First Orthodox Church of Discontentment

I am, we're going to look in a moment at Revelation chapter 2. I have a couple other things I want to touch base on. First, thank you, worship team, for leading us this morning. Beautiful job. Um It's good to be back with you all.

For those of you if you're visiting, my name is Brian. I'm the lead pastor here. And it's good to be back. We were in Europe, Jennifer and I, for some ministry in Poland. ministering to a group of global working missionaries that all serve in the Middle East and North Africa.

Who were on a retreat getaway and had a wonderful time speaking and sharing with them from 1 John and interacting with some really remarkable individuals and some remarkable staff. Appreciate Len carrying the pulpit in my absence. I was able to catch that from Poland. You can catch it anywhere now, so that's great. And then we traveled back and got caught in this whole global mess that happened and spent 24 hours suffering for Jesus in LAX, which is a dump.

All right, just certifiable dump. There.

Sorry if you work at LAX, but anyway. I wanted to begin because I wasn't here last week, obviously, and the night before our Sunday service, I guess the afternoon before then, there was an assassination attempt on our former president. Yeah, and I I thought it might be um Important to mention something, and so I wanted just to share something in that regard. It may not be what you think. But when you Something like that happens, that's a national.

It doesn't matter what side of the politic you're on. That is an assaulting thing to the senses, to the consciousness of us as a people, in a time when we already feel a lot of chaos. in a time when we already feel really frayed as a nation. At a time when, honestly, it feels growing and I think y'all could see this sort of coming, but it feels like you could almost light a match and the emotions would just set the whole thing on fire in some ways. And that's not a good thing.

at all. It's an awful thing. After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest theologians of the 19th century, he was most noted in the latter half of the 19th century, a Reformed theologian named Charles Hodge, who taught at Princeton. Wrote a 23-page essay in response to Lincoln's assassination.

And interestingly, some of what he had to say in that has, I think, relevance way beyond the event itself last Saturday. And Hodge had a lot to say in 23 pages, but Here's just a central thrust of it: focused on something that we need to keep our focus on moving forward as the church of the living God in the midst of where we live presently. And that is that we have to keep our eyes on God's providence. We have to keep our eyes on God's providence. You know, the same providence.

that maintains an octogenarian in the office currently is the same Providence that let a bullet pass by the former President. It's the same providence whatever side of the aisle you sit on. It's providence. And at the end of the day, we don't have to be people that feel like we have to... give into sort of a powder kegged sense.

of life. That's one of the things that makes us distinctively Christian. is that we don't have to do that. You know, in thinking about this, That bullet did hit some people. A few bullets hit some people.

But one of those bullets hit and killed a 50-year-old former volunteer firefighter. Tool and die maker. And I was looking and reading his obituary. And I was struck by it. It's Corey Company.

Comparator, and this is just two small paragraphs from his obituary. Corey's life was a reflection of his faith. He was a man of God who loved Jesus with every fiber of his being. His actions were guided by his unwavering belief. And he inspired those around him to live with purpose and grace.

His ability to lift the spirits of everyone he encountered was unparalleled. His courage was not the loud and boisterous kind. It was the courage of quiet resilience. the strength to be vulnerable. and the bravery to lead with love.

Corey's legacy is not just in the major milestones he achieved, but in the small acts of kindness that marked his everyday life. He was quick to help those in need, never expecting anything in return. And his impact on the lives he touched was profound. I was reminded of Jesus' words. In Matthew 10, 29.

Through 31, where he said, Are not two sparrows sold for a penny, yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your father's care? And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered, so don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. My sister-in-law, before she died, she had a tattoo of a sparrow because of that verse on her back of her shoulder. But She died.

At a young age.

So Here's the moral for us. God knows. Every sparrow. that falls. But sparrows fall.

Okay. People die. Providence has in its view Protection. And Providence has in its view Bullets striking people. And I take from that this notion.

Who knows what a day may bring forth. And yet, if you can live your life. with a kind Yeah. Courageous resilience. And if you can love the people that are around you in your sphere well, If you could give your life, like Corey did, for his family, quite literally.

then you're living under providence well. That's a lesson that all of us can take away from something that I don't want to say wasn't a national tragedy. Because it was. It was. And we can take that away and remind ourselves moving forward, whatever the difficulty we have in any election cycle.

