REVELATIO 3 1-6 COMMETARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE ITRODUCTIO Sardis was a wealthy city. Cyrus estimated the wealth of Croesus, one-time king of Sardis, at the equivalent of 600,000,000 dollars, and that was in 549 B.C. Sardis was on an important trade route, and was at one time capital of the kingdom of Lydia. Sardis was a center of paganism, and a bustling, successful metropolis. You can have a reputation that is good, and appear to be a good Christian, and yet be dead in reality. It was in a strategic location, being at the junction of the royal highways linking Ephesus, Pergamum, and Smyrna with central Asia Minor, about 30 miles southwest of Thyatira. It's patron gods were the goddess Cybile, known as Diana in Ephesus, and her son was Midus ("midus touch"). The town was situated on a 1,500 foot spur of Mt. Tmolus (now Boz Dag) above the Hermus Valley, and was easily defended from invading armies since it could only be approached from one side. The other three sides had shear cliffs down to the valley below. The feeling in Sardis was that they were untouchable, they had a false hope. They only had to guard one side of the city, and practically left the other three sides undefended, since nobody could get up the cliffs. History: 650 years before writing this letter, Sardis was one of the greatest cities of the world. The city probably dates back to 2000 B.C. It was the ancient capitol of the Lydian Empire (1200 B.C.) It was in Sardis that the first coins, Lydian staters, were made, somewhere around 600 BC. The prophet Ezekiel mentions the Lydians around 580 BC as "men of war" ("Lud" in Eze. 27:10), and as mercenaries who fought to defend Tyre (27:10) At the height of it's strength, it was ruled by King Croesus (560-546 BC), a man known for his great wealth, mostly gotten from the gold in the Pactolus (now Baguli River), a river which flowed through the city. In 549 b.c., Croesus began hearing about the great Persian army, and how they were steadily growing stronger, and getting closer and closer. He decided to consult the "oracle at Delphi" (no, it was not an online service) in Greece, and the oracle replied: "If you cross the Halys (river) you will destroy a great Empire." So he went to war, hoping he could keep the Persians from coming any closer, and was promptly defeated. He quickly retreated back to his fortress at Sardis, and was surrounded by the Persian army.
1. REVELATIO 3 1-6 COMME TARY EDITED BY GLE PEASE I TRODUCTIO
Sardis was a wealthy city. Cyrus estimated the wealth of Croesus,
one-time king of Sardis, at the equivalent of 600,000,000 dollars,
and that was in 549 B.C. Sardis was on an important trade route,
and was at one time capital of the kingdom of Lydia. Sardis was a
center of paganism, and a bustling, successful metropolis. You can
have a reputation that is good, and appear to be a good Christian,
and yet be dead in reality. It was in a strategic location, being
at the junction of the royal highways linking Ephesus, Pergamum,
and Smyrna with central Asia Minor, about 30 miles southwest of
Thyatira. It's patron gods were the goddess Cybile, known as Diana
in Ephesus, and her son was Midus ("midus touch"). The town was
situated on a 1,500 foot spur of Mt. Tmolus (now Boz Dag) above the
Hermus Valley, and was easily defended from invading armies since
it could only be approached from one side. The other three sides
had shear cliffs down to the valley below. The feeling in Sardis
was that they were untouchable, they had a false hope. They only
had to guard one side of the city, and practically left the other
three sides undefended, since nobody could get up the cliffs.
History: 650 years before writing this letter, Sardis was one of
the greatest cities of the world. The city probably dates back to
2000 B.C. It was the ancient capitol of the Lydian Empire (1200
B.C.) It was in Sardis that the first coins, Lydian staters, were
made, somewhere around 600 BC. The prophet Ezekiel mentions the
Lydians around 580 BC as "men of war" ("Lud" in Eze. 27:10), and as
mercenaries who fought to defend Tyre (27:10) At the height of it's
strength, it was ruled by King Croesus (560-546 BC), a man known
for his great wealth, mostly gotten from the gold in the Pactolus
(now Baguli River), a river which flowed through the city. In 549
b.c., Croesus began hearing about the great Persian army, and how
they were steadily growing stronger, and getting closer and closer.
He decided to consult the "oracle at Delphi" (no, it was not an
online service) in Greece, and the oracle replied: "If you cross
the Halys (river) you will destroy a great Empire." So he went to
war, hoping he could keep the Persians from coming any closer, and
was promptly defeated. He quickly retreated back to his fortress at
Sardis, and was surrounded by the Persian army.
2. When Cyrus the Great was unable to get through the Sardian
defenses, he offered a reward to any soldier who could figure out
how to get into Sardis. One man, Hyroeades, had been watching the
city from below, and had observed a Lydian soldier accidently drop
his helmet from the city wall, then climb down the cliffs and
retrieve it. Hyroeades watched the path he took, and that night
climbed the cliff himself, with his troops following him. That
night Sardis fell. Seven years later, Cyrus captured Babylon, and
allowed the Jewish captives to return home. In 214 BC, those same
cliffs were climbed and the city was conquered by Antiochus. In 133
BC, they allied themselves with Rome, and became a Roman
administrative center. Then in AD 17, there was a big earthquake,
destroying most of the city, and by John's time, the city was only
a fraction of what it was in it's glory days. Historical church
records show that there was a church in Sardis as late as the ninth
century AD, but few if any Christians remained in Sardis after
that. The town was destroyed by the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane in
1402. Archaeological excavations were begun at the site in 1910,
but the city itself was not uncovered until 1958. Only Turkish
herdsmen dwell there now. Scripture warns that many will outwardly
look saved until the last minute. ILLUS. Wheat and tares (Matthew
13) ILLUS. Ten virgins (Matthew 25) - only 5 were saved. ILLUS.
icodemus (John 3) outwardly spotless, but needed to be "born
again." ILLUS. Judas Iscariot (Looked great, even to those closest
to him.) ILLUS. Martin Luther - a monk, deeply religious, but LOST
until understanding that "the just shall live by faith." ILLUS.
John Wesley - came to America to preach to the Indians, but before
he could get started he determined that he, himself, had not been
saved. He looked great outwardly, but inwardly was lost! Mat
7:13-14 (KJV) Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate,
and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there
be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mat 7:21-23 (KJV) ot every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity JAMES A. FOWLER, Five centuries before
Christ Sardis had reigned as one of the greatest cities in the
world at that time. By the end of the first century when Jesus
addressed the Christian community at Sardis, the residents of the
city were living with a pride of their past history and glory. They
were arrogant, wealthy and immoral.
3. Sardis was located about 50 miles east of Smyrna in the
valley formed by the Pactolus River. Five roads converged in a
junction in this valley. A jagged rock outcropping with steep
cliffs on three sides rose about 1500 feet above the valley on the
edge of Mt. Tmolus/Boz. This became the acropolis of the city of
Sardis. The site was nearly impregnable and inaccessible. So the
Sardisians thought, but twice in their history their city had been
captured because of their over-confidence when they had allowed
enemies to infiltrate. This happened in 549 B.C. when the Medes
overcame the city, and in 218 B.C. when the Cretans conquered them.
Toward the end of the first century Sardis still remained a wealthy
city. Gold had been discovered in the river valley, and Sardis may
have been the first city to ever have used gold coinage. Wealth
often leads to the pretense of self-sufficiency, and such seems to
have been the case in Sardis. The wide variety of religious
offerings were present in Sardis as in the other cities of the
region. There was a temple of the fertility goddess, Cybele.
Archaeologists have uncovered an extremely large temple that was an
imitation of the great temple of Artemis at Ephesus, but it was
apparently never finished due to an earthquake in 17 A.D. Jesus
begins His address to the church in Sardis by identifying Himself
as "He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars"
(3:1). What is Jesus trying to say to the Christians of Sardis by
thus identifying Himself? Throughout the Revelation (1:4; 3:1; 4:5;
5:6) reference to "the seven Spirits" appears to be a symbolic
allusion to the completeness of the work of the Holy Spirit. The
Sardisian Christians were apparently "resting on their laurels"
again, and their "deeds were not completed in the sight of God"
(3:2) because they were not allowing the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
Christ, to complete His work in them. When the "seven Spirits" are
identified with "seven eyes" later in the Revelation, the
implication is that the Holy Spirit is omniscient and sees all that
is going on in the church at Sardis. By indicating that He is the
One who "has the seven stars" (1:17; 1:20; 2:1; 10:5; 13:16;
20:1,4), Jesus is telling the Christians of Sardis that He is the
One who has the authority and is in control. Earlier Jesus had
explained to John that "the seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches" (1:20). Sometimes the human leadership of a local church
concludes that they have the authority and are in control of the
church. Religion has this natural tendency to establish
hierarchical authority structures, complete with "flow charts" of
political authority and administrative responsibility. In so doing
they usually bypass the authority of Christ who is the "head of
the
4. Church"(Eph. 5:23; Col. 1:18) and fail to submit to His
leadership and guidance of His church. Jesus identifies Himself to
the Christians at Sardis as the One who knows what is going on, the
One who is in control, and the One who intends to complete His work
in them. Jesus' observation of their condition there in Sardis is
expressed when He says, "I know your deeds, that you have a name
that you are alive, and you are dead" (3:1). They had a reputation
that they were spiritually "alive." There was an alleged vitality,
but it was "in name only." They were only nominally vibrant
Christians. There was some hypocritical play-acting going on. The
risen Lord Jesus charges the Sardisian Christians with an
externality that appears to be alive, but in essence they are
"dead." Jesus had exposed the hypocritical Pharisees similarly when
He said, "You are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside
appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and
all uncleanness. You outwardly appear righteous to men, but
inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matt.
