Spiritual Health Check

Father, as we read your word and as we hear it preached now, we pray we would see the glory of Jesus and be satisfied in it forever.

In Jesus' name we ask, amen. Please have a seat. And if you have a Bible, take it and turn to Revelation chapter 2 verse 12. We're gonna be reading The letter to the church in Pergamon, Revelation chapter 2 verses 12 to 17. To the angel of the church in Pergamon, right, These are the words of him who has the sharp, double edged sword.

I know where you live, where Satan has his throne, yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death in your city, where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you. There are some among you who hold to the teachings of balaam who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teachings of the nicolations.

Repent therefore. Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the spirit says to the churches. To the 1 who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manner. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it known only to the 1 who received it.

Thank you for, reading that to us Dean. Good morning, everybody. It's nice to have you here. We are working our way through this series. To the, the, the letters to the churches in Revelation.

This is the fourth week. After an introduction, we looked at, Ephasis and Smyrna last week, and now we're looking at, these words to the church in pergamum. So lovely to have you here, and let's pray that the lord would speak to us as we open his word together. Father, we do ask you please that the lord Jesus would speak to every single 1 of us here this morning. Father, we need to hear you speaking.

We need to see the lord Jesus. We pray that your words would show us the areas where we need to repent. We pray that your word would show us the reasons that we have to be heartened and in encouraged as we seek to follow the lord Jesus. Father, we know that what matters most of all is not how we would describe ourselves, but how you would describe us. And what you say about us and who we are and what we need to do.

And so please, Holy Spirit come now through your word and describe us. Show us everything we need to hear. We thank you father that we are not the only church gathering this morning, that there are churches in this borough. We're in Kingston, but there's a church in Hook, there's a church in Chestington, there's a church in Tollworth, there's a church in Servton, There are churches up and down this land, and we pray that wherever your word is being truly opened and preached this morning, you would bless those congregations, challenge them through your word, encourage them through your word, build them up. We pray bless the churches of this land for the good of our nation we pray and bless us this morning in Jesus' name.

Our men. Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, earth sure looks like a perfect world. Now, that's a quote that was said by a man back in September. His name is Jared Isaacman.

I don't know if you saw this story. This was the first non professional astronaut to go on a space walk. And as he left his spacecraft and he gazed down at the earth beneath him, that's what he said. Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, earth sure looks like a perfect world. Now he is not the first 1 to say something like that or to express those feelings gazing down on planet earth from above, but that double take, he puts his finger on there resonates with so many so many people, doesn't it?

It is true that to look at planet Earth from that height, it's a magnificent place, isn't it? The beauty of it and the colors and the way that it's been sustained for these years and the life that is down there in its place in the universe is magnificent. And yeah, if you were to zoom down into any part of that globe, you would find not just work to do, but great evil. Misiles being exchanged, and soldiers losing their lives. 12 year old girls who are being driven to take their lives for fear that they are going to be humiliated and shamed by awful pictures that they've been conned out of.

From up here, wow. It's magnificent. It's a perfect looking place, but down there, beneath the clouds, there is so much work to do. And I think if we had the opportunity to fly over Pergamum in the first century, we would feel much the same thing. From 1 angle, from up high, it was a magnificent place.

It was the perfect city, really. It had a population of between a hundred and 50 to 200000 people. Intellectually, It was a gem in the ancient world. Apparently, it had a library and in that library were 200000 volumes. In fact, so great was its contribution to the intellectual world that the word parchment is actually derived from Pergam, parchment and Pergam go together.

So intellectual, was it? Architecturally, particularly in terms of religious architecture, it was an incredibly impressive place. I mean, if we had been driving into Bergam, what we would have seen set in the valleys above the city, 800 feet above the city would be a platform, and on that platform would be a statue of Zeus that was 40 feet high. So if you imagine the statue of Christ, the redeemer that stands over the top of Rio de Janiro, it would have been something of that sort, approaching per a great platform and on it, Zeus. Everybody living in the shadow of Zeus.

The Zeus towering over this place of Bergamam, and he was only 1 of the gods that was worshiped there. It was a very religious idolatrous place. Politically, it was a magnificent place to be. In fact, they say that, Pergamum was the acknowledged center in Asia for Caesar worship. So this was a place.

