WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.640 Welcome to Ontario Community Church, where we are encouraging, equipping, and engaging lives 00:00:07.640 --> 00:00:13.080 ! I'm Pastor Patrick Daly and each week I balance the grace and love of Jesus Christ 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:20.480 ! Today you'll be hearing week 6 of our sermon series through the book of Revelation. 00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:29.039 We are looking at Revelation 2, verses 12-17, which is Christ's letter to the church in Pergamum. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:35.359 Now, here's something powerful to note before you listen. Pergamum was known as a city where 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:41.000 Satan's throne was, yet Jesus commends this church for holding fast to his name, 00:00:41.420 --> 00:00:47.620 even when Antipas, his faithful witness, was martyred among them. But Jesus also confronts 00:00:47.620 --> 00:00:53.039 this church. Some in the church were following the teaching of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:59.079 Christians, participating in idol feasts and sexual immorality. This wasn't just a matter of eating 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:05.319 food. It was an act of worship to other gods. And Christ calls for them, the ones that were 00:01:05.319 --> 00:01:12.460 compromised, to repent or to face judgment from the sword of his mouth. What a reminder for us today. 00:01:12.840 --> 00:01:18.519 We live in a world that is full of compromise and temptation. We also have to consider how we use our 00:01:18.519 --> 00:01:25.219 bodies, for they reveal our true worship and loyalty. In this sermon, you'll hear how we gave 00:01:25.219 --> 00:01:31.659 everyone at the church a white stone as a reminder of God's promises. This is a connection to an earlier 00:01:31.659 --> 00:01:39.159 sermon through the parables of Christ about counting the cost and casting your pebble to go all in for 00:01:39.159 --> 00:01:46.799 Christ. This time we are receiving the white stone in return. And this is a beautiful imagery of salvation 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:53.280 and transformation in Christ. Let us refuse compromise. Let us hold fast to Christ's name 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:59.819 and let us remain faithful to him alone. And let us honor God with our bodies and our worship. 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:06.519 Let us now listen to today's message. Sword and stone, repent, receive, remain. 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:15.639 Well, good morning. This morning we are continuing our sermon series through the book of Revelation. 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:22.780 It's been very interesting seeing these, how Christ is speaking to these different churches. 00:02:23.579 --> 00:02:34.979 These seven churches in Revelation are lessons that we can think of, we can learn of today as they were 00:02:34.979 --> 00:02:42.859 applicable back then. We learned about how Christ is holding the seven stars in his hand and then he walks 00:02:42.859 --> 00:02:50.399 among the lampstands, symbolizing the completedness of the church. We had in beginning the church in 00:02:50.399 --> 00:02:58.079 Ephesus, the one that lost its first love and how important it is for us to keep Christ at the center, 00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:05.160 for us to love God and for us to love people at the same time. How important that is for us. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:13.140 We also went into the church in Smyrna, this suffering church where it was talking about the synagogue of 00:03:13.140 --> 00:03:19.920 Satan and that there was going to be even more trials and tribulations. What a terrible thing to happen. 00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:29.539 But to know that God is there is very powerful. And today we are going into Revelation chapter 2 verses 12 through 00:03:29.539 --> 00:03:37.659 12 through 17. And I want us to turn there. I want us to open the text. And as we're doing that, 00:03:37.659 --> 00:03:51.900 here is a church where you're seeing much more warlike language. You see a church that is divided as it were, 00:03:52.079 --> 00:03:57.560 that there are people that are compromising and yet there are also people that are remaining. 00:03:58.500 --> 00:04:07.560 It sounds a lot like churches today. Not this church, right? How important it is for us to remain in Christ 00:04:07.560 --> 00:04:15.800 and for us, we worship the living God. It's important for us to also know, and we'll go further into this. 00:04:16.740 --> 00:04:28.300 We worship God, we open the word, and we all partake in communion. How important and how sacred is that time 00:04:28.300 --> 00:04:36.540 together when we eat of the bread and drink of the cup? It's important for us to know that this is a way 00:04:36.540 --> 00:04:44.700 for us to honor and glorify the Lord. It is an act of worship. And we will see in here that at times, 00:04:44.700 --> 00:04:54.780 there are people who will partake in meals to other gods. We'll also see in here about sexual promiscuity, 00:04:54.780 --> 00:05:00.820 this sense of an act of worship towards another god as well. 00:05:00.819 --> 00:05:10.199 And this happening as infiltration to this church in Pergamum. So it's very interesting for us to see. 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:18.100 So are we all there, church? All right. The church in Pergamum. Let's read it together, starting in verse 12. 