Repentance: Think of a New Year’s resolution; one may desire to stop one behavior that is detrimental to one’s health. However, one needs to fill the void of the negative behavior with a positive one, or the likelihood of returning to the negative behavior is exponential. Thus, true repentance is not only changing one’s mind but also changing one’s attitude, which must result in a change toward said behavior. Practically speaking, it is walking in one direction, turning around, and walking in the opposite direction. Repentance appears simple enough, but lasting and permanent change, meaning no longer detrimental to one’s health, results from a change from within. One must change one’s heart and mind toward the behavior for any real change to occur.
Think about it; are behaviors in your life detrimental to your health? Do you believe the direction of your life’s walk and your path needs a reversal, of course? Only you know the answer to the question. If your answer is yes, then ask God to reveal to you what He desires you to do, and then do it. Permanent change is not easy, but it is possible. God is not asking you to be the miracle in your life, which is His job. All God asks of any of us is, to be honest with Him about our life. Then, trust Him to help you make the change your life needs.
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6. The
Warning: God will Come, Oppose, and Execute Judgment (v.16).[3] |
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D. The Message to Pergamos: The Church That Is Corrupted &
Married to the World, 2:12–17 |
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1. The
recipients a. The messenger of
the church b. The Pergamos
churchDS1 2. The
speaker: Jesus |
12 And
to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which
hath the sharp sword with two edges; |
|
3. The
commendation a. For loyalty to
Christ’s name b. For doctrinal
purity c. For facing
martyrdom |
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. |
|
4. The
complaint: False doctrine & worldliness a. The teaching of
Balaam: False worship, idolatry & immorality, see Nu. 22–25 |
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 stumbling block before the
children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit
fornication. |
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b. The teaching of
the Nicolaitans: Demanding liberty without law, leading to license &
indulgence, v. 6 |
15 So
hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I
hate. |
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5. The Counsel:
Repent 6. The Warning:
God will Come, Oppose, & Execute Judgment |
16 Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight
against them with the sword of my mouth.
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7. The
promise: To the overcomers a. The hidden
manna, Christ Himself b. A white stone
with a new name written on it, a passport into the presence of God |
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.[4] |
5. The Command (Revelation 2:16)
The command was to “Repent” (Revelation 2:16). “Repent” is not an option; it is a Divine command. “God … commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). This is one command you must obey if you want eternal life and Divine blessing. “Repent” involves not only confession of sin but a forsaking of sin and a turning to righteousness. We readily make excuses for our sins and explain away their sinfulness, but God says to repent of them.
6.
The Caution (Revelation 2:16)
“Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Revelation 2:16). Failure to obey the command to
repent will result in anathema from God. The caution is twofold.
• Caution about the speed. “I … will come
unto thee quickly.” Failure to turn from sin will result in speedy
judgment. That speed may be applied to the time until judgment, or it may be
applied to the work of judgment. In either case, speed will characterize the
judgment. The speed will catch the sinner unprepared and unable to repent.
• Caution about the sword. “I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” This will be a one-way battle. The Lord will win easily. The Word of God, which is represented here as the “sword of my mouth,” will destroy every enemy. The Antichrist, as an example, will be destroyed by the Word of God (2Thessalonians 2:8). The Scriptures are impossible to defeat. “Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations” (Revelation 19:15). “The word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).[5]
5 (2:16) Repentance: The
Counsel is to Repent. The church and its believers needed to repent and change
their ways. What does this mean? The church and the true believers …
·
needed to deal with those who were
worldly and lead them to repentance
·
needed to change its practice of
accepting people into the church just because they professed Christ. There
needed to be evidence of repentance
·
needed to discipline those who refused
to repent and chose to continue on in their worldly living
·
needed to stop conveying a sense of
false hope and false security to unbelievers by baptizing them when they made a
profession without true repentance
· needed to stop allowing the worldly to seduce, deceive, and mislead other believers in the church
“Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven
is at hand” (Mt. 3:2).
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Lu. 13:3).
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Ac. 2:38).
“Repent ye, therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall
come from the presence of the Lord” (Ac. 3:19).
“Repent therefore of this thy
wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven
thee” (Ac. 8:22).
“And the times of this ignorance God
winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Ac. 17:30).
“If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will
heal their land” (2 Chr. 7:14).
“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Is. 55:7).
