1600-5 Church

REVELATION 3:1-6
CHAPTER 3 heard, and hold fast, and re- what you have received
pent. If therefore thou shalt & heard
not watch, I will come on b. Repent
E. Sardis: The Dead thee as a thief, and thou shalt c. Know that judgment
Church, 3:1-6 not know what hour I will will fall unexpectedly
come upon thee.
4 Thou hast a few names 6 The promise
1 The recipients And unto the angel of the even in Sardis which have a. To the undefiled:
a. The messenger of the church church in Sardis write; These not defiled their garments; They shall walk with
b. The Sardis church
DS1
things saith he that hath the and they shall walk with me the Lord in white
2 The speaker—Jesus seven Spirits of God, and the in white: for they are worthy.
3 The complaint: Works seven stars; I know thy 5 He that overcometh, the b. To the overcomers
a. They appear alive works, that thou hast a name same shall be clothed in 1) They will be clothed
b. But they are dead that thou livest, and art dead. white raiment; and I will not in white
4 The counsel: Watch & 2 Be watchful, and strength- blot out his name out of the 2) They will not be
strengthen the works en the things which remain, book of life, but I will con- blotted out
that remain that are ready to die: for I fess his name before my Fa- 3) They will be acknowl-
have not found thy works ther, and before his angels. edged by Christ before
perfect before God. 6 He that hath an ear, let God
5 The warning 3 Remember therefore how him hear what the Spirit saith
a. Remember & hold fast thou hast received and into unto the churches.

THE CHURCH: SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION

E. Sardis: The Dead Church, 3:1-6

(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 re-
veled in what used to be? This was the church at Sardis. Sardis pictures the church that has an excellent reputation and is
highly respected by the community, but it is dead and lifeless.
1. The recipients (v.1).
2. The speaker—Jesus (v.1).
3. The complaint: works (v.1).
4. The counsel: watch and strengthen the works that remain (v.2).
5. The warning (v.3).
6. The promise (v.4-6).

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(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, little life within a church
unless the minister is committed—totally committed—to Christ and His cause of eternal salvation. Revival is not likely un-
less 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 make sure we are spiritually alive and revived. As ministers of Christ, we must be living in
a constant state of awakening and revival—a constant state that lasts on and on until the Lord comes.

DEEPER STUDY # 1
(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 out-
grew this ridge, a second development was begun at the base of the mountain in the valley. Legend has it that gold was dis-
covered 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 and 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, but they were dead (v.1). They knew what it was to have re-
ceived the best of everything, but now they needed to repent (v.3).
2. Sardis had been conquered only twice. Both times had been due to a false sense of security behind their impregna-
ble 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 to drop his helmet over the steep wall and climb 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....” (v.2-3).

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