Cross Examined 4 | Caught in Compromise

We are continuing a series here at Cross Connection called "Cross-Examined: Jesus Examines His Church" from the Book of Revelation and the seven letters written to the seven churches. Today, we're looking at the church in Pergamum, Revelation chapters 2, verses 12-17. Open your Bible if you have one, and we will look at the church that was caught in the midst of compromise. The Lord has a strong word and a strong exhortation for them, which speaks to us 1,900 years later.

Compromise is an essential component in every marriage. The married couples here this morning recognize that to be the case. It is not only an essential component in every marriage but also important in many transactions. If you've ever sat across the table or across the counter from a car dealer, you know the importance of compromise in that situation. I love it when you're in that place, and the person across from you says, "Well, I just can't do that." I always think to myself, "Sure you can."

It was about six years ago, almost to the day, that my wife and I were purchasing the house that we now own—our first house. When you buy your first house, you are also buying a lot of things that go along with that first house, many firsts that you never had to buy before, such as a washing machine, dryer, and refrigerator. One of the days as we were preparing to move into the house, we went to a local hardware store that also sells appliances. I walked in there with $500 cash. I went to the back where the appliances were, and there on clearance was a refrigerator. It was priced at $699.

As my wife and I looked at the refrigerator, it seemed like it would probably work. Of course, at that point, one of the salespeople walked up and asked if he could help us. I said, "Yes, I think you can. I want this refrigerator for $500." He looked at it, looked at the price, looked at me, and said, "I just can't do that." I asked, "Well, who here can?"

We went back and forth for a little while and weren't really getting anywhere, so I decided I didn't need that refrigerator. We started to walk out the door, and by the time we got to the front of the store, I heard someone behind me say, "Sir, wait just one second." Another salesperson, apparently some sort of manager, said, "You know, I think we probably can get you that refrigerator for $500." I replied, "I thought you might be able to."

Compromise and concessions can be made in a retail establishment, as Dave Ramsey says, and it's true; I've tried it, and it works. However, there are times when concessions need to be made and compromises need to be reached, especially in discussions where you come to an impasse. Every married couple knows this. In fact, perhaps the first year of marriage is almost entirely about identifying issues where there are impasses and compromises that need to be made.

Some of these issues are really small, such as preferences about how to turn glasses upside down or right side up, or whether to squeeze the toothpaste from the bottom, which is the correct way. Other issues can be much bigger, like the direction the toilet paper goes—over the top or underneath. A few years ago, one of the toilet paper manufacturers conducted a survey of Americans and found that 80 percent believe it should go over the top. So, I'm here to tell you that's the right way, just so you know.

Yes, you had that discussion, didn't you, married couples? Over the years, I've had the opportunity to be involved in a number of marriage counseling sessions, and many times, the issue of compromise comes up. There needs to be some concession made, some agreement where both sides may not get exactly what they want, but they will reach something that furthers the relationship. We recognize that compromise is essential in certain areas.

However, there are some areas in our lives where compromise is completely unacceptable. Not only is it unacceptable, but it is, in fact, dangerous. As we turn to Revelation chapter 2, verses 12 through 17, we find a situation in the church at Pergamum where compromise was unacceptable and ultimately dangerous.

Look with me, if you would, at Revelation chapter 2, verse 12. It says, "To the angel of the church at Pergamos write." This letter starts the same way that each of these seven letters begins, with the Lord Jesus addressing the angel of the church.

Being over the church or the pastor of that church, we don't know, but he's writing now to a church at Pergamus. So far, we have seen letters to the church at Ephesus, the church at Smyrna, and the church at Pergamus. If you were to look at one of the maps in the back of your Bible, this area that Jesus is addressing is modern-day Turkey. In ancient times, it was called Asia Minor. Each of these cities mentioned kind of follows a loop that many Bible teachers believe was something of a postal route. These letters would be delivered along this route in this order: Ephesus, then Smyrna to the north, about 35 to 40 miles, and then another 55 miles north of that. So, about a hundred miles north of Ephesus was this city called Pergamos. It was 20 miles inland from the Aegean Sea, located in modern-day southwestern Turkey.

