A Daily Walk

John Randall: When the church is truly alive spiritually, no one should be able to explain the blessing of your church based on the talent of the individuals, your staff, your facilities, your programs, but rather the power of the Holy Spirit at work. There should be a tangible, yet often unidentifiable mark on that fellowship that could only be attributed to the Holy Spirit.

The Bible says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they that labor, they labor in vain." If the Lord were to write a letter to you, what do you suppose he would say? Would he describe your condition in terms of death or life? Would he have good things to say, or not so much?

Guest (Male): Join us for a study in Revelation 3 today on A Daily Walk, as Pastor John Randall has a look at what Jesus has to say to the church in Sardis. There is no mystery at all about the Lord's displeasure with the things going on in this church. They were dead. So we do well to pay heed to the Lord's words as we certainly don't want this to happen to us.

John Randall: Revelation chapter 3 with a message entitled, "The Church of the Living Dead." Revelation chapter 3 and beginning in verse 1 if you'd follow along with me as we read from the word of God today. "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. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God."'"

There are those that will suggest today that the book of Revelation is a closed book. But the title itself, Revelation, states the exact opposite. The book of Revelation is an unveiling of Jesus and of events to come in the future. And here this morning, we arrive at the fifth letter of a total of seven letters that were written to the churches. And there are several features found within each of these letters that are similar to one another.

Within the introduction of each letter, Jesus gives a description of himself. The introduction is then followed by an assessment of Jesus concerning the condition of the church, the problems found within it, and the things that need to be corrected. And then there is an ultimatum or a calling to a decision to repent and get right with God. And finally, each letter, we find a promise presented by Jesus of a future reward to those who will obey the commands that he gives.

But when you come to the fifth letter written to the church of Sardis, there is a unique and identifiable distinction that is absent from the other letters. And that is this: the letter to the church of Sardis doesn't contain any significant word of commendation or approval. It's primarily a message of rebuke and a reprimand. And this is the first letter where Jesus really didn't have anything good to say about the church.

Now, the city of Sardis was located in West Asia Minor. It was 50 miles east of Smyrna and 30 miles southeast of Thyatira. It was the capital city of Lydia and it was an ancient city with a very extensive history. Sardis was located at the junction of five major trade routes, making it a center for trade. And because of its location, it was a very wealthy city. And within the city of Sardis, it was a place where textiles were manufactured.

The trading of jewelry was prominent. Coins of silver and gold were actually minted in the city of Sardis. And due to its economic success, the city was referred to as the first metropolis in Asia. But like many of their counterparts, the city of Sardis was also filled with idolatry. There was a temple dedicated to the false goddess of fertility who they named Artemis. And the worship within the temple was completely sinful and immoral.

There was also a temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele that was connected with nature and Greek mythology and was worshipped also in the most unmentionable sinful ways. No temple worshipper was allowed to approach the temple of these gods with soiled or unclean garments. A white and clean robe was required to enter into these pagan places of worship. The people of Sardis were also known for being very superstitious.

And the reason is because they felt that there were healing powers connected to the hot springs that flowed into the city that were able to bring the dead to life. Sardis also became a major military center because of its location. The Acropolis of Sardis was 1,500 feet above the main roads, and it formed this impenetrable fortress. The military strength of Sardis caused them to be proud and very self-confident.

But what is interesting is when you go back and you look at the history of Sardis, you will discover that although the city seemed and appeared undefeatable, it was captured in battle on two separate occasions. The first was when Cyrus and the Persians surrounded the city, but they were unable to find a way in. History records that one of Cyrus's men observed a soldier there in Sardis that dropped a helmet and later went down to retrieve it on the back side of the city.

Later that night, Cyrus and his army found a trail and began making their way up to attack. And the city of Sardis was so overconfident in their military fortress, they did not even post guards at the gates, and the city was captured. The second time that Sardis was taken captive was 300 years later at the time of Antiochus the Great, who found a way into the city. No one was prepared for the attack because everyone was asleep.

And because the city was taken twice in the same way, a phrase was attached to the city of Sardis. And this was the phrase: Sardis was taken as a thief in the night. Interesting and familiar phrase. But then in AD 17, the city of Sardis was devastated by a major earthquake. It then went and began to rebuild under the leadership of Emperor Tiberius, but history records that the city, it never truly recovered. It only continued to deteriorate.

And on any given day, a person could walk into the city of Sardis and hear someone talking about the past glory of the great city of Sardis. The city and its people were living on their past reputation, but the fact was there was no present reality of a great city because the city was dead. And all that was left was the distant memories of faded glory. It was only a shell of what it had once been.

And listen, folks, spiritually speaking, this is the exact condition of the church in Sardis that Jesus wrote to. The church in Sardis was actually a dead church. Now, when you think of a dead church, what comes to mind? Perhaps a church out in a small country town with one stoplight and maybe one McDonald's, where you have a handful of elderly saints still singing hymns to the sound of a pipe organ.

