Yoked and Chocked

Yoked and Chocked

Revelation 2:18 - 29

Introduction

This city was about 40 miles southeast of Pergamos.  In fact, the city was no more really than a military garrison for that city.  Because of the lay of the land, the city was open and vulnerable to attack.  Eventually it would be abandoned since it was difficult to defend and was frequently overrun by enemies.  This city was the home of Lydia, the wealthy woman who dyed fabric rich purple, a trademark of this city.  The city was known for its fine fabric and trade.

What we’ve seen thus far is the pervasive and invasive error of compromise of love for Jesus and mingling of His teachings with the wisdom and practices of the world.  The trend begins when our love for Jesus wanes.  Such a condition makes us ripe for the errors exposed in Pergamos and Thyatira.  The former sought to be engaged to the world through the error of compromise, both spiritually and morally.  The latter married the world formally.  Where Pergamos opened the door of compromise and sin, Thyatira opened the floodgates. [1]

Many today in our society, and churches within it, tolerate evil.  We’ve been lulled into apathy and compromise not considering the fact that Jesus is God.  As God He sees and knows all things.  The revelation of Christ here depicts Him the One who sees all and is in the place of making right judgments as a result.  Sometimes we forget that Jesus is not only in our midst, but that He is discerning our thoughts, motives and actions.  We may justify our associations and accommodate compromise, but Jesus does not.  He sees that when we are yoked to the world in unholy alliance, we are choked by it.  For that reason Jesus takes quick action against sin.  When churches become tolerant, accommodating and consensual of sin, there is a need to take strong action.

We neglect to remember that He is Sovereign Lord, Creator and Maker of all things.  Churches would do well to remember that as God, He knows all, sees all and judges accordingly.

Christ’s Revelation to the Church

His Position

Illustrate your friendship with Lieutenant USMC who was your platoon leader.

Here is the first and only time in Revelation that Jesus is reintroduced and presented as the Son of God.  It would seem that this church needed to be reminded of this. 

His Power

(Hebrews 4:12)  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(Jeremiah 17:9-10) The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?  I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

His Pronouncement

As a result of their compromise, no call of repentance is here made.  That time is up and now judgment is coming.  Jesus warns those who have not compromised to take care that they don’t follow the same error and practice of those upon whom the judgment has come.

Christ’s Commendation to the Church (v19)

The Church at Thyatira was 

·         Loving [ἀγάπη] - love, affection, good will, benevolence

·         Serving [διακονία] - service, ministering, and administering esp. of those who execute the commands of others, to promote Christ and fellowship amid the church and community.

·         Believing [πίστις] - conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.

·         Enduring [ὑπομονή] - steadfastness, constancy, endurance. 1a in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings

·         Increasing works [ἔργον] - business, employment, that which any one is occupied. 1a that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking. 2 any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind.

Christ Condemnation of the Church

Jesus condemned her tolerance.  Too many today think that the church should be permissive and tolerate the thoughts, teachings and practices of her membership.  This is the mantra of the world today. 

We need to understand that Jesus wants us to delineate, discipline, and disassociate from sinful belief and practice.

The neglect of the church to exercise discipline stood in direct contrast to the commendations.  Her tolerance of a Jezebel like woman who saw herself as a prophetess was choking the effectiveness of the church and her position. 

The error exposed.

• Jezebel – a self proclaimed prophetess who was given place to teach her error and practice fornication and seduce others within the church to do so as well.
• Reference to Jezebel in 1 Kings 19-21
• She was within:  Balaam (pergamos) was without, but here like with Israel, the error was now within and was tolerated, even embraced.

Christ’s Exhortation to the Faithful

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[1]MacArthur, J. (1996, c1992). How to meet the enemy. "While this book is intended for the reader's personal enjoyment and profit, it is also designed for group study. A personal and group study guide is included at the end of this text."; Includes indexes. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.