00:05:18.839 --> 00:05:21.719 And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write, 00:05:21.720 --> 00:05:30.640 the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. Ooh, so it goes right to judgment, right? 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:33.380 This two-edged sword. Verse 13. 00:05:33.380 --> 00:05:41.840 I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith. 00:05:42.260 --> 00:05:49.160 Even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 00:05:49.160 --> 00:05:56.520 But I have one thing, a few things against you. You have some, right? Remember, there's some 00:05:56.520 --> 00:06:03.600 compromisers, some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:10.440 before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food, sacrifice to idols. There it is, right? 00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:18.300 And practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold the teachings of the Nicolaitans. 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:20.100 Do you remember this? We saw this earlier. 00:06:21.319 --> 00:06:29.660 Therefore, repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 00:06:30.180 --> 00:06:36.460 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:43.360 I will give some of the hidden manna. And I will give him a what? We should have one, right? A white 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:50.240 stone with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it. That's 00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:55.879 why, you know, as a good representation, you received a white stone. Now there's no name on it, 00:06:55.879 --> 00:07:01.240 but it's a good idea as a representation, right? When we're thinking about us receiving the Lord and 00:07:01.240 --> 00:07:07.379 us remaining faithful in Christ, this representation of a white stone that we receive. It's just beautiful 00:07:07.379 --> 00:07:12.439 language in there. And no, I'm not going to make up some fake names and give them to you. You know, 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:18.620 one person will be named Richard, another will be Sally and Sue and Joe. No, it's, it says in the text, 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:23.560 right, that no one knows except the one who receives it. And it's just beautiful language in there. 00:07:24.439 --> 00:07:32.360 And so in this, we, we start off by seeing, right? Christ is identifying himself, but this time he's not 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:37.379 saying, you know, the words of the first and the last, right? The one who died and came again, or I'm 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:44.100 the one that holds the seven stars. He's using this language of the one who has power and the ability 00:07:44.100 --> 00:07:51.480 to judge. Now in scripture, we find there's many times the use of sword. And this time in revelation, 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:57.819 you find that a sword being used here is a large sword, especially when it's talking about proceeding 00:07:57.819 --> 00:08:04.399 from the mouth, right? Something that is a powerful weapon. And let's not be confused other times in 00:08:04.399 --> 00:08:10.019 the gospel accounts and other times in scriptures where sword is being used, being represented as a 00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:16.819 small blade. Here we're talking about a ginormous or a very large sword, right? Representing judgment, 00:08:16.980 --> 00:08:25.219 also representing protection in here. And so Christ is identifying them. He is the one who has this sharp 00:08:25.220 --> 00:08:32.019 two-edged sword, right? It is the judicial word, the ability to judge, the ability to protect, or even 00:08:32.019 --> 00:08:39.840 to wage war in this. And so Jesus is identifying himself. And it's interesting in here, right? The words 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:46.019 of him who has the sharp two-edged swords, he goes on saying, I know where you dwell, right? He goes on by 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:54.840 saying, I know where you live, right? Essentially, right? And it goes on further saying where Satan's throne 00:08:54.840 --> 00:09:05.320 is. Oh, you read that. What do we do with that, right? That this church was close to the dwelling 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:13.300 place, the throne, as it were, of where Satan is. So this throne is talking about a position of power. 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:19.660 And in this, we'll go into this in just a second. And what that is, is that we think 00:09:19.659 --> 00:09:29.899 Satan's throne is talking about spiritual warfare, this idea of the battle between good and evil, 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:36.579 that this presence, some scholars say it could have represents the presence of the emperor and 00:09:36.579 --> 00:09:44.539 emperor worship. Others say that this Satan's throne was a representation of the pagan temples, 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:52.319 right? That existed back then. But others say it was even the presence. Some argue it's the emperor Nero. 00:09:52.419 --> 00:09:58.219 There's a lot of debate on what exactly that is. But in any case, we're talking about a structure, 00:09:58.219 --> 00:10:05.379 as it were, something that was more permanent and close proximity to this church. And so, right, 00:10:05.439 --> 00:10:13.779 it's talking about that. And that is some deep language right there, right? But yet in that, 00:10:13.779 --> 00:10:21.019 despite the existence of Satan's throne, right, this presence of evil that's happening, 00:10:21.339 --> 00:10:26.199 they are remaining in Christ. That's something that's beautiful, right? That Christ is honoring 00:10:26.199 --> 00:10:33.480 their loyalty under pressure and the presence of Satan, as it were. They hold fast. They hang on. 