The Church in Sardis
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Revelation 3:1-6
Revelation 3:1-6
Overview message series
Read the passage
Sardis, the capital of the region of Lydia. Founded 7 centuries before this letter was written. King Croesus founded the city collect his amazing wealth and the city was a rich, thriving city in its time.
But since then, the city started to go into ruins. It was overrun twice by enemy armies and it devolved into nothing special. In fact, it lost the bid to build a temple to Smyrna.
But all over the city was the ruins of the past life and wealth of the city. It may of looked like it was doing well but the city was in ruins.
Recap
Ephesus - Good works, good doctrine, and persevering persecution well, but fell out of love with the Lord
Smyrna - The Lord had nothing negative to say about them but encouraged them as they persevered to stay strong because things were going to get worse as they were the tip of the spear into the enemy kingdom.
Pergamum - was surrounded by the enemy, persecuted harshly, and holding fast, but they were allowing false doctrine to be taught in their church.
Thyatira - was in love with the Lord, doing good works, strong in the faith and enduring strong persecution. However, they not only allowed false doctrine to be taught, they were tolerant to those who were openly practicing compromise and sin in their church.
This week we look at the church in Sardis and Jesus doesn’t say anything about doctrine or how well they are enduring persecution. If fact, the problem is that they aren’t being persecuted.
The word “reputation” in Greek means to be found in good favor. The community they were not recieving persecution because the community found them in good favor. This was the home of the largest Jewish synagogue in the area and everyone liked them. They were not receiving tribulation because they were not the tip of the spear. They were not pushing back the enemy. and because of this, they had the reputation of being alive.
They have compromised in their doctrine and stopped pushing back the enemy so badly that they have a good reputation in the community. They are not being persecuted because though they look alive, Jesus says that they are dead. They are the opposite of being alive. Spiritually they are dead.
Now, we as Christians should not be striving to be disliked or hated. We should not do things or say things in order to suffer persecution.
But to be Christian in an anti-Christian world, is to be offensive to the world. The way that we live, our values, the way we raise our kids and the truth that we believe will be opposed to the world but our heart and passion should not be to be persecuted or to be offensive. Our hearts should be to live our lives and speak in a manner that invites other to want to join us in following Jesus. They should see our good works and glorify God.
But what we see here is that Jesus is saying that there are some there that live in unrighteousness (soiled garments) like the rest of the world. They look like them.
Jesus is warning them and asking them to repent. They are getting another chance. A chance to turn this thing around. and Jesus gives them clear directions at how to do that.
So, the question I have is what is an “alive” church? Jesus desires that His church, this church, be alive. Not to just look alive or have a good reputation, but to be actually, truly alive.
First we must understand what that means. Then we can follow the directions of Jesus of how to return to or be an alive church.
The first thing it means is the goal is not to have a spiritually alive church service. We do not want to only one day a week have a spiritual experience together and then go on with our lives until next week.
A spiritually alive church is a group of spiritually alive people sharing life together 7 days a week.
A spiritually dead church is a gathering of spiritually dead people.
One of our values at Connection Church is that we desire to be Spirit-led. We desire and want to be a church that is a group of Spirit-led people to assemble together to worship our Lord, advance His kingdom and give Him all the glory.
An alive church is a group of people that are filled with the Holy Spirit.
It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.
An alive church is a church filled with people that live their lives not according to flesh but according to Spirit. They have their minds set on things of the Spirit and they experience life!
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
That last line confirms what Jesus is saying in the Revelation passage. He desires us to be a church with our minds set on the Spirit so that we can please God.
A dead church is a church filled with spiritually dead people that are pursuing things and mindsets of the flesh.
But that is not the desire of Jesus for His church.
Darrell Johnson says,
“We are always on the brink of going down, of losing authentic life. we have entered a life we cannot live apart from relationship, apart from the power that flows from relationship. Once individuals and congregations no longer live in the power of Jesus’ Spirit, the forms may remain but the inner reality will be gone. And we find ourselves attempting for God only what our human resources allow. We no longer push ourselves out into the deep water where we are beyond our own resources. We settle for being comfortable and safe.”
I know that's a long quote but what he is talking about is a life that is not being pushed to dependence on Jesus but a life and church that is completely powered by man’s wisdom, knowledge and experience.
“Jesus will never give you more that you can handle” is a verse taken out of context and misapplied. That verse is talking about temptation. He will always provide a way of escape.