At the time that Jesus sends this letter, around the end of the first century A.D., the city of Pergamus had been there for three to four hundred years. For a very long time, it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia, a beautiful city, as were each of these cities that Jesus addresses here in this passage. Interestingly, that city was the first of the Roman cities to establish worship to the Caesars. It was the first, in 29 A.D., to actually build a temple to the Roman emperor. In the first century, it ultimately grew to prominence in the second century A.D. The Roman Empire saw their emperor, their Caesar, not just as a politician but as divine, and he was honored as a deity.

If you did not honor him in that way, especially in the second century, which we are approaching when Jesus writes to this church around 90 to 96 A.D., it would show that you were not pledging your allegiance to the empire. If you would simply go to one of these temples and offer incense to the Caesar, saying, "Caesar is Lord," at least once a year, then you were essentially free to worship any way you wanted. They tolerated all kinds of different pagan worship in their day, but you had to make sure that you pledged your allegiance to Caesar. This city was, in many ways, the capital of that.

The Roman imperial cult really started in Pergamus. We have already addressed how this would be a major issue for the early Christians, who could not say, "Caesar is Lord," because Jesus is Lord. There was no way they could stand and proclaim that Caesar was Lord. Consequently, they began to invite persecution at the end of the first century and continued through the second and into the third century because they would not offer worship to Caesar.

The city of Pergamus was completely given over to the worship of Caesar and the Roman imperial cult. Not only that, but this city was also full of all kinds of other paganism, with temples dedicated to Zeus, Athena, and Bacchus, the god of drunkenness and debauchery, who was worshipped through such excesses. Some may not realize that this is who they used to worship in that way.

Pergamus was also known for its great university, which housed a vast library. The University of Pergamum, actually connected to the word "parchment," contained more than two hundred thousand volumes of parchments. While this may not seem like a lot to us today, remember that each of those was handwritten by scribes. Years later, that entire library and all its documents were given as a wedding present to Cleopatra by Mark Antony.

During the time of 90 to 96 A.D., the city of Pergamus was known for its university, its library, and its worship of Athena, Zeus, Bacchus, and the Caesars. In the midst of this, a small gathering of Jesus followers existed, surrounded by paganism and intellectualism. It is likely that this church began during Paul's third missionary journey when he was in Ephesus teaching the word, as recorded in Acts chapters 18 and 19. In Paul's second missionary journey, which is documented in Acts chapter 16, we are told that he passed through this region. In Acts chapter 16, verse 8, it states that he passed through the region of Mysia.

In the county of Messiah, there was a chief city called Pergamos, or Pergamum. Later on, when Paul was preaching and teaching in the school of Tyrannus, as described in Acts chapter 19, verse 9, it goes on to say in verse 10 that he continued for two years so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. It is likely that during that period, in the mid-50s A.D., about 40 years before Jesus wrote this letter to the church there, Paul was preaching in this school for two years. People were going out and taking the gospel of God into the surrounding cities, and one of the cities that likely had a church start was Pergamos.

I mentioned a moment ago that the word Pergamum is connected to the word parchment, which was associated with the library in the city of Pergamos. The word Pergamus in Greek is interesting because the word "gamos" means marriage, and the prefix "per" speaks of a mixed marriage. As we go through this letter and see the things that were happening in that city, that's exactly what was going on with the church at Pergamos: a problem of compromise that had begun to creep into the church, a gathering of Christians.

We aren't told biblically or in history that they had any sort of apostolic oversight. As a result, the surrounding worship of Bacchus, Athena, Zeus, and Caesar, along with all the other activities in that city, began to permeate the church. As often happens, the culture around the church can easily seep into the church.

Notice what Jesus says as He reveals Himself. Remember, as we're going through these letters, they each follow the same outline, which we've called the "rap sheet." It's on your sermon guide at the top, and the rap sheet is the revelation. The first point is the revelation, here in verse 12: "To the angel of the church at Pergamos write: These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword."

