Robert Morris - Refuse to Compromise
Hey, everyone. It's good to see you. I just want to let you know about something, if you haven't heard about it. The way this sounded was, 'cause I'm going to say something about The King's University. Well, you heard about that. But are any King's University students here? There you go. Alright. One. Praise the Lord. Dr. Carrasco, you're taking a class, right? That's right. You didn't whoop. Whoop! So there you go. That's one of our elders, who's a surgeon, taking a class. So, you can take a class online. But this Tuesday night is the fall dinner for The King's University. And you can go to the website there. We still have some available places, so if you'd like to know more about The King's University. It's not really for prospective students. It's more for people who would like to support The King's University.
And it's very, very important that we raise up men and women to be able to preach and teach the Word of God for the next generation. If you say I can't go to the fall dinner, but I'd like to give something, then give to The King's University, because you know yourself no school can make it without fundraising. If you've got any kids in private school, you know they're going to hit you up every now and then. So, we are going to continue our series called The Seven Churches of Revelation. And this is the third church. The church at Pergamum is the name of it. Just to show you the map again, if you'd like to know where it is. The island of Patmos is where John was. We went to Ephesus, then Smyrna, Pergamum. So, we're going clockwise is the way the Lord chose to do it. So that's the third city. We talked about Return to Your First Love, Remember God's Faithfulness, and this week is Refuse to Compromise.
Now you're probably thinking, Pastor Robert, it's wonderful how you use Rs and you know you use these. They all sound together. I don't know how that happens. To me, when I start out, I got the first burden to return to your first love, and it just seems like that the Lord leads me. So, now I'm looking for R words for the rest of the series, if you'd like to email me. Okay. Alright. I'm going to make a few comments as I read it, and then we're going to talk about that I believe he is talking to them. The message is to refuse to compromise to the culture that we're living in. So, I think it's very applicable even to us today. Alright? Revelation 2:12. "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos," Pergamos is the Greek word for Pergamum, "write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword.'"
ow let me make a comment. Every one of the seven letters, Jesus uses a different facet about himself to introduce himself to the church. If you remember, Ephesus bragged that they were the first among the seven, and Jesus starts with I'm the first and the last. I'm the beginning and the end. Smyrna bragged that they were dead and came back to life. Jesus said, "I'm the one that was dead and came back to life". Pergamum bragged. They boasted. This was their boast, that they carried the sword. That was their boast, because that was where most executions and capital punishment was carried out, Pergamum. Their city motto is we carry the sword. Jesus shows up and says, by the way, I'm the one that has the sword. That's the way he starts it. So he said, "These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword". We could go into two edges, but we don't have time. "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is".
We're going to take our first point from that line and one other line here. "And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr". We don't know much about Antipas other than he was martyred at Pergamum. "Who was killed among you, where Satan dwells". We'll talk about this. "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam". We'll define the doctrine of Balaam on the third point. "Who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans". We'll tell you what that is on point two. "Which thing I hate". Notice he doesn't say the people: I hate the Nicolaitans. I hate the teaching. The word doctrine is the word didaché in the Greek. It means teaching. I hate the teaching of the Nicolaitans and the teaching of Balaam. "Repent".
Now I just want to show you something, because when we see this word repent, I told you in August, this is different than what people think. It doesn't mean turn from your sin and turn to God. It means change the way you're thinking. He's not rebuking them. He's counseling them. He's telling them I want you to change the way you think. And I want you to see grace in these seven letters. It is amazing to me how many see these as judgemental, even the last part. This is not judgmental. It is totally grace. Watch, 'cause he's going to bring this sword up, again, that he has, but I underlined one word in this verse so you will see grace. Alright? Watch this verse, verse 16, "Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth".
Notice the sword is not for the church, for believers. In other words, the sword of judgment. Remember, it's a two-edged sword. It is against those who are trying to take his church astray. I just wanted you to see grace. How come you all didn't go on that? I mean that was. Okay? That's like when you read the staff, where David says your rod and your staff comfort me. Well, if he was hitting you with his rod and staff, that wouldn't comfort you. The rod and the staff is not for sheep. It's for the wolf that come after the sheep. I mean, this is good stuff. Okay? Alright. Alright. Don't overdo it. Alright. Verse 17. Remember, this is the statement He says to every church. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches". And then he gives the reward. "To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat". We'll come back to that at the end of the message. "And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written".
