The Bargaining Church
Revelation 2:12-18
* Everybody loves to get a good deal because we are all ‘bargain’ hunters. Very few people desire to pay retail for anything. Yet at times, what begins to be a bargain turns out to cost too much. A lady was new in a community and was driving down the streets to get the lay of the land. She saw a beauty salon with $10 haircuts advertised. She mused to herself, “How can the other shops compete with a $10 haircut?” Down the block she saw another salon whose ad read, “We REPAIR $10 haircuts.” It seems that what started out as a deal, became a big deal, and then was an ordeal.
* Bargaining also has another meaning besides this thought of getting something at a low cost (or cheap), it carries the idea of ‘bartering’, negotiating, or haggling. In many foreign market places you can negotiate, barter, or ‘bargain’ the price of goods that you want to buy.
* It seems that the church at Pergamum was indeed a ‘bargaining’ type of church. While they were committed in some things, seemingly they were will to compromise or bargain in other areas. A bargaining church is like a bargaining believer who wants to bargain with God or the culture to lower the expected standards. Let’s read about this church.
* There are so many things which the church at Pergamum teaches us.
1. The Placement of the Church – Please remember that we are not talking about the ‘church building’ because, quite likely, they didn’t have a building. The church was not confined to a building until Constantine in the early 4th century. What is important is to notice that they are in the city of Pergamum. This city was known for its culture, for its education, and for its pagan worship. (The Library in Pergamum is said to have boasted of more than 200,000 books)
a. It is in this place that the Lord said, “I know where you live.” Most other translation says it this way, “I know where you dwell (not stay).” The word for ‘live’ or ‘dwell’ is one of permanence, not a temporary location. It says that you are there because I PUT you there. In God’s sovereignty, He places us where HE wants us to be, like it or not, because He is in control.
b. He also says, “Where you live is where Satan’s THRONE IS.” This church had a tough road because not only was evil present in this city, but Satan had a stronghold there. KJV translates this word as ‘seat’ (I.E. seat of power and authority). The Lord’s word makes it very plain that this church was sitting in a vial and wretched culture which was powered by Satan.
* History tells us that this church faced a community given to paganism, idolatry, and immorality. Reading a message by W.A. Criswell, he strongly preaches of the evil in the CITY. His words are, “Yes, there is evil in the open country, inside the city the evil seems to be more prevalent, more pervasive, and even stronger.” In Pergamum, prostitution was considered a way of life. In fact, this week I read some statement by leaders of that day which simply stated that they could imagine a society without the services of prostitutes. Know what else you discover? Observation tells us that the more ‘intellectual’ a culture becomes the more immoral and even unethical they seem to become. For me, America is exhibit A.
* And it is into such a culture as this that God placed and places His church. Don’t miss this truth. God places His church (not the church building, but His CHURCH) to be the light to the community. What better place for the church to be placed than in the midst of the darkness? God’s church is to be salt in the community. Since one quality of salt is to heal, what better place than a sick community to place a church? Let’s make this personal;
* God has placed this church here for a reason. We have talked much about our auspicious beginnings, we have also talked about our reputation, and there has been talk about the future of this body; but one thing is certain, in His sovereignty, God has a plan for this group of people. Candidly, God’s plan for us is not to only meet on Sundays and Wednesdays. It is not to ‘take care of our own’ (although when we get in on His plan, our own & personal needs will be taken care of, without our selfish demands). God’s plan is not for us to live with a sense of spite or unforgiveness about the past. Do I know the will of God for this church? Yes, in some measure. It is the same today as it was 5 ½ years ago when I came here. It is for us to be the salt and light in this community.
* God has placed us here to touch this community. Are we? Will we? This is why we have been placed, like Pergamum, where we are.
2. The Perseverance of the Church – They had to endure some very difficult circumstances. This church knew persecution – first hand. A leader in this church named Antipas was martyred according to secular history. Legend tells us that he was placed in an IRON ‘BULL’ and roasted. While Stephen was the first post resurrection martyr by the Jews, Antipas was the first by the Romans. And even in this face of this severe persecution, Jesus says, “You have held on to my name.” This means they seized it, took hold of it, and even wore it authentically and did not back away from HIS name. We have much less persecution yet, how often do we ‘back away’ from it.
a. How do we back away from His name? One way is to ‘deny our faith in Him.’ This would have been the easy thing for the Pergamum church to have done. But they didn’t. Jesus commends them for hanging in there.
b. The question for us is this; how do we not hold on to His name and in essence, deny our faith? First, we can be silent. As a believer in Christ, God will and does provide you opportunity to speak in His behalf. That is the being salt and light in this place. Ask yourself, “Do I speak about the Lord when given the opportunity or do I choose to remain silent?” This past week, who was it that God put in front of you that needed a word of His grace or a simple invitation to gather with the body? What did you do? Next, we exchange or replace the gospel. Most in this room would say, “I would never do that.” Yet, today people tell us that they believe “what the Bible meant when it was written” and ‘what it means today’ is different. Really? Perhaps you don’t care for what scripture teaches about “women pastors,” or ‘sexual sin’, or about ‘only one way to heaven’ so you want to change it. Okay, then perhaps I don’t like that Jesus had to brutally killed, His blood shed, and his taken so that my sin can be forgiven, can I change that? NO. Replacing the gospel is huge today. One man said recently, “I try to plan my life around Christ & His church, not try to fit Him into life.” Finally, we can deny it by abandoning, forsaking, or quitting the journey. Many a family begun the journey, many an individual started down the road, and many a teenager had a hot heart for God only to walk away. Without fail, those who ‘knew’ God find themselves wondering, miserable, and lost. They may become wealthy by the world’s standards, but deep inside, where they let no one go, they are lonely.
c. Back to the Pergamum church, they had resisted the temptation to turn away, and remaining faithful, received a commendation from the Lord. Bar
3. The Predicament of the Church – This is where the name “The Bargaining Church” comes from. Candidly, they were doing these to be commended by the Lord, but there were still multiple problems in this fellowship. They had allowed some false doctrine to infiltrate their ranks.
a. Today, we don’t like to talk much about doctrine, but doctrine is what we live our lives by. The doctrines of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans are church killers. Think about Balaam. You can read the story from Numbers 21-31! Balaam was hired by Balak to curse Israel and he tried, but just couldn’t do it. One preacher said, “What God blesses, no man can curse.” So while he didn’t possess the power to bring down Israel with a frontal assault, he displayed his colors by giving Balak a plan. He told Balak to introduce the young men to the Moabite women and they did what He couldn’t.
b. Next and once again, a church is infiltrated with ‘some’ who embrace the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Two weeks ago I offered you some of the ungodly beliefs of this doctrine, so thing about this; the word Nicolaitan comes from 2 Greek words (you’ll like this). The first is Nike which is the Greek word for “Victory” (Tiger Woods). The second word is laos which is a simple of the Greeks for people. So, put together in English, we have “Nicolas” or “Nicolaitan” and have a word that refers to a group or class of people who exalt themselves above other people. They subjugate and intimidate other people. Their aim is to oppress and conquer others so that, no matter what, other people will look to them as superior.
c. Stay with me about the predicament of this church. While they had held fast to Christ name and had not denied faith in Him, they had shaped their doctrine to fit their culture. They allowed others to distract the teaching of Christ, perhaps so they would become ‘comfortable’ in their culture. You see, they had become married to their culture. Look at the name of this city. Linguists tell us that ‘per’ refers to something objectionable while the Greek word for marriage is ‘gamos.’ You will find that word “gamos” in polygamy & bigamy. The inference is that the church at Pergamos was married to the world. How much does this resemble the American church of the 21st Century? Not only do we find ourselves in the place where Satan’s dwells and false doctrines abound, but arguably, we bargain with the world to be acceptable to the world. Yet, Christ was concerned about saving the world from herself, not about being acceptable to the world.
4. The Possibilities for the Church – Notice that these possibilities are tied to the members, not just collectively, but individually. Anyone who ‘listens’ refers to the one who listens, hears, & responds. These folk are given some promises. This reference reminds us that God looks on the individual heart. He still looks to you and me, and He expects us to respond in obedience. These are the ones who will become victors, ‘overcome’ the influence of the culture, & win the battle against the ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing.’ These will receive ‘hidden manna.’ We think we know all there is to know about God, heaven, eternity, and the rest; yet, there is much which remains divinely hidden from us. Sadly, the promise of something beyond our dreams does not seem to touch us today, yet this is exactly what our Lord promises. Then He says, “You get a stone with a new name inscribed & no one else will know except you.” How much more personal can our Lord get than this? The message or possibilities for the church (members) hinges on one word in our text. It is the word ‘Repent.’ This was John’s, Peter’s, & Jesus’ message. It is required for salvation, sanctification, and for glorification.
