The Church at Pergamum: When the Bride of Christ Flirts With the Devil

October 13, 2024; Revelation 2:12-17

Introduction of Jesus (vs. 12)

Encouragement from Jesus (vs. 13)

Confrontation on by Jesus (vs. 14-16)

Promises to followers of Jesus (vs. 17)

You know, there are some Sunday mornings where I feel like we should just replay the first 25 minutes of the service over and over! What great singing! Jesus is the Lamb! What a great baptism testimony! Thank you, Gideon Miller! How cool is it that your dad gets to baptize you? Wow! I love that! Yeah, I don’t know if you’ve been to a different church recently, but baptisms don’t happen very often at some churches, and I, just as one of your pastors, and this is for me too, I just want to make sure that we never get used to that! Let’s never take for granted what God is doing in the lives of people and maybe especially in the lives of teenagers. How cool is that? What a great weekend Men’s Retreat! Oh my word! How cool was that? Baptisms, the Cyclones won. I heard some other teams won, as well… Not that it matters.

Hey, I’m Pastor Jason. I’m really glad that you’re here this morning in the building, watching online. We’re in Revelation chapter 2 today. We’re continuing this epic series dealing with the final pages in our paper bibles and people still make those. We’re in the book of Revelation. The unveiling is what we’re calling this. The unveiling of Jesus Christ, and we’re going to get going here pretty quickly today.

And I just want to say that we’re in two different groups of people this morning. There’s these two types of people listening right now. Some of you are like, ‘Let’s talk about the end times! Bring it on, baby!’ Yeah. And then some of you are like, ‘I could care less. I’ve got bills to pay, cars to fix, political ads to fast forward. Tell me how this makes a difference to my life like today,’ (Right?) ‘like when I leave and I hit Monday morning, what difference does all this stuff in Revelation mean for me? Well, there’s good news this morning, because the Bible gives us God’s answers for what’s next as well as for what’s now.

And the series within the series, these letters from Jesus to the seven churches, it provides encouragement and warning for now in light of what’s coming next. And so the good news for today, for all of us, is that nobody gets to fall asleep or check out, because God’s got something poignant for us… to read today and to learn and to apply tomorrow.

So let’s read together right away here in Revelation chapter 2, starting in verse 12, going through 17, the letter from Jesus to the church in Pergamum. Some of your Bible say Pergamus. It’s the same place. Verse 12.

Revelation 2:12-17

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. (Let’s picture this.)

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of (a man named) Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality.

15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (And verse 16)

16 Therefore repent. If not, (Jesus says) I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’ “

Okay, so let’s start right away with an outline. Okay? Some of you, will just see this outline and there’s no other blanks to fill in for the rest of the morning. That’s okay, just put the outline down and we’ll track with this. You’ll notice it takes on the same basic feel as the previous two letters that we’ve studied, and then also the letters that are to come. And here’s the outline.

There’s an introduction of Jesus [vs. 12]. Jesus says, ‘Hey, I want you to think of me this way as I’m writing you this letter.’ Jesus introduces himself, and then he moves to an encouragement or commendation for the church [vs. 13] or for some in the church. And then that goes very quickly to kind of this confrontation or condemnation [vs. 14-16]. He’s confronting now people in the church. So introduction, then encouragement, then now he’s saying there’s something that I have against you to most of these churches. And then he ends with promises or gifts or more encouragement to the followers of Jesus [vs. 17]. So this is the letter from Jesus to the Christians in Pergamum.

So what’s Pergamum all about? Well, first of all, it’s the capital city of the Roman province of Asia. And so it’s a really important city back in those days. And it was a university town with a huge library. Some have even said maybe 250,000 handwritten volumes. I get tired writing my signature! I make Meredith do it all the time. My hand cramps up. Imagine writing out 250,000 handwritten books. It’s incredible! So Pergamum really became sort of a hub for knowledge and learning, but it was also the center of pagan worship, the pagan religions of the day. And so if we’re walking through Pergamum, all throughout our walk, you’d find temples and idols and shrines built to cults and false gods. Pergamum was also ground zero for Caesar worship. It boasted the oldest temple, the first one created, dedicated to the emperor Caesar in Asia Minor. And remember, Caesar says, ‘I am God, and I demand that you worship me as God.’ And we learned last week that if you didn’t bow down and worship Caesar as Lord, you were in big trouble! In fact, the first executions of Christians in the early Roman Empire probably took place right here in the city of Pergamum. And so when Christians refused to worship the gods of the day they were persecuted. They were burned at the stake, perhaps, or thrown to the lions, or maybe even used as entertainment in the gladiator’s ring. And so, Pergamum was a dangerous place for faithful followers of Jesus to live. And it’s to these Christians that Jesus writes this very personal letter.

