1 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,600 Let's get to it. Let's read it right from the get 2 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,840 go, verse 12 and to the Angel of the church in Pergamos. 3 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,160 Angel can be either be messenger. 4 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,880 Many believe it's to the pastor, to the leader of the church and 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:25,840 Pergamos right, Jesus telling John what to write these things 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:29,840 says he Jesus in every letter introduces himself with a 7 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,520 certain title. It gives the the flavour of what 8 00:00:33,520 --> 00:00:38,160 he's about to say these things says he who has the sharp 2 9 00:00:38,160 --> 00:00:40,280 edged sword. So he's going to be speaking 10 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:43,040 about the word of God and the necessity of it. 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,720 I know your works. Again, God knows the churches. 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,520 He knows what we do. He knows exactly what's going on 13 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:53,840 here today. He knows our hearts, the hearts 14 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:57,680 of all of us, and He knows what's happening here. 15 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:02,880 He is in the midst. Remember, of the lampstands of 16 00:01:02,880 --> 00:01:08,080 every church where you dwell. And notice this where Satan's 17 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:12,120 throne is. So Satan is not omnipresent. 18 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,560 He can only be in one place at one time. 19 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:19,760 And so here we're reading that Satan had set up his 20 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:24,480 headquarters literally in Pergamos in modern day Turkey, 21 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:31,560 and you hold fast to my name and did not deny my faith even in 22 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:33,840 the days when Antipas will get to him. 23 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,400 He's how how would you be that you mentioned it that you get 24 00:01:37,400 --> 00:01:42,600 your name in the Bible as being one who who died for Christ. 25 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,000 That's amazing. Can't wait to meet Antipas. 26 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:49,400 He has his name because he stood up for the Lord. 27 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:56,600 He died for his fight for Antipas, my faithful martyr, who 28 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:01,160 was killed among you where Satan dwells. 29 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,320 He repeats it. So Antipas was a churchgoer, so 30 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:11,240 many believe he was a pastor in Pokemos then he says, But I have 31 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:20,240 a few things against you because you have there those some in the 32 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:27,400 church, some were faithful, but some in the church who hold the 33 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:30,760 doctrine. The teaching of Balaam, who 34 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,920 taught Balak. Balak was the king of the 35 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:37,600 Moabites to put a stumbling block before the children of 36 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:41,760 Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols. 37 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:47,520 And here's what really was the outcome to commit sexual and 38 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:53,080 morality. Thus you also have those who 39 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,120 hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. 40 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,760 We covered those basically they thought the same as the doctrine 41 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:03,280 of Balaam, which things I hate. We looked at that back at 42 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,680 Ephesus. Here's what the cure is. 43 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,120 You know Christians are to repent. 44 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,320 You know, we only, we don't repent once. 45 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,360 Repentance isn't just for someone who to get saved. 46 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,840 Repentance is something that believers do too. 47 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:26,440 Read 1 John 19 and 10. Repent or else Jesus says, I'll 48 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,760 come to you quickly and we'll fight against them. 49 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:32,800 And here's the mention again with the sword of my mouth. 50 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,080 What is it? It's the word of God in 51 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,920 Revelation 19. When Jesus returns the second 52 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:42,320 coming out of his mouth will go the sharp 2 edged sword. 53 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:47,760 He will speak and God's judgement will fall, he who has 54 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,840 an ear. So here's the part as I read 55 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,320 this, the Book of Revelation says you are being blessed by 56 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:55,920 God. He who hears and reads this 57 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,760 shall receive the blessing and also he who obeys it. 58 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,400 So as I read this, God is blessing you. 59 00:04:01,400 --> 00:04:07,200 That's amazing. The Spirit says to the churches, 60 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,080 to him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manner 61 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,720 to eat, I will give him a whitestone and on the stone a 62 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:20,079 new name written, which no one knows except him who receives 63 00:04:20,079 --> 00:04:23,080 it. So the Church of Ephesus, first 64 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,800 church, it left its first love of Christ. 65 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,080 Remember it was going to church, it was doing all the stuff. 66 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:34,760 You and I, we can go to church, we can grab our Bible, head off, 67 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:38,120 grab the kids, head there, go about serving Sunday school, 68 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,480 serve the coffee, be part of the worship team and our hearts not 69 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:48,360 in it. You've left God, you're going to 70 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:49,920 church, but you haven't got God with you. 71 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:55,720 That was the church at Ephesus. You haven't lost it, you left 72 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:59,560 it. The Church of Smyrna we looked 73 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,520 at Wednesday night, my favourite church, it's suffered. 74 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:06,520 It's suffered because of its great love for God. 75 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:09,560 Jesus said there are people you're going to die. 76 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:11,240 People have died in the Church of Smyrna. 