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Text: Revelation 2: 12-17

Revelation 2:12–17 (NLT)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught theto sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

Dear Pergamum: Don’t Compromise

“If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” -

These are the words that would echo out of my dad’s mouth when I would step outside of who I was taught to be,

moments when my words, my actions, or even my thoughts fell below the values I was raised with.

These were not just words in our Household.

They were a warning, a challenge, and a constant reminder from my father.

It was the kind of advice he gave me when I needed to be corrected

I didn’t fully understand it at first.

I thought it was just one of those sayings parents throw around to sound wise.

But as I grew older, I realized the deep truth in those words.

because the truth is, It’s easy to stand for something when you’re comfortable.

It’s easy to stand firm when everyone around you agrees with you.

But It’s hard when standing for what’s right makes you unpopular?

It’s hard when you feel pressured to lower your standards just to fit in

and I believe that one of the things that my father was trying to teach me was DONT COMPROMISE.

To compromise is to accept standards that are lower than what God has called us to.

and when it comes to our values—AND even our faith—

compromising can be dangerous and even detrimental.

I believe is exactly what Jesus, through the pen of John the revelator, is saying to the church in Pergamum.

We’re continuing our series in the book of Revelation, Called Dear Church.

Exploring the 7 letters to the church in asia minor

and as we look at this letter to the church in Pergamum,

We see that Jesus is writing to a group of people who were struggling to live out their faith in the middle of a city where the influence of evil was strong.

It wasn’t just a city with bad influences—

it was a city where Satan himself had a throne.

Think about that.

Imagine living in a place so spiritually dark, so far removed from God, that it’s described as Satan’s home base.

That’s where the church of Pergamum found itself.

And Jesus says to them—and to us today—Pergamum, you must not compromise.

You must not let the pressure of the world make you lower your standards.

You must not allow the influence of others to water down your faith.

You must Stand firm.

Because, church, the truth is, when we compromise, we lose more than just a little ground.

We lose our way.

We lose our witness.

and We lose the power that comes from standing on the foundation of God’s Word.

Which begs me to raise the question,

What do we need to do..to to insure that we don’t compromise…

if you’re taking notes.

1. Be Constant in What You Believe (13)

Lets look at this.

Jesus says,

Revelation 2:13 (NLT)

“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.

Now Pergamum was a powerful city in ancient Asia Minor, known for its temples and altars dedicated to false gods and idols.

Pergamum had a reputation for being spiritually dark

it was a place where people would turn to anything but the one true God.

When the Bible says this is where “Satan has his throne,” it’s telling us that Pergamum was a place where evil reigned and the influence of darkness was strong.

Pergamum was home to the famous altar of Zeus, one of the largest and most important pagan temples in the ancient world.

But that’s not all.

There was also a temple in Pergamum dedicated to a god of healing, whose symbol was a serpent.

and Legend has it that the sick would come to the temple, and in the darkness,

they believed that if a snake slithered over them, they would be healed.

Let’s Think about that for a moment

—a place where people looked to serpents, the very symbol of Satan himself, for healing and hope.

And yet, in the middle of all this darkness, there was a church.

A small group of believers who were loyal to Jesus,

standing firm in their faith despite the spiritual battle going on around them.

Jesus commends them:Saying

”"You have remained loyal to me."

He acknowledges that they are living in a place filled with temptation, compromise, and persecution, but they didn’t waver.

and there’s a powerful reminder in this and that’s :

just because you’re surrounded by darkness

doesn’t mean you have to be consumed by it.

Just because everyone around you is compromising their beliefs, their morals, or their faith,

doesn’t mean you have to follow suit.

The church in Pergamum was proof that even in the worst of circumstances, you can still stand firm in what you believe.

They lived in a place where evil ran rampant, but they didn’t let that change what they believed.

Jesus even mentions a man named Antipas,

His faithful witness, who was martyred for standing firm in his belief.

Antipas didn’t give in to the pressures of society, and the church in Pergamum refused to give up their faith, even when one of their own was killed for it.

and the truth is,

We might not live in a city that literally has Satan’s throne, but we are constantly surrounded by pressures that challenge our faith.

We live in a culture that’s increasingly trying to get us to compromise our beliefs.

Whether it’s at school, at work, or even in our social circles,

There’s always pressure to fit in,

to bend our values,

or to water down the truth.

Society might call it “progressive thinking” or “open-mindedness,”

but in reality, it’s asking us to compromise the very faith that has been handed down to us.