Or maybe you think of a mainline denomination that has lost touch with its community and is struggling to keep its doors open. Or maybe you picture some of the historically famous churches, like in England, that produced some of the most powerful preachers that the world has ever known. And today, those same churches are nothing more than a monument to the past and some of them have actually been turned into mosques.

But when I read of the dead church of Sardis, I have a much different picture in my mind. Because the old country church or the dried-up denominational setting is not where I pastor. And I want this letter to speak to me. I want to read this exhortation and autopsy of the church of Sardis and see how it applies to this fellowship right here. Lord, show us where we need to change if necessary.

The picture in our minds of the old building with a few people, it doesn't have the reputation of being alive. But folks, listen, the church in Sardis in their self-assessment felt that they were very much alive. But Jesus shows up and says they're dead. The church that is dead or dying is usually unaware of it. They exist under a false impression of self-deception. And our letter begins with Jesus identifying himself as the author in verse 1.

To the angel of the church in Sardis write: "These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars." The letter begins with Jesus writing to the angel. You know by now that word means messenger. It's probably written to the leader or the pastor of the particular church. And as in the previous letters, Jesus brings out one of the characteristics found in the earlier description of himself in Revelation chapter 1.

And the attribute or the characteristic that Jesus refers to concerning himself applied specifically to the need in each individual church. Jesus reveals himself as the one who has the seven Spirits of God. The question immediately becomes, what are the seven Spirits of God? Revelation chapter 1, verse 4, remember it: "Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne."

Some suggest that the seven Spirits refers to seven angels in a place of privilege around the throne. Others suggest, and it seems more likely, I personally lean this way, that it's a reference to the Holy Spirit. There is only one Holy Spirit. But the number seven in biblical numerology always refers to completeness or perfection. And the reference to the seven Spirits of God depicts the Holy Spirit in all of His fullness.

In the book of Isaiah, chapter 11, verse 2, there is a reference to the Holy Spirit with seven characteristics concerning Him. It says in Isaiah chapter 11, verse 2, "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." The work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the church referred to back in Isaiah chapter 11.

And by the way, can I just share something with you? When you're reading through the 404 verses of the book of Revelation, 278 of those verses seem to point back to the Old Testament. A key to understanding the book of Revelation is also understanding the Old Testament. They're linked together. Just a side note for you students of the Bible. It's interesting to point out that what the church of Sardis truly needed was a work of the Holy Spirit of God.

It's necessary in order to once again bring life into the church. Folks, what we will come to discover is one of the main problems within the church of Sardis was a lack of dependence upon the work of the Holy Spirit. When a church moves away from the dependence upon the Holy Spirit, that church is in trouble. And the reason is because the Spirit of God brings life to the church of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one that brings power to the church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said it in John chapter 6 and verse 63: "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing." The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians and he said in chapter 3, verse 6: "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." I find it extremely eye-opening that there was such a large gap between where the congregation in Sardis assumed that they were and where Jesus said they actually were.

They were publicizing, they were advertising to everyone that they were alive. Yet in reality, Jesus said, "You're dead." And I have to ask myself this question: How did they get to that place of self-deception? For one thing, I believe it is pride. They thought they were better than they were. They were proud of their past and they lived off of it. Folks, it is alarming, but it is true that it is possible to grow a church based on human talent, giftedness, large budgets, facilities, instead of a dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

You simply hire the most talented people in their positions if you can afford it. And they may be good at their job, but they don't necessarily have to be filled with the Holy Spirit or even walking with the Lord. You get the best musicians, the most charismatic pastors, the slickest technology. There are countless books and resources on popular methods and programs coupled with ingenious planning and savvy marketing techniques with clever production and specific vision casting that can bring bodies into a church.

Community surveys can be taken of what the consumers want, charts and graphs set out to get you where you want to be in five years from now. It's possible to do all of these things minus the Holy Spirit's involvement. And I don't say this this morning to point the finger at anyone but myself. I want the scriptures to search my heart this morning. I do not, I repeat, do not want to be a part of a church that has a name that we're alive, but in reality we are dead.

It was A.W. Tozer that said that profound quote. He said, "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. But if the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the early church, 95% of what they did would stop and everyone would know the difference." When the church is truly alive spiritually, no one should be able to explain the blessing of your church based on the talent of the individuals, your staff, your facilities, your programs, but rather the power of the Holy Spirit at work.

There should be a tangible, yet often unidentifiable mark on that fellowship that could only be attributed to the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, they that labor, they labor in vain." When people come into this fellowship, or this parking lot, what do they say? What do they see? I know what I see and I know what I know because I know who I am. I know that it's a work of the Spirit of God.

There is nothing that we could do to manufacture this. And the last thing I want to do is manufacture anything. I want the Holy Spirit to do it. I want a work from heaven, not a work of man, because the work of man doesn't last, but the work of heaven goes on. That's what we need, folks. The second characteristic of Christ that is mentioned in the introduction is He who has the seven stars. Again, back in Revelation 1, verse 20, we read that the seven stars in the hand of Jesus represent the seven messengers in the churches.

