Date: 28th February , 2016 Title: The Church @ Sardis – Reformation Church (1517 A.D. - 1750 A.D.) Passage: Revelation 3:1-6

As we have been going through this study of the 7 Churches of Asia…

There are quite a few important things we need to remember…

We need to remember that each one of these Churches… Represents REAL CHURCHES That were REALLY IN EXISTENCE

When John wrote these personal letters from Jesus

We also need to remember that these 7 Churches also represent…

Different segments of Church History… They give us picture…

Of what the Church looked like… …from Pentecost,

To what it will look like… …at the 2nd Coming.

So far in our study we have seen that…

The Church at Ephesus… …represents the Early Church

The Church of Smyrna… …represents the Church under Roman Persecution

The Church at Pergamos… …represents the State Church …the Church of Rome

Next comes the Church of Thyatira… …which is the Church of the Dark Ages

And that brings us to the Church of Sardis…

…the Protestant Reformation …which became the Dead Church.

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We mustn’t forget that these 7 Letters to the 7 Churches are also…

Warnings…

There is the warning of leaving your first love… …in the letter to Ephesus

There’s the warning of impending persecution… …in the letter to Smyrna

There’s the warning of the threat of… False Doctrine & False Teaching

in the letters to… Pergamos & Thyatira.

BUT… These 7 Letters aren’t just for these 7 Churches in the Bible !

These letters ALSO serve as a warning…

…to OUR Church here in Paarl

…as well us to each of us as individuals !

As Jesus says at the end of each of the letters… “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”

Last time I checked…

We’ve all got ears !

So this applies to us PERSONALLY as well!

So please turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation 3:1-6… And lets continue with our study And see what Jesus has to say to the Church at Sardis

1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; 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. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but

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I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'

Let’s go to the Lord in prayer…

The word “Sardis” means “remnant”

This is the stage in the history of the church…

That pictures the Protestant Reformation.

After 1000 years of Papal Domination…

People started to escape from Roman Catholicism

Only to later fall into the trap of…

Dead theology &

Lifeless formalism. So what is the warning from Jesus?

Well, the warning is…

Not to become… So routine So casual So familiar So full of ritual & tradition So self serving…

…that we become a Dead Church It’s a warning that…

We could look like a Church on the outside… …but on the inside - God is not part of it.

It’s a warning where… We would have…

The name “church”

But only half-hearted works to prop it up.

It’s a warning that… All of our service for the Lord…

…could be in the past

…and our present state

…is just a monument to that past. That’s a description of a Dead Church.

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This concerns me greatly because… I see this same problem all around us !

We drive by Churches every day… That have become monuments to the past.

And I know… Without a doubt That what happened to them Can happen to us.

And the scary thing is…

If we don’t guard against it… It will happen to us…

…without us even really being aware of it !

It’s like the mountain climber… Who gets caught outside at night in freezing conditions

As the temperature drops… …the more sleepy they get !

All that they want to do is… …curl up in a little ball and go to sleep !

If they do…

They fall into a comma… …and then they wake up dead !

Well technically…

They don’t wake up at all !

That is what happens to the Church that…

…settles into a dead orthodoxy

…it lulls them to sleep

…and it sucks the life right out of them The Church might have…

A form A structure A name

BUT they are spiritually dead…

…and they don’t even know it !

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If you really want to see a graphic picture of this… Go to Europe.

Travel through…

Germany & France & England & Italy & Austria

You could spend the rest of your life going through…

Churches & Cathedrals in those countries

That are amazing structures

Beautiful beyond belief.

And yet there is no spiritual life in them at all !

The only people who visit them are tourists…

And all that they see:

Are the glories…

And the relics… …of the past.

When Heidi & I visited those Churches… …we would get the creeps !

…the heebie-jeebies ! All that we could think was…

How did this happen?

They had all become dead monuments

Some were just glorified museums

Amazingly the main thing they wanted to show us was…

Who was buried there !

The churches had become a mausoleum… …a place for the dead !

And that is particularly shocking…

When you think about the people that started those churches !

They were men and woman of great faith!

During the Reformation…

The Bible was translated & published…

….so the complete Word of God

…could be in the hands of the people …in their own language

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People could now understand what God’s Word said… …instead of being controlled

…and lied to by the Papacy. The Reformation…

Was radical It was powerful It changed the course of nations.

But then it died and…

All that is left…

Are a bunch of monuments in the form of Churches.

All that is left…

Are a bunch of buildings…

…that are beautiful on the outside.

