The Letter To Sardis
- 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. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 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. 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. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Revelation 3:1-6) -
Sardis is one of the oldest cities on planet earth. It was started well before 2000 B.C., and a number of Greek writers mention it as a city of renown. It was about the seventh century B.C. that the Lydians established an empire along the Aegean coast. They founded a kingdom in which Sardis was its capital. It was the oldest and most important city in the region until about 549 B.C. One of the reasons for the prominence of Sardis was its location. It was at the intersection of the roads to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, etc. Gold was also found in the sand of the river Pactolus, which Sardis bordered on. The gold and silver "Lydian Staters" were the first coins in the world. At its zenith, Croesus its king, (and also its river Pactolus) became proverbial for riches. However one of the key things we must take note of is the fact that Sardis was thought to be ostensibly impregnable. It rested on a peninsula in the mountains... situated on the northern slope of Mt. Timolus, 950ft. above the broad valley of the Hermus. Only the southern end required a defense against an advancing enemy. Sheer cliffs of possibly over a thousand feet were on the other three sides of the city. At the base of the cliff flowed the river Pactolus which served as a natural moat. This rendered the city practically impregnable. However, these sheer precipitous cliffs were made of clay. They suffered continual erosion and the untrustworthy mud left occasional cracks that could be exploited by enemies.
In 549 B.C. Sardis was besieged by the Persians. Croesus, then king of Lydia left the cliffs on three sides of the city unguarded, protecting only the southern entrance. After a fourteen day siege, Cyrus, king of the Persians offered a reward to any man that could find a way of scaling these ostensibly unscalable cliffs. One of the soldiers, Hyeroeades, noticed a Lydian soldier accidentally drop his helmet over the battlements. Watching the path this soldier took to retrieve his helmet revealed an unguarded oversight. Under cover of darkness the following night, Hyeroeades and a Persian party scaled this cliff, and clambered over the unguarded battlements to take the city. The city was taken as historians say, "like a thief in the night." However, the Sardians would not take heed to the lesson.
In 214 B.C. (two and a half centuries later) again the formidable cliffs proved susceptible to a hazardous climb when Lagoras repeated the exploit of Hyeroeades... and Sardis fell to Antiochus and the Seleucid empire. I believe it was the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, that said history teaches us that man learns nothing from history... And so Sardis eventually becomes a proverb being ostensibly secure, but not really so... getting taken like a thief in the night... because those in Sardis were not willing to humble themselves, and take heed to the lessons of history. In 549 B.C. they fell to the Persians. In 501 B.C. the city was burned by Ionians. In 334 B.C. they surrendered to Alexander the Great. In 322 B.C. they're taken by Antigonus. In 214 B.C. they fell to the Seleucids. Sardis becomes a city of failure, synonymous with pretensions unjustified, promise without performance, appearance without reality, and false confidence that heralded ruin. They betrayed themselves by lack of watchfulness and diligence. (This is exactly what Jesus is going to preach in this letter.) By the time of the New Testament, most of Sadis' earlier dignity and splendor had disappeared. A severe earthquake in 17 A.D. caused major damage. The town was destroyed by the Turkic conqueror Tamerlane in 1402. Archeological excavations were begun at the site in 1910, but the city itself was not uncovered until 1958. Today this is a little town called Sart that only possesses fragments of its proud history.
- 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.(Revelation 3:1) -
He that hath the Seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. This is the title that Jesus chooses for Himself in reference to Sardis. The Seven Spirits of God is a sevenfold revelation of the person of the Holy Spirit. These seven Spirits or attributes are identified in Isaiah. It's not actually seven spirits, but He is one Spirit with seven things attributed to Him.
- And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; (Isaiah 11:1,2) -
The spirit of the Lord is the Holy Spirit. Holiness is the first attribute... then wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. That's seven attributes.
The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. These angels may be human leaders, or pastors, or they may be literal angels... each one having a special guardian ministry toward one specific church. The Lord's solution for the condition in Sardis is to be continually filled with, and led of the Holy Ghost. This means continual growth, continual change, continual living repentance, and the ability to not only respond to His voice in a way that pleases Him... but also the possession of a living, burning, passionate desire for Him that will forever keep one in continual pursuit of His heart. Living works are simply a byproduct of this kind of relationship. This is what it means to truly be alive. However, this is in stark contrast to those in Sardis.
I know thy works. Again, Jesus knows the works. He cares, He's paying attention, He loves His church. Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead... I've read several commentaries and it is amazing how many theologians, teachers, and pastors cannot grasp this concept. Jesus doesn't say that these at Sardis need to be more diligent and work harder... He doesn't say they are sick and in need of healing.
He doesn't say they are asleep and need to be awakened. He says...
THEY. ARE. DEAD!