23:27,28). Those in the church at Sardis were like zombies
operating in a lifeless church. It was "Tombstone Territory." It
has been said that "Few things are better organized that
graveyards, but there is little life there." So it is that few
things are better organized than religious programs and activities.
A church may be very busy and very active, and it will appear to
undiscerning people that such a church is really "alive," but
despite the frenetic activity of performance and productivity that
church might be very "dead," because they are not deriving what
they do from the life of Jesus Christ. Life is in Jesus Christ
alone. Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life" (John
11:25); "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). Paul
explained that "for me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21); "Christ is
our life" (Col. 3:4). Unless our activity, whether individually or
collectively, is the "manifestation of the life of Jesus" (II Cor.
4:10,11), then it is not the expression of life. Activities that
are not derived from the life of Jesus Christ are but the
expression of "dead works" (Heb. 9:14); they "bring forth death"
(James 1:15). Religious activities may appear to be so "alive" with
enthusiasm and excitement, but if they are not activated by the
life and character of Jesus Christ Himself by His Spirit, they are
a "dead loss." Religion propagates a pseudo-life that appears to be
"alive," but is actually dead because it is devoid of the divine
life of God in Christ. Lifeless religion is so deceiving because
the undiscerning think it is alive, when it is really dead.
5. Jesus continues to charge the Christians in Sardis when He
says, "I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My
God" (3:2). We were "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10),
and these Christians had some unfinished works. They had disallowed
Jesus to do what He wanted to do in their lives and in their
church. They had "quenched the Spirit" (I Thess. 5:19). To thus
quench the manifestation of Christ's life and ministry can have
serious consequences. Jesus told the parable of the vineyard keeper
who did not find fruit on his fig tree, and ordered it to be "cut
down" (Luke 13:6-9). God's purpose is to have the fruit of His
character to be expressed in the behavior of His people unto His
own glory, and the failure to allow for such is a misuse of
humanity. To remedy the situation in the church at Sardis, Jesus
issues several commands. There are five imperative verbs in verses
two and three which command the Sardisians to respond: "be
watching, strengthen, remember, keep and repent." First, Jesus
tells them to "be watching." What are they to be watching? They are
not to "be watching" the statistics on the attendance board or
their place in the denominational polls. They are to "be watchful"
of how Satan can so subtly deceive them into religious practices,
rather than living out the life of Jesus Christ. Peter advised
Christians to "be watching" because "your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (I
Peter 5:8). Jesus told His disciples, "Keep watching and praying,
that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but
the flesh is weak" (Matt. 26:41). Paul encouraged us to "Be
watching, stand firm in the faith..." (I Cor. 16:13). We are to be
"on watch" against ungodly forces, and the religious methodologies
that Satan inspires. Jesus goes on to explain the consequences of
not "standing watch." "If you will not watch, I will come like a
thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you"
(3:3). This may have had a particularly pointed implication for the
people of Sardis, for twice previously in their history their city
had been captured because of their failure to "keep watch." They
thought they were physically strong and secure, and in their
over-confidence they were conquered. When Jesus warns that their
failure to watch will result in His coming upon them "like a
thief," it means that He will come suddenly, unexpectedly,
unannounced and without forewarning. Although the same imagery is
used of Jesus' coming at His second advent (I Thess. 5:2; II Peter
3:10), it does not appear that this is the "coming" that Jesus is
referring to in His warning to the Christians in Sardis. The final
Parousia is not dependent
6. on the watchfulness and repentance of the Sardisian
Christians. Jesus is simply indicating that their failure to
respond in repentance will result in His coming unexpectedly to
bring some kind of physical consequence of judgment or discipline.
Secondly, Jesus commands them to "strengthen the things that
remain, which were about to die" (3:2). Establish what you do have
"in Christ," and build stability on the foundation of Christ. Paul
exhorted the Thessalonian Christians to "comfort and strengthen
their hearts in every good work and word" (I Thess. 2:17), and then
turned around and wrote, "The Lord is faithful, and He will
strengthen you" (I Thess. 3:3). So it is that Jesus is not asking
the Christians in Sardis to do anything that He is not willing to
do in them, if they are willing in faith. "The Lord of all
grace...will establish you" (I Peter 5:10; Rom. 16:25). The third
command of Jesus to the Sardisian Christians is to "remember what
you have received and heard" (3:3). What had they received and
heard which they are now to remember? Had they received an
ideological belief- system, or a morality code, or membership in an
organization, or a ticket to heaven? No, that is what religion
offers. These Christians had received Jesus Christ by faith (John
1:12; Col. 2:6), and heard His call upon their lives. They were to
"remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead" (II Tim. 2:8). The
fourth imperative imposed upon the Christians in Sardis was to
"keep" what they had received and heard. Having received Jesus
Christ, they were to "keep His word" (I John 2:5), "keep themselves
in the love of God" (Jude 21), and "keep the faith" (II Tim. 4:7).
The fifth command was to "repent." If they were going to get out of
their lifeless spiritual graveyard there had to be repentance, a
change of mind that led to a change of action. Their complacent and
self-sufficient thinking would have to be exchanged for the
recognition that only the activity of Christ in them was pleasing
to God. Whenever religion has permeated the life of a church there
must be repentance to reverse the direction of the church and allow
them to return to faith. "But," Jesus observes, "you have a few
people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will
walk with Me in white; for they are worthy" (3:4). In almost every
church situation there are the "faithful few," who have continued
to walk in the purity of Christ, "hating the garment polluted by
the flesh" (Jude 23) and "keeping themselves unstained by the
world" (James 1:27). When we become Christians we "put on the new
man" (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) and are clothed in His righteousness,
holiness, love,
7. joy, peace, etc. Whenever we revert to the practice of
religion we are clothed instead with self-effort,
self-justification and self-adulation. Such behavioral garments are
soiled, stained and polluted by the satanic motivation of the flesh
in conjunction with his world-system. Those who repudiate such
soiled garments of religion are promised by the Lord Jesus Christ
that they "will walk with Him in white, for they are worthy" (3:3).
They will allow the purity of Christ's character of godliness and
holiness to be expressed in their behavior. It is not that they are
"worthy" because of any meritorious action on their own part, but
they are "worthy" because they are relying on the "Worthy One,"
Jesus Christ, to be operative in them. Only thus can any Christian
"walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all
respects, bearing fruit in every good work" (Col. 1:10), "walk in a
manner worthy of the God who calls us into His kingdom and glory"
(I Thess. 2:12), "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which
we have been called" (Eph. 4:1), and be "considered worthy of the
kingdom of God..." (II Thess. 1:5). Religion often considers
"worthiness" to be based on natural talents and the performance of
service and contribution. A person is then considered "worthy" of
being considered for a higher position in the church and "worthy"
of being honored before men. They know nothing of the "worthiness"
that is derived only from the "Worthy One" living in and acting
through the Christian. The promise of Jesus to the church at Sardis
is continued with a three-part promise: "He who overcomes shall
thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name
from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My
Father, and before His angels" (3:5). Christians who overcome the
temptation to revert to religion by maintaining their association
with the Overcomer (John 16:33) will be clothed in "white
garments," representing the purity of the character of Christ.
Religion, on the other hand, concerns itself with external activity
and clothing rather than the character of Christ. Pre-occupied with
ecclesiastical robes and garments and with people wearing
"Sunday-go-to-meeting" clothes, religion inevitably emphasizes the
external rather than the internal. Jesus is concerned that we be
clothed internally with His character. Jesus also promises that
overcomers will not have their names "erased from the book of
life." The obvious implication is that it is possible to have one's
name erased from the book of life, or else the statement would have
no meaning whatsoever. The Psalmist had requested that the
unrighteous "be
8. blotted out of the book of life, and not be recorded with
the righteous" (Ps. 69:28). The "book of life" seems to represent
the register of heavenly citizenship. As Christians "our
citizenship is in heaven" (Phil. 3:21); we are part of "the church
of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven" (Heb. 12:23); and we
"rejoice that our names are recorded in heaven" (Luke 10:19,20). We
are "those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life"
(Rev. 20:15; 21:27). But when we substitute religion for the Savior
we are liable to having our names erased and blotted out of the
book of life. God will not and cannot tolerate diabolic religion
contrary to His character and grace. The security of heavenly
citizenship is not in religious doctrines of "eternal security" and
"once saved, always saved," but in dynamic dependence upon the
function of the Savior living out His life in us. Religion offers a
false-security, and religionists are in danger of having their
names erased from the book of life. The third part of Jesus'
promise is that those who overcome the temptation to revert to
religion will be privileged to have Jesus serve as their advocate
and "confess their name before His Father, and before His angels."
Jesus had previously said to His disciples, "Everyone who shall
confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who
is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32), and "before the angels of God" (Luke
12:8). As our behavior "confesses," "agrees with," "says the same
thing" as the character of God because He is energizing such by His
grace, Jesus will in turn "confess" us before God and the angels as
being "in agreement" with Him. All of what Jesus promises can only
transpire by our listening carefully with spiritual discernment to
what Jesus is saying by His Spirit. "He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (3:6). Such "listening
under" the Spirit of Christ will issue forth in obedience that
glorifies God as the life of Jesus Christ is lived out through us.
