The Faithless Spirituality

(Rev 2:12-17 KJV) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; {13} I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. {14} But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. {15} So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. {16} Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. {17} He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

This morning we will continue our study of the seven letters to the seven churches by studying the lesson given to us in the letter to the angel of the church in Pergamos. I title this message The Faithless Spirituality; the condition addressed in Pergamos was one of drifting away from the Pure Word of God. We have seen in the first letter a Loveless condition and in the second letter a hopeless condition. Paul wrote to the Corintinans and reminded us that there are three qualities that every Christian must have.

(1 Cor 13:13 KJV) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

The first three letters to the churches in Revelation chapter 2 address these qualities in reverse order. The first is love. The second is hope and the third is Faith. Jesus taught us that love is the basis of the commandments. If we learn to love God and obey His commandments then we have hope of a life worth the living in this world and eternal life in the world beyond. To run the Christian race and be successful we need to have faith in God. Let us now study together this condition of being faithless.

You may remember that Jesus introduces Himself with different characteristics to each of the churches. To the Pergamos church, He introduces himself as “.. he that hath the sharp sword with two edges ..” The introduction is a key to the problem existing in this church and the cure for that problem. The sharp sword has reference to The Word of God.

(Heb 4:12 KJV) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

As we consider this letter, we see that The Word of God is being diluted with ideas of men. Doctrines of Balaam and Doctrines of Nicolaitans are in place and are being obeyed even though they are contrary to the Word of God. This is a very prevalent condition in our land today. Many Christians have been led away from the pure Word of God to obey the ideas of men. Such a drifting away from the pure Word of God leads to a weakening of faith. God’s Word no longer seems to be important. You get to feeling that you don’t have to pay close attention to it. You think that you can ignore portions and that there will be no consequences. You are led away by the spirit of Balaam to feed the desires of the flesh. You ignore the clear teaching of God’s Word to do the things that appeal to you. That is the spirit of Balaam which casts a stumbling block in your path and in the paths of all that follow you. Jesus has the sharp sword.

(Rev 1:16 KJV) And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

It makes no sense at all to ignore God’s Word and try to live a Christian life. You can’t do it. You can not escape the Word of God. It will locate you and search you out every day of your life and it will face you when you step into eternity.

(Mat 24:35 KJV) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

The significance and importance of God’s Word cannot be overemphasized and yet we find many churches and individuals in the same condition as Pergamos today. Many have the idea that God no longer demands a holy life. They seem to think that you can commit sin here and there and that because God is a forgiving God it will all be overlooked. If the devil has deceived you into believing this, you need to take a closer look at the Bible. You will find in the Bible many places where God tells you to live holy. You will find that He leads in paths of righteousness. You will find that He blesses those that hunger and thirst after righteousness. You will find that He commanded to go and sin no more. You will not find even one passage that says that you have to commit sin. How important is The Word of God to you today?

As Jesus your Lord speaks to you, you don’t want to hear the words “But I have a few things against thee ..” That is what He is saying to every one that is snared by the spirit of Balaam. In the book of Numbers we have the account of Balaam.

(Num 22:1-22 KJV) And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. {2} And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. {3} And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel. {4} And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. {5} He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: {6} Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. {7} And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. {8} And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. {9} And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? {10} And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, {11} Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. {12} And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed. {13} And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you. {14} And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. {15} And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. {16} And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: {17} For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. {18} And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. {19} Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more. {20} And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. {21} And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. {22} And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.

As we look in on Balaam, we find that here was a prophet that had a reputation of being a true man of God. What he said could be depended on and so the King Balak sent for Balaam to hire him to curse the Children of God. Now Balaam took the matter to God even though he knew in advance that the people Balak wanted him to curse were the people of God. And God plainly told him that he was not to go. However, Balak sent his emissaries back to Balaam a second time. Again Balaam took the matter to God even though God had plainly told him not to go. This time God tells him to go but it is clear that God did not want Balaam to go. We see that God became angry with Balaam and if you follow the story through, you will see that Balaam had a hard time getting to Balak.

He finally did reach Balak and Balak took him up on the mountains where he could see the children of Israel camped in the valley. Instead of cursing the Children of Israel, Balaam blessed them and Balak became very angry. The historian, Josephus, fills in some of the details. We will read portions of what he said in Vol. II Pages 252 – 256 “But Balak being very angry that the Israelites were not cursed, sent away Balaam without thinking him worthy of any honor. Whereupon, when he was just upon his journey, in order to pass the Euphrates, he sent for Balak, and for the princes of the Midianites, and spake thus to them: - “O Balak, and you Midianites that are here present (for I am obliged even without the will of God to gratify you), it is true no entire destruction can seize upon the nation of the Hebrews, neither by war, nor by plague, nor by scarcity of the fruits of the earth, nor can any other unexpected accident be their entire ruin; for the providence of God is concerned to preserve them from such a misfortune; nor will it permit any such calamity to come upon them whereby they may all perish; but some small misfortunes, and those for a short time, whereby they may appear to be brought low, may befall them; but after that they will flourish again, to the terror of those that brought those mischief’s upon them. So that if you have a mind to gain a victory over them for a short space of time’ you will obtain it by following my directions; - Do you therefore set out the handsomest of such of your daughters as are most eminent for beauty, and proper to force and conquer the modesty of those that behold them, and these decked and trimmed to the highest degree you are able. Then do you send them to be near the Israelites’ camp and give them in charge, that when the young men of the Hebrews desire their company, they allow it them; and when they see that they are enamoured of them, let them take their leaves; and if they entreat them to stay, let them not give their consent till they have persuaded them to leave off their obedience to their own laws and the worship of that God who established them, and to worship the gods of the Midianites and Moabites; for by this means God will be angry at them.” Accordingly, when Balaam had suggested this counsel to them, he went his way.”

