Revelations 2:12-17 - Sunday Service June 13th

Transcript Search
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
View more →
Hint: Click on the words below to jump to that position in the sermon player.

So I put on my slides, when I was studying for this week that we were going to do pergamus and diet. Tyra both, today. We're going to finish up. Yeah, I know we're not going to do that. So I was a little ambitious there.

You can't hear me. Can we get more volume back there? Okay, we can I'm sure they can. Give us more volume. There we go. All right. Let's pick up in verse 12. That's probably a little too much, get a ring there. Take it down to Peter and to the angel at the church and prove them, right? The one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this. I know where you dwell where Satan's Throne is and you hold fast my name and did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one who was killed among you received Wells, but I have a few things against you because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching, balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and commit acts of immorality. So, you also have some who in the same way, hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans, therefore, repent, or else I'm coming to you quickly and I will make war 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, and I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows, but he who receives it Heavenly Father. We thank you. Lord that we can come together and study your word freely to Worship You freely Lord this morning. As we look to this passage of scripture where you are speaking to you at the church, but I just pray this morning that you would fill up the ground of our hearts Lord, then it would be ready to receive your word Lord and I just pray especially this morning that we would apply the power of your Holy Spirit Lord that we would be tuned to hear what you're saying. But I just pray that this word this morning, that might be a little hard for some or that we'd allow you to do your work in our heart. And so we just invite you to have your way in and Among Us this morning. Lord. We thank you in Jesus name. Amen.

Sue. As we have been going through this, it is the book with a promise. Are you ready to be blessed this morning? Amen? Every time we open the Book of Revelation, we can be sure that we will be blessed for me, read it, and hear it, and keep it. It's also the only book that really comes with its own Divine outline, laid out for us and Darren Verse 18. And we are in that section talking about the church. The things that are right in the chapter 2 and 3 of The Book of Revelation. And this time span started, as we talked about last week, when Israel.

When Christ came as Messiah and he rode into Jerusalem as prophesied, by the Prophet, Daniel in Daniel chapter 9, that he would come. And he did on the exact day prophesied and what that he would be cut off, but not for himself. Another words not on his own, for what he had done. But on the behalf of someone someone else and that basically stopped the time clock when Christ died on the cross that stopped God's dealing with Israel. In fact, that was their chance at that moment. Had they seen it and it tells us there that Jesus looked over the city of Jerusalem before he rode in and he wept over the city and he said I would like to gather you up like a mother. Hen gathers, his chips, but you won't have it and so because they had missed the day of his visitation and so the clock stopped, but, of course, we know from our Study last week that there's another seven years still waiting to be fulfilled. It hasn't come to pass yet. It is yet to be fulfilled of dealing with the people in the land of Israel, very specific. And Daniel chapter 9 and who he's talking about his talking about the place of Israel. But what about the the interim? Well, the Old Testament prophets didn't see this age, the church H. They missed it. It was like a dip in their View and they couldn't see that. All they saw was Christ coming to rule and reign victoriously as the FED with physical Kingdom. I didn't see this area called The Church, which the Apostle Paul said, was a mystery. It wasn't revealed to the Jews in the Old Testament. It was something that was hidden from them. It was alluded to in places but really obscured, right? This idea that Jews and Gentiles could form this entity known as the church together was completely foreign to the Jews. They couldn't believe the God would do anything for the Gentiles. They believed that the Gentiles were put on Earth, just as firewood to keep the hell's of fire hot. That's route. Literally went many of them believed and so So they didn't see the church Jesus. In verse 19 of chapter 1 of The Book of Revelation. He referred to it as a mystery as well as mysterious. It's this kind of strange thing where people from every tribe. Every Nation, every tongue become one in the body of Christ and the are presented to him as his bride. A very mysterious thing that only God could do it. So we're looking and we're studying the, The Book of Revelation in end of three different ways. Course, we talked a lot about it and I'm not going to go into too much death, but we're looking at it in the historical grammatical literal contact or who hermeneutic and end in the three perspectives, right? How When it comes to the churches to you as ear, let him hear that. Is he who has a spiritual ear to hear what Jesus is saying to the church personally? Do you have a spiritual ear to hear what Jesus is saying to you? And these letters personally do we as a church corporately, like the church, the body of Christ. Do we have an ear to hear Whitney's corporately as a church? And then of course, what he saying prophetically about it because remember chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. It's a very clear Apostle. John says, this is a book of Prophecy foretelling. What will happen to prophetically? Are we looking at this in that context, as well? So that's how we're going to study this. And we're looking at the church in all those ways. How does it apply to us personally, but we're also going to look at it in the timeline of the church is so the different ages of the church, the different kind of epics of the church as how it has progressed from the beginning. Acts chapter 2, Holy Spirit fell, the church was formed that day 3,000 people. And how the church has progressed through to where we are today. That's we're going to look at all that. So we started on this journey, and I'm going to do a little bit of review but not a ton. For those of you who haven't been here. There are now I think five or six teaching to the Book of Revelation you go out to our YouTube channel and watch them there or get online and on the app and listen to him.

