Ready to Fight
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Intro:
Intro:
Good morning. Welcome everyone! Happy Father’s Day to all the dad’s out there. Dads, we celebrate you today! We have special treats for you after service.
Actually, to kick off this celebration, let’s take a moment to greet one another with a good solid dad-handshake. If anyone shakes Jonathan’s hand - watch out!
I love being a dad. I love being a dad to three boys - that’s always exciting… and tiring. I’m not going to lie. I wouldn’t mind having a daughter. Regardless, sons or daughters, I really enjoy being a dad.
The other day, I took my middle son Kade to pool party of basically all boys. They were being wild, like most 8 year old boys. Then, something happened that brought me back to my own childhood.
Growing up, I lived across the street from my cousins, who had a pool. Being it was San Diego, the weather was always great for swimming, so we were always in the pool. And one pool toy we loved to play with were these...
Now, on the surface, this doesn’t look like much fun, right? But with a pool full of boys, what do these usually turn into? Weapons! Or Swords! That’s what happened at Kade’s pool party. A few boys found the pool noodles and war broke out.
As I was watching them fight, I remembered my own childhood pool wars. Most of you know that I come from a martial arts background. My Dad is a pretty well known martial artist. If you google “George Lim,” it’s very likely his name will pop up pretty high in the search (I’m like on page 6). My brother also has his own training dojo in San Diego. I grew up practicing it, but ended up stopping.
That being said, for my brother and I, when it came to using pool noodles as swords, that karate background came in handy. It gave us an edge when it came to weapons, because we had a little more experience.
For example, when I was watching Kade and his friends fight with their pool noodles, I saw this...
Pretty much the same way kids fought back in my day - except for my brother and I. We fought with pool noodles like THIS...
You see, normally, you swing the pool noodle and there’s a delay and drag in the swing because the material used. But what the Lim boys figured out is, if you hold the noodle like this, not only is it first a defensive weapon, but it’s also in position to strike with a faster swing. And so my brother and I loved pool noodle wars, because we would tear people up. It’s something that, as a good good father, I need to pass onto my sons!
Boys and their swords. Swords are cool! Jesus likes swords. He’s got one. In fact, as we continue in our series through Revelation titled “Ready,” we find Jesus writing to the church of Pergamum saying...
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
And Peragmum, being a Roman city would’ve got that. Rome was the current ruler of the empire. They were the super-power of the world and the way they established and maintained that rule was through the sword. When Rome showed up with swords, people paid attention.
Jesus is giving them the same picture here - only to a greater extent. He’s saying, “I’m the One with world-crushing sword.”
Exegesis:
Exegesis:
A sword is symbol of strength, power, and authority. And as Jesus begins his letter to the church at Pergamum, He says, “Hey man, the One who is writing to you is the One with the big stinkin sword. Better pay attention.”
That’s what they would’ve heard. Pergamum, being a Roman city would’ve got that. Rome was the super-power of the world and the way they established and maintained that rule was through the sword. When Rome showed up with swords, people paid attention.
Jesus is paints the same picture - only to a greater extent. He’s saying, “I’m the One with world-crushing sword. Pay attention to Me.”
Side Note: Just in case you’re a dude who is not into swords. Or maybe even for some of the ladies (although ladies can like swords too - Rae from the new Star Wars is pretty good with her light saber) - I don’t want to leave you out. So, I’ll mention this:
Pergamum was about swords, but it was also famous for paper. In fact, the word, “parchment” came from the type of paper they made there. It was like the ancient Dunder Mifflin. Furthermore, with all that paper, it had a library of 200,000 volumes! Okay --- that’s for all the anti-sword peeps this morning!
Anyways, Jesus had a big sword and this is what Jesus had to say...
“ ‘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.
Rev 2:
Jesus says, “I see you.” I know what’s going on in your life. Like the church Smyrna, who we talked about last week, Pergamum was faithful unto death. While it is possible that persecution resulting in death had not begun in Smyrna yet, it DEFINITELY had begun in Pergamum.
Jesus even calls out a martyr by name: Antipas, His faithful witness. Isn’t that cool that Jesus says, “MY faithful witness.” That Jesus says, “Antipas is mine. I love Him.” The Pergamum church was full of Christians like Antipas. Christians unwilling to deny Jesus even when they, or their friends, were dying for their faith.
And the reason they are dying is because Pergamum was essentially Satan’s hometown. He went to Pergamum Elementary, Pergamum Middle, and Pergamum High. And apparently Satan was still living in his hometown - Pergamum was the place where Satan dwelt!
