Greg Laurie - The Compromising Church (02/13/2018)
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Pastor Greg Laurie warns the church against compromise in Revelation 2, addressing the church in Pergamum — a place called "where Satan's throne is." He praises their faithfulness amid persecution but rebukes them for tolerating the doctrines of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, which led to idolatry and immorality. Pastor Greg urges repentance, promising hidden manna and a white stone to overcomers, emphasizing that little compromises lead to big spiritual downfall, but commitment to Christ brings true satisfaction and eternal reward.
Jesus Speaks to the Compromising Church in Pergamum
Well, let's turn in our Bibles to Revelation chapter 2. Revelation 2. Hello to Harvest Orange County as well. Welcome to all of you. Revelation 2. The title of my message today is The Compromising Church. Let's pray together.
Father, as we open Your Word now, and we hear those familiar words of Jesus where He says, "He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying." Lord, help us to listen — to give our attention with intention. To not just be a hearer today, but to be a doer. To really take to heart what it is You are saying to us. So we commit this time of Bible study to You now. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Hey Mike, could you turn the monitor up again? I heard a story about a guy who went out hunting and he found a big old brown bear. He had always wanted to shoot a bear, and he had just the right gun to do the job. So he got that bear in his sights. He was beginning to squeeze the trigger. And just then the bear turned around and said, "Excuse me. Isn't it better to talk than to shoot?" asked the bear. "Why don't we try to negotiate the matter?"
Well, the hunter said, "Well okay, I am open to that." And the bear said, "Let me ask you, what is it that you want exactly?" The hunter said, "Well, I really — what I want more than anything else is a fur coat. I am really cold." The bear said, "Okay, that is good, that is good. Now we are getting somewhere. How about if we reach some kind of a compromise? Because let me tell you what I am looking for. I want a full stomach."
So the bear and the hunter disappeared in the forest together. The hunter left his gun, I might add. The bear emerged alone a little while later. And apparently the negotiations have been successful. The hunter got his fur coat and the bear got a full stomach. See? That is how compromise works.
Understanding Compromise Through Scripture
And we are looking at the book of Revelation together. And we are looking at what Jesus said to the seven churches. And we are going to look specifically at His words to the church of Pergamum, which was a church that was engaged in compromise. You know, when we talk about the book of Revelation, people get very excited. "Oh, we are going to study Revelation." Why do they get excited? Because they think about Antichrist, Armageddon, the Apocalypse — all that juicy stuff.
But it is interesting that the word Revelation means unveiling. What is it an unveiling of? Well, first of all, it is the unveiling of Christ Himself. The first chapter reveals Jesus as the sovereign glorified Lord in charge of everything that is about to happen. So it reveals Christ. Revelation also reveals our future. And we will talk about that in the days to come. But Revelation also reveals us to ourselves.
Because how does it start? Well, after chapter 1 we go into the words of Jesus to the seven churches. And He spends quite a bit of time here talking about what is important to Him as far as the church is concerned. Yes, He talks about the future of the world. But first Jesus wants to talk to His church. Before He tells us about all the cataclysmic judgments that are coming and how the world will effectively as we know it come to an end, He says, "I want to first talk to My own people."
Why Jesus Focuses on the Church First
You know, it is interesting when God talks about a nation being revived. He gives a road map to recovery in 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, God speaking, "If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land."
Now in its initial context it was given to the nation Israel. But in principle it applies to any nation including our own. So God says, hey before I talk about the problems in the country, I want to talk to My people, the church. And the same is true here in the book of Revelation. He focuses in like a laser beam on the church. "I want to reveal things to My own people."
Now we are going to look at seven churches and you are going to find that you are a member of one of them. Maybe that is not the handle you go by. But you are in one of these churches. These are really the words of Jesus to us as individuals. And right off the bat we see Jesus walking in the midst of His church. It is revealed in chapter 1 as He walks in the midst of the golden lampstands. And in the same way He is here with us right now.
Rediscovering the True Church
Now I think this is important because we are living in a day where a lot of people are very critical of the church. Some say we need to re-envision or redefine the church for today. I beg to differ. I don't think we need to re-envision the church. I think we need to re-discover it. I don't think we need to re-define what God has already defined. We need to get back to the church as it was in the beginning the way Jesus initially established it because that is the church that turned the world upside down.
So Jesus is really into the church and if we are His followers we should be too. Now we have already looked at two churches together. We looked at the churches of Ephesus and Smyrna. The church of Ephesus was the church in danger of leaving its first love. Not losing it because if you know where something is you haven't lost it. So Jesus tells them how to get it back again.