So the church in Ephesus, again, I'm not going to go to in-depth. We looked at this, they are. They opposite Dalek Church. They are the, the beginning of the church, and the church in Ephesus was like the perfect prime example of this, right? This is the church that the Apostle John himself ended up at, after you left, the Isle of Patmos and he lived out his days here. So he knew these people well and

Now, I also told you last week, that each of these churches, Jesus talked about because each of them have certain characteristics that are part of what makes up the church and Jesus. In his parables in Matthew Chapter 13. They were the kingdom Parables if you remember that, right? He came. And he was teaching about a kingdom and I thought about it. They didn't get it because it was talking about a different kind of Kingdom than they were expecting. They were expecting him to come in. Raise up, an army drive out the Romans and establishes physical Kingdom as Messiah ruling over a nation state of Israel. That's what they were expecting. And then he came along and he started proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand. And like it's it's, it has come the Messiah is here, repent because the kingdom of God is at hand and other words. It's coming but it's not coming. No way that you think it's coming. If you didn't raise an army you pick 12 Misfits, you know, to, to be his army, and they did not get what was going on. And then he began to teach about the Kingdom. And The Parables that he used made no sense to them and so they didn't get it. In fact, I gave you the assignment to be there a little bit today, as we look at these Kingdom Parables and how they how Jesus describes these the ways in which his kingdom work in the church. And so they're Matthew Chapter 13, picking up the verse 3. It says he spoke many things to them in Parables saying behold the store went out. So and as he sowed some seeds fell beside the road and the birds came and ate the others fell on the rocky places where they did not have much soil and immediately they spring up because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched because they have no root. They withered away, others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out and others fell on good soil and you'll get a crop from a hundredfold, some 60 and some 30, he who has ears. Let him hear. So this parable about the kingdom, Jesus here tells us the story about a guy who goes out insoles and he told the parable to him and they were like this. I don't know what you're talk to Jesus. Then later in verse 15 on of this 2:15 to like 4:30 24, he explains the parable to them and this is really the only Parable he explains in-depth. And here's why, because this Parable is the key to the rest of the Parables. He is going to tell in Matthew chapter 3. He's giving them the key to it. Like, what, what, what am I talking about? What do these things mean? And he goes on to tell him that the seed is the gospel. The world, the field is the world and the solar is showing the gospel. He's taking, he's throwing the gospel out. They like he's giving it out to people and the gospel is always going to find one of four types of heart types of here by Kathy's of those who have ear. Let him hear. In fact, this is what ties Matthew 13 and Revelation 2 and 3 together because hear Jesus, let him hear what the spirit in other words, every time the gospel goes out. It's going to find someone either receptive to the gospel, or someone who is not receptive in one of these ways. And of course, the first one is, they're going to just be hard and they're not going to hear it. That type of soil is becoming more and more common all the time that he didn't used to be. That way, people grew up with some sense of God, of some sense of moral, right? And wrong. Some sense of maybe a grandmother. That was a Christian or grand father, that taught them, that, you know, God is real. That's become less and less of the heart harder and harder, and they grow up hardens to the gospel and it makes no impact on them when they hear it, because they have rejected that whole premise. That's that's one type in, there's the rocky soil. It's those two, you know, they have some some sense of it. And so they hear it. And I think that sounds right. That sounds good, but they don't let it really get in deep. It's the soil is Rocky. It's somewhat hardened. And so it doesn't get in deep and win. Anyting, tough comes any kind of a argument against Any kind of a persecution that might come up on them or any where they might have to take a stand it. They they reject it. It goes away here. It says, when the sun comes and beats down on its roof, didn't get in deep. And then you have the the thorny soil, those who they receive it, with gladness that it even gets in. It starts to grow, but the cares of this world begin to, it's cool. The things of this world and all the stuff of the world sidetracks and and distracts from the work of getting that deep into their to their heart that discipling in the, the growing in and they get sidetracked and the Thorns choke it out. But then, there's the good soil person. Is ready. Whose Heart is Open. It goes in deep and they let it grow. They let the roots get down deep. This was the kind of church Ephesus was. This was a church. That was established. By Paul. Timothy was put there and many of these early churches during the apostolic age reform. Work started by Paul or Peter, the Apostle, John and the apostles often lived. There. Peter went and lived among the Galatians. Paul lived among the Corinthians for long extended periods of time to the church. Strong churches ride to me. You didn't when they had a Bible study. It was Paul himself or Peter teaching them. I mean how you know, I'm going to have a Bible study with the Apostle Peter. You just say you'd write the apostles themselves were teaching them, pastoring them or putting people in place that they trusted and who they were to pass through them and teach them in. So they had Deep Roots. But that. You know, eventually begin to fade and this church Annapolis Ephesus that would, they were ones with really deep roots. In fact, you just had a lot of good to say about them, but he did say, you know, what you've left your first love, and other words, you know, you've kind of grown cold in this. And so this, this Apostolic church was received in Ephesus. Paul said about them in him. You also, after listening to the message of Truth, The Gospel of your salvation having also believed you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of Promise. So they heard it, they believed it and it didn't matter what would come persecution would come. But these churches that have been established in this time. They withstood because their Roots went down deep and all the perks of persecution would cause them to grow. More is a sun beat down on them. They just use the lattice food and fuel to grow more and so, That was the early church. Now if we get the second church that we looked at was Smyrna in this was the perfect way to church. Jesus had nothing bad to say about them except that he knew them that he didn't have a great, you know, long sermon for them. He simply said, I know what you're going through. I've experienced suffering, like you're experiencing that was more than enough for this church to know that Jesus. In fact, he identifies himself at himself with them as I was the one who was once dead. While I was killed, like you're being killed. But I'm alive. Promise of eternal life that we all. Hold on to, that is our hope right into the Smyrna, though. They were being crushed. They were Jesus said, you know, in fact, you're being persecuted, and there's more persecution on the way. Speaking prophetically, There Were Ten waves of persecution that came on the church between 180 and 33118 E and there were 10 different numbers, starting with