The Church of Endangered Loyalty: Part 3 - Revelation 2: 17

2:48And the church as a whole, just to remind you that the church as a whole had not compromised in these areas, but they were tolerating those who were. And they were allowing those who had compromised these standards to teach others to do the same. And this toleration was a threat to their loyalty. And as we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us today, this is a message for all the churches, not just the churches at Asia Minor, but the churches throughout history, including us today. And as we seek to hear what the Spirit is saying, we must recognize that those who are loyal to the Christ revealed in Scripture are an endangered species, an endangered kind of people.

3:50There's defection and compromise all around us. And as it was back then, nothing new. But not only must recognize that the churches loyal to Christ are an endangered kind of people, we must imitate this church's intense loyalty. The church at Pergamum, they had an element of the church which was intensely loyal to Christ. But we also, not Imitate their intense loyalty, we must learn from them not to tolerate those who teach the church to commit sexual immorality, pervert marriages, and syncretize truth with worldly ideologies. This is what was going on at the church of Pergamum. Tolerating such would result in an environment that would be hostile to true Christianity. And it would destroy the loyalty that once shone bright and clear at Pergamum. This is the threat that Jesus sees. But just by way of review, look back, beginning in verse 13.

5:27And keep in mind, Jesus, at verse 12, he has referred to himself as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword, that instrument of war that comes to destroy and run an enemy through, to destroy, to decimate. And that is how he pictures himself. He is the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. He says this. First, in verse 13, he commends them for their loyalty. Verse 13, I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast my name, and did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you where Satan dwells. This church was located right in the heart and center of satanic control, Satan's throne, place of his supremacy, place of a seat of his rule and council, all there at Pergamum. And they were a faithful church even in the days of Antipas. Church history says that Antipas would not pay the sacrifice to the emperors, and as a result, he was martyred for the faith. He was roasted in a bronze bowl.

7:01That kind of loyalty Jesus commends. But then in verse 14 and 15, he goes on to chastise them for their indiscreet tolerance, their indiscreet tolerance. Look at what he says in verse 14. But I have few things against you, because you have there some who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel. To eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So, you also have some in the same way who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. They were tolerating the temple scene and participating in the temple scene and the sexual immorality that went along with it.

8:02And then he gives a command to make it right. Look at what he says in verse 16: Therefore, repent, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them, the church, with the sword of my mouth. I am coming to you quickly. He has said he is coming quickly. He's the one with the sword coming out of his mouth to pierce his enemies. And he's saying, And unless you repent, what's going to happen to you is this toleration is going to turn into an embrace.

8:41And you will find when I return, when Christ returns, that he will be their adversary. Repent, set things right, or else war. You're going to war. You're going to. Be at war with the one whose sword comes out of his mouth. And so that brings us to our verse this morning. He who has an ear, here's the command: let him hear. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. This is the command: to be hearing, to be hearing.

9:30Look at what he says: to him who overcomes. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows but he who receives it. New name. Notice who this promise is made to. It's made to the one who is overcoming, to the individual and to the church, to the church that is overcoming. Promises. There are rewards for the overcomer. So Jesus has given two incentives in this passage to prompt loyalty, to reaffirm their commitment to the loyalty like that of Antipas.

10:24The first is judgment. If you don't, you're going to meet me as your adversary. But the second is reward. Reward. He wants the church to be loyal. There is so much in store. He is not some kind of totalitarian, sick-minded ruler. He wants us to be loyal because there is good things. There is over-the-top excellent things for those who are loyal to Christ. And he knows that. And that's the kind of people he wants us to be.

11:04And so he makes these promises, these rewards to the overcomer. Rewards to the overcomer. And it's clear that the Spirit, as we have ears and we're trying to hear and listening, it's clear that the Spirit wants a church environment that fosters loyalty to Christ. That's what he wants here. A church environment that fosters loyalty to Christ. A kind of loyalty like that of Antipas. It's also clear that the Spirit wants the church and everyone in the church to be zealous against unholy unions with the world.

11:51Individually, corporately. This is what the Spirit wants. Blessed is those who have heard these words. And blessed are those who heed these words. The church is not to be a place of quiet tolerance, but zealous in its efforts against unholy unions, like that of Phineas. And third, it's clear that the Spirit wants God's loyal love to his people to be met with the same kind of loyal love in return. That's what God wants. That's what we want. We want loyalty in our relationships. God wants loyalty from us, from his church, from those who have assembled in his name. He wants a loyalty because he is loyal. But notice to who these rewards are promised: to the overcomer, to the overcoming, to the one who is overcoming.

