The
Challenge of Living A Godly Life
Steve W. Reeves
INTRODUCTION:
A. James
Martin is a Pulitzer Prize nominee from Oxford University who directs the 21st
Century Institute and the Institute for Science and Civilization at Oxford. Martin has
compiled a list of challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. Among the 17
challenges he lists are,“Saving the Earth;” “Preventing All-Out War” and “Stabilizing
Population Growth.”
1. I’m quite sure that opinions on the greatest challenges facing humanity in this
century would differ widely depending on who is being asked.
2. I am also quite sure that for those who claim to be part of the kingdom of God
there would be the common challenge of “Living a Godly Life.”
B. In the Old Testament book of Leviticus God instructed the newly liberated nation of
Israel. Leviticus sets forth the peculiar identity God expected His people to maintain.
1. The theme of Leviticus is in 11:44, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.”
2. In 18:1-5 God told them they were not to live as the people did in Egypt or as
the people of the land of Canaan to which they were going. He told them they were
to live according to His statutes and judgments. The remainder of the chapter deals
with prohibition against sexual immorality.
3. Throughout the Old Testament God’s people struggled to maintain their unique
identity. Time and again they turned to the pagan deities of the surrounding nations
and committed immoral acts.
C. This theme of remembering your identity is continued into the New Testament.
1. Peter quotes the words of Leviticus in 1 Peter 1:16, “You shall be Holy for I am
Holy.”
2. James 4:4 says, “Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God.”
3. In 1 John 2:15-17 the same John who penned the words of Revelation wrote, “Do
not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the
eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The
orld is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives
forever.”
D. The greatest challenge being faced by Christians is keeping ourselves from becoming ike
the world. The story is told of a school district that needed a new bus driver. Three
qualified applicants were chosen for a final interview. The supervisor showed them a
curve in the road and asked, “How close to the edge can you drive without losing control?
The first applicant looked at the road and replied, “two feet.” The second said, “one foot.”
The third ne replied, “I am not interested in seeing how close I can get. I want to stay as
far away as possible for the safety of the children.” He received the job.
1. Sometimes it seems as if the church is trying to see just how close to the world we can
be without losing control.
2. Sometimes churches think if they can be like the world then the world will like them and
Christianity will be more palatable. It’s fashionable in churches to make the cross more
comfortable so we can blend in with society.
E. There is nothing new in this scenario. In fact, these are the conditions faced by the third
church mentioned in Revelation 2, the church in Pergamum.
I. THE CITY OF PERGAMUM.
A. The third letter to the seven churches was written to the church in Pergamum. This city
was located along the Roman postal road about 100 miles north of Ephesus.
1. The historian Pliny called Pergamum, “the most distinguished city in Asia.”
2. It had been the capitol of Asia since 133 BC. Its ruins are extant today near Bergama
in modern Turkey.
3. One of the noteworthy features of Pergamum was the large hill upon which part of
the city was built. It was an important commercial and economic center.
4. One of the most noteworthy aspects of Pergamum was its library. It contained
approximately 200,000 hand written volumes. It was second only to Alexandra. Mark
Antony sent many of these volumes to Cleopatra. Some say parchment was invented
at Pergamum.
5. The Physician Galen lived in Pergamum during the first century. He was considered
second to Hypocrites as a physician.
B. Pergamum’s greatest claim was as a religious center.
1. The acropolis contained temples to Zeus, Athena and Dionysus .
2. There was a temple to Caesar where emperor worship was conducted. Every citizen
was required to offer a sacrifice to the emperor once each year and proclaim,
“Caesar is Lord.”
3. The temple to Zeus was massive. Its altar was 18 feet high. It may have been the
reason why Jesus said these people lived where “Satan’s throne” was (vs. 13).
4. There was a temple to Aesculapius who was depicted as a half human / half snake.
Worshippers would lay on the ground in the temple and allow snakes to crawl over
them hoping to be healed.
B. We do not know much about Pergamum from a Biblical perspective.
1. Acts 19:10 records that Paul remained in Ephesus for two years and, “all who lived in
Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”
2. We know that Paul and his traveling companions went by Mysia (near Pergamum)
according to Acts 16:8-9). .
II. THE LETTER FROM JESUS TO PERGAMUM
A. Each letter to the seven churches began with a description of Jesus. The description
given in 2:12 is extremely important.
1. “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-
edged sword says this.”
