The Wordly Church

Turn with me in your Bibles or on your phone or iPad.

I've gotten addicted to my little iPhone Bible app.

It's a lot quicker than me thumbing through books.

So I said I'd never do that, but I have to always eat my words.

You never say never.

Can I get an amen?

Revelations chapter 2.

Revelation 2 · chapter mention

We've been looking at and getting started.

And again, one of the reasons that I'm taking so much time for these churches is because out of all the great truths that we're going to learn in the book of Revelation, the most important, I think, for us Christians living today.

And one of the reasons a lot of people do not teach on the book of Revelation, they don't think it's relevant for today.

But it's very relevant for today.

But let me say this the revelence of the book of Revelation are really found in the first four chapters for us practically today.

That is the, hey, all right.

In fact, Revelations, if you remember, verse 19 tells us there's three categories that are designated in the book of Revelation.

The things which thou hast seen, chapter 1, and the things which are, chapters 2 and 3, and then the things which shall be hereafter, chapters 4 through 22.

So we right now, we are in chapters 2 and 3, which relates to the things that are right now.

So it's very important.

This is the meat of the book of Revelation for the church today, and for Christians today, right now.

So that's why I'm spent so much time.

And we will, I know what some of you have already thinking, my soul will be here to the rapture in the book of Revelation.

No, we won't, I promise.

But these chapters two and three is where I was going to spend a majority of time because it's so practical.

And if we get this, if we understand this, guess what?

The things that are passed, they don't matter anyway.

Can I get an amen?

But the things that are gonna come won't matter either.

So we can get chapters two and three, folks, we're home free.

Can I get an amen?

So that's why every word and every paragraph in these two chapters are probably life-changing.

For the church as well as the Christian.

So, with that said, for many people in today's church, the term worldliness, and we're gonna be looking at verses 12 through 17.

And let's read the verses.

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos, write, these things saith he, which hath the sharp sword with two edges.

Hmm, that's gonna be good.

I know, well, it's gonna be good for some, and then bad on the one side it's good of the sword, the other side's not too good.

And he goes on and he says, I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is.

Oh my goodness.

And thou holdest fast my name and hast not denied my faith.

Even, hey, in these days when Antipas was my faithful martyr, probably the we don't know who Antipas really was, possibly the pastor.

I kind of think he was the pastor.

Uh was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Notice he made, he literally says Satan is there twice in one verse.

Hello, folks.

That's powerful.

What is that telling me?

Are you ready for this?

Now you don't, hey, don't, you know why most of us don't really believe Satan's really, or let me put it this way.

Most of us think of, when I say Satan, what's alright, all right, I'm gonna count the three and I'm gonna say Satan.

I want you to get the first image that you think about.

One, two, three, Satan.

Alright?

Alright, I'm gonna say something else.

One, two, three, what does Satan look like?

Horns.

Every time.

I knew it.

What's the first thing when we say Satan or the devil?

We think of a guy in a red suit with horns, ponytail, pitchfork.

That's what we think of.

Hello.

I got news for you.

That's not Satan.

That's not Satan.

But now, let me say this.

You know why?

Because guess what?

Now it's really gonna get good.

Do you see that red suit?

Ponted tail?

Hey, horns, pitchfork.

Look around.

Is he here?

Wait a minute.

Is he here?

Ben, are you in there?

There he is.

Is Satan out there?

Is he in the foyer?

Have you seen Satan?

Red suit, horns, pointed tail, pitched for anybody ever seen online?

Have you seen him?

Guess what?

Are you ready for this?

He's here.

He's here.

And now you know what you're thinking?

Oh my goodness, is he by me?

Here's a better one.

Is it me?

Folks, he's here.

You say, now wait a minute, preacher, this is CCW.

I know.

If we believe the book, and if this is prophetic truth, Satan is in every church.

And he must be revealed and dealt with.

Oh my goodness.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So with that said, let's continue.

But I have a few things against you.

Because thou hast there in your church that hold to the doctrine of Balaam and, hey, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication?

In other words, he says Satan is in your midst, and he's in your midst, and it's not a pointed tail with a pitchfork, but he's people that are trying to bring into your church false doctrine.

Why do you think one of our key core values is clear biblical truth?

He's here.

Just waiting for the opportunity.

Whether it's in the congregation, in leadership, he's here.

And then he goes on.

So, as thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nickelodeons.

We talked about that last week, and I'll just touch it in a little bit, but things that they hate, and those were the ones that I'll go ahead and deal with it.

Those were the ones that, if you remember, they thought that all they were concerned with with was their soul and that the body didn't matter.

So you could live any way you wanted to.

You could do anything you wanted to, as long as you took care of your soul.

That really makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

What?

Know you not that your body's the temple of the Holy Spirit?

Hello.

And then they also taught that the Old Testament just throw it away, it's no good.

Jesus said, whatsoever thing, I meant Paul said, whatsoever things are written aforetime written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

And then Jesus said, I have not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.

Matthew 5, 17.

Amen.

And then the other thing was that they started this hierarchy of separating the bishops, the preachers from the congregation.

And a lot of people believe that Nicola, who was one of the deacons, Nicholas, was the one that started that.

Now there's no really historical facts about that, but what a lot of the great theologians that I've studied over the last 30 years believe that Nicholas, yes, he was a deacon, but that they took his teachings and took it out of context and decided to make it what they wanted it to be.

Sound familiar.

But basically, that's where the Roman Catholic Church was birthed.

Okay?

So we're talking about some heavy stuff here, folks.

Very heavy.

So with that said, then he goes on and he says, Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manner, and will give him a white stone, and in that stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saying, He that receiveth.