77 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,920 More of you are going to die. He never got them out. 78 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:16,640 And he said don't worry, I'll, I won't make sure. 79 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,880 I'll make sure he won't die. Never said that they were going 80 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:25,440 to die for their faith, But the Church of Smyrna was strong and 81 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,360 powerful. It's the only church that has no 82 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:36,320 harsh things said to it, no admonition from God. 83 00:05:37,280 --> 00:05:40,360 It's interesting. Church of Smyrna, shortest 84 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:45,280 letter. It suffered greatly because of 85 00:05:45,280 --> 00:05:50,120 its great love for Christ. And now today, the Church of 86 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,160 Pergamos. Sometimes I'll say Pergamon 87 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,680 Pergamos, basically that's the same name. 88 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,440 Now this church was a whole different matter, which we'll 89 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:05,640 see. It played church and it acted 90 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:11,120 before when Satan launched his vow, persecution against the 91 00:06:11,120 --> 00:06:16,240 Church of Jesus Christ, which we studied particularly in the 92 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:19,800 dispersion of the early church from Jerusalem. 93 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,480 They didn't leave. So God allowed persecution on 94 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,760 the church at Jerusalem because they ought to go to where Judea, 95 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,440 Samaria, and the outermost parts of the world. 96 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,120 And they stayed. They huddled in one thing 97 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:38,120 persecution came off they went when Satan was allowed by God to 98 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:43,080 do that instead of the church crumpling saying well, I'll just 99 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:45,240 persecute them that'll that'll just Chuck it in. 100 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:51,800 No, like the Church of Smyrna, the love of Christ by these who 101 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,080 suffered persecution grew even stronger. 102 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:01,920 In one of our visits to Israel, our group went to a location, 103 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:08,400 the location where Pilot had Jesus stand next to him after 104 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:13,600 Jesus had been crucified. We were there at this location 105 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:23,000 and at this location it was a tragic reminder because Jesus 106 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:27,880 was so brutalised by the whip that he just was red. 107 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:34,880 Raw bones, sinews could be seen blood everywhere from him 108 00:07:34,880 --> 00:07:38,640 because such was the, the thrashing and the pulling of 109 00:07:38,640 --> 00:07:43,280 the, the, the iron and, and the bits of glass and stone that 110 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,400 were in the, in the, or the whipping that just literally 111 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:51,200 tore shreds off him as he stood. We're at that location where 112 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,920 this occurred. As we we gathered at that spot, 113 00:07:55,840 --> 00:07:59,640 we came across a group of Chinese believers visiting 114 00:07:59,640 --> 00:08:02,120 Israel from the persecuted church in China. 115 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:05,760 And we joined with them in worship. 116 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,680 They sang a song, they sang it in Chinese. 117 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:14,040 We we couldn't know what they were singing of their love for 118 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,000 Christ, but their love for Christ and our love for Christ. 119 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:21,320 Join us together at this this this sacred site I call. 120 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:28,680 But as they sang, and they sang with absolute gusto from every 121 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:33,799 individual, every one of them, not one of them sang without 122 00:08:33,919 --> 00:08:38,840 tears streaming down their eyes, singing loud, loud, loud. 123 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:45,280 And after they had finished their singing, through an 124 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,080 interpreter, I asked what were the words of the song that they 125 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:52,280 were singing? And he said to me, We've sung 126 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:57,600 about our cruel treatment, our beatings and sufferings we've 127 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:01,760 received constantly in China because we just love Jesus 128 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:08,960 Christ. But the chorus of the song we 129 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,800 sang over and over is filled with these words. 130 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:18,320 And Jesus held our hand all through this time, and he never 131 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,200 let go. He never let go. 132 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:26,720 When persecution hit the early church, the Christians, as I 133 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,800 said, were scattered to all parts of the world, and with 134 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,640 them they took the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and 135 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:36,680 the gospel spread across the world like wildfire. 136 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:41,920 The devil knew his plan of attack by a full frontal 137 00:09:42,160 --> 00:09:45,800 persecution on the church was failing because the church was 138 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:48,960 growing more and more as it did in China. 139 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:54,680 The underground church just blossomed powerfully, grew, and 140 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:59,320 it grew in power. And so the devil decided he'd go 141 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:02,880 to Plan B. He decided to join the church. 142 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:10,440 Jesus captured this action with a parable back in Matthew 13. 143 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,240 Jesus says. Here's another story Jesus told 144 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,760 the Kingdom of heaven is like a farmer who planted a good seed 145 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,760 in the field. But that night, as the worker 146 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:25,320 slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat. 147 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,400 They slipped away. When the crop began to grow and 148 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:31,400 produce grain, the weeds also grew. 149 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:36,000 The farmers workers went to him and said, Sir, the field where 150 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,080 you planted that good seed, it's full of weeds. 151 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,400 Where do they come from? An enemy has done this, the 152 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,200 farmer exclaimed. Or shall we pull out the weeds? 153 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:47,520 They asked. No, he replied. 154 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,840 You'll uproot the wheat if you do because they look the same. 155 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:54,960 Let both grow together until the harvest. 156 00:10:55,640 --> 00:10:59,360 Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them 157 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,280 into bundles and burn them, and to put the wheat into the barn. 158 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,440 The Church of Pergamos covers the period. 159 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,520 So too the churches that have become compromised. 160 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:15,120 What happened is the church began to fold in its doctrine, 161 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,280 the word compromise in the dictionary, it means this. 162 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:25,840 It means a settlement of dispute by concession on each side. 163 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:29,280 It's something midway between different things. 