No Room For Compromise

We have been studying the Book of Daniel on Wednesday nights and I would like to invite you all to come at 6:30 on Wednesday nights and join us. But last Wednesday, we talked about how Daniel and his 3 friends were tempted greatly to compromise with King Nebuchadnezzar’s and the world’s ways. We also learned that Daniel and his friends stood strong in their conviction to God and didn’t let temptation lead them astray.

Today, we are going to pick up from that idea and talk about what the Bible says about using TRUTH to overcome any compromising situation. But first let’s talk about lizards. Chameleons in particular.

Chameleons are one of God's fascinating little creatures. If you put a chameleon in a jar with green grass, it will begin to turn green. If you add some red berries, it begins to take on the color of the berries. Chameleons change colors to blend in. It's part of their adapting to the environment and also a vital part in their survival. They will also change colors to warm up or to cool down, or to communicate fear or anger. Again, this is a way to adapt to their environment.

Some people are like chameleons. Whatever situation or environment they find themselves in, they adapt and take on the “color of that environment.” They're thinking and behavior adapt so they blend in and look like the world around them. But for followers of Christ, our true color should never be compromised. We have been called to live a life devoted to Christ and not compromise the truth of who He is and who we are in Christ.

Today we are going to again use chapter 2 of Revelation beginning in verse 12 to see what Jesus had to say about the church at Pergamum and how they compromised their faith in Christ by “changing their color” and becoming like those around them. As a result, Christ rebuked them.

PRAYER

In Revelation 2:12, Jesus writes a third message to another church. This message was written to the church in Pergamum which was located north of Ephesus and Smyrna and about 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. This city had around 160,000 people and was the religious and cultural center of that region. As a cultural center, some estimate that Pergamum may have housed as many as 200,000 papyrus and parchment volumes in its library. That was their books of that day. As a religious center, it was home to four major pagan temples;

? the temple to Athena the goddess of wisdom and the arts;

? the Temple of Dionysus, the god of wine and ecstasy;

? the Temple of Zeus, the ruler of the heavens and father of the other gods;

? and the shrine of Asclepius, the god of medicine, which was expanded into a popular medical spa.

Jesus was well aware of the city where this church was. With four major temples dedicated to pagan worship, Pergamum could certainly be identified as where Satan's throne is (v.13.) In a city and culture that thrived on the worship of multiple false gods, the believers were to be commended because they were holding on to the name of Christ. To the culture around them, Jesus was just one of many gods, but these believers knew his name was above all other names and only through him could one be saved. They held strong to the fundamental truths about Christ and would not deny their faith.

READ Rev. 2:12 - “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword:

In the Roman empire, Pergamum had been given the rare power to carry out Capital punishment, which was symbolized by the sword. To the church in Pergamum, Jesus made it clear that He is the one who has the authority to judge by identifying Himself as the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword.(v.12)

But this isn't the only place in Scripture where a sword is used as a metaphor for Jesus' words of judgment. In Revelation 1:16, when John saw Jesus in his earlier vision, he described a sharp double-edged sword that came from his mouth.

The writer of Hebrews declared “the word of God was sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. So Jesus is telling us rather bluntly by his powerful word that He is truly the one who ultimately judges.

READ Rev. 2:13 – “I know where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death among you, where Satan lives.”