Revelation 3:7-13

The first Sunday of our month was a day of REPENTANCE
EPHESUS – The bride who was so busy she forgot her husband
Overcome Hypocrisy

The second Sunday was a day of REDEMPTION
SMYRNA – The bride who contemplated quitting because marriage is hard.
Overcome Fear

PERGAMUM – The bride in danger of being seduced into an affair
Overcome Compromise

The third Sunday was a day of REVIVAL
THYATIRA – The bride having an affair with the world.
Overcome Worldliness

SARDIS – The bride whose marriage was falling apart, and didn’t care.
Overcome Complacency

LET TODAY BE THE DAY WHEN WE FOCUS ON THE RETURN.

We will see two churches who are as on opposite ends of the scale as possible. Philadelphia is not doubt the best of the 7 and Laodicea is no doubt the worst.

One could look forward to the return of Christ because of the reward.
One should head the return of Christ and get ready.

This morning we look at what a blessing it is to have walked this earth in obedience and to be able to have great anticipation at the return of the Lord.

Philadelphia was a church that could sing with the truest of joy:
“Behold He comes, riding on the clouds, shining like the sun, at the trumpet call, so lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee, for out of Zion’s hill salvation comes.”

They could rejoice because they were ready to meet Him.

John gave this warning to the churches.
1 John 2:28-29 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone also who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

They were a church who had walked in obedience.
They were “THE FAITHFUL CHURCH”

While Smyrna was faithful, Philadelphia is further down the road.
LET US LEARN HOW JESUS RESPONDS TO A FAITHFUL CHURCH

#1 THE COMPOSER
Revelation 3:7

HOW DOES JESUS REVEAL HIMSELF TO PHILADELPHIA?

Unlike the other 5, Jesus doesn’t draw from the chapter 1 revelation.

They get a special revelation – One that speaks of reward.

“He who is holy”

Holy is a title reserved for God.
Isaiah 6:3 “And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

A terrified demon screamed.
Mark 1:24 “saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Peter proclaimed
John 6:69 “We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

CERTAINLY JESUS REMINDS THEM HE IS GOD
BUT HE ALSO REVEALS HIS JUSTICE IN JUDGMENT

No one who deserves punishment will skip it.
No one who deserves reward will loose it.

Romans 2:9-11 “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”

“He…who is true”

NOT ONLY WILL HE ACCURATELY JUDGE,
HE WILL FAITHFULLY JUDGE.
John 5:30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

John 8:16 “But even if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent Me.”

“who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one will open.”

In Rev. 1:17-18 He revealed He had the keys of death and hades.

He had the power to open and close death.
HERE HE HAS THE POWER TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE KINGDOM.

Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”

JESUS REVEALS HIMSELF TO PHILADELPHIA
AS THE HOLY JUDGE, WHO IS FAITHFUL TO REWARD.
#2 THE COMMENDATION
Revelation 3:8-10

WHAT DOES HE COMMEND THEM FOR?

(Vs. 8) – “I know your deeds.”
(Vs. 8) – “you have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
(Vs. 10) – “you have kept the word of My perseverance.”

WHAT WAS IT THAT MADE THEIR OBEDIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE SO IMPRESSIVE?

(Vs. 8) “Because you have a little power”

NOT A DEGRADING STATEMENT
Maybe a poor congregation with few resources
Maybe a small congregation with little manpower
Maybe an isolated congregation with little support
WHATEVER THEIR WEAKNESS, IT DIDN’T STOP THEM

2 Cor. 12:10 “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Philadelphia is the second church with no rebuke
THEY CERTAINLY WERE NOT PERFECT,
HOWEVER, THEY WERE PERFECTLY PLEASING.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PLEASE GOD?

Hebrews 11:32-40 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”

GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR A STRONG CHURCH
GOD IS NOT LOOKING FOR A WEALTHY CHURCH
GOD IS LOOKING FOR A TRUSTING CHURCH
PHILADELPHIA IS PRAISED BECAUSE THEY TRUSTED GOD.
“Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.”

Matthew 17:20 “And He said to them, “…for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

Because they had little power, but great faith…
“Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one will shut.”

I HAVE OPENED WIDE THE KINGDOM TO YOU.

WHAT ELSE DID JESUS PROMISE THEM?

“I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – I will make them come and bow at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

• VINDICATION
• GREAT OUTFLOWING OF SALVATION

Imagine of everyone who ever maligned you for Christ sake,
All of a sudden came to you in repentance,
And desired to trust Christ and serve Him along side of you.

WHAT ELSE DOES HE PROMISE THEM?

“I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

MANY SEE THIS AS A PROMISE THAT THE CHURCH WILL SKIP THE GREAT TRIBULATION. (I have no problem with that).

HOWEVER, WE ARE TRYING TO EVALUATE THE CHURCH
The timing of the rapture is of little significance,
we are called to persevere no matter what.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHY SMYRNA WAS PROMISED PERSECUTION?
“for your testing”

It is important to know who is real, and who is not.

AT WHAT POINT DO YOU STOP TESTING?
Once a person has adequately exhibited they can pass the test.

PERSECUTION DOES HAVE MANY POSITIVE PURPOSES.