Don't lose yourself. Don't lose yourself. Remember. God is on his throne. Let's pray.

We're going to turn our hearts toward our text for the day. Father We are a people that get to live under your providential hand. You remind us in your word of that providence. You tell us in Proverbs 19, 21, that many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it's the purpose. of the Lord that will stand.

And so, Lord, we rest ourselves in that purpose. Not knowing what all you are doing in the present. Not knowing. and understanding all of the things that you permit or cause. But as your people, we come before you and we ask that you would help us to be faithful under your providential care.

Guide our lives, Lord, in such a way that we would honor. that we would glorify you. Yeah. that you would be exalted and lifted up. That, Lord, we would live in your kingdom as your people today.

Thank you, Lord, that we have been able to gather here. It is a joy to be with people who love you. And I ask that as we have the privilege of opening your word, that you would guide us in a way that only you can, into truth, that only you can ultimately land us in for your glory.

So we invite you, Holy Spirit, to teach us today. Yeah. to strengthen us. to draw us close to you in Jesus' name. Amen.

We're going to be in Revelation chapter 2. As we think about Jesus' letters to his churches, and I have called this the first Orthodox church of discontentment. And you'll see why. You'll see why in just a moment. We are looking at the church of Pergamum.

And on the map up here, just by way of reminder, John writes this and has this revelation on the island of Patmos. And he is sending this out. The whole revelation goes out to seven churches with individual letters written to specific issues in each of the seven churches. And it's making its way in a kind of clockwise fashion. It starts in Ephesus.

It makes its way from Ephesus up to Smyrna. And Len did a great job ministering to you last week about the church of Smyrna. And this morning we're going to talk about Pergamum, and then we'll make our way down. and around.

So we want to think about the church at Pergamum a little bit as we get there. I want to invite you to just read the text. With me, follow along. I'm going to read from verse 12 down through 17. And we'll get into it.

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum, write the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell. Where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name. And you did not deny my faith.

Even In the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you. where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols. and practice sexual immorality.

So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore Repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says. to the churches.

To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna. And we'll give him a white stone with a new name. written on the stone. that no one No, that no one knows except the one. who receives it.

We're going to look at four different aspects. Of this letter. And as we begin, I just want to think with you about the context of the church a little bit and think about Pergamum itself. For a moment, because it's a unique city. Even among these seven, it's quite unique.

Having traveled to each of these seven in the past and seen the sites myself, the greatest in terms of its extensive ruins that remain is Ephesus. It's unrivaled in that way in terms of what remains. Probably second in terms of what you can actually see is probably Laodicea. And then the third is probably Pergamum after that. But that doesn't have so much to do with the glories of the place when they were around.

I'm going to show you a couple, kind of a rendering of Pergamum on the left and an aerial view of Pergamum now on the right, a portion of it anyway. And if you were to sort of lay these over, you can see the theater and you can see the theater on each of these. See that? That's pretty apparent.

So you can kind of envision that on the top of this. Um this hill that is about a thousand feet above some a plain below that has itself a couple of plateaus where later lower portions of the city were built. It started as this acropolis way up on the top with all of the things that you see there on the left and you can see temples to a couple different gods, temple of Dionysius, you have an altar of Zeus, temple and Tamenos of Athena, and then you have a temple of the ruler cult and we're going to think a little bit more about that. That's quite significant for the understanding as it relates to Pergamum. You should also note a few things about Pergamum.

So, Pergamum had come to prominence. Probably in part because of its unique geography. It was an incredible place. It's certainly the most beautiful location of all the seven cities. And where it sits, it's about 15 or 16 miles off of the Aegean Sea.

Again, elevated up high for all the sea, so it made a great place. To put a fortress up there. For years, the Seleucid. These kings that were sort of broken out after Alexander the Great and had the run of much of the Middle East and Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. They ended up at the tail end of that domination in the first, latter portion of the second century BC.

They turned the place over to the Romans. The Romans took it over and made Pergamum the primary city of the empire.

