Sharp Sword With Two Edges
Revelation 2:12-17
Rock Hill Baptist Church
605 Rock Hill Road Lexington, Tennessee 38351
Brother David Buffaloe 731-845-6104
online at bibleteacher.org
FOCAL Read Responsively Revelation 2:12-17
KJVAnd 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.
I was in the store just the other day, waiting in line as we often wait in line, and as I usually do I looked at the magazines in the racks at the checkout stand. One
magazine called People asked the question, "What in the world if Jenn going to do?" I don't know who Jenn is, nor why I should care about her love life, but someone obviously cares or it wouldn't be in a magazine. Another magazine called All About You advertised that everything in it would be about me and how to make us more
KJV all texts used are King James Version, unless otherwise noted
adorable. It's all about you.
It is natural for the world to make everything all about you, but very unnatural for a Church to do this. The natural state of the Church is to make everything about God. We are to focus on God, to love God, to preach Jesus Christ as the Only Way to God, to come together to worship God, to walk with God, to talk with God, to teach those who are redeemed be be like God as revealed in Jesus. The world is lost, and the lostness of the world is revealed in how it makes everything selfishly point to itself. It is eerily natural for the world to publish a
magazine called "It's All About You" or "People", but terribly unnatural for a Church or a professing Christian to say "It's All About Me".
It's not all about me.
I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
It's all about God, all about Jesus Christ, all about that Gospel that saved me from certain death. Pergamos forgot that truth. Let's see what Jesus says to the spirit of Pergamos:
1. The Word of Christ Has Two Edges FOCAL Revelation 2:12 And to the angel of the
church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two
edges ;
Jesus takes an interesting title to Himself as He addresses Pergamos. He calls Himself He which hath the sharp, two edged sword. Let's notice the sword first. There were five types of swords available in ancient times. One sword was invented by strong men, mountaineers, and it was a huge weapon - like the claymore. This sword was about eight feet long, and would cut a man in half if you hit him with it. The problem was, if you missed then the weight of the sword threw you off balance. Another sword was used merely for thrusting - like the rapier of bayonet. It had no edge on the blade, just a point for jabbing. Though this sword could do damage, you had to hit your opponent with pin point accuracy (no pun
intended). If you failed to hit a vital area, your opponent continued to fight. There were show or dress swords, of no practical value unless given to the victor in an
unconditional surrender. The most effective swords were the short swords, particularly the two edged swords or the Machaira. This type of sword was short, well balanced, and cut in either direction it was used.
The Roman Empire popularized the short sword when it became standard issue for its ground troops. With that small sword Rome defeated the world. The two edged sword was a formidable weapon.
Now that you know about the two edged sword, look at Who wields it. It is Jesus Who holds this two edged sword. Is He holding it in His hand? Absolutely not!
When Jesus was first described in Revelation we read:
Revelation 1:16 [Jesus] had in his right hand seven
stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword and his countenance was as the
sun shineth in his strength.
The two edged sword comes out of His mouth. The sword that Jesus has is the revealed Word of God. The Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, the spoken truths of God through Christ is the very foundation of the Church. It is the Word of God - the teachings we have, the revelation Christ has given us, that makes us a Church.
When man was created in the Garden of Eden we read:
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul .
Man is created out of dust, out of clay, out of dirt. It was only when God breathed into man the breath of life that we became a living soul. God took molecules of clay, formed it, and breathed into it life. Man became animate.
Man became a Being, a HUMAN Being. In the same way Jesus Christ builds a Church. He takes the animated and living man, not just those physically born but those who are born again. God takes these creatures whom we call Christians, beings who are:
1 Peter 1:23 .... born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever .
The Christian is a Being who has recognized himself to be lost an undone and, repenting of his former way of life he turns and accepts Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Having accepted Jesus as Savior the Spirit of God takes Him, breaths spiritual life into him, and then joins him into a local Church Body. The Church belongs to Jesus.
It lives because Jesus through the Word of God has given it life. The foundation of the Christian life is Jesus Christ. The basis of salvation is faith alone in Christ alone. The foundation of the Church is worship of God in Christ and through Christ. As the Scripture says:
1 Corinthians 3:11
NIVFor no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ .
Oh my Beloved, what a terrible thing it is when the
Christian and the Church forget its foundation! Pergamos had forgotten it's foundation.
Please notice that the two edged sword has two edges.
In other words, unlike a regular knife it has no dull edge.
It's backbone, that which gives it rigidity, is down the center of the blade. The Church founded by Christ has no dull edge, for the Christians in it are placed there by the Word of Christ. You will never find a Christian who is truly a Christian who does not live his faith. A two edged sword saved you.
2. The First Edge Is Doctrinal Truth
NIV New International Version
FOCAL Revelation 2:12-13
KJV.... 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.
Jesus said to Pergamos, "thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith". The local Church
continued to preach the Gospel of Christ. They preached the Name of Christ. Jesus said, "thou holdest fast My Name". They not only preached the Name of Christ, but they preached it the way that Jesus preached it. Jesus said "thou ... hast not denied My faith". Many
Churches today foolish depart from the first edge of the Sword, the Name of Christ and the Faith of Christ. What was the very first teaching that Jesus ever gave us on the Gospel? Wasn't it:
John 3:3 ... Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God .
The Faith of Christ is that all people who will enter God's Kingdom must be born again. If you are not Born Again by faith in Christ, you will surely never see God's Kingdom. This is the Faith of Christ, the Truth that Jesus preached. Many local Churches today are worse than Pergamos, for they turn away from this Biblical truth.
They teach "God loves you" without teaching "you must
KJV all texts used are King James Version, unless otherwise noted
be born again by faith in Jesus". Oh my Beloved, never let it be said of us that we dull this edge of the Sword of the Spirit. You are dead in trespasses and sins. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
(Romans 3:23). We are lost and undone without Jesus.
All are born physically alive, but spiritually dead. Man is born into this life separated from God, and destined - if He does not call on the
Name of Jesus - to spend an eternity separated from God. What does the Faith of Christ teach? It teaches that faith alone in Christ alone saves.
After Jesus convinced Nicodemus that he had to be born again to enter God's Kingdom, our Lord went on to say:
John 3:14-15 ... the Son of man be lifted up [on the Cross]: {15} That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life . It frightens me to see so many Churches that preach the love of God apart from the faith of Christ. God does love the world, for Jesus said God so loved the world.
But My Beloved, God's love to the world was manifested
when He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal
life (John 3:16). Too many today believe that God's love
will automatically draw all men into Heaven. Not so, not
so! This is a lie from the pit of hell, a lie from the mouth of Satan! God's love will not automatically draw all men into Heaven. You must believe on Him, you must accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. The Scripture says:
Romans 5:8-9
HCSBBut God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us! {9} Much more then, since we have now been
declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through [Jesus] from wrath .
As the Apostle Peter preached in Acts 2:21 "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved". If you are saved, then you - at one point in your life - recognized your lost state and turned your life over to Jesus. You believed on Him. Jesus came into your heart and saved you. A dear friend of mine made the statement just the other day that he knows he is saved because he can go back in his mind to that time when he called on Jesus Christ for salvation and Jesus entered his heart. If Jesus entered your heart you know it. Your life changed, for you became born again of the Spirit of God. God now lives in you and you know it!
I pray that you can say this in your own life, that Christ lives in you and you know it.
3. The Second Edge Is Applying The Truth
FOCAL Revelation 2:14-16 ... But I have a few things
HCSB Holman Christian Standard version of the Bible
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.
The Church of Pergamos still had one edge of the Sword of God sharp, but the other edge was dulled. The edge of faith in the Name of Christ, faith in the Blood of Calvary was sharp, but the edge of living that faith was dulled.
If you are a Christian, you are saved to serve. There is no salvation without sanctification, no rescue from the flame of hell without a changed life. The sword has two edges. If you are saved, you live like you are saved. If you are saved, God is in you, and God lives through you.
The Apostle John wrote:
1 John 2:3-4 ... hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
{4} He that saith, I know him, and
keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him .
Here is the great truth that Pergamos neglected. If you
are saved, you are saved by faith alone in the finished
work of Christ alone. You believe that Jesus died for
your sins and rose again, and that He now makes
intercession for you at the right hand of God the Father.
