Conforming

Well, thank you very much, Alice.

Please do keep that passage open in front of you as we explore it over the next few minutes.

But let us pray together before we do that. Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning and recognize that to understand your word,

we need your spirit to work in our hearts.

And so, Father, that is our prayer, that you would soften our hearts,

that we would hear your word and, Father, that we would be transformed.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

I recently saw a funny video that was a secret social experiment

to see how people copy those around them without really thinking about it too much.

So they filmed a doctor's surgery waiting room and there were 10 people sitting in this surgery.

It was before COVID, don't worry.

But nine of those 10 people were actors.

And one of the people there was the test subject, but they didn't know that they were being tested.

And every minute or so, a buzzing sound would come over the speakers

and all the actors would stand up for a few seconds and then sit down.

The test subject confused the first time he saw it, wasn't sure what was going on,

but then the second time stood up confidently.

And as it continued time and time again, his confidence grew.

But then one by one, the actors left the room and the buzzing sound continued.

With each buzz, he stood up with more and more confidence.

And yet the point where he was alone in the room.

All the actors had left.

The buzzing came on.

No pressure to conform to those around him.

No peer pressure.

And yet he still stood up.

Now this is a silly and small experiment which points to a deeper and more serious reality

that we conform to, we copy what goes on around us.

And I'm saying this because it has something to do with our passage this morning.

Because in these short verses in Revelation chapter 2,

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

we're going to hear a sober warning.

Not to conform to the world around us.

The warning in this passage that should be sending off alarm bells in our minds

is that we cannot hold to Christ and to the world.

We cannot conform to the sinful patterns that are always going on around us.

Do not conform to the world, Jesus says, but cling to him.

Last week in Smyrna, the church were suffering persecution

and they were in need of encouragement.

So Jesus revealed himself to them as the first and the last.

The one who had died, but also the one who had risen to life again.

And each of these letters in the book of Revelation begin with a description of Jesus

that is particularly relevant to the situation of each church.

So turn with me to verse 12 and see how our passage begins this morning.

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

Now we might read that and think, yes, how encouraging.

Jesus is reminding this church who are suffering that he has the power and the means to protect them.

But we need to take the whole Bible into consideration when we look at this verse

because that is not what Jesus is saying.

If you flick over a few pages previously to Hebrews chapter 4 verse 12, this is what it says.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any two double-edged sword.

It penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.

It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

This sword is the word of God proceeding from the mouth of Jesus.

And we see that in Revelation chapter 1 verse 16.

Revelation 1:16

Jesus is warning the church in Pergamum that he will come

and he will use this sword on the body of believers that meet there.

With this word of God, Jesus comes and uncovers, he lays bare the hearts of the people in this church

and he judges their hearts.

And he sees something that he commends.

But he also sees something that he condemns.

And that will be subject to his judgment.

Friends, that is why it is so important that everything we believe is based on the Bible.

Not what culture says.

Not what the newest, trendiest religious leader says.

And definitely not what the world says.

Everything we believe must come from this book because it is God's revealed word.

And on that final day, as we all stand before Christ,

he will judge with power and authority.

So at the beginning of this short letter to the church in Pergamum,

we get this warning from Jesus that he will uncover everything

and judge the hearts of this church.

Jesus sees what's going on.

And he sees something he commends and something he condemns.

Well, the first thing we see in this passage is what Jesus commends in verses 12 to 13.

Jesus commends.

So Jesus begins, as he does with most of these letters,

encouraging this church with reasons that he has to commend them.

But notice how he starts in verse 13.

This is the voice of a loving Lord and Savior.

This is the voice of comfort and reassurance.

This is not a threat.

But Jesus says he knows their situation.

If you were on the street and you saw someone crying on their knees in pain and agony

as they are afflicted and neglected,

what would you do?

If someone felt alone and abandoned,

well, you would get down on your knees next to them, wouldn't you?

When someone's entire life seems to have fallen away from under their feet,

you sit with them in their pain and you listen.

Listen, that is what Jesus is doing here.

He's drawing alongside a church that is hurting and he's saying,

look, you're not alone.

I know where you live.

I know the situation you find yourselves in and I am here for you.

The church in Pergamum, or your Bible may say Pergamos,

it's the same city.

This city was very religious.

There were temples to both Greek and Roman gods,

temples to Zeus and Athena and more,

and three temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperor.

That is why twice in these few verses,

this city is described as the place where Satan lives

or the place where Satan has his throne.

And as we thought about last week with Archie,

the first century Christians initially had protection under the Roman Empire

because they were thought to be Jews.

But at this point, that protection had stopped.

Now they were being seen as a sect like everybody else

and they needed to conform to the pagan worship that was going on around them

and pay homage to and worship the emperor.

