Sunday
Morning Bible Study
August
14, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
John the
apostle has been exiled to the island of Patmos where he is given a “Revelation” by Jesus Christ
Himself.
John sees a vision of Jesus walking among lampstands. We’ve seen this as a
picture of Jesus acting as a priest,
and every day the priests would go into the Holy Place to clean, refill, and
relight the lamps in the Temple.
The churches are the lamps. The cleaning and refilling of the lamps are
what is taking place as Jesus writes seven letters to seven churches.
Do any of you remember the old Sunday School song, “This Little Light
of Mine”? We are the lights of the world. Jesus wants to be sure that our
lights are shining brightly in this dark world.
2:12-17 Pergamos
:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says
He who has the sharp two-edged sword:
:12 Pergamos
– Pergamos – “height” or “married”
Play “Map to
Pergamos” video.
There is several reasons why the
letters are in the order they are. One of them is that they simply follow the route
that a messenger might take delivering the letters one after the other.
Pergamos is located in modern Turkey, or “Asia Minor”. We’ve already looked at the cities of Ephesus
and Smyrna. Pergamos is about 50 miles from Smyrna.
The ruins of Pergamos are located just outside the modern city of Bergama,
population 100,000.
In the days of John the apostle, Pergamos was actually the main Roman seat
of government for Asia Minor.
It had several prominent pagan temples. In John’s day it had the world’s
second largest library after Alexandria. The library at Pergamos held 200,000
titles.
:12 the sharp
two-edged sword
Jesus is the one with the
Word of God.
sharp – oxus
– sharp; swift, quick
two-edged – distomos
(“double” + “mouth”) – having a double mouth as a river; used of the edge
of the sword and of other weapons, so has the meaning of two-edged
sword – rhomphaia
– a large sword; properly a long Thracian javelin, also a kind of long
sword wont to be worn on the right shoulder
In John’s vision of Jesus in
chapter one, we saw that this sword was coming out of Jesus’ mouth (Rev. 1:16)
(Re 1:16 NKJV)
…out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword…
This “sword” is a symbolic
representation of the Word of God. The Word of God is what comes out of Jesus’
mouth.
The writer of Hebrews says:
(Heb 4:12 NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
We may not always be able to discern what people’s real motives or thoughts
are all about. We may not be able to figure out our own motives sometimes.
God’s Word “cuts” to the point. It helps us understand the confusion that’s
often in our own hearts.
The church of Pergamos has some pretty good things going for it, but if
you’re not careful, you might tend to overlook their problems because you are
impressed by their better qualities.
God’s Word doesn’t miss a thing.
:13 “I know your works,
and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and
did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr,
who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
Here’s the commendation. This is what they are doing right.
:13 I know your works
This is a church that does good things.
:13 where … where
– pou … hopou – two slightly different words used here, the
second “where” points back to the first “where”
These two “locations” are related. The place they live is where Satan’s throne is.
:13 you dwell … Satan dwells – katoikeo – to dwell, settle; inhabit
:13 Satan’s throne
In Rev. 2:9,
Jesus called the Jewish synagogue of Smyrna a “synagogue of Satan”.
The Jews in Smyrna would work with
those who worshipped Caesar to bring great persecution in Smyrna.
There are several possibilities as to what this might refer to:
Pergamos was
famous for was the Temple of Asclepius, the god of healing. Asclepius’ symbol was a staff with a
serpent wrapped around it.
Even though the
people of Smyrna invented the worship of Rome, it was in Pergamos where the
first temple was built for the worship of Caesar.
One of the
biggest temples in Pergamos contained a “great altar”. This was thought to have
been dedicated to the god Zeus.
No matter how
you take it, there was serious evil present in Pergamos.
I just finished reading
the book “Unbroken”, a biography
about Olympic runner and WWII veteran Louie Zamperini. Louie’s plane went down over the Pacific Ocean where he and his
pilot survived 31 days with practically nothing to eat or drink. When they made it to land they were captured by the Japanese and
went through two years of the most horrendous treatment you could imagine. Man is capable of the most horrendous
evil. Louie will be sharing at Harvest
tonight…
:13 you hold fast
– krateo – to have power, to hold;
i.e. not discard or let go
There’s something important that they are strongly clinging to – their
faith in Jesus.
:13 deny – arneomai –
to deny; not to accept, to reject
:13 faith … faithful – both Greek words are from the same
root.
They did not deny their “faith”. Antipas was “faithful”.
:13 Antipas
– Antipas – “like the father”
Tradition tells
us he was the first “bishop” (pastor) of Pergamos. One legend said that he was burned to death
in a bronze bull a few years before John’s Revelation.