To the Church in Sardis 1 To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis
write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of
God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation
of being alive, but
9. you are dead. 1. BAR ES, "The Epistle to the Church at
Sardis The contents of the epistle to the church at Sardis
Rev_3:1-6 are: (1) The usual salutation to the angel of the church,
Rev_3:1. (2) The usual reference to the attributes of the Saviour -
those referred to here being that he had the seven Spirits of God,
and the seven stars, Rev_3:1. (3) The assurance that he knew their
works, Rev_3:1. (4) The statement of the uniqueness of the church,
or what he saw in it - that it had a name to live and was dead,
Rev_3:1. (5) A solemn direction to the members of the church,
arising from their character and circumstances, to be watchful, and
to strengthen the things which remained, but which were ready to
die; to remember what they had received, and to hold fast what had
been communicated to them, and to repent of all their sins,
Rev_3:2-3. (6) A threat that if they did not do this, he would come
suddenly upon them, at an hour which they could not anticipate,
Rev_3:3. (7) A commendation of the church as far as it could be
done, for there were still a few among them who had not defiled
their garments, and a promise that they should walk before him in
white, Rev_3:4. (8) A promise, as usual, to him that should be
victorious. The promise here is, that he should walk before him in
white; that his name should not be blotted out of the book of life;
that he should be acknowledged before the Father, and before the
angels, Rev_3:5. (9) The usual call on all persons to hear what the
Spirit said to the churches. Sardis was the capital of the ancient
kingdom of Lydia, one of the provinces of Asia Minor, and was
situated at the foot of Mount Tmolus, in a fine plain watered by
the river Pactolus, famous for its golden sands. It was the capital
where the celebrated Croesus, proverbial for his wealth, reigned.
It was taken by Cyrus (548 bc), when Croesus was king, and was at
that time one of the most splendid and opulent cities of the East.
It subsequently passed into the hands of the Romans, and under them
sank rapidly in wealth and importance. In the time of Tiberius it
was destroyed by an earthquake, but was rebuilt by order of the
emperor. The inhabitants of Sardis bore an ill repute among the
ancients for their voluptuous modes of life. Perhaps there may be
an allusion to this fact in the words which are used in the address
to the church there: Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which
have not defiled their garments. Successive earthquakes, and the
ravages of the Saracens and the Turks, have reduced this
once-celebrated city to a heap of ruins, though exhibiting still
many remains of former splendor. The name of the village which now
occupies the place of this ancient capital is Sart. It is a
miserable village, comprising only a few wretched cottages,
occupied by Turks and Greeks. There are ruins of the theater, the
stadium, and of some ancient churches. The most remarkable of the
ruins are two pillars supposed to have belonged to the temple of
Cybele; and if so, they are among the most ancient in the world,
the temple of Cybele having been built only three hundred years
after that of
10. Solomon. The Acropolis serves well to define the site of
the city. Several travelers have recently visited the remains of
Sardis, and its appearance will be indicated by a few extracts from
their writings. Arundell, in his Discoveries in Asia Minor, says:
If I were asked what impresses the mind most strongly in beholding
Sardis, I should say its indescribable solitude, like the darkness
of Egypt - darkness that could be felt. So the deep solitude of the
spot, once the lady of kingdoms, produces a corresponding feeling
of desolate abandonment in the mind, which can never be forgotten.
John Hartley, in regard to these ruins, remarks: The ruins are,
with one exception, more entirely gone to decay than those of most
of the ancient cities which we have visited. No Christians reside
on the spot: two Greeks only work in a mill here, and a few
wretched Turkish huts are scattered among the ruins. We saw the
churches of John and the Virgin, the theater, and the building
styled the Palace of Croesus; but the most striking object at
Sardis is the temple of Cybele. I was filled with wonder and awe at
beholding the two stupendous columns of this edifice, which are
still remaining: they are silent but impressive witnesses of the
power and splendor of antiquity. The impression produced on the
mind is vividly described in the following language of a recent
traveler, who lodged there for a night: Every object was as
distinct as in a northern twilight; the snowy summit of the
mountain (Tmolus), the long sweep of the valley, and the flashing
current of the river (Pactolus). I strolled along toward the banks
of the Pactolus, and seated myself by the side of the
half-exhausted stream. There are few individuals who cannot trace
on the map of their memory some moments of overpowering emotion,
and some scene, which, once dwelt upon, has become its own painter,
and left behind it a memorial that time could not efface. I can
readily sympathize with the feelings of him who wept at the base of
the pyramids; nor were my own less powerful, on that night when I
sat beneath the sky of Asia to gaze upon the ruins of Sardis, from
the banks of the golden-sanded Pactolus. Beside me were the cliffs
of the Acropolis, which, centuries before, the hardy Median scaled,
while leading on the conquering Persians, whose tents had covered
the very spot on which I was reclining. Before me were the vestiges
of what had been the palace of the gorgeous Croesus; within its
walls were once congregated the wisest of mankind, Thales,
Cleobulus, and Solon. It was here that the wretched father mourned
alone the mangled corse of his beloved Atys; it was here that the
same humiliated monarch wept at the feet of the Persian boy who
wrung from him his kingdom. Far in the distance were the gigantic
tumuli of the Lydian monarchs, Candaules, Halyattys, and Gyges; and
around them were spread those very plains once trodden by the
countless hosts of Xerxes, when hurrying on to find a sepulchre at
Marathon. There were more varied and more vivid remembrances
associated with the sight of Sardis than could possibly be attached
to any other spot of earth; but all were mingled with a feeling of
disgust at the littleness of human glory. All - all had passed
away! There were before me the fanes of a dead religion, the tombs
of forgotten monarchs, and the palm-tree that waved in the
banquet-hall of kings; while the feeling of desolation was doubly
heightened by the calm sweet sky above me, which, in its unfading
brightness, shone as purely now as when it beamed upon the golden
dreams of Croesus (Emersons Letters from the Aegean, p. 113ff). The
present appearance of the ruins is shown by the engraving in this
volume. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis - notes on
Rev_1:20. These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God
- See the notes on Rev_1:4. If the phrase, the seven Spirits of
God, as there supposed, refers to the Holy Spirit, there is great
propriety in saying of the Saviour, that he has that Spirit,
inasmuch as the Holy Spirit is represented as sent forth by him
into the world, Joh_15:26-27;
11. Joh_16:7, Joh_16:13-14. It was one of the highest
characteristics that could be given of the Saviour to say, that the
Holy Spirit was his to send forth into the world, and that that
great Agent, on whose gracious influences all were dependent for
the possession of true religion, could be given or withheld by him
at his pleasure. And the seven stars - See the notes on Rev_1:16.
These represented the angels of the seven churches (notes on
Rev_1:20); and the idea which the Saviour would seem to intend to
convey here is, that he had entire control over the ministers of
the churches, and could keep or remove them at pleasure. I know thy
works - See the notes on Rev_2:2. That thou hast a name that thou
livest - Thou dost profess attachment to me and my cause. The word
life is a word that is commonly employed, in the New Testament, to
denote religion, in contradistinction from the natural state of
man, which is described as death in sin. By the profession of
religion they expressed the purpose to live unto God, and for
another world; they professed to have true, spiritual life. And art
dead - That is, spiritually. This is equivalent to saying that
their profession was merely in name; and yet this must be
understood comparatively, for there were some even in Sardis who
truly lived unto God, Rev_3:4. The meaning is, that in general, the
profession of religion among them was a mere name. The Saviour does
not, as in the case of the churches of Ephesus and Thyatira,
specify any prevailing form of error or false doctrine; but it
would seem that here it was a simple waist of religion. 2. CLARKE,
"The seven Spirits, of God - See the note on Rev_1:4, Rev_1:16
(note), etc. Thou hast a name that thou livest - Ye have the
reputation of Christians, and consequently of being alive to God,
through the quickening influence of the Divine Spirit; but ye are
dead - ye have not the life of God in your souls, ye have not
walked consistently and steadily before God, and his Spirit has
been grieved with you, and he has withdrawn much of his light and
power. 3. GILL, "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis
write,.... Of the city of Sardis See Gill on Rev_1:11 when, and by
whom this church was founded, and who was the present angel or
pastor of it, is not now to be certainly known; however, here was a
church in the "second" century, of which Melito was then pastor;
and he is thought by some to be the angel here intended; this man
wrote upon the book of the Revelation, and an apology for the
Christians, sent to the Emperor Antoninus Verus, in whose time he
lived (c); and in the "third" century a church remained in this
place; and also in the "fourth", as appears from the council of
Nice, which makes mention of it; and likewise in the "fifth", as is
evident from the acts of the synod at Chalcedon, in which age it
was the metropolitan church of the Lydians; and in the "sixth"
century there was a bishop of this church in the fifth synod at
Constantinople; and in the "seventh" century, Marinus bishop of
Sardis assisted at the sixth synod in the same place; and in the
"eighth" century, Euthymius bishop of it was present in the Nicene
synod; and even in the "ninth" century mention is made of an
archbishop of Sardis (d): but now there are but very few Christians
to be found here, and who have not a place to worship in, nor any
to minister to them (e). This church represents the state of the
church from the time of the
12. Reformation by Luther and others, until a more glorious
state of the church appears, or until the spiritual reign of Christ
in the Philadelphian period; under the Sardian church state we now
are: (this was published in 1747, Ed.) that this church is an
emblem of the reformed churches from Popery, is evident not only
from its following the Thyatirian state, which expresses the
darkness of Popery, and the depths of Satan in it; but from its
being clear of Balaam, and those that held his doctrine; and from
the Nicolaitans and their tenets, and from Jezebel, and those that
committed adultery with her; things which the two former churches
are charged with; but from these the present church reformed. This