Benji, I want to sing at the end, I can only imagine again.

Because when I get through describing that white white stone, you're gonna have a spell.

What that really, I believe, means.

But with that said, many people in the day, in the church today, the term worldliness has a quaint old-fashioned ring to it.

I've been in the church almost 40 years now.

Probably more than that.

But literally, I've been in the ministry 30 plus, 32, I think something Susan will probably know.

I always mess up on the exact number.

But I've been in there a long time.

Longer than we've been married.

And we've been married 35 wonderful years.

Woo! Yes.

Lay it on thick, honey.

I am.

Because I got a puppy and I'm in the doghouse.

I got me a labidoodle.

And I'm on the porch with the labidoodle.

But what I wanted to say here is we've got to realize, folks, it's so important when we look at what the Lord is trying to tell us.

What is worldliness?

For some of us, back when I was growing up, you know what worldliness was?

You couldn't play cards.

That was of the devil.

The cards are the devil.

Oh, where's the devil?

Cards.

Where's the devil?

He's in the pool room.

Shooting pool.

Where's the devil?

He's in the movie theaters.

Where's the devil?

Ladies, in your makeup.

Hello?

You okay out there?

It's in your dress.

They're in your dresses.

Where's the devil?

All these rules and things.

I meant, I I never could figure out how me playing Uno with cars was of the devil.

And I never could figure out how me shooting a game of pool was of the devil.

Now I understand gambling was wrong, and that was of the devil.

But I never did understand all that.

But that was their ideology of worldliness.

Again, see, that was their that was their picture of the devil.

You gotta have, you gotta have a fixture of the devil in your mind so you can fight it.

So you can say, I'm a Christian.

I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do this, I don't do that, I don't do this.

Woo-hoo! I'm a Christian.

But you got the most bitter spirit I've ever seen.

Jesus.

Hello.

You'll cut me, you'll cut me with your words so quick and say, I'm godly though.

Hello.

So we gotta, that was it.

And then, oh, the new movement of church growth.

Are you ready for this?

We call it user-friendly churches.

User-friendly means it's user and friendly to anything and everybody.

In other words, they're not gonna preach anything that's gonna offend anybody.

And here's another word for it.

They are politically correct.

User-friendly, politically correct.

I can't offend someone.

They may not come back.

Have you ever thought they may not need to come back?

Oh, I know, I know.

I'm not being ugly, I'm not being legalistic.

You'll see.

I'm gonna, we're gonna look right at the book.

Now, watch this.

Here's the other thing.

Seeker-oriented church.

What does that mean?

The seeker-oriented church meant that, hey, church tries to relate to where those people are.

We're seeking them, going after them, so whatever it takes, even compromise, we're willing to do to get them into the church so we can preach the gospel.

Then here's the other one.

The market-driven church.

Now I'm all for marketing.

But the church should never be driven by the marketing, it should be driven by the word of God.

We need a word of God-driven church.

Amen.

And those, by the way, out of all seven, the only two that survived were the ones that were word driven.

And I'm all for using all the technology.

Now, now, hey, oh, I forgot this one.

All my musicians are gonna love this one.

Oh, here's the biggie when I was in seminary.

Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! That's of the devil!

Drums are of the devil!

Oh my goodness! You are worldly.

And you got a you got a honky tone machine up here.

Electric piano.

It's not a grand piano.

If it's not a grand, the only thing that's sanctified and spirit-filled is a grand piano.

Hello, you okay out there?

Well, I'm gonna get some letters on this one.

I guarantee it.

Hey, I didn't want to preach this.

Because I know what the repercussion, but you know what?

I'm gonna stand before the Lord one day and have to preach.

I stand for what I preached on the church of Pergamus and what it was.

And by the way, as much as I love you and love your encouragement and your approval, I would lots rather have his approval and his love.

Amen.

Even more my wife, and she's a close second.

See, you're bud the puppies.

Look at, oh, I knew Melvin would love that one.

When Melvin does that big smile, he thinks I'm in the doghouse.

So, now watch.

So here we've laid it.

Now, why do these churches do this?

I wrote this down.

To do the reason they are this way, they're user-friendly, they're seeker-oriented, they're market-driven churches, they don't preach against worldliness.

You know why?

Because it makes unbelievers and believers that are compromising uncomfortable.

And if you make anybody uncomfortable, they're gonna leave and not come back.

Let me ask something.

Would you rather make somebody uncomfortable and hopefully through the power of the Holy Spirit of God and the love of God, He reaches their hearts and saves them and changes them and turns them around and keeps them from going to hell?

And is therefore avoided as poor marketing strategy.

But unlike much of the contemporary church, the Bible does not hesitate to condemn worldliness.

Now, we're gonna go through some scriptures because it's not what I say, what I think, but it's what God's word says.

Get ready.

You got your outline.

Everybody got a brochure.

Anyone need a brochure?

You don't want to miss this.

Okay, good.

All right.

Here's the definition.

It's on your brochure.

Ready?

Worldliness.

I'll read it.

Worldliness is any preoccupation with or interest in the world system of life that places anything perishable before that which is in turn that which is eternal.

Now that's a pretty theological good definition.

Now let me tell you what it means if you're from South Georgia like me.

It means if you're doing anything, hey, if anything's got more of your attention than God, you're in trouble.

If God's not first, you are compromising.

Hello, I know.

No, no, listen to me.

I'm the first one.

That boom, that gets me.

If he's not ultimate in everything, every thought, you're compromising.

I need some help here.

Thank you, sister.

I'm gonna need a lot more than that before I get through.

Seek ye what?

What?

What?

What does first mean?

