The Church at Pergamos: The Worldly Church | Chris Chadwick | Revelation 2:12-17 — Chris Chadwick

Revelation chapter two in your Bible. Our text will be found this morning in verse number 12, Revelation chapter two, verse number 12 in the Scripture today. Revelation two and verse number 12. When I was 13 years old, my family had lived in Spanaway, Washington for 10 years, over 10 years. And when I was 13 years old, my parents moved from Spanaway, Washington to Dallas, Texas. When I was 15, my family moved from Dallas, Texas to Oceanside, California. But when I was 15, we moved from Dallas, Texas to Oceanside, California. And my dad started a church in Oceanside. And then when I was 17, we moved from Oceanside, California to Spokane, Washington, where I graduated high school. And my dad started a church in Spokane, Washington. It's kind of what he did for a while. And very thankful for every church that was planted.

But one of the things I learned as a kid, kind of like military kids, I was not a military kid and we didn't go to military cities other than Oceanside. But one of the things that I learned was I learned how to fit in pretty quickly. The styles in Spanaway, Washington for a 13 year old were drastically different than the styles, as you could imagine, in Dallas, Texas for a 13 year old. In Dallas, the style was jeans—Levi's 501s—and tennis shoes. I preferred the baggy khaki style in Washington, but when I moved to Dallas, I got made fun of for that. Then we left Dallas and I moved to Oceanside. And the style in Oceanside was just as different from Dallas as Dallas had been from Spanaway. So everywhere I moved, things were just different. And I had to learn how either to fit in or to just be a loner. Well, not fitting in for an extrovert like me was a fate worse than death.

So I learned how to just fit into the culture of wherever I was moving. And it was a very, I'll say it this way, compromising time in my life. As we come to our passage of scripture this morning, we are gonna study the church at Pergamos, Pergamos, or Pergamum, either one or right, Pergamos, they're interchangeable. And the church at Pergamum, I've titled the worldly church. I could have equally called it the compromising church. As a matter of fact, this is probably not gonna be, you know, favorite, most enjoyable message in the history of Canyon Ridge. 'Cause the message to the church at Pergamos is very, very relevant to Canyon Ridge today and to all churches today. 'Cause it's a message that is fraught with a lot of parallels to the culture we live in and the church culture we live in. The city of Pergamos was one of the most prominent cities in Asia, at the time of the writing of the revelation.

You'll see it up at the northernmost region there in Asia Minor where Paul is writing from the city of Patmos and the letters are gonna be delivered in a horseshoe pattern. It's just the geography of the way that the roads work. And so the first letter was to Ephesus, the second letter Ephesus, the church that lost its first love. And then the second letter to Smyrna, the suffering church. And now we come to Pergamum at the top. And also probably the city of Pergamum was probably the most prominent of all of the cities. It boasted a population of about 150,000 people. It sat approximately 16 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. And it is today, it is called the city and Ismyr province of Turkey called Bergama. And though it is not a large city today, it is indeed a beautiful city in the same place that it would have been when Jesus is writing to the church at Pergamus.

The city's most distinctive geographical feature was a sharp rugged hill rising 1,000 feet above the plains around the city. And on top of that hill was a temple that was there we'll talk about in just a moment. If Ephesus, as we talked about three weeks ago, was the New York of Asia, Pergamum, or Pergamus, was the Washington DC. For Pergamus was the Roman imperial power and the seat of Roman government. There was also built the earliest or first temple to the state-sponsored worship of the emperor. It's a temple to the emperor, the remains of the temple to the emperor that you see right there. The church at Pergamum was most likely founded during Paul's ministry to Ephesus. It was there that the gospel went out and was preached throughout the region of Asia. And Paul just did a great work as he started the church there in Ephesus and the gospel didn't stay in Ephesus. It went all about.

But the church at Pergamum faced some unique challenges. And one of them is we have no recorded evidence that they were ever exposed to apostolic teaching or not apostolic like the charismatic group of today, but apostolic in the sense of that day, the teaching of an apostle. They never had John come, or Paul, or Matthew, or Mark, or James, not Mark, but James. And none of them ever went to Pergamum to teach the people. We don't have any recorded evidence that they ever had strong, powerful, godly leadership in the church. Nor is there any evidence that the church at Pergamum ever had any solid Bible teaching. It was kind of a weak church. Now, before you feel sorry for the church at Pergamos, we need to understand this. True faith is never fragile, only false faith is. True faith in Christ is not fragile, false faith is.

We better be careful, not to say too many hard things, or we better be careful to get them in a place where their faith is going to be aided, or helped, or assisted, or whatever, folks, that's true. We want to always be gracious and kind, helpful, and exhortive, and all of that. But understand this, true faith is not fragile, only false faith is. Sometimes people will say, how will they ever live for God in a foreign area without a lot of good churches? And I don't have all the answers, but this answer I do know, that God in His sovereign will and sovereign plan places people where He sovereignly desires, and where He places them is where He wants them. And true faith is never fragile, only false faith is. There were many in the church at Pergamos who were standing for the truth. However, they felt pray to what many in our day fall pray to.

