Good morning, everyone. It's good to be here with you. I'm wearing a mask today because I'm sick.
And I thought I was totally fine until after the baptism class. I must have been running on adrenaline.
I just kind of crashed right after and was in bed all afternoon and evening.
So I'm sorry if I exposed some of you guys to the baptism class.
Hopefully you guys don't get sick. I did test negative for COVID.
And I think I'm far enough away from you guys that I don't have to wear a mask right now.
But I will wear a mask when I'm doing communion later.
So if you would turn with me in your Bibles to Revelation chapter 2.
We're in verses 12 to 17, the letter to the church, to the angel of the church in Pergamum.
And let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.
Father, give me strength this morning to proclaim your word.
And may your word, which pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow,
pierce our hearts.
Mark us.
Seal us indelibly with the name of Jesus Christ.
And help us to remember what privilege that is, the joy that is.
As we go through this passage together.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
If you are willing and able, please stand for the reading of God's word from Revelation 2, 12 to 17.
And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write,
the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is.
Yet you hold fast my name.
And you did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness,
who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
But I have a few things against you.
You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam,
who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,
so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.
So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Therefore repent.
If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna,
and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone
that no one knows except the one who receives it.
This is God's holy and authoritative word.
You may be seated.
The 12th century historical fiction written by Geoffrey of Monmouth
called History of the Kings of Britain
is one of the earliest to tell the legend of King Arthur.
And there are many works of European literature
that tell the story of Arthur,
and they vary in their details.
So don't hackle me if my details don't fit yours.
But one common motif is of a young earther
coming into possession of his famous sword, Excalibur.
And the work entitled Prose Merlin
claims that Excalibur was planted in an anvil,
planted in an iron anvil that was sitting on top of a stone,
and it was planted through both the anvil and the stone.
So obviously that's supposed to communicate
how powerful the sword this is,
sharp and durable it is.
And it says, the legend said that,
whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil
is rightwise king born of all England.
Arthur pulls out the sword with ease,
which no one else could pull out,
and thereby proves his kingship of Britain,
that the kingship rightly belongs to him.
And there are many legends that tell the story
of this powerful magical sword,
and this is historical fiction,
so keep that in mind.
The dream of Ronneby says that Arthur's sword
had a design of two chimeras on the golden hilt.
A chimera is from Greek mythology,
and it's a fire-breathing monster
that's part lion, part goat, and part dragon.
And the legend says that whenever Arthur unsheathed his sword,
that actual flames of fire emanated from the chimera's mouth.
Another account says that the Excalibur,
when drawn in combat, the blade shone so brightly,
like the light of 30 torches, like the blazing sun,
so it's to blind the eyes of the enemies.
It is reminiscent of the glorious risen Jesus,
from whose mouth comes a sharp two-edged sword,
whose eyes are like a flame of fire,
and whose face is like the sun shining in full strength,
as was described in the vision of Jesus in Revelation 1.
But imagine if a sword like Excalibur really existed,
that can slice through iron anvils and rocks
like a knife through butter.
A sword with which you can rout your enemies
and conquer the nations.
A sword is a symbol of authority,
and of power, and of judgment.
And we see that plainly in Romans 13, verse 4,
when it describes the governing authorities
who bear the sword in order to be, quote,
an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
And Jesus introduces himself in this letter
to the angel of the church in Pergamum,
in verse 12, as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword,
because he's trying to communicate his authority,
and his power, and his judgment,
because it's only when we view Christ
in this glorious light,
as the king and judge of all,
that we will remain faithful
and refuse to compromise with the sinful world.
That's the main point of our passage today.
Remembering the sword of Christ's judgment,
we must repent of tolerating false teaching
that promotes religious and moral compromise.
And I'm going to talk about that in three parts.
First, we'll talk about the two-edged sword of Christ,
and then secondly, about the two holes
of the church in Pergamum.
And then third, two gifts for those who conquer.
First, let's talk about the two-edged sword of Christ.
It says in verse 2,
the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
When you hear two-edged sword,
some of you who are steeped in fantasy literature
or video games or whatnot
might think of a two-bladed sword
that has like a hilt in the middle
and has a blade coming out of one end,
another blade coming out of the other end,
kind of like Darth Maul in Star Wars Episode I.
But that's not what a two-edged sword means.
That's the two-bladed sword.
