In a nutshell: The Lord of the church will not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth!
When I say the word COMPROMISE what comes to mind?
To some, it’s a good word, a nice word.
It can be a good thing when it’s used in relation to reaching an agreement in an argument.
But, when used in Scripture regarding spiritual issues, it is not a good word. In fact, we are warned against compromising in Scripture. One such place is in Revelation 2:12-17...
Some of you already know this about me, but I am a very visual person. I learn best by visualizing things. It’s hard for me to learn something just by hearing it. I learn best by not just hearing, but also visualizing, and then especially by doing it...putting it into action. I suspect most people are like me in this.
Statistics tell us that we forget most of what we hear. Learning increases as we not only hear, but see, then put into action whatever is being taught. (That’s why we have outlines, fill in the blanks, and applications like jigsaw puzzle pieces, slips of paper with musical instruments on them. That’s why we bring mint to church. They are all designed to help us learn and put into practice what we learn.
With that in mind, this morning we are going to look at 5 pictures, painted by words. These pictures will help us visualize what is going on in Revelation 2:12-17. What we will see this morning is an exhibition of Jesus Christ’s pictures of the church at Pergamum. What we will see when we look at these pictures is this:
The Lord of the church will not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth!
Follow along as I read Revelation 2:12-17...
FIVE WORD PICTURES:
1. A PICTURE OF THE CITY (vv. 12-13a)
The first picture we see is that of the city. Pergamum was located 50 miles to the north of Smyrna (looked at last week).
Pergamum was the capital of this region of the Roman Empire. The church at Pergamum was located in what can basically be described as an “evil environment.”
Notice Jesus says, “It’s where Satan has his throne.”
Unlike the churches of Ephesus and Smyrna, that we’ve studied already, Pergamum wasn’t being attacked by the Jews of the city. The evil attacks that affected this church came from the influences of the city. There are 3 major influences in the city that contributed to this description of being a place where Satan has his throne.
1) In Pergamum there was a temple called the temple of Asklepios, the mythological god of healing.
Sick people were brought to this temple and laid in its courtyard, where hundreds of non-poisonous snakes lived.
People believed that if one of these snakes would touch a sick person as they were in the courtyard, then they would be healed. That’s why in the symbol of the medical profession, the image of snakes is so predominant. It comes from this ancient practice that was rooted the worship of this god.
2) There was also in Pergamum a huge throne-like altar to the chief of all mythological gods, Zeus. This altar was 40 feet high. People who worshiped at this altar and brought sacrifices were expected to say the words, “Zeus is the Savior.”
3) Pergamum was also a center for emperor worship for this region, like Smyrna. Pergamum had 3 separate temples that were built to honor the emperors. It was considered to be an act of treason to refuse to acknowledge the living Caesar as a living god.
So, that’s the first picture we have this morning – the city itself.
2. A PICTURE OF CHRIST (v. 12b)
This is a picture of Jesus Christ, as the chief warrior against evil. Jesus is describing Himself as the One who has the sharp two-edged sword. Notice how John describes Him in Revelation 1:16...
What is the sword? It is the Word of God!
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Why does the sword have two edges?
One is an edge of salvation. The other is an edge of judgment.
One edge separates man from sin. The other separates him from God for eternity. One is salvation, one is judgment.
What is the picture that we see of Christ here?
This is not a picture of a mild mannered Jesus.
This is not a picture of the baby of Bethlehem.
This is not a picture of Jesus the carpenter pounding nails.
This is not a picture of Jesus the teacher teaching with parables.
This is a picture of the powerful God of the universe!
And this powerful God is coming to do battle over a specific issue...one we’ll see in just a few minutes.
This is a picture of Jesus cleansing His church by judgment!
Why? Because the people of the church of Pergamum were in deep trouble with the Lord of the church.
As we’ll see, the people of this church had become friends of evil. The leadership of this church and the people who were part of this church were tolerating sin and compromising with the world.
