INTRO: Told story before but it fits in so well with my message today, I’ll tell it again.
The following is a Russian parable. A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft soothing voice, "Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let us negotiate the matter."
Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, "I want a fur coat." "Good," said the bear, "that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise."
They sat down to negotiate, and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat.
Compromises rarely satisfy both sides in equal measure.
TRUTH: One of the devil’s most devious methods is getting Christians to compromise. If he can succeed, Christians will be rendered spiritually ineffective.
TEXT: Rev. 2:12-17
TITLE: Riding The Fence
I. Review: Ephesus taught us you can be so busy you can lost your first love.
Smyrna dealt with suffering Christians and their hope.
- Today look at Pergamum - compromising Christians - you see, if the devil can’t knock you out, he will invite you to dine with him.
A. Method he uses: Is to compromise, one foot in church while having one foot in the world.
-Churches in America have been compromised, seduced by the devil. They’ve embraced the world’s philosophies and teachings.
-Generally churches are not outright rejecting the gospel or the Bible, but they are mixing the world philosophies into Christianity.
-Talk about three points:
I) Who Can Be Seduced
II) How Does Seduction Occur
III) The Cure For Seduction
I. Who Can Be Seduced - v. 13 (Read) Bible believing, witnessing orthodox Christians, basically those that were true.
A. Enemy not going to go after those he already owns. He’s going to try for those who are his enemy.
B. Church Pergamum - was a Bible-believing, orthodox church. They believed in the 3 B’s (blood, only atonement for sin. book - God’s revelation to man. Blessed hope - Christ will return).
-They were the type of folks who thought if God said it, and we believe it; and that’s all there is to it.
1. They were witnessing Christians. -Word witness GK word myturas translated myter (KJ). See in those days, if you were a witness, you were a myter.
-Willing to die for your faith, there were no secret service Christians.
a. Antipas - Jesus says did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness.
-Leader of the church, Pastor, was a faithful witness.
1. Legend has it - Antipas met his death by being slowly roasted to death within a brazen bull.
b. Today: So many times we get in our Christian circles and we demonstrate our Christianity. But we equally play it down in circles where Christianity meets opposition.
1. Pastor: You don’t know my workplace, the place I go to school. -Your right, I don’t; but our Lord does.
-v. 13 "I know where you live." (Doug, I know your environmen; Verne, I know yours; Tammy, I know yours.)
c. Question: If you were arrested for the crime of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you of your witness?
C. Christians in Pergamum - were in a difficult place, where Satan lives (throne).
1. Meaning - In Pergamum worship many Gods, one was Asclepios (The Savior). You might not recognize him by name, but maybe you would by sight. He is the God of Medicine (snake twined around a staff).
-Military medical profession wear these on their lapel, emblem snake around a pole (God of healing).
a. Also had temple of Zeus - one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Zeus was the head of the greek parthenon, tremendous altar.
-Pergamum was the capital city of Roman province of Asia (emperor worship). -Pergamum was the administrative center of Asia (the head) change the head - rest follows.
ex Carlton, St. Olaf (there seems to be a heavy occult practice around these areas because coming out of these high-power colleges are your future leaders) enemy knows, get early, he’ll have future leaders in his pocket.
b. Devil headquarters are - In City of Pergamum (administrative center to whole of Asia).
2. Lord’s army - Plant a church right in middle of enemy headquarters.
-Sometimes we as Christians want to withdraw from the evil and just be around our Christian friends, but that is not God’s plan (he wants to air drop us right into the devil headquarters).
Principle: Christian life is not escape, but conquest (imagine if all Christians just stayed with Christian friends, insulating themselves from the lost. How could world be reached, or the works of devil destroyed).
a. If you’re the only Christian in your workplace, Praise God! What an opportunity to be used by Him.
-Be like Chesty Puller, the former Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps (when they were surrounded by the enemy on every side; north, south, east, west, said, "Don’t let any of them get away."
b. If God has planted you right in the middle of an evil place (you’re the only Christian). -I’m praying there will be more Christians around you because of your witness in days ahead. -Be a faithful witness in Owatonna like Christians in Pergamum.
Thought: What kind of army will you have if all the troops want to go home or go on R&R.
-The problem with most of us today we’re either wishing for Lord to take us (hardship) or we’re just hanging out with Christians not engaging the world.
