Revelation 3:1-6
The
Read text…
Rev. 3:1 “And to
the angel of the church in
Rev. 3:2 “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Rev. 3:3 “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. 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.
Rev. 3:4 “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Rev. 3:5 “He 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 before His angels.
Rev. 3:6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
Pray
Intro
√ A happening church!
Throughout my Christian walk I have found it interesting to hear what people think makes for an exciting church.
Some define it as…
Awesome worship team
Dynamic pastor/teacher
Multitude of programs
Supernatural display of the gifts
I’ve known some people to even chase from church to church always seeking that next new experience that marks that fellowship as being “alive”!
√ The Lord’s definition
Wouldn’t it be great to know how Jesus defines a really “happening” church? A church that’s really alive and filled with His Spirit!
This letter to the church at Sardis will give us that insight.
Ap. Good to know what is important to our Lord
That we might drop the things that do not please Him and invest ourselves into those things that do.
Greeting (vs. 1a)
Rev 3:1a "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ...
√ Sardis
A wealthy city some 40 miles SE of Thyatira…
Wealth from textile & jewelry
1st coins minted there
Capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia
Military stronghold - 1500 foot plateau, impregnable, imposing cliffs and wall.
√ Church history
No information about who, or how the church started. Most likely the result of Paul's work in the area - the message probably spread from Ephesus.
Description (vs. 1b)
Rev 3:1b ...These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:
√ Jesus
here is described as the One Who has the seven
Spirits of God and the seven stars.
Remember that the 7 Spirits of God are a symbolic picture of the Holy Spirit - speaks of His perfect and complete work amongst Mankind.
Only one Holy Spirit - I Cor. 12:13
Yet, 7 manifestations of the work of the Holy Spirit - Isa. 11:2-3)
√ Secondly Jesus is described as the One with the seven stars.
In Rev. 1:16 & 20 the stars are described as being in His hand.
We know that the seven stars are the "seven angels" of the seven churches - the pastor or spiritual overseer of the church.
The picture then is that Jesus has sovereign control over the churches and the power by which they operate.
Therefore, as Jesus begins His message to the church of Sardis He wants to remind them that He is the One Who has control of...
The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church.
The calling & ministry of the spiritual leaders of the churches.
Why would that be an important reminder? Note the end of verse 1…
Rev 3:1c ..."I
know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
That is, this church had a reputation for being spiritually alive…
…but in reality the activity in the church was not led by, nor empowered by the Holy Spirit!
Ex. A.W. Tozer
“If the Holy Spirit was removed from the Church in the book of Acts, 90% of the activity in the Church would cease.
If the Holy Spirit was removed from the Church today, 90% of the activity in the Church would continue without anyone noticing that He had left!”
The great sin of the church in Sardis was that they proclaimed to posses and offer real life…
…yet, all they really offered was a vain manmade substitute.
Religion without relationship – a form of godliness but denying its power.
Ex. Life support system – keep the blood flowing long after the body is dead.
Manmade system gives the impression of life but the body is dead.
What Jesus wanted the church in Sardis to understand was that He was not interested in their religion – no matter how active it was.
Because without the life giving power of His Spirit the church was dead and ineffective to reach the lost and empower God’s people.
Like a branch cut from the vine.
Jesus tells us…
Joh 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
What Jesus desires is an intimate relationship between Himself and the people of the church and their total dependence upon His Spirit for their life and power.
Ap. Don’t pretend!
Paul warned Timothy that one of the conditions of the people in the last days who claimed to of Christ would be that they lacked the power of His Spirit.
2Tim. 3:5 “…having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Commendation (vs. ?)
√ Commendation
Now, for those of you who have been taking notes you know that the general format of Jesus' messages to the churches is first...
Identify the church
Give a description of Him
Commendation
But look at our text – there is no commendation from Jesus for the church of Sardis!
For the first time in His messages to the churches Jesus begins with a rebuke!
No word of commendation – nothing at all that He could find to praise them for! Rather, Jesus moves directly to a rebuke.
Why? Because in each of the first four churches evil was exception, not the habit of the church.
The condition of the church in Sardis, however, is quite different - evil was the habit, or the rule, of the church!
That grabs my attention! I want to know "what evil?” What was this church involved in that was so wicked that Jesus can’t find one good to say to them?
Worship of idols?
Sexual immorality?
False doctrine?
What is amazing is that not one of these things is mentioned! In fact quite the opposite is true, the estimation of this church in Man's opinion is that it was spiritually "alive"!
This church had a reputation as having it all together! A model church - a church other fellowships looked to and said…
"Those guys have it together."
The church in Sardis had…
Solid doctrine
They didn't worship idols
Didn't practice or approve of sexual immorality
Filled with lot's of activity
…alive!
But look at Jesus' estimation of the church...
"...but you are dead." Vs. 1
√ A dead church
Is that not incredible? That a church could exist and have a reputation among the world and even other churches as having it all together - being "alive"…
…yet Jesus looks at it and says it is dead!
The truth revealed here is that what is not visible to Man is perfectly apparent to the One Who has the seven Spirits of God and the who holds the Seven Stars in His hand.
