Revelation just now, and we're up the second
chapter, book of the Revelation, and up the
second chapter.
And we're going through from verse 12 this
evening to the end of verse 17.
Twelve to seventeen, just six verses this evening.
And if you give me ten minutes of
each verse, then it's sixty minutes, isn't it?
And we might play overtime for much, you
know, fifteen minutes each way after that.
But it's all right.
I think we need to keep in mind,
as we come to this paragraph, that our
Lord Jesus is walking in the midst of
these seven churches in Asia.
And as he walks in the midst of
the churches, he's watching, and he's weighing everything
that's going on in the churches.
Looking at all the services, looking at all
the servants, looking at all the sermons, looking
at all the suffering, for that the Lord
is in the midst of the churches.
And as he walks through the midst of
these churches, he's sending this letter, and it
is his last letter to the church at
Pergamos, sending it by John to the pastor
of the church.
Because I want you to get that absolutely
correct first phrase said, the Lord is speaking
to John the apostle on the isle of
Patmos, and he's saying, unto the angel of
the church in Pergamos write.
And of course, I pointed out already as
we commenced this chapter, that he is not
commanding John to write to a shining angel.
That would be nonsensical.
Now, the word angel here is the old
Greek word, and it means messenger.
Of course, the angels are messengers of God.
Well, then God has a lot of messengers.
Sometimes God has a messenger in a local
church, and he's responsible to receive the messages
from God for the church.
And he's responsible to outline them and get
them across all that the people will understand.
And so, it's through this responsible character in
the church at Pergamos.
Now, seven churches mentioned here, and there are
seven angels.
There was one in every church.
And the Lord is sending this message to
the church in Pergamos.
That's a very interesting word.
It was a very interesting place.
Pergamos, according to the historians, was one of
the most beautiful cities in Asia at that
time.
Finally, writing many hundreds of years ago, said
it was one of the most beautiful and
most illustrious cities in the world at that
time.
It's even an interesting word, because if you
put a hyphen and say P-E-R
and then hyphen, G-A-M-O-S.
Now, the G-A-M-O-S.
Gammas, as some of them say, or gammas,
whatever way you want it.
That's the old Greek word for marriage.
G-A-M-O-S means marriage.
So, if you're coming in one evening, and
you're thinking about getting married, and you don't
want the deacons to know what you're talking
about, just say, I'm thinking about gammas.
I'll get the message, all right.
Yet, when you put the whole word together,
in the Greek it means mixed marriage.
Now, it seems that this very name came
from things that were happening in the city,
because while this place in Asia was a
very beautiful place, history records that all the
pleasures of the world had come to lodge
there, and they were embraced by their city.
So that this beautiful place had put its
arms round all the sinful pleasures of the
world.
And maybe it was from that it got
its name, mixed marriage.
I carry the mask.
We are not interested in the historical setting
of the city, or even the meaning of
the name.
You know, we've learned this as we've gone
through these churches here, that not only is
the Lord speaking each time to an actual,
literal church.
The church of Ephesus was there, all right.
The church of Smyrna was there, the church
of Pergamos was there.
These were actual, let's keep that clear, actual,
literal churches, oracle churches, in these particular cities.
But the word of God is always wonderful,
and there are deep things of God there
all the time.
And not only do we hear the Lord's
messages through these actual, literal churches, but I
believe, as some prophetic scholars, that we have
a prophetical outline of the whole church of
Jesus Christ given to us in these seven
churches.
And if you remember, we looked at Ephesus,
and the one thing the Lord had against
this church of Ephesus was this, nevertheless, I
have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love.
And I believe that this covers the history
of the church of Jesus Christ for the
first 100 years.
You know, as you see about the Pentecost,
and our members were filled with the Holy
Ghost, and they stood up to preach Christ,
and they lived Christ, and they honored Christ,
and everything was Christ.
They rejoiced, and thought they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for Christ.
They were taken up with Christ.
But towards the end of the first hundred
years of church history, the church began to
be taken up with its doctrines, and with
its government, and with its elders, and deacons,
and pastors, and teachers, and evangelists.
And it began to leave its first love.
And I think that that first hundred years
of church history is outlined even in the
letter to the church of Ephesus.
Last week we were looking at the church
of Smyrna, and the word comes from myrrh.
