
The Compromising Churches (Revelation 2:12-29)
- "In racing theres a time you dont
think about life, you dont think about money, you dont think
about anything but winning.
- When we were entering turn three on the second to last
lap, all that mattered to me was that I came out first
- I know Fittipaldi felt the same way.
- Indy is the biggest race in the world, and this was
the last couple of laps.
- I made up my mind that I was not going to lift my foot
off the throttle no matter what, and I figured Fittipaldi wasnt
going to either.
- When we went into that turn side by side at over 200
miles an hour, we both knew only one of us was going to come out of
it."
-
- some of you might know that Im quoting Al Unser
Jr., and some of you know that he was the one who did not make it through
that turn
- he spun out of control and hit the concrete wall at
over 200 miles an hour
- he walked away from the smoldering debris clapping
at Fittipaldis courage, and giving the thumbs up sign as a gesture
of respect for the other drivers good fortune
-
- wouldnt you say that a good set of nerves is
needed for someone considering Indy racing?
- there are other lines of work that require heavy nerve
- Id say if an astronaut ever loses his nerve,
his career is over
- the same could be said about test pilots
- if a narcotics officer ever loses his nerve, his career
wont last long
- if a commodities trader ever loses his nerve, its
likely that her career is gone
-
- certain types of work demand a higher nerve quotient
than other kinds
- and it might surprise you to hear me say that church
work is near the top of the list of occupations that are nerve intensive
- if church workers lose their nerve, theres a
good chance theyll lose their church
- it takes a lot of nerve to build a church and keep
a church on a God-glorifying path over a long period of time
- church historians can point to thousands of examples
of church workers over the years who lost their nerve, and as a result,
lost their church
-
- this morning, were looking at two churches who
are suffering from illnesses that threaten their very existence
- were going to discover that in each case it is
basically a loss of nerve on the part of church leaders and on the part
of church workers that is at the root of these life-threatening diseases
- let's briefly look at the concerns of Jesus for these
two churches
-
- FIRST IS THE CHURCH AT PERGAMUM
- please open your Bibles to Revelation 2:12-17
- Pergamum held the official title of the capital of
Roman Asia
- it was a beautiful and wealthy city, with a huge library,
and many palaces
- and it was the unofficial capital of what I told you
about last week: emperor worship
- in fact, Pergamum had three temples to the emperor
cult
- it was the first city in Asia to openly support the
imperial cult
- refusal to take part in worshiping the emperor was
considered a form of high treason
-
- not only did Pergamum have three temples to the emperor,
it also had temples to other gods as well: Dionysus, Athena, Zeus, and
so on
- and because of its temples both to the emperor and
to these gods, Jesus identifies this city in verse 13 as the place "where
Satan has his throne"
- Pergamum was a stronghold of both pagan religion and
emperor worship
- and it was an unusually difficult environment for a
Christian church
-
- and Jesus says, despite the great wickedness surrounding
you, youve got one great thing going in your favor
- youve stayed true to my name
- (Revelation 2:13) I know where you livewhere
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 citywhere Satan lives.
- it appears that, like in Smyrna, there had been some
definite time of persecution, when members of the church were faced
with the challenge of denying their faith in Christ
- at least one man, Antipas, had been martyred
- according to tradition, he was slowly roasted to death
in a bronze kettle for refusing to deny Christ
- despite all the persecution, and in spite of their
pagan past, these believers had been faithful to the point of death
- they had stayed true to Jesus name
-
- and yet, verse 14 says:
- (Revelation 2:14) Nevertheless, I have a few things
against you
- what Satan couldnt accomplish through suffering,
intimidation, suffering, and death from outside the church, he
achieved from within the church
- because, as Jesus points out, theres something
seriously wrong within the church at Pergamum
- (Revelation 2:14) 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.
