What The Spirit SaysPart 6 of 8
To the angel of the church in Sardis
Transcript
Skip the transcript0:00 Afternoon. We've been doing a series on 7 letters that Jesus sent to churches around the latter part of the 1st century. And today's letter is to a church in a city called Sardis. And we're going to find that this city was a bit like some of those stars, relying on past glory with a much less impressive present. Sardis had been a hugely impressive city. By the 7th century BC, it was a major urban centre and at the junction of several main trading routes. It was famous for its woollen trade, but even more famous for its gold, the gold that made it wealthy, that was panned from a river that ran near the city. In fact, it's believed to have been the first place where gold and silver coins were ever made.
0:53 The problem Sardis was that its wealth and particularly its location meant that it suffered from complacency. See, it was built on a high plateau, seemingly impregnable. It's surrounded on three sides by really steep cliffs that were almost vertical, 1,500 feet high. And the 4th side was very narrow and easy to defend. The Acropolis stood proudly on top And the city's rulers kind of reckoned this place could never be conquered. In fact, there was a phrase that was used back in the day to capture the Acropolis of Sardis, and it was actually a proverb for trying to do the impossible. So they thought they were safe from any invasion, and they grew lazy. They stopped taking the need for security seriously and they failed to guard the city.
1:50 All of which eventually led to two particularly embarrassing fails. Around 547 BC, the Persian king Cyrus besieged the city. They were wanting to attack and couldn't get a way in. One day one of his soldiers witnessed one of the guards from Sardis drop his helmet down a crevice in the rocks. And then he saw him climb down through the crevice, get the helmet and climb back up. And that night, the Persian army used the same unguarded crevice to climb the cliff and capture the city. And then over 300 years later, around 214 BC, the Greek king Antiochus the Great conquered Sardis in almost exactly the same way, whilst the city and its so-called defenders were asleep. So by the time we reach the 1st century AD, and at the time of this letter, Sardis had been living on past glories.
2:50 In fact, in AD 26, the Roman cities in Asia Minor were in competition with each other for who would have the honour of building a new temple to Caesar. Ephesus talked of their cultural and commercial importance, Smyrna talked up their loyalty and their history of support for Rome. Pergamum pointed to their position as the capital of Asia. And Sardis just spoke about the glories of the past with not much else. And probably, especially because the city had been badly destroyed by an earthquake 9 years earlier, and although they'd managed to rebuild it, just wasn't the same. So by the time this letter was written to the church in Sardis, The glory days of the city are far behind. Overconfident, complacent and asleep. So with that in mind about the city, let's read the letter to the church in Sardis and see if we can pick up anything significant.
3:54 We read this in Revelation chapter three. To the angel of the church in Sardis write, These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds. You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember therefore what you have received and heard. Hold it fast and repent. But if you do not, wake up.
4:35 I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will like them be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. I know your deeds. You have a reputation of being alive.
5:21 But you are dead. Wake up. The church at Sardis had become a mirror image of the city, relying on their past reputation. They thought they were pretty much okay, but the word from Jesus was, you're pretty much dead. Now it's interesting, I think, that this letter doesn't mention anything about attacks on the church, the kind of persecution that we've noticed in the other churches, the persecution that Christians had, or it doesn't actually mention even about false teachers who have wormed their way in and led them astray. Now I think it's safe to assume that there were still challenges, but somehow for this church not much is apparent. And maybe that's significant. Maybe there wasn't much persecution or challenge, because this church wasn't really having much of an impact in the world.
6:23 Maybe they developed a form of Christianity that didn't rear its head, that didn't collide with the cultural values of the day. Or, well, historians tell us that there was a strong Jewish community in Sardis. In fact, there was a massive synagogue, and you can still see the ruins today. Maybe the church in Sardis had managed not to upset things with the Jews as well. So maybe they were just managing a compromise with the pagan religions on one hand and Judaism on the other. And maybe that's why the Lord said they were pretty much dead. Maybe the church was full every week. Maybe they had a busy program, whatever that looked like in the 1st century.
