Overcoming Misguided Tolerance

INTRODUCTION:

One of the buzz words in our culture is the word tolerance. Historically, the word meant to be disagree with someone’s idea but to “bear it” and not allow that view to change the way you treated them. Bear the error. Our nation is built on the idea of tolerance. Different cultures disagreeing about a good many things but our agreement on core matters enable us to disagree agreeably.

I think we all know, though, that as valuable as tolerance is in our politics there is a sense in which tolerance can be harmful. In other words, certain errors under certain circumstances are intolerable. (adults having sexual desires for children, children having desires to eat only candy) Sometimes, tolerance can be an unloving act because to bear with certain errors actively invites harm on the person requesting the tolerance.

Intolerance of the Tolerant

We live in a culture that rejects the idea of intolerable errors. The “so called” tolerant people are becoming increasingly INTOLERANT. Why? Because tolerance has shifted in its meaning.

No longer does it mean to “bear with error.” It has now come to mean “affirm and celebrate error so long as it is sincerely believed by another.” If you do not affirm and celebrate then you are not tolerant. If you are not tolerant then you cannot be tolerated.

What’s more, this intolerance of the “tolerant” only seems to go “one way.” Its an active intolerance against Christian views of truth an unquestioned affirmation of everything in opposition to Christian truth.

Misguided Tolerance

That dynamic is what I’m going to call “Misguided Tolerance.” Thankfully, we are not the only culture to rub against this cultural dynamic. The church in Thyatira was faced with a similar challenge.

Unfortunately, as many things as this church got right, it got the issue of tolerance all wrong. It was tolerating something that it should not tolerate. It was putting up with something that it ought to put out.

What they saw as a positive - a loving heart and an open mind - was actually being used by Satan to bring about their destruction.

So the message this morning is about Overcoming Misguided Tolerance. Our text is Revelation 2:18-29

Revelation 2:18–29 CSB

“Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God, the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze: I know your works—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first. But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality. Look, I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction. Unless they repent of her works, I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets of Satan”—as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you. Only hold on to what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations— and he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery— just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

IDENTIFICATION: THE CITY & THE CHRIST

The Gateway City

Before we get to Jesus’ words to this church let me tell you a little bit about the city. Thyatira is located about 40 miles southeast of the church we looked at last week; Pergamum. (MAP) Unlike Pergamum, Thyatira wasn’t a big or influential city. It was seen as a “gateway city” to the real city (Pergamum). How would you like that reputation?

Christians and Labor Unions

Though Thyatira wasn’t as prominent of a city in terms of geography or cultural influence, it was well known for its trade guilds. Think of them like today’s Labor Unions. Belonging to one of these labor unions had pretty good perks financially but, like most labor unions, there were strings attached.

Each guild had their own Patron Deity and feasts and as a member you were expected to participate. To put it simply, belonging to a labor union at Thyatira dominated and shaped every aspect of your life: economic, political and social.

So you can imagine the economic, political and social pressure that was being put on the Christians in this city. They could either compromise or suffer the social and economic consequences. As you might imagine, a good number of believers in this city went the way of spiritual compromise.

The Exalted Christ

This is why Jesus introduced himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” (Rev 2:18)

Jesus introduces himself differently to every church because every church was facing a different set of challenges. Jesus introduces himself in this way because of the unique circumstances going on at the church in Thyatira. It’s a reminder we need to see who Jesus is before we hear what Jesus has to say.

What does Jesus description tell us?

Son of God

In the Gospels Jesus would often refer to himself as “son of man” to emphasize his humanity. If that’s the case, then the words “son of God” emphasize Jesus’ deity. He is by very nature God himself. He’s reminding the Christians that their spiritual compromise wasn’t just a rejection of Jesus the man. It was a rejection of God himself and invited God’s judgment as a result.

Eyes like a flame of fire

The phrase “eyes like a flame of fire” are drawn from Rev 1:14 and convey the inescapable vision of Jesus Christ. He sees it all. It’s sees above it all, through it all, and overall. His gaze is powerful. He searches hearts and minds and sees the truth of why we do what we do.

