Transcript

Pergamum-The Compromising Church

Revelation 2:12-17
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Pastor Randy Smith

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Life would be so much easier if God would just tell us where to draw the line. I mean, knowing the difference between right and wrong, if you have a decent grip on your Bibles, is really not that difficult. But what about all the gray areas we face on a daily basis?

Though people through the centuries have sought to impose them on the church, we do not have rigid rules from God in these particular areas. Yes, life would be easier if we did, but life with God would lose much of its relational appeal. We would no longer need to seek His will through prayer, wise counsel, conscience, biblical principles and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Understand this situation and you can see why of all things Solomon could have asked for, Solomon chose wisdom! This is why wisdom, according to Proverbs, is to be prized above all other riches!

Many believers go the easy, or should I say carnal, immature, unspiritual route. They either do what other people do, or should I say command, manipulate and intimidate them to do. Or they put everything in black and white categories for everybody, and oftentimes they look down upon others over their legalistic and self-righteous noses.

The teaching in the church is a good example. LetÕs consider the subject of outside speakers. The question was asked me a few weeks ago, and it was a good question, how do we determine whom we permit to speak at this church, especially when most speakers will not line up with us exactly on the minutia of every doctrinal issue?

Some will make the criteria so broad that anyone is welcome in the pulpit. Others will make it so narrow that no one from the outside would be allowed in the pulpit. So where do we draw the line? What do we do? I do believe we need to say ÒnoÓ to some and for the blessings of the church and desire to participate with the universal church community, say ÒyesÓ to others. Each case must be examined very carefully because it is wrong to accept one God has rejected, but it is equally wrong to reject one God has received. Proverbs 17:15, ÒHe who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.Ó

This exact situation was even a more significant issue for the early church. There were very few capable teachers in each local church so much of the instruction was supplemented with traveling teachers. God expected these churches to make wise decisions because the influence the individual in the pulpit (whether from without or from within) had in representing Christ and shaping the direction of the church (see 2 Cor. 10-13; 2 Jn.).

Two weeks ago we learned that the church in Ephesus did a good job of analyzing who they permitted to teach them. Jesus said to them in Revelation 2:2, ÒI know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false.Ó Again in verse 6 we read, ÒYet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.Ó (These false teachers come up again this week - verse 15).

This was really good and our Lord commends them for their discernment. However, the potential danger for churches that do make these hard decisions is that if they fail to walk in the Spirit, life in the church can become lifeless and cold. People get lost in policies. Mercy gets swallowed up with self-righteousness. Humility gives way to pride. And a love for Jesus is replaced only with a love for doctrine. No wonder Jesus said to that Ephesian church in 2:4, ÒBut I have this against you, that you have left your first love.Ó They lost their pure love for Christ and with that went a love for others as well.

On the other hand, many churches do just the opposite. Because they are so concerned for feelings and want to be so accepting and fear offending anyone, anyone and everyone is permitted to serve as a teacher in the church. They call it love, but it is a love that is not biblical - it is unrighteous, lacking discernment, failing to represent Christ, and in the end, it is a love that is destructive.

The church weÕll study this morning, Pergamum, the third church mentioned in Revelation 2, is an example of this. They might have appeared to have the love, but their love was not anchored in biblical wisdom. This resulted in significant compromise which brought on our LordÕs chastisement.

1. The City (verse 12)

You can see in verse 12 that the church of Pergamum is mentioned. Let me take you to this ancient city providing a little history so that we will better understand the passage before us.

Pergamum was located just north of the Smyrna, the church we studied last week and was situated about 10 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. It was an impressive city. One ancient observer called it Òby far the most distinguished city in Asia.Ó Like the other cities weÕve studied, Pergamum was very religious. It was the center of worship for four of the most pagan cults of the day. Athene (the patron goddess), Dionysos, Asclepius (the god of healing - weÕll come back to him) and Zeus, whose temple dominated the landscape.

To add to this, the city accepted Roman rulership in 133 BC. With that came emperor worship. As a matter of fact, Pergamum was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple to the worship of a living ruler (Agustus) which took place about a hundred years before Revelation was written. Pergamum was RomeÕs government seat in Asia Minor until that was transferred to Ephesus. Of the seven cities in Asia Minor, being a Christian in Pergamum might have been the most difficult.

2. The Christ (verse 12)

As Jesus does with all His addresses in Revelation 2-3, He now introduces Himself to the church (our second point) with a description of Himself taken directly of the description of Himself from chapter 1 (Rev. 1:16). Still in verse 12 He remarks, ÒThe One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this.Ó

When people back then heard of the word ÒswordÓ they basically interpreted it in one way - an instrument of death. For example, the proconsul of Pergamum was granted Òright of the sword,Ó meaning he had the power to execute at will.

