Rev. Dr. Al Tizon, "'Good Enough' Waking Up to Spiritual Lethargy

Oct 26, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: Wake Up from Spiritual Lethargy

Jesus calls the church to awaken from spiritual complacency, warning that outward appearances of life are not enough if inwardly there is no vitality. The church in Sardis was content with being “good enough,” but Jesus exposes this as a dangerous illusion, urging believers to strengthen what remains before it dies completely. Spiritual lethargy sets in when we settle for the status quo, stop growing, and become satisfied with past achievements rather than pressing forward in faith. The call is urgent: do not rest on your laurels or become spiritually drowsy, but be alert and ready to respond to the challenges and evils of the present age. [12:18]

Revelation 3:1-3 (ESV)
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.’”

Reflection: In what area of your life have you become spiritually complacent, and what practical step can you take today to “wake up” and pursue deeper growth in Christ?

Day 2: Be Completed in Christ, Not Just “Good Enough”

The journey of faith is not about reaching a plateau and maintaining it, but about continually moving toward wholeness and maturity in Christ. Jesus’ command to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” is not a call to flawlessness, but to being fully developed and complete—never settling for “good enough.” The Greek word “teleios” means being made whole, and Jesus urges us to keep growing, learning, and maturing in the ways of the kingdom. Settling for maintenance mode is not the church’s calling; instead, we are to press on toward the fullness of life in Christ, refusing to let our faith become stagnant or mechanical. [10:49]

Matthew 5:48 (ESV)
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Reflection: What is one area of your faith or character where you have settled for “good enough,” and how can you intentionally pursue greater maturity in that area this week?

Day 3: Remember the Gospel and Keep It Fresh

Remembering is a powerful act in the life of faith—recalling what God has done, who Christ is, and the good news we have received. When discouragement or spiritual dryness sets in, remembering the gospel reactivates our hope and keeps our faith alive and personal. The call is to remember not just intellectually, but to let the memory of God’s rescue, Christ’s death and resurrection, and the kingdom’s beauty remain fresh and motivating. This remembrance is not passive nostalgia, but an active stirring that propels us forward in faith and mission, preventing the gospel from going stale in our souls. [15:02]

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (ESV)
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”

Reflection: When was the last time you paused to remember and give thanks for how God has rescued you? Take time today to recall and write down specific ways God’s grace has been real in your life.

Day 4: Repent of the Sin of Settling

There is a subtle but serious danger in becoming content with simply maintaining the status quo in our spiritual lives or church communities. Jesus calls us to repent of the “sin of settling”—the attitude that says, “We’re in a good place, no need to change or grow.” This mindset leads to spiritual stagnation and a slow death inside, as we stop moving forward in faith and mission. Repentance means naming and turning from this complacency, asking God to reignite our desire for growth, learning, and deeper obedience, so that we do not miss out on the fullness of life He offers. [18:11]

Hebrews 6:1 (ESV)
“Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God.”

Reflection: Is there a place in your spiritual journey where you have “settled”? What would it look like to repent and take a concrete step toward growth today?

Day 5: Regard and Join the Faithful “Woke”

Among the spiritually drowsy, there are always a few who remain awake—alert to the Spirit’s prompting and actively advocating for justice, mercy, and the vulnerable. Jesus commends these faithful ones, urging the rest of the church to take them seriously, learn from their example, and join them in their work. These “woke” believers are not content to sleep through the challenges of their time; instead, they inspire others to greater faithfulness and action. By regarding and joining the truly faithful among us, we too become more awake, more responsive, and more ready to challenge the powers that threaten what is good and just. [23:28]

Revelation 3:4-5 (ESV)
“Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

Reflection: Who is a faithful “woke” person in your life or community whose example challenges you? How can you intentionally learn from or support them in their pursuit of justice and faithfulness this week?

Sermon Summary

The letter to the church in Sardis, found in Revelation, offers a sobering call to wakefulness and spiritual vitality. While the church in Sardis had a reputation for being alive, Jesus saw beneath the surface—a community that had settled for “good enough,” content with the status quo, and in danger of spiritual death. The challenge is not simply to maintain appearances or coast on past achievements, but to continually pursue maturity and wholeness in Christ. In times of intensifying evil and chaos, as in the days of the Roman Empire and in our own, “good enough” is not enough. The call is to be completed in Christ, to keep moving forward, and to resist the temptation to settle.