…but lifeless & dead on the inside. ______________________________________________________________________________

Now if you have been paying close attention…

As we have gone through these letters

You know that something different has just happened here… …with this letter to Sardis

In every other letter we have studied so far…

We have the same pattern:

Jesus is presented

Then a commendation follows

Then a word of correction

That is then followed by an action point

And then they end with a reward to the over-comer.

In this letter to the church at Sardis…

The pattern is different…

There is no commendation.

When Jesus says in verse 2… “I know your works”

It’s not followed by a list of good works.

Rather it’s followed by a stern rebuke !

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Jesus says… I know exactly what is going on in this Church

that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead

I wonder what the people of Sardis thought when they read this?

Were they surprised

Were they sad

Were they in denial

Did they think that the letters somehow got mixed up… “I think that we got Thyatira’s letter Those guys are really messed up over there”

Probably all of the above.

And yet they knew that this was true about them

They had a name… …but they were spiritually dead.

Jesus adds to this rebuke in the last part of verse 2…

“for I have NOT found your works perfect before God.”

So what does all of this mean?

Well… The changes that occurred during the Reformation…

Were good !

They were dramatic !

They had done well in separating… …from the Catholic Church in Rome.

For example…

The Bible was made available for all people !

The Gospel was preached… …Salvation by grace through faith alone !

Indulgences were exposed and done away with !

Many other false teachings like… Purgatory The Confessional

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Transubstantiation

…was rejected as unbiblical ! BUT…

They did not separate enough !

They did not change enough !

They did not submit to all of God’s Word !

The Greek word for “perfect” = “pleroo” (play-ro'-o)

And it means “to be complete”

The works of Sardis…

Were the opposite of that

They were incomplete.

What happened is…

The Reformation movement fell back to the old traditions of Rome

They continued with unbiblical practices such as…

Infant Baptism

Union of Church & State

Clerical Hierarchy with in the Church

So this was a church… …that was just going through the motions.

They were doing things…

Half-hearted

Incomplete

Luke-warm This church was dead !

So what did Jesus want them to do about this? Would He just write them off?

He could have…

But He didn’t. Jesus gives them a very clear way back.

In verses 2+3… 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent

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To “Be watchful” means… “to be awake” or “to wake up”

Back to our picture of the mountain climber…

Who was caught outside at night in freezing weather !

If the rescuers found him…

And he was asleep…

Do you know what they would do?

They would say…

“Oh he’s okay”

“He’s just sleeping”

“Let him sleep”

“We’ll come back in the morning”

No they wouldn’t ! They would say…

“Wake up”

They might even slap his face

They might stick smelling salts under his nose

They might even forcefully grab him & lift him up.

They would…

Jar this man back to a state of wakefulness !

Because if they didn’t…

He would die !

So Jesus is telling the church @ Sardis…

To “Wake Up” &

To “strengthen the things that remain”

To “Remember”

To “Hold Fast”

To “Repent”

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It’s interesting… That in the Greek

All these terms are expressed… …as a continual action.

Now think about how this applies to us in our own personal lives…

When we start sinning…

It’s because we have not put God 1st in our lives.

We decide that…

We want to do what we want to do…

…regardless of what God says

…on the matter.

We think…

We know better than God on that issue at that time

…Or… We just don’t care what God thinks

…So… We give into the lust of our flesh

We do this…

Because we want to enjoy…

…the temporary reward

…that sin offers us.

After we have sinned…

We loose that close relationship… …that we enjoyed with the Lord.

We don’t loose our salvation.

We can’t unbecome children of God.

But one of the consequences of our sins

We loose that intimate, close relationship with God

And in order to get our close relationship back with God…

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The first thing we need to do is “REPENT” (show big on PP)

“REPENT” is a word that has been banned from many Churches today !

“REPENT” is a word that many people don’t like !

But it is a word that Jesus uses a lot…

…especially to these churches

…that He is writing to.

He uses it in His letter to Ephesus

He uses it in His letter to the Church at Pergamos & Thyatira

And He uses it again here with the Church @ Sardis

All these churches were to “REPENT”.

And that is the first thing we need to do when we sin as well.

REAL “REPENTANCE”…

Is where there is a turning away… …and a forsaking of sin.

It’s interesting to note that…

The first three of Martin Luther’s 95 theses

That he nailed on the door of the Wittenberg Church

Had to do with “REPENTANCE”.

He was calling the people of God…

To REAL “REPENTANCE”

Not confession

Not some bought indulgence

Not some church induced penance

But REAL “REPENTANCE” where there was …

…a turning away

…and a forsaking of sin.

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In this letter to Sardis… Jesus is posting a similar theses to His Church

They were to “REPENT” from their dead works

& They were to “REPENT” from their half-hearted obedience to God’s Word.

Next Jesus tells them to get back to “the things that remain”.