And here’s the introduction. He introduces himself in this way in verse 12, ‘Him who has the sharp two edged sword.‘ And so Jesus comes right out of the gate in this letter with a description of himself as the one who has this broad, long, double edged sword. And we see this in other parts of Revelation; Revelation 1 and then at the end of the book. And that is coming out of his mouth, this sword. Pastor said it’s one of those swords, it’s like, Woomp! Woomp! It’s a sweeping action. It’s a sword designed to damage on impact. Now we don’t think of a sword as something that comes out of our mouth. Right? You think of a sword as being in our hands and words coming out of our mouth. But the Bible uses this image of the sword to picture the word of God. The point here is that God’s word is powerful and even sometimes painful. So right away in the introduction of this letter, we’re reminded that it’s the word of God that ultimately is the standard of what’s right and wrong in this church and in the world and in our lives.

And maybe I’ll just ask this to each one of us right now. What is your standard? How do you decide what’s right and wrong in your life or in the world around you? See Jesus is telling us here right away that it’s the word of God that’s the standard, the ruler, the judge of whether or not someone’s actions are right and wrong. And so what’s your standard? He comes out swinging literally in the letter to Pergamum. These are threatening words. And even in this introduction of Jesus, by Jesus, he gives us a warning of impending danger! There’s something that needs to change within this church. And if it doesn’t change, judgment is coming! And it will be severe!

But he moves from that introduction to a commendation for this church. First an introduction and then some encouragement from the Lord to each of these churches and here in Pergamum, we see this as well. Here’s his encouragement and it’s very personal. Watch this again in verse 13.

Revelation 2:13, “I know where you dwell where Satan’s throne is, yet you hold fast my name. You deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who has killed among you where Satan dwells.”

A couple of important words in those sentences. Jesus says, “I know where you dwell.” And this word “dwell,” it carries this meaning of living somewhere for a long time. Okay, it’s a permanent type of dwelling. In other words, Jesus says, ‘I know where your life is, where your community is, where your heart is. It’s in the city of Pergamum. It’s in this place. You’re not just renting an Airbnb in this city. This is your permanent residence. You know this place! You know the people. You know where the cheapest gas is and where to find the best breakfast burrito. This is where you live!’ Right? ‘Your roots go deep!’ Jesus says, “I know where you dwell.” That’s the word. But guess who else lives there? — And this is haunting! Look at what the end of the verse says, “where Satan dwells.” That’s the exact same word. I know where you dwell is where Satan dwells.

Pergamum was so entrenched in worshiping Caesar and making idols and building shrines. There was even a massive temple to Zeus with a huge throne up on the highest hill overlooking the city. This was so much part of their culture that it was as if Satan himself had built a mansion on Main Street and moved right in! It seemed as though the entire city was under the control of the devil himself. Now watch this. The city where the devil dwells is a dangerous place for Christ followers. And Jesus says, “I know.” I know!

We talked about that phrase. When Jesus says, “I know,” it’s an intimate, a complete, an understanding, a relational, an intimate kind of knowledge that Jesus has. He’s saying, ‘I get it! I understand!’ I know exactly where you live, and I know who else lives there, too! And even though your city seems to be under the rule and the reign of Satan himself, Jesus says, ‘Some of you have held fast, and some of you have stayed strong, and some of you have kept my faith in the middle of incredible satanic pressure and persecution!’ — and Jesus says, ‘I know,’ and ‘I care. I get it.’

