The Dying Church: Message to the Church at Sardis

Let’s read our theme verse for the series.

Revelation 3:6 CSB

6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

So far, we have considered four of the seven messages contained in chapters two and three of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Church at Ephesus: The Church of Apathy

The Church at Smyrna: The Church of Persecution

The Church at Pergamum: The Church of Compromise

The Church at Thyatira: The Church of Tolerance

Open your Bible to Revelation chapter three. Let’s read the message to the Church at Sardis.

Revelation 3:1–6 CSB

1 “Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. 2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. 5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

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Sardis was a city living in the past. Sardis had been known for its great wealth and beauty, but it had deteriorated quite a lot. Sardis was the capital city of Lydia and was situated at the junction of five crossroads. It was a trade center and a military town. Sardis, at one point in time, was thought to be impregnable by an invading force. Sardis was located on a steep hill with only one narrow way up to it. Twice, Sardis had been invaded and conquered because of its arrogance in thinking no one could get to them.

Sardis had a patron goddess named Cybele where worshippers would prove their devotion by standing under a grate while a bull was slaughtered over them. Basically, they would shower in the blood of the bull. Also, they would hold orgies and festivals in her honor. The whole town would participate in these spectacles.

When Jesus addressed the Church at Sardis, he reminded them of his position, presence, and knowledge. He reminded them who was really in charge and who really mattered. From the description we are given about this church, the believers at Sardis were well-liked. They were respected by their community. They were non-offensive and had a good reputation. Maybe, they even had a solid financial state and appeared to be thriving. This was a church that was known for its good music and good teaching, but what their community thought of them really didn’t matter.

We need to remember this because it is a temptation for us. Our community could really like us and even support the things we are doing. We can be well-liked and respectable. We can be responsible and be civic-minded; however, there is only one opinion we need to be concerned about. What does Jesus think about us?

1. Jesus’ opinion of us is what really matters.

Revelation 3:1 CSB

1 “Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.

This church was filled with activity and events. It had a reputation for being alive. If you were going to go to church, this was the attractive church. I don’t want you to misunderstand. Jesus wasn’t saying their activity was bad or sinful, but they were out of touch with what really mattered. They liked the religious aspects of churchiness, but they were missing the relationship with God. Their activity didn’t make them spiritually alive. They were dying. Sardis was the dying church.

I have a thought that this church was a church who wasn’t walking by faith.

Hebrews 11:6 CSB

6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

They were probably not listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30 CSB

30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.

They weren’t taking the Word of God and applying it to their lives.

Hebrews 4:12 CSB

12 For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

They were concerned about how the community viewed them. They were concerned about having a good reputation. They were respectable, but Jesus’ wasn’t happy with all of them. In the eyes of Jesus, they were dying. It wasn’t doctrinal problems which were killing them. Jesus didn’t point out any problems with listening to false teachers, tolerance, or compromise. Even though they had a good reputation and were full of activity and programs, they were dying. Jesus knew their reality and it is his opinion of us that really matters.

Chuck Swindoll points out 5 common traits of a dying church. I want to give them to you.

Five Common Traits of a Dying Church

1. Worship of the past

People remember how things used to be and their nostalgia was blinding them to their reality. They were living on their past reputation rather than understanding their present condition.

2. Greater concern with cosmetics than with character

Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we can become more concerned with keeping up appearances than dealing with the weightier matters of the heart. Jesus condemned this throughout his ministry.

3. Love of tradition over love for Christ

Traditions can be good because they can keep us grounded. Traditions can keep us on track, but we should never just do something because we have always done it. We need to evaluate our activities and programs to make sure they are furthering gospel ministry.

4. Inflexibility and resistance to change

Times are changing, whether we like it or not. I am not that old and I don’t like it, but this I know. If we are going to be effective in the coming days, we are going to need to change and adapt for the sake of the gospel.

5. Losing evangelistic and missionary fervor

I am telling you, this is my biggest concern right now in the church, not just our church, but the universal church. The love of many is growing cold. We are allowing current events to impact our thinking and paralyze us. We are becoming more focused on our own physical, temporal survival than the eternal impact of the gospel. Jesus said,

John 12:25 CSB

25 The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Also,

Revelation 12:10–12 CSB

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down. 11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; for they did not love their lives to the point of death. 12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows his time is short.

How did they overcome? Grab onto this truth. It is completely opposite from what we naturally think. They conquered Satan by the blood of Jesus and the Word of God. They didn’t love their life to the point of death.

Jesus is the one who holds the key to eternal life and it is his opinion of us that really matters.

2. Jesus issued a “wake-up” call.

Revelation 3:2–3 CSB

2 Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.