What are “the things that remain”?

Get back to God’s Word

Strengthen your faith in God.

Place your hope & trust in God’s promises

Not in the Church

Not is some Religious Man Made Rituals.

In other words…

The things that you used to do…

When you were flat out in love with Jesus

The things you used to do

When you couldn’t get enough… Of His love & Of His Word & Of His presence & Of His power

Get back to those things… …and hold fast to them.

That the cure for the Dead Church

…&… Thats the cure for a Believer who is living in sin

Next Jesus goes on in His letter to Sardis and He warns them…

That something really bad was going to happen to them…

…if they didn’t do these things

…we have just talked about !

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What might that be?

Here it is, the last part of verse 3. 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.

What is going on here? Well, the church at Sardis…

Is not watching for the “day of the Lord”.

The “day of the Lord” will…

Start with the Rapture of the Church and

It will end when this universe and all that is in it is destroyed by fire.

We have talked about this in our other series on “End Times Prophecy”

Nobody knows when the “day of the Lord” is going to start.

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Look at Matthew 24:3-4 with me… 3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.

Now jump down and lets read to verses 36-41 together… 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. 37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left. Be Ready for His Coming 42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

Paul says it this way in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-2 “1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”

SO… Nobody but God the Father…

…will knows when “day of the Lord” is going to happen.

But when it does happen…

It will start with the RAPTURE of the Church

Where Jesus is going to come back for His Church.

Paul tells us about this in 1st Thessalonians 4:15-18 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

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SO… Jesus will first come for the Church.

He will call us up… With the voice of an Archangel

With a shout from God &

We will meet Him in the air.

And those who are not truly saved…

Will be left behind for the Great Tribulation !

You see that is exactly what is going to happen…

To those who have the name of Christ on the outside

But are dead on the inside

They are going to be Left Behind.

And that is the last thing that you want to have happen to you !

You do not want to miss the RAPTURE !

You do not want to end up in the Great Tribulation !

You want to be the Believer that Paul describes in 1st Thessalonians 5:4-6

4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.

When Jesus comes for His Church…

We want to be… Awake &

Watching &

Waiting.

The RAPTURE could happen any day.

If the thought of missing the rapture…

…doesn’t motivate you to get saved

…nothing will !

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Then Jesus says this in verse 4-5…

4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the Book of Life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Here is how the Book of Life works…

The Book of Life is the registry of the saved.

When you get saved…

Your name is Written in this Book - the Lamb’s Book of Life.

When you get to the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20…

You realize that the Book of Life… …is the most important book in heaven.

If you are in this book… You skip the second death.

If your name is not written in the Book of Life… You are cast into the lake of fire.

Jesus says to the over-comer in verse 5… I will not erase his name from the Book of Life

In the Greek it is emphatic: I will by no means erase your name.

That’s eternal security right there.

Jesus said it this way in John 10:27-30

27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

That sounds awesome doesn’t it !

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But it gets better…

Not only will the over-comer skip the second death

But Jesus is going to confess them before… His Father & The His Angels

What this means is that…

Jesus is going to claim us as His own.

Jesus will proclaim to His Father & to the angels… (walk up to the listeners and touch them on the shoulder as you say it)

This one is mine

This one belongs to Me.

Those will be the sweetest words that you will ever hear.

Let me wrap this church up with one final thought.

It’s great to think about the message to the Church @ Sardis…

In relationship to it being a historical church.

But we can’t forget that…

This message also relates to us…

…as individual members of the Church ! We can be:

Coming to church Singing the songs Listening to the messages Offering up a few prayers Fellowshipping with the saints Doing a little service Throwing a few bucks in the offering

…and still be dead ! You might be thinking…

How can that happen at PVBC?

It can happen as easily here… …as it can happen anywhere.

You think we don’t have our rituals !

You think that we don’t have our traditions !

You think that we don’t have a “way that we do Church”… …that can become rote & routine !

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Let me give you an example: You know at our church that we…

Open with a greeting Then we sing one hymn Then we pray Then we have announcements Then we sing another hymn Then we take the offering Then we sing another hymn Then the kids leave for Sunday school Then we have the message Then we maybe have another hymn & Then close in prayer.

If we just…

Go through the motions &

Don’t do this from our heart

Then we are doing church…

…just like a bunch of dead people do Church !

We need to wake up.

We need to remember our first works & get back to them

We need to “REPENT”

We need to walk according to God’s Word.

We need to walk in the Spirit.

Why? Because, Jesus Christ could come for His Church today !

The blast of the trumpet…

The shout of the Archangel… …could happen any minute !

SO… We need to be Awake &

We need to be Watching &

We need to be Waiting.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let’s close in prayer…

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