The Church at Pergamum
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
So glad to see you all here today, it is a great day, its the Lord’s day my friends! And there is great joy in coming to this place were we can be together, there is just something powerful and encouraging in seeing each others face, celebrating the Lord with one another.
No wonder Paul encouraged us to not give it up. It blesses me to see you each week. You are my family.
powerful and encouraging
And today as we gather we get the joy of celebrating a mission family, which we will do in just a little while.
But for now we will return to the book of Revelation. Chapter 2 in particular.
We have been walking through the book of Revelation the last few weeks. And with it we have looked at Jesus, the one who stands in the midst of the 7 churches. Who knows them and their work.
One thing we have noticed is the omniscience of God, He is all knowing he is aware of each church and the lives of each person in those respective churches. He knows the heart, the good and bad… Nothing escapes Him...
Now as we began looking at chapter 2, we began looking through those messages that Jesus had given John for each of those 7 churches. We have looked at two so far and today we will look at Pergamum.
So lets look at
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
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So what do we know about the church?
It was in a city that was called the greatest city in Asia Minor at the time, the city was the first to build a temple dedicated to Emperor worship and promoted this cult as good and right all around the region.
It was home of a famous hospital and temple dedicated to the god Aesculapius (Es ska lay pee us) which is the god of healing and whose insignia was the enterwined serpents on a staff. Which is still the medical sign today.
(Es ska lay pe us) e
The ancient city was extremely large and occupied a mountain top area with a citadel, also incorporating the areas below the mountain top. Today the site if the ancient city is only partially inhabited by the modern day city of Bergama, in western Turkey.
So lets begin today, and lets consider this thought. The Word of God...
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’
The city site is only partially inhabited today by the modern day city of Bergama.
1. The Word of God
1. The Word of God
The word of God is important for us to consider today, it is the most valuable asset the Child of God has in this Christian life apart from the presence and work of God’s Holy Spirit.
The word of God is the written revelation of God to man, it is indeed a holy item, sacred and special. We must have it if we hope to walk day by day in this life.
And I bring it up because of what Jesus says in the opening statement to the church here in this passage.
Look again at verse 12
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
So the message is directed to the under-shepherd of the church, its pastor and it is a message that is coming from Jesus, who has not a book or one of the books, the Mormon church say there are other portions of God’s word.... No...
says “…the words of him who has THE (one and only) sharp two -edged sword.
Friends for hundreds of years people have claimed to have some extra portion of God’s word, there is none other, no other book that the HOLY BIBLE.
So lets consider this … sharp two-edged sword.... Jesus has already revealed this in chapter 1, where John is allowed to see the powerful and wonderful word of God
16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
One of our early church Fathers by the name of Jerome says: this about the word of God: The two-edged sword that slays adversaries and at the same time defends his faithful. “A two-edged sword”—the sword has two heads. It speaks of the present and future world. Here below, it strikes down adversaries; above, it opens the kingdom of heaven
it is a powerful weapon, it is one of our defensive weapons as a child of God that Paul shares with us as a portion of the whole armor of God.
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
The roman solider would use the sword to fight back the opponents who tried to over take him, so the Word of God is the sword by which we fight the tactics and lies of the evil one… it is a necessary portion of our armor. Know it that you can fight with it...
Now lets consider another passage about the word of God...
Listen to the writer of
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Just as God is alive, so is His word. It is full of truth that conveys life to those who follow its precepts… It is active and at work just as the hammer of the blacksmith, it can cut, shape and shatter..
29 Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
The word of God is powerful and sharp and it can penetrate the very depths of each human being, dividing the physical and the spiritual, the soul - spirit and joints and morrow. It is powerful and it can scrutinize the innermost thoughts of the human heart. It can reveal what we believe is hidden and recessed, making us better as we allow it to work in our life.
The word of God is powerful and sharp and it can penetrate the very depths of each human being, dividing the physical and the spiritual, the soul - spirit and joints and morrow. It is powerful and it can scrutinize the innermost thoughts of the human heart.
The word of God is powerful...
We know that the word of God will one day strike down the nations as it is spoken against them, consider the future state of mankind in Rev 19:15
15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
The word of God is powerful, strong and mighty and God has poured it out to us that we might now him more and be able to stand our ground in Him against the devil.