And myrrh comes because the tree crushes this
gum that's within, and oozes out like a
rosin, and this myrrh is found.
And we find that this church, this suffering
church, it covers the next 200 years of
church history, and that, remember, covers now 300
years of church history.
A hundred years under the church of Ephesus,
and then 200 years when the church was
suffering, when Nero was on the throne at
Rome, and this wicked Roman emperor was now
against the church through a blaze with rage,
throwing the Christians to the lions.
And for ten periods of Roman governors, the
church went through a time, a time of
great suffering.
And that's exactly what we found in the
church, in the letter to the church of
Smyrna last week.
Now, I think that not only do we
see those two periods, but there's another period
that comes in this church this evening.
I think from the 300 year mark of
church history to well over the 600 year
mark, from the next 300 years, the church
had it comparatively easy.
Because when you come down, these Roman emperors,
from Nero right down to Diocletian, then step
into the arena of Constantine.
And you see, Constantine didn't punish the church
at all.
Constantine professed to be a Christian.
He was never a Christian, but he professed
to be a Christian.
And the Christians gave in to this.
It was easing up the suffering.
And the state took over the church, and
that was wrong.
The state has no right to take over
the church.
My dear friends, we should always keep to
what Peter said.
When the state starts to dictate, we should
say that we ought to obey God rather
than men.
The state has no right to dictate to
the church.
The church has got a leader of its
own, its head, the Lord Jesus.
And all the dictates that we need, and
the expectations, and the directions are found in
the book before me.
Of course, on the other hand, while we
are here as the church, we're in this
little province tonight, and we belong to the
state in a certain sense.
Yes, we're members of the state, and we
need to be subject to the powers that
be.
Even Peter teaches this in his epistle, that
we should be submissive to the king, and
to governors, and to all who are saved
by the king for the punishment of evildoers.
And of course, this we gladly submit to.
We don't think that the church should rule
the state either.
Nor do we think that the state should
rule the church.
We think that they need to keep their
own place, and we need to be submissive
to the powers that be in whatever land
we're from.
You know, I think that sometimes we here
in Ulster are so narrow-minded that we
think that this is the whole world.
And if you were in Russia tonight, you
would have to be submissive to the powers
that be, so long as the powers that
be don't come to direct the church.
Yes, riches swap to place, and this is
why the Lord is writing, because there was
a sort of mixed marriage here.
All the word is well chosen, isn't it?
Because the church almost married the state.
And so the Lord's going to talk to
it, because the world got into the church
at that period.
Now, watch very carefully what the Lord says.
Verse 12.
Unto the angel of the church in Pergamos
writes, These things saith he, which hath the
sharp sword with two edges.
Now, this is his signature on the letter.
In the other letters, you see verse 1
of this chapter, unto the angel of the
church in Ephesus writes, These things saith he
that holdeth the seven stars in his right
hand.
And last week, down at verse 8, these
things saith the first and the last, which
was dead and is alive.
And on each letter he puts a signature.
And on this one he writes a signature
like this, These things saith he which hath
the sharp sword with two edges.
Because there is only one thing that can
save the church when the world is creeping
into it and taking it over.
And that's the word of the Lord.
And it's a sharp sword.
And it's got two edges.
And I assure you that he used it
on the church at this time.
And I assure you that as I use
it this evening, maybe some of you are
going to feel the weight of it.
But I can't spare you.
And I have no notion of doing it.
And if you are a worldly Christian, the
Lord's got something to say to you tonight.
Because the Lord doesn't like it.
James, who was a very practical teacher, said
that friendship with the world makes you an
enemy of God, whether you like it or
not.
You can find out that maybe you're occupying
the place this evening of being an enemy
of God.
So it's the Lord speaking, the Lord who
hath his sharp sword with two edges.
The first thing that he says to the
church is, I know thy works.
He begins to talk about their neighbours.
You know, our Lord is the faithful and
true witness, as we shall find as we
go through the book of the Revelation.
Capital F, capital P, faithful and true witness.
And of course, in faithfulness, he will always
commend what is commendable.
He who teaches us to give honour where
honour is due, he always did so himself.
And although he had certain things to say
to this church and waited tidings to bring
them, he said, I know your works.
He could see all the activities in the
church that we would please to.
And I think that if we followed our
Lord in looking at one another, it would
do us good.
