The Autopsy of a Dying Church

The city—

Sardis was some six hundred years old.  It’s glory was its past.  It was wealthy but degenerate. It had been a capital city and administrative center for the Persian government, but was in decline now.

Five roads converged on Sardis.  That was great for commerce. The area was noted for its colored woolen fabrics.

Twice in its history the city had been defeated because its citizens were too lazy to defend themselves.  Located 1500 feet about the surrounding plain, the city should have been impregnable.  but it wasn’t.  The two times it was defeated (529 BC by Cyrus and 216 BC by Antiochus), the watchmen were asleep.  So the city had a false sense of confidence.

The citizens worshiped a nature god named Cybele (pronounced as though it were Sybil).

The church–

Had a better reputation than it deserved.  One writer said it was located at the corner of Self-Satisfaction and Complacency Streets.  Know any churches like that?  Pity their pastors!

Yet, they have a good reputation.  Reputation does matter but it’s not most important.  It’s possible to have a better reputation than you deserve.  The reality is the thing.

Apparently, people in these Asia Minor churches really wanted reputations they did not deserve.  Notice that the Ephesus church had people claiming to be apostles (2:2), the Smyrna church had pretenders claiming to be Jews (2:9), and the Thyatira church had a woman claiming to be a prophetess (2:20).  In our day, we’ve known of people trying to pass themselves off as war heroes, complete with medals and awards, of educators claiming credentials from universities they had not earned, and of ministers claiming degrees they had purchased.  Some people want to take a shortcut to success and acclaim.

Although they were anything but that, this church made a great show of being alive and vibrant.  Like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day–see Matthew 6–they did their religious works to be seen of men, to impress others with their religiosity. But the One who mattered most was not impressed.

Now, having said that by way of introduction, there are four things I want you to notice about this church that had a name, but it was dead.

The Reputation of the Church

The first thing I want you to notice is the reputation of the church. Jesus says here, in chapter 3, verse 1: “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest” (Revelation 3:1). It was a church that was a very popular church. It was a church with a wonderful reputation. They had a big name, a good name.

Had you come into Sardis and said, “Say, can you tell me where to find the First Church of Sardis?” oh, they would have said, “What a wonderful church that is! They’re really doing things here in this town.” And, they would have directed you to the First Church of Sardis. And, had it been our day, there would have been a lot of eloquence in the pulpit and a lot of elegance in the pew. And, they would have had a wonderful, wonderful program. Everybody would have said, “My, that’s the going church in this city!” Why, I imagine they had committees inside committees. They probably even had a committee on committees to promote the promotions. They had a name. Oh, what a reputation they had! They had many, many things going on. And, everybody said, “If you’re looking for a livewire church, it’ll be the First Church of Sardis.” What a reputation they had!

But, you know, sometimes names don’t mean all that much. I heard about a little country church one time that inherited 50,000 dollars in a will. They didn’t know what to do with 50,000 dollars. The name of that little church was Rattlesnake Ridge Baptist Church. Well, they got to deciding what they would do with that money, and they decided that they would put in some colonial pews. They decided that they would cover their floors with some red carpet, and there would be a steeple and four columns out front of that little country church. And, when they did that, it looked so nice they changed the name. They couldn’t call it Rattlesnake Ridge Baptist Church anymore; and so, they called it The First Baptist Church of Serpent Heights.

Now, the name doesn’t make that much difference—the name doesn’t make that much difference. “They had a name that they were alive” (Revelation 3:1). And, the first thing we notice is the reputation of the church.

The Rigor Mortis of the Church

But, the second thing we notice is the rigor mortis of the church. “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1).

First let me explain what the term “rigor mortis” is. This term means “temporary rigidity of muscles occurring after death.”

Now, it’s sad to have everybody think that you’re alive, and you to believe that you’re alive, and yet to be dead. The sad thing is this: that the organism had become an organization, and the movement had become a monument. And, they were dead.

A. The Signs of Death

Now, what are the signs of death?