city of Sardis was once a very flourishing and opulent city; it was
the metropolis of Lydia, and the royal seat of the rich King
Croesus, though now a very poor and mean village; and may denote
the magnificence and splendour of this church state, at least in
name and figure, it has appeared in, in the world; though now in a
very low and mean condition, and may be worse before the spiritual
reign of Christ begins in the next period: there may be some
allusion in the name of this church to the precious stone "sarda",
which, Pliny says (f), was found about Sardis, and had its name
from hence; the same with the Sardian stone in Rev_4:2. This stone,
naturalists say (g), drives away fear, gives boldness,
cheerfulness, and sharpness of wit, and frees from witchcrafts and
sorceries; which may be expressive of the boldness and courage of
the first reformers; of the cheerfulness, joy, and pleasure, which
appeared in their countenances, and which they spread in others by
preaching the doctrines of the Gospel; and of those excellent gifts
and talents both of nature, learning, and grace, by which they were
fitted for their service; and of their being a means of delivering
men from the witchcrafts of Jezebel, and the sorceries of the whore
of Rome: and perhaps some allusion may be in this name, as is
thought by Cocceius, to the Hebrew word , "sarid", which signifies
a "remnant", since in this church state there was a remnant
according to the election of grace, a few names, whose garments
were undefiled; or to the word , "sered", which signifies a
carpenter's rule or line; since the first reformers were
endeavouring to bring every doctrine and practice to the rule and
line of God's word: these things saith he that hath the seven
spirits of Godthese things saith he that hath the seven spirits of
Godthese things saith he that hath the seven spirits of Godthese
things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God; the fulness and
perfection of the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, as in
Rev_1:4, which Christ, as Mediator, has without measure, and are at
his dispose, and which he, having received for men, gives unto
them; and at the time of the Reformation bestowed them on many
eminent servants of his in a very plenteous manner; for which
reason he assumes this character in writing to this church: and the
seven starsand the seven starsand the seven starsand the seven
stars; the ministers of the Gospel; see Gill on Rev_1:16, Rev_2:1;
these were filled by Christ at this time with evangelical light and
knowledge; and were sent, and held forth by him as lights in the
world; and were instruments in his hand for great good; and were
wonderfully held, kept, and preserved by him, notwithstanding the
greatness of their work, their weakness in themselves, and the
power, rage, and fury of the antichristian party; Luther is a
remarkable instance of this: Christ's making use of the same title
here as in the epistle to the church at Ephesus, which represents
the apostolic church, may show that this church state bore
some
13. degree of likeness to that, and that it was a sort of
renewing of it: I know thy worksI know thy worksI know thy worksI
know thy works; good works chiefly; the nature and imperfection of
them; and also bad works: that thou hast a name that thou
livestthou hast a name that thou livestthou hast a name that thou
livestthou hast a name that thou livest: the reformed churches have
had a name for spiritual living, by faith on Christ's righteousness
only for justification, that article being the great article of the
Reformation: there was in them an appearance of liveliness, by
their zeal for Gospel doctrine and worship, and a form of living
according to godliness; they were esteemed, were celebrated, and
famous for these things, especially for living by faith on Christ's
righteousness: and art deadand art deadand art deadand art dead; or
"but art dead"; for, the most part, or greater part of the members
of these churches, are dead in trespasses and sins; and as for the
rest, they are very dead and lifeless in their frames, in the
exercise of grace, and in the discharge of duties; and under great
spiritual declensions and decays, just as it were ready to die; and
but few really alive in a spiritual sense, and especially lively,
or in the lively exercise of grace, and fervent discharge of duty;
yea, dead as to those things in which they had a name to live: and
this seems to be our case now, who, it is to be hoped, are at, or
towards the close of this period, 4. HE RY, "Here is, I. The
preface, showing, 1. To whom this letter is directed: To the angel
of the church of Sardis, an ancient city of Lydia, on the banks of
the mountain Tmolus, said to have been the chief city of Asia the
Less, and the first city in that part of the world that was
converted by the preaching of John; and, some say, the first that
revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in
its ruins, in which it still lies, without any church or ministry.
2. By whom this message was sent - the Lord Jesus, who here assumes
the character of him that hath the seven spirits of God, and the
seven stars, taken out of Rev_1:4, where the seven spirits are said
to be before the throne. (1.) He hath the seven spirits, that is,
the Holy Spirit with his various powers, graces, and operations;
for he is personally one, though efficaciously various, and may be
said here to be seven, which is the number of the churches, and of
the angels of the churches, to show that to every minister, and to
every church, there is a dispensation and measure of the Spirit
given for them to profit withal - a stock of spiritual influence
for that minister and church to improve, both for enlargement and
continuance, which measure of the Spirit is not ordinarily
withdrawn from them, till they forfeit it by misimprovement.
Churches have their spiritual stock and fund, as well as particular
believers; and, this epistle being sent to a languishing ministry
and church, they are very fitly put in mind that Christ has the
seven spirits, the Spirit without measure and in perfection, to
whom they may apply themselves for the reviving of his work among
them. (2.) He hath the seven stars, the angels of the churches;
they are disposed of by him, and accountable to him, which should
make them faithful and zealous. He has ministers to employ,
and
14. spiritual influences to communicate to his ministers for
the good of his church. The Holy Spirit usually works by the
ministry, and the ministry will be of no efficacy without the
Spirit; the same divine hand holds them both. II. The body of this
epistle. There is this observable in it, that whereas in the other
epistles Christ begins with commending what is good in the
churches, and then proceeds to tell them what is amiss, in this
(and in the epistle to Laodicea) he begins, 1. With a reproof, and
a very severe one: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that
thou livest, and art dead. Hypocrisy, and a lamentable decay in
religion, are the sins charged upon this church, by one who knew
her well, and all her works. (1.) This church had gained a great
reputation; it had a name, and a very honourable one, for a
flourishing church, a name for vital lively religion, for purity of
doctrine, unity among themselves, uniformity in worship, decency,
and order. We read not of any unhappy divisions among themselves.
Every thing appeared well, as to what falls under the observation
of men. (2.) This church was not really what it was reputed to be.
They had a name to live, but they were dead; there was a form of
godliness, but not the power, a name to live, but not a principle
of life. If there was not a total privation of life, yet there was
a great deadness in their souls and in their services, a great
deadness in the spirits of their ministers, and a great deadness in
their ministrations, in their praying, in their preaching, in their
converse, and a great deadness in the people in hearing, in prayer,
and in conversation; what little life was yet left among them was,
in a manner, expiring, ready to die. 5. JAMISO , "Rev_3:1-22. The
Epistles to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Sardis the ancient
capital of Lydia, the kingdom of wealthy Croesus, on the river
Pactolus. The address to this Church is full of rebuke. It does not
seem to have been in vain; for Melito, bishop of Sardis in the
second century, was eminent for piety and learning. He visited
Palestine to assure himself and his flock as to the Old Testament
canon and wrote an epistle on the subject [Eusebius Ecclesiastical
History, 4.26]; he also wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse
[Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 4.26; Jerome, On Illustrious
Men, 24]. he that hath the seven Spirits of God that is, He who
hath all the fullness of the Spirit (Rev_1:4; Rev_4:5; Rev_5:6,
with which compare Zec_3:9; Zec_4:10, proving His Godhead). This
attribute implies His infinite power by the Spirit to convict of
sin and of a hollow profession. and the seven stars (Rev_1:16,
Rev_1:20). His having the seven stars, or presiding ministers,
flows, as a consequence, from His having the seven Spirits, or the
fullness of the Holy Spirit. The human ministry is the fruit of
Christs sending down the gifts of the Spirit. Stars imply
brilliancy and glory; the fullness of the Spirit, and the fullness
of brilliant light in Him, form a designed contrast to the
formality which He reproves. name ... livest ... dead (1Ti_5:6;
2Ti_3:5; Tit_1:16; compare Eph_2:1, Eph_2:5; Eph_5:14). A name,
that is, a reputation. Sardis was famed among the churches for
spiritual vitality; yet the Heart-searcher, who seeth not as man
seeth, pronounces her dead; how great searchings of heart should
her case create among even the best of us! Laodicea deceived
herself as to her true state (Rev_3:17), but it is not written that
she had a high name among the other churches, as Sardis had. 5B.
NISBET, A FALSE REPUTATION I know thy works, that thou hast a name
that thou livest, and art dead.
15. Revelation 3:1 In Gods sight the Church of Sardis was like
the corpse of the ancient Scythianmen reverenced her, spoke of her,
treated her as a Church full of life and health, and all the while
she was dead! I. Thou hast a name!Yes. Sardis had not denied the
faith. She had not gone over to the world, she was teaching no
false doctrine, she was eminently orthodox. But Sardis and the
world understood each other; openly she was to resist the world,
secretly she was to be at friendship with it. Her name for
righteousness was what she cared for more than anything elseshe
cared nothing for that union with the living God which alone can
give life to the soul. Hers was a heartless holding of the truth;
her name for life remained, but that life was gone, or nearly
goneand Sardis was dead! It is so easy for us by our words, our
writings, our exhortations, to persuade people that we are
travelling along one road, when we have in reality wandered far
upon another. Solomon was the wisest of men, yet he sank to be what
his own writings say makes a fool. II. A day of surprises.Amid all
its terrorsall its soul-subduing sights and soundsthe Last Great
Day will be, perhaps, more than anything else, a day of many and
great surprises! If ever I reach heaven, said one, there will be
three things which will, I know, surprise me. First, I shall be
surprised to find myself in heaven at all. Secondly, I shall be
surprised to see some whom I should never have dreamed of meeting
there; and thirdly, I shall be surprised not to see many who I
should have thought would be perfectly certain to be there! III.
