Video Transcript: Sardis

With less than 6000 inhabitants, the small village of Sart in Turkey's Manisa  province, does not portray or provide a glimpse of the glory and majesty of the  ancient city that one day stood here Sardis as one of the oldest cities of Asia  Minor Sardis was the capital of the powerful Lydian kingdom that dominated  much of the Agean before the Persians arrived. From 560 to 546 BC, King  Croesus famous for his wealth called Sardis home. Sardis also saw Persian,  Greek, Roman and Christian rule. And housed a prosperous Jewish community.  While not as impressive as Ephesus. The partially restored ruins are pleasantly  free of crowds and vendors. Both of its clusters of ruins are easily reached on  foot from the main road in Sart village, though accessing the upheaval one is a  hot walk in summer. Come with me on a journey, the quest for answers looking  for the first followers of Christ in Turkey. Small village of Sart is located  approximately 60 kilometers southeast of Thyatira about 85 kilometers from  Izmir. The ancient city was built along the Pactolus river, a tributary of the  Hermus and at the foothills of the Tmolus mountains. Today's Bozdağ , Tmolus  mountains were according to ancient mythology, the birthplace of the gods  Dionysius and Zeus. The city's Acropolis was strategically located atop a spur of the Tmolus mountains. The Acropolis with its nearly perpendicular rock walls  rising 500 meters above the lower valley and all but this outside was essentially  inaccessible, and provided a natural Citadel. As Sardis grew, it became  necessary to develop a lower city to the north and west of the Acropolis. On the  banks of the Pactolus. excavations in the lower city have unearthed the Roman  theatre and Stadium as well as an exceptionally large temple dedicated to  Artemis. The first part of the ancient site of Sardis to catch the visitors eye is the  area immediately north of the modern highway on the eastern edge of the  village of Sart. The row of shops on the north side were two story structures with the top floor sometimes in use as residence. The bottom floor of some of these  structures also seems to have served as a residence, inscriptions and artifacts  in the shops suggests their religious backgrounds and occupation of many of the shopkeepers. A break in the shopping mall leads into the restored synagogue.  This Sardis synagogue the largest of any diaspora non Palestinian synagogue  ever found, has several interesting features. Situated in the heart of the Roman  city, an integral part of the bath gymnasium complex and the incorporation of  non Jewish items reveals the prominence of the Jewish inhabitants of Sardis  and their integration into the society of Sardis. The entrance to the synagogue at the eastern end led into a forecourt, with a large fountain in the center. Three  Doors led from the forecourt into the main hall. Between the three doors were  two large shrines, the southern shrine likely housed the Torah scrolls, contrary to the usual pattern of the synagogues, the one at Sardis did not have benches  along the wall. The interior of the synagogue with the exclusion of the forecourt  was approximately 60 meters long and 18 meters wide. Mosaics of elaborate  geometric patterns covered the floor. Inscriptions found in the synagogue reveal 

