The Deception of Balaam

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.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

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.

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,

Romans 13:4

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.

Job 1 · chapter mention

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

Numbers 22 · chapter mention

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?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

Are they?

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.

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.