The Vow of the Nicolaitan Bride — Carter Conlon

One of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing world challenge post office box 260 Lindale, Texas 75771 or by calling 903 96386 26.

None of these messages are copyrighted and you are welcome to make copies for free distribution to friends.

Know that your banner over us in this house is love. There is no other banner. It's love. You cherish this church. You cherish this bride tonight. You cherish every soul that's in this house. And Oh Jesus you want to speak to us tonight.

Give us open hearts. Give us open ears. Give us open lives. Oh God that you can speak to us and if there be anything within us Lord, that's dishonoring to you. Help us to lay it down. Father I thank you for this.

I thank you for strength Lord tonight. Thank you for the unction of your Holy Spirit. I thank you Lord that you are faithful. Oh God, you are faithful to those vessels you call to speak your word in Jesus name.

Amen. Revelation 212. And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write. These things saith he which has the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works even where thou dwellest even where Satan's seat is and Thou holdest fast my name and has not denied my faith.

So here's a church that is right in the in the where the where the working of the devil is and there are church. That's holding fast to the name of Jesus and they have not denied the faith. Even as it even in those days where an antipast was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth.

So they they have known suffering they have known death. They have they this. I think this is a church that has known the cost of following the Lord. They have seen somebody that was held in esteem among them slain for the cause of Christ.

The Nicolaitans, Balaam, and Compromise in Pergamos

He says in verse 14, but I have a few things against thee. Because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam. Who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel? To eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication.

Now the doctrine of Balaam is is basically the success and prosperity gospel if I can boil it down to anything in this generation. That's what the doctrine of Balaam is prophesying for reward. In verse 15.

He says so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Which thing I hate. God says I hate this thing and there are a few in your midst that are holding to this doctrine. Repent or else I will come to thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

He that has 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.

The title of this message is called the vow of the Nicolaitan bride now the Nicolaitans. Essentially speaking there's there is a divergence of opinion throughout Bible commentaries as to who they were.

But it is suggested that they were the followers of a man called Nicholas who was a heretic. They're supposed to have been a sect of Gnostics who practiced and taught impure and immoral doctrines. Such as the community of wives or in other words, it was acceptable to have more than one wife.

That committing adultery and fornication was not sinful and that eating meats offered unto idols was lawful. Isn't it interesting that when you look all throughout the churches in Revelation you've heard you find a very Similar thread in all of these churches.

They have different names, but they bring the same doctrines in we see the same doctrines referred to Under in Pergamos Revelation 2 14 the doctrines of Balaam and also Jezebel and Thyatira in Revelation chapter 2 in verse 20.

There's a remnant of the Nicolaitans in every church age. They're sent of the devil with the express purpose of defiling the relationship of Christ to his church. They're sent to turn the hearts of God's people away from wholehearted love.

Consecration and dedication to Jesus Christ and to his call and to his claim upon his church. They preach and teach impure and immoral doctrines. The first one is the community of wives. Let me just read the scripture to you in Exodus 34 verses 12 to 14.

Moses said take heed to thyself. Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land with the dog ghosts lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee. But you shall destroy their altars and break down their images and cut down their groves and you will worship.

No other God for the Lord whose name is jealous is a jealous God. And that's one thing that we need to understand about the Lord tonight. He is a jealous God. He's jealous for his bride. He's not willing to let her heart be enraptured by other lovers.

He's not willing to let her go without a fight. He's going to come and fight for her with the word of his mouth. And that's what the Lord is doing in this generation for those who have the ears to hear Jesus Christ is reaching out beyond just the walls of this church.

He's reaching out throughout the nation now and reaching out and fighting for a bride who has been divided in heart for so long. There are those that have come in and have taught the community of wives in the church that it's alright to love Jesus and love.

Something else you can love the world. You can love your job. You can love your career. You can love this. You can love that you can love money. They also say that the committing of adultery and fornication is not sinful.

Now the Apostle Paul said in Hebrews 13 for marriage is honorable in all and the bed is undefiled but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and. And James in James 4 for I shared it last time I spoke on Jezebel.

He says you adulterers and adulteresses. Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Now friendship with the world is spoken to in the Word of God as spiritual adultery and yet these teachers come into the body and they They they proclaim a gospel it says the committing of adultery and fornication is not sinful.

That you can have other lovers you can have other other lives. You can you can love the things of this world. You can go after and lust after the things of this world and somehow it's going to be acceptable with God.

Beware of these things they're sent to defile your relationship with Christ. Christ calls us to wholehearted Single-minded a single of the eye separation unto him the light the the light of the body is the eye.

