Let me call your attention this morning to the Word of God as it is recorded in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation chapter one. Revelation, pardon me, chapter one. We'll begin our reading at verse nine. If you follow along with me, You'll find these words. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, and what you see, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands, one like the son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a gold band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass as it refined in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters. He had in his right hand seven stars. Out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, do not be afraid. I am the first and the last. I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death. Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. This is the mystery of the seven stars, which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands, which you saw, are the seven churches. Now look with me at chapter two, beginning of verse 12. And to the angel of the church of Pergamos write, these things says he who has the sharp two-edged sword. 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. 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. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which I hate, which thing I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 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." This is the word of God. This morning we return to our series of messages under the title, Christ's Message to His Church. While it can be said that all scripture is the Lord's message to His church, yet the Gospels speak more directly to our Lord's words and works. And the epistles set forth those divine indicatives and imperatives to the church as given by our Lord's called ones who were moved by the Holy Spirit. And in this apocalyptic book, our Lord speaks encouragement to his people to persevere until he returns. William Hendrickson writes this in his book, his commentary, More Than Conquerors. In the main, the purpose of the book of Revelation is to comfort the militant church in its struggle against the forces of evil. It is full of help and comfort for persecuted and suffering Christians. To them is given the assurance that God sees their tears, their prayers are influential in world affairs, and their death is precious in his sight. Their final victory is assured. Their blood will be avenged. Their Christ lives and reigns forever and ever. He governs the world in the interest of his church. He is coming again to take his people to himself in the marriage supper of the Lamb and to live with them forever in a rejuvenated universe. So this morning, we come to the church in Pergamos. We've thus far looked at the church in Ephesus and the church in Smyrna. This church has been called by many the compromising church. As I have said in previous studies, the structure of each letter follows the same general pattern. There's a greeting, a description of Christ, a commendation, a condemnation, a word of warning, a call to hear, and a promise. My aim in this series is to present the format with the same basic structures I have in the past. So I'll first give a little background concerning the city where this church is addressed, this church that is planted in Pergamos, and then something of the Lord's description, self-identification, as he gives to us in the first chapter of the Revelation. after which I'd like to focus our attention on the remainder of this letter under two or three heads, whichever is applicable to the church address. There's an approval, an accusation, and an admonition. In our text this morning, the approval is in verse 13. The accusation in verses 14 and 15, and the admonition in verse 16 and 17. Verse 12 says, to the angel of the church in Pergamos write. In our last study, we considered the beautiful ancient city of Smyrna, which is today Izmir, Turkey. About 40 to 50 miles north of there and about 10 to 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea stood the impressive capital city of Pergamos. The ancient author Pliny called it by far the most distinguished city in Asia. Its name in Greek means citadel. The citadel was a fortress that commands the city and is used in the control of the inhabitants and in defense during attack and siege. Any strongly fortified place or stronghold is considered a citadel. Pergamos boasted of a massive library with some 200,000 volumes. only second to the largest library in Alexandria, Egypt, which was gifted to Cleopatra by Mark Anthony. Pergamos was also known for its many pagan temples. And on top of the Acropolis was the throne of Zeus, overlooking the magnificent city. One of the most famous temples was dedicated to Asclepius, the serpent god of healing. And the popularity of this cult made Pergamos the lords of the ancient world. If you remember from your studies in history, Lourdes was a city, or is a city, in southwest France, where the Roman Catholic Church has a shrine and is famed for its miraculous cures. And so it was said of Pergamos that it was a place to go. People flocked from everywhere to be healed of their diseases and their infirmities. The symbol of Asclepius was a serpent on a staff. The Greeks regarded snakes as sacred and used them in healing rituals to honor Asclepius, as snake venom was thought to be remedial. And their skin shedding was viewed as a symbol of rebirth and renewal. Another symbol similar to that of Asclepius, which is used by our