Now listen, if that's the way He introduces Himself to this church, if Jesus contacted you and introduced Himself as the one who holds the unsheathed two-edged sharp sword, there might be a problem. If we were to update this to our modern language, it would be, "To the angel of the church at Pergamos write: These things says He."

Who holds the unholstered gun? The hammer is back. It's a heavy picture; it's actually scary imagery. Maybe some of the most frightening imagery of Jesus in the Scriptures is the thought of Him as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. But what is this sharp two-edged sword?

As we've already seen in the previous two letters, these revelations of Jesus, given specifically and addressed to specific churches, point us back to Revelation chapter 1. If you just look a page over to Revelation chapter 1, verse 16, we see something about Jesus as He is revealed to John on the island of Patmos. It says in Revelation 1:16 that He, Jesus, had in His right hand seven stars, and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.

We will see the very same imagery at the end of this letter in Revelation chapter 2, verse 16. He says, "I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." So, in Revelation 1:16, He has a mouth from which comes a sharp two-edged sword, and that is a frightening picture. What would He do with this sword, this two-edged sword from His mouth?

Turn to the end of Revelation, Revelation chapter 19. We see this imagery again, and it's startling. Revelation 19:15 speaks about the time when Jesus comes to judge a world in rebellion. We read this: "Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations, and He Himself will rule over them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God."

If you are a Bible student, you have already made the connection of this to another New Testament work, a letter written to a group of Jewish Christians called the Book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says, "And the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword." The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow. It is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

The intents of the heart are judged not only by outward expressions but also by the inward heart. It cuts deep into the heart. Remember, Jesus made it very clear in His Sermon on the Mount that the heart is what is at issue in all of our lives. We may be able to live our lives in such a way that we are not doing something actively on the outside that seems sinful, but in our hearts, we can be full of all kinds of wickedness. The sword of the Lord, which is sharper than any two-edged sword—His Word—cuts deep.

The one who is writing this letter in Revelation chapter 2, verse 12, is He who is the Word of God, who is living and powerful. When I read this imagery about Jesus, that He has this sharp two-edged sword coming out of His mouth, I am reminded that He will judge the nations. This picture of Jesus reminds us of a very important point: Jesus is not weak.

I think this is an important point for us to guard in our hearts. There are many people who hold pictures in their minds and hearts of Jesus, and oftentimes, the picture they have is of gentle Jesus, meek and mild. We sing songs about it. He comes meek and lowly, riding on a donkey. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah chapter 53. He is merciful, kind, gentle, and loving, and all of those things are true. However, that is just one part of His nature.

In Jesus' first coming, which is described in the Gospels and prophesied by the prophets, He did come meek and mild, lowly, riding on a donkey. He came in mercy to offer Himself as a sacrifice for sin. But the Bible describes another picture of Him coming one day in the future—the second coming of Jesus—and it doesn't look like that at all. The picture of Him coming the next time is triumphant in victory, riding on a white horse. He comes with power and great glory, and here it speaks of a two-edged sword that comes out of His mouth. With it, He strikes the nations that are in rebellion to Him.

Interestingly, in Revelation chapter 2, before we ever get to Him striking the nations in Revelation chapter 19, He is speaking to His church with the same language.

He says, "I am He who has the sharp two-edged sword." Pergamus, I am He. Listen, church. The next time that you're drawn by temptation to sin, I hope that this picture of Jesus comes to your mind: He is the one who stands with an unsheathed sharp two-edged sword.

I realize some will say, "But wait, we're a part of the church; He would never do that to His church." But understand, this is to His church that He is speaking these things here in Revelation chapter two. It's powerful, and we need to take this to heart because it's frightening, and it should be frightening. I heard one pastor say many years ago, in a tape I was listening to, "Fear is good office work for repentance." Amen. There is truth in that, and there is a certain reverence and fear of Jesus that the church in America today just doesn't have. The picture we have of Jesus is one-sided; it's imbalanced.

In the book of Revelation, remember this is the last book of the canon of Scripture. I think it's right that Jesus would make sure that the last thing we have in our minds is that, yes, He is merciful and yes, He is gracious, but He does not clear over sin. He will by no means clear the guilty. The revelation of Jesus is startling there in verse 12.

