“This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Sardis: I have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Listen to what I say. I know what you are doing. Everyone may think you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up! You have only a little strength left, and it is almost gone. So try to become stronger. I have found that you are not completely obeying God.
Remember the teaching that you were given and that you
heard. Hold firmly to it and turn from your sins. If you don’t wake up, I will
come when you least expect it, just as a thief does. A few of you in Sardis
have not dirtied your clothes with sin. You will walk with me in white clothes,
because you are worthy. Everyone who wins the victory will wear white clothes.
Their names will not be erased from the book of life, and I will tell my Father
and his angels that they are my followers. If you have ears,
listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation
3:1-6, CEV)
Artemis was the main goddess of the city and the temple
dedicated to her in Sardis was one of the seven largest Greek temples (more
than double the size of the Parthenon). She was the goddess of the hunt, the
moon and fertility.
A large complex built in center of the lower city in the 2nd
century AD included a gymnasium and a bathhouse. The complex was over five
acres in size and its western part was characterized by large vaulted halls for
bathing. The eastern part was a palaestra, a large open courtyard for exercise.
The synagogue of Sardis is notable for its size and
location. In size it is one of the largest ancient synagogues excavated. In
location it is found in the center of the urban center instead of on the
periphery as synagogues typically were. This attests to the strength and wealth
of the Jewish community in the city. This synagogue came into use in the 3rd
century AD.
The church of Sardis had one main problem, their
self-satisfaction. When you are spiritually sleepwalking in your righteousness,
what steps can you take to get out of that?
1.
Wake up!
“Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though
they don't know it, are asleep. They're born asleep. They live asleep. They
marry in their sleep. They breed children in their sleep. They die in their
sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the
beauty of this thing that we call human existence.” (Anthony de Mello)
2.
Strengthen
what little remains.
“God is fighting your battles, arranging
things in your favor, and making a way even when you don’t see a way.”(Joel
Olsteen)
3. Go back to what you
heard and believed at first.
“The enemy is fear. We think it is
hate; but it is really fear.”
(Mahatma Gandhi)
4. Repent.
“Repentance may be old-fashioned, but it is not outdated
so long as there is sin.” (J. C. Macaulay)
“A mortician can make a dead man look better than he ever did when
he was alive. So churches like Sardis may appear very much alive, [but] when they are dead in the sight of the Lord. God knows the difference.”
(Vance Havner)[i]
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| The city of Sardis |
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