The problem with these guys was their passion had been replaced by passivity. Their worship had been replaced by works. Their inspiration by perspiration. And to them Jesus said three things. You need to remember where you used to be spiritually. You need to repent which is to change your direction. And you need to repeat — that is do the first works quickly.
But then we came to the church of Smyrna which is the suffering church. And we looked at a time in church history where literally millions of believers gave their lives for their faith. Now here was the devil's plan. He thought if he could stop the church cold in Jerusalem, the party was over and this whole movement would be killed right there in its tracks. But let's just say that the devil's plan backfired.
From Persecution to Infiltration: The Devil's Shift
You see the church actually wasn't doing what Jesus told it to do. Prior to His ascension Christ said, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." You know it is interesting that the first two letters of gospel are "go." And that is what He told them to do. You go now. Well they didn't go now. They stayed in Jerusalem. Because the Holy Spirit had been poured out. And the day of Pentecost had taken place. And they were having this great little holy huddle. And nobody wanted to break ranks.
Along comes Saul of Tarsus hunting down Christians like wild animals and others. Persecuting the church. And they spread around the world. But the good news is they spread like wildfire. So instead of destroying the church, persecution the devil effectively helped to strengthen the church. The church historically has always been stronger when it has been persecuted than when it has been patronized. When it has been in easier times.
So the devil, look, he is not a fool. And he knows how to get a job done. And I think he operates by the old adage, if you can't beat him, join him. So as we come to the church of Pergamum, and later to Thyatira, we effectively see the devil joining the church, if you will. Infiltrating their ranks.
Jesus told a parable about a man who planted a crop of wheat. And at night his enemy, his jealous neighbor came along and planted weeds next to the wheat, also known as tares or the darnel seed. Now initially the tare or the darnel seed looks just like wheat. But as they grow together, it ultimately uproots the wheat and kills it.
And so in the same way the devil recognizes he needs to just infiltrate and sort of flood the market with cheap substitutes. I mean we see this all the time in anything that becomes popular. If one style of music becomes popular, there are all the imitators of that. If a certain style of clothing is popular, everybody jumps on board with their version of it. If a certain electronic device becomes popular, like the iPhone. Everyone imitates it.
The Danger of Substitutes and Imitations
I remember when the first iPhone came out. Up to this point, the trend in technology with phones was everything was getting smaller and smaller. The phones were so little they were like the size of a BB. You would pull it out and, you know. So Steve Jobs re-envisions the whole thing. He says, "No, I think it should be more like a little flat slab here. And it will be a smartphone and these icons that you push with your finger." No one had done that at this point.
And so he introduces it. There was a lot of excitement. I remember I was at this electronics event and they had the one iPhone in existence for the public to view. It was in a circular glass case. Very thick glass. There was a security guard standing next to it. There was an adoring throng surrounding it, bathing in the light of its glow. And I thought, "Why don't you guys just get down on your knees and worship the stinking thing?" I mean, you should have seen their faces. Ha! And it was slowly rotating around like this. And it came out. And people started buying it. And it changed the whole industry. Now everybody has their own version of an iPhone.
And so that is the way it works. And the devil is the same way. He says, "Alright, I am going to infiltrate. I am going to come up with my own version. And I am going to try to confuse people with these fakes, with these plants, with these substitutes out there."
Pergamum: Living Where Satan Dwells
I heard about a guy who decided to buy his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas. After hearing this extravagant gift from this man who was not known for his generosity, his friend said, "I thought your wife wanted one of those sporty four wheel drive vehicles. Why did you get her a diamond ring instead?" The guy said, "Yeah, I know that. But where am I going to find a fake Jeep?"
So are there fake Christians? Yes there are. But it is not my job to figure out who the fakes are. My job is to make sure I am not one. That brings us to the church of Pergamos. Revelation chapter 2 verse 12: "To the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have those there that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. You also have those there who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which things I hate. Repent, or else I will come to you quickly, and will fight 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 to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'"
We will stop there. So Pergamos, the church, was in the city of Pergamum. And that was the capital of Asia. Pergamum was built on a rocky hill where the Mediterranean could be seen on a clear day. Pergamum was a cultural center of Asia at this time, renowned for its magnificent library that housed 200,000 rolls of parchment.
Now this is way before the printing press. And parchment made out of animal skin. Every one of these would have been hand-lettered by some kind of scribe. So this was very valuable. So valuable in fact that Antony came and took it and gave it as a gift to Cleopatra. For you movie fans, Richard Burton gave it to Elizabeth Taylor. Because they were in a movie called Cleopatra.
So also a feature of Pergamum was the altar of Zeus, which was the largest and most famous altar of all. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was shaped like a giant throne. And there were other gods in Pergamum that were worshipped, including Dionysus and Asclepius, which was called the Savior God. And Asclepius, I think I am pronouncing that right, was known as the God of healing. And it was actually signified by a snake.