Aren’t you glad you have it..
But here is the truth,, we have so many Bible and at times we pay them no attention, How can we use it if we do not know it… amen.
Know the Word and you know what… You will Know Jesus more....
Its crucial....
Now lets move on to my second thought for the day....
2. Some have Stumbled
2. Some have Stumbled
Jesus points out that some have stumbled along the way, they have abandoned the truth and embraced other heresies , false teaching and false doctrines.
Going back to our first thought for just a second, the word of God is so crucial, knowing it stops this.... it provides the truth that keeps us from falling into these traps...
So what has happened, lets look in detail..
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:1
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
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Two thoughts I want you to take notice of in the text my friends… The first is an acknowledgment of the good that has happened. The Lord praises them for the faithfulness of some.
The reminds them he is aware of exactly where they are, I know where you dwell. He calls this place the source of Satan’s earthly throne. What is meant by that?
The city itself is a major city of pagan worship, but the most detrimental aspect of this enviroment is the fact that it is ground zero, the very heart of emperor worship in the region.
And for a person to fail to offer tribute to the emperor of Rome could mean instant death or it might mean being help captive and made to fight the gladiators or sadly even been feed to the captive beasts as sport for the Roman audiences.
It is a very wicked place for Christians to live, the faithful are praised for their stand for the faith.
Yet there is a problem,
The worst is coming, some have turned away from the truth and have embraced other gods and modes of worship… truly sad to know is happening and it breaks the heart of the Savior. But remember God is a jealous God and He will punish those who turn away into sin.
So look at what He says to the church…
14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Some have turned to and hold on to the teaching of Balaam and some even the Nicolaitans.. So what is happening here, what is this all about..
To get a better understanding of Balaam you much consider Balak king of Moab in the OT (). Balak calls on the prophet Balaam to curse Israel, which he cannot and instead blesses Israel three times. But we are told that he placed a stumbling block before them in this passage. From what we know from this and rabbinical literature, Balaam advised Balak on a way to help Israel stumble.
Moab had many beautiful women, they have been in the wilderness a long time and Balak sent them out to entice the men of Israel which many did, leading them to idol worship ( eating meat offered to idols here refers to being there for the practice.) and of course sexual immorality.
Following the practices of Balaam most likely refers to those actions that have kept these in the church locked in sexual immorality and those events tied to the cult worship in the city.
They had indeed fallen into sin through the lust of the eye and immoral sexual desires...
And then we come to the second instance, the Nicolaitans were those who embraced a from everything we can tell from the early church Father Irenaeus. Irenaeus said these people were in error in that they adopted a system of belief that the divine Christ came on Jesus at his baptism and left him at some point prior to the crucifixion.
These false teachers claimed to have the ‘truth” and thus tried to impose themselves upon those early believers at Pergamum, and sought to reign over them.. they failed to do so…
Jesus hates these who are like wolves in sheep’s clothing seeking to lead people away from the truth.
Some of these believers are just that, they have stumbled and embraced these false doctrines, and they seek to lead others astray as well.
If there is ever a warning here my friends, be careful and do not allow yourself to be led astray.
This point is why it is so important that you know the Word of God. it is crucial to your faith and spiritual well being...
Let me ask you a question..
Have you faithfully held onto the truth, … if you haven't, now is the time to abandon the lies of the world and return to Jesus
Now lets turn our attention to the solution…
3. Repent and return...
3. Repent and return...
Repent and return
The answer for every sin, we have explored this time and time again, and the truth of it never changes…
Turn from your sin...
Look at the text, verses 16-17
16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’
Because of all of this, repent.
The whole church is called to repent.. they are a corporate body, many in 1 body and because they did not hate the teaching of the Nicolaitanes, and the error of Balaam, they are called to reprnt
Repent means to accept the truth of your error and turn away form it, 180 degrees, turn away from it so that you can pursue the truth you originally accepted.
Listen that is the correction we are to make in every error of life, turn from it and walk the way you did before.. confess it as wrong and go back.
It is not some hard system of works, I have to do this and this to find the joy of my salvation again… no it is only a matter of walking with Jesus like you once did after confession and seeing forgiveness, turn and repent.
