The Church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

Sardis was an ancient city, once noted for its wealth and splendour; it was in Sardis that gold and silver coins were first minted and where wool was first dyed; even at the time of this letter, there was a flourishing wool business, which may be the reason why Jesus speaks about his followers walking in white. In previous times, the city had been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and had ruled over the other cities mentioned in Revelation 2–3. 

The original city had been built on a hill 1,500 feet high, with three perpendicular sides and a fourth that was easily protected. Therefore, the inhabitants had assumed that they were safe from danger and did not post sufficient guards. When the Persians besieged the city in 549 BC, some of its troops managed to scale one of the perpendicular slopes and took the city by surprise because there was no one watching (a similar attack occurred three centuries later). 

 

Pagan temples existed in Sardis, so they did influence the outlook of the inhabitants away from the true God. The city was wealthy, even if its days of power and influence were in the past. Great buildings could be found in it, pointing to the skills of architects and builders, and the competence of man. The valleys around it produced large harvests every year, so there was abundance of food to meet the needs of the population. It seemed like a nice place to live and go to sleep.

 

By the time that Jesus sent this letter to the church, the glory of the city was in the past. We could say that it was a dying city with a dying church. As with the three previous churches of the seven, no one knows how the church there was planted, although it is likely that its founding was connected to Paul’s years of ministry in Ephesus. Jesus does tell the readers to recall how the gospel came to their city when he calls them to remember how they received and heard it. Thirty years had passed since then, not long in historical terms, but long enough for a church to lose its way. William Hendriksen comments that now Sardis was a peaceful church, but it was the peace of the cemetery.

 

In later years, church history speaks of a bishop of the church in Smyrna called Melito, who was active in church affairs about seventy years after this letter was sent. He is known to have been a strong and brave defender of the faith, even writing to a Roman Emperor. One of his writings contains the first list of Old Testament books accepted by the church. So his presence could indicate that the church in Sardis listened carefully to this letter from Jesus. But who can say?

 

The contrast

Certain themes that appeared in the four previous letters are not found in the letter to Sardis. They include the presence of false teaching, the reality of persecution and the danger of compromising with pagan religions. Perhaps they existed in Sardis, but if they did, they were not of great significance and did not affect the life of the church. Maybe the church did not notice them, and they did not notice the church either. Since those dangers were and are common tools of the devil when he wants to attack a healthy church, their absence suggests that the enemy did not need to use them in Sardis. Spiritually, they were sound asleep, so it is not surprising that Jesus calls them to waken up (v. 2).

 

The description of Jesus (v. 1)

Jesus describes himself as having ‘the seven spirits of God and the seven stars’. What does this mean? The mention of the Spirit is a reference to Jesus’ role as the enthroned ruler at God’s right hand and not to his personal experience of receiving the Holy Spirit at his baptism.

When we think of the interaction between Jesus and the Spirit, we need to think of it at four levels. First, there is the relationship of full members of the Trinity, an eternal association of shared divine attributes, abilities and aims.  The Father, the Son and the Spirit are each fully divine.

Second, Jesus, when he became a man, always possessed the Spirit as the guide, help and director of his life, who produced in him the fruit of the Spirit. This fruit was complete and balanced in every stage of his human development, from his infancy through to his adulthood. 

Third, at his baptism Jesus received the Spirit to equip him for fulfilling his role as the Messiah, particularly to perform the various miracles that were the signs or the evidences of his Messiahship.  

Fourth, Jesus received the Spirit when he ascended to heaven and was exalted at God’s right hand. This reception of the Spirit was the Father’s fulfilment of the promise he had made to the Son that when he had finished the work that the Father gave him to do, the Father would give him the Spirit as the Comforter of the church and the Power to win the souls of sinners. It is this last aspect that is intended here, which means that Jesus is reminding Sardis that he is the source of edification and evangelism.