This apparently happened just a few years (92 A.D.) before the writing
of Revelation.
:13 martyr
– martus (“martyr”) – a witness
The word simply means a “witness”.
Jesus had told the disciples that
after they were filled with the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem, that they would be
His “witnesses” (same word).
(Ac 1:8 NKJV) But
you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall
be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end
of the earth.”
By the third
century A.D., there had been so many “witnesses” who had died for their faith
that this word took on the meaning of our English “martyr”.
Antipas was one of these faithful “witnesses”.
Lesson
Faithful in the fire
This was a church that held on to their faith, even when it got tough.
This was a church characterized by
a man who gave up his life for Jesus, a “faithful” man – Antipas.
They where faithful despite living in a place where “Satan’s throne” was,
where Satan was at home in.
When Jesus calls Antipas a “faithful martyr” or better, a “faithful
witness”, He is giving Antipas a title that has already been used by John about
Jesus:
(Re 1:5 NKJV)
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness
Antipas would not be the first one to have been faithful
to God even to death. Jesus had paved the way for Antipas to follow.
Today there are
cases of Christians who are “faithful martyrs”
Illustration
There is a case in Iran where a 32 year
old pastor is facing a death sentence if he doesn’t deny his Christian faith
and embrace Islam.
The
indictment against Joseph Nadarkhani, a father and evangelical pastor
who became a Christian at age 19, accused him of organizing evangelistic
meetings, sharing his faith, inviting others to convert, running a house
church, and “denying Islamic values,” CNSNews reports.
Nadarkhani’s lawyer has also been sent to prison for nine years
in jail and a ten year ban on practicing law for “actions and propaganda
against the Islamic regime.”
Peter wrote,
(1 Pe 3:14–17 NKJV)
—14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.
“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But sanctify the
Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who
asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16
having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who
revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it
is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
He also writes,
(1 Pe 4:12–16 NKJV) —12 Beloved,
do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as
though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of
Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with
exceeding joy. 14 If you
are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory
and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He
is glorified. 15 But let
none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in
other people’s matters. 16
Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in this matter.
It’s one thing to experience trouble simply because you’re acting like a
jerk.
But if you are experiencing difficulty because of your
witness for Jesus, then you are in good company.
God sees your difficulties. He cares about what you are
going through. He will carry you to the end. This was Pergamos.
:14 But I have
a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
This is the rebuke
:14 a few things – oligos
– little, small, few
:14 hold
– krateo – to have power, to hold;
i.e. not discard or let go
, be powerful; to get possession
of; to hold; to hold fast, i.e. not discard or let go
This is the same word translated “hold fast” in verse 13. They “held fast” Jesus’ name – that was good.
They also had some who “held fast”
to the “doctrine of Balaam”
Some things are good to “hold onto”. Other things you need to learn to let
go.
:14 doctrine
– didache – teaching; that which is
taught
Jesus is
referring to the story from Numbers 22-24.
Balak had hired
the prophet Balaam to bring a curse on the invading Israelites. Every time that Balaam tried to utter a
curse, he ended up blessing Israel instead.
Then the tables get turned in Numbers 25.
(Nu
25:1–3 NKJV) —1 Now Israel
remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the
women of Moab. 2 They
invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate
and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.
The King of Moab had come up with this ingenious idea of how to get God to
turn against the Israelites. He
sent these cute young Moabite gals into the Israelite camp and they
encouraged the Israelite men into worshipping their Moabite gods through sex. In
Numbers
31 that we find that Balaam had taught
Balak to do this.
(Nu 31:16 NKJV)
—16 Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of
Balaam, to trespass against the Lord
in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.
Balaam’s
“doctrine” was how he taught Balak to entice the Israelites to compromise their
faith.
There is a parallel between the Israelites and the people of Pergamos.
Balak couldn’t defeat them by outright going to war. He beat them by
“joining” them, by causing them to compromise.
The danger for Pergamos was not the difficulty of persecution, but the
deception of compromise. There were two areas of compromise:
:14 Balaam – Balaam –
“perhaps”
:14 who taught – didasko
– to teach
:14 Balak – Balak –
“a devastator or spoiler”
:14 to put – ballo –
to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls; to put into,
insert
:14 a stumbling block – skandalon (“scandal”) – the movable stick or trigger of a trap; any
impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall
The “doctrine of Balaam” has to do with causing people to stumble.
Jesus points out two areas where people where being caused to stumble
in Pergamos. These were things that the church was allowing, areas where the
church was compromising.