7:02 But But it seems they were just part of the furniture of the city, just a respectable church that didn't make waves, didn't call people to change their ways. And so a church that should have been a living rebuke to the pagan culture around or to the empty legalism of Judaism was actually at peace with the world around it. They didn't stand up against injustice or immorality or idolatry. They were at peace, but it was the peace. of the graveyard. And in words that would have reminded the city of their fateful past, Jesus says, wake up. You're asleep on the job like the watchman who fell asleep and let the city be invaded all those years ago. And I think there's probably a clue a few lines later in the letter as to what was going on.
7:56 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me dressed in white for they are worthy. The concept of white pure robes can have several connotations. White robes traditionally were given to those who had been victorious in battles and they wore them as they paraded through the city victoriously. But they're also widely associated with being acceptable to worship. It's a picture we in several places in Scripture. And it would also have been recognizable for the rituals or in the rituals of the pagan gods of Greek and Rome. So it's interesting to note that these people in Sardis who seemed so alive were referred to as having soiled clothes.
8:39 They weren't pure. They were tainted. by their compromise with idolatry and immorality, or tainted by their compromise with a legalistic expression of Judaism. But the sad thing was they didn't even know. They were so far gone they didn't even realize. I kind of wonder what we think a dead church looks like today. Maybe we'd say that, well, it's one that's pretty empty. Big building, hardly anybody in it, not much happening, doubtful doctrine, uninspiring music, etc.
9:19 And yet I get the impression that by our standards or how we look at things today, Sardis may not have been a dead church. It maybe even looked quite good. And that should be a challenge to us. to how we assess our own church and indeed how we assess our own lives because it's obviously something that can't merely be judged by what's going on on the surface. We need to look elsewhere for signs of life both in our church and in ourselves. And what are the signs of spiritual life? Well, I thought let's keep the answer to that as simple as possible. And I was reminded of other words that the apostle John wrote elsewhere in another letter.
10:07 Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. So in many ways, spiritual life is all about Jesus. Whether we are spiritually alive or dead depends on the reality of our relationship with Jesus. our Savior, but not just our Savior, our Lord. You can't have Jesus just as your Savior. A living relationship with Him means surrender to Him, means living a life under His control, living a life that reflects Him to the people around us, in every way. And a life that looks like Jesus will make the world around sit up and take notice.
11:04 But the signs of it are often not what some people have turned them into. It's not about hanging a verse on a tree or holding a placard. Often many of those verses talking about judgment and not about God's love. It's not just about legalistic rule following. It's way more than that. And I was thinking, if we really want to know what a Jesus-felt life or church looks like, we can't do much better than go to Jesus' own teaching and what we call the Sermon on the Mount. And I've been reflecting that. This is what Jesus values.
11:42 He called on blessing for the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers. He challenges us to see our anger as tantamount to murder. So I was sitting early this morning reading this over, and I've got to confess, I got stuck at this one. Because I was thinking about how I reacted to the monster number 8 yesterday in the rugby match against Ulster, when he tried to be so hurt and calling the ref into getting an Ulster player saying, oh, And I read this, When you're angry with someone, it's the same as murder. And this morning I sat quite uncomfortably. And Ian Johnson spoke to me after the first service.
12:35 He said, I need to talk to you about that. He said, It was righteous anger. And he thought he was helping me get off the hook, and I had to say, well, the initial expression of it might have been righteous anger, but the duration of it proved that it wasn't. And Jesus also called us to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, and to love our enemies, including the monster number eight. And that's only a fraction of what he said. And then there's how Jesus treated the people that he met, particularly those who were on the fringes of society and classed as untouchable. and how he dared to challenge the hypocrisy of religious leaders for the emptiness of their religion. And so I just started to put some of this data, if you want, together.