1) It can revive a dying relationship
Israel needed it to wake them up, and cause them to call on God.

Jeremiah 29:12 “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.”

2) It can purify a cluttered relationship
Cause you to drop what is not important, and cling to what is.

1 Peter 4:1 “Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,”

3) It can reveal who has a relationship and who does not.
This was the purpose at Smyrna

1 Peter 4:14 “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.”

Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

4) It can serve to reveal how strong a person’s relationship is.
Such was the case with Job.

Job 1:20-22 “Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.”

HOWEVER, ONCE THE PURPOSE IS ACCOMPLISHED
THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANY MORE

WHATEVER PHILADELPHIA’S TEST,
THEY HAD PASSED IT, AND HAD NO NEED TO TAKE IT AGAIN.

“I know these trials will make me stronger.”
NO THEY WON’T – BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH THEM WILL.

PHILADELPHIA HAD LITTLE POWER, BUT WERE STRONG.
THEY HAD ENORMOUS FAITH, AND PASSED THE TEST.

#3 THE COMMAND
Revelation 3:11

WHAT IS THE PROMISE TO PHILADELPHIA?

No matter the command, they won’t have to keep it long.
Their job is complete, they are almost finished.

WHAT IS THE COMMAND TO PHILADELPHIA?

IF THEY ALREADY PASSED THE TEST, WHY TELL THEM THIS?

He wanted them to finish strong.

WHY DO FANS LINE THE HOME STRETCH OF A MARATHON?

Fans know: Although the home stretch
Is one of the easiest parts of the course,
It is one of the most difficult parts of the race.

IT IS TEMPTING FOR AN ATHLETE TO LET UP AT THE END.

I’m reminded of a football game I saw a couple of weeks ago.
There was a talented running back, he broke into the open field.
A touchdown seemed certain, BUT, he quit running before the goal line.
And the boy from Motley County was credited with a touchdown saving tackle.

He missed the touchdown, and the glory of that moment was stolen by someone who pushed a little harder.

“hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Don’t give up at the end, and let someone else steal the prize.

#4 THE CONNOTATION
Revelation 3:12-13

OVERCOME WHAT?

THE TEMPTATION TO LET UP AT THE END
THE TEMPTATION TO GIVE IN TO FATIGUE
THE TEMPTATION TO RETIRE

AFTER LIVING A LIFE FOR CHRIST,
IT IS TEMPTING TO COAST IN THE FINAL YEARS.
Charles Rogers – “I’m in my sprinting years.”
Travis Berryhill – “I don’t have much time left.”

IF YOU WERE FINISHED WITH THE RACE
YOU’D BE IN HEAVEN.

Smyrna was dead and faked life.
Don’t be alive and fake death.

Philip. 3:7-16 “But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.”

WHAT IS THEIR REWARD FOR FINISHING STRONG?

“I will make them a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore.”

THEY CANNOT BE SHAKEN
THEY CANNOT BE MOVED
THEY “will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

“I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.”

WHAT DOES A CHILD DO WITH A BELOVED POSSESSION?
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR LUGGAGE?

YOU WRITE YOUR NAME ON IT

IF YOU OVERCOME, YOU WILL BE MINE,
AND WILL BE WITH ME FOREVER.

Church if we want to be a church that can gladly anticipate the return of Christ, then we must be a church that is walking in faithfulness.

He doesn’t ask us to be rich
He doesn’t ask us to be large
He doesn’t ask us to be talented
HE ASKS US TO BE FAITHFUL

This may not be the attributes by which the world evaluate the health of a church, but it is the attribute by which Jesus evaluates the health of the church.

He could care less about the money – He owns the cattle on a thousand hills.
He could care less about the numbers – He could force people to be here.
He could care less about the talent – the singing in heaven is much better.
HE IS LOOKING AT THE HEART

He wants the church that will trust Him.
He wants the bride that no matter how hard it gets, she sticks with Him.
No matter how hard it gets, she never doubts Him.
No matter how hard it gets, she remains faithful.

If you want to anticipate the return of Christ, then be faithful!
Don’t quit, run the race full unto the end.

Hebrews 12:1-3 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

 

Revelation 3:1-6

Thus far, looking at the churches, we have seen Jesus bride from several perspectives.

Ephesus was the bride busy serving her husband, but not spending time with her husband. She had to overcome hypocrisy.

Smyrna was the bride who was overcome with the difficulty of marriage, and contemplated quitting. She had to overcome fear.

Pergamum was the bride who had too many ungodly friends, and was in danger of being seduced into an affair. She had to overcome compromise.

Thyatira was the bride who had another lover, she was having an affair with the world. She had to overcome worldliness.

Tonight we see the 5th church.
This church also teaches us that some times the things we have to overcome have nothing to do with the devil, and everything to do with ourselves.

James 1:13-16 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

Sardis was also a church that had fallen to the lusts of the flesh.
It wasn’t that they were overly worldly, or overly idolatrous.
They were lazy.

They fell into that trap that so often and so quickly nails us.
When faced with the decision, and given the opportunity,
They rose to the occasion and did nothing.

And what is worse, they were ok with it.