164 00:11:29,280 --> 00:11:35,120 In other words, you, you change your stance, you put oneself or 165 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:38,400 another person in a dishonourable position. 166 00:11:39,560 --> 00:11:44,320 Pergamus represents the church that existed from 313 AD. 167 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:46,560 Denzel, where are you? You're around. 168 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:49,040 There were a whole heap of slides. 169 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,760 You can pop them up at any time. Pergamos represented the church 170 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,680 that existed from 313 AD to 600 AD. 171 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:03,520 It was when Christianity became the Church of Rome, a time in 172 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:08,040 which Constantine, the emperor of Rome, marched all his armies 173 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:10,360 into the ocean. Everyone's getting baptised, 174 00:12:10,480 --> 00:12:12,480 marching, they went, they will March there. 175 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:17,120 You're all baptised. And the church became the legal 176 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:23,320 religion of the land. It was when Christianity 177 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:26,320 suffered the most. But during also the period 178 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:33,120 leading up to that, the church, that church, the compromise 179 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,600 Church, 6,000,000 Christians died during that period for 180 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,840 their fight. As I said, it was the time of 181 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:45,120 Constantine and he amalgamated priests from false Pagan 182 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:47,640 religions into being part of the church. 183 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:51,560 In other words, if everyone, OK, no, no Pagan rules and none of 184 00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:53,080 that stuff, we're all going to be Christian. 185 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:56,720 But what we can do is you guys or priests, you've been priests 186 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:01,080 in this, you come over and, and, and you're all part of the, the, 187 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:05,640 the, the Christian religion now. So when they moved over, they 188 00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:08,800 brought with them and a lot of stuff that you see in churches, 189 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:13,280 in the high churches, the, the garb and the hats and the carry 190 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:16,240 on is brought over from that period. 191 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:24,320 During that time such things as the baptising for the dead, the 192 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:29,600 Mother of God, worship came into being, praying to Saints came 193 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:34,520 into being, praying to statues came into being and A and a 194 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,920 hierarchy. The priesthood got this 195 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,680 hierarchy was established, all these different ranks and 196 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:45,520 levels. The end of this period of 197 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:47,360 history is known as the Dark Ages. 198 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:54,560 Jesus said of the church like that of Pergamos that there are 199 00:13:54,560 --> 00:13:57,560 many attending there that appeared to be like Christians 200 00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:03,320 but they are in fact false teachers, false believers and 201 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,720 our warning this morning is for us not to be one of them. 202 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,040 Jesus self titled to this church verse 12 and to the Angel of the 203 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:15,600 church and Pergamos write these things says he who has the sharp 204 00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:19,720 2 edged sword. Now we know that refers to what 205 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:23,760 the Bible, God's word, the word of God always cuts two ways. 206 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,000 I know people come to this church and then they leave and I 207 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:32,280 know many come and go because we teach the Bible. 208 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:34,080 They go, oh man, you're a bit harsh. 209 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:38,000 You're a bit strong. No, just reading the Bible. 210 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,600 And So what happens is the word of God cuts two ways. 211 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,280 When I sit every time under the word of God, whenever I read the 212 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,560 word of God, I see things that are great, God's grace, God's 213 00:14:49,560 --> 00:14:52,120 mercy, God's, God's kindness to me. 214 00:14:52,280 --> 00:14:55,800 But also I read, Keith, you're sinful in this theory. 215 00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:58,880 You're lacking this, you're selfish, you're this, you're 216 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:00,560 that. You're not, you're not doing 217 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:03,000 that or you're not being a good father, you're not being a good 218 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,040 husband. And I get convicted by it 219 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,400 because the Bible cuts two ways. One side of the word is what 220 00:15:13,400 --> 00:15:15,760 people don't want to hear, which makes them uncomfortable. 221 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,440 You know, the church has gone into this compromise way where 222 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,840 where every time we preach, church gathers. 223 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:24,200 It's always got to be a positive message. 224 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,640 Look at the children in the world that have grown up under 225 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:33,520 Always be positive with them. Ask the police, ask school 226 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:36,280 teachers what it's like having children where their parents 227 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,000 have always been positive with them. 228 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,400 Which is why Calvary chapels do not teach what we call topical 229 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:50,960 messages as a practise, for such preaching allows pastors and 230 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,760 teachers to talk on things about the Bible they think are 231 00:15:54,760 --> 00:15:59,040 important. But teaching the Bible book by 232 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,520 book, Genesis through the Revelation, chapter by chapter 233 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:07,960 and verse by verse, forces us to hear what God thinks is 234 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:09,600 important. And that's the most important 235 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,440 thing. No sidestepping hard issues. 236 00:16:14,320 --> 00:16:16,600 We deal with divorce. We deal with marriage. 237 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,800 We deal with sin. We deal with pornography. 238 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,200 We deal with sexual immorality. We deal with adultery, we deal 239 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,960 with rebellion, we deal with occult, witchcraft, drugs, 240 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:33,560 drunkenness. Paul calls this teaching the 241 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:37,840 full counsel of God. Now the curse of compromise is 242 00:16:37,840 --> 00:16:40,960 this. The Church of Pergamos was on a 243 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:44,360 collision course. Who with Jesus Christ? 