And people would come from around the world to this shrine erected to this snake god to be healed. In the temple they would have non-venomous snakes slithering about. And the hope of the supplicant, the person who wanted to be healed, was if they were touched by a snake they would be healed of whatever it was that was troubling them.
So imagine this scene. People laying around on the floor of this temple. Snakes crawling around on top of them. It sounds like a scene from Indiana Jones. I mean, what a creepy kind of place that was. And then add to this that there was also the great temple erected to Caesar Augustus.
By the way, a little footnote. Caesar Augustus was a Caesar who was in charge and gave the decree that all the world should be taxed, causing Mary and Joseph to make the journey to Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy when Christ was born. But Caesar Augustus. Augustus means "of the gods." And this is where the Caesars were not only accepting worship, but now they were demanding it. So this was a very dark place.
Where Satan's Throne Really Is
Here is the assessment of Christ of this place where the church was. The devil hung his hat there. If he has a hat. You know it is an interesting thing about the devil. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about him. First of all we think he has red skin and horns and pointed ears and a pointed tail and a pitchfork. We think that just as God in heaven rules from there, Satan rules from hell. Just as God has his angels, the devil has his demons. Whatever God can do, Satan can do. It is like the yin and the yang or the positive and negative side of the force.
Well that is not biblical teaching. Here is the truth. The devil is not red. Does not have pointed ears. Does not have a pitchfork. And he does not live in hell. Did you know that? So we should not say the devil is in hell. He is not in hell right now. He is going to go to hell. And he is the one who is fully deserving of going to hell. That is his future destiny. He is not there yet. And he doesn't rule from there.
It is true that he has his demons which are fallen angels doing his bidding. But it is not true that the devil is the equal of God. For instance, God is omnipotent. And that word means that God is all powerful. His power is without limitation. In contrast, the devil has great power — more than any man, more than most angels. But his power is clearly limited.
God is omniscient. Which means God is all knowing. He knows everything about everyone, everywhere. In contrast, the devil, though he is very intelligent, has limited knowledge. God is omnipresent. Which means that He is everywhere at the same time. But the devil can only be in one place at one time. And at this particular time he was hanging out in Pergamum. It is where Satan's throne was, according to Jesus. And later on He says, where Satan dwells.
Faithful in a Dark Place
You know, it does seem to me that certain cities are more wicked than other cities. Have you ever noticed that? You go to certain places and it is almost oppressive. And sometimes this is shown in the acts of atrocity or the crimes or the sins that are committed in that city. Not to pick on this place, but Las Vegas is a good illustration. And really they celebrate this fact. What do we know Las Vegas as? Sin City.
Now remember when they did a little marketing campaign and they were trying to make it more family friendly. And that didn't work out so well for them. And they were losing a lot of business. So they went back to their original identity. Sin City. And they even came up with a slogan and a series of ads that most people recognize. I bet you even know it. "What happens in Vegas...?" Wow you know that well. You go there a lot.
Now I am aware of the fact that there are some great churches in Las Vegas and Christians that love the Lord there. And there were great Christians in Pergamum who were serving the Lord and Jesus actually commends them for it. But let me say this to you. Maybe you are in a dark place right now spiritually. Maybe you recently came to Christ and you are the only Christian in your family. Amen. When your family gets together you catch all the flack. Everyone is against you. They are even kind of mad at you that you broke ranks and now are a follower of Jesus Christ.
Or maybe you are in a neighborhood surrounded by godless people. Or maybe you are at a job where people harass you constantly for your faith. Know this. Jesus is fully aware of the challenges and the pressures and the temptations you face. Look at what He says in verse 13: "I know where you dwell." Despite the fact that they are living in a hell hole, their faith is intact. Jesus is commending them for that.
He is saying, guys I know that your city is so messed up. You have that giant altar erected to Zeus. You have crazy people laying on the floor with snakes going over them. You have got people worshiping Caesar. You have all kinds of immorality happening. You have temple prostitutes walking the streets to take them back to their temple to do horrible things. And yet you are serving Me in the midst of this. So I am aware of that.
Holding Fast Amid Martyrdom
And He has more words to compliment them with. Verse 13: "And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells." We don't know a lot about Antipas. Church tradition tells us they put him inside of a bull made out of metal and heated it up and he literally was roasted to death. We are not sure how he died, but we know he was a martyr.
Just like Polycarp who was the pastor there of the church in Smyrna and died for his faith, Antipas, God's faithful martyr, died as well. Because he would not say two words, "Antipas, Kurios Kaiser," or "Caesar is Lord." That is all he had to say. If Polycarp or Antipas or any of the other Christians of the first century would just say, "Caesar is Lord." If they would just put a little incense at the altar and just say those words, "Caesar is Lord," they could go home.