First.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God.

Now watch.

And all these other things.

Yeah, all those other things.

The sports, the car, all that, if it's in proper order, hey, all that.

And for you young young teenagers, I love you, and let me help you here.

You're struggling and you come.

Hey, hey, that means in every relationship, you don't have to worry about the right boy, you don't have to worry about the right girl.

Listen to me.

If you're living for God, he's gonna knock your socks off.

You may pick one, but you have no, hey, hey, look, hey, I got Susan.

He literally put her right in the church, and then she asked me, Did I need a babysitter?

And I said, Let me pray about it.

Yes.

I didn't choose Susan.

God chose Susan for me.

I wasn't even looking.

Till I saw her.

But you know what I saw in her first of all was not her looks.

Now she's a gorgeous lady.

You should have seen her though when I met her.

Seriously.

No, this is not a, I'm not digging a hole, Melvin.

First time I met her, she had, she didn't wear contact.

She had these big old glasses.

She had overalls on, and they had holes because she had just come from a chemistry lab for the University of Alabama.

And she was in a Wednesday night service, set on the front row.

So I, that did not catch my eye.

Hello.

But after I got to know her, what caught my eye was her heart for Jesus and the love of the word.

She was talking about scriptures more than most of the preacher boys I was in seminary with.

That's what got my heart.

Hello.

And I know it wasn't my looks.

And I know it wasn't my money.

I had none.

I was driving a pintoed station wagon.

Hello.

You okay out there?

It was a God thing.

Why?

Because we both had one purpose, and that was to seek God with all.

Our hearts.

That was our purpose.

As a young preacher, all I wanted to do is build a church that would honor God and be like Him.

Now watch.

Since believers, and I really believe this, worldliness, anything that takes top priority, since believers are not part of the world system, look at John 15, 19.

I want you to understand something.

This is going to be the put a star by this verse, because if you'll understand it, and I'm not sure I totally have, I think I've understood it, but over the years, this is, I've quoted it, I've preached it, but here's the truth.

If you were, by the way, you know what?

What I preached 30 years ago and what I preach now is a little different.

Because I've actually had all those years to live out that truth.

And I'm telling you, it makes a huge difference.

That's why you don't lay hands suddenly on a novice.

Hello.

I've understood that more as the older I've gotten in the ministry.

If you were of the world, in other words, if you were trying to live one foot in the world, one foot out of the world.

Now watch.

The world, hey, if you were of the world, the world would love its own.

Yet because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

If you are living a spirit-filled dynamic, seek first the kingdom of God and life, the world can't stand you.

Amen.

They can't stand you.

Is that not where America is today?

I mean, you'd think real Christians are are are Nazis.

Really?

Folks, here it is.

There it is.

But now notice, with that said, if they hate you, then how can they fellowship with you?

Help me, that's two.

That's not enough answers.

Can't fellowship with darkness, but rather reprove them.

Ephesians 5, 11.

Right?

I didn't say you couldn't be a friend, but fellowship, big difference.

Hopefully you befriend people so you can reach the lost.

Amen?

Or you befriend the carnal Christian so you can bring them back.

You with me?

So how can you be intimately involved with somebody that's not living for God if they hate you?

How can you date someone that's not saved or a carnal and, hey, really think you've got an intimate relationship with them when the word of God, Jesus Himself, says they hate you?

The only way you can do that is you're doing it in the flesh.

If you make somebody that's not living for God feel comfortable, they don't have the problem.

We have the problem.

You with me?

Amen.

Erica, is that good?

You can't go against God's word.

Hey, hey, if you're living, if you're, let me tell you something.

If you're spirit-filled, you're radiating Christ all over you.

And when you come in contact with darkness, it's gonna blow up.

And not only is it gonna blow up, you stay there and you don't compromise, you're gonna send it out of here.

Darkness will flee.

They'll get changed, they'll get saved, or they'll leave.

And either way, it's what God wants.

Well, what God wants is them to be saved.

But if they don't get saved, he wants them out.

Hello, who I knew that said, oh, oh, preacher, you, you, you, you just, oh, you're legal, you're trying to run people off.

No, I'm trying to see people get saved and get right and see spirits the power of God.

Paul said, Romans 12, 2, do not be conformed to this world, but be what?

Metamorphosis is a Greek word there, by the renewing of your what?

Mind, that you may prove what is that good except and perfect will of God.

Wow.

Titus 2.12, teaching us who the saved, the church, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly.

You know what that means?

Discipline, having our priorities in order, righteously and godly in this present age.

James 1.27, and when you do that, you know what the Bible calls it?

Pure religion.

God wants a what?

A pure, I'm about to have a running spell.

He wants a pure, hey, pure, lovely, unblemished bride.

Notice what he says.

Pure and undefiled religion.

That's what's wrong.

We got too much religion.

We don't have any relationships.

Pure and undefiled religion before God and the father is this to visit the orphans.

Praise God we love orphans.

Praise God, we reach out to the widows.

Hey, in their trouble, and to keep oneself what?

What?

What?

From the world.

Clean.

Mr.

Clean.

Amen.

But that's what he wants.

Look at James 4, 4, ye adulterers and adulteresses.

Do you know that's what you are if you're compromising?

You're an adulterer or adulteresses?

Folks, bam, that ought to slapped you out of the chair.

You are adulterers or adulteresses.

Do not know that the friendship of this world is enmity with God.

That word means hostility.

It means, hey, totally opposite, godless with God.

Whoever therefore will be a friend of the world makes him, hey, self-what?

An enemy.

Remember, John 15, 19.

The world hates you.

The world hates me.

If I'm spirit-filled, living a hey, an unblemished life.

