The Dead Church
Notes
Transcript
Intro:
Intro:
we’ve been going through the book of Revelation and if you remember, we have been looking at the messages from Jesus to the 7 churches in Asia minor.
We have looked at 4 churches already , and today we will look at the 5th Church, the Church of Sardis.
now we talked alot about how Jesus is writing to 7 specific churches in the days of John, when he penned Jesus’ words. But we have also talked about how there are 4 ways that we apply the specific messages that Jesus spoke about
4 Applications to the Letters
Message was for a specific church in John’s Days
this is the first application. There was a real church of Sardis that Jesus wanted to address, and so this letter was to be directly for their application
2. Message is for a specific church age in history
we looked at the fact that each church and the issues that they had, represents a specific time in church history. The same issues, the same problems seem to fit in perfectly with the church as a whole during certain times periods in church history. So the application can also be made for church history.
3. Message is for the Church of Today
We have also talked about that these same issues, these same problems, the same character of these churches can be found today in our day in many different churches.
you can look around and find a church with plenty of works without love like Ephesus, you can find churches today in foreign countries that are being persecuted for their faith like Symrna, you can find churches today , here in American that have began to lower the bar spiritually allowing pagan worship in their midst like Pergamos, you can find churches today that have become corrupt in their religious practices like Thyatira.
and so you can see how this application can be very important for you and me .
4. Message if for Me
The message is also for me. Because the reality is that we can get caught up in the very same issues, we can begin to develope the same character as some of these churches.
Application
So as we continue today looking at the Church of Sardis, we are going to keep these applications in mind, we are gonna look at the specific message that Jesus was speaking to in John’s day to the church of Sardis,
we will look at the application in church history, we will look at how this applies to churches in our day, but most importantly, we want to look at how this message speaks directly to me and my life.
Transition
The ancient City of Sardis was an important City and the Capital of the kingdom of Lydia.
The City was located 50 miles east of Ephesus, which was more inland. It was located on junction of 5 main roads which made it great for trade which brought alot of profit. The city was know for the production of textiles and dyes.
Now the City was built on a Plateau, which would make it very difficult to access in a battle, they had the high ground if you would.
the important parts of the City, or the acropolis they called it, was actually built 1,500 feet above the main roads and it formed a strong fortress that was not easily accessed . It was a very secure place as far as military , these things are very important to keep in mind.
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now these are all important things to remember as we go into the letter to the Church in Sardis.
I. Jesus Reveals Himself to the Church (v. 1)
The letter starts off like the other letters. It starts off with Jesus revealing Himself to the Church that He is speaking about. The revelation goes hand in hand with his description of Jesus found in chapter 1.
and this revelation of Himself is important, because the way he reveals Himself to the Church is personally attached to the issues that the Church has.
Jesus’ Revelation
Jesus has the Seven Spirits
Jesus has the Seven Stars
Interpretation
in the bible the number 7 speaks about completeness, or fullness.
the seven spirits speak of the Holy Spirit , so when it says that Jesus has the seven spirits , it is not saying that the Holy Spirit is many different spirits, but it is meaning that Jesus has the fulness of the Holy Spirit.
the seven stars speak of the leaders or pastors of the church. So in other words, Jesus has all of the leaders.
What this is addressing is the reality that every work of God starts off with two things. It starts with the moving of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person, or a group.
most Calvary Chapels including this one started off with the Holy Spirit moving in the life of a man or a group , that turned into churches. I myself a few years ago got to be a part of this. Where God had moved in the life of a few of us to gather together into a home and eventually it turned into a full blown church with 2 services and a few hundred people coming on a Sunday morning.
The same can be true of the Churches that Jesus is addressing. As we are going through the book of Acts on Sunday , we can see that the Holy Spirit was active in the lives of the Apostles and disciples that in obedience went out and planted churches.
