Nov 15, 2020

Revelation 3:1-6

Before we even read a word of Jesus’ fifth letter written to the church of Sardis, I want to begin by establishing what movement within Church History Jesus is addressing. Though Roman Catholicism would dominate the landscape of Christianity for roughly 1200 years, a few significant rumblings during the 1300 and 1400 would set the stage for a series of radicle events that would change not only the church but the entire world.

While the Bible had been translated from its original languages of Hebrew and Greek into Latin, it had never been translated into the common tongue of the masses. As a result, for a thousand years God’s Word could only be read by the educated class of Catholic priests. 

To compound matters, since the mass was also held in Latin (a language foreign to most commoners), the vast majority of the world had zero exposure to the Word of God. As I pointed out last Sunday, it’s not an accident these years are referred to as The Dark Ages.

The first significant challenge to Roman Catholicism came from an English theologian by the name of John Wycliffe. Not only was Wycliffe an outspoken dissident — specifically taking issue with the overt and blatant abuses that manifested from papal authority, but he also believed the only reliable guide to the truth of God was the written Holy Scriptures. 

Since this was such a strong conviction, Wycliffe made it his life’s work to translate the Latin Bible into the common language of the people so that anyone could read God’s Word for themselves. In 1382, Wycliffe completed the first English translation of the Bible. Sadly, since Roman Catholicism had been able to exert their power over the people by pushing many non-Biblical doctrines, what Wycliffe had done was seen as a serious threat!

Though John Wycliffe would die of natural causes on December 28, 1384, the Council of Constance retroactively declared Wycliffe a heretic on May 4, 1415 banning his writings and translation of the Bible. In 1428, Pope Martin V decreed that Wycliffe’s body was to be removed from sacred soil and burned. Astonishingly, 44 years after his death, the decayed corpse of John Wycliffe was exhumed and he was burned in the public square.

Following Wycliffe, over the next 150 years, bold men like John Huss would continue this important work within the church hoping to bring about much-needed changes. And yet, by the early 16th century, it had become increasingly clear to most seeking reforms, the Roman Catholic Church and her corrupted leaders were unwilling to change at all. 

Enter a German priest by the name Martin Luther… As a result of the brazen actions of a Dominican friar named Johann Tetzel who was selling indulgences throughout Germany in order to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica, on the evening of October 31, 1517, a defiant Luther had enough. That night he nailed to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg what has become known as the Ninety-five Theses. In this document, Luther protested 95 intolerable beliefs and practices needing reform within the Catholic Church.

Though many see this act as being the catalyst for the Protestant Reformation, along with Luther, men like Calvin and Zwingli would also break from the Catholic Church, translate Scripture into their native language, and eventually start their own church movements. Today, mainline Protestant denominations like Lutheranism, Anglicanism, Presbyterianism, Episcopalianism, and Quakerism all find their roots in the early days of the Reformation.

In the end, while the Church will always be indebted to what was started by the reformers, the reality is the changes brought about by these men fell woefully short. In a way, the Reformation proved to be incomplete. For example, while the Protestant Reformation had a significant influence on church beliefs, it had little effect on church practices. 

Even in its inception, the Reformation failed to deal with the underlying problem that led to the formation of the Roman Catholic Church — the State Church. As a fact of history, many of these Protestant Churches almost immediately became State Churches creating the same type of immoral behavior and political corruption found in Roman Catholicism. 

Beyond this, though many of the reformers suffered and died at the hands of a church who resisted and opposed their theological positions, the Protestant Church proved to be just as intolerant and vicious. One historian writes, “We know that while in Catholic countries the Anabaptists were executed by burning at the stake, in Lutheran and Zwinglian states, Anabaptists were generally executed by beheading or drowning.”

Though the foundational principles of Protestantism (the doctrines of the Bible alone, Faith alone, Grace alone, and Christ alone) changed the theological belief structure of the church, it failed to bring about a spiritual revival of the church itself. While the Reformation corrected faulty theology, she failed to foster any type of lasting change in the lives of people. In a sense, the legacy of the Reformation is that it left us with a dead orthodoxy. Yes, there was a changing of the mind, but there wasn’t a change of direction.