So long before Ephesus became the primary city in Asia Minor, Pergamum was the primary city in Asia Minor. It was the epicenter. It was the capital.

Now in forty-four B C A free a a Roman freed man. Began and sort of built an altar over Caesar's grave.

Okay. When he built an altar over Caesar's grave, two years after that, the Senate voted to institute imperial cult worship. It was primarily not the worship of living Caesars, although it did take place and did happen out and about. But it was actually outlawed in Rome to worship the Caesar who was himself in Rome. But out and about, they were worshiping living Caesar in different places.

But it became an official kind of recognized religion to worship the Caesars who had gone into the pantheon of the gods.

So the first temple that was built for the imperial cult worship was built in Pergamum. The first one. in 29 BC.

So, just about 13 years after it was voted on by the Roman Senate and it became institutionalized, when you read in the text, You are where Satan's throne is. It's highly likely that's what it's referring to. That it was known as the epicenter. It had other religions that were worshipped there. And yet it was the epicenter.

the starting place, if you will. for the imperial cult worship. It was also an intellectual center. The greatest library in the ancient world was in Alexandria. The second greatest library in the ancient world was in Pergamum.

It had 200,000 volumes. That's a big Library, 200,000 volumes. I'd like to be in that library. You had this place where we learned that as early as 60 BC, Jews began to settle.

Now that's important. It's really important because some of the references that are made in what I just read to you, well, they needed someone with probably some Jewish background to understand them when they're talking about Balaam and the sin of Balaam and so forth. And so he targets this place that Was a former, but not that former, epicenter. It had shifted by the writing. of Revelation to Ephesus, but recently shifted.

Pergamum was clearly the number two city in Asia Minor at this point, and it was still so prominent that often royal court would be held not just in Ephesus, but also in Pergamum.

So this context is important. It's important because there's a lot at stake. In Pergamum. You know, where you live matters. It really does.

Think about where this church is. Think about what's unique. About This place. Think about where we live. Think about the religious context.

in which we live. Think about the broader context in which we live. Think about the chaos of the moment. in which we live. The context in which we live matters and it only raises the stakes.

Of what it is that God is doing with us, and it raises the stakes of how we handle what God has given. Uh It matters deeply. It matters intensely. Listen, I I pastored. In the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a number of years before my wife and I moved here 20 years ago and planted this church.

Now, I don't know if you've figured out. But the Salt Lake City area is not the same as the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They're different.

Okay. Very few people want to go on a K-Love cruise with Third Day here in the Salt Lake City area, and everybody in Dallas-Fort Worth wants to, as they eat their Bible bars and their Testaments and their scripture cookies. You're in, and even as you're in a broader culture, you are in and among people who tend to have a cultural base that has some parallel apparatus with you even when it comes to thinking about the basic concepts of spiritual things. But that is not the case. Where you live.

Instead, we live in a different place. And that means that there are things that are at stake here. There are things that we have to have precision upon. There are things we cannot be idle with. There are things that we have to attend to in unique ways that A good church.

Where I used to live does not have to attend to in the same way. Yes, they need to hold the same faith. But the how of holding it. has a kind of unique texture. And Unique confusion or unique confusion.

Clarity. based upon where You live.

So when I see this letter, It's a pergamon. I find personally it has tremendous impact. For us.

So, why would we call this the Orthodox Church or the First Orthodox Church? of discontentment. the first Orthodox Church of Discatenment.

Well, as we think about that, we're going to think about the characteristics of the church a little bit. Here's a couple other pictures for you, by the way, before we get there. This is looking up from what was the um uh the medical establishment of Asclepion. You ever see the the World Health Organization's logo here? That's the staff of a slepion.

that they have. that actually comes From where those pillars and columns are was a huge ancient medical establishment and a place of healing with healing baths and ancient medicine and so forth. And this is the lower city looking up, and you can see the theater up there. I want to think about some characteristics of this church. And this is where we'll spend a a good portion of our time.

Look with me in verse End of verse 12. To the angel of the church in Pergram Arite, the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

Now that was referenced in chapter 1, verse 16. The sharp Two-edged. Sword. This is going to cut and pardon the pun. two directions.