1. The Spirit Departs

Well, in the first place, when anything dies, when a person dies, the spirit departs—the spirit departs. And, that’s what had happened to this church: the spirit had departed. The life of Living Church, ladies and gentlemen, is the Holy Spirit of God. And, when the Holy Spirit of God departs from our midst, then you can write “Ichabod” over the door; the Spirit is departed.

One Baptist theologian once stated, “If the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die—now, of course, you know that’s impossible. He cannot die—but if the Holy Spirit were to suddenly die,” he said, “most of our churches would meet next Sunday, and go right on, and never know the difference.”

Now, you think about that. I wonder if that is not true about many churches: They have a name that they live, but they are dead, for the Holy Spirit has not died, but He has departed. And, it’s so sad to see these people going through the motions.

There once was a church in Tennessee that was on radio and television they want you to get finished on time. And so, in that church, they have a little system. They have three lights on the wall. They have, first of all, a green light, and then an amber light, and then a red light. The green light means that you have, I think, five minutes to finish the message. The amber light means that you have one minute to finish the message, and the red light means you’re finished.

And, in this particular church, one of our denominational workers had a little boy who had been in the nursery all of this time; and, for the first time in his life, he got to go to big church and sit with his daddy in big church. His daddy was explaining everything to him that was happening; and, being a little fellow, he was enamored and fascinated by those three lights—that green light, and that amber light, and that red light—and he asked his daddy what they meant. The daddy explained that that was a countdown for the end of the service. And, when the red light came on, it was time to be over—time to be finished.

Well, you know what he was watching, and he watched there at the end of the service. And, sure enough, the green light changed to amber, and his heart began to beat a little faster—to watch and see what would happen. However, the pastor was not even on the last point of his message. Finally, it turned to red, and the pastor never even slowed up. He just kept preaching, and preaching, and preaching. You know what that little fellow said to his daddy? He said, “Daddy, Dr. So-and-so’s finished, and he doesn’t know it.”

Well, I think there are a lot of churches that are finished, and they don’t know it. I mean, the light has gone out for them, and God has removed the candlestick.

2. The Feeling Goes

There was the reputation of the church, but there was the rigor mortis of the church. Not only does the Spirit depart when you die; but, as the Spirit departs, the senses depart—the feeling goes. Oh, that doesn’t mean that there cannot be a certain carnal, soulish feeling in a church; but that’s not the feeling. The life of the church is gone.

You see, there’s a difference between carnal emotion and spiritual sensitivity. And oh, it’s so sad; it’s so terrible—and I’ve been in some of these churches, where it seems like all of the feeling is gone. You’d think that hallelujahs and amens cost 100 dollars a piece; you just can’t find them. There’s just sort of a barren stillness. And, if you were to say something about it to them, they’d say, “Oh, we’re dignified.” They don’t know the difference between dignity and rigor mortis. They’re not dignified; they’re dead.

I heard about one man, who got into one of these churches, and he had the Lord Jesus Christ in him. And, even in Sardis, they had some there that were faithful. And, this man, I suppose, was like that—only he was a visitor. And, he came to the church, and somehow—I don’t know what it was; it certainly wasn’t anything the preacher said—but he must have been thumbing through his hymnal or reading in his Bible, and he got happy. And, he said, “Amen,” and about a hundred heads turned around and looked at him, because he dared say, “Amen,” in that cultured and formal service.

And, after a while, he said, “Praise the Lord.” Then, he said, “Amen,” again. By that time, an usher was by his side to try to cool him down a little bit. And, the usher leaned in and said, “Sir, please be quiet. You’re disturbing the worship service.” Well, he said, “I’m sorry. I’ve got religion.” The usher said, “You may have, but you didn’t get it here.” Oh, dear friend, I believe the usher was right.

You see, when something dies, the feeling goes. You know, I just believe there’s something contagious about the Holy Spirit of God. The Bible says, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). And, I don’t think we have to fry in fanaticism; we don’t have to freeze in formalism. But, I believe we ought to have a burning, passionate, blazing, emotional love for the Lord Jesus Christ—I really do.