Because instead of trying to just outline the
thoughts right away, I wonder can we not
find in one another something that would commend
and be commendable.
And so he says right away, I know
thy works.
Certain activities down there please to.
And then he followed it on and said,
I know thy works and where thou wentest.
He's talking about the lodgings now, where this
church was placed, even where Satan's seat is.
And the word seat there in some of
the translations is translated by the word throne,
where Satan's throne is.
And I think it would be perfectly right
to say that's about Pergamos at that time,
because this great city, this beautiful city, had
embraced with open arms all the sinful pleasures
of a wicked world.
And we must ever remember that Satan is
called the god of this world.
Sometimes I think that some folks have the
idea, the old foolish idea, that Satan is
in hell.
Indeed he's not.
The apostle Peter makes it clear that he's
walking about, seeking whom he may desire.
And some of us believe that he's certainly
very much alive, and loose in answer at
this time.
Because some of the things that I see
and hear and read, the devil must be
at the back of them.
So that looking at this statement from one
angle, it was perfectly true that this little
church was just placed where Satan's throne was.
But I think there's more to it than
that, because he says at the end of
this verse, let's keep the middle bit just
clear for a moment, I know thy works
and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat
is.
Even in those days wherein Antipas, my faithful
martyr who was slain among you, where Satan
dwelleth.
You know, it seems that the old devil,
through worldliness, I suppose because of the influence
of Constantine, he was getting into the church.
The world was getting into the church.
And you know friends, that's something that we
have to pay great attention to, because he
comes in so subtly, you could hardly catch
it on that the devil was coming in.
You know, when I came to this church
almost 20 years ago, and I remember the
very first morning that I came onto this
platform and stood up here, I remember counting
the congregation, you know, as they sang the
first hymn.
Maybe they thought I was standing up here
like a sort of contrary man, or thought
of a dope, unfortunate than what you think
I am.
Because I just counted everybody in the church,
and if I'm right now, there were 84
members.
Maybe they weren't all members at all.
But you see, God came in down through
those first five or six years in a
very wonderful way, and at the end of
six years we had to tear the place
down and build it over.
It took a lot of money for that.
And I said to the congregation one morning,
you know, in my own style, I said,
you know, there's a lot of young people
here, there's a lot of old age pensioners,
and the young of no money, and the
old age pensioners of no money.
There must be a hundred of you in
the middle there, and you could give me
twenty pounds today for the Lord's work.
Two thousand pounds.
I'll tell you how much I had at
night.
I had over three.
Three thousand pounds.
But you see, the people were giving willingly,
and they were putting the annex on, and
putting the walls back, and we bought the
text three next door, and all that paid.
Supposing I die, supposing our old elders and
deacons go, supposing in a few years time
you've got new leaders, and they begin to
say, well, we'll shut the annex off and
we'll play table tennis in there.
That's not what the money was given for.
You'll remember to tell them that if I'm
not here.
This church was built for God.
It wasn't built for balls.
It was built for Bible.
It is not built for tennis.
It is built for truth.
It is not built for fun.
It is built for fundamentals.
It is not built for parties.
It is built for prayer.
You'll remember, because as long as I'm here,
that's what it will be used for.
And you never lost anything out of it,
me keeping the world out.
And you never will.
And all my elders and deacons are just
the type of man that I am.
And there's not a fringe in one of
us.
No.
We won't have balls.
We won't have tennis.
You get that in the world.
There's a club down the street with that.
God's house is to be a house of
prayer.
It's not for parties.
You see, the world can come into the
church all Saturday.
And it can be put over that this
is good for the young folks and all
that, and it's the world that's coming in.
And you'll have a next marriage in your
hand before you're much older, and it won't
work.
Now, I want to point this out, and
this is the heart of the message.
Verse 13.
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest,
even where Satan sitthest.
And thy holdest hath my name, and hath
not denied my faith.
Now, although the world had crept in, and
we're going to find that it crept in
before we're through with the message.
Although the world had crept in, you know
there were believers in there who had not
denied his name or denied his faith.
And thou holdest fast my name.
They loved his name.
And the word the faith there doesn't mean
the faith that you believe with.
It's the faith.
It's the whole body of truth that's committed
to the church.
It's called the faith.
And they never denied the fundamentals in anything
before.