That's actually,
there's almost no historical evidence
that such swords are ever used in combat
because it's very impractical.
Like you'll kill yourself using it,
and you also lose a lot of leverage
if you're doing this instead of having this.
So that's just fantasy.
The two-edged sword is sharpened on both edges of the blade.
So this edge and this edge.
So unlike some single-edge blades like a katana,
Japanese katana,
which is dull on one end and sharp on the other,
this is a two-edged sword that's sharp on both ends
like the Roman gladius,
which is a type of sword,
a double-edged sword that the Roman soldiers use
around the time that Revelation was written.
And that's actually where you get the word gladiator.
They literally mean swordsman.
They bear the gladius, which is the sword.
And so this two-edged sword,
there's some advantages and disadvantages,
but the main advantage of a two-edged sword
is that it has greater thrusting and piercing power
more than a single-edged sword
because two edges are sharp,
and the enemies can't grab hold of your blade
from the dull edge, whatnot.
It's a powerful weapon.
There's no dull section on the two edges of the sword.
It's described in verse 2 as sharp,
able to cut down God's foes with devastating force.
And the sharp two-edged sword here
is a reminder of Christ's authority
to judge and punish evildoers.
We can see this clearly in verse 16
where Christ says concerning the Nicolaitans,
therefore repent.
If not, I will come to you soon
and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
The sword is an instrument of war
with which Jesus brings down God's judgment
upon the false teachers
and those who follow their teaching.
Revelation 19.15 confirms this.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword
with which to strike down the nations,
that is the nations who are in rebellion
against God and his Christ.
So if you reject the gospel of Jesus Christ
and refuse to follow him,
then you're not just saying,
well, that works for you,
this works for me,
but it's not for me.
So you do you and I'll do me.
No, you're actually declaring war against Jesus
when you refuse to follow him.
If you take an agnostic stance
and refuse to make a commitment to Jesus,
saying, well, I just don't have enough data.
So I'm gonna refrain from forming a judgment.
I'm not rejecting Jesus.
I'm just withholding judgment.
I'm undecided.
You are actually taking a stance against Jesus
because Jesus says that there is no neutral ground
in this spiritual war.
You're either with him or you're against him.
It says in Matthew 12.30,
whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
And so if you have not identified with Jesus
and you have not gathered with him under his banner,
then you face the fearful judgment
of the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
Have you gathered with the people of God?
Are you counted among their number?
If not, you must repent.
Repent of your sins.
Put your faith in Jesus.
At the end of the world,
those who reject Jesus and refuse to repent of their sins
will not merely cease to exist.
They will face the fearful judgment
of the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
As you probably already figured by now,
this is not a literal sword.
Jesus doesn't have a physical two-edged sword
protruding out of his mouth.
But the reason why it is described
as the sword of his mouth in verse 16
and described as coming from his mouth
in verse 16 as well
is that the sword is a symbolic representation
of the word of God.
We know from Ephesians 6.17
that the word of God is the sword of the Spirit.
This is the fulfillment of the prophecy
in Isaiah 11.4,
which said that the Messiah would judge the world
with the rod of his mouth.
It's hard for us to imagine
were someone's word or breath
having such awesome power.
But that is the case when it comes to God.
Remember how God created the world
in Psalm 33.6,
By the word of the Lord,
the heavens were made.
And by the breath of his mouth,
all their host.
This is what the linguists define
as the performative word
versus the constitutive word.
When you say certain things,
you're not just giving information,
you're actually making something happen.
So on your wedding day,
when you say,
I do,
you're not just saying,
giving information,
saying that I give,
I consent to this thing.
No, you are actually consenting to it
and taking a vow
and committing to that.
You're performing an act
by saying something.
So some of the words
that we speak as human beings
are constitutive.
Some of the words we say
are performative.
But the key distinction is
that in order to speak
performative words,
you have to have the authority
to do that.
You have to have the proper authority
to enact such actions.
So if you're just a random bystander
and then you come to a man and a woman
and then you say,
I therefore pronounce you husband and wife,
like nothing happens.
You're not married, right?
It has to be someone
who has a rightful authority
to do that, right?
But with God,
because he has all authority
in heaven and on earth,
whenever God says anything,
it's always decretive
and performative.
It accomplishes what it set out to do.
So when God says,
let there be light,
light is created out of nothing.