Now, the commendation, the second point on our rap sheet, is found in verse 13. Jesus begins, as He did with Smyrna and with Ephesus, "I know your works." This reveals to us that He knows what's going on in His church. He knows what's going on in His church because He is described in Revelation chapter 1 and Revelation chapter 2, verse 1, as the one who walks in the midst of the lampstands. The end of Revelation chapter 1 tells us that the lampstands are the churches.

So, Jesus walks in the midst of His church, and He knows what's going on. He is not some far distant entity in the universe, uninterested. He knows what's going on in His church. He says for the third time in this section of Scripture, "I know your works." But not only does He know their works, notice He says, "I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is."

The throne is significant because Jesus knew what the conditions were like where the Christians lived. He understood the temptations, the stressors, and the hardships of being a Christian in Pergamos. He knew what it was like to stand his ground against the onslaught of the devil, who is depicted in this passage as having a throne there in Pergamos. This reminds us of a very important truth: although Satan has operations throughout the entire world, there in that city was a seat of his power, a dominion, a stronghold of Satan.

This is not to say that Pergamos is the only place where the enemy has a stronghold, but it illustrates that there are locations in the world where Satan has a seat of power. At that time, remember, it is Jesus who is saying this. If anyone knows, it is Jesus. He knows that in that city of Pergamos, there was a seat of power for the enemy.

Of course, this opens up all kinds of interesting questions, speculations, and commentary. If you read a dozen different commentaries on Revelation chapter 2, verse 13, you will likely encounter a dozen different views about what people think this means regarding the throne of Satan. Some people suggest that the throne of Satan was the temple to Zeus, while others argue that it was the throne of Pergamum, a large structure built in that city that resembles a throne, complete with two large patios and stairs down the middle.

Interestingly, at the end of the 19th century, the entire structure was deconstructed by archaeologists and moved to Berlin, where it is now housed in the Museum of Pergamum. Some people believe that this was the throne of Satan, an earthly structure built by men. Others contend that it was not that structure but rather the Roman imperial cult, the worship of the emperor, that represented the throne of Satan in that city.

Additionally, some commentators argue that it was the worship of Asclepius. You may wonder, who is Asclepius? It is quite interesting; he was one of the gods worshipped in that era. Many people mistakenly associate the medical symbol of a staff with a snake wrapped around it with Moses and the bronze serpent, but it actually relates to the worship of Asclepius, the god of healing.

In the city of Pergamus, one of the things it was known for was its temple to Asclepius. If you were sick and ailing and wanted to receive healing, you would go to the temple of Asclepius. This practice was twisted and satanic. You would lay on the floor of the temple, where there were thousands, even tens of thousands, of non-venomous snakes. They would crawl all over you, and they were believed to diffuse their power for healing. If that's not satanic, I don't know what is.

There are people who argue about what was the throne of Satan. Some say it was Zeus, others have different interpretations. However, I interpret it the way it is written. Satan obviously has an established seat of power somewhere in the world, and sometimes it exists in multiple places at once. At that time, it was in Pergamus, which served as his headquarters of authority. Many people wrongly think that the headquarters of Satan is hell, but that's actually the place where he will be incarcerated. His dominion is here, and he goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Jesus says that at this time, 1,900 years ago, his seat of power was Pergamus. In the midst of it was a church with faith in Jesus, and this is encouraging. Point number two on your outline is that true faith is not fragile. Notice what Jesus says to them in the commendation of verse 13: "I know your works, where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast to my name. You did not deny my faith."

You are in the middle of Satan's seat of power, yet you did not deny my name; you held fast to my faith. True faith is not fragile. Jesus is not weak, and the faith of those who trust in Him is not fragile; it is strong. Even when they are in the base of operations of Satan, they still stood strong in their belief, and that is encouraging.

I remember mentioning that in the city of Pergamus, there was this great library and a huge university, making it a seat of intellect of the day. I am not saying that institutional intellect is the throne of Satan, although some may think that. But I am not.