And then Jesus gives them a human example. And we need these. Right? He says a man named Antipas… we don’t hear about this guy at all throughout the rest of the whole Bible. This is the only verse he’s mentioned in. We don’t know anything else about him except for what we see here, but we’re told that he’s a faithful witness for Jesus, a faithful witness. And that word translated “witness” here in this passage in our English Bibles is where we get the idea of martyrs from. This man Antipas, a lot of commentators think he was maybe the first Christian martyr there in Pergamum, maybe in the whole of Asia Minor in that time. There’s evidence that he was killed by being roasted alive inside a hollow bronze idol that were shaped to look like a bull. Yikes! Antipas… killed, martyred for his choice to stay loyal to God under pressure! And now (watch this) Jesus refers to Antipas, “my faithful witness,” with the same title given to Jesus, himself, in Revelation chapter 1 verse 5…

[Revelation 1:5, “… and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.“]

when Jesus is called “the faithful witness.” You see that? Antipas, then, is a type or a reflection of Christ, someone whose faithfulness imitates or mimics the faithfulness of Jesus, an example to us.

And I don’t know what you might be going through here this morning and we never, ever assume that everybody hearing this or that’s walking through these doors are true followers of Jesus. But if you are a Christian, Antipas gives you hope! Here’s someone who was a neighbor of the devil himself! You thought your neighborhood was weird. And Antipas doesn’t give up. He stays strong! He kept the faith! And like Polycarp last week, Antipas is an example to us.

And you might be thinking here, you know, ‘I know… I know what this feels like, because it feels like the devil has taken up residence in my neighborhood as well. My marriage is a war zone! My kids are so distant that I don’t even recognize them anymore! My job, it’s like Satan himself is calling the shots! And, pastor, when I look around at the world around us, it just seems like evil is creeping in all over the place! And I know God wants me to be faithful. I know He wants me to stand up for the Gospel! I know He wants me to raise my kids in a godly way! And I want to keep my thoughts and my actions pure! I want to be a light in the dark world, but honestly, I’m so tired of it all! And sometimes it just feels like it would be easier to give in, to blend in, to stop swimming against the current and stop fighting and let the darkness just take me away.’ Do you ever feel like that? Like it’d just be easier to throw it all up. Give up the fight against sin, against the devil, to give up the fight against everything around you that seems like it’s against you.

Christian make no mistake. We live in occupied territory. We are in a battle! — And some soldiers, some warriors have paid and some will pay a high price to be faithful to Christ, the king, the commander. And Jesus says, “I know.” ‘I know, child of mine, I get it. I know where you dwell. I know the pressure you’re under. I know what it feels like! I know that for you, it feels like you’re standing alone against the devil’s army, but by God’s grace, it’s possible to hold fast to Christ and to your faith, even when you live in Satan’s territory.’ None of us gets to say, ‘God doesn’t understand what I have to put up with.’ None of us gets to say, ‘I know what the Bible says, but surely God, you wouldn’t expect someone my circumstances to obey that, would you?’ Because there’s always an Antipas. There’s always someone who’s faithful.

And by the way, do you know what the name “Antipas” means? It means “against all,” “against everything.” So when you feel like you’re alone, like your faith in God has left you on one side and everyone and everything on the other, like you are against all, remember Antipas! His very life was against all! —And yet he remained faithful!

But better yet, remember Jesus, THE faithful witness, the One who is the ultimate example of someone who stayed true under persecution, and who will never leave you alone, will never turn his back on you! If you are a follower of Jesus, if you’re a Christian, he will never leave you or forsake you! That is a promise! You’re never alone!

But not everyone in Pergamum was faithful like Antipas. And so this letter to this church now takes a drastic turn from encouragement to confrontation. And Jesus says it in this way in verse 14,

Revelation 2:14, “But I have a few things against you.”

Oh shoot! There it comes! Right? You’ve been in conversations like this. I know you have. Maybe with your boss, coach, teacher, maybe even with one of your parents or a good friend. It starts off great like, ‘Hey, I think you’re really doing a great job at this specific thing! I love how this is working. I love the way this is going. I want to encourage you to keep that up!’ And you’re like, ‘Wow! I’m doing amazing! This is great! I’m getting a raise! They love me!’ And then they say, ‘… but, I have a few observations.’ Cool! Right?

