“The Imperfect Church” (Part 1)
(Revelation 3:20-22)
I. Introduction.
A. The seven churches Jesus addresses in Revelation 2 and 3
were not only congregations in the region called “Asia” in
the 1st century. As the number “7” symbolizes perfection
and completeness, these messages were directed to the
whole church, throughout that region.
1. In general terms, the letters call the churches back
to the focus of their faith: their confidence in
Christ, the Son of God.
2. It is certainly not an uncommon thing for churches
to subordinate the core of their faith to other
concerns – matters of structure, and debates of
doctrine. People get so caught up in these details –
and differences – that they really lose sight of what
their primary purpose is, and of who is the final
arbiter on all matters of faith. This, apparently, was
a problem in the Asian churches of the 1st century.
B. That is not at all to minimize the importance of doctrine.
But, all doctrine should strengthen Christians in the
foundation of their faith, their connection with the “head”
of the body, Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:11;
Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; etc.)
1. Christians have, at times, compromised their faith
in making concessions to secular culture, embracing
materialism, and tolerating immorality.
2. Churches can become “comfortable”, and surrender
the alertness of a vigilant faith, a living faith, an
active faith, to mediocrity.
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C. Looking at the messages to the seven churches, one can see
these very problems, these flaws, highlighted. Five of the
seven (Ephesus; Sardis; Pergamos; Thyatira; Laodicea) are
called to repentance and to a return to their former faith and
vigor. Two (Smyrna and Philadelphia) are commended for
their faithfulness and encouraged not to surrender the
rewards of such steadfastness under the pressures to
“conform.”
1. Jesus addresses each church in a personal, and
powerful, way.
2. He assures each that He knows both their works and
their trials. He knows everything about His church.
3. Each church is called to examine their faith, and
their commitment to Him, and His Father, as they
face the challenges of the society and culture of
which they are a part.
D. Each message, each “letter”, promises a reward to those
who persevere (Revelation 2:7; 11; 17; 26; and, 3:5; 12;
21). In “Revelation”, the conquerors are those who refuse
to compromise their faith in Jesus – and choose to die for
that faith. The rewards promised relate to eternal life for
the dying, or the life-sustaining spiritual food provided at
the “great feast”, or spiritual banquet, with God and Christ.
(Revelation 2:10: “. . . Be faithful until death, and I will
give you the crown of life.”).
II. The Seven Letters: Ephesus; Smyrna; Pergamos.
A. Revelation 2:1 (READ). The letter to Ephesus begins with
an acknowledgement of Jesus’ constant presence among
His people – His church.
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1. He commends the Ephesians for being
hard-working, faithful, and doctrinally sound. But,
in spite of all these good qualities, Jesus rebukes the
church for leaving their “first love” – for moving
away from the love that at one time characterized
the church.
2. The call is to repentance, to a return to love as their
defining quality. If there is no such repentance,
Jesus will come in judgment and remove their right
to be a church.
3. There is, obviously, more to faithfulness than
doctrinal purity and going through the motions of
worship. Our Christianity must be motivated by
love for God and for Christ, if it’s to be acceptable
to them. In Ephesus, something had gone wrong:
the earnest toil was there; the gallant endurance was
there; the unimpeachable orthodoxy was there – but,
the love was gone.
a. There are three steps on the return journey:
remembrance – remember what you had
been in order to realize what you now are;
repentance – admittance that the fault is ours
and experiencing the godly sorrow that
produces change; doing – taking the action
necessary for change.
b. The “Nicolaitans” mentioned in verse 6
were, apparently, a sexually licentious
group of people, Christians, who took the
idea of the grace of God to an extreme –
and used it as an excuse for their
worldliness. As the Ephesians had not
condoned such thinking, so, too, did Jesus
condemn it.
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4. For those who would repent and be faithful, the
reward of eternal life is promised.
B. The second church, Smyrna, is one of the two that are not
condemned. Jesus offers them encouragement in the face
of persecution. (2:10).
1. The city of Smyrna was in a beautiful location,
physically and geographically. It stood at the end of
the road which crossed Lydia and Phrygia and, then,
went on to the east, and it was a center of commerce
for the rich Hermus Valley. The city, itself, was a
beautiful one, going from a harbor area into
foothills. Behind this there rose the Pagos, a higher
hill covered with temples and magnificent public
buildings. These structures were called “The crown
of Smyrna.”