It says in Psalm 10720,
he sent out his word
and he healed them
and delivered them
from their destruction.
When God pronounces healing,
there's healing.
When God pronounces salvation,
there's salvation.
And like us with that same powerful word,
when God judges
and pronounces death,
pronounces destruction,
that happens.
That's the awesome power
of the sword of his mouth
and there's no evading that sword.
Isaiah 55, 10 to 11 says,
for as the rain and the snow
come down from heaven
and do not return there,
but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower
and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be
that goes out from my mouth.
It shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish
that which I purpose
and shall succeed
in the thing
for which I sent it.
That is God's word.
Hebrews 4, 12 says,
living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing to the division
of soul and of spirit
and of joints and of marrow
and discerning the thoughts
and the intentions of the heart.
That's the awesome power
of the sword of the mouth
of Jesus Christ.
When I was a kid,
my dream always
was to grow up
and become a soldier.
And whenever my kindergarten
or elementary school teachers
would ask,
hey, what was your dream job
as you get older?
It was always,
I want to be a soldier.
It was an odd dream to have
because in Korea,
there is mandatory
military service for men
and it's something
that most people
try to avoid, right?
They find excuses to avoid.
And I think,
I mean,
that didn't come true
in a literal sense.
I don't fight physical battles,
but I think it's come true
in a spiritual sense
because whenever I stand here
on the pulpit
with God's word in my hand,
I do believe
that I am not just
saying words.
I'm wielding the sword
of God himself,
the sword of the spirit
that cuts through
the division of spirit
and soul.
So when you also
are ministering God's word
to other people
in relationships,
in your conversations,
you're not merely talking.
When you faithfully
proclaim God's word
and apply it
to people's lives,
you are a swordsman
and a swordswoman
of the Lord God himself.
You're not merely
spitting out words.
You are wielding powerfully
the heart piercing
and the thoughts discerning,
the wicked crushing,
the devil slaying,
and sinners saving,
and dead resurrecting
word of the living God.
So don't be a soldier
who's caught
without his sword
by his side.
Meditate on it
day and night.
Store up God's word
in your heart
so that you might not
sin against him.
That's your sword.
And following the pattern
that we've noticed
so far in the letters
to the seven churches
in Revelation,
chapters two and three,
the way Jesus
identifies himself
and introduces himself
is deeply connected
to the condition
of the church.
The church in Pergamum
are tolerating
false permissive teaching
that condones idolatry
and sexual immorality.
So Jesus identifies himself
with the fearsome
sword of his mouth.
But before Jesus
critiques the church
in Pergamum,
he first commends them
in verse 13.
I know where you dwell,
where Satan's throne is,
yet you hold fast
my name
and you did not
deny my faith
even in the days
of Antipas,
my faithful witness,
who was killed
among you
where Satan dwells.
Jesus notes twice
the fact that
the believers dwell,
these believers,
where Satan dwells,
where Satan's throne is.
Satan has the throne
which suggests
that he is ruling
over something.
His rule is subordinate
to God's ultimate
sovereignty and rule
and Satan can only
act within the boundaries
that God places around him
as you can see
in Job chapters 1 and 2.
Nevertheless,
Satan does exercise
influence and power
over the unbelieving world,
which is why
in Ephesians 2,
it describes the devil
as the prince
of the power of the air
who is at work,
now at work,
in the sons of disobedience.
The gospel of John
often refers to Satan
as the ruler
of this world,
meaning the sinful world.
And the church
in Pergamum
dwelled at the epicenter,
the ground zero
of Satan's destructive rule.
This could be an allusion
to several historical realities.
Remember how Smyrna
had boasted about
having built
the first temple
dedicated to Rome?
Now, Pergamum
had a similar claim.
They were the first city
in Asia Minor
to build a temple
to a Roman ruler,
a temple dedicated
to the Augustus.
So it served
as a capital
for the emperor cult,
the worship of Caesar.
And the city
proudly designated itself
the temple warden,
the keeper of the temple
for Caesar worship.
In addition
to the emperor cult,
Pergamum was also
center of thriving,
other thriving pagan cults,
like the cult
of Asclepius.
He is the serpent god
of healing.
His symbol
is the serpent.
And it was,
that serpent emblem
might be why
John's referencing
Satan's throne.
But either way,
we can't know
what the exact
historical referent is
for the throne of Satan.
