Sardis - The Dead Church

Sardis – The Dead Church

 

“I know your deeds, that you have the reputation of being alive, - but you are dead.” (Revelation 3:1) Jesus begins His message to the church in Sardis by saying that they are dead. The year was approximately 95 A.D. and Jesus had appeared to John the Apostle in a vision and had given John messages for seven Christian churches in Asia Minor, (Turkey today). Jesus had praises and warnings for all the other churches.  But only the Sardis church was singled out and told that they were dead!    

 

Sardis was built in an area surrounded by mountains, and these mountains protected the city from invaders.  And even better, gold, silver and semi-precious stones like fire opals and agate was discovered in the hills and rivers surrounding the city of Sardis.

 

Sardis became famous for minting gold and silver coinage and for fashioning beautiful jewelry from the gold, silver and gemstones taken from the surrounding environment. Because of these benefits and blessings, Sardis grew to be a very wealthy city where its’ rich citizens could indulge themselves.  A temple for the goddess Artemis was built in Sardis as well as a large bath-gymnasium complex.

 

John or Paul or one of the other disciples, through the power of the Holy Spirit, had planted a Christian church in Sardis – a Christian fellowship that had one time been on fire for the Lord, but now was cold and dead.  Here is the message that Jesus sends to the church in Sardis.

 

 “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 reputation for being alive, - but you are dead.  Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works completed in the sight of my God.  Remember therefore how you have received and heard: and hold fast and watch.  I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.  You have a few believers even in Sardis who have not soiled their garments: and they shall walk with Me.  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.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:1-6)

 

We read in Revelation 1:20 that the seven stars represent the seven angels of the seven churches.  It seems that each church had an angel watching over it.  Does that mean that perhaps every church today also has an angel watching over it? I would think so.

 

When Jesus tells the church in Sardis “I know your works” it shows us that God is watching us and what we do for Him.  Even when it seems that no one notices what we do, God knows and cares. 

 

Jesus tells the church in Sardis that they have a reputation for being alive, but really, they are dead.  Perhaps their fame or their reputation for being alive was not from God but from the world.   Perhaps they were so busy showing off their wealth and making money and serving the world that they stopped serving God.  Scripture says that we cannot serve two masters, that we cannot serve God and money. (Matthew 6:24) Since Sardis was a wealthy city, perhaps it was tempting for the Christians living there to trust their lives to the money they were making instead of trusting it all to God, their heavenly Father. 

 

Perhaps the Christians in Sardis had lost their first love for God their Savior.  Perhaps there was still a lot of church activity going on that made them appear to be alive, but they were just going through the motions.  They may have had a form of godliness without the power. (2 Timothy 3:5)

 

  Perhaps many people attended the Sardis church because the message did not offend them.  And perhaps the word “sin” was never mentioned and the sins that were fashionable at that time were celebrated in the church. Perhaps the church members didn’t really love or care for one another.  The important people just showed up at the church to be seen by the other important people.  Wear their robes and lighting their candles.

 

Jesus tells the church in Sardis that He has “not found your works completed in the sight of My God.”   Does that mean that our work can be incomplete – or not enough – in the sight of God?  God wants us to reactivate our passive faith and do new work for Him. To allow God’s river of life and His love to flow out of us to others. Scripture says that we are responsible for each other.  We need to encourage one another to keep the Faith and to love one another and do good works.  (Hebrews 10:23-24)

 

Jesus said that there were a few Christians that were still spiritually alive in Sardis among all the “dead” church goers.  Did the real Christians just stay in the dead church to be a living example and hopefully evangelize the others?  The other six churches that Jesus sends messages to are all dealing with persecution and immorality and false teachers trying to destroy them. They are all struggling with these problems it seems -, except for the church in Sardis!  No one in the Sardis church was being cast into prison or martyred for following Jesus!  Was this Sardis church so dead that Satan didn’t even need to bother with it anymore?  

 

 Jesus calls the Sardis church to “Hold fast and watch”. (Revelation 3:3a) To hold fast to the Truth that they had received and heard. Jesus is the Truth. He calls them to watch out for the sin that will water down this precious living Truth.  They were letting go. Re-writing the Truth to say what they wanted it to say. Re-writing their music to praise a different and pagan god. Putting their own will above God’s will. Throwing out Jesus who is Life and Truth.

 

  Jesus cries out for all the spiritually dead churches (and spiritually dead people) to come back to Him, whether they be dozing, asleep or outright dead.  He calls and begs them to let Him bring them back to life while there is still time. He warns the dead church in Sardis that He won’t put up with letting them be spiritually dead forever!   He says: “I will come upon you as a thief and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”  (Revelation 3:3b)

 

 Jesus is Life, and He alone can bring us back from the dead, - whether we are physically or spiritually dead! If we are spiritually dead, He alone can make us alive again, if we are willing!  Jesus longs for us to be alive and awake enough to be responsive to His Spirits’ nudges and promptings.  Alive enough to hear His still small Voice. He wants us to be awake enough to pray and believe that God will answer. And open enough to believe and love God and love others in our hearts and not just with our words. 

 

Jesus will give us the faith to believe and love - if we are willing to receive from Him.  He has so much life to give us, if we will receive.  If we are willing to let go of the sin that makes us dead. Willing to let Him change us.  He stands there calling to us.  Do we hear His call? Are we willing?