“So when the Midianites had sent their daughters, as Balaam had exhorted them, the Hebrew young men were allured by their beauty, and came to discourse with them, and besought them not to grudge them the enjoyment of their beauty, nor to deny them their conversation. These daughters of the Midianites received their words gladly, and consented to it and staid with them; but when they had brought them to be enamoured of them, and their inclinations to them were grown to ripeness, they began to think of departing from them; then it was that these men became greatly disconsolate at the women’s departure, and they were urgent with them not to leave them, but begged they would continue there, and become their wives; and they promised them they should be owned as mistresses of all they had. This they said with an oath, and called God for the arbitrator of what they promised; and this with tears in their eyes, and all other such marks of concern as might show how miserable they thought themselves without them, and so might move their compassion for them. So the women, as soon as they perceived they had made them their slaves, and had caught them with their conversation, began to speak thus to them: -

O you illustrious young men! We have houses of our own at home and great plenty of good things there, together with the natural affectionate love of our parents and friends; nor is it out of our want on any such things that we came to discourse with you; nor did we admit of your invitation with design to prostitute the beauty of our bodies for gain; but taking you for brave and worthy men, we agreed to your request, that we might treat you with such honors as hospitality required; and now seeing you say that you have a great affection for us, and are troubled when you think we are departing, we are not averse to your entreaties; and if we may receive such assurance of your good-will as we think can be alone sufficient, we will be glad to lead our lives with you as your wives; but we are afraid that you will in time be weary of our company, and will then abuse us, and send us back to our parents, after an ignominious manner. And so they desired that they would excuse them in their guarding against that danger. But the young men professed they would give them any assurance they requested, so great was the passion they had for them. If use of such customs and conduct of life as are entirely different from all other men, Insomuch that your kinds of food are peculiar to yourselves, and your kinds of drink not common to others, it will be absolutely necessary if you would have us for your wives, that you do withal worship our gods; nor can there be any other demonstration of the kindness which you say you already have, and promise to have hereafter to us, than this, that you worship the same gods that we do. For has any one reason to complain, that now you are come into this country, you should worship the proper gods of the same country? Especially while our gods are common to all men, and yours such as belong to nobody else but yourselves. So they said they must either come into such methods of divine worship as all others came into, or else they must look out for another world, wherein they may live by themselves, according to their own laws.

Now the young men were induced by the fondness they had for these women, to think they spake very well; so they gave themselves up to what they persuaded them, and transgressed their own laws…”

And so you can see how the devil worked through the Prophet Balaam and through his advice to draw the Hebrews away from obeying their God. Are you aware that the devil is hard at work in our land today doing the same thing? He is advising your enemies on how to entice you and get you to disobey your Lord. He knows your weak points and he knows how to tempt you to sin against God. Did you notice how committed the daughters of the Midianites were? They were willing to sacrifice their lives to be faithful to their mission and they did. The young men knew what they were doing; they just allowed themselves to be drawn away and enticed to the point where they had no will to resist.

Another item Jesus has against Pergamos is they allow the doctrine of the Nicolaitans; Smith’s dictionary of the Bible, page 2146 tells us: “mingling themselves in the orgies of idolatrous feasts, they brought the impurities of those feasts into the meetings of the Christian Church.” Remember that our God is a jealous God and the first commandment states that we should have no other gods before Him. When you begin to burn incense to other gods, you begin to lose faith in the real God. When you begin to doubt God’s Word and think that His commandments are not so important, you begin to lose faith in God.

This is the condition that is so prevalent in our land today. People have been deceived into believing that they can sin with abandon and that it does not matter to God. The devil has so many people following after their fleshly desires that it seems there are no restraints placed on our actions. When you ignore God’s word to do as you please, you can be sure that the judgement of God will fall on you. The wrath of God and not the love of God will be the reward of sin.

(John 3:36 KJV) He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

(Rom 1:18 KJV) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

The Word of God is a sharp sword that discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. If you drift away from a love for the Word of God, you will drift into a faithless condition. If the devil has deceived you into thinking that you can ignore portions of God’s Word, then take the counsel of Jesus this morning and repent. Submit to God’s Word and you will receive the reward. You will find the hidden manna that comes from heaven. Yes, if you will hear what the Spirit saith to the churches, you get to eat the hidden manna.

(John 6:31-35 KJV) Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. {32} Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. {33} For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. {34} Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. {35} And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.