Shockingly, as we’re about to see, Jesus had nicer things to say about the Roman Catholic Church or for that matter, the Byzantine Church than He does this church started by Luther and Calvin. With this context established, let’s read this letter…

Revelation 3:1-6, “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. 

You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’

The city of Sardis was located 30-miles southeast of Thyatira and 50-miles due east of Ephesus. Sardis had been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and later an important municipality within the Persian Empire. The city itself was built on top of a plateau rising approximately 1500 feet above a significant trade route that connected the interior portion of Asia Minor with the coast. As such, Sardis was a city of immense wealth.

Because of her geographic location being situated on top of this steep plateau, throughout her long history, Sardis proved to be a strategic military post. In fact, on account of her defensible position, the city was considered to be impregnable. And yet, most interestingly, twice in her history, the city that couldn’t be conquered fell for the exact same tragic reason.

Herodotus documents the first fall of Sardis in 549 BC to the Persian King Cyrus. Knowing the linchpin to conquer the entire region was this city guarding this important trade route, because of the vertical cliffs which provided a natural defense, Cyrus and his advisers were at a loss for how to mount an attack. After exhausting their options, Cyrus offered a reward to any soldier who could figure out a way to get up into the city undetected. 

As the story goes, a Persian soldier happened to notice one of the watchmen guarding the walls accidentally drops his helmet down one of the cliffs. Unaware he was being watched, this soldier proceeded to climb down a hidden trail to retrieve his helmet. 

Not only did his ill-advised action reveal a secret way into the city but it gets much worse. You see, upon their arrival that night, Cyrus’ men discovered that the citizens of Sardis were so confident in their natural defenses they felt no need to keep a diligent watch. 

Surprisingly, the city gates had been left unguarded. As the residence of Sardis slept totally unaware, the Persian army took the city unchallenged. Amazingly, in 214 BC, the armies of Antiochus the Great also captured Sardis under the exact same set of circumstances.

According to Roman historians, in 17 AD, the city of Sardis was completely destroyed by a massive earthquake. Because she was no longer needed as a military stronghold for Rome, it was decided that Sardis should be rebuilt down in the valley along the trade route. 

By the end of the first century, when Jesus writes to this local church, Sardis was now a city in serious decline. While she would always revel in her past glories and reputation, over the next few centuries, Sardis’ influence and strategic importance slowly dissipated. 

In the end, the final deathblow would come when Roman Emperor Constantine decided to make Constantinople the new capital of the East. As a result, the trade route that was the economic lifeblood for Sardis was no longer necessary. In the few years that followed, the city quickly became nothing more than a set of ruins commemorating a former fame. 

The reason it’s important to place this letter into the historical context of Jesus addressing the Protestant Reformation centers on the fact, with regards to this specific church located in ancient Sardis, we know virtually nothing about her. 

Revelation 3 is the only mention of the city in the Bible. Additionally, we have no evidence of Paul ever visiting Sardis during one of his missionary journeys, and we no idea how the church itself was started. Furthermore, from the substance of Jesus’ letter, Sardis didn’t seem to be experiencing any type of notable tribulation or specific Christian persecution. 

While there is much about this church we do not know, we can certainly say this local church community was in bad shape. In fact, when you consider Jesus is also speaking of the churches born in the Reformation, it’s a little shocking He has nothing good to say about this church at all! He issues no commendations in His letter — only criticisms.

Jesus begins in verse 1 by acknowledging that this church possessed a good reputation in their community. He says, “I know your works” and that you have “a name that you are alive.” The problem with this was that while Sardis appeared to have life which was substantiated by their “works,” Jesus is clear neither their reputation nor their “works” were connected to reality. Of this church, Jesus declares, “You are dead!”

Commentator David Guzik makes this interesting observation about Jesus’ use of this word “dead” with regard to this church in Sardis. He writes, “Dead indicates no struggle, no fight… It wasn't that the church at Sardis was losing the battle. A dead body has lost the battle, and the fight seems over.” Again, Sardis was in terrible shape!