13:08Even as these words were first spoken and then written, there were those at Pergamum, where Satan's throne is, who were overcoming. What were they overcoming? They were overcoming the stumbling blocks that Satan was putting in their path to cause them to trip. To fall away from their loyalty to Christ. There were those then that were overcoming. This is the promise. Two promises are given to those who overcome. And they are the ones who are constantly overcoming Satan's continual work in the sons of disobedience, as Matt wonderfully taught last week, that seek to discourage trust in Christ.

14:01It is to the one who keeps overcoming all the stumbling blocks and whatever else Satan throws in the path of God's people to turn their hearts away from him. There are those who overcome this continual assault, these continual stumbling blocks. And it is to these that God is promising, that Christ gives these rewards. And it's important to understand that they were overcoming then, and they are overcoming now. And Christ gives this promise to keep us overcomers, to motivate us to be overcomers.

14:48And we recognize that all we can do is point our heart in that direction. He's got a supply. Because we're not going to overcome anything in our own strength. We all know that. But here's the text: To the one who is overcoming, there are among us today those who are overcoming every stumbling block that Christ is, or that Satan is throwing in the path of Christ's people. It's not by our own strength, but their reality. And so he goes on to motivate. He motivates us to continue this ongoing battle, this ongoing devotion to Christ, no matter what we may face.

15:38And he gives two rewards. He announces two rewards. And the first is eternal sustenance from God. And the second is eternal intimacy with God. Let me say that again. Eternal sustenance from God and eternal intimacy with God. We Baptists might understand that a little better as food and fellowship. He promises food and fellowship, eternal sustenance, eternal intimacy. And so today I want us just to look at these rewards. I want us to understand this so that we will be a church that will not quietly tolerate those schools of thought in our own heart or in our midst that.

16:31Compromise loyalty to Christ. I want us to be a church that is intensely loyal to the Christ revealed in Scripture. So, first, reward is hidden manna. Hidden manna. Let's look at that. To him who overcomes, to him, to the one who is overcoming, to him I will give some of the hidden manna. Hidden manna. What is hidden manna? Good question. We need to understand. First of all, we need to understand what manna is. Remember what manna was?

17:15It refers to sustenance from heaven, specifically that divine sustenance, that physical sustenance that God gave the children of Israel as they had come out of Egypt. It was that divine sustenance that replaced the onions and the garlic of Egypt. And this manna abundantly met their needs for all those years, the 40 years in the wilderness. Can God make a table for us in the wilderness? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. And it was this manna. In fact, in Exodus 16, 14, I love the description, that very first feast of manna, 16, 14, when the layer of dew evaporated, this is in the morning, when the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness, there is a fine flake-like thing.

18:27Fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, what is it? Literally, manna. What is it? For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, it is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. I had a dessert the other night. It was like a cream brulee. We were celebrating our anniversary, and right across the top, there was this hard little layer of sugar, kind of like that you see on top of a flan or a little thin crust that was across. And I think that's somewhere like manna. After the kind of go up, you get the pick it up, maybe flake is off and something. What is it? It's the bread from heaven. But here's the point about the manna. No one knew what it was. No one could have planned for it. But God knew they needed it. Provided it at the right time. He knows how to provide for his people.

19:37It met the needs of Israel abundantly in the wilderness. Now, think about it at Pergamum. There were probably some who had been cut off from the supply chain because they would not worship the emperor. And as a result, they probably could not, did not have the right certificate. So they probably may very well have been cut off from the supply chain. You see, compromise, the temptation to compromise at Pergamum was strong. Not only would it have brought relief from the social pressures, but it would also have opened up the doors for food, food from the temples, food from other sources, manna.

20:26But it's hidden. Why is it hidden? Well, according to Jewish tradition, Jewish tradition asserts that Jeremiah hid the tabernacle and the ark, along with the jar of manna, in a cave on Mount Nebo. And that when the Messiah comes, God's people will once again eat manna. Read about it in Maccabees of Baruch in the apocryphal book. But the idea is that when Messiah comes, we'll again eat manna, Jewish tradition. In fact, when you're reading John 6, the people are very excited at the miracle of the loaves and fish. And they say, Here is the Messiah. And they're ready to make him king, declare him king. They're all excited. I think this would explain it. There is this tradition that believes we'll be eating manna again when the Messiah comes. Well, that may be. However, really, if you just look at the connection here, the only connection we really need to make needs to come from the word itself, hidden. What does hidden mean? Well, it simply refers to something that's not revealed, hidden, not revealed. And when, of course, when Christ gives his people this manna, it's no longer going to be hidden. It's going to be something that is provided.