3. The Strength Goes

You see, when something dies, first, the spirit departs; and then, the senses depart; and then, the strength goes—the strength goes. What power, what strength, does a corpse have? And, here was a church that had no spiritual power.

Do you remember Samson? Samson wished not that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. And, he was weak of water, but he did not know it. And, the Bible speaks of so many today who will have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof (2 Timothy 3:5). And so, here was the rigor mortis of the church. And, they went through the motions. Oh, there was activity—but did you know there can be activity and death at the same time? Huh? You can cut a snake’s head off, and he’ll get more active than ever; but he’s dead, and he doesn’t know it yet—but he’s dead.

A little girl was asked to bring her birth certificate to school. They needed it for the records. And, she brought her birth certificate; and, on the way, it fell out of her schoolbook, and she lost it. And, the janitor there at the school saw her crying and said, “What’s the matter?” She’d been used to carrying excuses to school for being absent, for being late. She said, “I have lost my excuse for being born.”

I believe there are a lot of churches that have done exactly that. They’re dead, and they lost their excuse for ever being born in the first place. And, they cover the ground, dead—twice dead—and plucked up by the roots.

The Reformation of the Church

Now, I want you to notice a third thing about this church. I want you to notice not only the reputation of the church and the rigor mortis of the church, but I want you to notice the reformation of the church, for our Lord gave them one more opportunity to reform and to get right and back again.

So, begin reading now in verse 2, and let’s read verses 2 and 3: “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee” (Revelation 3:2–3).

Now, here our Lord tells this church what to do—this church that was dead, for the most part, but yet still, in some of the church, there was a spark of life. And, you know, any good physician, when he sees that spark of life, will care for that spark of life, will nurture that spark of life, will hover over it and try to restore that life. And, this word here—look at it in verse 2: “Be watchful” (Revelation 3:2)—this word here actually is a combination of two Greek words, which means, “to chase sleep.” That is, don’t do anything else until you get this settled. Don’t go to bed, dear friend, if you’re one of those whose life is almost spiritually dead. Be watchful.

And, He says, “Why? Because your works are not perfect before God” (Revelation 3:2).

Now, here, when He says perfect, in this particular verse, in verse 2, He’s not talking about sinlessness. In the Bible, if you use the word perfect to mean “sinless,” you’ll get in a lot of trouble. For example, you’ll read in the Bible that Jesus, the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10). Do you think He was made sinless through suffering? No. You see, the word perfect means, “mature, complete, followed through to its logical end and to its intended purpose.”

And, here, Jesus says to this church, “I have not seen your works fulfilling the purpose, coming into maturity, doing the things that they were intended to do. For example, you pray, but your prayers don’t get through. You worship, but your worship goes no higher than the roof. You sing—and your music is beautiful—but God doesn’t receive it. You’re just entertaining one another. You give, but God does not accept what you give. Your works do not fulfill their intended purpose.” And, God says, “Be careful. Watch.”

And then, He gives a recipe—tells them to do two things. He tells them, in verse 3, to “remember”; and He tells them, in verse 3, to “repent” (Revelation 3:3).

A. Remember

And oh, it’s so good to remember; it’s so good to look back. And, over and over again, here in these messages to these seven churches, our Lord tells them to remember; and, He tells them to repent. And then, He tells them to return: “Go back and do the first things.” The three R’s of getting right with God—remember, repent, and return.

I was thinking about remembering. I was thinking about John Newton, who wrote that wonderful song—I call it the Baptist National Anthem:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me. (John Newton)

You say, “Well, John Newton must have been a real saint.” Well, at one time, he was a wretch. You know, I don’t like folks to sing songs that are not a part of their testimony. I think that, if you sing a song, it ought to be a part of your testimony.

Well, John Newton meant this song:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me. (John Newton)

For, he was a wretch—I mean, a wretch of a wretch. He was a slave trader. He lived a wild iniquitous life on the high seas. And, finally, when his fortune changed against him, he got so lowdown that he became the slave of a slave. That’s how low John Newton got. And, one day, standing on the deck of a ship that was heaving up and down, in a terrible storm, he repented of his sin, gave his heart to Jesus Christ, was saved gloriously, born again, called into the ministry.