the social and political status of the Jewish community in Sardis. Adjacent to the  synagogue, the gymnasium and bath complex was once the city's most  prominent building. The bath gymnasium complex covered about five and a half  acres and was situated in the heart of the city. The majority of this complex was  completed around the middle of the second century AD. Various repairs and  modifications of the complex were carried out in the succeeding centuries, until  the abandonment of the structure in the seventh century when the Sasanids  invaded Sardis. The primary entrance to the complex was on the east side to a  large courtyard, where visitors to the gymnasium engaged in games and  exercises after first in dressing rooms inside the complex. After exercising, they  proceeded through the fabulous colonnaded marble court to the warm baths  Tepidarium individually to the hot bath caldarium in the western section of the  complex. After the hot bath, visitors enter the cold bath frigidarium, which  included a large swimming pool, small vases and pools located in the Central  Hall immediately west of the marble court. A massage often served as the  finishing touch for a visit to the bath at the southwestern end of this entire bath  gymnasium complex where public latrines farther south down the road on the  left are the ruins of the Temple of Artemis, the fourth largest ionic temple in the  world, and one of the seventh largest of all Greek temples. The temple is  approximately 90 meters long and 50 meters wide. Of the 78 ionic columns, only two are still standing each 18 meters in height. The temple is still an impressive  sight, particularly when viewed with the Acropolis in the background.  Construction began around 334 BC, soon after Alexander the Great liberated  Sardis from the Persians. The temple was renovated under the Romans in the  second century AD, at which time it appears to have served as a temple to the  Imperial cult. The temple was abandoned in the fourth century, at which time a  small Christian chapel was built against its southeast corner. The temple was  dedicated to a local Asiatic a goddess, usually referred to as Cybele, who was  identified with the Greek Artemis. This patron deity was believed to possess a  special power of restoring the dead to life. Founded about 1200 BC Sardis was  one of the oldest cities in Asia Minor. In the sixth century BC Sardis was one of  the most powerful cities of the ancient world. Yet by the Roman period, it had  declined to the point where the archaeologist Sir William Ramsay could describe it as a relic of the period of barbaric warfare, which lived rather on its ancient  prestige than on its suitability to present conditions. Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and seat of the famous and wealthy Croesus. The  wealth was based on the gold found in the river Pactolus which flowed through  the middle of the city, it also on its famous woven textiles. The prosperity of  Sardis resulted in part from its location on a number of important trade routes,  and its position at the terminus of the Royal Road. But Sardis has had an odd  history. Twice, it was totally surprised and humiliated by military defeat. The city  that seemed militarily impregnable, had been defeated by Cyrus in 546 BC, and 

Antiochus in 214 BC. On both occasions, the city was taken by surprise in a  nighttime attack by soldiers who quietly scaled her steep fortress walls after  Cyrus Sardis became the seed of the Persian government. Later it became part  of the Seleucid kingdom then passed the Pergamum and subsequently to Rome and 133 BC, in 17 AD Sardis suffered a catastrophic earthquake, but it was  rebuilt with considerable help from emperor Tiberius 10 million sesterces about  $1,000,000 and.5 years of tax remission. Nine years later, in 26 AD it competed  with 10 other Asian cities for the privilege of building an imperial temple. But it  lost out to Smyrna, which stressed its practical services to Rome. Sardis was a  city of wealth and fame. Jewelry found in the local cemeteries indicated great  prosperity. It was at Sardis that gold and silver coins were first struck and  claimed to be the first to discover the art of dyeing wool. And to the angel of the  church in Sardis. Write these things says he who has the seven Spirits of God,  and the seven stars, I know your works, that you have a name that you are  alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,  that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.  Remember therefore how you have received and heard, hold fast and repent.  Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief and you will not  know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis  who have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white for  they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I  will not blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the  Spirit says to the churches, Revelation 3:1-6. Of the seven cities to whose  churches these letters aren't written Sardis easily outstripped the others in terms of each entry equity and well known history. However, nowhere was there a  greater example of the melancholy contrast between past splendor and present  decay than in Sardis. The reality was that Sardis was the city of degeneration,  the church of Sardis comes under the most severe denunciation of the seven,  apparently untroubled by heresy and free from outside opposition. The message to Sardis thas is no specific enemies internal or external. There is no name  calling, no liars, no Balaam, and no Jezebel, no deep secrets of Satan, no  synagogue of Satan, no throne of Satan. Consequently, of all the congregations  in Asia we know least about Sardis and its problems. Yet, no other message is  more damaging or more urgent than this one. Too often, when we encounter no  spiritual adversaries, it is because we are the enemy. The city of Sardis had a  church composed of nominal self satisfied Christians. Sardis had so completely  come to terms with the pagan environments that although we retain the outward  appearance of life, it was spiritually dead. To the church in Sardis, Jesus  introduces himself as the one who has the seven Spirits of God and seven stars, as in other messages to the churches. The description is drawn from the  composite picture of the glorified Christ, and is appropriate to the particular 