That's good.

Church at Pergama.

Like many of our churches today.

All right.

Let's go.

Now that's the introduction.

Man.

I'm preaching.

I'm preaching today.

I may resign tomorrow, but I'm preaching today.

I'm joking.

Somebody go out and prosperity resign.

I should have said I may get shot tomorrow, but I'm preaching today.

All right.

Seven things.

God always had completion.

Seven things about this church.

Get ready.

Number one, we're going to go.

Notice the correspondent, verse 12.

And to the angel, pastor of the church in Pergamos, write these things, saith he who hath a sharp sword with two edges.

That's important.

The author has a sharp sword with two edges.

Remember, in Revelation 1.16, he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth was a what?

Sharp two-edged sword.

That's going to go all the way through this book of Revelation.

Now watch with me.

Now let's look at the examination of the sword.

Hebrews 4.12.

For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

There's the word again.

Piercing even to the divining asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

In other words, the word of God is a double two-edged sword.

If you got that, say amen, preacher.

Amen.

It is.

Now, let's look at the second thing.

Let's look at the edges of that sword and what God's Word teaches us.

Why does the sword have two edges?

The word of God has two functions.

This is good.

This is worth you being here.

Two functions.

Function number one, it's the instrument of salvation.

It's the instrument of salvation.

I didn't have a blank for that because I couldn't put everything down.

It's the instrument of salvation.

1 Peter 1 23, what does it say?

Being, we'll get to Matthew, this is good.

But 1 Peter 1 23 says, being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of what?

Incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever.

Folks, you get saved through the Holy Spirit, hey, convicting you through the power of the Word of God.

Can I get an amen?

And his word will what?

Never return void, but it will accomplish where God sends it.

Isaiah 55, 11.

You with me?

You with me, church?

So we see that right here.

We see that the word of God separates a man.

Whoo, this is good.

The word of God separates a man from his sin.

He takes that old bondage and that guilt and that condemnation and all that ungodliness and those evil thoughts and all of that with that word and that's got you bound, oh, in that sin and in that guilt, and in that destruction.

And he takes that big two-edged sword and he goes, and then all of a sudden, woo! I'm free.

I'm free.

Thank God Almighty, I'm free.

You shall know the word.

And the word shall what?

Set you free.

And then the second thing.

In fact, he said, I came not to send peace but a sword.

Matthew 10, 34.

And then verse 35 is it's a pass, it's it's it's not a bad verse, but it's a bad indication there.

But he literally in verse 35, do not think that I came to be bring peace on earth.

I did not come to bring peace but a sword.

And verse 35 he says, Whatever it takes, whatever it means for me to cut away even your family, I'll do it.

And see, that's oh, Brother Danny, when I say that kind of preaching, that's legalistic.

It's what the book says.

Hey, listen, let me say something.

I didn't write it, I'm just the paper boy, I deliver it.

Amen.

I'm just the deliverer boy.

Paper boy.

That's all I am.

God wrote this book.

And then notice the second part, the second edge.

The first edge, he cuts our sins away from us.

Oh, he goes down, Hebrews 4.12 said, he goes down into that old heart and he cuts that ungodliness, that wrong thinking, that wrong thinking, that wrong attitudes, that wrong lustful thoughts, that law, that wrong lustful actions, and he cuts it out.

He cuts it out.

The other edge of the sharp two-edged sword is the edge that will fall in judgment.

Hello.

On the unbelieving world.

That edge will be used when Christ comes out of heaven on a white horse with a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth.

Revelations 19, verse 11 and 15.

Revelation 19:11

Do I have that on there, Jason?

Is it up there?

Here it is.

There it is.

Watch this.

Now I saw whoo! And now I saw heaven open.

Hallelujah.

One day it's coming.

This is gonna be after the rat.

Hey, this is gonna be after the tribulation, and we'll be talking about that.

He says, now I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse.

Woo! Don't tell me animals aren't in heaven.

Hello.

If horses are there, dogs are there.

Cats are there.

Don't know about a cat, but dogs are there.

And and he who sat, and he who sat on, all the cat lovers just shot me.

And he who sat on him was called, by the way, I own two cats, I did, so don't say I'm a cat killer.

And and he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

He's swinging the sword, folks.

He's got his sword ready to charge.

Look at verse 15.

Woo-hoo! Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.

Oh, he's coming.

And he's coming with a white horse.

And you and I are gonna be on a horse with him.

I hope mine's, I don't know if mine will be white, but I'm coming on a horse.

Amen.

Doesn't matter what color is as long as I'm on it.

Amen.

We're coming.

He's coming.

You say, well, Pastor Danny, what does he refer to himself?

Why does he refer to himself this way?

Pergamus was starting to flirt with the world.

You know what he's doing?

He's giving them such a rebuke.

He's saying, wait a minute, don't you realize I've already cut you aloof from your sin?

Hey, you're you're you've really been living for God.

You're you're you're striving to do all that I've asked you to do.

I'm excited.

You're faithful, a lot of you, most of you faithful.

But and then all of a sudden they start, some of them start allowing the false teaching to come in, some of, and then some of the believers start falling back into their those fault teachings beliefs.

But it some of you're gonna see in a minute, the city had four unbelievable gods there.

They were filled with Zeus and Ascripolis and Athea and Dionysus, four of the major gods and all of them involved.

Are you ready?

They all involved worship with pagan worship and and uh uh orgies and sex and all kind of ungodly stuff classified as worship to these gods.

So they were starting to ease back into that.

Been delivered from pornography.

Uh-oh.

Starting to dabble back a little bit.

