Love Letters to the Church
Part 5
“Sardis: The Lifeless Church
Revelation 3:1-3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.”
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So far we’ve looked at four of the seven churches Jesus addresses in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation.
Ephesus—the lacking church.
Smyrna—the loyal church.
Pergamos—the lax church.
And Thyatira—the loose church.
Today we’re going to look at Sardis—the lifeless church.
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Now, the city of Sardis itself was very old and famous.
Seven hundred years before this letter was written Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the world.
Its wealth had been legendary.
The river Pactolus that flowed through Sardis carried down gold dust from a mountain there.
The kings of Sardis were the first to use the gold dust of this river to make coins.
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When John wrote this letter the economy of Sardis was still strong.
They became very rich from making and selling beautiful woven fabrics and jewelry.
But internally Sardis had become lethargic and decadent.
Their past splendor was now only a decaying memory.
In fact, spiritually and morally, Sardis was depraved.
Once again we see that riches don’t necessarily signal that you are right with God.
Like Rome did later and America is doing now, the Sardis of the Apostle John’s day was decaying and rotting from the inside out.
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For example, the leaders of Sardis had allowed a prostitution temple to be built to the false goddess Diana.
Diana was the mythical goddess of the moon, the hunt, and fertility.
The temple built for her was the seventh largest temple in the world of that day, but was the setting for great sin and debauchery.
Yet the leaders of Sardis had given HUGE honor to this false goddess.
And they entertained many other mystery cults as well.
These mystery cults were marked by wild, emotional hysteria and bodily mutilation.
So when this church was addressed by Jesus, the city of Sardis had reached it’s zenith and was now in rapid decline.
Idolatry, cults, and immorality ruled the day.
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Then next we come to the church in Sardis.
Jesus’s take on them was they had a reputation for being alive, but were actually spiritually dead.
The Lord had no positive words for this church that looked so good on the outside but was corrupt on the inside.
Listen again to his diagnosis:
“1 I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.” (Revelation 3:1-2)
Even the little flicker of life they still had was in danger of going out.
The Sardis church was on life support!
Their outer appearance and reputation covered up an internal, dying condition.
The Great Physician had taken their spiritual pulse and pronounced them “dead.”
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Now, to the casual observer they were a beehive of organized activity—Jesus said “I know your works…”
Their reputation around town might have been described as being progressive, having a nice building, lots of money, doing works of charity…but spiritually they were dead.
Jesus said they had “a name that lived” but their reputation was not the truth.
The Bible says, “Man looks on the outer appearance while God looks at the heart.”
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Therefore, the glorified Savior, the Head of the Church, pierces through the facade and diagnoses their spiritual illness.
He did not find their works “perfect” before God, which means “finished” or “complete.”
The NIV puts it, “I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.”
Paul once exhorted a man named Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”—Col. 4:17 NIV
The Sardis church had not finished their assignment, but had somehow gotten sidetracked.
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So let’s unpack this.
Why were they spiritually dead in Jesus’s eyes?
First,
I. Compromise
The church in Sardis had compromised with its pagan, worldly surroundings.
They’d lost their kingdom saltiness.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.”—Matt. 5:13 NLT
But for a few in their ranks, this wayward church had become just like the people they were supposed to be reaching!
Jesus said, “You have a few people in your group there in Sardis who have kept themselves clean.”—vs. 4 ERV
The idea is “only a few” in this church had held fast to Christ and His teachings, successfully resisting the corruption that was everywhere around them.
So first, COMPROMISE played a part in their dead spiritual condition.
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Second,
II. They’d replaced true anointing with endless activity
The church in Sardis was not lacking in works.
Jesus said, “I know your deeds (works).”
In all probability it was a beehive of organized activity.
When Jesus said, “You have a reputation of being alive,” it suggests the outward appearance of this church was positive.
It was humming!
It had a reputation for being a progressive, happening church.
The buzz on the streets was probably, “If you’re looking for a church, try the church in Sardis!
If you had asked a non-Christian on the streets of Sardis for the location of this church, he could have quickly told you.
It was likely well attended.
It was known as the LIVE church—“You have a reputation for being alive.”
Most people had a positive opinion of this church.
From what?
Their many works that were visible to onlookers.
If you’d been moving from the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, or Thyatira to Sardis, your pastor would likely have suggested that you attend this church!
But their reputation was not their reality.
Rather than the Sardis church impacting the city, their corrupt city had influenced them!
Jesus said that most of them had “defiled their garments” meaning most of them had caved in to the corrupt culture around them.
They were doing the work of the Lord while disconnected from the Lord of the work.
And this was another contributor to their deadness.
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But good news!
The situation in Sardis was:
III. NOT hopeless
Jesus provides a remedy in verse 2: said, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die,”
What little spiritual reality remained in Sardis was rapidly dying out, but Jesus says it’s not too late.
He exhorts them to “strengthen what remains.”
If they caught themselves in time, they could recover.
His solution is found in verse 3:
“So don’t forget what you have received and heard. Obey it. Change your hearts and lives!” ERV
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So according to Jesus—If you find yourself in a hole, first thing you do is STOP DIGGING!
Don’t make the situation worse!
The Lord’s path to recovery is three words:
REMEMBER the truth that changed you at the first.
The gospel of Jesus Christ and placing faith in Him was the turning point of your life! Remember that!
REPENT of your error.
Turn around and go the other way.
RETURN to Jesus and his teachings.
Go back to the source of all your blessings!
God promises, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7 NLT)
Jeremiah 6:16 NLT “This is what the Lord says: ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.”
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Every church and every Christian should from time to time “stop at the crossroads and look around.”
Are you going the right way?
Are you holding tight to Jesus?
Are you living your life according to the teaching of God’s word?
Are you doing busy without balance?
Are you resisting the corruption of the world?
If not, Jesus says, “Return to your spiritual roots, to the Lord and his ways.”
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We don’t know if Sardis turned in time, but you can today!
LET’S PRAY
NUGGET: While we may fool others, Jesus knows our true spiritual condition.