Nero and going through to completion, then each of them seemingly trying to outdo the the previous one on how much they persecuted and killed and hurt the Christian and so he he told them hey, you know, there's there's more perfect yutian coming but understand. I know which what you're going through, do not fear anyone who's faithful unto death will be given the Crown of Life at this church. Smyrna. As I talked about last week is still in existence today. There are those in the body of Christ who are destined to die. For their faith even today and it's happening in countries around the world where there are members of this church who are still destined to go to their death for Christ, and he promises them a crown for that Kingdom. Parable for this is Jesus there. Matthew 1324. See the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who so good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping as enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. I'm in the weed, sprouted and bored Grande. The tears became evident also deflate the ball and order came and said to him, or did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tears? And he sent to them an enemy has done this, the slave said him. Do you want us tend to go and gather them up? But he said, no for while you were gathering up the tears. You may uproot the weed with them. Allow both to go together until the Harvest. And then the time of the Harvest, I will say to the Reapers first gather. Pairs and bind them in bundles to burn them. But gather the wheat into my barn. Jesus told this church, should I know what you're going through? And I know about those who call themselves Jews, but are not actually choose, those of the synagogue of Satan, there was some form of people there in amongst them. Now some of taking this to say, well, there were these weren't Believers are these weren't people in the church. These were Jews in that area who were calling themselves Jews, but they weren't really juice. Now. I just have to tell you, that doesn't make any sense in that era. It was very, it was just slightly more popular to be a Jew that it was to be a Christian. You wouldn't go around if you wanted. You saying I'm a Jew that that doesn't make sense. Right? More than likely, this was people who had who were Christians, who would come to Faith, but they were judaizers, they were saying while we're still part of the Jewish faith, so that they could bow out on some of the persecution. And they were actually And what that caused them to do is when the persecution came, they turned on the other Christians, they, and other words that know, I'm a Jew, not a Christian, that guy's a Christian and the persecution would come and Jesus that I know those. I know those false tears that are growing up a month, you they're not really Believers and they're not actually Jews either. There's something else completely he called them of the synagogue of Satan and now prophetically, there are some implications of this that we still see going on today because there are those in the Christian church who call themselves Jews when they aren't actually juice. Right? And there's a whole thing called replacement theology. That's come along that says, you know, the church has replaced Israel or some of the more extreme groups. Just their group has replaced Israel or some of them go so far to say especially in Black Liberation Liberation theology. Mostly from Britain, is that they are the actual Jewish people, and that the Bible is corrupt. And what was told tales about? The Jews is actually not about the people that are in Israel today. Calling themselves Jews, but these people that are identifying themselves as as Israel. And do you have the, you have the real extremes and I just want to see, you know, we just need to be careful about this. Not everyone who is there's a group, there's a kind of a movement called the Hebrew Roots movement within the church. Not everyone that's subscribe to some were part of that is a false brother sister. So we have to be a little careful. There are those who are Jewish people of Jewish descent, who are believers and they are Messianic Jews. In other words. They're Christian Jewish people, and they have because of their Heritage, they've chosen to somewhat separate themselves from the Christian Church, even though they are believers in Christ. And you know, again it may vary from one group to another, how extreme that might be for them. But there are those within the Christian Church who are not Jews at all, not Jewish of Jewish descent at all. And yet they are calling themselves Jews and they are embracing this Hebrew Roots. They think they're, they're saying we need to get back to Our Roots as Jews because we have replaced, the Jewish people. We are now in their place and they are a few red flags for you. Might be someone who talks about Yeshua all the time. They do use the name Jesus and they talk about Yahweh. And instead of saying God and they inevitably start talking about keeping the Sabbath or some dietary laws and where they are trying to go and live under the law only, it's only partial, right? Because living under the full law is a real burden and so it's all it out. They always seem to pick and choose. What they're going to live under, right? So is in this, right? It's just that's a red flag. It's like, I need to investigate this further. What does this person actually believe? Because if they're trying to put me back into the larger if they're trying to live under the law, the Apostle Paul wrote in the entire letter, dedicated to that Galatians and his entire thesis starts with o, foolish Galatians, right? Are you crazy? You know, you're trying to live under the law when you've been set free from it. It's not necessary for Gentile Christian to live under the law to live under the law. Once they come to Christ, you're free. And so that's that's what the deal is here in the field. The truth of it is It's very clear that it's, you know, the Bible, the gospel is for everyone, right in. There's no separation in the boulders. Neither Jew nor Greek slave nor free, right when we come to Christ in him and all of those previous labels that we have are gone. That's the that's the gospel. Is that what you were before? You're not that anymore. You're actually now one with the person sitting next to you. It doesn't matter if they were Jewish whether they were, you know, African native American or east Indian. All of those things are gone and should have never mattered because God created Us, All Is One race. But now for sure, that's why I just want to say this, and again, this isn't in my notes. But this is free for you critical race. Theory is not biblical. It is not Christian. It has no place in the church. It is anti pedicle to the gospel, right? Because we are we are to live in Christ and we're all one in him. It doesn't matter. The color of the skin. Absolutely does not matter in in the church, especially shouldn't matter in the world. But but certainly, in Christianity, in our faith, you know, we have enjoyed as Christians here in America, since slavery was abolished a growing. Unity in the church that I am really afraid of being eroded and destroyed because of this demonic Doctrine called critical race theory that Crept in and so don't don't let it, don't let it get in your your heart or your mind. We need to stand against this as Christians and say, no, I won't hate the person because of the color of their skin, and I won't say, I'm I'm a hater simply not true. We have the power in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit to love our neighbor regardless of what they look like in a man. So that's all I'm gonna say about that. I just wanted to since I'm on and I'm just leaving it there. All right, let's move on. Forgiveness. And again, we read this already. I'm not going to read it again cuz we are already kind of.