As far as Jesus was concerned their reputation and activity was nothing more than the evidence of a past life — an illusion! In the Greek language, this word translated as “dead” literally means dead! Like Weekend at Bernie’s, this church body acted alive and had the reputation of being alive when in actuality they were completely dead! They were a headless chicken running around completely oblivious to what had happened.

Let me quickly explain why Jesus would refer to this church as being “dead” when there was clearly a body of believers in motion! I.E. How can a church be considered dead while at the same time still existing and remaining active in a community? 

Every human being is made up of three distinct parts. You have the physical body (your flesh and bones) and the immaterial soul (this is the real you) — both of which necessitates a spirit for life. The problem is the spirit of man you’re born with has been tainted by sin.

 

Everyone enters this world with a sin nature — “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Have you ever noticed you don’t have to teach a child to sin, lie, or be selfish? The one thing we’re all born good at doing is the wrong thing! This is why, if left in this state, when you physically die your soul is condemned to hell. We call this the “second death.”

Mechanically, in order for you to be saved from this death and receive “everlasting life,” it is absolutely necessary the spirit of man that yields death in your mortal being is replaced with the “Spirit of God” that brings life! Understand, the eternal life Jesus freely gives practically requires a person to be “born again” through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! 

The very moment you place your faith in Jesus a miraculous regeneration occurs as this spirit of man is replaced with the Spirit of God. This is what the Lord promised through the prophet Ezekiel 36:26-27, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, you will keep My judgments and do them.” In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul will refer to this as becoming “a new creation in Christ Jesus!”

In a nighttime conversation with a Pharisee named Nicodemus, recorded in John 3, Jesus said, “‘I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’”

In Roman 8:11 the Apostle Paul would write, “If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Later, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul builds on this idea writing in the first few verses of chapter 2, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”

When Jesus refers to this church in Sardis as being “dead” He’s saying the source of true spiritual life and vitality was missing. This was a church no longer depending on or operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Which explains why, of their Christian service, Jesus adds at the end of verse 2, “I have not found your works perfect before God.” One translation renders this as “your deeds are far from right in the sight of God.” 

While we aren’t given any specifics examples of their “deeds,” because they were not manifesting from the Holy Spirit working through them Jesus took no delight in them. It was their work, not His! Though this church had been initially clothed in righteousness, because of this sad state of affairs, in verse 4, Jesus said they had “defiled their garments” — literally they were walking around with soiled, stinky underpants. I mean what a deeply embarrassing indictment of this church coming directly from Jesus Himself.

In light of these things, let’s unpack Jesus’ counsel… In verse 2, He instructs them, “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” With the history of this city in mind, this directive “be watchful” likely stung. Twice the city had fallen to an invading power for the simple reason of pride, overconfidence, and a resulting apathy. 

In the original language, this phrase “be watchful” can be translated as wake up! To a church that was dead and defiled, Jesus is trying to stir within them a cognitive awareness that they were just going through the motions. Sure, they were doing things and the church was filled with activities, but they didn’t realize the reality of their spiritual condition! 

As such, Jesus advises them to immediately “strengthen” or fortify the few good “things which remain” in this church — cautioning that if they didn’t, these to would soon die! 

Though the situation in Sardis was bleak, it wasn’t completely hopeless. In addition to commanding these believers to wake up and “strengthen the things which remain,” Jesus continues in verse 3 by explaining practically how this could be done. He instructs them to “Remember therefore how you have received and heard, hold fast, and repent.” 

While there is no doubt this church was down for the count, she wasn’t fully down and out of the fight! This phrase “remember therefore” literally means to drive your mind back to a place. So we should ask… What was Jesus wanting this dead church to remember? 

This phrase “you have received” was Jesus’ way of getting this church to think back to what they had been given at the beginning they were now lacking in the present. Again, it’s not an accident, as we have seen with all of these letters, the way Jesus introduces Himself had a particular relevance to His counsel and necessary instructions.

The letter to the church of Sardis opens, in verse 1, with Jesus saying, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” While we have noted in our commentary of chapter 1 that these “seven stars” and the fact Jesus “holds them in his right hand” illustrates His authority over His Church, the mentioning of Jesus also having “the seven Spirits of God” is significant in the context of this church’s dead condition. 