We know that
Satan's influence
and authority
were powerful
in the city of Pergamum
because that's where
Satan dwells.
And they would have faced,
the believers in Pergamum
would have faced
tremendous political pressure
and religious persecution
because most Greek cities
require citizens
to make sacrifices
to the Roman gods
and to pay homage
and worship
to the Roman emperor.
Now this background
makes Jesus' commendation
of the church
in Pergamum
all the more amazing.
Jesus says,
I know where you dwell,
where Satan's throne is.
And yet,
you hold fast my name
and you did not deny my faith
even in the days of Antipas,
my faithful witness,
who was killed among you
where Satan dwells.
So one of their own church members
named Antipas
was killed in Pergamum
for his faithful allegiance
to Jesus Christ.
Imagine one of our own church members
being killed
by the governing authorities
for their faith in Jesus.
Would we scatter in fear?
Then?
Would only a few return
for the service
the following week?
Will we deny our faith?
It says,
the church in Pergamum
held fast
to the name of Jesus
and did not deny the faith.
They locked arms together
and endured
the blowback of persecution.
And they had done
what Jesus commanded
the church in Samaritan
to do in the previous passage,
be faithful unto death.
And they did this
despite the fact
that they dwell
where Satan dwells.
Notice the repetition
of that idea
in verse 13.
First,
Jesus says,
I know where you dwell.
And then he ends
by saying,
where Satan dwells.
This contrast
between the two clauses
conveys a sense
of conflict
and opposition
between those
who serve Christ's throne
and those
who serve Satan's throne.
They are not
to compromise
or commingle.
people.
I want to read
an extended passage
from 2 Corinthians 6,
14 to 18.
I think we have that
to show you.
It says,
do not be unequally yoked
with unbelievers.
For what partnership
has righteousness
with lawlessness?
Or what fellowship
has light
with darkness?
What accord
has Christ
with Belial?
Or what portion
does a believer
share with an unbeliever?
What agreement
has the temple
of God
with idols?
For we are the temple
of the living God.
As God said,
I will make my dwelling
among them
and walk among them
and I will be their God
and they shall be my people.
Therefore,
go out from their midst
and be separate from them,
says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing,
then 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.
Christians often use
this passage
to teach that Christians
should not marry
non-Christians,
which is a fine
application,
but in its original context,
this passage has more general,
far-reaching applications.
I think 1 Corinthians 6.39
is an even better verse
for that
because it speaks
of marrying
only in the Lord.
This passage
is more general
in that
we dwell
where Satan dwells,
but light cannot
have fellowship
with darkness.
Righteousness cannot
have partnership
with lawlessness.
In what ways
have we,
as professing believers,
failed to separate
ourselves from the sinful world?
In what ways
have we commingled
and compromised
with the world,
uncritically accepting
the world's values
and priorities
as our own?
Have we forgotten
that God himself,
the Holy One,
dwells among us?
He walks among us
as our God.
Have we,
by our unholy activities
and associations,
solid,
the name of Christ
and brought him
into contact
with the contaminating
worship of Belial
and with the idols?
I'm not saying
that Christians
should have nothing
to do with the world
or with unbelievers.
If we did,
then we wouldn't be able
to love our neighbors
as we love ourselves
like Jesus commanded us
to do,
but Christians
are to be distinct,
set apart.
It's what it means
to be holy.
Christians and non-Christians
in some ways
should be like oil
and water
that don't mix.
They're in the same container.
They dwell in the same place,
but because water is,
you guys are some chemists
out here,
polar molecule,
right?
Yeah, that's right.
Bailey gives me a thumbs up.
And while oil is non-polar,
they cannot mix.
Unfortunately,
the church in Pergamum
had begun to descend
down the steps
of compromise
with idolatrous
and immoral world,
and we can see that
in Jesus' critique
in verses 14 to 15.
But I have a few things
against you.
You have some there
who hold the teaching
of Balaam,
who taught Balak
to put some stumbling block
before the sons of Israel
so that they might eat food,
sacrifice the idols,
and practice sexual immorality.
So also you have some
who hold the teaching
of the Nicolaitans.
This brings me
to my second point,
the two holds
of the church
in Pergamum.
The church in Pergamum
did hold
to the name of Jesus,
but they also
were holding on,
sadly,
to the teachings
of Balaam
and the teachings
of the Nicolaitans.
