The Church of Sardis – The Half-Time Speech (Church Part V)

Sermon Title: The Church of Sardis – The Half-Time Speech

Good News Statement: God Requires Us to be His Church

Preached: Sunday, February 11th, 2024 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Revelation 3:1-6 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is filled with hope, beasts, seven trumpets, seven stars, seven lampstands, seven seals, seven churches, seven bowls, and a lot of symbolic imagery that gets people confused and at times a little scared, which is why Jesus tells John in the opening chapter, “Do not be afraid” (Revelation 1:17). When writing to the Seven Churches, we get a glimpse of what church we need to be—a church without fear but filled with love. Our reading comes from the Book of Revelation, Chapter Three, Verses One thru Six. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding and meaning to your life.

 

The Message to Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:

“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead. ² Wake up and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. ³ Remember, then, what you received and heard; obey it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. ⁴ Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵ If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not erase your name from the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels. ⁶ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

Introduction:

We are continuing our study of the seven churches John addresses in the Book Revelation. We’ve already looked at the Church in Ephesus, who had forsaken their first love; the Church at Smyrna, who experienced persecution and were encouraged not to fear but to remain rich in their faith; and the Church at Pergamum, where some appeared to be seduced and were displaying a morally compromised lifestyle but realized how powerful—life-saving, life-changing, and life-healing—the word of God is. Last week, we visited the Church of Thyatira, where some believers were tolerating sin and false teaching but were reminded of what they must do to become the Body of Christ.

From the Church of Thyatira this is what we learned: First, we have throughout our life been unfaithful—stepped away from Christ, sinned, doubted God’s plan for us, and quite possibly found ourselves in the presence of Jezebel—but Jesus is waiting for us to repent of our sins so that we can go from being unfaithful to being faithful. Second, we are faithful and as a church we need to hold fast to the faith of Christ so that we can continue to be God’s church. When we hold fast to the faith of Christ in our individual lives, we not only come to understand the power of God’s word and the importance of trusting God with our whole heart, mind, and soul. Third, the Church of Thyatira laid out an action plan for us: we need to continue to be a church of works—seeking ways to spiritually and structurally grow and maintain the church—we need to practice the love of Christ in all that we do, we need to express our faith so that others will be invited to know Jesus, we need to find ways to create ministries that tend to the needs, ideas, and gifts of those within and outside the church building, we ought to establish avenues of service by which cater to those in the community, and we have to have patience and endurance as we become a church that is here for generations to come.

The Church of Thyatira was a lost church but was found by Christ and challenged to continue to be a church of and for God’s people. That’s the church we are called to be. So far, each church, each believer, is encouraged to have an ear to hear what the Spirit says. Each is given a ray of hope and a way of life if they so choose to follow the words of Christ. Today, we encounter another church that has been struggling but has been given a second chance. Today, we look at the Church of Sardis, a church that looked alive outwardly, but inwardly was spiritually dead.

Body:

The city of Sardis was the capital of the Lydian Empire founded by the Hittite Empire sometime in the 12^th Century B.C. The city was about 30 miles south of Thyatira and maybe 50 miles east of Smyrna. The city was located near the Pactolus River. It was built upon a peak where three sides of the peak were vertical smooth rock walls. The city was some 1500 feet above the valley floor but as the city grew, the hill area was limited, so the city expanded to the valley floor.  The people of the city felt secure because of the location and natural defenses of the city. They felt the three sides of the city were safe and impenetrable from attack due to the steep smooth clefts and, because of that, those sides were left unguarded. The people felt only one side, the south side, needed to be guarded and, because of that false confidence, the inhabitants became overconfident. Their slackness led to the city being captured once by Cyrus of Persia and later by the Romans.

The city of Sardis was famous for three things: 1) military might, 2) its place on a trade route, and 3) its command of the plains of Hermus, which were very fertile in the region next to the Aegean Sea in modern-day Turkey. The city was known for its dyed wools and carpets and fabulous wealth. In addition to dyed wools, Sardis was known to have invented coins in 660 B.C. Today, we examine the city and Church of Sardis in a way that teaches us that Christ needs us to wake up if we want to find victory in him. Today, we look at the Church of Sardis, a church that looked alive outwardly, but inwardly was spiritually dead.

