INTRO: Our study this morning is the city of Sardis. Sardis, city of degradation, so some writers describe this city. There is no word of persecution. My wife and I listened to a converted Muslim, and he said this: The reason you persecute someone is because you are afraid of the truth that they carry. May I ask you, do you unload enough truth to be persecuted? But there was no reason to persecute the Christians of Sardis. As Guy Dowd would say, they were undercover agents. Undercover agents need to remain hidden. That was said facetiously.
Have you wondered why people react so strongly to teaching against divorce and remarriage? But what gets the strongest reaction is when you practice what the Bible says about separating oneself from Christians who live in such sins. When one takes such stands, it is most important that it is done in humility for the sake of the Lord. Though one will be accused of a holier than thou attitude, that should never be the truth.
I was thinking through Jesus’ first extended discourse in Matthew 5-7 the other day. In 5:13-14 Jesus said: 13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
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