They were holding on
to two things
at the same time.
Those are two exact
same words in the Greek.
Limping between two opinions
like Israelites of old.
They had some
within their congregation
who were holding
the teaching of Balaam,
which is parallel
to holding the teaching
of Nicolaitans.
I think they're referring
to one and the same thing.
I think John
is trying to explain
what the teaching
of Nicolaitans is like
by comparing it
to the Old Testament equivalent,
which was the teaching
of Balaam.
Balaam was a seer,
kind of like a prophet,
but he was not God's prophet.
He was a seer,
but he did hear
from the Lord
and God did speak
to him in some ways.
He was a seer
that was hired
by Balak,
Balak,
king of Moab,
and he was hired
to curse the nation
of Israel
in Numbers
chapters 22 to 24.
Israel had been journeying
through the wilderness
and they demanded
passage from the Amorites
so that they could get
to the land
that God had promised
to them,
but the Amorites
refused to grant them passage
and instead came out
to war against the Israelites
and God helped
and assisted the Israelites
so they defeated
the Amorites
and now they're on the edge
of Moabite territory
and here are the Moabites
and Balak,
king of Moab,
looking out upon
the vast population
of Israel
right on their door,
right at their door
and they're scared.
He says that they had,
were filled with dread
and great dread of Israel
and overcome
with fear of them
and so Balak
is a sly king
and he says,
well, you know,
I don't think it's smart
to fight them in war.
I'm gonna hire this seer
to curse them
and so he hires Balaam
to curse them
three times
but Balaam protests,
I cannot go beyond
the word of the Lord
to do either good
or bad of my own will.
What the Lord speaks,
that I will speak.
So Balaam is here
recognizing that he actually
has no power
in and of himself
to bless or curse anybody.
It only happens
if God does it
and so he's saying
that I can't curse them
if God's saying
bless them
and so instead
of cursing them
three times,
Balaam ends up
blessing them
which is amazing.
So this is something
that I think you should
have great confidence
about as God's people
because nowadays
a lot of people
are into witchcraft
and sorcery
and other things
and it doesn't matter
how many times
or how,
what powerful witches
try to put hexes
on you
or curse you,
it will have
zero effect
upon the people
of God
because only
when God blesses
are you blessed
and only when God
curses
are you cursed.
As God told Abraham
in Genesis 12, 3,
I will bless
those who bless you
and him who dishonors you
I will curse
and in you
all the families
of the earth
shall be blessed.
So,
then what's wrong
with what Balaam did?
He blessed God's people
three times.
See,
that wasn't the end
of the story.
Balaam was a sly one.
He realized
that he was powerless
to curse the Israelites
but he really still
wanted the riches
that King Balaam
was offering him.
I really want
my payday
but I can't curse them.
And so,
he came up
with a crafty plan
because he was,
as 2 Peter 2.15
calls him,
he was a man
who loved gain
from wrongdoing.
So,
he decided
that he'd try
a different tact
and in Numbers 31.16
Moses mentions
that on Balaam,
Balaam's advice,
some Moabite woman
caused the people
of Israel
to act treacherously
against the Lord
in the incident
of Peor.
And so,
the plague came
among the congregation
of the Lord.
The incident
of Peor
is told
in Numbers 25
where it says
that when Israel
was living in Shittim,
the people began
to whore
with the daughters
of Moab
and these invited
the people
to the sacrifices
of their gods
and the people
ate and bowed
down to their gods
so Israel
yoked
himself
to Baal of Peor
and the anger
of the Lord
was kindled
against Israel.
So,
Balaam could not
curse the Israelites
directly
but he came up
with a plan
to make them
bring upon
the curse of God
upon themselves
through their idolatry
and sexual immorality.
He advised
these Moabite women
to go and seduce
the Israelites
and lead them
astray
into idolatrous
worship.
that's what
the Nicolaitans
were doing
to the church
in Pergamum.
They weren't
trying to convert
Christians
back to paganism.
Remember,
these are Christians
in Pergamum
like Antipas
who were faithful
unto death.
They're willing
to die
to hold fast
the name of Jesus.
They're not going
to be
just reject Jesus
and go
and follow the idols.
No,
but instead
of that
they tried
a different tack
more subtle
form of compromise
with idolatry
and sexual immorality.
They were teaching
the church
in Pergamum
that they can
eat food
sacrificed to idols
and practice
sexual immorality.
