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Message Notes: Dear Church-The Church in Pergamum

Dear Church

Week 3: The Church in Pergamum

Pastor Rick Henderson                October 7-8, 2023


NOTE: Pastor Rick made some late changes to the message he preached, rendering the original manuscript inaccurate. We have noted those incomplete sections in RED.


INCOMPLETE SECTION / MATERIAL

REVELATION 2:12-17

Today’s scripture passage is going to be like that. Before we can experience the richness that it offers us, before we can better know and understand Jesus because of it, before we can experience greater unity together from what we find it, we must be OK with slowing down and going through a kind of orientation. Before I explain further, I want you to grab a Bible or a phone and find this passage.

This is week 3 of a series called Dear Church. Revelation chapters 2 and 3 contain 7 letters to 7 different churches. Each letter is a direct and personal message from Jesus. All of this was communicated through a vision to a man named John. He is the one who physically wrote Revelation. It was never intended to be thought of as a book. It was a letter. This large letter contained 7 smaller, personalized letters. When this was delivered to the churches, they all read all of it. This is a first-century group text. There’s value in that.

RECAP: The better we understand Jesus’ message to OTHER churches, the better we’ll understand his message to OUR church.

I think that’ll be even more obvious today. The ultimate message that those churches needed to hear is the same message that our church needs to hear. Jesus overcomes. And if we trust in him, if we are in him, we overcome too. Remember this from last week.

RECAP: We OVERCOME by what he did, not what we do.

Today we’re reading Jesus’ letter to the church in Pergamum. This letter has more symbolism and references than the previous two letters combined.

REVELATION 2:12-17

Let’s read the passage first, to get a sense of what I’m talking about. As I read, what is all the imagery that you can identify that we need to clarify?

 REVELATION 2:12-17 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne.

If you’re wondering if Satan is symbolism, the answer is no. He is real figure who is at work behind every false belief. He is a real figure seeking to disrupt God’s purposes and the gospel movement.

Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

SYMBOLISM & REFERENCES:

  • Sharp, double-edged sword
  • Satan’s throne
  • Name
  • Balaam
  • Nicolaitans
  • Sword of my mouth
  • Hidden manna
  • White stone
  • New name

This is the symbolism and references we must understand before we can understand this letter. Let’s work through it one at a time.

SYMBOLISM & REFERENCES:

  • Sharp, double-edged sword = ultimate authority and perfect judge

This would have quickly and naturally resonated with residents of that city. The double-edged sword was a common symbol that represented the authority of the Roman proconsul, who lived in and was based in their city. That official had the authority to execute enemies of the state. The essence of this symbolism is to represent Jesus’ ability and right to assess who stands with him and who stands against him. We follow his lead, submit to his authority, and whenever respond to anti-gospel teaching, and anti-gospel behavior in the church, we do it his way and never our way.

  • Satan’s throne = network of pagan temples and center of the imperial cult in Asia

This city had pagan temples like we have Kwik Trips. Some of them were massive and ornate. This network of temples dominated the cityscape and the culture. One scholar called Pergamum Satan’s hometown. More than just a network of temples, the city of Pergamum was a key center of the imperial cult. It was at the heart of worshiping the emperor as a god. Remember, a constant drumbeat throughout Revelation is that it doesn’t matter how powerful Rome is. Jesus is king and sovereign overall. He alone is Lord. Satan’s throne represented the greatest threat to those who want to confess, “Jesus is Lord,” not, “Caesar is lord.”

  • Name = a person’s character, the essence of who they are

Throughout the Bible, a person’s name represents far more than what they are called. Especially God’s name, which represented the fundamental nature of who he is. That means taking God’s name in vain doesn’t mean shouting his name in anger when your QB throws another pick-six. Taking God’s name in vain is claiming Jesus while engaging in anything that contradicts who he is and what he is like.

  • Balaam = prophet (Numbers 22-31)

This one is important for this letter, and it’s a little complicated. You can read about him in Numbers 22-31. He was a prophet and some sort of spiritual leader. He wasn’t Jewish. And he wasn’t a false prophet. You should go read it, but I’ll give you the short version of his history.

This was the time period when Israelites were in between Egypt and entering the promised land. Some of the kings in the surrounding area were getting scared and weren’t sure what to do with this massive group of people who were so near their territories. One of those scared kings was Balak, from Moab. He paid Balaam to pronounce a curse on the Jewish people. Balaam wouldn’t do it. He would only deliver the message that God gave him. That’s a display of courage and integrity.

  • He defied a king.
  • He only spoke what God told him, even when that meant delivering a message that angered the king.
  • This put his life in jeopardy.

So, what made Balaam a bad dude? On the down-low, he told this king, I can’t curse the Israelites, but I can show you how to get them to bring a curse on themselves. Get some women from your towns to seduce Jewish men. Then it will be easy to manipulate those men into worshipping your idols. When that happens, God will punish them. And that’s what happened. Read about this in Numbers 25.

Here’s the tricky thing about Balaam. His public theology was superb. He always and only said the right things about God publicly. And yet, he lured God’s people into sexual sin and into worshiping false gods—all while never actually doing any of that himself. Recognizing and responding to a religious leader like Balaam requires serious discernment.