And, do you know what John Newton had above the mantel of his study there, in that study where he studied and prepared his sermons? He had a scripture taken from the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 15 and verse 15. And, this is the scripture that he looked at everyday: “And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day” (Deuteronomy 15:15). Oh, remember who you were! That’s what God kept saying to John Newton: “Remember who you were.”

B. Repent

But, not only to remember—but after we remember, to repent. And, to repent doesn’t mean merely, “to shed a tear.” It is not to be simply broken over our sins. It is to be broken from our sins. And so, here is the reformation of the church.

And, the Lord says, “Now, if you don’t do this, I’ll come on you like a thief in the night” (Revelation 3:3).

Sandra Bullock won the 2010 Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Leigh Ann Tuohy in The Blind Side. The sensational film chronicles a Christian family who took in a homeless young man and gave him the chance to reach his God-given potential. Michael Oher not only dodged the hopelessness of his dysfunctional inner city upbringing, but became the first-round NFL draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. At a recent fund-raiser, Sean Tuohy noted that the transformation of his family and Michael all started with two words. When they spotted Michael walking along the road on a cold November morning (the movie depicts it as nighttime) in shorts and a T-shirt, Leigh Ann Tuohy uttered two words that changed their world. She told Sean, “Turn around.” They turned the car around, put Michael in their warm vehicle, and ultimately adopted him into their family. Those same two words can change anyone’s life. When we turn around, we change directions and begin an exciting new journey. Some may need to make an about-face concerning their disbelief in Christ, or it could be a Christian needs to turn around and reconsider the value of fervent prayer. Whatever your situation, a great story of wonderful change could be just two words away. (In Other Words)

The Remnant in the Church

Now, the fourth and final thing I want you to notice in this study, as we look at it tonight: not the reputation of the church, the rigor mortis of the church, the reformation of the church, but I want you to notice the remnant in the church—the remnant in the church.

For, I continue to read here, in verses 4 through 6: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:4–6).

Even in this church, there were some who were true blue; there were some who were the faithful few; there were some who were the Master’s minority. They were in a church, and I’m sure their hearts were grieved and broken that they had to be members of a dead church.

Actually, in the church at Sardis, there were three classes of persons: the dead, the dying, and the dedicated. Now, the dying—He told them to repent: remember and repent.

A. Their Virtuous Life

And, to the dedicated, He had a word of encouragement for them, and a word of encouragement because, first of all, they were virtuous. Notice what He says about these people. He says they’re “clothed in white raiment” (Revelation 3:5).

Notice: “Thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (Revelation 3:4).

Illustrate

We need some Christians who will be faithful unto death, who will not defile themselves regardless. I want to be that kind of a person.

B. Their Victorious Life

And so, our Lord speaks to this remnant, and He speaks there about their virtuous life; and then, He speaks about their victorious life. I want you to notice how this ends, and I’m almost finished here. Notice what the Lord Jesus says to these people here—these people who are the overcomers, these people who are clothed in white. He makes a wonderful promise to them. He says, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5).

Now, you think of that. I believe that’s going on, right now. I believe that, up in the Glory, the dear Savior is confessing my name, your name, our names to the Father, and saying, “Father, that’s My servant. I want You to see him, Father. I want You to behold him. I want You to see how, even in the face of a dead church, and in the face of those who are dying, here he is—faithful and true, a part of My minority. Father, I want You to see him.”

Conclusion

But, you know, one of these days, we’re going to Heaven, either by Rapture or by the grave. But, we’re going to Heaven. And, you know, I just believe somehow that the Lord Jesus is going to take us one by one by the hand and lead us down that golden street, past all of those angels and right into the throne room of Glory, and present us to the Father as His well-beloved. And, it’ll be worth it all at that time. Thank God for these people, who are the Master’s minority, who are faithful even unto death.