The sword symbolized death. When Jesus returns, Revelation 19:15 says, ÒFrom His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.Ó Then in verse 21, ÒAnd the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.Ó

So why the imagery of the sword of Jesus to this church in Pergamum? Simply because they were making decisions without any regard for the authority of the Lord over His church. As I mentioned, they had a major problem with compromise and compromise with the culture is often the result when we lose a reverence and respect for the Lord. ItÕs the ÒJesus wonÕt mindÓ attitude. No doubt the reminder of the One who wields the sword (spoken to this church) was intended to remove their fear of offending the world and recapture a healthy fear of God that our God expects and demands. The sword is a vivid reminder that our Lord has passed along His expectations that all people had better follow, especially those people that seek to represent Him in His church. This shows just how much our Lord hates compromise.

3. The Commendation (verse 13)

Yet before Jesus points out what they are doing wrong, He begins with what they are doing well (our third point).

Let me read verse 13 and then IÕll break it down for us. ÒI know where you dwell, where SatanÕs 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.Ó

As I mentioned earlier, it was tough for a Christian to live in Pergamum. At the beginning of verse 13, Jesus says they dwell Òwhere SatanÕs throne is.Ó The same is repeated at the end of verse 13. They live where ÒSatan dwells.Ó You see the contrast that is established? The church dwells where Satan dwells. ItÕs not hard to imagine the conflict that is bound to erupt. You can also imagine now, in every effort to save their hide, why there was a strong temptation for this church in particular to compromise.

Jesus said Satan dwelt in Pergamum. There are a few beliefs at to what that means, yet whatever we assume to be correct, it obviously wasnÕt a welcoming place for a Christian to exist. Let me give you what I believe to be the best two options; perhaps Jesus had both of these options in mind.

First, Satan is a driving force among world leaders that abuse their authority to oppose GodÕs work. As I mentioned earlier, Pergamum was the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple to a Roman ruler. As a matter of fact, the city prided itself on worshipping the Emperor. Instead of the state acknowledging their authority is Òunder God,Ó the state called others to worship the state. Pergamum called themselves the Òtemple warden.Ó And when the church refused to worship Caesar, it was deemed high treason to the state and such people were often executed.

Second, one of the patron gods of Pergamum was Asclepius. Asclepius had his own temple built in Pergamum. He was the god of healing and was often sculpted or pictured with a long staff wrapped with a snake, basically the same image adopted by medical organizations around the world. So the connection for the early church would have been obvious. The snake or serpent represented Satan. In 12:9 of this book we read, ÒAnd the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.Ó The false gods (just like all false religions) are also SatanÕs way to keep people from the true God.

According to Jesus, Pergamum was ÒSatanÕs throne.Ó Though under GodÕs sovereignty, Satan is mentioned because he is the primary source of evil behind the human forces (whether it be through an overstepping government or false religion) that were persecuting the church. Yet in the midst of this severe persecution, Jesus commends the church in verse 13 by saying, ÒYou hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith [better = Òfaith in MeÓ].Ó

The church dwelt where Satan dwelt, and when the church holds faithfully to the name of Jesus in a dark culture, opposition is bound to exist. As a matter of fact, Jesus mentions a faithful brother named ÒAntipasÓ (verse 13) whom He refers to as ÒMy witness [martus], My faithful one.Ó And because he was faithful to act as Christ expects without compromise, Jesus reminds the church that Òhe was killed among you.Ó Antipas is the first martyr mentioned in Revelation.

Yet the One who walks among the lampstands (Rev. 2:1), knew the faithful witness of Antipas and commends him for his faith with a title that Jesus used of Himself in 1:5 - ÒThe faithful witness.Ó And we are reminded that Òthe One who has the sharp two-edged swordÓ will vindicate His people against those authorities whom the Lord has given the sword (Rom. 13:4), but are choosing to use it for all the wrong reasons.

4. The Condemnation (verse 14-15)

Yet despite how well the church was doing in this area, still the Lord was deeply dissatisfied with them. To me this really shows the high standard and the expectations Christ has for those who claim to represent His name.

In verse 14 we read, ÒBut 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.Õ

To make any sense of this we need to go back to the story of Balaam and Balak found in Numbers 22-24, 31. Remember that account? It is an amazing story from IsraelÕs early history when they wandered in the wilderness after the exodus.

Balak was King of Moab and he feared the Israelites who were in his land. So what he did was he sought to hire an Israelite prophet to curse the invading Israelites named Balaam. However, God prevented Balaam from cursing the Israelites and instead through Balaam issued a blessing. This infuriated Balak. Yet eventually Balaam broke and since God wouldnÕt curse His people through this silly game, Balaam let Balak in on a little secret that would destroy the Israelites. It would be an indirect attack, kind of a Trojan horse. Balaam advised Balak to let his people intermingle with the Hebrews. Let them intermarry. Let them exchange their gods. And in doing so Israel would not only destroy herself , but because her God is a jealous God, she would bring upon herself the judgment of God as well. And this is exactly what happened.

This story of Balaam is repeated in the Bible and has become proverbial for the compromising influences of false teachers on GodÕs people (i.e. 2 Pet. 2:14-16; Jude 1:11).