Now this is really good. "Which no one knows except him who receives it". In other words, God has a new name for you that one day you're going to find out what that new name is. I heard a teaching one time about you need to ask the Lord what your new name is. I asked and asked and asked. He never said anything. I think what he was saying was, wait till you get the stone, dummy. So I don't know, but this is all through Scripture. God changed Abram's name to Abraham. He changed Jacob to Israel. He even did it in the New Testament: Simon to Peter and Saul to Paul. So it represents that you were one way, and when God came into your life you became another way. He made you a new person. Now Revelation 2:13 says, "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is". And then the end of the verse, "Where Satan dwells".
I read a lot of commentaries, and I get a lot of background material. I read historical documents of the day. But this is what many, many commentaries said. I'm going to read you what many... I wrote it down so I can just read it word for word. Alright? "Commentators are divided about what this refers to". And many of them said that. Where Satan dwells. Where Satan's throne is. Some say possibly it was because there was the largest, they say, which we don't know if that's true, statue of Zeus there. Well, there were statues of Zeus all over. Some say it's because it was the first statue of the Roman emperor once the edict was passed that you were to worship the Roman emperor. The first city that built him a statue was Pergamum. Some say that was it. Some say it was, don't read anything in this, by the way, and I'm going to make sure I get it right, the statue of Asclepios. Asclepios is the god of medicine. And there, you've seen this before. Whether he's standing or sitting, you might not have seen the statue, but he's holding a staff with a serpent wrapped around it.
Well, before Greek mythology got ahold of this, God had a bronze serpent on a pole that represented that Christ became what was killing us. And that's what it represented. So, some say that's what it was. Listen, I don't believe it's any that. So I kept praying, "Lord, where Satan dwells. What does this mean"? And then I thought about this: where Satan's throne is. And immediately, I remembered that the Bible describes Satan's throne. It is a throne of pride, and this is what the city of Pergamum was known for. The doctrine of the Nicolaitans and the doctrine of Balaam goes into pride. So where Satan's throne is is pride. So, when I say refuse to compromise, here's point number one, refuse to compromise your humility. And again, I'll put pride there so you will know that's what we're talking about. Refuse to compromise your humility. Now where Satan's throne is is Isaiah 14. Theology, we call this the five "I wills" of Satan. It's where Lucifer makes five statements beginning with the two words "I will".
In other words, this is my will, or my desire, and these five statements get him kicked out of heaven. And really, it's what's in his heart, but he voices it for the first time, I guess. So we're going to read those, but here's what I want you to notice in these five I will statements. I want you to notice the high and the low, the up and the down. In other words, pride always wants to go up, but God says, you're going to go down. If you set your desire to go up, you're going to go down. If you set your will to be high and lifted up, I'm going to take you low.
So here we go, Isaiah 14:12. "How you are fallen from heaven". In other words brought down. "O Lucifer, son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations. For you have said in your heart". Now here's the first I will statement. "I will," and watch the word. Watch this word, "ascend," that means go up, "into heaven," that's the first one. Second one: "I will exalt my throne". Remember he said where Satan's throne is. So here he is talking about his throne, which is a place for royalty. "I will exalt," that's go up, "my throne". Watch this, "above".
Again, he wants to be higher, "the stars of God". Here's the third I will statement. "I will also sit on the mount", the mount is the highest part of the mountain, "on the mount of the congregation," which that's God's people, "on the farthest sides of the north". North is always up on a map. And then the fourth I will statement. "I will ascend," go up, "above," again be higher, "the heights". This has a lot about going up, doesn't it? And being high and lifted up, "the heights of the clouds". And then watch even his fifth I will statement. "I will be like the Most High". Now watch God's response. "Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit". Now the pit's slow, but I'm going to take you even to the lowest depths of the pit. Alright?
