The Church of Pergamos - 9

Well, turn with me, if you would, to the book of Revelation chapter 2. Revelation chapter 2, we want to consider what Christ, who walks in the midst of his churches, in the midst of the golden lamp stands, what he has to say to the church in Pergamos.

Revelation chapter 2. beginning at verse 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things, says he who has the sharp two-edged sword, I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was killed among you where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.

Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolations, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.

And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no one knows except him who receives it. We're in the middle of a series on the letters to the seven churches. My Bible is red letter in this section. It alerts us and alerts me to the fact that these are the words of Christ, the head of the church, to his churches. So therefore, all of scripture is inspired of God and is profitable, regardless of whether it's red letter or not, but it is particularly pertinent and important to us, because these are indeed the very words of the risen Christ, the one who gave himself for his church, the one who shed his blood for his church, and therefore we dare not minimize nor take away from the import of what we find here.

Some say, well, what could be relative to us here in the day and age in which we live? What does a letter, words of Jesus, written to a church a couple thousand years ago, what does that have to do with me and my needs on this Sunday in 2021? Well, I found it quite interesting as I was considering these opening words of the letter and just these opening thoughts I have for you of what we heard this morning concerning the word of God and what Paul said in words of commendation to the Thessalonians.

There he said, for this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. So this is, again, I remind you, the word of God, it is the word of Christ to his church, and what could be more important to us, what could be more important to people who make up the churches of the Lord Jesus Christ than words from him who is the head of the church? And not only the words written here in red, but as we were reminded this morning that it is in reference to the preached word, that it isn't just the words of the preacher that you're hearing tonight, you're hearing the words of Christ speaking to you through me as I preach.

So it is very relative to our interest tonight. And as I preach this message to you, I think you'll see how very contemporary it is, how very relevant it is for our day, how it speaks to the church at large, and how it alerts us to danger, and how it warns us, and how we learn what it is that is commendable, and what Christ commends in his church, and what he hates in his church, and how we should respond to those things that are transpiring in his church. So, tonight as we consider this letter to Pergamos, the third of the seven letters, I want you to hear first some words of introduction.

What does he say? To the angel of the church in Pergamos write, these things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. Each of these letters is drawing from a vision that John had that is recorded in chapter 1. If you were to go back to John chapter 1 and verse 16, you would find this vision that John saw of the glorified Christ with a two-edged sword in his mouth. And it is those words that are being drawn from here in chapter 2 and verse 12. These things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword.

What are we to make of that? Well, here is the living Word speaking, revealing the written Word. We're reminded of the writer of Hebrews telling us that the Word of God is like a sharp two-edged sword. So it's a reference to the Word of God and its authority. It's a picture of unrivaled authority. It's a picture of judgment.

These things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. When is the last time you have felt, and this is subjective, but there is a subjective element to the Christian life. This is a generality, but I think it's fairly accurate. Most churches, their focus is more on the subjective aspect of Christianity than it is on the objective reality that undergirds that subjective aspect. This church, our emphasis percentage-wise is a large measure focused on objective truth. And until your experience is grounded in objective truth, your subjective experience is really on flimsy ground.

That being said, there is a subjective element to the Christian life. Therefore, I want to ask you as we begin this evening, when was the last time you experienced, you felt, you were cognizant of, conscious of the operating work of the Spirit of God with the sharp two-edged sword of the Word of God? Where you were pierced, where you were cut, where you sensed God was dealing with you, God was performing spiritual surgery on you, that there was something amiss, something that should not be there, and God had put his finger on it, and the Word of God had come to you in power, and you were conscious that the Spirit of God was working in you.

Now, none of us are very anxious, let me say, I doubt any of us are very anxious to come under the knife. But if we have a physical need and it necessitates surgery, we're thankful for a skilled surgeon. And therefore, knowing the repercussions of not having the surgery, we submit to the surgeon's knife, knowing that it's necessary for our physical health. Well, spiritually speaking, it's the same. There are things that are a detriment, things that are a hindrance to us, that the Spirit of God will put his finger on, and the Word of God will come to us in power and identify that area, and we sense pain, inward pain, the pain of repentance, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. Death's not a pretty thing, death is a painful thing. Sin dies a hard death, and yet we must be given, we must give ourselves to the mortification of the flesh. We must give ourselves to putting to death the deeds of the flesh. So again, in your experience, can you say, you know, it's been a while.