I hope you see the forcefulness of this picture.
This is Jesus, the Lord of the church warring against the evil that has been allowed to take up residence in His church.
This is Jesus the warrior!
And He is judging His church and getting ready to deal with it in the harshest way possible.
The Lord of the church will not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth!
This picture of Jesus should be a warning to every leader in our church, every teacher, everyone and anyone who considers this their church home...
if you are causing division,
if you are leading someone away from the truth of God,
if you are encouraging toleration over against doctrinal purity,
...you had better watch out!
You will be dealt with in the most severe and the harshest ways imaginable. Because Jesus means business with His church!
3. A PICTURE OF A CHURCH (vv. 13-15)
What’s the picture of this church? What was it like?
Well, Christ paints a two-sided picture.
One side of that picture He has some good things to say about this church. This comes in...
• The Commendation (v. 13)
What were some of the good things going on with this church?
1. It persevered
Even though this church was located in a city where Satan was very active, this church continued to be faithful to Christ.
It persevered! What does Christ say when He looks at this church?
“I know...” Christ is saying, “I know what it’s like to face temptation from Satan. I know what you are going through. I’ve been there! (40 days)”
What else does Jesus say? He says that He knows where they live.
Where is that? Where Satan has his throne (note repeated).
“Well, I thought Satan’s throne is in hell! What gives?”
No, Satan’s throne is here on earth. Satan is referred to in
2 Corinthians 4:4 as “the god of this world.”
His throne is here, not in hell! This is his world.
His throne is here! We need to wake up to that fact!
In the midst of all kinds of pagan & Satanic worship, the church at Pergamum held on. It persevered! Not only that...
2. It was faithful
Notice mention of someone named Antipas...
Antipas was one of the leaders of this church.
According to tradition, he was arrested for not bowing and giving allegiance to Caesar. After his arrest, he was put into a hollow brass statue of a bull, and slowly roasted to death while this idol was heated in a fire.
Would this put fear in you? Suppose one of our elders was taken out of one of our church services and tortured to death because of his faith? Would that put fear in you?
This was a church that stood up for Christ. They didn’t deny Him.
“Oh, I would never deny Christ!” Really? How many times have you had an opportunity to tell someone how much you love Christ, but all you do is clam up?
What is that if it isn’t denying Jesus Christ?
Where are the people like Antipas today?
Where are they?
Antipas wouldn’t compromise even though it cost him his life.
Antipas would rather die than compromise with the world.
How have we so twisted our values today?
Today, we so easily compromise rather than change our lifestyle!
Well, the picture that is painted for us here is of a church that remained true to their Lord.
This is a church that was faithful even though one of their leaders was mercilessly killed on account of the name of Jesus Christ.
And there were many others in the church willing to die rather than renounce their faith in Christ.
That’s a picture of strong commitment!
This is a picture of faithfulness!
Sounds like a pretty good church, don’t you think?
Faithful to Christ...not denying His name...dying for Him...in the midst of Satanic activity... Wow! Sounds pretty good to me.
Until we see that this picture also has some criticism from our Lord...
• The Criticism (vv. 14-15)
There are basically 2 criticisms, but one really leads into the 2nd.
What are they?
1. It tolerated false teaching
What was this false teaching? What was the teaching of Balaam?
What did Balaam teach Balak to make Israel stumble?
The Old Testament prophet Balaam was hired by the kings of Midian and Moab to curse Israel.
If you want to read the full story, it’s found in Numbers 22-31.
But essentially what happened was that even though Balaam was very willing to curse Israel, God wouldn’t let him.
So, still wanting to get paid, Balaam came up with another plan. Instead of cursing God’s people, he would corrupt God’s people.
How’d he do that?