Feet like burnished bronze

In addition to Jesus’ inescapable vision is his righteous and pure judgment. This phrase also comes from Rev 1:15. Except there it adds the phrase “as it is fired in a furnace.” Which means this too is a reference to fire. Fire in the OT and NT is a reference to judgment. Bronze has the same connotations.

Jesus the Judge

Christ is reminding this church that he stands before them as judge. Not only is Jesus our savior and brother and friend. He is also a good and righteous judge. We often refer to Jesus as the chief shepherd of the church and he certainly is. But because he’s also the “Son of God” he’s also a shepherd who leads with a rod of iron. (Psalm 2:9 Rev 19:15)

We cannot know Jesus as Savior if we don’t also submit to him as judge. As he stood before them he so stands before us. The only thing that’s changed is the passage of time. What would Jesus see in you this morning if he set his eyes on you? What would he see in us?

If we are honest there are probably some good things he would see. Some things to commend. But he might also see some sins to confess. That’s what he sees in Thyatira as well. Commendations, condemnations.

COMMENDATION & CONDEMNATION

Commendation

The first thing Jesus does is commend this church for the things they were doing right. It’s a reminder that just because Jesus sees everything doesn’t mean he only focuses on the bad. He’s a just judge and so he also celebrates the good!

Revelation 2:19 CSB

I know your works—your love, faithfulness, service, and endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.

Goin, Glowin, Growin

I love the way Adrian Rogers describes this church. He says they were a goin church, a glowin church and a growin church. Their works and their service made them a ‘goin’ church. Their love and faithfulness made them a ‘glowin’ church. The fact that their latter works were greater than the first works indicates they were a ‘growin’ church.

This is the kind of reputation you would WANT to have is it not? I’d love for Broadview to be known in our community as a goin, glowin, growin kind of church. Amen?!

Goin

We want people to know us for our WORKS and SERVICE. We want to be known for something more than just some building on S 27th or Military Dr. We want a reputation for blessing people in our city and doing good works.

Glowin

We want to be known for our LOVE and FAITHFULNESS. It’s the Greek word Agape. Self-giving, sacrificial love. The love Jesus gave to us on the cross. Love that is a servant of the will not a victim of the emotion. Love that’s given whether the person receiving it deserves it or not.

Growin

We want to be known for our GROWTH and ENDURANCE. Over 50 years we’ve been doing ministry in the city of Abilene. That’s a legacy of faithfulness and endurance. Against all odds at certain seasons. With our growth in numbers and finances came a subsequent growth in generosity and mission and ministry. A great commendation from the Lord.

Condemnation

But as good as all of those things were, there was a problem. A big problem. Like many churches, one of their greatest strengths had become perverted into a glaring weakness.

Their warm hearts clouded clear thinking. Their love for people was perverted into a tolerance for sin.

Jesus describes the chief culprit of that perversion as “the woman Jezebel.”

Revelation 2:20–21 CSB

But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.

Who Is Jezebel?

Most likely this was an influential woman within the church at Thyatira. She “called herself a prophetess” meaning she wrongly appointed herself to a position of spiritual leadership (though the pastor didn’t stop it).

Her name probably wasn’t Jezebel but her spirit and her impact resembled those of Jezebel in the OT.

Jezebel was the wicked wife of Ahab (King of Israel). Her Father was a priest in the pagan religion of Ashtaroth. (goddess of love and war)

She worshipped Baal (the offspring/mistress of Ashteroth) and was generally just a very wicked lady.

Ahab’s Compromise

The worship of Baal included things like child sacrifices and all sorts of sexual deviancy. Baal was considered a fertility God and so temple prostitutes would be available to help channel the fertility blessing of Baal into your life.

This violation of God’s design for sex and the brutality of child sacrifice made God furious. Ahab angered the Lord more than any other King before him.

Not only did Ahab tolerate this idolatry and wickedness in his own life, at the behest of Jezebel he built a temple to Baal in Samaria as well. It was fit with an Ashera pole enabling the sexual worship and temple prostitution that made this false religion so abominable.

