Pergamum-- The Compromising Church

There are times when there is a need for all parties to find equal ground in compromise…however there are also times when compromise is a bad thing!

Let me illustrate this way...

A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When about to pull the trigger, the bear spoke in a soft, soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let us negotiate the matter.”

Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, “I want a fur coat.”

“Good,” said the bear, “that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise.”

They sat down to negotiate, and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach, and the hunter had his fur coat.

Compromises rarely satisfy both sides in equal measure.

With that in mind please turn to Revelation 2:12-17 in your Bibles…we are walking through the 7 letters of Jesus to His Church...

Ephesus — The Careless Church — Return to Him

We must take care to cultivate our relationship with Christ to ensure our motivation for serving Him is out of a genuine love for Him.

Smyrna — The Suffering Church — Stay Faithful.

Don’t be afraid of what this world can and will do to you because you stand up for Christ. You are rich with all the blessings found in Christ and your eternal home is secure.

Today we examine the 3rd letter to the church of Pergamum...

Important facts about Pergamum.

Pergamum = modern day Bergama

The word “parchment” is derived from this name…the manufacture of parchment was a predominant industry in Pergamum

They would build a significant library here that would house some 200,000 parchment scrolls.

It became a learning center where knowledge was accumulated...

It also served as the capital of the Roman province of Asia Minor for over 250 years and was an important religious center for pagan worship.

Temples dedicated to Athena, Asclepius (the snake god of healing) along with a university for medical study, Dionysius (the god of drunkenness), Zeus.

Although many Roman cities would promote emperor worship, Pergamum became the epicenter of Caesar worship…

The plethora of temples to the many gods and the vastness of emperor worship in this city made this city a religious mecca that rivaled Ephesus and Smyrna.

For the believers in this city…these gods were viewed as saviors which the Christians would be forced to acknowledge…they would have to declare Cesar as Lord knowing full well Jesus is the only Lord.

Christians faced the pressure of a pagan society daily.

If they refused to accept the invitation to attend a feast in honor of a pagan deity, they would not only be shunned, they would be fired, or if they owned the business, would lose that too. Some even died for their faith (talk about that in just a moment)

That is the backdrop for this church…real people, in real time, under real circumstances.

Main Point: Don’t Compromise Your Faith For Cultural Acceptance!

Four truths to keep us from compromising.

Recognize the Authority of Jesus Over All Things.

Revelation 2:12 ““And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:”

He has the authority to judge with truth.

Literally this reads…the one who has the sword, the double-edged one, the sharp one”

As the capital of the province, the Roman consulate was located here and the consul had the power of the sword, Pergamum was a place of capital punishment. If you were judged guilty of being an enemy of Rome, you were sentenced to death.

Jesus communicates the reality is that He is the one who decides who lives and dies…the very words that come out of Jesus’ mouth to pronounce judgment, will be carried out…regardless of what your government says or does.

This description signifies judgment…the sword is identified in Scripture as the Word…it is truth, it is trustworthy, it is inerrant, it is infallible. It proceeds from his mouth…

It is rooted in the messianic prophecy of Isaiah 11:4

Isaiah 11:4 NASB95

But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.

He has the authority to judge thoroughly.

Notice how Jesus describes the sword…it is not some ordinary sword…it is the two-edged sword, the sharp sword.

Being double edged it hurts and it heals…it cuts and cures...

Hebrews 4:12 NASB95

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

This sword of Christ conveys absolute authority, decisive discernment.

Jesus uses His Word to separate the true believers from the false believers…it is a sword that brings life in salvation and a sword that brings death in condemnation...

Jesus is going to judge everything by His word…the final authority.

1st key — Recognize Jesus Has Authority Over You.

2nd key --

Rejoice In Jesus’ Delight of Faithfulness

Revelation 2:13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

Be Faithful Where You Live

Jesus says “I know where you dwell”

These were not strangers, transients, or tourists…these were permanent residents who were born and raised in Pergamum and had their roots in that city.

These were people God called out of that society to be a light to their culture.

and then look at what he says next...He says where Satan’s throne is…where Satan dwells.

Dwells = same word, meaning Satan established an HQ here…two opposing forces operating in this one city.