Perhaps more than any of the other cities that we're looking at in this series, this was a Caesar is lord. Kind of place. And so it was magnificent. To go above it, you would have looked down and thought it it looks it looks perfect from up here. But is there another take on it?

There is another take on it. Verse 13, I know where you live where Satan has his throne. Now I don't necessarily think we are to imagine a a a physical throne which Satan had in that particular city. I think the point is that for all of the splendor of this place, This was a center of Jesus opposition. This city, Bergam, was a was a coalition of chaos to use that phrase.

It was a coming together of ideas and religions and thoughts that stood in opposition to the lord Jesus Christ. And that is true of so many cities, isn't it today? It's not that people in the countryside are less sinful or less in need of Christ than people in the city, but there is something about cities, isn't there? The way it moves so quickly, the amount of ideas being exchanged, the amount of people, the competing ideas, the speed at which things happen. It's a place where rebellion often is.

It's a place of chaos and Pokemon was like that. Satan has his throne here because this is a place where Christ opposing forces come together. And it's also a place we're told with blood on its hands. Verse, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city, where Satan lives. Amazing to think, isn't it that when Jared Isaac was taking that space walk and looking down upon planet Earth and saying, from up here, it looks like a perfect place.

They were probably at that moment, Christian, brothers, and sisters being martyred for the faith on the very earth that was being declared to be perfect from so high. Such it was in Pergamam. You look down. It's a perfect world. But it's a world with blood on its hands because this faithful witness was put to death there.

And so do you see a flavor of the place? From up high, it was magnificent. And from up high, it it would have looked so tolerant, really. But if you were to declare on the ground, that Jesus Christ is the son of god, and not Caesar. You would find out just how tolerant that place really was.

And so that's program magnificent, but with the eyes of Christ, there is a lot of work to do. And so the question for this morning is what is Jesus' message to a church that lives in such a place. What would Jesus have his people know living in this magnificent and yet satanic place? What is his word for them? Well, that is why we're looking at pergamum this morning to find out.

And so firstly, as with all of these letters or many of these letters, there is something that they can be encouraged by. Here's the first heading. Be encouraged. You remain true. Be encouraged.

You remain true. Those are the words of verse 13. I know where you live where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true. To my name.

You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death in your city where Satan lives. Now we don't know an awful lot about this man antipas. We don't know whether he was the pastor of the church, could have been. We don't know whether he was 1 of the elders. We don't know whether he was just a member of this particular church and we don't really know whether his martyrdom was part of an ongoing campaign against this particular church or whether this was more of a 1 off isolated incident, but there is something very significant in these words that we learn about him and it's this.

In being called a faithful witness, he takes the same title as the lord Jesus Christ. In Revelation 1, and it will hopefully appear on the screen behind me, This is how the letter to these churches begins. Grace and peace to you from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the 7 spirits before his throne. And from Jesus Christ, who is, The faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. And so do you see Antiper shares the same glorious title as the lord Jesus Christ?

He was a faithful witness who was even willing to lose his life for the sake of Christ and for the gospel that had been entrusted to the church just as his master, the lord Jesus Christ, had himself been a victim in the city. Had suffered under the Coalition of Chaos and had been a faithful witness even to death to secure the gospel for all of his people, Antiperson Jesus, share the title, faithful, witness, even to the end. And the lord Jesus looks at this this church, and he says, my children, even in those days, you did not deny my name. What a remarkable thing that is. You see, normally in life, we are trying to get rid of the things which threaten us.

We're trying to get rid of the things which might do us harm and which cause suffering. In all kinds of areas in life, we're trying to take the smoothest path that is less threatening to us. But here is a church in Pergamom who would not get rid of, would not deny the very same message of Christ. That sent their brother antipast to heaven. They wouldn't let go of it.

They held on to the name and the message despite 1 of their own losing his life. And so you see how Christ encourages them. He comes to the people, and he says, well done. Well done. Be encouraged.

You remain true and you hold for well done, even in those days. And now the question is, where did they find such miraculous strength? Well, surely it's gotta be from the opening truth, isn't it? Verse 12? To the angel of the church in Bergam, right?