This is the background for JesusÕ words to the church in Pergamum in verse 14. Like Balaam, they were allowing teachers in their church that were leading the people down the road of compromise.

No doubt when so much was on the line and your life could be taken because of the wicked culture of the day, you can see how this temptation existed. You can see how teachers gained a following when they devised a system that permitted the church to supposedly worship Jesus and yet still meet the demands of the culture placed on them through pagan god and emperor worship. I can imagine it, ÒSacrifice, but just donÕt mean itÓ or ÒDo what they tell you to do because we must be submissive to governing authoritiesÓ or ÒThis is a good way to reach the lost.Ó ItÕs no different than the countless false teachers today who tell people they can honor Jesus and still be accepted by the world.

You can also see in verse 14 that the same consequences of compromise that marked Israel, also marked the church - eating food sacrificed to false gods and sexual immorality. We can read of the immorality in a literal sense because sexual immorality was often a part of the pagan festivals. Yet I believe we are talking about spiritual immorality as GodÕs people were cheating on Him, neglecting Him as the primary source of their allegiance and devotion through compromise. Spiritual adultery we could call it - as a matter of fact, that sin of spiritual infidelity is mentioned thirteen times in the book of Revelation (see Rev. 2:22).

5. The Command (verse 16)

As we move to the fifth point our Lord commands in verse 16, ÒTherefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.Ó

Jesus, again using the same imagery He used of Himself in verse 12 says He will Òmake war against them with the sword of [His] mouth.Ó Jesus will war against those who compromise His message and tolerate compromising teachers that lead His people astray. Keeping in mind this thought of the sword, Numbers 22:23 say the angel of the Lord first threatened to kill Balaam with the Òdrawn sword in his hand.Ó Then Joshua 13:22 says, ÒThe sons of Israel also killed Balaam the son of Beor, the diviner, with the sword among the rest of their slainÓ (cf. Num. 31:8). An interesting thought, using the sword as the connection between the compromising church of Pergamum and the compromising teacher, Balaam himself.

Again, this warning is spoken not to outsiders, but to the church! The Lord will judge those who claim to be His people.

6. The Contribution (verse 17)

Lastly the contribution, our sixth point, verse 17, ÒHe 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.Ó

Jesus calls His people to listen, that is if they have spiritual ears to hear His voice. He calls them to understand from where they had fallen, repent of their sin and show themselves to be an overcomer (nikao -from where we get Nike). And if they do overcome, three blessings are promised to the church.

First we read of Òhidden manna.Ó As you know, manna was the food in which Israel was fed directly from God when they wandered in the wilderness (Ex. 16:4; Jn. 6:31-34). ÒHidden mannaÓ perhaps this is a reference to the manna that was placed in the ark, the manna that never spoiled that would serve as a perpetual reminder to GodÕs people of His faithfulness. Those who overcome compromise in this temporary world and the participation with the food scarified to idols will be given GodÕs food that lasts forever. So you want the pagan feast now or do you want Òthe marriage supper [with] the LambÓ later (Rev. 19:9)? Pick one!

Second we read of a Òwhite stone.Ó A stone in antiquity was commonly associated with a vote. A black stone was an indication of guilt. A white stone was an indication of innocence. Refusal to participate with the world resulted in the world condemning the church (with a black stone so to speak). However if the church overcomes and refuses to compromise, God will commend them (with a white stone so to speak). They will show themselves to truly be His people that will one day be vindicated and dressed with white robes to symbolize their purity and spiritual allegiance and non-compromising fidelity to Christ.

And lastly, Christ promises a Ònew name.Ó Identification with Him is evidence we have received ChristÕs name written upon us. All true believers are born-again. We are new creations in Christ. We have a new heart. And we are given a new start. Everything changes. Everything is new.

YouÕll remember shortly after salvation Simon was called Peter and Saul was called Paul, kind of a sense at what we are getting at here. Our new name is symbolic of the old self who once was spiritually dead in full identification with the world being transformed to the new self, spiritually alive now fully identified with Christ. Compromise tests allegiance. Those who overcome will show themselves to be on ChristÕs team.

Listen to the connection of all we learned with Revelation chapter 19. ÒHis eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the AlmightyÓ (Rev. 19:12-15).

And of all we learned, do you see why our Lord has such a problem with those who claim to love Him and then play the spiritual harlot and compromise with the world? Today we learned about false teachers that were instructing people to follow the world. Let me ask you; are you through either bad teaching or your own impulse, compromising with your divine Lord? Are you committing spiritual adultery? How is your devotional life? What about your church attendance and service? Are you speaking up for Jesus or ashamed of His name? Is your life holy? Are you turning from sin and pursuing righteousness? Is your life disciplined for Christ? Is your financial spending in line with GodÕs will?

Before He judges the world at His return Òwith the sword which [comes] from [His] mouth (Rev. 19:21), the Lord says He will judge His church Òwith the sword of [His] mouthÓ (Rev. 2:16; cf. 1 Pet. 4:17). I hope this sermon shows you just how serious this is when we compromise through spiritual infidelity.