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:40.500 They remain true to his name. And it says in the text here, you hold fast my name and you did not deny 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:46.379 my faith, right? That's wonderful. That is a wonderful commendation that's happening here. 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:52.480 You did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was killed among 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:58.559 you where Satan lives. Now, what's interesting about this is, you know, when you find a name in 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:03.399 there, you got to see where it's connected in here. And unfortunately, with all the efforts and all the 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:11.019 commentaries I could find, I found very little on who this guy is. There's not much on him, but there's 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:19.639 enough to see that the Lord wanted that name to be written in the book of Revelation and for us to read. 00:11:20.459 --> 00:11:27.879 What do we know about him? Well, all we do know is that he was a faithful witness, much like how, 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:36.080 if you go back to the beginning where John is talking about that he is one who is a faithful 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:43.480 witness. If you go into verse five, right, John's talking to the seven churches from Jesus Christ, 00:11:43.580 --> 00:11:49.580 the faithful witness. So this is a person who is also very dedicated to the Lord. The same kind of 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:57.340 language to describe John is the same language used to describe this guy, Antipas. And so he was killed. 00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:06.120 He was killed among them. And whenever there's a martyr or some sort of attempt that happens, 00:12:06.120 --> 00:12:16.500 that can really affect our morale. That can be discouraging, that can scare us as it were. But yet, 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:23.700 despite that, they remain true to Christ, right? And so that's something that is remarkable, right? 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:29.160 The congregation remained. They remained. They showed their faithfulness even with the death of 00:12:29.160 --> 00:12:38.820 Antipas. Well, those are the good things. We go on in there. What do we see, church? I have not one. I 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:46.259 have a few things against you. Uh-oh, right? You have the good and the bad, and here you have a little 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:53.480 bit of the ugly, right? Some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:59.899 stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:08.860 sexual immorality. What in the world is he talking about? We read this and we're like, I don't fully 00:13:08.860 --> 00:13:17.659 understand this. And I want us to turn, actually, to numbers. That should be the next slide. And this 00:13:17.659 --> 00:13:25.259 will actually help us in our understanding of what exactly is going on here. Turn to numbers. It's 00:13:25.259 --> 00:13:36.340 going to be on page 155 of your ESV Pew Bible. And you'll see here, um, oh, excuse me, 157. 00:13:42.519 --> 00:13:50.100 You'll see the pattern here, and you'll see why it's so, this type of worship that had happened 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:57.100 was not only exists in the Old Testament, but shows up in the New Testament and shows up here in 00:13:57.100 --> 00:14:02.639 Revelation. When you see a pattern like that, that's something we've got to pay attention to, 00:14:03.100 --> 00:14:09.060 that it's something that is just a reoccurring theme, as it were. So Numbers chapter 25, verses 00:14:09.060 --> 00:14:13.779 one through three. Are we all there, church? So it's just three verses, okay? I want you to see this. 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:21.319 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 00:14:21.839 --> 00:14:30.879 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:36.439 gods. So that's a very important note for us to see. They are eating of this food, and they are 00:14:36.439 --> 00:14:43.179 partaking in worshiping another god. So in this context, they would eat of the food, and they would 00:14:43.179 --> 00:14:48.799 worship other gods. What we see in Revelation is they would eat of these meals, and they would 00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:55.000 partake in sexual immorality, which was their dedication, their devotion, or their worship to 00:14:55.000 --> 00:15:02.739 other gods. Fascinating that we see this here in Numbers and in Revelation, and it even goes into 00:15:02.739 --> 00:15:08.859 first, I want to say it's first Corinthians, that the Apostle Paul mentions that as well. 00:15:08.860 --> 00:15:15.639 So sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel yoked himself 00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:23.759 to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. So you see that back then. 00:15:23.820 --> 00:15:28.779 We turn back to Revelation, as we're seeing, and that helps us with our understanding that the 00:15:28.779 --> 00:15:36.560 participation, the partaking of these