2022 May 29 Sunday Morning Service

This morning. We're going to look at the 5th of the letters to the seven churches from The Book of Revelation. This letter is to the church at Sardis, sad. Tragic left your router sad and tragic church. Because this church is dead. Clearly at the end of Revelation, 31 Seasons says, and yet, you are dead. That has to be the old with the shame have Jesus himself. After all of church by definition is a place where God lives a place where Christians are alive. It is in fact a fellowship, referral life, but not this church. Revelations, 3 1 through 6 to the angel of the Church of Sardis, right? He who has seven spirits of God. In the Seven Stars says this, I know your Deeds that you have a name that you are alive, and you have to work to be constantly alert and strengthen, the things that remain, which were about to die. So I have not found your Deeds completed in the side of my God. So remember what you have received in further and keep it in the. Can you work off of work? I will come like a thief and you will not know it 1 hour. I would come to you but you have a few people and starters who have not spoiled their Gardens and they want to see it white cuz they are worthy. The one who overcomes will be closed the same way like Gardens and I will not erase his name from The Book of Life and I Fast is named for my father before his angels, the one who has an ear. Let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. The words you are dead, identify. The neighbors church. The church is Sardis is the very reverse of the church's Smyrna. Smyrna was put to death and you have to live Sardis appeared to be a lie. And you have this dead. The church had a reputation that it was a lie. But in fact, it was the astronomers tell us with the light from The Polar Star takes 33 years to return. What that means is that this star could have died 3 years ago, and it's light and still be pouring down Earth. It would be shining in the sky tonight. As brightly as if nothing happened. It could be a dead star. The probe has three years. We wouldn't help Stead. The Church of Sardis was like that. It had a name. The name appeared to say that it was a lie. It was shining solely by the light of a swirly in the past, but in the present. Now remember this was an actual Church in an actual City in Asia Minor, but as each of these churches is this one, also is simple. This one represents dead churches throughout all the ages of the church. It speaks of a certain kind of church. He's kind of churches exist today. So if we look at the letter, we're not only learning history who we're dealing with relevancy for the church. Today are familiar outline, begins with a look at the corresponding. We meet the offer. In first one to the angel. That is the messenger who has come to John to receive the worrier. Church, probably one of their Elders or the leading Pastor. That messenger the church and Sardis, right? Here's the letter. I want him to take back the church and he immediately, as he always does, he reduces himself. And then this particular letter he describes himself, as he, who has the seven spirits of God, and the Seven Stars, we've seen that description of the writer. In each of these verses was Jesus. This comes from the vision in chapter one verses 12 through 16. However, in this case that Vision has to also share component with the earlier part of the chapter and verse for John to the seven churches that are in Asia grace to you and peace from him, who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne. That designation refers to the Holy Spirit. You also will note that in verse 16 Christ was described as holding the Seven Stars in his hand and down at her 20. The Seven Stars are indeed. The seven messengers of the seven churches. Now, if you ever do such as himself as the one who has the seven spirits of God. Now we know there is one. Holy spirit that the Trinity is just that is three members. Father God, the son and God the Holy Spirit, or the holy spirit, is described as a Sevenfold spirit. This can be a reference to Isaiah, 11:2. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him. The spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and strengthen the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord adding those six. To the time Spirit of the Lord gives you the stuff... That would be the Holy Spirit described in the fullest is Operation rather than the 7 Spirits. It is the 7th full. The Oz is on the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The one who has the Holy Spirit, the one who kids to put it this way represented in his church, by Holy Spirit. Secondly, then he says and a one who also has the Seven Stars. The seven leaders of the church. Now, why does he introduce himself in this fashion? I believe what he is saying here is simply that the one who writes this letter is the one who ministers is church, throughout the Holy Spirit and through. Michelle Godwin. L. The Messengers. God will pastors. Why would he say that the service? I guess the best response to that, as a reminder of what they had forfeited, a dead Church would not have the benefit of the living power of the Holy Spirit, nor would it have leaders who were Godly and who manifested the light and power of God that was the problem. It's almost as if he introduces himself as the one who saw barely works in his church through the spirit through God, L. Both of which were absent in the case of the Church of Sardis. That is not to say. There wasn't a particular leader there who was a True Believer, but maybe simply to emphasize the fact that in the deadness. They have forfeited spiritual leadership in the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to say that the way Christ introduces himself in the letter, doesn't give us a hint of the severity of the situation. Remind me to expected that he would introduce himself in judgment prescription like you did for the letter n p, a Tyro with eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished bronze, but that is not the case has himself describing himself as the one who gives to his church. The Holy Spirit and gives to his church Godly leadership. Maybe it's a reminder of what they don't have but the historical for their deadness, the light, the power of the holy spirit is not there. Neither is The Godly leadership and they desperately needed both. Devoid of the spirit and devoid of the Spirit-filled Godly leaders. The church was dead. You're them was a church dominated by The Flash dominated by sin, dominated by unbelief populated by the unregenerate. A church populated by the unsaved who did not have the life of God in them. And apparently also populated by a few Christians, who were indifferent. The result was a good church. We moved from the correspondent