Topics

Monday, February 27, 2023

Revelation 3:1-6 The Dead Church: I Know Your Reputation as A Live And Active Church, But You Are Dead.

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 remainsfor 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] 

 

A.        The Dead Church (Revelation 3:1–6)

Chapter 3

F.         The Message to Sardis: The Church That Has a Strong Reputation but Is Dying, Revelation 3:1–6

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.

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.

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.

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 Spiritsbefore 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

(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 strengthenhold 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 alivebut 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 alivebut you are dead. 

YOU ARE DEAD

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.

 Christ described himself as having the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars (Re. 1:4, 16). The “sevenfold Spirit of God” is another name for the Holy Spirit. The seven stars are the messengers, or leaders, of the churches (Re. 2:1). Knowing this church’s deeds, Christ had no good words to say. The believers may have thought they were a living and active church, but according to Christ, they were dead. Like the city itself, the church in Sardis may have been trying to live on past glory. They had compromised with the surrounding society to the point that they had become lethargic. They were as good as asleep, so Jesus told them to wake up and repent.[4] 

  


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.

No comments: