Revelation 2:12-17
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Reading By: Kevin Johnson
Reading By: Kevin Johnson
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 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. 14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 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.’
INTRO
The road north from Smyrna follows the coastline some forty miles and then turns inland in a northeasterly direction up the valley of the Caicus River
About ten miles inland from the Aegean Sea stands the impressive capital city of Pergamum.
Pliny called Pergamum “by far the most distinguished city in Asia.” Built on a cone-shaped hill a thousand feet in height, it dominated the surrounding valley of the Caicus. Its very name in Greek (Pergamon) means “citadel.” - fortress
Pergamum became “the finest flower of Hellenic civilization.” It boasted a library of more than 200,000 volumes.
Library that was second only to that of Alexandria.
Pergamum was also prominent in banking and finance, textiles, fish dealers, and in the production of parchment and pottery.
Legend has it that parchment was invented there when the supply of papyrus from Egypt was cut off
The capital of the Roman province of Asia
Moreover, it was also the leading religious center of Asia, with temples and shrines dedicated to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus (the patron god of the city), and Asclepius (the god of healing). A great 40-foot-high altar to Zeus situated on a terrace at the top of a mountain overlooked the city.
Of these, the most remarkable was the great altar of Zeus that jutted out near the top of the mountain. A famous frieze around the base of the altar depicts the gods of Greece in victorious combat against the giants of earth (symbolizing the triumph of civilization over barbarism).
Pergamum was the official center in Asia for the imperial cult. It was the first city of Asia to receive permission to build a temple dedicated to the worship of a living ruler.
Augustus Caesar 29 B.C.
One Theologian notes that as the traveler approached Pergamum by the ancient road from the south, the actual shape of the city-hill would appear as a giant throne towering above the plain.
PRAYER
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MESSAGE
12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
Revelation 1:16 “16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.”
The Commendation
The Commendation
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.
I know where you dwell !
Where Satan’s throne is…
Loyalty to His Person
Who is Jesus?
Loyalty to His Precepts
What did He teach?
The Complaint
The Complaint
14 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. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Acts 15:28–29 “28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.””
The Doctrine of Balaam
hedonistic
licentious
Numbers 25:1–2 “1 While Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.”
Numbers 31:16 “16 Behold, these, on Balaam’s advice, 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.”
Revelation 3. To Pergamum (2:12–17)
This incident in the history of Israel had come to represent, along with Aaron and the golden calf, the two most despicable moments in the history of the exodus and subsequent wilderness wanderings. Every child growing up in a Jewish home was introduced to the failure of the Jewish people in this incident and the danger of being seduced by Balaamite teachers.
The Doctrine of Nicolaitans
hierarchical structure of people in the church
Priest / Pesant
Control - People
legalist
Think about America !!
The Choice
The Choice
16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
You must Repentant
We cannot say we belong to Jesus and consciously continue to practice sin
You will be Rejected
Make no mistake it is Jesus who is the judge
1 John 3:9 “9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
Hebrews 10:26 “26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,”
Romans 6:2 “2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
We will be different, we must be different, … Woe to Pergamimicry !!
Churches that preach a different Jesus are not churches
Churches that teach a different doctrine are not churches
Will you join me !… Your Compensation
The Compensation
The Compensation
17 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.’
Spiritual Nourishment
John 6:35 “35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
Public Acceptance
Matthew 10:32 “32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,”
Personal Relationship
Genesis 35:11 “11 And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
CLOSE
PRAYER
Group Questions
Group Questions
What stood out to you most about this weeks message?
What are some of the external threats to the church? What are some of the internal threats? Which do you feel are the greater danger and why?
Why is compromise such a deceptive and dangerous temptation for the church?
How can we be sure that the Scriptures are true? What evidence does this passage give us that we can believe God’s Word?
Why is a merely privatized faith not an option for the genuine Christian?
How can you support those believers around the world who are being persecuted for their faith? How can you prepare yourself now for persecution if and when it comes to your life?
How might Christians be tempted to compromise their moral convictions in the name of open-mindedness and tolerance?
Why do you think immorality and idolatry are so closely connected? What are some of the idols that often accompany and fuel the immorality we often see around us?
What steps can you take to protect yourself and your church from compromising theologically?
Explain the idea of “hidden manna” from Revelation 2:17 in your own words. How is it better than the false supply provided by the teaching of Balaam?
What is significant about receiving the stone with the new name on it? Why should believers find hope and strength to persevere in looking forward to receiving this stone?