II. How Does Seduction Occur - v. 14 (Read)
A. Teaching Balaam - Numbers 22
1. Who was he - Like a pagan holy man, a seuthsayer, sorcerer - If you need to know future or put a curse on someone, you called him.
a. Balak, King of Moab - Israel came out of Egypt, wonder around dessert 40 years and finally going to promised land. Wherever they went they were conquering people.
-So King Moab, scared because he was in their path, so he summons Balaam to put a curse upon them.
1. Balaam responds by coming, King takes him up on a high hill and builds altar and sacrifices to gods to get a curse upon nation Israel, but everytime Balaam opens his mouth he blesses Israel.
2. Balak responds - Didn’t bring you here to bless them but to curse them. So go another place (reach gods at another point) Same thing happens.
Truth here: Sometimes you’ll run across people who think you can be demon-possessed and be a Christian (nonsense). Or Someone will try to scare you - witch put a curse on you.
Numbers 24:13 "Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver, and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord and I must say only what the Lord says."
-See he knew how to get into spiritual realm and control individuals, but he could not touch the Christians because God was protecting them.
2. Balaam came up with a way to destroy Israel - I can’t curse what God won’t let me curse, but I’ll tell you how to get God to crush them.
a. Enticing them - be apart in your ceremonies, a part of your lifestyles. Seduce them into your way of life, then God in his righteousness will punish them.
-That’s exactly what king did. If you can’t beat them, join them.
3. Satan Stragedy - try to entice you in his direction. If he can’t beat you, he’ll ask you to dine with him. -Teaching things of this world (philosophies and values).
B. Another thing Lord holds against church Pergamum.
1. Teaching of Nicolaitans - freedom in Christ (represents free in spirit but also free in our body to endulge in any activity we so choose). OK to conform to world’s standards to compromise to save themselves from trouble.
-Spirit and body does not react to each other (what you do in your body has no effect on your spirit).
ex.....Politicians, Presidential race, one candidate was having moral problems when questioned, he replied, "My personal life has no bearing on what kind of leader I will be." (Untrue)
2. Church Pergamum - Christians were going to temple Zeus making sacrifices, doing worldly things with their bodies and then coming in and worshiping Christ in the Spirit.
-We have this today. Title it by one word "compromise". We hear statements like:
Live and let live
God wants us to be happy and have fun When in Rome, do as the Romans do Safe sex
Q: We need to be very careful we are not compromising the Word, our walk with God. End up like Jeb Stewart.
-Aide to Nixon "Watergate" who, when looking back over the whole scandal, remarked, "We were conning ourselves that we were not doing anything wrong. By the time we were doing things illegal, we had lost control. We had gone from poor ethical behavior into illegal activities without even
realizing it."
-Compromise is so subtle.
Cure for Compromise - 3 steps
A. Repent - stop compromising and ask God to forgive.
B. Receive the Word - (Hidden Manna)
1 . Manna - Israelites wonder in dessert for 40 years. God would supply daily manna to sustain the people.
-Jesus says, "I am the Bread of Life", Book is bread from heaven. Learning the Bible is important.
Q: How many agree that it’s important to learn the Bible (Amen).
-Good, Saints, there are some don’t see the importance of coming to Sunday School (Learn Bible, taught at own level.)
1. Moms/Dads - grandparents - Bring your children/grandchildren to the house of God to learn the ways of the Lord.
-Saints, we are compromising our children’s eduction of the Lord by not bringing them to Sunday School, main service, Wednesday night service.
C. Restored - White stone analogy. In those days when you had a trial, judge and jury listen to case when came to a decision, they would pass a clay pot and you would put in a black stone (guilty) or a white stone (innocent).
-Jesus is using this analogy that be will give a white stone to those that overcome (declare innocent).
CONCLUSION: Close story from old west Montana - 2 brothers, sheep thieves, brought to trial, judgement was passed, (branded on forehead initials ST, sheep thieves) and then were released. Older brother became embittered, left the community, lived a life of crime for a short while, died by the end of a rope.
Younger brother repented, became a responsible member of the community and in time people came to know him as a man of integrity. He married, children, grandchildren. Respected.
One day a new person came into local store and saw this older fellow with initials ST on his forehead and watch him (way responded to people). He left the store, new person asked owner of the store who that man was and asked about the letters ST on his forehead.
Owner said, "I don’t know how it happened. It was so long ago I forgot the details, but I think it stands for saint." -Jesus says to overcomers, "I will give you a new name."