It's kind of what I felt pray to as a teenager moving from Spanaway to Dallas, and Dallas to Oceanside, and Oceanside to Spokane. A desire to fit in. We use the word compromise. Now, sometimes we use the word compromise, and it's stated in a positive. But in this case, it would be a negative because it would be compromising the truth of God's Word with the people of the world in an effort to fit in. And that's incredibly untenable with the Scripture. The church at Pergamum had become a worldly church. Worldliness is defined rightly by John MacArthur as a preoccupation with or interest in the temporal system of life that places anything perishable before that which is eternal. It's a preoccupation with or interest in the temporal system of life which places anything perishable before that which is eternal. The church at Pergamum had adopted or accepted the ungodly practices of some in the church.

And rather than calling out their sin and requiring repentance, they simply let it slide, and in so doing became a worldly church. There was a lot of things that they just accepted. The bad attitudes, the bitterness, the argumentation, the negative spirit, the gossip, the sensuality, the fornication, the abuse. We could go on and on and talk about what they could have accepted and what they did accept. But the reality of the situation is is that the church at Pergamum just let it slide, whatever it was. When we talk about worldliness, says John MacArthur in his excellent commentary on this passage of scripture, he says this, for many people in today's church, the term worldliness has a quite old fashioned ring to it. Matter of fact, they often mock that phrase. They associate worldliness with prohibitations against things like dancing, going to the movies or playing cards.

Well, today's user-friendly, seeker-oriented, market-driven church doesn't preach much against worldliness. To do so might say make unbelievers, not to mention many believers, uncomfortable, and is therefore avoided as a poor marketing strategy. That bears rereading. For many people in today's church, the term worldliness has a quite old fashioned ring to it. They associate it with prohibitions against things like dancing, going to movies or playing cards. Today's user-friendly, seeker-oriented, market-driven church doesn't preach much against worldliness. To do so might make unbelievers, not to mention believers, uncomfortable, and is therefore avoided as a poor marketing strategy. Well, folks, the Bible is very clear in its admonition and its warnings against worldliness.

Now, if you're here today and you're not a believer, you don't know Christ as your Savior, I'm gonna talk to you at points throughout the message, but understand this is really a message to Christians today and it is primarily a message to Canyon Ridge Baptist church today and to churches as a whole, not to buildings, but to churches. I was impressed this last week. Debbie and I were in Seattle, northern part of the King County, and I was preaching at a church, and on our weighted church, we drove by a church and I think it was a rather small church, but I like their sign. We won't do it 'cause it's awkward, but we drove by it and it literally said the gathering place of whatever Baptist church, I don't remember the name of the church, but the gathering place of whatever Baptist church, and I thought yeah, that really is the right place. The 686, the Lindovista Road San Diego, California, 92111 is not Canyon Ridge Baptist church.

This is just where we gather on Sundays and Wednesdays. You're the church, the 830 crowd was the church. We're the church body collectively gathered together in this beautiful, amazing, once in a lifetime building. Yeah, there's three of us that like it and the rest of you are like, what are you doing in here? So they get it, but the church is being admonished here against worldliness and it's a repeated idea in Scripture. Now, there are some in here who might be like, well, Pastor, I've been to churches and that's all they ever talk about. Well, I don't know that that's how it ought to be, but I will say this, churches need to talk about worldliness because it's replete in Scripture. It's redundant in Scripture. Romans 12 to says, be not conformed in this world, but be transformed, be not conformed to this world.

Don't be worldly is what it's saying, but be transformed out by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. It would seem as though, and rightly, because we spent two weeks on this passage when we studied the book of Romans, I encourage you to listen to those messages, but it would seem from this text, just a cursory reading of this text, that worldliness is a mindset that is in opposition to the things of God, and in order to not be worldly, our mind has to be renewed, and when our mind is renewed, we are proving good and acceptable and perfect things according to the will of God. Titus 2, 12, the Bible says teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, denying ungodliness and worldly lust.

James 1, 27, pure religion under file before God, and the Father is this, to visit the Fatherless and widows, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. First John 2, 15, love not the world, they do the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father, but is of the world, and the world passes away, and the lust thereof, but he that do it the will of the Father abideth forever. So when God talks about worldliness, or the Scripture talks about worldliness, it's talking about a preoccupation with or interest in the temporal system of life that places anything perishable before that which is eternal. See, we're commanded as Christians to have a biblical mindset towards the things of the world. What God says is wrong, I need to run from.

