This is the Truth Network. Welcome to Ignite the Light Ministry's radio and podcast. It is our mission to help listeners develop a deeper relationship with Jesus by sharing what the Bible says and what it means. We aim to encourage and equip you to serve others, share the gospel, and reflect Christ in every aspect of your life. I'm Pastor Wyatt Cudd.
Thank you for tuning in.
So to start, I'm gonna tell you guys a A story. Uh it's a kid's story from 1989 called We're Going on a Bear Hunt. And I'm just gonna tell it the way the author tells it. This is gonna be weird. I'm about to make a fool out of myself.
Are you guys ready?
Okay. Gosh, I'm nervous. I haven't been nervous preaching in a while.
Well, here we go.
Okay. Cha-chump, chomp, chomp, chunk, cha-chomp, chomp, chomp. We're going on a bear hunt. We're gonna catch a big one. What a beautiful day!
We're not scared. Uh-oh, grass! Big, tall grass! We can't go over it. We can't go under it.
We got to go through it. Swishy, swishy, swishy, swishy, swishy, swish. No. Cha chum, chom, chom, chom, cha chom, chom, chom. We're going on a bear hunt.
We're gonna catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We're not scared. Uh-oh, a river. A cold, deep river.
We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We gotta go through it. Splish, splash, splish, splash, splish, smash, splish. Jumpity, jumpity, jump.
We're going on a bear hunt. We're gonna catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We're not scared. Uh-oh.
Mud. Thick, oozy mud. We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We gotta go through it.
Squish, squish, squish, squish, squish, squat. I'm trying to keep my composure here. Cha-chomp, chomp, chomp. We're going on a bear hunt. We're gonna catch a big one.
What a beautiful day. We're not scared. Uh-oh, a forest! A big dark forest! We can't go over it.
We can't go under it. We gotta go through it. Stumble, trip. Stumble, trip, cha-chom, chomp, chomp. Chumbari, choppery, jump.
What a beautiful gosh, I messed up here.
Now I gotta start over. We're going on a bear hunt. We're gonna catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We're not scared.
Uh-oh, a snowstorm! A swirling, whirling snowstorm. We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We have to go through it.
Woo! Cha-chom-chom-chom. Chombade, chombude, chom. Oh, where am I at here? We're going on a bear hunt.
We're gonna catch a big one. What a beautiful day. We're not scared. Uh-oh, a cave! A neurogloomy cave!
We can't go over it! We can't go under it! We got to go through it! Take a dog. Kimp, what is that?
One shiny wet nose, big snarling teeth, two big googly eyes. Oh my gosh, is that your mother-in-law? No, it's your band. I ad-lived that last part. Man, y'all, I think our pastor's lost his mind today.
Well, you know, I might have, but there's a moral to this story. What is it? When we're pursuing a path and we have a goal in mind, You're going to face big, tall grass. You're going to have rivers blocking your path. There's going to be mud, a forest.
You're going to go through storms and they're going to be in your way. When you're pursuing a direction, You're going to have all sorts of challenges and obstacles in your way. You can't go over it. You can't go under it. You gotta go through it.
When we're pursuing Jesus, When we are chasing that ultimate goal of being with God, becoming like Jesus, there will be challenges. There will be obstacles. There will be storms in your life. Can't go over it, can't go under it. You've got to go through it.
And if we don't... We won't arrive. Oh shit. But the promise we have from God is have no fear. I am with you.
He's with us through everything. Y'all didn't think I was going to tie that together, did you? I'm nervous myself.
So, what we're going to do today is we're going to look at two more churches from the book of Revelation. Two churches. That didn't do this. Two churches, when they were faced with obstacles, they tried to go around, they tried to go over, they tried to go under, and now the river is sweeping them away. They're lost in the snowstorm, all turned around, and Jesus is calling them, remember your direction.
Remember where you're called to go. You got to go. through it.
So turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation. Chapter 2. Verses twelve through seventeen. Revelation chapter 2, verses 12 through 17.
So we're going to be looking at the church of Pergamum first. We call them the compromising church. And then we're going to look at the church of Thyatira, and that is the corrupt church.
So if you remember from the previous two lessons, each letter starts out by addressing the angel of the church.
Now the church, of course, will read this letter, but Jesus is addressing the angel over these churches to encourage the church and convict the church of what he says. And he begins each letter referencing the vision from John 1, no, Revelation 1 that John sees. You've got a lot of symbolism, figurative language in this picture of Jesus, but this image represents Christ's absolute authority. When Jesus speaks We listen.
Now these churches are archetypes, models of different problems that churches can run into today. Once compromising what they believe for gain. Another has corrupted what they believe. That's the diagnosis. What's the treatment?
Holiness. You've been called to holiness to be set apart from the world. You will face obstacles that you can't go over. You can't go under. You've got to go through it.
But you don't do it alone.
So let's begin our reading here. Revelation 2. Starting here at verse 12. To the angel of the church in Pergamum write. These are the words of him who has the sharp double-edged sword.
I know where you live. where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith to me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city, where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you.
