Letter to the Church at Sardis

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The metropolis of Lydia in Asia Minor. It stood on the river Pactolus, at the foot of mount Tmolus. Here was one of the seven Asiatic churches (Rev_3:1-6). It is now a ruin called Sert-Kalessi.

Revelation 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

This was a church in name only. For instance the sign above the door could have read, "First Church of the Saints," but inwardly they had no spiritual life. They were dead spiritually. No longer was the worship and works done by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I'm sure this didn't happen over night. It may have started out like the Ephesians church with sound doctrine but lost their love and compassion. It may have been like the churches which were okay at first but began to compromise with sin. It could have been one who started out with sound doctrine but began to add to the doctrine or take away from the doctrine of Christ and then substituting the doctrines of men. Soon the worship may have been ritualistic, mechanical and there not true worship in the spirit. Any or all of these factors may have occurred. Again perhaps they were going to church for social purposes and not to seek God. There are churches existing today similar to this one.

Those that teach the church age theory believe this was the period of the Reformation period from 1300 to 1750. By that time church were coming out of the Catholic church but were still spiritually dead in most parts of the world. I personally think this period would extend up until the revivals in England by John Wesley. The Reformation churches began to persecute believers who wanted to adhere closer to the word of God and forsake all the former Roman religion entirely. The Protestant Reformation was a beginning but they did not forsake the old Roman church enough. Some still baptized infants and held onto some rituals.

Even before the rise of Martin Luther, other men like John Huss, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, the Waldenese etc began to study God's word and attempt to return to the scriptures alone for the truth. Many tried to publish the bible in a language the common people could read. Some of these suffered death by burning at the stake for their efforts.

Martin Luther actually got away with what the others died for. Somehow he escaped death and was the first to succeed in getting people to trust in salvation by grace and not by the works, creeds and rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. He started out with a good message and encouraged many to use the scriptures alone and not depend upon a priest for salvation. We can be thankful for the Protestant Reformation but they didn't really go far enough. Many early Protestants started out good but when they gained success and power, they too began to marry the state and began to use control. Martin Luther desired to save the Jewish people but ended up hating them when they rejected his doctrine. He wrote things that Hitler used to justify the Holocaust 100s of years later.

John Calvin was a priest who began to read the works of Augustine. He got into error when he taught predestination and eternal security. He started out a pretty good fellow but in Geneva Switzerland after gaining power with the state, he was a big influence and tried to use force in running the church. Later he was influential in having a man burned to the stake for rejecting the doctrine of the trinity. In many places both in the Old World and the New, when the Calvinist gained control of the state, there were many abuses and miscarriages of justice when someone would dare oppose them. For example the Calvinist Puritans went through a time when they were burning supposed witches. They also hanged a woman named Mary Dyer who was a Quaker and opposed some of their teachings. One error leads to more errors. Jesus told us that we shall know them by their fruits. If they lack love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, we do not have to follow their doctrine. I don't think burning people at the stake is one of the fruits of the spirit.

Some of the reformers started out doing a great work but once they got control of the state government, they began to abuse their power and show forth fruits that were not of God. A Protestant leader named Zwingli had some Anabaptist drowned because they didn't except the doctrine of infant baptism. It wasn't until the days of John Wesley that real revival and heart felt salvation began to be more widespread although there were a few places that had genuine revival before that time.

Soon the reformation churches began to die spiritually. They had a name that they were alive but were dead. The sermons were dry as dust and had no life. I imagine that there were always some men among them that were still on fire but as a while they were dead spiritually. The doctrine of holiness, sanctification and the baptism with the Holy Spirit did not exist among them.

This type of deadness can happen to any type of church even in these modern times. Old line Pentecostal churches need to be watchful that they do not exist in name only and have no movement of the Holy Spirit in their midst. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that brings the message alive, convicts of sin and causes a soul to be born again by God's spirit.

This period of time if this theory is correct is just before the great awakening and the time when many revivals were starting to spring up. Hope was on the way. Notice that as long as Zwingli, Calvin and Luther were being chased and persecuted themselves they were okay but the minute they became famous and successful, they began to do unto others what was done to them.

Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Revival could happen if just two or three would begin to pray and seek the face of God. I remember reading about the beginning of the Cleveland TN Church of God in the book, "Like a Mighty Army" by Charles Conn. The Church of God actually started when two Baptist men started praying for the church which they believed had grown like the world. A fervent return to the study of the scriptures along with prayer will usually result in revival.