How is it with us?Are there any here who are content to stand well
with the world, with a name for goodness; who care nothing for real
holiness, nothing for the spirit that giveth life? These are dead!
Are there any whose love is waning, with whom growth in grace has
ceasedwhose communions have become mere perfunctory duties,
mechanical acts? Is growth ceasing? Then these are dying. It is the
Spirit Who giveth life. Then turn to Him, for He is ready to
receive the fainting and to revive the dying soul. Illustration
Among the Scythians of old a ghastly custom prevailed. When a man
died, his nearest relatives, having dressed up the corpse, placed
it in a chariot and carried it round to the houses of his friends.
In each house feasting and merriment went on; the corpse was
propped up at the board, the banquet spread before the glazed eyes,
and slaves offered the dead man meat and drink. Honoured, feasted,
driven from house to house, the dead among these ancient people
were, by a horrible mimicry, made to play the part of the living.
5C. BENSON, Revelation 3:1. To the angel of the church in Sardis
write This city, once the renowned capital of Crsus and the rich
Lydian kings, is now no longer worthy of the name of a city. It
lies about thirty-three miles to the south of Thyatira, and is
called by the Turks, Sart, or Sard, with little variation from the
original name. It is a most sad spectacle; nor can one forbear
weeping over the ruins of so great a city: for now it is no more
than an ignoble village, with low and wretched cottages of clay;
nor hath it any other inhabitants besides shepherds and herdsmen,
who feed their flocks and cattle in the neighbouring plains. Yet
the great extent and grandeur of the ruins abundantly show how
large and splendid a city it was formerly. The Turks themselves
have only one mosque, a beautiful one indeed, perverted to that use
from a Christian church. Very few Christians are here to be found;
and they, with great patience, sustain a miserable servitude; and,
what is far more miserable, are without a church, without a priest
among them. Such is the deplorable state of this once most glorious
city; but her works were not found perfect; that is, they were
found blameable before God; she was deadeven while she lived; and
she is punished accordingly. Bishop Newton. Mr. Lindsay, however,
informs us, that there is a small church establishment on the
plains of Sardis, where, about five years ago, the few Christians
who dwell around the modern Sart, and who had been in the habit of
meeting at each others houses for the exercise of religion, built a
church within view of ancient Sardis; and that there they maintain
a priest. In consequence of this, the place has gradually risen
into a little village, now called Tartarkeury, and thither the few
Christians of Sart, who amount to seven, and those in its immediate
vicinity, resort for public worship, and form together a
congregation of about forty. There appears then still a remnant, a
few names even in Sardis, which have been preserved. I cannot
repeat,
16. says he, the expressions of gratitude with which they
received a copy of the New Testament in a language with which they
were familiar. Several crowded about the priest to hear it on the
spot; and I left them thus engaged. These things saith he that hath
the seven Spirits of God That is, the Holy Spirit, from whom alone
all spiritual gifts and graces proceed; or he who presides over and
orders the various dispensations of the Spirit, and produces
thereby such wonderful effects; and the seven stars Which represent
the ministers of the churches, all whose motions he continues to
govern and direct, according to his all-wise and gracious pleasure.
I know thy works The state thou art in, and thy conduct: and that
thou dost not answer that character which thou generally
maintainest in the neighbouring churches for true religion and
virtue; that thou hast a name that thou livest A fair reputation;
the character of being truly alive unto God; of possessing
spiritual life here, and being in the way to eternal life
hereafter;but art dead Art really destitute of that life, and in
the way to the second death. 6. PULPIT, "The epistle to the Church
at Sardis. This Church is one of the two which receives unmixed
reproof. Smyrna and Philadelphia receive no blame; Sardis and
Laodicea receive no praise. Sardis lies almost due south of
Thyatira, on the road to Philadelphia, between the river Hermus and
Mount Tmolus. It had been in turn Lydian, Persian, Greek, and
Roman, and, like its last Lydian king, Croesus, had been celebrated
for its wealth. The auriferous stream Pactolus, in summer almost
dry, flowed through its marketplace; but its chief source of wealth
was its trade. In A.D. 17 "twelve famous cities of Asia fell by an
earthquake in the night The calamity fell most heavily on the
people of Sardis, and it attracted to them the largest share of
sympathy. The emperor [Tiberius] promised ten million sesterces
(85,000), and remitted for five years all they paid to the
exchequer" (Tac., 'Ann.,' 2.47). A little later Sardis was one of
the cities of Asia which claimed the honour of erecting a temple in
honour of Tiberius, but the preference was given to Smyrna ('Ann.,'
4.55, 56). Of the inscriptions which have been, discovered at
Sardis, nearly all are of the Roman period. Cybele, or Cybebe, was
the chief divinity of Sardis; but no reference to this nor to any
of the special features of the city can be traced in the epistle.
In the second century, Melito, Bishop of Sardis, held a very
prominent place among Asiatic Christians, both in personal
influence and in literary work. Among his numerous writings was one
on the Apocalypse of St. John. The prosporous and luxurious capital
of Lydia is now represented by a few huts and a collection of ruins
buried deep in rubbish. It still retains its ancient name in the
form Sart. The Church in Sardis has no Nicolaitans, no Balaam, no
Jezebel. But there is worse evil than the presence of what is
morally and doctrinally corrupt. The numbness of spiritual torpor
and death is more hopeless than unwise toleration. The Church in
Sardis, scarcely out of its infancy, has already the signs of an
effete and moribund faith; and it is possible that this deadness
was a result of the absence of internal enemies. Rev_3:1 He that
hath the seven Spirits of God (see notes on Rev_1:4, Rev_1:16,
Rev_1:20; but observe that this designation of Christ does not
occur in the opening vision). In Rev_5:6 the Lamb is seen "having
seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God."
The seven Spirits being the Holy Spirit in his sevenfold activity,
it is manifest (as Trench observes) that this passage is of
importance in reference to the doctrine of the double procession.
The Son hath the Spirit, not as One who receives it from the
Father, but as One who can impart it to men. As man he received it;
as God he gives it. And a Church sunk in spiritual deadness
specially needs such a gift. Hence the repetition about having the
seven stars, which appears also in the address to the Church in
Ephesus (Rev_2:1). Note, however, that here we have for , which
would not have been appropriate to express the Son's possession of
the Spirit. It is he who holds in his hand the angels of the Church
that also has the Spirit wherewith to quicken them. Those that are
alive owe their life and growth to him. Those that are dying or
dead may be restored to life by him. Thou hast
17. a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. This, again, is
thoroughly in the style of the Fourth Gospel. St. John frequently
states some gracious fact, and in immediate sequence gives the very
opposite of what might have been expected to result from it. "Thou
hast a reputation for life, and (instead of being full of vigour
and growth) thou art a corpse." This has been called "the tragic
tone" in St. John (comp. Joh_1:5, Joh_1:10, Joh_1:11; Joh_3:11,
Joh_3:19,Joh_3:32; Joh_5:39, Joh_5:40; Joh_6:36, Joh_6:43, etc.).
In all these cases the contrast is introduced by a simple , which
may be rendered "and yet;" but the simple "and" is more forcible.
Beware of the unworthy literalism which suggests that the Bishop of
Sardis bore a name which implied life, e.g. Zosimus, or Vitalis. As
already stated (notes on Rev_1:20), it is improbable that "the
angel" means the bishop. And in any case "name" is here used in the
common sense of character or reputation. Comp. Herod., 7.138, where
the historian says that Xerxes' expedition had the name ( ) of
being directed against Athens, but was really a menace to the whole
of Greece. We have very similar uses of in Mar_9:41 and 1Pe_4:16.
The Church in Sardis had a name for Christianity, but there was no
Christianity in it. 7. BARCLAY, SARDIS, PAST SPLENDOUR AND PRESENT
DECAY Sir W. M. Ramsay said of Sardis that nowhere was there a
greater example of the melancholy contrast between past splendour
and present decay. Sardis was a city of degeneration. Seven hundred
years before this letter was written Sardis had been one of the
greatest cities in the world. There the king of Lydia ruled over
his empire in oriental splendour. At that time Sardis was a city of
the east and was hostile to the Greek world, Aeschylus wrote of it:
"They that dwelt by Tmolous pledged themselves to cast the yoke on
Hellas." Sardis stood in the midst of the plain of the valley of
the River Hermus. To the north of that plain rose the long ridge of
Mount Tmolus; from that ridge a series of hills went out like
spurs, each forming a narrow plateau. On one of these spurs,
fifteen hundred feet up, stood the original Sardis. Clearly such a
position made it almost impregnable. The sides of the ridge were
smoothly precipitous; and only where the spur met the ridge of
Mount Tmolus was there any possible approach into Sardis and even
that was hard and steep. It has been said that Sardis stood like
some gigantic watch-tower, guarding the Hermus valley. The time
came when the narrow space on the top of the plateau was too small
for the expanding city; and Sardis grew round the foot of the spur
on which the citadel stood. The name Sardis (Sardeis, GSN4454, in
Greek) is really a plural noun, for there were two towns, one on
the plateau and one in the valley beneath. The wealth of Sardis was
legendary. Through the lower town flowed the River Pactolus, which
was said in the old days to have had gold-bearing waters from which
much of the wealth of Sardis came. Greatest of the Sardian kings
was Croesus, whose name is still commemorated in the proverb, "As
rich as Croesus." It was with him that Sardis reached its zenith
and it was with him that it plunged to disaster. It was not that
Croesus was not warned where Sardis was heading. Solon, the wisest
of the Greeks, came on a visit and was shown the magnificence and
the luxury. He saw the blind confidence of Croesus and his people
that nothing could end this splendour; but he also saw that the
seeds of softness and of degeneration were being sown. And it was
then that he uttered his famous saying to Croesus: "Call no man
happy until he is dead." Solon knew only too well the chances and
changes of life which Croesus had forgotten. Croesus embarked upon
a war with Cyrus of Persia which was the end of the greatness of
Sardis. Again Croesus was warned, but he failed to see the warning.
