Revelation 3:1-6 The Dead Church
“To
the leader of the church in
Sardis, write this letter:
“This message is sent to you by
the one who has the sevenfold Spirit a of God and the seven stars.
“I know your reputation as a
live and active church, but you are dead.
2 Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains—for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God.
3 Go back to what you heard and believed
at first; hold to it firmly and turn to me
again. Unless you do, I will come suddenly upon you, unexpected as a thief, and
punish you.
4 “Yet
even there in Sardis, some haven’t soiled
their garments with the world’s filth; they
shall walk with me in white, for they are
worthy. 5 Everyone who conquers
will be clothed in white, and I will not
erase his name from the Book of Life, but I
will announce before my Father and his angels that he is mine.
6 “Let all who can hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.[1]
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A. The
Dead Church (Revelation 3:1–6) |
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Chapter 3 F. The
Message to Sardis: The Church That Has a Strong Reputation but Is Dying, Revelation 3:1–6
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1. The
recipients a. The messenger of the church b. The Sardis church DS1 2. The
speaker: Jesus 3. The
complaint: You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead |
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write,
These things
saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
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4. The
counsel: Wake up! Strengthen what remains & is about to die |
2 Be
watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I
have not found thy works perfect before God. |
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5. The
warning a. Remember &
obey what you have received & heard b. Repent c. Know that
judgment will come suddenly, unexpectedly |
3 Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If
therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou
shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. |
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6. The
promise a. To the people
not soiled: They will walk with the Lord dressed in white b. To the
overcomers 1) Will be clothed
in white 2) Will never be
blotted from God’s Book 3) Will be acknowledged
before God |
4 Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and
they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not
blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before
my Father, and before his angels. 6 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. |
Revelation 3
This
chapter continues the letters to the seven churches and is composed entirely
of the last three letters. Revelation 3 can
be divided into three major parts as follows:
A. The Dead Church (Revelation 3:1–6)
B. The Dedicated Church (Revelation 3:7–13)
C. The Deceived Church (Revelation 3:14–22)
A. THE DEAD CHURCH Revelation 3:1–6
The fifth of the seven churches of Revelation was the church in Sardis. It was a dead church like many churches today.
1.
The Church (Revelation 3:1)
“Unto the angel of the church in Sardis” (Revelation 3:1). Sardis was located at the foot of
Mount Timolus about thirty miles southeast of Thyatira. It was greatly affected
by war and the great earthquake of the first century. Despite that, it was the
capital of the ancient province of Lydia, and Sardis is said to have become a
very wealthy city.
2.
The Christ (Revelation 3:1)
“These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God,
and the seven stars” (Revelation 3:1). Two verses of the first chapter
of Revelation are involved here. Revelation 1:4
speaks of the “Seven
Spirits … before his throne.”
This refers to the Holy Spirit, Who is sometimes spoken of in terms of “seven,”
as we noted in Revelation 1. Revelation 1:16 and Re.
3:20 speak of the “seven stars,” which refer to the seven angels
(or pastors) of the seven churches. The reference to the Holy Spirit and
pastors shows that Christ is sovereign over the angels (pastors) and is aided
by the Spirit in all that He does. This reference to Christ suggests that in
Sardis, the church was not being led by the Holy Spirit through the pastors as
it should have been. This is a common problem even today in churches and leads
to corruption.
3.
The Cognizance (Revelation 3:1)
“I know thy works, that
thou hast a name that thou livest, and art
dead” (Revelation 3:1). Christ
was cognizant of the church’s true condition.
• The reputation of the church. “Thou hast a
name that thou livest.” We have a lot of churches like that today.
People think these churches are really doing things. These churches boast of
many buses, great Sunday School attendance, and many baptisms. This is
accompanied by impressive building programs that include modern social centers
and large gymnasiums.
• The reality of the church. “Art dead.” But while the popular religious magazine features an article about this great thriving church, the Lord has stamped it “dead,” for the Lord looks at the character and sees the church as corrupt, as later texts report.[2]
F. The Message to Sardis:
The Church That Has a Strong Reputation but Is Dying, Revelation 3:1–6
(Revelation 3:1–6) Introduction: Have you ever seen a church that was dead and dying, completely lifeless? A church that was satisfied with itself, with keeping things the way they had always been? A church resting on its laurels and past history that just reveled in what used to be? This was the church at Sardis. Sardis pictures the church with an excellent reputation and is highly respected by the community, but it is dead and lifeless.
