NO Compromise

(NLT) — 18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze: 19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. 22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

POINT- This church was not like the church in Ephesus.

your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. 22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. 27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. 28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! 29 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

Unlike the church in Ephesus this church was passionate. Their passion had grown. They had passion, they had purpose, BUT they had lost their standards.

KEY- There are a lot of passionate people living lives of defeat and destruction. If you are passionate about your purpose but have lost your standards you will not expereince the victory you want.

God says

POINT- Some people think that if they just get the right attitude, or if they just get good at serving in the church, or if they just get “love” down then they are alright.

KEY- Jesus told them I see your passion, I see your love how it has grown…

KEY- tells us that if you don’t have love you are nothing, but thats not to say that if you only have love you are everything.

I so intensely desire to see a generation that has so much passion on top of their God given purpose that this world takes notice of God’s people, but when they take notice of God’s people I want them to see people who are also living the life.

KEY- Passion without standards is a recipe for fatality.

…Because there are some things I just won’t do…

…And there are some things I won’t leave alone…

ILLUSTRATION- Firefighters going into a building only under certain conditions.

POINT- God has given us a standard for life for a reason.

(NLT) — 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

(NLT) — 105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

KEY- David figured out early on that God had given people his word so they could know where to go…

David was saying when my world starts to get dark, and I don’t know what to do your word is there, your standard is there, so when I don’t know what step to take next, when I am confused about what to do, when a giant defies God, when a king is trying to kill me, when a son tries to steal the throne from me, when I’m tempted.... I WILL KNOW WEHRE TO GO!

KEY- The church in Thyatira had a standard, and they had passion but they had lost their standard. They allowed compromise to sink in…

(NLT) — 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.

POINT- Compromise is always at work to twist and manipulate with the goal of ignoring God’s word.

KEY- When you study this passage you learn that in the church there was this women who was leading people astray, and while her name may have been Jezebel it is more likely that it wasn’t and Jesus was comparing this women’s actions to the actions of Jezebel in the old testament.

KEY- If you study the life of Ahab and Jezebel you can see that Ahab represents the will of a person Jezebel clearly represents the power of compromise.

POINT- Jezebel represents compromise.

POINT- Compromise is force that is working against you in the way of bringing doubt to what you know to be true, and manipulating you into changing your will to follow God.

MAIN POINT- When the enemy sees that you have made a decision to follow Christ he changes his strategy to compromise.

KEY- A compromised christian is an ineffective christian.

KEY- A compromised christian is one set to fall away.

MAIN POINT- Compromise has some dangerous tendencies. Believers need to shut down any compromise that comes up.

1. Compromise is about CONTROL

(NLT) — 20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.

KEY- Compromise often comes from a place of “Authority.”

CHALLENGE- Some of you it has been so easy to compromise because you were just waiting for someone to come along to you and say you can. And instead of testing the authority of the source you went along with it.

We read Jezebel has been killing God’s prophets in order to make her idol worship bigger.

Mt. Carmel and prophets of baale… King Ahab sees it all happen and then goes home and tells Jezebel and Jezebel has a freak out and sends message to Elijah saying I’m going to kill you.

Jezebel comes up with a trap to steal Naboth’s land

KEY POINT- Compromise has this tendency to control you.

DEFINE- The Greek word for the words “Are Permitting” is Aphiemi (Aw-fee-a-knee) which means to make a choice to allow something.

ILLUSTRATION- Snake that was under our house.

KEY- When you allow compromise to do what it wants to do, you will be controlled by it.

2. Compromise Refuses to CHANGE

(NLT) — 21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

(NLT) — 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

POINT- God desires for you to cut off compromise.

There are young people who desire to change things, but they refuse to stop the compromise.

KEY POINT- As long as you allow compromise to remain in your life you will not change.

BIB ILLUSTRATION- In the times when kings go off to war.

3. Compromise ignores CONSEQUENCES

(NLT) — 22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

KEY- The phrase “her children” refers to those that follow her teaching.

ILLUSTRATION- Matthew getting attacked by a german shepherd.

POINT- In every area of life we connect the consequence with the action, but with compromise the enemy tries to confuse you.

KEY- This is possibly one of the most dangerous parts of compromise. Because when you don’t think that your compromise effects you, you refuse to change.

You need to understand here that some of the pain you have expereince is due to compromise, some of the heart ache you have had has to do with compromise.

KEY- Why would God allow there to be consequences if there is grace? God does not want you to expereince the consequences of your sin… THIS IS WHY JESUS DIED ON A CROSS, but you have to remember that when you step outside of God’s grace you step into the world of consequences.

(NLT) — 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

4. Compromise is fake CONCENTRATION

(NLT) — 24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you

KEY POINT- Compromise always starts out with “deeper truths”

BIB ILLUSTRATION- Did God really say?

Some of you have spent more time trying to “logically” justify your sin instead of biblically serving it notice.

KEY- The enemy loves to try to make you think you know more than you do.

CONCLUSION…

(NLT) — 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.

KEY- Those who did not fall for the compromise, those who weren’t swayed by Jezebel had something… They had kept their standards.

KEY/CHALLENGE- God has laid out THE standard, but will you make THE standard YOUR standard?

This generation needs to see and understand that your standard will change if you allow it. It will shift…

Are you keeping your standard in the confines of God’s standards or have you allowed Jezebel to shift your standard?

Have you allowed compromise to control your standard?

DEFINE- the phrase “hold tightly” in the original Greek is this word Krateo which literally means to seize; arrest.

There is a question people have been known to ask when they are being questioned by police… Am I free to go? The answer to this questions tells you your status…

My standard is not free to go… It’s been told where it can…