You've been delivered from drugs, but you're starting to dabble back a little bit.

You with me?

See where that's going?

You say, well, I thought when I got saved and got delivered from that, I wouldn't ever be tempted again.

Where did you hear that?

In fact, you're gonna be tempted more.

Why would Satan want to tempt you if he's got you?

You've been delivered out of fornication.

You've been delivered out of homosexuality.

Which is of, hey, hey, all that's ungodly.

It's not of God, it's of the devil.

It's abomination unto God.

Leviticus 18, 22, Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 11.

Are you listening, church?

We're living in a world that thinks everything's okay and they can do anything you want.

Sounds like the Nickelodeons.

That's where we are.

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable.

The people needed to be reminded of their salvation.

They also needed to be reminded that God would eventually judge the world.

Can I get an amen?

Notice the second thing, the city, its foundation.

I'm gonna not spend a lot of time because we've got more great stuff we've got to get to before I get through.

But it was in Turkey.

Turkish.

And by the way, Bergama, it was in the uh the village called Bergama.

Uh that is the Turkish version of the word Pergamus.

And there's still a small Christian church there today.

Still is.

Unbelievable.

Legends have it that Pergamos was founded by a son of Hercules on a lofty hill in the broad and fertile plain of Cacus Valley.

Now that's but it had been the capital of Asia for over 300 years.

So it was a model city.

It's religion, I just told you.

The four temples.

Athea, Athena, Ascripolis, Dionysus, better known as Bacchus, and then Zeus.

All four prominent temples were built on a large hill in the city of Pergamus.

Their education had one of the largest universities in the world.

And it was dedicated to the god.

Are you ready?

Ascripolis.

It was a medical god.

They had the largest medical university in the world.

And their symbol, are you ready for this?

Was a staff with a snake all the way around it, going all the way down.

Have you seen that?

In the medical field, my daughter's a uh surgical PA, UAB.

Great school for surgery and all that.

Yeah, but isn't it amazing?

Wonder where they got that symbol from?

It right here.

Scripalis.

The goddess.

You know what their temple was?

Now, this is really gonna get you.

Are you ready?

I can't handle this.

And you know why they had snakes?

They believed that snakes healed.

So their temple were filled with non-poisonous snakes.

I mean, you couldn't walk in the temple without almost stepping on a snake.

They would never have to worry about me stepping in the temple.

So what they would do, no, listen to me, this is not funny.

They would go and pay.

That sounds familiar, doesn't it?

I can't heal you if you don't pay me.

They'd pay and go spend the night in the temple, and they'd lay down, and supposedly when the snakes rolled over them, touched them, licked them, bite them, I don't know.

They would get healed.

Now I'm gonna tell you something.

If you really believed that, and they did by the thousands, I've got some land in Florida, I want to say after church.

That's about as weird as it gets.

But that was the unbelievable goddess, medical goddess.

And they had the largest library at the time, other than Greece.

200,000 volumes.

You say that's not a large.

When there's, hey, when there's no printing press, that's a huge library.

In fact, they printed all their books most of the, I mean, wrote, they wrote them out on paper, and that was their leading, are you ready?

Commerce of the city was making the paper's paper.

That's pretty good education, real quick, isn't it?

Paper mill, that's good.

That's what it was.

So, with all that said, its education was medical, its business, commerce was paper mill.

I like that there.

So, that's the city.

Now let's go to the church.

Look at the church.

How did the church at Pergamus begin?

We don't know.

We really don't know.

But we're pretty sure that it was founded by the mother church of Ephesus.

We think it it mothered all the other six churches.

We don't know if Paul spent a time there to start it.

We don't know if some of Paul's disciples started it.

There's a lot of speculation.

But when we when it doesn't, when the word of God doesn't just say it, I'm kind of leery of saying anything.

We really don't know, but we do know this much.

God wrote the letter to the church.

Hey, Jesus wrote it through the person of the beloved John.

But here's what we do know, two things about it.

It was, hey, it dwelled in Satan's territory.

Look at verse 13.

I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's throne is.

The church was right.

In the middle of Satan's territory.

Somebody said, I thought Satan's throne was in hell.

Not Satan's throne's not in hell.

Satan's throne's right here in the world.

How do you know that?

Well, let's look at it.

Look at 2 Corinthians 4 4.

I think we have that up there.

Whose minds the God of this age.

World has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

And then there's other scriptures that, hey, he's the ruler of this world, John 12, 31.

He's the prince and power of the air, Ephesians 2.2.

So his throne's right here.

And what's his mission?

Number two, to destroy the church's testimony.

To destroy the church's testimony.

That's what his whole purpose is.

And unfortunately, some of the people in the church at Pergamos began to court the world again.

They became a victim of Satan.

You know, most people thought when we looked at the church at Smyrna, persecution would destroy the church.

Can I say something?

Persecution does not destroy a church.

Persecution makes a church stronger.

Compromise destroys the church.

That's what destroys the church.

And let me show you the three things that it does.

Here's this book.

Ultimate apostasy.

Compromise is the first step to apostasy.

Now, God, hey, hey, hey, God didn't come out here and say, oh, CCW is an apostate church.

No.

None of the churches started out as apostate churches.

But several, including Ephesus, the mother church, ended up an apostate church.

Why?

Yes, they lost their first love, but that wasn't all of it.

The loss of the first love led them to compromise, falling back into their allegiance back to the world instead of God.

Back to the world instead of the word.

Ultimate apostasy.

Demas.

Remember what Paul told Timothy?

He said, Come to me quickly, because my brother that I thought was my brother that was helping me has left me.

Demas, Demas has forsaken me, having what?

