Revelation 2:12-17
Introduction
The third of Christ’s seven messages to the churches of Asia Minor was sent to the believers in Pergamum. This church, once a staunch defender of Christian doctrine, had faced significant challenges. However, by the time John wrote Revelation, it had started to show signs of weakness, its core values diluted by an overindulgence in secular sins and temptations. Instead of holding firm against external pressures as it once did, Pergamum began to embrace the false security of secular alliances.
The church in Ephesus had actively eliminated false teachings, but it had cooled in its passionate devotion to Christ in the process. Taking a different path, Pergamum adopted a permissive attitude under the pretense of love, thus allowing false doctrines to spread. This was a dramatic departure from its earlier commendation for vigorously upholding the truth of Christ, even to the point of facing martyrdom. Despite these challenges, the church’s commitment to doctrinal purity and spiritual energy was declining, eroded by an increasing tendency to conform to secular values, eroding its ethical standing. Jesus declares that war is coming if they do not repent. COMPROMISE IS DANGEROUS.
Outline
The sword of Jesus’ mouth pierces to
or
.
“but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.” — Isaiah 11:4
“He made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow; in his quiver he hid me away.” — Isaiah 49:2
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12
Satan works where you live and he wears many
to devour. He doesn’t mind if it’s
or
as long as you are destroyed.
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” — 1 Peter 5:8
“And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” — 2 Corinthians 11:14
True faith is not
; it holds on to Jesus.
Sin is never
. You can fall by stumbling over small things.
“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.” — Numbers 31:16
“They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian. And they also killed Balaam the son of Beor with the sword.” — Numbers 31:8
All sin is an offense to God, but not all sins are
.
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” — 1 Corinthians 6:18
with the world is the path to war with Jesus.
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” — James 4:4
Repentance is not
for a Christian.
The world’s menu cannot
your soul’s hunger.
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”” — John 6:48-51
Old labels can’t change your
.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17–21
Application
Who rules on the throne of your life?
Where has compromise crept in?
What old labels still haunt you?
Questions
- What are some of the outside threats to the church? What are some of the internal threats? How are the internal ones often the greater danger?
- 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?
- 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 frequently see around us?