Throne appears 42x in Revelation…40 refer to God’s throne, 2 refer to the throne of Satan and the beast…in other words, even when it appears Satan has the upper hand, God is still in control.

Even with what is happening in Israel right now…God is still in control.

One of the many gods they worshipped here was Asclepius, the god of healing…this attracted the attention of countless people in hopes of being healed!

He was viewed as a savior and was symbolized by the serpent...a snake wrapped around a pole.

The medical symbol used today is two snakes wrapped around a pole!

One of his “prescriptions” called for the worshipper to sleep on the temple floor, allowing snakes to crawl over his body and infuse him with their healing power.

Holding fast his name meant more than confessing Jesus…it included living in harmony with the Scriptures and walking in His footsteps.

1 Peter 2:21 NASB95

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

Holding fast to the name of Jesus meant they were conducting themselves for Jesus’ glory…Despite the hardships the Christians in Pergamum endured, they remained faithful…they did not renounce Christ...

What is meant by Satan’s throne?

There are many views regarding the exactness of this imagery which all contribute some valid observations…time does not permit a full disclosure of them all...but the one I find most compelling and in context of this passage is that Pergamum was the pantheon of pagan worship, especially worship of the emperor.

It is interesting to me to take note that Satan set up his HQ in a place of beauty, and educational center, and a political hub.

Satan wielded great destructive power through the emperors of Rome upon God’s people.

When you consider the death of Antipas and John’s exile because of their faith, at least for me, this seems to be the most logical.

You were not a good citizen of Rome unless you actively and willfully participated in the worship of one of the many gods, especially the emperor.

If you did not participate, you were a danger to society, a blight that needed wiped out…it was your public duty to obey the government.

Brothers and sisters, although Pergamum as it was is no longer, Satan is still on this earth and has established many HQ’s throughout our world…especially here in the U.S…if you need to ask where, then I would encourage you to be a little more observant...Satan has set up multiple outposts where he believes he can reach the most people with his worship of anything and everything that is not God!

Everywhere we choose to live will have some element of difficulty to live for Christ because Satan’s team is highly organized and is at work setting up kingdoms that are against God in every way fathomable…that is the world in which we all live...

Jesus is assuring them and us that he is fully aware of Satan’s efforts to destroy His work through the believers here with its various pagan attractions.

Be Faithful With Your Witness

In spite of their dark neighborhood, Jesus commends them for staying true to him, even in the face of the martyrdom of Antipas.

Satan would use the Roman authorities to institute and enforce emperor worship and oppress those who didn’t…he would use them to exploit the weaknesses in the church of those members who were tempted to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ…the believers stood their ground and continued to be loyal to Christ.

Persecution that resulted in death was a reality...Jesus mentions Antipas, “my faithful witness” this is all we know of this individual…just think about that for a moment…the only record we have of this individual is the description Jesus gives and records for all believers everywhere to see…MY FAITHFUL WITNESS.

he was one who died because of his unwillingness to compromise…tradition says that Antipas was burned inside a brass bull under the persecution of Domitian.

By placing the death of Antipas between “Satan’s throne” and where “Satan lives”, Jesus is saying that believers here can expect to endure both persecution and death…two opposing forces operating in the same locale…we are in a spiritual battle…everywhere we live!

Jesus calls us to be in the world, but not of it…John 17:14-18. He assigns us the responsibility of taking the message of the cross to a world that does not want to hear it…when we accept Him as our Savior, we accept our responsibility to proclaim Him…that places you and me on the front line of this spiritual war…

Because Jesus was victorious, we are already victorious; therefore, we can press ahead even when the place we live is darkened with spiritual ignorance and antagonism.

1st key — Recognize Jesus Authority Over You

2nd key — Rejoice in Jesus’ Delight of Faithfulness

3rd key —

Repent of Your Compromising Ways

Revelation 2:14–15 “‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

This church was divided...

You have there some…indicates they were part of that church, accepted as bona fide members, it can also indicate those who were being influenced from outside the church…the point here is that their loyalty to Jesus was not sufficient enough for them to avoid being rebuked…

Jesus says a few implying there is more than one, but he zeroes in on one…kind of a 1 and 1a.