When the temple was established in Samaria Jezebel killed every Jewish prophet she could find and replaced them with her own prophets and prophetesses.

Isaiah’s words at Mount Carmel are fitting for the kind of misguided tolerance then, now and at the church in Thyatira.

1 Kings 18:21 CSB

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

Thyatira’s Compromise

The spirit of Jezabel from the OT was alive and well at the church in Thyatira. She was leading people to commit acts of adultery (whether physical, spiritual or both we aren’t sure).

We don’t know if her influence was sanctioned or appointed by the pastor but however it was derived the pastor was clearly not doing anything to confront the doctrinal error. As a result the church went from compromised to corrupt in a hurry.

The Spirit of Jezebel is incompatible with the Spirit of Christ. Like the teaching of Balaam last week and that of the Nicolaitans in Ephesus and Pergamum, the deception was they could wed the worship of Jesus with the worship of pagan Gods. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sexual immorality and meat sacrificed to idols was the pagan worship of their day. What does the teaching of Jezabel look like in our day and age?

A Word For Our Church

What’s the warning to our church? The warning is we cannot worship Jesus and love the world at the same time. We must REMOVE, therefore, anything that is causing us to compromise our allegiance to Christ.

It doesn’t matter how passionately you worship the Lord on Sunday if your worship is tainted by the idolatry of loving the world Monday-Saturday.

Your spiritual compromise defiles your worship of the true God. It’s a violation of the first two commandments.

Choose This Day Who You Will Serve

In Christianity it always boils down to a choice. Will you love and worship God or will you love and worship the world? You cannot do both. You cannot ride the fence. It is black and white. Either or. True or false.

We can lie to ourselves and justify compromise using all sorts of fancy thinking. But at root it’s the same deception. It’s the Spirit of Jezebel.

There are churches you can go to today that after the preacher is done you will leave and think to yourself “well I guess I can live any way I want and it won’t even matter!”

There’s a whole movement of progressive Christianity that uses bad theology and the deception of Jezebel to lead all manner of Christians into a false security that their sexual sin and other forms of rebellion of God doesn’t matter.

Their end is destruction!

Individuals and the Church

Has this spirit infected you? Are there things you are doing in the dark that need to be brought to the light? Are there secrets eating at you? Are there questions you hope nobody asks you about? Are you resting in the false security “Jesus really doesn’t care about this issue?” Repent!

Has this spirit infected our church? Are there people you know who are under the sway of this kind of false teaching? Maybe you don’t know the particulars of their specific sin but you can see the effects in their day to day life.

Jesus is partly rebuking this pastor because he knew it, he saw it and did nothing about it. What about you? Are there people you love who need to be confronted about the sin in their life?

You say, “how do I know?” You’ll know because Jesus will make it clear. In fact, it’s probably an issue Jesus has already been wresting with you over and you keep resisting his leadership.

Misguided tolerance can usually be found where the Spirit’s conviction has been continually resisted. That was certainly the case with Jezebel. That’s why Jesus says in Rev 2:21 “I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.” So whatever that thing is, REPENT. Repent before it’s too late.

THE CONSEQUENCE & COMMAND

Revelation 2:22-23

Jesus promises that judgment is inevitable for Jezebel and those who follower her false teaching. The consequences grow in intensity from a sickbed of sin to affliction to physical death.

Revelation 2:22–23 CSB

Look, I will throw her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction. Unless they repent of her works, I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Sexual Sin & The Sickbed

Jesus is not messing around. Whether physical sickness or some other form of God’s judgment the contrast is clear.

The bed of adultery will not always be a bed of pleasure. The judgment of Christ will make the bed of adultery a bed of affliction regardless who commits the sin.

If you are not getting rid of those things in your life that undermine your ability to remain faithful to Christ, don’t be surprised when those same things bring about a great deal of pain and misery in your life.

God is not mocked. Whatever a man sow that will he also reap. It’s a principle. It’s how God structured the universe. It’s far better to respond to God’s gracious invitation to repent. Instead of reaping what you sow - reap LIFE in place of DEATH.

