Don’t Get To Heaven,Empty Handed.

The book of Revelation, Has 404 verses.
Don’t Get To Heaven,Empty Handed.
That’s a very sobering message.

Let’s picture Samson.
The Old Testament judge pushing down the pillars of the temple of the
Philistines and going down into death with thousands of Philistines, with
the enemies of God. The real message is not an Old Testament Bible
story. It’s the fact that today we’re going to look at these three
churches. We’ve lumped them together because all three of these
churches have the same warning. It’s the warning from 1 Corinthians
3:15.“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
 himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  It said that some people
 there in that scripture will get to Heaven “yet so, as by fire.” They
 will suffer loss.

In fact, Job 19 in verse 20 “My bone cleaveth to my skin and to my flesh,
 and I am escaped with the skin of my teeth.” 

Job says they get to Heaven by the skin of their
teeth. Now my teeth don’t have skin and that is an expression from old
time, saying you just barely make it. Paul said you make it, so as by
fire. It’s like you made it through the fire, but that’s all.
You just made it. You are getting to Heaven empty handed to the
greatest reception of all times.

To the greatest time to give a gift to the One that did more for you
than anyone else and more for me, Jesus Christ.
We have been invited to a banquet where we present a gift to Him.
There is going to actually be people who get there, to that banquet,
empty handed.

Another way to look at it, to give a book of Revelation framework to it,
is Why Some Believers Suffer Loss At The Bema Throne. I’m going to
read one verse and then pray. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, the one I
already quoted to you and verse 15. We are going to pray that the Lord will
use His word to speak to our hearts in a way that for some of us, we’ve
never heard this message in this way before.

This is what God say, Paul’s epistle to the Corinthians chapter 3, I’ll
start actually in verse 13, “each one’s works will become clear; for the
Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will
test each one’s work of what sort it is. If anyone’s work, which he has
built on it endures, he will receive a reward.”

So, he won’t be empty handed.
Now look at verse 15. “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Suffer loss, still be saved. So as through fire. 

How to get to Heaven,empty handed. 
I WANT US to get serious about why they’re even here, what you
left us to do, and how there is a reckoning for how we invest our 24
hours a day, 168 hours a week. That river of time flowing past us at 60
minutes an hour, you’ve asked us to redeem it. And Lord, I pray that
many of your children, believers that are reading this will start thinking 
about what they’re doing with their time. How
they’re actually wasting great amounts of their life from your
perspective and your perspective is all that matters. I pray that would
come through to our hearts in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

What we’re looking at the Bible, you can see is, living for God in a
very dangerous world. Remember, these churches that this letter is
written to we’re living in the second generation of the first church that
was born when Christ was on Earth. This second generation church had
this book. They had the whole Bible, except for this last book.
Revelation. That’s what’s coming to them and God says you’re living in
a very dangerous world. I want you to survive that very dangerous
world. I want you to know me.

Let’s begin with Pergamos and that’s in chapter 2, verse 12. We’re actually
going to walk through the text and I’m going to point out the structure. I’ve
already told you about. The lesson that we’re going to see is this, the third
church in Revelation, 2, starting in verse 12.

The church at Pergamos, remember that’s a literal location that you could visit
in Turkey today. The lesson is beware of secret sins.

Pergamos is all about When Believers Compromise
Christ’s Call To Personal Holiness. That’s what we’re getting into here. The Lord,
everyone that He saves, He sanctifies. The evidence of salvation is that all who God 
justifies, and that’s the way God describes salvation. Justification is the doctrine 
where my sins go on Christ and his righteousness comes on me. All who are justified, 
Paul says in Romans chapter 8 are also sanctified.

If we took a coin out of our pocket and if you looked at one side and saw in the
American quarter, George Washington, you’d have to flip it over. If it doesn’t have 
the Eagle on the back, you know, that it’s not a real quarter. That it’s just a fake
one. One that’s used maybe for playing over and over a game that would slide through,
but it’s not two sided. It’s a counterfeit.

The Lord says all who are justified are sanctified. The problem with Pergamos, they 
compromised that element. They were not living sanctified lives.

Revealation 2:12-13
And 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.

Let’s read starting in verse 12 “and to the angel”. The angel, angelos is messenger.
 A messenger from God was an angel as we think of it.
 But it doesn’t mean that you have to have an angel every time we have a messenger. There
 were Earthly messengers and that’s what the pastor of this church was. The pastor, the
 messenger, the one who spoke for God “to the church of Pergamos write.” Verse 12 continues.
 “These things says He who has the sharp sword with two edges”. Now, again, back to chapter 1,
 that’s a reference to Jesus Christ as He was portrayed in chapter 2, verse 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.”

I’ve already told you that in the city of Pergamos, Satan seems to have set up his headquarters.
 So, He says, I know that you’re living near Satan’s headquarters. Now Satan’s headquarters are 
 like living near a paper mill. Have you ever lived by a paper mill, in Georgetown,SC and the South
 you can smell miles away. Have you ever lived near a sewer plant? Have you ever lived near 
 anything that emits something that is nauseous or dangerous? Can you imagine what was coming 
 out of Satan’s headquarters?

The Lord’s commanding them. He says you’ve been living where Satan seat is, and you’ve held fast.

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.

15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, 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.

Now look at verse 14.

“But I have a few things against you”. Yes, you survived living near Satan’s headquarters, but what’s
 happened is your compromised immunity system. You have been around that horrible, powerful, dark, 
 radiation of Satan, and it’s effected your personal sanctification. What was that? “I have a few things
 against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a
 stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, to commit fornication.”

