Sardis

Father God, we pray that your Spirit who caused these words to be written would open our eyes to their meaning and help us believe them. Amen.

I want to share with you a riddle I heard recently. Here it is: A woman is sitting on a train when she opens a brown envelope that she has been given. And as she reads the contents she knows immediately that she is a dead woman. What is in the envelope? Outwardly she seems like just an ordinary woman. She was not in CIA or MI6. She had not received a death threat. So what was in that envelope? What do you think?

It was an X-RAY. And it was hers. And she was a highly qualified consultant physician. So when she opened and read her X-RAY she could tell immediately that she was a dead woman. What she read was humanly speaking devastating.

And as we open up the book of Revelation tonight and find this little letter to the church in Sardis we find a similar kind of thing. Jesus is sending letters to his churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and each letter is essentially Jesus' X-RAY of the spiritual condition of each of those early Christian communities. Jesus' X-RAY vision sees right through the external - right to the heart of what is really going. And as he rebukes and corrects each church, and encourages them to take heed of his commands we wonder: What would Jesus make of us?! What does he see in us - as a church and as individuals?

Well I've got three points, and I can't claim for a minute I dreamed them up all by myself as I'm indebted to John Stott's book "What Christ Thinks of the Church" to provide an outline to help us make sense of what Jesus wants to say to us tonight.

So firstly, there is...

(1.) The Rebuke Jesus Gives

Here it is in Revelation 3v.1: "'I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead." For as Jesus turns to Sardis and holds up their X-RAY to the light it is devastating news - they are as good as dead!

And I guess that as other churches read this letter they would have been stunned! Mention the church at Sardis to anyone and the word that came to mind was "Alive"! This church was lively. It seemed to be vibrating with life. You can imagine them being a seven day a week church laying on programmes for practically everyone and everything. Programmes full of people, being active doing useful and even spiritual things. As unlike other churches we have seen in this series, there is nothing mentioned here about their doctrine being heretical, or their behaviour being scandalous. This church looks like it's got it together. This church looks pretty slick, and yet Jesus says to them: "You - are - dead!"

So why was that not obvious to the church at Sardis? Or to other Christians? Why did their reputation not match the reality? Well read on - Here's verse 2: "Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God."

Jesus says to the church in Sardis: "You are doing things, but they're not completed." The Greek word here literally means their works are not "brought to the fullness." They're half-hearted. It's not that they're not doing enough, or that they haven't finished their jobs for Jesus. It's that they're not doing it for Jesus and with Jesus! And so he cries out: "Your hearts are not for me!"

I think they've got that Sunday afternoon feeling, you know it I'm sure. Where you lie down after lunch on the sofa and before you know it you've drifted off. You've fallen asleep and then you wake up with gummy eyes and a dry mouth feeling lethargic – you can't be bothered to do anything. You seem to be stuck to the sofa! And you can't get up again! Well these Christians in Sardis had drifted off and they were sleepwalking into spiritual death. They had started out well no doubt, passionate about Christ and about loving him and serving his name. But then they started to weary, and then they started to pull back and then they stopped to rest.

But then they couldn't get going again! As they had drifted and found themselves in a state of spiritual sloth. Just going through the motions. Keeping up appearances, while underneath it all they are spiritually speaking, wasting away.

I had a first read of this passage on a train coming back from London a few weeks back. And when I got to Central Station I was stopped at the Metro by a homeless man and his girlfriend begging me for money. I smelt the alcohol coming off the guy and so told him that I couldn't give him any money as I couldn't be sure what they would do with it, but I would buy them both a meal from Burger King. So we went upstairs and I got them their meals. They were both profuse in their thanks to me and I headed home to get my dinner. And it was only the next day when I was looking back over this letter to Sardis and praying that it struck me, I had done all the right things, but my heart wasn't in it! I had done it, and then I had got out of there as quickly as possible! And I thought to myself since when did I say "this far and this far only" to God, in my willingness to serve others? Since when did I pray for opportunities to witness to others, but only if it's family members or the nice people who've just moved in across the street?

So let me ask: Are we in danger of drifting off? Have we fallen asleep? Beware of spiritual sloth people. It is the most common spiritual sickness in the world.

What are the symptoms of this sickness? Well, what is one of the signs of physical sickness? It's a lack of appetite! And one of the signs of spiritual sloth is that we've had quite enough of the Word of God. We know we should hunger and thirst for God's word... but we can't be bothered. And when we hear it read or sung or explained - it doesn't transform us. We no longer desire to learn and grow. It's spiritual sloth.

And so our consciences become desensitised to sin, and we live with our anger, or alcohol abuse, or pornography, or fiddling our expenses. We wallow in our sin. Staying there and feeling bad about it. But not bad enough or hopeful enough to get some help. We are spiritually weakened. It's spiritual sloth.

And overtime we become more ambitious for ourselves, than for the Kingdom of God. Even serving at church for our satisfaction and glory, rather than God's glory and others good. And maybe we even find ourselves simply saying "No" to Jesus? Saying to Him, "You can ask this, but not that. You can have this much, but the rest is mine." We have drifted off to sleep and we must check ourselves for the symptoms of spiritual sloth.

Your life may have a good, even great reputation, people think well of you, but the Lord Jesus knows better. He sees down to your skeleton. He sees down to the marrow of your bones. And we need to see what he sees. We need to hear his loving rebuke, so that we might then receive…

(2.) The Remedy Jesus Proposes

And here it is in verse 2: "Wake up…" Rouse yourself!

It's like in one of those police programmes on TV where someone has been hit by a truck or a stray bullet and they are just about to slip into unconsciousness, and the star of the show is leaning over them slapping their face and throwing water on them pleading: "Stay with me! Stay with me! Stay awake." Now that's no way to treat another human being is it?! But we the viewer know it's necessary as once they slip into unconsciousness they could be gone forever. It's a matter of life and death!