I mean come on. Is that really that big of a deal to say "Caesar is Lord"? Do they really have to die for their faith? Well they all knew that words matter. I mentioned Polycarp. I mentioned Antipas. How about Cassie Bernall? A 17 year old girl going to Columbine High School in Colorado. We all remember that story where those two boys armed to the teeth made their way through the campus and apparently among other things they were targeting Christians.
They came to Cassie Bernall and asked her the question, "Do you believe in God?" She knew full well what they were up to. She said, "Yes I believe." And they shot and killed her. They came up to another young girl, Rachel Scott, age 17. She too was a strong Christian like Cassie. Very involved in her youth group at church. And they said to her, "Do you believe in God?" And Rachel said, "You know I do." And they said, "Then go be with them." And they shot her.
Let me ask you. If someone was holding a gun in your face and said, "Do you believe in God?" What would you say? You might say, "Well maybe I would just say No. So I could, you know, get through this. And I will just tell God I am sorry later." No. I think you would instinctively as a Christian say, "I do." Even in the face of that kind of a situation. Because you know that words matter.
The Doctrines Jesus Hates: Nicolaitans and Balaam
Like when you stand before a judge and you put your hand on a Bible, or at least you used to. And you swear an oath. "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth. Nothing but the truth. So help me God." And then you are truthful in your testimony. And you don't perjure yourself in a court of law. Because words matter. Or when you stand before a pastor and friends and family in a church and look at that man or that woman you are going to spend the rest of your life with. And you say, "I do." Or when temptation comes knocking at your door and you dig in and you say, "I won't."
Or even if someone has a gun in your face, you would say like Cassie and Rachel, "I do believe in God." These people would not bow. And they paid the ultimate price. So Jesus commends them. I am really impressed by this. You have held fast to your faith. You have not denied My name. But there are a few problems developing. Verse 14. You have those that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.
Now you read a verse like that and I am sure you just wonder, what does that even mean? And I want you to know that there is some debate among Bible commentators. I have read many things on this. And there are different opinions offered. But the most commonly believed view is that this church was in danger of compromising their faith. And I think that is supported contextually and historically.
What the Nicolaitans Really Believed
Let's have to find who the Nicolaitans were. Their founder was Nicholas. And Nicholas was one of the seven chosen to be a deacon in the early church. You remember that? Also Stephen was chosen. But apparently Nicholas fell away from the faith and became apostate and began to lead people astray. Apparently Nicholas was telling people that they could be a Christian and still offer sacrifices in the pagan temple. You could still be a Christian and engage in acts of immorality.
And because he was one of the originals chosen in the church his opinion carried a lot of weight. You know Nicholas was one of the magnificent seven. And now he is leading people astray. So a movement grew up around him known as the Nicolaitans. And the basic Nicolaitan philosophy that was endangering the church of Pergamos, and by the way is still a danger to us today, is simply this. It is the idea that you can get away with a lot of stuff and still be a Christian. You can live pretty much as you please and God will understand.
It would be the idea that hey your sin is forgiven. Your position in Christ is secure. And even if you blow it God will forgive you. So what is the biblical response to that view? Romans 6:1 says, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?" or literally be poured down the drain? "By no means! We who have died to sin should not live any longer in it."
This is sometimes referred to as antinomianism. But the idea is that you know you can sort of have your cake and eat it too. And by the way I've had cake and eaten it, so why can't I have my cake and eat it too? I think the idea of the expression is if you've eaten your cake you can still have it. Because it is gone. And the more popular way to express it would be you can have it all. Or you can have it both ways.
And this is the philosophy of the Nicolaitan. The philosophy of this liberty gone amok. It is sort of the idea of, hey man don't be so uptight. Don't be so legalistic. I mean maybe you have heard this from your non-believing friends. Even worse, from Christian friends. They will say, "Do you have to be like so intense all the time? Is it always the Bible this, the Bible that? Could you just like relax a little bit? Couldn't we just have a drink and kick back? Huh? Hey can't we just have a little fun here? I mean you want to go mess around with that girl sexually or with that guy? Just go for it. Listen. God will understand. God will forgive you. You are still a Christian. He still loves you. God knows your heart."
Little Sins Grow into Big Problems
I had someone I was talking to and they were on a course of disobedience to God and I told them they shouldn't go that way. And they said to me, "Well God knows my heart." I said exactly. And that is the problem. Because your heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. That is what your heart is all about. So don't say, "God knows my heart." Yeah your heart is messed up. Your heart is sinful. And God knows it. And that is no excuse to do something that is wrong.