Notice, by the way, he also says "I will be like the Most High," which God is the Most High. But he's also a few other things, and Satan doesn't say he wants to be like any of those characteristics of God. He doesn't say, I want to be like the most holy. He doesn't say, I want to be like the most loving, or the most gracious, or the most kind. He says, "I want to be like the Most High. I want to be lifted up". So, here's what you need to know about pride. Pride always wants to be lifted up, exalted, and seen. Pride always wants to be above others, always. Do not fall into this trap that if I get to the top, then I'll be happy. If I can go up, if I can go higher, if I can be exalted, then I'll be happy.
I have a friend of mine that wanted to be a millionaire by the time he was 30 years old. He reached that goal. And he said, "I went through the greatest depression of my life that lasted for over a year". And he said and then he found Christ. Someone led him to Christ. And he said, "I realized that there's only one thing left to do when you get to the top, and that's jump off". There's nowhere else to go. There's no other goal to reach. And if you keep raising the bar, and that one didn't make you happy, the next one's not going to make you happy either. So what we need to ask ourself is, why does pride always want to be higher than, or lifted up, or above others? Here's the reason. Let's just say now a prideful person. Let's make it personal. Why does a prideful person want to be higher than or above others? It's because he feels lower than and below others.
The root of pride is insecurity. I have never met a prideful person that wasn't insecure. The whole reason they're trying to go up is because they feel down. The whole reason they want to be high is because they see themselves as low. So, the answer to pride is to not be insecure. The answer to not be insecure is to be secure. And the only way to be secure is in God's love. That's it, that's the only way. I told you that I got saved at 19 and went into ministry just immediately. And by the time I was 20, I was preaching in some pretty big venues, which was too soon. And I preached at what was called the Texas Evangelism Conference. Let's see. 11 months, a little over 10 months after I was saved, which was the largest Southern Baptist conference in Texas, and 14,000 pastors. And I was the youngest to ever preach there. I was talking one night with James and Betty Robison. James Robison used to preach big Southern Baptist crusades. And I said I was the youngest to ever preach there, and James said I was the youngest to ever preach there. And Betty said, "No, you preached there when you were 21. Robert did it when he was 20". He said, "No, I was 20". And she said, "No, Rhonda was born".
So let's just establish that I beat James Robison. Let me just establish that, alright? Hi guys. They're probably at home watching online, and so James will text me. But I was the youngest. Here we go. But I was preaching large crusades. I then got filled with the Spirit and went through deliverance. Went through deliverance, then I got filled with the Spirit. Went to Shady Grove with Pastor Olen, one of our apostolic elders, pastoring. And after a few years stepped out of ministry, because there was so much pride in my life, and God was trying to deal with me about some areas of sin in my life as well. And so, I went down to the bottom and I just attended a life group. Then I became an assistant life group leader. Then I became a life group leader. Then I became a section leader. Then I became a deacon. Then I came on staff as a pastor, and then I became an elder. God wanted me to have this biblical raising up process.
But you have to understand when I came out of ministry that I had to get a job, another job, or a real job people would say. But the only job I could find was a security guard at Motel 6. I was not a security guard for gold shipments. But for Motel 6 in a bad part of town as well. So, I would go to these life groups and they would say, now you used to be an evangelist. Right? Yes. And you used to preach at stadium crusades? Yes. What do you do now? "I'm a security guard at Motel 6". Here's what the Lord taught me. He taught me to be secure in who I was.
Now let me, I want to clarify something, because people say, we need to be secure in whose we are, and that's good, too. In other words, I belong to God. I understand that. But you can belong to God and still be a jerk. And what God was trying to teach me was to be like Him. And I wanted to be like Jesus. It wasn't just enough to belong to Him. I wanted to be kind and loving, and not consider myself higher than or above others. And God laid the foundation in my life for all that he's doing now, because I don't care what my title or what my position is. I care if I'm like Jesus. That's my goal is to be like Jesus. And when you know that God's done a work in your life, you're secure. So that's number one. Refuse to compromise in the area of your humility. Here's number two. Refuse to compromise your integrity. Now this is idolatry.