SARDIS
– One time thought to be impenetrable.
One narrow entry, 3 walls of solid rock
Cyrus conquered by scaling the walls with a mock battle.
– Now they were a tourist city. Living on past accomplishments
Gold and silver coins first minted there
First to learn to die wool
Hot springs, with power to give life to the dead

They boasted as a great city that once was.
Their town fittingly housed their church.

5 things we see in our text tonight.
#1 THE COMPOSER
Revelation 3:1a
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says this:”

“He who holds the seven Spirits of God”
This is a reference to the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”

And we know what the role of the Holy Spirit is.
John 16:7-15 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

The Holy Spirit comes to CONVICT, GUIDE, & GLORIFY
And Jesus reveals that He has the Holy Spirit

“He who has…the seven stars”

the seven stars are the messengers to the churches.

So Jesus reveals Himself as the One
Who has the authority to convict and to guide you.

NOW WE ARE AWARE OF THIS TRUTH,
BUT WE SELDOM WELCOME IT.

We know Jesus has the right to convict sin, but surely it is someone elses.
We know Jesus has the right to guide, but why would He want to change our church?

COULD IT BE THAT THESE ARE THE MINDSETS OF DEAD CHURCHES?
I’ve often heard the statement.
“We’ve never done it that way before”

In other words, we don’t see the need to change,
And we don’t like anyone telling us we need to.
#2 THE CRITIQUE
Revelation 3:1b
“I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

Now before we get into the critique,
I think it is only fitting to notice what is missing.

There are two things that Jesus doesn’t speak of when he talks about Sardis.
1) He doesn’t commend them for anything.
They did nothing that was even worthy of a half-hearted commendation.

2) He doesn’t mention any persecution.
Ephesus had the Nicolaitans
Smyrna had a synagogue of Satan
Pergamum was in the presence of Satan’s throne
Thyatira had Jezebel

But Sardis has nothing.

WHY WOULD SATAN ATTACK A DEAD CHURCH?
They didn’t do anything good, so there was no need for Satan to try and stop them.

I can promise you this.
You will never run into Satan
If you never go in an opposite direction.

It isn’t always the devil who is our problem.
He certainly wasn’t the problem for Sardis,
They were their own worst enemy.

Jesus said, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”

TODD FELT’S RATTLESNAKE STORY
IS THE TURTLE DEAD OR ALIVE?

There is the danger.
To be dead, and not know it.

Sardis fit this bill.

MANY ASSUME WHAT A DEAD CHURCH LOOKS LIKE
Boarded up windows, or only a handful of people, or no money.
NOT SO
A dead church may have a million dollar budget,
A large congregation,
And a state of the art facility, but that means nothing.

SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE DEAD?
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

I hope you remember when we studied Ephesians what it meant to be dead in spirit.

If a dead body can’t respond, neither can a dead spirit.
If a dead body can’t move, neither can a dead spirit.
If a dead body can’t change, neither can a dead spirit.

Sardis was dead, they only looked alive.
They didn’t recognize God.
They didn’t see His leading
They didn’t hear His voice
They didn’t understand His will

John MacArthur describes a dead church like this:
“What are the danger signs of a dying church? A church is in danger when it is content to rest on its past laurels, when it is more concerned with liturgical forms than spiritual reality, when it focuses on curing social ills rather than changing people’s hearts through preaching the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ, when it is more concerned with material than with spiritual things, when it is more concerned with what men think than what God said, when it is more enamored with doctrinal creeds and systems of theology than with the word of God Himself. No matter what its attendance, no matter how impressive its buildings, no matter what its status in the community, such a church, having denied the only source of spiritual life, is dead.”
(MacArthur, John; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Revelation 1-11 [Moody Press, Chicago Ill. 1999] pg. 111-112)

It is quite possible for a church to look alive, and still be dead.

This is the reason Paul warned the Ephesian church.
Ephesians 4:17-24 “So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

A church isn’t a church just because they meet on Sunday.
A church isn’t a church just because they sing hymns.
A church isn’t a church just because it looks like one.

A church is a church when believers, filled with the Spirit, meet in unity to listen to the Spirit. Then walk in the power of the Spirit, displaying the fruit of the Spirit.

Anything else is to be dead and to only appear alive.
This is why Jesus critiqued the church at Sardis.

#3 THE COMMAND
Revelation 3:2-3

There are five things that Jesus tells the church at Sardis to do.

1) REVIVE
“Wake up”

We learned Wednesday night that Roy is a heavy sleeper. So am I.
I also go to sleep real easy.

Sometimes Carrie can be talking to me, and then she’ll say, “You just went to sleep.” Of course I say, “No I didn’t.”

Or have you ever had anybody try to wake you up, and you respond, “I’m awake, when you really aren’t.”

We do that in churches a lot too.
God says, “You’re asleep” and we so, “No we’re not.”
Or He says, “Wake up”, and we say, “I’m awake”, when we aren’t.

WE AS CHURCHES LIKE TO LIVE IN NEVER-NEVER LAND DON’T WE?
We just like to go through life pretending that everything is cool.
If something is wrong, we sure don’t want someone to tell us.

We hate it when we have to evaluate.

It is time to look at our church through God’s eyes,
And quit looking at it with worldly logic.

