Thyatira- The Church that tolerates sin
Revelation • Sermon • Submitted
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· 10 viewsGood works are not enough for the church to stand on, they must pursue holiness and remove sin.
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Preaching the Word: Revelation—The Spirit Speaks to the Churches Chapter 8: King Jesus versus Jezebel (Revelation 2:18–29)
IN HIS BOOK Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis writes:
In 1780 Maj. John André was captured while attempting to serve as a British spy in league with Benedict Arnold to produce a major strategic debacle on the Hudson River at West Point. By all accounts, André was a model British officer with impeccable manners, who had the misfortune to be caught doing his duty. Several members of Washington’s staff, including Hamilton, pleaded that André‘s life be spared because of his exceptional character. Washington dismissed the requests as sentimental, pointing out that if André had succeeded in his mission, it might very well have turned the tide of the war. The staff then supported André’s gallant request that he be shot like an officer rather than hanged as a spy. Washington also rejected this request, explaining that André, regardless of his personal attractiveness, was no more and no less than a spy. He was hanged the next day.
A Spy is a Spy and sin is sin- each one of us need to run from it and the church needs to remove it
As we move into Thyatira today- this is the primary concern
Thyatira was the smallest and least significant of these cities
It was established to be a military garrison to slow down troops from getting to Pergamum
However it lacked any natural barriers and was easily conquered and was taken over around 190BC by the Romans
After this- the city began to flourish
It was known for its manufacturing and marketing
Lots of trade guilds here- woolworkers, linen workers, slave dealers, garment makers, dyers, leather worker, tanners, potters bakers, bronze smiths
Remember in Acts 16:14- We meet Lydia who is from Thyatira and was a wealthy seller of purple goods
These trade guilds were intertwined in religious observances- so that it made life difficult for the Christian
Roman festivals and rituals created issues as they were worshipping others gods and often lead to group sexual immorality
So as we begin today we will look at
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
Here we see a clear declaration of the Jesus name
Quite possibly because of the Jezebel character he speaks of in this chapter but most likely because Caesar worship had declared Caesar to be a god
So his title would be “Emporer Caesar, son of the god Julius”
Jesus makes clear that he is the Son of God- the rightful king God declared to raise up in 2 Sam 7
Whose eyes see all- nothing escapes his sight
Whose feet and foundation is absolute purity and power
Jesus is the King who sees all, is perfectly pure, and has absolute power.
So the commendation comes next
“ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Jesus is mindful of the legacy of good works the church has done
He commends them in 4 ways: love, faith, service and patient endurance
Love and faith appear to be the motive of the good works
Service and Endurance are the result that flow from that
But what I thought was most interesting was the end of the verse
“there latter works exceeded the first”- they were growing in them
Jesus speaks about those - a good way to address problems in someones life
Speak to some type of good first- them address the error
Works well for the church too- address the good outworking of the FOS in believers lives and then address the error
But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
The critique is that the church has tolerated sin
In that a they have allowed a woman to be teaching false doctrine and seducing the church to sin
I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.
And look at the correlation Jesus attaches to this woman
She is Jezebel- King Ahabs pagan wife who brought all kinds of Baal worship into Israel
Polluting the worship of God in Israel
Whatever her exact teaching we know it lead to sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols
but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
Both of these were in direct contradiction to the 3 main things the church sent out to the Gentile churches to abstain from
It could be that this woman was teaching the Roman idea of body being bad and soul being good so that it doesnt matter what you do with your body
Roman worship practices often involved drunken orgies- clearly ungodly
So when you combine the church allowing sexual immorality to run a muck and feasting on food prepared to idols- the church stops looking like a church anymore
Thats the problem- Matt 18 gives great reason why believers should stay away from sin but also how to address sin believers lives to hopefully bring the wayward back but ultimately keep the church pure
Church discipline and accountability does 2 things: Calls a brother back or clearly identifies the unbeliever as they will not repent- But in either case God church is preserved in purity
I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
God has been gracious but at some point God in his sovereignty says Im no longer waiting and Im no longer withholding judgement
Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works,
So here is judgement- sickness is coming upon her and upon all who participate with her
Tribulation awaits those who continue in sin
Thats why its the churches job to address sin in believers lives- punishment awaits them
The church, you and I have responsibility to do so
Not just the pastor or other church leaders- each believer has the responsibility to hold others accountable if they are apart of the church
Hamilton wrote,
How do you respond when you are confronted with your sin? Does it make you angry? Or does it make you humble, contrite, and more grateful that Jesus died to pay the penalty for sin? Does it make you more zealous to turn away from sin in the future? Or does it make you feel like you need to be more careful not to be caught in the future?