Now let me just remind you Revelation 2:14 and 15. "I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam". We'll go into that a little bit more, Balaam. "Who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols". This is idolatry. "And to commit sexual immorality". That will be point three and we'll talk about Balaam. And then it says, "Thus", because you hold to this doctrine, "you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which things I hate". So the doctrine of the Nicolaitans and the doctrine of Balaam, they're the same. And they are idolatry and immorality. So, we'll talk about idolatry. Ephesus and Pergamum dealt with idolatry and sexual immorality. And we know that Ephesus is the only other church where he mentioned the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.
So, I want you to think about this. What is this? Well, first of all, you need to know that Ephesus and Pergamum had the highest number of Gnostics in the church. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word ginóskó, which means to know or knowledge. These were people who worshiped knowledge. They actually believed that they had extra-biblical, which at that time they didn't have the New Testament except for some letters, and they didn't see those as scriptures. But they believed that they knew things that other believers didn't know. They actually believed that Jesus had appeared to them and told them some things. And John writes 1 John to Ephesus. Some of you might not know that, but 1, 2, and 3 John were written to the church at Ephesus. And he writes to them. And remember they're saying Jesus has told us things. John starts 1 John with, Let me tell you something. The things that I'm telling you, I heard from him. I was with him. I walked with him. And he doesn't say this, but he says the things we touch. In other words, I leaned on his breast. I'm telling you what I heard from Jesus.
So he's dealing with this thing of Gnosticism. Now Gnosticism, again: knowledge. Now, I want you to think about this. We say God is, and he is; God has omniscience. I've told you before, look at the spelling of it if you want to. But omni science is the way it's spelled. Omni means all, science means knowledge. I just want you to stay with me. Gnostics worshiped knowledge. The word science means knowledge. We are at a place today in our society where we're being told to worship science. To worship science. That science trumps the Word of God. Okay. That's idolatry.
Now, please hear me. I'm not saying we don't learn from science. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that science is bad in itself to learn. I'm not saying that, or knowledge is. I think you should try and increase your knowledge, but don't worship it. Don't worship it. That's the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans, some say it was founded by Nicholas, who was one of the first seven deacons in Acts chapter six, because there was a Nicholas and Nicholas was a Gnostic, we know that, before he got saved. And some say that the Nicolaitans just used him as their founder, because he was a leader in the church and he didn't write anything. He was a deacon so he wasn't an apostle they could go back to.
So we don't know where they got their theology from. But we know that they participated in idolatry and immorality. But here's how they did it. And I have a very specific burden here, alright? They had trade guilds in many early cities, especially Pergamum though. And at these trade guilds, they had them every month or every few months, they worshiped a pagan patron. In other words, they would worship some god and they would have a time to come together. One of the things the Gnostics believed is that your spirit and body had no connection. So you could do anything in your body and it did not affect your relationship with God.
Now, obviously, because of grace, it won't cut our relationship off. But if you think you can sleep around and it not affect your relationship with God, you're deceived. So they were teaching this. So, they would have these business get-togethers of business people, and they would come together. And it was dedicated to a god, so they would take the meat that had been sacrificed to that god and eat it. You might say, well, I don't eat meat sacrificed to idols. The bottom line is idolatry. That's what we're talking about today. But they would knowingly eat the meat, because they wanted to fit into the business community. And then there would be prostitutes there, temple prostitutes to that god. And if they stood up for their beliefs, then they could be ostracized in business.
So there were business people who would participate in these idolatry and immorality festivals, or feasts, so that they could have good business relationships in the community. I think this might relate to us today, because some people have even said to me, "Well, Pastor Robert, you don't understand. In order to do business, you have to make some compromises". No, you don't. No, you don't, because God can bless your business. But you have to give him a chance. So as you know, my father owned a company. In the '80s and early '90s, it became a very big deal, even bigger I think than it is today, to take clients out and buy them alcohol and then even like take them to topless bars. And he had a policy: no alcohol purchased through company funds. So if you went and took a client out, and he ordered a drink, you had to say to that client, I'm sorry, but this is a business meal. And so the company, Morris Engineering, is picking up the tab, but we won't pay for the alcohol. You'll have to pay for your own drink.
