KEEPING OUR STANDARDS HIGH

Revelation 2:12-17.

INTRODUCTION:

For those of you who may have missed the past few Sundays we’ve been looking at the churches of Revelation. The first week we looked at the Church of Ephesus, last week looked at the Church of Smyrna and as we looked at each of these churches I asked that you would use your imagination. I wanted you to try and put yourself in the picture as if you were actually a member of these churches. And I want you to do the same today as we look at our third Church the church of Smyrna.

There are Seven Churches in all and God has a message for each one and I believe He has a message for us as well. We too have our strengths and weaknesses and God wants to make us aware of this. He wants to encourage us in our strengths and give us some good advice in regard to overcoming our weaknesses.

As I mentioned right from the beginning I want this series to draw us closer to God. I want us to mature in our faith. I want us to be a strong church. So with that in mind let’s get started. If you want to follow along in your Bibles you can turn to Revelation 2; 12-17. Don read these verses earlier in our service.

First of all I’d like to just give you a description of the type of place Pergamum was. What kind of city was it? What were the people like? Well Pergamum was a very beautiful city it was built on a high hill, about 1000 feet above the surrounding countryside, and from it you could see for miles in every direction.

Try to picture it in your mind, use your imagination. But it wasn’t just beautiful it was also a very sophisticated city. Pergamum was the place to go if you wanted to get a good education. They had all the best Schools and Universities. They had all the best medical facilities. It was also the center of culture. All the great events were taking place here. All the great plays, all the great concerts.

But Sadly in spite of all these great things these people were missing out on something. These people had turned their backs on God. They didn’t know Jesus. These people were lost. Pergamum had become the center for all the popular cults; they even had a cult that worshipped Caesar as God. Everywhere you went in the city there were temples built where people would go to worship their false gods.

I was thinking many of our cities and towns today could very well fit that description. Many people today have turned away from God. Even here in Gibson’s we see evidence of this. We don’t have to go very far to see what’s taking place.

But what was life like for those believers who lived there? We know it wasn’t very easy. It certainly was a challenge. Being a Christian in Pergamum was no bed of roses. Believers were definitely in the minority.

Everywhere you went you were reminded of the evil which existed. Every kind of evil imaginable was taking place. It’s not hard to see what was taking place when this letter was written.

As I already mentioned people haven’t changed much in 2000 years, that is in regard to sin at least. We may have advanced technically but mentally no. What was written then is just as relevant today. I believe we can all learn something from this message.

At one time Canada was considered to be a Christian country but not anymore. When I look around I don’t see a whole lot that could be considered Christian. Our newspapers certainly don’t speak about God’s love. Not many Schools teaching Godly principles except for a few private Christian Schools. And it’s getting more difficult every day to find a program on TV suitable for family viewing, even on the family channel. Even Disney is rated PG. Poor old Walt if he only knew.

As we look around it’s not difficult to see how corrupted our world has become. Sex crimes are on the increase, small children are being abused. Same sex marriages, divorce rates are at an all time high, the statistics are shocking. Need I say more?

Just a few years ago these things would be a rarity but now they have become everyday occurrences. You name it we have it!  And we sit there wondering where will it all end?

We see the same things taking place then as now. As sad as it is we have a lot in common.

There was so much evil taking place in Pergamum that it was known as the city where Satan’s throne was. Wherever you went you were surrounded by evil.

Revelation 2:13 “I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne.”(NLT)

So how do we compare? Who sits on the throne here in Gibson’s? Is it God or Satan? How active is Satan in our community?

I believe Satan is alive and well here just as he is everywhere. Wherever we look we see his ugly mark. And he’s doing his best to persuade us to give in. He wants us to give in to his false god’s. The god of pleasure and the god of immorality.  And his success rate is very good. That’s why we to be on our guard, we can’t afford to lie back there’s too much at stake.

So how did God feel about what was taking place? He was furious!

Revelation 2:12 “This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword.” (NLT)

God speaks with authority and judgment. In the same way the Romans used their swords for authority and judgment, God’s sharp, double-edged sword represents God’s authority and judgment. A day will come when every one of us will stand before God to be judged. On that day the believers will be separated from the unbelievers. The unbeliever will not experience joy and peace.