And what God says is right, I need to run to. What God says is wrong, I need to run from. And what God says is right, I need to run to. And as we enter into this confrontational passage of Scripture, and this really this confrontational message between Jesus and the church at Pergamos, there's much for us to learn. It's laid out like the other letters are laid out with the author of the letter, identifying himself at the beginning. We see in verse number 12, the correspondent. The angel to the church at Pergamos, right? These things say that he, which have a sharp sword with two edges. We see to whom the letter is written, the angel to the church at Pergamos. Remember, we learned two weeks ago, or three weeks ago, the term angel is most likely referring to the pastor of the church at Pergamos. It's referring to the pastor of the church at Pergamos. So he's writing the pastor here.

Now, as we think this moment of a, for a moment of the pastor, it's, it's, the pastor's gonna be the one rebuked by Christ. There are many people who desire to make decisions and speak their mind in the church. And many people who have a lot of ideas and thoughts about how a church is to be led and run. And they just kind of, they're very, very dogmatic about their opinion and their ideas and what they think and how things should be done. Well, friends, please understand, the spiritual responsibility of a pastor of a local Bible preaching Bible teaching church is the highest form of responsibility. Why do I say that? Because the church is the Lord's and he takes his leadership very personally. And he takes what he requires very personally. And the pastor, any pastor does not have the latitude to lead as they wish.

They have to lead from the perspective of the Scripture and lead how God would have them to not do so, finds them in danger of the judgment that we read about to the church at Pergamos. Spiritual leadership has very high requirements. So it's not, but it's not uncommon for folks to go, well, if I was in charge, I'd do it this way. If I was in charge, I'd do it that way. If I was in charge, I'd do it this way or that way. Well, that's totally fine, I guess, as long as you're willing to accept full responsibility for your position and stand before God for your position. But what a lot of people like to do is just chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, but never accept responsibility. Friends, God hates that. God has placed people in authority in churches. You say, you say that 'cause you're the pastor. No, I say that 'cause we're expositing this text. Which because that's what the text is teaching us. Who's the guy that's facing the judgment?

It's the pastor. He's not calling Mary Jill. He doesn't say to the little old lady at the church at Pergamos. He doesn't say to the kindly brother at the church at Pergamos. No, he says to the angel or the pastor at the church at Pergamos. This letter is focused on one dude and one dude only and that's the dude in charge. It's written to him. We don't have time to study Acts chapter 20, verse 28. It talks about the responsibility of a pastor. First Peter five, one to four. That talks about the responsibility of the pastor or the two books that are written, two pastors on how we'll be judged. So brothers and sisters, I would encourage you, many of you are here at members of Canyon Ridge. Some of you are passing through town and you'll go back to your church to those of you that are here and members and to those of you who will go back to your church one day.

Let me encourage you, be very, very careful with what you say about the spiritual leaders in the church and I don't mean for a moment that we are not to be held accountable. We are to be held accountable, but not to your preferences or somebody else's preferences. We're held accountable to the Word of God. And I listen, I love it when people come to me and ask questions about the Scripture. I love it when people come and say, "Pastor, you said this "and this is what I'm reading, can you explain what you're saying?" I think I had some confusion or there was some confusion. I love that. I remember one time I was preaching and I was preaching on the cross of Christ and I don't know why I said it, but I said when Jesus was on the cross, every bone in his body was broken. Makes no sense, but I said that. And at the end of the service, chaplain Joseph Mayer came to me who was a chaplain in the Navy at the time.

He goes, "Pastor, you said that every bone of Jesus "was broken." And I said, "I did." He goes, "You did." I looked at Debbie, she said, "You did." Well, Psalm 22 says that not a single bone in his body was broken. And so I thanked Chaps and that Sunday night, I had to give correction to the church. I said this, I was wrong according to the Scripture. Chaps, let me know that I was wrong. From now on, he'll do all the counseling at Canyon Ridge Baptist Church. But we're held to counsel the Word of God. Who wrote the letter? We see that in verse number 12. These things say that he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. Jesus is referring to himself. He self-identifies as the one with the sharp sword with two edges. He refers to himself and he is helping the church see his character and authority as the glorified Christ. Who will judge the world? We saw this earlier in Revelation 1, 16. Look over just to the left probably in your Bible.

If your Bible's laid out like mine or similar to it, just one page over, Revelation 1, 16. And he had in his right hand seven stars and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword talking about Jesus. And his countenance was as the sun shining in his strength. This verse is specifically referring to the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12, the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and the joints and marrow. And the Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. That two-edged sword depicts the words potency and its power in exposing and judging the innermost thoughts of the human heart. The Word of God never wields, said John MacArthur, a dull edge. When the Word of God works and it always does, it is always sharp.