13:33 And it leads me to start building up a picture of a spiritual life that has an impact way beyond the walls of a church or what happens on a Sunday morning. People in churches who choose live like this will not be at peace with the world around. They will stand in sharp contrast to the culture of their day. Sardis definitely didn't, and we need to watch that we don't fall into the same boat. To have a full program, good leaders, sound theology, and fairly average teaching, that's no guarantee of a church that's alive. And it's no guarantee of an individual that's spiritually alive either. Jesus' people make a mark because of the way that they live their lives. And I don't know about you, but this hits home to me really hard.
14:33 These challenges to the churches are real. And if we're honest with ourselves, I'm sure we'd all confess that we don't match up consistently the way that we'd like to. or the way that we should. And in some ways that's the point. And it causes us to wake up. But here's another side. You see, I also think sometimes we can be overwhelmed by the message and miss something incredibly important. The messages to most of these churches so far have had a pretty sharp point, but they've also had something else.
15:13 And it's crucially important. We touched on it last week. They and we are being given the opportunity to turn it around. Jesus calls them to change because they're still not written off and we're still not written off. And yes, I know sometimes we can be tempted to have too high an opinion of ourselves. But way too often we have too low an opinion of ourselves and we forget just how deeply we are loved by God and how he is so patient with us. I've been doing a Bible reading plan using the Bible Project.
16:01 And if you've never come across the Bible Project, check it out. It's fantastic. But I've been doing a reading plan that's going to take me through the whole Bible. So I'm in the middle of the first five books. got over Leviticus and into Numbers now. And this week, as part of it, there was teaching on a phrase that Garth read earlier from one of the Psalms. And the phrase is that God is slow to anger. I bet none of you know what this phrase means.
16:31 If you just translate the Hebrew Italian. It means God has a long nose. Now, obviously we don't translate it like that because it wouldn't make any sense, which is why there's, you should know this, there is no such thing as literal Bible translation. When someone says they've got a Bible that's been translated literally, don't believe them. It would be absolute nonsense because idioms don't translate literally. Anyway, that's for another day. But it means God has a long nose. You see, the Hebrews for getting angry means Your nose burns hot.
17:10 That's what the Hebrew phrase actually says, reflecting how your face heats up when you get angry at the monster number eight. And maybe even your nostrils flare. Your nose burns. And what we're told is that God has a long nose. And it means it takes so much longer for his anger to hit his face. Do you get that? God will bring judgment. And even in this letter, Jesus hints at it.
17:48 If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. But the Bible also tells me that he really wants to give people a chance to turn around. And I just wonder how many people even sitting in here in a nice, respectable church really need to hear that God still wants to forgive you, to pick you up and get you going again. I wonder how many people sitting here badly need to think again about the God who is our loving Heavenly Father. who wants to wrap his arms around us and hold us close. Because when Jesus called these churches to repentance, it's in that context, the context of the God with the long nose. The father who wants to wrap his arms around his children. Or in another image from what we call the prodigal son, the father who defies all decorum.
19:00 to run and welcome home his wayward child. And here's a key phrase that Jesus uses to help these people get back on track. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard. Hold it fast and repent. You know, the English isn't always able to carry the full meaning of Greek words, but it really means keep on remembering what you have seen and heard. And I do wonder if sometimes we forget some of the most basic truths of the gospel in our rush to be more theologically sound, and we forget that underpinning it all is the simplicity of the truth of God's love. That Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Maybe we just need to stop and rest in the truth of that alone.
