God's Message to the Seven Churches Part 5 - The Dying Church: Sardis

Revelation chapter three, we'll look word of God to the church at Sardis. This is the fifth of seven churches that the apostle John wrote to in this letter, in this book of Revelation. Churches are all in the western part of what we would of Turkey today. In their day, it was called Asia, but when we think of Asia, we think of a different place. Hold on just a second.

There we go. All right. There we go. Alright. We'll refer to that a couple times here at the beginning.

So, this is the fifth of those churches, most of them, the Lord has had a commendation for and also a rebuke. In one or two cases, he'd had no no commendation, just rebuke and one or two cases, he had only praise. And we see clearly Jesus Christ as the head of the church. He is mentioned here at the beginning of each message to each church and depicted in a different manner that goes along with the message the Lord has for that particular church. This evening, it is the church of Sardis.

So, let's read verses one through six of Revelation three. 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 the name that thou livest and are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not found thy works perfect before God.

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. 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. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit say it unto the churches.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, we thank you for your word this evening, for this opportunity to look briefly into it. We pray Lord that you would be exalted. We pray that the word of God would work powerfully in our lives to draw us closer to you, to change us more into your image, to prepare us, Lord, for service to our king of kings and Lord of lords and draw those who are unsaved to know the salvation that it is only found in Jesus Christ. In Jesus precious name, we pray.

Amen. We start each one of these usually by looking at the city's background, okay? The city is at times significant important to understanding the church that was founded there And so, we'll look briefly at the city of Sardis. You can see it up there on the screen where the little red balloon is, okay? You may not be able to read Sardis beneath that, but you can see it up there.

Let's see, let me see if I can get this pointer to work. Alright. That little blue pointer there is Sardis right above that. Now, it is about 50 miles, I think, 50 miles east of Smyrna, which is out on the coast just directly west of it, that was the second church that we looked at in the book of Revelation. I don't know if you can see the dotted lines from back there, but they're dotted lines on the map that cross at Sardis.

That's because Sardis is a great intersection. Intersection between Roman roads that passed through the mountain passes. One of them heading sort of East West going from Sardis down to Philadelphia and out to the coast to Smyrna. The other going sort of North South, going up to Thyatira and Pergamum and down to Ephesus. Sardis is sort of the hub of the wheel from which the spokes go out.

Therefore, it became a very influential trade and power center for the region of what was once an empire called the Lydian Empire. However, by the time of the writing of Revelation, the city had long passed its heyday, and was now a city in decline, as it would seem the church that was there also was in decline as well. Though the Acropolis of the city, the Citadel, sat high up on a hilltop, 1,500 feet above the valley floor below. The city was scaled by attackers at night and easily defeated. The feeling of security and comfort likely leading to its demise.

That's sort of what happened to Babylon. Belshazzar was having a great party. They were secure. They were comfortable. They had everything they wanted.

No fear. A little did they know while they were having their party that the Nile that the Euphrates River was being diverted so that the Medes and Persian army could walk in under on the dry riverbed and get into the city and take it even that night. The complacency of the guards, the complacency of the people, lulled them into a false sense of security. That sort of reminds me of the way I felt leading up to 09/11/2001. I grew up in a country as a kid, where it seemed that we were very secure.

All the problems were in another part of the world, and they didn't touch us. But after September 11, sort of changed a bit. We realized that we were not untouchable and that false sense of security. This seems to be sort of the case with the city of Sardis, which now was in a period of decline and decay from the great city that had it had once been. Once a city of great reputation and excitement and life, and now a dying metropolis filled with ancient monuments to past glories, but not to present ones.

Sad to say, we have cities in our country that seem to sort of beheaded being are headed in that direction. Great buildings, impressive structures built by man that are wasting away in decay. The blessings afforded us were not afforded us simply by the power and effort and hand of man. But blessings ultimately come from God as does security, as does peace, and joy, and prosperity. We are beginning to see the effects of a society that is turning its back on the God who bless them in such magnificent fashion.

So, it seemed to be the case with the city of Sardis. We see in the first verse of chapter three, the depiction of Christ. The depiction here it says, these things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Here Christ, the head of the church, who was seen in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks that represent the seven churches of Asia, is also seen as having the seven spirits of God. Now, you say, hold on a minute, pastor.