That's why we exhort you and plead with you to spend time every day in 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 minutes a day in the Word of God, letting the Word of God penetrate into your heart and soul. And if you're a new Christian, let the Word of God penetrate through the New Testament. Start in the Gospel of Mark or John and just read for 10 to 15 minutes a day. More advanced believers that have been saved a while and reading the text, you know where to go, but newer believers, we always wanna encourage you or those investigating the claims of Christ. Read Mark, read John, read it for 10 to 15 minutes a day, ask God to speak to you and watch how the Word of God begins to penetrate your heart and soul and discerns even the very thoughts that you have. This is a powerful depiction of Christ. It shows Christ as judge and executioner.

It's the first negative introduction of Christ and it has done so because the church at Pergamum faced imminent judgment. Disaster loomed on the horizon for this worldly church. Let's put a short step from compromising with the world to forsaking God altogether and facing his wrath. In verse number 14, Christ is going to reveal what that looks like, but before he does, he commends the church. We see the commendation of Christ in verse number 13. He says, I know thy works, where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is, and they'll hold us fast my name and it's not denied my faith. Even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. Now he's gonna warn them and he's gonna rebuke them and he's gonna challenge them, but Christ always identifies the positive. He's not excoriating their character because they are doing something wrong.

He's looking for the positive, and by the way, I just think as an aside that this is a great message for parents, for parents, when your kids mess up, not to excoriate their character, for bosses, you're a chief and you've got some semen apprentice and you're not even sure there's oxygen getting to the brain. Don't excoriate their character. A leader at your company. How about for married folks? When your spouse does something that really frustrates you and a conversation needs to be had, we ought not excoriate their character. Follow the example of Jesus Christ and find the positives in there as well, which is exactly what Jesus does, and the lesson that we learn from this is they maintain their faith in Christ, verse number 13. I know your works and where you sit, even where Satan's seat is. Now there's a lot of discussion on what Satan's seat is.

In that day, Pergamos was the headquarters of the Roman government in the province of Asia and some think it referred to that, that that's where Satan's seat was. Others think it referred to the massive altar of Zeus that dominated the Acropolis or that thousand foot hill outside the city and its fortification. And the altar of Zeus was not simply an altar. And when Yamamuchi says this, that it is somewhat misleading the word altar because the structure is a monumental colonnade court in the form of a horseshoe, 120 feet by 112 feet or just under 3,500 square feet or almost two of these buildings, the podium of the altar was nearly 18 feet high and there was a great banner that ran the base of the structure, 446 feet, that depicted a battle of the gods and giants and some say it was one of the greatest works of Hellenistic art. Some say the altar of Zeus was referenced to where Satan's seat was. Such an impressive, impressive structure.

Others believe that Satan's throne was to the Greek god, or to the god, I'm sorry, Acropolis. That was prevalent in Pergamum, the god of healing. People came from all over the ancient world of Pergamum to sit in his shrine to hopefully be healed. I think, I believe, and I'm certainly not alone in this belief that Pergamus was most likely based on the definition of the word seat, which means throne as an emblem of authority or attributed to the king, the place of the highest form of government or authority, like we would have in our country, the county seat, a phrase that is used all over the place, especially in rural areas, the county seat, meaning the place where you go to get stuff done, Satan's seat here, I just believe it was the literal epicenter for satanic worship, at least in Asia, and possibly throughout the entire world.

The literal seat for satanic worship, the throne, satanic worship has been prevalent, but in our world, but it's really making a comeback. I don't know if you saw this, it was in the news, I think two weeks ago, that a city in the Midwest for the first time ever had a satanic priest open their city council meeting with a prayer to Satan for the invocation, literally calling on Satan to have power over that city and that region of our country, non-exaggeration, it's online, you can see it, it's a literal prayer to Satan asking not for his blessing but for his power and control over that region of the world. That's the idea here.

And Jesus is saying to this little church in Pergamos, you're ministering where Satan's seat is and you hold fast my name, you've not deviated from your fidelity to Christ, you hold fast my name in spite of the Satanism, in spite of the, all that is going on there, you've not deviated from your fidelity to Christ, it exemplifies what Matthew 16, 18 says, when Jesus started the church and says to Peter that upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, the gates of hell were not prevailing in total against the church at Pergamos, but it was a compromising church. No amount of satanic opposition can destroy genuine saving faith such as those believers possessed. This is clearly demonstrated in the next part of the verse where it says, even in those days where an Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

We don't know a lot about Antipas other than Jesus called him my faithful martyr and Jesus is saying essentially this, that when Antipas was martyred and you faced all of the fear and the dread and the anguish of martyrs dying for your faith in Christ, he said, church at Pergamos, you held fast to me, you remain faithful to me, there was fidelity to Christ, you did not run away from me because of the suffering that you endured when Antipas was there. He was my faithful martyr and so Jesus commends them in verse number 13. But then we see the criticism in verse number 14. The Scripture says I have a few things against thee because thou hast there them that hold to the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel and to eat things sacrificed to the idols and to commit fornication. Of the three churches we've looked at so far, Pergamos is the most troublesome.