Now,
this is not speaking
of eating food
that was once
sacrificed to an idol
but is now being sold
in the marketplace.
Paul tells us
that we can eat that
with a clear conscience
in 1 Corinthians 8
but in 1 Corinthians 10
Paul himself warns
about actually
partaking in
the sacrifices
themselves
and then eating
food sacrificed
to idols there
because he says
to do so
is to partake
in the table
of demons
because demons
are beyond
these idolatrous
sacrifices.
A typical
Roman trade guild
festival involved
worshipping
the patron deities
through the sacrifices
and historical evidence
suggests that
many of these feasts
devolved into
sexual orgies
characterized by
excessive drinking
and with the
decrease in inhibition
and self-control
sexual promiscuity.
The Nicolaitans
were preaching
the message
of compromise
like this.
Oh no,
you don't have
to reject Jesus.
It's okay
if we participate
in these sacrifices
and feasts.
We can do so
as Christians.
Don't we all know
that these idols
are nothing at all?
This is just
Roman tradition.
They're more cultural
than religious.
It's what all Romans
do.
And don't we
benefit from
the patronage
of Caesar,
our king?
What's the harm
in paying him
some homage
and bowing before him?
We know that
he's only human.
Just remember that
in your heart
when you are
participating
in that worship.
Please,
we don't need
to be so legalistic
about abstaining
from these.
Just be faithful
to the Lord Jesus
in your heart.
What's the big deal
about bowing down
before these pagan gods
whom we know
are nothing but statues?
Empty gesture.
Don't lose sleep
over it.
But what about
the sexual immorality?
They would say,
oh,
don't worry about it.
That's just
what Romans do.
When in Rome,
do as the Romans do.
You know what
famous orator
Demosthenes
once said
a few centuries ago?
We keep prostitutes
for pleasure.
We keep mistresses
for the day-to-day
needs of the body.
We keep wives
for the beginning
of children
and for the faithful
guardianship
of our homes.
You're not being
unfaithful to your wife
as long as you don't
leave her for those
other women.
It's just to satisfy
our bodily desires,
our fleshly desires.
What we do
with our bodies
don't affect our souls.
Sexual immorality
doesn't affect
your union with Christ,
does it?
Hey,
but if you really
want to be a prude
about it,
forget it.
You don't have to
actually participate
in the sexual immorality.
Just watch it.
Just go to the feast.
Just watch it.
You don't have to
do it yourself.
Can you hear
the voices,
the echoes
of these seductive
voices of the
Nicolaitans
in our day?
Are they?
If you are a Christian
convert from a
thoroughly religious
culture,
whether it's Islamic,
Buddhist,
or Hindu,
there's tremendous
pressure to participate
in traditional family
sacrifices that are
idolatrous.
I still remember
from my childhood
watching my parents
get snubbed
by their own
blood brothers
and sisters
for refusing
to bow down
to ancestor worship.
They would say,
hey,
we're Christians too.
You're not the only
Christian here.
you can bow down
to them,
serve them food,
just honoring them.
Don't be mistaken.
Demons are involved
in every idolatrous feast.
And you cannot partake
of the table of the Lord
and of the table
of demons.
This could happen
even in our
Western culture
as well.
I think political
idolatry is not
uncommon in the
Western world.
Are you so loyal
to your favorite
politician
or so patriotic
about your country,
whether that was
the Roman Empire
in the Church of
Pergamum days
or the United States
of America,
that you would make
spiritual and moral
compromises
in order to support
them?
The voices of the
Nicolaitans are even
more obvious in terms
of sexual immorality
in our culture.
No sex before marriage?
How quaint
and old-fashioned.
How will you know
that you two are
compatible if you don't
cohabit for a while
before marriage?
Homosexuality?
Well, the Bible
condemns homosexual
abuse, but when
it's consensual and
monogamous homosexual
relationship, it's
totally sanctioned by
the Bible.
I've heard Christian
teachers teach that
very thing with my
own ears.
And part of their
persuasiveness lies in
the fact that they
actually believe
themselves to be
right.
They're sincere.
And maybe they
even think they're
being compassionate.
But being convinced
that you are right is
not the same thing as
being right.
Just two weeks ago, I
read a Christianity
Today article about a
prominent pastor whose
network of churches
ministers to 60,000
people on a weekly
basis.
