Pergamus: Our Beliefs Matter
Jesus' Letters to the Seven Churches • Sermon • Submitted
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· 20 viewsThis is the third sermon from the series on Jesus' Letters to the Seven Churches
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Jesus’ Letters to the Seven Churches
“Pergamos: Our Beliefs Matter”
January 20, 2018
Introduction
This morning, we are continuing our series on Jesus’ letters to the seven churches in Asia. These letters contain powerful words that we need to hear today. The letter to the church of Ephesus contained a powerful messages about our love for God growing cold. The letter to the church of Smyrna contented a powerful message about being loyal to Jesus no matter the cost. The letter that we are going to look at today, letter to the church of Pergamos, container a powerful message that the church today desperately needs to hear.
In just a second, we are going to read to the letter to the church of Pergamos. Before we do, let me mention this to clear up any confusion. Some translations use the word Pergamos. Some translations use the word Pergamum. The city was actually know by both names.
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Illustration: Exposing something
This letter exposes dangerous issues that church’s all over the world are facing.
1. Loyalty vs Compromise
Theological: Notice in verse 13 the phrase, “I know where you dwell.” Pergamos was the capital city of Asia. They city had many temples for the worship of Greek God, the most prominent being Zeus. The city also had a temple dedicated to the worship of Augustus Caesar. Since Pergamos was the capital city with a temple for the worship of Caesar, the city became the leading center in Asia for the worship of Roman emperors.
Last week, we talked about how citizens in Smyrna were required once a year to burn incense to Caesar and proclaim Caesar as Lord. The same would have been required for citizens in Pergamos. The believers in Pergamos were under tremendous pressure to conform to culture and proclaim Caesar as Lord. When Christians in Pergamos refused to conform to culture and proclaim Caesar as Lord, they were persecuted. We see in verse 13 that many believers in Pergamos were loyal to Jesus no matter the cost. The believers did not deny the name of Jesus even when Antipas was killed for his faith in Jesus.
Some believers remained loyal, faithful to Jesus. But we also see that some in the church did not remain loyal. Some in the church compromised in their beliefs and practices.
Illustration: A New York family bought a ranch out West where they intended to raise cattle. Friends visited and asked if the ranch had a name. "Well," said the would-be cattleman, "I wanted to name it the Bar-J. My wife favored Suzy-Q, one son liked the Flying-W, and the other wanted the Lazy-Y. So we're calling it the Bar-J-Suzy-Q-Flying-W-Lazy-Y." "But where are all your cattle?" the friends asked. "None survived the branding."
v. 14: Jesus references Balaam in this verse. Balaam is OT character that you can read about in . To make a long story short, Balaam caused the people of Israel to compromise. Balaam caused the people of Israel to compromise in the areas of idolatry and immorality.
This Old Testament story illustrated the comprise that happened to some in the church of Pergamos. Believers in Pergamos committed idolatry. We know from v. 14 that they hate food sacrificed to idols. But perhaps their idolatry went deeper. They may been burned incense to Caesar and proclaimed Caesar as Lord. They may have participated in the religious practice of the Greek temples. Believers in Pergamos committed idolatry. They also committed immorality. For these believers, their lifestyles didn’t match the teachings of Christianity. Their lifestyles became worldly, sinful. (v. 14)
Recap: Some believers in Pergamos were loyal to Jesus, other had compromised.
Practical: Sound an awful like the church today.
Many believers are loyal, faithful to Jesus. Many believers are faithful to ready their Bibles and pray daily. Many believers are faithful to serve and give. Many believers are faithful to be in church each week. Many believers today are faithful even in the threat of severe persecution.
There are other believers today who have compromised. Believers today comprises in the same area that some in Pergamos death with — Idolatry and immorality.
Lets talk about idolatry first. We may not worship a false god like Zeus or Caesar. But let me remind you of our theme verse for 2019.
(NLT) Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.
An idol is anything that takes God’s place in our hearts. Modern day idols could be anything from people, jobs, success, hobbies, wealthy, influence, sports, politics. An idol is anything that takes God place in our hearts.