2. As a “free city” it was loyal to Rome. The Roman
orator, Cicero, called it: “one of our most faithful
and our most ancient allies.” It was a city of trade,
culture, political and religious eminence. It also had
a large, and influential, Jewish population – and, it
was from this source that persecution came upon the
church. (verse 9).
a. The Jewish opposition is called the
“synagogue of Satan.” This was a reverse of
what the Jews called their assemblies, “the
assembly of the Lord.”
b. In the midst of this opposition and
“blasphemy” (slander), the faithfulness, the
loyalty, of the church here was praised.
3. Their reward? Freedom from the “second death”
(verse 11).
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C. Pergamos (or Pergamum) was the “capital” of the Roman
province of “Asia”. While not on the major roads of
Ephesus and Smyrna, and while not a great commercial
center, as were these two cities, it was a place of culture
that surpassed both of them.
1. Pergamos was a capital city in Asia as far back as
282 B.C. In 133 B.C., when the Seleucid king,
Attalus III died, it became part of Rome’s
possessions. Pergamos was given the honor of
continuing as the capital city of this part of the
growing empire.
2. Built on a tall hill, it dominated a river valley, with
a large citadel perched one thousand feet above the
valley floor.
3. Boasting several impressive temples, the city was a
center for pagan worship – especially the cult of the
worship of the Emperor; hence, its description as
“Where Satan’s throne is. . .” (2:13).
a. The worship of Caesar really began, in Asia,
at Pergamos, when a temple to the Emperor
Augustus was erected in 29 B.C. In light of
this special distinction, the Christians there
were under a constant threat of death.
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b. Here is one possible explanation for the
introductory note on this third letter: “These
things says He who has the sharp two-edged
sword:” (verse 12). Under the Roman
method of governing, officials were divided
into two categories, those who had the
“IUS GLADII”, and those who had no such
right. The “IUS GLADII” was the “right
of the sword.” This meant, such a governor
had the power of life and death over the
governed.
c. The Roman governor (Proconsul) at
Pergamos had the “IUS GLADII” – and the
right to use it on anyone at anytime.
d. The Christians at Pergamos are reminded of
a power greater than that of Rome’s
representative: the power of God through
Jesus Christ, out of whose mouth comes
“. . . a sharp two-edged sword”
(Revelation 1:16; 3:12).
3. In spite of their fidelity to Christ, there is also a
problem with the church there. Two specific things
are mentioned, in verses 14 and 15: “. . . the
doctrine of Balaam”, and “. . . the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans.”
a. “Balaam” symbolized spiritual
compromise – what appeared a prudent
conformity to the world’s standards.
(cf. Numbers 24 and 31; II Peter 2:15:
“They have forsaken the right way and gone
astray, following the way of Balaam the son
of Beor, who loved the wages of
unrighteousness.”)
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b. The Nicolaitans’ heresy was mentioned in
connection with the letter to Ephesus (2:6).
The Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolaus,
or Nicholas, of Antioch, mentioned first in
Acts 6:5, as one of the seven men “. . . of
good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and
wisdom, . . .” He went wrong and became a
heretic. Irenaeus says of them: “they lived
lives of unrestrained indulgence.”
c. Like Balaam, the Nicolaitans wanted
compromise with the pagan culture around
them. They were not prepared to be
different – but to live in “two worlds”,
God’s kingdom, and Satan’s domain.
4. There is always a temptation for Christians to
compromise their commitment to Christ, especially
in the face of opposition and, as in the 1st century,
persecution. The antidote to this is adherence to
the “. . .sword of My [Christ’s] mouth,” the truth
of God’s word.
5. The reward for commitment is found in verse 17
(READ). The “hidden manna” is, of course,
symbolic of God’s provisions for Israel in its
wilderness wanderings. God will sustain His
people, even under the worst of conditions.
6. The words “white” and “new” are common in
“Revelation.” It’s been suggested that the “white
stone” is the new person – a new life, a new
character, cleansed from all earthly sins and stains,
and the “new name” reflects a new status for those
who are faithful to Him. To them is granted to enter
in His glory and to become priests and kings
(Revelation 1:6).
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III. Conclusion.
A. We will look at the final four letters in the next lesson.
Each of these letters concludes with the same words:
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.”
B. As we conclude this lesson, look again at final words to
church at Laodicea: (RE-READ Revelation 3:20-22).
1. Here is a picture of the seeking God, the knowing
Christ, awakening sinful men, offering, in love,
salvation and eternal life.
2. You have the offer of Christ (“. . . I will come in to
him and dine with him, and he with Me”), and the
responsibility of people (“If anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, . . .”).
3. Christ offers; He pleads; but, we must open the door
for Him to enter.
C. The promise of the risen Christ is that the faithful,
victorious saints will sit with Him on His throne.