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double edged sword. So here they are in this city. And the air is thick with idolatry and danger, and yet cutting through the thickness of their idolatrous atmosphere is the cutting double edged word of the lord Jesus Christ that cuts through the lies that they're exposed to. Caesar might have his scepter, and he might be able to bring a type of judgment upon them, but the lord Jesus Christ has the sword of his mouth. The word of god, which speaks with more authority and more power than any Caesar.

And so they drew strength from him. The speaking 1, the sovereign 1 whose word was true. But also surely they gained strength from that little phrase in verse 14. I know where you live. Back in verse 2, Jesus said I know your deeds.

In verse 9, he said, I know your afflictions. And here he says, I know where you live. I know. I know where you live. I know where you are.

I know that my Christian church is set within a non Christian world. I know the pressures that you're under. And I know the idolatry of your city. I know I know it. I know where you are.

And something about that knowing has had a strengthening effect upon the church. It's true, isn't it? When we know that he knows it has a holding power, doesn't it? He knows what it's like in that office where you work, and all the pressure that there is to deny the name of Christ. And he knows what it's like in that playground.

Where Jesus is just made fun of or ignored altogether. I know what it's like in that relationship where you are feeling pressured to deny my name. Just and just know that I know. I know what it's like and let it have a holding power on you that I know. There's a very similar connection that I'd love us to see in Hebrews chapter 4, and these words will come up on the screen as well.

And just note the connection here, please. Between holding firmly and having a knowing savior. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus, the son of god, let us hold firmly to the faith that we profess, and why, and how can we do that? For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness, but we have 1 who has been tempted in every way, just as we are, and yet he did not sin, and so let us then approach god's throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our own time of need. Do you see the connection there?

How will they hold fast to the hope they profess? Because Jesus is a knowing sympathizing priest. And he knows where they are. And he's walked those cities too, and he understands what it's like he can sympathize with us. And so hold fast because you don't have a savior who is unfamiliar with the pressures and the troubles that you face.

You see how that works? Know that I know, and so hold fast be encouraged. And, you know, if the lord Jesus Christ were talking to us specifically this morning, which in many ways, he what he is through this word, I think he would identify so many people in this position. People who may be in an environment or a relationship where the whole atmosphere is to deny his name or just to stay quiet about the whole thing, but you haven't done so. You haven't done so.

So many of you will be in situations like that. And yet you haven't denied the name of Christ, and you have held fast to this teaching. And the lord Jesus comes to you this morning, and he says, well done. Be encouraged. You may not have had an opportunity to convert the whole office, and that's okay.

But, you know, you haven't let go of my name. And you still love me, and I wanna say, well done. Be encouraged. That you have held fast to my teaching. And so Jesus says I know where you are, and I may not take you from there just yet.

I may leave you there a while, but I want you to know that I know, and so well done and keep going. Be encouraged. Secondly, be alarmed. You tolerate error. Be encouraged.

You remain true. That was the first thing. But be alarmed. You tolerate error. Verse 14, nevertheless.

I have a few things against you. There are some among you who hold to the teaching of balaam, who talk balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols. And committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the nicolaitans. 1 truth that Revelation rubs in our faces time and time again, is that Satan is a defeated enemy.

Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, and through his cross and resurrection, Satan has been disarmed. He has been defeated, and he is awaiting his certain destruction. But between now, the time of his defeat, and then the time of his destruction, He may be a fool in the sense that he hasn't submitted to Christ, but he is a strategic and resourceful fool, and he has many ways of trying to attack that which he hates the most. Which is Christ and the people of God. And you see his different strategies in these letters, don't we?

Have a look again at verse 10. Here's 1 of his strategies we saw last week. Do not be afraid of what you're about to suffer. I tell you the devil We'll put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for 10 days. Or as we've seen this morning, you did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antopus, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city, where Satan lives.

And so this is 1 of his strategies. He wants to physically threaten the church, and he wants to make the church suffer, and he wants to intimidate them, and he wants to imprison them and he hopes that by that violence, he might keep the whole thing under wraps. But here's the question, what if that doesn't work? What if he can't blow the doors off through persecution? Has he some other way of tunneling in underneath perhaps in order to do the work he wants to do, which is to harm the church, and it seems that he does through this false teaching.

