SEVEN CHURCHES #5/9

#1 · February 9, 2007, 11:05 am

Quote from Forum Archives on February 9, 2007, 11:05 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
SEVEN CHURCHES #5/9

COMPLETE WITNESSES

February 4, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 2:12-17

The last two Sundays, we have looked at two of the seven churches in Revelation that received specific messages from Christ. The Church in Ephesus was warned to remember their first love. They were to focus once again upon the Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ. The Church in Smyrna was commended for standing strong in the face of persecution and was promised the strength to endure what was coming as they looked ahead to a better future. The third letter was to the Church in Pergamum, and they received both encouragement and warning.

Pergamum was a city with a rich history in the region. It had once stood as the capital of that region for nearly four hundred years. Even after the Romans conquered that area, it continued to be esteemed as a city of honor. It served as the administrative center of Asia. Maybe that was like a county seat, or something. At any rate, Roman officials for the province of Asia traveled to Pergamum to pledge their allegiance to Caesar. Now, pledging allegiance to a particular form of government does not necessarily conflict with the faith of a Christian, but it did in this instance. Pledging allegiance to Caesar meant acknowledging him as a deity worthy of worship. When the pledge was made that Caesar is Lord, it meant that no one else on earth or in heaven was greater than Caesar. That was clearly a problem for Christians.

We read in Revelation 2:13, I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives. The reference to satan and his throne is not literal. There was not, as far as anyone has ever found, an actual center where satan was specifically worshipped. There were, however, several temples for the worship of various of the false gods and goddesses of the Empire and the region. In any environment where the true, living God is not worshipped, satan flourishes. In that sense, he has his throne.

More significantly, as the administrative center where regional officials of the Roman government took their oaths of loyalty to Caesar, the city was ripe to persecute those who could not make such an oath. In that light also, Christ could call Pergamum the place where Satan has his throne.

The good news is that the Church in Pergamum stood firm against this challenge. They did not renounce faith in Christ. They remained true to the Savior. When the Church faced challenges from the outside, they stood up to them, even when it meant facing death.

Unfortunately, Christ went on to say to the Church in Pergamum, Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The story of Balaam and Balak is told in Numbers 22-31. We may remember the part about Balaams donkey, which spoke to Balaam. Balaam, who was a prophet, was given money by Balak, an enemy king, to pronounce a curse upon the Israelites. God stopped Balaam from accomplishing this, but Balaam made the suggestion that the Moabite women entice the Israelite men into worshiping Baal. Similarly, even though the Christians in Pergamum did not yield to the temptations that they faced from outside the Church, they failed to resist the temptations from within.

Additionally, they allowed some in their fellowship to hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. We met these characters back in the Church in Ephesus. They believed that it did not matter what one did in the flesh because it had no effect on the spirit. This was a false belief that led to immoral behavior. The Church in Pergamum failed to confront and reject this false teaching. Instead, they compromised and allowed it to flourish.

Notice the contrast with the Church in Ephesus when Christ told them, But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Church in Pergamum, on the other hand, did not hate the practices. However, there is also a comparison to be made between the two Churches. The Church in Pergamum was rebuked for allowing immorality to continue within their fellowship. Even though the Church in Ephesus rejected those immoral practices, they were still rebuked because they had forsaken [their] first love.

When I consider the condition of these two Churches, I recognize that Christ corrected them because they were not complete witnesses. The Church in Ephesus was excellent in recognizing and rejecting false apostles and false doctrines such as the Nicolaitans. But they somehow forgot to love Christ and one another while they did this. The Church in Pergamum was excellent in standing tough against the threats of persecution from the outside, similar to the Church in Smyrna, but they failed to hold to solid, Biblical doctrine. The message I get is that Christ wants his Church to be faithful in love and solid in doctrine. He wants his Church to be complete witnesses.

