This is a wonderful opportunity to salt the earth, to resist the evil. But if the salt loses its flavor How shall it be seasoned? But can't.
Well how can you how does Saul lose his favor? You can water it down so much that is undetectable. If you took a grain of salt and you put it in a bucket of water, you'd never taste it. He says, it is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Meaning Resist evil.
Don't join it. You're listening to Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Revelation. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross-reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.
Now here's Pastor Rick in Revelation chapter 2 with this edition of Cross-Reference Radio. The rapture, as much as we love it, is not an essential doctrine. Whether you've heard of the rapture or not, it won't keep you out of heaven. But to hear of the salvation plan of God and to reject that will damn your soul.
So, salvation is a big deal, and the Nicolaitans were corrupting that very doctrine. They created this Christopaganism environment, which is a bootleg. Smuggling and cuddling up to things that come out of hell. You know, the bootleggers would hide whiskey. Which was at that point con their whiskey was contraband, so they'd hide it in their boots.
to get it into whatever environment they wanted to.
So that heresy was not a joke, and that's why the church in Ephesus hated it. But here the Church of Pegamus They were buddying up to it. And this is happening to this day. We have quasi-Christians who frequent their churches. But they're looking for salvation without obedience.
And that falls along this line. We know that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and He is just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But if you're not confessing your sins, because you have a problem with it. then he's going to have a problem with you.
Well, uh This Critique of this church was not true of every single person in the church. There were some still faithful, but again, they were unable. to keep out The infiltrators. He says, even in the days in which Antipas, my Faithful Antipas was my faithful martyr. He says, back then you didn't flinch.
Then loomed over that church. To be faithful. But something happened. And now it was gone. And he brings up.
Better days in that assembly of believers. One of their own. was murdered for being One of them. That hit home. Antipas was my faithful martyr.
We should have expected to see him in Smyrna As I mentioned. Very little is written about him. But what is said is astounding. How would you like God to say, this is my faithful witness? This It's right up there with, well done, good and faithful servant.
But this servant had blood on him.
Well that was then, this is now. And so this reads as though in that day the church did not allow the errors. They now harbor. In Antipas' day, they did not allow this stuff.
Now they're holding it. and protecting it. Did they lose their gatekeeper when they lost? Antipas, I think they lost some of their nerve. Anyway.
moving forward with this Uh who was killed among you. In other words, the Lord is saying, You never forgot that. This happened to you. Imagine if it happened in your church. Imagine if persecutors showed up and killed one of us.
You wouldn't forget it. You always remember it. Of all the things that can kill a man, this holds the greatest honour. to die for Christ. Of all the things that could keep a person alive, the greatest one is to live for Christ.
Very simple teachings that our children should. be exposed to at an early age.
So the church survived the murder of Antipas.
So what does Satan do? We changed tactics. He devised an effective strategy of mixing rather than murdering.
Well, again, you can't beat them. Let's join them. Thus, the association to Balaam.
So he says, where Satan dwells. And again, residing wherever there is ongoing. Attacks against the Christians you have Satan dwelling there too. The um source of all the Church's trouble.
Now Satan is not limited to Lucifer. You know, some folks you think of Satan, you think you're talking about Lucifer.
Well, he's included. But it's much larger than that. The armies that are under his Influence The demons, the minion, They make up Satan. Satan is the enemy overall.
So you don't have to face Lucifer to be in contact with Satan. And if you are in contact with Satan, with Lucifer, then you are automatically in contact with Satan. Too bad the letter to the church at Pergamos did not stop right there.
So now we come to verse 14. 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.
Well, the Lord has Two things, two people, two things he's going to mention, which created many problems for them, created a few things. Again, the Balaam ism and the Nicolatin ism produced a few things. It justified indulging in heathen immoralities. In ecumenicism. That means, oh, all religions are okay.
No, they're not. There's only one that's okay for us. And that, of course, is our Christianity according to the Scriptures. And so they were no longer repulsed by living against. The world and what it had to offer, and living for Christ.