To incorporate the festivities that will soon grasp the attention of this nation, even the people who we are sitting with today, I think, to help us understand the Church of Sardis, it’s fitting to think of Christ’s letter to the Church as if it Christ needed them to win the Super Bowl. So I hope you came ready to get off the bench and be placed in the game! As John Fogerty (foe-ger-tee) famously sang, “Oh, put me in, Coach. I’m ready to play today. Oh, put me in, Coach. I’m ready to play today.”

Speaking of the Super Bowl, here are a few facts about this year’s Super Bowl according to Forbes.com. The National Retail Foundation and Prospers Insights and Analytics suggests, a record 200.5 million people plan to watch the “big game”. Over half of them (112.2 million), will either host or attend a Super Bowl party, 16.2 million will watch the game at a bar and/or restaurant. A 30 second ad for Super Bowl LVIII currently costs $6.47 million. Last year’s Super Bowl on Fox averaged 115.1 million viewers, making it the most watched television program in U.S. history. For 44% of the viewers the game is the most important part of the Super Bowl. Another 19% responded the halftime show was the most important part and 18% surveyed responded the commercials were the most important. In the U.S. only on Thanksgiving Day is there more food consumed than on Super Bowl Sunday. For Super Bowl LVIII, its projected 1.45 billion wings will be eaten, 11.3 million pounds of potato chips will be consumed and 10 million pounds of ribs will be sold during the week prior to the Super Bowl. Also, there is typically a 35% increase in pizza sales on Super Bowl Sunday compared to other Sundays.

I believe it is safe to say, that America has invested itself in the realm and reality of the Super Bowl, and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. How many of you here, are planning to watch the Super Bowl this evening? How many of you actually plan to watch the game? How many of you are only interested in the commercials and half-time show? How many of you are either going to have wings, potato chips, or even pizza as you watch the Super Bowl? One of these days, I have no doubt, that the Super Bowl and quite possibly the World Series will become National Holidays!

As Christians we can use the Super Bowl to our advantage as we learn about the Church of Sardis. First, the Church of Sardis was spiritually lazy and overconfident which is why they didn’t take their warm-up routine seriously. Second, during the first half of the game, the Church of Sardis was spiritually asleep or dead. Third, the Church of Sardis received a pep-talk from their coach to become spiritually healthy and wake-up. And fourth, because the Church of Sardis woke up, they became overcomers during the second half of the game. Can we do what the Church of Sardis did to find victory in Jesus Christ?

 

Movement One: THE WARM-UP – SPIRITUALLY LAZY AND OVERCONFIDANT

When it comes to any sport—whether it is football, soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, or even bull riding—the pre-game warm up is in important. During the pre-game warp, there is usually stretching, conversing about strategies, going over plays and scenarios, scouting the other team, and hyping each other up. I can remember when I played football, we would form a large circle with captains in the middle of the circle calling out different stretches: we would count to ten together and then clap in unison. The warm-up is just as, if not, more important than the last play of the game. If there is no warm-up, players are more prone to injuries, stiffness, and are out of sync with the feeling of the game.

The Church of Sardis is out of sync with who Christ needs them to be because they have chosen to be lazy. They, because they think they are better than everyone else, have chosen not to partake in a spiritual warm-up. Remember, the city of Sardis was located on a cliff, some 1500 feet about the Aegean Sea with three sides consisting of smooth rock. They thought they were safe, secure, and protected. The believers were spiritually overconfident. They believed they were spiritually secure and gave no thought to the enemy inroads of false teaching that was beginning to eat away at their souls.

Due to their laziness and unpreparedness, Sardis never regained its own independence after being conquered. The city was destroyed by an earthquake around A.D. 17 and, with the help of Emperor Tiberius, it was rebuilt. In John’s days the city was still prosperous but in decline, and it never regained its former glory. The city lost its physical appearance of greatness; the church of Sardis and the believers were following the same path. The memory of the days gone by was alive and well in the people, but the vitality and independent life of the city was gone. The church appeared to be alive outwardly to the naked eye; but inwardly, spiritually, it was dead.