Loved this present world and has departed from Thessalonica.

Hey, that's it.

Hey, he started courting the world again, falling back again.

Got him.

Got him.

I thought about that.

When they entered the lane of Canaan, God said, destroy all the pagans.

Remember that?

Judges chapter 3.

Judges 3 · chapter mention

Really, Judges 3 and 4?

What did he say?

Kill them all.

They didn't kill them all.

And I know, see, that's that's horrible.

Oh, the political, the liberals, oh God.

No, God wouldn't do that.

He just he just that tells you how much God hates sin, not how much God hates people.

It's not about the people, it's about the sin of the people.

Get that straight.

And if you understand that, say amen with me.

It's not about the people, it's about the sin of the people.

He loves the people, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.

He loves you, but he hates sin.

He loves me, but he hates my sin.

He hates my rotten attitude and my evil thoughts and all that's ungodly in me.

He hates that, but he loves me.

And he takes that sword and he cuts it out of me.

And then when he sees I'm starting to ease back, he says, Don't you remember I've cut that out of you?

And you don't want to get the other side of the sword.

It's judgment.

Don't do it.

Don't go there.

Secondly, is an unholy alliance.

They married.

They intermarried with the Gentiles.

An unholy alliance was made with the world.

Israel's next step was to abandon God.

They lost their first love.

They married, hey, the world, and then they abandoned God.

That's the process.

When you have an unholy allegiance, you will eventually abandon God.

Oh, I can date that person that's lost.

I can do, oh, I'm gonna be a great witness.

Not first of all, why would you be wanting to date someone that hates you?

You say, oh, they don't hate me.

My soul.

Oh, they're fixing to take you under so quick you're not even gonna know what hit you.

He's the angel of light.

Yeah, I'm hot too.

Can we get some air?

You know why we're hot?

Satan's getting upset.

He's turning up, hey, we're turning up the heat on Satan.

He's not liking what I'm preaching.

Because see, he had you fooled.

You thought he had horns, red suit, and pointed tail, and pitch for it.

But now watch.

Then that unholy alliance leads to an unacceptable affection.

A third thing.

You only have so much affection and love you can give.

It can't be split between God and the world.

Hello.

Can't be split between God and the world.

Jesus, look what Jesus said.

No man can serve.

He will hate the one and hold to the other.

No one can love.

And then he, isn't it amazing what he does with money?

Because everything in the world is about money.

And then he says, and you can't love manna.

You can't love money.

God's got the answer to everything.

We just don't want to hear it.

We don't want to hear it.

You're thinking right now, I wish I'd have skipped this message.

But now watch.

If any man love the world, 1 John 2.15, read it out loud, church.

Do not love the world or the things in the world.

Now, in the next phrase, read it, read it out loud.

If anyone of the Father is not the same.

Read it again.

Now go back to John 15, 19.

I told you that was going to be the foundational verse.

That's why we started with it.

The world hates you.

And how can you love the world if it hates you?

And then God's word says, you can't love the world because the love of the Father's in you.

You cannot compromise and get away with it.

Can I get a know me?

You can't, you can't, you can't.

Carrie's coming to repent.

Be sober, be vigilant.

Because your adversary, the devil is a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.

Now, in the midst of all this, look at the next thing.

There's a commendation.

He says, I know the works where thou dwellest, even where Satan is.

In fact, he says twice.

He says, I know everything.

Can I say this?

God knows everything about you and me.

When you think you're getting away with compromise, you're not getting away with it.

When I think I'm getting away with compromise, I'm not getting away with it.

The eyes of the Lord in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15, 3.

Now, Carrie was checking on the Air Force.

Thank you, Carrie.

I had to pick at him.

He knows.

We go way back.

I wouldn't say that to anybody.

But now listen, Christ understands this.

Let me tell you why.

Christ had a head-on confrontation with temptation, with Satan on the mount of temptation.

Remember that in Matthew 4, three times, Sylvester?

And each time he said, Get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shall thy serve.

So don't think he doesn't know.

Don't think he hasn't confronted it.

He knows exactly what you are going through.

Now notice that, hey, the experience of Christ, in fact, there's, let me, oh, I almost missed it.

Jesus didn't use the Greek word here, gonoskos or gonosko.

That means to know something by observation.

He didn't use that word.

He used the word, Greek word odah, which means to know by experience.

In other words, Jesus knows what we are being tempted with because he's experienced it himself.

That's powerful.

And then we see the experience of the church.

Look at the position.

Satanic power was being manifested in the evil, hey, religious character of pergamous, everything, all the ungodly stuff was going on.

But notice what he said, they stood true.

He says, and thou holdest fast my name.

Wow.

Woo! There's power in his name.

Can I get an amen church?

There's deliverance in his name.

There's comfort in his name.

There's strength in his name.

There's protection in his name.

There's perseverance in his name.

Neither is there salvation in any other name.

Where two shall agree and believe and ask in his name.

That shall he do it.

Wow.

They stood.

Look at their promise.

Here's the promise, Matthew 16, 18.

And I will build my church.

He says, Upon this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

And going back up there, hey, standing.

And this is where I'm going to preach next.

After this Revelation series, first of the year, we're going to start off with putting on the armor of God.

Because that's the key to winning this fact.

Hey, and the key to winning over temptation to compromise and losing your first love, which leads to compromise, which leads to destruction, is walking daily with the armor of God on.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Take the shield of faith that you may be able to ward off all the wiles of the devil.

The promise.

Hey, upon, you know what he's saying?

The gates of hell.

Those out of hell can't destroy the church.

Amen.

They can't.

Satan can't.

And then the perseverance.

How did they do it in the battle?