Saying that, I am saying this: you can be in one of those seats of intellectual growth at universities that are largely anti-Christian today, and you can still have solid faith in Jesus. That's right; you can still have solid faith in Jesus in the midst of that. Some people say it's just impossible to stand strong in the midst of it. No, it's not. The church of Pergamus is a sign of that, although they still had some major problems that we're going to get to in just a moment.

True faith is not fragile. He says, "I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. You hold fast to my name, and you did not deny my faith." Notice this: even in the days of Antipas, who was my faithful martyr. When we read that word "martyr," we should read it as "witness," because the Greek word "martus" actually means "witness." However, so many witnesses died or were killed for their faith that ultimately, when the word came into English as "martyr," it became correlated not with "witness," but with the idea of being killed for your faith.

He says you had not denied my faith, even when this individual, Antipas, my faithful servant, was killed among you, where Satan dwells. Well, who was Antipas? The truth is, we just don't know. There are commentators who make the case that he was the pastor of the church at Pergamus, but we don't know that to be true. It may be. There are others who say he was just an influential and well-known leader of the church; that may or may not be true. What we do know is that he was killed for his faith. He stood strong.

This brings us to point number three: true faith is faithful. True faith remains faithful. True faith is not fragile; true faith is faithful. The individual Antipas shows that true faith is faithful, and it reveals something that is challenging to us. You can believe true things about Jesus and not be faithful, but you cannot have true faith and not be faithful. Let me say that again: you can believe true things about Jesus and not be faithful to Him, but you cannot have true faith and not be faithful. True faith moves us to faithfulness, and in many ways, our faith is proven to be true.

By our faithfulness to the Lord, it is revealed that we actually believe what we say we believe. When we do the things that we say we believe, that’s right. For Antipas, it was proven that he faithfully believed and followed the Lord. True faith moves us towards faithfulness.

You did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful martyr, who was killed in the midst of that difficult time. This church saw him be killed, and tradition holds that he was killed in a unique way. There was a bull made out of brass, hollowed out, and they put him inside of it. They placed it over a fire and essentially cooked him. Apparently, the church knew about this; they saw it and stood strong even when persecution came. They still believed in Jesus, and it’s encouraging.

In the Revelation, the commendation states, "I know your works, where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. You hold fast to my name; you did not deny my faith even in the days in which Antipas, my faithful martyr, was killed." Notice the use of "my" here, the personal nature that Jesus takes with His church. You did not deny my faith; you held fast to me, and he was my faithful martyr.

Now, the Revelation continues with the indictment in verses 14 and 15. It says, "But I have a few things against you. Because you have there in your church in Pergamus those who hold the doctrine of Balaam." You believe in me, but there are some who have a mixed marriage, a duplicity. You believe, but you hold on to something else. You also have carried with you this doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat the things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

Now, who was Balaam and who was Balak? What is all this about? You can read in the Old Testament, in Numbers chapters 22 through 25, the full story, the rest of the story, if you will, of Balaam. But let me just give you the rough overview of who Balaam was and who Balak was. You guys remember the book of Exodus, when Charlton Heston went down there and said, "Let my people go"? I saw this week that Christian Bale is the new Moses. That should be exciting! So, you know, we got a new Noah, and I knew Moses would be...

Moses goes down to Egypt to demand, "Let my people go!" Through the plagues, Pharaoh ultimately allows the children of Israel to leave, though he does so reluctantly. They cross the Red Sea, and the army of Egypt is destroyed. Now, they find themselves in the wilderness, wandering as they make their way toward the Promised Land.

As they approach the Promised Land, described for us in Numbers chapter 22, they need to pass through the region of Moab, which is east of the Promised Land in modern-day Jordan. However, the king of Moab, Balak, does not want them to come through his land, fearing that they will overtake him. He must figure out how to deal with this huge group of people moving through his territory, so he decides to hire a prophet.

