1 2 SARDIS The CONTENT CHURCH Revelation 3:1-6 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Matt 22:1-3 22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Matt 22:11-14 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen. KJV SARDIS, THE FEEBLE CHURCH - Located at junction of five main roads - center for trade & military - Located on inaccessible plateau 1500 ft. high - impregnable fortress - Center for worship of Artemis - nature-worshipping reincarnation cult - Famous for wool garments, However the city was just a shadow of former splendor - Church had become like the city - alive in name only, living on past glory - "seven Spirits of God" - God sees the reality beyond the reputation - Twice in history Sardis was captured because Sentries were sleeping - "come on thee as a thief" - unexpected or undetected judgement - Deadness in the assembly due to defilement among the assembled! - No History of persecution of church in Sardis - no friction means no motion! - Even a dead church can have a dedicated remnant - THE ONLY HOPE! - Promise to wear white raiment -meaningful to garment making people
3 4 l. INTRO the Order of the Ltrs to the Churches -There is a pattern which comes forth describing what each church is having to deal with: The Commission addresses the church by name which is actually it s location. The Character paints a portrait of that church s actions. The Commendation shows the favorable conditions that exist within this church. The Condemnation lists the unfavorable criticisms. The Correction tells of the spiritual condition. The Call always begins with the words He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith. The Challenge is given to those who are overcomers & rise above the temptations & struggles of that particular church. Churches can refuse to face the reality of their spiritual condition before God. Forms & traditions can become so ingrained that they continue on & become insensitive to the Power of the H G God is not looking for a comfortable ceremony But He seeks those who will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The church at Sardis thought they were alive, but Jesus told them they were dead. Their worship was missing the presence of the H G Their works were being done by duty & not passion Jesus requires that His servants worship & serve Him With a life full of the H G Now The important wealthy city of Sardis was located about 50 miles east of Smyrna & 30 miles S/E of Thyatira. It was one of the great & wealthy cities in Asia Minor It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia Because of the inaccessible plateau where the city was originally built it was an ideal military center. The fortress of Sardis rose straight up about 1,500 ft. & had only one narrow, winding, steep road of entry. It was an unassailable fortress. Scripture says in v 1 1b) He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: Here He refers to the 7-fold character of God Rev 1:4 4:5 Hey the manifested work of the Spirit of God was desperately needed in a lifeless Church.
5 6 The Christ who holds the 7 spirits also has the 7 stars. The 7 stars, in His right Hand are the Messengers To the churchs Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. KJV Only He could bring the messengers & churches together. These messengers are to come together w/christ & be full of His Spirit. These messengers are held responsible for relaying The message to the churches. II. CONFRONTATION, 1c. V1 I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Revelation 3:1 (NIV)... I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Revelation 3:1 (TLB)..."I know your reputation as a live and active church, but you are dead. Outwardly everything appeared fine w/the church at Sardis but spiritually that was not the case. Christ declared that He knows their deeds. The life & testimony of the church & the individuals who make it up are an open book to the Lord. Nothing is hidden from His gaze. He sees beneath the surface He sees the behavior of the heart & mind. Sardis had a reputation among the other churches as a on fire church w/an effective ministry But their reputation was no longer deserved. The church was dead, void of spiritual life & power. A spiritual autopsy of Sardis show us the causes of death. First, Sardis died spiritually because it relied on its past successes. The body which was once healthy had been neglected. Second, the church died spiritually because it allowed sin to creep in the membership Herodotus, historian, records that over the course of time, the church in Sardis acquired a reputation for lax moral standards.
7 8 Third, the church died because it was not sensitive to its own spiritual condition; it was confident that God was there because the building was lovely the members looked good. They were like the people Paul described in his letter to young Timothy: "... having a form of godliness but denying its power" (TLB) 2 Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God. The risen Jesus tells the spiritually dead church to wake up. This command to wake up, was very appropriate for the church at Sardis. ORGANIZED-BUT DEAD Many churches have great organization. Their people are busy. But unless the Spirit of God is free to work the church s ministry is earthy, not heavenly. The church at Sardis was organized-but dead. III. COMMAND, 2-3. 2 Be watchful, & strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. (NIV) 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Herodotus wrote the following history. "From its position Sardis was regarded as just about impregnable by foreign armies. The city was built on a narrow ridge of rock on the side of Mount Timolus. Cyrus was besieging Sardis & needed to capture it before he could move on. He told his troops there would be a special reward for any man who found a way to scale the cliff and take the city. One of the soldiers called Hyeroeades passed his time gazing at the cliffs seeking a solution to the problem. He saw a Lydian soldier on the battlements accidentally drop his helmet down the cliff. Hyeroeades watched the soldier make his way down the cliff, get his helmet and climb back. Hyeroeades marked in his memory the way the Lydian soldier had taken. That night he led a group up the cliff and they found the battlements completely unguarded. Sardis had felt themselves completely safe so no one kept watch. Sardis was taken easily." the same thing happened 200 years later.