Meaning that the messengers are in the hands of the Lord. The leaders in the hands of the Lord. Jesus holds the churches and the leaders and the work of the Spirit in His hands. But then Jesus gives His observation and assessment of the church. He says, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." As with the other churches, Jesus knew the true condition of the congregation.

Nothing was hidden from Him. He said, "I know your works." He declared He knew their works, but He doesn't say that they were good or even commendable. But in looking at the church of Sardis, it would have been an active church because the word that is used for "work" here in this verse is where we get our English word "energy." They were energetic. They were enthusiastic. And on any given day of the week, this church had services and activities available.

They had colorful bulletins, smiling greeters, entertaining children's church, high energy worship, and from the outside, everything looked spiritually healthy. If you asked anyone who attended the church in Sardis whether their church was alive or not, they would be offended that you even asked that question. Of course we're alive, they would say. Look around! Look what we're doing! Look at the activities, look at our services, look at the causes that we're involved with and the things that we're fighting for.

Look at the opportunities that are available. Even those outside the church would testify saying they had heard about the church in Sardis and that it was very much alive. And they would say, "Hey listen, if you're looking for a church that's alive, let me tell you where you should go. You should go to Sardis. It's alive. They have a name; it says they're alive." All of this was going on. But listen, what Jesus said next is very troubling.

Their self-assessment and evaluation was that they were much alive, but the Savior's assessment was quite the contrary. He said, "You have a name that you're alive, but you're dead." The church in Sardis developed a reputation that there was life within the church, but Jesus shows up to the church as the divine coroner and pronounces the church is not in the process of dying. It's actually already dead. It's the equivalent of the church was like a body in a casket, beautifully groomed for viewing but not alive.

Guest (Male): How do we know if a church is alive or dying? Pastor John Randall will be back to answer that in just a moment as A Daily Walk continues. Hear this message in Revelation online at adailywalk.org. Catch what you may have missed in the series too at adailywalk.org or at oneplace.com. Well, how's your devotional life these days? We'd like to recommend Oswald Chambers' devotional, "My Utmost for His Highest."

For a cost of $18, you'll receive the updated language gift edition. Now, these rather brief Scripture-based readings will both comfort and challenge you in your daily walk. Discover what it means to offer God your very best for His greatest purpose. Call us at 877-242-0828 or go to adailywalk.org. And if the Lord is leading you to take an active role in this ministry through a one-time gift or ongoing support, allow me to direct you to our website.

That's a good way to donate to the ministry and it's super convenient as well. You can donate safely and securely at adailywalk.org. And while we're on the subject of devotionals, I should mention "A Daily Walk" devotional. A great way to start the day. These short videos are released each day at adailywalk.org, and I think you'll find them encouraging. We'll leave you to think over this question from Pastor John.

John Randall: How do we know whether a church is dying or thriving, whether it's dead or alive? Keep in mind, folks, the church is not a building, the church is made up of people. Thus we could say, why were the people of the congregation dying spiritually? One reason, as I said, because of pride and self-confidence. Another reason, a lack of dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Going into that church, it was very soulish, a very soulish experience.

And there's a lot of that going on today, creating an atmosphere that moves the soul emotionally rather than a spiritual experience that cuts to the heart and causes someone to want to repent and get right with God. It's like having a sugar rush. You go to that church, it's like, "Bing!" You hit, you have a sugar rush, and you come down the next day and there's nothing to live on. You can't go on. There's nothing solid about it. There's nothing substantive about it that you can feed on because it was just a sugar rush and it's done.

Perhaps they relied on their past history. The church in Sardis recalled what used to be like, what happened in the past. Guys, did you know that powerful ministries today go through a process, and here it is? Historically this can be observed. It begins with a man, a man who has a calling on his life and God raises up that man at the right moment in the right time and uses that man for God's glory.

But that man, that what starts then is a movement. God begins to move. But then that movement, if you're not careful, it becomes a machine. And that machine then becomes a monument. And that monument becomes a memorial where the church becomes nothing more than a morgue with a steeple on it. And I believe that Calvary Chapels need to heed this warning. We can't falsely assume that we're above making the same mistakes as the church in Sardis.

Now, for some of you, you may be new to Calvary Chapel. This is a new experience for you. But if you don't know, we have a marvelous heritage that was born out of a revival, a work of the Holy Spirit, wherein we have been deeply committed to the teaching and preaching of the Word of God. And God has graciously blessed the work with churches that spread throughout the world. But in 2013, the man, as it were, that God used, my pastor, his name was Chuck Smith, he went home to be with the Lord in 2013.

And listen, before you clap, you can observe from some circles a very real shift from our foundation. And if we begin to look to or to worship a man or our past, if we begin to lean upon mechanical methods or we try to replicate what has taken place in the past, or we begin to rely upon speaking abilities or buildings or programs instead of the Spirit of God, we will fall prey to the same fate as Sardis and be left with a name and reputation only that we're alive, but we're dead. Oh God, please, in this one-year anniversary, don't let that be us.

Guest (Male): We'll finish up this message on "The Dead Church" next time on A Daily Walk with John Randall. See you then.