Here we are in Pergamum. Right? We’re in this church in Pergamum. We’re listening to our pastor read this letter out loud to us on Sunday morning in a service, and Jesus has already introduced himself as the righteous judge. He’s already said, ‘I’m coming to judge people who do not hold to this faith, to this teaching, to this doctrine.’ He’s got to make a sword in his mouth and he’s ready to lay waste to everyone who isn’t faithful to him and to his word and then he says, ‘And I have a few observations.’ — And if I’m in that church service and I hear that, there’s only one thing going through my mind. ‘You all are in trouble! — because you’re not talking about me! That’s somebody else that he’s got some things to say to.’ And I don’t know if that’s how it works, but the pastor stands up and reads the letter, and suddenly you realize this is a lot more serious. “I have a few things against you,” Jesus says.

[Revelation 2:14-15

14 “But I have a few things against you: (Here’s what they are) you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel,”(This is an Old Testament story) so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. (Watch this. Idolatry and immorality are always very, very closely tied in the Bible in all throughout history.)

15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”]

And when we read that today, it’s 2024, it doesn’t seem so bad. We don’t know the names. We don’t know the context, but there’s a context here. There’s a story that the church in Pergamum would have known, and they would have realized right away that these are going to be heavy condemnations coming from Jesus. And so let’s unpack it quickly. We’ll summarize it,  and find out what Jesus was so concerned about. First of all, he says, ‘There are some in your church who are following teaching or doctrine that comes from this guy named Balaam.’ Okay. So who’s Balaam? There’s a teaching or doctrine that comes from him. Doctrine is an important thing. Doctrine or theology is the issue here. A doctrinal problem is a theological problem. Your theology is what you believe about God, so this is serious. A pastor, writer from yesteryears named A.W. Tozer said this,

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

A.W. Tozer

And so doctrine, what we believe, the teaching, theology, is vitally important. So Jesus says to Pergamum, ‘There are people in your church that you’ve allowed to creep into your fellowship that believe things that don’t line up with God’s Word, with The Truth.’ — And Balaam, he’s the one that came up with this teaching a long time ago. What did he teach? Balaam is this Old Testament guy. Right? His claim to fame is that he had a talking donkey, sort of the Old Testament’s version of Shrek. We love telling this story to kids. Right? But it’s a true story. But what Jesus is referring to in Revelation chapter two here in this letter to Pergamum doesn’t have anything to do with the talking donkey, but it’s found in Numbers chapter 22. Okay? Here’s a summary:

The Israelites, they’ve been wandering around in the desert for about 40 years after being led out of Egypt, and they’re just on the edge of Canaan, the Promised Land. They’re just about ready to go into the Promised Land. Now, Balak was the king of a neighboring country called Moab. And Balak had just seen God give Israel two incredible victories on their way into the Promised Land! So Balak is really worried, in fact, he’s terrified! — because he thinks this advancing army, this hoard of Israelites, he thinks ‘We’re gonna be next if we don’t do something drastic! I gotta protect myself and my nation!’ And so King Balak sends messengers to a prophet named Balaam. (Stick with me here!) Balaam lived 400 miles away. That’s a long distance in those days! — but Balaam had a reputation and probably a really strong social media presence. So everybody knew him. King Balak – the prophet, Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab, says to Balaam the prophet, ‘Hey buddy, I’ll pay you to come and curse the people of Israel so they don’t wipe us out on their way into Canaan.’ You with me? So God tells the prophet, Balaam, ‘Don’t do it!’ But Balaam’s like, ‘Just give me my money.’ —and he goes to curse God’s people. (congregation laughing) ‘Don’t do it!’ —and he goes… to curse the children of Israel. Watch as he gets there. Numbers tells us this. He pronounces these three curses on the Israelites, and every single time he tries to curse the Israelites, God turns the curse into a blessing! And so instead of prophesying that Israel would lose against King Balak and the Moabites, he actually prophesies that three times Israel will defeat Balak and the Moabites! And Balak, King Balak, he’s just livid! You can get it. Right? And so he tells Balaam, ‘Buddy, you’re not getting paid until Israel is defeated! And so Balaam comes up with a different idea. (Watch this) Since he couldn’t figure out how to get to Israel with an attack from the outside, what if he could take them down from the inside? And Balaam goes to King Balak and he says, ‘Here’s what you’re gonna do. You’re gonna send some of your best looking Moabite single ladies across the border and they’re gonna seduce the Israelite men. And those guys are gonna fall so hard that they will do anything for those women. They’ll get married, they’ll have kids. They’ll even start to worship some of your false gods. And over time, King Balak, you won’t even have to worry about the Israelites at all! — because, slowly but surely, their small compromise will lead to their great demise.‘ And Numbers 25 wraps up the story by telling us that’s exactly what happened. Verse three at Numbers 25 says, Israel became “married,” —Married; joined together into one like two oxen plowing a field, married to the false gods of the Moabites.