To get at the armies of Cyrus he had to cross the River Halys. He
took counsel of the famous oracle at Delphi and was told: "If you
cross the River Halys, you will destroy a great empire. Croesus
took it as a promise that he would annihilate the Persians; it
never crossed his mind that it was a prophecy that the
18. campaign on which he had embarked would be the end of his
own power. He crossed the Halys, engaged in battle and was routed.
He was not in the least worried, for he thought that all he had to
do was to retire to the impregnable citadel of Sardis, recuperate
and fight again. Cyrus initiated the siege of Sardis, waited for
fourteen days, then offered a special reward to anyone who would
find an entry into the city. The rock on which Sardis was built was
friable, more like close packed dried mud than rock. The nature of
the rock meant that it developed cracks. A certain Mardian soldier
called Hyeroeades had seen a Sardian soldier accidentally drop his
helmet over the battlements, and then make his way down the
precipice to retrieve it. Hyeroeades knew that there must be a
crack in the rock there by means of which an agile man could climb
up. That night he led a party of Persian troops up by the fault in
the rock. When they reached the top they found the battlements
completely unguarded. The Sardians had thought themselves too safe
to need a guard; and so Sardis fell. A city with a history like
that knew what the Risen Christ was talking about when he said:
"Watch!" There were a few futile attempts at rebellion; but Cyrus
followed a deliberate policy. He forbade any Sardian to possess a
weapon of war. He ordered them to wear tunics and buskins, that is,
actor's boots, instead of sandals. He ordered them to teach their
sons lyre-playing, the song and the dance, and retail trading.
Sardis had been flabby already but the last vestige of spirit was
banished from its people and it became a city of degeneration. It
vanished from history under Persian rule for two centuries. In due
time it surrendered to Alexander the Great and through him it
became a city of Greek culture. Then history repeated itself. After
the death of Alexander there were many claimants for the power.
Antiochus, who became the ruler of the area in which Sardis stood,
was at war with a rival called Achaeus who sought refuge in Sardis.
For a year Antiochus besieged him; then a soldier called Lagoras
repeated the exploit of Hyeroeades. At night with a band of brave
men he climbed the steep cliffs. The Sardians had forgotten their
lesson. There was no guard and once again Sardis fell because it
was not upon the watch. In due time the Romans came. Sardis was
still a wealthy city. It was a centre of the woollen trade; and it
was claimed that the art of dyeing wool was actually discovered
there. It became a Roman assize town. In A.D. 17 it was destroyed
by an earthquake which devasted the area. Tiberius, the Roman
Emperor, in his kindness remitted all tribute for five years and
gave a donation of 10,000,000 sesterces, that is, L400,000. towards
rebuilding and Sardis recovered itself by the easy way. When John
wrote his letter to Sardis, it was wealthy but degenerate. Even the
once great citadel was now only an ancient monument on the hill
top. There was no life or spirit there. The once great Sardians
were soft, and twice they had lost their city because they were too
lazy to watch. In that enervating atmosphere the Christian Church
too had lost its vitality and was a corpse instead of a living
Church. SARDIS, DEATH IN LIFE Rev. 3: 1-6 (continued) In the
introduction to this letter the Risen Christ is described in two
phrases. (i) He is he who has the seven Spirits of God. We have
already come upon this strange phrase in Rev. 1:4. It has two
aspects of meaning. (a) It denotes the Holy Spirit with his
sevenfold gifts, an idea founded on the description of the Spirit
in Isa.11:2. (b) It denotes the Spirit in his sevenfold operation.
There are seven Churches, yet in each of them the Spirit operates
with all his
19. presence and power. The seven spirits signifies the
completeness of the gifts of the Spirit and the universality of his
presence. (ii) He is he who has the seven stars. The stars stand
for the Churches and their angels. The Church is the possession of
Jesus Christ. Many a time men act as if the Church belonged to
them, but it belongs to Jesus Christ and all in it are his
servants. In any decision regarding the Church, the decisive factor
must be not what any man wishes the Church to do but what Jesus
Christ wishes to be done. The terrible accusation against the
Church at Sardis is that, although it has a reputation for life, it
is, in fact, spiritually dead. The New Testament frequently likens
sin to death. In the Pastoral Epistles we read: "She who is
self-indulgent is dead even while she lives" (1Tim.5:6), The
Prodigal Son is he who was dead and is alive again (Lk.15:24). The
Roman Christians are men who have been brought from death to life
(Rom.6:13). Paul says that his converts in their pre- Christian
days were dead through trespasses and sins (Eph.2:1,5). (i) Sin is
the death of the will. If a man accepts the invitations of sin for
long enough, the time comes when he cannot accept anything else.
Habits grow upon him until he can no longer break them. A man
comes, as Seneca had it, to hate his sins and to love them at the
same rime. There can be few of us who have not experienced the
power of some habit into which we have fallen. (ii) Sin is the
death of the feelings. The process of becoming the slave of sin
does not happen overnight. The first time a man sins he does so
with many a qualm. But the day comes, if he goes on taking what is
forbidden, when he does without a qualm that which once he would
have been horrified to do. Sin, as Burns had it, "petrifies the
feeling." (iii) Sin is the death of all loveliness. The terrible
thing about sin is that it can take the loveliest things and turn
them into ugliness. Through sin the yearning for the highest can
become the craving for power; the wish to serve can become the
intoxication of ambition; the desire of love can become the passion
of lust. Sin is the killer of life's loveliness. It is only by the
grace of God that we can escape the death of sin. SARDIS, A
LIFELESS CHURCH Rev. 3:1-6 (continued) The lifelessness of the
Church at Sardis had a strange effect. (i) The Church at Sardis was
untroubled by any heresy. Heresy is always the product of the
searching mind; it is, in fact, the sign of a Church that is alive.
There is nothing worse than a state in which a man is orthodox
because he is too lazy to think for himself He is actually better
with a heresy which he holds intensely than with an orthodoxy about
which in his heart of hearts he does not care. (ii) The Church at
Sardis was untroubled by any attack from the outside, neither by
the heathen or by the Jews. The truth was that it was so lifeless
that it was not worth attacking. The Pastoral Epistles describe
those who had drifted away from the true faith by saying that they
had a form of godliness but denied its power (2Tim.3:5). Moffatt
translates it: "Though they keep up a form of religion, they will
have nothing to do with it as a force." Phillips puts it: "They
will maintain a facade of `religion,' but their conduct will deny
its validity." A truly vital Church will always be under attack.
"Woe to you," said Jesus, "when all men speak well of you!"
(Lk.6:26). A Church with a positive message is bound to be one to
which there will be opposition.
20. A Church which is so lethargic as to fail to produce a
heresy is mentally dead; and a Church which is so negative as to
fail to produce opposition is dead in its witness to Christ.
SARDIS, WATCH! Rev. 3:1-6 (continued) If anything is to be rescued
from the impending ruin of the Church in Sardis the Christians
there must wake from their deadly lethargy and watch. No
commandment appears more frequently in the New Testament than that
to watch. (i) Watchfulness should be the constant attitude of the
Christian life. "It is full time," says Paul, "to wake from sleep"
(Rom.13:11). "Be watchful, stand firm in your faith," he urges
(1Cor.16:13). It has been said that "eternal vigilance is the price
of liberty" and eternal watchfulness is the price of salvation.
(ii) The Christian must be on the watch against the wiles of the
devil (1Pet.5:8). The history of Sardis had its vivid examples of
what happens to the garrison whose watch is slack. The Christian is
under continual attack by the powers which seek to seduce him from
his loyalty to Christ. Often these attacks are subtle. He must,
therefore, be ever on the watch. 8. but you are dead. A reputation
does not impress Christ. Success only matters when He is impressed.
Otherwise, it is just meaningless praise from men that will be of
no value in the bank of heaven. The good news is the dead can be
brought back to life. The Prodigal Son was dead, but was alive
again, for he made the right choice and came home to the father.So
the church can come home again too. This is the worst thing Jesus
could say about a churh. A funeral home can have a great reputation
for making people look so natural in their caskets, but they are
still dead. The church can help people live in many good ways and
still be a dead church for it does not give people eternal life by
faith in Christ. Youth being scolded and told he should respect the
church. He said that is right, for my mother always told me to
respect the dead. A church seldom dies from outside oposition. It
is usually from within that it dies. Mary and Joseph went a days
journey before they discovered Jesus was not with them. The church
can go a lot longer than that before they realize Jesus is not with
them. They were too dead to cause persecution or to develop any
heresy. Barclay says, "Heresy is always the product of the
searching and the seeking mind. Heresy is, in fact, the sign of a
church that is vitally alive. Heresy is the sign that a man has at
least tried the think things out for himself." It's common to hear
people talking about this church or that church, and call them
"dead" churches. We need to be careful about our criteria for
"deadness".