- (Revelation 2:15) Likewise you also have those who
hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
- the problem was one of compromised lifestyles
- let me explain what the problem was
- if you remember the story of Balaam in the Old Testament,
Balaam was asked to curse the people of Israel
- but God wouldnt let him
- instead, Balaam pronounced a blessing
- but what of a direct frontal attack, Balaam was used
in a more insidious way
- Numbers 31:16 tells us that Balaam gave advice that
led Israel to become involved in sexual immorality and idolatry
- and some in the church of Pergamum were following that
example
-
- these people, the Nicolaitans, seem to have argued
that since the pagan gods didnt really exist, there was nothing
wrong in participating in the pagan feasts
- you need to know that these pagan feasts involved temple
prostitutes and sexual immorality
- sexual laxity was not considered a serious sin by the
Greeks and the Romans
- and it seems that some Christians at Pergamum were
participating in these holiday festivities, and so no harm in indulging
themselves at the temple feasts and in the sexual excitement everyone
else was enjoying
- sexual freedom and idol worship was the order of the
day
- they said, "Whats the problem? These idols
arent real. We can bow on the outside; whats important is
our hearts. Lets get the Romans off our backs. Look what happened
to Antipas. A little compromise wont hurt"
- a greater value was being placed on safety and comfort
than on faithfulness and fidelity to Jesus Christ
-
- and according to verse 14, the problem wasnt
church-wide
- only some were arguing this way
- but church leaders lacked the nerve to confront it
- they lacked the nerve to call it compromise
- they lacked the nerve to put an end to it by hook or
by crook
- "Wheres your nerve?" Jesus was asking
this church and its members
- "Wheres your nerve? You lose your nerve,
and youll eventually lose this church"
- "I dont care how scary it is to confront,
I dont care how costly it is to your fellowship, I dont
care if it means losing a third of your congregation"
- if you lose your nerve to confront compromised teaching,
youll eventually lose your church
- the church will become weak and flabby on the inside,
and therefore become vulnerable to deception and disease, and after
that its only a matter of time
- so in verse 16 and following, the message to the church
is, repent fast!
- the entire church is summoned to repent for a sin of
which only a few were actually guilty
- repent, Jesus said, for losing your nerve in confronting
compromised forms of teaching!
-
- look with me at the next church the church
in Thyatira
- Thyatira wasnt a great city it was a working
persons town
- and the problem here, as described in verses 19 to
21, was compromised leadership
-
- now, this church had a lot going for it
- (Revelation 2:19) I know your deeds, your love and
faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more
than you did at first.
- this church had some great strengths
- their state reflected some outstanding progress in
love and faithfulness
- it was a church that was getting better in these two
areas, rather than worse
-
- but Jesus reveals a perilous flaw in the church
- (Revelation 2:20) 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.
- in the church at Thyatira, a certain woman had risen
in the ranks of leadership to the point where she was virtually uncontested
beyond accountability to anybody
- John referred to her as Jezebel
- most scholars feel that was not her real name, but
rather a title conferred upon her to underscore her wickedness
-
- now, Thyatira was a real trade town
- it wasnt a big town, but a lot of trade took
place there
- in order to participate in the commercial life of that
city, people had to join trade guilds, which would be analogous to trade
unions or trade federations in this country
- without belonging to these trade guilds, it would be
very difficult to make a decent living
- the economy revolved around these guilds
- history tells us that each guild had its own patron
deity, feasts, and seasonal festivities that included sexual revelries
- and to belong to a guild meant that you had to participate
in these guilds and all the immorality surrounding them, or else face
ruin in your livelihood
- clearly, any dedicated Christian could see that this
kind of involvement in idol-worship and sexual immorality was deep trouble
- they knew they should stay a country mile away from
food that was offered to foreign gods and sexual immorality
-
- and this woman, a prophetess and teacher, stood up
and said, "Go ahead and participate. Join the carousing. Sure,
worship Christ. But because you have to make a living, go ahead and
get drunk in your guilds. Join in the sexual revelries. Compromise with
the pagans around you. You have no choice its good for
your career"
- verse 21 tells us that she herself was guilty of sexual
immorality
- and yet she was still a key leader in the church, despite
her teachings and despite her lifestyle
- and Jesus says to them, in essence, "Why are you
putting up with compromised leadership? Dont you see the damage
shes doing to your church? The lives shes leading astray?
Wheres your nerve? Stand up to this woman!"
- despite being a loving church, a church that was increasing
in their faithfulness and service, this church lacked the nerve to practice
tough love on one of its own leaders
- they compromised their leadership
-
- verses 22 and 23 tell us that even though the church
was unwilling to discipline this woman, God wasnt
- God promised severe discipline probably sickness,
suffering, and even death, if she and her followers didnt repent
- and he tells the rest of the church probably
a minority to hold on; to stay faithful until Christ returns
again
-
- so the problems of the two churches in Pergamum and
Thyatira were similar
- the churches were on the ropes because they lacked
the nerve to confront compromised lifestyles and compromised
leadership
- I told you earlier that church work is near the top
of the list of occupations that are nerve intensive
- it takes a lot of nerve to build a church and keep
a church on a God-glorifying path over a long period of time
- church historians can point to thousands of examples
of church workers over the years who lost their nerve, and as a result,
lost their church
-
- Im sure that the people in these two churches
saw compromise
- but they didnt want to do anything about it
- they didnt want to make waves
- the majority of churches today are unwilling to confront
and lovingly discipline their own people
- and they end up tolerating compromise, false teaching,
and immorality
-
- I want to tell you three stories as we close this morning
that illustrate what Im talking about
- story number one: Jesus enters the temple
- gentle Jesus, meek and mild, takes a whip and drives
people out of the temple
- the dust is flying; tables are being turned over; animals
are stampeding
- what motivated Jesus to take such drastic action in
the temple?
