Sardis The Dead Church

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Sardis The Dead Church

• Overcomers series - Part 5 of 7
• Revelation 31-6 Selected
• Cross Creek Community Church
• Pastor Dave Martin
• September 8, 2002

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Written to seven individual churches which are
representative of seven periods of church history

• 1. Ephesus Apostolic Church 30-110 AD
• 2. Smyrna Persecuted Church 110-312 AD
• 3. Pergamos State Church 312-500 AD
• 4. Thyatira Tolerate Church 500-1500 AD
• 5. Sardis Dead Church 1500-1750 AD

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• Sardis situated on top of this 1500 mountain.
• Claimed they were invincible to attack.
• They were wrong!

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Temple of Diana in Sardis
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1. PREVIEW Sardis escaping ones

• Situated on a major trade route.
• Gold Silver coins minted here.
• Called the city of softness luxury of apathy
  immorality.
• Primary deity worshipped was the goddess Diana.
• City captured twice because of carelessness.

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2. PREMINENCE Of Jesus Christ

• Rev. 31 "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.
• Seven administrations of the Holy Spirit
• Isaiah 112 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on
  him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
  the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of
  knowledge and of the fear of the Lord--

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3. PERSPECTIVE

• V1 I know your deeds you have a reputation of
  being alive
• Reputation of being alive
• Beehive of activity, well attended
• Growing, progressive
• Looking good from the outside

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4. PITFALLS

• V1 , but you are dead.
• Looking good from the outside and yet
• Devoid of spiritual life and power
• Church at Sardis was spiritually dead

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Possible reasons for a spiritually dead church
PROFESSOR not a POSSESSOR.

• Thinking you are saved and right with God, but in
  reality you are not.
• Matthew 721-27 "Not everyone who says to me,
  'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
  but only he who does the will of my Father who is
  in heaven.
• 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
  did we not prophesy in your name, and in your
  name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
  23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew
  you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

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Possible reasons for a spiritually dead church
Lack of PURPOSE - Complacency.

• Complacency grows out of a false security in our
  spiritual life, a spiritual deception.
• Spiritual laziness, doing what you want to do,
  always leads to sin and a drift farther from the
  Lord.
• Lacking a proper focus upon Christ

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Lack of purpose - Complacency.

• Romans 1311 And do this, understanding the
  present time. The hour has come for you to wake
  up from your slumber, because our salvation is
  nearer now than when we first believed.

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Possible reasons for a spiritually dead church
An attitude of LEGALISM.

• Legalism is putting man-made rules and
  regulations above God
• This attitude robs us of our joy, as it makes
  people feel guilty rather than loved.
• You can be as straight as a rifle barrel
  doctrinally but just as empty spiritually.

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• 1 Cor. 131-3 If I speak in the tongues of men
  and of angels, but have not love, I am only a
  resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have
  the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries
  and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can
  move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
  If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender
  my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain
  nothing.

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Five Questions that Reveal Your Spiritual Health

• 1. Who am I trying to please?
• 2. What insecurities am I pampering?
• 3. With who or what am I competing?
• 4. What rewards am I seeking?
• 5. What shame am I trying to cover up?

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5. PROGNOSIS

• Rev. 32-3 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and
  is about to die, for I have not found your deeds
  complete in the sight of my God. 3Remember,
  therefore, what you have received and heard obey
  it, and repent.

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Gods remedy

• Wake up! Be watchful, diligent, dont fall to
  sleep.
• Strengthen! Spiritual realities, settled
  convictions.
• Remember! Go back to truth of Gods Word.
• Obey! Begin doing Gods Word not just hearing.
• Repent! Confess and turn away from your sins.

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Or else

• V 3b 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.
• Speaks of imminent judgment
• We could be in the presence of Jesus at any
  moment.
• Are you ready?

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6. PROMISE - Overcomers (All born again
believers)

• Rev. 34-5 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.
  5He 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.

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OVERCOMERS

• Be dressed in white Eternal purity and
  righteousness.
• Jesus will never erase your name from the Book of
  Life.
• Jesus will confess your name before God the
  Father.

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• Rev. 2127 Nothing impure will ever enter it
  (heaven), nor will anyone who does what is
  shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names
  are written in the Lamb's book of life.

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Is YOUR Name Written?

• God speaks of the Book of Life where I believe
  every persons name that was born was written
  down. God gives you a lifetime to accept or
  reject His Son, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord,
  in repentance from your sins. If you die without
  your sins being paid for by the blood of Jesus
  Christ, your name is blotted out when you die and
  go into eternity.

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Rev. 36 He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.

• Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts.
• We are Overcomers because of
• Jesus Christ!