And all this talk about Satan’s throne, and his dwelling place, likely spoke symbolically of the emperor worship happening there. Last week I mentioned Smyrna was a religious center for emperor worship… well, Pergamum was THE center of emperor worship! And just like we saw happening to the church in Smyrna, when the faithful church of Pergamum wouldn’t worship the emperor, they faced the consequence of death. Yet, that didn’t matter. They remained faithful to the name of Jesus!
And on this Father’s Day, I think this has a special way of connecting with us men. It connects with all of us (men and women), but like swords, there something God has put deep inside men that responds to a call for courage in battle.
I think about movies...
Braveheart - Not only are there swords (and axes and arrows), but when William Wallace stands up to England, it inspires as men!
Remember the Titans - I love the scene where the Titans are getting beat by the other team (with a little help from the refs)! Then Coach Yoast, the defensive coordinator, brings the boys together and calls for them to make a stand! He says, “I don’t want them to gain another yard. You blitz all night! If they cross the line of scrimmage I’m taking every last one of you out! You make sure they remember - FOREVER - the night they played the Titans.” I love that - it inspires me (I also love football).
But even in kids movies. Like the movie “Wonder.” I love it when Jack Will stands up for Auggie. Or, at the camp, when the boys stand up for Jack and Auggie against the bigger and older seventh graders.
There is something inspiring about courage that stands up in the face of opposition. That was the Pergamum church - they where faithful to Jesus, even though they lived in Satan’s hometown and he was killing them.
However, although their faithfulness was commendable, it wasn’t complete. They were faithful, but they weren’t willing to fight. Jesus goes on to say...
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.
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.
Remember the outline to these seven letters Jesus wrote: 1)Jesus describes Himself in a way relevant to the contents of the letter; 2) He tells them what they do good; 3) He tells them what they do wrong; and 4) He tells them how to respond.
This is number 3 - what they do wrong. And what they did wrong was they weren’t willing to fight against false teaching. Pergamum was like the opposite of Ephesus (the first city Jesus wrote to). The Ephesians fought against every heresy, but lost their love for Jesus. Pergamum loved Jesus, but let heresy run free.
Now Jesus describes this false teaching as both “the teaching of Balaam” and “the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” We aren’t given the details of these teachings, but we are told the results: participating in the worship of idols and practicing sexual immorality. And again, here on this Father’s Day, I see something that is applicable to the entire church, but especially to us men.
When men aren’t being the men God has called and created them to be, the church is crippled. Families are crippled. Communities are crippled. And aren’t the two things mentioned to Pergamum still relevant to men today? Don’t we still struggle with men in the church worshiping idols instead of Jesus, and compromising their homes by practicing sexual immorality. It’s still happening today because Satan is still in control of our world in the same way he was in control of Pergamum.
The apostle Paul reminds us that...
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
Satan is still sending false teaching into this world, and into the church, and it’s causing men to fall. And I think the men in here can understand the sexual immorality part - it’s pretty clear. If it isn’t, the Greek word is porneia, which is a word that may sound familiar. But it encompasses every type of sexual immorality. So men, you get how that’s damaging, right?
But when it comes to participating in idol worship, that might not be as clear. Let’s put it this way, if we are prioritizing anything over our relationship with Jesus, there’s likely some idol worshiping happening. And yes, we can worship ourselves too. It’s not just little wooden figures. We can become idols. Selfishness, Laziness, Greed - all forms of self-idolatry. Anything we love more than Jesus - not just words, but in action - is an idol.
Church. Men! We got to fight against this. We may have a form of faithfulness and still be compromised. Complete faithfulness requires fighting against the darkness. Complete faithfulness is standing up for Jesus AND fighting against Satan’s teachings that destroy our home, churches, and communities.
Because if we got men faithfully showing up to church, but compromising their relationship with Jesus and their purity, that’s like sword fighting with a pool noodle that’s a foot long! You’re going to lose! Idolatry and sexual immorality cuts away our ability to fight against the darkness. That’s why Jesus has a problem with it. It takes away our ability to be who He’s called us to be.
So what do we do?
Jesus says...
Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
Another way to say “repent” is to say “change.” Jesus is like, “Change your ways. And change them now!” That’s what that word “soon” means. It means “suddenly.” Jesus is like, “I can show up at any minute and when I come, it’ll be too late!”
It’s sorta like when us dads says, “Don’t make me come up there! If I have to come up there, it’s not going to be good.” Jesus is like, “You don’t want me to have to deal with this. Because if I do, I’m bringing my sword!”
Jesus is telling Pergamum to get right, and get right quickly. Urgency is a key theme in the book of Revelation and it should be in our life too! We need to make sure we get right and get ready. Jesus could come back at anytime, and when He does, it’s too late to make corrections.