It's been a while since I was conscious of that. Well, let that be a bit of a marker or a barometer, a litmus test to you, because I think we believe that the Christian life is a life of ongoing repentance. We are repenting repenters. We have repented, but the Christian life is a life of ongoing repentance. And what is repentance? Repentance is a change of mind that brings about a change of direction. Our minds change about something that we were tolerating and compromising with, and the Spirit of God with the Word of God puts his finger on it, and that has got to go. We've got to have a change of mind about that, which results in a change of direction. Our life is going to change.

So pray about that. Examine your life. Growth is painful.

Growth is not easy. The idea that the Christian life is just a walk in the park, it's just one moving from one level of ecstasy is really, I think, a false notion. When you come under the exercise of the Spirit of God and you begin to weep over your sin, there's nothing fun about that. Now, we look beyond the immediate turmoil and internal turmoil that that brings to the progress of our walk with God, and we say, you know, it's worth it, but it's a painful thing.

So just a thought there, a word for you to think about. A word about Pergamos. Pergamos means citadel, citadel.

The city was built on a thousand-foot hill in a broad, fertile region some 20 miles inland of the Aegean Sea. It was the capital of the Roman province for nearly 250 years. It has the distinction of being the first city in Asia Minor to build a temple to seize their worship, to worship the emperor, such is the notoriety of the city of Pergamos. Pergamos was a place of Roman domination and oppression, and the church of the Lord Jesus Christ existed amidst judgment and persecution because it would not compromise, it would not bow the knee, it would not give worship to Caesar, and therefore the church was under persecution. It's a symbol of the Roman supremacy and control.

What was it? The sword. The sword. You will bow to Roman supremacy by the sword. They used the sword for control. But here, speaking in the opening verse to this church, is him who has the double-edged sword. He who has the sharp, two-edged sword. He is the one of ultimate authority. He is not the Roman king, the Roman emperor, but he is the king.

King of kings and Lord of lords. So beyond the opening statement there in verse 12, let's walk through this letter in this fashion. Similar as we've looked at the other letters, there is words of commendation to the church.

We'll look at that. There is a complaint that's registered against the church, and that's found in verses 14 and 15. And then there is counsel given to the church in verse 16. And then there are words of compensation to the church in verse 17.

So let's think through this together. Words of commendation. What is the church of Pergamos commended for? Notice what it says, verse 13. I know your works and where you dwell. Where Satan's throne is.

And you hold fast to my name. And did not deny my faith even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr who was killed among you where Satan dwells. Now they were living under the tyrannical control and domination of the Roman government.

And the church had remained faithful despite severe persecution. But there's more going on here than the Roman government, isn't there? You notice two times in verse 13, Satan is mentioned. The head of the church says to the church in Pergamos, I know your works and I know where you dwell.

And you know where you dwell? You dwell where Satan's throne is, and you dwell where Satan dwells, the latter part of verse 13. That says something about the darkness that must have permeated the culture and the society in which the church existed. Where Satan's throne is and where Satan dwells, a place where Satan was at home.

It was his home base, we could say. It was a place characterized by satanic influence. And in the midst of that, in the midst of that darkness, in the midst of satanic influence, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ existed, and not only existed, but remained faithful to the head, Christ. So despite the difficult circumstances in which they found themselves, the believers at Pergamos, they courageously maintained their faith in Jesus Christ, and he commends them. You hold fast to my name, and you did not deny my faith.

They held fast. They didn't deny the Lord in the midst of pressure, satanic hatred that manifested itself in the death of one man named, whom we know very little about, but his name was Antipas, even in the days in which Antipas was my faithful martyr who was killed among you. So they held fast to their testimony, and they did not deny the faith, despite fierce and bloody persecution. Some believe that the greatest threat to the church of Jesus Christ is persecution. But history tells us that persecution doesn't destroy or weaken the church. In fact, it strengthens the church. It purifies the church. It builds the church, and the church advances. Here we have a church that existed where Satan's throne is and where Satan dwells, Satan's headquarters, the place he felt most comfortable, and here the church of Jesus Christ not only exists, but is flourishing. The people who make up that church are holding fast.