If a revival springs up without the adherence to the word of God, I would avoid it. The true spirit of God will not contradict the written word. The real move of the Holy Spirit will go side by side with the teaching of the word. They both agree.

Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

The solution to this church's error was the same as the others, REPENT.

Watch and pray that you don't enter into temptation was the warning of Jesus. He said that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Knowing our continual weakness in the flesh should remind us that we need to be watchful and spiritually alert by often praying in the spirit and studying the word.

When people get away from the word and start relying solely on their own pastors to preach or on TV preachers, they are opening themselves up to deception unless one just happens to have a good pastor. It is up to us to not trust solely on any man or woman but search the scriptures to see if what they teach is the truth. If we have questions, ask God and if possible, ask the pastors. If they resist questioning or resist being compared with the word, this may show a problem.

Act 17:10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
Act 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The only scriptures they could have had at this point was the Old Testament or the writings of the prophets which if studied in the light of the Holy Spirit will lead us to Jesus Christ.
We are more privileged than they for we can search the Old and the New Testament to confirm the words we hear preached.

Jesus said concerning scriptures:

John 5:39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

God will always have a remnant. There is always an old faithful saint of God that stays true to the word even when the rest of the church is apostate.

Defiling the garments most likely means to compromise with sin. After we are saved by the grace and power of God, to return to sin is to undo the work Christ did on our behalf. Why should we return to the sin that Jesus died to save us from?

There are two ways to defile the garments: One is to return to sin and the other is to substitute religious rituals and ceremonies in place of the spirit. We are saved or born again by the spirit of God. Outward religious acts cannot make us holy or change the soul and spirit of man. In order to change inwardly, it takes the spirit of God. This is why Jesus taught us that we must be "born again" to be saved or to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Born again means having an inward change of the soul and spirit made possible when we simply believe on the one bringing in this change, even Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus, we are accepting what He did on our behalf when He gave His life as a sacrifice for our sins. This is an inner change in each and every individual person who receives Jesus Christ. It is not something outward that man can cause by getting someone to accept Christianity or join a church. That will not save anyone unless the person first repents and accepts Jesus Christ in his or her soul and spirit. The change is inward, not outward religious acts.

Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

This shows that we are not saved once and then forever secure. He that overcomes is saved and will inherit eternal life. Those that endure until the end are the ones that will not have their names blotted out of the book of life. When one comes to Christ for the first time, His or her name is written in the book of life. If we continue in the faith once delivered to the saint (believers), we will have eternal life.

If an angel or any other person by vision, dream or prophecy brings any other gospel other than through faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, it is a false gospel.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me

Rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The word of God is written that all may hear and believe. It is not to be shut up and left only to a so-called authorized few to interpret it. It is given to all who will receive it. Blessed be the name of the Lord who gives us richly all things through faith in Jesus Christ independent of any other mediator whether it be pastor, priest, prophet or teacher.

1Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Pastors are to teach the word and preach the gospel. They are never to stand in our way and block our vision of the word of God or Jesus Christ. They are not to keep the word hidden or suppressed so that believers cannot study and read it for themselves. They are not to encourage blind trust in themselves instead of encouraging us to seek God and develop our own individual relationship to God.

You might think private interpretation brings division but we have to trust God for that possibility. The alternative has proven to be deadly and dangerous causing apostasy and sin in the church. We must not be tempted to lay aside the word of God in order to have unity. That is a false unity that will lead us away from God and into the doctrines and commandments of men. True unity will come when believers seek God and have the unity of the spirit and truth. Let us trust the Holy Spirit to bring us the right kind of unity by the bond of the spirit. The true Holy Spirit will not depart from the written word of God.
No where in either the Old Testament or the New is the doctrine of eternal security taught. Being saved by grace means to be saved without having done any rituals, works or good deeds to earn it but being saved means to be saved from sin. It does not mean that we are saved once and then can return to sin without any repentance and still expect to be saved. Why would Jesus die for our sins, save us from sin only to have us return to sin and still claim to be covered by the blood because we mentally claim to believe in Jesus. The blood covers our sin when we believe but believe to the point of repenting and turning away from the sin that is separating us from a Holy God. In other words we are not saved in our sin bur from our sin.

Act 3:19,20 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

Jesus said that He that overcomes shall be clothed in while raiment and their names would not be blotted out of the book of life. If there were no chance of any name being blotted out, why would He make that statement?




Letter to the Church at Philadelphia