And you know, I can take you to
places today where they love the name of
Jesus, where they hold fast to the fundamentals,
but the world is stuck in the church.
I can teach you all that.
You know, when I went to Canada first
to preach, and landed in New Brunswick, and
went up to Woodstock, and I was preaching
at a tremendous church.
And when I went into the prayer meeting
on the first evening, there'd be crowds gathered.
But you know, some of the ladies, they
were painted like clowns.
I hold tight because I'm getting a hold
on the sword just now.
You might get a smack or two before
you're out, but you'll have to just take
it.
And this was the first time I'd seen
this sort of thing.
And I got down on my knees and
wondered where I was.
And the lady knelt beside me, all hat
on.
And her face was actually, I'd seen clowns
in the circus like this.
But when she started to pray, I've never
had a woman pray like that since.
She really prayed.
And this really shocked me.
And I could see that this woman loves
his name.
And she's definitely holding fast to the fundamentals.
But somehow the world has got in.
And I knew that there was a pragmatite
at my side.
Knew that.
However, you know, I've got to take my
time about things.
So I preached that evening on the text,
He Shall Not Fail.
And I preached about the unfailingness of my
Saviour, and on the faithfulness, and on the
dependableness.
And I felt that the Lord came in
and moved the church.
You know, at the end of the service,
before I'd got praying at all, a man
rose and walked off the island fears, and
then a woman rose, and then another one.
I never invited them, but God was moving,
and it was safe.
And I went home, and I was living
in a motel on my own.
And I had given instructions at the hotel
for the waitress to bring my breakfast over
in the morning, because I wasn't getting up
to get my breakfast.
I was having my breakfast in bed.
Actually, it wasn't because I loved my breakfast
in bed, for I never get my breakfast
in bed.
It was because I didn't want to go
to the hotel to sit and talk to
the folk.
So I just gave instructions.
And so she brought all the breakfast over
in a tray, and I'm sitting in bed
having my breakfast, when the pastor of the
church came in, sat on the side of
the bed.
He said, well, that was a wonderful meeting.
He said, did you see the wee woman
that was beside you in the prayer meeting?
He said, well, I could have missed her.
He says, you know, that woman's father was
an old preacher just like you.
And she was on the phone this morning.
She says, I've never heard anything like this
in my life.
This man is identical to my dad.
And why was he telling me the story
of the phone rings?
And I said, left it.
He left it.
He said, hello, it's pastor so-and-so.
And it was Mrs. Manning the caller.
And he was so close with the phone
that I could hear what she was saying.
And she says, pastor, wasn't that wonderful last
night?
I've never heard anything like that in my
whole life.
I was stirred to my toes.
He's a great character, isn't he?
And he's a lovely looking man.
Don't forget that bit.
I had just about taken the knot of
this and I just took the phone off
of you, see.
And I said, so-and-so, I couldn't
help overhearing you.
Oh, she said, Mrs. Moore, I'm very sorry.
I didn't mean you to hear some of
that.
She said, no, I just rang up to
tell you how thrilled I was with the
meeting and how wonderful it was to hear
the old things being preached again.
And I said, you know, Mrs. Manning, you
shouldn't praise me too much because you don't
know me.
Because one of these nights I'm going to
preach on Jezebel, the first painted woman in
this book.
And it seems that a lot of you
ladies are following her and you haven't got
a good leader.
Well, I thought she had died on the
other end of the phone line.
There wasn't a mute out on the other
end at all.
And after I waited for a moment or
two, she said, you're shocking.
I said, you're a Pergamosite.
And I think she was talking, thought I
was talking about some queer thing from the
free state or something.
And she didn't know what this was.
So I began to tell her the story
of Pergamos, how that it was possible to
love the Lord's name and how it was
possible to love the fundamentals and yet let
the world in on you.
You see what I'm getting to now?
Because that's where the Lord was getting to.
And I gave her this whole sort of
lecture.
And we put the phone down and it
was all over.
And I went to the meeting that night
and got down on my knees at the
prayer meeting and the lady came and knelt
beside me.
It was Mrs. Manning.
And she just looked at me.
There wasn't a drop of paint on me.
And I nodded and she nodded.
She said, nothing.
You know, I've seen this all over the
world.