But if you’re going to stand strong in your faith,

you have to be constant in what you believe.

You can’t be wishy-washy.

You can’t go with the flow when the flow is headed in the wrong direction.

and Like the church in Pergamum, you need to be unwavering,

even when the world around you is trying to pull you down.

Be constant in knowing the true Word of God.

Be constant in knowing the power that God holds.

—and that same God is with us today.

When you know the power God holds, you don’t have to compromise out of fear or pressure.

we mist be be constant in what we believe

and the truth is,

the best way to defeat compromise is knowing exactly what you stand for.

When you know the truth,

when you know God’s Word,

when you know His power,

and when you trust that He’s in control of your life,

you won’t feel the pressure to lower your standards.

You’ll be like the church in Pergamum

—standing firm, even in the midst of a culture that tells you to do the opposite.

Because when you are constant in your belief in God, you can withstand the pressure to compromise.

“Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”

blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful.

But , his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night.

and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in its season, and whatever he does shall prosper.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

To be constant means that your belief doesn’t shift with the changing winds of society.

It doesn’t waver based on the opinions of others.

Your faith remains firm regardless of what’s going on around you.

You must be constant in knowing the true Word of God.

You must be constant in knowing the power that God holds.

Constant despite what a political party says.

Constant despite what society says.

Constant despite what co-workers say.

Constant despite what people think.

Constant despite the consequences.

Because your faithfulness to what you believe will keep you from compromise.

Jesus commends the church in Pergamum for their steadfastness, and that’s what we need today

—a generation of believers who won’t compromise,

who remain faithful to God even in a world full of distractions and deceptions.

if you dont want to compromise, you must be constant in what you believe.

but you also must be

2. Be Conscious of What You Permit (14-16)

After commending the church for remaining constant in their belief, Jesus shifts the tone in this letter.

The commendation turns into a warning: because there’s a problem with what they’re permitting.

Jesus says “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Jesus, who praised them for their loyalty, now says, “I have a few complaints against you.”

Why?

Because of what they permitted.

He wasn’t just upset about their actions, but about what they allowed to continue unchecked in their midst.

He highlights the teachings of Balaam.

Balaam was an Old Testament prophet who misled the people of Israel by encouraging them to engage in idolatry and sexual immorality.

Balaam didn’t directly curse Israel, but he taught King Balak how to trip them up spiritually.

And now, in the church at Pergamum, they were allowing similar false teachings to enter and corrupt the body of believers.

Jesus says to them, I don’t like what you tolerate.

You tolerate the teachings of Balaam.

You tolerate the influence of the Nicolaitans.

These were false teachers who were infiltrating the church, promoting behavior that was contrary to God’s Word

—just as Balaam led the Israelites astray, these false teachers were encouraging idolatry, compromise, and immorality among the believers.

This warning to Pergamum is a warning to us as well:

Jesus has a problem with what we allow.

We’ve allowed false teachings to infiltrate the church.

We preached a name it and claim it and a blab it and grab it gospel.

We teach the grace and mercy of Jesus but not the wraft of Jesus

We teach fase doctrines on giving.

We teach that everyone goes to heaven, even if you don’t live right.

and We’ve allowed things that are unlike God to enter.

We’ve allowed people who don’t believe what you believe to influence the our culture.

and Jesus says, “I don’t like what you’ve permitted.”

Because if the devil can’t destroy your church from the outside,

he’ll join your church and destroy it from within.

The problem wasn’t just what they were doing—it was what they were allowing to happen.

and while we may not know Balaam personally or care about the Nicolaitans, we do know what it means to allow things that are not of God into our lives, our homes, our churches.

How many times have we allowed things in our households that don’t honor God?

How many times have we permitted compromise in our conversations, our entertainment, our relationships?

How many times have we turned a blind eye to the sin in our circles, on our jobs, in our families, even in our church meetings?

Jesus says, “If you don’t get it together, you’re going to have to deal with Me.”

It’s almost as if he would say what my father would say to me, when my friends would stay with me sometimes at the house.

They would eat all the debbie cakes.

Leave trash all over the house,

not take out the trash

go in his room,

Steal money from my little sister’s piggie bank.

He pulled me off to the side and said….Mike. Either YOU deal with them,

or IM GONNA DEAL WITH YOU.

and this is what Jesus tells this church..

Either you deal with them..

OR I WILL DEAL WITH YOU.