Pergamum isn't called the city of Satan specifically because of emperor worship.

The emperor here is not Satan.

But Pergamum is called the city where Satan lives

because this whole city was characterized by worshiping false gods.

It invaded every area of life.

If you wanted to be someone in this city,

you needed to go to the right festivals,

the right meetings,

the right celebrations,

all revolving around pagan worship.

Satan has power in this city.

And he has his people there who are making life horrible for Christians.

It was so bad that Antipas was martyred.

Now we know next to nothing about this man

except for the description Jesus gives him here as a faithful witness

or a better translation of that word is a faithful martyr.

Jesus describes himself in the same way in Revelation chapter 1 verse 5.

Revelation 1:5

So this man followed in the example of Jesus

and gave up his life for his faith.

But even in this city where Satan has power,

the resounding truth that the Bible teaches

and the repeated emphasis of the whole book of Revelation

is that no matter what weapons Satan throws against you,

no matter what weapons Satan does use,

Jesus wins.

Jesus wins.

Does Satan have power?

Yes, he does.

But that power is held in check

by a God who is in control of all things.

Satan is a defeated foe

who will never, ever overcome the Lord's people.

But Jesus knows that this is a hard place for them to live in.

And so he says to this hurting church,

I know your situation.

Yet be comforted because I know that you remain true to my name

and have not renounced your faith in me.

This church stood firm in the face of opposition and persecution

when the pressure around them was mounting up

to renounce Christ for a more comfortable life

so that they could join in with the world.

Just renounce Christ.

That was what they were being told every day.

Some people in this church stood firm in their faith

and they said no.

When the world came knocking

and they were being dragged through the mud,

they would not bow to fake gods

and renounce Jesus.

They stood firm.

Friends, can the same be true about us?

Would Jesus say the same thing?

We need to hold fast to our confession in Jesus.

Stand firm in face of opposition and persecution.

We are surrounded by a world

and people who worship a plethora of fake gods.

Sure, they may not be graven idols

that we see on people's mantelpieces

as we go into their homes,

but the world idolizes sex as a thing to chase after

and enjoy regardless of the costs.

And that is contrary to the Christian worldview

that sex is to be enjoyed between one man

and one woman in the covenant marriage relationship.

And when we stand up for those truths,

we will be opposed.

When the world thinks about success

and it pushes that idea

that you need to have a big house,

a flashy car, the latest upgrade,

the newest branded clothes,

we are called to stand firm in Christ

and not get sucked into the idolatry around us.

But what about those times

when everyone is acting a certain way,

mocking the government,

breaking the guidelines,

getting drunk,

and the list continues?

As Christians, we should stand firm.

It will mean that we are seen as weird.

It will mean that we will be sidelined and shunned,

but it is better to live for the approval of Christ

than it is the approval of the world.

Jesus says to you this morning,

if this is you,

I know where you live.

Sure, our situation is not the same

as the church in Pergamon.

We're not being persecuted to this extent.

But the reality is the same.

And Jesus draws near to you this morning

and he says,

I know your struggles.

I know your pain.

I know your temptations.

Friends, my prayer is that

for every single one of us,

Jesus could say,

yet you remain true to my name.

You did not renounce your faith in me.

Jesus commends this church in Pergamon

because even in their suffering,

they hold firm to Christ.

But at the same time,

there were those in the church

who were flirting with the world.

And the second thing we see in this passage

is what Jesus condemns

in verses 14 to 17.

Jesus condemns.

The big problem in the church in Pergamon

is that there were Christians,

regulars at church,

those who sat in services week in,

week out,

listened to their teaching and sermons

and yet were compromising their faith

and mixing it in with the ways of the world.

And there were also those

who knew it was happening

and did nothing about it.

There were some in this church

who were trying to have their feet

in two camps,

in the church and in the world.

But like every spy movie

has ever taught us,

working for two completely different sides

never works.

There were some who were professing Jesus

with their mouths

but engaging in pagan worship

at the same time.

They would sit in services,

be saying and doing all the right things

but then go home

and do things completely contrary

to the word of God.

They were playing a dangerous game.

Jesus says in verse 14,

read with me,

There are some among you

who hold to the teaching of Balaam,

who taught Balak to entice the Israelites

to sin so that they ate food,

sacrificed to idols

and committed sexual immorality.

Likewise,

you also have those

who hold to the teaching

of the Nicolaitans.

There were people in this church

who thought that they could hold

the teaching of Christ,

the teaching of the Christian faith

at the same time

as that of other religious leaders

and establishments

that promoted sexual immorality

and eating food

that had been sacrificed to idols.