to the city itself. And I need only say a few things about Sardis, just to give you a little bit of a feeling of the reality of a city. Remember. This is letter. Number 5, only three messages and left. There were seven when the journey began as they move. Each one would take the letter to his own church and leave the group and they would move with 6 and then 5. And then for when they arrived in Sardis, only three men check messages left as they reached the fifth City on the journey. It's a rich with sinful city. The city used to be called high in the early years. It came to be known as the city of Sardis the city of Jared, many wars. Usually Victoria's because of its geographic location. Eventually though the wartime sort of dissipated because of the Roman peace and under Rome, it became a center for wool, a garment Center this city of knowledge to mold and its defeat. Any enemy is believed to be an almost impregnable place. There was a temple there to Caesar and to the empress Livia and they worship Caesar as the Son of God and Livia as the love goddess. Are you have an ancient times, goddess mother son. But he eventually found its way into Roman Catholicism and became a mixture of paganism and the mother's son called mingle with Mary and Jesus. The story of Stardust then is a story of degeneration. Seven hundred years before the letter to Sardis was written. If it'd been one of the greatest cities in the world by the time of letters written. It's decayed is still has a little bit of a reports today. It is a pile of ruins near a village called start. It has only about thirty miles, Southeast of the entire. It was in the fertile Valley to the north of the valley, Rose Long, Ridge, Mountains, from that Ridge is the reason pills ran out like Spurs. And the each form the narrow plateau. And on one of these plateaus was sardius, as I said, 15 ft High almost like a granite fear sticking out of the valley. It looked like a giant Watchtower was believed to be absolutely undefeatable. It had some famous men who came from there, zero cease to Drake General and Esau who wrote all those things, you learned as a child. So can this interesting fascinating atmosphere of a degenerating sipping a little church was born into this church. The letter is snapped that leads us to the third point. What about the church? We know of only one person from Sardis and he came along a little later. The only famous member that we know about that church is a man by the name of Milito. And the reason we know about him. Is it, as far as his freak until he wrote the first commentary, ever ridden on the Book of Revelation? There was no mention of persecution in Sardis. There was no mention of corrupt, the ology on the inside. There's no mention of false teachers, but the church. It had a good reputation. It had a name of them is alive. The light was still shining even though the starter. But I, there's no spiritual life. They claim to be alive, playing with a Y, and interesting note about the city of service. They had a complex of pagan religions as did all of these cities. And there's a city they were heading into the healing power of the Gods. Emphasizing that the gods have the ability to restore life. Find a run Church Pagan religions celebrated the ability of their false gods to give life in the true church.

A brings us to the fourth Point as we look to the letter, that's the condemnation. And now we're going to get into something of the essential character that church. The minimum verse 1. I know your Deeds that you have a name that you are alive and yet you are dead. The first phrase. I know your Deeds. Remind me again to be on missions of Jesus Christ. He knows everything, absolutely everything and he doesn't even commend. There isn't anything here to from had that. For usually he has some nice things to say to them as sort of launch the letter, but hear nothing. He jumps right in condemnation. This church was contaminated with the world. This church was defile. The church was characterized by Edward McKay and dry rot. It was dead. I like some of these churches today. There was basically populated by unredeemed unregenerate people playing Church. You have a name that you're alive. You have a superficial reputation with spiritually you dead, whenever you read about the deadness and spiritual dimension. In the New Testament is always connected. With one thing.

Ephesians to Wawa and you he made a while who are data and trespasses and sins deadness is results in. Colossians 2:13 says, and you being dead in the trespasses? There was a church that was living in the dentists in these people were unredeemed, spiritually, dead, Sinners playing church. We have an all over America all over the world. This was Sardis. We don't even know anything about the theology, but we can assume that whatever theology. It was. It was a grave error. We would not be unfair to call them liberals. Who denied Teri? Kasam from spiritual wife. They must have denied the realities of the doctrine of salvation. Perhaps, they were denying, even Cardinal things. Like the deity of Christ is atonement. Is resurrection. You would dead man in the Pulpit there, dead family, fuse, dead man running the Machinery. Why send send kills church? And the church is populated by people dead in sin. And so it was a reflection of their dead is what it is. More concerned with forms, one of his more concerned about social ills and salvation what, it was more concerned about systems than Jesus Christ when it was more concerned about material issues than spiritual things. When it is more completely committed to building up its own Theology and accepting the word of God. The church was dead because this church denied source of spiritual life. We don't know exactly how but they did and they were dominated by sin. Is soma Church carried on with a reputation, but it was being operated by men spiritually dead verse. 24 have not found your works. Perfect for daughter. He says, you know, you go through the motions and maybe even looks like it might end up, right? But it never gets there. What I'm saying is your Deeds are not acceptable. They're not sufficient for me to approve of you. Never get their, your Deeds may be sufficient to give you a reputation before man, the therapist position, before me, they may be acceptable to the people around you who see them as beneficial and kind and whatever, but they are not acceptable. You are there for living a lie. What you do is not spiritually alive. It is just the pointless like loose motion of court. It is as if he would say you have been weighed on the scales and then found a fishing, you know, the truth. There wasn't even any reason for Spurs. They were already in the sentence. The man the simple unregenerate worldly church is not attacked by the world.

