The Book Of Revelation (Revelation 3)

In Chapter two we saw Him inspecting four of these churches. These were the church of:

1) Church of Ephesus

2) Church of Smyrna

3) Church of Pergamos

4) Church of Thyatira

Today in chapter three we again want to walk with the Lord as He walks among these churches. He will be walking among the last three Churches and we want to walk with Him. We will be looking at:

• Church of Sardis

• Church of Philidelphia

• Church of Laodicea

Let’s get started…

The church of Sardis

Text: Revelation 3:1-6

Introduction: When we write a personal letter, we conclude it by signing our name at the bottom. That lets the one we are writing to know who we are. But, when the Lord writes, He tells them, up front, Who He is! Look at verse 1, we read, "...These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars..."

This particular church, the church of Sardis, is so typical of many churches today that you will find in every city in America today. That is, people saw it as being a LIVELY CHURCH, but yet the Lord saw it as being DEAD.

Sometimes it is hard for us to DISTINGUISH A DEAD CHURCH from a church that is ALIVE. There are two kinds of dead churches.

1. The easiest to detect to detect to be a dead church is the church that has gone through the same rituals for the last fifty years. As soon as you walk into a church like this, you know that God has long since departed the premises.

2. The hardest to detect is the one that has been camouflaged with all kinds of EXCITING PROGRAMS that make it appear to be alive. It gives the appearance of being ALIVE, but IT IS DEAD!

Such was the case with the church of Sardis. Look at two things that we need to consider before revival can take place.

FIRST, CONSIDER THE PASTOR. Again, the letter is being addressed to the pastor. In verse 1 we read, "And unto the angel (Pastor) of the church in Sardis..."

The Lord knows there is little hope for a church getting on fire until the pastor gets on fire. Before there can be fire in the pews, there first has to be fire in the pulpit.

The Lord is writing directly to the pastor of the church of Sardis to fire him up so he can, in return, fire the church up.

SECONDLY, WE NEED TO CONSIDER THE PLACE. Sardis was a city made up of two sections.

(1) The ORIGINAL SECTION was developed on a level area about fifteen hundred feet high up the side of the mountain. It was next to impossible for any enemy to penetrate their security and attack them.

(2) The SECOND SECTION was built when the city outgrew the first area on the side of the mountain. It was built at the base of the mountain, in the valley below.

But, in spite of the fact that it was nearly impregnable, the city had been captured twice. Both times it was captured, the guards were asleep. The CHURCH OF SARDIS certainly could relate to what the Lord said in verse 3, "...If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."

The church of Sardis had a reputation for being alive, but this reputation was deceiving, because they had gone to sleep spiritually and were dead.

Let's look at...

I. THE REPUTATION OF THE CHURCH.

Look again in verse 1, "...I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."

Did you know that names can be deceiving.

Illus: Often women can be given lovely names like Violet, Sweetie Pie, Honey, Darling, etc.,

When their parents gave them they had high hopes. But when you get to know some of them, you realize what a mistake it was to give them a name like that.

Names can be deceiving.

The church of Sardis got stuck with a name of being ALIVE when they really were dead.

Often we see churches with names like Unity, Harmony, Charity, etc., and the name seems fine, but sometimes you attend a few services at churches with one of these names, and you wonder how they got names like that.

We are known by our names. And again, we are reminded of a story.

Illus: Years ago, there was a man in the West known as BIG BAD JOHN. Everyone who knew him, did not want to cross his path. One day he was supposed to be coming to town. The streets were empty and not a person was in sight, when just then a big, tough-looking man came down Main Street riding on the back of a wild buffalo, and he was beating the buffalo with a rattle snake in each hand. He rode up to the local saloon, jumped off the back of the buffalo, walked up and with one hand ripped the door off its hinges. He quickly walked to the bar, and when his forearms came crashing down on it, it split in half. He ordered a pitcher of buttermilk, and with one big gulp it was gone. Then he hurried back toward where the door had been. The bartender timidly asked, "Where are you going in such a hurry?" The big man hurriedly answered as he jumped back on his buffalo, "Man, I am getting out of town. Don't you know that BIG BAD JOHN is on his way here?"