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And
unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he
that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy
works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.2 Be
watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to
die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a
thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon
thee. 4 Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are
worthy. 5 He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches. (Rev
3:1-6)
This
is the most somber message thus far to the churches – to appear
living and, yet, to be dead! The name, SARDIS, means “those who
escaped, or came out.” The actual fate of Sardis is dismal. It
today lies in ashes and bears no resemblance to its former elegance
and spiritual foundation in Christ. There is some archaeological
evidence to suggest that the Church was founded by John as advocated
by the Lutheran minister, Joseph A. Seiss. In the mid-second century,
its minister was Melito who may have borne authority there at the
time of John’s writing of Revelation.
The
city was the lavish capital of Lydia once under the wealthy ruler,
Croesus, and was located about thirty miles southeast of Thyatira. A
more contemporary application of the nature of the Church at Sardis
might be, in a very small way, the Reformation Church of Luther,
Cranmer, and Calvin since these obeyed the command “Wherefore
come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and
touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the
Lord Almighty.”
(2
Cor 6:17-18)
You may object that the faithful men who came out of the Papal
monstrosity of Rome were not dead. This is true, but like the Church
at Sardis, all were not dead at the time of the Reformation. Those
who were given the Light of the Holy Ghost did, indeed, come out from
among them. So, Sardis was like unto the Roman Church with her false
traditions and manmade worship.
The
Lord Jesus Christ is One with the Holy Ghost as He is One with the
Father. The Seven Spirits represents the fullness and perfection of
the Holy Spirit. “These
things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven
stars.”
Our Lord bears the fullness of the Holy Ghost, though separate from
it, as well as possession of the reins of the full Church represented
in the Seven.
Remember
how our Lord commended the Church at Smyrna? “I
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)”
(Rev
2:9)
But the opposite might be said of Sardis which was rich: “I
know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art
dead.”
This Church had the name ‘Christian’ but that was not a full and
applicable name, for many were not Christian at all – they were
what the modern media might call CINO’s, or Christians in Name
Only!” All who bear in Spirit and in Truth the name of Christ are
forever alive. But many in Sardis were dead. They were spiritual
zombies (walking dead) as are all of the lost. “1 And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” (Eph
2:) Yes,
ever before we were chosen in Christ, we were dead men walking in
sin. “Even
when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together,
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
(Eph
2:5-6)
It is a terrible verdict the Lord delivers to Sardis. Many churches
will be so-judged of our modern day as well.
Is
the Church at Sardis, after being so severely reprimanded, without
hope? No, the Lord offers a balm of solace to those who remain and
are faithful: “Be
watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to
die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.”
The Church is comparable to a ship at sea that plies the waters with
goods and merchandise of value. It is made for sea crossings. But
when the seas (the world) gets into the ship, the ship’s fate is in
doubt. What action can the crew take? They must strengthen the hull
where the leak is detected and repair the breach – or sink. The
Church at Sardis was a sick man walking. The modern church is
becoming very much like the Church at Sardis. We must be watchful and
repair those things that remain and strengthen them. Perfection would
never come to mind in describing the churches of the ‘entertainment
class’ that we have allowed to take over our youth and even the
elderly in churches of our day.
The
word, REMEMBER, is a beautiful term. We tend to remember those things
that are beautiful and pleasant, and to repress those things which
are not so pleasant. We forget the many sins that we commit in a
week, don’t we. There is no way we can remember every one of them
to confess before the Lord. But remembrance of the promises and
beauties of God’s Word is of paramount importance. While
forgetfulness is involuntary, remembrance is an intentional effort to
recall. “Remember
therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a
thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
If you visit Sardis today, you will find only the ruins and ashes of
what was once a seemingly thriving church there. The ruins and ashes
are evidence that the Lord did come as a thief to the destruction of
that Church. I believe many faithful souls departed from that Church
before its destiny was fulfilled in prophecy. “Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their
garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.”
Those who were the faithful of Sardis had not fallen into the
apostasies and sins of the larger church. It is, sadly, true today
that only a few out of so many who occupy the pulpits each Sunday are
alive and will see the glorious sunrise of the salvation that escaped
the Church at Sardis.
What
made those few of Sardis who escaped the condemnation worthy? It was
not their good works, or professional achievements, but it was,
rather, the Blood of Christ to which they held faithful as the called
and chosen elect of God that made them to be considered worthy by
God. It was not their worthiness, but that imputed worthiness of our
Lord to which they could lay claim as their own.
“He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
That White Robe of Righteousness purchased on our behalf by the Lord
Jesus Christ at Calvary is our raiment to cover the filthy rags of
our own sins – just as the robe of the old father covered the filth
of the pig sty of the returning Prodigal. “He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I
will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”
I wonder how many of us truly know if our names are written in the
Book of Life. We should know with perfect assurance for that state of
the elect of God is made known to them from the moment of their
election. That name was entered in the Book of Life before the
Foundation of the World: We read, of those who follow manmade
religion: “And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the world.”
(Rev
13:8)
When was that name entered there? “. . . . and
they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not
written in the book of life from the foundation of the world .
. . .” (Rev
17:8)
The
Church at Sardis was, and IS, DEAD! How sad is that pronouncement. It
describes so many churches (most) of our day. “7 Ye hypocrites,
well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, 8 This
people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But
in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men.”
(Matt
15:7-9)
Too many self-pious of our church sit in the pulpits every Sunday,
hear the sermon (hopefully a biblical one) and leave the Church in
the same state in which they entered. They lock the church doors, bid
their farewell to the minister, to their friends, and to our Lord
(whom they leave at the Church until the next Sunday), and go about
leading a life that is indiscernibly different from the common lot of
modern society. Perhaps we should take stock of ourselves in this
world of growing peril. Who are we truly in our heart of hearts? Are
we committed to Christ in our daily lives of service and learning; or
are we as those to whom the Lord made reference as ‘hypocrites?’
“For
if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
(1
Cor 11:31)
It just may be time the optimum time to seek a spiritual home
elsewhere from Sardis for the benefit of our eternal souls.