22:02But it's something that none of us can plan for. But just like the manna of old, it will show up at the right time and it will abundantly provide for God's people. It will be a feast. There will be a feast of this manna. And it will replace anything that people have had to lack because of Christ. Lack here on earth because of Christ, and it will also abundantly provide or supply everything we need for all eternity. It's a provision that keeps the sustenance or the resurrected body from dying. It's a sustenance that will keep the resurrection body nourished. Perhaps it involves a connection with God that keeps us from spiritually being separated. That union with God and His provision. Regardless, it is a provision for the whole purpose. But here's the point: God has comprehensively thought through the church's salvation, He has thought through our salvation. We can trust in Him and the salvation that He provides. As I read earlier in Psalm 78, children of Israel, after all the mighty things that God had done for them, they come to this desert. The superpower has been overthrown. They are free in the wilderness. He has provided them water. And then this question: Can God give us bread also? Can God prepare a table for us in this wilderness? Psalm 78. 19. Can he provide? And the answer is yes.

24:06But here was their problem: they did not believe in God and did not trust his salvation. And so he rained down manna upon them in his patience. He gave them food from heaven, and man did eat the bread of angels. And he sent them food in abundance. You see, manna was part of God's salvation to Israel in the past. It will be part of the salvation for God's people in the future. And just imagine what that first feast of manna is going to be like.

24:50Perhaps this hidden manna just might be on the menu for the marriage supper of the lamb. But we can come away with assurance, regardless how this plays out in the future, we can trust God to provide. We can trust him to provide now. Be loyal to Christ, like that of Antipas, and know that his salvation is comprehensive and he will provide. Provide, and he will take care of his people. That's the first reward that Christ promises this church that dwells where Satan's throne is in Pergamum. Second reward is a new name, a new name. Look back. Verse 17. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna. And I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone, which no one knows but he who receives it. Who receives it? Who receives the stone, the name. So in addition to the manna, Christ will give the overcomer a white stone with a new name on it. So first I want to speak a little bit about the stone, and then second, I want to speak a little bit about the name.

26:29First, the stone, the stone could even be translated as pebble. Some think it's a word that might refer to like an amulet. Anyway, it's not like a, here's a great big old stone. Oops, smashed you in the process. No, it's something relatively small, something that would hold an inscription on it, may even be like a necklace amulet type thing, but big enough to have an inscription, but Small enough to be fairly secret and small in a possession carried with a person. But what is the significance of the stone? Well, there are many suggestions based upon the customs of the day.

27:19First, stones were used by jurors. So, in a court of law, by the jury, a black stone was used for a verdict of guilty, and a white stone was used for a verdict of innocence. It may very well be. Certainly, God is going to vindicate his people. They're the innocent because he has made them clean and pure. It is Satan, I mean, the people are being brought before the emperor. They're being charged as traitors against the state and all this. No, they will be exonerated.

28:03A second use of these stones or similar tokens, according to Suetonius, they were used in Rome as sort of a coupon by the emperor to give out government dolls. So if people needed food and they were going to distribute food to the poor, you'd be given. A stone or some little similar kind of token that would be used as a coupon for the rations of the emperor. Another use, a third use, is that white stones were often used as tickets for admission to special events. A stone with your name on it was a ticket, a special invitation, a rite of passage into a banquet or an event or something of that kind. And keep in mind, there's not paper tickets. You don't have printing presses.

29:09You could just give out tickets. No, it was stones. They were used for this purpose. There is also evidence that these white stones were used to release a victorious gladiator who had also won the public adoration. After his final fight, the stone, this name, would be awarded the gladiator, and he would come out and be given his freedom and never have to fight anymore. Well, whatever the specific connection, can't say that we can be sure. But it's clear that such an image brought a high level of assurance of blessing to the original readers. In fact, it may very well have carried some elements of all of these. It involved acquittal, final acquittal, a privilege, a privilege, an admission into Christ's kingdom, and a release from combat, peace forevermore. All of this.

30:30This idea of the stone, a stone given. But the emphasis is not upon the stone. The emphasis is upon the name written on the stone, the new name, the new name. And it's important to point out that this is a reference to the overcomer's new name, not to Christ's new name. Christ does have a new name given to him. Chapter 3 and verse 12. He says this, He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will not go out from it anymore. And I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from God, and my new name.