And it does. Because to the this this this picture Of a two-edged sword and the picture of a sword used in Revelation cut a couple of different ways as we think about it. You'll see that in a moment. I know where you dwell. Where Satan's throne is, as I mentioned to you, most likely the imperial.

Called, yet you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith. It's probably best rendered, deny your faith in me.

Okay, deny your faith in me. Even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you. Where Satan dwells. Think about these characteristics. The first is determination.

These are a people Who, in the midst of seeing one of their own, we don't know anything more about this man Antipas than that he was martyred in this context and that the location of his martyrdom is highlighted with the phrase where Satan dwells. And when we put that together with the idea that Satan's throne is likely a reference to the imperial cult, that tells us that he was probably a martyr under the Roman regime and maybe connected to some way he was interfacing with or not interfacing with the imperial cult. Cult. And it's in that context of one of their own being martyred for the faith, he says, you guys stuck. to the stuff.

You guys held on to orthodoxy.

So this is not a small thing. This isn't a little attaboy. It's a big deal that in the midst of intense cultural pressure, political Pressure. In a context where one of their own is killed. killed out of not connecting with the religio politic of the day.

They held on. to orthodoxy.

Now everything that you see In the movements of the zeitgeist of world belief, if you were to look at Western Europe, you can see it and trace it through intellectual history, whatever happens in Western Europe, you wait about two decades and it lands in America. This is just how it moves. It's how it's always moved. It's how it moved. The liberalism of the 19th century emerged in America about 20 to 30 years after it started blossoming in Europe.

It all begins to kind of shift over, and we watch and we wait. And the secularism, of Scandinavian culture, the secularism. of French culture, the secularism and some of the fascism of German culture, all starts moving over and we begin to see it starting to come and it's come home to roost Among us. And we are a church. Independent of Utah.

We are a church that is in America, in a zeitgeist, where The Christianity in America is doing two things right now. On the one hand, it's Fraying, and we'll talk about why maybe in a minute. And on the other hand, it's having a kind of shrinking dynamic in some ways. I wouldn't expect you to be aware of this, but it's sort of in the relationships I have in the realm that I traffic in as a pastor. An example is demonstrated in Bible colleges all over the United States that are shutting their doors.

and I don't mean one or two. I mean historic colleges that are shining even this summer. that have had to close up because they can no longer afford to pay for all of their expenses because of the lack of a student body that's available. That doesn't bode well. It's not DEF CON 5, but it is that we need to be aware that we are a growing minority in that way, and we have to now begin to think about what it means for us to live an exilic kind of life in a world where the broader The broader intellectual apparatuses are shifting.

and are changing. He says, you have held Fast. And these are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. What is it that they treasured? that help them be able to hold fast.

What is it?

Well, it's that they treasured The sharp two-edged sword. What is that? That language exactly shows up in this famous text of Scripture, right? Hebrews 4. 12 through 13.

For the word of God is living and active, active, sharper than any. Two-edged. Sword. Now the word for sword is a mammoth sword. It's not a little dagger, it's a big, broad sword that would be almost like a javelin.

Okay. This big, broad sword. He said, it pierces to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of morrow, and the discerning of the thoughts and intentions of the heart. No creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.

So The church is commended. At a strategic time, in a strategic place under oppression, that they kept their eyes upon the Word of God, and it was the Word of God that allowed them to be cemented in Orthodox doctrine as they subsisted in and amidst Satan's. Throne.

Now let me give you a practical Application here before we move on to a really important point. I want to go back to where I started before he even brought up this message about politics for a minute. Venture where few people dare to tread. Don't you get lost in the media? Don't baptize yourself with the morning news.

Baptize yourself with the word of God. What is your primary allegiance to? It is too. His Kingdom. His kingdom.

The king of your kingdom is not on a penny. The king of your kingdom is not on a penny. The king of your kingdom. is one who reigns in majesty and power. and who causes bullets to pass and bullets to hit and people to get old and people you will love to get elected and people you don't love to get elected and everything in between.

Don't lose yourself. Don't lose yourself. We've gone through two chaotic election cycles before this one. that have been wild and crazy. Right.