In Isaiah 11:1-2 the Holy Spirit is described by the prophet as being the “Seven Spirits of God.” In this passage, the idea is the Holy Spirit possesses seven unique characteristics. He’s “the Spirit of the LORD, the Spirit of wisdom, the Spirit of understanding, the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of might, the Spirit of knowledge, and the Spirit of the fear of the LORD.”

The core problem with this church was that they were no longer relying on the Holy Spirit as He manifests in these seven distinct ways. You see this church had exchanged a Godly dependency (“the Spirit of the LORD”) for human sufficiency. They exchanged divine wisdom (“the Spirit of Wisdom”) for human intelligence. They exchanged a heavenly perception (“the Spirit of Understanding”) for human discernment. 

They exchanged spiritual intuition (“the Spirit of Counsel”) for human rationality. They exchanged supernatural power (“the Spirit of Might”) for human strength. They exchanged holy acumen (“the Spirit of Knowledge”) for human proficiency. They exchanged the pursuit of righteousness (“the Spirit of the fear of the LORD”) for human relevancy.

In the end, what this dead church needed more than anything else was a fresh moving of the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus tells them at the beginning of this letter that He was the One “who has the seven Spirits of God.” What He means is that He’s the dispenser of the very thing they needed for revival — the Holy Spirit. You see this church needed to come to Jesus and ask that He infuse their church with fresh life through His Spirit! 

The question now centered on whether or not they would ask or receive it! This is why Jesus stresses they not only “remember” what they had been given in the beginning but “how” they had received the Holy Spirit. Notice, in verse 3, Jesus didn’t say, “Remember what you have received!” Instead, He tells them to “remember how (or literally in what way) you have received.” How do we “receive” the Spirit? In humility and faith!

Mark 10:15, “Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Galatians 3:2-3, “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”

A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference down in South Florida. Aside from the fact the conference was in February and sun and sand was appealing, what really interested me was the fact the subject matter was God’s grace and the audience made up of mostly these dying mainline Protestant denominations — specifically Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Lutherans. As a Calvary guy, needless to say, I was a fish out of water.

The reason I bring this up is during one of the breakout sessions I had the chance to attend a panel discussion of several of the most notable leaders within these various movements. During the conversation, the topic arose as to what they needed to do to reverse the current trends that will render most of their churches completely empty by 2034.

Several of the younger fella’s shared their theories and antidotes until finally the question was posed to the elder of the panel a man by the name of Steve Brown. To my complete shock he said (and I paraphrase), “Over my many years of ministry I can say I’ve only seen a true, supernaturally outpouring of the Holy Spirit once, and it came during the Jesus Movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s when God used ministries like Calvary Chapel to reach an entire generation my denomination believed to be unreachable. Where I sit today, the only hope we have is to experience a similar moving of the Holy Spirit in our churches!” 

As you read through this letter to the church in Sardis, you can sense in Jesus’ instructions a certain measure of urgency. He’s appealing to this church to get their act together or they ran the risk of missing His coming. Jesus warns, in verse 3, “If you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come.” 

By definition “a thief” is a person who unexpectedly snatches away something of great value. Because Jesus is addressing a dead church, it is my belief this is a reference to the Rapture of the Church or literally the snatching away of the faithful before the Great Tribulation. Though the Rapture is a glorious moment when the Groom comes for His Bride, for the rest of the world including this dead church, it will be seen as a grand heist. Jesus is telling them that if they didn’t wake up they ran a serious risk of being left behind!

To be fair to the mainline Protestant denominations, though the situation is bleak, Jesus does affirm that there were a few faithful believers among a dead majority! Beginning with verse 4, He writes, “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” 

The way Jesus identifies these faithful believers is that, unlike the rest, they had “not defiled their garments.” As such, Jesus promises that “they shall walk with Him in white for they are worthy!” In the end, it was their relationship with Him and His imputed righteousness that made these Christians worthy of being His Bride. 

Jesus then adds, “I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life.” William Barclay notes, “In ancient times cities kept a register of their citizens; and when a man died, his name was removed from the register.” While there is much I could say about this “Book of Life,” Jesus is assuring the faithful of their salvation and place in heaven. 