So, he took a big stand in that area. There was actually one company in town that had an account at the liquor store where the city officials would go and get liquor for free, and the business paid for it. And we know that because it came out in the newspaper and all the city officials got in trouble for it. But my dad took a stand. So when he went to sell his business, his company, when he was getting ready to retire, he looked for a company that had his morals and ethics. And it happens to be the largest engineering firm in Texas. And so, he sent them a letter and then follow-up phone call. I'm interested in selling my company. When he met with them what he found was... See, my dad had all the moral, ethical business clients in the area. They had all the drunkards and topless bar people.
By the way, I just have to tell you something. I think it's kind of funny. We had a guy here at the church one time that said he had a ministry going to topless bars to witness. And when I found out about it, I said, "That's not called witnessing, that's called eye-witnessing". No man is called to go to topless bars to witness. Let me just clarify that. Anyway, so my dad sent them a letter and they had already done a study, because they began to buy smaller companies. And now they bought companies all over the Southwest. But my dad's was the first, and they said, "We've done a study. He has our clientele," because they had a policy against alcohol being purchased with company funds as well. And so God brought them together. And the Lord had given my dad a price and they said, "How much do you want"? He told him and they said, "Well, that's the price that we talked about as well". And then they gave him a seven-year buyout package. And then they said, "And if your company does this much for those years, each year you'll get a bonus on top of that". His company had never done that, but for those seven years it did that much. God can bless you.
So refuse to compromise in your integrity. And number three, refuse to compromise your purity, and this is immorality. So, I just want you to know that people think Balaam was a good guy. He was not a good guy. He was not an Israelite prophet. He was a Moabite prophet. He was hired by the king of Moab to curse the Israelites, and God would not let him curse the Israelites. And if you remember, we talk about Balaam's donkey spoke. So Balaam's donkey. He's going to curse the Israelites. And then the angel of the Lord, which we know the angel of the Lord is Jesus, appeared in front of him three times. Now, I think it's interesting that Jesus started the letter to Pergamum with the one who has the sword. When you read Balaam, read it in Numbers, it says the angel of the Lord appeared in front of the donkey with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside. And so three times it happened. And then Balaam beats the donkey every time. And then the Lord enables the donkey somehow and speaks through him, I guess.
Now I'm just paraphrasing. The donkey turns around and says to Balaam, why do you keep hitting me? Now, here's the miracle to me. It's not that Balaam's donkey spoke. It's that Balaam talked back to him and answered him. Balaam says, because you keep turning aside. Why didn't he say, you can talk? This is better than the whole prophesying thing. We can go to Vegas, "The Tonight Show". I mean, this is great! But they have a conversation! And then every time Balaam goes to curse Israel, in the same way God speaks through the donkey, He speaks through Balaam and Balaam blesses them. Matter of fact, Balaam prophesies that a ruler will come out of Judah and Balaam is the father of the magi. And we think magi means wise men, that's our Christmas story. Magi means magicians. And the whole reason the magi came from the east is because of Balaam's prophecy in Numbers 23 and 24. 22, 23, and 24.
So anyway, I just want you to know he's not a good guy. Let me just show you a couple New Testament scriptures, then I'll go back to the Revelation one. 2 Peter 2:15. "They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness". It was money that turned his head. Jude 11. "Woe to them, for they've gone in the way of Cain, and have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and then perished in the rebellion of Korah". There's three different sins there, but Balaam was greed and profit. And then even in Revelation 2 where I showed you verse 14. "I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak". So, if you want to wonder how Balak got this idea. "Who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and commit adultery".
Here's what happened. He hired him to curse Israel, but God would not let him curse them. He only let him bless them. And so, Balaam then said, "Well, I now know how you can get them to sin though," 'cause the king of Moab was trying to conquer them. And he taught Balak to do this. Watch this. I know I got several scriptures on this, but they're just all good. Number 25:1-2. "Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove," which is Moab. "And the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab". "They," the people of Moab, "invited the people," that's Israel, "to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people, Israel, ate and bowed down to their gods".
Numbers 31:16. Look, through these women. These women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against Him, and there was a plague among the congregation. And then if you want to know what happened to Balaam, Joshua 13:22. "The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son Beor, the soothsayer". And one another verse I just have to show you. I love it. Deuteronomy 23:5. "Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you". I just want you to know if there's any. And I just have a real burden for business people. If there are any business people speaking curses against you because you're living for the Lord, the Lord will turn the curse into a blessing. So that's a good thing. And here's what he says. He says because he loves you.