2. The “two edged sword” is used to describe the word of God in Hebrews 4:12.
3. The two edged sword was a weapon that could cut both ways. Ephesians 6:17
speaks of the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
4. This two-edged sword is pictured as coming out of the mouth of Jesus.
a. Revelation 1:16 says, “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth
came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its
strength.”
b. Revelation 19:15 – “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may
strike down the nations.”
5. This is a picture of judgment upon Pergamum.
a. Neither Ephesus nor Smyrna receive such a vivid description of impending
judgment.
b. Jesus is saying, “You are familiar with the capacity of the two-edged sword to slay
those opposed to Rome. I have a two-edged sword with which I will judge my
adversaries.”
c. Any threat to Rome would be met with the sword. Any threat to Christ will be met
with judgment.
B. The letter to Pergamum addresses three subjects
1. Commendation (vs. 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.”
a. “Where Satan dwells,” is a reference to the worship of Caesar (specifically) and
the broader context of idolatry (generally). Pergamum was a wicked city. It was not
merely apathetic towards Christianity, it was openly hostile towards the church.
b. Thus, Jesus commends those who have remained faithful. He knew what they
were up against. He knew some of them, like Antipas, had given their lives
because of their faith in Christ.
c. Jesus commended those who “clung to my name.” He commended those who did
not deny their faith.
2. Condemnation (vss. 14-15). “But I have a few things against you, because you have
there some who hold 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. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the
teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
a. “Teachings of Balaam” reminds us of a story from the Old Testament (Numbers
22-24) where a sorcerer in Moab was enlisted by their king, Balak, to curse the
Israelites. He did so by tempting them with immorality. Apparently, some in the
church were also being tempted by immoral behavior.
b. The Nicolaitans were also known for their immoral teachings (also mentioned in
the letter to Ephesus 2:6).
c. Although some were remaining faithful there were others who were caving to their
culture. They were becoming more and more like the immoral people around them.
3. Commandment (vs.16). “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I
will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
a. “Repent.”
b. For many years there was a sign on Highway 64 between Beebe and Conway,
Arkansas, that said, “Repent.” I am sure many people ignored it. Some people
laughed at it. Some scoffed it. The simple message it contained was applicable to
the people in Pergamum and to us as well.
III.
THE MESSAGE FOR US.
A. As Jesus concluded this letter to Pergamum, He made a statement that
broadens the scope of the letter. It is not merely about Pergamum. It is about us, too.
1. In verse 17 He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. 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.”
2. This letter is not only for Christians in Pergamum at the end of the first century. It is
for everyone who has “ears to hear,” (the ability to receive and understand it).
B. The importance of overcoming, being faithful, not capitulating to the world, not
compromising your standards or your faith. Jesus promises two things.
1. Hidden Manna- “what is it?” Divine nourishment. Jesus was saying, “I will care for \
you just as my Father cared for the Israelites in the wilderness.” Do you recall the
song, “Be not dismayed what ‘ere betide? God will take care of you.” This is the
promise of Jesus.
2. A White stone. In ancient Greece and Rome an athlete who was victorious was
given a white stone. It was the equivalent of receiving a gold
medal in our Olympics. This became his ticket to a feast of victors. Admission was
granted only to those who had a white stone on which their name was engraved..
3. On the white stone is a new name identifying you.
C. Lessons for us.
1. Perseverance. We must not compromise with the world. We must not allow the
world’s values to become our values.
2. Abstinence from the allurements of the world. We must never compromise the core
values that make us distinctive.
3. Pergamum faced real identity crisis. On one hand some were persevering. On the
other some were capitulating. The church today experiences a similar identity crisis.
Some want to abandon all spiritual moorings and wholesale ourselves to the world.
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CONCLUSION:
A. The fictional story is told of a man and his camel traversing the desert. We often think of
the heat of the desert during the day but forget about the cold desert nights. One night as
the man was asleep under his blanket in the tent he felt something nudge him. He awoke
and found the camel had pushed his nose into the tent. “Get out of here,” he said. The
camel replied, “Sir, it is cold outside tonight. Please allow me just a few moments to warm
my nose.” The man agreed and went back to sleep. In a few minutes he awoke again to
find the camel had his head and front two legs in the tent. “Please, sir, just a few more
minutes to warm myself and I will leave you alone.” The man agreed and went back to
sleep. Later he awoke shivering under the stars while the camel slept warmly in the tent.
B. Compromise with the world does not produce good results. Pergamum needed to learn
this. We do too.