If God is convicting your heart in this moment then let today be the day when you say, “no more! I’m done. The compromises end today.” And allow the grace of God to shield you from the devastating effects of sin in your life.

THE COMMAND

For Jezebel, her judgment was inevitable. It was too late for her. For those who were under the sway of Jezebel’s teaching, the invitation was to repent. The judgment of death was coming if they continued to reject repentance.

For those who didn’t hold to that teaching, Jesus gives a different word.

Revelation 2:24–25 CSB

I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets of Satan”—as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you. Only hold on to what you have until I come.

Hold Fast

So Jesus gives this remnant group within the church a command and a promise. The command is to “hold on to what you have.”

Remember what he said in the beginning? The commendation? I see your love, your faithfulness, your service, your works, your perseverance and your growth day by day in each of these things.

Jesus is saying - keep holding on to all of those things. You’re doing great. Just keep on keeping on.

The way to overcome in the Christian life is to just remain faithful doing what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus wants us to hold fast. And because he wants us to hold fast we know he’ll be faithful to help us hold fast. Our Lord has every inclination to help us if we will only ask.

Remember what pleases God in the Christian life isn’t necessary what we do or how impressive we are or how morally blameless we think we can be. Remember, even on our best day our righteousness is a filthy rag before the Lord.

The way to overcome is simply REST in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. To abide. If you’ll abide then all of these things naturally flow from your life.

The Promised Rewards

If you will continue to abide in Jesus through to the end then Jesus promises these great and awesome rewards. What are they? Two things: authority over the nations and the morning star.

Revelation 2:26–29 CSB

The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations— and he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery— just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Authority Over the Nations

This reference to an iron rod stems from Psalm 2:9 which is a messianic Psalm about the return of Christ and his kingly rule on the earth. And I think this refers specifically to the physical millenium reign of Jesus on the earth.

So the idea is that we will rule WITH him as he rules over all the nations. You say, “well how’s all that going to work and what’s that going to look like?” And my reply is “stay tuned for the rest of the series and we can find out together.”

Some get a little bit uncomfortable with this language of triumph and authority over the nations. And one pastor I read this past week said “our discomfort with the language of triumph may be because our Christian testimony is so quiet that it has kept us from becoming trampled.”

Is there anything counter cultural about us? Are we opposed in anyway? If not, why would we crave vindication from Jesus Christ? For those who know the pain of injustice and persecution this reward will be a great vindication.

The Morning Star

The language of the morning star shows up throughout the OT but given the context I think it harkens back to the prophet Balaam in the book of Numbers. In the fourth oracle Balaam gives to Balak he prophesies about a conquerer who will come out of Israel and crush the forehead of Moab.

Numbers 24:17 CSB

I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.

The scepter and the star are related.

In Rev 22:16 Jesus refers to himself as the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star.

So the reward of overcoming is ultimately the gift of Jesus Christ himself. All other desires are ultimate a desire for him.

Jesus says if you overcome, you will get ME. This is the fight of faith. We may not get a raise, promotion, tenure, degree, fair trial, kids, parents, all manner of things that we want in this world but Jesus says “you will get me.”

He is what our heart ultimately desires. Everything we think we need and want in this life Jesus will give us in himself because everything longing in us is ultimately a longing for him.

The things in this world that we try and pursue - and compromise our faith in order to pursue - will ultimately leave us wanting. But when we see Christ and receive Christ we will finally have our soul fully satisfied because we were made to rest in HIM.

Even if Jesus is all we have. He is all we will ever need.

CONCLUSION

Do you know what happened in the church at Thyatira? They thought they were doing good - and in many ways they were. But there were some sins they needed to be confessed.

Jesus came to them and said, “I agree that you’re doing well in these areas but it’d be a really good idea if you’d confess this sin to me and choose to follow me.

"My judgment of that sin is too great for you to bear and the reward of following me is too great for you to miss. I see everything about you and I’m ready to help you move forward if you’ll trust me. Won’t you trust me?”

Jesus sees us clearly this morning. Will you hear and respond to what he’s asking you to do? Will you trust him and move forward in obedience?