Isn't there just one holy spirit? Indeed, there is. Just one holy spirit, one holy spirit who is God, who is omnipresent. Therefore, he can be everywhere at once. Therefore, he can be dwelling in my heart as well as yours as well as somebody on the other side of the world.

Some things in Revelation are symbolic, and the number seven in scripture is used very often as being symbolic to express completeness and fullness. And so, it would seem as this depiction is used three or four times in the book of Revelation for the holy spirit. It is not speaking of there being literally seven spirits, but that there is speaking of the fullness and the completeness of the work of the holy spirit. The greatness of the work of the holy spirit, particularly as the holy spirit does a work in the churches. For the power and the life blood of the church is the Holy Spirit.

It is not a man. It is not a program. It is not a a particular denomination. It is not a particular number of people. It is the power and work of the Holy Spirit that breathes life into the church of God.

Apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in the church and the lives of its individual members, the church is powerless and lifeless. As it would seem, the church of Sardis was sadly becoming. In Acts chapter one and verse eight, Christ said to his disciples as he was preparing to ascend back up into heaven, he told them to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. He said, after but you shall receive power, enablement. After the Holy Spirit has come upon you and then you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth but Jesus said first, you go back and you wait for the coming of the holy spirit.

The holy spirit is vital to the life of the individual Christian and the life and power and effectiveness of the church of God. Without the holy spirit, without the working of the holy spirit, without the reviving of the holy spirit, and the guidance of the holy spirit, we are in deep trouble and so, we see a lot of churches today. Some of them very small, some of them very big that are in a lot of trouble particularly in respect to God. Sometimes, they may seem to be doing wonderfully great here but if they're not preaching the gospel and they're not preaching the word and they're not filled with the holy spirit, then, in the eyes of God, they are not accomplishing anything and it's his perspective. It's his judgment that matters, not the eyes of the world.

The church can be busy with many things. Write about many things, have a lot of people, a lot of money, prestige, and still be without spiritual life. If as a result, if the result is the work of man and not the work of the holy spirit and the work of man does not remain. Eventually, it fails. While the work of the holy spirit always succeeds and continues.

Jesus said, I will build my church and the what? The gates of hell will not prevail against it. The churches that are filled with true born again Christians doing the work of the Lord cannot be defeated. By the enemy. For greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.

However, this seems to be an area of problem for the church at Sardis. We continue on with the with the final phrase there, I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead. We usually look at this point at the commendation, the praise of the savior and the head of the church for the church he's writing to but we really see no praise here. He says, I know thy works. This is not really a commendation but simply a declaration that Christ sees and knows exactly what is happening there.

Hence, he has the proper commendation, rebuke, advice, or warning to give. This isn't I I see thy works. Oh, they're wonderful. Man, they're impressive. No, in previous churches, he said, well, I see thy works.

You're doing this, you're doing that. I I am I praise you. But not the church at Sardis. He says, I know thy works. I see them.

I see them. Each church receives different instruction for the Lord from the Lord because the issues of the churches are all quite different. Each church has its own character. Each church has its own issues and problems, strengths, and weaknesses and so, he responds and instructs, encourages, and rebukes each church uniquely. So is the case today.

Churches are made of unique individuals. Servants of the Lord hopefully. And so, those unique individuals make a unique church and the church at Sardis has nothing to be praised here as a church, though we will see a little praise at the end. Secondly, the statement which follows about having a name that is living or alive and yet dead seems to indicate the church had a reputation for being full of life in the past but now was dying church. Let me turn that off.

There was a point in time where the church of Sardis was alive. There was a point in time where it was filled with the love of Christians for the Lord and for others. A church that had a love and a burden for the lost. A church that was growing in their knowledge and love of the savior, a church that was to be praised, a church that had earned a good reputation not only before man but also before God. But that time, sadly had passed on for the church at Sardis.

And it had become a dying church, a declining church, a complacent church. Past successes or failures do not always represent the present condition. There are many variables which can affect the condition of a church that once was on fire for God. People moving in and out of the community can have an effect on the church. Change in leadership can, will have an effect on a church.

Change in the culture, government, and economy of the place where the church sits can have an impact on the church. Change in the attitudes of Christians in particular has a great impact on the church because what is the church? Well, it is the family of believers that go there, not the building. But the family of God. The family of God becomes worldly and complacent in their attitudes, then, the church reflects that as a whole.

