The Revelation of Jesus Christ Lsn 3a of 22

1. The Revelation of Jesus ChristLsn 3a of 22 Chapter 2 & 3 – Letter to the Church in Sardis Rev. 1:3Blessed is he who readsand those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

2. Summary to date David Tye

3. David Tye

4. Sardis • Sardis (plural noun) means “those escaping” or “remnant”, Pentecost p.152 • Built on a small elevated plateau; later had to expand to the base of the tower; thus it was two towns. • Wealthy from textiles, dyes, and jewelry; on east-west trade route; first to produce coins. • Originally military power; overthrown twice by scaling the cliffs when they were asleep [549 BC and 214 BC]. • Gross depravity – many mystery cults, secret societies; grossest most decadent religious rituals. • worship of mother goddess Cybele (or Artemis, earth mother – Gaia) • remains of a small church building discovered next to the temple to Artemis. • Letter starts with condemnation David Tye

5. Ancient Acropolis of Sardis David Tye

6. Sardis – University Gymnasium

7. Sardis – Inside the Worlds Largest Synagogue for it time

8. Sardis – Church next to temple to Artemis David Tye

9. Shops along the Roman Road SARDIS

10. Sardis – Christian Shops found along the Roman Road

11. Sardis

12. Revelation 1:4-5 … Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, … Revelation 1:16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. David Tye

13. Rev. 3:1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4'But 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. 5'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. 6'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' David Tye

14. Rev. 3:1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Mein white; for they are worthy. 5'He who overcomesshall 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. 6'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' David Tye

15. Seven Spirits of God Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORDwill rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, John 16:8 "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” John 16:13 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth… 14"He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. David Tye

16. This underscores a theme which runs throughout Scripture: that those without the Spirit of God are unable to see the world through the eyes of God. The church of Sardis had made for themselves a name. David Tye

17. Rev. 3:1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Mein white; for they are worthy. 5'He who overcomesshall 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. 6'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' David Tye

18. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleepas others do, but let us be alert and sober. David Tye

19. Rev. 3:1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Mein white; for they are worthy. 5'He who overcomesshall 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. 6'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' David Tye

20. James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. Revelation 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bridehas made herself ready." 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. David Tye

21. Rev. 3:1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, says this: 'I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3 'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. If therefore you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4'But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Mein white; for they are worthy. 5'He who overcomesshall 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. 6'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' David Tye

22. Blotting out of the Book of Life?? Matthew 25:34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Revelation 17:8 "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. John 10:28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. David Tye

23. Sardis “Remnant”, wealthy; on trade routes; many different pagan cults; gross depravity in worship of mother goddess Cybele; letter starts with condemnation 7 Spirits, 7 stars Omniscient Lord X dead, incomplete deeds wake up, strengthen remaining, remember, keep, repent come like a thief a few righteous, will walk w/Me in white, not erase name from Book of Life, confess name before Father and angles Dead, Reformed, 1517-1789 AD, “protesters”; Guttenberg Press (1436) , enlightenment, denominations, doctrines Hidden treasure David Tye

24. J. Vernon McGee Protestantism has certainly produced some great men of God. Romanism did the same thing, even during the Dark Ages, but that does not mean to commend the system. The system of Romanism and the system of Protestantism, as they are revealed in the great denominations which have departed from the faith, to me are the organizations which will eventually bring in the apostate church because they have departed from the great tenets and doctrines of the Christian faith. David Tye

25. http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/revelation-3/revelation-3-1.htmlhttp://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/revelation/revelation-3/revelation-3-1.html One commentator has said, “Their state is described in a single phrase—soulless profession-they had a name to live but were dead. It is not a scandalous wickedness, but a decent death; the form retained, the heart gone; Christ owned in word, ignored in deed; creeds correct, conduct respectable, life departed . . . sound doctrine and outward propriety . . . affections not only waning, but gone. His name held, His Word read, His truth owned, Himself forgotten.”… When the human spirit does not control some part of the body, there is said to be a partial paralysis. Some pressure upon a nerve center or some other abnormality may cause one foot to be dragged or one hand to be withered instead of maintaining the normal participation in the life of the body. The Holy Spirit should govern and direct the Church which is the Body of Christ. David Tye

26. Stalled Reformation Age of Reason (Enlightenment) 1648 – 1789 Reformation 1517 – 1648 1787 1517 1648 David Tye

27. Reformation 1517 – 1648 Sardis-1 David Tye

28. Sardis-1: 1517-1789 AD – Dead, Reformed Church Reformation 1517 – 1648 • Period characterized as “Christians compelling conformity to their sect”; man served one of two authorities [the church or the Bible]; concern in this life was preparing for next life • 1517 AD, Martin Luther’s 95 Theses • Issues: How saved? Basis for religious authority? What is the Church? What is Christian living? • Answers: Faith alone. Scripture alone. Not a hierarchy, but community of believers. Serving God in ecclesiastical or secular calling. Five Solas • 1521 Anabaptist [Zwingli] rejected infant baptism: 5000 executed • Discipleship; Congregational; separation of church and state; freedom of religion • Forerunner of all Protestants

