Parables Of The Kingdom – The Third - The Mustard Seed - Part 3 Of 4 Series

PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM – THE THIRD - THE MUSTARD SEED - PART 3 of 4

In the second Part we focused on Constantine who married the church to the State with his Babylonian paganism. The church was weakened after that point as it embraced these evil doctrines of the birds of the air. The mustard seed had become the tree of monstrosity. In this Part we will look at more of the letter to the church at Pergamum that John wrote.

We look at the error of Balaam and who were the Nicolaitans? As well, what is the manna and the white stone?

VERSE 14 – COMPROMISE AND STUMBLING BLOCKS – THE BALAAM ERROR

{{Revelation 2:14 – “but I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold THE TEACHING OF BALAAM who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality.”}}

THE SEPARATION OF GENUINE AND FALSE CHRISTIANITY

Quotation – [[A refusal to partake of idol meats involved abstinence from every festivity and withdrawal from social life almost entirely, for sacrifice and paganism was bound up with almost every act of social life. Even today the child of God finds the need at times to sacrifice legitimate pleasure or activities as an indication of his allegiance to Christ. There was the added difficulty in Pergamum that some gnostic professing Christians participated freely in heathen festivals and Irenaeus said, “They eat without hesitation the idol offerings, because they do not reckon themselves defiled thereby”, but their true character was revealed by the subsequence of their licentiousness.”

In the precincts of every temple, harlot priestesses offered themselves for prostitution as part of their service to the god or goddess they worshipped. Prior to marriage, many wellborn girls also dedicated themselves to a similar service for a period, and were honoured rather than criticised for so doing. Christians who had previously indulged in promiscuity of this kind as a feature of their worship might well find difficulty in adjusting their attitude to the Christian teaching of chastity. Even at social banquets, they would be confronted with a general sexual laxity and be tempted to regard it as relatively unimportant.

As Barclay points out, “In the ancient world, sexual morals were loose; relationships outside of marriage were entirely accepted, with no stigma whatever.” Demosthenes could say, “We have courtesans for the sake of pleasure; we have concubines for the sake of daily cohabitation; we have wives for the purpose of having children legitimately, and of having a faithful guardian of the household affairs.”]]

In Pergamum Christians were under enormous temptation, and some rationalised away the position they should have taken.

Balaam is a large study, not to do this time, but I have a two part series on it in the messages in Jude. Here is the first of those two - https://sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-error-of-balaam-making-profit-from-the-work-of-the-lord-part-1-jude-1-10-11b-ron-ferguson-sermon-on-donkey-267470

If you have time to read 2 Peter 2:15 and Numbers 22:4 to Numbers 24:25 (it’s long) you can do that just as a background.

Balaam/Balek were to curse the people of God for a price. In other words those following his methods sought to corrupt the Christians at Pergamum. To eat things sacrificed to idols was a problem in the early church. Paul teaches about that starting with {{1 Corinthians 8:1-4 “Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.”}}

Then he goes on to say that a strong Christian understands what this is and it is fine for him to buy his meat at the market AS LONG AS it will not offend a weaker Christian. However in Pergamum, it was far more than that. They thought they could take part in the pagan feasts and they would be okay because they were Christians. Remember most had come out of that behaviour and for some, they think their position as a Christian will allow them to engage in those things still because they understand what they mean. It’s a huge compromise.

VERSE 15 – THE GREAT ERROR OF THE NICOLAITANS

{{Revelation 2:15 “Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”}}

The church at Ephesus would have nothing to do with the Nicolaitans and for that God commended them – {{Revelation 2:6 “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans which I also hate.”}}