That is, only Jesus can accurately discern the spiritual condition of a church or individual.
√ How!
The question that I have is…
“How can that be?”
What makes a church dead even when it may be filled with activity and have a great reputation for being alive?
The answer may surprise you. A dead church, or a dead Christian life, is a one that lives on it's past glories and is sustained by empty traditions and the strength of men.
Barkley...
"...the church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past...when it is more concerned with forms than with life..when it loves systems more than it loves Jesus Christ...when it is more concerned with material than spiritual things."
Sardis was a church with a great history and a tradition by which they honored their past glory. A church that…
Had once been a strong witness for Jesus
Once was filled with a simple, yet profound love for Jesus.
Once had a great impact on the world around it because of the changed lives of her people.
The great evil then in Sardis was that they rested comfortably on their past achievements and glories. They could point with pride at what had been…
…the problem of course was that they currently weren’t doing anything.
√ So where did all the activity come from that gave them a reputation for being alive?
It was the product of Man's strength rather than the power of the Holy Spirit.
It was activity based upon tradition rather than the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The church of Sardis had separated itself from the Lord and was running on it's own power.
Ex. Concerts and the Calvary Chapel tradition
Ap. Don’t keep anything on life support – cut it lose!
Warning & instruction (vs. 2-3)
Rev 3:2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. 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.
√ Warning & instruction
Thou the church at Sardis had been classified as being dead in the sight of the Lord, it is clear from vs. 2 that they still had a pulse!
There were apparently some in the church who still possessed true spiritual life. Otherwise it would not have been possible to say...
"...strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die..."
On the other hand the task of restoration would not be easy - look at the Lord's accusation against the church...
"...for I have not found your works perfect before God."
That is, those things the church was involved in fell short of God's expectations either in motive or execution.
All the activity which gave the church a name of being alive were incomplete in Jesus' estimation.
Ex. Worshipping the worship team instead of Jesus
“The heart of worship”
People once came to express the love in their heart for Jesus in worship….
…now people are often drawn to a church for the entertainment value of the worship team.
√ Revival
If anyone could bring a dying church back to life it is the Lord! Here He gives instructions for reviving the dead church.
Watch - for His return. There is a purifying and motivating fire that burns in the heart of God's people when they are looking for the Lord's Return.
Keep our priorities straight
Keeps us sober minded regarding temptation and sin
If you find yourself feeling dead spiritually, resting on past glories rather than a fresh work of His Spirit…
…take up His Word and begin to read again the promises of His return!
A church that believes and teaches that Jesus the imminent return of Jesus is sure to be alive.
Ex. Every generation should live with that expectation!
Strengthen what remains - the church of Sardis had all the ingredients for a healthy fellowship…
Solid doctrine
Weren't entangled in immorality or other sin
Mature believers
Godly order
…and, most importantly, they had the Holy Spirit available to them simply for the asking!
Jesus’ instruction to them is to take those truths and put them into practice under the direction and power of the Holy Spirit.
That is, don’t just give intellectual accent to the ministry of the Holy Spirit…
…practice what the Word proclaims and believe that He is able and willing to fulfill His promises!
Ex. Prayer for the sick
So, we are to recognize that God’s power is available to us in every generation. Don’t relegate the Holy Spirit and His ministry to the 1st Century…
…the promise of Acts 1:8 is still true today for those who ask!
Remember how you received - they were to recall how it was that they received salvation - by Grace.
One of the great killers of spiritual life is to forget the wonder of God's Grace.
When a person is no longer awed by his/her salvation – (a worm with a wicked heart) - saved by the love of God…
…then the spiritual life dies and is replaced by an intellectual collection of cold facts.
Jesus was calling the folks at Sardis to not just know about salvation & the power of His Spirit, they were to experience it.
So, Jesus invites the people in Sardis to have vital relationship with Him.
Hold fast - the picture here is that the church had grown distant in their relationship with Jesus.
They no longer held to Him as a Lover, rather they kept Jesus at arms length.
Jesus now calls them to return to an all-consuming relationship with Him - holding to Him and nothing else.
Repent - all spiritual revival begins with repentance. The man or woman or church that wants a new life in Christ must first confess his/her sins and change their behavior.
The saints in Sardis were called to acknowledge their poor spiritual condition and put into action the instructions Jesus gave them.
The promise of the Lord is that if they would follow His instructions then they would once again experience the glory they now only held as a memory.
Ap. Note the ingredients for reviving a dead church…
Watch – for the Lord’s Return
Strengthen – practice your faith
Remember – how we are saved, by Grace!
Hold on – to Jesus alone, not our tradition or power
Repent – acknowledge your sin and seek His forgiveness
We pray for revival in our day and in our community – let us put into practice the things that Jesus promises will bring life to a dead church!
Close
√ Are you dead or alive?
The test is simple really. Is your faith a memory of what once was…
…or something that you practice today?
Jesus wants to have a vital relationship with us. If you’re experiencing anything less than the abundant life He promised then its time to revive what is dead!