I think they did it well enough.

Hey, for Christ said, You've held fast to my name.

You hold fast to the name of Christ, you'll be victorious.

Can I get an amen?

The questions you should be, and I'm not going to take time to deal with, but what is Satan's throne?

It was the worship of the emperor, the altar of Zeus, the temple, the medical, uh, the temple of Ascripolis, the medical temple.

All that.

That was, oh, it was just, it was Satan's throne.

And by the way, when you came into it, the temple of Ascripolis, and then also, not a uh it was by the the college, but but Zeus had a big, huge statue 40 feet over, protruding out over the cliff that looked when you came in like a throne.

And that's why we believe the author John wrote Satan's throne.

It looked just like a throne.

So that's where that we believe that came from through the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Then notice number five, the condemnation.

There were two false doctrines.

The teaching of Baal, verse 14 and 15.

Let me tell you, you gotta hear this.

Balaam was a prophet.

Guess what?

He was a prophet that could be bought.

People would call for Balaam and pay him to prophesy.

And so Balach, the king of the Moabites, was having major problems with Israel.

The Moabites were ungodly pagans, believed in orgy worship, about as ungodly as you can get it.

You know, Sin City, Las Vegas.

Okay?

So he calls for Balaam and asks Balaam to prophesy a curse on Israel.

Balaam said, I can't do that.

That's God's people.

He said, Yeah, you can.

He said, No, I'll give you, I'll give you some sheep.

You can do it.

He said, No, I can't.

Three times he denied him.

Undoubtedly, he must have upped the ante of the sheep.

Because the first, fourth time he cursed God.

Well, actually, put it this way, he cursed God three times, excuse me.

Three times.

Didn't work.

So you know what he decided?

He says, I can't, I can't, in fact, I wrote this down.

This is a pretty good saying.

He said, you know what he basically said?

He said, I can't stop them, so I'm gonna get them to compromise.

So you know what he said?

I got a plan.

He told the king Balak, get your women to go marry their men.

He says, Well, what's gonna happen when they marry the men?

They're gonna get the men to start doing idolatry worship, pagan worship, orgy worship.

And next thing you know, they'll be worshiping your gods instead of the God.

And that is exactly what happened.

Exactly what happened.

Unbelievable.

And that's found in Numbers chapters 23.

Numbers 23 · chapter mention

Hey, hey, 23.

Actually, it starts with chapters 22 all the way through chapters 31.

Unbelievable.

It was a major.

In fact, he says, if you know what he said?

He basically said this.

If I can't corrupt them, I'll get them to compromise.

And he did.

He did.

Unbelievable.

Now notice Christ's absolute condemnation of such a union in Israel or in Pergamous is a clear testimony.

Look at 2 Corinthians 6, 14 through 17.

You gotta see this.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers?

How much clearer does it need to be?

For what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness or lawlessness, and what communion has light with darkness?

Look at verse 15.

And what accord has Christ with Belal?

Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?

For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, I will dwell in them, I will walk among them, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Folks, it's sealed and delivered right there.

Bam! It's settled.

Can't do it.

Why?

The world hates you.

Say this with me: the world hates me.

The world hates the church.

Why does the world do that?

It's Satan's throne.

Now do you see it?

It is Satan's throne.

Well, let's go to the command.

Two more and I'm three.

We're almost there.

Look at the command.

The request for repentance.

Look at verse 16.

Repent.

Repent from what?

The church of Pergamus needed to repent from involving themselves with the world.

They needed to repent from compromise, from flirting with the world, and seeking to be entertained by what it offers.

Now, let me go back.

Please don't walk out of here saying that I said all you can do is read your Bible ten hours a day, go to church twice a week, and that's all you can do.

Don't you dare walk out of here and think I said that.

That is legalism.

You can't.

Christianity is not a rules of can't.

It's a rules of excitement and, hey, hey, of, hey, I can exalt Christ.

You can do anything long as it doesn't take, hey, Lord over you, and long as it's not.

Listen wrong scripturally.

Amen.

Sexual immorality, for all that.

You know what's right and what's wrong there.

You can't participate in that.

That's a not only is that compromise, you've already fallen off the wagon.

Amen.

I mean, you're in trouble.

Majorly.

Now, watch this.

I'm going to show you something I'd never seen before.

And I don't know how.

Out of 35 years of studying the Word of God, I'd never seen this before.

Or maybe it's just never been so personal before.

But now I want you to watch this.

He says, you got to repent.

If you're flirting with the world, you better quit flirting.

If you're in the world and you've already fallen off the wagon, you better get out, repent, ask God to forgive you and come back.

Can I get an amen?

And find some help.

Find some good godly counsel.

Can I get an amen?

Find some accountability.

How many of you have somebody that asks you the tough questions every week?

You know what a tough question is?

Hey, how's your study time with the Lord?

How's your prayer time with the Lord?

How's your TV watching?

How's your movie watching?

How's your music listening?

Is it all honoring and glorifying to God?

I'm not going to try to tell you which style.

Hey, hey, hey, Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors.

I know what I like.

I actually like them.

There's not many in there I don't like.

But you get the picture.

Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, here's the answer.

Do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10, 31.

Whatever you do.

So if you're not living like that, you need to repent this morning and come back.

And let me tell you why.

Here's what happens if you don't.

If you're lost this morning, please come to Christ.

Because you're headed straight to hell.

Now you don't want to go to hell.

Now watch this.

Watch this.

Oh man, this knocked me literally out of my chair.

The results of no repentance.

Look at verse 16, second part.

Or else, first of all, who's speaking?

Who's speaking?

Church?

Jesus.

Okay?