Okay, now some of the Christians in the church in Pergamum in Revelation 2 were doing some of the same stuff. They’re holding to this false teaching that led to compromise. The teaching of Balaam probably similar to the Nicolaitans that are mentioned here too, is about the slow seduction, little by little, letting Satan corrupt from the inside until you can’t tell the difference between the church and the world. And like the Israelites, there were some within the church in Pergamum and they were saying, ‘Hey, it’s okay to mix it up a little bit with the world. You can eat meat offered to false gods. It’s just a little idol worship here and there. You’re still in church on Sunday morning!’ And they were saying, ‘What’s the big deal? You’re sleeping with someone that’s not your wife. Everybody does it!’ Right? ‘I mean, watch TikTok once in a while. It’s all over the place. What’s a little adultery going to hurt?’

Compromise is a series of sinful choices that slowly corrupt you from the inside. And friends, I’ve had a front row seat to way too many conversations where a spouse has just been caught being unfaithful. I’ve seen way too many wives weeping over their husband’s adultery that we call an addiction to pornography. I’ve watched too many marriages… get ripped apart by the slow seduction of sexual sin, because compromise never happens in a single moment. Every time you end up in big sin, you’ll always see the trail of small compromises that led you there. I want you to think about this. Nobody wakes up in love with their spouse in the morning and in bed with someone else that night.

And, Church, when we allow subtle untruths, when we give ear to wishy-washy theology, or when we begin to preach a gospel that’s light on conviction and heavy on compromise, we are in danger of that same kind of idolatry and adultery of unfaithfulness. And, friends, Jesus is standing at our door with a sword of judgment, the very Word of God! And he’s ready to bring that sweeping sword against all of those who claim to be the Bride of Christ, but are in bed with the devil!

Our community group was talking about this idea of conviction the other day, and one of the couples that’s a little bit newer to Saylorville mentioned they’ve been going to another church in our area. Some of you come from that church before they came to Saylorville, and we ask this couple, “Why did you land here?” And they were like… (‘The donut holes! Duh! There’re so tasty!’) Their response was, “At our previous church we always left Sunday mornings feeling really good about ourselves. But at Saylorville, we leave feeling convicted,” — And, as one of your pastors, I just want to say, if you’re coming to Saylorville week after week on Sunday mornings and we’re opening up the Bible and preaching, and you can’t remember the last time you were convicted, the last time you walked away with something specific that you knew you needed to change in your life in order to be more like Jesus… that you’re coming and we’re preaching and you’re not convicted, then (watch this) either you are spiritually dead or this church is! And if that’s true, then Jesus has a word for all of us in Revelation chapter 2 verse 16.

Revelation 2:16,Therefore repent. (Stop it! Turn around! And if you don’t) If not, I will come to you soon and war against them (those who are unfaithful) with the sword of my mouth. (the word of God)”

There’s a special kind of judgment reserved for those who compromise the truth. Jesus confronted Pergamum. He’s confronting us today. And there’s a pattern throughout the Bible,  and I think there’s something for us to learn. The devil, (guys, listen!) the devil likes to target men in the church. He did that in the Old Testament. He’s doing that today. If he can get Christian men to make slow, small, sinful choices over time, he knows that gradually marriages and families and communities, and yes, even Saylorville Church, will look so much like the world that no one will recognize us as any different!

And so, guys, this is me, a man who struggles with this, pleading with you other men. What are the areas in your life where you’re moving further and further away from God? — And you look back and you don’t even know how you got there sometimes. Listen, stop right now where you’re at and repent! Turn back to the Lord! He’s there with open arms! —And you’re thinking just a little sin here and there isn’t a big deal. Right? Friend, you’re already on that slippery slope, that road that takes you away from him, the road to judgment! Don’t wait till you get to your dark destination before you stop and repent and run back to Jesus! Don’t wander! Don’t waver! Don’t flirt with the devil! Stay faithful! Stay loyal! Stay true!