When I was in college and I was studying for the ministry, I took a class called adolescent psychology and one of the things we learn in adolescent psychology was that the maturity and attitude of a group of people, particularly adolescents, always tends toward the least mature of the group. The group maturity always reflects the least mature in the group and we often recognize that just in society in general. You get a group of people together and usually you'll see that they don't often times get more mature and stronger and no, rather than pulling up the ones who are weak, the group team tends to get what? Pulled down to the lowest denominator in in the group. And so, as credit Christians attitudes towards the world, towards the word of God, and towards commitment, changes, so does the entire character of the church reflect that.

Change in doctrine and practice definitely affect the church. Attacks of the enemy can affect the church. Sometimes, he comes in through the front door. Persecution. Sometimes, he comes in the backdoor with gossip and division but the enemy is hard at work against every work and ministry of the Lord and against every Christian who loves him and wants to serve him.

We must be careful not to sit back on our laurels and think about how things used to be or how things were because God doesn't judge us today on what was yesterday. But what is today? And what will be as we go forward in the future. Philippians three thirteen and fourteen, Paul said this, brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forth to those things which are before, I pressed toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul said, I have success successes in my past.

I have failures in my past. I have great times of enjoyment and joy and victory and I have time spent in dungeons and in the sea floating on a piece of driftwood. Laying left for dead after being stoned to death. Left for death. Paul says, those things are behind me.

Paul says, I have memories of doing great things for the Lord. I also have memories of doing great things for the enemy of the Lord. Paul says, I have memories of doing great things in service to my God and for the children of God and for the churches. Bringing the gospel to the lost but he says also have memories of persecuting and imprisoning the children of God. And standing and okaying the death of Christians like Stephen whose martyrdom Paul ascended to when we knew him as Saul.

We cannot allow the past to keep us from looking to the what? The future. Whether it be successes or failures. This seems to be part of the problem of the church at Sardis. They were resting in the successes, the reputation of the past but in the present, they were what?

They were dying. Did the Lord want this to happen? Absolutely not. He does not desire that for any church. For the churches represent the Lord.

So, we see next the condemnation. Verse two, he says, be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die. For I have not found thy works perfect before God. John was led by the holy spirit writes to the church, wake up. Be alert.

Be on guard. It maybe that the city of Sardis fell to the enemy because the guards were not awake and alert as the armies scaled the hill to the citadel and took it. It's also the case with many churches and many Christians. We are asleep at the wheel and what happens when you're asleep at the wheel? Nothing good happens.

That is sadly often the case and was the case as it would seem here at the church of Sardis. So, John says, be watchful. Wake up. Be vigilant. In Ephesians, the apostle Paul writes, be circumspect means the same thing.

Be cautious. Be awake. Be alert. For the attacks of the enemy. In Peter, Peter writes, be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, roameth about seeking whom he may devour.

Be vigilant. Be on guard. Have your eyes open. Do not be lulled to sleep because it is when we are lulled to sleep, it is when we are comfortable. It is when things are going smoothly, that is when often the enemy attacks and we aren't prepared and sometimes, it's in your face and sometimes, as I mentioned, I think Wednesday night, it's like that frog in the kettle, where you put it in the cold water, and you turn it up just a little bit at a time, and the frog is cooked before he knows what's happened.

I've never tried that. Anybody ever tried that to see if it actually works? I don't know. Somebody said it does. But you get the point.

The church of Sardis, it was a slow boil. And the Lord was trying to get their attention before it was what? Before it was too late. Akin to the lack of love in the church at Ephesus, the complacency of the church of Sardis was slowly draining it of the life which would soon bring judgement from God rather than blessing as the work of the holy spirit ceased. He warns them here, your works are not perfect before God.

What that means is, there's something desperately lacking. In your church. There's something desperately lacking in your lives. That would seem to be the work of the Holy Spirit. That would seem to be a commitment to the Lord.

It would seem to be a complacency. Maybe the church unlike the others in the region was not experiencing much in the way of persecution and so became comfortable in society as they were tolerated by it. That's a danger in The United States. It has been for a very long time. We were founded as a Christian nation.

In general, Christ says, Christians who serve the Lord can expect to be to face persecution. Jesus said, don't be surprised if the world hated you. It hated me before you hated you and if it hates the master, it is very likely to hate the servant. But in a quasi Christian nation, we haven't faced a whole lot of persecution. We've been comfortable.