There are some of you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise you have also hold to the teaching of the Nicolatians. Repent, therefore. Otherwise I will soon come to you, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who is victorious, I will give of the hidden mana. I will also give that person a white stone. with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
Alright, we'll pause there. Yeah.
So let me give you some background to this church. Pergamum was the northernmost of these seven churches in Asia Minor. The city was known for their wealth. their intellects and their religion. Like the previous two churches, the cultural landscape, the people they're dealing with, had a lot of the same challenges.
You had pagan worship. And like the other churches, there was social and legal pressure to worship Caesar, their governor or their emperor, as a god. In fact, they were the first city to build a temple to Caesar in 29 BC. It was the birthplace of. of this emperor worship.
and to not worship Caesar was a punishable offence.
So it's no wonder Jesus says verse 13 I know where he lives. where Satan has his throne. Very similar pressures surrounding and the surrounding culture as the two churches we've looked at before. If you remember from last week, Ephesus under this same similar pressure, grew bitter. They clung to truth well, but had fallen when it came to agape love.
Then Smyrna was, and they remained faithful, they clung to truth and love, they were being persecuted. And why? Because they were making a difference. Satan hates to lose territory. Jesus had nothing to correct them on.
Here, this church is under similar pressure, perhaps more. And what happens?
Well, they've got some good things going for them, but Jesus has some corrections for them. Again, you see he gives it in a compliment sandwich. He starts with the positive. By what authority does Jesus speak to them? Verse 12.
These are the words of him who has the sharp double-edged sword. Now from Revelation 1, this vision of Jesus, this sharp double-edged sword comes out of his mouth. It's beautiful imagery. Hebrews 4.12 says, The word of God is active and alive, sharper than any double-edged sword. It penetrates even dividing soul and spirit.
It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
So this image of the word of God proceeding from the mouth of God, the double-edged sword, it's both a defense against the forces of darkness for us. But it can also cut through us. Judging the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. This is the authority Jesus speaks to them. With And it's the authority that he will judge them with.
Verse 16 says, Repent therefore, otherwise I will soon come to you and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
So the sword vanquishes evil. Even if it's within us.
So what does Jesus praise this church on? It says, yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith to me even in the days of Antipas.
Now Antipas was either a pastor or a prominent leader with this church. who was murdered for his faith. The church could have gotten discouraged, ran the other direction, but they didn't. They remain faithful in trusting Jesus to get them through. Jesus is saying, well done.
This church, like the persecuted church before them, had undergone persecution and they clung to Christ just as they should have. But there's something else here. Let's look at Revel uh let's look at verse 14. Nevertheless, I have these things against you. There are some among you who hold to the teachings of Balaam.
who taught Balak to entice the Israelites. Verse 15, likewise you also hold to the teachings of the Nicolatians. Repent.
So what is this saying? There's some in the church that have compromised their beliefs, believing in the teachings of the Nicolatians, and Jesus is comparing this to Balaam. from numbers 22. Little Old Testament for you. Balak was the king of Moab, and he consulted Balaam, who was a wicked prophet, to try and weaken the Israelite people.
Balak asked Balaam to curse Israel. But Balaam could only pronounce blessings on Israel. He was a wicked prophet, but he was a true prophet. God would not allow him to curse them directly. But you see, Satan.
is crafty. Balaam couldn't curse the Israelites directly, so he takes a backdoor approach. He approaches the Israelite people with Moabite women to tempt the Israelites into sexual immorality and pagan ritual. He did this for financial gain. from Baylick.
2 Peter 21, 5 describes the way of Balak as one who gains from wrongdoing. Balaam was a real prophet, but he abandoned his position, betrayed his people for profit. Jesus is comparing this false doctrine of the Nicolatians to this. There are some in the church that are compromising their belief for gain. Therefore, repent.
What might that look like? For us. Little bit of sin here. A little bit of bending our convictions over there. Helps me fit in, helps me not stand out too much from the world.
Perhaps it's us taking our Christian liberties a little bit too far as a license to sin and be promiscuous. Jesus will forgive me anyways, right? Perhaps it's stretching and abusing God's grace, making excuses for our sin. You know, the Bible doesn't say that we can't have a drink. It just says not to be drunk, right?
Well, then you stretch a little bit further.
Well, what is drunkenness really? If you're asking that question, you've already agreed to play with fire. Christian liberty is freedom. It's not an excuse to dance with the devil. I think this is the right track.
Because the Nicolatians were immoral, embracing self-indulgence and perverting Christian grace, replacing liberty with a license to sin.
So that's compromising what they know to be true for personal gain. Jesus says repent. Verse 17 it says, The one who is victorious, I will give them some of the hidden manna. What does that mean?
Well, the sayings of the world we see without Jesus the sayings of the world we see it very clearly in Ecclesiastes when Jesus is not there What else is there? Ecclesiastes 8, 15, it says, There is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat, drink, and be merry. Have y'all heard that before? Without Jesus, what else is there? Ecclesiastes 9, 9, it says, enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, for all the meaningless days of your life that God's given you under the sun.