31:29My new name. Jesus will have a new name. In fact, you see this in Revelation 19. He comes as King of kings and Lord of lords, and he has on him a name which only he knows. But this is a reference to the overcomer's new name. Another observation to point out here is that the word new emphasizes quality, not time, quality. It's more about a condition than it is a point on the calendar or on your watch. It's a condition of excellence, new excellence, new freshness, new of great worth, not just a time marker.

32:31Certainly, the time marker element is there. It's some event, future, but the emphasis is upon the quality of the name. And as you look through Revelation, there are many things in the book of Revelation that are going to be made new. Let me just read to you a few of them. Revelation. 21.1. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and he will dwell among them. And they shall be his people, and God himself will be among them. And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will no longer be any death. There will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain. The first things have passed away. And he who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.

33:54And he said, Write these, write, for these words are faithful and true. So, just there, we've read a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem, all things made new. We've already seen that Jesus Himself will have a new name. So, since all of these things will be made new, guess what? It stands to reason that not only we ourselves being made new, we'll be given new names. New names. Now, let's talk about that for a second.

34:37We need to understand the importance of a name. We have names, all of us, usually given to us by our parents, and our names that we have are typically more a reflection of our parents than they are about us. It's a label that identifies us, and some of our names were decided long before we were born, some of them just before, some maybe a couple days later. But and it really says something a little bit more about our heritage. For instance, last name Johnson, if I may use that. What is that? Son of John. Think about: suppose my name was Thomas James Jr. What does the junior signify? Well, there's another one out there. I just happen to be a littler version of that. If I said, My name is Thomas James Baber III, what does that say? Well, not only was there two, there's three, right?

35:40Well, labels. If you see a kid named Abraham Aaron, well, they're either Christian or they're Jewish. On down the line. But a name is more than a label. A name As we see in cases like Abraham and Israel, it reflects the person. It reflects the person's relationship with God, Abraham, or it reflects the personal character of the individual, Israel, from Jacob, one who struggles, to Israel. It's an identification marker. A name is an identification marker of who a person is and what he or she stands for.

36:37So, why do we need a new name? Well, let me give you three reasons that come to my mind. First of all, we need a name that reflects who we are in Christ and what God has created us to be. And we need this for several reasons. First reason, we need a name that reflects our uniqueness. We need a name that reflects our uniqueness. Consider this. Every snowflake is different. Now, I don't know who figured that out. I don't know who I can't verify it, but the idea is very much that, like, because of the structure, the molecule of H2O and all the possibilities under the different conditions, when it freezes, how it freezes, and all that, it can no two structures come out the same. The possibilities are limitless. The same is true about flowers. They're similar, but they're certainly distinct. The markings, the size, the shape, all the conditions. Genetically, they're different. Each one of them unique.

37:48The same is true about trees and animals. They're similar, yet distinct. There are genetic distinctions. The conditions in which they grow, all of this go into making each little creation unique. And it speaks of the greatness to God's power. And we see this in the stars. There's a greatness to God and power and his vastness and his creativity. In Isaiah 40, 26, he says, Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the one who leads forth their host by number.

38:36He calls them all by name. Because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing. If such be the case about snowflakes and flowers and trees and stars, guess what? It's true about people. It's true about people. There are two categories of people: there's the obedient, there's the disobedient. They're the ones who have rejected God, and there are those who have received God. Two very different categories of people. But it's also clear, even within the children of God, there is a lot of similarity, but there's great distinction.

39:28Remember, in Exodus 28, the high priest wore the names of Israel upon himself as he went in and ministered before the Lord. Well, Christ is our high priest, and guess what? He is not just a high priest for the collective whole, he is the high priest for the individual component. That means each of us are unique. Each of us have a unique name, a unique existence. And he knows us. Not only in our collective whole, but in our individual uniqueness.

40:14Second, not only do we need a name that reflects our uniqueness, but we need a name that tells us who we are. We need a name that tells us who we are. Our new name. Is going to give us a fuller revelation of ourselves to ourselves. We need a revelation. We need a fuller revelation of ourselves to ourselves. How God sees us is how we really are. And our new name will definitively and succinctly tell us who we are in God's eyes and what God has done.

40:59We will be able to see ourselves more fully from His perspective by the new name. And third, we need a name that assures us of our intimate relationship with Christ. And a new name, your own unique name given by Christ Himself that no one else knows will give you an assurance of your unique relationship with Christ. We understand this. It shouldn't be hard for us to get our minds around. We have pet names that come about because of unique situations. I remember growing up in our family, we had some nicknames for some of our kids. According to their personality, there was picky, porky, pokey, I'm not going to tell you who they are, and others. But that came out of a unique name. They were terms of endearment.