Short on time, but Jesus. He wants them to know he's with them. He's in the midst of the church. He's the one who walks in the midst of the the lamp stands, right? And

He? Had a few things to say about them. He said, I'm the one with the sharp two-edged sword. The meaning of pergamus, as I said last week. It's through marriage, but it is really the idea and is an abnormal Union, right? It's not meant to be a slight, like not the right type of a marriage and so that's what their name means, and we'll talk about why that isn't a moment.

He knows their Works where they dwell Satan's Throne calls it. He has some there that hold the doctrine of Balaam in the Nicolaitans. What she does not like and he exhorts them. Those of the other part of that need to repent and otherwise, he's going to come and he's going to fight against them with his sword sword. And the promises that if they overcome, they won't receive of the Hidden Manna, and he will give him a white stone. So we covered all this in kind of an overview last week, but I want to dive into a little deeper before we move on the kingdom, Parable, for this. Is Sian verse 31 of Matthew 13. Jesus presented another Parable to them saying the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed with a man took and sewed in his field and this it's smaller than all seeds. But when it is full-grown is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air coming nest, in its branches. And he says, you know, the Mustard Seed. It's the smallest of all seeds basically that we planned here in his role. I don't I don't think it's making a plate and save it somewhere that's smaller than this. But in general, this is the smallest seed, we plant. And he says, normally when we plant it, it's an herb and it grows. And the translation here is not real good because they don't, it doesn't reflect that. What you go saying is normally it grows as an herb. But this particular seed, when the guy planted in the field, it grew and then grew into a tree, which if you do mustard plants, they don't do that their plant Dinner, they don't grow into a tree that birds coming nest in. You don't have mustard tree's, right. So something's wrong with this particular tree, and the kingdom of God, that he's talking about here, one aspect of it is when it grows, and it grows into something that is not meant to be any time you feed birds coming and nesting somewhere snatching something. Again. What's the key? The key is the first time we see birds in these Parables, when Jesus explained it to him. The birds were those that came and stole the word away. They were those that were usurping, the word of God, taking the gospel and doing something else with it, taking it away from the person that they couldn't hear it. The birds come, and they nest in the branches of the tree. So that the gospel is not utilized the way it should be. That's this this picture and these These people here in pergamus as he's riding to these people, he saying, you know, this is not, this is not normal what's going on there? This people that have this doctrine of Balaam isn't normal. I'm going to come and fight against those that hold the, this doctrine of the doctor in the Nicolaitans. And we'll talk about what those mean before I go any further. The promise Jesus said, when he said, I will come and fight with him. He's not coming to to destroy them since I will come and fight them with the sword. What is the sword? Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing. As far as the division of Soul, and Spirit are both joints and Marrow and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. God's word gets right to the point. I just want to stop right here before I go any further and I just want to say this and I hope that you understand where I'm coming from. What I'm going to read today is God's word. What we're going to talk about is God's word and it might have a sharp point to it. I just want you to notice the last part of this is, he's able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. He already knows what you're thinking. He already knows where your hearts at. So I just want to encourage you this morning and I had, this is something God. Spoke to me. This week is MI allowing him to take the sword of his word, and Pierce my soul, and my spirit and divide to cut out. Those things that don't belong. But this morning, I want to, I want to encourage s and I want you to the store. Right now, even prepare your heart to hear what Jesus is saying to the church. And this word might be a little hard this morning to hear, but it's God's word and he wants to, he wants to do a working us. He he really loves us, and he loves us so much. He doesn't want to leave us in a place where were hurting ourselves. So I just want to see that. Before I go on any further that we would come with a heart to hear with the Lord, is truly saying to us this morning, and take it in the spirit that it is given. And that is love. He loves you so much. And he loves me so much that he's willing.

