1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. - Revelation 3:1-6

The letter to the church in Sardis starts with Jesus introducing Himself as the one with the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. This shows He's got it all—complete fullness of the Spirit and authority over the church. But unfortunately, the believers in Sardis didn't reflect those same characteristics. Despite having an excellent reputation among other churches, they were just faking it on the outside. In reality, Jesus called them out for being spiritually dead, much like he did with the religious leaders of Israel when he commented, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.” (Matthew 23:27)

Sardis was known for its idol worship, and sadly, the church had fallen into the same trap.  But more than that, Sardis was known for its complacency.  Because of its position on the high cliffs, the people of Sardis were adamant they were safe from attack.  However, they weren’t as safe as they assumed, and their city was raided…not once, but multiple times.  Even after the first attack proved their vulnerability, the people of Sardis still took no action to better their defences.

Sadly, the church of Sardis mirrored the state of the city itself.  They had grown too comfortable and complacent in their faith. They relied on their past accomplishments and reputation rather than actively pursuing a relationship with Christ. Jesus urged them to wake up before things got worse. He told them to be watchful.  They needed to hold onto what little faith they had left, or it would eventually die out.

Like Sardis, we can appear to be strong Christians on the surface while slowly decaying inside. We must regularly examine our hearts and not rely on our good deeds, well-meaning intentions,  or family history.  Some people in Sardis were still faithful to Jesus, but most had become apathetic and lost in sin. Success can make us lazy when it comes to our spiritual life. We must stay vigilant and make an effort every day to grow closer to Christ.

Jesus calls us to pay attention to His warning to Sardis. We need to stay alert and invest in our relationship with Him. Going through the motions of religion without genuine faith and obedience only leads to death. Let's not fall into this trap like the believers in Sardis did.

Let's allow Sardis' sad state to serve as a wake-up call to renew our passion for Christ through repentance and devotion! Our external image means nothing if we lack true spiritual vitality. Let's invite Jesus to revive and renew our souls. If we listen to what the Spirit says, we can avoid the same fate as Sardis.