medical profession today, is the caduceus. You doctors correct my pronunciation when we're over in the class. The Greek mythology of this thing, this staff, is a winged staff that had two intertwined serpents around it and was carried by Hermes or Mercury. And this should bring to our mind the account in Acts chapter 14 where Paul and Barnabas were called Zeus and Hermes because of the healing of the man who was crippled from his birth. This city was the first to worship Caesar. therefore making it the official center in Asia for the imperial cult. If you remember from our previous studies, the imperial cult was that religious cult that worshiped the reigning emperor and the Caesar. And this city was first and foremost in worshiping Caesar. One has said that if Ephesus was New York City, than Pergamos was the Washington, D.C. of the ancient world. In the second half of our verse, verse 12, our Lord identifies himself as he who has the sharp, two-edged sword, which is taken from the first chapter in verse 16, which I read in your hearing. And that is where the glorified Christ commissions John to write in a book what he sees and send it to the seven churches. This description of Christ carries a judicial tone. It is seriously threatening. It's a serious reminder, pardon me, of the coming judge and the threats upon those who do not love him. If you remember in Acts 17, those words, because he has appointed a day, God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead. This two-edged sword reminds us of that passage in Hebrews, 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 joint and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we must give an account. This two-edged sword cuts everywhere it turns, one way for foes and the other way for unfaithful and false professors. As we see in verse 16 of our text, the Lord says, repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Remember what the Apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 13 concerning the governing authorities. He says, for he is God, speaking of the authorities or the government, he is a minister of God. to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God's minister and avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." The sword should be a picture in our mind of authority and those who wield authority Robert Mount says in his commentary, in the context of life in a providential capital where the proconsul was granted the right of the sword, the power to execute at will, the sovereign Christ with the two-edged sword would remind the threatened congregation that the ultimate power over life and death belongs to God. The Christians in Pergamos were threatened by the government, by an evil and wicked government. And many of God's people were put to death. And the sword that was wielded by the government was wielded unjustly and wrongly. And many of God's people shed innocent blood because they loved the Lord Jesus. But the sword that our Lord wields, is a righteous sword. Beloved, know this, in the midst of your persecution and sufferings, perhaps we don't know anything about the sufferings of our brethren around the world or these saints that we read of in the scriptures or we read of in church history. And there may come a day when we do suffer and we are persecuted. But remember this, our Lord will take care of our enemies. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to the wrath For it is written, vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12, 19. This is God's word to the suffering saints in Thessalonica as well. Since it is righteous, it's a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you. God is not blind to the sufferings of his people. And it seems like Wrong is having the upper hand in the world, but God wants his saints to know that he is in control. It's just like he mentioned to the church in Smyrna. Those who were jailed, those who were persecuted, those who were put to death, like that martyr Polycarp. God promises to care for his people. And deliverance does not always come from escape of the sword. Sometimes deliverance is God taking us out of this wicked world and bringing us home to glory. But God wants his people to know and Christ wants his people to know that he knows their sufferings and he knows and wants them to know that he is the one who ultimately rules and wields the sword of justice in the earth. Christ says, I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, or Satan's seat, that place where he has full sway, a place full of evil and debauchery. Wickedness is ruling the day, a place where sin runs rampant, perhaps like our San Francisco. or New York, or if you go around the world, maybe Amsterdam or Bangkok. Even here in our own country, we have a city that we refer to as Sin City, Las Vegas. A place where wickedness runs rapid, I say. A place where Satan's seat is, where his throne is, where he rules and has his way in the lives of men and women. Yet in the midst of Satan's wicked influence and attack on God's people, the testimony is, and thou holdest fast my name and has not denied my faith. They persevered like the church in Smyrna that was jailed and killed. These believers did not bow down to Caesar. They did not come as the custom of many of the citizens were to burn incense and declare that Caesar was Lord. No, they refused because only Christ was Lord in their lives. Yet it cost them much. They lost work. They were kicked out of the trade guilds because they were considered treasonous because they did not bow down to