Lesson Five

1. Background of Sardis (3:1-6)

a. Four miles southeast of Thyatira

b. Founded in 1200 BC (This is between the period of Joshua leading the Israelites to Canaan--1410 BC--and Israel getting their first King--1050 BC)

c. It was a military stronghold; it rarely lost a battle and was feared by all

d. Gyges was one of the most famous kings in 7th century B.C. He was known to the Assyrians as “Gugu” (also “Gog” in Ezek 38-39)

e. Sardis became the headquarters of the Persian governor. Xerxes used it as a military base

f. Eventually Alexander later claimed it without a fight

g. It lived in the shadow of Pergamum with wealth and commercial prosperity

h. In 17 AD, a terrible earthquake devastated Sardis and Philadelphia. It was called the worst disaster in human history

i. The rebuilding of the city by Emperor Augustus caused the people to appeal to Rome, by erecting a temple to Caesar. But while doing this, Rome gave Smyrna more privilege. They rivaled with Ephesus as well in trying to build temple to Artemis (goddess of Sardis).

j. The people of Sardis had a special interest in death and immorality. Much of religious life was nature worship focusing in fertility cycle and bringing life out of death. A sacred hot spring two miles from the city seem to have been connected with these theme along with the god of the underworld.

k. Sardis had a large Jewish community dated from the 5/4 century BC. (Two thousand Jewish citizens in the area was placed here. There were some of the wealthiest Jews and the largest synagogues built here in 2^nd century). Hellenistic life was remarkable in this region creating a syncretism with the local culture.

2. Strengths (3:1b)

a. “I know your deeds” does not speak about their key strengths as in the other letters; it speaks about key weakness. This speaks that there is little good to say about the church.

b. In other words, their strength is their weakness. Only the righteous remnant (who is a minority) are the only ones who can be given any encouragement. They are given the “overcomer” promise (3:4, 5).

c. “Name:” They claim a Christian name, “Life,” but they actually retain the pagan name, “Death.” The only accomplishment (deed) of the church is in what it names itself. And even in this accomplishment, their name turns out to be a lie. Their past deeds gave them a reputation among other churches for being alive for Christ, but their present deeds show a quite different picture.

d. This life/death antithesis was relevant to the story of Sardis, where their pagan religious speculation centered on this question. The assembly of Sardis was more represented by a cemetery (place of death) than the church (place of life).

3. Solution (3:2-3)

a. The church is like the city (It is conformed to the world instead of being transformed by the renewing of the mind—Rom 12:2)

b. As the city had fallen twice in its past due to lack of watchmen on the walls allowing invaders to raid their towns, so the church was being rebuked for the same lake of vigilance.

c. “Be watchful:” this is the first command. This means to “show yourself to be watchful.” They have fallen asleep spiritually and must “wake up.” They need to be ready for Christ's return like the five wise virgins; instead they are being like the five foolish virgins. They have reduced their full commitment to God, allowing themselves to be seized by things of lesser value. Having a lack of Spiritual vigilance is a sin.

d. Dangers of Sleepy Christians: According to the parable of the five wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25:1-13, we can learn a great lesson for what it means to be a sleepy Christian.

According to the passage, both groups of virgins had the following qualities:

1) They had oil in their lamps at the beginning of the journey (oil is symbolic of anointing; it's the Spirit's power for the Christian life)

2) Both groups were waiting on the bridegroom

3) Both groups feel asleep while waiting.