And I've watched a lot of people lose themselves. I've watched people walk away from the church. Don't. Do it.

Okay? Don't do it. You anchor yourself to this word in and amidst a bunch of imperialization because the anchor of the two-edged sword. Is what will keep you and I on course in his kingdom. Amen?

You're allowed to say that here, by the way. All right. I don't know if you're familiar with this word, but I like to bring in new words once in a while. It's going to give you something to say at home.

Something to say to your kids, don't act in dissipation, children. They'll be like, what what? What? The word dissipation, here's the definition of dissipation. Wasting by misuse.

Wasting. By miss Yes. He says you guys are orthodox. Yeah. You stand.

In the midst of difficulty? Imperial cult. Martyrdom, Satan's throne. You like a rock. But But I have a few things against you.

What could he have against people who know and hold to the truth. Here's what he has against them. They don't hold to it the right way. It is so important. They don't hold to it the right way.

What happened to them? You have some there in your church. who hold to the teachings of Balaam. Who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.

So, you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Now, I told you before when we talked about the church at Ephesus, nobody knows. The teaching of the Nicolaitans. And I've watched people try to link it to the teaching of Balaam, because it says, So you also have. But if it's the same as the teaching of Balaam, why does he even mention it separately?

So I don't think anybody has a clue. of what the teaching of the Nicolaitans are.

So what we're going to do is just set that over there and not say stuff that we don't know. But we do know about Balaam. We do know. About Balak. We do have a series of about.

Four chapters in the Old Testament that are devoted to a weird scenario that involves talking donkeys. that involves Mandates to curse and then turns to bless. that involves political frustration. that involves chaos for the nation.

Now in October I was standing on a mountain in Jordan. Right at a location Where Balaam would have stood in the general spot. Giving one of his pronouncements out, looking down over the ancient location of Shatim.

Now, Shatim is an important location. Most of the books of the law, or at least Deuteronomy, was written by Moses in that location at Shatim. And so this was a place that Israel settled for an extended period. Period of time, a long time. They set up camp there.

Massive group of people setting up camp on the plains of Moab and Shatim was frightening to the other people that were there. Frightening to one Balak, who then hires Balaam as a prophet to come and to curse the people. And you might know the story. Balaam goes up on the top of a mountain and he ends up being warned by God not to curse the people through the talking donkey. And then he gets up top and so he ends up prophesying blessing.

Over the people. Balak is upset, says, do it again.

So he goes to a different mountain, does it again. Only he doesn't curse. He pronounces blessing. Balak gets upset again, goes to another mountain, does it again. He does it like four times.

There's three different mountains. He does it like four times, though, by the time he's done, and it just turns for blessing and blessing. And you finish. Numbers 22, 23, 24, and you kind of go, what's the problem with Balaam? Because Balaam was supposed to curse and he blessed.

Listen to numbers. Chapter 25. Numbers 25. Verses 1 through 3: While Israel lived in Shatim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. They began to intermarry.

These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate. and bowed down to their gods.

So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. That happened immediately after Balaam blessed them three times, four times, instead of cursing them. Later on in Numbers chapter 31, verse 16, you realize that. Balaam actually provoked Israel to do that sin of prostituting themselves, having their men sleep with women, and taking on their gods and offering sacrifices, that Balaam had incited them to do that. We learn it because Numbers 31, 16 says, Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor.

And so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord.

So, here when the text says, I have a few things against you, you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. It's going back into their history. And he's reminding them that in the midst of people who knew who Yahweh was, where the law was being written Who were understanding Orthodox doctrine, they got sucked away in idolatry. and sexual immorality. Idolatry and sexual immorality became the heartbeat of their dissipation.

They're wasting away. In the misuse of something. They could have served in fidelity. They could have held to the truth more than propositionally, more than in a doctrinal statement, more than simply checking off a theological box. They could have held to it very, very practically.

Think for just a moment. When Jesus in the Gospels, In the Gospel of John. He talks about going and to a place where he's Building a, he's going to prepare a mansion. His father's got many rooms for you. And he's inviting the disciples to go, and one of them says, Hey, Uh can you tell us The way to go.

