Revelation 03 01 06

The Lifeless Church:  Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

Introduction:

So far in our study of the letter to the Churches we have seen:

ð     Ephesus:  Church that left their first love

ð     Smyrna: persecuted Church

ð     Pergamos:  lenient Church

ð     Thyatira:  allowed evil into the Church

Today we are going to look at Jesus words to the Church in Sardis

ð     Sardis lies due south of Thyatira

ð     It was an important city:  a military center, trade capital

ð     Located 1500 feet above the main road: made the city secure

ð     Yet they were lax in their defense allow the city to be taken over 2x

o       King Croesus decided to go to war with Cyrus king of Persia

o       When he was defeated he returned to the city where he felt safe

o       Cyrus offered a reward to anyone who could find a way into the city

o       One of his soldiers saw a soldier from Sardis drop his helmet over the wall and then appear briefly at the bottom to retrieve it

o       He figured that there must be a passageway underneath

o       Under the cover of darkness he found it, went into the city and opened the gates

o       City felt so secure that they never posted a guard

ð     Religion:  like the other cities they worshipped many false gods and would have been hostile to Christianity.

1. A description of Jesus Christ
2. A commendation of the Church
3. A condemnation of the Church
4. A course of correction for the Church
5. A promise for the faithful

I.                   A description of Jesus Christ v. 1

1.      He who has the seven Spirits of God

Clearly a reference to the Holy Spirit

Reference of seven seems to refer to the seven fold ministry of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:1-2

ð     Spirit rested on Christ

ð     Spirit gave wisdom and understanding

ð     Spirit gave counsel and might

ð     Spirit gave knowledge and fear of God

Jesus is described as having the Spirit:  we know in the gospels that it was Jesus who sent the Spirit after His ascension into heaven

It is also the Spirit that gives life

John 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Acts 1:8

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

What the Church needed more than anything else at this point was life.  The only way that could get that life was from the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ

*That is the only means to spiritual life today as well!!

2.      He who has the seven stars

We have talked before about the stars referring to the Pastors of the Churches

He is saying the same thing that He said to the Church of Ephesus in 2:1

Jesus holds the Pastors in His hand: gives importance and authority to their message

II.                 A Commendation of the Church

There is no commendation of the Church

He does say I know your works:  but as we will see this is not a commendation

This kind of flies in the face of today’s ecumenical movement that says all Churches are equal and need to be accepted as being of God

Jesus says nothing good about the Church!!

III.              A Condemnation of the Church vv. 1-2

The Church was known for its works and had a name of life:  yet it was dead

Their works were not found perfect before God

How does this happen?  How can a Church die?  How do we what are the signs of a dying Church?

1. The signs of a living Church

1)      There is growth in the Church

ð     Growth in numbers:  constantly seeking people for Christ

ð     Growth in service:  works now more than year ago

ð     Growth in sanctification:  Christ likeness

ð     Growth in understanding of Word of God:  some have gone to a Church for many years and never learned more than the basics from Gods Word

2)      There is love in the Church:

ð     Love for the members of the Church

ð     Love for the lost

ð     Love for the Lord Jesus Christ

3)      There is unity in the Church:

Not that we all agree on everything and fall in line like puppets on a string

Strive for oneness, unity, and peace:  Each considering other over himself

4)      There is emotion in the Church

Sometimes we have become so afraid of Charismatic movement that we are afraid to show emotion

Where there is not emotion there is not life

We need to laugh, cry, be excited together, etc.

1. The signs of a dying/dead Church 1)      When people look more to the past than the future

Looking back and being content with what has been accomplished

Instead of focusing on the past we need to look ahead with vision for Gods working!

We can look into the past and learn but we should not camp there

2)      When the Church is more concerned about activities than that God is glorified in those activities

Activity just to have activity accomplishes nothing of spiritual value!!

We do not have an AWANA program to have a youth program:  our goal needs to be that God be glorified in it

When we are satisfied just to have the program we are dying as a Church

3)      When people in the Church are not sensitive to their own spiritual condition

People just going through the motions

2 Tim. 3:5 Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof

John Stott

We can have a fine choir, expensive organ, good music, great anthems, and fine congregational singing.  We can mouth hymns and psalms with unimpeachable elegance, while our mind wanders and our heart is far from God.  We can have pomp and ceremony, color and ritual, liturgical exactness and ecclesiastic splendor, and yet be offering a worship which is not perfect or fulfilled in the sight of God.

4)      When they ignore sin, or treat it as if it is no big deal

IV.              The Correction for the Church vv. 2-3

1.      Be vigilant v. 2 Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain

                  Hang on to what is alive in the Church

                              Growth, love, unity, emotion, etc.

                  Vigilant to me has idea of working hard for it

2.      Remember what you  have heard and received and do something about it v. 3

Get busy putting to practice what they are learning

Never enough just to hear and learn the Word of God, we must do what we learn

3.      Repent of their error

1)      Honest evaluation of what was going on in the Church

2)      Confessing error before God as sin

3)      Turning away from the error

V.                Promises to those who overcome vv. 4-5

1.      Clothed in white garments

White signifies righteousness:  what could be better than to be declared right before God

2.      Name will be included in the Book of Life

In those times the cities kept a register of all their citizens.  When convicted of a crime a person would have their name removed from the book

I do not believe that a believer can ever have their name removed from the book of life.  It does not say here that a name can be removed, it simply says that theirs would not be:  He was giving them the assurance of life.

Obedience today give assurance of life in our lives

Our name in the Book of Life means that Jesus will confess our name before the Father.

Application:  Honest evaluation:

The stages of a Church

1.  The movement stage

Beginnings of most Churches

Small, intimate, driven group of believers

Nearly 100% of people committed and involved

2.  The magnificence stage:

Have reached a higher level of attendance

Because of size start to do what they only dreamed of

Still have a vision and a dream

Commitment level has dropped to 50 – 70%

3.  The monument stage

Still striving to increase attendance:  win people to Christ

Begin to talk more about the past than the future

Begin to do things a certain way because that is what we have always done

Often characterized by power struggles

Commitment level 10 – 30%

4.  The mausoleum stage – dead Church

People have drifted away

New people are feared:  they might change things

No vision of the future: happy to just exist and continue on