My Morality is Connected to the Church
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
Judges 17-18 - Micah stole 1100 pieces of silver from his mother.
He later returned it and his mother promised to use it to make two images of God.
She used 200 pieces and had them made and Micah started a cult.
Micah ordained one of his sons to be a priest.
Later a man was sojourning who was a Levite.
Micah paid him to come be a priest for him.
The tribe of Dan didn’t like the land assigned to them so they were out looking for better.
They come to Micah’s place of worship and meet the Levite priest.
They get a blessing from the Levite and then take him and all the household gods and image of God with them to legitimize their claim.
Twice in this story it explains the story as, “...everyone did what was right in their own eyes.”
Right and wrong has been perverted in our society. “everyone does was is right in their own eyes.”
Our society calls “good” “evil” and “evil” “good”.
Where does this perversion come from?
It comes from an understanding of authority. Who has authority?
Our society= authority is in me and how I feel.
Christians= our authority comes from God. He reveals himself to us through His Word.
Bible is not just a history book. It is authority that comes from God.
Thyatira struggled with authority.
Revelation 2:18-29
18 “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.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
20 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.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
22 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,
23 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.
24 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.
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
27 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.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Thyatira
Small military town and commercial center.
Gateway city to Pergamos
Trade Guilds= place of idolatry and immorality.
Had to belong in order to work a trade.
Worked much like we have today. Pay and test.
They had the authority and you had to do things their way.
5 Aspects of Authority
1- Jesus Has Authority (18)
1- Jesus Has Authority (18)
Revelation 2:18
18 “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.
Son of God= stands with authority of God Almighty.
He has authority to judge. Therefore the one we must please.
John 5:25-29
25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
27 And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
Eyes of Fire
Nothing can stand before fire= World Trade Center
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
Feet Like Brass
Stands on authority to judge.
Solomon during dedication of the temple stands on a bronze platform to preach to the people of Israel.
ILL- I love to tease my kids- Tara has told them to never believe me unless I’m standing behind the pulpit.
Jesus is always standing on that authority.
2- Good Works Prove Authority (19)
2- Good Works Prove Authority (19)
Revelation 2:19
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first.
Good works prove who has the authority in your life.
“I know your works”- works done in faith.
Works matter= they do not get you to heaven but prove salvation.
We will be judged by works. Rewards determined by works.
Salvation comes through faith in Jesus.
Rewards are given according to what we have done.
Rewards are not for us. Part of our worship.
They had good works.
Love= unconditional love.
Faith= walking in trust. Surrender of trust. Free fall- no work, just surrender.
Service= serve each other. lived as servants.
Sikh Temple= church leaders were taking shoes at the door.
We can learn a few things from their humility to serve.
Patient Endurance
James 1:2-3
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
“Recent works are greater than first.”
Growing in faith= serving more through the church.
Not serving the church.
Serving others through the church.
3- Tolerance Shows Authority (20)
3- Tolerance Shows Authority (20)
Revelation 2:20
20 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.
Tolerance vs Love
This is referring to people operating in the church.
We do not need to judge those outside the church.
Teaching in the church is under Jesus’ authority.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Evil within the church must not be tolerated.
We accept all people just as they are, as Christ did.
Everyone who walks through these doors deserves our love.
Teaching within the church, however, is reserved for those who make Jesus the authority of their life.
4- Judgment Comes From Authority (21-23)
4- Judgment Comes From Authority (21-23)
Revelation 2:21-23
21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.
22 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,
23 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.
Judgment of Jezebel
Original Jezebel
Wife of wicked King Ahab.
Her father was the priest of Ashtaroth.
Sexual immorality was part of worship.
She built a temple in Samaria with 850 prophetesses.
Began killing prophets of Yahweh.
Elijah ran for his life.
Revelation
False teaching is equated to Jezebel’s seduction of Israel.
She gave herself the title of prophetess.
False teaching= led to sexual immorality and wrong practice.
Brought pagan temple worship into the church.
Teaching of world cannot be combined with Christianity.
Ephesus was weak in love but didn’t tolerate evil.
Thyatira was strong in love but tolerated evil.
Politically correct makes a church fit into their society.
We are not called to fit in.
We are called to be different despite consequences.
5- Rewards Given From Authority (23-29)
5- Rewards Given From Authority (23-29)
Motives matter
Revelation 2:23
23 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.
Motives behind good works matter.
Rewards given to believers (24-29)
Revelation 2:24-29
24 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.
25 Only hold fast what you have until I come.
26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,
27 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.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Call to the Faithful
“Hold fast”= do not falter and give into the world.
2 Thessalonians 2:15
15 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.
“Persevere”= conquer.
1 John 5:4-5
4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
“Until I come”= Jesus is coming back for his church!
Our Reward
Authority over the nations
Reversal of earthly authority.
Christians will reign with Christ in authority over the nations during 1000 year reign
“Rule”= Greek word “shepherd”
Picture is one with authority.
Rule with same authority as Christ.
Morning Star= Jesus
Revelation 22:16
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
We will have a relationship with Jesus.
The night is almost over. Day is coming soon.
CONCLUSION
Under whose authority do you live?
What will be the end result of living under that authority?
Are you ready to place your life under the authority of Jesus Christ?
Make him “Lord”= boss, one with authority.
Surrender to Jesus.