Transcript

Sardis-The Dead Church

Revelation 3:1-6
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Pastor Randy Smith

---

Imagine walking through someone's house and the first thing you see in their family room is their gigantic flat screen television set mounted on the wall. Upon closer inspection, it's a 4K 3D Smart Ultra HDTV measuring at 65 inches with a clear motion rate of 1200. You ask the homeowner to turn it on, but he says the unit is only for show.

Then you make you way into the kitchen. Your eyes can see beyond the La Cornue's Grand Palais range which provides a six foot handmade cooktop range, a lava rock grill, electric plates, natural convection gas oven and electric oven. It's made of cast iron, steel, solid brass and porcelain enamel. The base cost is $47,300. You remark. "What a beautiful oven!" And the homeowner response, "We love it too! It makes our kitchen look beautiful. And since it doesn't work, we are able to keep in tip-top condition."

You see a pattern forming here. By the time you make it to the rear of the house, you notice a room filled with prestigious automobiles. Square in the middle is a brand new 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder selling at a price of $929,000.00. The car boasts of a 4.6L V-8 608hp engine. Zero-60 in 6.7 seconds with a top speed of 211 miles per hour. Immediately you say, "Let me guess, doesn't work, right?" The owner relies, "Yes, I received it at a discounted rate because the motor wasn't included, but it really looks nice, doesn't it?

When products don't serve the purpose for which they are intended we call them useless. I suppose naive and superficial folks might take pleasure in their appearance, but practical people and those with half a brain expect to see results for their investment.

Many churches operate on the same premise as my fictional home. They may look good on the outside, but spiritually not too much if anything is happening for the Lord's sake on the inside. They have impressive programs and the congregation seems composed and dignified, but as far as God's blessings of Christlike growth, the pursuit of holiness, dedicated prayer, fruitful outreach, godly families, sincere repentance, Spirit-produced fruit, genuine love, passionate worship and God-empowered service, one needs to look really hard to see any traces of God's hand in their actions.

This morning as we look at our fifth of seven churches, we'll see exactly that. Let me introduce you to the church in Sardis - the apparently alive church, but one that the Lord deems is dead.

1. The City (verse 1)

As we have been learning, our Lord follows a consistent outline in His remarks to each of the churches. As always, the city itself where the church was located is first addressed (our first point). Verse 1, "To the angel of the church in Sardis write."

Located about 50 miles east of Ephesus, Sardis was one of the most powerful cities in the ancient world around the sixth century BC. Like the other cities, the power shifted from Greek to Roman influence. And when Rome was in charge, its prominence as a city declined substantially. Nevertheless, Sardis was still engulfed in worshipping the Greek gods - excavations have unearthed a massive temple dedicated to Artemis (Diana). They also paid homage to worshipping Roman leadership, an expectation forced upon the people and one that brought, as we've been learning, significant persecution to the Christians who refused to bow their knee to anyone other than Jesus Christ.

2. The Christ (verse 1)

Jesus Christ introduces Himself (our second point) in verse 1 with a description of Himself customized specifically for this church and taken from the description of Himself from chapter one (Rev. 1:16, 20) of this book. Look there with me. "He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars."

So why did Jesus use this particular description of Himself for this church in particular? While there is debate as to what Jesus meant when He said, "The seven Spirits of God," most believe it is a reference in some way to the Holy Spirit. Let's remember this was a dead church. They needed spiritual power to shake off their lethargy and backslidden condition. The impressive outward façade was nothing but an empty spiritual shell inside. One author said, "Everything in the show window, but nothing in stock" (Vance Havner, Repent or Else, p. 63). That always means their efforts were human-driven and not Holy Spirit-driven. Without the Holy Spirit, the church is nothing more than a secular organization. In order to burn brightly as a lampstand for Christ, this church needed to be reminded that they needed to plug into the Holy Spirit.

3. The Commendation

Alright, we're moving quickly because I want to be sure to save the time we need for some of the final points. Point three will be no exception - "the Commendation." Before the Lord expresses His problems with the church, He often first remarks (at this point) as to what the church is doing well. Sardis is an exception. There is no commendation spoken at this time prior to announcing the condemnation.

4. The Condemnation (verse 1)

So let's move to the condemnation (point number 4). The remaining words in verse 1. "I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."