Even today, Christianity may not be praised. It may not be lauded. It may not always be well received but it is still tolerated. Unlike a lot of places in the world or you might say most. But God uses trials and even persecution.

To help us to mature and to grow. It's the the bumps that we that we climb on. James one, brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations or trials knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience but let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire wanting or lacking nothing. God says, count it joy when you have struggles. That's not a bad thing.

May seem like a bad thing. Maybe a painful thing. Maybe a hurtful thing. Maybe something that we really want out of. But God says, trust me.

Hang on. There is something good at the end. Maybe the Christians were also well provided for, not facing hardships to the extent of others, enjoying luxuries of life on the earth, they grew cold in their zeal for the things of heaven. The Bible warns of the love of riches And the more riches we get, the tendency is the more riches we we want. And the more likely we are to rest in the security of wealth rather than in the security of who?

Security of Jesus Christ. Therefore, lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. I used to think of it as where your heart is, there will your treasure be also but the Bible actually says it in the opposite order. The things that you treasure will lead your what?

Will lead your heart, will pull your heart with it. And if we treasure the things of the world above the things of the Lord, we'll find that our heart and our focus and our love for the Lord will tend to grow cold as our love for the world grows greater and the work of the holy spirit in our life will grow quieter. Maybe the church had thrived in the past and was full of life and love and ministry but over time, love was replaced with duty and the work of the holy spirit with programs and true worth worship with lifeless liturgy or self gratifying entertainment. Simply going through the motions. Oh, I hope and pray that you're not going through the motions, that you're just doing it because it's the thing to do, or because it's my duty, because it's what we do, but because it's who we are and who Jesus is.

Paul write to Timothy in second Timothy three five to characterize a certain group of religious people. He said, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away. Paul said, don't to Timothy, don't involve yourself. Don't get yourself all caught up with this group of people that have no heart for God. They're just going through the what?

They're going through the motions. Sad to say, the vast majority of people that sit in churches in our country today, they're just doing what? They're just going through the motions and as the church God goes, so does the society and the civilization go also. And we see that effect on our society today. As the church in America is not on the upswing, sad to say.

It is on the decline. And not just churches that you might call liberal or apostate. But some that you might call evangelical or even fundamental. So, we see the issue facing the church at Sardis. We see the condemnation we see the the back to verse verse two.

We see here the encouragement to be watchful and strengthen the things which what? Which remain. Before they completely slip away. Strengthen what is there. There is still is the church of Sardis without hope.

No, it is not. We serve the God whose mercies are new what? Every morning. We serve the God who is powerful and able to do anything. The church was not without hope but God says, you better strengthen the things, build up the things which remain because you, even though you don't recognize it yet, are on the verge of dying as a church.

We see next the warning. Look, if you would in verse three, remember therefore, 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 the hour, what hour I will come upon thee. God says to this church, remember, this isn't the first time God said this. He said this to the church at Ephesus that it lost their first love.

He told them also to remember. Remember the first things. Remember what it was like. When you first trusted Christ as savior, when everything was new and exciting, remember how you serve the Lord. Remember how he had first place in your life.

Remember, Don't forget because the world wants to pull it out of us and the devil wants to blind us to it That we no longer remember. What it was like as an individual or as a church. So, he told the church, remember, recall what you received and heard and respond once again. Respond once again. Don't live in the past.

Live for Jesus now. Remember, what? The word of God. Remember what you received and and what God did in your life. And hold fast.

Cling tenaciously to the things which remain. Goes along with the previous verse that says, strengthen the things which remain. We must hold fast to those things. We must tenaciously not let them go. Don't be satisfied.

So, one of the plagues upon the church is we are satisfied with the way things are. We're satisfied in our own individual Christian life. Now, you say, pastor, aren't we supposed to be content? Yes, we are. We're supposed to be content in who?

In the Lord and the things which he has provided and what he has done but we're not to be satisfied and complacent in our own service and spiritual growth for the Lord and we get to a point like many things whether it be the church or an individual and we and we kind of plateau and it's easy just kind of sit there but somebody said, in the Christian life, if you're not going forward, you're going what? You're going backward. If we're not growing in the Lord, then we're shrinking. We're growing cold. To the Lord.