21. It can become a very subjective thing. Some people think
that a dead church is where people aren't running around wild in
the aisles, or laying on the floor barking like dogs. Some people
think that a dead church is where people don't raise their hands
during worship and sway from side to side. Some people think that a
dead church is where they don't sing the latest Christian worship
songs, or where they don't have a rockin' worship band. Deadness is
when the Spirit of God isn't working. It's the Spirit that gives
life. (2 Cor 3:6 KJV) Who also hath made us able ministers of the
new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter
killeth, but the spirit giveth life. How do we know if the Spirit
of God is working? 1. There will be spiritual births. New life will
be given to people as they're born again, born of the Spirit (John
3) 2. There will be the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-23 KJV) But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, {23} Meekness, temperance: against
such there is no law. Rev. 3:1 "...you have a name that you are
alive, but you are dead." Think about it. They had a name that they
were alive. That was their reputation. Today, we would see them as
the church whose parking lot is full every Sunday,with a big youth
group, and a food bank. Their worship team is the hottest one
around, the pastor can really preach, and they're working on a
brand new building project! When Christians come to town and ask,
"Where is the Lord really moving in this city?" the common response
would be - "Oh, you've got to got to the church in Sardis - they're
really alive!" But man's sight and God's sight are often very
different. You see, He's looking at their hearts, and He knows that
they're dead. They have fooled everybody, including themselves, but
not the Lord of the church. Sardis a church that was a living
corpse. (3:1-6) The church at Sardis had a name for being alive,
but Christ told them they were dead. Christ told them that they
needed to resurrected. They needed to repent and remember what they
had received and heard. You have heard of people sleeping through
church, they were dead. Preaching to this church would be like a
fellow holding a sunrise service in a graveyard and no one shows
up. He goes ahead and preaches to the dead. There were a few in
this dead church that had not soiled their garments and to them he
promised victory.
22. There was a lot of activity in the Church at Sardis. The
organization was oiled and running smoothly. This would be the
place you would want to go if you were looking for a church. But
there was no real life. Have you ever noticed how well organized a
graveyard is. Maybe it is like that because there is no one there
with enough life to disorganize it. Maybe it was one of those
churches that had no problems, because there was no one there that
cared enough to cause a problem. Richard Ganz and William Edgar in
their book Sold Out! wrote, "Churches want to hear nice, optimistic
messages, free of mention of sin or a call for repentance. Churches
want nice, lean programs, directed at nice, clean families, leading
to growth without sacrifice. They want their organization to become
bigger and bigger, even as their God becomes smaller and smaller."
Spurgeon writes, "." Religion has become fashionable. The
shopkeeper could scarcely succeed in a respectable business if he
were not united with a church. It is reckoned to be reputable and
honorable to attend a place of worship; and hence men are made
religious in shoals. And especially now that parliament itself doth
in some measure sanction religion, we may expect that hypocrisy
will abound yet more and more, and formality everywhere take the
place of true religion. You can scarcely meet with a man who does
not call himself a Christian, and yet it is equally hard to meet
with one who is in the very marrow of his bones thoroughly
sanctified to the good work of the kingdom of heaven. We meet with
professors by hundreds; but me must expect still to meet with
possessors by units. The whole nation appears to have been
Christianized in an hour. But is this real? Is this sincere? Ah! we
fear not. How is it that professors can live like other men? How is
it that there is so little distinction between the church and the
world? Or, that if there is any difference, you are frequently
safer in dealing with an ungodly man than with one who is
professedly righteous?" 9. BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, SardisThe fickle
Church Among all the messages to the Churches there is no other
which is appalling like this to the Church of Sardis. The
condemnation and the denunciation are emphatic; the details,
however, are obscure, and as we meditate on what is said, it
strikes us that this obscurity is due to intentional reserve. This
appears, first, in the title given to Christ: These things saith He
that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars. Here we
are bidden think, not of the historic Christ, but of the inhabiter
of eternity. It is as if, instead of coming forth to reveal
Himself, Christ were withdrawing into the recesses of Deity; He
seems to be receding from our approaches, not advancing to kindle
His peoples adoration and reward their love. The same reserve
appears in the description of the Churchs sinfulness: I know thy
works, that thou hast a name, etc. That is all, but it is such an
all as produces an impression of utter condemnation. The call to
repentance, too, lacks something which we are accustomed to find in
Gods appeals to His people: Become watchful, and stablish the
things, etc. There is no hint that what has perished may be
restored. More than once I have seen a tree laden with fruit, its
broad green leaves betokening vigorous life, while a formless lump
in the stock revealed that once the tree was so cankered that it
was not expected to recover; and I have read a parable of the
revival of dead graces in mans life. No such alleviating hint is
dropped concerning Sardis. The time has not come for it; the need
of the hour is for warning, only warning. There is a shortness in
the threat: If therefore thou shalt not watch, etc. The Lord
does
23. not condescend to say more than is needed. The Church of
Sardis knows, after what has been declared, that this coming can
only be for judgment, and is left to meditate on the nearness and
suddenness of the doom. Even in the acknowledgment that there are
faithful persons in Sardis, a few names which did not defile their
garments, and the promise made to him that overcometh, the reserve
is maintained. So deep is the sin of the Church that it is
blessedness only to have been free from it. So dire is the doom
that, for them who have escaped it, to have their names not blotted
out of the book of life is enough. The Lord will confess their
names in heaven, because it is a wonder to find souls from Sardis
there. How may we apprehend the condition of Sardis? Perhaps we
say, Sardis was a worldly Church; and this is undoubtedly true. She
that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth.
Addictedness to things that perish with the using is both the sign
of a languid inner life, and certain destruction of the little life
which remains. Or we may say that Sardis was an impure Church.
Discipline was unknown in it; even the pretence of discipline must
have been wanting, when of only a few could it be said that they
did not defile their garments. But there is one touch in the
description which is full of significance. I have not found any of
thy works perfect [that is, finished] before My God. The image
suggested is that of a fickle Church, rushing from one thing to
another, beginning works and growing weary, taking up and dropping
down, impossible to be relied on by God or man. Fickleness is a
very common fault; therefore the Lords words to Sardis need to be
dwelt on. There is no graver symptom of our time than its
prevailing restlessness. So many men and women follow the
ever-changing fashionin dress, or books, or household decoration,
or art, in science, in philosophy, in philanthrophy, in scepticism,
or in faith. Theirs is not the versatility of a catholic temper,
but of a shallow soul; such persons proclaim that they have no
taste, that is, no original perceptions, no standard of excellence.
There is the same instability among the Churches; the popular
religious catch-words are for ever changing. Yesterday the parrot-
cry was Orthodoxy; to-day it is Liberality, freedom of thought.
There is to them no word of the Lord; they have no profound sense
of duty, no consecrating purpose, nothing about which they can say,
This one thing I do; this is what I believe with all my heart; of
this I am sure; to this I cleave, I can no other, God help me. And
if fickleness be thus the sign and symptom that underneath all
shews of religious activity there is death, so fickleness works
death. The notion such people have that their great need is some
new thing, a new impulse, a new call, is part of their
soul-sickness. Their real want is the heart to stick to what they
are about. Nearly the whole discipline of piety is in the fact that
persistency brings lessons which we can learn in no other way. If
we try to perfect what we are doing, we learn our defects and how
to supply them; we learn what we can do and how to do it; we
strengthen the sense of duty, and catch the meaning of hardness;
sources of comfort will open to us when sore weary with our work
well done; God Himself comes to teach us, and lead us, and be our
God. In Sardis, as in Laodicea, there is a special word of comfort
to the faithful, because they have found fidelity so hard. Thou
hast a few names in Sardis, etc. The promise is itself an implied
charge against the many; they are defiled as well as heartless. So
it must ever be; the pollutions of the world, the flesh, and the
devil are sure to overtake those who are not steadfast in their
piety. All the more impressive is Christs assurance that He has not
overlooked the few. He who has the seven Spirits is quick to
discern fidelity in unlikely places; He watches to discern and to
acknowledge them. Fidelity is acknowledged by Christ as of eternal
virtue, however it may reveal itself; and the company of those who
overcome is one company, whether the victory have been won on a
conspicuous or an ignoble field. It seems so reserved an utterance:
I will not blot out his name; but the book in which the name is
written is the book of life. It is no small honour which is
conferred on the clean souls in Sardis when they are declared
worthy to walk with Christ in white. There is a touch of
24. exquisite consideration, of appreciation of what their life
had been, in the promise with which the message ends: He that
overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments. Heaven shall be
to them the consummation of what they had worked for and striven
after on earth. (A. Mackennal, D. D.) Christs message to the
formalist; or, feeble because incomplete I. Delusive appearances;
or, the death that simulates life. There is nothing so unmistakable
as natural death; in tree, animal, or man, it makes itself
fearfully plain. Life may exist in a sluggish or imperfect form,
but between the feeblest life and death there is an immeasurable
distance. But with spiritual death it is often otherwise. The
advances are so stealthy, and so swift, that sometimes every grace
and gift has perished before the symptoms of the plague are
discerned. Wendell Holmes tells us that in the introduction to Gil
Blas it is said, Here lies buried the soul of the licentiate. Where
do not souls lie buried? One beneath the self-consciousness of
pride, and another beneath ceremonies which are good in themselves,
but which may produce evil, if unduly relied upon. Under what sin
is thy soul buried. And let us look at the gracious aspect which is
presented here of our Lord. When the king of Ethiopia of old heard
that the Persian monarch was dead, he remarked, It is no wonder
that he died, when he lived on dirt. The allusion, of course, is to
corn, which at that period was unknown in Ethiopia. Of Darracott,
on the contrary, it was finely said, that he looked as if he lived
upon live things, for he possessed such abundant vitality. So is it
that a man is like that which he mentally feeds upon; so that if he
communes regularly and constantly with Christ, he wilt become
Christ-like, and will live by the life of Christ. II. Decaying
graces; or, bad which may become worse. The decay was not as yet
thorough in the Church at Sardis; there was still a chance of
regaining the lost time, and living by Christ. But unless the
Church became vigilant, and took the needful measures, the decay
would eventually become complete. The graces of the Spirit are
granted only to certain conditions, and they are removed when these
essentials depart from us. Incompleteness is decay. I have found no
works of thine fulfilled before my God. Their acts of charity and
faith had been marred; they were introductions without any
succeeding chapters, indeed, but a series of failures. And may not
the words imply that one grace cannot live without the other, that
they are mutually dependent, that if one be absent, or be wilfully
left out, the others will languish and perhaps die? In grace as in
nature the balance of life must be preserved. So in grace, every
virtue sustains some other, and they rise and fall together. III.