But if you believe these things, then you follow Christ Who is within you. You do not follow Christ in order to earn your salvation, but you follow Christ because you are saved. The sword of the Spirit has twin edges, and one edge follows the other into battle! The preacher C.H. Spurgeon said:
" ... The Lord has decreed everything and He has as much decreed the holy lives of His people as He has decreed their
ultimate glorification with Him in
Heaven! Concerning good works, “He has before ordained that we should walk in them.” If God has really and of a truth met with you in a way of Grace and
worked upon you by His Spirit, and new- created you, then take it for certain that you are ordained to be a prayerful, godly, upright, sanctified man . The purpose is one and indivisible—there is no ordination to salvation apart from sanctification! The Lord has not ordained any man to eternal life with the proviso that he may continue in sin. No, but He has ordained him that he shall become a new creature in Christ Jesus and then shall forsake his evil ways and walk in good works until that walk shall end in perfection before the Eternal Throne of God!"
11 THE SINGULAR ORIGIN OF A CHRISTIAN, NO. 1829, A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, MARCH 22, 1885,
Just as Jesus had a few things against Pergamos, the Lord stands in judgment of the professing Christian who lives in the flesh and not in the Spirit. Pergamos began to teach that it was fine to do a little evil with a little good.
I have heard professing Christians say, "What harm is a little evil, if a great good come from it?" God's answer to this is to remember to shun the doctrine of Balaam, and to remember that God hates the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. If you are saved, you are saved out of the world. Walk in Jesus. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh!
I fear the professing Christian man who says that he is a recipient of the Grace of God, and yet is not gracious in his life. It terrorizes me to see one called a Baptist, or a Methodist, or a Presbyterian, or even a Christian who yet wallows in the pig sty of this devil's world. There were some at Pergamos who believed it was fine to mix a little evil with their religion. Jesus warned Pergamos that He was watching them. If you belong to Jesus, you should act like you belong to Jesus!
You might say to me, "Are you trying to tell me that a Christian does no sin?" to which I quickly reply,
"Absolutely not! Christians can and do sin." Look to the saints of old. Look at King David, a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). David backslid from God, and numbered the children of Israel so as to brag on his military prowess. David committed adultery with
Bathsheba, and murdered her husband when he was in danger of being found out. Look at Peter who, saying
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON FEBRUARY 7, 1884.
that he would never deny Jesus, denied Him three times (Matthew 26:34). Peter later committed the terrible sin of hypocrisy, and was rebuked by Paul for it (Galatians 2:11). Christians can and do sin. But when confronted with sin, they repent of it and return unto Christ their foundation. Christians cling to Jesus, worshiping God, and love one another.
The sword has two edges.
If saved, you are called to serve Him who saved you. If called sons of God, you are to keep His Word.
Christianity is neither purely doctrinal nor purely experiential - saved by the Truth of His Word you now Live in His Word.
Just before Jesus was taken to the Cross He prayed to the Father these words:
John 17:6-8 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word . {7} Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. {8} For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them] , and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
If you belong to Jesus, you have been taken out of this world. Your desire should be to serve Him, to love Him,
to trust Him, to tell others about Him.
Illustrate On the first night in their new room, two little sisters were afraid to go to sleep. After their mother tucked them into bed together she reassured them that God was with them. "God will be with you, so you need not fear". After the mother left she overheard the older of two young children say to her sister, "Quick, move over! Let God sleep in the middle."
2If you have been saved, then you were saved by the Blood of Christ shed on Calvary. God now lives inside of you. You need not fear death. Let God be in the middle. Let Christ be the center of your lives. The proof of our salvation is that we overcome all things through Christ. The proof of our salvation is that Jesus lives in us, leading us to serve God. Jesus promised:
FOCAL Revelation 2:17 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.
Those who belong to Jesus will one day have a hidden food. Just as God gave manna to Israel alone while they wandered in the desert, Jesus will one day feed all who believe from the Throne of God. We shall never hunger nor thirst, because:
2 paraphrased from Today's Christian, January 2006, page 6