It is by far the most troublesome. And it's the one that most parallels churches in America today. Now remember, churches aren't buildings, churches are people so the people of Pergamos most parallel the people of Canyon Ridge of all of the churches that are being talked about today or in these seven letters that are written. Pergamos was a compromising church, I shouldn't just say Canyon Ridge, but the church is in America today and in much of the Western, if not all, of the Western world today. The church at Pergamos compromised doctrinal truth of a few things. In Ephesus it was one thing and Smyrna was nothing but here it's a few things. My dad used to say when I was a kid, "Son, we have a few things we need to talk about." That was always a scary thing. I never liked it when he said a few.

I didn't mind if he said we've got something to talk about or we've got a couple things to talk about, but he would often say when there were some things that needed to be dealt with, we have a few things and John has said meaning, we've got more than one or two, we've got some stuff we've got to do some work on here. And Jesus is saying through the pen of John to the church at Pergamos, we've got some things we've got to talk about here. I have a few things against thee because you have there in the church them that hold to the doctrine of Balaam. The church at Pergamos was a church that compromised doctrinal truth. They compromised doctrinal truth. Now it seems from the text that the majority of the church was faithful to Christ. However, there were those that held to and believed in false doctrine that were members of the church. You see, church were commanded to have a biblical mindset toward the things of the world.

What God says is wrong, where to run from, and what God says is right, where to run to. If God says don't do it, don't do it. If God says do it, do it. Well, many in the Christian room today make light of doctrine, said one commentator, in biblical and theological error are viewed as unimportant. That's not the perspective of the Lord of the church. Oh, doctrine's not that big a deal. Why do we have to make a big deal about doctrine? Why do we have to make a big deal about theology? What can't we all just get along? Friends, the answer to that is no. No, we can't all get along because the Bible repeatedly encourages and reminds pastors to preach and teach sound doctrine. Biblical doctrine, Romans 16 verse number 17. I beseech you, brethren, mark them which caused a vision and offenses contrary to the doctrine which you have learned where doctrine means teaching, contrary to the teaching which you have learned and avoid them.

First Timothy one, verses three and four. I besought thee, Paul talking to Timothy, to abide still at Ephesus when I was into Macedonia, that thou mightest chart some, that they teach no other doctrine, neither giving heed to fables or enlest genealogies, which minister questions rather than godly edifying which is in faith so do. Second Timothy chapter four verse number two, preach the word, be instant in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering in doctrine. And then Paul talks about this church. Verse three, for the time will come and they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lust shall they heap to themselves, teachers having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables, stories, stories. One of the worst things that could ever be said about a preacher of the word is that he's a great storyteller.

Now not that he doesn't have an ability to tell stories to bring illumination to the church, that's not what we're talking about, but that the lion's share of the message is to read a text and to just go on telling stories and be like, I just love that so, great, no, no friends, it's not great, it's anything but great, it's just fableistic, it's just fables. I don't even know if fableistic is a word, but it is now. They're just turned onto fables, this is little stories. Well, the story tells the truth. Yeah, let's put them in a book and call them a guy's name, Asoph's fables, that'll be fine, no problem with that. Put your stories in a book, not in the pulpit of a Christian church that is commanded to preach and teach the sound doctrine that we find in the word of God.

Second Timothy 3, 16 and 17, for the second time I won't read these, Titus 1, 9, Titus 2, 7, just to name a few, the entire epistle of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, James, Hebrews, the book of Romans, they are all filled with admonitions to preach, teach and live sound doctrine. And the church at Pergamos wasn't living that way. The Lord holds it against any in his church who hold the error. You hold the error, God holds it against you. We do not see in this passage a soft, tender, care bear kind of Jesus. We see in this passage a judge, jury, and truly the two-edged sword executioner in this passage of scripture. It is incredibly, theologically and doctrinally, divisive. Jesus is saying, I don't have time for foolishness. I don't have time for false doctrine. See, because doctrine makes such an impact in our life, that's what Jesus said. I've got a few things that I've got to talk to you about in this text of scripture.

And here's the issue, though the church had so many who remained faithful to Christ, there were some of the church who believed false doctrine, there were some of the church who taught false doctrine and the church tolerated false doctrine. They didn't teach it from the pulpit or what we would say, a community Bible study group, but they tolerated folks talking about it. And rather than following the biblical mandate of confronting those who held a false doctrine, and if they refused to repent, putting them out of the church, like many churches today, they just allowed the doctrine, the heresy, to sit. Why does it matter? Because false doctrine gives a false view of God. And His truth, which always leads to bad behavior. You see, worldliness is both doctrinal and behavioral. Bad doctrine leads to bad behavior. Bad doctrine leads to bad character. So if people say, I'm not a theologian, I just come to get what I can get.