I think this call to “be alert” would have reminded them of the history of the city of Sardis. Twice Sardis had been conquered because they thought they were okay. Sardis seemed impregnable, sitting on a hill surrounded by high cliffs which no army could scale. Cocky and confident, the people of Sardis slept soundly while Cyrus, the Persian king, and his army climbed the steep cliffs. When the sun rose over Sardis on that day in 549 B.C., its inhabitants discovered they should have been watching instead of sleeping. Did the people of Sardis learn a lesson? Perhaps—but they failed to tell it to their children. In 214 B.C. Sardis again fell when Antiochus the Great surprised the sleeping city by scaling the cliffs at night. You would have thought after the first time, they would remember their vulnerability, but they didn’t learn. It has been said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” If the church at Sardis didn’t change, they would be in for a painful lesson. If they didn’t change their ways, they would be surprised by Jesus’ coming. Verse three is not a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus, but rather a time when he would come to them in judgment.

Jesus seemed to like this analogy of “coming like a thief”. In other words, Jesus’ coming catches most people unaware. Jesus’ coming will be like the Days of Noah. People will be going on about their business and suddenly, the floods came. They weren’t prepared. Jesus told the church at Sardis that he would come. Would they be like the 5 virgins in Matthew 25 who were prepared for his coming or the 5 unprepared ones? If Jesus came today, would he find us alert and ready or would we be caught unprepared? How do we prepare for Jesus’ coming?

Prepare for Jesus’ coming by:

Knowing God’s Word

Following God’s Word

Obeying God’s Word

God’s word should be known, followed, and obeyed. It is not to be kept safely on a shelf or treated like simply an academic endeavor. The church at Sardis had God’s Word and they were expected to know it, follow it ,and obey it. If they didn’t stay alert, Jesus would come, and they would be caught unaware.

Remember, this church was dying, but they weren’t dead yet. They had an opportunity to change their ways. Not everyone at the church was in the same condition. There were some who were still faithful.

Revelation 3:4–5 CSB

4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy. 5 “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.

The wake up call was for those who weren’t in good standing with Jesus to have the opportunity to repent and get back into proper fellowship with God. They needed to do it now before it was too late. There were still a few who were not being contaminated by accommodating their culture and community. There were still some who were standing strong for God. May we be named among those who are standing for the truth of God’s Word amid a godless culture.

For the faithful, they are given a beautiful promise and expectation, they will never be separated from God.

3. The faithful will never be separated from God.

Specifically, the faithful will be blessed in two ways. They will be dressed in white clothes and their name will never be erased from the book of life. Let’s quickly look at the first blessing.

They will be dressed in white clothes.

The people of Sardis would have understood what Jesus was saying because no one would want to wear soiled, disgusting garments to worship, even a false god. They would want to be clothed in pure white garments expressing their purity and righteousness. The white clothes which are worn by the ones who conquer are not because of their worthiness or works. They are given these garments to wear. They are clothes with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Salvation and righteousness are based in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

They will never have their name erased from the Book of Life.

Perhaps you are listening to this message and you have never accepted the gift of salvation offered to you by Jesus Christ. I urge you to face the fact that the passing of time will not bring you any nearer to salvation. Every day takes you farther away from God and renders you that much more insensitive to the Word of God. Granted, God is able to dramatically break into your life, as he did into Saul’s on the road to Damascus. But the difference between you and Saul is that he was deceived by thinking that he was really serving God by killing Christians. You are not as deceived by sin as you are seduced by it. You know that what you are doing is wrong, but you are choosing to do it anyway. I encourage you to make a decision this very hour, as though it were your last opportunity, for it may well be. Acknowledge your sin, flee from the path of destruction, and trust in Jesus Christ as God’s provision for your salvation. He died in your place on the cross, taking your guilt and punishment. By trusting in Him as God’s provision of righteousness you will be saved. To reject Him is to reject life. To delay this decision is to continue in the way that leads to destruction.

John 3:16–18 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

If you are listening to this message and you know that you need God’s forgiveness for your sins; realize that you are not here by accident. You didn’t click on this message by accident. Will you surrender your life to God and experience his forgiveness? Will you pray this prayer with me expressing that you are trusting in God’s ability to forgive you and save you?

“Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.

If you prayed that prayer and you want to talk more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus, this is what I want you to do. My email address is on the screen:

[e-mail]

Write to me. Let me know of your decision to follow Jesus. You can also text the number at the bottom of the screen and we will get back in touch with you.

Brothers and sisters, are you ready for Christ’s coming? Do you know God’s Word? Are you following God’s Word? Are you obeying God’s Word? You have an opportunity to change your ways. If you want help in understanding and following God’s Word, get in touch with me. I am here to help you understand and apply God’s Word to your life. Perhaps our current situation in which we find ourselves is a wake up call. Perhaps God is giving us an opportunity to get ready because Jesus is coming. I don’t know when Jesus is going to return, but I know we should all be prepared for him to come. Apply God’s Word to your life. Don’t just be a hearer of God’s Word. Be a doer also.

Pray.