244 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,800 Some of its members were suffering from living lives of 245 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,320 compromise in their walk with God. 246 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,720 There are times in our lives when we suffer as Christians, 247 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:57,960 Peter says. If you suffer as a Christian for 248 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:03,160 your faith, praise the Lord God, you can, then you can identify 249 00:17:03,160 --> 00:17:06,240 with Christ. It's a blessing, it's a 250 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:09,400 privilege. But if you're suffering because 251 00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:13,319 you're a Christian idiot, then you deserve a good boot in the 252 00:17:13,319 --> 00:17:19,480 behind. Did he say yes because so many 253 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:22,200 people in church. Well, you know, you know, and I 254 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,079 was doing this and I was and I I was reading my Bible. 255 00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:28,319 Well, were you reading your Bible when you should have been 256 00:17:28,319 --> 00:17:31,960 doing your job? Yeah, but I was no, do your job. 257 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,360 Well, I was doing and and and and you've acted like a fool. 258 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:45,440 We need to be wise and what other Christians do. 259 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:51,600 What was happening at Pergamos is that people were fitting into 260 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,880 the world. So you're one thing here on a 261 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,400 Sunday and then when you go to church or when you go to school, 262 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,520 you go to university, when you go to your mother's group or to 263 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:03,280 your golf group or to surf, hang out with other surfers, you just 264 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,840 fit in. You speak the way they speak. 265 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,480 You think the way they speak. You don't, you know, no one 266 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:14,320 knows you're a Christian. They're the Secret Service. 267 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:22,560 You just want to fit in, and the problem with fitting in is that 268 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:29,080 Christians don't fit in to a fallen world Compromise. 269 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:32,560 Living for a Christian is dangerous and can end up being 270 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,560 lethal. There were some there at 271 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:40,480 Pergamos who were out on a mission to appease everyone by 272 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,680 tolerating certain things within it. 273 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:48,080 You heard the word tolerance, haven't you man? 274 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:50,400 Aren't we to be a tolerant society today? 275 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,560 Aren't we to tolerate it? Isn't it interesting how we're 276 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,480 to tolerate everything else? The schools that will tolerate 277 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,880 this sculpture but no school and no systems tolerate what? 278 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:09,440 Jesus Christ, the AFL, they have a thing for everything, but they 279 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:11,720 don't have anything for Christianity. 280 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:19,920 The tolerance is always a way and to weaken and to compromise 281 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:24,440 the word of God. Tolerance dominates today's 282 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:27,520 media discussions. And we, the church, the world is 283 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:30,120 forcing us, trying to force, well, you need to be more 284 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:34,520 tolerant. I mean, come on, get up with the 285 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:36,400 ages. Yeah, sure. 286 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,840 And the church was having problems with the correct 287 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:46,200 doctrine of Jesus Christ. And as a result this had led to 288 00:19:46,200 --> 00:19:49,760 many in the church being involved in lewd behaviour, 289 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:56,200 specifically sexual immorality. Sexual immorality in the Church 290 00:19:56,200 --> 00:20:02,120 of Jesus Christ today is tragic. And So what was happening in 291 00:20:02,120 --> 00:20:06,320 Pergamos, the people would go and worship at the the temple of 292 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:11,360 diocese or or Bacchus or the one of the the Apollos. 293 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:17,200 Or, or they'd say Caesar is Lord, which is what got Antipus 294 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:21,360 killed because Antipus, he wouldn't sprinkle the, the 295 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,480 insects and say Caesar Lord because he said I only have one 296 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:27,720 Lord Jesus, my will, you'll die. Just just say Caesar is Lord 297 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:29,520 just going to do that compromise. 298 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:31,640 Come on and you can go, go about your business. 299 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:34,480 He said, I can't do that. So they killed him. 300 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,760 And So what happened? They would go to the temple, 301 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:44,840 then they'd come to church. You know, Al Capone went to 302 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,120 church every Sunday. You know, he was the biggest 303 00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:50,440 giver of the church that he attended. 304 00:20:52,600 --> 00:21:00,120 Al Capone, you see, do we go and worship at Pagan temples or 305 00:21:00,120 --> 00:21:02,160 what? I don't go to a police or well, 306 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:04,520 hang on a minute. What are you doing between 307 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:09,080 Sunday to the next Sunday? What are you worshipping in your 308 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,360 life between that period of time? 309 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:15,280 What are you giving yourself to, giving your your passions to, 310 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:18,920 even giving your finances to, giving your children to? 311 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:25,960 And then you come on a Sunday. We come on a Sunday and our 312 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:31,880 lifestyle begins to be just like the world can't pick them, like 313 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,760 the seeds sown in that field. Jesus says as they grow, they 314 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,560 look exactly like the wheat. Can't tell the difference. 315 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,000 You see, false teaching can destroy a church and can destroy 316 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,600 a person. So Jesus addresses this church 317 00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:49,960 wielding the sword of the Spirit. 318 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:54,840 The sword of the Spirit, Hebrews 412 for the word of God is 319 00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:58,040 living. In other words, you read it and 320 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:00,120 you go, man, I, I never saw that before. 