meals, right, put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:41.639 that they might eat food. So do you see? There's something that's happening here with the meals and 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:47.759 the sexual immorality that had happened. And they're tied together in here. And so when we're reading 00:15:47.759 --> 00:15:56.519 this, it's like, okay, what's happening is that two things happening, these feasts and the sexual 00:15:56.519 --> 00:16:02.759 immorality that's happening. Now, when you read this, you may think, well, isn't it just food? 00:16:02.759 --> 00:16:08.740 Right? Oftentimes we read this, they're like, okay, they're eating food that's sacrificed to an idol. 00:16:08.899 --> 00:16:15.039 What is the big deal here? When I mentioned the idea, the notion that we partake in communion, 00:16:15.319 --> 00:16:21.639 it is an act of worship to Christ, right? That we are remembering Christ's sacrifice on the cross. 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:26.460 In that context, it's very similar, not to say they would take part in communion, 00:16:26.460 --> 00:16:32.340 but they would take part in a meal as an act of worship to another God. And that's what they're 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:37.980 speaking out against, is that you don't do that, right? When we come together and we partake in 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:43.960 communion, it is that which is sacred and that which is holy. We don't partake in other meals 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:50.580 as an act of worship to another God that leads into sexual immorality. Now, in speaking of that, 00:16:50.580 --> 00:16:57.139 it's important for us to think where is our heart and what is it devoted to? And we also have to 00:16:57.139 --> 00:17:06.160 think of our bodies, our bodies being a temple. Our bodies are to honor and glorify the Lord, not to be 00:17:06.160 --> 00:17:13.180 promiscuous in sexual relations. And that's something that when we read that kind of language, or we think 00:17:13.180 --> 00:17:20.400 of this kind of language, it's kind of hard for us to think nowadays. But in any sense, it is 00:17:20.400 --> 00:17:26.960 something that we should take note because we see this as a pattern that has existed within Scripture. 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:33.780 So in other words, the meals led to the sexual immorality, which was worship to another God. 00:17:34.180 --> 00:17:40.080 And that is the sin that was happening to the point where Christ is saying that I'm going to, 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:47.180 well, wage war against you, right? If you go on in verse 15, some of you hold to the teachings of 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:54.000 the Nicolaitans, which is similar, right? When we're talking about idol worship. In verse 16, 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:59.220 therefore repent, if not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 00:18:00.019 --> 00:18:10.220 So that sin, as it were, was so, is so bad that Christ is going to come to the church and war against 00:18:10.220 --> 00:18:16.380 these people. And that's kind of, again, it's hard for us to kind of understand and wrap our minds around 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:23.819 it. But it's important nonetheless, because it's in the word. So when we talk again about our bodies, 00:18:23.940 --> 00:18:29.240 our bodies belong to the Lord. Our bodies are sacred. And the point is, we're not going to use 00:18:29.240 --> 00:18:35.339 our bodies to worship another God. That's the point in here. Okay. I have to be very careful when I'm 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:43.039 mentioning bodies and sacrifices and food and all these things, but it's in who are you worshiping? 00:18:43.279 --> 00:18:49.980 Are you using your body or these meals to worship the Lord or to worship another God? 00:18:51.179 --> 00:18:59.559 And so in this, we see that Christ then is saying, look, you've got to repent. Verse 17, 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:05.319 he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, 00:19:05.460 --> 00:19:10.859 I will give some of the hidden manna. I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it. 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:16.799 And so again, when you see this, he who has an ear, let him hear, right? It's to hear, to understand, 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:24.559 to understand what Christ is saying here, right? Commending the church for the good that they do, 00:19:24.559 --> 00:19:31.159 and also correcting the church for the wrong that they do. Now, it's also important to note that it's 00:19:31.159 --> 00:19:37.960 not everyone in this church that's worshiping idols, so to speak. There are those that are holding 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:43.960 fast and they are remaining. And that's what Christ has given the thumbs up on. Keep doing what you're 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:51.599 doing. He's specifically talking about warring against the ones that are not going to change their mind. 00:19:51.599 --> 00:19:59.359 It's very heavy language, I admit. If they refuse, he will wage war against them with the sword of his 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:03.559 mouth. Now, when it's talking about the one who conquers, it's talking about the hidden manna. And 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:09.919 we find this throughout scripture. We're not going to turn to there, but we find that