Caesar and call him Lord. Many lost their lives. because of the instigation of Satan. But they, by the grace that was sufficient for them, held fast to the end. God's grace is sufficient to keep us in the midst of difficulty and in the midst of trials. And you hold fast my name, he says, and did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one who was killed among you where Satan dwells. The Lord keeps reminding us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers in the rules of darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places. Satan is behind the scene, wreaking havoc in the world, and God's people are receiving the attack of the evil one, our ancient foe. As the believers watched fellow believers murdered by wicked hands, they did not deny their faith in Christ. Do you remember when Peter was afraid he had boasted earlier, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. But when the hour came, when our Lord was arrested, all of Peter's courage and boasting fell by the wayside as he denied our Lord three times. But here, history tells us that Antipas was murdered, his faithful martyr. History tells us that Anthropos was roasted to death in a brass bowl. And though his name is not mentioned anywhere else in scripture, his name has been branded to the holy text and given by our Lord Jesus Christ, a prominent place in this book. Even the name that our Lord identifies himself with in chapter one, verse five, he attaches to Antipas, my faithful witness, my faithful martyr. Brethren, we must be like the three Hebrew boys who were commanded to fall down and worship the gold image of the king. Do you remember their words? If that is the case, they said, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning furnace, fiery furnace. And he will deliver us from your hand, O King. But if not, let it be known to you, O King, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the golden image which you have set up. We will not bow. Brethren, when we're faced with that kind of pressure to succumb to the attacks and the pressures of the world, to be like the world or to worship like the world, we must say, even in the face of death, our God is able. We know he's able to deliver us. But if in his wisdom, and purpose is unknown to us, he decides not to deliver us from your wicked hands. We will not bow. You see, Ernest, you're talking about things that we're not accustomed to or confronted with. Brethren, these are not just nice little Sunday school stories. These are accounts of God's people holding fast his name and not denying his faith. Will we hold fast if the authorities one day come in here and start arresting your pastors? Will we? I have friends who are missionaries in China, and the authorities came in to that underground church, armed soldiers with recorders. taking pictures of all those who had gathered to worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Now they're marked and identified as Christians. Perhaps some folks be tempted like Peter and say, I don't know. Should we go back next Sunday? Pastor Greg's in jail. Pastor Ernest is in jail. Pastor Sean and Pastor Devon and Alan and Gregory are in jail. I don't know if we should go. It might not be safe to go. Will we stand in the midst of that kind of suffering? You say, Ernest, that doesn't happen in the 21st century. But it did. If you go back to the newsreels and look what happened in Canada and how pastors were jailed by the authorities, by the government. Don't think that can't happen to us, brethren. God calls us to hold fast to our faith and to his name. What about the difficult places that we do frequent? Are we tempted to deny our Lord and not hold fast His name? Will we witness in dark places? Difficult places. What kind of difficult places do we frequent? Some of us frequent difficult places on our jobs. We're confronted with all kind of wickedness all around us. And the world is trying to press us into its mold and asking us and pleading with us and pressuring us to conform to the world and to be more like the world. Many churches are conforming to the world. We want to be liked. We ought to want to be liked by the Lord and not the world. He who makes himself a friend of the world is making himself an enemy of God. And so the Bible calls us, as we see this example of this church, standing fast and not giving up. Where else might you find yourself compromising? Maybe in our families. Some of us have been pressured to lay down our convictions for family's sake. And our families would desire us to do things that are not in keeping with what we believe the scriptures to teach, and how we ought to live, and how we ought to conduct ourselves in the world. We touched on this last Lord's Day. So when God has given us a day to worship him and he's called us together as his people, and our family says, come on over here, we're having a picnic. then our allegiance is being tested and we're being pressed to conform. The family members who don't know God, who don't love God, and the truth be told, they probably don't love us either if we name the name of Christ. Blessed are ye when men shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, the Bible says. And so there are many things that come into our lives that pressure us to conform. And will we look like the world? On Sunday, do we look just like the world? Or do we look like God's people? Do people see us marching? to the sanctuary of God, to sing the praises and the hymns of God, and to listen to the preaching that nourishes our soul, that