This journey toward maturity is not about achieving flawlessness, but about being made whole—becoming fully developed in faith, love, and mission. Jesus’ command to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” is a call to ongoing growth, not complacency. Spiritual lethargy sets in when we become satisfied with where we are, when we stop striving, learning, and being challenged. The antidote is to remember the gospel—not as a distant memory, but as a living, personal, and transformative reality. Reminiscing on God’s faithfulness, Christ’s death and resurrection, and the ongoing work of the Spirit reawakens our passion and purpose.

Repentance is also essential. The “sin of settling” is a subtle but deadly threat, lulling us into maintenance mode rather than mission. Jesus calls us to name and turn from this sin, to refuse to be a club that merely maintains itself, but to be the church—alive, alert, and agile in the face of evil. We are also called to regard the “woke” among us—those who remain sensitive to the Spirit, who advocate for the vulnerable, and who challenge us to greater faithfulness. Their example spurs us on to deeper engagement and readiness.

Even if we are not currently suffering from spiritual lethargy, the warning remains: it is easy to drift into neutrality or comfort, especially in turbulent times. The call is to stay awake, to be ready for gospel action, and to stand with and for the most vulnerable. In doing so, we remain faithful to Christ and prepared to challenge the powers that be.

Key Takeaways

1. “Good enough” is not enough in the life of faith. Settling for spiritual maintenance or outward appearances leaves us vulnerable to the chaos and evil that can overtake us unexpectedly. True vitality comes from a continual pursuit of maturity and wholeness in Christ, refusing to rest on past achievements or reputations. [09:09]
2. The journey toward being “perfect” is not about flawlessness, but about being made whole—fully developed in love, faith, and mission. Jesus calls us to ongoing growth, to never stop learning, serving, and being transformed by the Spirit. Stagnation is the enemy of spiritual life; movement toward Christlikeness is the goal. [10:18]
3. Remembering the gospel is a powerful antidote to spiritual lethargy. When discouragement or doubt sets in, recalling God’s faithfulness, Christ’s sacrifice, and the hope of the resurrection reawakens our passion and purpose. The living memory of God’s work in our lives keeps us moving forward, preventing the gospel from growing stale. [14:12]
4. Repentance from the “sin of settling” is crucial for a living faith. Maintenance mode may feel safe and comfortable, but it is not the calling of the church. We are called to name and turn from complacency, to keep growing and learning, and to be a community ruled by the Spirit, ready to respond to the needs and challenges of our time. [18:11]
5. Regard and learn from those who are awake to the Spirit’s promptings—the “woke” among us. Their advocacy for the vulnerable and their readiness to act in the face of injustice serve as examples and catalysts for the whole community. By taking them seriously and joining in their faithfulness, we too become more alert, engaged, and prepared to challenge the powers that threaten justice and peace. [22:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:11] - Reading from Revelation: The Letter to Sardis
[01:34] - Context: The Seven Letters and the Roman Empire
[03:33] - Review: The First Four Letters and Their Messages
[05:19] - Introducing Sardis: The Fifth Church
[05:35] - Modern Parables: Accidents and Robo Taxis
[08:12] - When “Good Enough” Isn’t Enough
[09:45] - The Call: Be Completed in Christ
[11:05] - Wake Up from Spiritual Lethargy
[13:22] - Remembering the Gospel
[16:10] - The Warning: Don’t Sleep Through Christ’s Return
[17:32] - Repentance and the Sin of Settling
[20:30] - Maintenance vs. Mission: A Church’s True Calling
[22:20] - Regard the Woke: Learning from the Faithful
[26:33] - Staying Awake in Our Own Context
[28:20] - Practical Gospel Action in Troubled Times
[28:53] - Commitment and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: Wake Up! The Letter to Sardis and the Call to Spiritual Vitality

Bible Reading

Revelation 3:1–6 (ESV)
“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Observation Questions