1. The Recipients (Rev. 3:1).
2. The Speaker: Jesus (Rev. 3:1).
3. The Complaint: you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead (Rev. 3:1).
1 (Rev. 3:1) Minister—Church:
There Are The Recipients Of The Letter. The Lord Jesus Christ addresses
the letter to the minister of the church, but He wants it proclaimed to the
church as a whole. There is little hope for a dead church ever becoming alive
unless the minister is set afire. There can be little awakening, little
stirring, little quickening, and little life within a church unless the
minister is committed—totally committed—to Christ and His cause of eternal
salvation. Revival is not likely unless the minister is first revived.
Therefore, Christ speaks first of all to the minister.
Thought 1. This is a strong point that ministers must heed. We must get into the Word and on our faces before God, evaluating our hearts to ensure we are spiritually alive and revived. As ministers of Christ, we must live in a constant state of awakening and revival—a constant state that lasts on and on until the Lord comes.
DEEPER STUDY # 1
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(Re. 3:1) Sardis: there are two historical facts that seem to have a
bearing on the letter. 1.
Sardis was a city with two sections. The first development sat on a ridge
that jutted out from the side of a mountain. It was fifteen hundred feet
straight up, and it was impregnable, perfectly safe from any enemy. However,
when the city outgrew this ridge, a second development began at the mountain’s
base in the valley. Legend has it that gold was discovered just lying around
in the river that flowed through the city. The city’s history was one of
wealth and security from all enemies. However, by the time John wrote
Revelation, the city’s flourishing wealth had passed, and much of its glory
had faded. The population had become flabby, soft, lethargic, and complacent,
living on the city’s past reputation. The church knew what the Lord meant by
having a name that they lived on, but they were dead (Re. 3:1). They knew what it was to have received the best of everything,
but now they needed to repent (Re. 3:3). 2.
Sardis had been conquered only twice. Both times had been due to a false
sense of security behind their impregnable fortress. They failed to post
adequate watches to overlook the walls of the steep fortress. While under
attack by Cyrus of Persia, a guard of Sardis was seen dropping his helmet
over the steep wall and climbing down the crevices to recover it. The city
was taken that very night by a small band of soldiers climbing up the same
crevices. Under one of the subsequent rulers to Alexander the Great, the
incident was remembered, and again the city was taken in the same manner. The
church knew from history what the Lord meant by “watch
and strengthen … hold fast … I will come on thee as a thief.…” (Re. 3:2-3). |
2 (Re. 3:1) Jesus Christ—Minister—Church: There Is The Speaker, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. A lifeless and dying church needs to look at Jesus Christ, at two things in particular.
1.
Jesus Christ has the seven Spirits of God. This is a reference to the Holy
Spirit of God.
a. The
number seven means the sevenfold ministry
of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ Himself spelled this out in the upper room
where He revealed who the Holy Spirit was to be:
Ø He is
the Comforter, the other Helper (Jn. 14:16).
Ø He is
the Spirit of truth (Jn. 14:17).
Ø He is
the personal presence of Christ (Jn. 14:18–20).
Ø He is
the very special manifestation of Christ within the believer (Jn. 14:21–22).
Ø He is
the abiding presence of the Trinity (Jn. 14:23–24).
Ø He is
the teacher (Jn. 14:25–26).
Ø He is the peace of Christ (Jn. 14:27).
Some commentators point out that this refers to the
sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit found in Isaiah.
V “And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the Lord”
(Is. 11:2).
Ø The
Spirit of the Lord
Ø The
Spirit of wisdom
Ø The
Spirit of understanding
Ø The
Spirit of counsel
Ø The
Spirit of might
Ø The
Spirit of knowledge
Ø The
Spirit of fear
b. The
number seven also means completeness, fullness, or perfection in the Bible.
Therefore, the seven Spirits mean the
Holy Spirit in all His fullness.
The point is this: what a lifeless and dying church needs is the Spirit of God.
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek Christ for the Spirit of God.
V “If ye then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Lu.
11:13).
V “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever” (Jn. 14:13–16).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek the quickening of the Spirit.
V “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Ro. 8:11).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek the convicting power of the Spirit.
V “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you” (Jn. 16:7).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek the fruit of the Spirit.