Enjoy it while you can, for all of your meaningless, pointless days. See, the way of the world is hopeless, devoid of meaning. Eat, drink, be merry, indulge, try not to think about how pitiful and pointless it all is. Without Jesus. Without Jesus, that's all there is.
And sin suddenly makes a lot of sense. It's a distraction from the absolute pointlessness of it all. It's a distraction from the pain and suffering of life. Who wouldn't want that? But with Jesus There's meaning.
There's hope. There's eternal life and he models a sinless life, bearing your cross and enduring suffering. with joy. What Jesus is saying here is Do not sin. Do not violate yourself.
Do not rebel against God for something temporary that's going to fade away. Pursue holiness like I've called you. Pick up your cross and how are you going to bear it? Through me, Revelation 2, 17, I will give you some of the hidden manna. Run from sin and I will provide you everything you need to bear all suffering, to have a beautiful and fruitful life.
Sin may tempt us to compromise. but it'll take you further than you ever wanted to go. keep you longer than you ever wanted to stay. and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. Jesus says, run from it, run to me.
I have what you need. In pursuit of Jesus, we will face obstacles. We will face temptations. I can't go over it. You can't go under it.
You have to go through it. But we don't do it alone, we do it by Christ's strength. Strength.
So this is the church that compromises. their actions. They compromise what they believe. For game.
Now let's go deeper here. We're going to look at the church that is corrupt. Their beliefs have become corrupt. Revelation 2.18, we're going to pick up there and read through this next church. To the angel of the church in Thyatira, write.
So again, Jesus is charging the angel to commend and convict this church. These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. Again, that's referencing Revelation 1. Jesus speaks with the authority of fiery eyes that see right through us. Fire purifies, but fire is also judgment.
His feet are furnished bronze, that is like an altar. Jesus is the altar, worthy of everything we would ever do, worthy of every sacrifice. It is him who is worthy. No one else, diatira, no other God, only him. He speaks to this church with that authority.
Continuing verse 19, I know your deeds, your love and faith. your service and perseverance. and that you're now doing more than you did at first.
So we see the beginning of that compliment sandwich. He starts with something positive, that is true, ends with something positive, but he still communicates the hard truth. And him saying you're doing more than you did at first, well we don't know exactly where they started or where they're at now, so that actually might not be saying much, but he's still delivering truth wrapped in love. Verse 20. Nevertheless, I have this against you.
You tolerate the woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching, she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. Verse 22, so I will cast her on a bed of suffering. I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely.
unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know I am he who searches hearts and minds and will pray will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Alright, so you got this woman. He's referring to him, her as Jezebel. Her name is likely not Jezebel. It's a comparison being made from Jezebel in the Old Testament. who influenced the Jews into worshiping other gods and practicing immorality.
That's 1 Kings 21. This is not just a compromise of action like the previous church. That just goes against what we believe. This is deeper. This is a corruption of the belief itself.
It'd be like us saying, well, yeah, we worship Jesus. and this other guy alongside of him. They're both accurate. It's Jesus and... Anything else?
That's the problem. Jesus and Getting rich. Jesus and Our tradition. Jesus and My sexuality. Jesus and The Republican Party.
And the Democrat Party, it's the same point. Jesus and self-help. Popularity, comfort, peace in my family, Jesus and my personal dreams. If our belief And Jesus has Jesus and We are in the same situation they are. We are committing idolatry.
Most of these things I've said in and of themselves are good, but all of them must come under submission to the will, the leadership, the direction, the authority of Christ. If they occupy the same place in our minds and hearts as Jesus, We are in idolatry. But if we bring all these things under submission to Jesus. He actually breathes new life. Into it.
He revitalizes these things and fills them with meaning. But it's Jesus and Jesus alone. Verse 24, Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, To you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets. I will not impose any other burden on you. except to hold on to what you have until I come.
Okay. Satan's so-called deep secrets. This is a similar thing that the Colossians were struggling with in the epistle. The Colossians, who would have thought. But the Colossians were dealing with something similar.
We called it Gnosticism. And it's the notion that there's some kind of deeper mystery to understand, that there's a higher knowledge to attain beyond scripture that we have to personally work out. It's tempting. But it's the same lie from the garden. Did God really say You will not surely die.
In fact, God is hiding something from you. Come, find it. Take of the fruit and eat it if you want true knowledge. Come partake in this sexual debauchery if you want to know the real secrets. It's the same lies, just repackaged.
Most of Satan's deceptions are. It's like a nice enticing bag of chips. You know, it looks good on the outside, but then you open it and there's like one chip in there, and it's just nothing but air. It's a lie. with beautiful packaging.
Hey there. I hope this sermon has enriched your day. If you like this message, I want to personally invite you to join us for Sunday worship. We have two locations in Virginia, Trinity Methodist Church in Concord and Mount Comfort Methodist Church in Appomattox. Come join us Sunday morning at 9.45 and we will help you get connected.
As always, I'm Pastor Wyatt Cudd. Thank you for tuning in.