They've not denied the faith. So perhaps we need a change in our thoughts about persecution. Perhaps there's a greater threat to the church than persecution, and I think we'll see that here in a moment. Despite the fact that there are tens and hundreds of thousands of Christians across the globe who are enduring persecution, God is sustaining His church. His church is advancing. His church is conquering. His church is triumphing in the midst of it. Truly, the blood of the martyrs is indeed the seed of the church. Now, we must not forget our brethren. We must not forget those who are suffering for Jesus. We need to pray for them.

We need to uphold them. There are places where it will cost you an awful lot to maintain your faith for Jesus Christ, but it certainly weeds out false professors. What is the greatest challenge to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the south, in this part of our country? Well, there's a lot of answers to that question, but I think one significant problem the church deals with is easy believism. Go knock on doors in communities and ask people, and you will find rare will it be that you'll find somebody who says, no, I'm not a Christian.

People are Christians, almost across the board. No, that's a greater danger. So, if the devil can't make inroads through persecution, what does he do? Is he stripped of his armor? Is he stripped of his strategy?

No. No, he employs a more subtle form of attack upon the church. And, therefore, Paul warns us and reminds us that we're not to be ignorant of Satan's devices, because he is subtle. He can appear as an angel of light, and we'll see the subtlety of his attack on the church here, where he could not make inroads through persecution.

But the word of commendation is followed by a complaint. Notice that with me in verse 14. Despite the fact that they were strongly commended, that they had remained faithful to Christ and Christian truth, that the church had faithfully persevered at the very headquarters of Satan himself, even in the face of martyrdom, all was not well in the church at Pergamos. Because verse 14 says, but I have a few things against you. I have a few things against you, and there are two mentioned. That is, there is the doctrine of Balaam, and there is the doctrine of the Nicolations. So much for those who say doctrine isn't important.

I have two things against you. You have tolerated the doctrine of Balaam, and you have tolerated the doctrine of the Nicolations. Now, this is the second time in three letters that the Nicolations have come up. They're mentioned in the letter to the church at Ephesus. But it's not the teaching of the Nicolations that's mentioned in the church at Ephesus. It is the deeds of the Nicolations. Here it is, the teaching or the doctrine of the Nicolations.

And I want to just pause and connect those two ideas with you to help reinforce the idea of the importance of right doctrine. He hates Christ. He hates the deeds of the Nicolations.

Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8, this is to the church at Ephesus. This you have, you hate the deeds of the Nicolations, which I also hate. So this church is commended because they hate the deeds of the Nicolations. Here he says in verse 15, thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolations, which thing I hate.

So Christ states unequivocally that he hates the teaching, the doctrine of the Nicolations, and he hates the deeds of the Nicolations. And behavior and deeds flow out of doctrine, teaching. And that's why right doctrine is so absolutely critical. That's why you can't dispense from the emphasis on doctrine. Because where doctrine is wrong, behavior will be wrong.

So those two things go together. It is because there was the false teaching of the Nicolations that Christ hates, that there was the deeds of the Nicolations, which Christ also hates. So again, when the devil wasn't successful in persecution, he was successful in a more subtle, covert way.

And what was that? By introducing the compromising, worldly influence of the Nicolations and those who held the doctrine of Balaam. So, what do we make of that? What is the doctrine of Balaam? Verse 14. I have a few things against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam.

So you have this picture. Here's the church at Pergamos. And they were tolerating a false teaching called the teaching, the doctrine of Balaam in the church. There were those who embraced this false doctrine and the church was compromised because they were tolerating it. Well, the teaching of Balaam goes back to the book of Numbers. Balaam was a notorious Old Testament prophet who sold himself out for money. Fearful of the Israelites because of what they had done to the Amorites, Balak, king of Moab, hired Balaam, this prophet. And he hired the prophet to curse the Israelites. And it's interesting when you go back and read that, despite what he took money in order to do, what he willfully tried to do, every time he opened his mouth to curse the Israelites, words of blessing came out.