Transition
Now there is an interesting thing that happens. In the beginning of a new work of the Holy Spirit, there is such a dependence on the Holy Spirit . A dependence for the Holy Spirit to provide , for the Holy Spirit to lead and direct us, a dependence on the Holy Spirit to open doors, to protect , etc....
there is such an awareness that we are in need, that we are left to look up, and to seek God desperately. This can happen to an individual as well at the point of conversion, there is such an awareness of our sins , that we come broken before God in desperation
this can be a beautiful thing.
but what normally happens in time, is that the unfamiliar becomes familiar, the fearful things become less scary, God’s grace becomes normal, and what tends to happen to us , is that we become less and less dependent on the Holy Spirit, we don’t seem to feel as inclined to cry out to God anymore, because things are easy now, they are normal now.
think of when someone gets seriously sick, there is a pleading out to God for deliverance, but then a person gets healed, and the dependence is no longer needed. There is no longer a dependence of God, but there is self confidence.
and with this reality comes serious problems if a person is not careful. This is what we are going to look at in the life of the Church of Sardis.
Jesus having the fulness of the Holy Spirit is declaring to the pastors that “ I am the one that holds all of the power you need, i am the one that holds all of the wisdom you need, i am the one that holds the direction you seek, and yet you have stopped depending on me, you have stopped depending on the Holy Spirit”. And you have become self confident .
II. Jesus’ Condemnation of the Church (v. 1c)
Jesus begins to address the condition of the Church.
A. I know your works
He says, “ I know your works” , i know that you have labored hard for my names sake.
the first thing that Jesus is making referrance too is that HE knows everything that is happening, but also that He sees that they are an active church.
they are doing many things for God. They are an active church with activities , it would be like today , a church having many church functions and retreats and events. These are all good things.
B. You have a Name that you are Alive
The referrance to “having a name that you are alive” , is speaking about having a reputation. He is saying that you as a church have a certain reputation , the reputation is that you are alive. That the church is a living church , fresh church.
A reputation is what people view you as, what they can visually see in your outward life, and the conclusion they come out with based on what they see.
And so at first this sounds like the church is doing well. They are known by those who are watching them, as a church that does stuff for God, and they seem to be alive and doing good.
But Jesus who sees all things and knows all things begins to address what the reality is
C. They are a Dead Church
Jesus here calls it out, He is saying, “ You have an appearance of being alive, but the reality is that you are dead”
What Jesus is saying is that the OUTWARD DID NOT MATCH THE INWARD
Transition
we have to understand the reality of things. you and I can have a certain reputation . And that reputation will be based on what WE choose to put out, outwardly in our lives. We chose what perception we want people to have of us, by the things we put out outwardly in our lives.
But the reality is that what we put out, outwardly for others to see of us, sometimes doesn’t match with what is happening in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives.
And the danger is that we can fool others to think what we want them to think of us, but worse of all, we can fool ourselves into thinking that we are good, that we are alive, because of the things that we do for God.
In youth this is a big problem. Many can get caught up in this trap of thinking that all i have to do is to come to the youth events, or to come to church or all i have to do is to serve and God will be pleased with me . We looked at this same mentality was in Saul in the book of Acts, and having this mentality left him on the wrong path.
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY DOESN’T EQUATE TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY
JUST BECAUSE I AM BUSY DOING THINGS FOR GOD, DOESN’T MEAN I AM PLEASING GOD OR DOESN’T MEAN I AM RIGHT WITH GOD.
One of the ways you and i can tell that something is living is by reproduction. Life produces life. Movement does’t mean that something is alive. We have heard that you can cut off the head of a chicken or a snake and they will keep moving. If we saw that we wouldn’t assume that they are alive simply by the movement, but we would know that they are alive by the life they produce.
We are getting the picture that this is the problem that the Church in Sardis had. They had fooled themselves into thinking that they were in a right standing with God because of the many things they did for God because or because of the great movement. They thought they were alive and yet they were dead.