That was the idea of the Nicolaitans. What harm is a little idolatry or a little immorality really going to do? Just a little bit. Not too much. But here is the problem. This is how compromise works. Little things always turn into big things. The other day, yesterday actually my son Jonathan came home with a little bunny for his daughters, Riley and Allie. Riley is six. Allie is nineteen months.
And oh, Allie was so excited when she saw this little bunny and she is holding it and just loving it and hugging it. "Don't hug it so tight, Allie. Be careful with the little bunny." I don't know if she knew it was a living thing or a toy or what she thought it was. But you know she was telling her, be careful with the little bunny. Take it easy with the bunny. And she was so excited. And then Riley got it and she just squealed with joy.
And I took the little bunny into my hands for a moment. And I felt his little bunny heart beating so fast. I don't know what he was thinking. "Get me out of here. Get me out of here." I don't know. But yeah they are very excited. And then about twenty minutes go by and Riley comes says, "Papa that bunny poops a lot." Yeah. They do that. "Yeah really a lot, Papa." So now kind of the reality is kicking in. That cute furry little object. It poops everywhere. Okay. And you know what. It is going to get bigger and that is right. The poops are going to get bigger too. Sorry I used the word poop three times in a sermon. But little things turn into big things. Right?
Examples from Samson and Baby Rattlesnakes
So we think oh I can handle this little sin. Oh it is a little bit of this going to hurt. Well it is just a little drink. A little flirtation. A little peek at the porn. A little taste of this. A little taste of that. It is dangerous man. You show me any person that has fallen away. And they never fall away all at once. It is always the little things that turn into big things. And then they lose control. And then they say I don't know how this happened to me.
They think they can handle it you see. They think they are in control of it. Perfect example is Samson. Samson. Known for his acts of great physical strength. We always think of him as some really buff dude. Right? The Bible never says that. It says the Spirit of the Lord would come upon him. And then he would do the things that he did. What if Samson was like a scrawny little guy. You know. Pocket protector. Extra tape on his glasses. He didn't wear glasses. But you get the idea.
I don't know what he looked like but I know one thing he had long hair. And that is because he had taken the vow of a Nazarite. And part of that vow was you never cut your hair. So his power came from God that was symbolized by his vow in which he wore this long hair. Well along comes the devil's secret weapon named Delilah. They couldn't take Samson down on the battlefield. They tried and failed. One day he picked a bone up off the ground and killed a thousand Philistines. Another time he picked up the gates of the city and carried them for miles. Good cardiovascular workout you know. Enjoying it as he went. You couldn't stop this guy.
So the devil looked at him and said ok I have to change tactics. I can't beat him on the battlefield. But I think I can get him in the bedroom. Because Samson was a he man with a she weakness. Enter Delilah. Whose name by the way means delicate. And she comes along and says oh Samson. "You are so big and strong. Tell me the secret of your strength. That I may afflict you." You know you are in a messed up relationship when a girl says that to you ok. If you are dating a girl right now and that is what she says in your first date. Do not go out with her again. Or a guy for that matter.
He laughed it off. "Don't afflict me. You? Delicate? I kill Philistines for fun. And I have to worry about you." Oh listen man if you braid my hair up I can't do anything. Really? So he falls asleep. She braids up his hair. Yells out the Philistines are upon you. They burst in the room. Samson is throwing them out windows like rag dolls. Laughing it off.
She goes Samson you mocked me. You made me angry. "Samsy Poo. Listen. Tell me the secret of your strength that I may afflict you." Hey you got to give credit to Delilah. She was up front with her intentions wasn't she? And he keeps going on with this. And finally he reveals a razor has never touched my head. "If you shave my head I will be like any other man." She goes really? Great. He falls asleep in her lap. Which is insane. And then he wakes up. Guess what? His hair is gone. And the Philistines came. And this time he didn't throw them out like rag dolls. And they gouged his eyes out. And they tied him up to a mill. And he ground the mill for the entertainment of the Philistines.
You say but Greg wait. In the end Samson prevailed. Remember he put his arms against those foundational pillars and pushed them aside. And the Temple of Philistines crashed. And they all died. Yeah I know. But Samson died with them. What would have happened if he would have obeyed God? But you see he thought he could handle it. He took the bait of Delilah. Hook, line and sinker. Hook. Some people are just kidding it. Hook. I got it. Okay.
So look. Don't tell me you can handle these things. Don't tell me you are strong or you have known the Lord X amount of years and these things will never bring you down. This is the devil's most effective tactic. Compromise.