  • Nicolaitans = they promoted false teaching and sinful behavior

We don’t really know who they were or what they taught specifically. Whoever they were, they were a faction that was trying to gain influence in churches across multiple cities. Whoever they were, they spread anti-gospel beliefs and anti-gospel behavior.

  • Sword of my mouth = judgment

What will that look like when Jesus judges and actively opposes people who are deceiving the church? Honestly, I don’t exactly know. Let’s remember, the point is that we should never see what that looks like. Because it is the responsibility of faithful followers of Jesus to engage with false teaching and to engage sin whenever it pops up in their church. That’s why over the past couple of weeks, we had honest conversations about rumors and racial tension. It is loving to each other and loving to Jesus when we practice discernment.

  • Hidden manna = sustenance and eternal life

This is a reference to Exodus 16, also the time period when the people of Israel were in between Egypt and the Promised Land. God miraculously provided food for them. There may be more nuances to this reference. But the primary point is that Jesus is the source of what sustains you, and he is the source of eternal life.

  • White stone = innocent, free, admitted to the feast

This symbolism is very likely drawing on aspects of their culture. In a court case in the ancient world, jurors would vote guilty with a black stone or vote innocent with a white stone. When a gladiator was freed, he was given a stone with his name and date of freedom. Special stones were also used as an entry ticket into feasts. What might seem strange to us, would have been a powerful symbolism, carrying a profound message of encouragement.

God sees you as innocent. You are free. You are welcome to feast at his table, in heaven.

  • New name = new identity and way of being (Isaiah 62:2 and 65:15)

If you missed the Masterpiece series this summer, maybe give yourself the gift of checking that out. Every person who trusts in Christ is a new creation. You are his masterpiece, his prized artwork. You owe it to you to know Jesus’ heart and mindset toward you.

All right! That was the orientation. How are we doing? Now, let’s take all of that and read this passage again. This time let’s replace the imagery and references with what those things meant [noted in brackets].

REVELATION 2:12-17 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword [ultimate authority over life and death, and the only one who is the perfectly just judge]. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne [Satan is deceiving the majority of people through false religions and bankrupt ideologies]. Yet you remain true to my name [character, the essence of who I am]. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality [religious leaders who accommodate and/or encourage desires and behaviors that contradict devotion to and love for me]. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans [promote anti-gospel beliefs and encourage anti-gospel behaviors]. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth [my perfect judgment]. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna [sustain you and give eternal life]. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it [the status of righteous and a new identity], known only to the one who receives it.

Now we’re in a place where we can receive, appreciate, and apply this personal message from Jesus to the church at Pergamum. Just like the last two letters, at least part of this is an unexpected message.

UNEXPECTED MESSAGE:

  • It’s better to have no church than an unloving church.

In week one learned that an unloving church is such a serious problem, if they didn’t repent, Jesus would disband that church.

  • It’s better to let a church suffer than to prevent it.

This was last week. The way of Jesus is so different from the way of the world that it flips everything upside down. And because of the resurrection, because of what Jesus has done, there is nothing we can’t face.

  • It’s possible for a church to stand up for Jesus while standing against Jesus.

This isn’t the whole message, but it is a major part of this week’s message. This is a church that stood for Jesus. This is a church that stood for Jesus even when it cost them everything. And yet, standing up for Jesus isn’t the same thing as standing with Jesus. Keep this in mind as we look at this again.

REVELATION 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.

How could understanding Balaam help them accurately understand and assess what was happening in their church? It’s important to remember that Balaam’s public theology was right. He was technically right in how he represented God. His influence was dead wrong, and it was deadly.

We don’t know with certainty exactly how this evidenced itself in the house churches in the city of Pergamum. Throughout the Old Testament, references to prostitution or adultery were used as metaphors to describe the serious nature of whenever God’s people sin and stopped being faithful to him. Was there a problem with actual sexual sin in this church, or was it a way to simply describe the seriousness of their sin? There’s room to disagree. I think it was a mixture of both.

This was a wealthy city, and it’s very likely many in the church were making good money. This might be difficult for us to appreciate. There really wasn’t a line separating religion and public life. It was all mixed together. It was very common for trade guilds to include pagan celebrations and food sacrificed to idols in their meetings. That would mean that followers of Jesus were put in a tough spot. Do they risk their business by refusing to participate, or do they find some way to excuse their participation so that their livelihood is safe? Christians who chose devotion to their business associations over devotion to Jesus committed spiritual adultery.

I can’t relate to that. I’m a pastor. I could lose my job for failing to honor Jesus. Devotion to Jesus only benefits my job security. But some of you know what exactly what I’m talking about. Some of you know what it’s like for your boss or your company to put you in a position where you are forced to choose between your Savior or what’s safe. It’s not hard to imagine the appeal of a would-be pastor or teacher who would tell them, “It’s no big deal if you participate. Sometimes you just do what you’ve got to do. You stand up for Jesus in enough other areas of your life.” But that would-be pastor or teacher would actually elevate the desire for money and security over devotion to Jesus. You can’t serve God and money. We must pick one.

