Revelation 3:1-6 - "Things Which Shall Be"

We come to the letter addressed to the church at Sardis. This letter reveals the sad and tragic state of the church - the church is dead. Clearly, we see this at the end of verse 1 where our Lord says, “You are dead.” This is the ultimate shame. After all, a church by definition is a place where God lives, a place where Christ lives, a place where the Holy Spirit lives, a place where Christians are alive. It is, in fact, a fellowship of eternal life. But not this church. This is a dead church, living a fake life. This is a church that had succumbed to the influences of the world. They opened the door and just let the world in. They too had left its first love and adopted the world, and its philosophies. They not only tolerated sin, but indulged in all the same sins as the other churches, and even advocated it. Sin has taken over, and the Holy Spirit is missing. Rather than faithful leaders leading the church, they are being led by false leaders completely void of the Holy Spirit. This church is dead. What kills a church? False Teachers. False Teachings. Sin. Error. Compromise. No love for the truth. No love or adherence to God's Word. Placing man's ideas over God's Word. A church that the world embraces is no church at all. John 15 tells us that the world will hate us because of Christ. The church isn't political. It isn't social. The church is spiritual.