The Church of Sardis may have been socially distinguished but it was dead and all its Works were just grave clothes for disguise and ecclesiastical courts agreement estimate. Analogy of this is Samsung the Charming lovable hero of Israel in the dark days of their history, the greatest champion of Freedom, the strongest man, that ever lived so many feets, and so many exploits, so much gorilla strength and courage that his name has become equal to Spring. But you see a sad ending to the life of Samson as it unfolds. Remember that he was tricked by Delilah and as a result of his haircut lost his strength, the haircut wasn't really the issue. It just symbolized his unwillingness to add a God, and when he didn't obey, God. Took the strength way. And while in this condition, he was confronted with danger when he tried to meet it. If I were reports his inability in that, the Lord would be parted from you. That's a sad sentence. He didn't know. I was gone. He was the same old Sans, Samsung with the same living name. That is synonymous with strength with the power is gone. The result was Samson's defeat imprisonment blindness with death and that miserable wreck that pitiful. Blind giant type of two brass chains stooping over a grinding on the prison of Gaza is depicted. As one tragic figure. That was sardius one strong ones live. Once a powerful Church began. So soon became weak and blind and deaf was bound and Brass chains, grind in the grain since prison, not even knowing that God has long since Departed. I seen trees like that with all the business of activity. Dressed up. Organized whole congregation is blind week and dead, like sinus of your corpse is Brian. Even some prison dog. Is there any Commendation here? Yes, but it doesn't come first become second, this time or score. You have a few names given in Sardis who have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with me and white for they are worthy. This is good. This is a dead Church full of people, but there are a few Christians. That's pretty typical. Isn't it? Even a dead churches? There are some worthy people. Some Immortal name. She says, you have to do. What we know is that the majority of the church was dead. God always has a few. There were a few spiritual among the young spiritual a few sincere among Hypocrites. A few humble among the crowd. There was some truth Christians thrown in there, any describes him as those who have not soiled their garments. Historians. Tell us that it was not uncommon. If someone came in to worship of God, if they have dirty clothes, they would love them in. There was a certain kind of proper garment that you had to have even to worship a pagan God, and he saying these people, you still can come in the presence of the true God because your garments have not been defiled. In other words. Your character is still Godly. And so here were a few who haven't even filed their character by soon who hadn't spoiled their garments of their character. They still were wearing a robe of righteousness, a few of them still faithful. In the midst of this Unfaithful dead Church. And I said, last time about the entire. Oh, you can imagine they were miserable Bunch because there was only one Church in town. This is where you went. You can imagine their grief. They have not falling on the pig and securities and sinful practices. They were not among the Dead with soiled garments. They were the living, they were still walk you to the station and he says, at the end, the first four and they shall walk with me and white for they are worthy. You're okay. It says, you're worthy because of their refusal to defile. Their garments while under the pressure of that church to do it. Christ will replace your Human League deserve. Clean garments. With those mystifying went to a big white robes that he talks about stand for pulling us in pure. What he is saying is since you have a measure of Holiness and Purity, now, I'm going to give you perfect Holiness. Perfect. Dirty future. White robes like Jesus wore in Matthew 17, 20 and he was transfigured before. Them his face Shone like the sun and his clothes became White as the light. Roads reserved for run, fallen angels in Revelations, 15:6, and out of the temple. Came to seven angels, having the seven plagues clothes, right? Like roads appear on the two angels of Christ's Ascension in Acts 110 and while they looked steadfastly towards heaven, as he went up the whole two, men stood by them and white apparel. And they are for the glorified Church Revelations, 19 8in to her. It was granted to be arrayed in fine, linen clean and bright for the fine linen, White Sox of the sayings and verses 14 and the armies of Heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Follow him on White Horse. These are the garments of the absolutely pure and Holiness. He says, you've captured arms pure as best, you could and someday. I'm going to give you your perfectly pure garments. Another words. I'm going to make you perfectly, holy forever. Some of you were worthy. Now. He's got something to say that takes us to the 6.2 come in. Who is he going to say that too? But he's going to say it to the people who are alive, because there's no sense talking to a corpse. If you want this shirts to survive. He's got some words for you. If you want to revive that dead Church, here's the path. In the path has to be taken by the Believers. It's the path of spiritual renewal and there are five steps. The first one verse To Be watchful. That means you can't be indifferent. You can't just lie around and Let It Go, obviously, this is a call to