the people of Sardis (and by the way I am VERY tempted to call them the Sardines…) weren’t true to the name they had earned!
And while others may have been blind to the Truth – Jesus walks among the churches and KNOWS… their reputation is just that – the Reality is that the Church in Sardis was dead. (or at least in such a deep sleep that it was hard to tell the difference!)
We all know the CLICHÉ that ‘Appearances can be deceiving’
But God cannot be fooled – and this is the saddest and harshest of the letters to the Churches in Revelation.
I think that is why it is most severe – God hates appearances that do not match reality.
God greatly values INTEGRITY
Integrity is being the same person no matter what the situation.
Now I don’t know if it would be right to describe what went on in Sardis as Hypocrisy – were they in some way intentionally avoiding Genuine life?
OR had they just lost the plot.. and remained active while having lost the vision and purpose that ought to underly their faith?
Perhaps we can take heart that they weren’t totally dead, after all Jesus urges them to WAKE UP – strengthen what does remain of true life…
Sardis had
NO FALSE DOCTRINE
NO FALSE TEACHERS ( no Balaam or Jezebel)
THE BIG ISSUE is that things had not being taken to completion!., (verse 2)
Maybe you could say there was plenty of activity but no accomplishments?
They were not really fulfilling Gods desire..
We talked of having a good reputation, a good name,, at Pergamum,, Sardis had a good reputation, but it was a reputation among men, and in the end what mankind thinks is not our aim.
God sees more, and to him it just didn’t cut the mustard…
BUT even the Sardinians were not left without hope.
This letter was not an obituary – not an announcement of their final passing.
THERE IS A REMEDY.. an ANSWER
WAKE UP.. Strengthen the things that remain.. ( it reminds me of what is written to Timothy fan into flame the gift you were given
Remember what you received obey it and repent (turn around!))
Wake up
Strengthen
Remember
Obey
Repent
Not everyone in the church at Sardis was dead – some were only sleeping.
So how do we fit in today – dead or only sleeping? Or maybe stopped at the side of the track trying to catch our breath! I think I often feel like that last one..)
Whatever we might feel – Jesus urges us, encourages us
Strengthen the things that remain.
That can be a greatly inspiring idea if you let it.
STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS
Do you know with dedication, direction and a dream – we can sometimes do more with ‘what remains’ than we ever did when we had it all!
You may be familiar with the name of Louise Sauvage – she is one of Australia’s top Olympians.
Louise was born with a severe spinal disability called myelodysplasia, which inhibits the
function of the lower half of the body, giving limited control over the legs. As her mother
Rita puts it, ‘"She had one leg underneath her and one over the top, right up to her
shoulder. That’s how she was born ... She was four and a half hours old when they gently
pulled her leg down. It snapped like a piece of cheese."’ Louise would undergo over twenty
operations before the age of ten.
But over the years, with exercise and activity – and with the desire and determination to be involved, she has achieved a great deal..
Strengthen the things that remain (look at her upper arms!, a lot of strength there!)
Another man Robyn & I know, Wes Adams.. was in a car accident the night of his High School Graduation and became a Quadriplegic..
Yet over the years he has greatly strengthened his mental abilities and his commitment to prayer.
He write the study notes for the Bible I have here and commentaries on Hebrews and other books on the History of Revivals – and he is a fiery prayer..
Again and Again I could recount stories of people who have ended up losing something we consider vital… people left in the wake of tragedy or accident who have been close to death – but who have strengthened what remains – and who have gone on to play roles in society that leave many of us to shame…
But is does not seem inevitable…
The church is reminded to wake up, to remember and obey… BUT there is a warning
If they DO NOT WAKE UP --- Jesus will come like a thief, when they do not expect him, and for them it may end up being all-over.
In the Historical context of Sardis this make a lot of sense… Sardis had a fortress on the top of the nearby hill and it was considered so impregnable that the phrase ‘to Capture the fortress at Sardis’ was a slang way of saying ‘a snowball’s chance in Hell’
BUT – twice in the previous centuries the Sardinians had become complacent, had become lazy, and had felt themselves safe and so had become slack.
In one instance a guard dropped his helmet over the city wall – and thinking no one was watching crept out a special way and down a path to get oit
But he WAS being watched – and the watcher led a squad of soldiers back up that same way and they caught the city by surprise..
It is likely the believers in Sardis would have thought of this when they heard Jesus words to wake up and keep watch!
It is interesting that the letter goes on to mention ‘soiled clothes’… we usually think that talks about ‘sin’ – but no immorality, no idolatry is mentioned here
BUT sins of ‘COMISSION’ may not be the only ones
We don’t talk about it much, and we have lost something in the style of churches we have become when we no longer talk about or use terms like
Sins of Comission and Sins of Omission
“17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”
James 4:17, NIV.
In other words it is not JUST what you DO that may ‘spoil your garments it may be things God calls you to that you have neglected!
In any case – again there is a promise to the overcomers… to those who overcome the shortcoming, the problem that jesus points out..
They will be called ‘WORTHY’ and they need have no fear of their names being ‘blotted’ form the book of life.
I don’t really want to go into it today – but what does that mean? We read in other places that the believers, the Christians have their name symbolically ‘written in the book of life’… is this a real warning that maybe they could end up losing the salvation they have?
Or is it, as some point out not threatening to actually blot anyone out, but just a reassurance to those whose name is there that it Won’t ever be removed?
I’ll let you take your pick on that today, depending on whether you are too complacent about your Christianity and need the shake up that a name being ‘blotted out’ might bring, or on whether you are too timid and fearful that doing something wrong will see you excluded from God’s Grace.
The one thing I will say is that I don’t think it possibly to lose your salvation, after all we only talk of ‘losing; things that we value, and if you value it, then you won’t lose it. God promises to keep you… but if you no longer value it have you lost it or thrown it away?..
But back to Sardis – and to TCF ..
Moving from death to life, from sleep to wakefulness..
. 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.
Wake up… Set the alarm! Or better open the curtains and let the sun ( S O N ) of God shine on you..
Strengthen… exercise your faith.. find some people and circumstances to pray for and pray fore them.. a good exercise is stretching.. maybe you need some stretching in the areas of giving, or of doing some thing you feel God whispering to you about that you have often put off.
Remember when you find this word in the Bible, it means to keep it in mind.. not just recall it when you need it, but constantly.. meditate on what you received and heard.. Think of your experiences with God.
Obey .. well that ought to be straight forward – be a doer not only a hearer..
And
Repent is just a Greek word that basically means
Change your mind – think differently..
Lets Pray
STRENGTHEN THE THING THAT REMAINS…