321 00:22:00,120 --> 00:22:01,560 And then you read and you know, I never saw that. 322 00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:07,720 I just because it's living, it's speaking to you, However, it's 323 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:09,280 changed. And when you, when you're 324 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:12,440 changing, you go back, you're maybe you, you, you change the 325 00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:15,760 way that you're living as a man, as a, as a husband or as a, as a 326 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,160 wife or a mother. And you're, you're slipping, 327 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:20,520 you're compromising. And as you read the Word, God's 328 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:27,600 Word, then all of a sudden it digs where God is living. 329 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:32,440 And it's powerful. It's sharper than any 2 edged 330 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:37,000 sword, piercing even to the division of the soul and the 331 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:41,920 spirit and of joints and marrow. And as a discerner of the 332 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,280 thoughts, it knows what you're thinking and intense of the 333 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,160 heart. It knows what's in your heart, 334 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:55,000 Hebrews 413 goes on to say, and there is no creature hidden from 335 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:59,000 his sight, the Lord, but all things are naked and open to the 336 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:03,160 eyes of him to whom we must give account. 337 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:06,720 So Pergamos was a tough place to be as a Christian. 338 00:23:09,360 --> 00:23:13,640 Jesus said, I know where you live, and I know Satan's Thrones 339 00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:15,440 there. Imagine living in the Yeah, 340 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:16,360 yeah. Who lives up there? 341 00:23:16,360 --> 00:23:17,720 Oh, Satan, he's just down the road. 342 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,720 His kids go to state schools. My kids go to. 343 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:26,200 Can you imagine? It was a tough place to be a 344 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:28,480 Christian. There were temples of false gods 345 00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,400 everywhere. Dionysies, the God of wine, 346 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,960 Asclepius, God of medicine. It's the sign that we use we see 347 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:36,960 today on medicine. So, you know, with the snake 348 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,440 going around, what they would do with that temple. 349 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:41,200 And you'd go there and you would lie on the floor. 350 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:44,320 And if the snake crawled over you, it was a sign of, oh, 351 00:23:44,320 --> 00:23:47,200 you're going to be blessed. Your healing was going to come. 352 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:52,480 Indiana Jones wouldn't have liked going to that. 353 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,800 They had a major problem, and it all started with wrong belief. 354 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:00,920 Your problems all start with what you think. 355 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:06,800 What you believe will always determine how you behave. 356 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:11,640 What you believe will always determine how you behave. 357 00:24:12,960 --> 00:24:15,440 False doctrine was rampant in this church. 358 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:20,360 The word doctrine is mentioned 37 times in the New Testament in 359 00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:22,160 the book of Acts when the church began. 360 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:27,800 Acts 242 says of the church. And they continued steadfastly 361 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:33,080 in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of 362 00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:36,560 bread and in prayers. Paul wrote to Timothy when he 363 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:41,240 was in Ephesus one Timothy 413 Till I come Timothy, give 364 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:44,200 attention to reading. This is why we read the book of 365 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:49,880 Psalms this morning to exhortation to doctrine. 366 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:56,280 Paul then wrote to Titus, another young pastor. 367 00:24:56,720 --> 00:25:00,440 He says, But As for you speak the things which are proper for 368 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:05,640 sound doctrine. There are many today so resolved 369 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:11,520 to make paramount. The issue is love. 370 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:16,240 Love is the paramount that they forget the sacredness of 371 00:25:16,240 --> 00:25:21,200 revealed truth. In other words, let's drown out 372 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:23,600 doctrinal differences. Oh, it doesn't matter what you 373 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:25,200 believe. Have you come across people like 374 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:26,920 that? No, it doesn't matter what you 375 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,960 we just as long as we all you know, Allah, Buddha, as long as 376 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:36,880 we all just love. Jesus says well then why did I 377 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:43,480 bother that? Because Jesus said I am the way 378 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:53,080 I am, the truth and the life. Only. 379 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,000 The truth is through Jesus on the cross. 380 00:25:55,480 --> 00:25:57,760 Only salvation is through Jesus on the cross. 381 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,440 Only eternal life is through Jesus on the cross. 382 00:26:03,120 --> 00:26:07,960 No one, Jesus is, no one comes to the Father. 383 00:26:08,120 --> 00:26:12,640 When you die, the only way you get to heaven, Jesus said, is by 384 00:26:12,640 --> 00:26:15,360 me. That's why you're going to have 385 00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:22,640 the truth. There are others so dogged in 386 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,720 their zeal, however, for God's Word that they become harsh, 387 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,000 bitter, and unloving. They're right. 388 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,800 They're dead right, man. They carry Bibles around. 389 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,200 They just use it and they smack you with all the time. 390 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,320 Well, shall not you're wearing, I see you're wearing pants. 391 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,120 You shouldn't be wearing pants. Christians shouldn't be dancing. 392 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:41,360 And Bible says you can't dance. I don't know Christians. 393 00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:43,160 Some Christians can dance, some can't dance. 394 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:47,520 I know. And I use the Bible and I bash 395 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:52,440 you, bash you with it. The Bible teaches us to hold 396 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:59,160 truth and love, to love others in truth, and to grow not only 397 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,560 in love, but in discernment. Don't be an idiot. 398 00:27:04,600 --> 00:27:07,280 Jesus says I know your works verse 13 and where you dwell 399 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,280 with Satan's Thrones. God is not ignorant of us living 400 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:15,400 in a non Christian world. Pergamos was a tough place to be 401 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:19,760 a Christian and to live there. It was full on Pagan town to 402 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:24,560 which Satan dwelt there. Jesus knows your workplace. 