If therefore that I be single the scripture says your whole body will be full of life a Single focus to live for him to love him to glorify him in everything that we are and ever will be. They also shared a teaching that the eating of meats offered to idols was lawful.

In 1st Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 7 the Apostle Paul says neither be you idolaters as Some of them were as it is written the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. You see their pleasure becomes their God and there are Gospels out in the land.

There's no shortage of them that teach the people that it's alright to seek and pursue pleasure. If you if God prospers you don't think about giving it to missions or don't think about sharing it with the poor go and buy yourself Some kind of a pleasure thing a play toy and just have a wonderful time you see and they teach these things and what it does is it it takes the People's heart away from the purposes of God and it's so sad.

Here's Christ at the right hand of the father. He's he's interceding and weeping for the lost of this world while so many of his bride are Enamored with their playthings here in this world and not sharing his heart not not sharing The burden of the one who is supposedly their husband the one that they're betrothed to.

The key word of the Nicolaitans is compromise. They say that consecration and holiness is Legalistic and old-fashioned. Oh my brothers and sisters. I've heard this over and over again throughout the years beware of this Legalistic and old-fashioned holiness and consecration.

They preach doctrines of eat drink and be merry. There's little touch on little preaching about sin and very very little if anything about the cross. Which is the justifiable claim of Jesus Christ upon your life and upon my life.

He laid a claim to our lives. We are bought with a price. We're not our own. We're to glorify God we're to enter into a love relationship with the Son of God and love him with all our heart our soul our mind and our strength.

And out of that love relationship comes a natural burden for the children of God for his children both saved and lost the Ones that he died for. That's where that burden comes out of. I love weddings.

Every wedding I go to. Very often I I start to cry at weddings. I don't know why that is. I hope it never stops. No, I do know why that is. I've officiated at several weddings over the years and and one wedding in particular.

I remember I started crying so hard I couldn't carry on with the vows. I couldn't even see the book. It was just such a beautiful wedding. He loved her so much. She loved him. They were standing right in front of me.

They were they were they were saying their own vows to each other. It was so beautiful. I just started crying. I couldn't stop crying. Hallelujah Hallelujah, I said. I kept wiping my eyes and I couldn't see the paper.

I Didn't know what to do next. What a beautiful wedding. It was though. Oh, it was just awesome. It was the closest thing on this earth to Christ and his church that I've ever I've ever seen. What an expression of love.

Marriage as a Picture of Christ and the Church

The Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 5 he said verse 31 and 32. He said for this cause a man shall leave his father and mother. It shall be joined unto his wife and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ in the church there's something so beautiful about a wedding isn't there when the groom is standing here and the bride comes in and and and there's such a focus on the bride and The bride walks down the aisle and everybody stands and they look and even the hardest of the hard have you noticed that these crusty old guys that work on construction sites in places like that and They you know, I'm a man's man and I'll never shed and there's you you glance around you watch and they fight hard to contain It but there's a little tear comes out the corner of their eye and they just very quickly wipe it away.

So nobody can see that really they're being touched inside and they don't know why they're being touched. But they're being touched because they're seeing a type and shadow they're seeing a foreshadow of a day.

That's coming when Jesus Christ is going to stand up at the right hand of the father. The angel of the Lord is going to sound a trumpet the bride of Christ is going to rise. Both those that have died in the Lord and those who are still alive and remain.

They're going to be gathered together into one glorious procession down an aisle in heaven. Hallelujah to the throne of God. Oh and what a day that's going to be hallelujah. Hall in a marriage in a marriage that's ordained and sanctioned by God.

The scripture says the two become one. You see there's no longer at a distinction two people come into a wedding ceremony. They come from different families. They come from different backgrounds. They come with different names and they come into that house and a miracles about to take place.

I've often shared that at weddings if if you're looking for a miracle keep your eyes on what's about to happen. Two people have come in and one person is going to walk out. Hallelujah. They're going to be one flesh.

In God, that's what the scripture says. The two shall become one. Her desires or his desires now become her desires and her desires now become his desires. She is consumed with love for him and the vows I especially love vows at weddings were where people Make up their own right out of their heart as long as there's surely as long as there's scriptural letters if they make them up out of their heart.

I always tell people go to Ephesians 5 and just read that and and come out of that with a vow that comes out of your heart and as as he begins to speak to her and says I promise to provide for you and to love you and to cherish you and to protect you and to Stand with you and to and all of these things that he says and she turns to him and says I promise to love you.

I promise to cherish you and obey you and and and raise your children and all of these other things. I've heard some beautiful beautiful vows over the years and it's so glorious when you hear this. Because it's a type and shadow of a day that's coming.