20:09 Or maybe we get overwhelmed when we see God's challenge or his commands and we forget that any command God gives us comes in the context of the God who loves us, the God who has saved us and the God who knows. what is good for us. Even when God gave strings of commands to the Israelites in the Old Testament, often this was added at the end. I am the Lord your God who rescued you from Egypt. The God who gives me laws or standards to live by is the God who loves me. And I need to see his challenges in that light. And even when we think we have strayed too far or for too long, we need to hear that this message is for us too. The first line of the letter tells us that it comes from him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
21:08 I think it could be way too tempting to get into an unhelpful discussion about what that means, when it may actually be really quite simple. Back in the Old Testament prophecy of Zechariah, there's a a vision of a lampstand with seven lamps, and it's tied to the work of the Spirit of God. And in so many places in Scripture, the number seven is used as an expression of completeness. And I think we're just being shown here that the seven spirits represent the work of the Spirit of God in all His completeness, and as a result, His ability and His power to meet the needs of these seven churches and all of the church down through time. And as regards to church in Sardis, the message is this. Even though you're as good as dead, the power of the Spirit of Christ can make you alive. And if you're sitting here today and you think you've messed up too much and strayed too far, that same message is for you. The Spirit of God can make you alive.
22:19 And there's even more to encourage us. Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not spoiled their clothes. They will walk with me dressed in white, for they are worthy. The one who is victorious will like them be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. We've already drawn attention to the white robes. And Jesus again is pointing out the special place He has for those who will hear His call to repent and be faithful. But there's another bit here that would have been so meaningful to the faithful ones in Sardis.
22:59 Sardis was famous for its royal archives and how good its administrative records were. Like many Roman cities, They kept detailed records of their citizens, likely so they could collect as much tax as possible. But Sardis was particularly noted for it. However, if a citizen committed a crime that was bad enough to warrant the death penalty, they were stripped of their civic standing. And in many cities, the criminal's name would have been officially blotted out or deleted from the public register immediately before their execution. So basically they were being told, you're no longer even a citizen and you don't even get to die as a member of this community. So if you were a Christian living in Sardis and you were going to follow the call of Jesus to live a spirit-filled life, there was definitely the threat of execution. for refusing to worship the emperor and the threat of having your name erased from the public record as well.
24:10 That was a real thing. The same would have been true for those who dared take a stand against the Jewish leaders. They could have their names removed from the synagogue register. But Jesus contrasts that with the heavenly register. It's first mentioned way back in the book of Exodus. and then through different parts of the Bible. And Jesus tells his faithful people that even though the earthly authorities may strip their name from their records, their names are permanently secured in God's divine register.
24:55 And I love how Jesus puts it here, because he says, I will acknowledge them before my father. It's just to have this picture in my mind that, when the books are open at the end of time and that Jesus stands there and he says, see her? She's mine. See him? He's mine. See him? He's mine. Her over there?
25:31 She's mine. My prayer is that all of us will understand what that means. That Jesus stands on our behalf. And he says to the Father and the angels in the world, this one's mine. Let's pray and the band will come back. Father, would you do your work by your Spirit in our lives? Lord, we know, all of us know that we're not as alive as we could be or should be, and we have to confess that to you, Lord.
26:22 We confess that the life of Jesus doesn't shine through us anywhere near enough. But Lord, I just want to thank you today that you are the God with the long nose who is slow to anger, abounding in love. And I want to thank you that today you again in your great mercy and patience call us back to you again. And I want to thank you that this great promise is true, that Jesus himself, the one who has paid the price of our sin and failure, stands beside us and says, they are mine. God, may we just discover again just how amazing that is and how wonderful your love is even for people like us who get it wrong so often. I just thank you and worship you in Jesus' name. Amen.
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About this talk
This talk explores the letter to the church in Sardis from the Book of Revelation, highlighting the city's historical context and the spiritual condition of the church. Sardis was once a wealthy and secure city but had become complacent and spiritually dead by the first century AD. The speaker reflects on the letter's call to wake up, repent, and live a life that reflects Jesus, contrasting the church's reputation with its reality. The message emphasises God's patience, the power of the Holy Spirit to bring life, and the assurance of salvation for those faithful to Christ. The talk concludes with a prayer for spiritual renewal and commitment.
Bible passages
- Revelation 3:1–6 (main passage)