And the truth is,

Jesus often disciplines us not just for the sins we commit, but for the sins we permit.

How many times has Jesus corrected us because of what we’ve allowed in our lives?

How many times have we felt His hand of correction because we tolerated things that we knew weren’t right?

Compromise isn’t just about what you do—it’s also about what you allow.

You permit it in your circles.

You permit it on your job.

You permit it in your household.

You permit it in your social media feeds.

You permit it in your church meetings.

And Jesus says, “Be conscious of what you permit.”

He’s calling us to take a stand.

He’s calling us need to take a deep look at our lives and repent.

Repent for what we’ve allowed to creep in,

Repent for the compromise we’ve tolerated.

Because if we’re not careful, WE can become an accomplice to someone else’s sin.

And here’s the danger: If you keep permitting it long enough, you’ll compromise and commit it yourself.

HE SAYS IF YOU’RE NOT GOIGN TO COMPROMISE.

YOU MUST

BE CONSTANT IN WHAT YOU BELIEVE

BE CONSCIOUS IN WHAT YOU PERMIT.

BUT LASTLY;

3. Be Confident in What God Promised (17)

THE BIBLE SAYS IN V. 17 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven.

And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it."

As Jesus concludes this letter to the church at Pergamum,

He offers a promise for those who are victorious

those who stand strong, remain faithful, and refuse to compromise.

He promises two things: hidden manna and a white stone with a new name.

In the Old Testament, manna was the miraculous bread that God provided to the Israelites in the wilderness. ]

It was a symbol of GOD’S provision, sustaining them in their journey to the Promised Land.

In this passage, Jesus is referring to a spiritual manna—a hidden, heavenly sustenance that represents the deep, eternal provision of God for His people.

This hidden manna is a picture of:

God's supernatural provision—

Just as He provided physical nourishment to the Israelites,

He provides spiritual nourishment to us.

The sustaining power of God’s presence

—No matter what trials WE face - God will sustain US .

No matter what temptation to compromise may come, God will sustain US .

It’s a reminder that our true sustenance comes from Christ Himself.

When Jesus promises the hidden manna,

He’s saying, “I will sustain you. I will provide for you. Stay faithful, and I will give you everything you need—both now and in eternity.”

BUT THEN HE PROMISES

The white stone

. In ancient times, a white stone could have several meanings:

IT WAS A symbol of victory—In athletic competitions, a white stone was often given to winners as a symbol of their triumph.

IT WAS A token of acquittal—In a court of law, jurors would cast a white stone to declare someone “not guilty,” a symbol of innocence and freedom.

IT WAS An invitation to a banquet—Sometimes, a white stone was used as a ticket to an exclusive feast or event, signifying access and honor.

But this stone isn’t just any stone—it comes with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

This signifies:

A personal and intimate relationship with Christ—THAT OUR faithfulness will be rewarded with something deeply personal between you and God.

It’s a new identity, a new position, a fresh start.

A mark of victory over sin and compromise

—Jesus is saying, “If you stand strong and refuse to compromise, not only will you receive hidden manna, but you’ll also receive a new identity—a victorious identity in Me.”

YOU’LL HAVE A SYMBOL OF VICTORY.

YOU’LL BE ACQUITTED FOR ALL OF YOUR WRONG DOINGS

YOU’LL GET TO GO TO A PLACE THAT’S BETTER THAN A BANQUET.

Jesus is making it clear: Your lack of compromise won’t be in vain.

Because of where you’ve stood firm.

Because of what you’ve overcome.

Because of what you didn’t allow.

He has a promise for you.

And when it feels like compromising would be easier than being faithful, remember this:

God's promise far outweighs any temporary comfort compromise might offer.

Remember:

Where God has brought you from.

REMEMBER Where God has taken you.

And REMEMBER where God is about to take you.

When you feel tempted to compromise,

remember that God sees your faithfulness

and REMEMBER He has a reward waiting for you

—a reward that is eternal, not temporary.

AND IF YOU STILL FEEL LIKE YOURE COMPROMISING, REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE HYMNIAL

"If when you give the best of your service, Telling the world that the Savior has come. Be not dismayed when men don’t believe you, He’ll understand and say well done.

If when you've tried and failed in your trying, Hands sore and scarred from the work you have done. Take up your cross and come quickly to Jesus, He’ll understand and say well done.

Oh when I come to the end of my journey, Weary of life, the battle is won. Carrying the staff and the cross of redemption, He'll understand and say well done.