What does Jesus say about the reputation of the church in Sardis compared to their true spiritual condition? ([00:11])
According to the passage, what are the specific instructions Jesus gives to the church in Sardis? ([00:29])
In the sermon, what does the phrase “good enough is not good enough” mean for the church in Sardis? ([09:09])
Who are the “few” in Sardis that Jesus commends, and what sets them apart from the rest of the church? ([01:01])

Interpretation Questions

Why might a church or individual be tempted to settle for “good enough” in their spiritual life? What are some signs that this is happening? ([09:09])
The sermon describes “being perfect” as being made whole or fully developed, not flawless. How does this understanding change the way we think about spiritual growth? ([10:18])
What is the “sin of settling,” and why is it considered so dangerous for a church or believer? ([18:11])
The sermon talks about “regarding the woke”—those who are sensitive to the Spirit and advocate for the vulnerable. Why is it important for the church to pay attention to these people? ([22:20])

Application Questions

The church in Sardis was known for being alive but was actually spiritually dead. Are there areas in your life where you are “coasting” on reputation or past achievements instead of pursuing real growth? What would it look like to “wake up” in those areas? ([09:09])
The sermon challenges us not to settle for maintenance mode but to keep moving toward maturity in Christ. Is there a specific area of your faith—prayer, service, generosity, learning, or something else—where you have become comfortable? What is one step you could take this week to move forward? ([20:30])
Remembering the gospel is described as an antidote to spiritual lethargy. When was the last time you intentionally remembered or shared a story of God’s faithfulness in your life? How could you make this a regular practice? ([14:12])
Repentance from the “sin of settling” is crucial. Is there a place in your life or in our church where you sense God calling you to repent of complacency? What would repentance look like in practical terms? ([18:11])
The sermon encourages us to learn from those who are “awake” to the Spirit and who advocate for the vulnerable. Who in your life or community inspires you in this way? How can you support or join them in their work? ([22:20])
The warning to Sardis is that it’s easy to drift into comfort or neutrality, especially in turbulent times. What are some practical ways you can “stay awake” and be ready for gospel action in your daily life? ([26:33])
The call is to stand with and for the most vulnerable. Is there a specific need or injustice in your community that you feel prompted to respond to? What is one concrete action you could take this month? ([28:20])

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite the group to pray for alertness, courage to repent, and a renewed passion for gospel action—both as individuals and as a church.

Sermon Clips

“Rather, they made up a unit that was always a part of what we now call the book of Revelation, which was sent to all the churches. Now, that said, each letter contained a distinct message. In pastoral fashion, the prophet John sought to give comfort and guidance to the churches that were struggling within the Roman Empire. He wanted them to know how to be the church in the context of the intensifying evil that was being perpetrated by the powers that be.”

“How are we supposed to live as followers of Jesus when the laws of the land mandate that we be followers of the emperor? Did you know, by the way, that the Trump administration is opening an investigation to find out who was behind the nationwide No Kings protest day. They want to find the masterminds behind it and punish them in some way. So, if you're wondering why we're studying the book of Revelation, it's because the times in this country are not that far off from the times of Revelation.”

“Remember your first love you'll recall who is Jesus John said and prefer nothing and no one to him. And secondly um be living martyrs. That was the message to the church in Sardis. be sold out for Jesus serving the cause of the gospel no matter the cost. And thirdly, um be pure in heart, soul, and body, which was um the message to the church in Pergamum. The empire has much to offer uh to cater to our base desires. Abstain, urges John, don't give in. Remain pure in Christ.”

“When we say Jesus is Lord, we're also saying that Caesar is not. Not anyone or anything else is Lord because Jesus is Lord. Be loyal to him. John pleads. Other powers will demand our allegiance and try to determine the course of our lives and in the midst of that remain loyal to Jesus who is our only king.”

“And as I hope we'll see in reflecting on the letter to the church in Sardis, there are times like when a speeding Tesla is about to rear end you that good enough is not good enough. The church in Sardis worked just fine. It was good enough. It even looked like the church was doing great. You have a name of being alive, said Jesus in verse one. But inside, he continued, there's no life.”