And this is where that balaam story comes in. Now I really encourage you this afternoon just to take a bit of time to read the story of balaam. It's in numbers 22 to 24, and then there's a concluding bit in numbers 31. But the basic story is that god's people are about to enter into the promised land. They're in the wilderness, and Balak, the king of Moab, is very unhappy with them.

He doesn't like them. He wants bad things to happen to the people of god. And so his first plan, plan a is to kind of rent a profit. There's a profit for hire called Balam, who he wants to curse the people of God. The problem is every time Balam opens his mouth, what comes out is blessing from god and not cursing.

And so plan a is going all kinds of wrong, but there is a plan b. And, balaam says, and we're told this in number 31, balaam says to Balak the king, you know what might work? If we can't curse them, How about we try to get them to compromise? If violent words aren't gonna do the job, maybe we could try an alliance with the world. And that is what happens and very tragically it works.

The people of god end up marrying moabite women. They end up committing sexual immorality with those people. Then they begin to follow their gods and then the discipline of god comes upon them. And so do you see how it worked? Plan a failed, cursing, and violence?

How about Plan B compromise? And an alliance with the world. Will that get the job done? Well, sadly, it seemed that it did. And you come to the letter here to the church in Pergamam, and you see that the nicolaitans, although not much is known about them, really, they seem to be a kind of new testament counterpart to Baylor and Balak.

In other words, what they were to old testament Israel, the nicolaitans seemed to be to the new testament church. It's a similar kind of thing going on. These nicolaitans may not be a persecuting force In fact, they may well have taken the name of Jesus and talked positively about Jesus. But the fruit of their teaching is an alliance with the world, is compromise, is sexual sin, is an incorporation of the spirit of the age. And sadly, just as it worked for god's people in the wilderness, it seems to be working here.

Verse 14, nevertheless, I have a few things against you. There are some among you. There are some among you. I'm afraid. Who hold to the teaching of the nicolaitans.

It's sad, isn't it? Because you think about it that this church had so shown such courage in the public sphere, such courage. They hadn't denied the name, even in the face of martyrdom, but when it came to a doctrinal courage among their own people, they weren't able to show it. Courage in the face of bloodshed on the pavement, but no courage when it came to holding to the truth of the gospel among the people. And so although we don't know exactly how it happened, it seems to be the case that somewhere along the line, they had begun to say Well, we we are never going to deny the name of Jesus in public.

We're never gonna do that. We're never gonna compromise on his identity, but must we be so radical in every area? Is is is god's grace not so great that actually we could begin to just flex a bit on this sexual immorality stuff. Do we have to be quite so radical when it comes to that. And maybe there is something in what Zeus and Caesar are are saying.

You know, we we're not gonna deny the name of Christ. We're not gonna do that. But maybe there is something in what they're saying. Maybe we can accommodate, maybe we can bring together and marry these world views, which up until now we thought were not compatible. And so you see how it happened.

And sadly, it happens in every generation, doesn't it? You can imagine a person who is online perhaps or, in the office They're gonna stand for Christ. When they're asked what they did on Sunday, they're gonna say I went to church. And here's what I learned. And they may not sign up to anything or wear any bad or fly any flag or sign any petition, they're just not gonna be pressed into doing something like that in public, but in a more private online world, perhaps.

Well, there is space for a bit of compromise, isn't there? So strong in 1 area, but in another, this alliance begins to form with the world. And brothers and sisters, the point here is that Jesus Christ loves us too much to just gloss over and ignore that part of our life. And so he says verse 16, repent. Repent.

He says, well done, but he says repent. And yet you notice that the call to repentance doesn't just come to the individuals who might be involved in the false teaching. The call to repentance comes to the church who seem to have allowed it or at least not cared about it as much as they should have done. In my first year of, University. I lived in a in halls in shared accommodation.

And if you've ever lived in that environment or if you do so now, that means you often have a shared bathroom and a shared kitchen, and that's what we had a shared kitchen 1 between 6. And every week, we had a kitchen inspection. So I know that groans in the size, you can imagine what's coming next. And every week, somebody who lived in the halls and was responsible for the halls come and inspect the kitchen, and they would inspect different areas of the kitchen. So they would inspect fridge freezers.