Now lets take a look as to what happened to them.
III. Jesus’ Charge (v.2-3)
A. Be Watchful (v.2)
As Jesus begins to address what they are supposed to do seeing how they are dead, we can actually pick up what happened to them by what Jesus says.
BE WATCHFUL
Remember in our introduction to the City, we saw that the City had built the acropolis up on the mountain top. It had put the most important and wealthy people to live on the hill, the thought was that the City on the mountain top would be unpenitrable .
in 547 BC the City was Invaded by the Persians. While the Persians came and invaded the lower area of the City, the King retreated up to the mountain top fortress. The assumption was that the Persians would never be able to enter the fortress because of the high ground.
The King of Persia made it known that he would give goods to the person who was able to penetrate the City. So one solider kept watch on the City on the Hill. There were a couple of soliders on the wall who were supposed to be on guard and watching. The story goes that one of the guards on the wall dropped his helmet and it fell down to the valley below.
The Persian solider was hiding and watched as the guard from the wall began to make his way down through a secret path down, he grabbed his helmet and made his way back up to the fortress.
The Persian solider would turn over the information and the Persians would make their way up to the fortress through the secret passage and would conquer the City.
This would happen again some 400 years later.
Transition
The reason why the City was taken over and why they were conquered was because of Self Confidence.
They were confident in their walls, in their fortress, so confident that they stopped watching. They only had a few soldiers on guard while an invasion was happening.
And as a result , they allowed foreigners to enter in and eventually it would cost them their lives.
The Progression of Death
This same picture is what Jesus was saying to the Church of Sardis. This same message and warning Jesus would give to us today. That no one just dies out of no where. There is a progression that takes place.
Start in the Sprit
just as we spoke about earlier, the Church of Sardis had started by the work of the Holy Spirit. The work in your life began with the movement of the Holy Spirit. And in the start of the work of God, there is a great dependence on God.
2. Self Confidence
now what happened to the City of Sardis can happen to you and me. There can be a lack of Dependence on God, there becomes a dependence and trust in self. This creates a self confidence. Confidence on the walls I’ve built.
3. Stop Being Watchful
As a result of my own confidence, i stop being watchful.
I stop being on guard in my life. A solider who was on the wall during a battle was meant to be watching for danger. His role was to warn the City if any danger came close or if any foreign danger was trying to make its way into the City.
If the guard failed to do his job, it could cost the lives of the entire City.
what can happen to many of us, is that we stop depending on God. We stop looking to him like we once did when we knew of our need. We get so used to things, we know about God’s grace in our lives. We get comfortable.
We can get so relaxed, that we stop looking out for danger that can try to make its way into our lives.
Winston Churchill
“ I must drop one word of caution, for next to cowardice and treachery, overconfidence leading to neglect and slothfulness, is the worst of wartime crimes”.
the very thing that happened to the City of Sardis, the very thing that has happened to many good Christians, they get relaxed and self confident and they fail to be watchful, they neglect the importance of being watchful, and eventually ..... spiritual decay comes through allowing foreign things into their lives.
Jesus would say the same thing to his disciples in the garden, knowing what lye ahead.
Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Transition
when we look at this message and apply it to church history, it is referring to the Reformation period, 1500’s to now.
the reformation period was a time when God moved through his spirit in the lives of men like Martin Luther, who challenged the corrupt church at the time, the catholic church and its practices.
the protestant church would be birth through the Holy Spirit, now over time what began to happen, was the very same thing. The church got relaxed and little by little began to add some of the practices that the catholic church did, and a focus was on doing the rituals and practices. And eventually though the church looked alive because of the many works they did, the reality is that they were spiritually dead. You still have the result of these churches today in the Lutheran Church
B. Keys to Avoiding Spiritual Death (v.2-3)
Jesus now tells the Church what they are supposed to do in light of the fact that they are dead.