These at Sardis do not need a revival, they need a resurrection! Let that sink in for a moment. This is a serious letter... the most serious of the seven.
Now the word "name" in the Greek is the word "onoma." It refers to a label... it means being covered by a name. So what Jesus is saying here is that these have a name, a label, or title that proclaims life, in opposition to the reality that they are dead. So what name, label, or title are we talking about here? The name of Jesus, the title of Christ, and the label Christian. You see, simply having the name of Jesus, or the surface label of Christian does not bestow life. But it is the continual inner changes brought about by being constantly filled by the Holy Spirit. What the majority in Sardis have done is take the name and the label that says they are alive, having never received life to begin with. While others who did receive life cut themselves off from the source because of hardness of heart... and they are soon to be dead.
Now I'm going to deviate from the usual order here, and skip down to where this fits on the prophetic timeline, so as to help get the impact of this letter across... People of God, if Thyatira was the papacy and the medieval church of the dark ages, then this would make Sardis the Reformation. And most everyone reading these notes should be able to identify with some of the vestiges of the Reformation.
The winds of the Reformation were already blowing as early as the thirteenth century. By the fourteenth century an English reformer by the name of John Wycliff began to boldly attack the papacy. He struck at the sale of indulgences, the excessive veneration of saints, and the moral and intellectual standards of the ordained priests. To reach out to the common people he translated the Scriptures from Latin to English. And just as a side note, an indulgence was a payment to the Catholic Church that purchased an exemption from punishment (penance) for some types of sins. In other words, you pay the Catholic church a certain amount of money to cover a certain sin and there will be no punishment for it... in this life or the hereafter.
By the fifteenth century Wycliff's teachings had spread to Bohemia, where they found a powerful advocate in Jan Hus (John Huss). His execution in 1415 led directly to the Hussite Wars, a violent expression of Bohemian nationalism, suppressed with difficulty by the combined forces of the Holy Roman emperor and the pope. The wars were a precursor to the religious civil war in Germany during Martin Luther's time. Another point I need to emphasize is the invention of the Guten Burg Press. The invention of printing with movable metal type changed everything. The Gutenberg Bible was the first book so printed in 1455. Increased efficiency in printing and a population becoming more and more literate enhanced the spread of ideas... all of these things coming together only created more fuel for the coming Protestant Reformation. You see, now people could claim that the Scriptures were the final authority rather than the Roman Catholic Church... and that was the wedge that divided. The paganism, the indulgences, etc... they were symptoms but not the cause. The root of the conflict is whether the Scriptures are the final authority or the Church traditions. And I can tell you from personal experience that this conflict rages on even to this day.
This brings us to Martin Luther, who being born to a coal miner in 1483 decides to become a lawyer. In 1504 a violent storm changes his course to pursue a doctorate in theology. Becoming disillusioned with what he found after visiting Rome, Habakkuk 2:4 becomes his life text.
- Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.(Habakkuk 2:4) -
On October 31, 1517, he nails his ninety five theses to the door of Wittenburg College. This was basically a call for reform, and most of it had to do with the indulgences. On December 10, 1520, Luther was excommunicated, and ordered to retract his theses or be executed. He burned that letter publicly and the Reformation was born. There were centuries of wars afterward which were basically the attempts of the Roman Catholic church to maintain control. By the time we get to the sixteenth century all kinds of protestant denominations have appeared.
1517: Lutheranism - Martin Luther
1521: Anabaptists - Scandinavian Lutherans
1523: Swinglianism - Huldreich Zwingli
1534: Anglicanism - Henry the VIII (most know the story of the king breaking away from the Catholic church for political reasons, and creating the church of England)
1536: Mennonites - Menno Simmons
1536: Calvinism - John Calvin
1540s: German Reformed Church
1550s: Hungarian Reformed Church
1560s: French Calvinists (Huguenots)
1560s: Scottish Presbyterians - John Knox
1560s: Congregationalism - Puritans
1570s: Dutch Reformed Church
Going into the Seventeenth century...
1606: English Baptist - John Smith
1647: Quakers - George Fox
1690: Amish - Jacom Ammon
Continuing on to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries...
1739: Methodism - John Wesley
1785: Protestant Episcopal Church
1800: United Bretheren in Christ
1819: Unitarianism - William Channing
1831: Disciples of Christ - Thomas Campbell
1845: Southern Baptist Convention
1863: Seventh-Day Adventists - William Miller
1865: Salvation Army: William Booth
1879: Christian Science: Mary Baker Eddy
1900s: Pentecostal Charismatic movement begins with the Welsh Revival and the Azusa Street Revival.