And as Jesus rattles and shocks us with his rebuke and cries "Wake Up" it is because this is about our eternal life and death. "Rouse yourself!" he cries. But when spiritual sloth has gripped my soul that's the hardest thing for me to do. I can read a passage like this, but can't rouse myself to respond to it.

Which is why it is so encouraging that Christ's remedy here is not "try harder" or "be better," but simply… Remember! Jesus says: "Wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die..." - Well how do we do that? Verse 3: "Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you."

Now commentators say and I think they're right in this, that what Jesus is referring to here when he says "Remember what you received" – is the Holy Spirit. "Remember that you have the power of the Spirit in your life." So you have the power to overcome. You don't have to assess your situation based on what you can do – You look at your situation and what needs to be done about it based on the power of Almighty God!

If you've trusted in Christ, you've received him and His divine power is working in you through His Spirit. And there is no task too large for him. No depth of doubt, or lack of faith, or habit of sin, or slothful ease is too big for him to overcome. Every task is too large for me. But there is no task too large for Him. So remember whom you've received.

And remember what you've heard – If you've trusted in Christ then you must have at some point heard the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As Romans 5v.8 puts it: "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." For the gospel tears down our reputation, as Christ says: "You don't have to impress me! In fact, there is no way you could impress me! You're too weak, too addicted to sin. ButI love sinners. And I came to rescue them." Do you see? That's our claim to fame! It's that we're loved by God because he loves broken, wounded, rebellious people like us!

How much credit can you take for that? You can't impress him, but you can draw near to him and enjoy him. Because on the cross he took all of your sin on himself and hung there to pay for it in death and blood. He loves us enough to give his life for us, so that we can be forgiven and have a fresh start the moment that we trust in Christ. That very moment!

Now for the Christian that has to be the best news you've ever heard. It is the message that transforms the world but a slumbering church ceases to believe that. We drift from it, or get bored of it. So if you're in danger of falling asleep – wake up and remember what you've received. And remember what you've heard. And then "Keep it, and repent." As verse 4 puts it.

What does it mean to repent? Well it means to be sorry, doesn't it? But it means a whole lot more than that! Repentance is a change of direction – it is a turning from your own old ways of living life for yourself, and turning decisively to trusting Christ as King and going his way. It means turning round and going back on the long road on which we've drifted from God. Repentance is not something you do one day and then you're finished with it. As even though it begins in an instant, it can still be a long and slow and sometimes painful process. As turning to Christ changes everything!

It's like having major surgery. Some of you have had major operations; a heart by-pass, or a hip replacement. And though the procedure took only a few hours you never expected to wake up and suddenly snap out of it and be back to normal. The doctors said: "The next few months are absolutely critical if you're going to regain strength. I'm going to give you some therapy to do. And you're going to need to be patient and stick at it."

Well don't you know you have an eternal soul that is more important that a hip replacement? "Remember," Jesus says and "repent". Turn around, turn back to Him and stay on course. Whatever it may cost! Whatever it may take!

And let me just say this: For those of you here who have never really heard and responded to the gospel and received God's Spirit this is what we're here to help you with. So please take away a copy of this free booklet: "Why Jesus?" Which explains clearly and engagingly what faith in Jesus is all about. OR do come and chat to one of us on the door, or email us through the church website. We're so glad you're here and we'd love to help you get your head round this.

And whoever you are: Please don't leave here feeling that you are condemned. You may well be convicted, but you don't have to be condemned. There is life through Jesus Christ. As Christ rebukes us, but he also revives us! That's his whole intent here. If only we will follow his remedy and take his medicine then finally, we will see and treasure...

(3.) The Reward Jesus Promises

See how he puts it in verse 5:

Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

Is it really worth it? At the end of the day - was the hip replacement worth it? And all the therapy and all the discomfort and all the slow process of restoration. Well Jesus is saying: "Oh my dear children, it is worth turning back to me - So that I might speak these words of promise to you."

Let me quickly pick out two of Jesus' promises here:

i.) He says: "You are worthy." When Jesus is speaking to the church at Sardis, the reason he has not completely wiped them off the face of the earth is because there are some real believers there. Jesus sees the faithful. AND he calls them worthy. Jesus uses the same word he uses about himself in Revelation 5: "Worthy is the lamb who was slain." Jesus Christ is worthy – why? Because he gave a true profession and he lay down his life. And if we turn to him and seek to live wholeheartedly for him, he will make us like himself. He gifts us his worthiness - and helps us to live like him. And...

ii.) He also says: "You are kept in the book of life". God has a book. You'll not really find it on the bestseller lists and there is not a chance that you'll be packing it as a holiday read when you head off for a break this summer - As this book is of course only symbolic. But behind the symbol is a serious truth - That God keeps a register in heaven, in which the names of his people are enrolled. And if you keep walking with Jesus, there is not anything that can take your name out of it. So others can threaten you and take your good reputation - You might even lose your job for standing for Christ but no-one can ever take your future! Your name is written in his book and it will never be erased. Because you have identified with the King of Kings.

When you go out proud of him, living for him and speaking of him - here is what he promises to do. He's going to come back and speak about you. And he'll say: "These are my people." As we are told here, that one day if we stick with him, He will stand up before the entire universe and be unashamed of us. He will acknowledge us in Heaven.

I tell you: That is the day I am looking forward too. And if you believe it you will look forward to it too. And if you believe it and you look forward to it, you will simply not allow yourself to drift off and fall asleep as a Christian.

So let's wake up! If we are lazy, asleep or dead in our faith – let's wake up and come back to life in Christ! There is no doubting that Christ can revive us, and there is no doubting that it's worth it.

Let's pray!