Any teaching or teacher that accommodates a DESIRE that contradicts DEVOTION to Jesus is standing against Jesus.

It’s also very likely that there was sexual sin being encouraged in the church. If the Nicolaitans were teaching something like Gnosticism, which was a big problem then. If they were teaching something like Gnosticism, it’s very likely that they taught people to honor Jesus spiritually. What you do with your body is no big deal, as long as you honor Jesus spiritually. That would have sounded right-ish. The problem is that we are to honor God with our bodies. This room is not the sanctuary. This is just a room. If you are in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is in you. You are the sanctuary. Your body is a temple, and that is why we honor God with our bodies.

INCOMPLETE SECTION / MATERIAL

I wouldn’t expect you to know about this, but some of you do. There is a big kerfuffle going on right now. And it involves one of my pastoral heroes.

Message Notes: Dear Church-The Church in Pergamum

I love Andy Stanley. For the past 33 years, he has been a trusted influence in my life. Words can’t express my appreciation to him. Let me get specific. I love and deeply admire his commitment to move toward the messes and love people no matter what. I want to do that.

I love and deeply admire his commitment to leading his church to welcome everyone, even people who completely disagree with what God’s word says about sexual ethics. I want to lead us to do the same. If you think we are bonkers, and utterly wrong about sex—I’m so glad you are here. Whatever your sexual identity or lifestyle may be, it is an honor and a privilege to welcome you. We think you belong here. We want to be friends with you. And we want you to see the truth, goodness, and beauty of Jesus.

I love and deeply admire his commitment to serving and helping parents whose kids have come out as LGBTQ+. His church has been doing that for years. Believe it or not, our church has a ministry like that for parents too. It is so good. So, what is the big kerfuffle? As the pastor of one of the largest churches in America, having influence with millions of people, is he saying that you don’t really have to follow a Biblical sexual ethic to be a faithful follower of Jesus? Is he doing this?

Any teaching or teacher that accommodates a DESIRE that contradicts DEVOTION to Jesus is standing against Jesus.

That’s what people are debating.

Why would I bring this up since it’s really about another pastor and another church? I have 3 reasons:

  1. There are no new problems. This debate is the exact kind of issue that was present in the church at Pergamum.
  2. He is a pastor whom I have quoted a lot. I took our staff to a conference at his church last year. We have used his material in many areas of our church. I know some of you don’t just want to know, you need to know if there has been any change to what your church and your pastors teach.
  3. I’m basically a nobody in the pastoral world. And yet, two times in my pastoral career, I’ve been contacted by a pastor or staff person at Andy Stanley’s church in response to a sermon I gave. One time one of their pastors emailed to express appreciation for something I said. A couple of years ago, someone from that church called our church office and asked me if they could quote me. I told them, “I’ve been ripping off Andy Stanley for 20 years. He can quote me anytime he wants.”

On the off chance that they listen to this sermon, I want to be helpful to him in the same way he has been helpful to me.

If he were here, or if he hears this, this is what I’d say:

“Andy, I think a lot of prominent leaders in the church world are being judgmental more than discerning. It feels like something other than love is motivating some of those who are publicly criticizing you. I hope that you persist and continue to engage in public conversations so that what you mean is clear. You are the king of clarity. But some of us who love you feel like we aren’t getting clarity.”

“If you are saying that for some people, following God’s design for our bodies and for sex is unworkable and unsustainable—if you are saying that we should accept that and that it’s possible to honor Jesus while following a different sexual ethic or lifestyle—if that is what you mean it will break my heart to have to say that you are doing this. It will break my heart to have to say to my church that you are a pastor who can’t be trusted and should not be followed any longer.”

Jesus’ message to the church at Pergamum was that it’s our responsibility, motivated by love for him and each other, to directly address anti-gospel teaching and anti-gospel behavior.

We don’t TOLERATE sin because the consequences of sin are INTOLERABLE.

INCOMPLETE SECTION / MATERIAL

In a different church, in a different state, I got to see this in action. And it was one of the most loving things I’d ever seen in a church. A men’s group in the church I pastored invited me to join them for breakfast. They met for breakfast once a week. They got real. They studied together. They prayed for each other. They had each other’s back. There was a man in the group who was flirting with sexual sin, and if he took another step, it was going to blow up his marriage.

I knew the guy well. He knew he was wrong. He knew he was playing with fire. But he was stubborn. And I watched as man after man went around that table and shared their own sins. They were uncensored when talking about their own moral messes and how Jesus had created something new and good in their lives. They essentially begged their friend to repent.

If you remember week one, that was discernment. That was a group of men who said this is wrong. We are standing against what you are doing. And they left no room for doubt that they were 100% motivated by love. That’s what church is supposed to be.

REVELATION 2:17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna [sustain you and give eternal life]. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it [the status of righteous and a new identity], known only to the one who receives it.

SERIES THESIS: KNOWING the truth doesn’t change anything. SUBMITTING to the truth changes everything.

INCOMPLETE SECTION / MATERIAL