Jesus had a problem with their reluctance to expel false teachers which resulted in ungodly conduct.

So what does this say for us...

Don’t Compromise Your Morality

Jesus alludes to the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-25...Jesus explicitly says what sin was instigated by following Balaam…it is a fascinating story…encourage you to read it at your leisure...

Balaam was paid handsomely by the king of Moab to curse them because Moab was afraid to face them in battle…God prevented Balaam from doing so…so he told King Balak to lure the Israelite men into committing adultery with Midianite women, eating meat sacrificed to idols, and worshiping pagan gods…and sure enough, the Israelite men did what Balaam predicted they would do...

The teachings of Balaam are not so much doctrine but rather practice.

Numbers 25:1-3.

Numbers 25:1–3 NASB95

While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry against Israel.

The “stumbling block” was a trap that included both immorality and idolatry.

Stumbling block = trap = like a box trap propped up with a stick to catch a bird…when the bird hit the stick, the trap snapped shut...

In Pergamum, the people who got caught in this trap were perhaps seeking personal safety by participating in the practices of those who assembled for emperor worship…they gave in to the fears of repercussion…perhaps their thinking was “God will understand”…A word of caution here: if you preface your sin with that statement I encourage you to pause and truly measure that up to the revealed Word of God and then ask yourself is that true...

Satan could not defeat this church with a frontal assault from without, so he changed his strategy to friendly fire from within…this congregation welcomed and justified sexual immorality and idolatry…they compromised!

Believers bought into the lies that you could do anything you wanted to…you were not under the law anymore, so live it up...

We call that an antinomian (against law) lifestyle…anything goes...the way of thinking which says, “You know, you don’t really need to pay attention to all these things that the Bible has to say about holiness or purity or the fear of the Lord being the beginning of wisdom. Don’t believe all of that Old Testament nonsense. Rather, you come with me, and I’ll show you that it is perfectly possible for you to combine all of this with a little of this.”

And the appeal is still out there: idolatry mixed with immorality.

We can please ourselves and indulge ourselves and be told by people whom we respect as spiritual guides that it’s okay to combine the two.

And, of course, if you begin to believe that, then you will live it. And once you begin to live it, your life will be so tied up by it that you will lose any kind of spiritual influence and witness at all.

Don’t Compromise Your Theology

By using “in the same way” Jesus compares what happens in history with Balaam to what the Nicolaitans were doing here in Pergamum.

This is the same group that plagued the church in Ephesus whom they resisted, this church did not.

What is the teaching of the Nicolaitans?

We don’t know much about this group, but from what we do know we can safely assume their lifestyle was characterized by the sins of sexual immorality, eating food offered to idols, and perverting apostolic teaching.

Apparently, their teaching stressed that physical activities pertaining to food and sex were not sinful.

In God’s sight, engaging in sexual acts with temple prostitutes, entering pagan temples to eat food consecrated to a pagan god were violations of the Ten Commandments.

Exodus 20:3 ““You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Exodus 20:5 ““You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,”

Exodus 20:14 ““You shall not commit adultery.”

Doctrine didn’t matter, and their behavior mattered less…every passing day this church became more like the world.

Instead of rejecting the false teaching of these Nicolatian charlatans, they bought it hook, line, and sinker. They probably reasoned within themselves “There is nothing wrong with being friendly to Rome. What harm is there in putting a pinch of incense on the altar and affirming your loyalty to Caesar?”

We have to be theologically and culturally sensitive to recognize when someone is feeding us a bunch of hooey by minimizing sin, or saying we talk too much about God ,or to ignore what the Bible says and enjoy the good life.

We really need to understand what is at stake if we compromise our theology.

All we know about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, salvation, our hope, etc. is found where?…in the Scripture.

If we compromise our theology and our morality because of cultural pressures, we are contributing significantly to the continual erosion of the authority and the sufficiency of the Scriptures to be able to accomplish the purposes which God established.

Repent While You Still Can

Revelation 2:16 “‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”

This is a command to the church as a whole and specifically to those heretical members if they do not repent.

Both parties are guilty…some may not have indulged in the practices, but they tolerated the practices of some of their members…you didn’t hold them accountable, so you are just as guilty and in need of repentance.

