Revelation 3:1-6

Subject: Chastisement
Scripture: Revelation 3:1-6
Sermon: “The Feeble Church”

Introduction:
A.  Light year = distance light travels in a year at 186,000 miles per second = over 6 trillion miles – if a star 30 light years away from earth exploded and died five years ago, we would not be able to tell this by looking at it for another 25 years

B.  This is what many churches today are like = they shine with the reflected light of a brilliant past – false teaching and sinful living have extinguished the light on the inside though the reputation remains – Sardis was like this – had a reputation of being alive, but Jesus pronounced it dead – John MacArthur says that it could be named “The First Church of the Tares” = dominated by sin, unbelief and false doctrine (Matt 21:19 bore leaves but no fruit) – appearance of light was only an illusion

Bible Background:
A.  The Letters to the seven churches
1.  Seven letters appealing for vigor and vigilance – he will neither spare nor despair of the churches
2.  Teaching about practice precedes doctrine here unlike most epistles where doctrine precedes practice
3.  Linguistic procedure: a Greeting, a title of Christ, a section headed “I know” usually introducing praise, a criticism of the church (except Smyrna and Philadelphia), a warning, an exhortation, a promise
4.  Linguistic pattern: Churches 1 and 7 are in grave danger; 2 and 6 are in excellent shape; and 3-5 are in the middle, neither good nor bad
ILL Weirsbe:
(a)  Ephesus was the careless church
(b)  Smyrna was the crowned church
(c)  Pergamum was the compromising church
(d)  Thyatira was the corrupted church
(e)  Sardis was the feeble church
(f)  Philadelphia was the faithful church
(g)  Laodicea was the foolish church

B.  The City of Sardis
1.  Founded about 1200 BC,  Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, capital of the fabulously wealthy Lydian kingdom and had King Croesus, who is known in the saying “As rich as Croesus” – Aesop might have been from Sardis
2.  Wealth came from gold taken from the Pactolus River and archaeologists have found hundreds of crucibles used for refining gold in the ruins of Sardis – gold and silver coins were first minted at Sardis
3.  It was on the western end of the Royal road that led east to the Persian capital city of Susa – center of wool production and garments and claimed to have discovered how to dye wool
4.  Located 30 miles south of Thyatira in the fertile valley of the Hermus River – A series of hills jutted out from the ridge of Mount Tmolus, south of the Hermus River. On one of those hills 1,500 feet above the valley floor stood Sardis – the location made the city all but impregnable – the hill upon which Sardis was built had smooth nearly perpendicular rock walls on three sides. Only from the south could the city be approached, via a steep difficult path – “to capture the acropolis of Sardis” = “to do the impossible” – the only drawback was the limited room for the city to expand (people were packed in like Sardines!) – a new city sprang at the foot of the hill but the old site remained a refuge to retreat into when danger threatened – this security caused overconfidence which led to complacency and to the city’s eventual downfall on two different occasions
ILL W. M. Ramsay in The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia pp. 354-56 “Despite an alleged warning against self-satisfaction by the Greek god whom he consulted, Croesus the king of Lydia initiated an attack against Cyrus king of Persia, but was soundly defeated. Returning to Sardis to recoup and rebuild his army for another attack, he was pursued quickly by Cyrus who laid siege against Sardis. Croesus felt utterly secure in his impregnable situation atop the acropolis and foresaw an easy victory over the Persians who were cornered among the perpendicular rocks in the lower city, an easy prey for the assembling Lydian army to crush. After retiring one evening while the drama was unfolding,, he awakened to discover that the Persians had gained control of the acropolis by scaling one-by-one the steep walls (549 BC). So secure did the Sardians feel that they left this means of access completely unguarded, permitting the climbers to ascend unobserved. It is said that even a child could have defended the city from this kind of attack, but not so much as one observer had been appointed to watch the side that was believed to be inaccessible.”
“History repeated itself more than three and a half centuries later when Antiochus the Great conquered Sardis by utilizing the services of a sure-footed mountain climber from Crete (195 BC). His army entered the city by another route while the defenders in careless confidence were content to guard the one known approach, the isthmus of land connected to Mount Tmolus on the south.”
5.  Sardis never regained its independence, eventually coming under Roman control in 133 BC – catastrophic earthquake destroyed the city in AD 17 but it was rebuilt by Tiberius – they built a temple in his honor but they primarily worshipped Cybele (Artemis or Diana) – hot springs nearby were said to heal –

C. The church
1.  The church history paralleled the city history – The church like city was decaying having lost its vitality – no real word of praise as the other churches
2.  The church was probably founded as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:10) – most prominent person at the church’s history was Melito, an apologist, and bishop of Sardis in the late second century and wrote the earliest know commentary on Revelation
3.  Jesus’ letter doesn’t speak of persecution (why would Satan persecute a dead church) false doctrine, false teachers or corrupt living – but there were some definite problems

Transitional Sentence: The message of Jesus to the church in Sardis tells us that Jesus will chastise us if we conform to the world