403 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:28,360 You might work in a workplace that is really just like man. 404 00:27:28,360 --> 00:27:31,840 It is so wrong. You might go to a school where 405 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,840 the kids are just raging and gown berserker. 406 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,240 You might be the only Christian in your family. 407 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,920 Jesus says to you, I know, I know we are. 408 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:46,040 I know what you're putting up with. 409 00:27:46,920 --> 00:27:50,080 I know about it. He expects you to stay faithful 410 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:55,680 in that situation. He says hold fast to my name. 411 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:01,880 Begin of Antipas didn't deny my faith, even in the days which 412 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,480 Antipast was my faithful martyr who was killed among you. 413 00:28:06,240 --> 00:28:10,600 The Church of Pergamos had welcomed the doctrine of Balaam 414 00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:13,320 and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. 415 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:16,920 The word welcome means allowed. Tolerator. 416 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,400 What do you, what should we tolerate in this church? 417 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:21,520 Oh, it doesn't really matter. You know, we could have this 418 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,640 person speak, you know, You know, I'm always getting emails 419 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:26,040 from people who want to come speak here. 420 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:28,640 Always want. First of all, they want money. 421 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,360 Always get those emails. Can we? 422 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,520 Well, this church, you know, we'd like to you to be involved 423 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,560 in pass the key. You're on my mind. 424 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:43,720 I don't even know you. Would you consider both of these 425 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:51,040 false doctrines? The Balaam and the Nicolaitans 426 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,640 taught the same thing. They taught this. 427 00:28:55,080 --> 00:28:59,640 You can live in sin as much as you please and still be a 428 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,640 Christian. God will understand. 429 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,600 Isn't that what the Australian vernacular is? 430 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:12,480 I'm a Christian, I know God, God knows me, I worship God in my 431 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:14,080 way. Isn't that the Christian 432 00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:18,640 religion? But Romans chapter 6, Paul says, 433 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:22,240 what shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that 434 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,400 grace may abound? Certainly not. 435 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,520 How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 436 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:34,640 After all, if God loves sinners, then why worry about sin? 437 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:38,640 Just he'll forgive us. God gives grace to sinners, then 438 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,720 why not sin more and receive more grace? 439 00:29:41,840 --> 00:29:43,800 Some people think that their job is to sin. 440 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:45,160 Well, I know. Yeah, I'm sin. 441 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:46,600 But you know, I'll be back in church. 442 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,000 God, I mean, I'm me and the Lord, well, like this. 443 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:50,640 And I'll just repent. He'll forgive me. 444 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:55,520 God will do his job. I'll do my job. 445 00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,600 Paul establishes an important principle when we are born again 446 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:03,640 in Romans 6, when we have believed on Jesus for our 447 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:09,440 salvation, our relationship with sin is permanently What's that 448 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:14,040 word permanently changed? You've become a new creature in 449 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,320 Christ. All things are passed away. 450 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:22,320 All things have become new to Corinthians 517, that we should 451 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:28,000 now no longer live in sin. It simply isn't fitting to live 452 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,480 any longer in something you've died to. 453 00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:36,320 But like people today, people can say, Keith, God knows my 454 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:38,280 heart. Exactly. 455 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:41,720 That's the problem. God does know your heart. 456 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:48,080 Jeremiah 17/9. The heart is deceitful above all 457 00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:51,600 things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it? 458 00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,320 Your heart, my heart is sinful, God knows it. 459 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,760 This is the compromise, Christian. 460 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,280 Such people think well, a little bit of sin won't hurt. 461 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:07,520 We should call a white lie. Remember a white lie. 462 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:10,400 Some of you old enough or a fib. Kids wouldn't know what a fib 463 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,560 is. White lie being flirtatious. 464 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:18,120 I was just being flirtatious. We heard the women dealt with as 465 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:23,720 a subject brutally. Friday night pornography. 466 00:31:23,760 --> 00:31:26,640 Well, yeah, but just a bit here, a bit there. 467 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,840 Fudging your work timesheet. Yeah, I know. 468 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:32,920 Well, I'll just round out the hours. 469 00:31:34,760 --> 00:31:40,200 What's the harm? The harm is we cannot handle a 470 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:44,280 little bit of sin. It always leads to more. 471 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,720 No one suddenly falls away from the faith. 472 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,960 Samson. You know the story could have 473 00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:59,120 should have but didn't Samson the greatest judge just and he 474 00:31:59,120 --> 00:32:05,360 did everything he had just this and he met a lady who's TomTom 475 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:09,920 Jones's girlfriend Delilah started going out with Delilah. 476 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:14,920 She's Welsh. Samson is. 477 00:32:15,760 --> 00:32:18,560 He was fell under Tom Jones's girlfriend's Delilah's. 478 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:21,400 Where'd you get the strength from? 479 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:22,560 Where'd you get the strength from? 480 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,880 You know, you hold steel. And in the end, the devil 481 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,400 couldn't defeat Samson on the battlefield. 482 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:35,960 So what did the devil do? I think I can get him in the 483 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:42,600 bedroom. How many evangelists do we 484 00:32:42,600 --> 00:32:47,320 continue to see fall? Where do they fall? 485 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,920 Same place that Samson fell. It's the same teaching of 486 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,760 Balaam. Go to church, do your thing, but 487 00:32:55,760 --> 00:33:03,240 it's just a little thing. What is the doctrine of Balaam? 