God supplies for 00:20:09.919 --> 00:20:16.459 his people. God provides what the people need. We find that in the Old Testament, right? The hidden 00:20:16.459 --> 00:20:21.459 manna that would feed the people. We also think of in the New Testament where Christ is 00:20:21.460 --> 00:20:27.360 the new manna, the hidden manna, the bread of life, right? Right before when Christ is saying, 00:20:27.600 --> 00:20:33.940 I am the bread of life, he talks about how he is the manna. And it's like this wonderful connection 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:41.700 when we're talking about this. We see in Revelation this receiving the hidden manna, giving the white 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:49.319 stone. And we have to think that when we come to the Lord, we remain in him. We've got to place 00:20:49.319 --> 00:20:56.159 ourselves in the security, in the arms of Christ. And we remain with whatever is happening in our 00:20:56.159 --> 00:21:01.700 own lives or whatever is happening in our own culture. This kind of language that we see in 00:21:01.700 --> 00:21:08.079 Revelation can certainly be very difficult for us. But nevertheless, there may be a situation where 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:15.279 you might have the throne of Satan or you might have Satan dwelling there. When we're talking about 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:22.759 the spiritual war that is happening between good and evil, let us be reminded in knowing Christ, 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:30.420 Christ will be victorious. He is victorious. And we are on the winning side and we remain in him. 00:21:31.000 --> 00:21:39.039 We don't sacrifice ourselves to other gods though. We remain rooted. And the reward that we receive 00:21:39.039 --> 00:21:46.180 is something that is remarkable in that. And so we have the new name, right? The nourishment, the acceptance, 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:53.119 and the identity. We have to think of how when we come to Christ, we are a new creation and we are called 00:21:53.119 --> 00:22:02.319 to grow in the Lord. In this kind of context, we are seeing how that pressure from culture, pressure from 00:22:02.319 --> 00:22:08.599 evil, pressure from the world as it were. And for some of us, we may think of those kind of battles 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:14.859 we might have faced. You yourself may have gone through a battle between good and evil. Hopefully, 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:20.939 none of you have been by Satan's throne. I hope that's none of the case. But if you have, stay strong 00:22:20.940 --> 00:22:32.059 in the Lord. Remain in him. And so we go now to the, you see in here that Christ commands to repent, remain, 00:22:32.140 --> 00:22:40.019 and receive, right? So let's go to that next one, that next slide in here. So Christ judges and protects 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:47.860 by his sword, right? The two-edged sword is showing the strength and the power of Christ, right? And we also think 00:22:47.859 --> 00:22:56.659 what's so interesting is Christ is the word and the two-edged sword is also been represented by the 00:22:56.659 --> 00:23:00.319 word. So it's like this nice little parallel. It's a little hard to understand when you really 00:23:00.319 --> 00:23:07.339 try to wrap your mind around it. But in this, it's showing nonetheless that Christ has the power and the 00:23:07.339 --> 00:23:16.019 authority. In this context, when you see the mentioning of the sword, it's talking about judgment. 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:24.879 And there is a, in your, in your notes, in your Bible study, you'll see that there is a difference 00:23:24.879 --> 00:23:31.319 between the sword that Christ uses in Revelation and the sword that's used elsewhere. Remember, 00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:37.619 it's the size of the sword, but also what the sword is being used for. And in this sense, it's judgment. 00:23:37.619 --> 00:23:45.039 And so Christ knows our hearts and he knows where we live, right? I don't want Christ ever saying, 00:23:45.139 --> 00:23:48.959 I know where you live. I mean, I know he does, but just hearing those kinds of words is like, 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:54.939 uh, all right. Uh, what did I do? Right? We think about these kinds of things. Um, but we have to 00:23:54.939 --> 00:24:00.559 consider our hearts, right? Is it devoted to the Lord or not? And we have to consider where is our, 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:06.879 where is our home, right? Where is our hearts? Is it devoted to Christ? Is our home? Is it secure 00:24:06.879 --> 00:24:12.359 in Christ? That's something that can be very convicting for us, but that's something we have 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:21.279 to consider for all of us. And also ask yourself the question then, um, do I feel, have I felt pressure 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:27.259 from culture? Have I felt pressure from the enemy and how will I remain in Christ despite that kind of 00:24:27.259 --> 00:24:33.299 pressure? For some of us, we may be having a lot of pressure these days, right? For some of us, 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:40.240 maybe not so, but in those moments where you receive pressure, remain in the Lord. The second 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:47.279 thing then is your table and your body reveal your what church, your loyalty, right? And so we think 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:54.059 