When Jesus says, "I know your deeds," He is not speaking of it in such a way as to compliment the church. He's speaking of their deeds in the way of appearance and not spiritual productivity. Again, there was a lot going on, but in the Lord's eyes it was all a colossal waste of time as it pertained to divine and eternal results.

The context of these verses drives that understanding home. Jesus says they had a "name that [they were alive]," but in reality "[they were] dead."

As far as their reputation with society went, they were a very successful church. The townspeople, perhaps neighboring churches viewed the church in Sardis as a sensational and accomplished church. The people were a pleasure to be around. The building was well-kept. Cutting-edge activities were happening throughout the week. The pastor was writing creative blogs and preaching well-prepared sermons with cute stories and funny jokes. The website was contemporary and frequently updated. Banners, t-shirts, committees, guest speakers, theater seating with cup holders, a skateboard park, a cappuccino café - this church had it all!

You get the feeling as far as churches went, this was one of the top churches that came to mind. "Looking for a good church? Oh, you have got to check-out the church in Sardis. I'm not even one who believes that stuff, but I hear if you call yourself a Christian, that's the place to be."

Tragically, despite all they had going to the naked eye and the collective human voice of praise for this church, the Lord drops the gauntlet with His bone-chilling words at the end of verse 1. "You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."

They were not living sheep dependent on their Shepherd (Jesus Christ), but a bunch of dead carcasses. They were not a body getting its marching orders from the Head (Jesus Christ), but several parts going off in their own direction. They were not a structure constructed upon the Cornerstone (Jesus Christ), but a collection of useless building materials piled in a scrap heap.

Whole churches, like this one, can become spiritually dead. And individuals within good alive churches can become spiritually dead as well. And it happens when we reach a point of just wanting to be comfortable. We're not going to deny Christ. We're not going to separate ourselves completely from the church. We're not going to plunge ourselves in the gross sins of debauchery. We're not even going to give up being a conscientious, considerate and compassionate individual.

But we've gone from a functional wood burning stove in a Rocky Mountain Alpine chalet providing the necessity of heat with embers burning brightly for Jesus, to a recreational fireplace in a vacation home in South Florida that might flash up quickly a few times each year, but for the most part sits in the corner of the room, dark and without any meaningful purpose.

Yes, we talk the talk and look the look, but the passion to live for Christ is nonexistent. Often this belief comes from the thinking that says, "I gave my life to Christ. I have my fire insurance. I'll just cruise through life doing things as I please from now on." That is bad theology, and the primary point we are learning here is that Jesus does not permit this.

It reminds me of the time I was driving through western Texas. The speed limit was 80 and it felt like you were going 35. Straight roads as far as the eye could see as you traveled through barren fields without any change of scenery. So there I am - full tank of gas, music playing, seat and wheel positioned just right, mouth full of sunflower seeds, windows down, sunglasses on, cruise control activated. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Take the journey as you please because eventually you'll arrive at your desired destination!

It doesn't work that way in the Christian life! Here's the illustration Jesus used. "Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, 'No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.' And at once the fig tree withered" (Mt. 21:19). Too many are Christians in name only - incredible appearance, but internally, no fire, no passion, no fruit. The church in Sardis who thought that they had their act together must have been shocked when they received our Lord's scathing denunciation.

Is He possibly speaking to any of us this morning? If this spiritual deadness applies to any of us, I hope and pray our Lord is speaking to our hearts right now. Because as we move to the fifth point, we'll see the Lord teach us how we can become spiritually alive again.

5. The Command (verse 2-3)

The Lord, so ever-patient with this church, commands them in verses 2-3. And in these verses is a five-step battle plan to regain vitality.

Verse 2 starts off by saying, "Wake up!" What a great choice of words for this dead church! "Wake-up!" Despite all their apparent outward activity, the Lord saw them spiritually asleep. History tells us that twice the acropolis (a fortified hill) in Sardis had fallen to the hands of the enemies (the Persians in 549 BC and the Greeks in the later part of the third century BC) simply because the defenders were not vigilant on their watch. Is the Lord recalling for this town their rather well-known historical fact of ignoble lethargy and applying it now to their un-alert spiritual lives?

So the first step is, "wake up." Just going through the motions, just singing the songs, just coming to church, but really excited about my career and my hobbies and my twitter followers and my garden and my promotion and my sports team and my house and my mutual funds and my popularity. This is the Lord hitting you over the head with the 2x4! Where is your first love? Who are you really living for? Wake up!

