The Church in Thyatira
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Walk through the passage
Walk through the passage
We are going to be in Revelation chapter 2 verses 18-28.
We are also going to spend some time in Hebrews chapter 12.
Recap the series.
Read Revelation
Thyatira is the smallest city that Jesus writes a letter to but its the longest letter…
Thyatira is the first city out of the capital of Pergamum. It was known as a small military installation. not much of a resistance to an advancing enemy but mostly meant to slow an enemy down before the capital, not meant to defeat the enemy. Thyatira was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times because of this.
This city was known for its manufacturing and trade guilds.
We see in Acts chapter 16 that while Paul was in Phillipi spreading the gospel, a woman named Lydia gave her life to Christ while she was selling purple goods in the market.
The trade guilds ran everything in the city. In order to work, in order to sell, in order to anything in the city, you had to be apart of the trade guilds. And that reminds us what we talked about last week. In order to be apart of these guilds, you had to worship the same gods as those guilds. This obviously put a barrier in the way of Christians.
I find it interesting the progression of these churches falling into sin. Since the first, they have gotten worse and worse.
but it started with Ephesus falling out of love with Christ. then moved to Pergamum allowing teachers to teach things other that than the truth. then we move to Thyatira and not only is a teaching teaching compromise and sin but we see that she has convinced many to follow her teaching and live in blatant sin. But we see this progression into sin in the church that starts with falling out of love with Jesus. Maybe that is why Jesus says that the number one commandment is to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul and mind. Its the first line of defence to keep sin out of our lives. (free sermon right there)
Reread slowly.
“Son of God” the only time Jesus is referred to this in the entire book of Revelation. The god of Thyatira was Apollo, who was called the “son of god, the son of Zeus”. Jesus is reiterating that there is no other Son of God other than Him. He is the only one worthy of that title.
“eyes like a flame of fire” refers back to the description of Jesus in Chapter 1 verse 14 and we talked about this being the description of His omnipresence. The power of Jesus to be at all locations and see all things both the good and the bad. The right and the wrong. Jesus is also described with eyes like flames in Dan 10 and Rev 19. Both of these refer to the times of Jesus coming to enact judgement on the earth. This is also reiterated in verse 23 when Jesus says “I am He who searches mind and heart,”.
His feet like burnished bronze also refers back to chapter 1. If you missed that sermon, go back and watch it or you just miss out. haha
First, we see that there are those there that are faithful and growing in love, works, faith, service and endurance. This is the same list to the church in Ephesus but with the addition of the “love”. There are those who are staying strong to Jesus, the Word and advancing the Kingdom.
But they did not stop false teaching from enter the church like Pergamum was warned to do. They tolerated it. They allowed a woman to call herself a prophet and teach false doctrine and compromise with the world.
No one really believes that her name is Jezebel but that Jesus is referencing back the Jezebel from the OT.
Jezebel was the wife of Ahab the king of Israel. Her stories can be read in 1 Kings chapters 16-22 ans 2 Kings chapter 9.
I don’t want to spend a great deal of time talking about her but it is significant that Jesus would use her name to describe this prophetess in this church. That is not an accident. it was intentional. So Jesus is warning us, now to be aware and prevent influences like Jezebel in our church.
Jezebel brought into Isreal the worship of false gods, like baal and asher. She was violently opposed to the leaders and prophets that God had put in place over Isreal. In fact, she murdered all of the prophets except Elijah and that is because Elijah escaped. She was the one who pursued Elijah after the Mt Carmel story of fire from Heaven.
She was influential, she was constantly trying to lead and seize power. She was a liar and manipulator. She was one that brought division everywhere that she went. She was very convincing and probably smooth with words. But she never budged. She stayed to her beliefs even when the Lord gave her chances to repent. She heard about Mt Carmel and it didn’t call her to repentance. It drove her farther away.
I do believe that there are people like that that can come into a church and cause division. That can come in and start teaching things that are not truth and can bring people away for the truth. They try to seize power and control at every opportunity. They do not make good followers.
And Jesus is saying, don’t tolerate them. Do not be tolerant to one who constantly causes division. Who is constantly trying to seize power.