Have any of us comprised in the area of idolatry. Have we let something else take God’s place in our hearts.
Like believers in Pergamos, believers today also comprise in the area of immorality. Our lives can look more like the world than Christ.
(NKJV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
It seems that way to often we are repeat offenders with the same sin. The book of Hebrews refers to it as the sin that so entangles.
Has immorality or the things of the world consumed any of us?
Recap: Compromise vs Loyalty — the story fo the church of Pergamos is the story of today’s church. What I love about this letter is that Jesus exposes the root of comprise.
2. Dangerous Belief Systems
Theological: The root of comprise is dangerous belief systems, false teachings that threatens the doctrine and holiness of the church. For the church of Pergamos, the dangerous belief systems were that of the Nicolatians. We have already read about the Nicolatians in the letter to the church of Ephesus.
The church of Ephesus kicked the Nicolatians to the curb. But some in the church of Pergamos embraced the Nicolatians. (v. 15).
The Nicolatians were false teachers with a dangerous belief system. The Nicolatians wanted to blend culture into Christianity, and the Nicolatians preferred more culture than Christianity. The Nicolatians believed that there were no moral absolutes. All people including believers in Christ could do anything they wanted. What harm is there in putting a pinch of incense on the altar and affirming your loyalty to Caesar?” What harm is their in committing sexual immorality? What’s the harm in sinning just a little. For the Nicolatians, doctrine mattered little and behavior mattered even less. With each passing day the distinction between this church and the world become more blurred and less clear. The lifestyle of one was barely distinguishable from the other. Worldliness, compromise, and tolerance had rushed into this church like a flood.
Do you see danger in the belief systems of the Nicolatians?
Practical: There was a phrase that stuck out from researching them. Doctrine mattered little, and behavior mattered even less. Doctrine matters little, and behavior matters less — that’s the dangerous belief system that the church faces today.
Doctrine matters little. The church’s doctrine is being influenced by culture. That’s dangerous. The law of the land redefined the Biblical definition of marriage. A lot of churches have simply gone along with it. Our beliefs are being influenced by culture. For some in the church, that’s ok because doctrine matters little.
There are some in the church who want to minimize the work of Jesus on the cross.
Illustration: Shea — Don’t sing verse 3 — And when I think that God, HIs Son not sparing, Sent Him to die. I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden, gladly bearing. He bled and died to take away my sin.
Don’t sing about the blood of Jesus. Don’t preaching about the blood of Jesus. Nobody wants to here that kind of stuff any more. There is an attempt inside the church minimize the work of Jesus on the cross. Some are ok with doctrine matters little. That’s mentality today from some inside the church.
Doctrine matters. What we believe matters. What we believe about Jesus and the cross matters. Christianity is Christ. Jesus Christ himself is the rock on which the structure of Christian theology is built. The cross is essential to the message of Christianity. Without the cross, there is no salvation. Without the cross, there is no forgiveness of sin. Without the cross, we would never understand how much God loves us. What we belief matters. Culture must never influence our beliefs. Our beliefs must always be grounded in the Bible.
Doctrine matters little, and behavior matters less. Dangerous beliefs floating around in the church still. Our behavior matters.
John Stott: The second central truth which cannot at any price be sacrificed is an ethical one. It concerns holiness. The Christian faith is essentially concerned with the person and work of Jesus on one hand and the life righteousness on the other. Christianity exalts Christ and promotes holiness. To deny Christ and to follow evil are to surrender the citadel of Christianity to the enemy and to haul down the standard of truth.
Our beliefs matter. Our beliefs on Christ matter. Our beliefs on the cross matter. Our beliefs on Christian behavior matters.
Illustration: Avoiding something
We must avoid the dangerous belief systems that some in the church of Pergamos got tangled up in.
Conclusion
Biblical truth is a cornerstone of Christian ministry. No matter how we act, biblical truth must be heard, obeyed, and declared. The world is filled with false claims, so God’s Word needs to take center stage.