- Jesus saw Gods honor being compromised
- Jesus saw compromise, and he couldnt tolerate
it
- something had to be done to stand up for Gods
honor
- how can a person who loves God stand idly by while
Gods honor is being defaced?
-
- story number two: a young boy goes to deliver food
to his brothers in the army
- he overhears Goliath, the giant, taunting God
- and David says, "I cant believe it? Why
doesnt somebody do something about this? Why doesnt somebody
take him on?"
- the answer comes back, "Because hes big"
- and David says, "So what? Gods honor is
at stake, and that is a non-negotiable"
- thats a cause worth taking a risk for
- any time Gods honor is at stake, its worth
fighting for even if theres risk involved; even if it means
causing a few waves
-
- story number three: a story Im involved in
- its important to realize as I recount this story
that I made mistakes
- there are things that I should have done differently
as I looked back
- but the problem was open and flagrant sin within the
congregation
- one of our church members was openly and continually
committing a sin, that was endangering not only his own spiritual condition
but the condition of the entire church
- and the issue, I believe, was not his sin, but of his
refusal to repent of that sin and make a change
-
- so we began to practice loving discipline
- we met with him privately, and encouraged his repentance
- nothing happened
- the leaders of the church met with him, and encouraged
his repentance
- nothing happened
- and eventually it became apparent that we as a church
had to practice loving discipline, and to take action to remove him
from our fellowship for open and flagrant sin, and an unwillingness
to repent
-
- there was no pleasure in this
- it was done with a lot of prayers and a lot of soul-searching
- this wasnt a witch-hunt; there wasnt any
"holier than thou" attitudes
- but at that point, the only loving thing left to do
was to confront, in a loving and yet a strong manner
-
- the church struggled with that
- we lost people who werent happy about it
- I still remember a matriarch of the church saying,
"This has happened before and weve always swept it under
the rug; I dont see why were confronting it now"
- ironically, at the same time, a deacon was dressed
casually for the Lords Supper, and there was more of an iron resolve
to confront and discipline him for that than to practice loving church
discipline in this other matter
- but it was a tough time for the church, and for me
as a pastor
-
- but Ill never forget the Sunday when this man
stood in front of the church
- as a result of the church discipline, he finally repented
and came clean with God
- and Ill never forget the time when he stood in
front of the church and said, "Thank you for loving me enough to
confront me. If you hadnt practiced loving church discipline,
I wouldnt be here."
- Ill tell you there werent many dry
eyes in the place as we welcomed back a man who had wandered away, but
had come back because a church loved him enough to not let it slide
-
- listen to me
- a believers silence in the face of compromise
is a chilling indication of spiritual weakness
- for a believer to stay mute in the face of compromised
teaching, compromised lifestyles of leaders or other believers, or compromised
zeal, is unthinkable!
- the stakes are too high
- Gods honor is too important
- the witness of the church is too important
-
- this mornings warning is very simple
- you cant miss it
- believers at Richview Baptist Church, dont lose
your nerve
- theres too much riding on it
- pray that the pastor of this church never loses his
nerve
- pray that the deacons of this church never lose their
nerve for confronting compromise
- lets pray that all of us will love God deeply
enough to do what David did, to volunteer to do battle with any giant
that threatens the honor of God or the integrity of the church
- no matter what the cost
- dont tolerate false teaching and compromised
lifestyles
-
- the two extremes we need to avoid are these:
- unloving orthodoxy the sin of the Ephesian
church, which didnt tolerate false teaching, and yet had left
their first love
- and on the other hand, dont be found guilty of
the other extreme loving compromise, the sin of the churches
in Pergamum and Thyatira
-
- so will you today resolve that whenever you see Gods
honor at stake, in the form of compromised lifestyles, teaching, and
leadership, that you will take godly and bold action?
- will we be a church that doesnt lack nerve when
it comes to Gods honor?
Adapted in part from a message by Bill Hybels