1 Peter 4:17a “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God;”

It’s time we as a church agree to open our eyes and see what we really are.

2) RENEW
“strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

I’ve heard many of these testimonies.
Where people start spouting off all they used to do.

There was a T-shirt out not too long ago that said it best.
“The older I get, the better I was.”

We think because we did it once, then we are off the hook.

If God is in Sunday School, then by golly make it better.
If God is in RA’s and GA’s, then strengthen it.
If God is in choir, then make it even better.

So this church had to get to work, making what was there better.

3) REMEMBER
“So remember what you have received and heard”

WHAT HAD THEY RECEIVED AND HEARD?
This is why Jesus revealed Himself like He did.

They had received the Holy Spirit.
They had heard the truth.

It was time to make God’s presence, and God’s truth a priority.
AMY TAGLE WON’T SETTLE ON A CHURCH

But it’s a shame when someone like Amy stands out for doing that.

We all ought to have that passion.
We ought to just want the presence of God and the truth of God.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PRESENCE OF GOD?

Remember in the days of Ezekiel. God’s glory departed from Israel (Ichabod)

Ezekiel 10:18-19 “Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.”

Ezekiel 11:22-23 “Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.”

Of course, at this point Babylon came in and wiped them out and carried Jerusalem into Exile, and they lived there for 70 years.

They found the devastating effects of losing God’s presence.
Then in the last 9 chapters of the book of Ezekiel,
Ezekiel sees the vision of the temple.

Ezekiel 48:35 “The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘ The LORD is there.'”

Remember when Israel blew it with the golden calf?
TURN TO EXODUS 33:1-10

They learned the importance of the presence of God.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THE TRUTH OF GOD?

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

Isaiah 5:13 “Therefore My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge; And their honorable men are famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.”

We must remember

4) REMAIN
“and keep it”

In other words, don’t just seek the Spirit of God, seek to obey Him.
Don’t just listen to the truth of God’s word, obey it.

Make the presence a priority, and make the truth a priority.

5) REPENT
“and repent”

REPENTANCE SHOULD BE LAST BECAUSE IT IS LIFELONG

Luke 3:7-14 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

When a church is dead, they must
Revive themselves
Renew what they have
Remember what is important
Remain in obedience
And live lives of Repentance

“Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a chief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

THEY WERE IN DANGER OF MISSING JESUS
Wake up, and experience the life giving flow of Jesus!

#4 THE COMMENDATION
Revelation 3:4

We have talked about this before, but garments always represent character in the bible.

There were some who had remained obedient to Jesus. They were walking in purity. They were awake and alert.

God always leaves a remnant.
But they hold a major responsibility.

John MacArthur also wrote:
“There was not time for indifference; they could not just go with the flow, they had to reverse it. The believing remnant needed to look at what was happening in their church, evaluate the situation, get involved in changing things, confront sin and error, and make a difference.” (ibid. pg. 114)

#5 THE CONNOTATION
Revelation 3:5-6

If you overcome, you will be clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

“and I will not erase his name from the book of life”

This is the book of the living.
Exodus 32:32 “But now, if You will, forgive their sin — and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”

In other words, if you will straighten up, then I won’t kill you.
“and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels”

If you overcome now, you will be Mine.
If you don’t overcome, then you were never Mine, and never will be.

Can a person who doesn’t desire the presence of God, or the truth of God really call themselves a Christian?

Jesus didn’t.

But this is for him who overcomes.
OVERCOMES WHAT?
Complacency

We are far too complacent.
This is the bride who sees her marriage going down the drain but could care less.

It is time for the church to turn the tide.
Psalms 7:12-16 “If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready. He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons; He makes His arrows fiery shafts. Behold, he travails with wickedness, And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood. He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made. His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.”

 

Revelation 2:18-29

The first week of our Month of Stillness was devoted to repentance.

We listened to God’s warning to our church, and then He gave us the example of Ephesus. They were the backslidden church. They were in need of repentance.

If looked at from Jesus standpoint, Ephesus was the bride who had become so consumed with cooking, and cleaning, that she had actually forgotten to spend time with her husband.

We learned, that if we are to repent, then we must overcome hypocrisy, and get real with God about what we really are. We must come to Him, in loyalty, and not through religious exercise.

Last Sunday was a day or redemption. The church is to be set free.

We saw first the church at Smyrna.
Smyrna was the bride who had found that marriage was hard and was contemplating calling it quits.
The enemy had her in the bondage of fear, having attacked her with deliberate intimidation.

We saw next the church at Pergamum.
Pergamum was the bride who had made friends with some people she shouldn’t have, and she was in danger of having an affair.
The enemy had her in the bondage of compromise, having attacked her with deceitful influence.

We learned that if we want to be a church that is set free, then we must overcome fear, and we must overcome complacency. If we want to walk in freedom, then we must nullify the enemies two biggest weapons of intimidation and influence.

The Bride of Christ is to be devoted to a relationship with her husband.
The Bride of Christ is to be committed to her husband, even when it is hard.
The Bride of Christ is to be alert, and not prone to being seduced away from her husband.

This is what we have learned so far.
Repentance, and Redemption.

Today we will approach a new theme.
May today be a day of REVIVAL
Having realized what we are and repented, having desired to be set free from the attacks of the enemy.