preaching that exhorts us, that preaching that convicts us, that preaching that puts us on the right path, a way of holiness. There are many ways in which this world is trying to press us to conform and trying to press us into this mode of worldliness. And many have made shipwreck of their faith because they have not held fast to God's name and to his faith. Sometimes we try to avoid the difficulties. Christ says to the church, I know where you live, where Satan's throne is. You're there by divine appointment. God sets the bounds of our habitation. What families we're in, what nations we live in, what families we're in, what jobs we have, it's all in the providence of God. And sometimes we try to avoid those things If our motive is only because we want ease, then we need to check ourselves because perhaps in the providence of God, he has placed us in those dark places to be witnesses for him. Where did God find us? The Bible says he called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. And we avoid being around people who are like we were, and we want a nice safe place to be, perhaps God has put us in the places where we are, in that place where Satan rules, in that place where all kinds of wickedness happens, where perhaps God is saying to you, I have much people in this place, and you are to be my witnesses. How else are the people in darkness are gonna come to the light unless those who know Christ and his saving gospel go to them and preach that gospel in the highways and in the hedges? Everybody's not gonna come up here in Grace Fellowship Church and sit in these nice beautiful chairs. But they work next to you, they're your family members, they're your neighbors, and they are wicked. just like we were. Now, some of us grew up in Christian homes and we didn't experience all the debauchery and the wickedness that is in the world. I understand that. But brethren, do we have a heart? Are we getting ourselves in a safe place and insulating ourselves from all the wickedness that's in the world and not going? These people, Christ says, they did not deny. They were put to the test. They were put to the test when fierce persecution came. And they watched their dear brother, Antipas, roasted to death. And they continued on to be faithful to God, to be faithful to Christ. God is calling us to that same type of faithfulness, to hold on to his name, to not deny his name, It's not impossible, brethren, to maintain a good testimony in a godly life in a wicked world. We can be in the world and out of the world. We can be those who proclaim the praises of him who brought us out of darkness into his marvelous light, that the God of grace may bring grace to those who are still in darkness. These people were God's people and they were faithful. But our Lord says, but I have a few things against you. It was not all good. It started out good. But remember what we said when we looked at the church in Smyrna. The saints were attacked fiercely. All kinds of persecution came upon them. But they did not bow. They did not give in. They held fast to their faith. They were faithful even unto death in the midst of persecution and poverty. Satan's got another tactic. But I can't get him that way. I'll go around another way. And I suspect that's where we are in this country. Maybe not so much being put to death and jailed, but to compromise. And so he says here, he talks about those who are in the church, who hold the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam was the one, the scripture says, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. The evil one has all kinds of tactics to come at God's people, and if he doesn't scare us by persecution, he'll get us to conform to the world, thus bringing the displeasure of God. But we're called upon to hold fast. The Bible is full of those exhortations to us to hold fast. We were in the book of Philippians and we heard these words, hold fast the word of life. so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain, the apostle says. In Colossians 2.19 we read about those not holding fast to the head for whom the entire body being supplied and held together by joints and ligaments grows with a growth which is from God. There are consequences for not holding fast. But examine everything carefully. Hold fast to that which is good." 1 Thessalonians 5, 21. Holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict instead of those who labor in the word and doctrine. He must be able, those who stand here and shepherd this flock must hold fast the faithful word. Hebrews 3.6, but Christ was faithful as a son over his house, whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. Hebrews 3.14, for we have become partakers of Christ if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm until the end. Hebrews 4.14, therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. In Revelation 2.25, it says, nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. He says, I'm coming quickly. Hold fast, Revelations 3.11, what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Next week, I want to look a little closer at this church, at these who are said to teach the doctrine of Balaam. You remember Balaam. He was called upon by Balak to curse the children of God. But every time he sought to curse the people of God, he did not, because God kept his mouth from cursing his people. That's the occasion where we find the donkey talking to Balaam, and exhorting or reprimanding Balaam as he struck him. And Balaam saw that there was no success in trying to curse God's people. So