The problem in this church

is that sexual immorality

and idolatry

have been called out

as the main sins

and temptations

because they've become normal

for them.

And we see that

because of the names mentioned,

Balaam and Balak.

These names take us back

to the book of Numbers

in the Old Testament

where Balak,

a Moabite king,

called on Balaam,

a prophet of the Lord,

to curse the nation of Israel.

And you can read this later on

in Numbers chapter 22,

Numbers 22 · chapter mention

22 to 25.

And Balaam,

who was supposed to be

a prophet of the Lord,

told the king of Moab

to seduce Israel

into sexual immorality

and idolatry.

These names are used

as examples of the depths

of depravity

of some of the people

in this church.

There were people

who were caught up

in this idolatry

and sexual immorality

and they were going

unchallenged.

But before we cast

this church off,

we need to come to terms

with the reality

that the same thing

can be happening

in this church today.

It may look very different,

but it can be true.

Maybe we're not going

to pagan temples

and sacrificing

to idols made of wood

or stone.

Today,

that might look like

us neglecting

our church family

on the altar of comfort.

Neglecting to engage

in a meaningful way

in church

because we're happy

to go it alone.

And instead,

going out for walks

on Sunday morning

instead of tuning

into church.

Maybe we aren't

going to temples

and engaging

in sexual immorality

with prostitute

priestesses

and priests.

But how many people

in the church

today engage

in sex

outside of marriage?

How many people

are addicted

to pornography?

How many people

have lustful thoughts

as they walk

down the street

and see someone else?

Friends,

this passage,

this message

is not just relevant

for a church

2,000 years ago.

It is a message

that we need

to hear today.

You cannot,

you cannot

hold to Christ

and conform

to the world

at the same time.

Jesus and the world,

sin and perfection,

holiness and debauchery

are not compatible.

the sins

that you do

in private

or the sins

that you

do in public

that ensnare

your life,

that draw you

to idolatry

and sexual immorality.

There's everything

outside of God's plan.

All of those sins

are seen

by the Lord

and you may hide

them for a while

but everything

will come to light

one day.

Jesus is the one

with the two-edged sword

that penetrates

the heart

and lays bare

everything before him

and he will judge.

All of us

will need to give

an account of our lives

before the Lord

on the end.

Nothing

can be hidden

from him.

And our responsibility

as a church

is to hold each other

accountable,

to care for each other

because the problem

in Pergamum

was this was going on

and people knew about it

and yet they did

nothing about it.

Friends,

we need to get out

of our comfort zones

and start calling

sin, sin.

We need to go

the extra mile,

make ourselves

uncomfortable,

submit fully

to Christ

and live in a way

that pleases him

through the power

of his Holy Spirit.

And if we fail

in this regard

which we will

because we are

sinful human beings

there is comfort

because that is not

the end.

Look at verse 16

Jesus says

repent.

It is never

too late

for people

to return

to the Lord

and ask

for forgiveness

and the promise

that we see

in Scripture

is all those

who come to Christ

forgiveness

is given.

But we are called

to flee sin.

A Christian

cannot flirt

with the world

and expect

to remain pure.

We must

Usain Bolt

it in the other

direction.

And Jesus

tells us this

not because

he is a killjoy

but because

he loves us

and because

he knows

the situations

that we are in

he knows

we are weak

and he knows

that we cannot

expect to dabble

in sin

to flirt

with the world

and not

sin.

And if

this morning

you are trying

to hold

on to the

world

and at the

same time

hold on

to Christ

listen to

those words

in verse 16

repent

therefore

otherwise

I will soon

come to you

and will fight

against them

with the sword

of my mouth.

Now this is

sobering language

that should wake

us all up

this morning.

If you are

living in sin

whether privately

or publicly

and at the

same time

trying to

confess Christ

Jesus says

that he will

come

and he will

fight against

you.

It's also

a wake up

call for all

of us

brothers and

sisters in

the body

of Christ

to look out

for each

other

because we

should see

this and

not want

anyone to

fall into

that judgment.

We have a

responsibility

to care for

people and

to do it

wisely.

Friends

wake up

wake up

from your

slumber

and your

sin and

return to

Christ.

Reject

the fleeting

comforts of

this world

because they're

meaningless.

They are

short-lived

and they will

only leave you

empty and

hurting and

under the

judgment of

Christ because

you cannot

have Jesus

and the

world.

But the

Bible isn't

naive.

Living like

this is

difficult.

But the

reality, this

is the reality

of the

Christian life

because it

means dying

to ourselves

and living

for Christ,

forsaking all

else but

him.

And that's

precisely why

Jesus goes

on to explain

the result of

those who

do renounce

the world

and live

for him

in verse

17.

