Sardis - The Dead Church

Revelation 3:1-6

Revelation 3:1–6 ESV

1 “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. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 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. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

1. THE DIAGNOSIS

Story of Ted - sometimes appears dead but is alive!

The problem with Sardis was the opposite - it appeared to be alive but was infact dead!

Would you know how to spot a dead church? Would you know what vital signs to look for?

Good attendance?

Big building?

Great kids ministry?

The church of Sardis had a reputation of being a lively church, but Jesus says it was dead.

The city of Sardis was known as ‘The City of a Thousand Hills’ because it had a huge cemetery on high ground above the city.

Revelation Chapter 13: How to Revive a Dead Church (Revelation 3:1–6)

Jesus reminds us that “a church can have a thousand (or more) members and still be as dead as the inhabitants of a cemetery.”

What had happened?

Story of King Croesus and Sardis being captured by Cyrus in 549 BC. Sardis was naturally ideal for defence, surrounded by cliffs. The Soldiers of Sardis were so confident that they didn’t even both to set a watch on the walls. A Persian soldier saw a Sardesian soldier drop his helmet and clamber down from the walls to collect it, the Persian managed to spy out how he climbed down and back up again. In the night Cyrus sent a small group of soldiers up that track and over the walls - there was no watch on the walls and the city fell! The exact same thing happened again just a few hundred years later when the city fell to Antiochus III in 214 BC - The Sardesians didn’t learn their lesson!

They failed to set a watch!! Prayer.

Matthew 26:41 ESV

41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The church at Sardis had become complacent. They believed their own hype - they neglected to set a watch and had fallen into temptation.

No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere. - Ravenhill

Have we become complacent? Are we idling in neutral? Have we failed to set a watch? Do we have a reputation for being a Christian but actually inside we are spiritually dead?

What diagnosis would Jesus pronounce on this church?

2. THE TREATMENT

Naturally speaking - when something dies, it dies. It’s gone - we don’t ask it to wake up! We bury it! But when Jesus is involved things are a little different. Jesus says to the dead church of Sardis - Wake up! Just like he said to Lazarus - just like he has said to each one of us who were once dead in sins and trespasses. When Jesus is involved there is always hope - even in death.

So even a dead church can be brought back to life if...

They wake up

They strengthen what remains

They remember what they received and heard at first

They keep it and repent

Church revitalisation isn’t about more programmes and bigger budgets - it has to be deeper than that - if there is no spiritual reawakening in the church then you can throw as much money as you like at it, all you’ll end up with is a posh mausoleum.

4. THE PROGNOSIS

Even in the deadest of churches there may still be one or two who remain faithful to the Lord - who have not compromised! The Lord knows His own!

Jesus promises that those who do not soil their garments with compromise and sin;

That they will walk with Him

That He will never blot out their name from the book of life

That He will confess their name before His Father and the angels