Revelation 3:1 - 6

May 4, 2020

 

Monday! Join me as we examine a prosperous city and a church without sin!

 

5.            Sardis [3:1 – 6]

• Overview: modern Sart, ancient capital of the region, temple to Artemis was twice the size of the Parthenon, five acre gymnasium and bathhouse, one of the largest synagogues, the bishop of Sardis sat on a marble throne, immense wealth, gold, King Croesus/Midas, surrounding mountains became a stronghold for bands of robbers.
• REVELATION: “These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” [Revelation 3:1a NIV]
• Strength: NONE!
• Weakness: “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.” [Revelation 3:1b NIV]
• Threat: “But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” [Revelation 3:3b NIV]
• Remedy: wake up, strengthen what remains, complete your deeds, remember (received, heard), obey, repent.
• Promise: “The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.” [Revelation 3:5 NIV]

 

Like the church of Thyatira, this church is mixed but the situation is flipped. Mixed into a dead church there are those who are worthy. “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.” [Revelation 3:4 NIV] While the previous churches endured persecution, fought false teaching, and tolerated evil operating inside it; this church has become dead. If this is a progression of church problems, it’s a sudden shock to see this church. No notable sin is identified. No struggle is identified. Neither is there persecution, temptation, or false teaching. It is just dead, dying, and asleep.

 

How are we to know the true spiritual state of the church (or individual)? I am so glad you asked!!!

Reputation and reality can be very different. Jesus noted this, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” [Matthew 23:27 NIV] 

 

I think the difference between a dead church and a live one is the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit, the body is dead. Reputation comes from externals. The tombs look beautiful but are filled with dead bones. A church looks active, doing/believing the right things, and is growing; but inside it is dead. The question is, if the Holy Spirit is removed: would anything in the church change?

My suspicion is that dead churches are peaceful ones, without satanic opposition. When the church is asleep, dying, or dead, the enemy of our souls will leave them alone. The point is, they pose no threat to the gates of hell.

 

“He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” [Ezekiel 37:3 NIV]

 

It has been suggested this reflects the state of the church from approximately 1500 to 1700. This is the Reformation, Erasmus (a monk, compiles a Greek manuscript of the New Testament which is the basis of the King James Version), Puritan movement, Bible translated in to “common tongue.”

 

The fine print: Optimistically looking forward, the isolation will slowly be relaxed and we will be able to meet as a congregation, hopefully soon. If you are reading this and are in need of a church family, please join us at Faith Alliance Church of Fuoss Mills. (Just search "Fuoss Mills" and you will find us.)