WHAT CHRIST IS SAYING TO THE CHURCH (2)

Revelation 2:12 ESV

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

Revelation 2:13 ESV

“ ‘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.

Revelation 2:14 ESV

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.

Revelation 2:15 ESV

So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Revelation 2:16 ESV

Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:17 ESV

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.’

Withstand the Compromising Assaults of the Enemy in the Wilderness ONE MAN WROTE:

Ephesus was sort of the New York City of the Roman Empire. Smyrna was the Chicago of the Roman Empire. Pergamum was sort of the Washington DC of the Roman Empire. It was the center cog for Rome’s operation. It was the seat of Satan.

To the Church in Ephesus Jesus declares I know your works.

To the Church in Smyrna Jesus declares I know your affliction and your poverty.

To the Church in Pergamum Jesus declares I know where you live.

THE DEVIL IS ASSAULTING THE CHURCH

Satan’s other tactic is more subtle and often much more effective, he doesn’t attack us from without but he lulls us to sleep from within. He gets us off track and switches the real gospel with a false gospel; he tricks us into thinking that there are other things as important as serving Christ and loving the lost.

He seduces us as we sometimes might think sin is not all that bad. He wants us to think that we can have the best of both worlds. He says you can have Christ and all that the world has to offer as well. Look around, he says, every other church is doing it. Because of our sinful nature and the desires of our flesh we take the bait and swallow the lie hook line and sinker

ILLUSTRATION

· Movie where someone lowers their gun thinking the situation is not bad. You are watuiching and you know it is not and you are saying” don’t lower your weapon”…

Why? Why has the church today lost ground? Why is she having such a difficult time in this present age? Satan is seducing the church and she is lowering her weapons.

TH ONLY WAY TO MAINTAIN FAITH WHERE THE DEVIL RESIDES IS BY SHEER OBEDIENCE

I. THE COMPROMISING ASSAULT OF SCRIPTURAL IGNORANCE

- The fact that false teaching could take place and move people is only proof that some were not strong enough in the Word to see the deceptions of the enemy in the false teaching.

To not grow in the Word is to be ruled by our own desires

- Loved to learn something new

Acts 17:21 ESV

Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

- Itching ears

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,

To not grow in the Word dulls our ability to hear and understand truth

Hebrews 5:11 ESV

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

HERE IS WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ASSAULT OF THE DEVIL TO COMPROMISE THE WORD:

It is the result of an all-out assault from the devil to keep me ignorant of the Word so that he can have his way with my heart, mind and affections

A lack of desire to READ the Word;

A LACK OF DESIRE TO GATHER IN WORSHIP UNDER THE PREACHING OF THE WORD

A JUSTIFYING OF WHY I AM NOT IN THE WORD REGULARLY

II. THE COMPROMISING ASSAULT OF CHRISTIANIZED ADULTERY

A. It Is Spiritual Compromise

explain: having the form of godliness but denying its power within

Here is what we need to see

1. They held fast to the name of Christ

2. They held fast to their faith

This church upheld the name of Christ and faith in Christ but compromised its commitment to Christ. The church told the truth with its lips but lied with its life.

These people did not deny Jesus or reject him. THEY DETHRONED HIM IN THEIR HEARTS, AS IT WERE – PUTTING HIM ON A RETAINER

Matthew 15:8 ESV

“ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

Matthew 15:9 ESV

in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

AND YET, THEY ALLOWED THEIR HEARTS TO PURSUE THE WORLD AND THEIR OWN PASSIONS

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

B. It Is Sexual Compromise

explain BALAAM TEACHING

o Note the flow:

§ SEXUAL IMMORALITY IS ALWAYS FIRST SPIRITUAL IMMORALITY

WHEN WE COMPROMISE SPIRITUALLY UNDER THE ASSAULT OF THE DEVIL THEN EVERYTHING FLESHLY ABOUT US TAKE PRIORITY

OUR POLITICAL PARTY BECOMES MERGED WITH OUR PRAISE FOR THE LORD AND IT BECOMES OUR PASSIONATE PLEA

OUR SEXUAL PASSIONS BECOME MERGED WITH OUR PRAISE FOR THE LORD AND THEY BECOME OUR PASSIONATE PURSUIT

GOD ASSESSMENT OF THE DISOBEDIENCE OF HIS PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS

Hebrews 3:10 ESV

Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’

· MY COMPROMISE IN PHYSICAL FORNICATION IS THE FRUIT OF MY COMPROMISE IN SPIRITUAL FORNICATION

· MY COMPROMISE IN PHYSICAL ADULTERY IS THE FRUIT OF MY COMPROMISE IN SPIRITUAL ADULTERY

III. WHEN YOU COMPROMISE…REPENT WITH FRUITFULNESS

Repentance is a change of the mind and heart that is proven by a change life

IF NOT - I WILL COME TO YOU SOON AND WAR AGAINST THEM WITH THE SWORD OF MY MOUTH

EVER SAT UNDER THE WORD AND FELT KNOWN? EXPOSED/ AS IF CHRIST HAD READ THE FINE PRINT OF YOUR LIFE AND CIRCUMSTANCES?

The sword is the symbol of the Word of Christ which separates believers from condemnation and from conformity with the world (Rom. 12:2; 8:1; 1 Pet. 1:23; Heb. 4:12). But this same sword, the Word of Christ, also guarantees judgment to the world on the basis of its absolute truth.

JESUS IS SAYING: SEE ME NOW BECAUSE YOU WONT WANT TO SEE ME LATER

REPENTANCE MEANS BEARING FRUIT

Matthew 3:8 ESV

Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

THE FRUIT WE SHOULD BEAR

1. Live in the Word

THE HIDDEN MANNA

o MANNA – THE WAY GOD FED HIS PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS: IT WAS GOD’S FAITHFULNESS OF GOD TO PROVIDE AND SUSTAIN HIS PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS

JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

John 6:35 ESV

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

FEED ON JESUS

John 6:58 ESV

This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

2. Live out our name