Here in chapter 3 of Revelation, Jesus is giving the church at Sardis a warning to repent and turn back to God. It sounds as if most of the believers in the church had become spiritually complacent; they had become spiritually weak. They were no longer actively perusing a fervent spiritual lifestyle. Instead they had become spiritually lazy and were no longer guarding their hearts from spiritual attack. They were spiritually comfortable with their present condition and unconcerned about the future. John addresses the church and gives a warning for every believer to not become spiritually overconfident. It is a warning: it was a call to not allow the ease of life to lull the believers to sleep spiritually, but rather to finish the game set before them. The church did not feel spiritually challenged or threatened and was unaware of its spiritual condition.

Every church whether small or large, whether lead by a single pastor or a pastoral team, or whether located in a rural or urban setting, needs to generate a spiritual warm-up routine. Without this routine, the church can become overconfident in itself rather than reliant on God, it has the potential to become lazy rather than filled with energy, and it can become complacent with its current position rather than being transformed by the love and grace of Christ. Moreover, without a spiritual warm-up routine, the church has a greater chance at injuring itself.

What is your spiritual routine? How do you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepare yourself to do what God is calling you to do every day? Do you begin your day reading a devotional? Do you begin your day by reading the Bible? Do you begin your day in a moment of prayer? Do you begin your day asking Christ for forgiveness, for God’s guidance, for the presence of the Holy Spirit? Do you begin your day reminding yourself that you aren’t perfect and that you will make mistakes but know that God will never forsake you but encourage you to return to Him? What is your spiritual routine and how do you maintain that?

What is the spiritual routine of the church? As a church we do a lot of things during the service that prepare us to hear and receive the word of God and Christ. We welcome one another; we share announcements; we participate in a “call-to-worship” which sets the mood of the day; we sing hymns; we collect an offering; and we pray. Then we are ready to hear and receive God’s message. However, what if I told you that Sunday is your spiritual warm-up for what God needs you to do during the week which is live out His word and be a disciple of Christ to and for all people and to share the good news.

The spiritual warm-up routine of the church should not be taken for granted, should not be taken with any ounce of overconfidence, or even approached with laziness in our heart. The spiritual warm-up routine of the church should begin with an open heart and an open mind so that we let go of what is weighing us down and become more receptive to what God is telling us. The Church of Sardis began the game without stretching and warming up and it caused them to slip away from Christ. Make a promise today that you, every day, will perform some sort of spiritual warm-up that prepares you for the life that God has planned for you.

Movement Two: FIRST HALF – SPIRITUALLY ASLEEP AND DEAD

After choosing not to warm-up, the Church of Sardis marched onto the field with overconfidence in their hearts but uncertainty in their footsteps. John refers to Jesus in Revelation 3:1 as one holding the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. What this means is that Jesus is perfect and complete: Jesus was and is sinless. Furthermore, it suggests that Jesus perfectly represents God’s Spirit. Lastly, it represents that Jesus knows who we are and whose we are.

Jesus knows your name as we have seen in previous studies. Jesus knows where you are and what you’re dealing with. Jesus knows your deeds. Jesus holds the seven spirits and seven stars; representing the Holy Spirit and the seven angels of the seven churches. Jesus is concerned about you and the church. Jesus warns of spiritual compliancy that can lead you to become spiritually weak and dead. Jesus calls attention to sin and death; and the Spirit of God—the Holy Spirit—who calls the unbeliever and believer alike to repent. As Revelation 3:1 asserts, “I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.” Jesus knows you, he knows me, and he knows our church. He knows when we try to do things without him. He knows when we are alive but are dead inside.

The believers of Sardis were thinking all was good; but they had a false sense of security, they were becoming spiritually dead men walking. John warns them to wake up. The church put on a good face; however, the church was living in the shadows of the past. One might say that they were spiritually asleep at the wheel. The Church of Sardis had been on a downward spiral spiritually for a while. The influence of the world had taken root. The tolerance of sin had taken its toll.

A deadly spiritual cancer known as complacency had unknowingly made its way into the church and sucked the spiritual life out of it, without even a fight. The city of Sardis was once a rich and lively city but over time the city’s own self-confidence was its downfall. What happened to Sardis can happen to any believer when they become too confident and think they are spiritually OK or spiritually invincible regarding temptation or attacks of the enemy.