As a student in Bible classes and as a church leader, I have been exposed to dialogue and debate about the relative merits of love, or mercy, and doctrine, or belief about Gods will. I have been around those who elevate love above doctrine. They say that it is more important to err on the side of love. I have been around those who elevate doctrine above love. They say that it is more important to err on the side of correct belief. In my study for this sermon, I would have to say that they are both wrong. The Church is taught here that we cannot elevate one above the other. They are on an equal plane, and that equal plane is Gods. We cannot love and at the same time disobey God. We cannot obey God and at the same time not love. The Church that tries to pull these apart gets a rebuke from the Master.

We are now close to two thousand years removed from these letters, but not much has changed. There are still plenty of churches that fall into one mistake or the other. There is, for instance, significant conflict going on within denominations - ours included - about social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, family life, and so on. There are churches that openly accept the homosexual lifestyle as normal and receive practicing homosexuals into their membership. Some call as their pastors men or women who are in an active homosexual relationship. They oppose any doctrine or practice that would describe homosexuality as sin. They are about as Nicolaitan as they can be. Yet, they tend to be churches full of love. I have no doubt that many a spiritual wanderer who feels isolated and disenfranchised in society can feel accepted and loved in those churches. They are a place in which they can find human sanctuary. They are full of love, and they are wrong.

There are churches that openly oppose the homosexual lifestyle. They provide detailed, accurate reasons from the Bible why this is sin. In this and other matters of doctrine, they test the apostles and uncover those who are false. When it comes to doctrinal accuracy, they cannot be rebuked. I certainly agree with the Westboro Baptist Church position that homosexuality is sin. This is the church that protests at funerals of military casualties. They are full of doctrinal accuracy, and they are wrong.

The Church in Ephesus was wrong. The Church in Pergamum was wrong. These churches today that practice love without solid doctrine or solid doctrine without love are wrong. Jesus is still telling his Church today that we cannot - we dare not - abandon one for the other. Both are called to repentance.

This does, after all, make sense in Gods Kingdom. Any church that dwells upon doctrinal purity to the exclusion of grace and mercy cannot effectively reach out and invite lost sinners into salvation as Jesus did. Men and women have turned away from God because of human legalism. God forgives our sin through His sacrificial mercy. God is love. We must be like our Master.

Any church that dwells upon unconditional love to the exclusion of Biblical doctrine cannot lead anyone to Christ because it is not Christ they know. We can, some think, believe that a person can disbelieve a doctrine of virgin birth and still be saved. Or not believe in the deity of Christ. Or not believe in the bodily resurrection. It is all well and good to refrain from legalisms and to acknowledge that we are saved by Christ, not by doctrine. But without solid accurate doctrine, at some point were not talking about Jesus anymore. How much can we remove from Gods Word and still be Christian? At what point does our human construct of Gods Word build up to the point of no longer being Christian? Hindus can love. Buddhists can love. Secularists can love. But they cannot be saved without the confession that Jesus is the Savior.

I believe that this is why Christ is so strict with his Church in the Revelation. He is not imposing a new set of legalisms by which we might as well return to the days of bondage to sin and death. Not at all. Christ has demonstrated that he loves us too much for that.

I was commenting in the Thursday Bible studies that I used to regard Gods treatment of sinful Israel in the Old Testament as particularly cruel. He sent some very mean people in to lay waste to the Hebrew men, women, and children. They were not treated nicely if they survived at all. They were subjected to very tough times and harsh conditions. But as I grew in my comprehension of those periods of history, I learned that God was not cruel; He was restorative. Cruelty would have been to just let the Israelites continue down their sinful path. Had God done that, then they would have been annihilated - totally and completely. God loved them too much to allow that. Instead of annihilation, they received restoration.