I think if you go back and read the account, three different times that happens. And since he was unable to curse the Israelites, he then decided to corrupt them by teaching, by putting a stumbling block before the sons of Israel. What was that? To eat things, sacrifice to idols, and to commit acts of immorality, to engage in perversion, to engage in sexual activity, to imbibe the false worship that was going on there in the city of Pergamos. Now, Balaam's plan was successful to a degree, but not to the extent that he had hoped.

Why? Because God intervened, and God severely chastened Israel. And you read the account there in Numbers chapter 25, 24,000 Israelites died in God's chastening of them for their sin. And many of the leaders were involved in that, and complicit in that, and God judged them.

Well, here is the teaching, there in verse 14, the teaching or the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. What is this covert way that Satan tries to make inroads into the church, to bring compromise to the church, to weaken and dilute the church? It is worldliness. Worldliness.

It's compromise. And the church was not disciplining those in the church who were guilty of this sin. Talk about church discipline in our day is abhorrent to people. You discipline church people.

How unloving is that? They completely misunderstand the purpose of church discipline. It is the citadel of the church. It is the way of protecting the purity of the church.

And it's not something that we should be ashamed of. It's something that God has given to the church to preserve the church, to protect the church, and to preserve its holiness and its purity. But again, Satan had made inroads at the church of Pergamos, and he's making inroads in many a church through this very means. Then there is two things. He says, I have a few things against you because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. Thus, you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolations, which things I hate. And we talked about the Nicolations earlier. History suggests to us that the Nicolations come out of the influence of Nicholas, who was one of the seven chosen in Acts chapter 6 in the distribution of food to the widows. The Nicolations derived their name from Nicholas.

And what we have here is, again, compromise. The Nicolations were involved in sexual immorality. It's a perversion. It is against holiness.

It is against purity. And these things were going on in the church. This is what Christ has against the church.

Now think with me. The majority of the believers at Pergamos did not participate in these errors, had not been seduced, had not come under the subtle influence of these two teachings, the teachings of Balak and the teachings of the Nicolations. But there were some in the church who had. But Christ had something against the church because the church had tolerated these groups refusing to exercise church discipline. And therefore they shared in their guilt, which brought the Lord's judgment. If we're going to be faithful to Christ, the head of the church, we can't turn a blind eye to sin, to violations of the decorum that is consistent with a Christian testimony in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'm not going to discipline for anything and everything, but there are some sins that are unrepented of that are to be judged, are to be disciplined. So, words of instruction to start with, then words of commendation, then words of concern from Christ.

And then we have the counsel. What does he say to that church where these things are going on? Verse 16, repent or else. Repent or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. And that's why when we saw at the beginning a picture of Christ being described here, who has the sharp two-edged sword, it is a reference to judgment, of chastening judgment. Repent or else I will come to you quickly. Here is the only remedy for any sinful behavior. And what is it? It is to repent.

What is that again? It is a change of mind that results in a change of direction. And we live in a day where tolerance is lauded, where tolerance is the word, except there's no tolerance for Christianity. There's no tolerance for those who dare say there are absolutes.

There is no tolerance for us in that realm. But in a day where tolerance is lauded, you're to tolerate any sin, any corruption, any activity, regardless of what it might be. Christ does not view tolerance in his church as a virtue, but a sin that is to be repented of. And so serious a matter is it that should the church here fail to repent, Christ is going to come to them quickly and he's going to judge them.

And that's why we have that picture of Christ judging there in numbers those who had been guilty of perversion and sexual immorality and 24,000 Israelites were chastened in death. If the church won't discipline its members, Christ will. And then what we have next is words of compensation. Words of compensation, notice verse 17.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, and there are three things promised here to overcomers. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone.

And on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. Christ promises three things to those who remain faithful, to those who are overcomers here at the church of Pergamos. He will give them some of the hidden manna. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna. We know what the manna was as God fed the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness. Every day except the Sabbath day this heavenly food fell to the ground and they were instructed to gather it and to eat it and it sustained their life.