It used to repulse them to think of going down to the temple of Zeus. and participating in a sacrifice. Or having these sexual relationships that were contrary to Scripture, contrary to their God. This was beginning to happen in the church. This isn't hard to believe, there are churches like this to this very day.
Conviction bites guilty people. And so the guilty either repent or they try to get away from the conviction in some way, even if it means destroying the message and the messenger. Martin Luther Said, I don't know how not to offend guilty people. They're automatically. guilty and if that offends them that just Magnifies their guilt.
John chapter 16, verse 18: Jesus said about the Holy Spirit: when he has come, he will convict the world of sin. and of righteousness, and of judgment.
Well, if you don't have enforcement On things such as sin and righteousness, then it is a philosophy. But Christianity is not a philosophy. It's a reality. The world The world would like to. Buy the world a home.
And furnish it with love. Apple trees and honeybees and snow white. Circle dubs. They like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony. They like to buy the world of Coke and keep it company.
It's the real thing. You gotta admit, it's a beautiful jingle. I mean, it's just one of the. Classics, but that typifies the world. They want to do all that without Christ.
And Coke is high in fructose. I counsel you from the pulpit. But As refreshing as it is. It's evil. Your liver can't handle it.
Anyway, I don't know where we were, it's something about this society. What this creates when you water down the gospel is you create a toothless and subdued assembly that still calls itself a church. but it takes teeth to bite back at the serpent. The doctrine of Balaam.
Well Balam. They were harboring the foes that were teaching anti-separation from sin, which Balaam taught. He taught to Balak the king to seduce the Israelites. The story is in Numbers chapter 31. In earlier chapters, Numbers 23, 24, he summoned Balaam to curse the people of God, but the curses weren't working.
So Balaam then said to the king of Moab. You will never conquer this people with a curse. And you will never conquer them with troops. Try sending in the women. And Balak did just that, and it began to work.
He taught how to get God's people to destroy themselves. By alliances that were unholy, that were forbidden. And the church in Pergamus. By being sexually immoral and participating in pagan activities. were falling just like those who fell in the days of Balaam there uh in in Peor.
In the ancient world. 2 Corinthians Paul dealing with this in Corinth. And by the way, Corinth responded to Paul's teachings. Pergamus did for a while, according to history, it seems like they did, but not very long. 2 Corinthians 6, do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
For what fellowship is righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? You teens, are you copying this? Because you're up next. You will be matched with somebody.
Every pot has a lid, Don't get a crackpot. Yeah.
Now Many Christians marry Christians and still have trouble.
So you're gonna have to fight for every inch. Of victory there is. And to do that It really helps to know the Word of God. But then there's those categories where we just scratch our heads. We don't know why that happened, but we know this: when the dust settles, I'm standing with Jesus, just like the Levites did stand with Moses.
when the people danced around the golden calf. And so, yeah, those inexplicable things, I think the earth is garnished with them to keep us. Working hard and focused. Again, 1 Corinthians 10 this time. The things which the Gentiles sacrificed is sacrificed to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.
Well, that's still happening. The world is out there, they're saying, This is my God, this is what I'm about.
Well, they're sacrificing to demons. They avoided persecution. and ruin their testimony. By not standing against this society that they were in. The world cannot hate us when we are just like the world.
and that was a strategy that they had picked up. And they were bonding with what Christ himself despised. And it didn't seem to register, and hopefully, it did a little bit after this letter got to them. Apparently they dodged What happened to Antipas after this?
Now, the Nicolaitans, as I mentioned, they just tailored it all. They saw the behavior and said, don't feel guilty about this. It's okay. You really don't mean it. Just because you go down to the altar of Zeus with your aunt.
And participate in the ritual, that doesn't mean it really applies to you. Yeah, it does. And what Corinth was doing is something different. Corinth wasn't going down to these altars. They were accusing others of eating the meat from those altars.
And Paul said, listen, it's just a burger. Leave them alone. They're not bowing down to these things, it's good meat. And if I were there, I'd get myself a sandwich too. And it's, of course, that's it.