again, it's not just about, uh, it's just food. It's much more than that. It is what you are partaking 00:24:54.059 --> 00:25:01.079 or who you are worshiping. That is the thing we have to consider. And when we consider the throne 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:07.440 and the dwelling place of Satan, right? Eating the sacrifice is again, it is the participation 00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:15.179 in worship to another God. We have got to be mindful of this. And again, the food would lead into sexual 00:25:15.179 --> 00:25:21.759 immorality like we see in revelation or the food would lead into bowing to another God, just as we found 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:30.619 in numbers. And so it is showing loyalty and dedication to another God. May it not be so for us. 00:25:31.440 --> 00:25:35.599 May we partake in communion. We should have had communion this Sunday. I feel like this would be 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:40.359 a perfect message for it, right? Um, when we partake in communion, we are coming together. 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:46.779 We are remembering Jesus Christ for the sacrifice he did. He made, right? We are coming together. It's an 00:25:46.779 --> 00:25:53.920 act of worship, right? And when we think of our bodies, once again, may it live in such a way that 00:25:53.920 --> 00:25:59.579 honors and glorifies the Lord. There's so much scripture that talks about this sense of holiness, 00:25:59.819 --> 00:26:06.379 the sense of purity, the sense of dedication. When we see verses that talk about our body being a temple, 00:26:07.119 --> 00:26:11.519 that's very convicting, right? May our bodies honor the Lord. 00:26:11.519 --> 00:26:18.099 And we have to think, well, what table am I choosing, right? What meals am I partaking in? 00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:25.359 And how will I honor God with my body? How will I do so? The third thing here is to repent, 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:32.319 remain, and receive. And what we see in here is that Christ, um, he's coming to the church 00:26:32.319 --> 00:26:39.539 and he's telling these compromisers, you've got to change your mind. You've got to repent of your sin, 00:26:39.539 --> 00:26:47.359 of your compromise. Now for we can think for all of us, right? We have to repent. We have to change 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:52.899 our mind for who Christ is so that we can come to believe in him, believing in the death, burial, 00:26:52.899 --> 00:26:59.099 and resurrection of Christ. But then of course, it says in here to remain now remaining, despite the 00:26:59.099 --> 00:27:07.399 pressure, you remain dedicated to the Lord. I can't imagine that time period where people are 00:27:07.400 --> 00:27:12.900 worshiping idols as it were. But I can also think of the time in which we live in. 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:20.100 We may not see necessarily this exact situation, but we can certainly think of pressures that happen 00:27:20.100 --> 00:27:27.240 in our own culture, things that happen in our own life that how loyal are we and how dedicated are we 00:27:27.240 --> 00:27:34.740 to the Lord? May you remain in Christ. Now, for some of us, we can think of, um, times when, 00:27:34.740 --> 00:27:40.059 you know, I think the classic example is, um, teenagers, right? When you think of peer pressure, 00:27:40.059 --> 00:27:43.759 right? Are you going to smoke the cigarette, right? Are you going to do drugs or whatever it is? 00:27:44.339 --> 00:27:50.620 But peer pressure doesn't stop there, unfortunately, right? We still have people that are trying to 00:27:50.620 --> 00:27:56.359 pressure us, whether it's on social media, right? People that you follow on YouTube or Rumble or TikTok, 00:27:56.359 --> 00:28:06.199 right? Or even people that we meet. We've got to remain rooted in Christ. That's so important for us, 00:28:06.259 --> 00:28:13.079 right? And so in remaining, we receive manna, God providing, and the white stone, that new identity. 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:20.859 Let us think of how wonderful it is to receive that white stone. I won't know what your name is, 00:28:20.859 --> 00:28:29.899 but certainly you will. In this, we're going to go to our application then. How should we respond? 00:28:30.779 --> 00:28:34.500 Well, a lot of that's embedded within the text, and that's wonderful when we see that, right? 00:28:35.619 --> 00:28:43.059 Repent. Change your mind. Metanoia. To change your mind about who Christ is, 00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:53.519 and receive the gift of salvation. I always want to make it important that in majority, if not all 00:28:53.519 --> 00:29:02.779 messages, I want to explain how important it is for us to receive salvation. Sometimes you hear people 00:29:02.779 --> 00:29:09.599 say, well, it isn't the church or this church or that church filled with people who are already 00:29:09.599 --> 00:29:16.500 believers. Well, you can't assume that. I don't know who is saved and who isn't. 00:29:18.039 --> 00:29:22.740 For some of us, and that can be a very convicting thing, how important it is for us to come 00:29:22.740 --> 00:29:30.339 to the Lord and receive that salvation. For some people, and it can be convicting if you've lived 00:29:30.339 --> 00:29:37.299 your life and never made that decision, but I want to see to it that every Sunday, I talk about the 00:29:37.299 --> 00:29:44.220 importance of believing in Christ and making that decision to receive salvation. We cannot assume 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:50.879 everyone is saved. We have to always proclaim the gospel and the ability for us to respond to it. 