DRIP, DRIP, DRIP
Revelation 2.12-17
S: Compromise
C: Tolerance of sin
Th: God Speaks to the Church
Pr: BE AN OBSTRUCTIONIST WHEN IT COMES TO SIN.
CV: “We will passionately pursue full devotion to Jesus Christ.”
I. THE CORRESPONDENT
II. THE CHURCH
III. THE COMMENDATION
IV. THE CONCERN
V. THE COMMAND
VI. THE COUNSEL
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Realize that orthodoxy and orthopraxy are essential partners.
• Say “no” to sin, no matter how small it seems.
• Live with purity.
Version: ESV
RMBC 8 February 09 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Purpose (S)
Frank Sosienski was a postman in Louisville, Kentucky, who didn’t want to deliver some of his mail. Perhaps he was tired of being chased by dogs. Perhaps it was the cold weather he disliked or the hot summertimes. Maybe the mail was heavy; maybe he wanted to quit his route just a little early each day. In any case, there were eventually complaints about mail not arriving, and they traced the problem back to Frank. When the postal authorities investigated, they found the mail that was missing. Most of it was in Frank’s attic. You see, over a six-year period he stashed away tons of other people’s mail. They discovered over 1200 bags of undelivered mail in Frank Sosienski’s attic.
Question: a mail carrier is supposed to… what?
Answer: To deliver the mail.
Truth is, a mail carrier who doesn’t deliver the mail hasn’t done a very good job of being what they’re supposed to be or doing what they’re supposed to do.
This story makes me ask another question…
What’s a Christian supposed to do?
A Christian is supposed to… what?
Well, there are many ways to talk about what a Christian is – what we are called to be and do.
One good definition is that that a Christian is someone whose faith is in Jesus Christ and is faithful in following Him.
A few weeks ago, we narrowed the responsibilities of a Christian down to four words: Love God, Love People.
We have been studying what Jesus has to say to the seven churches in Revelation.
So far, we have connected with the churches in Ephesus and Smyrna.
Today, we go north to Pergamum.
We study these churches in the realization that God is speaking to the church, even today.
You see, the question is not whether God is speaking, but rather, are we listening?
Alongside of that, we need to ask…
If God was talking directly to Randall, what would He say?
I consider that an intriguing question.
Would we want to hear what He has to say?
Or would we be ashamed to hear?
OUR STUDY:
Let’s note now what He says to the church in Pergamum:
(12) “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. (13) I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (14) But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. (15) So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (16) Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. (17) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”
I. THE CORRESPONDENT
Jesus is once again speaking.
But right from the very start, this does not sound like it is going to be a complimentary word, does it?
Because we end up asking the question…
Whose sword do you fear?
The text tells of a double-edged sword.
It is a sharp-biting sword.
And they represent Jesus’ words.
His words are full of potency and power.
Here is the thing, when Jesus speaks, He never wields a dull edge.
When God speaks, what He says happens.
He accomplishes what He intends to.
Therefore, it is important to note this…
It is more important to fear Christ’s sword than the sword of Rome.
It is more important for us to fear the words of Jesus than what man has to say, no matter how powerful they may seem.
II. THE CHURCH
The city of Pergamum was the capital of Asia.
It was not a port city like Ephesus or Smyrna.
Instead, it was fifteen miles inland.
The picture here is what is left of the altar to Zeus.
It was thirty yards square and four stories high.
Just to keep your perspective, one of the columns you see in the foreground was over ten feet high.
Pergamum, even more than Ephesus and Symrna, was a center for emperor worship.
Here in Pergamum was the first temple dedicated to a Caesar – Caesar Augustus.
Pergamum also had a library of 200,000 roles of parchment.
As far as libraries go, it was second only to Alexandria.
Therefore, the city certainly attracted some of the finest minds in the academic world.
But Jesus has a different description.
He says…
Pergamum was a place that Satan ruled.
As a people they were living right under the shadow of Satan’s throne.
The Adversary was fighting them.
He was working to disrupt their faith.
He was working to deceive their faith.
But he has not been totally successful.
III. THE COMMENDATION
For the church in Pergamum…
They were holding to the truth.
They were boldly living in Jesus’ name.
They were not ashamed of Jesus.
They were hanging in there.
Their faith in Jesus was intact.
And their faith had survived when one of their leaders, Antipas, had been martyred.
Their resolve had strengthened when one of their own had refused to declare “Kaiser Kurios” (which means Caesar is Lord).
