- Preacher: Steve Constable
- Sermon Series: Seven Letters for Seven Churches
- Sermon Title: Pergamum
- Scripture: Revelation 2:12-17
SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
READ Revelation 2:12-17
PERGAMUM
1. Jesus finds several things to commend in this church (v. 13). What are they, and why does Jesus admire these things?
2. Antipas was probably a past leader in the church who had been killed right before their eyes. Do you think you would stand true to Christ if you saw someone die for their faith? Explain.
3. Jesus also finds things in the church he is concerned about. The Pergamum Christians were tolerating some in the church who were leading people away from biblical truth and into false teaching. Hopefully, some person or group in your church is responsible for guarding the purity and accuracy of the church’s teaching. How do they do this? What part do you play in guarding the truth?
4. The teaching of Balaam led the Old Testament people of Israel into immorality and idolatry (v. 14)—sins for which God judged his people severely. In essence, Balaam taught that as long as you believe in God and go through religious motions, you can live however you want. How would you respond to someone who tried to convince you that teaching was correct?
5. The teaching of the Nicolaitans (v. 15) was probably the New Testament version of the Old Testament teaching of Balaam. They called themselves Christians but lived like the unsaved world around them and said it didn’t matter to God. How does the Lord of the church respond to that twisted teaching (v. 16)? What does repentance involve for a church that tolerates false teachers and false teaching?
6. What consequences will come if the church does not repent, and how might those consequences be revealed in a modern church?
7. Jesus promises two things to the faithful believer: hidden manna (daily spiritual nourishment) and a white stone with a new name written on it (an entrance pass into the temple of the living God). How have you experienced those blessings in your own life recently? What can you learn from this letter that might be hindering you from receiving or enjoying those blessings?
8. What would you say to a friend who believes in Jesus but is flirting with the world or tolerating things in their life that shouldn’t be there? What do you find in your own life reflected in the church at Pergamum?
Questions taken from Douglas Connelly’s Seven Letters to Seven Churches (LifeGuide Bible Studies) (pp. 22-25). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.