A Sleepwalking Church

Intro:

Sardis, the impregnable, was situated upon a nearly inaccessible hill, overseer of the Hermus Valley, and in ancient times the proud capital of Lydia. Its people were arrogant, over-confident.

They were sure—too sure, alas!—that no-one could scale this hill with its perpendicular sides. There was only one point of access: a very narrow neck of land toward the south and this could easily be fortified. But the enemy came, in 549 BC and again in 218 BC, and … took Sardis.

One unobserved, unguarded weak point, an oblique crack in the rockwall, the one chance in a thousand for a night attack by skilful mountain-climbers, was all that was necessary to deal a crushing blow to the arrogance of the over-confident citizens of this proud capital.

In the year AD 17 the city was partly destroyed by an earthquake. Thus, again and again, the self-satisfied and boastful inhabitants of Sardis had seen destruction coming upon them ‘as a thief in the night’, most suddenly and unexpectedly.

Revelation 3:1-6

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.’

When we see how Jesus is speaking to this Church and using language that describes their city’s history, this message to them should be a wake up call to them.

“ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Great Reputation of being alive:

Vibrant Worship

Warm and Friendly

Serving their community

They would be considered a “Good Church” by many people’s standards today but to the one who matters, He says they are dead. It’s like this,

Have you ever seen a person who sleep walks? It is a crazy thing. None of our kids did it regularly but every once and a while when one was young they would stagger out of the bedroom into the living room and just kind of wander around. You knew they were moving but you also knew they were going through the motions, their true self was not involved in whatever they were doing. So we would walk over to them and get them back to bed. They were going through the motions but internally they were disconnected.

Jesus calls this type of person dead. You must ask yourself this morning if this is you. How do you know?

Wake Up! (vs. 2)

Stop slumbering and evaluate yourself. Are you sleepwalking?

Read but do not absorb = Dead

Pray but do not Interact = Dead

Worship but do not Rejoice = Dead

Serve but do not find satisfaction = Dead

If this is you, Wake up before it is too late, your works are not enough.

Remember and Repent! (vs. 3-4)

Big Hole in the ground with out a bottom. When saved we jump in but once we are in we realize the hole was a cavern with steep sections we just have to jump into and trust we will survive the fall, other sections where the passage becomes tight and uncomfortable that makes us feel claustrophobic and not wanting to press on. Sometimes we have comfortable pools where we just want to stay at forever and enjoy the cool air and crisp water after such a hard journey, and other times we run out of light and are afraid to take a step and become paralyzed to even move a muscle.

All of these are traps that lead to the type of death we see in our text and Jesus says remember the beginning,

Remember what from the beginning? The Gospel.

What you were saved from - Sin and Death

What you were saved to - Eternal Life

Who you were saved by - Jesus

The Gospel is simple, even a child can understand it Jesus is saying remember what you heard and recieved and repent from where you have stalled out in the cave. Recognize that it it wrong and move ahead.

If you won’t God is against you and you are exposing something about who you are, religious but not saved because God is for His people. God uses the language that the people have understood when you aren’t committed, destruction and death come upon you quickly. This is warning for true believers, don’t play around, repent, be someone who shows they have a white robe because of Jesus.

Conquer and Live! (vs. 5-6)

White Robes - Washed white as snow, all true believers have this robe.

Rev. 7:9-12

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Promise - Not blot out - security not fear.

Those whose names are in the lambs book of life will heed the warning, repent, and be in the scene declaring,

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne and is the Lamb!”

This security should not bring complacency but action;

Wake Up!

Remember and Repent!

Conquer and Live!

Don’t sleepwalk anymore, turn to Jesus today.