Sardis: Rev. 3:1-6

Introduction

As we continue our series entitled “letters to the church” tonight we are going to look at the 5th letter which was addressed to the church at Sardis. This church was known as the dead church.

By way of review lets look at the letters we have read so far:

Ephesus- The Church that left it’s first love

Smyrna - the suffering church

Pergamos- the worldly church

Thyatira - the church that allowed sin.

All of these churches had a remnant of people doing the right thing, but had somethings that were not going to be tolerated by Jesus.

Here we are going to see a church who is almost completely dead, but Jesus is going to challenge the remnant that remained.

The Recipient of the Letter vs. 1a

Like all the other letters this letter is addressed to the angel of the church in Sardis.

Most Scholars would agree that the church of Sardis was started as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus.

This is the only time in the Bible that this church is mentioned.

Sardis

Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, it was the capital of the wealthy Lydian kingdom.

Much of the cities wealth came from gold taken from the nearby Pactolus River. Gold and silver coins were apparently first minted at Sardis.

Sardis was about 30 miles south of Thyatira in the valley of the Hermus river.

Sardis would have been a hard city to capture because of its location and the city got to confident and was conquered.

It never regained independence and eventually fell under Roman rule in 133 B.C. The city was destroyed in 17 A.D. by and earthquake and was rebuilt with the financial aid of Emperor Tiberious, and because of that they built a temple in his honor.

In John’s day the city was prosperous but well past its glory days.

Both the city and the church it contained had lost it vitality.

The writer of the letter

He that hath the seven Spirits of God.

This is a reference to the Sprits fullness.

Jesus Christ is represented in His church through the Holy Spirit.

He that hath the seven stars.

The seven stars refers back to the Angels or Messengers of the church that would have brought these letters to the church.

I like what one commentary said “ Christ’s introduction of himself does not hint at the severity of the situation in Sardis. Surprisingly, he did not introduce Himself as the divine judge, although Sardis faced imminent judgement. Instead He depicts himself as the One who sovereignly works in His church through the Holy Spirit and godly leaders. That introduction served as a reminder to the Sardis church of what they lacked. Devoid of the Spirit, the church of Sardis was dead, populated by the unredeemed.”

If we follow the pattern of the other letters we would have the commendations next, but this letter is different than the other 4 we have studied, instead we have the concerns first.

The Concerns vs. 1c

Jesus tells them I know your works, and unlike the other churches, there isn’t going to be a list of the good things they have done, but rather the bad things.

Though hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Astronomers tell us that the light from a polar start takes 33 years to reach the earth. That star could have plunged into darkness 30 years ago, and its light would still be pouring down to earth. It would be shining in the sky tonight as if nothing had happened. It could be a dead star, shining solely by the light of a brilliant passed. The church at Sardis is like that star. It had a name, but it was dead. It was shining solely by the light of a brilliant passed.

It’s sad to say but there are churches all over America that still meet, but are dead.

What is the cause of death in most churches? Sin

What are some danger signs that a church is dying?

When a church is content to rest on its passed accomplishments

When it spends more time worrying about social ills than the heart changing message of the Gospel. (If we want to make any change, its done through the transforming power of the Gospel.

When it is more concerned with material things rather than spiritual things.

When it loses its conviction that every word of the Bible is the word of God himself.

When the church is no longer concerned with the great commission, the sole mission of the church.

MacArthur said this “No matter its attendance, no matter how impressive the buildings, no matter the status of the church in its community, such a church, having denied the only source of spiritual life is dead.”

The churches works were no longer being done in Christ’s infinite power, but in the finite power of the church, and it seems that they have no idea that his power on their church was gone.

What can we learn from this letter as a church? We must be sensitive enough to the Spirit that we feel the very presence of God on our church. We must keep the main thing the main thing and not allow the world to direct our church, but we must allow the Holy Spirit to lead our church. We fall in danger, when we try to do things in our own power, rather than with the Spirits power enabling us.

The command vs 2-3a

Be watchful

When I think of being watchful I think of the watchmen in Ezekiel 33:1–7 “Again the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.”

The remnant could no longer just go with the flow, they had to wake up and be watchful of what was going on.

Strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.

The church was not completely dead, it had a few things that remained. There were some in this church that were still holding on to right, but it was very close to death

There were enough hot embers to restart the fire, but they had to continue. Jesus hadn’t found their work complete before God.

Remember what thou hast heard and recieved

They had heard the truth and recieved it and now need to return to it.

They needed to go back to the Word of God, remembering the gospel and the teaching of the apostles.

The church needed to get back to Christ!

The needed to hold fast and repent.

They need to hold tight to the word of God and turn back to God from the life they were living.

The consequence vs. 3b

If they didn’t watch, they wouldn’t be ready for when he came to them

1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.

The commendations vs 4

There were a few in Sardis that had not defiled their garments with sin

Because of that they would walk in white garments

They were worthy

The promise vs. 5

if they overcome they would also be clothed in the white garments

Revelation 19:8 “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”

If they overcome they are promised the righteousness of Christ.

If they overcome their name wouldn’t be blotted out of the book of life, but their name would be confessed before the father and his angels.

Some read this and assume that a christians name can be blotted out of the book of life, by doing this they turn a promise into a threat.

No Christian can lose their salvation, those who have their names blotted out of the book of life have irrevocably rejected Christ.

Matthew 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

Conclusion

vs 6

The spiritually dead needed to take heed of the impending judgement

The indifferent believers needed to wake up before it was to late to save the church

The faithful few could take courage in the eternally security offered by Christ through salvation!