488 00:33:03,760 --> 00:33:06,600 Verse 14? We find his story in the book of 489 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:12,080 Numbers 22 to 24, where the king of Moab, his name is Balaac. 490 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,720 He hated the Jews and he wanted them completely annihilated. 491 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,920 Sounds a lot like Iran, doesn't it? 492 00:33:20,600 --> 00:33:24,480 Bilek hired Balaam, who's this weird prophet to get God to 493 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:29,680 curse his own children. And he offered him great, great 494 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:31,080 riches. Balance it. 495 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:33,000 No probs. I'll money. 496 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:35,760 Whoa, I'll do that. He's a profit for hire. 497 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:42,520 He accepts the job, tries to put a curse each time he God speaks. 498 00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:45,440 You can't curse my people. And he has to bless them. 499 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:49,080 Anyway. Finally he loads his donkey and 500 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:50,720 he heads out to carry out the task. 501 00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:53,960 And as he's growing along and he's faithful old donkey and his 502 00:33:53,960 --> 00:33:57,800 donkey slams on the brakes crushes his masters leg up 503 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,640 against the wall causing Balin to hey what are you doing? 504 00:34:00,680 --> 00:34:03,640 Stop beating him. Beats him three times He does 505 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,600 this and then finally the donkey shouts out. 506 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:07,560 He said hey what are you beating me for? 507 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:14,239 Funny thing is Balin starts talking back to the donkey and 508 00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:17,480 the donkey says hey and read it. Haven't I been your faithful 509 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:19,880 donkey man? I've never let you down before, 510 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:24,159 I've never done this. And Balaam's eyes, it says we're 511 00:34:24,159 --> 00:34:27,400 opened to see standing before him in the way of the poor 512 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:30,040 donkey, a mighty Angel with the sword drawn. 513 00:34:30,159 --> 00:34:34,280 That's what the donkey saw. Balaam learnt that God was with 514 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:36,840 his people, Israel, and he was their king. 515 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:41,920 Balaam was unable to curse Israel, but he knew how to 516 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:48,440 defile them. And so he told King Balak, just 517 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,920 get the most beautiful Noah white women, get them to just 518 00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:55,960 sort it down to the Israeli men, all good. 519 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:57,280 And what? And it happened. 520 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:01,400 They went down there. Israeli men follow, fell for 521 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:04,520 them. And then it says that Israel for 522 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:07,760 the first time began to worship Baal. 523 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:12,840 It's mentioned all because of sexual immorality. 524 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:17,880 The sin of pergamos, like the sin of Balaam, was the 525 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:22,040 toleration of evil. Sexual immorality was the 526 00:35:22,080 --> 00:35:24,000 outcome. It's when you say you're 527 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,240 Christian, but you live like everybody else. 528 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,640 You're not any different. You want to go to heaven, but 529 00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:32,200 you live like hell in the meantime. 530 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:36,560 That's called compromise. It's the process of gradually 531 00:35:36,720 --> 00:35:40,520 waking, weakening your spiritual life until you wake up one day 532 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:45,480 and find yourself doing things you once conceited and hated. 533 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,480 Thought conceited and hated the prodigal. 534 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:52,240 What happened to him? He found himself living in a pig 535 00:35:52,240 --> 00:35:53,440 pen. Think about that. 536 00:35:54,680 --> 00:35:56,240 Is there a way out? Yes. 537 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:58,720 Verse 16. Repent, or else I'll come to you 538 00:35:58,720 --> 00:36:02,000 quickly and we'll fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 539 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:04,880 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the 540 00:36:04,880 --> 00:36:07,360 churches. To him who overcomes, I'll give 541 00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:10,360 some of the hidden manner to eat, and I'll give him a 542 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:14,400 whitestone and the stone, a new name written with no one knows 543 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:18,920 except him, and receives it. Jesus has commanded those in 544 00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:20,920 Pergamos who had held their faith. 545 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,560 He's done that even under the threat of the death. 546 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:28,120 But he reveals the problem. Jesus said you better change 547 00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:29,720 your heart and change your wives. 548 00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:33,840 Repent, because your tolerance of false doctrine and the 549 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:37,640 associated living will eventually destroy you unless 550 00:36:37,640 --> 00:36:40,760 you repent. That's how house files. 551 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,360 But Keith, even committed Christians slip up now and then, 552 00:36:45,360 --> 00:36:47,680 don't they? No one's perfect, surely? 553 00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:51,800 It's not a question of being perfect, because no one is. 554 00:36:52,200 --> 00:36:56,480 Nonetheless, you can live as a dedicated follower of Christ, 555 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:01,120 and with God's help you can honour the Lord with your life. 556 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,800 The choice. Or you can follow the path of 557 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:09,320 compromise, living outwardly as a Christian but indulging in sin 558 00:37:09,440 --> 00:37:12,760 whenever you feel like it, telling yourself it'll be OK, 559 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:14,960 I'll go to church, God will forgive me. 560 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:21,880 That's a Pharisee looking all white on the outside and then 561 00:37:21,920 --> 00:37:23,960 inside you're full of dead men's bones. 562 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:28,560 My role as a pastor in these last days of Calvary Chapel, 563 00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:30,600 Secret Harbour, is to be a watchman. 564 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:35,720 Ezekiel 33, seven says so. You son of man, I've made you a 565 00:37:35,720 --> 00:37:37,760 watchman for the House of Israel. 566 00:37:37,960 --> 00:37:41,880 Therefore you shall hear a word from my mouth and warn them for 567 00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:45,000 me. Ancient cities had a watchman 568 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,080 stationed on the walls. Their responsibility was to 569 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:51,040 sound a warning if an enemy was approaching. 