Revelation 3:1-6

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.

A person’s reputation can be very misleading. Someone may be known for certain things, whether good or bad, but secretly be completely different or known by those closer to them as someone altogether different. Many people live their lives through the lenses of other people. What I mean by that is they live their lives according to what they can manipulate others into thinking about them. This is the trap the Pharisees fell into. Jesus said of them, “But all their works they do for to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5). They appeared righteous to others, but were truly void of any real faith and love for the truth, “like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). A church can fall into the same trap. A church can thrive in the eyes of the world around them off of a “good” reputation, but be truly void of any real spiritual life or impact. Such was the church at Sardis. They had a reputation of being alive, but were really dead. What makes a church a dead church? How does a church end up in that place? What leads a church to revival from deadness? The church at Sardis gives us three things that we must consider that help a church avoid deadness or lead a church to revival.

First, we see that we must look to Christ’s assessment. That is what we have in verse one is His assessment of the church at Sardis. Ultimately, what people think of us and what the world around us thinks of us will pass away and what truly matters and remains is what Christ thinks of us. The city of Sardis was founded around 1200 B.C. and served historically as the capital of the Lydian Kingdom. It was known for its impenetrable defenses because it was built 1500 feet above the valley below it, but it was eventually conquered by the Persians. The city had immense wealth because of the gold that came from the nearby Pactolus River. Sardis was known for having a king named Croesus who was known for his immense wealth. The phrase “rich as Croesus” comes from this city. The people of Sardis became overconfident in their wealth and defenses, but were eventually conquered by Cyrus the Great and the Persians. By John’s time, the city had been in a decline. It was known for its nearby hot springs that were said to be places where the gods gave life to the dead. Ironically, the city was also known for a large necropolis where citizens, kings, and heroes of their past were buried. It would dominate the view of the city. Like the church, its glory days were in the past. We do not have a record of the church’s founding, but it was likely founded as an extension of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10). From church history it is known for an apologist named Melito, who served as their pastor in the second century A.D. He wrote the earliest known commentary on the book of Revelation. It was to this church of Sardis that found itself in a dying city that Jesus identifies Himself as the One with “the seven Spirit of God, and the seven stars.” The “seven Spirits of God” refers to the sevenfold Holy Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit in all of His fullness (Isaiah 11:2-3). It was Jesus reminding the pastors (“seven stars”) that it was He had who possessed and granted spiritual life (John 5:21). The church had a “name” or reputation of being “alive” but Jesus assessed them as dead. What constitutes a dead church? If we look at the rest of Scripture and what Jesus says here, we can safely conclude that sin brings death (James 1:15; Romans 6:23). It was a church that was well liked because it had compromised with the culture and embraced sin. It lost its distinction from the lost world. It likely grew in numbers and was loved by the city it lived in, but reputation can be misleading. We may be liked and well thought of by others around us, but we may be known by the One who matters as being devoid of spiritual life. We may have everyone convinced we are Christians, but actually be “dead” in our sin (Ephesians 2:1). This is why we must look to Christ’s assessment, not our own or what others think. If we live by what others think we will find ourselves living to please others and garner that reputation. If we live for what Christ thinks then we will please Him. We cannot do both at the same time (Galatians 1:10).

Next, we learn that we must listen to Christ’s admonition or instruction. Jesus gave the church five commands in verses 2-3. “Be watchful” is a call for the church to sober up, abandon their apathy, and realize where they truly were. They were also to “strengthen the things which remain” before it was too late. They had to hold onto and pursue the few things that they had right. They were also to “Remember” what they had “received” and “heard.” This was essentially a call to return to the truth of God’s Word and the gospel. They had left the gospel for cultural relevancy. The only way back was to “hold fast” and “repent.” Overall, Jesus gave these five commands to bring them out of their sin and back into His truth. Their works were not “perfect before God,” meaning even the good things that the church did were tainted by the sin they participated in. It does not matter how much “good” we do if we are living with compromise with sin. The only way back from deadness for a church is repentance from sin. What makes a church a “dead” church? It is a church that has so compromised with sin that it has destroyed its witness and effectiveness and/or has become largely comprised of unregenerate (unsaved) people as a result. When a church compromises, it lowers its standards on membership and loses its witness. Without either, a church becomes comprised of unsaved people and does not proclaim a message that can lead to their salvation. The only way to fix such a situation is to repent of the sin and turn to the Word of God (Psalm 119:9, 11). The Word of God leads to true conversions, true disciples, and a powerful witness (Hebrews 4:12-13). It exposes the sin and leads people in the way of salvation. We must listen to Christ’s instruction.

Lastly, we must learn to live by Christ’s assurance. If our assurance of our salvation and effectiveness is rooted in what others think, we will be misled. In the final three verses of the letter, Jesus told the church that there were “a few” in the church there that had not “defiled their garments” (compromised with sin). To those He promised that they would “walk with” Him “in white.” They would enjoy eternal salvation with Him. His promise was to clothe those who overcome with “white raiment” and preserve their name “in the book of life.” “White raiment” describes Jesus’s own righteousness which He gives to all who place their faith in Him. The “book of life” is the register of all who belong to Him. In those times, it was customary for a city to have an active register of all of its citizens. The church at Sardis had compromised with sin to be accepted by its city. The call for believers is to seek acceptance, not in the kingdoms of this world, but in the eternal city, the New Jerusalem (Philippians 3:20-21; Revelation 21:1-7). When citizens died on earth or were exiled from their city, their name was blotted out of the city register, but Jesus’s promise is that those who belong to Him would never have their names blotted out. In addition, He would “confess” His own before His “Father, and before His angels.” The church at Sardis had gained a reputation from the world. By embracing the ways of the world, the world would confess them. Jesus’s promise reminds us that our desire should be a good reputation (confession) from Him before His Father. What do we live for? Do we live for the praise of people? If we do, we will compromise with sin. Instead, let us strive to live by the assurance of Jesus’s promises.

There are many churches that have a great reputation of being alive, but are dead. They are full of activities. They do a lot of good. They are well liked and supported. They have big buildings, large crowds, and plenty of funds and resources, but Jesus looks upon them as “dead.” Everyone, even other Christians, may say they are alive, but Jesus sees everything for what it is. Perhaps we have a personal reputation for being alive. Everyone thinks highly of us. We convince everyone that we are a nice, upstanding Christian with conservative doctrine, faithful service, etc., but all the while we have compromised with sin that no one else notices or knows about. Or worse, maybe we have never truly been born again and we are in fact still “dead” in our sin (Ephesians 2:1-3). Today, let avoid deadness and turn from it. Let us look to Christ’s assessment, listen to His admonition, and live by His assurance.