To cause us a little bit of pain to cause us to feel a little uncomfortable so that he can do his work in our life and and a bring true healing and victory in our lives. So what does he say to these people in arguments? He says, I know where you dwell, where Satan's Throne is. And yelled fast, you didn't deny me even when they were killing you. Now, as I am not going to spend a lot of time on this cuz I went in depth about this, but they had a rough time there, right? Not too long. After the church was established Antipas was the pastor that had been put there by the Apostle John, right? When the church was started. He raised up this guy and to put the pastor and this guy was a radical history tells us preach the gospel constantly. He was always out preaching, the gospel public that made him a big Target and he was persecuted over and over, but he would not stop. And if he saw someone who had a demon in them, he would cast a demon out which ports in their culture. That could mean a lot of a lot of problems because they were in a very Pagan culture. And if all the sudden you're casting demons out of people and you know, if they were happen to be as with Paul Peter, Casting a demon out of someone that that was their livelihood using that right. It would be like me walking into a fortune tellers, who is using the book familiar Spirit, in order to tell people's fortunes and, you know, turning on some worship music and start praying against that that demonic entity there and causing them to leave there. I can be real happy with me. Right? And so, and again, we don't go looking for those kinds of things. But if they present themselves and apparently Antipas, history tells us, he didn't mind. He just he didn't, he wanted to see people set free, so they arrested them. They told him, if he did not renounce his faith. And of course had to say, Cesar is God and burn incense to Caesar in order to that's what that entailed. He wouldn't do it. And so they brought out all these people to testify about how he had done this or that and a lot of them were lying and the commander who was there that the person, the judge and puts the whole world is against you. And he said, if the whole world is against me, then I'm in the right where I should be, I'm against the world and so they killed him. They literally fried him inside of an iron bull. They put them inside and got it glowing on and it was a horrible death, but he did not deny the faith. That's what the people who saw that happened and I guarantee you it was you see what we did to Antipas. You're next, if you don't Deny, the faith. In Jesus said, they did not deny the faith. There are people today watching their pastors being killed. Their loved ones being killed and they did they themselves be tortured and killed? And they are not denying the face. That's is this church and hear this church was right in the middle of a pagan Pagan place. It's colder. Today, that is called the altar of pergamon. It is the what most people believe Jesus was referring to as the Throne of Satan. It was there that time and it's still there today. They have completely restored and so you could go there and visit it if you were so inclined to go to a pagan Temple. And but it is this massive Throne. That was the Throne of Zeus. That was why it was built. And then of course, there was a bunch of lesser entities around the sides that you could worship if you were so inclined. It was a that were part of the Roman Pantheon and that was like the primary thing that Drew people to Worship in the in the worship of these gods and primarily. So that's what they were known for now. This was also especially known for another God so-called of asklepios. That's what I got off the internet. So I swept EOS was a guy who was a Greek physician about 380, who was an actual position, and I guess he was really good. So good, that Miss begin to grow in Legend, begin to grow about him and heat. They deify him and made him a God and he was became part of the whole Greek mythology. And then Roman mythology of, you know, being the Sun, the illegitimate illegitimate son of Zeus or one of Zeus's Sons depending on the version of the story where they had relations with the human. So he was half God, half man, and he could heal people. Sound kind of familiar, right? So he lived. young early long before Christ game, but also much later than The children of Israel coming out of Egypt and that's important to understand. Cuz she looked down by his foot there. You'll notice that there's a serpent around his feet and this area of Of worship for asklepios was had this what they call you? They called him. The Scorpio's, the Savior was the name and they had this Medical Center there, a huge complex in pergamus, dedicated to the Medical Arts. It was a training center for physicians in the Arts of asklepios. And it was like the u-dub medicine of their day. Right. It people would travel for miles to be part of this to get treated at this Center where they had all the cutting-edge medical techniques like sacred womb, licking dogs. And you