:14 the children – huios
– a son
:14 to eat – phago –
to eat
:14 things
sacrificed to idols
– eidolothuton (“idol” + “to
sacrifice”) – sacrificed to idols, the flesh left over from the heathen
sacrifices
Lesson
Abusing the gray areas
In ancient days, meat was not an easy thing to come by. You didn’t just go down
to your local Albertson’s and pick up a pound of ground beef.
The cheapest
meat was the meat available at the market located behind the local pagan
temple. The pagan priests
would sacrifice your neighbor’s cow to Aphrodite, but only part of the cow
would be burned on the altar. The rest was sold in the market behind the
temple.
Ancient Christians struggled with whether or not to eat this meat that had
been sacrificed of dedicated to these pagan gods.
For some, they
didn’t see a problem. Paul wrote that there was really nothing behind these
pagan gods, so why not eat cheap meat? (1Cor. 8:4).
Yet there were
some believers who had come out of these pagan cults. They couldn’t get away
from the idea that eating this meat honored the pagan god (1Cor. 8:7). When they ate this
meat, they felt defiled. And if they watched the pastor eating an Aphrodite
burger, they were horrified.
This issue became one of the great “gray areas” of the early church.
On one hand there was really nothing wrong with it.
On the other hand, it might cause someone to stumble.
Do we have “gray” areas today? I think we do. Some of you may argue with me over some of these:
Drinking alcohol – it is actually
permitted by Scripture. It’s getting drunk that is forbidden. But some struggle
with alcohol.
Watching TV – a dangerous subject. Quite a
few folks don’t even want a TV in their house. Others are watching things that
are not very healthy.
Paul gave some guidelines about these “gray” areas”
(Ro 14:14–15 NKJV) —14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is
nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to
him it is unclean. 15 Yet
if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer
walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.
Be careful about doing something that may cause another to
stumble. It is not a “loving” thing to do.
:14 to commit
sexual immorality – porneuo –
sex outside of marriage
Lesson
Immorality
“Porneuo” is a very broad word
and covers any kind of sex outside of marriage. This is NOT a gray area. This is clear. It is also a compromise.
The world
teaches that sex is okay as long as you both consent.
Just about every show on TV gives you the impression that if you date
someone, you will have sex with that person.
The common thinking of the world is that before you get married, you have
to “try it out” first by moving in and living together, including sex.
The world teaches that one of the
most important types of compatibility is “sexual compatibility”, and so you
better try it out before you end up marrying someone and finding you’re
sexually incompatible.
The Bible teaches something far different.
The Bible
teaches that you wait for sex until after you get married.
This doesn’t mean that God thinks
that sex is bad – God is the one who invented sex.
Sex was designed by God to be part of a relationship where there is a
lifelong commitment.
The act of sex carries a very strong emotional component. The act of sex
brings a strong sense of attachment to the other person.
It is meant to be shared by two people who trust each
other, not by two people who one moment are together, and the next moment one
betrays or walks out on the other.
It’s not uncommon for one person to tell the other person,
“You need to have sex with me because this is how I know you love me”.
Guys have told this to girls since the dawn of time.
Some girls think that having sex means that they are loved
by the guy.
When a breakup occurs, it hurts more when you’ve slept
together because of the deeper attachment you’ve developed.
If you are not willing to say “I am committed to you for
the rest of my life”, and back up that statement by actually getting married,
then you are not ready for sex.
Being engaged is not enough. It’s too easy to back out of
an engagement. It’s getting married that changes things.
I know that it is very likely that within church there are going to be
some of you who are not living in a good place in regards to sex.
God tells us that it’s time to change this.
If you decide to stop having sex with your partner, and they aren’t
happy about it, you have a choice to make. You either get married (and I’m not
sure this is the first best choice), or you realize that this is not the right
person for you and you follow through.
By the way, we do perform weddings.
:15 Thus you
also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
:15 Thus
– houto – in this manner, thus, so
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is not an additional thing that Jesus has a
problem with, the doctrine of the Nicolaitans was the same as the “doctrine of
Balaam”. It’s the teaching of
compromise in the church.
:15 hold – krateo –
to have power, be powerful; to get possession of; to hold; to hold fast, i.e.
not discard or let go
Same word used in vs. 13 (“hold fast”) and vs. 14 (“hold”)
:15 Nicolaitans – Nikolaites
– “conquer” + “people”
The only thing we know about the Nicolaitans is what we have here in
the book of Revelation.
We’ve already heard Jesus talk about this when He wrote to the Ephesian
church:
(Re
2:6 NKJV) But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which
I also hate.
This is the only other passage that mentions this group.
Some have suggested that these were followers of somebody named Nikolas
(like St. Nicolas?)
Some have suggested that there is a hint here of a ruling priesthood
over the people.
