September 18, 2016
Evening Service

Revelation 1:10-11  I came to be in the Spirit in the Lord's day and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,  (11)  saying, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.” Also, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

 

We have made our way to the fifth church of the seven churches of Revelation.   We have read about the church at Ephesus being commended for their labor and works but reprimanded for leaving their first love.  Smyrna was commended for being faithful in the midst of great trials, but warned that their tribulations were not over and were exhorted to remain faithful unto death.   Pergamos was commended for being faithful in the midst of many pagan religions but they were reprimanded for letting some of that teaching into the church.  Last week we read how Thyatira had many great works and loved well, but they also allowed some false teaching to be part of the church.

Sardis-  It means “those escaping” or the “renovation.”  It was a city in the Roman province of Asia just north of Smyrna, but south of Thyatira.  It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia which was one of the greatest of foreign powers encountered by the Greeks.  It was a very prosperous city and much of the wealth came from the gold that came out of the stream which flowed right through the city. The city was nearly impregnable as it was surrounded by great cliffs.  It was twice besieged and conquered because they were greatly overconfident and became complacent in the defense of the city.  After the second defeat in 214 B.C. it never was able to regain the position of prominence it once held.

Revelation 3:1  And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things. I know your works that you have a name that you live, and are dead.

·         In His description of Himself, Jesus here restates what John saw in chapter one as the One who held the seven stars in His right hand.  The seven stars stand for the angels (or pastors) in the seven churches which He is in full control of.  He again makes the statement that He knows their works but sadly their works are not alive but dead.

·         The church apparently had taken on the same overconfidence of its ancestors and simply relied more on their reputation than their actual works.  They had a good name but they were only going through the motions with their faith.  It had become a Christian walk that was a lifeless, meaningless, dull routine.  All they did was more of a duty to them than an act of worship.

 

Have you been there?  Have you ever allowed complacency to enter into your Christian walk to the point that you even wonder if you are still a Christian?

·         It is not a place we get overnight.  It is a slow process that usually begins with being too busy to attend church, then too busy to read the scriptures and then too busy to even pray.  When we do find time for these things they seem meaningless and have very little or no joy associated with them.  Before we know it God has brought some chastisement on us to bring us back and we realize how far we have strayed from His path.  It is that point that our repentance is required.

 

Revelation 3:2  Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. For I have not found your works being fulfilled before God.

·         He calls them to begin to simplify things, rather than worry about the many things they have lost, they are directed to focus on the things they could control.  The best way to get back to where God wants you to be is give attention to church attendance, Bible study, and your prayer life.  Fix the foundational points in your life and then build on them.

·         At times that we struggle with our faith, go back to the basics and set things right there before moving on to greater things.  God will use those who are faithful in the small things to do great things as the parable of the talents revealed. Any ministry we are called to do will flow from that time we spend on the basics of our faith.  

 

How are we doing in our church attendance, Bible study and prayer life?  In times of struggle do we focus on the small things and leave the big ones to God?

 

 Revelation 3:3  Remember then how you have received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

·         Remembering is sometimes a difficult task.  God knows that.  He asks us every Sunday to take time and remember the price that was paid for our sins.  Here he asks the struggling Christian to remember the teaching you received and embraced and hold fast to the results that came from it.  We all have times in our lives when God came through for us and we need to remember those times in our times of struggling.  He did it before and He can do it again.

·         If not He warns that judgement will come quickly and expectantly.   The moment we don’t watch the wall is when we will be attacked.

 

Do you take time to remember all that God has done for you and where you may be without Him?  Sharing your testimony often is a great way to do this.

 

Revelation 3:4-5  You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.  (5)  The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. 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.

·         There is always a remnant of faithful believers that stay true to their faith.  The white garment they wear speaks of their faithfulness and righteousness.  Their lives display the fruits of the spirits that we have seemed to talk a lot about lately.

·         The promise is again to the overcomer and he is promised to be clothed in Jesus’ pure righteousness and will not be blotted out of the Book of Life.  He also promises to confess knowing us before His Father.  Jesus told us that works both ways in our lives.

 

Matthew 10:32-33 Then everyone who shall confess Me before men, I will confess him before My Father who is in Heaven.  (33)  But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in Heaven.

 

How is our laundry?  Are we wearing dirty clothes soiled with a sinful lifestyle?

Are we working constantly to make our lives cleaner and brighter in God’s sight?

Are you living a life that confesses Christ as your Savior?

 

Revelation 3:6  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

·         Jesus again closes with this commandment to listen to what is being said.  Are we?

·         Have we been shown things in our lives that need work and then ignored them or have we listened and begun the work to fix the problem areas?

·         The purpose of the scripture is to point us to Christ and show us how to live lives that please Him.  Are we listening close enough to make the changes needed?  When we do we assure that His Word is doing its work.

 

Isaiah 55:11  so shall My Word be, which goes out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do.

 

Lord, may we never take our faith for granted and help us to hear Your Word and do it.