They would inspect surfaces. They would inspect floors and bins. They would inspect sinks. And every week, each flat was assigned a particular area. So on 1 week, if you were in room 1 a, you had fridge freezer.

Next week, 1 a would have 6. The third week, 1 a would have been and so it went like that on a rotor. And so everybody was responsible for their own area in the kitchen. Now to start with when we first moved in, because we felt so loving towards 1 another, We actually had we took a shared responsibility for everything. So, yes, I would do fridge freezers on week 1, but if I saw the sink was a bit dirty, I would help out with that because I wouldn't want on inspection day 1 of my friends in halls to get fined, and so we had a sort of shared responsibility for the place.

But you know as the weeks went on and as the relationships began to not be perhaps as positive as they were at first, Then actually, what happened is people became very concerned only with their own area. And so you would go in towards the end of term and the sink would be stacked full of dirty plates dripping with last night's takeaway but as long as my fridge freezer was clean, who care? I'm not gonna get fined. Let them take the fine. As long as my area is clean.

Well, that's all I really care about. And is there a spiritual lessons on there somewhere for us there? I think there is. Of course, it is true that we need to be watchful over our own areas and over our own lives. And we need to make sure they're doctrinally clean, so to speak.

But do we not also have a shared responsibility for the doctrinal integrity of the church? Do we not also have a shared concern for what our brothers and sisters are believing it seems here that somewhere along the line, they'd forgotten that and become a little bit like me when I was in university halls. It seems to be that some in the church were getting into this teaching of the nicolaitans, but as long as my area is clean, it doesn't matter. I don't really care what they're getting into as long as my area is clean, but you see Jesus doesn't see it that way, does he? You see what he says?

He will deal with them, but I will come to you. I will deal with them, but I will come to you. And you know, it might be that if you're from another culture here, You just get this idea of shared responsibility a lot more than we do. You know, we are a rampantly individualistic culture, and it might be that you're here from an East Asian or an African culture and you just get this idea. It takes a village to raise a child.

It really does. There's shared responsibility. It matters what other people believe. It matters how they're doing. It's not just about me.

We get this idea that everybody matters. And I think we've got a lot to learn from that way of thinking, and certainly this church here had a lot to learn. And so here's the other side of the challenge. Has our shared faith stopped mattering to us? As long as my fridge freezer is clean, who cares about the sink?

Is that the attitude? Well, then verse 16, Jesus says you must repent of such indifference You must repent of such indifference. I met with somebody last week, and we went out for, for breakfast before work. And we were just chatting together and catching up and then about halfway through the meeting, he just said to me how how how's your how are you going with the lord? How are you doing?

What can I pray for? How's your how's your bible reading going? So thankful for that. Shared responsibility, genuine interest. I heard another story this week of a couple who were who were who were so concerned about a member of the church and what they were doing and some of the decisions they were making and the things they were starting to believe, and they walked right towards it because there's a shared responsibility.

How are you doing? How can I help you? How's it going with the lord? Is that the best thing for you to be doing? Surely.

That's what the lord Jesus wants to commend, isn't it? Shared responsibility was lacking here. And so Jesus says to them, look, you've shown great courage, well done. Being you've shown great courage. Now I ask you, my children show the same courage when it comes to the health of your brothers and sisters in the church.

Be encouraged, you remain true. Be alarmed. You tolerate error. Lastly, be assured. You will be given.

Be assured. You will be given. Verse 17, whoever has ears. Let them hear what the spirit says to the churches, to the 1 who is victorious, which I take to mean victorious in these areas. Victorious in holding on to my name right until the end.

Victoriaous in not denying the gospel of the lord Jesus Christ. Victorious in caring about 1 another. If you're victorious in that area, Then verse 17, look it comes twice. I will give. Verse 17, I will give.

Be assured. You will be given. And what will we be given? Well, firstly, he talks about this hidden manner. My friend's he's saying, I will provide for you.

I will provide for you. Just like all those years ago in the wilderness, I will give you what you need for each day to sustain you and to satisfy you that you might stay alive and that you might serve me. There's a hiddenness about it because sometimes we're not quite sure how god is gonna provide for us or sometimes we look back and we think, I wonder how he actually managed to do it there, but praise god, he did. There was a there was a provision of a bread of life. There was food for us to sustain us and to satisfy us in the city.

