Spiritually Dead or Alive
Text: Revelation 1:1-6
Our theme is “Spiritually Dead or Alive”, last Saturday night we watched one film i.e. The Sixth
Sense. It is about one little boy who has a sixth sense, with his sense he could see dead people,
moving around regularly like living people, they don’t know they are dead, they can see only what
they want to see. Among those dead people there was a doctor, named Malcolm. He doesn’t know
that he himself is also dead. But, in the end of the Movie he comes to know that he is already dead.
That very phrase ‘dead people’ continued to occupy my mind, and it makes me realize that as
Christians we could also be spiritually dead even when we appear or pretend to be alive outwardly.
The book of Revelation was written by John, the well known Elder. But, most of the scholars believe
that this John is the beloved disciple of Jesus, who wrote the 4G. It was written toward the end of the
1st century AD. Its main focus is about the last days before the end of the world and about the final
struggle between Christ and Satan. In one sense the last days can also imply the terrible persecution
which happened to the Christians from the rulers of the Roman Empire. This revelation was given to
John so that John might encourage the believers to stand firm under this persecution. And also it was
given for the sake of believers in every generation.
Here we have 7 individual letters to the 7 Churches – Sardis is one of them. Here we see in Verse 1,
the angel called Christ as the 7 Spirit of God and the 7 stars. He says that the Sardis church has a
name of being alive. But in reality they are dead. It seems that they are alive from their external form
or the human perspective. But they are dead spiritually from God’s sight. What happened to this
Sardis church? Most of the Christian were nominal Christians and they did not try to be different for
Jesus Christ from their non-Christian neighbors. In verse 2, Christ says strongly to them “wake up...”
It seems the Sardis Christians were not completely dead. There was still little spiritual life in them
which is appropriate one for God. Everything that they did for God was not acceptable to God. If we
read Isaiah 1: 13 God fed up all the Israel’s burnt offerings and their festivals. Likewise the same
thing happened to the Sardis Church. In v. 3, he told them to wake up from the death of their spiritual
life and to renew and repent their life what remains of their spiritual life. Otherwise, he will come at
an unexpectedly time like a thief and bring a judgment upon them. It is not only the final judgment,
but also the punishment which he brings upon people in their earthly life (Rev. 2:16). In V. 4, as we
know that there are true Christians and false Christians. Even in Sardis Church there were a few true
Christians who were righteous in God’s sight and who had kept themselves from the ways of the
world. Here the white color is a sign of righteousness and purity. In V.5, just like other seven letters,
Christ gives a promise also to them for those who overcome. The ones who overcome will dress in a
white cloth and live together with Christ. Their names will not be deleted from the book of life and he
will declare them as a righteous people in God’s sight. From this passage we can know Christ will be
our advocate and our spokesman before God.
Let us reflect our lives from these passages. Now we are training here to be God’s ministers. I am
afraid that our prayer, action, words are not acceptable to God’s sight like Sardis Christians. We
know about lepers from the Israel history, when people heard they are lepers, they have a funeral
service first before they chase them out. After they were chased out from the city, they are dead
people for their family and the community itself although they are alive. Likewise let us examine
ourselves whether we are alive or not spiritually in God’s sight at this time.
1. Let us try to be different for Christ, not nominal Christians.
2. Let us wake up and try to renew our lives what we still have God’s spirit in our heart again to
God. So, our ministry will alive in God’s sight and also for others.
3. Lastly, it is very clear that one day we will face the final judge before God, as Christ promised
that he will be our advocate and spokesman and he will declare ourselves as a righteous and
he will cloth us a white cloth and live together peacefully with him forever.