Christ loves his Church too much to see it destroy itself. So he tells his Church - us - plainly in the Revelation to repent. Repent from false doctrine. Repent from lack of love. Return to our first love. Know him. Obey him. Be complete witnesses, for that is how we share Christ with a lost and dying world.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

SEVEN CHURCHES #5/9

COMPLETE WITNESSES

February 4, 2007

TEXT: Revelation 2:12-17

The last two Sundays, we have looked at two of the seven churches in Revelation that received specific messages from Christ. The Church in Ephesus was warned to remember their first love. They were to focus once again upon the Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ. The Church in Smyrna was commended for standing strong in the face of persecution and was promised the strength to endure what was coming as they looked ahead to a better future. The third letter was to the Church in Pergamum, and they received both encouragement and warning.

Pergamum was a city with a rich history in the region. It had once stood as the capital of that region for nearly four hundred years. Even after the Romans conquered that area, it continued to be esteemed as a city of honor. It served as the administrative center of Asia. Maybe that was like a county seat, or something. At any rate, Roman officials for the province of Asia traveled to Pergamum to pledge their allegiance to Caesar. Now, pledging allegiance to a particular form of government does not necessarily conflict with the faith of a Christian, but it did in this instance. Pledging allegiance to Caesar meant acknowledging him as a deity worthy of worship. When the pledge was made that Caesar is Lord, it meant that no one else on earth or in heaven was greater than Caesar. That was clearly a problem for Christians.

We read in Revelation 2:13, I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives. The reference to satan and his throne is not literal. There was not, as far as anyone has ever found, an actual center where satan was specifically worshipped. There were, however, several temples for the worship of various of the false gods and goddesses of the Empire and the region. In any environment where the true, living God is not worshipped, satan flourishes. In that sense, he has his throne.

More significantly, as the administrative center where regional officials of the Roman government took their oaths of loyalty to Caesar, the city was ripe to persecute those who could not make such an oath. In that light also, Christ could call Pergamum the place where Satan has his throne.

The good news is that the Church in Pergamum stood firm against this challenge. They did not renounce faith in Christ. They remained true to the Savior. When the Church faced challenges from the outside, they stood up to them, even when it meant facing death.

Unfortunately, Christ went on to say to the Church in Pergamum, Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The story of Balaam and Balak is told in Numbers 22-31. We may remember the part about Balaams donkey, which spoke to Balaam. Balaam, who was a prophet, was given money by Balak, an enemy king, to pronounce a curse upon the Israelites. God stopped Balaam from accomplishing this, but Balaam made the suggestion that the Moabite women entice the Israelite men into worshiping Baal. Similarly, even though the Christians in Pergamum did not yield to the temptations that they faced from outside the Church, they failed to resist the temptations from within.

Additionally, they allowed some in their fellowship to hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. We met these characters back in the Church in Ephesus. They believed that it did not matter what one did in the flesh because it had no effect on the spirit. This was a false belief that led to immoral behavior. The Church in Pergamum failed to confront and reject this false teaching. Instead, they compromised and allowed it to flourish.

Notice the contrast with the Church in Ephesus when Christ told them, But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Church in Pergamum, on the other hand, did not hate the practices. However, there is also a comparison to be made between the two Churches. The Church in Pergamum was rebuked for allowing immorality to continue within their fellowship. Even though the Church in Ephesus rejected those immoral practices, they were still rebuked because they had forsaken [their] first love.

When I consider the condition of these two Churches, I recognize that Christ corrected them because they were not complete witnesses. The Church in Ephesus was excellent in recognizing and rejecting false apostles and false doctrines such as the Nicolaitans. But they somehow forgot to love Christ and one another while they did this. The Church in Pergamum was excellent in standing tough against the threats of persecution from the outside, similar to the Church in Smyrna, but they failed to hold to solid, Biblical doctrine. The message I get is that Christ wants his Church to be faithful in love and solid in doctrine. He wants his Church to be complete witnesses.