Oh what a day that's going to be. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, I Can see in heaven Jesus standing in the bride beginning to come in and what a glorious wedding that's going to be. But you know the difference is that we we stayed our vow to him here on this earth when we come into that.

That place if we're in we're coming into the banquet hall now when we get into heaven. You see the wedding happens here on this earth. Did you know that the wedding is here? We're stating our vows to him right now.

Where he's speaking to us and we speak back to him and the wedding relationship is being formed. The two are becoming one right here on this earth when the trumpet of the Lord sounds. It's not a bride-to-be, but it's a bride that's caught up into heaven.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory to God we walk into the presence of the Lord and it's not to it's not a separate identity coming in. It's not somebody with a different name. It's somebody who knows him.

It's somebody who's walked with him. It's somebody who's loved him. It's somebody who's cherished him. It's somebody who has had him as the very first and foremost thing in her heart all the days of her life.

It's someone who has yearned for him and longed for him and he's longed for her. Hallelujah, like he says in the Song of Solomon. Oh my dove my beloved my lovely rise up. Let me see hear your voice. Let me see your countenance from beyond the stairs.

Hallelujah, what a day that's going to be when the bride of Jesus is Captured away from this earth and carried into the very presence of God. Oh The vow of Jesus. I want you to listen to the vow of Jesus to his bride.

Christ’s Vows of Love, Presence, and Preparation

Jesus is here tonight and every day every time you open your heart your ear. He speaks his vows once again. He's a lover like no other lover that this world has ever known. There are there are a lot of men that state their vows at the altar.

But you rarely ever hear anything about it again after the wedding day, but Jesus is not such. He states his vows over and over. And over and over again because he's a man of truth that he cannot lie.

Hallelujah. He says I have loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah chapter 31 in verse 3. John 15 13 greater love has no man than this that a man laid down his life for his friends and Jesus speaks to us tonight about the fact that he laid down his life for us.

So that the enemy could not have power over our lives anymore. He laid down his life for us to cleanse us from our sins. He gave everything he had for us on this earth and continues to give of himself for us this day.

He looks at us right in the eye and he says I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 think about that right now. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Your struggles will be my struggles.

Your enemies Will be my enemies. Hallelujah, your weaknesses will be my weaknesses. Your concerns will be my concerns. I'll be there whenever you call. There's a song we sing. He's as close as the mention of his name.

I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Matthew 10 32. Jesus looks at his bride and says I will confess you before my father which is in heaven. Hallelujah, I will confess you. Isn't that nice to know tonight that Jesus is confessing your name before the father.

Right this very moment. Did you know that he's looking down at Times Square Church and he's going row by row. I'll upon I'll line up online precept upon precept person upon person soul upon soul and he's confessing your name before the father.

He'll point down said there's another beloved one. There's another beloved one. There's another beloved one that I love and I'm betrothed to hallelujah. Jesus is not ashamed of you in heaven. Matthew 16 19, you know very often a man will.

Part of the condition of espousing the parents allowing their daughter to be espoused to a man is that he has to prove that he will provide for her and Matthew 16 19 least that's the way it used to be years ago.

Matthew 16 19 Jesus says in his vow to us. I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Hallelujah, and whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In other words, I will never leave you powerless or comfortless. Hallelujah, and lastly look at John chapter 14 with me, please. John chapter 14 the promise of Jesus. The vow of Jesus to his true bride.

I want to show you what's going on in heaven right now. You probably already know it. John chapter 14 verse 1. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am there ye may be also. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah, what a beautiful beautiful beautiful scene. This is Jesus continuously Restating his vow to you and I. There's a true bride in the church a Bride that loves him. That yearns for him and as our brother shared at three o 'clock a bride that considers it reasonable to go anywhere that God sends her.

She will do anything that God speaks to her. Because she loves him. She's not moving under condemnation. She moves under compassion. Because she knows his heart and whatever's in his heart becomes in her heart part of her heart and she moves in Unison with him.

That's why the scripture says how can two walk together except they be agreed? How can a bride walk with the bride groove unless the two of them have one heart and one mind? Have you ever noticed over the years people that have a loving marriage relationship?

The longer they're together. They start even looking like each other. The everybody they talk like each other. It's it's like. It's like one person speaks and they've both spoken that's what the bride is all about.

The longer we're with Jesus the more we look like him. We talk like him. Because his heart is in us. He's captivated us. There's a true bride in the church. But there's also a bride that has gotten snared by this doctrine of the Nicolaitans.

