The "Dead" Church (Revelation 3:1-6)
FOCUS: Revelation. • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction to Sardis.
Introduction to Sardis.
Sardis is the most ancient of the cities of this list.
It established around 1200 B.C.
It was the Capital City of the Kingdom of Lydia.
The Great King of Persia, named Cyrus, conquered it in the 6th Century B.C.
It came under Roman control in 133 B.C.
The patron deity of the city was that of Cybele, which is the same goddess worshipped at Ephesus.
We read in Acts 19:28 “When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!””
She was often worshipped through vile orgies with temple prostitutes.
Whatsmore, during an archaeological dig, their was a church building found near this temple, which shows how close they were to the paganism going on around them.
This gave them great opportunity to be Salt and Light, but we see that it may not have been the case.
very similar to our time now.
Homosexuality being legalized by the senate.
Transgenderism being the norm.
In John’s day, Sardis was booming economically with both the gold and silver mining and the textile/garment trade.
Christ’s Depiction.
Christ’s Depiction.
Again, drawing from the depiction of Christ in chapter 1, we see two things describing Jesus Christ:
He who has the Seven Spirits.
Revelation 1:4.
Isaiah 11:2.
There are seven descriptions of the work of the Holy Spirit in ministry of the Messiah.
Seven is also the number of completeness, meaning that Jesus has all of the Holy Spirit.
This whole idea points to the fact that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is directed by Christ.
If we aren’t being filled with in the Spirit, we are rejecting Christ’s work.
Ephesians 5:18-21.
Colossians 3:16-17.
If we are quenching the Holy Spirit, and not walking in the Spirit, we are rejecting Christ’s work.
1 Thessalonians 5:19, 20.
Galatians 5:19-26.
And the seven stars.
Revelation 1:20, points to the stars being the “messengers” or the angels of the Churches.
Back then we talked about several different reasons why these messengers are not the spiritual being of angels, but most likely a lead pastor or an elder of the congregation, tasked with bringing the Word of God to their congregations.
The idea here is that Jesus is sovereignly ruling over His Church through the mediated leadership of the Pastors, proclaiming His Word to the congregation.
Christ’s Commendation & Condemnation.
Christ’s Commendation & Condemnation.
Condemnation
Condemnation
Jesus begins with the Condemnation first. We find it at the end of verse 1, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
We see that Jesus, again, “knows” what is going on in the Churches by His omniscience.
He knows that the church in Sardis has a “name” as though they are alive, but are dead.
This means that they have a reputation of being a good church, and by their deeds they look like they are alive, but are truly dead.
How can a church be dead, even if it looks like it is alive by doing “deeds”?
Ephesians 2:1-2.
Jesus says that their works have not been “completed” before God.
This means that their works might have looked good in the eyes of men, but before God they were worthless and unacceptable.
They were just going through the motions of Christianity, rather than having true piety.
Commendation
Commendation
While knowing that their Church is dead, Jesus points out that He knows that there are a faithful few in the Church, in verse 4. Their may have been a few faithful people, but their wasn’t enough to call the church a living Church.
These faithful few haven’t dipped their garments in with the filthy.
In fact, Jesus says they walk in white with Him, because they are worthy.
Why would these people be worthy?
Because they are actually saved.
They are justified in God’s sight.
They are walking the way that God wants them to walk, Ephesians 2:8-10.
This white garments are littered throughout Revelation pointing to the saved actually being holy.
Revelation 6:9-11.
Revelation 7:9.
Revelation 19:8, 14.
This would have been incredibly illustrative to the people of Sardis, because of the fabric dyeing industry.
Christ’s Course of Action.
Christ’s Course of Action.
With all of the problems, what are the faithful people supposed to do? We see this in Revelation 3:2a, 3.
Christ tells them to wake up!
This is the call to take an honest look at the problems that they are facing.
Like Nehemiah, when he returned to Jerusalem: Nehemiah 2:11-18.
They needed to strengthen what remained.
“what remained” speaks to all of the faithful, rather than being beaten down and discouraged, they were to fan to flame the fire of faithfulness.
It is not the time for spiritual lethargy, but doubled down faithfulness to God.
They needed to fall back on the truth of God’s Word.
It may have been a long time since they may have heard true teaching of God’s Word, therefore they needed to fall back on what they had already heard.
Understand, that when we look to the Scriptures, we are not looking for anything new, but we are looking for exactly what God has decided to communicate to us.
He was calling the Church of Sardis to fall back on the solid foundation of Biblical Doctrine that they had, and GUARD.
1 Timothy 6:20.
Its not enough to just establish a theological foundation, but they need to “keep” them, as we see in verse 3.
Obedience to the Word of God, not for tradition's sake, but for God’s Sake, because we love Him.
Matthew 22:34-40.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
Fourth, when they are confronted by the teaching of the Word of God, they need to repent.
2 Corinthians 7:10.
A Warning
A Warning
If they didn’t, Jesus would come, and bring judgment against the Church.
The Call to Heed.
The Call to Heed.
The call to heed, being verse 6, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
If we are listening with ready hearts to obey, the benefits of the overcomer are ours, because we are truly saved. Those who do not listen, or those who continue on in their deadness are not written in the book of Life, because they are unsaved.
This “book of life” thing has cause many headaches theologically, because some would begin to think that this is another warning, rather than a promise.
People may tend to think that if someone’s name is erased from the book of life then they have lost their salvation.
Based on other Scripture, we know that this cannot be true.
John 10:28-30.
Revelation 13:8.
It kind of acts like a City Register, or Census, where when you die, you are no longer on the register.
It seems that Physical death is in view here.
Every believer is going to be confessed by our Lord in the presence of God the Father.
Matthew 10:32.
Matthew 25:21.