If you get angry when people call you to repentance, or if you feel yourself scheming about how to avoid being caught in the future when you plan to commit those same sins again, you are not acting like one who has been born again by the power of God’s Spirit.
When a person hears the news that God is holy, that God calls people to account for the ways they offend his holiness, that the punishment for sin is infinite and eternal, but that Jesus took that punishment when he died on the cross, if the Spirit gives life, they hear this news and are simultaneously born again and believe in Jesus. If you believe this news and you repent of your sin—that is, you want to confess your sin and turn away from it so that you never do those evil things again—you have been born again. If you claim to believe this news, but you do not want to turn away from sin but want to keep right on committing those same sins, you should call on the Lord to send his Spirit to give you life. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13).
and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Some have believed the sickness and tribulation leads to the sinners death in previous verses for good reason
Jesus here says he will strike down her children to death
Ananias and Saphira- God struck them down dead as wedge
1 Cor 11:27-32 Paul tells Corinth your sick and some have died because of unholy worship in regards to the Lords supper
It was too late for Jezebel but it wasnt too late for those associated with her
They could repent or face the judgement of Christ
Why so strong judgement?
“all the churches may know that I am he who searches mind and heart and I will give to each of you according to your works.”
The church needs to remember that God is the head of the church and submission is to him and no one else
We have a book, teach it, believe it and stand by it- not just the parts that I like
That its God who searches Jezebels heart and clearly knows her heart and ours and rest assured he will judge accordingly based on that
Preaching the Word: Revelation—The Spirit Speaks to the Churches Revelation 2:20–23: Jezebel and Her Children
That is a frightful thought. Let me encourage you to apply what Jesus says here to any fellow believers whom you feel have wronged you and gotten away with it. Jesus will give to them as their works deserve. That’s enough. Knowing that Jesus will judge them should enable you to pray for them that they will repent and avoid the treatment they deserve.
But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden.
they have a burden on them- they are putting up with the adultering false prophet
He doesnt heap extra burden on those who have not partaken of the sin
Concerning the deep things of Satan- I believe corresponds to the fact of calling wrong right
That living in a ungodly way is ok for the Christian because God will forgive you and your soul is all that matters anyway
That you can live in whatever way you wanted and it didnt matter- Wrong
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I think one of the greatest assaults on the church is the lack of desire to be holy
We talked about this yesterday in bible study
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Oh the depths of that love
A love that required the satisfaction of the wrath of God
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
So the believer should seek truth and a holy life because of the deep love God has for us
Only hold fast what you have until I come.
He tells the church- hold fast til I come
That still is the mantra for every church and believer- hold fast till I come
The life lived out declares the hearts desire
The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
As we close this section, we have the promise of eternal life to the believers
But yet all promises are only for those who conquer/overcome/persevere till the end
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Helps us understand the context of verse 26-27
Nations will be judged
Because of the believers life in Christ we too will judge the nations as joint heirs with Christ
Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Some have made this connection to ruling and reigning with Christ during the millennial kingdom
Strong point
I will be the first to admit, Im not absolutely certain here but what is certain is our position in Christ
And I will give him the morning star.
Its Jesus- our reward has and always been Jesus
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
For those called by God, they do have ears to hear
Thyatira- its unknown how many heeded the warning but by the 2nd century- the church does exist as it fell prey to the heresy of montanism- heresy led by Montanius to claimed to have extra revelation from God beyond the Scriptures
May we hear these truths and be mindful today