The Church at Sardis
Read Revelation 3:1-6
Sometimes, we are not too happy to be reminded of aspects of our history and we try to hide it. There is a village in Wales called Aberfan which has become notorious because there was a terrible landslide which destroyed the local school and many children lost their lives. The sad thing was that the tragedy could have been avoided. It is a disgrace that the mining company was allowed to pile up slag from the mine high above the village with no thought to the safety of the villagers down below.
A bit nearer to my home, just near Bonnybridge outside Falkirk, there is a memorial to an incident which is not well known. It was at Bonnymuir that some working men were arrested in the year 1820. They were weavers who were concerned that their livelihood was affected by the introduction of the power loom and they were marching to the Carron Ironworks to seize weapons. John Baird and Andrew Hardie were both sentenced to death and executed outside Stirling. We don't tell the multitude of visitors to the nearby Falkirk Wheel about this incident.
The city of Sardis had a history that people tried to forget. The city was proud of its location and its reputation for being invincible. It was thought to be impossible to climb the rocky hilltop on which the town of Sardis was built. Nobody could climb the sheer cliffs and so the people thought that they were safe from attack. It was 1500 feet above the valley below and was on a promontory which seemed to be suspended in the sky jutting out from the mountain range. But there were two skeletons in the cupboard. Twice the city had been attacked - by a group of very brave or foolhardy men climbing this rock face all the way from the valley below right up to the summit and the garrison were taken by surprise. The attacks took place under the cover of darkness. In the 6th century BC Cyrus of Persia conquered the city and in the 3rd century BC Antiochus the Great captured the city. In both cases, the capture was brought off because a group of soldiers scaled its cliffs at points considered impossible to climb. This was a story of which the citizens of Sardis were ashamed. Maybe we should learn lessons from our history. Maybe the residents of Sardis should have been vigilant and aware that their defences were not as strong as they looked. Maybe the church should have taken the lesson from its history to heart.
Sadly, the church relied on its reputation. "You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." The risen Jesus Christ commands them to, "Wake up!" This would strike a chord with the people of Sardis. Twice the city had been attacked because the guard had been asleep and had not been vigilant. So the church had become like the city in which it was located. Maybe we need to wake up in 2023 - our churches have lapsed into lethargy. It is 5am and I was at our weekly church prayer meeting last night. It was poorly attended and yet we have so much to pray for. I am led to believe that this is true of many churches - we find excuses to avoid the prayer time. We like the social events but we are not too eager to come to the prayer meeting. What percentage of your church attends the prayer meeting? Is it less than 50%? Is it less than 30%?
It is again interesting that Jesus chooses the most appropriate description of himself in his introduction to the message to Sardis. He describes himself as 'the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.' So the seven spirits of God is a reference to the Holy Spirit and Sardis was needing the power of the Holy Spirit. It had become spiritually dead. It was asleep. It needed to have the Holy Spirit's energy. Jesus holds the seven stars which represent the true identity of the seven churches. Here is how William Macdonald puts it:
Sardis was a church of lifeless profession. It had a reputation as a Christian assembly but for the most part, it simply went through a formal, dull routine. It did not overflow with spiritual life. It did not sparkle with the supernatural. [William Macdonald: Believers' Bible Commentary]
This is a challenge for me and for my local church. It is a challenge for you and for your church. We quickly lapse into lethargy and routine. We want to be entertained and made comfortable in our churches with happy singing and warm fellowship. Here is a cartoon which illustrates this trend in our churches in the postmodern world.
Jesus gave the church at Sardis advice which we need to heed today.
Don't rely on your reputation. "You have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."
Wake up - you have fallen asleep in the pews.
Strengthen what remains and is about to die. To change the metaphor, the embers of the fire are still there but they need the wind of the Holy Spirit to set the church on fire for the Lord.
I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. You are going through the motions. You have lost the passion for the lost souls in your community. You have lost the love for the Saviour.
I will come like a thief - and you will be taken by surprise. This is not a reference to the second coming. It is a reference to God acting in judgement on this church.
There is still a remnant who are alive and active - a few names in Sardis - people who have not soiled their garments. They, too, are tired and need to be encouraged to continue.
Yorumlar