Now, this is don't compromise your purity, and we're going to talk about sexual immorality. But I'm only going to make like one point on it. In Jesus's day. You need know that because God loves you he values you. You value what you truly love. You value that person. In Jesus's day prostitutes were looked down upon. It's amazing with all the sexual immorality, impurity, even in our culture, it's still looked down upon to sell your sexuality. And I actually thought about when I was writing this. I put to sell your sexuality for a hundred dollars. And then I thought, "Well, I don't know what a prostitute costs". And then I thought, "But I'm not going to do a Google search on it, because they follow you". I don't want to search, "What does a prostitute cost"? And then while I'm giving a presentation to the staff with my laptop. You know how they pop up those ads? Candy Cane wants you to call her.
So I did not Google it. I don't know what it costs. But I want to make a point. Here's my point. If it's wrong to sell your sexuality, wouldn't it also be wrong to give it away for free? And to give it to someone who doesn't even value you, who may never even call you back. And in a way, some of you are selling it for dinner and a movie. Or to try to satisfy loneliness or sadness. See, biblical sexual ethics teaches us that we are to save ourselves for someone who values us. I just wanted you to think about that many of you probably look down on people who sell it and yet you give it away for free. I will. Thank you. Someone said preach. I'll do it. Here's the only reason I'm doing it. I don't want you to feel bad about it. I just want you to know that God has designed someone out there who loves you and who will value you. That's more important. I don't even know where I am now, because I had one more thing.
Oh, I was going to tell you all a little joke, 'cause of something humorous. Obviously, I think God has designed us to live until a person, until we die. I understand there are extenuating circumstances, and the Bible does allow for divorce. But if you die, then it says you're free to remarry. And I was thinking about this in the message. So if a spouse dies, you're free to remarry. Everyone here except for Debbie. I just want that known to the church. She is not. If I die, she is not available. I don't want some man hanging around our mansion in heaven. I will find the sword I promise you, and get you out of there. But Debbie and I, 'cause I had a near-death experience. So we talked about this. Most couples talk about this at some point who've been married a long time. And she said, "Robert, I have no desire to remarry. I can't even imagine myself with someone else". I said, "I can't imagine myself with someone else".
And that's not wrong if you remarry. I think God brought the person in your life. Wonderful. It's great. But we were just talking about it. And then I said, "I can't even imagine remarrying". Here's what she said. She said, "Oh, you'll have to remarry". And I said, "Why will I have to remarry"? And this is what she said, she said, "Duh, you're color blind. You can't dress yourself". Here's our closing one minute thing, maybe 1 minute and 20 seconds. I talked about a new name, but I just want you to notice the reward that you may have never seen.
Revelation 2:17. "To him who overcomes," or doesn't compromise. And that doesn't mean that you've never compromised. We all make mistakes. But I just want you to make a, I'm going to do my best to not compromise in these three areas. "I will give some of the hidden manna to eat". Now, there are all sorts of commentators about this, but let me tell you what I think the hidden manna is. I think it's when you're reading your Bible, and you might even be reading a passage you read before, and something jumps off the page at you that you've never seen before. And it's exactly what you need for that moment right there. It's hidden manna, and it's all through here.
And here's what he's saying. If you won't compromise, when you read this book, it's going to jump off the pages at you. That's the hidden manna. I want you to bow your heads and close your eyes. And I want you to just take a moment and do like we do every week. Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me? Holy Spirit, what are you saying to me through this message? And I love it when you continue to ask the Lord that all week. Maybe in your quiet time, or maybe even it just comes to you on your way to work. And you just turn the radio off, and you say, "Lord, is there something want to say to me through the message this past weekend"? And let the Lord direct the message personally to each of us.
Lord, I want to tell you thank you for these seven letters. And I want to tell you thank you that you speak to each of us what we need. And I want to tell you thank you that you turn the curse into a blessing, and that you love us, and that you value us. In Jesus' name, amen.