I.  The Problem of a False Reputation  Revelation 3:1-2

A.  Lose Sight of God’s Sovereign Control  Rev 3:1
1.  “The One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” – this was a title of Christ already mentioned in Rev 1:4
(a)  Seven Spirits of God = Zech 4:1-10 = Holy Spirit’s fullness = symbol of authority and control
(b)  Seven Stars = pastors of the seven churches = Jesus mediating His rule through godly leaders and pastors
2.  Speaks of Christ’s sovereign control over everything including the churches – problem with this church is that they forgot who was and is in control!
3.  “I know your conduct that you have a reputation for being alive but are actually dead!” = seem to be alive but are actually dead
(a)  The church appeared to be great on the outside, but had become defiled by the world, characterized by inward decay and populated by unredeemed people playing church
(b)  Spiritual death is always connected with sin – Eph 2:1 AND you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience; Col 2:13 And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; 1 Tim 5:6  But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal
ILL Like a museum of stuffed animals exhibited in their natural habitats – everything appears normal, but nothing is alive – sin killed the Sardis church
ILL Danger signs of a dying church:
1.  Content to rest upon past laurels
2.  More concerned with liturgical forms than with spiritual reality
3.  When it focuses on curing social ills rather than changing people’s hearts through preaching the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ
4.  When it is more concerned with material than spiritual things
5.  When it is more concerned with what men think than what God said
6.  When it is more enamored with doctrinal creeds and systems of theology than with the Word of God
7.  When it loses its conviction that every word of the Bible is the word of God Himself
*No matter what the attendance, no matter how impressive its building, no matter what its status in the community, such a church having denied the only source of spiritual life is dead – 2 Tim 3:5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

B.  Lose Sight of God’s Sovereign Commission  Rev 3:2
1.  “Become awake and establish the remaining things” = “Wake up and fly right!” – community has a name before the Christian world for its works, but not before God
(a)  Command addressed to the faithful remnant, for the dead cannot respond – how to get life back: “wake up” – no time for indifference – no longer go with the flow but reverse it – confront sin and error
(b)  strengthen the things that remain – things = spiritual realities
2.  “I have not found your works complete/perfect in the sight of My God” – God has commissioned us to be perfect even as He is perfect (Matt 5:48; 19:21)
(a)  euriskein = juridical language finding someone guilty or innocent (Acts 5:39;23:9; 1 Cor 15:15; 2 Cor 5:3; 1 Pet 1:7; 2 Pet 3:14
(b)  Performing deeds, going through the motions – not completed in the sight of My God – reputation before men, but insufficient and unacceptable in God’s sight – corpses
ILL Dan 5:27 “‘TEKÊL’—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28 “‘PERÊS’—your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
ILL Samson is a good illustration of Sardis’ dilemma – he lost his strength after giving into the world, not because of a haircut but because of his disobedience – Sampson (v. 20) didn’t know that the Lord had departed from him – same man with the same name but his power was gone – resulted in imprisonment, blindness, humiliation, and death – Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

II.  The Problem of a Failure to Repent  Revelation 3:3

A.  Warning to Seek Change  Rev 3:3a
1.  Repent = change one’s mind = confess sin and turn away from sin
2.  Received and heard = Christian traditions given when church was founded
(a)  Go back to the Word of God – 2 Tim 2:15
(b)  Keep the truths of God’s word = obedience – 1 Tim 6:20 O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”— 21 which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.

B.  Warning of Suffering Consequences  Rev 3:3b
1.  I come as a thief = unexpected nocturnal break-in by a robber – this is used of the Parousia in Matt 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 16:15
2.  Jesus like a thief = imminent judgment – not the second coming but the destruction of the church if no revival – warning that faces all dead churches at Christ’s return – only way to avoid this is to turn away from it (Heb 10:29 How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.”  And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.”

III.  The Promises of a Faithful Remnant  Revelation 3:4-5

A.  Promise of a Sacred Communion  Rev 3:4
1.  There were a few in Sardis that had remained faithful to the Lord and had not defiled themselves – few true Christians were scattered like flowers in a desert – God preserves the faithful remnant (Rom 11:1-5)
2.  Promise to walk with Jesus dressed in white (purity) – soiled = molunw = to stain, defile, smear, pollute – word used in Sardis of dying wool – garments symbolize character in Scripture – white worn for celebrations and festivals – white robes of purity worn by Christ and the holy angels – promise of perfect holiness for those who believe = requirement for communion with the Lord
3.  “they are worthy = only a few lived up to the church’s reputation – promise of a future reward to those who remain unstained (undyed)

B.  Promise of a Sanctified Consecration  Rev 3:5a
1.  Promise to the one who conquers = Jesus will throw around them a white garment
2.  Clothed in white garments – warn for weddings –marriage supper of the lamb (19:7-9) celebrating victories in battle – represents purity and holiness

C.  Promise of a Secure Commitment Rev 3:5b
1.  Some teach that this passages says you can lose your salvation although the verse teaches the opposite – turn a promise into a threat
2.  Exod 32:33 is argued by some to teach a loss of salvation but that is simply a record of the living in Moses’ day and not the book of life in Phil 4:3 and Rev 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27 – threat is physical death

D.  Promise of a Special Confession  Rev 3:5c
1.  Promise is that Christ will confess every believer’s name before God the Father and before His angels and affirm that they belong to Him
2.  Matt 10:32 “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven”

Conclusion:  Rev 3:6
A.  Warning to hear and obey = ends with an exhortation to heed the counsel, commands, and promises it contains – he who has an ear – the spiritual dead zombies playing church needed to heed Christ’s warning of impending judgment – need to wake up before it was too late to save their church – some revival took place for Melito served server decades after John wrote this letter – it is not too late for other dead churches to find the path to spiritual renewal
B.  Rom 8:28-39