We don't know where to go. We don't know where you're going, so we don't know how to follow you. They're thinking directionally, and Jesus says famously in John 14:6. I am The way? The truth.

And the life. When you move forward from that, And I don't have time to look at it this morning, but you read it. When you move forward from that, it moves in a couple of directions. Immediately, it moves into how, if you follow his way, the power of God will show up in your life, largely in verses 12 through 14 of John 14. And then he'll say in verse 15 that you're supposed to keep his commandments, and by keeping his commandments you demonstrate that you love him.

And then in John 15, he talks all about abiding love and what it means to live in love by obeying him. to walk in Jesus' way. to adhere to the truth. In Christianity is not in a sense. to a doctrinal proposition.

It is an application of that proposition. to your life. It is not simply speaking and adhering to a set. of ideas. Checking off a box that you agree with a statement of faith, and now you are.

Orthodox. It is taking that and letting it work its way. all the way through all of your life in every way. He is writing here. to people.

Who had a hard time doing that? to a church that probably has a mix of Jew and Gentile. Who have some who they're familiar enough with this story to make the connection. And yet they're being warned of something. Because it was a prominent problem within the broader Not pergamum proper, broader Greco-Roman culture.

What was that? It was namely idolatry. And sexual laxity in Greco-Roman culture. If you committed fornication, it wasn't a big deal. Do you know any culture like that?

Church. That is rapidly Fraying. as it adopts That kind of ethic. And I was thinking about this in 20 21, Pew Research. Had a poll And they uh Did the poll with people who didn't identify as Christians, people who identified Christians of all various sorts, people who identified as evangelical, gospel-believing.

Christians. What percentage do you think? Of evangelical Christians said that it was okay to have casual sex. with people that you're not married to. What percentage of evangelicals so in this church, if we were to take that survey and say it's okay to have casual sex with people you're not married to, what percentage of people who would read the New Testament that says that it's wrong?

says it explicitly multiple times, would say it's not wrong and it's okay. 36%. One and three. But what if you're in a committed relationship? What if you're not just hooking up?

But if you said, hey, I want to be. We're not married, but you're the only one for me. In that. Would that make a difference?

Well, it makes a difference in the percentage because the percentage moves from 36% saying that's okay to 46% saying that's okay.

Now I don't bring that up. As a weapon of condemnation, I bring it up as an important insight. That there's something that's disconnected. There's something that we're missing. There's something where the things that we say have not worked themselves down into how.

we actually live our lives. And that's a significant issue. That is exactly what he is talking about here. In this passage. He is communicating with them precisely.

regarding this. Because he knew this is a problem in the culture. How do we know that he knew it was a problem in the culture? You just look at the New Testament. I'll just show you.

Acts 15:19, when the church is going to go into the Gentile world, look at what James told them. James said, There from my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles to turn to God, but should write to them to what? To do two things. Why? The two things he highlighted.

Abstain from the things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality. It's the very two things that are mentioned in this church. Why? Because he knew if this culture is going to get in your life, it's going to get in through sex and it's going to get in through idolatry. Not much has changed in a couple thousand years.

So, here's what I want you to think about this morning. I don't want you to think about the world. I don't. I don't want you to. Talk about how all bad culture is.

It's a low-hanging fruit. Everybody in here nods their head when we say stuff like that. What good is it for us to keep talking about that all the time? It drives me nuts.

Now I'm just getting mad. We gotta think about us. Here's think about Judgment beginning here. You gotta think about whether our lives are squaring. with an ethic that says no to idolatry.

When we're pressed on repeatedly through all kinds of forms to have idols galore. And think about Sexual immorality, whether or not we have anything in us that sees. That God calls us to be distinct and not use our bodies as instruments of what He calls wickedness, instead, to preserve ourselves in holiness. In Jeremiah chapter 2. Um Jeremiah It's reminding Jerusalem.

How the nation when they first came out of Egypt in the Exodus. Looked at Yahweh and said, we're following you. How they had fidelity. Toward him. But then they got along a while.

And I started to lose. their moorings. They started to get swept up. Look what happens in sh teens. a few years later.

