Sermon Series: Evaluate, Change and Restore–Revelation 1-3

Christaholics Anonymous–the Sin of Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

PSBC 3/18/01

In a nutshell: The sin of Sardis was doing church without the power of God in their lives. That is combated by trust in the Holy Sprit's guidance, obedience and repentance. To those who do this turn around, the promise of salvation and assurance belong to them.

I. Introduction

A. The term "Christaholic"

You've all heard the term alcoholic. That refers to someone addicted to drinking alcohol. But have you ever heard the term "Christaholic"? This is a person addicted to something about Jesus Christ, without being committed to being His disciple. There is a real problem when you have a church full of Christaholics. And we're going to be introduced to such a church in our study this morning. And the question you're going to have to face today, is, "Am I one of them?"

B. The City of Sardis

Sardis was a city built on a mountain plateau. It was guarded on three sides by 1500 foot mountain slopes of near perpendicular rock. The fourth side of the city, had a gentle slope leading up to it, but it was well guarded by a huge city wall and a massive gate. This made Sardis a virtually impregnable fortress.

In the sixth century B.C., Sardis was one of the wealthiest and most powerful city-states in the ancient world. Gold particles in huge quantities, actually flowed in the river that ran near it. This was the city where the art of dying woolen fabric was first discovered. So, as you can imagine, for many years, they had a corner on that lucrative market. It was in Sardis that the fist gold and silver coins were minted.

Sardis, throughout its history had a reputation as a very proud, complacent, and over-confident city. Guards and watchmen were never posted on the three sides of their city that were guarded by the 1500 foot cliffs. In 549 B.C., King Cyrus of Persia, tried to conquer this city with a frontal attack and failed. But during the night, a small group of Persian soldiers climbed an almost invisible crevice on one of the 1500 foot walls of rock and entered the city through an unguarded gate, and conquered it. Three hundred years later, another king, Antiochus III, conquered the city in the same manner.

As we'll find in our study this morning, the church in Sardis was very much like the city of Sardis. And because the church became like the society around her, the Lord of the church judged her more severely than any of the other churches that are listed in these first three chapters of Revelation. If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to Revelation 3.
II. Christ's Appraisal of Sardis

Rev 3:1
"To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

A. The introduction of Jesus

When Jesus addresses Himself to each of these seven churches in chapters 2 and 3, He uses a particular description of Himself that is uniquely suited for each church. Here He calls Himself the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

The seven spirits of God, as we saw a few messages ago, when we looked at the second half of chapter 1, is a reference to Isaiah 11:2, which talks about the seven-fold work of God the Holy Spirit. In other words, Jesus is saying that He is the One who controls the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of that church. And that's the only thing that gives a church any kind of power.

Plus, Jesus is the one who holds the seven stars. This is a reference to what is taught in a particular church, and how each church is run.

In other words, in this introduction, we are told that the church in Sardis desperately needed the Holy Spirit's infusion into their church; and they needed to remember that Jesus is the Lord of the church. Running a church, isn't a human endeavor. The ministries of the church didn't belong to the heads of the committees who ran them. The teaching was never to be the pastor's opinion. Everything that was done, taught and considered by that church would not succeed unless it was done in the power of the Holy Spirit and under the authority of the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ.

B. The assessment of the church

Also, in this verse we have the assessment of this church. Jesus says, "I know your deeds–I know your works." In Sardis, these works were things that were done to impress people. People did ministry in order to build a reputation for the church and themselves. For the most part people did work in Sardis for the church, not for the Lord of the church.

This is one of the phenomenons in many churches today that gives non-Christians such a negative impression about the Christian faith. They see devotion, they hear wonderful words, they see programs, but there's no life in them. Nothing in the lives of the people in the churches, backs those words and programs up with any substance. One person described these churches like this...
"Mild-mannered people,
meeting in mild-mannered ways,
striving to be more mild-mannered."
Calvin Miller, one of my favorite authors, describes a Sardis-like church in this way (Information Guide)...
These are really Christaholics and not disciples at all. Disciples are cross-bearers; they seek Christ. Christaholics seek happiness. Disciples dare to discipline themselves, and the demands they place on themselves leave them enjoying the happiness of their growth. Christaholics are escapists looking for a shortcut to Nirvana. (Calvin Miller, The Singer).

The church of Sardis is a church that had a reputation of being alive, but its really dead. It was a church of Christaholics!

Notice the difference between Sardis and the other churches we've looked at so far in this series of sermons. There was no persecution from the Jews in this town, even though there was a very large synagogue located in Sardis. No one followed false prophets and Christian cults like the Balaamites and the Nicolaitans. There wasn't a Jezebel-type false prophetess, trying to lead this church into pagan practices. There were none of those external pressures to sin and disobey God like we saw in the other four churches we've looked at so far. The difference between Sardis and those other churches was that Sardis was not a threat to the kingdom of Satan, like the other churches were. The people of Sardis were their own worst enemy!

So, what does a church full of Christaholics, need? Jesus tells them in the next two verses...