He convinced the kings of Midian and Moab to send their most beautiful women to the Israelite camp and entice the men of Israel to participate in sexual worship practices. Their “worship” pretty much amounted to one big sexual orgy party. Balaam’s plan worked. The Israelite men took these women to be their wives and concubines, and they allowed their new wives’ pagan religious practices to be mixed with the worship of the one true God.
What were they really doing? Compromising!
They compromised with the world!
And that’s exactly the criticism of the church in Pergamum...
2. It compromised with the world
Now, add to the teaching of Balaam, the fact that unlike the Ephesian church... this church at Pergamum tolerated the Nicolaitans. Remember the Nicolaitans? The Nicolaitans were a Christian cult that tried to combine Christianity with the practice of temple prostitution that took place at the temple of Diana, the goddess of love and lust.
They taught that “anything goes” and “if it feels good, just do it!”
Let me try to explain what’s going on at Pergamum...
The church at Pergamum was tolerating people from its membership intermarrying with unbelievers and allowing a moral compromise to take place in some of the families of the church.
As a result...,
...doctrinal impurity was creeping into the church,
...sinful practices and beliefs were being tolerated, and
...sexual immorality was being accepted.
“Well, what’s so wrong with Christians marrying non-Christians?” Christ hates it! He hates it because it brings Him in union with Satan – and that’s blasphemy!
Listen to this warning to us in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 (NLT)
“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said, "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.”
And friends, make no mistake about it, this is the thing that Jesus, the warrior is raising the two-edged sword against, to destroy.
Let this be a word of warning to those of you not married:
Marry a believer! To not do that is to compromise & God hates it!
But compromise involves more than marry unbelievers.
We compromise by looking so much like the world that they can’t tell any difference between us.
We compromise by compromising the principles of God’s Word.
We compromise by compromising our moral values.
When a church begins to compromise by eliminating any distinctions it might have with the world...
...it’s the beginning of the end for that church!
Well, what should a church do? That’s the 4th picture...
4. A PICTURE OF THE CURE (v. 16)
What’s the cure for toleration of sin? REPENT!
This word “repent” in the Greek language is in a tense that means it’s a command that must be done immediately.
The cure is to REPENT – NOW!!!
What does it mean to repent? It means to change your mind, change your lifestyle, do an about face & reroute your life...NOW!
Is there anything you need to repent of?
...Are you tolerating sinful practices in your secret personal life?
...Do you remain silent when your adult children practice lifestyles that are anti-biblical?
...Do you tolerate your teen-aged children or grandchildren mixing some form of Christianity with a lifestyle that isn’t up to the standards of Christ?
...Do you worship God on Sunday and listen to music or go to movies whose messages are directly opposed to the standards of Christ, during the week?
...Are you practicing any form of ungodly behavior in your work or business dealings?
If you answered yes to any of those, you are as guilty of the sin of Balaam as the Christians of Pergamum were, and you need to repent of it, before the Lord of the church takes drastic action against you.
You simply cannot tolerate sin and please the Lord Jesus Christ at the same time.
The cure is to REPENT – NOW!!!
“What happens if I don’t?”
Do you really want to know what happens to the person or the church that compromises with the world and doesn’t repent?
Look at the last part of verse 16...
If you don’t repent, Jesus Christ Himself will come to fight against you with His Word!
This is serious business!
It shows you what God thinks of compromise.
Examine yourself! Please! In all honesty!
If you are in any way compromising with the world, REPENT!
If you don’t Christ will come and fight against you.
“Well, why would He do that? I thought He loves me!”
That’s exactly why He does it....because He loves you.
He wants you to live a life of purity.
I really believe that this is why so many churches struggle today.
It’s not because Satan is bringing persecution (that would only cause the church to grow!)
It’s because Christ Himself is fighting those in His own church to bring them to a place of purity and holiness!
The Lord of the church will not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth!
That’s the 4th picture...
Now, we are ready to take a look at the last picture?
The last picture on display for us this morning is...
5. A PICTURE OF PROMISE (v. 17)
Look at verse 17 for the final picture of this exhibition at Pergamum. The picture of promise...