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:56.460 Even if you've heard it every week and you're like, you know what? I'm a Christian already. Amen. 00:29:57.519 --> 00:30:04.339 Amen. But let's still give the opportunity for those of us who may not have, always having that 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:12.959 opportunity in there. And then in believing in Christ, that repentance to come to know the Lord 00:30:12.959 --> 00:30:19.720 is not the only type of repentance that we have. We continue to have our minds and our hearts changed 00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:29.159 in the Lord and let it be done so that we continue to grow in the Lord. In salvation, let us receive 00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:37.660 that new identity and let us be sustained by Christ. The second thing then is to choose Christ's table. 00:30:38.779 --> 00:30:47.460 Honor God with your body. And that's so important for us, right? And we can think of how, you know, 00:30:47.540 --> 00:30:55.580 once a month here, we partake in communion. The next time you have communion, let this message be a 00:30:55.579 --> 00:31:04.579 reminder to you of how we are remembering Christ. And it is an act of worship to do this in remembrance 00:31:04.579 --> 00:31:13.139 of Christ. And how wonderful that is, that we worship the living God. And also the importance of honoring 00:31:13.139 --> 00:31:24.119 God with our body. That our lives should be a mirror, a reflection. It should radiate the love of Christ, 00:31:24.119 --> 00:31:34.659 the truth of Christ. We've got to see that that happens. And so it's also to remain in Christ as well. 00:31:35.399 --> 00:31:46.379 To stay away from partaking in these other kind of meals. We have to stay away from those. It may not happen 00:31:46.380 --> 00:31:55.200 in our lives, but it might. We can't assume. We have got to remain in him. Even if it looks like just food, 00:31:55.260 --> 00:32:01.560 you've got to set that boundary, right? That's so important for us. And to also present your body to 00:32:01.560 --> 00:32:11.120 the Lord, pursue purity and integrity in how you can honor the Lord. And what that looks like, 00:32:11.119 --> 00:32:19.259 may God lead and guide you into what specifically that looks like to honor God with your body. 00:32:21.939 --> 00:32:29.159 And finally, we have hold fast, remain, and have confidence in Christ. 00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:37.939 Remain in him. May your words and your actions, may it flow from your faith in Christ. 00:32:37.940 --> 00:32:44.559 It's important for us that as we walk and we are continually being transformed, that we bear fruit. 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:54.580 You shall know them by their fruit. May you bear fruit. May your dedication be to the Lord. May your 00:32:54.580 --> 00:33:02.380 allegiance be to him. To walk in holiness. And we think finally of that white stone 00:33:02.380 --> 00:33:09.940 as a reminder of God's promises. I don't have one up here. That's all right. We think of the white 00:33:09.940 --> 00:33:17.580 stone as a representation of God's promises and how God provides for his people. If you have a white 00:33:17.580 --> 00:33:25.940 stone, why don't you hold it up real quick? And I want you to think it's just a silly little activity, 00:33:25.940 --> 00:33:32.480 right? Think of this white stone as a representation of God keeping his promises. 00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:41.980 You remain in him. God will always provide and he will deliver on his promises. And so as you hold 00:33:41.980 --> 00:33:49.720 this stone, may you be reminded of the love that God has for you and the opportunity for you to come to 00:33:49.720 --> 00:33:57.880 faith in Jesus, to be restored, to come out of the darkness into light, to come out of the chaos. 00:33:58.539 --> 00:34:06.220 Further in Revelation, we will talk about how the chaos of the ocean is a representation of a broken 00:34:06.220 --> 00:34:15.740 world and how Christ brings forth peaceful and still waters. In the same way, we think of how our own 00:34:15.739 --> 00:34:24.079 lives goes from that chaos into something that is much more calm, full of peace, joy, and understanding. 00:34:25.699 --> 00:34:31.819 How wonderful is it for us to know Christ? And I apologize if you get a little bit of that 00:34:31.819 --> 00:34:40.739 white powder or whatever from the stone in there. But may you keep that white stone just as a reminder 00:34:40.739 --> 00:34:45.859 if, and as Mark was mentioning earlier, this is the second time I've given a stone. If you remember the 00:34:45.859 --> 00:34:53.659 first one, it was responding and the importance for us to cast our stone, right? When we were talking 00:34:53.659 --> 00:35:01.939 about that parable, to consider the cost or to count the cost, meaning the language says to cast your 00:35:01.939 --> 00:35:09.139 pebble to the Lord, meaning you're going to go all in. And what a beautiful imagery we can think of that 00:35:09.139 --> 00:35:15.940 as we go all in into the Lord, we will receive the white stone in return. Just beautiful language in 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:25.539 that. And so in all of this, in let us close today, knowing that Christ is the one who calls us out of 00:35:25.539 --> 00:35:33.799 darkness into light, that he calls us to repent, to change our mind, to come to him. May we learn from 00:35:33.800 --> 00:35:42.260 these passages that it is Christ who