May today be the day when we return to the place where God intends us to be.
Today, may we be RE-VIVED!

In order to return to where we should be, in order to be revived, it is imperative that we overcome some more.

If we have determined to overcome fear, and determined to overcome compromise, then we are being set free from the enemy.

Therefore, the things we must overcome in order to be revived, don’t have as much to do with overcoming him, as they do with overcoming ourselves.

You see the enemy attacks with intimidation, he attacks with influence, but these are not the only barriers that we face.

James 1:13-16 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

I know it would be convenient to blame every mistake we ever make on the enemy. It would be convenient if it were always the devil’s fault. But sometimes we give him more credit than he is due.

Every time we mess up, ever barrier we face, is not always the devil.
Sometimes it is us.
Sometimes we are our own worst enemy.

And because this is the case, if we truly want revival, then not only do we have to overcome the enemy, but we also have to overcome ourselves.

We have to learn to overcome the things that cause us to miss revival.

Let me see if I can explain to you the difference.

Suppose God comes through with a command, and you know you are supposed to obey it. You know this is from God, and you must do it.

Now, if you want to obey it, but fear stops you.
Or if you want to obey it, but you are persuaded otherwise.
THAT WAS THE ENEMY.

But that is not all that keeps us from obeying God.

So suppose God gives you a command, and you know you are supposed to do it.

If you just don’t want to do it, so you don’t
Or if you just put it off, until you never obey.
THAT IS NOT THE ENEMY – THAT IS YOU.

DO YOU SEE THE DIFFERENCE?

To be the bride that Jesus intended. To be the bride that Jesus deserves, not only do we have to overcome the enemy, we must overcome our own sinfulness.

That is what we are going to see in the two churches today.
Thyatira had a problem that kept them from revival – they loved the world too much.
Sardis had a problem that kept them from revival – they were lazy.
These are not attacks of the enemy, these are character flaws within us.

So today, we seek to overcome these character flaws, and be a church that is revived back to where God wants us to be.

So let’s look at the church at Thyatira.

Thyatira was different from the previous 3 cities.
Ephesus and Smyrna were very immoral – Thyatira was not.
Smyrna and Pergamum were steeped in emperor worship – Thyatira was not.

They weren’t all that pagan, they weren’t all that idolatrous.
Thyatira had only one passion. They were a working man’s town.
The thing that fueled Thyatira were “Guilds”
They were like a modern day labor union. And they had a guild for everything.

The problem was that each guild had it’s own deity they served.
And each guild had banquets.
Common practice at these banquets was sacrificing food to these deities, and committing acts of sexual immorality.

The temptation was, if you wanted to keep your job, you had to participate in these guilds.

Sounds awful, but in reality it may not have been much different than many modern day “Company Pickicks”.

The concept was there was a certain worldliness that was expected of you if you were to remain successful in your job.

In the middle of this city was a church, and it is this church we examine today.
We look at Thyatira – “The Worldly Church”

There are 6 things we see in our text this morning.

#1 THE COMPOSER
Revelation 2:18

Again we see that Jesus reveals Himself in a very specific way to the church at Thyatira.

“The Son of God”
No doubt this is a title that demands authority. You wouldn’t risk angering your boss’s son, how much dumber would it be to anger God’s Son?

John 5:21-22 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,”

“Who has eyes like a flame of fire”
We have all seen people before with a fire in their eyes. Guys, if I told you your wife was looking for you and she had a fire in her eyes, you know what I mean.
It isn’t a peaceful easy feeling.

Here it denotes someone who sees what you have done, and is extremely unhappy about it.

“And His feet are like burnished bronze”

If the eyes spoke of His awareness, certainly the feet speak of His action.

Isaiah 63:1-6 “Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. “I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

We are talking here about knowledge of sin, and punishment for it.

So let’s look at this.
To Ephesus He was the One who is with you to guide you.
To Smyrna He was the One who knows your problems and has the power to overcome it.
To Pergamum He was the One who knows and protects you.

But to Thyatira He is:
“The One who sees your sin and has the authority to punish you.”

I think we had all better pay attention to this one.

#2 THE COMMENDATION
Revelation 2:19

Now this part of the letter gets very interesting. It seems as though He is commending Thyatira. But what you notice is that His praise seems very half-hearted.

He doesn’t list any specifics whatsoever.
He commended Ephesus and mentioned their stance against false teachers.
He commended Smyrna and mentioned their willing poverty.
He commended Pergamum and mentioned their perseverance even when Antipas was killed.

But to Thyatira, there are no specifics.
It seems to me that His praise is more of a half-hearted agreement to soften the blow of His critique.

Picture it like this.
My dad has a wood shop and he hires people to build furniture. Suppose he was about to fire a person.

“Leo, I appreciate you being on time, and you do work well with others, you have tried to do all that I asked you, and your skills with a tape measure have gotten better, BUT…”

You can see the commendation may be true, but compared to the critique it holds no weight. Such it is with Thyatira.

It is not that everything they do is wrong, it is just that the wrong far outweighs the right.

When evaluating the church, they were far more costly than they were beneficial.