Jeremiah in Jeremiah 2.5 writes, What wrong did your fathers find in me, God says? that they went far from me and went after worthlessness and became worthless. That's called dissipation. They're wasting away in misuse. Jeremiah 2.13 then says, For my people have committed two evils.

They've forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can't hold water. They're trying to find refreshment. This is why I titled the sermon, The First Orthodox Church of Discontentment. Why would you ever confess to something that's true? But leave it in your practical life.

It's because you're discontented with it. You think fulfillment is not found there. You think fulfillment is actually found somewhere else. And that is why you're running to it.

So you think That Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. is a wonderful statement. But sleeping with him. Sleeping with her. bowing at this altar.

Running for greed and money. are far more fulfilling. Than that. And it's betraying us as a church. It's exposing the true anchor of our lives.

By the way, it's why in the midst of a Crazy political climate. Don't get caught up. Living for kings. who are on printed coins. Live for the king of kings.

Because he alone calls you. to a right kind of life. in the context in which we live.

Now final characteristic. Duplicity. I just want you to see this. Do you see in verse 13? where it says You hold fast my name.

Now, go back to chapter 2, verse 1. To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the words of him who holds the seven stars right hand.

Now, you may not remember, but I told you at that time that that was a word, krateo, in the Greek, that doesn't just mean to sort of hold in your hand, it meant to seize or arrest and was used like in the Gospels for the arrest of Jesus. But it has the idea of grabbing something, pulling it up, and holding it tightly. That same word is used three times: verse 13, 14, and 15.

So, watch. Hey, guys, well done. You hold. To the truth. He sees it.

Hold on to good doctrine in the midst of Satan's throne. Verse 14. But I've got a few things against you. You have some there who Hold. to the idolatry and sexual laxity.

of David. They don't want to let it go, because that's their right. That's their autonomous self. That's their freedom to be who they are. to find fulfillment in the privacy of their own life.

So also you have some who hold. The teaching of the Nicolaitans. You're holding two things. that don't come together well. You're holding on the one hand The beauty of Christian doctrine.

And on the other, you're holding that which does not flow from that doctrine. And you're living a life of duplicity.

So what do you do? when you're in duplicity. You do the only thing you can, verse 16. Therefore, repent. That's the call.

Therefore repent. That's not what the evangelical church is trying to do.

Some are, thankfully. But some are opting for a different direction. Which is You change your doctrine. You change your doctrine. Instead of squaring your life, which is much harder.

Much harder. I can tell you things. that practicing them in private Whew That's a hard one. He calls them to repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them.

That is, those who are living in sexual laxity and idolatry, I will come. to them, with the sword of my mouth.

So there's the second time we see sword. The first time is a reference to his word. Here is also a reference to his word, but his word in a different way. The one is this thing that slices me open and discerns errors and truth, and I get in a doctrinal kind of assessment with, if you will.

Okay. But The next is a little bit different. We see it show up in Revelation 19. He's clothed in a robe dipped in blood. And the name by which he's called is the Word of God.

And the armies of heaven arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron. He'll tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. You're gonna squash them like grapes.

The word of God is connected to the sword, the big broad sword javelin out of his mouth in the symbolic picture. The point is that the word of God is itself a tool of judgment, and he's saying, I'm going to come to them, and they're going to experience eternal judgment. Because they're going to show something about them. They're going to show that, wait a minute, there was an inconsistency, a confession. and an actual belief.

The confession was Orthodoxy. The actual belief was fulfill me now. Through a broken cistern. Let me carve it out myself so that I can get refreshment how I would like in idolatry and in sexual immorality. The call is to repent.

So If you are Given to idolatry. If you're given to sexual laxity. My encouragement to you is really candid. Just repent. He receives you.

He is so gracious and so kind. Judgment goes away in a moment. Because he is kind. That is the beauty of what the cross brings. It's the glory.

of his gracious nature, he doesn't hold it over your head any longer and you set free. I You don't have to live under its tyranny any longer. You get to be released. And it's beautiful. And it's wonderful.