The Six Vows of the Nicolaitan Bride

There's a bride in this Generation that we're living in in as much as in John's generation that is going to the altar with a vow. That grieves the heart of Jesus. I call it the vow of the Nicolaitan bride and Jesus just finishes speaking his promises and he he tells her how much he loves her and he tells her how much he cares and Then she looks back at him and looks him in the eye and begins to state I've got six vows of the Nicolaitan bride.

And I want to share them with you because God put them on my heart. And she looks him and all heaven is assembled and the crowd is there and God the Father is witnessed and the Holy Ghost is There the angels are there and this Nicolaitan bride comes up before the throne.

And she begins to state her vow to him. She believes it's a reasonable vow. She believes it's all that is required of her and that's the sad thing. She's fallen under some kind of a sway the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.

She looks him in the eye. All of heaven is standing up. It's a beautiful moment. And all of a sudden there's a shockwave that goes through heaven at what comes out of her mouth. Because it's not the vow of a bride.

That's truly enraptured with love for her husband. There's something different about this bride. She says firstly, I promise to love you as long as you don't put any demands on me. John chapter 21. Turn there, please with me.

There are many people that say Jesus in this generation. I will love you and I'll be part of your church and I'll be your bride as long as you don't put any demands on me. Now in John chapter 21 verse 15 The scripture says so when they had dined Jesus said to Simon Peter now Simon Peter had had gone through a very rough experience and Maybe it would have been justifiable for Peter to say Lord.

It's been pretty rough on me. I've been weeping for days. I've denied your name. It's been hard. I'm confused. I don't fully understand everything that's been going on. I need some breathing space. I will love you, but don't put any demands on me.

In verse 15 says so when they had dined Jesus said to Simon Peter Simon son of Jonas love us tell me more than these. He said unto him. Yay Lord thou knowest. I love thee. He said unto him feed my lambs.

Peter I'm putting a demand on your life. I'm gonna put my word within you. I'm gonna put my heart within you, but I want you to do something with it. He said to him again the second time Simon son of Jonas love us tell me he said unto him Yay, Lord, thou knowest.

I love thee. He said unto him feed my sheep. Peter I'm putting a demand on your life. He said unto him the third time Simon son of Jonas. Love us tell me. Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time love us tell me and he said unto him Lord Thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee.

Jesus said unto him feed my sheep. If you love me Peter I Have children out there if you love me true bride of Christ. I have sons and daughters that are not yet saved that don't yet have understanding.

I have ones that are weak. I have ones that are prayed to the tactics and lies of the devil if you love me. You'll love my children if you love me. You'll consider it reasonable to pour your life out as a living sacrifice for the call that I have upon you the Nicolaitan bride.

Leaving the whole of heaven in horror at the very first thing. She says turns to him again and says I Promise to communicate with you periodically and when it is convenient. Now, can you imagine a bride like this a wedding like this happening at Times Square Church?

Where the bride came with such a vow you imagine the shock. Do you imagine how it would so take away from the the the ceremony? The beauty of everything that's going on to start hearing these things come out of her mouth.

I promise to communicate with you. Periodically and when it's convenient, you know. How many people are supposedly the bride of Christ and their prayer life is just periodic communication and under the banner of convenience.

But listen to what David said and listen to what made David a man after God's heart in Psalm 5. He said give ear to my words. Oh Lord consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry my king and my God for unto thee will I pray.

My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. Oh Lord in the morning. Will I direct my prayer and unto thee will look up? It's an awful marriage that you would be in where you got up in the morning out of bed and Your wife or husband doesn't want to talk to you until that evening.

That'd be a terrible situation to be in. I know that some might be in situations like that and if you'll turn to Christ God can get you over that. That'd be a horrible situation if you really love Jesus, who do you want to talk to first thing in the morning?

If you really love somebody. No, I said to say some people spend more time talking to their dog than they do to God. In their home when they get up in the morning. Hi boy. How are you boy? Do you have a good night boy and their prayer life is a shambles, you know.

And imagine how it must feel. Imagine how a husband feels if his wife spent more time talking to the dog in the morning than she does to him. Now how is it that people think that we can get away with this kind of a shabby vow to the King of Kings in the Lord of Lawrence Our Savior Jesus Christ, it's not we're not to get into some kind of a bondage.

We're not to we're not to come downstairs. Could you imagine a husband or wife that said? Okay, I'll get in my head. I've got to talk to my wife. I've got I've got to be faithful to the vow to communicate.

And so I come downstairs and good morning. How are you? How was the toast? How's the dog? How's the kids and just start to wrap off all and some people pray like that. Communication is heart to heart.

It's because we love him with all of our heart. We want to spend time with him Lord. I love you this morning God. It's wonderful to be in your presence. It's wonderful to be starting out a new day knowing that I'm not walking alone that you're with me.

