Series: Letters to the Churches
Title: Faithful Where Satan Dwells
Text: Revelation 2: 12-17
Date: April 21, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Faith
in Christ pleases God. But compromise
with false doctrine and ungodly living does not. Christ commands some who were doing so to
repent or else. Or else Christ will come
and fight against them with the sword of his mouth. Believe on Christ.
Revelation 2:12: And to the angel of the
church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with
two edges; 13: I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where
Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my
faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who
was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. 14: But I have a few things against
thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught
Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things
sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15: So hast thou also them
that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16: Repent; or
else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword
of my mouth. 17: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto
the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna,
and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no
man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
I. THE CHARACTER IN WHICH CHRIST PRESENTS
HIMSELF TO THE CHURCH AT PERGAMOS—Revelation 2: 12:…These things saith he which
hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Christ has
manifest himself in different characters to each of the three churches we have
studied so far.
Ephesus
The
church at Ephesus was losing that sweetheart love they had for Christ when they
first believed. So Christ addressed himself to them as one very near to
them. Revelation 2: 1: “He that holdeth the seven stars in his
right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.” The
stars represent Christ’s pastors which he holds in his right hand: holding them
in place, giving them light to preach, strength to draw nearer to him. The
seven golden candlesticks represent his churches, his people gathered together
by him, in the midst of whom he walks, always loving and caring for his people.
Smyrna
The
church at Smyrna was being greatly persecuted, facing imprisonment, even death
They needed strength to persevere in faith. So Christ manifests himself as Rev
2: 8: “the first and the last, which was
dead, and is alive.” He reminds them
he is the Author and Finisher of their faith, which was dead as our Substitute
but now is alive as our Head: Prophet, Priest and King. “Because I live thou shalt live also.” “We
shall be saved by his life.”
Pergamos
Now here
in Revelation 2: 12, the church in Pergamos is doing battle with false preachers,
who are leading away some who professed Christ.
So Christ manifests himself in the character of v12: “he which hath the sharp sword with two
edges.” The “sharp sword with
two-edges” is the gospel of our salvation. It has two edges because with his gospel Christ
will both destroy those who are his enemies and heal and protect his saints. Christ
is always in the midst of his church with his sword drawn and ready to do
battle.
Application: Here is the lesson for us from these things. These various problems that each of the seven
churches face represent problems our church may face to one degree or another,
at one time or another. So when we see
Christ manifest himself to each church in a particular character, based on
their particular need, Christ shows us that whatever our need, at any given
time, Christ is our ever-present help, our Savior and Keeper, able to uphold
us, able to strengthen us and able to protect us—no matter our problem.
II. OUR SAVIOR KNOWS THE CONDITIONS WHERE WE
LIVE AND COMMENDS THE FAITHFULNESS OF HIS SAINTS—Revelation 2: 13: I know thy
works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and
thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days
wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where
Satan dwelleth.
I Know
Christ said,
“I know thy works and where thou dwellest.” He called the city where this
church was the “seat of Satan” and “where Satan dwelleth.”—this church was in a
rough city where false doctrine abounded everywhere—that is why Christ calls it
“the seat of Satan where Satan dwelleth.”
That is what Christ calls the place where works religion is preached.
Yet,
Christ, by his effectual power, had called out his lost sheep in that city, assembled
them together under a faithful pastor which Christ provided. And by the grace of
God his saints remained faithful in the midst of so much false doctrine.
Christ
says of these brethren “thou hast held fast my name and hast not denied my
faith, EVEN in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you…” One of their brethren, Antipas, had suffered
martyrdom—had been killed—for believing on Christ. Christ calls him “MY faithful martyr”—MY faithful witness. Christ says of his faithful saints, “thou holdest fast my name, and hast not
denied my faith, EVEN IN THOSE DAYS…”
Application: Brethren, can you imagine living in a place where our
brethren were being killed for believing on Christ. We ought to continually thank
God for giving us a place where we can worship him in peace.
Christ’s Name and Christ’s Faith
This
verse shows us that the name of Christ and the faith of Christ are one—v13: “Thou holdest fast my name, and hast not
denied my faith.” The name of Christ includes his Person, his character,
his work, and his doctrine. When we hold
fast the profession of our faith in Christ we are holding fast his name and
vice versa.
Illustration: You hear some say, “We have a Christ-centered
ministry.” But the Spirit of God moved
Paul to write, “Christ is All and in All.”
He said, “I was determined to know NOTHING among you SAVE Jesus Christ
and him crucified.”
Christ
is all our ministry! The doctrine of grace—the
gospel—has various branches of truth in it—but it is all one doctrine, one gospel. And Christ is All. The name we hold fast is:
JEHOVHAH
Jireh--I AM the Lord will provide (Gen 22: 14)—he provided himself a Lamb.
JEHOVAH
Rapha--I AM the Lord that healeth thee (Ex 15: 25-26) In all our bitter waters,
he makes the waters sweet.