In Thyatira, they were not unknowingly sinning. They were warned. Jesus says that He gave her and them opportunities to repent but she refused to repent.
Then Jesus says that His is going to make things bad for her and her followers. If they refuse to repent, things are not going to go well for them.
I think there are three clear lessons to learn from this passage that Jesus is instructing to us as a church today.
Increase your works.
Jesus says, “that your latter works exceed the first.”
The interesting thing about this word “works” is that it is always used in the NT to describe the good works of a person under the influence of divine power and activity.
What this is not saying to stretch yourself out more. Stress yourself out more. Do more. Take on more activities.
What this is saying increase the things that you do under divine influence.
This is saying increase in your surrender and obedience to Him.
This is not a call just to serve more but if He is asking you to serve, serve more.
This is not a call just to love more, but if He is asking your love more, love more.
We do not do works, to earn more favor, more love, or more salvation.
We strive to me more obedient today that yesterday because we can not be complacent in our walk with the Lord. We must consistently strive for a deeper, more intimate walk with Him.
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Scripture is full of references of running the race with endurance, pushing on.
Life is not a sprint, it is a marathon. And you can only run it once. Keep pushing. Do not let up. Get back in the race and make a difference in your life and in this world.
Don’t quit.
2) Repent of blatant sin
There are things in the Bible that we know that we should be doing, but aren’t doing them.
And there are things in the Bible that we know that we SHOULDN’T be doing that we ARE doing!
We as believers, as humans being still fighting against our flesh should be warring and killing blatant sin in our lives.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.
We should be Hebrews 12:1
Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)
let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
Brian E and I were talking about killing sin should be like Jael killed Sisera with a tent peg in Judges chapter 4.
We should be ruthless in killing the things that cause separation from our walk with the Lord.
We should heed His warning to repent of those things.
We talked about it a few weeks ago that repentance is a beautiful word, not a bad word.
Repentance cast off the things in this life that drive a wedge between you and your heavenly Father.
Repentance is restoration of a relationship. Instead of walking away from your Savior, you turn and walk with Him.
The Lord calls us to repentance, He asks us to turn away.
But if we still refuse...
3) The lord disciplines His children.
Hebrews chapter 12 verses 3-11.
I believe that this is what Jesus is saying in Revelation that He is going to do to the prophetess and her followers. They are going to come under a season of discipline.
Let me be clear about a couple of things that this is not saying.
a. All disease and sickness are the result of discipline because of sin in our lives.
b. Death at a young age is a result of sin in our lives.
I do not believe that death and sickness is always a direct result of blatant and obvious sin in our lives. Now, over all, yes, death and sickness are a result of living in a broken and sinful world. It is a product of the fall.
I don’t believe that “always” but its pretty clear in this passage that Jesus is saying sometimes it is.
Sometimes the Lord is remove or pull back His hand of protection as a form of discipline to get you back to the place that you need to me. “To share in His holiness.”
Sometimes, discipline comes as the Psalmist describes the “heavy hand of the Lord.” You feel the weight and burden of conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Now, notice I said disciple and not punishment.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
So let me be clear, death is the cost of sin, the wages of sin is eternal death. Eternal separation from God.
And if you are in Christ Jesus, if you have recieved the Holy Spirit into your life, you are saved from that eternal death. There is no condemnation.
But know this, if you are His child, He is going to discipline you like earthly fathers discipline their children.
We see unruly and disobedience children in today’s world and we don’t blame the child, we blame the parent.
Well, we have the perfect heavenly Father and out of love for us, out of protection of us, out of wanting what is best for us, He disciplines His children.
But discipline is not punishment, but a call to repentance. A call to return to Him, to stop running from Him. A call to turn away from blatant and obvious sin in our lives. To restoration of a relationship.
For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
The Lord wants to grow in you the peaceful fruit of righteousness.
I don’t know where you are this morning in your walk with the Lord. But this is a powerful message from the Lord this morning. This warning to the church in Thyatira can be a warning for us today.
If you have become complacent in your walk, keep running this race. Run with endurance. Take the next step.
If you are hearing the call to repentance, turn around! Kill blatant and obvious sin in your life.
If you feel like the heavy hand of the discipline of the Lord is upon you, its not too late. Turn towards Him. Confess your sins and He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.