570 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:57,760 Paul was a watchman, he said to the Ephesian elders, I testify 571 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:01,320 to you this day in Acts 20. I am innocent of the blood of 572 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:02,360 all men. Why? 573 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,920 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel 574 00:38:06,920 --> 00:38:12,360 of God. Yes, God will forgive you, but 575 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,680 that doesn't remove the consequences of your sinful 576 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:20,800 actions or words. Ask King David what happened. 577 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:25,440 The death of his young son. Remember that the baby, then the 578 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,960 rebellion of Absalom, then Absalom's death, then the House 579 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:32,960 of David just fell in a crumble. All because one night when he 580 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:37,120 should have been where his men were in battle, because we are 581 00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,080 in a battle. We're soldiers of the Lord. 582 00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,360 He was home doing what he shouldn't have been doing when 583 00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:44,080 he should have been out in fellowship. 584 00:38:44,400 --> 00:38:47,560 And there he saw, because the devil said, I can get David in 585 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:49,560 the bedroom too. And he did. 586 00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:52,560 David became an adulterer and a murderer. 587 00:38:53,480 --> 00:39:01,560 One night, you see, you can be a person who gets into the car 588 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:05,200 inebriated, You can get arrested for driving over the limit. 589 00:39:05,400 --> 00:39:09,120 You can repent, you can ask God to forgive you and He will, but 590 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,600 you'll still pay a fine or spend time in the lock up for breaking 591 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,920 the law. Just because you confess a sin 592 00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:19,480 and receive God's cleansing does not mean that we will skip the 593 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,360 repercussions of our actions. People forget that. 594 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:28,240 Galatians 6-7, don't be misled. You cannot mock the justice of 595 00:39:28,240 --> 00:39:30,400 God. You'll always harvest what you 596 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:32,280 plan. You'll sow what you reap. 597 00:39:32,840 --> 00:39:36,360 So yes, God will forgive you. But that does not mean you'll 598 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:40,400 dodge all the consequences. You will still face the natural 599 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:43,840 consequences of your sin. If you're not a godly father, if 600 00:39:43,840 --> 00:39:47,400 you're not a godly husband, your family will suffer. 601 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:51,320 Yes, God can forgive you. Oh God, I failed in this area. 602 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:54,760 But the consequences will fall upon your children and upon your 603 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:58,080 marriage and upon your wife. Men, listen up. 604 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:01,840 It's you. God comes to you. 605 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:04,840 You're responsible. You're the head of the home. 606 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:07,920 You're the spiritual head. I got blame on your wife about 607 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,920 all the kids are rebellious. Well, why are you disciplining 608 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:13,320 them? Are you are you doing your job 609 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:13,760 or? Yeah. 610 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:16,600 Well, can't see your mother. You know Australia. 611 00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:18,880 Listen, I grew up going to a church. 612 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:23,160 There were no men were. It was such a sad thing. 613 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:28,520 And our nation has fallen because we don't have enough 614 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:33,640 godly men. Being godly at home, not just 615 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:35,440 rolling up the church while I can't. 616 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:37,240 I'm too busy. I don't read the Bible. 617 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:39,800 I don't have time. You have time for every other 618 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,880 hobby that you have. You have time for every other 619 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:47,960 passion that you like. But God holds you responsible 620 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:54,040 and me responsible for my marriage, for my family. 621 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:56,440 God's not going to come after my wife. 622 00:40:56,760 --> 00:40:58,600 God's not going to come after my kids. 623 00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:01,920 And how will I stand on that day? 624 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:07,760 Am I compromising my family? Am I one thing here and another 625 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:11,800 thing away? Because as your kids see you, 626 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,160 they too will follow your path of compromise. 627 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:20,800 It just happens. So as we wrap this up, we're 628 00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:28,320 going to because of time manner and the stone manner is the 629 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:30,600 reward is Jesus says I am the bread of life. 630 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:34,840 You can have Jesus. He says I'll give you me and the 631 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:37,680 stone. He says I will make you not 632 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:42,360 guilty. I will say that you're mine, I 633 00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:46,680 own you. The choice is yours. 634 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:50,360 As we wrap this up, I want to ask you 4 things. 635 00:41:51,360 --> 00:41:55,520 Are we remaining faithful and courageous in times of 636 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:58,280 persecution because it's not going to get any easier? 637 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,720 Are we tolerating some sin or some unbiblical practise in our 638 00:42:03,720 --> 00:42:05,400 lives? What are you doing? 639 00:42:05,720 --> 00:42:08,440 Could Jesus come to you and you not be embarrassed? 640 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:13,800 What is the Lord speaking to us today in this message? 641 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,040 He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying, 642 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:23,160 because my job is to warn you. And I see families falling, I 643 00:42:23,160 --> 00:42:29,280 see husbands bumbling, and I see the women having to carry the 644 00:42:29,280 --> 00:42:33,440 load that men aren't carrying. And it's wrong. 645 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:38,080 It's not right. The church should be full of 646 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:42,720 powerful godly men. The women shouldn't have to 647 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:47,440 carry the the the task as did Deborah and JL when the man said 648 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:52,200 I'm not going into battle unless you go so God had to raise a 649 00:42:52,200 --> 00:42:57,720 woman. We're living in the times where 650 00:42:57,720 --> 00:43:01,040 the devil he's out to get every one of us. 651 00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:04,360 His time is short and he don't play. 652 00:43:06,480 --> 00:43:13,560 He'll kill mine, butcher destroy, He'll lie, he'll cheat. 653 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:20,720 But we have Jesus Christ, and he'll never leave us nor forsake 654 00:43:20,720 --> 00:43:21,000 us.