Hidden manner will be given. He talks then of this white stone That's interesting reading about that white stone because it could have had all kinds of meanings. So apparently, it wasn't uncommon in the ancient world if somebody was declared to be innocent by a court that they would be given a white stone as proof of their innocence. You are not guilty. You're blameless and here's your white stone innocent.

But also people think that these white stones could be used as kind of tokens in order to get into banquets and celebrations. So it's like when you turn up at a party and they'll say, are you invited or can I see your invitation, please, or can you show me your ticket? And instead of presenting a ticket or a QR code, you would present a white stone. I have been invited. I'm qualified to I'm qualified to be here.

The lord Jesus Christ says, I will give you a white stone. I want you to know my children that you are innocent because my blood was shed for you. You are not guilty people. And that I have qualified you to share with me in an eternal inheritance. You are welcome at the banquet above all banquets.

Here is your white stone. My blameless qualified 1 and look forward to feasting with me. And then we're told they'll be given this new name, a new name known only to those who receive it. There is a kind of identity and a name that reflects who they are and reflects who Christ is, and it will be theirs forever, a name that says, here's who I am, and I belong to Jesus. Jesus saved me, and this is who I am forever and ever.

The world might call you pathetic. It might call you weak. It might call you old fashioned and medieval. It might call your views stupid. It might label you with a hundred different names, but I've got a name for you that is really you and is beautiful and it glorifies me and that name is yours forever no matter what you have been called.

And you know, I think there's lots of different ways to apply this name stuff. But 1 of the things I was thinking this week, and it strikes me as a very powerful thing, that we are in a culture where more and more people particularly young people are wanting to change their name so that it better fits with a perceived identity that they have. They feel something is wrong on the inside, that they haven't quite been put together right, that they're a bit disjointed, and they want a new name. That better describes them and better identifies them. And I wanna say that this is not by any means a complete talk on changing names or non binary names or anything in that category.

But it did strike me this week that 1 of the things that we can so helpfully bring into those conversations, particularly with our Christian young people, is the promise of a new name. Given to them by Jesus and not by any agenda and not by themselves. And therefore, we can say to our young people, instead of going on this confused damaging search to relabel and to recreate and to rename yourself, you, my friend, need to trust Christ with who you are. And know that 1 day he is going to give you a name that will utterly suit you and will utterly resonate with who you feel yourself to be. And will describe you in every beautiful way and will bring glory to me.

I have a name for you that is all of me and all of you. And it is a bit hidden now. Because the children of god have not yet been revealed as they 1 day will be, but I have a perfect name for you. And so even if you feel a little bit disconnected on the inside in this life, Relabeling yourself is just not gonna help. And so trust Christ for the coming name.

Trust Christ for the coming name that will define you and be everything you need it to be. You see, I wonder as I was preparing this, can't help but wonder what antipass' new name was. And we don't know because it's known only to him, but I would imagine it's a name which sings. Of his love and sings of his faithfulness to Christ. And so it will be for everybody who overcomes in this world by the grace of god.

They will be given a new name. And so in the end, this comes down to faith, doesn't it? Do we trust do we believe that that is true or not? Do we trust him with that? Can I trust him?

With all of my concerns and identity worries, can I say no to myself and just believe Jesus, yes, I trust you? You have something better for me. Now give me grace to wait for it. Before I come into the full beauty of it. Help me to trust you.

That's what it's about. In other words, lots of ways we can take this, but do you see these are hopeful words? These are hopeful assuring promises. For people who struggle in the city. A magnificent city we are in.

London is a magnificent city, but it is a poisonous city. And so we need to be encouraged as we remain true. We need to be alarmed if there is falsehood that we're tolerating, and we need to be assured that the hidden manner will be provided, that the white stone has been given, and that the new name is coming. And with those assurances by grace, we need to keep serving our saviour. Shall we bow our heads and have a moment of quiet?

Whoever has ears let them hear what the spirit says to the churches. Holy spirit, we thank you that you have spoken to us through your word this morning. Give us ears to hear the encouragement and to rejoice in them. Give us ears to hear the challenges and repent where we need to, and give us ears to hear these promises, to love them, and to trust them we pray in Jesus' name. Oh, man.