situation of the church. The Sardians were a spiritually dying church, Jesus  comes to them with the fullness of his awakening Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can  revitalize a dying Church. The Seven Spirits signify the completeness of the gifts of the Spirit and the universality of His presence. The Seven Stars symbolize the angels of the churches, namely the leaders. Christ is the one who has the seven stars. The church is the possession of Jesus Christ, people often act as if the  church belongs to them, but it belongs to Jesus Christ, and all its members are  His servants. In any decision regarding the church, the decisive factor must be  not what any individual wants the church to do, but what Jesus Christ desires to  be done. He has the destiny of the church in his hands, he knows everything  about them, and the members need to heed his warning. The same way Jesus  knows you and holds your life in his hands more than ever, he wants his Holy  Spirit active in your life, to perform the miracle of transformation that is so  necessary. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies  through His Spirit who dwells in you. Christ knows the real estate of their works,  and the deeds of this particular church offer nothing to be proud of. I know your  works, that you have a name that you live, and you are dead. The Christians in  Sardis are not blamed for any specific single herasy, but for being lifeless. The  church has a great reputation of being alive and active, but it is spiritually no  feeling of the working presence of the holy spirit is alive there. The New  Testament often refers to sin in terms of death. A person is dead through  transgression and sin, coming to life only through Christ. She who gives herself  to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives. The prodigal son was dead and came to life again. Those who claim to be spiritually alive, while in reality are  dead are those who hold to a form of godliness. although they have denied its  power, Christians living in Sardis had absorbed the character of the city's  condition, no life or spirit was there. The church in Sardis is evidently in serious  trouble. Though having the reputation of being alive and active. Christ says that  he has not found their works fulfilled before my God. Their works have not  measured up to God's standards. Most believers have evidently come to a  compromise with their pagan environment, their loyalty to Christ is in the past,  and they are in a condition of spiritual lethargy, and death. They've been  Christians in name only believing such a way as to call into question whether or  not they possess true living faith in Christ. It is inaccurate to say that her  reputation is the only good thing she has. There are a few things about her  which are not yet dead, though they are dying, verse 2. There was still the  remnant described in verse 4 as a few names in Sardis, who have remained  faithful and firm. This small number of believers have not defiled their garments  with the compromise with many in the church. Yet even this small number that  have not defiled their garments have not shown further spiritual progress and  are about to die and conform to the lethargic atmosphere in the church in 

Sardis. Above all, there are memories of her first response to the Gospel, how  she received and heard. The word is how not What if only she can recapture  that how the spirit of repentance and commitment of those early days do you  remember how you receive the gospel, the first love for Christ must be  cherished and revisited constantly. This fire can keep us warm, focused and  secure in our Christian walk. The terrible accusation against the church at Sardis is that although it has a reputation for life, it is in fact spiritually dead in Sardis.  The question is the relationship between reputation and reality, the reputation of  the church of Sardis was life, but the reality was that they were dead. Here there is probably a reference to the fabled history of the city with the Citadel which  though impregnable had fallen at least twice and perhaps maybe even three  times. This is to say nothing of the earthquake of 17 A D. From the outside, they  look fine. They have all the appearance of life, but on the inside, there is no life  at all. They are as good as dead. From our distance. We cannot know what all of this entails. Perhaps just like their city, they're living on their past reputation.  Indeed, anybody visiting either the city or the church would think it is vigorous  and alive. But in both cases, that is an illusion. Appearances can be fiendishly  deceptive. A church that is truly alive will always be under attack. Whoa to you  said Jesus when all speak well of you. A church with a positive message is  bound to be one to which there will be opposition. 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. The  church at Sardis could look like any modern Christian Church, the visitor might  be impressed with the building the friendliness of the members, and the  throbbing excitement of the church's programs. But activity and reputation are  never the proper indicators of an authentic community of Jesus. Western culture especially has developed a view of success and prestige that comes largely  from the exploits of the corporate world alongside the development of the  church. If a religious consumer discovers a local church having a full wardrobe  of programs, then it is valued as a place of life. It follows that ecclesiastical  marketers will often attempt to extend the church's reputation into the  community they wish to attract, surveying the non church going public, they look for positive initial responses. That's the church to be at. There's a lot happening  there. That church has it all. activity alone will not prepare the church for Christ's coming. Do you rely on appearance or past victories? one's relationship with  Christ is like the experience of Israelites in the desert with manna manna was  bread from heaven. God's provision for a day, every morning that people had to  go out and gather enough manna for that day. When the sun grew hot, the  manna melted away. If someone saved Manna for the next day, he would stink  and breed maggots. It was the provision for the day. Christ is the real bread of  heaven and every single day, I must feed from him. I must experience him daily.  I can't rely on yesterday's experience. My experience with Christ must be alive 

