Sardis was a well known city, maybe even the most storied city in the list. Jesus has nothing good to say about this church, though. He confronts them as the one who has the fullness of the Spirit of God and tells them that though they have a reputation of being alive, they are really dead. We might hope that this kind of church isn't around us today, but that is sadly not the case. It is easy for churches to be consumed with activity and have great reputations but still be spiritually dead.