Sardis: The Dead Church

Introduction:

Human beings often replace a religious life for a righteous life. There is a great difference between the two. Being religious is of man; while being righteous is of God. There are many churches and people who fail to live righteous lives, so they live religiously instead. God doesn’t judge humanity by their outward appearance (which just so happens to be a religious action), but by the heart (which is a righteous life). When our hearts are righteous, what we say and do, our actions, will be righteous as well.

v.1) The Church:

Place: Sardis

At the time Jesus spoke these words to John, the ancient city of Sardis had started to decline. It was a fairly wealthy city, as it was situated at the junction of several important roads and trade routes. The connection between Sardis and money—easy money—was well known in the ancient world.

It is of interest to note that the first coinage ever to be minted in Asia Minor was minted in Sardis in the days of Croesus. Sardis was the place where modern money was born.

This city was also well known for its softness and luxury. It had a well-deserved reputation for apathy and immorality. In Sardis there was a large, stately temple to the mother goddess, Cybele. From the ruins of that temple we can see that its main columns were 60 feet high and more than 6 feet in diameter. This goddess was honored and worshiped with all kinds of sexual immorality and impurity.

This combination of easy money and loose moral environment made the people living here notoriously hedonistic. This softness, this lack of discipline and dedication, was the doom of this city.

The Greek historian Herodotus tells the story of the fall of Sardis in the days of Cyrus. King Cyrus came to Sardis, and found the position of the city ideally suited for defense. There seemed to be no way to scale the steep cliff walls surrounding the city. He offered a rich reward to any soldier in his army who could figure out a way to get up the city. One solider studied the problem carefully, and as he looked he saw a soldier defending Sardis down his helmet down the cliff walls. He watched as the soldier climbed down a hidden trail to recover the helmet. He marked the location of the trail and led a detachment of troops up it that night. They easily climbed the cliffs, came to the actual city walls and found them unguarded. The soldiers of Sardis were so confident in the natural defense of their city they felt no need to keep a diligent watch, so the city was easily conquered. Curiously, the same thing happened almost 200 years later when Antiochus attacked and conquered the overconfident city that didn’t set a watch.

Person: Jesus

Why is this description of Jesus significant for this church?

What could the seven Spirits mean?

Could refer to the Holy Spirit and seven simple refers to Holy Spirit being complete and perfect. If this is the reference then it really highlights the unity between Jesus and the Holy Spirit in ministry.

Some see it as a reference to what they call the seven-fold minsitry of the Holy Spirit as seen in:

Isaiah 11:2 NKJV

2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

Spirit of the Lord

Spirit of wisdom

Spirit of Understanding

Spirit of counsel

Spirit of might

Spirit of power

Spirit of knowledge

Spirit of fear

Seven stars: Jesus is speaking not to one individual, but the entire church through that individual.

Problem:

As Jesus said to each of the other churches, He knows this church too. He knows their name—that is, their reputation—of life and vitality. In this church everything seemed alive and good.

We shouldn’t have the impression that Sardis was a dysfunctional mess. That their building was wrecked, members leaving right and left, and their pastor was ready to resign. On the contrary, it was a busy church with meetings every night, committees galore, wheels within wheels, promotion and publicity, something going on all the time. It had a reputation of being alive, wide-awake church, that is really popping.

What does it mean that they were dead? And how can a church be dead?

Dead: shows that a good reputation is no guarantee of true spiritual character.

Dead indicates no struggle, no fight, no persecution. It wasn’t that the church was losing the battle. A dead body has lost the battle, and the fight seems over. Jesus doesn’t encourage them to stand strong against persecution or false doctrine, and this is probably because there simply wasn’t a significant danger of these things in Sardis.

Being dead, the church presented no significant threat to the kingdom of darkness, and because of that not worth attacking.

vv.2-3) The Concern:

[2] Strengthen:

Jesus instructed them to strengthen what they had left. What this tells us is that Sardis was really in bad shape, but it wasn’t hopeless.