Balak sends messengers to Balaam, a prophet for hire, asking him to come and curse the Israelites. He believes that whoever Balaam curses will be cursed. Balaam responds to the messengers, saying that he can only say what God tells him to say. He then asks God if it is permissible to curse the people. Throughout the night, he seeks God's guidance, and God tells him, "No, you can only say the things that I tell you to say." Balaam relays this message to the messengers, who return to Balak.

Balak, frustrated, tells them to go back to Balaam with a better offer—double the payment. The messengers return to Balaam, informing him of the increased offer. Balaam considers this a good investment and decides to ask God again. God tells him that he can only do what He instructs. Accepting this, Balaam decides to go.

You may have heard the story about Balaam's donkey. As Balaam rides along on his donkey, God sends an angel with an unsheathed sword to stand in the way, intending to kill Balaam. However, Balaam does not see the angel, but his donkey does. The donkey, being smarter than Balaam, turns off into the bushes. Balaam, angry, hits his donkey, urging it to move forward. The story continues from there.

Through a narrow passage in a vineyard, where there are walls on either side, Balaam finds himself confronted by the Angel of the Lord. The donkey, trying to avoid the Angel, moves to the side and crushes Balaam's foot between the wall and itself. Angered, Balaam curses his donkey, asking, "Why are you doing this?" In response, God opens the mouth of the donkey, which looks back at Balaam and says, "What are you hitting me for? I've been a good donkey this whole time!"

Balaam, still upset, talks back to the donkey. At that moment, the Lord opens Balaam's eyes, and he sees the Angel of the Lord standing before him with a sword in hand. He realizes that the donkey was trying to protect him. Ultimately, the Lord allows Balaam to go, but He instructs him to only say the things that He tells him to say.

Three times in the story, Balaam goes up on a mountaintop to overlook the children of Israel in the valley. Each time, he pronounces a blessing, which angers Balak, who had summoned Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balak asks why Balaam is blessing them when he was brought there to curse them. Balaam suggests moving to another mountaintop for a different vantage point, hoping to find a way to curse them.

However, from the next mountaintop, Balaam again blesses the Israelites. Frustrated, Balak insists that Balaam curse them. They move to yet another mountaintop, where Balaam looks from the back, hoping to find a reason to curse them. Instead, he blesses them a third time, leaving Balak upset.

Despite Balak's anger, Balaam desires his payment. He explains that he cannot curse the Israelites because God will not allow it; he can only bless them. However, he offers a strategy to make the Israelites fall under God's curse. He recalls the conditional predictions found in Deuteronomy chapter 28, where God states that if the people obey Him, they will be blessed, but if they disobey, they will be cursed.

Balaam advises Balak to send some of the attractive Moabite women to seduce the Israelite men. If the men marry the Moabite women, they will bring their gods into the camp. Once the Israelites begin to worship these foreign gods, the Lord will turn against them and bring judgment upon them. This plan unfolds as described in Numbers chapter 25, where 24,000 Israelite men are killed by a curse from the Lord due to their compromise and departure from Him.

Their compromise is evident here at the city of Pergamos. Jesus says that there are people there who hold on to that doctrine. It doesn't say that you have people involved in idolatry and sexual immorality; that's for next time in Thyatira. However, you have people there who are holding on to this doctrine. The reality is that our beliefs, or the things that we hold on to, will affect the way we live our lives.

Jesus acknowledges that they are doing some good things and that there are positive aspects in their community. However, He points out that there are some things they are holding on to that need to go, or it will destroy them. Not only do they have some who hold the doctrine of Balaam, but look at verse 15: "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans."

Remember back in Revelation chapter 2, when the Lord was speaking to the church at Ephesus? He said in verse 6, one of the commendations He spoke to Ephesus was, "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." To Ephesus, He says, "Listen, I'm glad you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans." But to the church at Pergamos, He says, "Listen, you've got some people in your church that hold on to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and I hate that."

This brings us to point number four: true faith is not fragile. True faith is faithfulness. However, true faithfulness is hard. It has been said that it's easier to die for Jesus than to live faithfully for Him. I don't know if that's true because I've never been put in a place where I had to die for the faith. All of those who have faced such a situation, we haven't been able to ask them yet if it was harder to die than to live.