So, hold tenaciously. Hold tenaciously onto the Lord himself. He is your hope. He is your joy. He is the lifeblood of the church.

He is where the power is found. It's not in programs. It's not in people. It's in Jesus and his word. That's why it's so important as a church that Christ have first place in our life, that we that we study and learn and live the word of God.

We spend time in prayer with our God because he is our life as a church and he says, as you recognize and you hold tenaciously, repent. Repent of the sin of complacency before it is too late. God says to the church, if you don't wake up, before you know it, the power of the church will be completely what? Will be completely gone. Don't be that church, Sardis.

Don't let that slip away. Repent before it's too late. God's warning. The church at Sardis, God's warning to churches today Life isn't found in the effort of man to work up a good time or excitements like a like a pep band in high school. True life is found in walking with the Holy Spirit day by day and listening and following him remembering, holding fast, and repenting of our sin.

Humbling ourselves and following the Lord. The exhortation, the encouragement. Look if you would in verse four, thou hast a few names in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white for they are worthy. Paul John has these words to say to a few people at this church.

You know, God does not judge us. God does not see us particularly in light of eternity as a group. The Bible says, we will all stand before the judgement seat and as what? Individuals. God does not save families.

God does not save churches. God saves individual souls who put their faith and trust in him. And though the church at Sardis was sinking, God said, he took time to speak specifically to a few individuals who had remained true in their faith to the Lord. They weren't playing the game. They weren't going through the motions.

They weren't just a religious group of people doing the works. They truly know knew the Lord. They truly were following the Lord and they were growing in the Lord and he says to them, that knew the Lord and was following him. He said, despite the condition of the church, that you will walk with me in white. Now, he mentions in the next verse, he that overcometh the same shall be clothed in right white raiment and I will not blot his name out of the book of life but I will confess his name before the father my father and before his angels.

Not only does Christ say this of the few in the church of Sardis that truly knew the Lord and was serving him but God also said this of every believer in Jesus Christ. We are clothed in white robes. Now, what does that symbolize? It symbolizes the righteousness of Jesus Christ. It's white robes because it's not something we're born with.

It's something that God attires us with to cover the black of sin. That is under it. For the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from what? All sin. For God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Does that sound familiar? Should. I quoted it this morning and probably two weeks ago. One of my favorite verses. In Revelation, white robes is used several times to depict the redeemed.

In Revelation six eleven, it says, and white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren. Revelation seven nine, after this, I beheld and low a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations and kindred and people and tongues stood before the throne, and for the lamb clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. Clothed in white robes. The righteousness of Jesus Christ. Says here that their names will not be blotted out of the book of life.

That's the lamb's book of life. That's the book in which the names are written of every redeemed. In Jesus Christ. Our names are secure and we're worthy. You say, but wait a second, we're not worthy.

We're worthy as we are clothed in the righteousness of who? Jesus Christ and that is the only way that we have been found worthy. We're not worthy of ourselves. We have nothing to offer. It's God who has everything to offer us through faith in his beloved son.

It is God who has welcomed us into the beloved. It is God who has clothed us in the righteousness of his son and therefore has found us what? Worthy and has secured our names in the lamb's book of life. So that when the day of judgement at the great white throne comes, we will not be cast into that lake of fire because only those whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. We will not be judged based upon our works, our righteousness, as they will, but we will be judged in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, our savior, whose robe we accepted, whose invitation to salvation, we received, and were forgiven forever.

But there is still a danger a danger in every church and in every ministry that as the Christians become complacent, that the church begins to no longer be on fire for God. We must be alert. For if we are not, the enemy will come in. And slowly, our testimony will decline and the work of the spirit will decline. We must look to the Lord.

We must stay alert. We must humble ourselves and trust only in him. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word this evening. Thank you for the warning.

Lord, sad to say, there are many churches today that did not heed the warning. But Lord, you have given your word to us. So, that we might be alert and on guard. Lest these things should rob us of the power of God. Lest we should turn from our security in Christ to the things of the world.

Lest in our comfort, we should become complacent in the work and service of our God and our church rather than growing in its love for the Lord, empowered by his spirit should begin to wane in its service for Christ. May 2017, Lord, be a year of growth not only in number, but in spirit and in power. As we serve the Lord Jesus Christ together. In Jesus precious name, we pray. Amen.