During the first half of the game, the Church of Sardis was unable to keep up with its opponent: they were spiritually asleep. When I played youth football, I wasn’t the biggest guy, or the strongest guy, or even the fastest guy. I was rather quite small. I had pads on my arms because I so many bruises. However, I was a running back on offence and on defense, I was the nose guard—I took my stance in front of the center, the one who snaps/hikes the ball to the quarterback. I faced guys twice and sometimes three times my size. I did a few backwards summersaults in my days on defense, but I stood my ground. Sometimes, I was too overconfident as I was known for going under the legs of the linemen to grab the feet of the quarterback. No other team was using this technique. Nevertheless, there were games that I felt tired and worn out, as if I was the “weakest link” on the team.

There will be moments in our life, where, alone, we feel great and on top of the world, but in the grand scheme of things we aren’t has high and mighty as we might actually be. We are actually asleep and going through the motions, maybe the weakest link. When we perform on God’s team, we cannot be seen as dead or asleep because that is when the Devil sweeps into our lives and quite possibly the lives of those around us. If we let down our guard, the other team will trample over us—as in the team playing for the devil. The Church of Sardis is struggling. It has fallen asleep, and the opponent is on the prowl (1 Peter 5:8-9). Friends, do not underestimate the enemy of your soul. Just because you are not fighting some great spiritual battle now doesn’t mean the enemy is taking a break. He is spying out a way to get you to let down your guard and sin. Do not fall asleep.

The command to not fall asleep is a command given to the church. We must not fall asleep when it comes to our belief, when it comes to our faith, when it comes to loving others as Christ loves us, and when it comes to fulfilling the mission of Christ on earth as it is in heaven. We must not fall asleep like the disciples did when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. We must not let our church go idle and assume we know what tomorrow will bring. Jesus needs us to stay awake—to be observant, to hear his word, to be his hands and feet on earth, to stand up against the enemy and Goliath’s in our life. Jesus needs us to stay awake because he needs us. The Church of Sardis has fallen asleep and they have fallen behind at the end of the first half.

Movement Three: HALT-TIME – SPIRITUALLY WAKE-UP

Half-time was always one of my favorite times during any football game. In high school, half-time was all about the marching band: the drums, the loud and powerful chords that echoed throughout the town, the formations on the field that painted a picture for those seated high in the stands, and excitement from the student section that screamed support and encouragement. But, when I played youth football there was no marching band; instead, half-time was a chance to breathe, refocus, and see the goal ahead.

During every half-time, my coach, who happened to be my dad, would tell us what we were doing well, reminded us of what went wrong, and then would end with some sort of motivational speech. Thinking about those moments and the Church of Sardis, I have realized that Jesus provided them with a halt-time speech that changed their ways. Jesus told the Church of Sardis, “Wake up and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard; obey it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy” (Revelation 3:2-4). This half-time speech includes four parts: wake up spiritually, strengthen what remains, remember what you were taught, and obey and repent.

First, Wake Up. John tells us to wake up; to be on guard spiritually; in a continual state of watchfulness. It is the continual state of watchfulness that will keep us from becoming caught off-guard and overrun by the enemy.

The enemy of your soul will search out and attempt to find a way to your heart that is left unguarded. Do not be seduced by the ungodly ideas and ways of the world. Instead, remain spiritually vigilant. The lack of spiritual watchfulness can be costly. The moment you think that you are spiritually safe and secure is the time the enemy will strike. The believers of Sardis had not become lax overnight, but rather over time. Wake up and be alert.

Second, Strengthen What Remains. Next, John tells the believers to strengthen what remains. John was warning those who were not completely spiritually dead, but they were not spiritually safe either. There was still a glimmer of spiritual life in the church. There were some who remained faithful and alert; who did “not spoiled their clothes” and still produced spiritual fruit. These believers were alert and ready for the enemy to attack. It would appear, that some believers were on spiritual life support and unless they acted upon the warning to wake up, they would find themselves without hope and unable to recover. Strengthen what remains.

