Letters to the Churches

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
A WEDNESDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
EDGEMONT BIBLE CHURCH
FALL 2009- SPRING 2010
NOVEMBER 25,2009
LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES - Part 6

I. AUDIENCE IDENTITY - The Angel of the Church at SARDIS
A. The City - Founded about 1200 BC. One of the greatest cities of the ancient world. Capital of the wealthy Lydian kingdom. Gold was discovered and taken from the Pactolus River not far away. Silver and gold coins were first minted here. Important on the trade routes to Persia. Built on a hill with three sides protected by smooth and almost perpendicular stone walls. The only real entrance was a difficult and steep path on its south side. The city was nearly impregnable. This gave the people overconfidence in their protection which developed a complacency which led to its conquest on two occasions. They did not guard the city on all its sides. They also had put themselves in a site from which they could not grow and expand. Eventually they had to build on a different site at the foot of the hill so they could grow. They would retire to the older site when under attack. Conquered by Rome in 133 BC and an earthquake destroyed the city in 17 AD. It was rebuilt by a generous gift from Emperor Tiberius. A temple was built in his honor. But their real worship was reserved for Cybele. This is Gaia, mother earth, the magna mater, the mother of the gods. She is said to be the goddess of the caverns, the goddess of life, healing, fertility, resurrection, and especially of nature in its wildest states. In Sardis she is said to have special powers to restore life to the dead especially from the underground springs some 2 miles outside the city. She is identified with Astarte, Asterah or Asteroth, Astarte, Ishtar, Diana, Artemis, Isis, and so on as the goddesses of other cultures, especially those of matriarchal societies. This is perhaps the oldest pagan worship known to humanity. She may very well be the image of the harlot who rides the beast in John's later vision of Revelation.

B. The Church - Nothing is really known about how this church came into existence. Most conjecture that it came about as part of the Ephesian outreach that took place during Paul's ministry. It is known that a well- known bishop of Sardis in the second century was an apologist and wrote the earliest known commentaries on Revelation.

II. SPEAKER'S IDENTITY AND AUTHORITY TO SPEAK - The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. (The one who knows all things)

III. MESSAGE
A. His commendation – only that there were in Sardis a few names who had not defiled (stained)_ their garments. They would walk with Him in white because they were worthy. This is in contrast to those in Sardis whose garments had been stained or defiled. As lifeless as it was. There were still some remnants that had a flicker of that which they had been given in the first place. No other commendations could be made.
B. His charge or criticism
...1. They had a name that they were alive but they were dead
...... a. Sardis, the city, had a reputation for restoring life to the dead and Sardis, the church, must have had a reputation of doing some good works seen as life-giving. Perhaps this is a human comparison that contrasts the evil of the city with the presence of something that looks like a church making the church lo9ok considerably better than the culture. But the judge of a church’s reputation is not the culture; it is Christ!
...... b. Though this may have been the “reputation” of the city, for the Lord of the Churches, it was not the reputation of the church, itself.
......c. The church had compromised itself with the culture to the point it had no life different from that of the dead (in sins and trespasses) culture around them. It would have been easier for them to live the values of the culture around them than to stand out and stand against the immorality the goddess cult lived out each day. But it was deadly to the church.
......d. The Lord said their garments (a term used for character or actions describing their position) were stained or defiled. This means they must have participated with the culture in its fertility festivals. They may have incorporated into their own worship the frantic worship style of the cult of the goddess. This would have been easy since most of them were raised with this type of worship. They may have incorporated the life/death/rebirth story and spring celebration of the goddess and her grandson/lover Attis into the resurrection account of Christ. They may have accepted as priests the same transgendered priests of the cult. However it was done it was so abominable that our Lord did not even discuss it. He only declared their garments as defiled and the church as dead.

... 2. The rest of the remaining things were ready to die.
......a. The complacency so common with the city itself had become a part of the thinking of the church also. This complacency had caused them to lose their vigilance in keeping the faith (v. 2). It had led them to not see the contrast with the message of the opposing faiths.
......b. It appears that many of them had forgotten the gospel (v. 3) and perhaps who they had received it from (“how you have received and heard…” v. 3). The gospel generally comes with the power of the Holy Spirit, causing people to flee their previous gods and way of life and turn to the living God (1 Thess 1:1-10).