9 10 That word "watch" would jog their memories to the 2 past disasters. They knew all too well how easy a man who thinks he is secure can find himself in a disaster. The 1st step toward renewal when one is dying is honest awareness that something is wrong. nd The 2 is to strengthen what remains! The church was not yet entirely beyond hope. It was not too late to save what was lost But unless they fire up the embers & fan them into flames it will totally die out. They haven t finished the course yet This church, known for its great activities, had works that couldn t be fulfilled w/out a H G life In the sight of God, religious activities are failures if they are only formal & external & not infused w/a Holy Spirit Life. The scripture continues to commands in v 3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. The church in Sardis is also told to remember. Memory is a precious & blessed gift. Nothing can awaken the conscience so deeply as memories of the past. Reflecting on God s goodness & discipline shortens the road of repentance. When churches remember when God was moving in their midst & adding souls & spiritual growth to the body, it is a lot easier to see from where they have fallen. Jesus specifically admonishes them to remember what they have received & heard. They had received the word of God, and they heard it speak in their eternal soul. They had also received the Holy Spirit & who also would speak to them until they rebelled against Him. The H G is the greatest gift a Christian has The Spirit of God Himself comes into our human personality & begins changing us from the inside out. He fills us with love, joy, and peace. He subdues our passions & transforms our character into His likeness He makes us a temple where He can dwell.
11 12 This remembering of sweet communion should cause any true believer to repent. If you would hold on to the H G you will find He will hold on to you as well If they did not repent they are warned that Christ will come as a thief & take away the blessings His Spirit had bestowed on them. He told them to wake up: "Be watchful, & strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you (vv. 2-3). WAKE-UP CALL On February 26, 1993, a powerful bomb exploded in the underground parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing six people and injuring more than a thousand. It sparked an aggressive investigation with many arrests. But few law enforcement authorities recognized it as part of an international terrorist plot. When the Trade Center towers were destroyed by terrorists in 2001, police commissioner Raymond Kelly looked back on the first attack and said, "It should have been a wake-up call for America.". The call to every believer is to be vigilant toward the Lord rather than lax & indifferent. If the fire has gone out in our hearts, He pleads w/us to stir the embers into flame again Ask yourself: Has there been a wake-up call in my life recently that I ve missed? Is God trying to tell me something? Will I answer His wake-up call today? To keep your heart from growing cold, stay on fire for God.- The Lord told the church at Sardis that although they had a reputation for being on fire they were dead.
13 14 IV. COMMENDATION, 4. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments & they will walk w/me in white for they are worthy. The majority in Sardis had soiled their garments, that is, become defiled by sin. However, in the church at Sardis, & in our own Sardian type churches there are a few who have remained true to Christ. There is never a day so dark when God does not have His men. In the days before the flood, God had righteous Enoch & Noah. In the time of universal idolatry, there was Abraham. Even in Sodom, there was Lot. For those within the church at Sardis who were true to Christ, a threefold promise was given. st 1 they would be dressed in white =symbol of purity. These are those who Christ sees as worthy. In Scripture the robing of the saint is the righteousness of the saints not the righteousness of God, but the righteousness of the saints. This is to say, that faithfulness & integrity of character & of service will have its outward manifestation. V. COMMITMENT, 5-6. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To those that overcome the defilement of sin & ritualistic religion & live in & by the H G, special celestial garments are promised. a life free from pollution, We will be crowned in final victory! These blessed people will never have to worry or doubt about their salvation. For their names are not simply on a church roll, Father they are written in the Book of Life! They cannot be removed, this will be a witness by Jesus before the His holy angels.