We learn from them.
They had deeds, but it wasn’t enough.
They had love, but it wasn’t enough.
They had faith, but it wasn’t enough.
They had service, but it wasn’t enough.
They had perseverance, but it wasn’t enough.

WHAT THEY HAD WAS THE BARE MINIMUM OF EACH.
AND THE BARE MINIMUM IS NOT WORTHY OF REWARD.

Luke 17:7-10 “Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘ Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'”

Many times in church we do the bare minimum and expect Jesus to pat us on the back for it. But He won’t. You don’t get praise for the bare minimum.

Good deeds aren’t rewardable, good deeds while suffering is rewardable.
Love isn’t rewardable, loving the unlovable is rewardable.
Faith isn’t rewardable, faith to move mountains is rewardable.
Service isn’t rewardable, going the extra mile is rewardable.
Perseverance is rewardable, enduring to the end is rewardable.

Luke 6:27-36 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, less those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. “Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. “If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. ut love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Thyatira had a half-hearted commendation because they were only doing the bare minimum.

I must however point out, that this does at least prove they were a church, unlike Laodicea who was fake. They weren’t worthy of reward, but they were at least a church.

Paul described this truth

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

Let us work for more than the bare minimum, let us seek the reward.

#3 THE CRITIQUE
Revelation 2:20-21

As you read this critique, there is one word that describes why Jesus is angry at Thyatira, and that word sort of jumps off the page at you.

TOLERATE

I don’t know who first taught that Jesus wanted His church to tolerate sin, but it wasn’t Jesus.

John 17:14-19 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”

Jesus wanted His bride to be pure, not tolerant.

Thyatira had a tolerance problem. They tolerated Jezebel.

Well, let’s look at Jezebel for just a second.
3 things.

1) Jezebel had a Phony Title
“who calls herself a prophetess”

Despite the fact that women are forbidden from teaching men in the Bible, this woman still approached the church claiming to be God’s spokesman.

She either held a position, or created a position, by which she actually pretended to be one who had a word from God. She may have even served as the pastor of this church.

But here we are reminded that her title did not come from God, she gave it to herself. Her teaching did not come from God, it originated in her mind.

But Thyatira didn’t do anything about it.

2) Jezebel had a Persuasive Teaching
“and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

Here we see the danger.
It wasn’t as though the only people affected by Jezebel’s false prophecy were lost people. She actually deceived and led God’s people astray. She was hurting the bond-servants, and she was successful.

She was probably teaching that it was ok to participate in the worldliness of the guilds if it meant keeping your job.

She was probably teaching that it was ok to partake in the things of the world.
After all, a person needs those things.

How often have we heard that message.
It doesn’t matter how many different passages of Scripture tell us to forsake the world, there always seems to be a Jezebel who says it is ok.

2 Peter 2:1-2 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;”

Jezebel was leading God’s people away from God and Thyatira didn’t do anything about it.

3) Jezebel was a Persistent Temptress
“I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.”

In other words, even though God was patient with her, she liked her lifestyle, and had no desire to change her ways.

2 Peter 2:12-14 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;”

This was Jezebel.
A false prophet who was deceiving others, and who had no intention of stopping.

And Thyatira didn’t do anything about it.
That was their critique.

And as we learned last Sunday night, when God’s people refuse to do something about it, Jesus will.

#4 THE CHASTISEMENT
Revelation 2:22-23

Jesus was about to rain judgment on her.

He was about to throw her on a bed of sickness.
To those who had been deceived by her, and had followed her, they were about to have great tribulation.
And to those who were ready to lead in her absence, they would be killed.

In other words, the war was over.
Jesus was stopping the problem, punishing the followers, and not even taking a chance on her protégé.

And there was a reason.
“and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

Since the church in Thyatira would not deal with her, and proclaim the glories of God, and lift high the standard of holiness and truth, Jesus was about to do it.

Remember what we read earlier.
Isaiah 63:1-6 “Who is this who comes from Edom, With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah, This One who is majestic in His apparel, Marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.” Why is Your apparel red, And Your garments like the one who treads in the wine press? “I have trodden the wine trough alone, And from the peoples there was no man with Me. I also trod them in My anger And trampled them in My wrath; And their lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments, And I stained all My raiment. “For the day of vengeance was in My heart, And My year of redemption has come. “I looked, and there was no one to help, And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold; So My own arm brought salvation to Me, And My wrath upheld Me. “I trod down the peoples in My anger And made them drunk in My wrath, And I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”

Jesus was taking matters into His own hands.
His church would be pure.
His bride would stop having an affair.
Her immorality would be tolerated no longer.

#5 THE COMMAND
Revelation 2:24-25

Now we have already seen one aspect of the command. He had told those who had been deceived by Jezebel to repent or they were getting tribulation.

But there is more to the command than that.
There were some in Thyatira who hadn’t succumbed to her temptation. There were some in Thyatira who hadn’t migrated back to the world.

There were some in Thyatira who hadn’t had a love affair with the world.
They hadn’t known the deep things of Satan.

WHAT ARE THESE DEEP THINGS OF SATAN?
Satan’s ultimate motivating force is prideful love of self.

Remember why he was cast from heaven.
Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.”

When he spoke through Peter, was it not to put his focus on man’s interests?