The name itself suggests that there might have been some sort of
“lording” it over by the leaders of the church.
Some have suggested that this was the beginnings of what we see in
churches like the Catholic Church, where the common people are dependent upon
the priests to be able to come to God.
The Bible teaches that we are ALL priests.
The one thing we do know is that they taught the people to compromise
their faith.
And Jesus “hates” what they do.
These issues of eating things sacrificed to idols and immorality were
issues that had already been dealt with by the church leadership.
In Acts 15, the church wrestled with
what to do with the increasing number of Gentiles that were coming to trust in
Jesus. Should they become circumcised and become Jews before they could be
saved? Or was trusting in Jesus enough to be saved?
The church leaders realized that salvation came by faith, not by works.
They did not require the Gentile believers to be circumcised, but they did make
a few rules:
(Ac 15:28–29 NKJV) —28 For it seemed
good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than
these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from
blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep
yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.
These Nicolaitans were not following what the apostles
had told the churches some forty years earlier.
:16 Repent, or
else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of
My mouth.
:16 Repent
– metanoeo – to change one’s mind, a
change of choice, not emotions
Lesson
Turn around
Do you really want to find yourself fighting with Jesus? Who wins?
Are you living a life of compromise? It’s time to turn around.
:17 “He who has an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will
give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on
the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
:17 To him who overcomes
Jesus has a promised reward for those who pay attention and obeys.
These rewards are kind of mysterious. I don’t have an exact idea of
what they mean, but I can give you some ideas.
:17 some of the
hidden manna to eat
This may be
speaking of Jesus, the “true bread from heaven (Jn. 6:33).
Perhaps we get more of Him when we “overcome”.
The “manna” was that miracle food that the Israelites ate when they
were wandering in the wilderness for forty years.
Jesus said He was the “true” bread from heaven (Jn. 6:33)
(Jn 6:33 NKJV)
For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world.”
Two million people out in the middle of a desert. What do you feed
them?
Every morning they would go out from the camp and there would be this
“stuff” on the rocks. When they first saw it, they called it “manna”, meaning
“what is it?”. We’re told that it tasted like wafers mixed with honey. The
Psalmist (Ps. 78:24)
called it the “bread of heaven”.
Jesus was talking about this “manna” and said that it was just one more
thing that was pointing to Him – the “true” bread from heaven:
Perhaps Jesus is talking about Himself as the “hidden manna”.
Perhaps it
speaks of the food that comes from obedience.
When the disciples brought back lunch to Jesus one day, He didn’t seem to
be hungry. He said He had food they didn’t know about (hidden) …
Another idea comes from the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman
at the well. The disciples had gone into the city to get some lunch while Jesus
stayed behind and ended up talking to this Samaritan gal. When the disciples
came back from MacDonalds they asked why He didn’t dive into the burgers …
(Jn 4:34 NKJV) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent
Me, and to finish His work.
We are “fed” (satisfied) when we repent and do the right things.
The danger of Pergamos is eating the food of compromise, “things sacrificed
to idols”. But if we move away from compromise, we are fed by Jesus.
:17 white stone …
new name
:17 stone – psephos
– a small worn smooth stone, a pebble
It’s hard to see a clear picture of a white stone in the Bible.
Some see this
as referring to the priest’s way of getting God’s answers. The suggestion is
that a “white stone” meant “yes”, God is giving us His approval.
Some have suggested that it might refer to the “Urim and Thummim” of
the high priest’s breastpiece. We aren’t really sure what these things are, but
some have suggested that they were a white stone and black stone used to
determine whether God was answering “yes” or “no” to the questions that the
priest might ask. A white stone might be the “yes” of God.
Others point to
the ancient justice systems where judges would vote on the guilt or innocence
of a defendant. The white stone meant “not guilty”. The word for “stone”
(“pebble”) here is the same word used for these judicial stones.
Another use of these pebbles with names was as tickets to
entertainment. Perhaps this might be a picture of getting your ticket to
heaven.
The Bible does
speak a lot about new names.
Sometimes when a person had an encounter with God, they got a new name.
Jacob (“heel
catcher”) became Israel
(“governed by God”) (Gen. 32:28)
A person’s name in the Bible often
spoke of their nature, who they were.
When a person had an encounter with
God, they changed, and sometimes their name changed too.
Abram (“exalted
father”) became Abraham (“father of a multitude”) (Gen. 17:5)
The new name is a picture of a new nature.
(2 Co 5:17 NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new.
Even though we don’t know exactly what this all means, it’s meant to be a
reward, an incentive. This is good stuff, something we want. It makes life
worth it.