know, the magical asklepion Smith. Serpent snakes that were everywhere. They bred this particular non-venomous. Been a mistake and they bred thousands of them and they were all over in this complex on the floor is all through the grass everywhere you went because they believed they had healing properties to how to be around them. And this was all this was the best medicine they had. So basically, this was a center for Pagan, false worship at the whole lot of false hope and people would travel hundreds of miles to come there and do both of those things. That's what was going on in pergamus. And, but there was there, some actual real hot springs in the area that had healing properties. So, sometimes people to come and depending on their helmet, they might actually get healed. So there was, there was real healing there, but there was also a whole lot of which doctoring going on. And this mixture of the two there in pergamus, which, which kind of a reflection reflected itself in the church as well. Right? That's what Jesus told them. There was some, the things I have against you. Is there something there who holded the teaching of Balaam, where balak instructed him to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel to eat things sacrificed. Idols react to their morality. So, Jesus has this against them that in the church. There, there were some who were okay with. You can go to The Healing Center of asklepios get treated. No big deal. You can have them wave snakes over you or have some Pagan bless dog. Come lick your wound. And that's alright. It's perfectly fine to do that and you can even eat of their special food that have been sacrificed to whatever Pagan God or idle. And if you have to go to the the Temple of Zeus and and worship get your food there. That's okay, too. You know, it's fine. You can compromise and they caused these. This church that had been a strong church. That didn't deny your faith in the, in the side of their, in the presence of persecution. To be taken out by lust sexual immorality, and the tiki teachings of the Nicolaitans was that the teachings of the Nicolaitans date. They were those boarded over the laity. In other words. There was just growing kind of thing in the church where you don't need to, to really know you can come to me. I know, right? Sort of this idea of I have the answers and you don't need to know the answers that than what I tell you. This is going to morph into something even way worse when you get to the Church of thyatira, but understand it was starting here this idea that that the the word their Nico instead of toward overlay attendance, the laity. It's where I get to work late at the early person to someone who Lords over them and it has its roots in some very ancient false religions which had again crept in, because this is where they're at. They're in the center of this Pagan religion that has its. It's going all the way back to Babylon and we'll get into that more as we go. But basically, this doctrine of Balaam that he talking about the children of Israel to sin against the Lord, you know, the story Balaam and his donkey, right? I'm not going to go to in-depth in it because wow, we are really out of time already. So very quickly, Balaam was hired by balak to go curse, the people of Israel because Bailey was worried that they would come and destroy his little nation-state there, which he ruled over in Moab. And so, He wouldn't do it because God said, don't do it Balaam and Baylin was a prophet of God, but bailing was enticed by money. And so he did decide to go on the way, the angel of the Lord shows, only. He doesn't see. It only has donkey sees, is donkey freaks out and stuff. Crushing his leg against The Rock Wall. Being them starts beating his donkey. What's wrong with you? Let's go the donkey. Lays down his Angel and he's like, I'm not going anywhere. And then the donkey turns and says, why are you beating me and talks to Balaam? That's not the most incredible part of the story. The most incredible part of the story is Balaam. Talk without missing a beat and I hate. This is, why are you beating me having always been a good dog? And he's like, yeah, you have, but you hurt me and why aren't you going? You know, and he says, don't you see? And then all the sudden, his eyes were open. He sees the angel of the Lord, he falls down on his face before him. And the angel Lord says, you know, I told you not to go. Why are you going? And and he says, but I'm going to have you go, but you're only going to be able to say what I tell you. So many ways to make a long story short. They're all he can do is bless them. I can't, I can only see what God tells me to say. Let's give it one more try, and He blesses them, and he freaks out and, you know, just continues to to bless them. In fact, he gives this incredible their number 24, by the way, the story can be found chapter 22 through 25 of numbers, but their number 24, he gives a Messianic prophecy over the people of Israel about Jesus coming. you know, and tell him that when he comes, Moab you're in trouble and