......c. Their complacency, lack of vigilance and loss of memory had so weakened the gospel message they had blended in with the culture and its unbelief and sinfulness.
...... d. They were lacking in Holy Spirit power for the Holy Spirit is the life-giver of the church. They had grieved and quenched the Spirit so often that the Spirit's ministry to them had departed them. It may be that many in the church were really unregenerate people with no Spirit at all.
...... e. This may be a reference to the age of the congregation. Perhaps by now the "first generation" believers were getting old and dying out. The "second generation" coming on lacked the zeal and the Spirit of their fathers.
... 3. Their works were not found perfect before God.
...... a. Perhaps in comparison with the unregenerate works of the
culture in which they lived their works had been seen as good
works, but in the eyes of the One who knows all things, they
were insufficient and incomplete.
...... b. Their works were not motivated by faith and love for God. (Heb 11:6; 1 Cor 13:1-3; Mark 7:6-7)
...4. His counsel
...... a. Wake up and start watching. Feeling comfortable with an ungodly culture is deadly. Like the residents of the city who thought their city was so safe they did not watch all sides and were conquered, so to the believers are cautioned to stop the complacency for the enemy is willing to try any strategy to conquer the church. He comes where, when and how you least expect it!
...... b. Strengthen the remaining true things. There were some things that had elements of faith still in them and perhaps people who knew the gospel, its truth and its power and were living by faith even though weak. These things needed review and to be established.
...... c. Bring back to the forefront of your thinking how you have received and heard the truth to start with. Blending in with the culture they had forgotten what it was that saved them in the first place. They had let their memories fall from relevancy to their current lives. They needed to have a good "remember day" where they reviewed the gospel's entry into their lives and city and put it back in their current thinking. If it was life-changing then it is life-changing now!
....... d. Lay hold of the former vitality and keep it alive. Not simply the doctrines but also the life of the gospels – the Spirit of the living God.

...... e. Repent. Jesus is here granting them repentance and giving
them space to do it in. He loves His church and wants it to be fruitful. He is longsuffering even with this church that is so lifeless. Repentance is a change of mind that is so drastic that it changes one's course of action. It is a i8o degree turn about.
...... f. Warning!! If they do not watch (perhaps a play on words -
they were now to be watching for him and not the enemy!) He would be coming like a thief, in an announced hour! This is a judgment that could result in their physical death.

APPLICATIONS:
1. Our standard for the church is Christ, His Word and the Holy Spirit's work in us. We must never compare our self with the culture and let its sinful standard be the one by which we declare ourselves pure. Just keeping a "safe" distance from the culture's impurity does not make us holy. As the culture drifts deeper into sin, if we only keep a safe distance from their actions we are still drifting with them into sin. In this drift, we will wake up one day to the realization that we are deep into doing what we once knew was worldliness and ungodliness.
2. Having a good review of our lives, how we were brought to salvation, the glorious doctrines of the faith delivered to us and a continuous learning and applying Biblical truth is essential to solid growth as a church. The challenge to love one another, counsel one another, seek the lost and do good to all men, especially the household of faith is a bona fide method of keeping ourselves in the love of God.
3. Keeping important things important is absolutely essential.
4. Continual vigilance is the only way to keep yourself from wandering from the gospel.

IV. PROMISE TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME - The one overcoming will be clothed in white garments and not only will his name NOT be blotted out of the Book of Life but it will be confessed by Jesus before the Father and the holy angels. NOTE: This does not teach that one's name can be blotted out of the Book of Life. Just the opposite is true. It teaches that it will not be blotted out. Remember the one overcoming is the one believing. Without faith you cannot overcome. Those who do not believe are not in the Book of Life anyway. Their names cannot be blotted out; they were not there. Believer's names cannot be blotted out for they have overcome. Compare Jesus' words in Matthew 10:32-33 or in Matthew '7:21-23

V. CALL TO THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO LISTEN