This morning we turn to Revelation 3, to consider the fourth of seven churches, Jesus wrote to in Asia Minor. The fourth church is Sardis. Historically, each church is facing its own, unique, cultural challenges. The church isn’t in Rome anymore…. facing down pagan worship and idolatry, a cult of emperor worship, nor Jewish animosity. We have new challenges, threats, and opportunities.
Revelation 3:1-6, “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. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But 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.”
4 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. 5 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. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
As we read this letter, and the other letters, there is a lot to agonize about. I think of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:28 when he writes how, “. . . there is the daily pressure [burden] on me: my concern for all the churches.” If ever there was a burden, it would be a concern for the body of Christ. I read these letters. I read the New Testament epistles which were letters. Every letter is mixed. There are certainly things to commend—but there is far more to lose sleep over! In this letter we’re promptly reminded that Christ holds His Church, and her future, in his hands. The seven spirits and seven stars of the seven churches are right in his palm. That’s one of the most encouraging things I’ve read in all these letters. God is in ultimate control of all that matters. He’s the head of the Church, He is the Chief Shepherd, He promised to build his church and sanctify her with his Word and Holy Spirit. He knows exactly what is going on, and what needs to happen.
Now as we read this letter, it is in many ways a direct critique of modern churches and churchgoers. Let’s just get right down to business and let the Spirit of Christ stir things up. Christ’s first criticism of Sardis is:
(1) They Were Spiritually Dead, not Alive. Now by all appearances, reputationally, in a worldly sense, they seem fully alive! Jesus says, in Revelation 3:1, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive. . .” BUT you’re not.
I see two predominate church portraits—one rural, one urban. The portrait of the rural church feels rather bleak. Scattered across the Midwest are thousands of churches who feel spiritually dead. Attendance is down. The building looks dead throughout the week. Many rural churches are lucky to get a few dozen attenders on the weekend, to pay the bills, to have enough people to make things work.
In stark contrast you have urban churches that are massive, and active, and staffed and programmed and even busting at the seams. The truth is that the urban churches aren’t growing through “conversion” growth—they’re mostly growing through mass consolidation, through massive transfer growth. The overwhelming characteristic large or mega-churches share is affluence. They have the cash to build massive facilities, leverage state of the art technology, develop cutting edge music programs and worship, to cultivate a premier online presence, to woo and attract top tier talent. If you’re in a small church it’s hard not to look upon these massive ministries with envy (or even a degree of self-pity). The reputational flatulence of these churches fills the air. It’s as if the whole world has gone after them, or they the world!
Sardis had a reputation for being fully alive, but they were dead as a door nail. Let me tell you how that is possible. In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus offers a final commission to his disciples before he leaves earth. He begins saying, “… All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…”
The first, and most defining trait of a disciple, is their baptism. No, I don’t just mean that they were baptized by immersion—though that is certainly in view here. What I mean is that they’ve been baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Every disciple first and foremost is a disciple of Christ Jesus. When we get baptized, we don’t pledge ourselves to be of Sardis (to be Sardines?) but to be of Christ. In contrast, the reputationally “alive”, programmatically bloated churches of our day, are too often making disciples of their institution, their church brand or style. What often gets lost is how deeply are you abiding in the Father’s love? How deeply are you abiding in Christ? How spiritually reliant are you upon the presence and power of the Holy Spirit?
Sardis was holding on by a tiny string. Despite appearances, they were relationally withering away, and about to spiritually die. I think churchgoers in both rural and urban churches, small and large, need to get back to the relational basics (fundamentals) of discipleship.
In John 15:4-5 Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
Christ’s second criticism of Sardis was (2) They Were Spiritually Complacent, not Growing. Look what he says in Revelation 3:2, “… Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.” There is something quite striking about verse two! You can imagine all the ways someone might try to deflect Christ’s criticism in verse two. What do you mean, my needs are unfinished? I’ve been baptized! I attend church, well when I can, not always weekly but at least once a month, definitely on Easter and Christmas. I signed up for online giving. I go to Sunday school. I’m in a small group. I volunteer and have a church t-shirt to prove it. I did the membership class thingy, I believe what my church teaches. I help my church do community projects.
Churchgoers make two fatal errors. The first is failing to continually abide in the Father, Son, and Spirit—to live into, and live out their baptismal covenant. You are of Christ! But second fatal error is conflate being a disciple of Christ with being a very busy disciple of your church. What am I talking about?
In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus continues, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations baptizing them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.”
Whoa! Wait a minute! The essence of discipleship isn’t just our union to Christ, it’s also obedience to Christ. And the essence of discipleship isn’t just a little obedience, or a little fruit, or a little transformation. It’s full obedience, full fruit, full transformation. Teach them to obey EVERYTHING I have commanded. I came to this chilling realization years ago that you (or someone) can check all the “busy boxes” your church asks you to check without ever really getting around to substantive obeying Christ.
In Sardis, people were as spiritually busy as ever, but they were dead. They were as spiritually busy as ever, but they were backsliding, complacent, not growing. What did Jesus say? Also in John 15, not just the command to abide, but to obey! John 15:10, “If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.” John 14:21, “The one who has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father. I also will love him and will reveal myself to him.”
This past year I’ve taking about a dozen people through something I’ve been calling “Disciple Catalyst.” We got one other church also joining us. It’s a kind of an experiment. We been spending a month unpacking what it means that we’re loved by the Father. A month on what is means to love, obey, abide in Christ. A month on what it means to walk with the Holy Spirit, to obey him. A month on, what does it mean to build our marriages and families in love. A month, on what does it mean to lovingly build up the Church, the Kingdom of God, as Christ would have us? Next month will be about what does it mean to love God’s world, our neighbors, our enemies, those outside Christ. We are not disciples “of Lakeside” but of Christ. The essence of discipleship isn’t checking a church’s busy boxes but to ensure that at end of the day we’ve left nothing off the table. That we’re growing in love, growing in obedience, growing in fruit, growing in transformation, leaving NOTHING unfinished, but endeavoring to LOVE/OBEY CHRIST IN EVERYTHING!
Christ’s third criticism of Sardis was (3) They Were Spiritually Asleep, not Vigilant. Notice that Jesus repeatedly tells them to WAKE UP! In verse 2, in verse 3. In verse 3 he warns wake up or else…, “I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” Interesting historical detail. The city of Sardis was captured twice in its past because of her failure to keep watch, be vigilant. No army was ever able to overcome her by day, by force. Only by night, only by stealth, only per Sadia’s lack of vigilance. Once the city was overcome because a soldier dropped his helmet from his post. He clumsily took a secret path down, outside the wall, to retrieve his helmet. Little did he know he was being watched by the enemy. Later at night the Persians followed his path back up to the summit and captured the whole city, taking them quite by surprise. Jesus and his apostles urged the church to be watchful. Not just for the enemy… but to also be ready on the day of Jesus Christ having obeyed Christ in everything, leaving nothing on the table!
Christ’s fourth criticism of Sardis was (4) They Were Spiritually Soiled, not Washed. Revelation 3:4, “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.” That means many HAVE soiled their clothes! In Revelation 7:14 the Saints of God are dressed in white, they’re found worthy and victorious, because God’s washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. We modern churchgoers cannot lose sight of the gospel. It is Christ who must wash us, forgive us, and blot out our sins. In Revelation 3:4-6 “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. 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. 5 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. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”