I went to Copenhagen to preach and was
taken by the chief surgeon of the big
hospital there at home, a lovely table, beautiful
place, tons of money.
And when the dinner came, he said, did
you drink dinner or beer?
I said, surely you're not having this corsage
stuff in this house.
He said to me, it's just the tradition
of our country.
We all do it.
He said, you know, the day that I
was convicted of my sin, the one thing
that stood between me and the Savior was
Guinness.
And I had to be saved from this
bottle.
And the Holy Ghost convicted me that it
was wrong.
And don't try to tell me that the
Holy Ghost changes his principles when I cross
the North Sea.
But he couldn't see that.
So there was nothing for it but reach
for the sword.
Because when I get in the tight corner,
I just take the sword.
So I said, well, sit down before you
pull it out and let's get the Bibles
down.
And this is what I did with them.
Now you watch what I did.
I turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 6.
1 Corinthians, chapter 6, verse 9.
Paul, writing to the Corinthians, said, Know ye
not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the
kingdom of God?
Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor effeminates, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, nor thieves, nor traffickers, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of
God.
And I said to him, Do you believe
that a man who has been a drunkard
all through life and dies a drunkard, do
you know that he won't go to heaven?
He said, I know that.
I said, did you ever think for a
moment how a fellow becomes a drunkard?
He said, I've never thought.
Well, I said, it starts by him taking
his first drink.
And wouldn't it be a dreadful thing on
your conscience if some young fellow came to
lunch here and he got his first drink
of Guinness at this table, and afterward became
a drunkard and died and went to hell?
And I assured you that shook him.
But I went a little bit further with
it.
I took him on over to Proverbs chapter
20.
Book of Proverbs chapter 20, in verse 1
says, Wine is a mocker, strong drink enraging,
and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
And I said, you know, you can see
right well that Solomon, the wisest man that
ever lived, is using this metaphorical language.
He says, man, wine mocks at you.
It just mocks at you.
And strong drink rages at you.
It brawls at you.
And the man that's deceived by it is
a fool.
And I said, you should never be deceived
by that sort, because the Bible says you're
a fool.
And then I went from there.
I went to Numbers chapter 6.
I remembered these all in the spur of
the moment.
In Numbers chapter 6 says, And the Lord
speak unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them, When either
man or woman shall separate themselves through a
vow of the Nazarites, to separate themselves unto
the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine
and strong drinks.
And I said, you know, sir, my Lord
was a Nazarene.
Yes, our Lord Jesus was called the lowly
Nazarene.
And you know, all through his ministry, he
never touched strong drink.
And that makes it absolutely sure that up
a muddied feet he didn't make it.
There's such a thing as squeezy fresh, fresh
squeezed juice from the grapevine.
It's called in the Bible, new wine.
And when they were mocking the apostles on
the day of Pentecost, they said, these men
are full of new wine.
Because you couldn't get drunk on new wine,
but they were just making a mockery of
it.
I said, sir, I'm following Christ.
I said, you're a Pergamosite, that's what you
are.
I said, you love Christ's name.
You'll stand by the faith, but you let
the world into your house.
You know, it's so easy to just let
the world in and get mixed up in
this.
My dear friends, you become a friend of
the world.
You're an enemy of God.
That's what you are.
You're an enemy of God.
You touch these worldly things.
You're an enemy of God.
Good luck.
Yes, the Lord was talking to him.
Let's get back to this.
Pergamos.
Yes, I want you to notice that the
Lord, first of all, talked about the neighbors.
And talked about the lodges.
Was good enough to talk about the loyalty,
but all the time he was getting around
to where we're going to get around to.
We're back at Revelation 2, verse 14.
Jesus speaking through John to the pastor of
the church, and to the church, and to
us.
For we're to hear what the Spirit said
unto the churches.
But I have a few things against thee.
You know, the Lord always come out into
the open when he wanted to say something.
Because thou hast there then that hold the
doctrine of Balaam.
Remember Balaam.
Balaam the prophet.
The man that the coat of the arse
hath to speak through.
Because thou hast there then that hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Beric?
Beric was the king of the Moabites.
And old Balaam the prophet taught Beric, the
king of the Moabites, to cast a stumbling
block before the children of Israel, to reap
things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
You see the whole story of Balaam is
this.
The story is this.
That Beric, the king of the Moabites, was
afraid of Israel.