But then he also added: but listen, if you're around a young Christian and they just can't catch up to that, then you're going to have to. Just not eat the food in front of them. You'll have to find a way to sneak around them.
Okay. He didn't say that. Yeah.
Anyway, coming back to this, this church at one time they were brave. And they were loyal. But so were the people that were against them. And they created a sanctuary city inside the sanctuary of God for people who didn't care anything about the Christ that died for sinners. Hosea 11:7.
My people are bent on backsliding. It's like, what is with you? Why are you still doing this? Though they call to the Most High None at all exalt him.
Well, how is that?
Well, they're not obeying him and have no intention of obeying him. And after the death of Antipas, Things just worsened.
Well, uh you would think maybe it just knocked the nerve out of them. Things sacrificed to idols, I covered that with the church in Corinth. You can read that in 1 Corinthians chapter - I think it's chapter 8.
Now, if it's not, then. Don't tell me. You just make sure you get to it and read it. I don't like being told I was wrong, and neither do you. Verse 15: Thus you have.
those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Uh you know, in Ephesus Well, we look back at Revelation 2. Jesus said to them, but you have. This, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
So the church of Progamus became enablers and advocates of things that were supposed to be called out and rejected. Ephesians 5, verse 4. And this for you younger Christians, as you get out into the workplace and you're around those with dirty mouths and sinful lives, don't let it suck you under like a riptide. Neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting. which are not fitting.
but rather giving thanks. You don't have time to read the whole passage in context, but it's a context unto itself. Loyalty is often wasted on some churches. There are churches that don't deserve the loyalty that believing, Bible-believing Christians give to those churches. They should have been out of there.
But they stay there and they love the Lord and they believe in the Scripture. But the church they attend really is very sloppy in their approach to Christianity. And they'll say, Yeah, well, my friends are there. Occupying Christ, your friend? 'Cause he might not be there.
And there are other churches that are solid, that are teaching. Why don't you be loyal to them? They could use all the support they can get. They always need servants. Why are you investing yourself in a church?
That is not loyal to Christ and has no intention of correcting it. They'll have to answer that themselves.
Well, Matthew 5. And this also is for those Christians who feel they don't have to vote. You have the freedom to vote. You have a freedom to say- have a say-so against evil. Jesus said, You are the salt of the earth.
This is a wonderful opportunity to salt the earth, to resist the evil. But if the salt loses its flavor How shall it be seasoned? A cant.
Well, how can you how does salt lose its favor? You can water it down so much. that is undetectable. If you took a grain of salt and you put it in a bucket of water, you'd never taste it. He says, it is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Meaning resist evil, don't join it. Titus was told by Paul, he said, But as for you, pastor, Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Holding fast the faith. The faithful word. As you have been taught.
Now I am modifying some of the speech to make it flow, the pronouns for example, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convict those who contradict. You know what happens when you when you convict those who contradict nowadays? They changed churches. How dare you? How dare you?
I'm a Christian too. Yeah, but. This you bust it. But not always. Many times they fix it.
They do fix it. And it's like it never happened. And they go on to be gallant servants.
So it's not all doom and gloom by any measure. He says, Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Now we're almost not done.
So he says to them, We are, we're getting close. He says fix it. Forsake what is forbidden. Repent. Confess your sins.
That or else should have sent chills down their spine. If you're sitting in that church, if Christ sent a letter to this church and said these things to us, would it not? nauseate us. I don't want to be that way. I get sick with these kinds of charges against me.
He says, I will come to you quickly and fight against them.
Now subtle are the pronouns, you and them, but they make a distinction. There were still people in this church that were solid. But they weren't going to stay that way if they played around. Can a man take fire to his bosom and not have his clothes burned? There are consequences to messing around with things that are harmful.
And we know that, and that's why we fight. And that's why we love the mercy of God so much, that it doesn't slam us. every time we get tripped up. Who wants Christ to come and fight against God? Who wants God to fight against them?
I don't. What happened to Balaam? Numbers chapter 31. They, the Jews, killed the kings of Midian. Balaam the son of Beor, they also killed with the sword.