V “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Ga. 5:22–23).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek the guidance of the Spirit.
V “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth,
is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things
to come” (Jn. 16:13).
V “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Ro. 8:14).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church must seek revival, the Pentecostal fire of the
Spirit.
V “I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” (Mt. 3:11).
V “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Ac. 2:3–4).
Ø A
lifeless and dying church needs to seek the witnessing power of the Spirit.
V
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost has come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,
and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Ac. 1:8).
2. Jesus Christ has the seven stars in His hands; that is, He holds the ministers of the church in His hands. The minister is the one who is responsible for bringing about the awakening. He is held in the hand of Christ; he belongs totally to Christ. This means that he …
·
has been chosen by the hand of Christ
to do exactly what Christ wants.
·
has been placed into the dead church by
the hand of Christ.
· has been placed there for a reason: to be aroused himself and to arouse the church.
V
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit
should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may
give it to you” (Jn. 15:16).
V “He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him
the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all
things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (Jn. 21:17).
V “But the Lord said unto him, Go thy
way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles,
and kings, and the children of Israel” (Ac. 9:15).
V “Take heed therefore unto yourselves,
and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to
feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Ac. 20:28).
V “But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for
I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a
witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the
which I will appear unto thee” (Ac. 26:16).
V “These things command and teach” (1 Ti. 4:11).
V “In meekness instructing those that
oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to acknowledge
the truth” (2 Ti. 2:25).
V “Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for
filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Pe. 5:2).
V “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal
us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up” (Ho.
6:1).
V “Come now therefore, and I will send
thee [Moses] unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children
of Israel out of Egypt” (Ex. 3:10).
V “And he said unto him, If now I
[Gideon] have found grace in thy sight, then show me a sign that thou talkest
with me” (Jud. 6:17).
V “Also I heard the voice of the Lord,
saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I [Isaiah], Here
am I; send me” (Is. 6:8).
V “Son of man, I have made thee a
watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and
give them warning from me” (Eze. 3:17).
V “But if the watchman sees the sword come, and blows not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword comes, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (Eze. 33:6).
3 (Re. 3:1) Church—Formalism—Ritualism—Complacency: There Is The Complaint.
Note:
there is no commendation, none whatsoever, given to this church. This means
that its sin is one of the most serious problems that a church can have. What
was the problem? It was a dying church, a lifeless church. But note: the
church had works—all sorts of programs, ministries, and activities. It had so
much bustling activity that it had a great reputation among other churches.
Other churches looked upon the church as being progressive, alive, well-attended,
well-liked, prosperous, busy, and full of good fellowship. It had ministries
for every age group and for every area of need throughout the community. It had
the works, the right beliefs, and doctrine, and it had all the ministries and
activities. But note that it was dying and lifeless. However, verse two
says that it was not yet totally dead; a few living things still remained, but they, too, were quickly dying.
How could a church be so active and well attended and have so many ministries
and yet be dying? What does this mean? It means to die spiritually; it means …
· to have a form of worship but to deny
the power thereof (2 Ti. 3:5)
· to focus on the ritual, ceremony, and
worship instead of Jesus Christ
· to focus on activities instead of Jesus
Christ
· to become formal in worship instead of
alive in Christ
· to conduct activities in order to keep
the organization going instead of learning about Christ and sharing about
Christ
· to hold services and activities for social fellowship instead of for spiritual growth and edification
· to lose one’s zeal for witnessing and
sharing Christ and for seeing others grow
· to become complacent and lethargic in
the study of God’s Word and in prayer and spiritual growth
· to sit in worship and Bible classes as
a matter of form instead of hungering and thirsting after righteousness
· to preach and teach as a matter of form
· to use the ministry as a means of
livelihood instead of preaching and teaching to win and grow people in Christ
Such an active church can seldom be convinced that it is dead and lifeless because of its bustling activity. But Jesus Christ says it is dead. It is void of spiritual life and energy, void of the Spirit of God. Its works are only activities, only man-made activities, and social services. The works do not have the Spirit of God and His power in them.
V “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my
Father which is in heaven” (Mt. 7:21).
V “These people draweth nigh unto me with
their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me”
(Mt. 15:8).
V “He answered and said unto them, Well
hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, These people
honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Mk. 7:6).
V “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink
his blood, ye have no life in you” (Jn. 6:53).