29. Sardis-1: 1517-1789 AD – Dead, Reformed Church Reformation 1517 – 1648 • 1525 William Tyndale’s Bible: “I will make it possible for a boy behind the plow to know more Scripture than you do,” to a priest. Burned at the stake in 1537. • 1536 John Calvin - Sovereignty of God, Reformed movement • 1545-1563 Council of Trent - Catholic condemnation of Protestant heresies (see slide on Five Solas) • 1552 “Bloody Mary” restored Catholicism, burned over 280 Protestants at the stake • 1630 - 400 Puritans set sail for the New World • Rise of Protestant denominations – “called by” or denominated • Sects claim Christ only for themselves, all others are unsaved • Denominations have common core beliefs but differing practices

30. Sardis-1: 1517-1789 AD – Dead, Reformed Church Reformation 1517 – 1648 • 1648 Peace of Westphaliaends 30 Years War between Catholics and Protestants. • Each prince would have the right to determine the religion of his own state, the options being Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism • Christians living in principalities where their denomination was not the established church were guaranteed the right to practice their faith in public during allotted hours and in private at their will. • The result was “state churches”, not the ideal in which ministers are controlled by, and subject to, Christ alone without any human intermediary.

31. Reformation Beliefs: Five Solas • Sola Fide [Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. KJV] — faith alone (works not involved in justification) • Sola Scriptura — Scripture alone (sole authority) • Sola Gratia — grace alone (salvation is by divine grace) • SolusChristus — Christ alone (there must be no other mediator) • Soli Deo Gloria — glory to God alone (not to Mary, the pope, the saints…) www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas David Tye

32. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denomination David Tye

33. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_denomination David Tye

34. Traditions out of the Reformation • Roman Catholicism • Lutheran [Martin Luther 1517] • Reformed [John Calvin 1553 ] • Anabaptist [Zwingli 1519] • Anglican -> Methodists [John Wesley 1739] • Puritans • 1630 – Puritans sail for New World • John Cotton sermon: 2 Samuel 7:10 "I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, • Came to think of themselves as God’s new Israel • Replacement Theology – Church replaces Israel David Tye

35. Age of Reason1648 – 1789 Sardis-2 David Tye

36. Sardis-2: 1517-1789 AD – Dead, Reformed Church Age of Reason (Enlightenment) 1648 – 1789 • The birth of secularism. • 1648 Peace of Westphalia ends 30 Years War between Catholics and Protestants. • Religious tolerance rules the day – behavior is more important than belief • Age of Reason: “The birth of secularism” • Copernicus (center of sola system), Kepler (sun’s gravity drives), Galileo (telescope), Newton (harmonized laws of motion): man can determine truth thru “senses & reason”

37. Sardis-2: 1517-1789 AD – Dead, Reformed Church Age of Reason (Enlightenment) 1648 – 1789 • Originally attempted harmony of reason & faith; then reason replaced faith; revelation rejected; man’s concern becomes happiness in this life. • Man viewed as basically good, needs common sense more than grace • New faith in law & order: Man can legislate good behavior • Modern culture is freed from Christianity; attempts to organize religiously neutral civilization • 1733 Great Awakening: Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, John Wesley • 1789 French Revolution and the “Evangelical Awakening”

38. Christ taught about the “kingdom of heaven” in Matt 13 parables … … to show the progression of the kingdomin the world until the King returns: • Matt 13:3-9 ? – The sower • Matt 13:24-30 ? – The wheat and tares • Matt 13:31-32 – The mustard seed • Matt 13:33 – The leaven • Matt 13:44 – The hidden treasure • Matt 13:45-46 – The pearl of great value • Matt 13:47-50 – The drag net Christendom Wheat & tares explained David Tye

39. The Hidden Treasure We will have to review scripture here. David Tye

40. Israel’s Understanding of Treasure? Deuteronomy 7:6  "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. Deuteronomy 26:18  "The LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; Deuteronomy 32:9-10 For the LORD'S portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. 10 He found himin a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; … Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: Psalm 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, andIsrael for his peculiar treasure. David Tye

41. Matt 13:44 “The Hidden Treasure” "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasurehidden in the field, which a man found and hidagain; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. David Tye

42. Matt 13:44 “The Hidden Treasure” From A.W. Pink: • The next 3 parables, unlike the four which preceded, were spoken to the disciples only (review the gloomy picture of last 4 parables) • Jesus had just parted relationship with Israel (hid the treasure) Matthew 12:50"For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” • Field is the world (vs. 38). • Treasure is hidden (Gospel is not hidden in the world) • When found, the treasure is hidden again!! • The purchase is made after the treasure had been "hidden,“ • Hidden treasure and Pearl of Great Price - "To the Jew first, and also to the Greek." David Tye

43. The Letter to Sardishttp://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/sg1442.htm • Application — Letter to the Church universal • Application — Instruction to individual Christians 2'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. 3'Remember therefore what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Complete the Reformation! Stick to the 5 Solas! 5'He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life 1 John 5:5who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." David Tye

44. The Letter to SardisJohn MacArthur Detailed Study at http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/sg1441.htm • Application — Letter to the Church universal • Application — Instruction to individual Christians Check your heat beat! Is Christ the sole authority you respond to? Are you teaching the Word of God? • Wake up, strengthen what is Christ’s. • Remember, obey, and repent. • Do not soil your garment. • Look for His immanent return. David Tye

45. Summary to date David Tye

46. David Tye

47. End David Tye