No, you weren't safe to just sit. You were safe to be a theologian. You were safe to study the character of God and to know the character of God and to think deeply and read deeply and study deeply and contemplate the deeper things of the Word of God. Paul has a strong, God has a strong expectation that you be no more children that can only take spiritual milk, but that you be strong believers who are able to eat, consume, understand, and teach spiritual meat. So because they tolerated false doctrine, notice where this led them. They hold to the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel. And this is what he did. They ate things sacrificed to idols and committed fornication. They tolerated this church did sexual immorality. The story of Balaam is told in Numbers 22 through 25. I encourage you to read, it's a fascinating story. And I will just go quickly through it.

Balac, the king of Moab, was fearful of the Israelites as they were in their wandering, 40 years of wandering because they had defeated the Amorites. So Balac hires a guy named Balaam who was a prophet for hire. Always be worried about prophets for hire. Like, well, what's a prophet for hire? If you see them on TBN, they're a prophet for hire. More people should have said amen there. It's just a true statement. Like, let me see how many books I can get, how much money I can get. That's what Balac is hiring this prophet for hire to curse the nation of Israel. And after trying to curse them three times and failing every time, Balaam came up with another plan and he decided to corrupt them by telling Balac the king. He said, King of Moab, Balac, I want you to put stumbling blocks before the nation of Israel.

So Balac plotted to use Moabitis women to lure the Israelites into sexual immorality and to commit adultery with them and the sexual immorality turned into idolatry because the women essentially said, if you wanna commit adultery or have sex with me, then you have to worship my idol. So the men, because of their depraved state, the depraved state they were in and the place they allowed themself to go, the men were more than happy to worship an idol, violation of the first and second commandments. They were more than happy to worship an idol just so that they could have sex with violation. What is it, the fourth commandment? So they could have sex with somebody and it became a stumbling block to the nation and the nation of the Israel was nearly destroyed and they were certainly defeated and hampered and slowed down because of their sin.

And so God comes in and numbers chapter 25 and God begins to kill 24,000 Israelite men until one of Aaron's sons stops the, if you will, the bleeding by killing an Israelite man, engaged in the act of fornication with a Moabiteish woman. He kills both of them at the same time in God's handed state. It's a fascinating read and the illustration is giving here, given here that there are those in the church who are engaged in sexual and theological adultery and encouraging others in the church to commit fornication. Like the seduced Israelites, there were those in the church at Pergamos who were seduced by the pagan systems of the day. Pretty serious. Pretty serious. It's what Peter, a parallel passage to this.

Peter wants about just a few years prior in 2 Peter 2, 14, saying having eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls and heart they have exercised with covetous practices, cursed children, which have forsaken the right way and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beizor, who loved the wages or the money of unrighteousness. Just as the Lord chases in the children of Israel and punish the church at Pergamos for their sin of worldliness, we are warned against compromise in this passage. And before you say like pastor, I would never, ever bow down to a false idol so that I could commit fornication or adultery or have sex with some Moabitish prostitute. I would never do that. Never, can't believe that those guys would do that before you sit with indignation. I wonder if we researched your internet history on your phone and on your computer. Would we find pornography?

Brothers, would we find pornography? Ladies, would we find pornography? Married couples, would we find pornography? Oh, you might not go find a Moabitish woman or a male prostitute, but would we find porn? See, because the biblical concept of adultery is sex with somebody other than your spouse in your own mind. And this is permeated the church, even Canyon Ridge. The TV shows that people at Canyon Ridge find pleasurable. Well, it's just comedy and entertainment, right, which is where Satan always starts. No, it's where Satan always starts. Well, I think you're making more of that than you should. Well, then you explain it to me. Do you know the Scripture well enough or do you just sit there like being caustic about it? Which is where the church of program us was. I wouldn't do it, but I wouldn't tell anybody else not to. Right, because you're a terrible friend.

Possibly not even a believer, because if you're a believer and you know the judgment that is coming at the judgment seat of Christ and you love people, according to the Second Corinthians chapter 5, verse 10 and 11 and 12, then you're going to do everything and you can to warn a brother of the error of his ways because that brother's sister's going to stand before the Lord. And for you to engage and encourage somebody is to receive James chapter three, verse number one, the greater condemnation. That's why this is such a relevant text. And in a world where if a pastor gets up and says what I'm saying today, it goes online as him being legalistic, oh, no, no, we're not legalistic at all. We're taking the principles of the Word of God and applying them to our daily life. Actually, the legalist is the person who says, if the Bible doesn't say exactly what I'm doing is wrong, then I can do it. Well, the friends, you can do almost anything.