1914: Assemblies of God
Without picking on any one denomination, the thing that seems to characterize the denominational church are "soft" hermeneutical traditions. Hermeneutics are your theory of interpretation of the Scriptures. You can be very tight and high with your interpretation regarding every letter and word as God breathed. Or you can take the soft approach which is more allegorical, thematic... this is kinda, sorta, what it means. Most denominational churches take an increasingly soft approach toward the Scriptures. Also most denominational churches deny the millennial reign of Jesus Christ, and I'm not just speaking of Revelation 20. Most of what we know of the Millennial reign comes from Isaiah 65 and other places. We'll deal with that in detail when we get to Revelation 20, but this is one of the reasons that most churches abhor and avoid the book of Revelation. Now people can hold whatever view they want, be it postmillennialism (Jesus returns after a golden age of Christian prosperity) or amillennialism (there is no millennial reign of Jesus Christ) but it's false labeling to call it Christian. In addition to that, most amillennial churches deny Israel's prophetic destiny. They have no respect or regard for Israel from a biblical perspective. Unfortunately many tend to lean in the direction of anti-Semitism. Also in most denominational churches is the absence of a biblical devotional life. Your knowledge of God comes from the study of His word. But the fear of the Lord comes from your devotional life... your relationship. They celebrate Easter rather than recognize Passover. They choose Sunday as their day of worship rather than Shabbat (the Sabbath) Anyone that believes Sunday is the seventh day of the week has got some serious homework to do. Don't misunderstand, I am not a Seventh-Day Adventist, but there are some legitimate issues as it pertains to the Sabbath. Something else about the denominational churches is that they de-emphasize the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as defined by Paul in the first four verses of 1 Corinthians 15.
- Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) -
This is the Gospel and not the boxed lessons or life coaching that comes out of most pulpits on Sunday. Then there is the ordination of homosexuals... this is unthinkable from a biblical perspective. Jesus died for homosexuals... if they repent they can be saved just as you and I. But to elevate them to official offices within the church is an abrogation of the teachings of the Scriptures. I would add to this list of serious issues the joint declarations of Catholics and Evangelicals... On March 29th 1994, a joint declaration was signed. It was called "Evangelicals and Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium. A kind of continuation of this could be seen in Pentecostal leader Kenneth Copeland's dealings with Pope Francis three years ago (2014). However the compromising of the Gospel is what lies at the heart of this declaration. Okay, so now having shared all of this lets get back to the letter. Notice that there is no commendation. Jesus says nothing good about those in Sardis. There is only the exhortation and the recommendation.
- Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 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.(Revelation 3:2,3) -
When we read this in the context of the history of Sardis it fits in a surprising way. We are to be watchful. Why? To strengthen the things that remain and are ready to die. This means that the things that were given are eroding away. Just as the cliffs were eroding away, the doctrines get soft and swept under a rug. Remember what you received, hold fast, and repent. I would submit that if this is the Reformation period it is the period in its earlier stages. You see the Reformation got a lot of things right, but the also crashed and burned in a lot of areas as well (I'll come back to that). The main point is that since the Reformation, these glorious denominations that fought the good fight in faith have become rigid... fossilized. Remember what you received, hold fast, and repent. That is the message to this church and everyone in it. And do you realize what the flip side of this exhortation is? If you will remember, hold fast, repent, and watch... then Jesus will not come upon you as a thief and you won't be taken by surprise! Being watchful means being prayerful. If you're prayerful you're watching... you're on guard, you're vigilant. If you're not prayerful you're not watching... you're asleep or dead. What do we need to be watchful of? The wiles of the devil for starters. Be mindful of his tactics and methods. Learn to recognize he and his minions, and anticipate attacks.
- Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:(1 Peter 5:8) -
Be watchful of temptations. How do you avoid them? By watching for them. Temptations don't catch us by surprise, but they creep up upon us. If we're watchful we can catch these things early, and deal with them in Christ before they get out of control.
- Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.(Matthew 26:41) -
Be watchful of the coming of Jesus Christ.
- Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. (Matthew 24:42,43) -
- Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. (1 Thessalonians 5:6) -
One of the great tragedies of the church today is that it will not watch for the return of Jesus Christ.
- For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.(Acts 20:29-31) -
Watch for false teachers. This was one of the things that Ephesus was commended for. If you want an example of a false teacher just watch Christian tv or listen to Christian radio for a bit.
We are to strengthen the things which remain. Great truths are being lost... such as the justification by faith. This was the great cry of the Reformation. Most churches today have turned this into cheap grace... an eternal security doctrine. No need for repentance, live however you like... as long as you said the sinner's prayer and got baptized, God's grace has you covered. The inerrant Word of God is another truth lost. It's very difficult to find a church that believes the Scriptures are without error. And I'm not speaking of translations, but the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Other lost truths include the depravity of man, and the precious blood of Jesus Christ. It's only in a handful of small old time churches that you will ever hear about the power of the blood.
