Signs of a Dead Church at Sardis

Sunday October 2, 2016 Phone: 570.829.5216 Pastor David Miklas e-mail: pastormiklas@aol.com Message: Book of Revelation 1-5 Text: Revelation 3:1-6 Signs of a Dead Church at Sardis INTRODUCTION: In our continuing study of Revelation chapters 2-3 please turn with me to Revelation 3:1-6 and follow as I read about Sardis, the living dead church. 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. This letter to Sardis has a different tone than the previous four letters found in Revelation 2. For the poor church in Smyrna, our Lord had nothing but words of praise. For the churches of Ephesus, Pergamos, and Thyatira, He had a mixture of praise and criticism. For the majority of the church at Sardis, He said nothing praiseworthy. Here, he begins with a rebuke. In verse 4, he has praise for a faithful few, but to the church over-all he says, "...thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." When John wrote this letter to Sardis, it was a wealthy city, but degenerate. Twice the city had been lost because the leadership and the citizenry were too lazy to defend themselves from their enemies. The attitude of the city was reflected in the demise of its church. Like the city that smugly dwelt upon its past glory, the church at Sardis had a good reputation at one time and the members thought they had arrived. They were content to live on the corner of Self-satisfaction and Complacency streets. Now, while I am speaking on the signs of a dead church, if you will be honest with God, you will discover not only why a church is dead, but why Christians who are saved, and outwardly are alive and active, can be dead on the inside. In Romans 13:11-12 we are told, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." In Ephesians 5: 14-16, we read "Wherefore, he said, AWAKE thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See, then, that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." We are commanded to awaken out of sleep. But in the church at Sardis their problem was not sleepiness, it was a lot worse. Jesus said you have a name, a Page 1

testimony that you live, when the truth is, you are a dead church. Several years ago, one of the great Pastors of this century, who pastored the same church for 40 years and saw thousands saved and baptized, said: "This is a sad day for many fundamental churches! They are failing, turning away from the truth, joining conventions, seeking approval from institutions that are turning from the truth, and many are giving up their fundamental beliefs and mingling with the world. I join you in prayer for many churches that are dying." All across this country are churches that used to be light-houses for the Old Time Religion. Today they are either dying, or dead. There is no life in them. They are barely hanging on. What killed them? I could take you to theological institutions that once turned-out fundamental preachers who thundered the Old Time Religion, while standing for the absolute authority of the Word of God. But today they have fallen for the new contemporary music, and every version of the Bible in print. What killed them? There are two ways to approach the answer. You can have an examination while you are living, or you can have an autopsy after you are dead. I trust this message will be a spiritual examination for us as well as our ministry. Again may I say that the same thing that kills churches also kills Christians. The same thing that rocks churches to sleep, rocks individual Christians to sleep. Prophetically, the church at Sardis describes the Reformation period of church history from 1517 to 1750. The Reformation era began with Martin Luther. During a visit to Rome in 1510, Luther was appalled by the corruption that he saw in the papal court. As a result, he began an intense study of Scripture. Romans 1:17, "The just shall live by faith" gripped his heart as he realized that only faith in Christ, not the Roman sacraments, could save anyone. Over the next few years, Luther read, studied, and taught the Scriptures and became well known for his lectures on Psalms, Romans, and Galatians. Soon, Luther was preaching that faith in Christ alone brings peace with God. On October 31, 1517, this monk and university professor published 95 Theses against the false teachings of the Church of Rome, and nailed them to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg. This one act is generally credited with starting the Protestant Reformation. As Protestantism freed itself from the domination of Rome, this era gave rise to the beginning of many church denominations. The Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican (or Episcopal) denominations were formed. Inevitably, the struggle for spiritual freedom resolved itself into different denominations with different emphases, while a few of the errors of Romanism were carried over into some of the denominations. As a response to the Protestant Reformation, Rome launched a counter movement called the Inquisition, using the sword to regain the lands and dominions lost to Protestantism. The Inquisition became one of Europe's bloodiest times and one of the bloodiest times in the history of mankind. The Roman Catholic Church determined to rid itself of all traces of Protestantism; thus where the Catholics had political control, they imprisoned, beat and killed thousands of Protestants as well as those accused of having Protestant sympathies. The Reformation church held strong orthodox doctrine while the great reformers were living. These doctrinal pillars were: 1. Salvation comes by grace through faith. 2. Every believer is a priest. 3. The Scriptures reign supreme over church tradition. Page 2