And he hosted a
conference that was
intended, quote, for
parents of LGBTQ plus
children and for
ministry leaders
looking to discover
ways to support
parents and LGBTQ plus
children in their
churches.
That sounds pretty
harmless on the
surface, but the
problem was the
conference featured
speakers who are
either currently in
same-sex relationship
or are supportive of
those who are.
This is all the more
confusing because this
pastor insists that he
still holds the
traditional biblical
teaching that marriage
is between a man and
a woman and that any
other sexual union is
sinful.
But then he goes on to
say, well, that
chastity for someone who
has same-sex attraction
is, quote, not
sustainable.
And that same-sex
marriage is the next
best option.
This is exactly like the
teaching of the
Nicolaitans.
We have brothers and
sisters in our church
who struggle with
same-sex attraction,
attraction.
But because they know
that such relationships
do not fulfill God's
good design for them,
they have either managed
to be in a heterosexual
or wholesome intergendered
marriages, or they have
taken a vow of
celibacy.
Sam Albury is a Christian
author who has taken such
a vow of celibacy because
he struggles with same-sex
attraction.
And this is what he had
to say about that
conference.
He says, quote, I have
always been single.
On the whole, it has been
deeply joyous.
But I am not immune from
temptation.
And when any leader
suggests to me that
chaste obedience to
Christ in singleness is
not sustainable, he is
saying the very same
thing to me that the
devil says.
If you have discerning
ears, you can hear the
voices of the
Nicolaitans everywhere.
Well, fine, if you don't
really want to participate
in any of this, more
strength to you, but it's
surely fine to just observe
sexual immorality, right?
Porn?
What harm does that do?
It doesn't hurt anybody.
R-rated movies with
explicit scenes, it's
art.
It's just entertainment.
Brothers and sisters,
don't be deluded.
Our culture worships
sex.
Our culture worships
sex.
Everywhere it teaches us
without sex like that,
without sex like this,
you will never have a
fulfilling life, and
that's a lie.
And we uncritically
imbibe that message all
day long.
When we tolerate the
teachings of the
Nicolaitans, we make
subtle compromises that
threaten to turn our
hearts away from God.
And this is important.
The church in Pergamum
handled overt opposition
really well.
They died for the
faith.
They did not handle
subtle seduction
very well.
We need to be vigilant
against both.
So Jesus commands them
in verse 16,
therefore repent.
If not, I will come to
you soon and war against
them with the sword of my
mouth.
Notice the change in
personal pronouns there in
verse 16.
I will come to you, you
all, all the people in
church in Pergamum, and he
will war against them, not
the whole church, but the
Nicolaitans and those who
follow their teaching.
But the whole church
needs to repent of
tolerating the false
teachings of the
Nicolaitans among their
midst.
Notice that Jesus'
critique of the church
in Pergamum doesn't say
that they are actually
participating in these
idolatrous feasts yet,
and actually participating
in sexual immorality yet,
as we'll see in the next
passage, the church in
Thyatira is actually doing
those things actively.
Right now, the church in
Pergamum is merely holding
fast to the teaching of
the Nicolaitans.
They're tolerating false
teachers in their midst who
say that these things are
okay.
They're one step further
removed, but they're still
very close.
But Jesus doesn't merely
threaten punishment for their
sins.
He also promises two
wonderful gifts for those
who conquer.
In verse 17,
The manna recalls Israel's
journey through the
wilderness, so it fits with
that allusion to the story
of Balak and Balaam.
And during the wilderness
journey, God fed them with
bread from heaven by raining
manna to provide for them.
The Israelites should have
satisfied themselves with
God's bread from heaven with
manna, but instead, the
Israelites whored after the
Moabite woman and engaged in
sexual immorality and ate at
their pagan idolatrous feasts.
They ate food, sacrificed
to idols.
But Jesus promises here, if you
hold fast and if you maintain
yourself a distinct identity as
Christians and you do not
compromise and you endure to
the end, you will eat the
hidden manna.
It's hidden because it's not
fully revealed yet, which
will be at the wedding feast
of the lamb that we'll get to
partake in.
There's a feast awaiting you,
so don't settle for these
inferior counterfeit feasts of
idolatry.
That's the first gift.
The second gift is a white
stone with a new name written
on the stone that no one
knows except the one who
receives it.
