Summary: The church was dying and did not even know it.

INTRODUCTION

 SLIDE #1

 The greatest criticism of the Church today is that no one wants to persecute it: because there is nothing very much to persecute it about. -- George F. MacLeod, Leadership, Vol. 2, no. 4.

 This statement could be the story of the church that we are going to look at today, the church at Sardis.

 As we have looked at the other letters in this series, we have noticed that each of the churches thus far have been experiencing tough times. They were being persecuted because of their faith.

 Even though these churches had some problems, they were for the most part suffering for being different; they were suffering for their faith.

 This was not the case for the church at Sardis, something was happening to them and they did not even know it.

 The city of Sardis was a very wealthy city. The city was known for its loose-living, pleasure-seeking, luxury-laden lifestyles.

 The city accumulated a great deal of wealth from the gold found in a near by river and from the trade industry.

 The church did not face a lot of opposition, there were no trade guilds to deal with, no pressure to worship false gods. The people of this church had it relatively easy when compared to the other churches we have looked at.

 Something was happening to the church and for the most part, they did not even realize it. The church was dying; they needed a wake up call.

 The number one cause of death in the USA is some form of heart disease or heart related problem. Many times we do not even know we have a problem until we drop dead one day. If we see a person who is dying, we usually do what we can to revive them. If a person has stopped breathing, we will try to beat the life back into them with CPR in an effort to revive them. Today I want us to look at a dying church that is need of a revival!

 SLIDE #2

SERMON

I. THE REASON FOR REVIVAL v 1

• Let look at Revelation 3:1 to see the reason revival was needed.

• SLIDE #3

• Revelation 3:1 (NASB) 1“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

• In a church that was on life-support, Jesus is saying that He is the one who holds all spiritual gifts and is therefore able to revive, recover, and restore the church from the brink of spiritual death.

 In 1992, a Los Angeles County parking control officer came upon a brown El Dorado Cadillac illegally parked next to the curb on street-sweeping day. The officer dutifully wrote out a ticket. Ignoring the man seated at the driver’s wheel, the officer reached inside the open car window and placed the $30 citation on the dashboard. The driver of the car made no excuses. No argument ensued--and with good reason. The driver of the car had been shot in the head ten to twelve hours before but was sitting up, stiff as a board, slumped slightly forward, with blood on his face. He was dead. The officer, preoccupied with ticket-writing, was unaware of anything out of the ordinary. He got back in his car and drove away. (http://www.meridianchristian.org/Pages/Messages/onfolio-files/051106%20Bold%20Flavor.pdf

 SLIDE #4

1. The church at Sardis looked good.

 The church had a good reputation in the community, they may have done many great things, but like the police officer in the above story, maybe they were too busy to see what was happening to them.

 Jesus tells them that He knows their deeds and that they have a great name, but their character does not match up with their reputation.

 This is a church that because of the overall wealth may have had a nice place to meet; maybe things were well organized. Things must have looked good for this church to have such a good reputation.

 The problem was that Jesus said that in spite of the reputation, they were really dead.

 Have you noticed that there are not too many things that are as well kept and organized as a cemetery? A place for everyone and everyone in their place. The problem with the cemetery is that there is no life in it. The church at Sardis was experiencing the same dilemma, looks nice, but little to no life inside.

 SLIDE #5

2. Looking good on the outside is not good enough.

 Jesus during His ministry condemns the Pharisee’s for looking good on the outside, but being dead inside.

 SLIDE #6

 MAT 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

 SLIDE #7

3. What causes a church to die?

 There are many things that can cause a church to die, here are a couple to guard against.

A. Living in the past. EXPLAIN

B. When the church gets more wrapped up in programs and buildings that people. MATERIALISM. EXPLAIN. Form is more important than substance. 2 Tim 3:5 Form of Godliness

C. When the church has no vision! When we do not plan for the future, when we do not have a vision for the way that things can be, we will die.

 This church was in need of a change, Jesus says they were dead, they needed some CPR. Let’s go down the road to revival.

 SLIDE #8

II. THE ROAD TO REVIVAL v 2-3

 In this letter Jesus is going to give the church some things that will get them on the road to revival. Many people are good at pointing out problems, but they are not so good with solutions.