And these very things are meant for us too. We may find ourselves in the same place that this church was in , we have forgotten to be dependent on God. We stopped watching out for dangerous things , maybe we have already allowed foreign things into our lives, and we find ourselves on the verge of being dead.
Jesus would give us the same encouragement ....
BE WATCHFUL (V.2)
we have already talked about this, the importance of being on guard and watching for things that are dangerous that try to enter my life.
2. STRENGTHEN WHAT REMAINS
This is both a charge and an encouragement . The fact that they are not all completely dead. There are somethings that are barely alive, its those things that Jesus would call the church to make strong.
For you and me it is a great encouragement, that we may be at that point where we have left ourselves open to the enemy, and we can feel that we are lost. The hope is that there still remains a remnant in us that Jesus would say , your not finished yet. There is still life in you, its your job to fan into flame that fire.
That is the thought here, to put fuel to the small fire in my fire, to fan into flame the small embers. Even the smallest embers , if they are fanned into flame, can become the biggest fires. There is still hope. Put the things back into your life that will start the fire, the word of God, prayer,
3. REMEMBER (V.3)
He calls the Church to remember “HOW” they Received and Heard.
What Jesus is speaking about here is the word of God. They had recieved the word of God and had heard the word of God. This was important, but what was just as important was the manner in which hey recieved it and heard it.
He tells them to remember “HOW” they recieved and heard, this goes back to Jesus revealing himself. They recieved the word of God and heard the word of God by the Holy Spirit, by the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
This is what they were to remember and to get back to, to a complete dependence on the Holy Spirit to speak to them and to guide them through the word of God.
We have talked about this before, its not just important for you to read the bible plan, there has to be a complete dependence on the Holy Spirit to teach you what God is trying to say to you. There is personal application of the word of God to my life daily, and the Holy Spirit can reveal what God is trying to say to me .
4. HOLDFAST(V.3)
This speaks of holding onto what remains. Not giving up. A solider who was in battle could not give up no matter how difficult the senario looked, or weather defeat was going to happen. He would have to stand his ground, he would have to holdfast to his position, holdfast to his believes, holdfast to his cause, and fight.
5. REPENT (V.3)
The call to repent is the call to change directions. To change the current course of life. It is obvious that this church was on the wrong path, the call was for them to turn around and get back to where they once were, being dependent on the Lord and being watchful.
III. Jesus Warns the Church (v. 3b)
Jesus gives a warning here. And using the picture of the fallen City, we see Jesus warning that if they do not get back to being watchful, he will come as a thief . Just like the foreign armies that came in at night and destroyed the City.
Here the warning can be speaking about the Rapture, or the coming judgement . Either way, the call is to be ready.
VI. Jesus Gives Promises (v. 4-6)
Here we see Jesus give a few promises. And those promises are meant for those who ....
The few who have not defiled their garments (v.4)
even in the relaxed place morally and spiritually, there were those who had not defiled their garments it says.
there were a few who were faithful to God. The garments is making reference to the fact that the City was known for making textiles and garments and dye. They would know about garments that are white, which is a symbol of purity , and they would know a garment that has been dyed, a garment that has had a foreign substance inserted into it, that change its original form.
those who have not allowed themselves to be defiled by the sins of the world, by the foreign elements of the world will walk with Jesus in white.
2. He who overcomes (v.5-6)
A. White Garments
He who overcomes the siege of the world, he who is watchful ,shall be clothed in white garments. This speaks of the garments necessary in a wedding feast,
(Matt.22:1-10)
The those that were invited to the wedding feast were given special garments, We see the same picture in haven that those in heaven are given new garments.
Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
B. Name not Blotted out (v. 5)
The promise is not to blot out their names from the book of life.
The bible speaks about the book of life as a book that has the names of those who are saved, those who will be in eternity with God in heaven.
Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
The promise is that those who place their faith in Jesus as thier Lord and Savior , have the privilege of having their names put down on the Lambs book of Life, securing eternity in heaven with God.