They believed Yesus Kurios (Jesus is Lord).
You see, all citizens of a Roman city were expected to participate in its civil religion.
Otherwise, they would be suspected of being disloyal to the state.
So, you can imagine what family and friends and co-workers and neighbors might have said…
“Look, we’re not against religion or anything, but you don’t want to look like some kind of weirdo, do you?”
“This emperor stuff is just something you’ve got to do if you’re going to get ahead.”
“People aren’t going to hire you if you take this Christian thing too far…”
“Just say it. You don’t have to mean it.”
IV. THE CONCERN
ILL Deception (S)
I doubt you’ll recognize this man. His name is Heinrich Schliemann. In 1871, Heinrich Schliemann began to fulfill a dream he’d had since his youth. He started excavating an ancient city in Turkey. He was looking for the lost city of Troy. And to the amazement of many, this retired businessman found it. Today, you can still see the ruins of its towers and its walls, which were 16 feet thick.
Schliemann desire to find the ancient city of Troy can be traced back to his fascination with the Greek stories surrounding it. One of those stories is found in Homer’s Illiad. According to Homer the Greeks besieged Troy for ten years without success. And then when the warrior Achilles was killed, many wanted to give up the fight. But the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, came up with a plan to get the Greek army into Troy. Odysseus built an immense wooden horse may have looked something like this…
Odysseus and his warriors hid inside it. And after leaving the horse at the gates of Troy, the Greek army sailed away. The Trojans thinking the Greeks had given up and had left the horse as a gift, brought it inside the gates.
That night, while the Trojans were sleeping, the Greek ships quietly returned. The soldiers in the horse slipped out and opened the city gates. The Greek army quietly entered Troy and started fires all over the city. The Trojans awoke to find their city in flames. As they tried to flee, they were killed by the waiting Greeks.
In the same way, the church in Pergamum had not understood that they too had been infiltrated.
They were in danger.
They were in error and the Lord holds it against any in His church who hold to error.
It was not a matter of doctrinal error, but practical error.
You see, the church tends to believe that as long as their theology is right, everything is alright.
But that’s not true.
Jesus describes it this way…
The sins of Balaam and the Nicolaitans had made their way into the community.
Understanding the story of Balaam found in the book of Numbers helps us interpret this more accurately.
Balaam was a true prophet who prostituted his gifts in order to earn money from King Balak of Moab, who hired him to curse the people of Israel.
God prevented Balaam from actually cursing the nation.
In fact, God turned the curses into blessings!
But Balak still got His money’s worth.
How?
By following Balaam’s advice.
The winning philosophy was, “If you can’t curse them, corrupt them.”
He infiltrated Israel’s army using his own brand of Trojan horse.
Moabite women.
They were sent into the camp of the Israelites to catch the eyes of their men.
And they did.
They invited the Israelite men to their sacrifices – feasts full of immorality and idolatry.
And in short order, the Israelite men are eating at the tables of false gods, sleeping in the beds of pagan women, and bowing themselves down to worthless idols.
The result?
God ordered the deaths of the rebellious.
Along with this, they were also following the pattern of the Nicolaitans.
This group, apparently, was abusing Christian liberty.
It was their philosophy that you are free to do whatever you wanted.
In Christ, you are free.
You could believe the right thing and then do whatever you want.
In short…
They became characterized by compromise.
They had been sabotaged.
The trap had been set.
And they had fallen for it.
The church members were getting caught up in immorality and power games.
The activity of the Holy Spirit was being quenched.
The church was filling up with hypocrites.
Fewer and fewer people outside the church were showing interest in it.
Drip, drip, drip – slowly and unobserved – sin had entered in – and their faith was compromised.
Now, worst of all, Jesus was threatening to pass judgment on them.
V. THE COMMAND
But…Jesus tells us…
There is a remedy – repentance.
There is turning around.
There is choosing the right way.
But also note…
Jesus says that His patience with it is over.
He has had enough.
And if something is not done, this is war.
We take care of the sin or God does.
Action must be taken.
Tolerating heretical teaching or sinful behavior in the church is not a virtue.
It is sin that is to be removed.
VI. THE COUNSEL
We all need to hear and respond to the message.
We have ears.
We must use them to listen.
And when we listen and obey, we will get it right.
We receive the very things that we want and need – hidden manna and a white stone.
But what does that mean?