Later the state-controlled Reformation churches became spiritually lifeless, and dead orthodoxy became the rule of the day. Now again in verse 1, the Lord of the lampstands (candlesticks) introduces Himself, These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; First: This statement refers to the omnipresent nature of the Holy Spirit who is the power within the church. Someone has said that if the "Holy Spirit was removed from the average church, 95% of the program would just keep right on going." Tragically it appears that the label of dead church is a dead giveaway that the Holy Spirit ministry within this church was absent. Second: This statement also refers to the seven stars that according to Revelation 1:20 represent the pastors of these churches. Here Christ reminds us that it is He who is the head of the church, and it is to Him that we are accountable. Now again in these 6 verses there is a threefold message: In verse 1 there is a message of REBUKE In verses 2-3 there is Message to CHALLENGE In verses 4-6 there is a message of PROMISE NUMBER 1: There is a message of REBUKE: Notice again verse 1. I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Sardis the organism had become a mere organization. This church was dead, but would never have admitted it. One night at a prayer meeting a discouraged church member called out this request, "Pray for us here. The blower is still blowing but the fire is out." The blower was blowing at Sardis, but the FIRE WAS OUT. This church reminds me of what Jesus said to the religious Pharisees, "Outside they looked like lovely, newly white tombs, but on the inside they were full of dead man's bones." Someone made this comment about the church at Sardis being alive but actually dead as far as spiritual life and power is concerned. " a church is in danger of death: When it begins to worship its own past; When it begins to be more concerned with forms to be filled out rather than its souls to be feed; When it loves its order and systems more than it loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and When it is more concerned with material furnishings than spiritual matters. What concerns me is the pretending of many believers. They have a here-today, gone-tomorrow love affair with Christ. No Bible reading, No prayer time, No consistent church attendance, No looking for the second coming of Christ, and Never weeping over sinners, and in some cases not really caring if the lost is reached. Please notice verse 2, Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Again it appears they were busy, but nothing was fulfilled. They were like the people Paul described in his letter to young Timothy in II Timothy 3:5, " having a form of godliness but denying its power." Someone wrote and reminded us that hypocrisy like this can permeate the whole Page 3

life of a church: "We can have a fine choir, an expensive organ, good music, great anthems, and fine congregational singing. We can mouth hymns and psalms with unimpeachable elegance, while our mind wanders and our heart is far from God. We can have pomp and ceremony, color and ritual, liturgical exactness and ecclesiastic splendor, and yet be offering a worship which is not perfect or 'fulfilled' in the sight of God." Now what are the signs of a dead church? Though it may have a name that lives, what are the signs, so that we may avoid them or even change them? That is what I am asking you. WHAT ARE THE SIGNS? FIRST SIGN: When there is NO BURDEN for SOULS: I wonder, do we have members of this church who would never lose a moment's sleep or shed a tear, if another soul was never saved from this moment on? No burden is a sign that a church is either dead or dying. God s plan for a growing church is found in Acts 5:42 "And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." Evangelism is not just the job of the pastor; it is also the job of every Christian to win souls and to invite others into the house of God to be saved. In Psalms 126:6 we read, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." We need the wet-eyed Christian back in the church with a burden for souls. SECOND SIGN: When there is NO HUNGER for the WORD of GOD. In Psalm 119:103 we read, "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Where are the Christians who are hungry for the Word of God? What is so interesting to me is we have: More Bibles on the market, and More Christian literature, and More Christian radio and TV programs, and More Christian seminars, and yet there is greater ignorance of the Word of God than ever before. Someone said this, "We need once again, to put this old book where it belongs. The church is not a club, but a place to hear God s word preached. The church is not a business, but a place where God s Word is honored. It not only ought to have first place; it ought to have the only place! Everything is subservient to it. Everything is to exalt it. Every song ought to exalt the Christ of the Bible. A CHURCH HAS NO RIGHT TO EXIST WHEN IT DOES NOT MAJOR IN THE PREACHING OF THE WORD OF GOD." THIRD SIGN: When there is NO HUNGER for CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. In Hebrews 10:25 we read, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.". In I John 1:7 we read, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP ONE WITH ANOTHER, as the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." We need fellowship. We need warmth. We need some old-fashioned southern hospitality! We need some good ol hanging-around with warm handshakes and warm conversations to get to know one another. Page 4

