Revelation 3:14–22 (NIV) 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
3 facets of his majesty: A. The Amen "Jesus is heavens exclamation point."
2 Corinthians 1:20 (NIV) For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
B. The faithful and true witness • Jesus is the truth(John 14:6) - He holds the accurate testimony of the father and his promises. - Jesus holds the authoritative and accurate view of reality.
The ruler of God’s creation. Colossians 1:15–18 (NIV) 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Jesus is the reason and the source of all things.
Revelation 3:15–16 (NIV) 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
Affluent but apathetic. Revelation 3:17(NIV) You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. Jesus says: 1. Wretched(ouch): This Greek “calloused or hardened,” that is, to be spiritually dull and numb.
Revelation 1:19 (NIV) Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest(zealous), and repent.
The Solution: Revelation 1:20 (NIV) Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
"Following Jesus without fellowship with Jesus is fruitless.”
Revelation 1:21-22 (NIV) 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Revelation 3:7–13 (NIV) 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Jesus: Revelation 3:7(NIV) These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. “I am Holy.” John 6:68-68(NIV) 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
“I am True.”
Jesus holds the authoritative and accurate view of reality.
Jesus is the truth about God.
John 14:6–9 (NIV) 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?
“I hold the Key of David”
Isaiah 22:22 (NIV) I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
Jesus has the Master Key.
Open doors:
“Affirmation without correction" Promises: Revelation 3:8(NIV) I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
1. An Open Door. Revelation 3:8(NIV)… I have placed before you an open door… “The greatest open door we have is him.”
Matthew 11:27(NIV) No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
2. Vindication. Revelation 3:9(NIV) I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I that I have loved you.
Philippians 2:10–11 (NIV) 10 At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
3. Protection. Revelation 3:10 (NIV) Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
John 17:15 (NIV) My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
Revelation 3:10 (NIV) I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
4. Pillars Revelation 3:12 (NIV) To him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it.
5. Identified as his. Revelation 3:12 (NIV) Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Revelation 3:1–6 (NIV) 3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Revelation 3:3 (NIV) 3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: “These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.”
Revelation 3:3 (NIV) “I know you appear alive: its your reputation.
A reputation without reality.
Matthew 23:27–28 (NIV) 27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
A reputation without reality. 1. Dull 2. Numb 3. Distant 4. Bored “Spiritual boredom gives birth to dead religion.”
5 Exhortations Revelation 3:2–3 (NIV) “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” 1. Wake up Be Watchful, sober-minded, & alert.
2. Strengthen what remains
3. Remember: What you have received and heard.
Gratitude is the guardian of peace.
4. Repent
5. Obey
Revelation 3:3 (NIV) If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”
Watching stops the thief.
Reward: Revelation 3:4(NIV) 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
1. Robes of righteousness.
By the blood of the lamb Rev 7:14
Galatians 3:26–27 (NIV) 26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
2. Another garment for another event. Revelation 19:8 (NIV) Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 2 Judgments: 1. White throne judgement: Eternal destination. (Dan. 12:1-3; John 5:22-29;Rev. 20:11-15) 2. Judgement seat of Christ(Bema): Eternal rewards (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15;4:1-5; 2 Cor. 5:10)
Revelation 3:5(NIV) He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life. But will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Ministry: Romans 8:11 (TPT) God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!
___________________________ Revelation 16:15 (NIV) “Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
Revelation 22:12–14 (NIV84) 12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
Thyatira: Revelation 2: 18-29(NIV) 18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Jesus: Revelation 2:18(NIV) These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
1. He is the Son of God. 2. He has eyes of fire:
Hebrews 4:13 (NIV) Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Proverbs 15:3 (NIV) The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
3. Feet of burnished bronze.
You can only get perfect justice with perfect love and perfect judgment.
Encouragement: Revelation 2:19(NIV) I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
The Rebuke: Revelation 2:20 (NIV) Nevertheless, I have this against you:You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Idolatry: Prioritizing anything over the Lordship of Jesus.
Revelation 2:21-23 (NIV)21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. 23 Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
1 Kings 16:33 (NIV) Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before him.
How to recognize Jezebel's influence:
Manipulation.
A despising and dismissal of the word of God.
A promotion of idolatry: Greed/Covetousness/Discontentment(Col 3:5, Eph 5:5)
Making light of sexual purity.
Stirring up discouragement rooted in fear.
The Rebuke: “Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” -Warren Wiersbe
Ignoring or overlooking sin is not kind it’s cruel.
Sexual immorality: sexual activity outside of husband and wife. I Corinthians 6:18(NIV) Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
I Corinthians 5:11(NIV) I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
Reward Revelation 2:24(NIV) Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father.
Authority
Revelation 2:28-29 (NIV) 28 I will also give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Morning Star
Revelation 22:16 (NIV) “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
John 1:1–5 (NIV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
Revelation 2:8–11 (NIV) 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Revelation 2:9 (NIV) I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!
John 15:18–19 (NIV) 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Matthew 10:22 (NIV) All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
360 million Christians,(1 in 7) around the world, suffered significant persecution for their faith.