And then Jesus, like he does in each of these other seven letters, he closes with another piece of encouragement, these three promises. These are three gifts that Christ gives himself to the Christian who stays faithful. Verse 17:

Revelation 2:17, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

And what are these all about? Well, “hidden manna,” I think, is a throwback to the miraculous way that God sustained the children of Israel in the wilderness. He says to the faithful Christian, “I am the Bread of life.” (John 8:35) ‘I’ll sustain you. I’ll be your nourishment, your food. When you’re weak, come to me. When you’re hungry. Feed on my word. I’ll always give you exactly what you need and exactly how much you need to do exactly what I’m asking you to do in every single moment.’

Jesus says, “I’ll give you a white stone.” These stones were used as tokens given to soldiers, warriors who would just come home after defeating their enemy. They served as invitations or tickets in a sense into the lavish victory feasts. These feasts celebrations often held at the palace or at the home of a military general. And if you had one of these stones, these white stones, you could get into that feast. If not, you were left out. And Jesus promises… to the person who stays faithful, he promises, ‘You’re invited into that feast! Through me, you’re a conqueror, a warrior, a soldier who’s had victory and now is welcome at the table. Come in and be with me.’ It’s awesome!

And then the promise of “a new name.” And we don’t know for sure what this means, but we do know that when God gives someone a new name, it signifies a brand new beginning, a change of direction, a new purpose! Saul becomes Paul! Abram becomes Abraham! Simon becomes Peter! Gideon becomes a new creation in the baptistry, became a new creation before the baptistry! [Gideon] told us about it in the baptistry… All of us, as Christians, having a new mission from God.

And if you’re a Christian today, you’ve been given a new name also, a new identity. You’ve been adopted. You’re a child of God, an heir to the kingdom. Blessed! Loved! Chosen! Saved! And so, to the true Christian today, Jesus promises, ‘I will be your food now and into eternity!’ ‘I will be your entrance into heaven.’ ‘I will give you a new name that can never be taken away!

But what if you’re not a Christian? What if you’re not a believer? What if you say, ‘I think I’m a Christian. I believe there’s a God and I try to be a decent person,’ or ‘My parents were religious,’ or ‘I’m in church this morning.’ Right? ‘Don’t those things make me a Christian?’ ‘Aren’t I okay?’ Well, Roman 3:23 says, ‘No. You’re not okay!’

Romans 3:23, “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

You can’t say ‘I’ve always been a Christian!’ No one can say that! You can say ‘I’ve always been a sinner and I became a Christian!’ — But no one’s always been a Christian. Right? Roman 6:23 says,

Romans 6:23, “…For the wages of sin is death, (We fall desperately short of God’s perfect standard) but the free gift of God is eternal life (abundant life here on earth and eternity in heaven) [“in Christ Jesus our Lord.”]

So you can’t say ‘I can be good enough to be a Christian.’ You can’t be! You can’t do enough to wipe away the bad! We needed someone to take that penalty. Romans 5:8;

Romans 5:8, “…God shows us His love…. in that while we were still steeped in our sin, Christ died for us!”

That’s the gift of God! — Christ’s death, and His burial and His resurrection! And Romans 10:9 and 10. This is how you become a Christian. It’s so simple and so profound!

Romans 10:9

9 “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (See that word “saved”?)

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

This is a personal salvation! No one can do this for you. Growing up in a Christian home doesn’t guarantee that you’re a Christian. Doing good things doesn’t get you a seat in heaven. It’s a personal belief in a personal Savior! Watch this verse one more time. How personal this is.

[Revelation 2:13]I know where you dwell…”

… Jesus says in Revelation 2. ‘You hold fast to my name. You didn’t deny my faith.‘ Antipas, my faithful witness… See how a personal this was for Jesus? See how personal a relationship was for Jesus? How personal is it for you?

Sometimes we sing a church song and one of its most famous lines is this “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine.” It’s personal. It’s personal. Is Jesus yours?

God, thank you for your Word. Sometimes it’s hard to swallow. I pray that we would repent, return, run back to you. And if we’ve never done that by faith… admitted that we are a sinner… repent. [Admitted] that you died on the cross, rose again, take the penalty for our sins, have victory over death… that we would do that even today. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Let’s stand. [Music]

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