It has been very tempting as I read through each of the churches in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, to try to assign each one to a corresponding age of the church. For instance, some believe each church represents a different era (Early church, Reformation, etc.), and thus they believe we are now living in one of them as well. There are many reasons why this is not an accurate viewpoint, primarily the return of Christ was just as imminent 1000 years ago as it is today, and thus we cannot see these actual epistles to the churches as symbolic of more than that. But we do have application to draw from them, and lessons that apply to us just as much as they did to those churches.
This brings us to Sardis, 33 miles south of Thyatira, on the western part of the great Kings’ Highway. Sardis was situated on an elevated plateau, with a sheer cliff on the back side, making the city nearly impenetrable and easily defended. This geography also limited the growth of the city, and so they established a second “sister” city at a lower elevation for the purpose of commerce and growth. The city was characterized by its citizens’ individualism, and by its social and political structures. It became easy for the city to be complacent, resting on its laurels, so to speak.
There was really only one way in, and so defending the city should have been easy. However, Cyrus, king of Persia (6th century B.C.) and Alexander the Great (195 B.C.) both conquered Sardis by scaling the step walls on the back side of the city, an area left unprotected and unwatched, with the assumption that nobody would ever try this avenue of attack.
Why all the background? Well, Christianity, like Sardis, should be easy to defend. Yet, when we become complacent and let our guard down, we quickly become susceptible to the secular realm, and the church becomes weak. This was the church in Sardis. The lives of the church members blended in with the pagan world around them too well.
The surrounding community placed a great emphasis on deities who were believed to be able to bring the dead back to life. A hot springs was nearby, which was supposedly used by the gods to work such miracles. When Christ tells this church they are dead, the choice of words would have spoken directly to them, and they desperately needed to come back to life for His cause and for their own good. What they needed was the life-giving Spirit, the remedy for the death they were experiencing.
Christians in Sardis had become indifferent to spiritual things. They did not boast of any works, nor did they feel any pagan pressure or persecution. They were at peace, and yet Jesus could tell the difference between “peace” from well-being, or “peace” from death. What a great image, the dead look so peaceful. This was the peace experienced by Sardis.
Jesus is described again as holding the seven stars, an image of His absolute power and authority. He is also represented among the churches by the person of the Holy Spirit; whose work should be evident among believers, then and now. The Christianity on display in Sardis was superficial, outward in appearance, not reflecting an inward condition.
“Wake up!” was the command. Wake up and keep watching. Just as the city was conquered when it could have easily been defended (“even by a child”, an ancient historian wrote), so too can the Christian life be maintained, if one would simply stay alert to distractions and the allure of all the world seemingly has to offer. They were to remember their spiritual heritage, and then “keep on keeping” the truth; never stop paying attention to truth. And of course, repent. OK, so they were dead spiritually, it was time to change direction and start living again for Christ.
Some had not “soiled their garments”, had kept the watch faithfully, but they were few, and had little impact on this church, easily outnumbered. But such are the ones worthy to be with Christ, as He says. For those, He will personally confess before the Father when they meet Him. He will stand by believers, so the Father looks on Him when he sees us!
SO WHAT…?
So, Christ’s return should not be an unpleasant, life-exposing event for me. I should be always watchful, busy, and spiritually ready for His return.
So, am I pressured by the world around me, or am I so taken in by it that I can no longer even tell the difference between being a Christian and not? If so, I need to wake up! Christianity should impact society; too often, society is impacting Christianity.
So, cities are conquered when no one is watching. So are Christian lives when we get complacent. The battle is real. I must remember my spiritual heritage, remember what Christ did for me, and live accordingly.
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