Jesus says that our works are not perfect (or complete) before God. Our love is not complete. Our fear is not complete. You can measure a devotional life by how much of the fear of the Lord is present in that life. And by fear I don't mean the holy fear of judgment, although that is part of it... but the honor, respect, and esteem that one holds toward God. He is not buddy Jesus. Our ambassadorship is incomplete. This is about taking on the name of the King, and falsely representing Him. Finally our service is incomplete, for without Him we can do nothing. Be watchful, strengthen, remember, hold fast, and repent. That is the message to Sardis.
- Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23) -
I can understand someone that has lived their life as a God-hating, paganistic, reprobate coming before God, and not being surprised to hear Him say such a thing. But can you imagine someone who has believed for most of their lives that they had received salvation coming before the Lord and hearing this? That has got to be a terrifying reality. On that day they present wonderful works as their defense. God does not deny that the works were wonderful as He is the one that commissioned them. However He never knew them. Even though they had the power to cast out demons, He never knew them. The word know does not mean the Jesus didn't know who these individuals were, but that He never had an intimate relationship with them. Can you imagine the Christians in name only coming before the Lord to give an account of their time on earth. Their lives are laid out before the Lord... He sees the sinner's prayer and baptism at an early age, He sees faithful attendance and giving of tithes, He sees teaching in Sunday school, and service through a variety of church programs and charitable institutions, He even sees the casting out of demonic spirits... but nowhere can it be found in their lives where they have ever sat down and had a heart to heart conversation with the Lord. He can hardly find any thoughts of Himself in their lives apart from Sunday church meetings. It's as if the Lord were saying, not only did you not love me, not only did you not desire to be intimate with me, not only did you not worship me, not only did you never have time for me... but you didn't even think about me...
The exhortation concludes with verse 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.(Revelation 3:4) -
Thou hast a few names, even at your church... the very phrasing is an indictment. So there is a remnant in Sardis. And the promise to the overcomer is to walk with the Lord in white.
So in the prophetic timeline of the life of the Church, Ephesus is the apostolic Church(Devotion and intimacy, not just doctrines and service). Smyrna is the persecuted Church (Endure persecution). Pergamos is the Church in perverted marriage (Stand fast against the world). Thyatira is the medieval Church (Abhor the pagan practices). Sardis is the Denominational Church (Be watchful and diligent).
In closing I think it would be beneficial to mention the ground swell of home fellowships that have gone almost unnoticed. Across America, thousands of churches are planted in a week. Yet there is a silent exodus out of the back doors of these churches. They were attracted but not contained. Interested but never really inserted into fellowship. Harvest but not gathered... touched but not transformed... they looked in briefly and were disappointed by what they saw. I believe this to be a very real description of most churches today. Thousands defect from churchdom every week, and over ninety percent are the leadership! An old poll from the nineties showed that over sixty three percent of Americans believed the Scriptures to be literal. So we have some evidence that there are a lot of people out there that have a high regard for the Scriptures, yet they are leaving the churches by the thousands... So what's going on? I think taking a brief look at how this all started will help to explain where we are headed...
The birth of the Church at Pentecost was in the upper room of a house. The early church met in houses until the third century. When you read your New Testament you need to recognize that most of what you see going on there is happening in homes. As a persecuted church this was the only safe place they could meet. Jesus taught in the synagogues but the apostles didn't get very far because of the persecution of the Jews. Later Nero and the Romans get into the act. After them came the papacy and the Roman Catholic Church. Remember, one pope, on one afternoon, murdered more Christians than all of the previous Caesars of the Roman empire had combined... Also keep in mind that the twentieth century has murdered more Christians than all the previous centuries combined! This should help to keep things in perspective. I would contend that we are moving back to the simplicity of the New Testament. We want the Holy Spirit to be free to do as He pleases, not shackled and constrained by religious traditions or models. This is what I believe people are looking for. Those that read their bibles can see that the foundations of the mainstream church have all but eroded. The Scriptures are being interpreted as allegorical myths. No awareness of the center piece of Israel in God's plan or her destiny. No focus on the imminent return of Jesus Christ. We've adopted pagan fallacies and evolutionary myths, the denial of absolutes in favor of relativism. House churches were outlawed during the time of the Roman Catholic and that continued to be the pattern even after the Reformation! Martin Luther and John Calvin tried to wipe out home fellowships. It was a loss of control in their minds. This comes as a shock to many that there was heavy prosecution of the protestants, by protestants under protestant leadership.
There are massive storm clouds gathering on the horizon. The biblical Christian is becoming increasingly "politically incorrect." I would contend that the true Church will eventually be forced under ground... with the attack being spear-headed by the liberal denominational churches.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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