We need to understand that God is not interested in what they had in the past. Jesus didn’t give up on them, and though it was late, it wasn’t too late. The spiritual state of the church was a reflection of the city’s historical character.

I have not found your works perfect before God: These works did not measure up to God’s standard. What this probably implies too is that they started a lot of things but didn’t finish what they started. Constantly beginning but never properly ending things.

[3] Sober:

What they were to remember was how they first recieved and heard the Word of God. Then they were to hold fast to those things, and repent by turning and restoring the gospel and apostolic doctrine to have authority in their lives.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV

13 For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

Christ will return as a thief and they who are asleep spiritually will miss Him. Winston Churchill said to Britain in the early days of WWII: “I must drop one word of caution, for the next to cowardice and treachery, overconfidence leading to neglect and slothfulness, is the worst of wartime crimes.”

Sober:

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NKJV)

6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

Solemn:

Revelation 3:11 (NKJV)

11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Serious:

Revelation 16:15 NKJV

15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

Luke 12:37 NKJV

37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.

[Example: Keys hitting face]

Indifference should have no place in the life of a Christian. We should be serious about serving God at all times, knowing the coming of Christ is near.

v.4) The Cleanliness:

To live a clean and holy life as those in Sardis did, it requires two things.

Cleansing:

This cleansing begins with salvation:

2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

John 13:10 NKJV

10 Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”

Consecration:

To live a holy life requires consecration. We must be fully surrendered to the Lord. He must have the first place in our lives:

Matthew 6:33 NKJV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Psalm 119:9 NKJV

9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.

Psalm 119:11 NKJV

11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

vv.5-6) The Compensation:

[5] Overcoming: Three promises are given to overcomers.

They will be clothed in white garments (Christ’s righteousness):

Jesus explained the absolute necessity of this being being clothed by God with His garments of purity and righteousness in HIs parable of the wedding feast:

Matthew 22:11–14 NKJV

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Real righteousness is receiving God’s covering instead of trying to cover ourselves. Adam and Eve tried to cover their own sin but God provided them with a covering that came from sacrifice.

He will not blot their names from the book of life (salvation):

By this, the overcomers were assured of their heavenly citizenship. In ancient times cities kept a register of their citizens; and when a man died, his name was removed from the register.

There are several opinions:

Some think that the Book of Life contains the names of all who have been given physical life. According to this view, those who show by their lives that they have been truly born again will not be removed from the book whereas, by implication, all other will.

Others see the book as a register of those who have spiritual life. They are promised that their names will never lose their salvation. According to this view, the fact that some names will not be blotted out does not require that others will.

There are five different references to people being blotted out of the bool of life:

Exodus 32:32 NKJV

32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

Exodus 32:33 NKJV

33 And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

Psalm 69:28 NKJV

28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, And not be written with the righteous.

Revelation 3:5 NKJV

5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Revelation 22:19 NKJV

19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

[Example] Salvation can you lose salvation or never were saved.

Because of the consistent teaching of the Scriptures that salvation is by grace, not by works, and because of the clear statements that the true believer is eternally secure: John 3:16, John 5:24, John 10:27-29.

I believe we are to understand it to be focused on the assurance of the believer. Meant to encourage.

In the genealogies of the Bible there are two books mentioned:

Genesis 5:1 NKJV

1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.

Matthew 1:1 NKJV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

Being born of Adam doesn’t guarantee that our name is written in the book of life. Being born again—born of Jesus Christ—gives us that assurance.

He will confess them before God and the angels (heaven):

Our Lord adds the promise that He will confess the names of the overcomers before His Father and the angels of heaven.

[6] Open:

Listen to the Word of God:

Learn from the Word of God:

God changes people at the time of conversion, however, there are choices for us to make after salvation. Paul explained that we must work out our own salvation:

Philippians 2:12 NKJV

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

As we choose the right ways, we will live righteous lives that are pleasing to the lord.