That were told from other passages, that what happens then is Balaam says, well, I can't curse them, but you can get them to bring a curse on themselves by spending your, your women out to entice the men of Israel into idolatry adultery and fornication. And once they do that, God will bring a curse on them. They'll bring a curse upon themselves. And, of course, that's what happens, you know, the story. It wraps up there in a chapter 25. They the men of Israel are enticed by the women of Moab they go. And it says, they, Which themselves to Moab another, which state that God looks at it. Like they are. It's adultery in God's eyes when they worship. But all of Moab and in fact, he got so bad because of the sexual immorality that took place that God sent a plague on the people. In 24,000 people of Israel died that day. Moses saw, what was going on. Said, you got told his men that were being righteous. You need to take care of this. You need to deal with it. And they had to go out and kill the men that had committed this this morning, Keisha with the women of Moab and the back one. It got so bad. I don't know these men obviously lost her mind. One of them, brought one of the moabite women into the Tabernacle. And they were having sexual relations right in the tent, not in the tent itself, but in the courtyard, and one of the guys acted very quickly because the plague was coming and killing people, he had to drive a spear to both of them or a horrible event in the history of Israel. And it impacted them greatly right before all, this took place. They had this incredible encounter with God where they had spoke against God and he sent a Serpent's among them. Remember the story and they were biting, other people are dying. And so God instructed, Moses to put a serpent on a pool, a bronze serpent. Put it on a pole. And let anyone who would look at that serpent on the pole would be saved. And is this picture right? Of those who are, blaspheming gone, who have blasphemed God, their only hope of Salvation was to look at the serpent on the pool. Jesus said for us. Jesus said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto me as a perfect picture of Christ becoming sin, on our behalf, being put on the pool. And if we look to him, we will be saved. And that was the picture that God. Painted for us using the people of Israel. They had this incredible experience with God, where all they had to do is look at this. And then shortly after this horrible situation, where once again, they're doing horrible things and bring God's Wrath on them. You would think that they would have left learned their lesson with this, this instance where they had already been down this road once before noticed by the way that the serpent on the pole, there that happened about a thousand years before asclepios ever came along. But when you look at images of statues of asklepios, what do you see a serpent on a pole and back East? They say, he's the father of modern, Apocrypha. Apakah Theory writer or Pharmacy. That's why when you see a pharmacy you see this kind of a symbol is still with us today? But it's the corruption. It's a Corruption of what God had already done a thousand years previously by healing people by putting a serpent on the pole and they look at that. They would be healed as a picture of the healing that we can see by looking to Christ. But the enemy Satan is always trying to corrupt what God has done. It's always a Corruption of what God has done or is going to do. And in this case. It's no different. Write the people of pergamus had this weird ideas and weird things that come in, and there were people who were espousing these ideas in the church there, but what about Today. I mean, yeah. We have the same thing going on. We have corruption in the church today that needs to be dealt with historically in the church, starting at the 31282 to be killed. Then Constantine takes power 312 ad and in 31380. He makes Anita called the Edict of Milan. And he says, Christians are actually citizens. Now, with all the privileges. In fact, you need to give them their property back and he became so popular by all the Christians immediately. And Christianity became accepted overnight, but they had no place to worship. They have been underground and had been worshiping in church. Houses peden hiding in caves, whatever they could to me. If they met and now all the sudden they could worship openly, but they didn't have any place to me. And so, awesome. Cecil Wolfe sure. You do. Look at that Templeton Seuss. You can have that, that could be your church now, see that Temple over there to Aphrodite's. That's now a church or going to give you that to you until the pagans had a hard time with this. All the sudden. He's giving away. All their temples. All their places of worship to Constantine got an idea. Well, We can't have them fighting. So we're just going to mail them together. Right? So this Temple, it has this statue in it of Isis and Horus. Now, that's Jesus and Mary, right? That's going to call that because Isis was known as the Queen of Heaven, Mary. We're going to give her that moniker Queen of Heaven and and each went so far as to say, okay. And the pagans at will, what about our festivals. Saturnalia, celebrated the birth of Saturn on December 25th. Now, that's worth going to celebrate the birth of Jesus on that day, right? Christmas. And there was this, melding the church which was a seed planted. It had been hidden it. Had hit head in many ways. It was just a small herb, all the sudden, grew into this big tree, overnight abnormal, a marriage with the Pagan culture that it had once stood. So strong against, and all the sudden these things were all being integrated into one. And this really ugly, picture emerged, and the birds did come nest and the gospel began to lose its power because it was compromised. It was compromised, and there was this melding and God in the Old Testament told the children of Israel anytime any false idol or false religious worship. To what I'm doing. I consider that adultery I consider that you're you're cheating on me. And that's what he saying here, this committing acts of immorality. And it's still going on today. The Apostle Paul would write to the Corinthians. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived neither, fornicators, nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor homosexuals northies. Nor Covetous nor drunkards, nor revilers or swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you, but you were washed, you were Sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the spirit of our God, all things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be Mastered by anyting food is for the stomach in the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them yet. The body is not for a morality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. This this passage is a, it's a tough one. Paul is making a very clear case. That your morality is not to be part of the church not have a place in it. We were all those things but we're no longer. We've been washed and then he goes on to say that all things are lawful, but not all things are good. Right? So another words that stuff may still be taking place, but understand, it is not good. It's not. What should be taking place. The stomach was made for food, right? That's what its primary thing is. It's not talking about appetites here and the body are physical body, but the body is made for Christ. It's for the lord. It's not for us to do with, as we please. When you become part of God's body sexual immorality, should have no part in it. And he names him out. He calls out three areas of sexual immorality, but basically all three of them boil down to this. If you're having sex with someone, who's mean, you are not married to, and it doesn't matter that, you know, it's not married to in the sense of a monogamous heterosexual marriage. If you were having sex outside of that, You are that sexual immorality and it should have no place in the church and we can't just pretend it's not taking place at the old. Well, you know, what time we have to deal with it. If we find ourselves in that situation where we are part of that, we have to change, we have to ask the Lord to help us, right? And he will and there's a promise you as here. Let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches to him who overcomes, I will give some of the Hidden Manna. I will give to him a white stone and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows, but he receives it. The calling for the church, here is repent. Write those who aren't engaged in that kind of stuff. Repent, repent means, simply dirt. You're going the wrong way. Reorient yourself, turn back to the Lord. So it's one of us this morning. I don't know where everybody is at, but I know that I'll do those three instances that he names. We've all probably hit one of them at least.

