A Responsive Church in a Changing Society: Pergamum

Text: Revelation 2:12-17

Theme: The Lord of Glory has a message for the church today: “The Church cannot adopt the mores of a secular society and remain true to Scriptural principles of morality.”

Date: 06/25/2023 Responsive_Church_03-Pergamum.wpd ID: NT29-02

Throughout the history of the Church, the great question in every era has been, “How does the church remain relevant to the culture it lives in without inculcating the worldliness of the culture into the church?” In other words, “When does the confessing church become a compromising church?”

In the first quarter of the 21st century the challenge of any church is to remain relevant to its community while remaining authentic to the Scriptures. Many denominations have become irrelevant because they have lost their moral authority. For the church at Pergamum, relevancy meant a return to biblical morality by its members. Pergamum was a confessing church that had been praise-worthy but they became a compromising church that Jesus will judge if they do not repent.

The seduction by the culture is surprisingly easy. It does not take place as an obvious frontal assault from rival religious or philosophical beliefs. If that were the case we could easily resist their attack. Instead, the seduction comes from the constant pressure on the church to adopt society’s course and custom as the church’s agenda: To adopt society’s means and schemes for success as the church’s pattern for success. In 21st century America that entails compromising the moral mandates of the bible in order to become more appealing to a degenerate culture.

This is the great sin of the church at Pergamum — compromising with a fallen society. Let’s look at Christ’s message to this church.

I. THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM WAS A CHURCH THAT HAD BEEN FAITHFUL AT GREAT COST

1. it was difficult being a Christian in Pergamum

a. being a Christian there was a high-risk commitment

1) it threatened your comfort, your personal security, and your relationships with family and friends

2) it threatened your prosperity

3) it threatened your position in the community

b. in Pergamum there was no part of your life that was not touched by your stand for Jesus Christ

2. two reasons why it was difficult

A. THE DEMANDS OF THE STATE SOMETIMES MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO BE A CHRISTIAN

1. Pergamum was one of the very first cities of Asia to openly and eagerly embrace worship of the Roman Emperor

a. two decades before Christ was born, the city fathers at Pergamum had dedicated a temple to Cesar Augustus and Roma, the patron goddess of Rome

b. to be a good citizen meant giving your loyalty and worship to Cesar and Rome’s patron goddess

ILLUS. Statues of and temples to various Roman Emperors were everywhere in the city. They served as a constant reminder as to who their true “Lord” and benefactor was.

2. by the time a church had been established in Pergamum, emperor worship had become a test of loyalty to the government

a. refusal to offer incense to the emperor’s statue while confessing Caesar is Lord was considered high treason

b. to be a true believer in Pergamum meant that you had to be willing to defy the state

ILLUS. And whatever the era the state does not like to be defied. Just ask Jack Phillips of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colorado. For eleven years now, he has been fighting for his religious liberty and freedom of conscience, to not be forced by the state to declare a message he does not agree with. Jack is a baker and creates custom cakes for his customers. Jack serves all customers, regardless of who they are. He will not, however, create cakes with offensive messages or themes. In 2012, Jack declined a request to create a special wedding cake celebrating a same-sex marriage. The couple sued, and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission came after Jack with a punishing law suit. His defense lawyer took it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where in 2018 Jack won in a 7-2 landmark ruling that upheld his religious freedom.

In June 2017, on the very day that the Supreme Court announced its decision to hear Jack’s case, an attorney called Jack’s shop asking for a custom cake. The attorney wanted a cake that would be blue on the outside and pink on the inside in order to reflect and celebrate that attorney’s transition from male to female. Jack politely declined to create a custom cake expressing a message that conflicted with his faith. For a second time the LGBTQ community and the state of Colorado sued Jack Phillips. When the 2018 Supreme Court decision regarding the first lawsuit was announced, Colorado dismissed its second case against Jack assuming it couldn’t win that one either.