Bible doesn't use the word abortion. So you can have an abortion. The Bible doesn't say that's not bite off the neighbor's ear. So everybody go home today and bite off your neighbor's ear. Jesus is okay with it. The Bible doesn't say that you can't rob a financial institution. So you can bankrupt, why? Because the Bible doesn't say it. No, that's the legalistic perspective. The biblical perspective or the gray-centered perspective is to take the principles of the Word of God and apply the principle to our life so that we can be right with God. And the church at Pergamos was theologically compromised, which is an act of abandoning or altering or downplaying fundamental Christian beliefs, doctrines and biblical truths in order to align with some external pressure or cultural trends or personal convenience. That's what Pergamos was doing. They abandoned or altered and downplayed fundamental beliefs.

Well, I studied it and I found out and I figured it out. Did you inspect that with any theological leadership in your life? Any biblical leadership in your life? So you say that 'cause you're the pastor. No, I've got to put some guys in my life that are spiritual leaders in my life. Yeah, I am the pastor, I'm one in your life, but have you asked? Well, I don't see that in the Scripture, really? Because didn't you haven't studied Hebrews chapter 13? Again, I'm not trying to be offensive. I'm just trying to help you understand when you stand before Jesus as part of this church or any church, this is how we're going to be judged. And snarkiness and sarcasm won't work before Jesus. Ambivalence won't work towards Jesus. You don't get to say, "Ah Jesus, I shall think that that's that big of a deal." Well, he does, he put it in here. So adjusting and establishing doctrines is what the church at Pergamos did.

They affected the nature of God, biblical authority, moral standards, all to avoid conflict or social backlash. They prioritized immediate results such as maintaining popularity, just like churches do today. Institutional growth, cultural harmony, personal ambition, over adherence to the historical, fundamental, orthodox teaching of scripture. Master, I don't think you're going to win how to win friends and influence people award this year. I'm okay with that this year. I'll probably be okay with that next year. 'Cause my responsibility is to preach the word and your responsibility is to receive the word. And our responsibility is to live the word. Our responsibility is to live it. I'm church at Pergamos, believe one could attend a pagan feast with all its debauchery and immorality and still be a member in good standing. But friends, that is impossible, impossible. See, we're to have a biblical mindset towards the things of the world.

What God says is wrong, we run from. And what God says is right, we run too. James chapter four, verse number four. The Bible says, who's over there for as a friend of the world is the enemy of God. This is why we're commanded to avoid close relationships with unsaved folks. We don't go into business with unsaved people. We don't date those who aren't followers of Christ and faithful followers of Christ. And the wise Christian is very careful to talk with their spiritual leaders before they would ever give a second thought to such a relationship. A second, I wouldn't even give a second thought to that. I've got pastor friends across the country that I call on a regular basis. I'm gonna stand before God and so are you. Second Corinthians chapter six, verse number 14, "It's being unequally yoked together with unbelievers. ‘Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?

and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.’

Brothers and sisters, there's a call to holiness. And in truth, if you could sit through a message like this in a passage like this, and go, "Yeah, I'm good." In 32 years of pastoral experience, I'd say one of two things. Either you're incredibly calloused, I'll say one of three things. Either you're incredibly calloused as a believer. Number two, either you're not a believer, or number three, you're the greatest Christian that's ever walked the face of the earth. And I don't have time to finish this, I'm gonna finish it tonight. But I will say that we have been called to do something in verse number 16. After all of this, I'll do it with 15, random 14 and 15, and finish it out tonight. So this isn't 15, so has, now also then, a hold to the doctrines of the Nicolaitanes, which I hate. Now let me tell you what to do. This is kind of what Jesus is saying. I love this first word. Repent. Here's God's 12-step program.

Not against them, here's God's 12-step program. Repent. That's it. Repent. Or also I'll come under thee quickly. If you don't repent, I'm gonna come to you quickly, like right away. And I'll fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Now we've already learned that the sword of his mouth never loses. Here's how powerful the sword of his mouth is. The rapture at the, I'm sorry, at the Second Coming of Christ, at the end of the tribulation period. When Christ comes to fight against all the armies of the world and the valley of Megito, that is the Second Coming of Christ. He'll be on a horse. We'll be with him on horses. He, I've been petitioning the Lord for years for motorcycles, but it's gonna be horses. And we're gonna be in white horses. And he's gonna be leading the charge. And he is going to defeat literally all the armies of the world that are coming to march against Israel and march against him.

He will defeat every one of the armies of the world with the word of his mouth. His mouth will destroy the armies of the world. It is a powerful, undefeated, never-to-be-defeated sword that comes from the mouth of God. He says, "Repent or else I'm gonna come to thee quickly "and we'll fight against them with the word of my mouth." Repent, what does it mean, Pastor? Well, it means to have a change of self. Heart and mind that abandoned former dispositions are formal thoughts and results in a new self with new behavior and regret over former behavior and disposition or ways of acting, living, and thinking. Have a change of self. Brothers and sisters in Christ, when was the last time? Leave that for a minute, please. When was the last time that you changed for a holiness perspective?