There are several possible
historical and biblical
associations that help us make
the sense of what this white
stone is, and they are not
necessarily mutually exclusive,
these options.
The first is that the jurors in
Rome, when they were making a
judgment, indicated using a
white stone or a black stone.
They would hold up the black
stone if they wanted to say
that this person is guilty.
They would hold up the white
stone if they wanted to say
this person is innocent.
And so Jesus is assuring them,
even when your society holds up
the black stone and condemns you
to death for your faith in
Jesus, I will give you the white
stone.
Say that you are righteous,
you are justified, and that you
belong in paradise with me.
A second possible association is
that stones of various colors were
used for admission to public
celebrations like the feasts that
we have just been talking about.
Sometimes you'd have to have the
stone.
It's basically like your ticket,
your invitation to the feast, and
you'd have to show it in order to
enter.
And Jesus is saying, you might be
excluded, you might not go to these
pagan feasts, but you will have the
white stone to enter into the eternal
feast of the Lamb of God.
So don't be disheartened.
A third possible connection is Exodus
28-21, where Israel's high priest on
the ephod, on the shoulder of the
ephod, and on his breastpiece,
wears precious stones with the names
of the tribes of Israel written on
them.
The priests representing the people of
God before the presence of God on his
heart, bearing them on his shoulders.
I think if that's the association, then
I think it's fulfilled here in Jesus
in a greater way, because I don't think
the new name written on the stone that
no one knows except the one who receives
it, I don't think that's our name
primarily.
Jesus promises in Revelation 3-12, the
one who conquers, I will make him a
pillar in the temple of my God.
Never shall he go out of it, and I will
write on him the name of my God.
In the name of the city of my God, the
new Jerusalem, which comes down from my
God out of heaven, and my own new name.
It also says in Revelation 14-1 that the
144,000, which is a symbolic number
representing all of God's chosen people,
it says that they had Jesus' name and the
Father's name written on their foreheads.
In Revelation 19-11-16, we're told that
Jesus has a name written that no one knows
but himself.
But then in the following verses, it tells
us exactly what the name is.
The name by which he is called is the
word of God.
A name written is king of kings and lord of
lords.
So I don't think it's our name primarily, I
think it's Jesus' name.
So then why is it, how is it that no one
knows but him?
Because it's this already but not yet paradox
that we see all throughout the New Testament.
We already have God's name.
We already have the name of Jesus on us,
but it's not yet fulfilled in its fullness.
We'll know him like we have never known him
before when Christ returns.
And we'll know the preciousness of his name like
we have never known before when we receive the
white stone with the name on it that no one knows
but himself.
And how intimate is that?
That's a fellowship.
So when someone knows you by name, you know them
intimately.
Right?
Someone knows you by name.
They know you personally.
When Jesus says, I give you a stone with a new name
on it that no one knows but me.
I impart to you something I give to no one else.
I reveal myself to you in a way I haven't to anyone
else.
Personally, you belong to me.
Jesus and his church.
That's the intimate promise.
My name.
Because our name wouldn't do, would it?
Our names are riddled with pride, with guilt, with shame.
Haven't we all in various ways compromised with the sinful world?
Haven't we sinned against our God?
Haven't we participated in idolatrous feasts and feasted
at our eyes on sin and immorality?
Haven't we committed sexual immorality?
What good a white stone with our name on it do to give us entry
into the wedding feast of the Lamb?
But Jesus died for our sins on the cross.
Jesus.
There's no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must
be.
That name.
That precious name of Jesus.
Yes.
And when you confessed your sins and you believed in Jesus and you
were baptized, signifying the cleansing of all your sins,
washing away all your guilt and shame, what name were you given?
You were baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit.
That's your name.
I am a Christian.
Christian.
No, that stone will not say, Sean, Christian, Christ, King of kings,
Lord of lords, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin
of the world.
That precious, ineffable, eternal name will be on that stone that we
will receive if we endure.
So let's hold on.
Let's pray.
Yes, Father.
Father, my name is one that's full of shame and guilt.
But, Lord, your name is holy.
Your name is pure.
Your name is righteous.
Thank you for putting your name on us.
Help us to persevere with vigilance so that we do not tolerate false
teaching in our midst, but instead maintain our distinct set-apart
identity as Christians, help us to stand in awe of you and live with holy fear,
reverence for the one who has the two-sharp, two-edged sword in his mouth.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.