“There's just a bunch of nuts and bolts and wires which are not enough to see and respond to the evil fast approaching. Good enough in evil times is not good enough, says Jesus. to the live to the alive on the outside but dead in the inside church. Don't settle for just being good enough because that's not good enough in the age of empire.”

“Our movement toward maturity in Christ shouldn't mustn't stop. That is if we want to be a church that remains very much alive and agile in the context of high-speed chaos or intensifying evil. The fifth response to the question of what the church should be amid empire is this. Be completed in Christ. Be completed in Christ. Be made whole. keep on maturing in the ways of the kingdom.”

“Jesus calls the church in Sardis and all churches to be fully developed to remain on the journey toward being made complete and whole in Christ. Because you see, if we're if we're halfway there and begin to entertain the notion that, you know, we're in a good enough place, we're good enough. If we begin to say that or think that as a kind of excuse to simply maintain in the faith, then we'll likely learn the hard way that to be good enough is not good enough.”

“If and when we find ourselves resting on our laurels and thinking we like it here, why strive any longer? We're in a good place. No need to change, to grow, to be challenged with new things, to move forward. Where we are, it's good enough. It's good enough. The church when we begin thinking like this then we begin to slow we begin to die a slow death inside.”

“Wake up church in Sardis and all the churches past and present says the one who according to verse one has the seven spirits of God which by the way is apocalyptic for Holy Spirit and who holds the seven stars or the seven angels or God ordained leaders of the churches. and don't neglect the things that still remain for you to grow and mature in. That's what that that's what the admonition, the call is. It's wake up. That's the call this morning. Wake up.”

“Remember, that is such a critical word in biblical faith, isn't it? Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. Remember the Sabbath. Remember all the good things God has done for you. Remember Christ's death and resurrection. Every time you gather via the bread and the wine and so on, to remember has some kind of power.”

“When in doubt, reminisce. When God feels distant, when life's circumstances cause me to forget why I do what I do, when my hope begins to flag that Christ is the answer, I simply need to remember how God rescued me from the jaws of my own self-destructive behavior and how up close and personal I have been able to experience the living God. The living memory of these things keeps me going.”

“If we think that somehow salvation means simply waiting around for heaven, then we have miscalculated the cost of our salvation. Yeah, it was free. But it has also demanded that we dedicate our whole lives to Jesus and his purposes. To those asleep in the light, to use the words of Keith Green, Jesus warns us in verse three, to those asleep in the light.”

“It's when we forget, you see, when we forget the gospel that we stop moving and start settling in a particular place on the path of faith and no further. I call this the sin of settling. The sin of settling. I remember conducting a workshop years ago with a group of church leaders that included a section entitled maintenance versus mission.”

“It's just not the church. You want to be a club, fine, but it's not the church. I realized now that I was speaking to the pastor of the church in Sardis. That church was asleep contentedly. So, the pastor in my opinion being the chief snorer of them all. For my read of the letter to the church in Sardis, Jesus is calling such churches, such pastors, such people to repent of this kind of thinking and keep moving, keep growing, keep learning in Christ toward a life ruled by the seven spirits of God, the Holy Spirit.”

“Church, we have to be ready, alert, and able to move out of the way to counter it. Even awake therefore from your spiritual lethargy, says Jesus. name, confess, and repent of the sin of settling and then resume the journey toward full maturity in Christ.”

“Regard the woke. Now, I I hesitated to use that loaded term, but I figure if Pope Leo can use it, I can, too. In verses four and five, Jesus pointed out that not everyone in the Sardis Sardisian church is asleep. There were those among them who had remained awake to what was going on in their city and around the Roman Empire. They were woke to the prompings of the spirit and therefore woke to advocate for those most vulnerable in society.”

“The call here is to regard these woke folk in a serious kind of way. There aren't many among you, said Jesus in verse four. There's only a few of you. But take them seriously. See what they do. Listen to what they have to say. And then join them lest you sleep your way right out of the book of life.”

“And when the woke decide to band together, the empire will have its hands full. Remember the beautiful, powerful gospel. Repent of the sin of settling and regard the woke among us. That's how we wake up from spiritual lethargy, according to the letter to the church in Sardis and by waking up we become in part poised to challenge the powers that be.”

Ask a question about this sermon