He had seen what Israel had done unto
the Amorites, and the Amalekites.
And now he goes to the old prophet,
and he asks him to curse the children
of Israel.
But God wouldn't allow him to curse the
children of Israel.
Actually the old prophet went to do it
once or twice.
That's the time the arse spoke to him.
But when he found out that he couldn't
curse the children of Israel, he went away
quietly and secretly, and he told Beric what
to do.
He says, you let these Moabite women in
among the Israelites, and these worldly women will
destroy them.
And they did.
Because when worldly women get into the church,
they'll destroy it.
Yes they will.
And you know they had worldly women in
the church.
Oh I know they loved the Savior's name.
I know that they would stand up for
the fundamentals, but they'd put up with this
sort of thing.
I assure you we wouldn't put up with
it here, not for a moment.
But the Lord went a little bit further
than that.
He says, but I have a few things
against thee, because thou hast there men that
hold the doctrine of Balaam.
Verse 15, so hast thou also them which
hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing
I hate.
There are certain things the Lord hates, and
we hate them too.
I won't have any hesitation about it.
We were not the Nicolaitans when we were
at the other, one of the other churches.
I pointed out to you that this word
Nicola, it's the word that means conqueror.
And the end, at the end of the
word means people.
You know there were people in the church
who were overriding, they were overlording the people.
It was a sort of priest craft, it
was the beginning of it anyway.
And when you get worldly women and worldly
men, you'll destroy the assembly.
But we don't want any priests or books
around here, not for a moment.
I was going into the hospital once, and
a wee nurse on the floor, she said
to me, where are you going?
I said, you're going to see Mr. Scott,
it was at that time.
She said, you haven't your own collar on.
I said, do you think this is a
square one?
I didn't collar my foot.
It's an old poppy's collar she was talking
about.
Once I said, from this platform, these old
poppy's collars amuse me.
You see them on the 12th of July,
a poppy's collar and no one's sash, what
not to say, they both go together.
It's belonging you know, but you couldn't tell
them anything.
And one of the ministers in the town,
you know, they listen in to the text,
they're not big enough to come in here,
but they listen to the text in the
back room afterwards.
And he said to me on the seat,
you know you were talking about my collar
the other night, he said it was an
old poppy's collar.
I said, I still say it is too.
He said, it's nothing of the kind.
I said, my hush hush, here's the Roman
Catholic priest coming along, and father, whoever it
was down there then, was just coming along.
I said, have a good look at it
as he goes by now.
Have a good look at it.
And when he went by, I said to
the old minister who used to be in
Hill Street, I said, are you copying him,
or is he copying you?
I tell him that.
And he was an honest old creature then.
He says, God knows right well that we're
copying them.
It's a poppy's collar, you know.
They don't have any poppishness in here.
See my nice shorts and my...
Oh, but there's one thing sure, that if
we get worldly women, or priest crowd men
in the church, we'll do it no good.
The Lord helps us, so do I.
I haven't anything to be afraid of about
that.
Now, there's just one thing for this.
There's only one sure, and it's the word
repent.
That's what it is.
And that's what the woman did.
She turned up with the paint of her
face.
She's getting away from the world.
My dear sister, you don't need to follow
the world.
And I'll tell you once more, the surgeon
took the bottles away from the table, and
he says they'll never be on again.
That's the way you do it.
And if you're just a master of a
world that's got a creep on you, then
tonight, get away from us.
That's what you do.
You repent.
The Lord talks so lowly, just like that.
It doesn't sound horrible until you repent.
And then he said this, and this is
the bit that I'm thrilled about.
He says, repent, or else I will come
unto thee quickly and will fight against them
with the sword of my mouth.
Because the only cure for the believer is
repent, and the only answer to work is
the word of God, the sword of his
mouth.
And on every occasion when I have used
the sword, it has made a mark, and
I don't mind doing it, because my Lord
would do it.
Now, just to show you the wonder of
God's word, not only are these literal churches,
not only are these messages prophetical of the
whole course of the church, but there's always
an individual promise.
Verse 17.
He that hath an ear, this goes to
anybody, you see.
Let them hear what the Spirit says unto
the churches.
Now, listen to this.
For him that overcometh, and we're talking about
worldliness tonight in the church.
