Message by Dr. David Drake
rec0320-102907
Sardis … The Dying Church
Revelation 3:1-6
Revelation 3:1-6 (NASB)
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
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.
6 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
“Sardis” means … Remnant
The Church age it represents … 1500-1700
(the time of the Reformation)
I. The Testimony Of The Church … vs. 1
Revelation 3:1 (NASB)
1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
It was an outward testimony of life
It was actual a testimony of death
Note: This was a church revealing a character of hypocrisy
Death (defined): A permanent cessation of all vital functions, the end of
life, the state of being dead
Question … Why is the church today dying?
1. The ignorance and apathy toward biblical and scriptural truth
2. The overt influence of modernism and materialism
3. The adopting of the spirit of exclusiveness instead of being inclusive of all men
II. The Apathy Of The Church … vs. 2-3
Revelation 3:2 (NASB)
2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.
-They were apathetic about their spiritual condition by not beginning the right things spiritually.
-They were apathetic about their spiritual condition by not staying faithful to their commitments.
-They were also apathetic about their spiritual condemnation … vs. 3
Revelation 3:3 (NASB)
3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
III. The Spirit (the Saints) Of The Church … vs. 4-5
Revelation 3:4-5 (NASB)
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.
-There were those who walked FROM the world – vs. 4a
(READ: Ephesians 4:17-24)
-There were those who walked WITH the Lord – vs. 4b-5