And they should have known those scriptures. This uh Message from Christ that he's going to fight against them. The Greek word is very strong. It means wage war. Shows up here in the Old Testament, God speaking to.
The people of God. Isaiah sixty three But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit, so he turned himself against them as an enemy. And he fought against them. This is real stuff here. No church can dismiss that as Christ's not going to fight against us.
So, what? We're not upholding the word. Not enough to teach it, you got to uphold it too. In truth and love.
So, the consequence of harboring false anti-scriptural views. is a fight with Jesus. Wrath will be directed at the heretics and their advocates, too. As for the faithful, Don't be collateral damage. Don't be part of that.
Get it fixed or get it or leave. This is the story of Phineas.
So we don't have time to read Numbers 27, verse 7 and 8. Phineas was the grandson of Aaron, Israel's first high priest. And when Balaam counseled King Balak to bring the women in, and they started having these mixed relationships, and right there in front of Moses, Phineas picked up a javelin and killed them both.
Now, we can't do that in the New Testament. We can do it metaphorically by killing the lies and standing up against these things, but we're not to take. The javelin. To do it.
Well, anyway, when Phineas was done, there was that fixed. And that's what Jesus is telling this church to do. The sword of my mouth. The swords have a single purpose. to protect one, to destroy the other is is war, is a fight with with evil.
The Bible is superior. It is the superior authority over the pastor and over the churchgoers as well. And so Paul with come out, come out from among them and be separate if they're pulling these kinds of stunts. Verse 17, 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.
Well, God knows how to speak to us personally. in a way that others don't get. And that's a part of that beautiful relationship with Him. These promises to overcome, for those who overcome, apply to all Christians. I will give some of the hidden manna, well God will nourish The believer, but in contrast to verse 14, not with sacrificed.
Food to idols.
Well, we close it up. And I will give him a white stone.
Well, the stone of acquittal and the day of judgment and those. early days of civilization, those ancient days, Jurors would use the white stone to symbol Two acquit the party that was found innocent. And they would blackstone or blackball The guilty. And Christ is drawing from the times they lived in. And he's telling them.
Um I will find no fault in you. Why is that? Because if you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. And white being, of course, an emblem of purity. He says, And on the stone, a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.
A new and unique identity because you have now a new nature. In scripture, many times. Name is nature, and that's why you see God giving the names sometimes to Jesus. His name was assigned to him. His name shall be called Jesus, which is Yeshua in the Hebrew, which means Jehovah saves.
And so name is significant in Scripture, which no one knows except him who receives it.
So if you forget it, it's like losing your password. Am I kidding? Individual A personal relationship with Christ, but he does not say. that you can't tell anybody. I kind of like that.
Nobody knows the name I have. But if I want to share it, there's no prohibition there. Do you know what my name is in the Lord? What is it? I'm Nobody.
What's your name? My name is Nobody does it better. I messed that up. Anyway, let's close this up. 1 Corinthians chapter 3.
So okay, here's the story behind that. In in New York City the fire trucks get to put their little nicknames on their trucks. And one firetruck had the name, Nobody Does It Better. And the another fire truck saw that and they put nobody on their truck. Um So it's pretty clever.
And I just messed up the joke, but I recovered. 1 Corinthians 3, each one will receive his own reward according to his labor.
So, those of you who serve, It means something to Christ. and it means something to others. Uh yeah. This has been Cross-Reference Radio with Pastor Rick Gaston. This program is a radio outreach of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville, in Mechanicsville, Virginia.
Pastor Rick has been teaching through the book of Revelation, but if you're interested in learning about a different book of the Bible, we have hundreds of past episodes available to listen to on demand. Just visit us online at crossreferenceradio.com and you'll find an archive of Pastor Rick's past teachings. While you're there, you can also find links to follow our program on your favorite podcast app, as well as links to get connected with us on Facebook and YouTube. There's also an interviews tab where you can learn more about Pastor Rick's heart for ministry.
Well, we hope you'll join us next time here on Cross Reference Radio. Yeah.