III. The Remedy for Christaholics

Rev 3:2-3
2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

A. Wake Up

First, they need to wake up. These were sharp words, like a slap in the face. Jesus is saying, "Wake up and honestly face your failure! Feel the dullness of your services! Smell the deadness of your programs! Ask yourself, ‘What's gone wrong?' ‘Why aren't we attracting new people to our church?' ‘Why aren't people coming to know the Savior through our church?'"

You see, that term "Wake Up" is a very severe call to do some very serious, sobering and honest appraisal of a church and a person's individual faith.

B. Strengthen what remains

Second, they were to "strengthen what remains". In verse one Jesus indicates that there was at least something that this church was doing that at least gave the appearance of allegiance to God. So, they didn't have to come up with all new programs and strategies. They didn't need to re-invent themselves. Rather, they needed to get underneath the surface of their deeds and begin examining their motives.

In other words, their actions were right, but their motives were wrong. They were serving God, doing ministry, and having church for the wrong reasons. In essence, Jesus was saying, "Don't worry about your reputation. Don't worry about what others might think. Keep doing the good things you're doing, but do those good things for the right reasons. Do good because you're sold out to ME, not because you want to impress someone."

C. Remember what they heard

Finally, they were to remember what they heard–obey it and repent. Now, here I'm going to take issue with the New International Version that I use to preach from. Because I don't believe the phrase in verse 3 that's translated "Remember, therefore, what you have received..." is totally accurate. The word in Greek that the translators translated "what", is literally "how". (In fact some of you who have study Bibles, might even see that in the notes connected to this verse.) In other words it is more accurate to translate that phrase–"Remember, therefore, how you have received".

Now, here's the importance of that distinction. What these Christians in Sardis had heard was the gospel. They had heard the message of Jesus; His crucifixion on behalf of sinners; of His resurrection; of His availability to human beings by the Spirit to strengthen them, equip them for ministry, and give them His own righteous life and position. They had heard all that. But what they forgot was, how did it come to you? "Remember how you received and heard this." What He's referring to is the ministry of the Spirit through the work of the Christians who first brought the gospel to Sardis.

Friends, this isn't rocket science, but nevertheless, it is crucially foundational to effectively carrying on the work of Jesus' church. If you try to have church and do ministry without the Holy Spirit's power, you have a human endeavor, not a divine one. A human endeavor will not have eternal consequences. Only a divine one will. It's that simple.

So, how do you get the Spirit of God back into your ministry?

D. Obey and Repent

The middle of verse 3 tells us. We are to obey the Spirit of God, and repent.

1. Obey

Obey it means that you cooperate with it. If the Spirit of God directs you into someone's life or toward a ministry, or toward a group of people, go there and be Christian in that setting. Don't rebel, don't second guess, don't tell God you have a better plan. Just go where the Spirit of God prompts you.

Illustration: About two weeks ago I read in the paper that a hearing was going to take place at the Palm Springs City Council about locating a Harley Davidson motorcycle rental shop at the corner of Indian Canyon and Ramon. I felt that still small voice of God inside me tell me I had to go to that meeting. I obeyed that prompting, and 2 Wednesday nights ago, I wound up sitting in the middle of about 30 or 40 motorcycle enthusiasts from all walks of life, who were there to support the proposal.

While we were waiting for the proceedings to start, I had the opportunity to engage several of the people around me in conversation about motorcycles, my involvement in CMA, and our church. I even got up and in the public comment time, and spoke in favor of the business being allowed to locate there, while speaking against how "the biker element" had been portrayed by the citizens who lived in that area. After I spoke I received an enthusiastic ovation from the bikers that were there.

Afterwards, one of the people from the biker crowd said, "I didn't know God cared about motorcycles." And I told him, "God doesn't, but He cares a lot about the people who ride them, consequently, so do I." This guy then asked me about our church and where it was located. He said, "I might visit sometime." And I said, "Make sure you ride your bike. You can park next to mine!"

Folks, that's the obedience that the Lord of the church is calling Sardis back to. And He's calling you and me back to it as well. I couldn't have orchestrated a better opportunity to "share God's truth or to be His light" than I had in that meeting. That's a God thing. And God things are how the Kingdom of God grows. It doesn't happen through "human things".

2. Repent

The other way to get the power of God's Holy Spirit back into your life, your ministry and your church, that goes hand in hand with obedience to the Spirit of God, is repentance.

Repentance is looking at yourself, honestly through the lens of God's Word. And if you see anything in your life that looks even remotely like wrong attitudes, impure motives, or a wrong appraisal of who you really are, then you need to confess it to God as sin, and turn from it.

Illustration: We had one of the best Elder meetings to date, this past Monday night. What made it so good was that God used that time to prompt several of us to confess areas of inconsistency and disobedience to each other, that had been present in our lives in the past. We repented of those sins, and have started on a new path to being the leaders that God wants us to be.

