The Message of the Teachings on the Mount (96)
By Abraham Eli
This study was first taught on November 22, 2011
Topic: Entering Into The Kingdom of Heaven (3.3.2)
No audio available for this study.Background
Last week, we began to look at the Lord’s message to the church in Pergamos as it concerns God’s requirement for entering into the kingdom of heaven. We focused on the Lord’s commendation, which was their resilience in holding fast to Him even though they were located in Satan’s headquarters, and, in spite of the fact that one of them, Antipas, had been killed for the sake of Christ.
We noted that God can locate a believer or a church anywhere He chooses, even if it is in the hub of satanic activity; because God’s desire is for the believer and the church, to bring the light of the gospel, into that location. We saw the example of the Lord’s earthly ministry which was headquartered in a predominantly gentile region, where the people sat (comfortably) in darkness, and where death cast its shadow! We summarized the Lord’s commendation of the church in Pergamos, as it relates to us today, as follows:
1. Living in an iniquitous community, does not mean that God is not there with you, neither does it mean that God wants you to practice iniquity.
2. Locating in Satan’s headquarters is not an excuse for a child of God, to live like a child of the devil; because God’s children have been called to be different and distinct in a world where conformity to worldly and satanic standards thrives.
3. The only way to remain faithful to God (and be free from the corruptive influence of satanic activity) if you are located in the hub of satanic activities, is to have your mind renewed by the word of God.
4. Believers and churches are located in cesspools of sin and death, so that they can push back Satan’s influence in those localities, and bring about spiritual renewal, revival and reformation, by the way they conduct themselves in holiness and humility.
5. God knows where every believer is located, and will assess him based on His word, not on what majority of the people or churches around them are doing.
6. In every generation, and in every location, God has kept for Himself a few people who have remained faithful to Him, so don’t follow the majority, rather, find out what God’s way is, and follow it!
Scripture Text(s)
Matthew 7:21-22; Revelation 2:12-17
Tonight, we shall continue to look at the Lord’s message to the church in Pergamos, by focusing on what He condemned. May the Holy Spirit enlighten our eyes and give us understanding, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Having commended the church in Pergamos for standing firm in Him and remaining faithful in the face of death threats, and actual killings of some of them, the Lord now turns to “a few things” He has against them. These “few things” were their tolerance of some of their members who were practicing doctrines that are contrary to God’s word. Obviously, all those who practice false doctrines cannot be admitted into the kingdom of heaven. But what is significant about the Lord’s condemnation, was that He condemned the tolerance of the church of those people practicing these false doctrines among them.
Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; Numbers 25:1-18; 31:14-16; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Acts 15:28-29; 1 Corinthians 8:1, 4-13; 10:16-29; 7:10-11, 12-15; Romans 7:2-3; Matthew 5:31-32; 1 Corinthians 11:3-16; Galatians 2:19-21; Romans 6:1-15; Ephesians 5:1-7; Titus 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 2:14-15; 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
Conclusion
The Lord’s message to the church in Pergamos, after His commendation of their faithfulness, was followed by His condemnation of their tolerance of allowing people who were practicing false doctrines to remain in the church. These practices included the eating of food sacrificed to idols, fornication, and licentious living in the name of grace. The Lord was wroth against the church in Pergamos, because they did not stamp out such wrong and false doctrines. And by refusing to stamp out such error, they endangered the infection and corruption of the faith of those who were living right, by these false doctrine practitioners. The Lord expected them to put away (throw out of the church) the corrupters of the people; to teach the right doctrines continually; and, to correct the wrong doctrines.
God’s message to us, today’s church, is that we must not tolerate the practice of wrong and false doctrines in our midst, for it will corrupt the faith of the many young believers in our midst; we must teach God’s people to avoid practices that are contrary to the word of God, even though they may be prevalent or may come from a so called ‘God country’; and, we must all understand that the word of God is our constitution and does not change from one nation to another or from one generation to another. The word of God is inspired by God, and cannot and should not be trifled with. Also, we should receive the witness of the Holy Spirit when listening to messages, to know whether or not it is from God, rather than being carried away by some emotional appeal of the message.
For those who will say, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name?” the one question is, “What have you prophesied or preached in Jesus’ name—the doctrine of God, or the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitanes?” And to those who say, “We are Christians” the question is, “By what doctrine are you living—the doctrine of God, or the doctrine of Balaam and of the Nicolaitanes?”
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