Or else I will come unto thee quickly.

And underline the next words.

And I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Can you believe this?

Look.

Look.

I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth, with the word of God.

Remember?

Boy, this is good.

Remember?

Two edges.

One edge cuts us a loose from sin.

Bondage.

All that ungodliness.

But if we start back and start getting back in the world, why did he warn them so vehemently and so powerfully, really?

Because he says if you go back and you get back in that, the other side of the sword is comeg.

I don't want you to face my judgment.

Even though Christian, you will face the beam of judgment seat and you can still lose rewards.

We're going to deal with that in detail in Revelation, the beam of judgment seat.

He says it'll be horrible.

Why do you as Christians listen to me?

Why, as Christians, do you struggle all the time?

Could it be?

Could it be?

You got one foot in the world and one foot in the church.

And you know what Satan's telling you right now?

You're gonna think I'm reading your mind.

You know what he's telling you right now?

Well, foot.

I'll just get out of the church.

If you're thinking that, he's won.

He's won.

He's won.

That's what he wants.

He wants you to get out of the church.

Or he wants you to go to a liberal church where everybody says everything's okay.

Just do what you feel and do the best you can because we're all gonna get there.

Amen.

That's a lie right out of the pits of hell.

It's not what the book says.

And I preach because I love you.

I need this.

God says, I will fight against you with my word if you start going back to the world.

God help us.

But there's good news.

But he says, if you don't, and I'm through, what?

If you don't, ha ha! The counsel, verse 17.

He says, if you don't know me, you need to come this morning and believe in me.

You need to get saved.

And then he says, but if you're a Christian and you've been wayward, there's only three types of people here: lost, carnal, spirit-filled.

That's it.

1 Corinthians 3 tells us that.

We know that.

In the church.

So you need to come back to Christ.

You need to say, Lord, forgive me for dabbling in Satan's methodologies and Satan's traps and the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

Forgive me.

God, give me strength.

Put the word in me.

It's the word, remember?

So you know what the answer is twofold.

Prayer and the study of the word of God.

Give yourself continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Prayer endues you with this power, and the sword touch the sin.

Amen.

Then he says, I'm gonna give you two things.

I'm gonna give you hidden manna.

Woo! Hidden manna.

You say, What's that?

The Old Testament Israelites were fed with manna from heaven.

Exodus 16, 15.

In the church, we are fed with hidden manna.

You say, what is it?

It's the spiritual sustenance of the word of God.

It's that intimate fellowship with the word of God and prayer and the word.

Oh, why do you come to church?

I love, we need each other.

We need to encourage each other.

I need to hug your neck out there and tell you I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it.

I want you to hug me and tell me you love me, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Thank you, Lord.

We need each other to hold each other accountable.

You say with CCW, if we miss two or three Sundays, they they check on us.

Yes! Why?

We don't want Satan to get you out of the church.

Thank you, Lord.

Ultimate apostasy is what he wants.

And then look what else.

You remember the white stone?

I think David Roper in his class, y'all had a spell that I think y'all were dealing with the white stone.

He says, You're gonna have the hidden manna.

Hidden manna is the refreshing food of fellowship with Jesus Christ.

It is hidden from the eyes of the world.

The natural man don't they don't understand that, 1 Corinthians 2.14.

But now notice the promise of the white stone.

Jesus said, if you receive me, I no longer give you spiritual food for sustenance.

Look what he says.

I will give you a white stone with a name on it, known only by the one who receives it.

Now I don't know about you.

Now what's this?

Woohoo! There's a lot of interpretation about that white stone.

Could it be a crystal?

Maybe.

I think my God's a lot better than that.

Can I get an amen?

Huh?

We really don't know, although we know that it's a stone white with a name on it.

Now here's the speculation.

It could be Jesus' name on the stone.

That's okay with me.

Because you gotta have Jesus' name in order to get in through the gate to Jesus' house.

Counterfeits can't get in.

You with me?

Are you listening?

Don't look at them.

Look at me.

This is the most important part.

They don't have a white stone.

Now listen.

So Jesus.

Jesus.

Jesus.

The sweetest name I know.

Sounds pretty good to me.

Maybe there's another option.

I need the biggest diamond ring in here.

Who's got one?

Who's got a big diamond?

Anyone?

You got a big no.

Your missionary.

You don't have one.

Okay?

Right here.

What if?

What if that stone is one of the biggest, prettiest diamonds you've ever seen?

And your name is engraved in that stone.

And when you stand before the beam of judgment seat, and they ask you, why should I let you in?

Oh, you say, because this diamond has my name.

My name on it.

And my name according to this diamond is written down in the Lamb book of life.

Thank you, Lord.

Amen.

And you put your diamond ring on.

Whether it, I think it may say Danny or Jesus on the top and Danny on the bottom.

That's the way you're gonna get into heaven, folks.

No other way.

It's your ticket.

It's your ticket.

So here's the invitation this morning.

Is your name written down?

Is it written down?

You say, well, I've said a prayer.

Prayer's not gonna get you in.

I've been baptized.

Baptism's not gonna get you in.

I don't care what some of the ones teach, that's wrong teaching.

What's gonna get you in is your name written in the book.

And it's evident because you've got your stone with Jesus' name and your name on it.

Thank you, Lord.

It's not gonna be one of those fake diamonds.

A conium, is that what you call them?

Saccone, coney.

They're not real.

It's gonna be the real thing, Carol.

It's gonna be the real thing.

Now here's what I'm gonna ask you.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you.

You won't get the real thing.

Put on your finger.

If you're not the real thing.

You're with me, church.

You're with me, church.

You gotta be the real thing.