You see friends, God will not tolerate evil in the lives of His disciples. He will search it out, root it out and boot it out. Only then can He restore us to effective ministry–but effective ministry won't happen until we come clean before God, and agree with Him about what He already knows–we are sinful and stand in need of His forgiveness.

-If we don't wake up,
-If we don't trust in the power of the Spirit of God,
-If we don't follow the Spirit's prompting and leadings in our lives, and
-And if we refuse to repent...,
God promises to come and do some serious work in our lives. The end of verse three says, "But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

And I guarantee you that when the Lord of the church comes like a thief, it won't be to reward you for dead works. It will be to do some serious surgery to get rid of the dead spiritual tissue that you've allowed to accumulate in your life.

Illustration: In 1988, when the Lord of the church did this to me, I had to go through some very humbling and humiliating circumstances. I lost my job in the church. I lost my credibility in the community. I had to get rid of my pride. And I had to face the shame of having my deeds exposed to the light of God's judgment. Folks this visitation from the Lord of the church is serious business. Wake Up! Listen to the Spirit of God! And Repent!

IV. The Promise

However, the Lord of the church doesn't leave things on a judgmental note. He gives a three-fold promise in the remaining verses to those who remain faithful, even in churches filled with Christaholics...

Rev 3:4-6
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

A. Dressed in White

First, these faithful followers of Jesus will be "dressed in white". In other words, they will be given Jesus' own righteousness. When God looks at a true follower of Jesus Christ, He never sees that person's sinfulness. All that God sees is the righteousness that Jesus Christ earned through His life, as a man.

Isa 1:18
18 "Come now, let us reason together,"
says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

Faithful followers of Jesus Christ are "dressed in the white of righteousness" earned by Jesus Christ, when they stand before the Holy God of the Universe.

B. Never Blotted Out

The second promise Jesus gives is, "I will never blot out his name from the book of life." Now, that promise has bothered a lot of people over the years. It almost sounds like your name could be taken out of the book of life. In other words, you could lose your salvation if your life doesn't match up to God's standards. But that's not what it says.

Jesus doesn't say anything about anyone's name being blotted out. His words are simply words of assurance that those who trust Him will never be blotted out. I think He's addressing some real fears of Christians who read this letter both in the first century and right on down to today.

If the Lord of the church is angry over my pride, arrogance, dead and lifeless works on His behalf, or my disobedience in not following His Spirit's guidance in my life... could He, in His righteous anger, take away my salvation? And the promise here is No, He will not. "He will never blot it out!" You can't sin your way out of the family of God.

C. I will acknowledge you

The third promise is that Jesus will "acknowledge you before the Father and angels in heaven."

Friends, do you realize that when we Christians arrive in heaven at the end of our lives, every motive, every value, every secret and public thing we have ever done will be laid open for all of heaven to see.

Luke 8:17
17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

No part of your or my life will be hidden. Knowing that, do you get a little queasy, thinking about the end of your days? You know things about yourself that you don't want anyone else to know. But Jesus says, "When you stand before all of heaven, with the entire record of your life exposed for everyone to see, I will look at you and say to my Father, ‘Father, this one belongs to me. Even though he or she is a defiled person, even though this person has an unworthy character–I want the whole universe to know, this person is mine!'"

Then the Lord of the church ends this letter to Sardis, like He does with every over letter, "Listen up. Examine your life. Are you a disciple of Christ, or merely a Christaholic?" "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Christian friend, the Lord of the church is challenging you to come clean before Him, today.

V. Conclusion

But, there might be some in this room this morning who have never really entered into a relationship with the Lord of the church, Jesus Christ, that will give you any of the promises that I've just explained.

-You may be a regular attender at this church or at another church, but that won't give you the right to any of these promises.
-You may be a member of this church or another church. And although membership is a sign of commitment, no amount of commitment will give you the promises that are listed in this section of the Bible.
-You may be a really good person, with the best of motives most of the times of your life. But even the best of motives, most of the time, will not let you lay claim on these promises.
-You may hold to a set of beliefs very sincerely, but sincerity isn't going to allow you to lay claim to the promises of:
-complete forgiveness of your sin;
-or the promise of never having your name blotted out of the book of life;
-or the promise of having an advocate who claims you as His, in front of God the Father and the entire hosts of heaven.

Only one thing can allow you to claim those promises as your own. It is following God's one and only plan for salvation from your sin. It is something that has to be done individually. And it is something that has to be done to the exclusion of any other way you may think you know.

When Jesus said, "I am THE way; THE truth; and THE life." He was talking about an exclusive path to the promises we've looked at today. That path starts with...

A Confession (agreement with God) that you are a sinner deserving of judgment.

Then a sincere and exclusive belief that when Jesus died for your sins on the cross and He rose again from the dead, He did it for you. And there is nothing more you can add to this plan.

Finally you make this exclusive plan yours by praying a prayer something like this...
Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and need your salvation. I believe You died for me and rose again. I now ask you to save me from the consequences of my sin, and apply the promises I heard about today, to my life. Thank you. 

Amen.