A Time to Wake Up

A Dead Church -

What does a dead church look like?

Church isn’t aways what it seems

The problem at Sardis is also a matter of relationship. In Sardis the question is the relationship between reputation and reality. The reputation of the church at Sardis was life, but the reality was that they were dead.

The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.

The problem at Sardis is also a matter of relationship. In Sardis the question is the relationship between reputation and reality. The reputation of the church at Sardis was life, but the reality was that they were dead.

Patterson, P. (2012). Revelation. (E. R. Clendenen, Ed.) (Vol. 39, p. 121). Nashville, TN: B&H.

What does a dead church look like?

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 3

The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.

The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 3

The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.

What does a dead church look like?

Little growth from the inside - spiritual maturity.

Lax as it relates to apparent sin.

Supported by the world around them (this may have been one of Sardis’ problems)

A Call to Wake up -

2.

Strengthen what remains - not so much about addition, but more about reinforcement.

The command to “wake up” is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the walls failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls.

Incomplete works

The Consequence of Staying Asleep - :b

You will completely miss the return of Christ - (the thief breaks in while the master sleeps)

Not all are asleep -

Some worthy souls remain

They are secure

They are the hope for those asleep

The Reward to Staying Awake -

The Exhortation

That those who have not “soiled” their clothes will walk with Jesus “dressed in white” (3:4) is significant. In the temples of Asia and elsewhere, worshipers dared not approach deities with soiled clothes; the normal apparel for approaching the gods in temples was white or linen. Jesus presumably promises here that his followers who have not polluted themselves with the paganism of their culture will participate in the new Jerusalem;

That those who have not “soiled” their clothes will walk with Jesus “dressed in white” (3:4) is significant. In the temples of Asia and elsewhere, worshipers dared not approach deities with soiled clothes; the normal apparel for approaching the gods in temples was white or linen. Jesus presumably promises here that his followers who have not polluted themselves with the paganism of their culture will participate in the new Jerusalem;

Keener, C. S. (1999). Revelation (pp. 144–145). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.