Churches are dying daily in America today closing at the rate of 14+ per day. In the past 2 ½ years it is estimated that over 10,000 American churches have closed due to the lack of attendance, lack of young parishioners and families, a lack of finances, and a general lack of confidence in the relativity of its necessity.
Well, let me tell you about a church that had the appearance of being a great church. They had at one time been a dynamic church on fire for God, but something changed and when it did spiritually the church begin to die. The Bible says it was in a town known as Sardis.
Sardis was about thirty miles south of Thyatira, at the foot of Mount Tmolus that rose about 1,500 feet above the valley of the Hermus River. The Turkish town of Sart now occupies the site.
Sardis had been a great city. Seven hundred years before this letter was written Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the world. It was the capital of the kingdom of Lydia. Its wealth was legendary, even the river that flowed through the city was said to be lined with gold.
Croesus was the most famous Sardian king. He built the city to the point that no one thought it was vulnerable. In 546 BC Cyrus, king of Persia, laid siege to the city and captured it. His men had watched one of the Sardian guards come down and pick up the helmet he had dropped. That night Cyrus’ men went in through the breach in the wall and found no one on watch. Three centuries later, the army of Antiochus III used the same tactic to conquer the city and again no one was on watch.
Excavations have unveiled much information about the city. They found an ancient Christian church building next to the temple to Artemis as well as the largest synagogue ever found with seating for 1,000 people.
Verse 1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
Jesus declares to the church in Sardis that He holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. The seven spirits is simply another designation for the Holy Spirit. The seven stars are the seven pastors of the churches.
The church in Sardis desperately needs the life giving power of the Holy Spirit. What could be more exciting than for the Lord to bring his hands together so that the churches today are overflowing with the Holy Spirit.
Two things we must see about the church at Sardis.
-There are those in the church that have remained faithful, but the church does not receive a compliment from God.
-There is also a lack of persecution from outside sources because it apparently was more concerned about being acceptable rather than taking a stand.
The complaint Jesus lodges against this church is that its reputation is faulty. Many regarded the church at Sardis as a lively church. This church had gained a reputation for being an outstanding church, but it had lost its spiritual punch. Jesus knew differently. The church was spiritually dead. Even today churches can be full of ministries and activity having a reputation as spiritual giants, while at the same time be spiritually dead.
Did you know that two Ivy League schools, Harvard and Princeton, started out as Bible Schools. What do we hear from the men and women that graduate from these schools today? Is there spiritual power there? It is easy to be religious, but extremely difficult to be righteous.
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