But there is a warning here…
If you fail to turn, I will come to you with the sword of my mouth in war…
Note that the I will come to you is not a reference to his second coming… no, it speaks that he will judge the church according to His word unless they turn from the error of their ways back to Him, the truth.
Then there is a promise of delight to those who are faithful.. verse 17
17 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.’
To the one who conquerors, I will give some of my hidden manna, the manna if a reference to Jesus being the bread of life. Jesus was hidden from the world they did not have eyes to see him, but those who believed, they received.
Listen to
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
Jesus is the bread of life and his manna gives eternal life, those who receive him as Savior will never experience the second death…
The white stone is a reference to a trial to which a judge would place a stone in a vessel that indicated if a person was guilty or innocent. The white stone would have been one to reveal that person was innocent, not guilty of those charges.
In fact the Bible tells us that we have been justified in Christ through His blood.
And then finally, they will receive a new name… one that only God knows at this time, but on that day a new name is given to the church
12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
Jesus has many names my friends is Lord, Savior, Christ, Redeemer, Friend, the creator of heaven and earth Genesis.
The I am in Exodus
Levitous
Numbers
Deut
Joshua
Ju
Exodus He is the Great I AM
Leviticus He is the Law
Deutononly He is
In GENESIS, The Creator of our all things
In EXODUS, He's the Passover Lamb
In LEVITICUS, He's the High Priest
In NUMBERS, water in the desert
In DEUTERONOMY, He delivers us from the curse
In DEUTERONOMY,
In JOSHUA, Captain of the Lord host
In JUDGES, He is our King
In RUTH, He is our Kinsman Redeemer
In 1st and 2nd SAMUEL, He's our Trusted Prophet
In KINGS and CHRONICLES, He's our Reigning King
In EZRA, He is our Faithful Scribe
In NEHEMIAH, He's the Re builder of everything that is broken
In ESTHER, He is the protector of the people
In JOB, He's our redeemer that ever liveth
In PSALMS, He is my Shepherd
In PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES, He's our Wisdom
In the SONG OF SOLOMON, He's the Beautiful Bridegroom
In ISAIAH, He's the Suffering Servant
In JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS, it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet
In EZEKIEL, He's the Wonderful Four Faced Man
In DANIEL, He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace
In HOSEA, He is my Love that is forever faithful
In JOEL, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit
In AMOS, He's our Burden Bearer
In JOHN, He is the door by which everyone of us must enter
In OBADIAH, He's our Savior
In JONAH, He is the Great Foreign Missionary
In MICAH, He is the Messenger with beautiful feet
In NAHUM, He is the Avenger
In HABAKKUK, He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival
In ZEPHANIAH, He is the Lord mighty to save
In HAGGAI, He is the Restorer of our lost heritage
In ZECHARIAH, He is our Fountain
In MALACHI, He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings
In MATTHEW, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God
In MARK, He's the Miracle Worker
In LUKE, He's the Son of Man
In JOHN, He is the door by which everyone of us must enter
In ACTS, He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the Damascus road
In ROMANS, He is our Justifier
In 1st CORINTHIANS, He is our Resurrection
In 2nd CORINTHIANS, He is our Sin Bearer
In GALATIANS, He redeems us from the law
In EPHESIANS, He is our Unsearchable Riches
In PHILIPPIANS, He supplies our every need
In PHILIPPIANS, He supplies our every need
In COLOSSIANS, He's the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily
In 1st and 2nd THESSALONIANS, He is our Soon Coming King
In 1st and 2nd TIMOTHY, Mediator between God and man
In TITUS, He is our Faith brother
In PHILEMON, He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother
In HEBREWS, He's the Blood of the everlasting covenant
In JAMES, it is the Lord the healer
In 1st and 2nd PETER, He is the Chief Shepherd
In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd JOHN, ihe is Everlasting love
In JUDE, He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints
And in REVELATION, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
And he has a name that no one knws but himself and we shall bear that name as well.. for we are the sheep of his pasture..
Today do you know Jesus
Today, are you living free from sin, or is there a sin that has its hold on you?
If so, today is the day you can be free from that sin… turn to Jesus and repent of that sin, the Scriptures promise that he will forgive you if you do!
If you have a prayer need come..
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’