Seven Messages to Seven Churches; The Dead Church at Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6
• The fifth letter of Christ to the churches was sent to the church at Sardis. More than anything, it is remembered as the city defeated by a surprise attack, a piece of history which may have prompted Jesus’ admonition to the church to be watchful.
• The Lord designates himself as the one who has control over the pastors of the seven churches. Revelation 3:1

The City of Sardis
• Considered to be one of the most impregnable cities of its day. Situated fifteen hundred feet above the valley floor on the top of a mountain spur, it was surrounded by sheer cliffs.
• The greatest king of Sardis was Croesus, whose overconfidence was his downfall when he went to war with Cyrus, king of Persia.
• Defeated when underground passageway to the city was discovered.

The Denunciation of the Church
• The Church is denounced for its outward profession and inward deadness. Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 23:27.
• The Church is denounced for its incomplete works. Revelation 3:1-2
• “We can have pomp and ceremony, color and ritual, liturgical exactness and ecclesiastical splendor, and yet be offering a worship which is not perfect of ‘fulfilled’ in the sight of God. -John Stott

The Direction to the ChurchRevelation 3:2-3
• Become Vigilant (Ephesians 5:14)
• Become Vigorous (At Sardis there were a “Few” who had not “Defiled their garments”)
• Become Victorious (“Remember what you have received and heard”)
• Become Vibrant (“hold fast…” 1Cor. 15:2; 1Thess. 5:21; 2Tim. 1:13; Hebrews 4:14; 10:23)
• Become Virtuous (“Repent”)

The Declaration to the ChurchRevelation 3:5-6
• To those who are overcoming, they shall be clothed in white: Being clothed in white signifies righteousness. Revelation 19:8
• … they shall be continued in the book: Ancient cities kept records of citizens, if a citizen committed a crime their name was blotted out of the book.
• …they shall be confessed before God: Matthew 10:32

How does a Church Die?
• What we can rule out:
– Death from an outside enemy
– Death by suicide
– Death by abandonment
“A Church is in danger of death when it begins to worship its own past…when it is more concerned with forms than with life…when it loves systems more than it loves Jesus Christ…when it is more concerned with material than spiritual things.”-W. Ramsey

What causes death?
• The church died through the death of its individual members.
• The church died from relying on its past reputation. Spiritual movements go through four stages: a man, a movement, a machine, a monument.
• The church died because it was sensitive to its own spiritual condition.

Questions
According to Matthew 23:1-39, what was a sure sign that the Pharisees were hypocrites? (verse 3b) Who were their works done for? (verse 5)

What is the warning statement about man-centered religion? (verse 12)
What does God always preserve for Himself even in times of spiritual deadness? (Romans 9:27; 11:5)