And it is a type, it is a picture of Christ who is the true manna that's come down from heaven. And the promise is that Christ will be given. Christ will be given to those for the strengthening, for the nourishing of their souls in the midst of the persecution. All that we have need of, Christ will be the ample supply is the promise to those who overcome. So to him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat, to partake. And that's what we do when we feed on the word of God. We receive nourishment from it and we are receiving Christ through the medium of faith. And our souls are strengthened and we are fed spiritually. And I will give him a white stone, a white stone. There's a lot of speculation among commentators on what is being referred to here.

And again I certainly don't want to propagate air. I don't want to be wrong and again I can't be dogmatic and I've read and thought about this for some time and tried to understand what is the most likely interpretation here. There was an award given to those who participated in the games there in Rome. And one of those awards given was a white stone given to the victor and in whatever the athletic competition might have been. And inscribed on that white stone was the name of the participant and that stone with the name granted them entrance into a great and glorious celebration for their triumph and for their accolades. I suppose that is as commendable as any as we think about this.

And again you may want to read about that and think about some of the other things that are suggested. But to him overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat and I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name, a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. So there sounds to be like there's something rather individual about that, something that can't be known ahead of time but something that's known at the time. I don't know the author of this hymn whether he had this text of scripture in mind but it's been a long time since I've heard this sung but you know the refrain here. There's a new name written down in glory and it's mine, oh yes it's mine. And the white robed angels sing the story, a sinner has come home.

Therefore there's a new name written down in glory and it's mine, oh yes it's mine. With my sins forgiven I am bound for heaven, nevermore to roam. Whether that hymn captures the picture here or not but it came to my mind as I was preparing this message. There are words of commendation to those who overcome, to those who persevere. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat and I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name, written which no one knows except him who receives it.

J.C. Ryle had something to say that I'd like to speak to you about here at the conclusion of this message. He says this, how little fit for heaven are many who talk of going there. While they manifestly have no saving faith and no real acquaintance with Christ, he says you give no honor here, you have no communion with him, you do not love him, alas what could you do in heaven?

It would be no place for you, its joys would be no joys for you, its happiness would be a happiness into which you could not enter, its employments would be a weariness and burden to your heart. Oh, he says, repent and change before it is forever too late. John Piper says this about that quote from J.C. Ryle. Nothing fits a person to be more useful on earth than to be more ready for heaven. This is true because readiness for heaven means taking pleasure in beholding the Lord Jesus and beholding the glory of the Lord means being changed into his likeness. Nothing would bless this world more than more people who are more like Jesus, for in likeness to Christ the world might see him.

That's what we need. We need to root out worldliness, we need to be on guard against worldliness and its inroads into the church. And it is one of the responsibilities of the leadership of the church to be on guard against it and to warn against it and to teach against it and to judge it when it manifests itself in the church in an unrepentant fashion.

But not just for the leadership but for those who make up the church to be on guard and to watch. For we are living in evil days, we are living in dark days. There's compromise all around us. And we can be guilty of compromise and be completely ignorant of it, oblivious to it. Because it is so subtle and it is so pervasive. But it is one of the subtleties of the evil ones.

So let's not be ignorant of Satan's devices. Let's live our lives for the words of commendation from Christ. There was something very powerful about this church that they were commended for.

They had persevered, they had pressed on. They had held fast to the name of Christ. They had not denied Him in the face of terrible, severe, real persecution. And yet, there were some things that Christ, the head of the church, had against this church and they both had to do with false teaching, false doctrine.

That had been embraced by members of the church and was being tolerated by the church that was diluting the effectiveness of the church and weakening the church. And that's a serious matter for Christ. And if it's a serious matter for Christ, and there's a warning of judgment here, it ought to be a serious matter for us. So here are very pertinent and relative words for us on this Sunday in 2021. Let's bow and pray. Father, thank You for Your word.

Thank You for its instruction. Thank You that Your word is indeed profitable to us for doctrine, for correction, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness. Thank You for this word to the church at Pergamos. Lord, safeguard the church. Help us, Father, to be a church that receives Your commendation. We thank You, God, for what we've learned this evening. We pray that You would, by Your Spirit, continue to work in us both to will and to do according to Your good pleasure for the honor and glory of Him who loved us and loved this church so much that He gave Himself for it. We pray in Jesus' name. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.