Sermon Tone Analysis

INTRODUCTION (5 Minutes)

If you are joining us at one of our campuses I just want to say welcome… I am Pastor Steve, the lead pastor of NCCF… And I am so thankful for you!

If you are visiting today, I want to encourage you to introduce yourself to your campus pastor!

I know they would love to meet you!

I want to give a shout out to Pastor Tyler at our Bellingham Campus…

He became a Conference Ministerial Candidate this weekend, which means He has completed the first big step in becoming an Ordained Pastor!!! (PAUSE)

And also to Pastor Emily our Student Ministries Pastor at our SW Campus who was ordained as an Elder in the Free Methodist Church.

It has been such a blessing to see God’s hand on both of there lives!

In his book Triple Agent Joby Warrick writes a true story about how a Jordanian doctor who was radicalized on an Islamic websites became a spy that ended up kill 9 CIA agents.

In his book Triple Agent Joby Warrick writes a true story about how a Jordanian doctor who was radicalized on an Islamic websites became a spy that ended up kill 9 CIA agents.

This young physician worked with pediatric patients in Amman, Jordan.

He would stay up late at night after his shift and watching Islamic preachers on You Tube.

He eventually came to the place that he wanted to get involved in the jihad and joined al-Qaida.

A Jordanian spy agency found some of his online postings and recruited him as a spy!

He told the al-Qaida that he was working for the Jordanians and had some connections to the CIA.

He told the jihadists that he was working for the Jordanians and had some connections to the CIA.

So this guy is a Doctor, who is Jordanian spy, that is working with the CIA… but who really is Jihadist looking for a target!

Over a period of about a year he built trust as a spy by telling American and Jordanian officials that he had information that could help capture key Taliban and al-Qaida leaders.

One day he put on a suicide vest and made it into a CIA compound in Afghanistan and killed himself along with 9 other top CIA officers working in the Middle East.

Once the investigation was done by CIA Director Leon Paneta, it was discovered that the CIA had let down their very high standards that they normally followed because they were so desperate to get Osama bin Laden and his top two lieutenants.

So they compromised their standards in order to accomplish their mission!

AND THE RESULTS WERE DEVISTATING!

The same thing happens to churches and to christians when we compromise our standards… even when it is in the name of Gospel!

Compromise when left unchecked always lead to spirtual and sometimes physical destruction!

Turn with me this morning to the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation,

We are in chapter 2, continuing our study titled UNCOVERED!

Turn with me this morning to the last book in the Bible, the book of Revelation, chapter 2.

We are looking at the Letter to the Church in Pergamum a church that comprised it faith.

If you don’t have a Bible...

If you don’t have a Bible...

First we looked at the church of Ephesus.

It was a CARELESS church.

This was a large church, an active, working church, a well-taught church, a weathered church, they hard faced trials -- yet it was a church that faced a rebuke.

We often look at large, active churches as healthy churches, but often they are not.

Jesus told the church at Ephesus they had lost their passionate love for God.

And we want to make sure that we are always more concerned about who we ARE, in our hearts, than just being concerned about what we DO.

PRAYER

Then, we looked at the second church, the church at Smyrna.

It was a CRUSHED church and a CROWNED church.

They faced pressure and poverty and putdowns, but they faithfully endured, and so they received commendation from the Lord.

The Lord tells them that persecution will come, but to continue to live faithfully and He would reward them greatly.

PRAYER

Today we go on to look at the church at Pergamum.

It is a COMPROMISING church.

Let’s read the message to this church in .

READ - PRAY.

PRAYER

So this letter to the Church in Pergamum is from again from Jesus… John is clear to state that these are not his words but are “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword”

So this letter to the Church in Pergamum is from Jesus…

Rev 2:12

John is clear to state that these are not his words but are “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword”

Which is a direct reference to to John’s description of the Glorified Jesus in Rev Chapter 1

Rev 1:16

The picture of a sword coming out of the mouth of Jesus, is a reference to the word of God.

We see this in...

So the letter to the Church in Pergamum is a letter that is going to divide....

Jesus is going to address what is right and what is wrong in this church!

Before we get into the heart of the letter we need to know a little bit about the city of Pergamum:

Pergamum was an impressive city, built on a hill 1000 feet above the surrounding countryside, somewhat creating a natural fortress.

It rivaled Ephesus as the leading city in the region, it is a very important city in Asia

Pergamum had become the capital of the province of Asia and it really was the center of Asian culture.

When we say Asia, what we really mean is modern day Turkey!

The people of Pergamum, were proud of their links with Rome.

The city of Pergamos had little or no commerce, but was revered for its institutions of learning.

It was a city of refinement, and science—especially medicine.

Many kings lived in Pergamos over a period of years.

The library at Pergamos consisted of 200,000 books!

It was in Pergamos that the art of curing skins for writing, was perfected.

Ephesus and Smyrna were evil and wicked cities of idolatry, but Pergamos was even worse.

It was a center for imperial cult worship…

Its temple to the goddess Roma and Augustus was built in 29BC and was the oldest temple in the region

Its temple to the goddess Roma and Augustus was the oldest in the region, having been built in 29 b.c.

Moreover, the city boasted an imposing temple to Zeus Savior, with an immense altar, on a plateau 900 feet above the city.

Another temple was dedicated to Aesclepius, the god of healing.

Both deities were symbolized by a serpent.

For John, “that ancient serpent” is Satan (12:9).

Through the cult of Aesclepius and through reports of miraculous healings Pergamum became the “Lourdes of Asia Minor” (Lohmeyer), with pilgrims flocking there from near and far.