holds the large sword, the two-edged sword, that he is the judge, 00:35:42.600 --> 00:35:51.019 but he's also the protector, that Christ is the redeemer and also the sustainer, and that Christ knows you, 00:35:51.280 --> 00:35:58.460 and he knows the situation in which you have gone through, you're going through, and what you will go 00:35:58.460 --> 00:36:07.360 through. That Christ knows your battle. He knows your situations and your circumstances. I can't help 00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:15.699 but think in the time in which we live in, a time where there is division, where there's hatred, where 00:36:15.699 --> 00:36:24.679 there's the battle between good and evil. But when we turn to Christ, we come to the way, the truth, 00:36:24.679 --> 00:36:33.699 and the life, the light that shines in the darkness, the one that sustains, or just as that song says, 00:36:34.039 --> 00:36:41.219 he's got the whole world in his hands. Such a childish song, but such beautiful truth nonetheless. 00:36:42.699 --> 00:36:48.980 May you come to the Lord. May you grow in him, and may you be moved to share in the good news of the 00:36:48.980 --> 00:36:56.159 gospel. Let us remain in the truth of the word. Let us stay away from idolatry or any sort of distractions 00:36:56.159 --> 00:37:04.559 that hold us back. May we identify the stumbling blocks, and may we never be a stumbling block as 00:37:04.559 --> 00:37:13.579 well. In Christ, we are conquerors, for it is God that gives us salvation. He gives us new life. He gives 00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:22.099 us the hidden manna, and he gives us the white stone with a new name. May we respond with our lives, 00:37:22.099 --> 00:37:33.199 and may we use what God has given to us, our minds, our hearts, and our bodies, today and remaining in 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:40.679 Christ. And we all say together, amen. Let's pray together, actually. Father, we thank you for this 00:37:40.679 --> 00:37:49.139 message. We thank you for this word, this message to Pergamum, this very difficult passage that's 00:37:49.139 --> 00:37:55.879 talking about idol worship and sexual promiscuity and eating feasts and whatnot. Father, we just pray 00:37:55.879 --> 00:38:04.159 that the simplicity of this message speaks to our hearts and our minds, that we remain devoted to you, 00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:11.399 that we hold fast, that we make that decision for your son, Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life, 00:38:11.480 --> 00:38:19.299 and we remain rooted in you. May we not be distracted by the things of this world, but may we focus and 00:38:19.299 --> 00:38:27.500 fixate. And should we stumble, should we fall, should we sin, may we repent, turn back to you, and remain 00:38:27.500 --> 00:38:35.559 in you. For you, God, are the source of life. We are grateful for your word that is living and active, 00:38:36.019 --> 00:38:45.019 and we are thankful for your son, who is the righteous judge, the one who gives life, the one who 00:38:45.019 --> 00:38:53.920 saved us from our sins. We're so grateful that we have this chance, this opportunity for us to go 00:38:53.920 --> 00:39:02.119 through revelation, and how blessed we are to be able to come together. May we all believe in you 00:39:02.119 --> 00:39:09.559 and be saved. May we remain firm in the faith, and may we receive that white stone. It is in the name 00:39:09.559 --> 00:39:13.940 of Jesus Christ that we pray, and we all say together, amen, church. 00:39:13.940 --> 00:39:14.860 Amen. 00:39:14.860 --> 00:39:23.800 Thank you for tuning in to Ontario Community Church. If this message encouraged you, I encourage for you 00:39:23.800 --> 00:39:29.599 to share it with a friend or a family member who may be facing compromise or struggling with where 00:39:29.599 --> 00:39:35.780 their loyalty lies. Remind them that Christ knows their battle, Christ knows their circumstance, and 00:39:35.780 --> 00:39:43.260 he calls for us to come to him, to remain in him, and to worship the living God alone. Let us honor God 00:39:43.260 --> 00:39:50.000 with our bodies and with the meals that we partake in. In today's sermon, we gave everyone that white 00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:56.820 stone as that reminder of God's promises, a reminder of our new identity in Christ. Just as we 00:39:56.820 --> 00:40:04.080 cast our pebble and go all in for Christ, we receive the white stone in return. It is beautiful imagery 00:40:04.080 --> 00:40:11.600 of salvation and transformation. You're welcome to visit OntarioCommunityChurch.org for more information 00:40:11.599 --> 00:40:17.019 about our church, how to connect with us, and how you can get involved. Just visit our website. 00:40:17.339 --> 00:40:22.679 Next time, we will continue in our sermon series through the book of Revelation with the church 00:40:22.679 --> 00:40:31.099 in Thyatira, found in Revelation chapter 2, verses 18 to 29. We will be looking at Christ's message to a 00:40:31.099 --> 00:40:38.119 church tolerating Jezebel's false teaching and what it means to remain, to hold fast until he comes 00:40:38.119 --> 00:40:44.699 again. Grace and peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ. May you hold fast to his name. May you 00:40:44.699 --> 00:40:51.000 refuse compromise. May you choose his table and honor God with your body. May you receive the hidden 00:40:51.000 --> 00:40:57.960 manna and the white stone with your new name. Christ knows you and your circumstances. May you turn to 00:40:57.960 --> 00:41:04.639 him. May you come to know Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. God bless you.