Deathly Quiet

“Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: The One who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert and strengthen what remains, which is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. But if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy. In the same way, the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels. “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

Over the past 45 years of pastoring, I’ve had my share of funerals. They seem to come in spurts, months or years of no deaths in the church family, and then you get a series of them. To be honest, nobody ever has the “right words” to say when someone is dealing with that kind of loss. There are no magical words or scriptural quotes that can alleviate the pain of death. The only thing you can do is to sit with them in their pain and let it become your own. They’re not really looking for someone to say the right words; they are looking for someone who will care enough to come alongside them in their pain.

What happens when death is not personal but is corporate? When the real tragedy is not the death of family or friend but the death of a church. This is one of those places where the different uses of the word “church” are clearly on display. Jesus said in Matthew 16, that He would build His church and the gates of Hell (or death) would not overcome or conquer it. How then can a church die if Christ made such a promise? This is where we encounter that distinction of a church (local group of baptized believers) and the CHURCH (body and bride of Christ – the worldwide fellowship of all baptized believers). The New Testament clearly indicates that the CHURCH or body and bride of Christ is made up of a lot of little churches or communities of faith. While those individual churches will come and go, the body of Christ will persevere and not be conquered by the gates of Hell.

In this letter to Sardis, we come face to face with one of those local churches that is on the verge of dying. The One who has the fullness of God’s Spirit (seven spirits) and the seven stars (angels or messengers to the churches) knows their works, their reputation for being alive, and the truth of their current status – they’re really dead. In many ways, the health of the church in Sardis mirrored the city in which it resided. Sardis had a reputation as one of the greatest cities of Asia, but that was all in the past. The city that had once been buzzing with life was now just a shell of its former self. What was true of the city was also true of its church.

Sardis is southeast of Thyatira and is the oldest city in the Roman province of Asia Minor and was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. It is surrounded by sheer cliffs on three sides and had long been thought to be impregnable. When the Persian king, Cyrus the Great, laid siege to the city in 547 BC, Croesus, the king of Lydia, placed his army only at the single city wall that protected the city and not along the cliff faces. Cyrus promised great riches to the man who could penetrate the wall of the city, but none were able. Then one of his captains decided to try and scale the unguarded cliffs. As the Persian captain climbed, his men followed him, and they were able to breach Sardis, open the gates, and overtake the city via the unguarded cliffs. 

Sardis actually fell to three different assaults over the centuries in the exact same way. Jesus’ warning to the church at Sardis seems to play off of these historical failures of the city and its rulers. One of the most evident signs of these historical failures of the city of Sardis is the large necropolis or cemetery that sits atop a nearby hill. The burial hills of the city’s kings in the cemetery are visible for miles and miles. The city’s former glory is now dominated by signs of failure and death. What is true of the city of Sardis is replicated in its Christian church – a once thriving community of faith is known only for what it used to be and that it’s now on the verge of death.

Next, notice the call to action that Jesus gives the Sardis church. They must: 1) Be alert (wake up!); 2) strengthen what remains and is about to die; 3) remember what you have received and heard; 4) keep it; 5) and repent. Like the city of Sardis, the church had grown comfortable in its existence, power, and position and was ignoring the presence of an enemy and the threat it presented. They were sleeping while the enemy scaled the cliffs and snuck into their fellowship. Jesus wants them to wake up and stay alert for the threats facing them and their mission. He also wants them to strengthen “what remains and is about to die.” They have the fading remnants of a church on mission for God, but it is on its last leg.  It is easy to get comfortable with where you are and lose sight of your mission. Their mission or “works” are not complete and they need to get back on task and finish the work or mission they’ve been given.

Then Jesus gives them three steps to restoring their mission focus, getting back on task, and finishing the work God has given them. First, they need to REMEMBER what they have received and heard. The church’s mission is always, always centered on the truth of the gospel and the person of Jesus. Whatever methods we employ to reach and minister to our community, they must be built on those things, the truth of scripture, and the redemptive work of Jesus. Jesus told the Apostles, “go make disciples and teach them to do all the things I taught you.” Remember that and never forget it. That’s the very next thing He says here, “After you remember it, keep it!” Just DO IT! No excuses. That’s brings me to the last thing He said, they need to repent. Remember what I taught, do what I taught you, and when you fail to do it, then REPENT!

That’s not only good advice for Sardis, it’s good advice for us. 

Jesus then gives the Sardis church a warning, “If you’re not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come against you.” If they don’t wake up and get back on track with their mission, then He will come at a time they don’t expect, and He will “come against” them. That is an indication that He will judge and discipline them. His judgment against them is redemptive and restorative – “for the LORD disciplines the one He loves (see Heb. 12:1-13).” He wants to restore life to this dead church, but it will take real power from God’s Spirit (seven spirits), real effort from the pastor (seven stars), and real repentance from the Sardis church.

While there are no real positive words about this church, this is as close it gets: “you have a few in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white, because they are worthy.” We don’t have any specifics regarding the defilement that is being referenced here, but there are some strong clues. While I think the “deadness” of the church is in view with this statement, I think the real crux of the issue lies in the promise “I will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.” This clearly harkens back to Jesus’ words: “Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.” (Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)

Sardis was home to the largest synagogue and Jewish population outside of Israel. It was also known for being the birthplace of dyed wool and, especially, wool that is dyed a very deep, rich red color. One way to avoid trouble and cultural persecution in a hostile environment is to blend into your cultural surroundings. The more you look, act, and talk like your peers, the less you suffer in this hostile environment. If everyone is wearing red wool and you walk in wearing white linen, you are going to stand out. People are going to notice you. What’s worse is they’re going to wonder why you aren’t like them, and they’re going to start asking questions. Questions you might be reluctant to answer or, at least, answer with the truth.

There are a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, their white linen. They willingly acknowledge Jesus’ name before men, they walk with Him in white because they are worthy. It would seem, based on these clues, that the issue in Sardis is that most of the Christians are trying not to stand out and draw attention to themselves. They are unwilling to “acknowledge His name” before men and have grown silent in witness to their faith. It’s safer to wear the red sweater and blend in with the crowd than it is to stand out and draw attention to your radical faith in Jesus, the Son of God. But to do so is to defile your clothing, lose your way, deny the truth, and walk away from eternal life and, in the end, truly lose the very life you tried so desperately to save.

We face the same risk today in our culture. We are called to live our lives in obedience to Christ and His commands. He warned us, “if the world hates me, it will also hate you (see Jn. 15:18-25).” It is definitely easier to stay quiet, act like everyone else, and never be bold with the gospel or live in obedience to God’s Word. But if we do, if we stay silent, deny the truth, and live like everyone else around us, then we’re just as dead as the church at Sardis. Oh, and we’re just as subject to the dire warning Jesus gave them – I will come against you. Instead, listen to His promise: “In the same way (like those few who stayed faithful in Sardis), the victor will be dressed in white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Don’t hide in the crowd or blend into your surroundings. Stand out, be bold in your faith. Don’t be “deathly quiet” like this dead church and its members but be bold, courageous and outspoken about your faith. The world wants to silence the truth and only hear the lies of the deceiver – “Did God really say…?” (Gen. 3:1) God has called us to embrace truth, believe only Him, pursue only Him, obey only Him, and love only Him above everything and everyone else.

“Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭6‬ ‭HCSB‬‬)