The Doctrine of Balaam: Tolerating Evil
You know have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? They are actually kind of cute. They are just little. And they have got the little fangs and their little rattle. You know. You look at it. Oh look at the little baby. You know. And the little rattle. You are just cute. Let me give you a kiss. And he goes. He bit me. Feeling lightheaded. Drop for drop the venom of a baby rattlesnake is more potent than that of an adult.
So if I saw an adult rattlesnake. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Rattlesnake. Pick up. Pick up. Baby rattlesnake. Oh let's pick him up. Let's put him up. No, no, no. Don't mess with it. And that is how sin is. Little things turn into big things. So don't lower your guard and fall for this trap. Compromise gets into your life and you start going downhill.
When was it that this world started becoming more attractive to you than your Christian life? Did it start back when you decided you would mow the lawn on Sundays instead of go to church? Or maybe when you started smoking again? Or maybe when you decided to dissolve your marriage for irreconcilable differences? Or maybe it is when you got more excited about the latest movie than what you found from reading God's Word. Whatever it is that old emptiness has returned. Because slowly but surely you have been compromising and going in the wrong direction.
It is like Simon and Garfunkel sang in that song years ago, Sounds of Silence. "Hello darkness my old friend. I have come to talk to you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping. Whispering the sounds of silence." Oh hello darkness my old friend. It has been a long time. But I am back. And the sounds of silence are back too. And that is because I am not hearing from God anymore. And you know what? It is not because God doesn't want to talk to you. It is because you have effectively cut off communication. And this is because compromise has entered your life.
The Story of Balaam and the Talking Donkey
I heard a story about a massive redwood tree out in the middle of some forest here in California. It had stood tall for 400 years. It had survived countless earthquakes, storms, floods, and other violent natural disasters. Yet one day, without warning, this massive tree came crashing to the ground with a tremendous thud. Nobody knew why. Lumberjack didn't bring it down. A bolt of lightning didn't cause it to fall. And on close investigation they discovered why the ancient tree had died. Tiny beetles had worked their way into the trunk and ate away at its life giving fibers weakening its mighty bulk from the inside out.
What the lightning could not do the insects did. You wonder if the little beetles got together and said, "You want to bring down that tree? I think you ought to do it. What do you think, Ringo?" Yeah. You know, they are beetles, right? Anyway, if I have to explain that I don't know what to say. In the same way Satan seeks to bring Christians down through a steady drone of small seemingly insignificant temptations.
So on one front we are fighting him. And on the other front we are building an alliance. And we don't even know it. We pride ourselves on the fact, I don't do this. I don't do that. I've got all these things together. But meanwhile over here I am lowering my guard and I am compromising. And that brings us to another area Jesus identifies. Verse 14. You hold the doctrine of Balaam.
So we understand what the Nicolaitan problem was. It was trying to live in two worlds. What is the problem of Balaam? Actually it is very similar. You remember the story of Balaam. There was a king named Balak that hated the Jews and wanted to wipe them out. So he thought the best way to do that would be to have God curse them. So he found a prophet named Balaam.
Now I don't know much about Balaam. It is interesting. He was a prophet because he seemed to be a pretty disobedient one. I don't know where he found them. Do you Google a guy like that? Prophet for hire. But Balaam was like a prophet for profit. He was in it for the money. And so Balak says, look I want you to curse the Israelites and I will pay you a lot of money.
So Balaam agrees. And he is on his way to do it. He is riding his donkey along in disobedience to God to curse the Jewish people whom God loves. As he is riding his donkey suddenly the animal stops in its tracks. It won't move. Balaam is frustrated and starts beating the donkey to move on. And the donkey walks a little bit further and stops. And this time he veers off the road and goes into a rut and is ramming Balaam's leg up against a wall. And Balaam is beating the donkey.
Why was this happening? Because the donkey had more sense than the prophet on its back. The donkey saw an angel of the Lord with a sword drawn. Listen you don't ever want to mess with an angel. But if they have their sword out you better stop. The donkey did. But Balaam isn't seeing this.
Now Balaam is beating the donkey. And this is one of the funniest stories to me in all of the Bible. The Lord opened the donkey's mouth. And the donkey said, "Why are you beating me?" I am sure he had a donkey voice. "Why are you beating me?" Something like that it seems to me. And Balaam without missing a beat says, "Because you are not doing what I have told you to do. And if I had a sword I would kill you."
Now here is what is amazing to me. Yes the donkey spoke but without missing a beat Balaam talks back to it. Does this not seem unusual? And then the donkey continues on. "Haven't I always been a good donkey? Haven't I always done what you wanted me to do?" And so this conversation is going on. Meanwhile the angel of the Lord is probably standing there going, "Oy vey. What is wrong with this guy?" And he makes himself visible to the donkey and Balaam this time.