What we do realize is that it is not easy to live faithfully for the Lord in a culture that is counter-Christian. These people were living in a counter-Christian culture that was coming against them. Even though they still believed in Jesus and confessed Him, doing so meant persecution. They had gone through that. Yet, even with this appearance of faith—saying, "Hey, we believe in Jesus, we follow Jesus"—there were certain things they were holding on to. They were sidelining and derailing themselves with compromise.

It was a mixed marriage; they were the bride of Christ, and they were about to harlot themselves with something that the Lord hated: immorality and idolatry. Maybe they hadn't gone that far yet, but that was the direction they were heading.

The orientation of their life was towards immorality and idolatry. I think this is an important thing for us to grapple with because there are some here today who are in that place where you kind of believe in Jesus. You have one foot in the things of Christ, but you've also been holding on to some things in your life that are moving you towards immorality and idolatry.

Idolatry and immorality can take on all kinds of different shapes and forms in our culture today. They are sneaky; it's so easy for these things to come into our lives. A church in the midst of a counter-Christian culture is always being bombarded by things trying to get in. There are times when the Lord has to challenge that church, just like He did through the Apostle Paul to the church at Corinth. He says to the church of Corinth, "You have leaven in the lump." We might wonder what that means. It refers to having yeast in the dough, and yeast is a picture of sin. The church is that dough, if you will. He says, "You've got sin in there, and it's going to permeate and destroy everything."

The church needs to be on guard. Remember, this is the church where Satan's throne is. Would you turn a few books to the left to 1 Peter? In 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 8, Peter is speaking to Christians, to us, the church. If you're a Christian today, he says this: "Be sober, be vigilant, aware." Why? Because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith.

Be sober, be vigilant. Your enemy, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. The church at Pergamos dropped their guard, and they were right in the seat of power of Satan. This is one of those times as a church where we have to take account. We need to have a gut check with God. We have to say, maybe it's later on today or sometime throughout the week, we need to reflect on this.

This week, God, is there any area of my life that is compromised? Is there some area where I'm holding on to the faith but also holding on to immorality, pornography, drunkenness, debauchery, anger, hate—whatever it may be? These are the things that the Lord hates and will not allow into His presence. Am I holding on to these things? Have I allowed them to creep into my life? Even if it's just a pattern of thinking, just mulling over things in my mind that are against God, it's still sin.

Faithfulness to God is not measured in church attendance, how much you serve, or even how much you give, although those things are good disciplines in Christ. Your faithfulness to Jesus is measured in how we live before God from Sunday to Sunday, in honesty, integrity, and self-control. That kind of faithfulness is not easy.

We have the revelation, the commendation, and the indictment. Look at the summons of verse 16: "Repent." Point number five on your outline: true faithfulness begins with repentance. It doesn't end there, but it begins with repentance. You can be certain that God will work in the penitent heart the things that please Him, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do those things that are pleasing to Him (Philippians 2:13). He will work in the penitent heart of that person who is seeking Him perpetually and saying, "God, work in me." He will work in you those things that are pleasing to Him.

But true faithfulness begins with repentance. "Repent, or else." This is the same word that He said to the church at Ephesus: "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly." Again, I have to go back to it because it's amazing to me, this connection. There are many people in the church today, and the Bible even says it in Revelation 22, who say, "Lord, come quickly." But there are some of you who are here today who know that you don't want the Lord to come quickly because there are things in your life that aren't right. So you're perfectly fine saying, "Lord, tarry."

A little bit longer, there are some people in the church who aren't happy about you praying that prayer or living your life in that way. So, repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Who's the "them"? It's those in their church that hold the doctrine of Balaam or the Nicolaitans. I will fight against them; the Lord knows who they are.

There's a parable told of a farmer who went to scatter seed, and in the evening, his enemy came and planted tares among the wheat. The Lord knows who the tares are amidst the wheat. That's right, He knows, and you need to repent—a change of mind that results in a change of action. Or else, I will come and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. That is perhaps the scariest picture in the Bible. It's sobering: Jesus coming to fight with us.