To the

one who

is victorious,

I will give

some of the

hidden manna.

I will also

give that

person a

white stone

with a new

name written

on it,

known only

to the one

who receives

it.

Do you see

that victory

language?

Jesus knows

that living

this way is

a battle.

It is a

fight, a

spiritual war

that is won

by patient

obedience and

responsiveness to

God's word.

And

persevering to

the end,

overcoming sin,

clinging to

Christ will

result in a

wonderful

inheritance.

And Jesus

highlights two

rewards that

await those who

fight the good

fight and

continue to the

end.

So this

morning, if you

are in this

spiritual battle,

if you are

feeling beaten

and you want

to throw in

the towel,

if you're

struggling in

your holiness

and finding it

hard to focus

on Christ,

here is what

Jesus says

awaits for those

who are

victorious,

who overcome

the sins of

conformity and

tolerating sin

in our lives.

Jesus promises

first that he

will give hidden

manna to his

people.

As God's

people, we're

in the wilderness

in the book

of Exodus.

The Lord

provided them

with manna,

a type of

food that

sustained them

in the wandering

in the wilderness.

The point that

Jesus is making

here to this

church is that

he will sustain

and provide for

them in this

tension between

the kingdom of

God not yet

being complete

and the

suffering that

they face.

Friends, this

means that as

you battle

against your

flesh and

blood, to

live for

Jesus, as

you release

your grip on

the world and

you cling fully

to Christ, he

will sustain

you.

That's what he

promises.

He will give

you the strength

that you need

by the Holy

Spirit to

persevere until

the end.

But it is

hidden.

You will not

see it.

You may not

even feel it all

the time.

But Jesus

promises to

provide for

and sustain

you in your

present suffering

until that day

that his

kingdom comes

in all of

his glorious

fullness.

And then the

second reward

that Jesus

offers in

verse 17

is a white

stone with

a new name

written on it

known only to

the one who

receives it.

Now there

are a number

of ideas what

these white

stones could mean

but I think the

most convincing

is that stones

were used for

voting.

So a black

stone was a

negative vote

and a white

stone was a

positive vote.

So if someone

was tried in a

court of law

they were given

a white stone

if proven

innocent once

the trial was

over.

And so Jesus

is saying that

on that final

day he will

give those who

remain faithful

to him a

white stone.

A sign of

their complete

innocence through

his death

and resurrection

and their

perseverance to

the end and

he will give

them a new

name.

This fulfills a

prophecy in

Isaiah 62

Isaiah 62:5

verse 5.

Please do look

at it later.

That those who

remain faithful

to the Lord

in Israel will

be given a

new name.

As a

Christian your

identity has

changed.

And if you

live that out

until the end,

if you wage

war well

and persevere

you will be

given a new

name by your

Lord and

Saviour in

the end.

This short

letter to the

church in

Pergamon is

bookended by

the comforting

truth and

challenging

truth that

Jesus knows

everything about

each and every

one of us.

Jesus knows

where you live.

He knows that

you are

surrounded by

temptation.

He knows

that you get

invitations all

the time to

go to the

wrong places,

to hang out

with the

wrong crowds,

and he knows

that it's so

easy to

accept.

He knows

you're surrounded

by things that

draw you to

sin all the

time, but he

calls you to

persevere and

to stand firm

in him.

Think back to

the test

subjects, sitting

in the

doctor's

waiting room

and acting

like everybody

else.

The reality

is that as

Christians we

can so easily

be caught up

to do the

same as the

world and

to conform to

the sinful

patterns that

go on around

us every day.

But Jesus

tells us that

he knows all

things.

He knows our

lives and he

says do not

conform to the

pattern of this

world.

do not

think that

you can hold

on to Christ

and the

world at the

same time,

but instead

wage war

against sin.

Wage war

against wrong

theology and

cling to Christ

alone.

Because

persevering to

the end,

running the

race until

the finish

line means

that we will

dwell with

him forever

in perfect

harmony.

And he

promises to

sustain you

until that

day that

we hear those

life-giving

words,

well done,

well done,

good and

faithful servant.

Let's pray

together.

Heavenly

Father, we

pray that as

we read

your word,

by your

spirit you

would show

us things

that we

are to be

commended

for,

but also

show us the

reality of

things that

we know

deep down

we will be

condemned

for.

And Lord,

would that

reality wake

us up?

Would it

help us

release our

grip on the

world and

cling solely

to you?

Father,

forgive us.

Father, we

thank you for

that comforting

truth that for

every time we

fail and we

repent,

that your

forgiveness is

granted,

that Jesus

has paid the

price,

and that we

are forgiven

by the

precious blood

of the

Lamb.

Jesus,

thank you.

Amen.