Manna is the honey-flavored bread that God provided in the wilderness.
It was gathered every morning to eat that day.
Similarly, we are to…
Gather the truth of God.
And, as we are at this very moment in time, feast on God’s holy food.
It is the bread of life.
The white stone signifies that we should…
Rejoice in the relationship we have with Jesus.
In the culture this was written, there were various uses of a white stone.
One use was that it was used to pronounce innocence in a trial.
If you were guilty, you were awarded a black stone.
If you were innocent, you were awarded a white stone.
Another use was it was used as an award to the winner in an athletic contest.
Interestingly, both uses speak to the relationship we have with Jesus.
We are innocent because of the work He has done for us.
We are victors because of His work for us.
And then we are given a new name, reflecting the new role He gives us.
Abram became Abraham, the “Father of many nations.”
Sarai became Sarah, the “Mother of nations.”
Simon became Peter, “The Rock.”
Saul becomes Paul, “The Little One” as he was humbled before God.
CHALLENGE:
At the start of the message, we asked the question…
What’s a Christian supposed to do?
The Christians in Pergamum became…
• too tolerant
• too permissive
• too lax
• too closely identified with the world
And as a result, they weren’t being effective in their community.
So, what’s a Christian supposed to do?
The lesson we glean from the church in Pergamum is…
BE AN OBSTRUCTIONIST WHEN IT COMES TO SIN.
We never give in to sin!
We allow no room for it!
ILL Worldliness (S)
The great evangelist DL Moody once said,
“The place for the ship is in the sea. But God help the ship if the sea gets into the ship.”
It used to be that worldliness was judged by certain acts – like dancing, going to movies, and playing cards.
Those things are easy to judge, but it was a mistake, because they missed the principles of Scripture.
It was more of guilt by association.
But the Balaamites do exist in our churches.
There are Christians today that see nothing wrong with the practice of pornography and other sexual practices.
There are those who accept young people living together without marriage.
There are those that say “live and let live” endorsing homosexuality.
There are those who gossip about others, possessing a critical spirit, bringing others down.
There is water in the ship!
So then…
Realize that orthodoxy and orthopraxy are essential partners.
Orthodoxy speaks to right belief.
Orthopraxy speaks to right practice.
In other words, what we believe and what we do must match up.
So when a Christian has sexual relations with a person that is not their covenant marriage partner, the church has a problem.
When a Christian cheats in business, the church has a problem.
When a Christian gambles his family’s money away, the church has a problem.
When a Christian gets drunk, the church has a problem.
When a Christian treats a waitress or salesperson rudely, the church has a problem.
How do we battle this?
It begins with this…
Say “no” to sin, no matter how small it seems.
There is no such thing as a small sin.
There is no such thing as a white lie.
It may seem small, but it is all sin.
ILL Sin (S)
One of the wise folk sayings of the Russian people is this:
Make peace with men, and make war with your sins.
Unfortunately, we usually do the opposite!
We make war with men, and make peace with our sins.
This is why we must…
Live with purity.
ILL Purity (S)
Neal Anderson, in his book, Extreme Church Makeover writes this:
Jesus will not put up with continued indulgence in either personal or corporate sins. Jesus is far more concerned about church purity than church growth, because He knows that church purity is a prerequisite for church growth. He can’t do His best work through a dirty vessel.
For Further Study: Numbers 22-25; John 6.48-51, 15.19; Romans 12.2; II Corinthians 5.17, 6.14-17; Titus 2.12; Hebrews 4.12; James 4.4; I Peter 5.8; I John 2.15-17; Jude 20-23; Revelation 19.15
BENEDICTION:
Retiring offering for Gideon
5 Sunday nights of all music
We are going to wash away the Winter blues with great music
Next week EAMCS – Houghton Choir!
Now…May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral:
Brincefield, Larry Pergamum
Drake, James Truth or Dare
Elvery, David The Revelation to Pergamos – Words to the Compromising
McCormick, Darren The Truth, the Whole Truth and…”
Wood, Ed Pergamos: Satan’s Throne
Zimmerman, David A Church Wedded to the World
Other
Jeremiah, David, and Carole C. Carlson. Escape the Coming Night. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1990.
Keener, Craig S. The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
MacArthur, John, Jr. Revelation 1-11. The Macarthur New Testament Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999.
Mounce, Robert H. The Book of Revelation. The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F. F. Bruce. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament. Colorado Springs: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1989.