A failure to obey Christ’s command would result in a swift and serious response from Jesus.

He would judge them quickly.

He would go to war with his church…how sad an image...

Jesus will fight them with His word…which ought to speak volumes to us…the only weapon we have against the falsehoods of the world, is the Word of God.

Our world right now wants to redefine everything under the sun with terms that negate the existence of sin and our need for a Savior…regardless of what our world says, God has the final Word…the Scripture will never change…

In what areas of your life have you compromised the truth of the Word for a love for the world?

1st key — Recognize Jesus’ Authority Over You

2nd key — Rejoice in Jesus’ Delight of Faithfulness

3rd key — Repent of Your Compromising Ways

4th key --

Remember the Rewards Jesus Promises

Revelation 2:17 “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’”

What does Jesus promise to this church, to the overcomers, to all believers...

Hidden manna — Sustenance

To understand this you need to go back into Exodus,(Exodus 16:33-34; Heb 9 4) to the ark of the covenant, to the golden urn, and to the manna that was hidden away inside it…it was designed to remind the Israelites of God’s grace and faithfulness in the wilderness to provide all they needed to live.

That manna pointed to Jesus Christ, the true bread from heaven; He is the gracious provision we all need.

Jesus is presently hidden from us, the true manna is hidden from us, where?...in the reality of heaven, in heaven we will enjoy all the reality of having eaten of the bread that comes down from heaven, which is his life for the world.

To those who refused to eat at the banquets of the pagan gods, Jesus will be the manna of a great banquet in heaven of eternal life in His kingdom.

A white stone — Holiness

The exact meaning and significance of the white stone is elusive.

It was used as a stone of acquittal at a trial (white — innocence, versus the black stone of guilt and condemnation).

It was also used as a stone of acceptance or entrance when you came to a banquet.

There maybe a connection to a stone in the breastplate of the high priest or to the Urim (Exod 28:30).

The bottom line is, it all points to acceptance and victory in Christ our high priest, Christ our righteousness. He gives us the white stone. It is His gift never to be taken away.

A new name — Intimacy

In Rev 19:12, the returning Lord is said to have “a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.”

He also carries recognition as the Word of God, King of kings, and Lord of lords; but this one new name that no one knows except him is a similar promise to the overcomers at Pergamum.

Back then, the power of a name was an exercise of authority...the unknowableness of the name Christ carries seems to be a reminder that whatever one may know of him, he being God, transcends anything ever communicated to humans. This is part of who God is.

To assign to the overcomers at Pergamum a name that no one but the recipient of the name knew is not only to suggest the authority of the divine Christ over the believer but also to establish a personal intimacy with the individual believer.

So the promises for the overcomers at Pergamum include sustenance with heavenly manna, holiness indicated by acquittal and recognized by a white stone, and a certain intimacy given by the authority of Christ himself to the individual believer.

Lesson for Life: Don’t Compromise Your Faith for the Emptiness of the World.

It is easy today for the believer to blend in and never be seen as being any different than the world around you…It is also easy for believers today to hear garbage that is slathered with a bunch of “spiritual hooey” and accept it as truth without ever measuring it up to the Scripture…and that too has disastrous consequences...

Don’t compromise to materialism

wanting to have all the worldly pleasures to the extent that the first thing to go is a commitment to giving to the Lord’s work…ministry takes money…some of God’s people have compromised with materialism and desire to keep up with everyone else in the attainment of things that there is no investment in eternal matters by giving to the work of their local church to help further the gospel.

Don’t compromise for social acceptance

sadly believers compromise holy living in so many ways because they fear what others will say or do to them,

there is no difference in their conversations, there is no difference in their participation in certain activities or places they frequent...their speech is not different, their thinking is not different, their conduct is not different...

For some believers, the only time they act like a Christian is on Sunday morning inside the church building.

Don’t compromise for comfort

Many believers are content to sit in our comfy church seats while we see people suffering spiritually and physically, not wanting to make a difference in any way out of fear that we might be asked to do something we don’t want to do, or out of fear of being hurt or defrauded in the process.

Let’s ask for God’s help.