When he used Judas was it not for worldly possessions?
When he tempted Eve, was it not for selfish reasons? (be like God)
When he tempted Jesus, was it not for power?

The deep things of Satan is simply to follow your own desires over God’s.

This was the major sin in Thyatira, but there were some who hadn’t fallen prey to it.

To them, Jesus commands, “hold fast until I come”

DOES THIS NOT SEEM STRIKINGLY FAMILIAR TO WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO?

Jesus has declared the war is over.
He is about to come and deal with the problem.
And to those who have sought His face, He said:

Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

The message is the same today.
I am coming, just hold on and wait for Me.

#6 THE CONNOTATION
Revelation 2:26-29

This is for us all.

The simple understanding is, if you reject the world now, you will rule it later.
If you forsake the world now, you will get Me (the morning star).

But this is for him who overcomes.
OVERCOMES WHAT?

Worldliness.
Thyatira had traded the things of God for the things of the world.
Instead of living for God, they had decided to get what their own heart was lusting after.

Church, if we are to experience revival, we must overcome worldliness.
We must learn to forsake the things of the world, and seek only the things of God.

Satan is not the one telling you to be worldly.
Satan isn’t the one telling you to get rich, and store money.
Satan isn’t the one telling you to live in comfort and complacency.
THAT COMES FROM INSIDE OF US.

James 1:13-16 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

We have to overcome that, if we want to be a church that is where God wants us to be.

If we want revival, we must overcome worldliness.
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

Pray
Again, we will just have a silent time of response.
READ ISAIAH 51:1-8

 

 

 

 

Revelation 2:12-17

Today is a day when we focus on being set free.
We want to be set free from the bondage of the enemy.

This morning we learned that one of his main tactics is
DELIBERATE INTIMIDATION.

There is a second tactic that the enemy loves to use.
DECEITFUL INFLUENCE

We also know he loves this
Simply by the number of times we are warned about it in the Bible.

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

Matthew 16:6 “And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

Mark 12:38 “In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places,”

Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

Philippians 3:2-3 “Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,”

1 Peter 5:8-9 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.”

WAS THIS NOT HOW SATAN ATTACKED JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS?

Matthew 16:22-23 “Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Matthew 14:15-18 “When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” They said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” And He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
Acts 21:10-14 “As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”
You can see that Satan loves to attack with a deceitful influence.

We see him use it especially in those who have overcome fear.
Satan couldn’t scare Jesus out of obedience,
So he tried to subtly deceive Him out of it.

Satan couldn’t scare Paul out of going to Jerusalem,
So he tried to influence him not to.

When we fall prey to this sort of attack,
We can find ourselves in bondage to the will of the enemy
Without even realizing it.

The way this stronghold manifests itself
Is not through people who are too afraid to name the name of Jesus.

This stronghold manifests itself in people
Who are too willing to compromise what God is saying
In order to listen to the influence of others.

It is people who do what other people want, to keep them happy.
It is a much more subtle stronghold.

It is seen very clearly in the church at Pergamum.
– Not a port city
– Not overly immoral
– High Class, very educated
– Very patriotic, emperor worship

People worshiped God and Rome
People worshiped God and knowledge

That leads us to the church at Pergamum
“The Compromising Church”
They were pragmatic
One who is pragmatic is defined as:
“Practical; testing the validity of all concepts by their practical results.”
ENDS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS
WE SEE IT IN CHURCHES TODAY

And so a pragmatist will compromise fundamental truths
In order to achieve large growth and peace.

This was the church at Pergamum.
They had fallen prey to deceitful influence.

5 divisions of our text.
#1 THE COMPOSER
Revelation 2:12

Jesus only reminds them of one attribute.
Sword
(purpose is to destroy)

But His sword is not free swinging at anyone and everyone.
His sword is for the ungodly.

Revelation 19:15 “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”

Jesus is the protector of His church.
He will protect His bride from the danger without and within.

And He reminds the church at Pergamum of this.
#2 THE COMMENDATION
Revelation 2:13

He says, “I know where you dwell”
Like Smyrna, what a comfort this must have been to the church at Pergamum to know that Jesus had seen all their difficulty.

And look at where they dwell.
“I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is”

We don’t know specifically what Jesus was talking about,
But we do understand the imagery.

The church at Pergamum
Might as well have been trying to minister
In Satan’s living room.
Pergamum was his capital city.

Comparable to a Christian T-Shirt booth
During the Muslim Pilgrimage.
They were stacked against overwhelming odds.

But despite the opposition
“and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who as killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

This is a huge praise from Jesus.
Pergamum wouldn’t refuse the name of Jesus.

They spoke His name even when Antipas was killed for it.
They spoke His name in the presence of Satan himself.
This church had obviously determined not to let fear be a factor.

The DELIBERATE INTIMIDATION was not effecting them.
They confessed Jesus even in the most hostile of situations.

Church, if we want to be commended by Jesus,
Then let nothing keep us from confessing the name of Jesus.
Let nothing stop us from proclaiming the gospel.

Mark 8:38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Pergamum was not, and they were commended.
#3 THE CRITIQUE
Revelation 2:14-15

Pergamum may have overcome the enemies DELIBERATE INTIMIDATION,
But they were falling prey to another area.