And this is just simply turn back. Turn back, repent. Otherwise, I'm going to come and fight against you with my sword. That is the word of God and it's going to be conflicting and it's going to be painful and it may bring actual repercussions in your life. When does men of Israel were committing, those acts and motivated, you got to go deal with it. I understand, they went and put to death those men. Those men were father and brothers, and uncles and cousins. They, when they died in the side of Israel, there was morning everywhere, not to mention the plague that they brought the killed 24,000 people. You think that didn't impact the entire Camp of Israel? It does just as our sin impacts people, not, it's not just hurting ourselves. It's hurting others, and it's and it's hurting the church. Because the church is the Lord's keep wanting to wash us to think if I asked and justify this because we're going to be presented to him. A bride without spot without blemish and he says I will I want to wash you by the washing of the word and I will come and I'll use my sword. If I have to understand. He loves us so much. He cannot just allow us to go on and end up. Like, I have this against you, right? It needs to needs to stop. You need to repent turn around. That's what it's, that's what the messages this morning and I hope you hear it in the mail in the heart that it's given the Jesus loves you. You're his church, you're his bride and he wants you to have, you know, it's not everything is lawful. Sure. You can do it, cuz you're saved and I died for your sins, but not everything is good for you. I'm not saying don't, I'm saying don't hurt yourself.

Now, then I made this whole thing about Christmas being a pagan holiday. What's that about? Jed? Should we stop for celebrating Christmas? Come back next week. I'll tell you. But I will say this and I'll just in with this if Christ can redeem a sinner like me he can redeem a holiday, but stay on the Prairie.

Emily. Father, we thank you for your word and Lord. You know, where Hearts, you are able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our heart. Lord. And so, everything is laid bare before you were told in the book of Hebrews and you're the one that we have to give an account to his not to me or to someone here. It's to you and Lord, you know, her heart. So I just pray right now that your Holy Spirit would do his work in our hearts. Lord. If any of us here, need to repent. And Lord, I pray for myself, Florida. I ask your forgiveness. I want to be reoriented to you. If there's been anything that's drawn me away, any idolatry or any in Morality, the door tight. And I pray that for all of us that we would just say today Lord and Powers by your Holy Spirit to turn and walk in obedience to you and to your word because you know best and you know, that's what's best for us. And the Lord meme. We have to work in our hearts lights. Thank you for each person. Here. I pray that you bless them. Draw them to yourself this week, and we thank you in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you guys.

Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more