As a student in Bible classes and as a church leader, I have been exposed to dialogue and debate about the relative merits of love, or mercy, and doctrine, or belief about Gods will. I have been around those who elevate love above doctrine. They say that it is more important to err on the side of love. I have been around those who elevate doctrine above love. They say that it is more important to err on the side of correct belief. In my study for this sermon, I would have to say that they are both wrong. The Church is taught here that we cannot elevate one above the other. They are on an equal plane, and that equal plane is Gods. We cannot love and at the same time disobey God. We cannot obey God and at the same time not love. The Church that tries to pull these apart gets a rebuke from the Master.

We are now close to two thousand years removed from these letters, but not much has changed. There are still plenty of churches that fall into one mistake or the other. There is, for instance, significant conflict going on within denominations - ours included - about social issues such as homosexuality, abortion, family life, and so on. There are churches that openly accept the homosexual lifestyle as normal and receive practicing homosexuals into their membership. Some call as their pastors men or women who are in an active homosexual relationship. They oppose any doctrine or practice that would describe homosexuality as sin. They are about as Nicolaitan as they can be. Yet, they tend to be churches full of love. I have no doubt that many a spiritual wanderer who feels isolated and disenfranchised in society can feel accepted and loved in those churches. They are a place in which they can find human sanctuary. They are full of love, and they are wrong.

There are churches that openly oppose the homosexual lifestyle. They provide detailed, accurate reasons from the Bible why this is sin. In this and other matters of doctrine, they test the apostles and uncover those who are false. When it comes to doctrinal accuracy, they cannot be rebuked. I certainly agree with the Westboro Baptist Church position that homosexuality is sin. This is the church that protests at funerals of military casualties. They are full of doctrinal accuracy, and they are wrong.

The Church in Ephesus was wrong. The Church in Pergamum was wrong. These churches today that practice love without solid doctrine or solid doctrine without love are wrong. Jesus is still telling his Church today that we cannot - we dare not - abandon one for the other. Both are called to repentance.

This does, after all, make sense in Gods Kingdom. Any church that dwells upon doctrinal purity to the exclusion of grace and mercy cannot effectively reach out and invite lost sinners into salvation as Jesus did. Men and women have turned away from God because of human legalism. God forgives our sin through His sacrificial mercy. God is love. We must be like our Master.

Any church that dwells upon unconditional love to the exclusion of Biblical doctrine cannot lead anyone to Christ because it is not Christ they know. We can, some think, believe that a person can disbelieve a doctrine of virgin birth and still be saved. Or not believe in the deity of Christ. Or not believe in the bodily resurrection. It is all well and good to refrain from legalisms and to acknowledge that we are saved by Christ, not by doctrine. But without solid accurate doctrine, at some point were not talking about Jesus anymore. How much can we remove from Gods Word and still be Christian? At what point does our human construct of Gods Word build up to the point of no longer being Christian? Hindus can love. Buddhists can love. Secularists can love. But they cannot be saved without the confession that Jesus is the Savior.

I believe that this is why Christ is so strict with his Church in the Revelation. He is not imposing a new set of legalisms by which we might as well return to the days of bondage to sin and death. Not at all. Christ has demonstrated that he loves us too much for that.

I was commenting in the Thursday Bible studies that I used to regard Gods treatment of sinful Israel in the Old Testament as particularly cruel. He sent some very mean people in to lay waste to the Hebrew men, women, and children. They were not treated nicely if they survived at all. They were subjected to very tough times and harsh conditions. But as I grew in my comprehension of those periods of history, I learned that God was not cruel; He was restorative. Cruelty would have been to just let the Israelites continue down their sinful path. Had God done that, then they would have been annihilated - totally and completely. God loved them too much to allow that. Instead of annihilation, they received restoration.

Christ loves his Church too much to see it destroy itself. So he tells his Church - us - plainly in the Revelation to repent. Repent from false doctrine. Repent from lack of love. Return to our first love. Know him. Obey him. Be complete witnesses, for that is how we share Christ with a lost and dying world.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org