The same attorney who filed the second complaint has filed another lawsuit against Jack, and now the State of Colorado is coming after Jack Philips for a third time. They are determined to put him out of business because his mind is held captive to the Word of God, and he refuses to acquiesce to their demands that would force him to speak something he believes is false.

c. the State of Colorado is demanding that a Christian pay homage to Caesar and declare that “Colorado is Lord”

1) but since the state of Colorado can’t kill Jack Phillips for his alleged crime, they’re attempting to kill his business

3. the Christian cannot serve two masters — we cannot declare that both the State and the Christ are equally our Lord

a. Jesus is very explicit about this

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. ... .” (Luke 16:13, NASB95)

b. the problem is that a fallen world does not recognize our Lord and does not recognize our Lord’s agenda and does not understand our desire to be faithful to him and his agenda

c. in a country that was founded by Pilgrims searching for religious freedom, the increasing secularization of the state and our courts is making it more and more difficult to be a Christian in the public arena

4. the demands of the state sometimes make it difficult to be a faithful Christian

a. be a faithful Christian anyway

B. THE DECEITFULNESS OF THE CULTURE SOMETIMES MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO BE A CHRISTIAN

1. Pergamum was not a great commercial center like Ephesus or Smyrna

2. it was, however, a seat of higher learning

a. the city was well known for its school of medicine and its great library which contained over 200,000 books

b. it was a city of culture, refinement and intellectualism

3. and if you don’t know it, culture, refinement and intellectualism are often openly hostile to the Christian faith

ILLUS. A. W. Tozer writes, “ ... the sons of this world ... manage to make it tough for the children of God in a thousand cruel ways.”

a. you don’t believe that to be true?

1) just stand up for traditional marriage and see if the sons of this world don’t make it tough on you

b. you don’t believe that to be true?

1) just stand up for biological women only playing on women’s sports teams and the sons of this world will make it tough on you

ILLUS. Just ask Riley Gaines who is leading a crusade to ban biological men from women’s sports. You’d think that would be a “no-brainer” but in the insanity of transgendered rights we now actually have to take a stand on “Should men be playing on women’s sports teams?”

4. we live in a society which has adopted “tolerance” as its most sacred virtue

ILLUS. “Tolerance” has become the new idol of the progressive-left.

a. because the Confessing Church preaches biblical morality and biblical ethics and gender distinctions defined by Scriptures we are often labeled as “intolerant”

b. the broader culture, however, has no problem being intolerant of Confessing Christians

ILLUS. Last week EVERY major news outlet in America reported that the Southern Baptist Convention, at it’s annual meeting in New Orleans, "Essentially voted to ban women from any leadership role in the Southern Baptist Convention."

THIS IS NOT WHAT MESSENGERS DID! Good grief did these reporters even WATCH, let alone ATTEND the meeting to see what was going on?

Messengers reaffirmed our long-held confession of faith declaring that women cannot serve as pastors in an SBC church and be considered in fellowship with the convention. Our confession of faith states: “While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor/elder/overseer is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

This is not a controversial issue for 90-plus % of SBC congregations. The secular news, however, has told America that if you're a woman you can no longer serve in any leadership role in any Southern Baptist church. That's a lie! There are many, MANY leadership roles in a church (including ours) where women are leaders. They're just not serving as a pastor!

5. the deceitfulness of the culture sometimes makes it difficult to be a Christian

a. be faithful anyway

C. JESUS COMMENDS THE CHRISTIANS AT PERGAMUM FOR THEIR PAST FAITHFULNESS

1. in spite of the circumstances the believers at Pergamum had remained true to the name of Jesus

a. undoubtedly the pressure upon these converts to abandon Christ and turn back to their pagan ways was severe

b. they remained true by not “renouncing their faith” even when persecution erupted and one of the church’s members — probably its pastor — was martyred

2. in spite of all they had suffered as a church, they had not surrendered one article of fundamental truth and had not deviated from the faith

3. the church at Pergamum was unshaken and unshakable

a. these believers were dependable and loyal to their convictions

b. faithfulness is a virtue Christ commends us for

... the Church at Pergamum Was a Church Which Had Been Faithful at Great Cost

II. THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM WAS A CHURCH THAT HAD GROWN FAINT-HEARTED IN OPPOSING FALSE TEACHING

ILLUS. When Jesus speaks to this church there is commendation, but it is followed by some condemnation.