JEHOVHAH
Nissi--I AM the Lord your banner (Exo 27: 15)—the banner we fight under and are
more than conquerors through him that loveth us.
JEHOVAH
Tzidkenu--I AM the Lord your Righteousness (Jer 23: 6; 33: 16) Jeremiah 23: 6:
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is
his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS; [we will
see something else about this name at the end]
JEHOVAH
Shalom--I AM the Lord your peace (Judg 6: 24) Judges 6: 23: And the LORD said
unto [Gideon], Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
JEHOVAH
Shammah--I AM the Lord is there (Eze 48: 35). This was the name which describes
the Lord in his church--his guarded city--the Lord is there.
JEHOVAH
Ra-ah--I AM the LORD your Shepherd (Ps 23). In this valley of the shadow of
death, only Jehovah Ra-ah can make us to lie down in green pastures.
AND ALL
THESE NAMES OF COVENANT GRACE MEET IN ONE NAME: JEHOVAH Jesus--I AM the LORD your
Savior (Is 43: 3; Mt 1: 21)
Christ
is our High Priest. He successfully accomplished atonement for those given unto
him and he ever-lives to make intercession for us from his throne of grace,
ministering to us continually. Christ is
our Prophet. He sends his ambassadors to preach and through the Spirit of God, Christ
teaches the gospel in his elect in the heart he created anew. Christ is our King and our Head. He governs
his kingdom and his church from his throne of grace. Christ is our All and in all!
When we
hold fast the name of Christ we hold fast his faith because Christ is: the
Author and Finisher of our faith, the sum and substance of our faith, the Alpha
and Omega of our faith. By his grace, believers hold fast the name of Christ
and by hold fast his name, we hold fast his faith.
Application: How do we hold fast the name of Christ and the faith of
the gospel? We receive the love of the truth in our hearts. We hold fast the truth that Christ has fully,
finally, freely, forever accomplished the full atonement and free justification
of the believer by his obedience as the Substitute for his people.
We hold
fast the message of grace, apart from works: electing grace, redeeming grace,
regenerating grace, preserving grace, resurrecting grace, glorifying grace—the
grace of God which gets the job done, apart from the sinners help.
Holding
fast our faith and holding fast his name is to hold fast to HIM and to the
GOSPEL that salvation is of the Lord. (Eph. 1:3-14; 2 Tim. 1:9-12). When we
love Christ, we love his gospel, we love his people and we hate every false
way--Ps 119:128: Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to
be right; and I hate every false way.
III. WE SEE THAT IN HIS CHURCH, EVEN AMONGST
HIS FAITHFUL PEOPLE, THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT FAITHFUL—14: But I have a few
things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Compromisers with False Doctrine
These
professed to be Christs, but some of the time, they came to worship with the
saints; other times they went to worship with those who preached a false
doctrine. They were trying to do what
God says is absolutely impossible. (2 Cor 6: 14) These folks were trying to yoke
together a believer and an unbeliever, thinking they can pull together in an
unequal yoke—one person will bear that burden and it will be the person denying
the faith. Men who compromise on
doctrine are trying to make righteousness and unrighteousness have fellowship,
trying to make light and darkness have communion, trying to make Christ and
Belial have concord. A believer trying
to take part with an infidel and say an infidel has part with him—Peter told
Simon Magus--Ac 8:21: Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy
heart is not right in the sight of God.They were doing it to avoid persecution.
They would rather avoid persecution for the name of Christ than to stand with
Christ—they would not bear his cross.
Application: What if Christ had done that? The Lord Jesus Christ would not have been
crucified had he just watered down the gospel so as to make sinners think they
could justify or sanctify themselves by their law-keeping. The offense of the
cross would have ceased and Christ would not have been crucified. But if Christ had not been willing to bear his
cross then we would have no salvation. It is because Christ was willing to bear
his cross for us that make us willing to bear the enmity of sinners for his
sake.
Compromisers with Ungodliness
Others
had another problem—v15: So hast thou
also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
These
heard the truth that “where sin abounded grace did much more abound” so they
said, “Let us sin that grace may abound!”
Paul said, “Whose damnation is just.”
Application:
It is not by committing sin that the grace of God abounds.
The
grace of God abounds by Christ putting away the sin of his elect people by
shedding his own blood in our place. The grace of God abounds by God the Holy
Spirit putting down the reigning sinful dominion and sinful desires of our old
man of flesh by creating in his people a new man with new desires to honor and
glorify Christ.
Anywhere
a man claims to believe the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace but says
that means we are free to willfully live in sin, you can be sure, it is not the
grace of God abounding in that man, it is an absence of grace.
We see
from this that in every local church there are some who will deny the faith. What
are some of the reasons?
Fear of Persecution
Some
will deny the faith because they do not want to suffer men’s wrath or because
they simply want to get along so they keep their mouth shut.