he taught Balak another avenue, another way to get the people of God to fall. So they would intermarry with pagans and they would teach them their customs and they would worship their idols and their false gods. And that's what happened in this church in Pergamos. There was compromise and the people were brought low because they held to the doctrine of Balaam. Be careful about who we allow to teach in this place. Be careful what you let your families listen to. Be careful about teachers on the radio and social media They may sound good, but they aren't if they're propounding false doctrine. And so some are teaching the people of God to sacrifice to idols here and to commit sexual immorality, worldliness, worldliness. Have we been tempted to compromise and to become worldly and to be like the world, to dress like the world, to talk like the world, to act like the world? It's the doctrine of Balaam. We bring God's displeasure upon his people. We'll bring his chastening hand up. If you're truly God's child, we'll bring his chastening hand upon you. So it's incumbent upon us to understand how we ought to live in the world and how we ought to live before God. These things which have been preached in our hearing in recent days about men being sexually pure, about men standing in integrity and living lives that honor God in a world where men are bombarded, women as well, with all kinds of ungodly things and pornography is everywhere you look. God forbid that we should imbibe any of that in our lives and just lower the standard just a little and not be concerned about one another's holiness and one another's walk in grace. Are we concerned about one another? Not only men are we called to be holy in our own lives, in our own selves, but we are to see to it that our families are walking in those paths of holiness. And so We're concerned, fathers and husbands, about how our wives dress and how our daughters dress if we're concerned about holiness. Or we say, well, that's the style, that's the way things are today, and I can't find anything in the store that fits me, and it's just right. Everything, it's hard. And I've been shopping with my wife. It is hard at times to find things in the store today that are modest. So what does that mean? I mean, there are some places where you can buy modest clothing. Perhaps some of us might need to buy a sewing machine. Learn how to sew. The world is pressing us all around, brethren, And we're like the frog in the water. It's just boiling. We're not really noticing that the temperature's rising, but it is. And if we're not alert and holding fast to God's word, we'll be boiled to death by this wicked, ungodly world. I remember working in the city And my truck broke down one day, and I had to get a substitute. I had to get another truck, and so they assigned me a truck of another driver. And when I got into this truck, I was appalled. He had plastered pornography all over the ceiling and the walls and all, like it was wallpaper. That's the kind of world we live in. And I had to rip that stuff down and plead with God to dispel those images from my mind. The world is pressing us. It's causing us to be ineffective in a dark and fallen world. Balaam. Those who teach this doctrine of compromise and letting your guard down and not being so fastidious and you're too puritanical and you got too many rules and regulations. Brethren, the rules and regulations are helping us get to heaven. Don't think it is a straight jacket of a religion. It is not. Bible is calling us to holiness. Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord. And so, brethren, may this be an example to us, an exhortation to us. Even in the midst of this dark world, this fallen world, we can be those who can hold fast, who can be faithful to God. His grace is sufficient. He has given us the means of grace. to strengthen us and to channel His mercy, His grace, and all the help that we need to live godly lives. So God forbid that we should neglect those means that He has provided to make us holy. And we'll make it, and we'll be overcomers. if we walk with our Lord as He has prescribed in His Word. Next week, we'll take up the rest of this as we look a little closer at these who taught the doctrine of Balaam and these Nicolaitans and the admonition that the Lord gives to those and calls them to repentance. The Lord is gracious. In the midst of our sin and wickedness, He continues to call us to repentance. He calls us to come back again and again. Repentance is not a one-time thing. When God saves us, He makes us a repenting people. And every day we ought to say, new mercies I see, because every day there is sin that must be confessed and sin that must be dealt with. And we must go every single day back to the cross like we did at the beginning and plead the blood of Christ and asked him to wash us afresh in his blood that we might be those who Hold fast to his name and do not deny him in the ungodly world. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for our Lord Jesus, who lived a perfect life. And we thank you for the record of these, who through faith and patience inherited the promises. We thank you, Father, for their example. We thank you that they endured, and we are encouraged that like them, we too can hold fast and be overcomers. We thank you for calling us out of the world, but we pray, Father, that you would make us useful in this fallen world, that your name might be glorified. and that we might see many more come to a saving knowledge of Christ. For it's in his name we pray, amen.