Oh God, you know, you can see into the future. You already know what I'm gonna face before I even get there. Thank you Lord for your promise to never leave me nor forsake me. The Lord is all he's ever looked for from his bride is heart-to-heart communication a heart-to-heart thing.

Then the Nicolaitan bride looks At him and as if the two first weren't bad enough. She looks and says I promise to try to keep my other lovers to a minimum. Can you imagine that kind of a wedding? Can you imagine that kind of a bride?

It just it staggers our imagination. The whole church at this point would be in an uproar. Yet as I read earlier James says do not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Who's whoever therefore be a friend of the world is the enemy of God?

We're not to have other lovers. The Nicolaitans taught that the it was all right to have other wives and other lovers. But it isn't we're to love him with all of our heart and our soul and our mind and our strength.

Then she looks again and she says. I Promise to obey you as long as it doesn't put any hardship on me. I Promise to obey you as long as it doesn't put any hardship on me. Look at the book of Acts, please chapter 9 I'm going to show you something from the life of the Apostle Paul.

It's at a time when a man called Ananias was sent to pray for Paul immediately after his conversion experience. On the Damascus Road. There's no guarantee in serving God that it won't put hardship on your life.

It is all it is conceivable that you could die serving God. Acts chapter 9 verse 15. And Ananias came into Paul and he says. But the Lord said unto him go thy way. Here's the instruction for Ananias to bring to Paul.

For he's a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And Paul loved the Lord loved Jesus.

He didn't consider hardship. What did he call? He was stoned. He was shipwrecked. He was left for dead. He was in perils continually and he says but my momentary light affliction. Is I consider that the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.

Present light affliction my momentary affliction. I don't consider it hardship because I know him and I loved him and he knows me. And he loves me. The Nicolaitan bride. Now looks again at the bridegroom and says.

I promise to give to your children. As long as it doesn't put me in a position of want. I Want you to think about this for a moment. There are so many people in the body of Christ who only give to a point of convenience.

They don't give anywhere beyond anything that would cause them pain or want in their own life. That's not really the heart of a bride. Is it now? We've got his children all over the world that he wants to touch.

Places that he needs to go and have his bride go and speak on his behalf. What an awful thing to if it were we had a wedding in Times Square Church and a bride stood here and said I I Promise to give to your children as long as it doesn't put me in a position of want or put me in a position of Hardship or put me in a place where I'm not comfortable.

Isn't that what we heard this afternoon at three o 'clock that God wants to kick us out of our comfort zone. And into the place where we can become of use to him and useful servants to him.

This is the end of side one say.

So many people never accomplish the plans of God In and for their lives because they're not willing to give beyond the standard of personal convenience. But I bring to your mind once again that scripture time and again as often as God puts it on my lips.

I shall speak it where Paul said I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God. Did you present your bodies a living sacrifice? Holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service a living sacrifice.

That's a reasonable service. Lastly she looks at him and she says. Something that would if the others weren't bad enough. This last one would if I were the man in that place. If the others weren't bad enough This last one would crush me.

It would finish me off. She looks at him and says. I promise to tell others about you. But only in situations where I know that speaking your name Won't make me feel ashamed. I promise to tell others about you.

But only in situations where I know that speaking your name Won't make me feel ashamed. How would you feel as a wife? How do you feel tonight as a husband if you? Went to a social gathering or you went to somebody's house, so you went just anywhere in society and the people Said who's that with you?

We noticed that you're not alone. Somebody is with you. Oh, that's. Well, that's nobody. Oh, it's just a friend. Oh, it's just somebody that I I talked to occasionally and If that was your wife speaking and you knew or your husband and you knew they were ashamed of you in public ashamed of you.

How would you feel? And yet the Nicolaitan bride is ashamed of Jesus. Ashamed. Going into public places or going into people's homes or in the neighborhood the community the office. People will will an opportunity will arise to speak about her husband and she won't speak because she's ashamed of him.

And Jesus Said in Luke chapter 9 he said and he said to them if any man will come after me let him deny himself. And take up his cross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it.

But whosoever will lose his life for my sake the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of Him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall come in his own glory and in his father's and of the holy angels.

If there was such a bride Making such a series of vows to a righteous man if you were at the wedding if there was a wedding at this church and and the bridegroom was standing here and the bride came. And you had just witnessed these vows.

I Would venture against that the bulk of those that are here tonight would stand to your feet and say don't marry that woman. You're a fool if the preacher said is there anybody here has a lawful Reason why this man can't be married to this woman the objector may now So state if I'd be on my feet, I don't know about you and say don't marry.