 Jesus is going to reveal some solutions that will help breath life back into the dying church.

 SLIDE #9

 Revelation 3:2 - 3 (NASB) 2‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

 SLIDE #10

1. WAKE UP!

 Sometimes this is the hardest thing to do. I am a heavy sleeper, many people live life that way.

 This admonition should have struck a nerve with the people in this church because the city had been over run twice in its history because the people were not awake to the real threat.

 We need to be awake to our weak points, to the things that tempt us to sin.

 When we are asleep we are not aware of what is going on around us. Jesus tells the people to wake up and look at what is happening to them.

 The church is being challenged to wake up. I hope at Auburn Christian church, we are not asleep at the wheel.

 SLIDE #11

2. Strengthen the things that remain.

 During the 6th century BC, the city was very well fortified, so much so that the people did not pay much attention to the threat of Cyrus and his Persian army. As a result of not looking to further strengthen the walls, the Persian army found a small breech and as a result, the city fell. If they had only strengthened what they had.

 We are the same way, once we are content with where we are spiritually, Satan will find the cracks in our armor, and from there he will attack!

 SLIDE #12

3. The church is told to remember.

 We must always remember what we have been taught.

 I believe that we need to also remember our history. We are not to dwell on the past, but the past can help us to remember what Jesus has done for us.

 SLIDE #13

4. Hold fast to what we have heard.

 What are you going to anchor your life to? The church needs to anchor itself in Jesus and what is taught in the Bible. Jesus is to be the anchor of our soul.

 If the church looses sight of Jesus, it will eventually die.

 SLIDE #14

5. The church is told to repent.

 This is the same theme throughout these letters, repent of the things that are wrong and get on the right path.

 Many people will realize what they need to repent of, but they fall short of doing it.

 The road to revival can be a tough road to travel, it will require work and change, and it will require us to move out of some comfort zones. What are the rewards of making these changes in our lives?

 SLIDE #15

III. THE REWARDS OF REVIVAL v 4-6

 In this passage in verse 4, we are told that there are a few people who have not been stained by the world. The verse goes on to explain what those people will receive as a result. These are rewards are available for those who walk down the road of revival.

 Let’s read verses 4-6 to see the rewards of revival.

 SLIDE #16

 Revelation 3:4 - 6 (NASB) 4‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and 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.’

 SLIDE #17

1. The ones who overcome will be clothed in white.

 There are two meanings to this. One is we will be pure in God’s sight. God will look at us through Jesus. Jesus will be our shield. White has always been a symbol of purity. This is why brides wear white dresses. I am afraid in our society, this symbolism has lost its true meaning.

 The second meaning deals with being victorious. The winner of a competition would be covered with a white robe. It was a symbol of victory. We will have victory in Jesus!

 SLIDE #18

2. Our name will not be erased out of the book of life.

 As we returned from Vacation Bible School one summer day, my young daughter Melissa asked if we could stop at the library. When I asked her why, she explained, "This morning my teacher told me that the only way we get to heaven is if our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. I just want to make sure that my name is in there!" -- Nora Newport, Jupiter, FL. "Heart to Heart," Today’s Christian Woman.

 SLIDE #19

 REV 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 If we are not listed in the lambs’ book of life, we will not go to heaven.

 Some people say once saved always saved. The problem with that is the bible says that we can have our name blotted out of the book.

 This issue here once again is salvation!

 SLIDE #20

3. Jesus will confess our name before the Father.

 Jesus will speak for us. he will say that He invited us to the party!

 SLIDE #21

 MAT 10:32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.

CONCLUSION

 The church at Sardis looked good on the outside, but they were dead or dying inside. Remember that a cemetery looks good, but it is not full of life.

 Is this a letter that Jesus would send to us? I am afraid that this is a letter that many churches would receive if Jesus wanted to send it.

 If we would be one of those churches, we have time to change. The bible lays out the road for revival in this passage.

 If most of us saw a person dying before us, or if we saw a friend or family member killing themselves slowly with cigarettes, we would try to help them.

 If we saw a friend or family member pass out in front of us, we would try to revive them.

 Jesus saw that this church needed something to revive it.

 Do you need to be revived from the dead? Is your name written in the Lambs Book of Life?