The surprises of judgment: the gracious or the just one. I will
come as a thief, Christ threatens, by which I understand that in
reference to His judgment He thus describes its stealthiness. And
with the unexpected nature of this visitation, is there not also
combined the idea of its being unwelcome? IV. The true citizen of
the world is a native of heaven. The true question which we should
ask ourselves and each other is not, Are you prepared to die? but,
Are you fit to live? Hence, Baine concentrates the meaning of the
passage into the phrase, Singular piety in degenerate times is dear
to God. (J. J. Ellis.) The address to Sardis I. The form of
address. Sardis was a city of considerable eminence, nearly
equidistant
25. from Smyrna and Thyatira. It was formerly the capital of
the kingdom of Lydia, and is celebrated in profane history as the
residence of Croesus, proverbial for his great riches, which were
seized by Cyrus in aid of his expedition against Babylon. In the
usual course of all these cities, it fell, first into the hands of
the Persians, then of the Macedonians, and then of the Roman
empire. A village only now remains, near which are some ruins of
the ancient city. The character in which Christ appears to this
Church is taken partly from the dedication in the 4th verse, and
partly from the vision in Rev_1:16. This is proof that the whole
book, from the commencement, is supposed to be sent with the
addresses to the Churches. II. The rebuke. Hero is no commendation
to the Church generally. It is given afterwards, as an exception to
a few. This Church had formerly been in a flourishing state. It was
composed, at first, of simple-hearted and pious believers. There
was life in their ministry, life in their ordinances, life in their
social meetings, life in their retirements, and life in their
souls. This state of things, however, did not long continue. There
was a gradual and imperceptible falling away from the grace of the
gospel. The Spirits influences were less desired, and consequently
less enjoyed. Zeal was not deficient, nor even fortitude to brave
persecution for the sake of their religion. Their works were
considerable, and, in some respects, worthy of imitation by those
who are actuated by better principles. These are observed by the
Saviour, but as serving only to sustain a profession of the
vitality of which they were destitute. I know thy works, that thou
hast a name, etc. This is displeasing to Christ, because of its
gross inconsistency, because of the false aspect which it gives to
His kingdom before the world, and because of the dishonour which it
casts upon the office of the Spirit of God. A further complaint
preferred against this Church is, I have not found thy works
perfect before God. The literal meaning is finished, or complete.
Their works were imperfect in the principles from which they
emanated, and in the ends to which they were directed. They were
forms without life, professions without fruit. Another feature of
their declension is indirectly asserted in these words, Thou hast a
few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments.
This sentence to a Church, which probably boasted most of the
Christian name, and aspired most to ecclesiastical distinction, was
peculiarly humiliating. Where the life of godliness fails, it were
vain to look for its fruits. The name of Christianity presents a
feeble barrier to the corruptions of our fallen nature. What
safeguard is there in nominal Christianity against moral
defilement? III. The admonitions. The Saviour exhorts the offenders
at Sardis first of all to watchfulness. Be watchful. Let them
reflect upon their condition, rouse themselves to vigilant inquiry.
They are exhorted to strengthen the things which remain, that are
ready to die. Here is an acknowledgment that some genuine piety
continued amongst them. This Church is reminded, how it had
received and heard, and is exhorted to hold fast its first
instructions, and repent of its deviations from them. IV. The
threatening: If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come, etc.
V. The exception: Thou hast a few names, even in Sardis, which have
not defiled their garments. There were some, even in Sardis, who
had escaped the general defilement. In the worse ages of the Church
a remnant has been preserved that have kept their garments pure.
The Waldenses, Moravians, and others, will be found to authenticate
the truth of this observation. VI. The promise. The threatening is
to the many that have fallen, the promise to the few that have not
defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they
are worthy. VII. The application: He that overcometh, the marne
shall be clothed in white raiment, etc. (G. Rogers.)
26. The words of Christ to the congregation at Sardis I. The
general character of the many. 1. They had a reputation for being
what they were not. 2. They were in a state of spiritual
consumption. 3. They were in a state requiring prompt and urgent
attention. 4. They were in a state of alarming danger. II. The
exceptional character of the few. 1. True goodness can exist under
external circumstances the most corrupt. 2. True goodness, wherever
it exists, engages the specific attention of Christ. (1) Because it
is the highest manifestation of God upon earth. (2) Because it is
the result of His mediatorial mission. (3) Because on it depends
the progress of humanity. 3. True goodness will ultimately be
distinguished by a glorious reward. (1) Triumph. (2) Fellowship.
(3) Progress. III. The absolute judge of all. 1. In connection with
the highest influence. 2. In connection with the highest ministry.
3. In connection with the highest Being. My Father. This implies
(1) Causation. (2) Resemblance. (3) Reciprocal love. (D. Thomas, D.
D.) Sardis I. Notice the title which Jesus Christ assumes. He that
hath the seven spirits of God. 1. The Holy Ghost is a Spirit of
quickening, of conversion, of prayer, of holiness, and of comfort;
for all these purposes the Lord Jesus communicates the Holy Spirit,
and hence, He describes Himself as having the seven Spirits of God.
2. The expression, doubtless, signifies something transcendently
above the claim of the most exalted creature. II. Observe the
deplorable state in which the text describes the church in Sardis
to have been.
27. 1. In the visible Church of Christ there are many who have
nothing of religion but its lifeless and worthless form. They bear
the Christian name, but are totally destitute of Christian
principles, and Christian tempers. They are externally clean, and
internally impure. They employ language expressive of Christian
experience, without possessing correspondent feelings. 2. Genuine
Christians are subject to declension in religion. III. Notice some
of the symptoms of the affecting state described in the text. 1.
Backsliding usually begins in remissness relative to the most
secret exercises of religion. The first steps of a backslider are
visible only to God and the individual himself. 2. The effect of
spiritual declension soon makes its appearance in the domestic
circle. 3. Another symptom of this affecting state is
worldly-mindedness. 4. A censorious spirit is a certain symptom of
lamentable declension in the things of God in the soul. 5. A love
of novelty is another symptom of declension in religion. 6. It is
evinced by irritability and unsubmissiveness of temper under trials
and afflictions. IV. The seasonable exhortation which our Lord
addressed to the Church in Sardis. V. This subject addresses itself
to three descriptions of character. 1. To those whose souls are
prosperous, and who enjoy the inestimable privileges of religion.
Be not high-minded, but fear. 2. To those whose case is described
in the text. Your experience teaches you that it is an evil thing,
and bitter, to sin against God. 3. To those who are totally
destitute of genuine religion. Your state is inexpressibly awful,
and infinitely dangerous. (J. Hyatt.) Nominal religion I. The
rebuke given in the text to the Church of Sardis. Beware lest the
too partial judgment of men mislead thee as to the judgment of God.
Bring thyself to a Scriptural test. Judge as thou wilt be judged at
the great day of account. II. The commendation bestowed, in this
address, on a few of the members of the Church of Sardis. 1. There
are no circumstances so bad as to render goodness impossible. 2.
Even the smallest company of true worshippers is not forgotten
before God. III. The counsel given to the Church of Sardis in this
address. There are means of revival which may in every ease be
employed with success. The page of history presents to us some
splendid examples, in which a body of troops, checked and
dispirited for a time, have suddenly beheld the banner, or caught
the voice of their leader; and at once, throwing away their doubts
and fears, have returned to the fight, scaled the rampart, and
crowned themselves with fresh triumphs and glory. IV. The threat
connected with these counsels to the Church of Sardis. All the
movements
28. of God, especially in the works of creation, are so
precisely in orderthe sun and the moon knowing their place, and
each season following in the train of the otherthat it is difficult
to persuade ourselves God will in any case interrupt this regular
succession of events, and astonish the sinner by any sudden or
unexpected explosion of His wrath. But how often do His visitations
thus unexpectedly arrest the ungodly! V. The promises with which
the text closes. (J. W. Cunningham.) He that hath the seven
Spirits. The seven Spirits of God By these seven Spirits of God is
meant apparently that One Divine Person, the Holy Spirit, to whom,
with the Father and the Son, we render homage and praise. And the
reason for the peculiarity of the sevenfold Spirit is because in
this book that Spirit is contemplated, not so much in the unity of
His person as in the manifoldness of His operations. And, further,
that the number seven, being a sacred number, expresses
completeness. And so, He that hath the seven Spirits of God
represents Jesus Christ as possessing, and as possessing that He
may impart, the whole fulness of that quick and Divine Spirit. Thus
the first thought to be presented to the moribund Church is of the
fulness of Divine
