The Church at Sardis: A Reputation that Doesn't Match Reality

Revelation 3:1–6 NLT

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. 4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. 6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

INTRODUCTION:

A- Literary Parallel

1- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

a. Coleridge wrote of a ship that was quite unusual.

1.) Corpses of dead men rise to man the ship:

a.) Dead men pull the oars

b.) Dead men hoist the sails

c.) Dead men steer the vessel

B- Living out a dead existence

1- As preposterous as the story is, many churches are living out a spiritual parallel to this story.

a. Dead men in the pulpit

b. Dead men in the pews

c. Dead services in progress

I- THE REPUTATION OF PAST GLORY IS USELESS IN THE PRESENT(Revelation 3:1)

Revelation 3:1 NLT

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.

(Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας· Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ.)

A- The Lord walks among his churches and knows their past, present and future.

1- The Lord sends his assessment of the church to the pastor (vs. 1a)

“ Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis.” (Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον·)

2- The Lord identifies himself as the one who possesses the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

“This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God...”

(Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ)

3- The Lord points out that he is the one who upholds the pastors.

“and the seven stars:” (καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας·)

4- The Lord knows all about everything the church does.

“I know all the things you do,” (Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα)

B- The church was riding on its reputation. (vs. 1b)

“you have a reputation” (ὅτι ὄνομα)

(ὄνομα, τος n: that which is said about a person on the basis of an evaluation of the person’s conduct—‘reputation.’)

1- According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary, a reputation is the opinion that people in general have about someone or something, or how much respect or admiration someone or something receives, based on past behavior or character.

a- Reputation is based upon what people know about the past.

2- A church can no more afford to rely upon past reputation than can an individual.

a- Illustration : The Legacy of the “Usters”

b- There are churches that continually live in the past, upon historical feats of faith, but reputation does not guarantee present spiritual strength.

II- THE REALITY OF THE PRESENT MUST BE FACED EVEN WHEN PAINFUL (Revelation 3:1b-2).

Revelation 3:1b–2 NLT

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.

( 3:1 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ ἔχων τὰ ἑπτὰ πνεύματα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας· Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ. 2 γίνου γρηγορῶν, καὶ στήρισον τὰ λοιπὰ ἃ ἔμελλον ἀποθανεῖν, οὐ γὰρ εὕρηκά σου τὰ ἔργα πεπληρωμένα ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ μου·)

A- The Lord Jesus calls upon His people to recognize the present reality of their condition. (Revelation 3:1c)

1- The church at Sardis had a reputation of being alive and vibrant in service to Christ, but was dead!

a- Much like the reputation of the city itself.

(1) Wealthy and full of life

Lydian King Croesus was wealthiest in the area due to abundance of gold in the area around Sardis.

Wealth continued to flow for many years, leading to affluence and indulgence in the populous.

(2) Impregnable

Citadel of the City was built on a presumed impregnable cliff.

Twice the city was taken by hostile forces due to laxity of the guards. (taken by Cyrus from the Lydians and by Alexander the Great)

b- The reputation was not the of the reality.

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead (νεκρὸς= dead, a corpse).” This word is used 118 times in the NT. It represents the end result of the process of death - θάνατον, which is used 75 times in the NT.

(Οἶδά σου τὰ ἔργα, ὅτι ὄνομα ἔχεις ὅτι ζῇς, καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ.)

(vs. 1c) “but you are dead” (καὶ νεκρὸς εἶ.)

(1) The reality was that the church was full of death! (vs. 2) “what is left is almost dead”

The picture is like a tree that is almost completely dead and rotten with only one or two limbs that have a little life left - but will soon die.

(2) The spiritual condition of the church was so bad that the Lord has no commendation for the church.

Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.

That is not dead already is dying and in need of being “stablized.”

Strengthen what little remains (στηρισον τα λοιπα). First aorist active imperative of στηριζω, to make stable.

what is left is almost dead (ἁ ἐμελλον ἀποθανειν) Those not actually dead, but in grave peril.

“I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.” - Literally translated, “I do not find that any of your actions meet the requirements of my God.”

(For I have not found any of your works (οὐ γαρ εὑρηκα σου ἐργα). “For I have not found any works of thine.” Perfect active indicative of εὑρισκω. The church as a whole represented by σου. Fulfilled, complete, acceptable (πεπληρωμενα). Perfect passive predicate participle of πληροω. Their works have not measured up to God’s standard (ἐνωπιον του θεου μου.))

III- THE REMEDY GIVEN BY THE LORD MUST BE OBEYED (Revelation 3:3-6).

Revelation 3:3–6 NLT

3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. 4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. 6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

( 3 μνημόνευε οὖν πῶς εἴληφας καὶ ἤκουσας καὶ τήρει, καὶ μετανόησον· ἐὰν οὖν μὴ γρηγορήσῃς, ἥξω ὡς κλέπτης, καὶ οὐ μὴ γνῷς ποίαν ὥραν ἥξω ἐπὶ σέ·

4 ἀλλὰ ἔχεις ὀλίγα ὀνόματα ἐν Σάρδεσιν ἃ οὐκ ἐμόλυναν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ περιπατήσουσιν μετʼ ἐμοῦ ἐν λευκοῖς, ὅτι ἄξιοί εἰσιν.

5 ὁ νικῶν οὕτως περιβαλεῖται ἐν ἱματίοις λευκοῖς, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξαλείψω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς βίβλου τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ ὁμολογήσω τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἐνώπιον τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ.

6 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις.)

A- Remember & Repent - Go back to the basic gospel you heard in the beginning. (Revelation 3:3)

“Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.”

1- The church had forsaken and forgotten what they believed.

a- The situation was much worse than loveless Ephesus or the compromise of Pergamum or Thyatira!

b- The church had adopted the attitudes and lifestyle of the culture around her to the point that there was no persecution from without. The church as a whole had become like the world - it was dead!

c- The Lord called for Genuine repentance or face judgment from Christ himself.

2 Peter 3:10 NLT

10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

1 Thessalonians 5:2 NLT

2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.

Revelation 16:15 NLT

15 “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

B- A Remnant of faithful Christ followers among the unfaithful church are encouraged to keep on the right path. (Revelation 3:4-6)

“4 “Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. 6 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

1- The Faithful remnant are promised their reward.

a- The presence of Jesus for eternity.

b- The permanence of eternal life.

CONCLUSION: