INTRODUCTION
SLIDE #1
“When you think of the most evil place in the world to live, where would it be?”
Imagine if you will that you are living in a city that Jesus says is the place where the throne of Satan resides.
Would it be hard to live for Jesus in that type of city?
In the third letter to the churches the church at Pergamum was faced with a bad situation.
SLIDE #2
The church was located in the city that Jesus said was the place where Satan’s throne was located.
The city was the center of four of the world’s major cults of the time. It was not an easy place to live out your faith for Jesus.
The culture of the city was having an influence on the church. The worship practices of the cults looked like fun to people. The practices were generally centered on sexual immorality.
The church had some things they were doing well, but they were also struggling with some issues.
Let us see what Jesus is trying to tell us through His message to the church at Pergamum.
SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. A PICTURE OF THE LORD v12
• As in all of the letters to the seven churches, this one starts with a picture of the Lord.
• SLIDE #4
• Let’s begin with Revelation 2:12
• Revelation 2:12 (NASB) 12“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
• In the first two letters Jesus is described in encouraging terms. He is described as the one who holds the stars, the one who has defeated death.
• In this letter, the description is one that is a little more intimidating. The one who has the two-edged sword?
• What is Jesus saying in this verse?
• The Romans ruled with the sword, you would do what they said, or die by the sword. This fear may have influenced some of the people to compromise the faith.
• He has the power and authority to separate of the saved from the lost at judgment time.
• The people may have feared what the government or the world could do to them, but Jesus is saying that He is the ultimate authority and power; He is to be listened to and respected more than the society around them. This verse shows Jesus as a picture of power and authority.
• We also have the same imagery in Hebrews 4:12
• SLIDE #5
• HEBREWS 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
• SLIDE #6
• Let us look at the praise that Jesus has for the church.
II. PRAISE FOR THE CHURCH v13
• This is one of the letters in which Jesus has some good things to say to the church, He wants them to be encouraged.
• Let’s look to verse 13 for the praise.
• SLIDE #7
• Revelation 2:13 (NASB) 13‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
• SLIDE #8
• Jesus knows their tough circumstances
• Sometimes people will make judgments about our actions when they do not know the circumstances behind them. Jesus is praising the church for the fact that they are trying to make a go of it in this terrible evil city.
• Living for Jesus is easy when we are gathered in the church; it is more difficult when we get out in the world.
• Jesus understands how tough it is for them. The church is being hit from all directions. The world is trying to do all it can to influence the church.
• This part of the passage once again shows that Jesus is involved in each of our lives; He knows what is happening with us.
• SLIDE #9
• Many in the church were holding on to the name of Jesus.
• What do you anchor to in your life when times get tough? What is the anchor to your soul?
• SLIDE #10
• Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
• The hope that they had in Jesus was an anchor for their soul!
• In the midst of all the evil that was going on around them, they anchored themselves to the name of Jesus
• The church did not claim the Caesar was lord, but that Jesus was Lord!
• SLIDE #11
• Many did not fold under pressure
• The church did not deny the faith when presented with the opportunity to do so.
• The language here indicates that there was some specific time that the church had the opportunity to deny their faith and did not do so.
• We see that at least one of the members of the church named Antipas who died for his faith.
• This death did not cause the whole church to deny the faith. All we know about Antipas is that the bible says that he was a faithful witness who was killed because of his faithfulness.
• Can you imagine how difficult it would be not to fold under that kind of pressure?
• When you look at the situation that the church was under and given the praise that Jesus gives to them, what could He have against them?
• They were living in a terribly evil city and most of the church was doing well under the constant pressure to compromise.
• SLIDE #12
III. PROBLEMS WITH THE CHURCH v14-15
• Verse 14-15 gives us a view of what the church needed to change.
• SLIDE #13
• Revelation 2:14 - 15 (NASB) 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. 15‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
• As we look at the problems that Jesus had with the church it should noted that only a few within the church were the problem.
• We do not know how many people were involved, but it is interesting to note that Jesus seems to be speaking to the whole church and that He was holding them accountable for the actions of a few.
• What was happening to some of the people?
• SLIDE #14
• People were waffling on what they believed.
• In verse 14 we are told that some in the church were holding on to false doctrine.
• If you remember in the Old Testament in Numbers 22-25, Balak was the King of Moab at the time the Israelites were heading to the Promised Land.