And you get to say, You're better. You're more fulfilling. I don't need to go anywhere else but you. I'll drink of you. That's the call.

to the church at Pergamum, I'm so called to the evangelical church today. And if that happens... We get this consequence. He who has an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit says.

to the churches. To the one who conquers, and we've established that the one who conquers in these letters is the one who has eternal life. I will give, and look at the picture, there's sort of two, there's three different descriptions, but the last two map together. I will give some of the hidden manna. What is that?

And I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone. that no one knows except the one. Who receives it? The hidden Mana. There's a history here.

in Jewish culture. About manna. You remember it, they're wandering in the wilderness and they're fed by manna that drops down. What does it mean that you're going to get the hidden manna at the end of all times? And why would he use the word hidden?

Why wouldn't he just say manna? And it's because in Jewish culture, there was a concept. In fact, there's a story in 2 Maccabees. I know you all read that this morning for your devotions. But 2 Maccabees.

that tells a story That Jeremiah, it was alleged. had disclosed to him the location. Of the tent of meeting that Moses used to meet in, that was now, you know, like folded up and stuff like this, not like a pup tent, but a tent that he could collect all the parts of it, and he collected all the parts of the tent of meeting. And he collected the altar of incense. And he collected the Ark of the Covenant that had the manna in it, and he was directed to hide them in a cave.

That's what 2 Maccabees 2, 4 through 8 tells you. this inner testamental literature.

So it was an idea in Jewish culture. Not saying that really happened, but it was an idea in Jewish culture. And It was there. And put away so that then, when the people were brought and released out of exile, they would have those things back. was what the how the how the story went.

Um Jeremiah's scribe who wrote the book of Jeremiah was a man named Baruch. We learn that in the middle of Jeremiah. There was a pseudopigaphil, a writing under a false name called 2nd Baruch at the end of the first century AD, early 2nd century. And it talked about manna that had been hidden to be provided and afforded for at the end of all things that people would eat hidden manna. All of that to say this.

In the Jewish psychology, there's an expectation at the end of all things, you're going to eat the bread of God again.

Okay. And so Jesus comes along. And says, our fathers ate manna in the wilderness. That is written, he gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven.

For the bread of God is you who comes down from heaven, gives life to the world. And they said to him, Sir, give us this bread always. And Jesus said to them, I am. The bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Do you understand what he's saying? If you put. Christ is your contentment here in this life. You will find that you have Him for your ultimate contentment forever. You get him for good.

That's what he's saying. He'll give you a white stone. It says, with a new name on it. What's that? In Pergamo, they would have white stones for different reasons.

One of the most prominent uses of white stones would be a ticket that you would use inscribed with something on it to a festival. That might be the backdrop. We don't know for certain what it was, but that might be. They also made amulets with stone, and they would put names on them. What would be the name?

What's the new name on the amulet? In Revelation 3, a little later, With the church of Philadelphia, he'll say, the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. He shall never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God. And the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from God out of heaven, and my own new name in Revelation 19, just before the text I showed you a moment ago of the sword coming out of his mouth, it says, His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are written many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.

So when he says here, I'll give him some hidden manna. I'll give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone that no one except the one who receives it, knows except the one who receives it. You're getting this picture. You get Jesus forever. And you get his name written on a ticket or an amulet that says I'm his.

And he's mine forever. That comes to people. who have decided that in their faith Christ is all satisfying now. He's all satisfying now. You weren't saved so that you could walk and say the right things in an Orthodox theology class.

You weren't saved so that you could get a ticket to heaven and have eternal bliss. You were saved so that you could find him more fulfilling, more contentful, and more pleasing than anything else the world ever has. And you'll have that for eternity if you can find it now. And how do you find it now? You retent.

You turn your life over, Tom. And you say, I want your sweetness above all. I want to sip from your wine rather than experiencing your fury as you tread the grapes of the fury. of your wrath. Father, I ask that you would help us to seek your face.

to be a church that in the midst of both a local and a broader climate doesn't yield itself. to Satan's throne, as it were. but neither yields itself to the siren song of idolatry and sexual immorality. Pray that you would help us and protect us. May we hold on.

And walk out our beliefs, finding you to be sweeter and more. content giving than anything the world affords in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.