For him that overcometh will I give to
each of thee hidden manner.
Isn't that very wonderfully put?
It shows me.
Because I can tell you this, that when
the Lord takes from all of us all
the worldly things, and the whole bunch of
us would get tarnished very quickly.
When the Lord takes them away, you're in
the wilderness.
This world becomes your wilderness.
He's looking back at Israel in the wilderness.
You know what he gave them in the
wilderness, don't you?
He gave them manner.
And I wouldn't have any problem preaching for
an hour on the manner.
It's the picture of Christ.
Well, it came forth from the Father, didn't
it?
It came down from heaven, didn't it?
It was the bread of life, wasn't it?
So we'll see.
It was found lying on the ground.
It had to be lifted by the hand
of faith, and appropriated, and made your very
own.
It came to save people who were perishing
in the wilderness.
It came to sustain.
It came to strengthen.
Oh, you can go on.
It's a picture of Christ.
But you know Christ left his own and
went away.
He said, a little while ye shall not
see me.
And in a sense, he said unto us,
and you know if we're going to have
all the worldly things taken away from us,
we need to feast on something.
I'll wear your feet on the hidden Christ.
That's what you feast on, without revealing the
hidden manner.
We're in the wilderness.
We're enjoying ourselves.
Take the world, but take me, Jesus.
All its joys are but a name.
But this is the thing, appreciating the danger
in the wilderness.
I will give unto you the hidden manner.
But you know, he said something more here.
He said, wonderful this book.
My Lord was a great preacher, and certainly
these were great letters.
If it doesn't mean to hear, let them
hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.
For him that overcometh would like us to
eat of the hidden manner, and will give
him a white stone, and in the stone
a new name written, which no man knoweth
save as he that receiveth it.
You know, I think this is showing truth.
Because when people were being selected and elected
for different jobs and offices and places in
the old economy, sometimes the lot was cast.
And if you were one of the judges
in the gates, you had black and white
stones.
And when the urn was put round, or
we might call it the hat just now,
you know the man that put a white
stone in for you was on your side.
He loved you.
I'm not sure of this, but there are
folks around me who are sure of it.
This is done in the Masonic yet.
Some of you know it now, of course.
Yes, I'll not tell on you, don't worry.
Yes, they do.
They do it with black and white beans
in the Masonic.
And if somebody black beans you, you're out.
It takes everybody to put a white one
in to get you in.
But a fellow that drops a black one
in, you're finished.
Now, you see what the Lord is saying
here is, that if you repent and get
away from worldliness, and you appreciate me in
the wilderness, and I become your whole feasting,
then I'll tell you this, I appreciate you.
I'll vote for you.
I'll give you a white stone.
Oh, isn't that really thrilling?
You see, the one thing is the saints
appreciating Christ, and the other is Christ appreciating
the saint.
And there's another old Jewish custom attached to
this here, that sometimes at a wedding feast,
instead of sending out invitations the way we
do, they sent an invitation, but they sent
a white stone with a special affectionate name
on it.
Sometimes it was the word beloved.
Sometimes it was dearly beloved.
Sometimes it was my friend.
But you would know what name was on
it.
And when you received the stone with the
name on it, you knew you were welcome
at the marriage feast.
And you know you knew that the one
that sent it to you really loved you.
And so what he said to them is
this, you know you're in the wilderness.
There are worldly women in there.
There are priest-shaft men in there.
Repent!
Stop to appreciate me in the wilderness.
And I assure you that I'll not only
appreciate you here, but I'll appreciate you in
the hereafter at the marriage supper.
God bless you.
There'll be only two verses.
1045.
Two verses.
We'll sing the first two.
Sing.
No, we'll sing the first.
Yes, the first two.
1045.
Fed, fed, each earthly joy, Jesus is mine.
First two verses for this.
Not to
say that there would be books at all
the doors, and there's plenty of them.
Just want to say to any of the
preachers that are here, I see the major
from the Salvation Army and different other preachers
here, and all the old age pensioners.
You folks don't pay for them.
You just take them.
Take as many as you want, too.
So, Lord bless you.
Last verse.
Second verse.
Dear Lord, help us constantly to turn our
eyes upon thee, and look full in thy
wonderful face, and the things of earth will
grow strangely dim in the light of thy
glory and grace.
Help us to run this race down here.