He says, "Your donkey had more sense than you. It is a good thing he stopped or I would have killed you." Ok. He was going in the wrong direction. But still. He wanted to curse the Jews but he couldn't do it because he was stopped by an angel. Now any clear thinking person after talking with an angel and a donkey would have stopped. But not Balaam. He smelled money and he thought of a compromise.
So he goes to Balak and says, "I will tell you what. I can't curse him. I will get in trouble. But I want the money. So I have a plan. You get your really attractive Moabite women to go down there and seduce those young Israeli boys. To go into their tents and worship their gods. Offer them sex. They will come in. And then when they are worshiping those false gods of Moab God will judge his own people and the job will be done for you." Balak says, "That sounds good to me." And that is what he did. And that is exactly what happened.
So the sin of Pergamum, just like that of Balaam, was the toleration of evil. It is the idea that, "Hey, I am a Christian but I can still do these other things." You know, people want to go to heaven but they still want to live like hell. You know there will be Christians that say, "Well I believe in Jesus but I still want to party and get drunk and commit immorality and lie when necessary and cheat if I have to or steal to get ahead and hate and get revenge or whatever." They want to just go out and sin but they know that is probably not right so they need a way to justify it. Enter the doctrine of Balaam.
The Call to Repent and the Promise to Overcomers
Now here is the question. Have you started a compromise in your life? I mean is this message hitting home for some of you right now? Making you a little uncomfortable? Because things are going through your mind right now that you know are wrong. Things that you have been doing and you have seen your spiritual life beginning to weaken. Okay so is there a way out of this? There is.
Look at verse 16. Jesus says, "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." So Jesus commends them. You guys, you are holding fast your faith. You have stood strong even when Antipas My faithful martyr was killed. Here is a problem. You are taking in this idea from the Nicolaitans and the doctrine of Balaam. This idea that you can live in two worlds. You can compromise and do whatever you want and still call yourself a Christian. I am telling you you need to repent of that. That is wrong.
Now here is the thing. You can live your life any way you want to live it. You can live as a committed Christian. And every committed Christian slips up, sins, makes mistakes and falls. Okay so I am not saying you are going to be perfect. But you can live as a committed Christian doing your best by God's help to honor the Lord with your life. Or you can just say, "Nah I am going to go do this other stuff. You know I think that I am saved. I think that God will forgive me."
And here is the thing. God will forgive you. Let me illustrate. Let us say that you go out and get drunk and drive your car and you get arrested for a DUI. Okay. If you repent and ask God to forgive you will He? Well yeah He will. Are you still going to go to jail for a DUI? Yeah you are. You see. I think sometimes we think as Christians just because we confess a sin that we will not have to face the repercussions of it. But the Bible says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." If he sows of the flesh he will reap corruption. But if he sows of the Spirit he will reap life everlasting.
So God will forgive you but you will still face the repercussions. Say I am sick of this marriage. I am sick of this husband. I am sick of this wife. I am going to divorce him and remarry. Oh well I shouldn't have done that. Lord I am sorry. And then you have children from that marriage and you are sort of estranged from them. You have new children from this marriage and they don't get along very well with the children from that marriage. But anyway you don't like this guy anyway. So you dump him and you move on to another person. And now you have this marriage and you have another child here. And none of your kids get along. And now the years go by and it is twenty years forward. And you know you made some mistakes. You ask God to forgive you. Does He forgive you? Yes. Is your life a mess? Yes. Are the lives of other people a mess because of your stupid decisions? Yes. You are reaping what you sow. Well I will still get to heaven. Yeah. If you put your faith in Christ you will. But you know what? What a sad life.
But now let's look at it the other way. You reap what you sow. That is true for the Christian who walks with God. The Christian who resisted temptation. The Christian who honored the vows to their spouse. The Christian who sought to do the right thing. And now they too will reap what they sow. While one reaps corruption. The other reaps life everlasting. They have their family around them that love the Lord. And that legacy has been passed on from generation to generation to generation. And they say, "Oh Lord thank You that I kept Your Word." You come to realize that God gave you those truths to keep you safe.
The Rewards for Overcoming Compromise
Coming back to the new bunny for a moment. You know my son brought home a cage for the bunny. And after he had been handled for a while by little 19 month old Allie he was put in the cage. And I am not saying I can read the emotions of a bunny. But he looked pretty happy to me. That door was shut. Allie couldn't get him. And he was thinking, "Happy days are here again." You know. Why? Because he was protected.