reverse the current attitude and the current attitude must be disinterest. They're just sort of hanging around and sort of days. If you want Revival, if you want to pour life into a dead Church, wake up the alert. Look what's happening making evaluations see where you are care. Getting all this could also be a call to the dead to wake up because of judgment was coming. And the Second Step strengthen. The things that remain, which were about to buy rescue, whatever spiritual values and left. You don't have any choice. You can't go anywhere. You can't go down the street to the next church because there isn't one. You're going to have to find out what still alive in Springfield. There must have been a few virtuous things, somebody doing something. It was good. Some Ministry going on was important and he's saying in the few Believers, get on board. Those things is going to die. In verse 34, third step. Remember, wake up strength in what remains remember, their for how you've been received and heard, you've got to reach back and grab what you received and heard. He's talking about the truth. He's talking about the revelation of God Doctrine, the scriptures. Go back to the truth. Remember, what you received and heard when the truth was given to you. Remember the gospel in the teaching of the Apostles in the letters of Paul by now. They had certainly collected would have been written in the New Testament. Go back to Christ. Go back to his saving work. Go back to the doctors of sanctification. Go back to what, she knows the truth. First of all, wake up. Get involved. Demo work! Secondly look and find out what still alive and get on board with muscle. I strengthen it and then look back and build your reformed Foundation. SoundDock. 4th step, hold fast. Obey, go back with your physiology place to become obedient to it. Don't get distracted by the world, and then he was remorseful, and sorrow. Turn away from any said, I'm in the middle of first three. He says, therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour, I will come upon you. If you don't do this, I'm going to come like feet every time that picture of Jesus coming like a thief is used. It always carries the idea that the thief Thomas, could you how he comes to inflict, the pain becomes to destroy Jesus, even said he comes to destroy. I'm going to come and destroy. You is what you're saying. This is a direct warning to Stardust that if you people don't have a Revival. I'm going to come and destroy you and you're not going to know when I'm going to come, because I'm going to come like a thief comes. And believe me beat, don't send you a notice when they arrive. They don't warn you and when they get there, they do you harm. This is a warning to all dead churches that Jesus is coming. And when he comes at the time of his return in judgment, boring is going to wreak havoc in the desert Church. And the Judgment falls on. Those people will be more severe than those who did not identify themselves with the Christian faith because those who knew the gospel for a bottle, Hebrews 10 says will receive the greater judgment. So, he says, what? What? You two have, a renewal a Revival, there's the path. Then .7 takes us into verse 5 & 6. The council that he give the key who overcomes shall be clothed, in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from The Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my father, and 4th is Angel's. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches. He's against saying I don't want to get caught up in all this judgment. I don't want you to fear. I know you're there and for you Believers whose faith has overcome the world. You're going to be clothed in white garments. And again, this is the promise that someday in the future. You're going to wear perfect holiness. How many yards? I will not blot out his name from The Book of Life. I will confess his name before my father and before his angels. He's giving them encouraged by this me. He's saying I'm talking strong talk here, and I'm talking about coming like a thief and bringing gray car and I'm talking about coming into judgment, but I know you the role of Thomas, you have nothing to fear. You're going to wear white. You're going to be eternally. Holy I will confess your name before my father in before his angels. I will affirm that you belong to me. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 10 32 there for whoever confesses me before men. Him. I will confess before my father who is in heaven. And then the final version verse 6, he who has an ear. Let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches. Listen, very carefully. You judge people who aren't saved your dad and trespasses. It's in your going to be judged. You can't hide the church. The Lord knows you. He sees you, he knows your condition. He knows your dad. He's coming and judgement. You different in different sleepy Saints. Wake up. Strength in what remains remember? Re-establish the doctrinal foundation. Commit yourself to obey, repent from your sin. That's the message to Sardis. Great message to the church. Today. We need to preach it to Dad and Diane churches the spray.

Father, we thank you for this morning because churches, why? With the light of God. He's in this place. So there might be some here who are dead. Most relied are awake and spray candy. Living things, remembering obeying repenting. Thank you for giving us a living church and Matlock violence. Speak your words of judgment in the dead trenches and call those people who revile do your work with church, and it might give you glory.