Sardis was a city at the foot of the Tmolus Mountains. It was very easy to defend as the walls around the acropolis are at the top of very steep cliffs. It is a very difficult walk just to go up the road to the main gate. Therefore, it was a very difficult city to attack. The city also overlooks a very fertile plain. Because of this, in the BC times, it was a desirable place to run a kingdom. However, the ease of defending the city led to over-confidence. There are several historical writings that indicate that Sardis was able to be overcome simply because the guards at the gate were so confident that no one would attack they were inattentive to their posts.
Sardis also became the most trusted name in coin and currency production when under the rule of King Croesus as the metallurgists in the city discovered how to separate gold from silver and make pure coins. The name Croesus became synonymous with wealth as coins from their city could always be trusted to be pure and not an unknown combination of silver and gold.
Sardis was mostly destroyed by an earthquake in AD 17. It was rebuilt by emperor Tiberius. Today, the modern city of Sart is located nearby.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
This city, which had just been rebuilt from a deadly earthquake, which had a history of being hard to conquer, which had a history of producing pure coins and wealth, could not possibly be dead. It was rebuilt, had a defendable position, and was wealthy. How could it be dead? All of these things are desired. Yet, Jesus says that it is dead – spiritually dead.
How about your church? Is it a nice building? Does it have a defendable position or history of work in the city? Is it wealthy? … Most importantly, is it spiritually dead? I pray that we take a careful and truthful analysis of our churches. We seek to see them the way Jesus does and gain a realistic view of their position.
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