Dads. Men. Church Family. If we find ourselves today, holding a faithfulness that is also mixed with compromised influenced by Satan’s teaching, we need to make a change. And make it today, before it’s too late. We don’t want Jesus showing up with a sword and we ain’t ready!
Now, some of you may be reading, “I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth” and think, “What’s so scary about words? Because it’s clear Jesus is symbolically using the sword to refer to His words.”
It makes me think of a movie - that will remain unnamed - where these soldiers are sent to fight Aliens. They are searching fo the Aliens and find out they are underneath the nuclear reactor. Therefore, they can’t fire their rifles because it can cause an explosion. And so they collect all of the magazines and grenades. Then, one soldier says, “What are we supposed to do? Use harsh language?”
Maybe you feel the same way about Jesus’ words. But let me assure you, when Jesus refers to His words as a sword, take it seriously. Even look at
When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
If Jesus comes to make war with you and all He has is His Word, that’s enough! It’s a sword that does damage. So again, how do we respond? We change. Today.
And Jesus finishes by saying...
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, 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.’
This is a pretty mysterious saying, that was probably easily understood by the church at Pergamum, but not so much to us here in 2019. But I believe it’s saying if we repent and overcome by faith, Jesus will reward us with “hidden manna” or the spiritual food that will give us the nourishment we really need - He’ll give us true satisfaction! Everything we’re looking for! And we’ll also receive a “white stone with a new name” pointing to the fact that by faith, we will be transformed into the people God has created us to be. We will have lived with real eternal purpose in our Christ-centered identity.
Get rid of the junk in our lives. Get rid of Satan’s teachings that are causing us to compromise. Be faithful and ready to fight against it. And God will take care of us.
Response:
Response:
As we close, I want to give us three ways that can help us “change,” help us “repent” and be ready for Jesus. I believe these will be applicable to the entire church, but on this Father’s Day, I want to give a special focus to the men.
Men, our family, church, and community need us to be faithful and willing to fight for them. But when I say “fight,” I’m not talking about violence or even a pool noodle. Pauls says...
2 Cor 10:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
As men of God, we got to fight God’s way. Now, here’s the good news for us. These are all action-oriented. Us men like that. We like to DO things.
Men, here are three things we can DO, to make the changes God’s calling us to make...
First, we need to read the Bible. I know, you always hear me say that. Sorry, I will also say that because God’s word important. Plus, both this passage and tell us that God’s word is a sword! Boys, if you want to play with swords, play with God’s sword. Read the Bible.
And Satan may be running wild like this is his hometown, but when men pick up God’s word, he gets scared. He knows the power of God’s word. He knows godly men who are trained with God’s sword (God’s word) are a threat. That’s why the old preacher Leonard Ravenhill said, “The devil’s aim today is to keep [us] away from the Bible.”
Second, men, encourage one another. Let’s inspire one another to be the men God has called us to be. Additionally, there is something inspiring about a man who encourages other people. Be a man who calls other men to battle and to fight for Jesus, for their family, and for their community. We need each other to be “iron that sharpens iron.”
Third, men - PRAY. Prayer is manly.
Men like to build things. Prayer builds the Kingdom of God.
Men like to break things - What’s Chip Gaines favorite day? Demo day. Prayer breaks down the strongholds of the devil.
Men like to be strong. Prayer builds holiness muscles. Leonard Ravenhill said, “A sinning man stops praying, [but] a praying man stops sinning.” Richard Sibbes said, “When we go to God by prayer, the devil knows we go to fetch strength against him, and therefore he opposeth us all he can.” Prayer gives us that Captain America strength.
Men like to fight and conqueor. Prayer ushers in the Lord’s victory. William Gurnall said, “Satan cannot deny but that great wonders have been wrought by prayer. As the spirit of prayer goes up, so his kingdom goes down.” Ravenhill adds, “With every possible guile that he knows, the devil would snatch us from the closet of prayer. For in prayer man is linked with God and in that union Satan is baffled and beaten!”
Pray makes us ready to fight.
And I know, “We don’t have time to pray.” I get it. I say that too. But Ravenhill adds these stingy words, “A church or preacher too busy to pray, is busier than the Lord would have them.” Ouch!
I’m going to call the worship team forward. As we close, I’ll also suggest an action step for the ladies. Again, everything we mentioned is applicable to both men and women. But here’s a special role for the ladies. What we need you to do is to tell us to “man up!”
That’s biblical. It’s biblical because God told Job, “Hey, man up!” Ladies, call us and helps us to be the men God created us to be. The husbands God has called us to be. The fathers God has called us to be. Don’t be soft on us - we’re men.
And I believe the best way to do that is to point us to Jesus. Tell us, “Our family, our church, our community need you to be ready to fight for us. The best way you can do that is to be like Him.” And then point to Jesus.
Let’s pray.