Jesus offers up this critique of the church in Pergamum.
He uses the same phrase twice to indicate their problem.

Vs. 14, “because you have there some”
Vs. 15, “So you also have some”

CAN YOU SEE THE PROBLEM?
It wasn’t that they backed down from confessing the truth.
They backed down from enforcing it.

The first group of problem causers is mentioned in verse 14.
“you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.”

NOW WHO WAS THIS BALAAM?
We see him first in Numbers 22

The children of Israel had just defeated the Amorites, and the Moabites had grown nervous. They knew they were in danger.

So the king of Moab (Balak) decided to try and hire Balaam as a prophet to curse the people for him.

You remember God told Balaam no, and so he passed the answer to Balak.
However, Balak offered more money, and this time Balaam was more willing.
So God let him go but planned to kill him, where it not for a really smart donkey.

But apparently Balaam eventually helped Balak out anyway.
TURN TO: Numbers 25:1-8

Numbers 30:15-16 reveals that this plan was actually concocted by Balaam.

So you have Balaam counseling exactly what John said.
“to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality”

They added the worship of false gods to worship of the true God,
And they intermarried with those who were considered unclean.

They had become guilty of pluralism.
Sure they worshiped God,
But they had some in their midst who worshiped other gods as well.

And the church at Pergamum was interwoven with them,
Associating with them like it was ok.

Look at the second group of problem causers.
Vs. 15, “So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolatians.”

CAN YOU SEE THEIR PROBLEM?
They had a problem with allowing DECEITFUL INFLUENCE to stay around. They had a problem with compromise.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. “Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. “AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you. “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.”

God is clear about allowing His church to be saturated with false belief.
Church is the boat, The water is the world.

I don’t specifically know what Pergamum’s problem was.
Maybe they just wanted numbers,
Maybe they just wanted to get along,

LET ME SAY SOMETHING ABOUT UNITY.
I’ve heard many people mention the desire for unity in our church.
And that is a God desire for our church.

But let me point out what unity is not.
Unity is not just when people all get along.
The church at Pergamum was getting along, and Jesus was angry.

In fact, Jesus was angry that they were getting along.
And think about the logic.
HOW CAN A PERSON WHO IS TRULY IN LOVE WITH JESUS GET ALONG WITH FINE WITH A PERSON WHO ISN’T?

Paul described unity like this.
Ephesians 4:1-6 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

God’s call is for a unified church,
But we don’t have the luxury as to choosing what our substance of unity is.
That has already been decided.

You can achieve false unity through compromise,
But that is clearly not what Jesus intended.
Jesus intended His church to be unified in the truth.

Pergamum was in trouble
Because they had compromised the truth in order to keep the peace.

That is to fall prey to the DECEITFUL INFLUENCE of the enemy.
And he loves to attack in this manner.

The church must not allow the world to influence.
James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

1 Corinthians 5:6 “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?”

Pergamum had compromised the truth in order to have peace.
In stead of confronting falsehood, they allowed it to remain,
And they were in trouble with Jesus.

#4 THE COMMAND
Revelation 2:16

It is time to repent.
It is time to turn around and go the other direction.

It is time to compromise the truth no longer.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANT FOR PERGAMUM?
They had to confront the false beliefs,
And if they wouldn’t change, they had to remove them.

Jesus told Pergamum to repent OR ELSE

“or else I am coming quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”

If repentance doesn’t happen, then Jesus will soon show up, and will make war.
MAKE WAR WITH WHO?
Them.

A DECEITFUL INFLUENCE ATTACKS FROM WITHIN

And Jesus statement is simple.
You deal with them, or I will,
But either way the church will be set free.

And trust me, Jesus knows how to protect His church.
2 Peter 2:4-10 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.”

Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

So here comes the next question.
IS IT BETTER TO REPENT, AND CONFRONT THESE PEOPLE, OR JUST LET JESUS DEAL WITH THEM?

The message to Pergamum is you fix the problem, or I will come and kill them.

James 5:19-20 “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

It is a simple command to stop compromising the truth just because it keeps everyone happy.

#5 THE CONNOTATION
Revelation 2:17

“to him I will give some of the hidden manna”
SUPERNATURAL PROVISION

Remember, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

But not only that
”and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

I cannot tell you what this means.
IT IS THE REWARD OF JESUS

OVERCOME WHAT?
Compromise / influence

We are too quick to allow the devil to sway what we will do
Because of deceptive influence.

Read the word, and know what is right,
Don’t fall prey to the temptation
To just want to make everyone happy.

By now you’ve read all of Matthew, and most of Mark.
CAN YOU NAME ONE SINGLE TIME WHEN JESUS JUST WANTED TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY?

He never was motivated by that.
He was never led by deceitful influence.
HE ALWAYS DID THE WILL OF THE FATHER.

THE CHURCH HAS TOO LONG BEEN IN BONDAGE TO COMPROMISE
That is not of God.
It is time not only to overcome fear, but to overcome compromise.

Peter said it best.
Acts 4:18-20 “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

That is the question for our church as well.

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge”

We know the answer.
It is time to purify God’s church.

Jude 3-4 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”