Now some would say, "Oh don't put an animal in a cage. It is cruel." It is not. No no. You know what? I think sometimes they like cages. Especially when they keep danger out. Some people look at what the Bible says. "Oh I don't like all these rules. I don't like all these standards. I don't like these thou shalt nots. I want to live the way that I want to live." Did you ever stop and think God gave you those rules, those standards, those truths to protect you from evil? Well if you didn't know what He did. The Bible says no good thing will He withhold from those that walk uprightly. If God tells you not to do it it is for your own good.
Listen. There is a special promise for the person who avoids the compromised life. Look at verse 17. "To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knows except him who receives it."
What is the hidden manna? As you recall the Israelites when they left Egypt and were making their way through the wilderness had God provide food for them every day. Waiting outside of their tent door. It was called manna. It was a supernatural heavenly substance. The food of angels it was called. Really wonderful to eat. And God says I will give you the hidden manna. Now it was a form of bread really. I don't know about you but you know you put a dessert in front of me I can say no to it. You put freshly baked bread in front of me I can't resist it. I just can't. I love hot bread. And you know butter is going on it too. It just has the butter. It is just more bread. Love bread. God says I am going to give you the hot bread. I am going to give you the hidden manna.
So the indication here is not just manna like they had in the wilderness but something greater. Jesus was talking about that bread to people one day. And He said listen you guys you talk about bread all the time. "I am the bread of God that has come down from heaven. And I will satisfy you." Jesus is saying I will give Myself to the person who follows Me. Who trusts in Me. I will give you the hidden manna and the white stone.
The white stone we don't know exactly what it was but the chances are was it was something back in this day that was given in the Olympic games. Handed to the athletes which was a ticket or a pass to enter the feast or celebration after the competitions. Okay you competed successfully. Here is your white stone. Sort of like your ticket. Your golden ticket. God says I will tell you what. If you follow Me, if you walk with Me I will satisfy your deepest needs and I will be there for you. I will give Myself to you and I will give you the golden ticket to the wedding feast of the Lamb. You have admission. See all this is built on the foundation of knowing God.
Invitation: Come to Christ or Recommit Today
Now I wonder as we close today if you have this relationship with God. If Christ is living inside of you. I mean we have talked about fake Christians. Maybe you are not even one of those. You have never been anything close to a Christian. You have never even tried to appear to be a Christian. Quite frankly I have more respect for people that say I am not a Christian and live accordingly than those who say they are and don't.
But maybe you don't know the Lord. But here is the thing. Though I may respect at least that you are true to your beliefs. Your beliefs are wrong. You need to know that there is a God who loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross for your sin. And if you will turn from your sin and believe in Him you can be forgiven. And know that you will go to heaven when you die.
I want to close with an invitation for you that want Christ to come into your life so you can have the hope of heaven. And it is also an invitation for you that have been living a compromised life to make a recommitment to God today. Let's bow our heads and pray.
Father, we have heard Your Word. You have told us, "He that would have an ear to hear, let him hear." Oh Lord, I pray people are listening now. And I pray that they will respond appropriately. While our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we are praying together, how many of you would say today, Greg, I am not sure if I am a Christian. I don't have the confidence that if I died I would go to heaven. But I want Jesus Christ to come into my life today. I want to be forgiven of my sin. I have been trying to fill this hole in my life with all this world offers. But I am ready to come to Christ now. Let Him fill it. Pray for me.
If that is your desire, if you want Jesus to come into your life, wherever you are, would you lift your hand up and let me pray for you. God bless you. Lift your hand up if you would please. God bless you. You want God's forgiveness today. You want to go to heaven when you die. You want to put your faith in Jesus. Lift your hand up wherever you are. God bless you. You guys at Orange County, raise your hand as well. Outside in the amphitheater, in the court building, raise your hand up if you want to make this commitment to Christ wherever you are. God bless you.
Maybe some of you have been living a compromised life. God has spoken to you. You know what is right. And you haven't been doing it. And you have been flirting with sin. And little things are turning into big things. And you are starting to lose control. And you are ready to repent. You are ready to turn back to God again. If that is your desire to make this recommitment raise your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless each one of you. So God bless you. God bless all of you.
Now I ask all of you that have raised their hand if you would please, to stand to your feet. And I am going to lead you in a prayer of commitment or recommitment. Just stand to your feet. Now, we don't have a lot of time. Stand up. Stand up. Stand up. Anybody else? Even if you did not raise your hand but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus, stand right now. One final moment. And we are going to pray.
Wherever you are, here on campus in Riverside, there at Harvest Orange County, stand to your feet. Harvest Orange, come on, stand up. We will lead you in this prayer. One final moment. Stand now. God bless all of you.
Now you that are standing, pray this prayer after me. Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against You. But You died on the cross for my sin. And paid the price for the wrongs I have done. I turn from that sin now. I choose to follow You from this moment forward. Thank You for loving me and calling me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.