Application:
Brethren, the fact of the matter is the gospel is offensive but if we are not
willing to speak up when we have opportunity—we deny Christ. When you tell sinners that God declares “there is none good, no not one” they
will be offended. But God might just reveal it in their hearts and save them. When you tell sinners they can’t keep the law.
Galatians 3: 21…if there had been a law
given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the
law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded
all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them
that believe.” They will be offended—but God might save them.
When
you tell sinners that the only reason their preacher is preaching morality
instead of preaching Christ is because Galatians
6:12: As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to
be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of
Christ. They will be offended. But
God might save them.
Remember
these things Christ said: Christ said, 'I came not to send peace, but a sword'
(Matt. 10:34). 'He that is not with me
is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad' (Matt.
12:30). 'And whosoever doth not bear his
cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple' (Lk. 14:27).
Embracing False Doctrine
Others
turn from Christ and deny his faith by embracing false doctrine. That was the case with those who embraced the
doctrine of Balaam. Men may tell you the truth of the gospel and claim to
believe the truth—but by joining with those who believe false doctrine, they
totally deny the gospel.
Ungodly Living
Others deny
the faith by living as if godliness and obedience toward Christ do not matter. That
is what those did who joined with the Nicolatians.
Now, those
who receive false doctrine as well as those who live in sin are both who Paul
is speaking about when he said, Titus 1:
16: They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being
abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. Holding true doctrine requires we renounce
all false doctrine as well as all licentious practice. If we embrace error and if
fail to live to the glory of Christ then we have denied his name and his faith.
Application: What I am telling you is true practical preaching. What passes for practical teaching in our day
is nothing but moralizing, legal, free-will, works religion. Christ must be taught
beginning to end and everything practiced must be for the glory of Christ beginning
to end. The focus of our hearts and minds must be Christ our Lord, and shun
everything that would turn our thoughts away from him. Christ is the Way, the Truth and the
Life—follow him alone—and that we can only do by his mercy/grace.
Leave for Good
Others,
out-and-out forsake Christ and the gospel (John 6:66; I John 2:19). All who
forsake Christ, for whatever reason, prove their faith was false from the
beginning.
Application:
Remember we are not speaking of isolated acts but the overall way in which folks
go and remain. Believers are sinners still.
We stumble greatly at times. But
all true believers hold fast the name of Christ and will not deny the faith of
the gospel.
John 10: 5 And a
stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the
voice of strangers…27 My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is
greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my
Father’s hand.
IV. CHRIST GIVES A COMMAND TO REPENT--Revelation
2: 16:
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with
the sword of my mouth.
Repent
Christ
is saying…
2 Corinthians 6: 17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,
and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Or Else
Notice
he says, 'I will fight against THEM.'
Christ never fights against those who trust him and rest in him alone. Only against those who deny him. He says, “I
will fight against them with the SWORD OF MY MOUTH.”
The
Lord disciplines his church by the preaching of the gospel.
Application: It is not that the message changes. No one is usually
aware of it, not even the preacher. But
the Lord makes the man who is denying him to feel like the message is directed
at him and him alone. Believers will all
be rejoicing, saying what a comforting message it was, while the person denying
him will think the preacher has been reading his mail. The preacher will not even be aware of it. It
is God fanning his threshing floor, separating the wheat from the chaff (Matt.
13:30). As the Lord puts it, “I will
fight against them with the SWORD OF MY MOUTH.”
2 Corinthians 2: 15
For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and
in them that perish: 16 To the one we
are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto
life. And who is sufficient for these things?
V. A WORD OF COMFORT TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME
THROUGH FAITH UNTO THE END—V17: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name
written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
These
are things Christ will give us in glory. They are the anti-types of those
things that were in the tabernacle of old.
Hidden Manna
None
but the high priest had access to the "manna hidden" in the
sanctuary. Christ is the High Priest—but
he has made his chosen, redeemed, regenerated believing children priests, fit
to enter the holiest of all. The hidden manna Christ will give us in that day is
Christ himself—John 6: 35:…I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall
never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
A White Stone
The
white stone. The high priest wore the Urim, which was a white rock or crystal. Urim
means "light.” It was used to give divine revelation. Those who endure in faith
till the end will be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ our High Priest
and be “partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:” with a full
revelation of Christ—1 Co 13:12: For now we see through a glass, darkly; but
then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am
known.
Also,
white stones were used in ancient days for absolution and the person’s name was
written on it. In that day that in
Christ, he will declare we have been completely absolved—pardoned of all sin—by
his blood.
Jeremiah
50: 20 In those days, and in that time,
saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be
none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon
them whom I reserve.
A New Name
As for
the new name written on the stone. The
Urim had the name “Jehovah” written on it, which no man knew. And that will be
our new name: Jeremiah 33: 16: In those days shall Judah be saved, and
Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be
called, The LORD our righteousness”—Jehovah our Righteousness. The same as his name--“My new name.” (Rev 3:
12; Jer 23: 6)
May he
be pleased to grant us repentance and faith to hold fast to his name and his
faith firm unto the end.
Amen!