Sermon Sardis: The Living Dead Randy Roberts 
Part 7: Letters from the Edge of Eternity

Prayer: Tim Gillespie

Pastoral Welcome: Calvin Thomsen

Children’s Feature: Jackie Bishop

Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:1–3, TNIV - Paul and William Herrmann

INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON

Henry Ford said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”  But we do build reputations every day, and sometimes those reputations are built on things that aren’t accurate.  At times, people have a worse reputation than they deserve; at times their reputation is better than it should be.

Jesus talked with the church in ancient Sardis about their reputation.  Here’s what he essentially said to that church:  “You have a good reputation, but your reputation does not match the reality of your condition.”  Because of that, he said some things to them that were, no doubt, difficult for them to hear.  He wanted them to deal with reality and with truth, not to try to exist on reputation.

Have you noticed a simple truth about reputation and reality?  Here it is:  unfortunately, most of are more concerned about our reputation than we are about the reality – thetruth – about ourselves.  We’re more interested in being thought of in positive ways than in doing the hard work to become authentic and truthful people.

Jesus, on the other, is much more concerned about the truth than he is about reputation.  He wants us – individually and corporately – to deal with the situation as it really is.  Because of that, he called on the church in Sardis to repent and turn deeply to God.

What is the reputation of the Loma Linda University Church?  Is the reputation we have deserved?  Accurate?  True?  What is the true reality of our condition?  Is it time for us to listen carefully to the call of Jesus to turn more deeply in a God-ward direction?

My prayer is that our church might do an accurate assessment of who we are and of where we stand.  Only based on the accuracy and authenticity of such an assessment will we be able to grow in the ways God calls us to grow.

Yours for an authentic church.

Randy Roberts
Senior Pastor

MEDITATIONS

Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. – John Wooden

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.  The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.  – Abraham Lincoln

Kyle Rote, Sr., was an all-pro National Football League player of the 1950s.  He was the captain of the New York Giants for 10 years.  After Rote’s death, his son, Kyle Jr., said of all the compliments and awards his dad had received, one stood above the rest:  14 of the elder Rote’s former teammates named their sons Kyle.

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