Second is to, verse 2, "Strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God." Again, the goal is not to completely stop the great things they were doing. There were many tremendous things happening at this church in Sardis, but there simply was no heart, no seeking the Lord, no desire for His blessings, no passion for His glory! Therefore all their works fell short of the completion our Lord expects.

For example, we have a great music ministry here, but are we all singing and if we are singing are we engaging our minds and engaging our emotions? Is our singing really coming from a thankful heart that desires to praise our Savior who is our pearl of great price, our treasure chest of holy joy with the very best that our heart can offer?

For example, we have a great outreach program here. But are we engaged with church organized and personal evangelism? Is sharing Jesus either neglected or a burdensome duty merely fulfilled out of obligation, or is He the overflow of our hearts because we love to make Him know and desire to see others walk in sweet fellowship with the only One who saves and can really heal a broken heart?

Would Jesus say these ministries (and we could name many more if time permitted) have been brought to completion or is there significant strengthening that needs to take place here at Grace Bible Church? This is the difference between a spiritually dead church and a church that is spiritually alive.

The third step is to, verse 3, "remember what you have received and heard." If you are a Christian, none of this should be new to you. There is no secret mystery to unlock. You know what you need to know, therefore the fourth step, "keep it" and the fifth step, "repent." Ask the Lord to help you turn from your sin and start living in a way that He demands.

So the five-step battle plan: Wake up! Do the things you are doing for the Lord's glory. Remember what you know from God's Word. Keep it in the forefront of your minds and cherish it in your heart. Repent of your sin and do what is right.

And if the churchrefuses to repent? Verse 3, "Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you."

Frequently we see this saying used in Scripture (cf. Mt. 24:42-44; 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Pet. 3:10) as a warning to unbelievers and the carnal church in light of our Lord's Second Coming. Always be prepared for His return, lest He catches you by surprise. But here in Revelation 3, I believe this only makes sense if we connect it with an historical coming to judge this church in particular. As we've been learning, God expects His churches to be lampstands that burn brightly for His name. If we refuse to do that after His repeated warnings, He'll take it upon Himself as the Owner of the church to shut things down (cf. Rev. 2:5). Let's remember, God is not in the business of saving the whole world. He always works with a remnant, and His desire is to take the faithful few and use them as holy witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit for His name.

6. The Contribution (verse 4-6)

And when we are faithful (as we move to our final point) the Lord promises to bless His people. Please note, the Lord's blessings will bring us the greatest degree of joy and peace, but the Lord's blessings only come when we do things His way.

Verse 4, "But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy."

In this dead church, Jesus with "His eyes…like a flame of fire" (Rev. 1:14; 2:18; 19:12) as He "walks among the lampstands" (Rev. 2:1) saw a few that were faithful. He calls them "worthy." Of course worthy by God's grace, but still, what an incredible word of encouragement! There was some life. They were useful for the Lord. They had worth!

And He says they will walk with Him in white garments. White symbolizes holiness and purity and fidelity. These faithful few did not stain their testimony through the contaminants of compromise, lethargy and mediocrity. The faithful are walking in white garments now and then forever clothed in their heavenly home in white garments (cf. Rev. 3:18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9. 13; 19:14) because in verse 5 we read, "He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments." Perhaps this also ties in with the well-known Roman custom at the time of wearing white on the day of victory.

Our Lord goes on to say in verse 5, "And I will not erase his name from the book of life." The book of life was written, according to Revelation 13:8, "from the foundation of the world." Once your name is in that book, always your name is in that book. And those who live lives of spiritual life give evidence of their salvation, evidence their name is in the book of life never to be erased. And because they are faithful to the Lord, despite all the temptations to compromise their witness, Jesus says at the end of verse 5, "And I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (cf. Mt. 10:32-33). They loved Jesus. They were driven by His grace. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They weren't ashamed of His name - even when being a witness for Him could have cost them their lives.

Imagine a waterwheel that is attached to the side of a mill. One day the owner notices that his wheel stopped moving because the water from the stream has ceased flowing. So what are his options? He can quit his profession and go home. He can try to crank the wheel with his own power. Or he can go upstream and free the water that was being blocked.

Likewise the church in Sardis needed to continue their excellence in ministry. However, their success was not to come by cranking it out on human strength for human applause, but rather to allow the Holy Spirit to freely flow, supplying the energy they needed, doing things God's way for God's glory.

Verse 6, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."