1. although the Pergamum Christians had held fast to Jesus’ name and did not renounce their faith in him even under the threat of persecution, they had compromised with the culture’s sexual morals

a. here is the great threat facing the church today — that the world will influence us more than we will influence the world

b. what had taken place in the church at Pergamum has certainly taken place in much of the Western Church of today

2. the early Christians had one great advantage over us

a. back then it was clear that the surrounding culture was groping in the darkness of paganism

b. but today we have grown accustomed to thinking of ourselves as a part of the "Christian West," living in a "Christian nation"

c. the truth could not be more stark ... we are living in a post-Christian America that is rapidly secularizing and turning away from it’s Christian roots

ILLUS. William Herberg was an American writer, intellectual and scholar. He wrote all the way back in 1951 that America is a “cut flower culture.” Cut flowers retain their original beauty and fragrance, but only so long as they retain the vitality that they have drawn from their now-severed roots; after that is exhausted, they wither and die. For the last 50 years America has maintained an appearance of being a “Christian nation”, but we’ve been plucked from our roots, and the fragrance and beauty are quickly fading, and the wilt is becoming obvious. Herberg concluded that our society cannot long survive without being regrafted onto its Judeo-Christian roots.

3. the specific problem in Pergamum was that, “You have people there who hold to the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolatians.”

A. CHRISTIANS COMPROMISE WHEN THEY ACCEPT FALSE TEACHING

1. all was not well at Pergamum

a. Jesus accuses some in the church of accepting the doctrine of Balaam

2. the doctrine of Balaam must have been a serious problem in the early Church

a. it’s referred to in 2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, and here in Revelation 2:14

1) in every instance it’s a warning about the conduct and message of false teachers

ILLUS. All of these are references to the Old Testament character of Balaam. He was a pagan prophet who tried unsuccessfully to curse the people of Israel (Numbers 22). He was repeatedly unsuccessful. He eventually advised King Balak of Moab, the enemy of Israel, to pursue a campaign of flirtation and seduction against the men of Israel (Numbers 31:8). The doctrine of Balaam is not only a serious problem, but a devious one. When the frontal assault failed, Balaam advised a back-door approach.

b. the doctrine of Balaam is the promotion of falsehood in an attempt to infiltrate a secular worldview into the life of the church

1) it perverts the grace of our God into a license for immorality

2) it attempt to turn Christian liberty into a “freedom” to be promiscuous

c. the doctrine of Balaam is the teaching that one can be fully cooperative with the world and still serve God

1) Western society has told the church, “You want to be “relevant” to the culture? Then you’ve got to get rid of your antiquated sexual standards, and acquiesce to the sexual revolution.”

2) Western society has told the church, “You want to be “relevant” to the culture? Then you’ve got to get rid of your patriarchal attitudes that only men can serve as pastors or elders.”

3) Western society has told the church, “You want to be “relevant” to the culture? Then you’ve got to minimize doctrine and theology and become social crusaders.”

4) unfortunately, many Christians, Churches and Denominations have acquiesced to these demands, and in becoming “relevant” to the culture, have become irrelevant to our Lord’s Kingdom

3. Christians compromise when they accept false teaching

B. CHRISTIANS COMPROMISE WHEN THEY ACCEPT FLAGRANT IMMORALITY

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." (Galatians 6:7-9, NASB95)

1. the Nicolatians, who were a problem in the Church at Ephesus, are also a problem at Pergamum

a. they were a group who practiced what we call antinomianism (against law)

1) this is a heresy based upon a misrepresentation of God's mercy

2) it teaches that men can freely participate in sin, and that the deeds of the flesh have no effect upon the health of the soul

2. sexual immorality had become an issue in the Church at Pergamum

a. in the culture of the day sexual laxity was not considered a serious sin by the Greeks or Romans

b. incest, homosexuality and adultery were regular practices which aroused little concern among the masses