V “And that, knowing the time, that now
it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than
when we believed” (Ro. 13:11).
V “For the kingdom of God is not meat and
drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Ro. 14:17).
V “Ye observe days, and months, and
times, and years, I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon your labor in
vain” (Ga. 4:10–11).
V “Wherefore he saith, awake thou that
sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ep. 5:14).
V “Therefore, let us not sleep, as do
others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Th. 5:6).
V “But she that liveth in pleasure is
dead while she liveth” (1 Ti. 5:6).
V “Having a form of godliness, but denying
the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Ti. 3:5).
V “They profess that they know God; but
in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good
work reprobate” (Tit. 1:16).
V “And unto the angel of the church in
Sardis write, These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the
seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art
dead” (Re. 3:1).
V “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else
would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God
are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not
despise” (Ps. 51:16–17).
V “And they remembered that God was their
rock, and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless they did flatter him with
their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues” (Ps. 78:35–36).
V “Wherefore the Lord said, forasmuch as these
people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have
removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept
of men” (Is. 29:13).
V “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not” (Eze. 33:31–32).[3]
THE LIFELESS CHURCH / RE. 3:1–6
The letter carrier continued
south from Thyatira for about thirty miles to reach the city of Sardis.
The problem in this church was not heresy but spiritual death. Despite its reputation for being active, Sardis was infested with sin. The church’s deeds were evil, and its clothes were soiled. The Spirit had no words of commendation for this church that looked so good on the outside but was so corrupt on the inside.
“Write
this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold
Spirit of God and the seven stars: ‘I
know all the things you do, and that you
have a reputation for being alive—but you
are dead.’” Re. 3:1 NLT
The
wealthy city of Sardis was actually
in two locations. The city had been built on a mountain. When its population
outgrew that spot, a newer section had been built in the valley below. The
newer section of the city boasted a theater, a stadium, and a huge temple to
Artemis that had been started but never finished. The older city on the
mountain had an acropolis and had become an emergency refuge for the city’s
inhabitants when under attack. Sardis was also known for its impressive
necropolis, or cemetery, with hundreds of burial mounds.
Sardis had been one of the most
powerful cities in the ancient world due to heavy trade among the Aegean
islands. Gold and silver coins were first minted at Sardis. The city also
claimed to have discovered the art of dyeing wool. A devastating earthquake in a.d. 17 destroyed the city and several
others in the area (including Philadelphia and Laodicea).
The original city had been
virtually impregnable because of its natural rock walls that were nearly
vertical on three sides. Sardis had only been sacked twice in its history,
although it had been attacked several times because of its strategic location.
The city was first defeated by the Persian general Cyrus in the sixth-century b.c. One of the Persian soldiers had
observed a soldier from Sardis making his way up the winding road into the
city. The people of Sardis thought they were safe in the upper city on the
mountain, but Cyrus’s soldiers climbed the cliffs. After Cyrus’s victory,
Sardis became the capital of Persia. Later, in the third century b.c., the city was conquered again in the
same way by Antiochus the Great. A few of his soldiers climbed the mountain,
entered the city, and opened its gates to the invading army.
Sardis had declined, however, by the time of the
Roman Empire. Sardis had requested the honor of building a temple for Caesar,
but they were refused, and the honor went to Smyrna instead. The wealth of the
city eventually led to moral decadence. The city had become lethargic, its past
splendor a decaying memory.
Christ had no words of commendation for this church. It seems to have been untroubled by heresy from within or persecution from without. Yet this church had compromised with its pagan surroundings. Thus, Christ’s words to the church paralleled the city’s history—you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.
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YOU ARE DEAD |
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While Christ’s description of the church in Sardis
appears the harshest, he does not promise the kind of judgment he predicts
for the church of Laodicea. The church in Sardis wasn’t lukewarm (like Laodicea’s);
it was dead. Even
though Christ called Sardis a dead church, he also affirmed the handful that
were faithful believers. Christ loves to defeat death. If you find yourself
in a dead church, make sure you preserve your own faithfulness. Ask God to
intervene. Ask God to help you find other believers and pray together with
them for an awakening of your church. |
Revelation 3:1-6 The Dead Church: I Know Your Reputation as A Live And Active Church, But You Are Dead.
a 3:1 the sevenfold Spirit, see note on 1:4.
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
DS
Deeper Study
[2] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
[4] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