Describing the Holy Spirit as ‘the seven Spirits of God’ points to his fullness, since seven is the perfect number. The way that Jesus describes himself here was one that should have given great hope to the church of Smyrna. After all, they are one of the stars in his hands that he wishes to unite with the Holy Spirit and give him to them so that they would the power of divine life. 

 

It is clear from the description of the church in Sardis that they were not experiencing the power of the Spirit. Instead of being marked by spiritual life, they were the opposite. What they needed was to experience anew the refreshing presence of the Spirit in their meetings and activities. So when Jesus describes himself as having the Spirit, he is making an incredible offer to the church in Sardis. He is reminding them that they can have the Spirit in power once again. 

 

I suspect that many churches go through a Sardis experience, some for longer periods than others go through. Sadly, the church in Sardis seemed content to stay there, and other churches at the time had not realised that there was a problem – they gave Sardis a great name, a high estimation. Yet it is not difficult to work out if the Spirit is present in power. Are there conversions? Is the gospel drunk as living water by the members? Is brotherly love obvious? If not, Jesus has the remedy – the presence of the powerful Spirit of God. The question that comes to us, as it does with each of the letters, is: are we like the church in Sardis?

 

The assessment of Jesus (v. 1)

The Saviour gives a very brief assessment when he says, ‘I know your works.’ He does not say if they are good or bad, few or many. But he does mention the effect of the works on others: ‘You have the reputation of being alive,’ before indicating the effect on themselves, ‘but you are dead.’ They were not living up to their reputation, indeed they could not live up to their reputation. What others thought were the signs of spiritual life were actually the signs of spiritual death.

 

It is common for us to speak of sound churches and sound ministries. Of course, we cannot see below the surface. It would not have been the task of the other six churches to make this negative conclusion about Sardis before Jesus did, but having heard it from his lips, it would have been appropriate for them to wonder how things had descended to such a low state, and how they had not been able to recognise that it had happened. Maybe we can discover what the causes were from the call he then gave to the church.

 

The call of Jesus (vv. 2-3)

When Jesus said that the church was dead, he obviously did not mean that it was completely dead. But it was heading there, indeed it was almost there. Perhaps this was a last minute call from the Lord of the church. After all, it is not likely that Jesus whispered this call. But the good thing about the voice of Jesus is that it conveys the power to bring about what he desires in the hearers.

 

The imagery that Jesus uses to condemn their state looks like workmen who have fallen asleep in the middle, or even further on, of building something. Instead of completing the task, the work was abandoned in favour of a prolonged sleep. Solemnly, God was not pleased with the response. But Jesus is not here as the Judge, but as the Restorer or Reviver. And he tells the people of Sardis what to do. His words are similar to what he said to the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:5). Sardis would be strengthened by remembering and repenting.

 

What had they received and heard in the past? No doubt, we can see a reference here to the gospel and other instructions that the church would have received in the earlier days of its history. Yet it is unlikely that they would have departed from them because other churches would have noticed such a relapse and not regarded them with such enthusiasm. 

 

There was something else missing that they once had, and I suspect that the reference is to the workings of the Holy Spirit. They had become a church without power because they had grieved the Spirit and he was no longer empowering them to serve the Lord. We can see now why the Saviour introduced himself to the church by reminding them that he could give the Spirit to them.  

 

It is strange, but sad, that a church without the workings of the Spirit could be regarded as alive. Yet do we not see that happen many times? There are many church buildings where experiences of divine power were once common, but today are warehouses and auction rooms because at some stage the congregation that used to be there lost divine power, even if for years it survived by the glories of the past and was regarded as alive. Of course, the important question is, Are we in that timeline? 

 

If they did not repent, Jesus states that he will come suddenly and deal with the situation. Here he makes use of the history of the city to make his point when attackers captured the city when no-one in the city expected it. The implication is that Jesus prefers the church to go out of existence rather than remain in a sleeping state. 