42:20Probably with the way they ate food. I don't know. But anyway, I had some Hispanic friends, and she, the wife, kept referring to her husband as Gordo. Gordo. So, what is that? Well, it's a term of endearment. What does it mean? Fatso. Husbands, go try that one out. See how far that gets you. But it was a term. We understand this. It comes out of these pet names. They speak. In fact, I've got a name for my wife that nobody else knows, except maybe if I've told the story to my kids or something. But there was a time when we first got married, and I go to bed early. She stays up late. And one of the things about me, at least back then, before I turned into an old grump, I'd be very accommodating. When anybody awoke me, I'm like, oh, hi, how are you doing? How are you doing? Good to see you, all that. And one night she came in, and I was in that state of. And I meant to say, good to see you, sweetheart, or something like that. I was going to call her sweetheart, and something else came out of my mouth.

43:40And if I told you, it would ruin. But that's a name between us that nobody else calls her. But it's a term that speaks of an intimate relationship that we have a personal connection with. And it's really between us. And so it's close to sweetheart. I didn't hear that. I don't know what it's. But the point of it all is: what good is a name that no one else knows? We can't really comprehend that because we live in a world that if God has given me a name and it speaks of my specialness, I want that announced.

44:33What good is a name that reflects my specialness to God if it isn't publicly announced? Because it is a name that is intended to assure us of our intimate relationship with Christ Himself. A name which no one else knows. A new name. A new name. So why do we need a new name? Well, there's probably many reasons, but. One, we need a name that reflects our uniqueness. Two, we need a name that tells us who we are.

45:09And third, we need a name that assures us of our intimate relationship with Christ. Well, in conclusion, I want to bring our attention back to the overall picture. It's important to understand that here at Pergamum, the entire church was called to repent for a sin for which only a few were guilty. They were not to be just indifferent to what was happening. They were to have a zeal about loyalty to Christ. This is our life's purpose, friends, to be loyal to Christ individually and corporately. Our business meetings, our gatherings, all of this is to be an expression of intense loyalty to Christ. Everything. Because the Spirit wants a church environment that fosters loyalty to Christ. Intense loyalty. The church wants everyone, not just everyone individually and everyone corporate together, to be zealous against unholy unions with the world. This is not to be a place of. Quiet tolerance while sin makes its way through the church. The Spirit wants God's loyal love to be met with our loyal love in return.

46:51Well, friends, there comes a time when the war is over. There's a time when the victorious gladiator leaves the arena for the last time and is given rest. There's a time when he doesn't have to fight anymore. And the same was true for the church at Pergamum, where Satan's throne was located. And boy, they felt the pressure. There was a time, however, that Jesus said was coming when the war would be over. A time when they would leave the arena.

47:34What would their testimony be to Christ? A white stone and a new name awaits the faithful. So be faithful. Same is true for the church here at Emmanuel. We'll play out our time in history. At some point, we will leave the zone, leave the arena. Individually and corporately, what will our testimony be? You will trade your life for something. What will the testimony of your life be? There's a time when each of us will leave the arena.

48:19Let us desire loyalty. Let us set our hearts to loyalty in Christ, and then let us turn our hearts and rely upon God to provide the supply so that we can be loyal. Turn your heart. Do you want to be loyal? Say, God, I want to be loyal to you totally. And I'm not going to get there unless you supply the strength. So, God, help me. God, give me the strength to be loyal to your great name because you are worth it. Let my testimony forever be, how great is my God, fairest, Lord Jesus, fairer than everything.

49:11What a calling. A good name waits. Proverbs 21:1 says, A good name is to be more desired than great wealth. Favor is better than silver. Gold. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, A good name is better than good ointment. And the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. If you have a good name, the day of your death is better than the day of your birth. Think about that. A good name awaits. Just stay loyal in heart and soul.

50:05Let's pray. Heavenly Father, what a wonderful calling we have received to be loyal to your Son, to delight in Him whom you delight in the most. Let that be our connection to you. Let us delight and treasure Christ as you have delighted and treasured Christ. As you have been faithful to Christ, so by your Holy Spirit, bring about a work in us that we too would be loyal to Him. Forgive us, Father, where we have been unfaithful, where we have desired the food of this world and the pursuits of this world. And allowed others to pressure and push us into defining who you are. Forgive us of all of that. And we look at your scripture and we rejoice because you remain faithful even in the midst of our unfaithfulness. And it's in this grace we can rest and trust and move forward to the next venture that you have for us. We thank you for all of this in Christ's name. Amen.