If the church at Pergamum repents...
...of compromising with the world
...of mixing the values of the world with their worship of God
There is a wonderful promise given by the Lord of the church.
And, the same goes for us...
If you and I repent of any compromises we’ve let into our lives...
If we repent...
(and I’ve had to do that this week...God showed me some areas of my life where I was compromising)...
If we repent...
There is a wonderful promise given by the Lord of the church.
First of all, we will be allowed to eat the hidden manna.
Manna = “What is this?”
So, what is this hidden manna anyway?
Just as the Israelites were fed with manna from heaven (for 40 years!), so God gives us daily refreshing food.
And what food is that?
“What is it?” It’s fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry”
Hidden manna means you can enjoy a relationship with Christ
Hidden manna means you can confront Satan...
Hidden manna means you can confront evil...
Hidden manna means you can confront compromise!
What’s the 2nd promise?
When we repent of compromise, we are also given a white stone.
“What’s that?”
It probably refers to a diamond. It is reserved for everyone that knows Him. It’s a white stone with their name on it!
“But what does the white stone mean?” A white stone was used to show acceptance or favor. God has a white stone (diamond) reserved for you with your new name carved on it!
Isn’t that neat?! God accepts you!
If you believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him as your Savior and Lord, He promises you a beautiful diamond with your new name carved on it. You have an eternal inheritance waiting for you!
So, do you get the picture? If the compromising Christians in Pergamum, or if any of us who have been guilty of compromising our faith by our silence or by our willful disobedience...
If we repent...
We will be given the sustaining strength of fellowship with Christ. We will also enjoy His acceptance and His favor.
In the mission statement of our church that the elders have been working on, we say that our mission is:
To bring people to a devoted relationship with Christ.
What that means is that we accept any person into our church who truly wants or is looking for a relationship with God, regardless of their past and regardless of their present.
However, what we cannot tolerate...
...is a compromise of the fundamentals taught in the Word of God,
...is a lifestyle of sin,
...is a belief system that waters down the message of God’s Word
...is anything that brings reproach on the Savior who died for our sins.
These are some of the things we must hold firm.
If we don’t, we will bring the wrath and judgment of Jesus Christ, God Himself, down on us.
Because... The Lord of the church will not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth!
What is Christ really offering us here? It’s pretty clear.
He is offering intimacy.
Jesus Himself is the manna promised to us.
He gives the real food that we need.
He supplies our every need.
He alone can satisfy.
Then think about this new name He gives us.
This new name, which is known only to Him and us indicates a relationship of greatest intimacy.
[ILLUS. of Elizabeth Elliott being called “Betty”]
Elizabeth Elliott was introduced as “Betty” once before she spoke at a meeting. She turned to the one introducing her and said, “My name is Elizabeth. The only one who calls me Betty is my husband Jim.” There was an intimacy in that name that she shared only with her husband.
Here Jesus is saying that he will come to us with the same kind of intimacy.
Don’t settle for anything less than an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ!
Do you see what Christ is doing here with this church in Pergamum? Do you get the picture?
What makes us vulnerable to compromise...no matter what it may be...is the perception that we are missing something in life.
If only I had more money...
If only I had more prestige...
If only I had the right kind of sexual experiences...
If only....then, just maybe then I will fill this desire deep within.
But Jesus comes to us and says,
“If you will trust Me, I am the One who will supply what you really need.
Only I will satisfy the deepest need you have.
I will be your intimate Companion.
I will be the One with whom you can share your deepest longings. What you regard as lost to you, I will make up to you in an intimate relationship.”
What a promise He makes to those who repent and turn to Him. What a promise He makes to those who don’t compromise His truth.
Why does the Lord of the church not accept any form of tolerance in His church that compromises His truth? Why?
I’ll tell you why...
Because He desires a deep, intimate relationship with you.
How can you resist such an offer?