 

Commendation of the few (v. 4)

The Saviour then reveals something else that he knows about the church in Sardis. A small number of them were spiritually alive. Despite the decline, there remained the dedicated. It is extraordinary how often that happens. They are like the people Malachi mentions who met to think about the Lord in difficult days (Mal. 3:16). But they gathered together and pleased the Lord. 

 

Jesus describes them here as clean – they had not soiled their garments by wrong behaviour. Even as James described believers in his letter, they had kept themselves unspotted. That is a great testimony to have, especially when it comes from the One with the eyes of fire. Because they did this, they would have a special place in heaven. Maybe there will be a time in glory when we will see Jesus and the faithful in Sardis walking together along one of the streets in heaven.

 

Jesus here says that they are worthy of this experience. No doubt, they would have been very surprised to hear this divine estimation of their attempts to please him. But it is interesting to note who they are that Jesus regards as worthy. It is the ones who are holy, who are devoted, who are concerned about sanctification. 

 

Comfort for the conqueror (v. 5)

The Saviour mentions three blessings that will be given to overcomers and each of the blessings is connected to the Day of Judgement. There is something notable in the fact that Jesus gives three promises to a dying church. Surely we can see in this detail the strength of his desire to give great encouragement to all who would follow him in a devoted manner.

 

One of the blessings, that of wearing white robes,  refers to  what took place when people celebrated great victories. They would wear white garments of triumph. In the previous verse, Jesus had stated that the faithful few in Sardis would walk with him in white, which is probably a reference to victory parades when loyal soldiers would have the great privilege of accompanying the triumphant leader as he led the celebrations. Spiritual overcomers are going to share the victory of the King. Of course, they will give him all the praise, and we know that he will deserve eternal honour. Nevertheless, several times in the Book of Revelation God’s people are described as clothed in white robes as they rejoice in the triumphs of Jesus and celebrate with him (7:9-10; 19:14). 

 

The second blessing is guaranteed residence of the heavenly city. Ancient cities had registers containing the names of the residents, and no doubt people counted in a great privilege to be recorded as a citizen of a notable location. Of course, the register was only as viable as the competence of the rulers to ensure the existence of their cities. If they could not, and Sardis had known such failures in the past, having their names recorded was of little worth. In contrast, those whose names are written in the register of heaven will enjoy residency forever. 

 

The third blessing is that Jesus will confess their names before his Father and the angels. Perhaps the idea is that he is reading out the names in the book and indicating their place in his city. It is a beautiful picture of the sovereign and his subjects. Confession by definition is public, and here Jesus promises to state publicly that they are his people. Perhaps the best sound that they will ever hear. 

 

Applications

How does a church become like the church in Sardis? No doubt, many suggestions can be given. There is always a danger in focussing on an accurate creed while not maintaining a hearty spiritual life. Ephesus kept her creed but lost her first love. There is also a danger in busyness, in being committed to a programme, although not many churches find great enthusiasm for their activities. Constant opposition from society can produce a siege mentality in which evangelism declines and disappears. But, as some have suggested, the problem with Sardis was hypocrisy and pretence. They may have been self-deceived; if so, this letter was very gracious. It was a good day when the deliverer of the letter handed it over to the church.

 

How does a church cease being like the church in Sardis? By recalling their conversions and repenting of their failure to serve as they should have done. One of the things that I learned as a child was that medicines taste horrible, but eventually they can be taken easily. Repenting is not an easy task initially because it requires self-examination and confession, but over time it becomes normal in the Christian life. The fact is, no progress without Spirit-given repentance.

 

What is it like to have the Holy Spirit present in power in a congregation? That is what the church in Sardis needed, and he was available, present in the hands of the sovereign Christ to give him freely to a decadent church, even to one ready to die. This means that there is hope for us whether we are like Sardis or Ephesus or Pergamum or Thyatira. But we cannot have the Spirit without asking Jesus for him. Yet we can be encouraged by his own promise in this regard, ‘If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ (Luke 11:13).