• He along with the Midians were afraid of the Israelites so he hired Balaam to pronounce a curse on the Israelites, which because of God’s intervention, he did not do.
• Balaam wanted to be true to God, but Balak offered him a lot of money to curse the Israelites.
• Eventually in Numbers 31, we find that Balaam was responsible for counseling Balak to lead the Israelites into the immorality and Idolatry that happened in Numbers 25 resulting in the death of 24,000 Israelites.
• His message was probably something to the effect that the Israelites could do what ever they wanted to do without retribution from God since they were the chosen people. This was the message that false prophets tried to sell to Israel throughout the ages.
• It would be easy to look around, see the pagans doing their thing and seeing that nothing bad was happening to them and thinking that since you were a Christian; you could do the same.
• This is one of the best ways for Satan to be able to destroy Christians and the church.
• There were some that would allow worldly teachings to enter into the church.
• What you teach and what you believe is important, it will affect the way you live. If you are basing your life on a set of false teaching, your life will be the same.
• Doctrine is important; doctrine is what guides our lives!
• We must guard against changing God’s teachings just because the world does not like what God says.
• SLIDE #15
• Following wrong doctrine leads to wrong living.
• The Nicolaitans twisted God’s word to suit their particular life styles.
• If you remember in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10, Paul deals with eating meat sacrificed to idols.
• He says that since the idols are not real, a person could eat the meat sold that was sacrificed, but that if a person’s conscience was offended by the eating of the meat, do not eat it with them.
• Paul says this is an area of Christian liberty. We are free as long as we do not cause one to stumble.
• False teachings led to the abuse of liberty and also caused people to commit acts of sexual immorality.
• Many Christians today will justify sin by appealing to Christian liberty. EXAMPLES
• SLIDE #16
IV. PRONOUNCEMENT FOR THE CHURCH v.16
• Verse 16 gives us a pronouncement
• SLIDE #17
• Revelation 2:16 (NASB) 16‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.
• Repent. EXPLAIN.
• Tolerance of sin had existed in the church; God says that we are not to tolerate sin!
• Jesus says that He will come and deal with the problem if we do not.
• Tolerating what God condemns and looking the other way is not acceptable.
• Did you notice that God is chastising the whole church for the problem with the beliefs and teachings of a few?
• We can just overlook sin in the church. WE must stand against it and be there to help people get on the right track. We are to abstain from every form of evil! 1 Thessalonians 5:22!
• SLIDE #18
V. PROMISES FOR THE FAITHFUL v17
• John finishes up this letter to the church with some promises found in verse 17.
• SLIDE #19
• Revelation 2:17 (NASB) 17‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
• Let looks at the promises.
• SLIDE #20
• The faithful would receive hidden manna.
• Without getting into all of the possibilities of the imagery, Jesus is saying that the faithful will receive spiritual refreshment.
• The Israelites were fed manna from heaven; the faithful Christian will be spiritually fed.
• The people were being fed from food sacrificed to false idols; He wants them to be spiritually nourished.
• Secondly
• SLIDE #21
• The faithful would receive a white stone.
• In the ancient world, a white stone symbolized innocence and might be given to a person who was acquitted of a charge as proof of that acquittal.
• A white stone was given to a slave that was granted freedom.
• A white stone was also given to a soldier who came back from a victorious battle.
• For us the idea of the white stone encompasses all of these thoughts. The white stone symbolically given to the faithful would represent their innocence before God, the freedom that they have in Christ and the victory that we have in Christ!
• Lastly
• SLIDE #22
• The faithful would receive a new name.
• This is the name of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that we are a new creation when we are in Christ.
• The name of Jesus that we wear will not be known to the world, or they will not understand it.
• The faithful will wear the name of Jesus for eternity!
CONCLUSION
The message to the Christians at Pergamum applies to Christians today as much as it did when it was written to the church.
We can feel very complacent and spiritual when we meet each Sunday for worship, but after Sunday comes Monday.
We cannot waffle back and forth concerning what we believe.
When we are back on the job, or at school, the world smacks us upside the head everywhere we turn. We are influenced to compromise our faith in order to get along better.
The Lord knows where we live, He knows that the world is under the influence of Satan, but He expects us to overcome the world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world.
We are not to follow the ways and thinking of the world. As the church, we are responsible for one another in our walk with Jesus. We need to be there to help one another.
We cannot afford to give a smile and a wink to sin; we cannot stand for what God is against, no matter the cost!