But God wasn’t only angry with the unbelievers. I believe he was even angrier with those who claimed to believe yet were dabbling in the evil that was around them. He expected more from them they knew the difference. The church had become a compromising church.

Verses 14-16 tell us that some so called believers had begun to worship Balaam while others had started to believe the Nicalaitans. Time doesn’t permit me to read all these verses right now, but you may want to look them up when you go home.

Balaam was an Old Testament Prophet who led God’s people astray while they were traveling to the Promised Land, and into the towns and practices of God’s enemy, the Moabites. You can look this up later in Numbers Chapters 22-24 and 31.

One commentator described Balaam as an example of compromise with false religion. In other words, those who were dabbling in Balaam worship still claimed to be Christians, yet every day they participated in unchristian worship. That would be the same thing as us coming here on Sunday and practicing New Age during the week. There’s no difference!

But the worse thing is that although they done these things they still believed they were saved. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They were blinded by the devil.

The Nicolaitans were pretty much the same. They were followers of another false prophet who taught the Christians to give in to the practices of the false gods of the city. They believed that they would gain more followers if they compromised. In other words they were lowering their standards to bring people in.  That’s not the right kind of church growth.

The problem with these believers was that they had lowered their standards. They had allowed Satan to slip in. They had given in to the values of their age, and its immoral practices.

Whatever we do, we must never lower our standards. When we compromise with the world we lose our effectiveness, we become useless. A Church without standards is not a church.

Some churches today even some in this town already have lowered their standards and followed the same route as the church in  Pergamum. That’s wrong! Those churches are nothing more than social clubs where people meet once or twice a week.

We need to be true to God. God never changes. We need to stand firm in our beliefs. We can’t afford to compromise. Compromise is wrong.

God warned these believers that they must change. He was angry and if they didn’t change He was going to punish them.

Revelation 2:16 “Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” (NLT)

Yes, He was angry, but that God there were a few sincere believers, there were still some who were genuinely committed. There were still a few faithful ones. Listen to Revelation 2:13. “Yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.” (NLT)

Yes, some did remain faithful in spite of the difficulties they faced, and Antipas was even willing to die for his faith. However we’re told that only a few remained faithful.

God didn’t have very much good to say to these believers, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. He did offer hope for those who remained faithful. He promised that they would be rewarded. And we too will be rewarded if we remain faithful.

In Revelation 2:17 God promises two things to those who remain faithful. He promises to give the hidden manna providing nourishment from heaven, and a white stone with a new name engraved on it which nobody would know except the one who receives it.

Some of you are saying what’s all this about? What’s Don saying I don’t Understand. Well let me try to explain.

Most of us have heard the Bible story of when the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness to the Promised Land with Moses. Well as they traveled they were in the desert and ran out of food. So God provide manna from heaven so they wouldn’t starve to death. Manna was a bread like substance which satisfied their hunger.

Then in the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the bread of life that provides not just physical but spiritual nourishment as well. You could say that Jesus is the Manna (bread) from heaven which gives Spiritual nourishment. In John 6 Jesus refers to himself as the living bread.

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” (NLT)

And I believe the white stones represent God’s guarantee of eternal life. In Roman times, stones were given to people allowing them to enter a banquet. Sort of like a ticket. But this particular white stone would give you entrance to the greatest banquet ever, the one mentioned in Revelation 19:9. “Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are true words that come from God.”(NLT)

Everyone who believes in Jesus, and accepts Him as their Savior and remain faithful will receive the gift of eternal life. Sort of like a ticket or stone with our name written on it. God has our name written down and He won’t forget. He is faithful.

Yes, we live in a fallen world, a world filled with evil and corruption. We see proof of this everywhere we go, and it’s not easy to be a Christian.

But God didn’t say it would easy. However, he did promise to stand by our side, that he would take care of us even in the most difficult and trying circumstances, best of all he promised us eternal life in heaven.

God wanted those believers in Pergamum to remain faithful and He wants us to do the same. You see this is also a message for us here today. And we need to listen!

What is God’s Holy Spirit saying to you? Let us pray.