Third, Remember. We see that John calls the believer to remember what they had once received and heard. The believers in the Church of Sardis once believed and were spiritually alive, but something happened. The spiritual flame that once burned bright in their hearts had grown cold. There were a few glowing embers, but the flames had died down. The lack of spiritual conviction or enthusiasm can cause you to become spiritually weak or lax regarding the things of God. The worldly desires of the heart, if not restrained, can overtake and drown out the voice of God. Without knowing any difference, you can become spiritually weak and vulnerable to attack. Paul warns about becoming spiritually lax due thinking you are spiritually secure. We must never let that happen; it will not as we remain on guard spiritually.

Fourth, Obey and Repent. Once you are awakened to the truth of the Gospel; once you recall the truth of the Gospel of grace; once you put into practice what you know is the truth of God, you only need to repent and begin to obey the word of God in your heart. We must realize and remember that we are in a spiritual battle and it may be fierce sometimes and things may appear quiet at other times. But whatever the case, we should never become lax or spiritually complacent.

What Jesus says through John to the Church of Sardis, is exactly what we need to hear today. As a church, we need to wake up—we need to not fall asleep when Jesus asks us to stay awake and we need to be observant to what is happening around us so that we can see a need and fulfill a need. We need to strengthen what remains—we need to hold fast to what has grounded us, to what motivates us, and to what encourages us. We need to remember what Jesus has taught us through his parables and teachings and through the people that he ministered to, called upon, healed, and ate with. And we need to stay obedient to Christ and seek repentance. This half-time speech is what motivates any church to seek to be the church that God is calling them to be. What sort of halt-time speech is Jesus telling us today? I believe Jesus is telling us, “Do not take your eyes off me. Wake up. And follow me.”

Movement Fourth: SECOND HALF – BECOME OVERCOMERS

After hearing this half-time speech, the Church of Sardis marched back out onto the field. They marched back out onto the field not with laziness in their hearts but with God and Christ in their footsteps. John closes the letter to Sardis by encouraging the overcomers that their names will never be blotted out of the book of life.

The Church of Sardis, although started the game with laziness and overconfidence, ended the game with Jesus in their midst again. They became awake: they became spiritually awake! They listened to the concerns and comments of the people, they took to heart the ideas and suggestions of the people, and they leaned more on Christ than they ever had before. The Church of Sardis truly became God’s church because they did what Jesus needed them to do. In a way by listening to Jesus, they ended up following the commands of Paul who tells everyone to put on the armor of God, to always be alert and hold up the shield of faith, to use the sword of the Spirit and never remove the helmet of salvation, and to be the overcomer we are called to be as disciples and as a church. The question that remains is this, “Are you ready to be an overcomer? Are you ready to win the game and find victory in Jesus? Are you ready to become spiritually awake and listen to God’s voice and put His words into action? Are you ready to be the church that God has called us to be?

Conclusion:

As a church, we need to wake-up: we need to share our ideas, share our concerns, be proactive on the field instead of shouting out commands from the sidelines, we need to get involved, and we need to listen to Jesus Christ so that we can become overcomers and find victory in Jesus. We have all been caught being lazy. We have all been caught being complacent and avoiding change. We have all been caught neglecting our spiritual warm-up. We all have been caught blaming others rather than taking ownership in our mistakes and misunderstandings. And we have all been caught being overconfident and choosing not to listen to those around us.

We have been caught and Jesus, through the Church of Sardis, is warning us that if we do not change our ways and do not do what he needs us to do “to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4:18), then we are not being the church that God needs us to be: we will remain asleep, spiritually lazy, lost, and always defeated.

The time has come to wake up. The time has come to no longer be spiritually lazy. The time has come to find ways to really be the church that God needs us to be. The church that God needs us to be is a church that plays every game with Christ by our side, devotes our faith during every minute of every game, and commits our love to the works of Christ before, during, and after the game. Who are we as a church? And by what means do you need to find victory in Jesus? The time has come to become awake and trust in Christ. Let it be so…

 

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, wake us up. Give us a half-time speech that changes our heart. Motivate us to finish the game with you in mind. And encourages us to play every minute of this game we call life with you guiding our ways, hearing our prayers, and pushing us to be a church that experiences your victory. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.

 

Benediction:

Laziness does not define you. Laziness does not define our church. Being spiritually awake, remaining strong, remembering who Jesus was, is, and always will be, and obeying and repenting are what define our church. May the Lord help us to become spiritually awake. May the Lord bless you and keep you; May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth finding ways to be the church God needs us to be. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.