The Seven Churches Of Revelation: Sardis: A Church On Its Deathbed (2025)

SERMON OUTLINE:

• Address (vs 1a).

• Attribute (vs 1b).

• Accusation (vs 1c).

• Advice (vs 2-3).

• Assurance (vs 4-5).

SERMON BODY

Ill:

• Many members of the royal family have had the same name,

• And so, they had to be distinguished by numbers,

• e.g. Charles I, II or III.

• But even this became difficult to remember,

• So, people gave their kings & queens nicknames.

• e.g. William the Conqueror (William I)

• e.g. Richard the Lionhearted (Richard I).

• e.g. Ethelred the Unready, as if "Ethelred" wasn’t bad enough,

• History can be cruel, and he was given the nickname "Unready”.

• Derives from the Old English term "unræd,"

• Meaning "poorly advised" or "lacking counsel,"

• Rather than suggesting personal indecisiveness

• e.g. Edward the Confessor: Anglo-Saxon king of England (1003-1066)

• (Known for his piety & devotion to the Church).

• e.g. Edward the Hammer, aka Edward Longshanks:

• Edward I of England (1239-1307)

• (Known for being exceptionally tall, having longshanks).

• e.g. Bloody Mary: Mary I of England (1516-1558)

• (You can figure that one out for yourselves!)

• In Europe there was,

• e.g. Charles the Bold.

• e.g. Leopold the Pious.

• e.g. Albrecht the Magnanimous.

• e.g. Rudolf the Benefactor.

• e.g. My favourite, Fredrick the Quarrelsome.

• How would you like to be known as,

• (insert name) the Quarrelsome?

• If people nicknamed us, I wonder what would it be?

• If people nicknamed our Church, I wonder what would it be?

• TRANSITION:

• In verse 1b Jesus wrote to this at Church at Sardis saying:

• “…you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead”.

If you visited this Church,

• Then your first appearance would be positive.

• The outward appearance of this Church,

• Would have been attractive and warm.

• It had all the signs of a lively Christian fellowship.

Ill:

• The words of God to Samuel the Old Testament Prophet,

• Come to mind (1 Samuel chapter 16 verse 7).

“People look at the outward appearance,

but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Now for Sardis there is good news!

• Because it is Jesus who is proclaiming them as dead,

• And the gospel records remind us,

• That Jesus Christ has the power to raise the dead!

• i.e. I love the fact that Jesus spoilt every funeral he attended,

• He kept bring the corpse back to life – lol.

• And with this Church at Sardis,

• Jesus can put new life into this spiritual dead Church.

Quote: Charles Swindoll

“What begins as a deathbed scene, however, suddenly shifts to an emergency room drama. Rather than officiating over a funeral, Christ makes a last-ditch attempt to revive the hearts of the saints in Sardis.”

We are looking at 7 letters of Jesus Christ written to 7 churches.

• This is much more than a history lesson,

• Because the problems that these seven Churches experienced,

• Can also be the same problems we might battle with today.

Let me remind you of the key truth in these letters.

• Ephesus (Revelation chapter 2 verses 1-7),

• The church that had forsaken its first love.

• (chapter 2 verse 4).

• Smyrna (Revelation chapter 2 verses 8-11),

• The church that had material poverty but spiritual power.

• (chapter 2 verse 10).

• Pergamum (Revelation chapter 2 verses 12-17),

• The church that needed to repent.

• (chapter 2 verse 16).

• Thyatira (Revelation 2 verses 18-29),

• The church that had a false prophetess.

• Faced the issue of compromise.

• (chapter 2 verse 20).

• Sardis (Revelation chapter 3 verses 1-6),

• The church that had fallen asleep, was spiritually dead!

• (chapter 3 verse 2).

• Philadelphia (Revelation chapter 3 verses 7-13),

• The church that persevered through persecution.

• (chapter 3 verse 10).

• Laodicea (Revelation chapter 3 verses 14-22),

• The church with the lukewarm faith.

• (chapter 3 verses 16).

(1). ADDRESS (vs 1a).

‘To the angel of the church in Sardis write:”

• The word, angel also means messenger,

• So, this probably refers to the messenger,

• The person who would read this letter out to the gathered Church.

GEOGRAPHICALLY

• Sardis would have been the next city on a postman’s route.

• It was about 30 miles south of Thyatira,

• (The city & Church we looked at last week).

• Sardis was the capital city of the ancient kingdom of Lydia.

• And two words can summarise this city.

Ill:

• Last week I mentioned Lydia who we read about in Acts chapter 16,

• She was the very first European convert to Christianity.

• Now it might surprise you to know that,