A spiritually alive church is constantly in a state of handling more that we can physically handle but we need to stay at a place that way won’t be tempted to do it by our own strength, our own power, and our own knowledge.
A spiritually dead church is complacent and self-sufficient.
Jesus is offering a way to “wake up”!
Revelation 3:2–3 (ESV)
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. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent.
5 things, 5 easy steps to become spiritually alive again!
Wake up
Strengthen what remains
Remember what you recieved
Keep it
Repent
Wake up!
The original Greek is talking about waking up to keep watch. Wake up to being more watchful.
It’s interesting that Jesus would use this wording to these people in Sardis. Like i said earlier, the city was a fortress on top a 1500 ft hill. Extremely difficult to attack with a large force. But Twice in history prior to this letter, in 549 bc and 218 bc, the city was overrun and defeated by small groups of men quietly scaling the walls and opening the gates for an army.
I believe that this is an example to us about being complacent and comfortable. We let our guard down and just worry about what is going on inside our own control.
“Stay alert”, “do not let your lamp burn out”, “watch and pray”, these are all warnings that Jesus stated to us in the gospels. He wants us to wake up and be aware of the spiritual complacency that creeps into our lives.
Become aware of the areas and way that you are spiritually dead.
Do not fall asleep. Wake up!
2. Strengthen what remains
Just because Jesus is saying that they are spiritually dead doesn’t mean that they aren’t doing good things. In fact, spiritually dead churches are full of volunteers, leaders, teachers and some good programs.
Jesus is not saying that everything that you are doing is wrong. He is just saying that the things your are doing, your not doing with the power of the Holy Spirit.
So, strengthen these things with the power of the Holy Spirit!
When you do that, you will also find that there are things in life and in churches that you need to stop doing because they are achieving the biblical purpose of the the church and what the Lords wants the church or our lives to be doing.
Does that change the meaning of Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
I can do all things through Christ’s strength really means that I need to do all that I do not by my strength but my the power and strength of the Holy Spirit inside of me.
Paul is not saying that I am capable of doing all things but that all that he does, he wants to do through the strength of Jesus Christ. Stop doing it by your own power.
3. Remember what you recieved
I could preach an entire sermon on just this word. Over and over, time and time again in scripture, we are told to remember.
But in this instance, I believe that Jesus is telling us to remember what we recieved when we accepted Christ. We recieved the Holy Spirit in our lives. We recieved the Spirit of Jesus as a gift and seal of our salvation. As a deposit of what we are going to receive in full in eternity.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Remember that you have the Spirit of the Lord with you and in you at all times. You can do all things through His power and strength because you have His power and His strength.
But many of us hid from Him like Adam and Eve in the garden. Thinking that we can do things without Him or we can hid from Him so that we can sin.
But He is always with us. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He is always available to you. So, set your mind on the Spirit not on the flesh. And you will experience life as it is meant to be experienced!
Jesus opens this letter in verse one as Revelation 3:1
Revelation 3:1 (ESV)
“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.
This is not to say that there are seven spirits but that there is a complete and perfect Spirit and Jesus is the one who has Him and gives Him to us.
Remember this! Remember that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit.
4. Keep it.
Literally translated as keep on keeping it! Keep on remembering. Keep on relying on Him. Keep on, keeping on!
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not grieve the Spirit.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Again, the literal translation of that is “be, being filled”. Its a continuous and everyday action. Its not just a one time experience or momentary filling. It is a continuous choice and actions to resist setting our minds on the flesh and keeping our minds, our thoughts, our actions set on the Holy Spirit in our lives and working through our lives.
We are meant to live life so full of the Holy Spirit that our cup overflows. Continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Keep of keeping it. Be, being filled.
5. Repent!
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.
I don’t think i need to say more than that. The flesh is opposed to the Spirit. Do not walk in the fruit of the flesh. But walk in the fruit of the Spirit.
Repent of the works of the flesh. Turn away from the things that are opposed to the Spirit!
Walk in the life, the abundant life, that comes with the Holy Spirit.
So, Jesus’ message to the church in Sardis and to us today is today is to be a group of people that are individually leading lives that are dependent on the Holy Spirit. Lives that are Spirit-led. When we are a church of that, we will see the churches and relationships take on new life! We won’t just have Spirit-filled services but we will see a Spirit-filled community and county. We will see life!
So, wake up!. Strengthen what remains. Remember what you recieved. keep on keeping it and repent!
This is the Lord’s desire for us.
Let’s pray