At the end of verse 5, Jesus promises those “who overcome” that He’d “confess their name before His Father!” This word “confess” not only means to acknowledge openly but joyfully. As Jesus would attest to His disciples in Matthew 10:32, “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”

With all of these things in mind, let’s bring this letter home by applying it to our church and more important to each of us as individuals. Again, as He does with all of these letters, Jesus says, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” 

Richard Rohr, who is a well-known Franciscan priest and author, has noted how Church History presents an interesting pattern that occurs over time with regard to church movements. In fact, he points to this recurring pattern as the reason churches die overtime. He refers to this cycle as the Four M’s: Man, Movement, Machine, and Monument.

First, a Man is used by God in a powerful way. He’s called out by Jesus, filled with the Spirit, breaks from the norm, and pioneers a new way of doing things or a return to the right way of doing things. If the man succeeds in his leadership and others begin to rally around the mission, the work moves beyond the man and becomes a Movement. The idea of one man has now becomes a cause for many. And because people feel like they’re apart of something dynamic, creative, and purposeful, they get involved, advocate, and promote it. 

While it’s true all movements spread organically, at some point, when enough people buy-in, the movement morphs into a Machine. While things began as being a dynamic, free, unstructured movement, it doesn’t take long for the movement to mechanize into a more defined structure, organizational framework, with set routines. In the end, a machine is built to ensure the success and longevity of the movement after the man is gone. 

And yet, almost inevitably the machine itself (the structure designed to protect the movement) starts to become the object of attention. The structure itself, belonging to it, participating in it becomes the central focus of those involved. Slowly the machine becomes so regimented it starts losing the life it once had when it was just a movement. 

At some point, the machine morphs into a Monument. When this final stage is reached the original vision, excitement, energy, and passion of the man and later the movement are all but dead and gone. Innovation is replaced with tradition. Untested ideas with safe go-to’s. The cutting-edge for the tried-and-true. Fresh perspectives are replaced with trusted experience. Risk-taking with we’ve-always-done-it-this-way rigidity. Annual anniversaries are celebrated more frequently than new, fresh tales of exciting ventures of faith.  

Historically, it’s true that in most instances the transition from movement to machine takes place after the man who started the movement has died. Because the man initiated the movement and no one could take his place, the natural compulsion of those within the movement is to compensate for the lack of leadership with organizational structure.

And yet, we can and should resist this tendency because Jesus is alive and well! He’s not only our Advocate and High Priest in heaven, but Jesus is the pastor of the church. He started the movement and still sees to its day-to-day operations. Jesus is the One who “walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands and who holds the seven stars in His hands.” A church should never become a monument to a former fame or glory!

This is why our focus as a church (and yours as a Christian) should always be on the Man Christ Jesus with our dependency being found on nothing but the Holy Spirit. 

Ultimately, there are 2 fundamental differences between a Movement and a Monument. First, movement is a characteristic of the living, whereas a monument often eulogizes the dead. Sadly, many seeking to justify the structure of a machine contend that all living organisms are organized all the while failing to realize the same is true for dead ones! 

The essential difference between being alive and dead is not organization, but the moving of God’s Spirit! This church in Sardis and those of the Protestant Reformation were dead because they were no longer depending on the Holy Spirit — the source of all Spiritual life! 

Beyond the importance of our church seeking to always remain reliant on the Holy Spirit, if you’re feeling as though your Christian experience has grown stale… If you’re tired, worn out, feeling that slow creep of death… If you feel powerless, lethargic, or apathetic… Jesus is telling you to wake up and remember how desperately you need to continuously ask for and receive by faith that fresh, live-giving, filling of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, movement demands continual activity, whereas a monument is by definition a fixed object. It’s a reality that movements intrinsically focus on future advancement while monuments typically only seek to commemorate past achievements. 

Christian, never forget your spiritual life will be in grave danger (death) if you (not only take your eyes off of Jesus and depend on anything other than His Spirit), but begin to reminisce more about the things God did in your life than the work He’s currently doing. 

To this point, Paul would write of his own Christian experience in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”