Here's what I found in 31 years, pastoral ministry, is that normally people are, maybe the most, if you can say this word, separate from the world within the first five years of their salvation. And after that, they incrementally try to become more like the world for the rest of their life. Friends, that's the exact opposite. I'm looking around here and there were people that, years ago, you were incredibly passionate about the things of God, and now, not really. And you've come up with every exclusion or every excuse that you can to not be so. And I'm not trying to be a kind. You know my heart, I love you, I'm your pastor. I care about you, but here's what God says to do, repent. And if you don't, I'll come under the quickly. There ought to be a mindset amongst believers of. I just wanna be as close to Christ as I can. And if he tells me not to do things, I'm just not gonna do it.

And I'm not gonna sit around and try to debate and figure it all out, he just told me not to do stuff, I'm just not gonna do it. Why, I don't know, he just told me not to do it. If you know me well, we'll share this illustration, make two comments, or three, and be done. If you know me well, you know I grew up loving basketball. You heard how often my parents moved, and so I wasn't, I didn't have the privilege of playing football at a high level, I wish I had, but I didn't have that privilege. And I didn't have the privilege of playing baseball because playing catch by yourself gets pretty old pretty fast. If you've ever tried it, like five minutes in, you're just like, this is boring. And so I just didn't have a lot of time, I just didn't do that. But the one sport you could kind of play, you can't really play soccer by yourself, it's just a lot of running.

(audience laughs) And so, I got a basketball, I don't even know where I got a basketball, but somewhere I got a basketball, and I just started playing, and it became very special, it was like the kids today would say it's a safe place. Like anywhere we went, I always found a hoop, and I would just ball, that's just me. I just ball all day long, eight, 10 hours a day, I just played basketball, I loved it. And still do, however, the time came when I got, as a pastor, I got too competitive with it. And I remember the day at the Kearney Mesa Rec Center playing against some high schoolers who were terrible, they were rebound shooters. If they got the rebound, they were gonna shoot the ball. That's just what it was, they weren't gonna pass the ball, they weren't gonna look for an open shot, they weren't gonna cut, they weren't gonna do anything, they were gonna come down and just throw up some fade away four pointer.

You said there's a four pointer in their world, there was. And it was terrible, then I got frustrated with it, and I just, I remember being on the court, Burnie was with me that day, and the Lord just said to me, you're done. And I was like, I'm done, done, why? Because you can't keep the right spirit in this sport, so you don't get to play like you used to. Not an exaggeration, I grabbed my stuff, I went over to the bench, I took my shoes off, I threw them in a bag, and I've not been back. Which is hard, 'cause I love it. And I love playing. Now that's not for everybody, bring me a pent up again. That's just me, I had to have a change of self. It was just me, you could play, be totally fine. Matter of fact, I think there's gonna be basketball in heaven in my glorified state, I'm gonna dunk from the free throw line every time I have the ball.

(audience laughs) On Burnie and Zane and John and Christian, I'm just gonna do it, I'm gonna walk their heads as I dunk the ball. But it's gonna be a glory thing, I gotta wait till heaven. Why? Because God saw something in me that I needed a new self, a new behavior, and regret over a former behavior and disposition. Brothers and sisters, when was the last time God adjusted your heart into holiness, and you became more holy as opposed to less holy? And when was the last time you even sat through a service and said, "God, how would you like me to change "to be more like Christ?" I know there's a lot of people that sit through church services and they're online trying to find every exception to every spiritual rule. That's the church at Pergamos. And God says, "Repent." Or else I'll come into you quickly with the sword of my mouth. The judgment will be swift.

If you're here today and you don't know Christ as your Savior, the message really wasn't towards you, I understand that. I think I mentioned that at the beginning. But I would say this, the reason that we as believers receive this kind of preaching and teaching from Jesus is simply because he loved us so much that he died for us, and we will one day stand before him as our judge. We will one day stand before Him as Judge. And when we stand before him as judge, we wanna be found right in his eyes. And if we're not found right in his eyes, what a horrible day that's going to be. But we accept it because he loved us and died for us and anyone who puts their faith and trust in Him and repents of their sin. That means exactly what we said to abandon a former way of thinking, of denying Christ, and accept Christ alone as our Savior.

And we have regret over our sin that put Christ on the cross and thankfulness for our salvation that places us in the family of God. If you're here today and don't know Christ as your Savior, we encourage you today to come forward in just a moment and let one of our prayer team counselors take the Bible and show you how heaven can be your home. And if you are a believer here today, I can't help but think that a message like this and a passage like this would have spoken to you. And maybe God is working on you to adjust some things in your life.