We have the picture of us being on Jesus's side. There's a great picture in Joshua chapter 5, where Joshua and the children of Israel are about to face their enemies in the city of Jericho. Joshua goes to survey the land of Jericho, and as he's walking about, he comes across a man who is not just a man; he is more than a man, dressed in full battle array with a sword in his hand. Joshua asks, "Are you for us or for our enemies? Are you going to fight for us?"

This man replies, "No, but as the commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come." Essentially, he says, "I'm not for you or for your enemies. The question is, are you with me?" That's right, because I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Joshua had the right response; he fell on the ground and worshipped. The one whom he worshipped said, "Take the sandals from your feet; the place where you are is holy ground." That one was Jesus.

That picture of Him with the sword in His hand is the image we need to hold in our hearts: repent, or else I will come quickly and fight against you with the sword of my mouth. Now, it doesn't end there, and we're thankful that it doesn't, because our outline ends not with the summons of repentance but with the promise to those who repent.

Look at verse 17: the promise. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." That's us. "To him who overcomes..."

I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. Now, that's enigmatic. What is that? I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. It sounds like it's a good thing, but I don't know what it is.

The children of Israel came out of Egypt. The Book of Exodus, specifically Exodus chapter 16, pictures them in the wilderness, and they are without food. They cry out to God, "We need food!" So God delivers. In the morning, they wake up, and there's all this stuff outside their tents on the ground. They go outside and say, "Manna," because "man" means "What is it?" That's right, literally. They are going around asking, "What is it? What is it?" Moses says, "Eat it." But what is it? Manna. They ate it, and for 40 years, God provided for them daily bread from heaven.

Now, the connection brings us to the New Testament and the Gospel of John. In John chapter 6, Jesus says this in verse 35: "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst." In verse 41, the Jews complained about him because he said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven." They knew exactly what he was saying because they knew their history. In verse 48, he says, "I am the bread of life," and in verse 51 of John 6, he says, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of this world."

Now, those who heard that were blown away. They couldn't compute it. They freaked out, asking, "What are you telling us? To eat your body?" No, I'm speaking in metaphors here. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me and believes in me is the person who takes part in me.

So, Jesus says, "You need to return, and I will give you manna. I will give of myself." But not only does he say that, he also says, "I will give him a white stone, and on that stone, a new name which no one knows except the one who receives it."

Now, I'm going to stop you here because someone's going to come and ask me, "So, what was written on the white stone?" I don't know. If I did know, then it would say, "No one knows except for Pastor Miles," but it doesn't say that. It says, "No one knows." So, he says, "If you overcome, I'm going to give you a white stone." We wonder, "What's the white stone?" Jesus is speaking to almost a purely Greco-Roman culture, non-Jewish, and when he says these things, they understood the white stone to mean several different things.

In antiquity, particularly in ancient Greece and Rome, the white stone held significant meanings. One of these meanings was related to the competitors in the games, such as the Isthmian Games in Corinth or the Olympic Games held in Olympia. If you were a participant in these games and emerged as the victor, you would receive a white stone with your name inscribed on it. This stone entitled you to be taken care of for the rest of your life as the victor.

Another use of the white stone was in Roman festivals and assemblies, where it served as a ticket. This ticket, also inscribed with your name, granted you access to the events. At the very least, this suggests that the white stone symbolizes access and provision for eternity.

He who overcomes—how do you overcome? In 1 John, chapter 5, just a few books to the left of Revelation, we find the answer. We have looked at this passage every week for the last several weeks. 1 John, chapter 5, verses 4 and 5 state, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

Jesus invites us to come to Him, saying, "I am the bread of life. Believe in Me, and you will eat and be born again." Whoever is born again overcomes. Thus, Jesus's call in this passage is to become an overcomer through Him, one who is more than a conqueror.

To the church that was compromised and moving toward sin, He says, "Repent, and I will make you overcome." This is a challenging word for us, especially as we live in a counter-Christian culture that constantly bombards us with the temptation to compromise. It begins not with an action but with a thought that we carry in our hearts. If that thought is present, we must repent.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?