But the only virgins who were ready for the bridegroom when he came, where the ones that took an extra container of oil with them. The foolish virgins missed the bridegroom's arrival because they went to the market to get more oil. What this parable is teaching us is that there are certain things a Christian must do to maintain the Spirit's fullness in their life (Read Eph. 5:8). We should never be comfortable with not being fully yielded to the Spirit. If we are not staying full of the Spirit, we will not have waiting power to stay where we are to be for God to meet us during the time of his visitation. This is why many people miss their visitation of God showing up in their life. Because they don't have the waiting power (endurance). And they don't have waiting power because they are not filled with the Spirit. To allow the Spirit to fill us, we must seize the spiritual things of God more than the earthly things (Read Romans 8:5-6). This is what happened to the Sardis Church. They pursue worldly accolades and put spiritual pursuits on the back burner. There are many Christians today who are classified as sleepy Christians. Most of our churches in the West are filled with sleepy Christians and they don't even know it. One knows they are sleep when they don't have a hunger for the Word. They are more preoccupied with what this world has to offer them than what the Word has to offer them. They are busy doing so many things but no time for sharpening their faith in God's Word and His Church. These are the Christian who will miss God's visitations when he's ready to show Himself in certain seasons of their life. And this could potential cause a Christian to die as with what was happening to Sardis Church. They were about to die; they were about to lose their salvation. They will miss God's visitation during the second coming of Christ. Being a sleepy Christian is very a dangerous place to be. Rather, than living like the Sardis Church, let us strive to always "be filled with the Spirit" and make the Word and Church our ultimate priority in our lives.

e. “Strengthen what survives:” this is the second command. The church on a whole was dead, but there was still a little that survived. Their weakness in spiritual issues was destroying the church and they need to establish these things again to make them strong. The process of dying was going on for some time, so the time to act is now or everything will completely die.

f. None of their deeds have been sufficient. They have been tried and been found wanting. Their problem is that their works was not “complete in the sight of God.” This was a qualitative measure. In the eyes of their contemporaries, their works may have been more than sufficient. But in the eyes of God their works are unfinished in the same way Sardis had an unfinished temple.

g. “Remember, Keep and Repent:” These are the next three commands. This is similar to the solution to Ephesus Church. Both had a lack of love and inadequate works

i. A command to “remember” demands a continual recall and actualization of the past truths that they had been taught. This is not just bringing these realities to mind, but putting them into practice

ii. A command to “keep” demands a guarding and obeying to what has been taught in all perseverance

iii. A command to “repent” demands a changing what needs to be change to get right with God and Christ. When a church repents, this is what brings revival to a city (2 Chr. 14)

h. When a church fails to do all three things, the same fate of Sardis will happen to the church. A thief will come and destroy them. Also read Matt 24:42 and Luke 12:39; 1 Thess 5:2-4, 2 Pet 3:10 and Rev 16:15. There is no way to be ready unless you turn to state of vigilance. Christ not only judges the pagans but also the churches.

4. Promise and Challenge to Overcomers

a. Word of encouragement to the righteous remnant (v. 4):

i. In contrast to the unfaithful group, they have unsoiled (unwashed) garments. This analogy uses the wool industry in Sardis, which is a major source of wealth. Soiled clothing is understood as to disqualify the worshiper and dishonored the god. And by contaminating themselves to pagan environment, the Sardis church had contaminated themselves.

ii. The promise: 1) walk—one’s life; and 2) white—purity. This speaks of the triumphant procession that we will have with Christ that was common in Roman military victories. This victory is one of purity, holiness, glory and celebration. In God’s kingdom, one’s righteous works and purity determines his or her worth

b. There are three rewards:

i. The promise to walk victoriously (as discussed above)

ii. Name will never be erased from book of life. Book of Life is drawn from OT and Hellenistic worlds. First mention is in Exod 32:32-33. Behind this was the register of citizens of Israel (cf. Ps 9:5; 87:6; Is 4:3). This came to be a heavenly book in which the names of the righteous were kept (Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1). In OT, removal of the name was associated with capital punishment (Duet 29:20) and erase from the national memory. NT continues this in Luke 10:20, Phil 4:3 and Heb 12:23. To be in the lambs book of life depends upon Christ death and believers faithful perseverance in Christ. If you don’t remain faithful, God says, “I will blot out” (Rev 22:19).

iii. Jesus will confess his name to his heavenly Father. Read Matthew 10:32 and Luke 12:8. The Church at Sardis had been “ashamed” of Christ (didn’t like to look like a loser in front of the world). They probably compromised their Christian distinctive in order to be accepted by their peers. “Name” in the ancient world, spoke of the essence of chief characteristic of a person. In Revelation, to have the name of God is to be characterized as his versus to have the name of the beast (13:17; 14:11), belonging to Satan. Those who have the name of God are the ones who Jesus will confess at the final divine court before the Father. It speaks of having eternal life with God.