6 (2:16) Warning:
there is the Warning. Christ warns the church that becomes worldly. He
will come quickly and make war against the worldly. Note this: the Lord
is not going to punish the faithful believers who are spiritually minded. He is
going to punish only those who refuse to repent of their worldliness. The anger
of Christ is always against the impure. Christ will never punish the spiritual
members of a church; He will only punish the worldly members. Note how:
with the sword of His mouth, that is, with the power of His Word. His Word is
strong enough to judge all the
worldly, no matter who they are or how many there may be.
Thought 1. Note this: the church as a whole is responsible for allowing worldly people to be baptized. The command of Christ is to repent and believe the gospel. True belief always involves repentance—a turning away from the world to Christ—total denial of self—the total commitment of all one is and has to Christ and His cause of world missions.
“How shall we escape, if we neglect so
great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was
confirmed unto us by them that heard him” (He. 2:3).
“Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so
much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (He.
10:25).
“Ye, therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Pe. 3:17).[6]
“Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” 2:16 NLT Christ was not only telling the “Balaams” and Nicolaitans to repent; he also wanted the church to repent of its leniency toward these sinners. The church should get rid of those who were attempting to compromise where there could be no compromise. A church that tolerates such people will find that Christ will come suddenly and fight against them with the sword of [his] mouth. This sword represents God’s judgment against rebellious nations (19:15, 21) and all forms of sin. If the church did not repent of its sin and deal with the compromisers, then God would come and do it—and that would be disastrous.[7]
Repentance (Guilt, Regret, Sorrow)
Why is repentance essential to a spiritual life?
bible reading: Luke3:1–18
key bible verse: Here is a sample of John’s preaching to the crowds that came for
baptism: “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God’s coming judgment?
Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned
to God. Don’t just say, ‘We’re safe—we’re the descendants of Abraham.’ That
proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham.”
(Luke 3:7–8)
Repentance opens the way for a relationship
with God. Repentance has two sides—turning away from sins and turning
toward God. To be truly repentant, we must do both. We cannot just say that we
believe and then live any way we choose; neither can we simply live a morally
correct life without a personal relationship with God because that cannot bring
forgiveness from sin. Determine to rid your life of any sins God points out and
put your trust in him alone to guide you.
Repentance demonstrates real faith. Confession of sins and a changed life are inseparable. Faith without deeds is dead (James 2:14–26). Jesus’ harshest words were to the respectable religious leaders who lacked the desire for real change. They wanted to be known as religious authorities, but they didn’t want to change their hearts and minds. Thus, their lives were unproductive. Repentance must be tied to action, or it isn’t real. Following Jesus means more than saying the right words; it means acting on what he says.
bible reading: Matthew3:1–12
key bible verse: In those days, John the Baptist began preaching in the Judean
wilderness. His message was, “Turn from your sins and turn to God because the
Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 3:1–2)
Repentance makes inward change a visible reality. When you wash dirty hands, the results are immediately visible. But repentance happens inside with a cleansing that isn’t seen right away. So, John used a symbolic action that people could see; baptism. The Jews used baptism to initiate converts, so John’s audience was familiar with the rite. Here, baptism was used as a sign of repentance and forgiveness. Repent means “to turn,” implying a change in behavior. It is turning from sin toward God. Have you repented of sin in your life? Can others see the difference it makes in you? A changed life with new and different behavior makes your repentance real and visible.
bible reading: John12:1–11
key bible verse: The leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of
him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus. (John 12:10–11)
Repentance breaks our bondage to sin. The chief priests’ blindness and hardness of heart caused them to sink ever deeper into sin. They rejected the Messiah and planned to kill him, and then plotted to murder Lazarus as well. One sin leads to another. From the Jewish leaders’ point of view, they could accuse Jesus of blasphemy because he claimed equality with God. But Lazarus had done nothing of the kind. They wanted Lazarus dead simply because he was a living witness to Jesus’ power. This is a warning to us to avoid sin. Sin leads to more sin, and this downward spiral can be stopped only by repentance and the power of the Holy Spirit to change behavior.
Related Topics: Forgiveness, Gospel, Salvation[8]
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
DS Deeper Study
[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[5] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible
Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.
[6] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation.
The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership
Ministries Worldwide.
NLT
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
[7] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation.
Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL:
Tyndale House Publishers.
[8] Wilson, Neil S. 2000. In The Handbook of
Bible Application, 510–11. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.
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