3. the Church can neither condone nor tolerate such behavior among its members

a. we should not be surprised when pagans live like pagans ... we should be surprised when Christians live like pagans

"So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as theGentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness." (Ephesians 4:17-19, NASB95)

4. the situation at the church in Pergamum teaches us that the church can be guilty of appalling worldliness

a. it is appalling that certain denominations in America openly admit gays and lesbians to pastoral ministry

b. it is appalling that some Christian ministers will “bless” abortion clinics and praise them for doing “God’s work”

c. it is appalling when a church resorts to bingo, raffles, and casino nights to raise money for ministry and missions rather than depending on the free-will offerings of its members

d. it is appalling when churches knowingly shuttle sexually immoral church staff from one congregation to another

5. the Scriptures are very clear about the believer’s moral behavior in the world ... we are called to holiness

... the Church at Pergamum Was a Church Which Had Grown Faint-Hearted in its Stand Against Immorality

III. THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM TEACHES US IMPORTANT LESSONS FOR TODAY

1. how can the church be relevant in today’s society?

A. FAITHFULNESS IS NOT ALWAYS EASY—BE FAITHFUL ANYWAY

1. it is not difficult in our world to pique a person’s interest in the message of the Gospel

a. it is terribly difficult to sustain their interest

2. millions of people in our culture make decisions for Christ, but there is a dreadful attrition rate

a. many claim to have been born again, but the evidence for mature Christian discipleship is slim

b. in our kind of culture anything, even news about God, can be sold if it is packaged in a fresh and innovative way

c. but when it loses its novelty, it’s often tossed on the garbage heap

3. there is a great market for religious experience in our world

a. there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue

b. there is little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called “holiness”

4. if the church is going to be relevant, it must be a church populated by believers who will be faithful to Christ even when the state and culture make it difficult to be faithful

B. THE CHURCH MUST BE VIGILANT AGAINST THE PREVAILING INFLUENCE OF SECULAR SOCIETY

ILLUS. If you’ve ever driven through Kansas, Oklahoma or north Texas it doesn’t take long to notice that all the trees grow toward the northeast. They all lean in the same direction. Why? Because of the prevailing wind. From the time these trees are seedlings, they live under the constant influence of a prevailing wind out of the southwest. They are influenced by that wind to lean to the northeast. Sometimes a wind from the opposite direction makes them lean a little in another direction, but they always go back leaning toward the northeast.

1. let me ask you a couple questions this morning as I come to a close: “Which way is your life leaning?” “What is the prevailing influence on your life?”

2. do you live your life primarily under the influence of Jesus Christ?

a. if so, then your natural inclination will be toward Christ and his Church

3. or do you live your life primarily under the influence of secular society?

a. sometimes the influence of the world causes us to lean in a different direction, but it’s only temporarily

b. the person who is truly under the influence of Christ always returns to lean toward the Heavenly Father

4. the problem is that if too many believers are leaning in the direction of our secular culture, this cannot help but to eventually influence the church

a. we keep the church safe from the corrupting influence of society by keeping our lives free from the corrupting influence of society

In a day in which the church is classified as irrelevant, let us be diligent to use our influence, our "salt" and "light", to make a difference in our world. Unfortunately, seduction is very seducing. It comes in subtly, not overtly, through the side window, not the front door. And it looks so good at the outset, so justifiable, so right. It is only over time that it begins to show its fangs.

Like the Israelites being seduced by the Moabite women, the culture around us attempts to seduce the Church into accepting its standards of success, and its standards of morality, and its view of family. We must resist the seducing voices of those within the church who would encourage us to acquiesce to the culture that we might become more acceptable to the culture. And we must resist the charismatic voices of the culture that say if we will only soften our stance on this topic or that issue that they’ll fully embrace us — until they find another issue that we’re out of step with!

The Lord of Glory has a message for the church today: “The Church cannot adopt the mores of a secular society and remain true to it’s Lord.” He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.