In 2021, an average of 16 believers were killed every day for following Jesus.-Open Doors’ World Watch List
Revelation 2:9 (NIV) … I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:10 (NIV) Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
The promise is not deliverance of persecution or hardship but a reward to those that endure it.
Pressure & Persecution: 1. Pressure: What we feel. • Pressure is the temptation to give into compromise. 2. Persecution: How we are treated Persecution is any mistreatment aimed at shutting down your Christian message and convictions.
Affirming Directions: 1. Be Fearless
Revelation 2:10 (NIV) “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.”
A comforting revelation Revelation 2:8 (NIV) “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 1.The first and the last:
Jesus has the final word.
2. The one who died and came to life again.
Death will not be the end of you
Colossians 1:18 (NIV) He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Revelation 2:11 (NIV) “He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.”
2. Be Faithful Revelation 2:10 (NIV) “Be faithful, even to the point of death.”
Revelation 12:11 (NLT) They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
There is a real temptation to doubt and to give into fear.
If we are being silent, we are not being faithful.
“Our mission is not to hide as we pray away the evil. Rather, our mission is to advance this Kingdom through the proclamation of His Gospel.”
The Promise: Revelation 2:11 (NIV) “I know your poverty —yet you are rich! “ Revelation 2:10 (NIV) “I will give you the crown of life.”
James 1:12 (NIV) Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
Acts 19:11–12 (NIV) 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 19:17–19 (NIV) 17 …The name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
Acts 19:20 (NIV) The word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
Revelation 2:1–7 (NIV) 2 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Affirmations to the Church in Ephesus: 1. Good deeds. Revelation 2:2 (NIV) 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. 2. Faithful Endurance.
Revelation 2:2, 3 (NIV) ... and your perseverance.... 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."
3. Stood up for truth. Revelation 2:2 (NIV) "You cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false." 1 John 4:1 (NIV) Dear friends, do not believe every Spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
The measuring stick of testing is Christ and the Word.
4. Hatred of evil. Revelation 2:6 (NIV) "You have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
Nicolaitans: "Jesus sees intolerance of evil as a virtue."
"We don't want the affirmation of the world; we want the affirmation of Jesus!"
Correction & Directive: Revelation 2:4 (NIV) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
Jesus doesn't just want radical obedience; He wants your affection.
Ephesians 6:24 (NIV) Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
"Don't get caught up serving God and forget to love him."
"He expects and gives grace for delighted obedience."
5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from it's place. 1. Remember. 2. Repent. 3. Return.
The Reward: Revelation 2:7 (NIV) "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
Revelation: The unveiling of Jesus by Jesus to His Church.
The primary theme of revelation is not the plan but the man, Christ Jesus.
Revelation 1:1–3 (NIV) 1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Revelation 1:4-20 (NIV) 4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits(Sevenfold) before his throne,
The Seven-Fold Spirit of God: 7 is God’s 💯 Isaiah 11:2 (NIV) The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.
Revelation 1:5-10 (NIV) 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. 7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” 9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 1:10-13(NIV) 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,”dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
The Kingly-Priest: Hebrews 7:23–27 (NLT) 23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. 26 He is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. 27 Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.
The Son of Man (Daniel 7) The incarnation was a permanent work. He chooses to identify as a human forever.
Revelation 1:14-18(NIV) 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword.His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades
John was “in the spirit.”
Don’t make Jesus so relatable that you lose your reverence.
Jesus is delightfully scary!
Physical appearance 1. Clothed as our Kingly Priest. 2. His Head & Hair: Like white wool. 3. His Eyes: Like blazing fire. 4. His Feet: Bronze from the fire. 5. His voice: Sound of rushing waters. 6. His Face: Like the sun, full of light.
Revelation 1:19-20 (NIV) 19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angles of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Revelation 2:12–17 (NIV) 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 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. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Pergamum/ Pergamos:
Encouragement: Revelation 2:13 (NIV) “I know where you live-where satan has a throne.“You’ve remained true to my name. “You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”
Rebuke: Revelation 2:14-15 (NIV) Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Beliefs determine behaviors.
“If it ignores God while affirming you, it’s not God.”
2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV) For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
1. The teaching of Balaam Numbers 22-24 “What the enemy cannot curse, he will attempt to corrupt.” A. Eating foods sacrificed to Idols: These believers were not simply eating the food but attending idolatrous festivals and participating. B. Sexual Immorality: Sexual immorality is any sexual activity outside of God’s covenant of marriage between one man and one woman.
1. The teaching of the Nicolaitans
Gnosticism: Believers could participate in the drunkenness and immorality of the idolatrous feasts under the pretense of Christian liberty because the spiritual and the natural were totally seperate.
Antinomianism: The gospel frees us from obedience to moral standards. Since salvation comes by faith, believers do not need to repent. Jude 4
Colossians 3:5–6 (NLT) 5 Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.
A Sharp Sword: Revelation 2:16(NIV)Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
His corrective word is discipline: Hebrews 12:5–7 (NLT) “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?
The Reward: Revelation 12:17(NIV) 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. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
The hidden manna John 6:48–51 (NIV) 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever…
1 Corinthians 2:10 (NIV) 10 God has revealed itto us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. The escort of the Spirit of God explores and reveals God’s depth.