Now, this is going back to the Old Testament story of the children of Israel that were tempted by Balak,
 getting all of the worship of the Midianites into and destroying the people of Israel.

He doesn’t stop there. So, they had that problem but look at verse 15, “thus you also have those who hold 
the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which things I hate.” Now, this is another, old struggle in the church. 
Nicolaitans is, Nike the Greek word, Laos. The victory of the people. Nike is a famous, a sports brand, a 
shoe brand, an athletic apparel maker. But Nike, the Greek word is victory and when it’s connected with
 people’s. Victories of the people. So there were, in this church, there were people that were dominating
 the church. Nicolaitans were a cult that had come into the church and was dominating the church. And the
 Lord says, see, in verse 15, “I hate” that. But look at verse 16, “repent, or else I will come to you quickly
 and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” That’s very interesting. “Come to you”. “Fight against 
 them”.

 What’s going on here? The people that were receptive to the letter that was being written by Jesus to this church, 
 were those who were receptive.

    They’re actually listening.
    They have ears.
    They’re sanctified.

Then there are those who have compromised.

    So within the church, the ones who weren’t being sanctified,
    who were compromised,
    the Lord says I’m going to fight against them.

Those of you who are receptive, hear what I have to say.

See within every church, we have those:

    who love the Lord, but they’re distracted.
    Those who love the Lord, but they’re suffering
    Then we have those that are comfortable with sin, infected with sin, 
    actually acting like they’re lost people.
    Then we have those that are completely doing what the Lord says. Those 
    are the ones who have ears to hear. Those are the ones who are justified
    and sanctified.
    Then we have these compromised believers. Who are going to get to Heaven
    and they’re going to suffer loss.

To all Jesus said, repent or I’ll come to you quickly and fight against you 
with the sword of my mouth.

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.

Now, look at verse 17, “he who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Remember the receptive have ears. And what He’s doing is, He’s talking to the whole church, but some
 won’t listen and that’s the danger. But to those who overcome. To those who are justified and sanctified.
 Those who have ears to hear and are receptive to the word of God. Those who repent, look what He offers.

“To him that overcomes, I will give some of the hidden mana to eat. I will give him a white stone, and on 
the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

The closest thing in our current culture to this white stone with a new name written would be, when you get
 your ATM card, you get a pin. The ATM card doesn’t work unless you have the pin, the secret code. What the
 Lord says is, I’m giving you a treasure that you have personal access to. Just like that ATM card works in
 any ATM machine as long as you have the pin.

Jesus said, what I give to you works anywhere as long as

    you follow my word,
    my commandment,
    as long as you live my way,
    as long as you are my children.

Pergamos had a problem. They dwelt as verse 13 says where Satan dwelt, they had this horrible problem of
 living in the presence of sin.

Now, let me show you what the Lord says that we’re always to do. When we live in the presence of sin, all 
of us live in the presence of sin somewhere, the Lord’s goal for us is He wants to sanctify us. Now this, 
there are two passages that deal with how the Lord wants to sanctify us. The first one we’ll look at is in
 Ephesians 4. Look at the book of Ephesians 4, starting in verse 22. This is one of the more famous
 descriptors that Paul taught about how the early church was too live around sin.

It says in verse 22, and “that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
 according to the deceitful lust,” verse 23, “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” Verse 24, “put on the
 new man which was created” in righteousness. Put off. Be renewed. Put on.

    So put off, there are things every day in our lives, we need to put off.
    Then we get into the word and get renewed. We ask God to renew our minds like Romans 12:1 & 2 “by the 
    renewing of your mind, you may prove what is that good”?
    And then we put on.

So basically the Christian life is putting off something,0 being renewed on the operating system, and putting 
on something. So much like getting ready in the morning. You get up, you take off your dirty clothes, you jump
 in the shower, you put on your clean clothes. Now that’s simple. What happens to someone that doesn’t put off
 their dirty clothes and doesn’t take a shower and doesn’t put on their new clothes.

If you sit by them in class, you start noticing and you start going, something is wrong. What is that? You see,
 when we don’t follow the basic sanctification steps, the odor of our life begins to betray the fact that we’re
 living, not like a new creation in Christ. Sooner or later, our mind starts thinking that the Bible is too hard
 to read. I don’t get anything out of it. Pretty soon we start feeling like an unsaved person.

Do you sometimes feel if you’re really saved, you can’t lose your salvation. What you’re tellin yourself don’t feel saved
now and that’s what all Christians think sometime in there lives I believe..

Do you know what it was? There were always, a hundred percent of time, there were things that gradually came back 
from our old life. Thast we wouldn’t put off our mind, we get confused. We aren’t renewed, we are putting on 
othe helmet of salvation. So we don’t even feel like good Christians.

That’s what was going on in the church, in Pergamos. What did Paul say in Titus 2:11, 12, and 13, He said this. For
 the grace of God, that brings salvation. The justifying work of Christ opens for me, the sanctifying life of Christ,

    the grace of God that brings salvation teaches us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
    we should live soberly,
    righteously,
    godly.

Soberly righteously, godly in this present world. Putting off, being renewed, putting on.

How? The grace of God. The same grace that brought us salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness. Justification is 
salvation brought to us. Sanctification is denying ungodliness. What happens to people who are saved that don’t do
 that. They get to Heaven empty handed. Very sobering message.

 by Tom Coffee