Sardis - Week 6

Christ: Power in the Church

RECAP:

Rev1: J’s vision of X | Eph… Re-ignite first love. | Smyr… Be Fearless, Faithful! | Perg… Comfort over Christ | Thyatira… Put X 1st!!

REVELATION 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.”

(HEB) Sheva’ = seven = fulfillment (not nec. a precise #, but an important completion)

perfect/fulfilled spirit = Holy Spirit

[fulfilled] stars = messengers to churches = Church? (see Rev 1)! Divine revelation to the Church

Again, Jesus is depicted as the source of the POWER and COMMUNITY.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you...”

Holy Spirit = closeness of Jesus in midst of life.

Source of his auth. in life…

Guides us to truth, memory of Word

The Holy Spirit empowers us to LIVE OUT God’s Word & do mighty deeds for Him!

As simple as loving X, read/underst. Bible; Dramatic as healings, tongues, proph, etc.)

Spoiler: I believe X’s nature is solution for issues in Sardis. (POWER & COMMUNITY…)

Sardis: The Lifeless Church

1 ...“I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.”

“I know” - closely acquainted, experiential knowl.

“Deeds” - Once again, they were an ACTIVE church. Part of comm… something

“Reputation” - onouma (name);

lit. [LEB]: “you have a name that you are alive, and you are dead.”

HISTORY: Impenatrable fortress at Sardis. Reputation of being unbeatable. However, beseiged and defeated TWICE+… [video earlier]

Put on airs of being one thing… but [apokalypse] I know the truth!

“Alive, but you are dead.”

Why dead? What does mean? Hard to say.... WITHOUT LIFE.

Know were active, trying to look busy; but working on own power. (sim. to Eph...)

Trying to put on a show of activity, presence, unity, solidarity; not ‘in’ it.

2 “...I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”

deeds “unfinished” = incomplete, fallen short, not 'up to snuff'; Opp. of # 7!

The deeds they are doing are not fulfilling Jesus’ cmd/req’s!

Filling hours with busywork? Not fulfilling Grt.Cmd!

WARNING...

Revelation 3:3 “...If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”

Not an encouragement. Judgment. Harsh and swift and unexpected.

Why unexpected? they are dying…

Jesus CMD’s them to respond >>

Awake, Reinforce, Remember, & Repent

Revelation 3:2 Wake up!…

“Wake up!” - lit. become aware, watch out!, [modern idiom] "look alive, ppl”

Perhaps blinded to their disloyalty?

Needed to look around & see what their inaction had lead to. Death!

We so entrenched in our sin, bcome blind to it.

2 “…strengthen what remains and is about to die"

“strengthen” — to reinforce, support, make stand firm

“Remnant" — God preserves a faithful remnant; pattern in scripture! There were a few soldiers still taking orders from X!

Even remnant is dying… what SHOULD be God’s portion is being eaten away.

The faithless few; Sardis not in a good place. Post-mortem of a church

Remember: their deeds were insufficient… not in obedience… not X-first

Actions taken, helps offered, heart behind it needed to be strong.

HOW DO THEY REINFORCE?? Actually given next >>

Revelation 3:3 “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast…”

“Hold fast” = DO IT!

What they’d “received” = The gospel message

“passed-down” or “received” from apostles or teachers (1 Cor 11)

Things demonstrated, acted out, or viewed in COMMUNITY

Traditions and ways of working for Lord, showing allegience.

DO the gospel…

What they’d “heard” = Prophetic guidance

Stars = messengers = spoken divine message (revelation)

Spirit-guided message of revelation given to His church

Likely attempting to correct ‘dead’ behavior

Had grown resilient against the conviction of the Holy Spirit

Were not acting in, nor guided by the Spirit!

De-powered Xians…

Seek the Holy Spirit! Exercise the power (like muscle); walk in it & seek it. WANT it!

3 “...repent...”

Metanoia — a change in one’s understanding/mind

Cmd: Stop it! Turn around! Go back! Recant!

First thing they needed to do was wake up to the fact that they were dying spiritually! Can’t change something that you’re unware needs fixing…

Use the memory of the words and actions given by the faithful to inform what you need to change - and then CHANGE!

Wake up!

Revelation 3:4-6 “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Great promise of NEW LIFE waiting for us! Pure, new, beautiful life

Will you be the Remant?

Do you remember the Power of the Gospel?

Not only in the hearing of the Word, but the doing! James: (faith w/o works)

Reading the Word, studying it. Then giving, loving, serving others!!

Do you remember the Power of the Spirit?

The one who empowers us to BE Jesus to others.

The one who can bring us back from the brink of death to eternal life! Transform my situation, prayer life, physical ailments into something NEW.

Altar Call: Need any touch from the Spirit today…

Specific response to the sermon?

General Prayer for guidance/healing?