FOURTH SIGN: When there is NO LIBERTY of the HOLY SPIRIT: In II Corinthians 3:17 we read, Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. A church where the Holy Spirit has no liberty is like a wheel on an axle with no grease. It grinds and makes an awful noise. We must have the POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT not only in our lives, but also in this ministry. FIFTH SIGN: When there is NO SPIRIT of PRAYER. I believe with all my heart that great praying really builds churches. In John 14:14 Jesus said, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. But the question is, are we asking? NUMBER 2: There is a message of Challenge. Notice again verses 2-3, 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. Here the Lord challenges the church in FIVE areas. First: Be WATCHFUL. For the church at Sardis, perhaps the greatest sin was that of being complacent. Another descriptive word would be apathetic. Complacency and apathy produces stagnation. Apathy simply implies I don t care. There is too much apathy in the Church, but who cares? There is too much apathy in the nation, but who cares? Remember from Proverbs 14:34, Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. It was Edmund Burke that said, All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. There is apathy in our families, there is no biblical vision for marriage and the upbringing of children. But who cares? The fastest way to wake up is to start watching for the return of Christ. If you are watchful you will be alive and active doing what you ought to do, being what you ought to be. Second: Be Strengthened. If you fail to apply truth learned it will eventually go away. You need both head knowledge as well as heart application of truth. That will strengthen you. Third: Remember. What a powerful word! Remember what it was like when you were first saved, when your soul breathed in the breath of God. Remember the enthusiasm you had for Jesus, when you couldn t wait to meet with Him in prayer or in His Word. Remember how you started out with nothing and almighty God provided you with everything you have. Remember that every single victory you won, came from God. Never forget that the blessings of God are conditional upon your obedience to the Word of God. Fourth: Hold Fast. This represents the idea of keep-on keeping-on. Don t give up, don t quit! Perhaps you are asking, What do these verses have to do with the church today? I believe the answer is contained in the phrase, Far too long. Far too long we have played at the business of just going to church where the congregation does not have an ear to hear what the spirit of God has to say; or a desire to respond to the message. Page 5

Far too long we have just gone through the motions of Christianity, singing a few songs, hearing a sermon, going to some church activity and returning home with no change in our lives. Most of our talk is just religious talk. It is a lot of HOT AIR with no real substance. Far too long we have made the church calendar full of activities, and made the church a play time instead of a place of worship where our souls are changed and our hearts are taught, so that we are ready to go forth to win the lost for Christ. Far too long we really have had no desire for the lost to be saved. Far too long we have been in a dry, barren, spiritual wilderness thinking this is what Christianity is all about, and not even knowing we are starved and thirsty for the real things of God. Far too long we have been without the prayer meetings that are full of God's people pleading for forgiveness, and for God s intervention in the things of our lives. Far too long we have neglected the MOURNERS BENCH, where we confess and plead for the mercy of God to forgive us. The warning here is not to grow comfortable in our church lest we find ourselves slowly dying. The encouragement in all this is that deadness in a church can be reversed. In Romans 13:11 we read, "And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep." Fifth: Repent. It was either, repent or be removed. This was the note of warning, because Sardis was not looking for the Lord s return. Do you look forward to His appearing? Does the fact that Jesus is coming again thrill you, motivate you, purify you? When Jesus says, Behold, I come quickly," your heart should respond with Even so, come Lord Jesus. NUMBER 3: There a message of Promise. Again in verse 4-5 we read, 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. These are lofty promises, and I can imagine some of you faithful ones reading and re-reading this letter eagerly, being sustained during times when it looks the darkest. What then should our action be? I believe it is found in Jeremiah 14:20-22, We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee.(21) Do not abhor us, for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. (22) Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things. *********************************************************************** If God has spoken to your heart after reading the sermon Signs of a Dead Church at Sardis right now talk to God about what He has spoken to you. Do you have the assurance that one day you will go to heaven? If you have no assurance that you know Jesus Christ, then I trust you will decide to accept Him as your personal Savior. The Bible tells us in Page 6

Acts 16:31,...Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved... Romans 10:13, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. This prayer is here for those who need to ask Jesus to be their personal Savior: I do want to go to Heaven. I know I am a sinner, and I do believe Jesus Christ died for me. I realize I cannot buy this great salvation, nor can I earn it. Knowing Jesus died on the cross and arose from the grave to pay my sin debt and to purchase my salvation, I do now trust Him as my Savior, and from this moment on I am completely depending on Him for my salvation. If you made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, please let me know. Please send an e-mail to pdmikbbm@aol.com and I will send you some literature that will help you in your Christian life. The Weekly SERMON was sent as a ministry of Bible Baptist Ministry, 48 Alexie Rd., Hanover Township, PA 18706. Privacy policy: your e-mail address will not be sold, or shared with any third party. Copy write permission: Because the Weekly SERMON will be reproduced into other formats, PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THE FOLLOWING: The Weekly SERMON in its original form, without any changes, may be copied and re-transmitted by electronic mail, and copies may be printed for individual or ministry purposes, provided that such copying, re-transmission, printing, or other use is not for profit or other commercial purpose. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other use of the Weekly SERMON must set forth in full the heading that is given before each Weekly SERMON. Any other request for use, please contact Bible Baptist Ministries at pdmikbbm@aol.com or by phone at 570.829.5216. Page 7