and fresh daily. As with the church in Ephesus, Jesus exhorts the Sardians to  remember how they heard and received the gospel in the beginning of their  Christian experience. The only way to reclaim a wholehearted devotion to Christ  is to recall and keep past experience fresh in mind and apply it to the present.  This will result in repentance and turning away from their present lethargic  condition to a new beginning in their relationship with Christ. In such a way, their love and devotion to Christ will be rekindled by the LIFE GIVING SPIRIT OF  GOD. However, if they do not wake up and repent, Jesus will come to them in  judgment unexpectedly like a thief in the night. watchfulness is a characteristic  of faithful Christians. If the church fails to watch, its destiny will mirror the history of Sardis. Just as Sardis was defeated unexpectedly, twice due to its citizens  lack of vigilance. So Christ will visit them in judgment unexpectedly like a thief in their spiritual lethargy, it will be too late to repent. To the overcomers, a three  fold promise will be given. First, they will be dressed in white second, their  names will not be blotted out of the book of life. And third, Christ will  acknowledge them before God and His angels. Jesus promises that they will  walk with Him in white robes for they are worthy the white robes that they will  receive correspond to their faithfulness to Christ. Jesus also promises not to  erase their names from the book of life, but to confess their names before the  Father and the angels. This echoes the words Jesus spoke to His disciples,  therefore, anyone who confess his Me before men, I will also confess Him  before My Father who is in heaven. Could it be that you today are experiencing  the church of Sardis in your spiritual life? You look as if you are okay. But you  are dead inside. No time for prayer, no desire for spiritual food, no room for God  in your life. You're simply dead, dead, like the prodigal son who was far from  God. But like the sun, you can come to the realization that at the Father's house  there is life and love waiting for you. The journey back is the distance of a prayer a thought to God save me oh Lord, He will not reject you. The prophet Isaiah  wrote don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you are too deaf to hear your  call for help. Come to Jesus and He will forgive he will revive and He will restore just come to him. I face the grace no place for me to hide. My tears are dry  debris there's no straight left in no two to say a plea to you forgive me turning  from you. And the plans you had for me. Forgive me for hiding myself and  running away from you. I plead for your loving voice to bestow your light on me. Let the sun rise and shine again on me. My light was darkened by the clouds. I  find myself down in the dark. No peace was left in me. And so I read the ground  crumbled away. Crawling to you I cry again to you forgive the Lord, for turning  from you and the plans you made for me. Forgive me for hiding myself I plead  your loving voice to bestow Your light on me on me. Let's pray. Our Father and  our God. As we've considered this message to the church at Sardis it rings  home with us, or we need you. We need your spirit. We need you to rekindle life  in your church. We pray, Lord, that You would guide us or give us a hunger for 

spiritual things. Give us a thirst for a deeper relationship with You. And Lord,  whatever it be in our lives that needs changing, we pray that you would change  it you have our cooperation our full cooperation in this journey. Lord, we're yours we commit our lives to you. Be honored in your church we pray in Jesus name.  Amen. Dear friend, thank you so much for watching us today. Don't forget to  share the quest for answers. Looking for the first followers of Christ in Turkey  with your friends and relatives. Please visit our website. On our website. You  can leave us a message, your prayer request and order a copy of today's show  or the complete series. If you move to support our ministry, you can make your  donation on your website as well. I hope to see you again soon.