When Being Tolerant Becomes Sin

When Being Tolerant Becomes Sin Revelation 2:18-29 March 7, 2021 What should we know about Thyatira? It was a small town We would classify it as a blue-collar, working-class community. It was full of trades-people who belonged to guilds. In fact, Thyatira had more documented trade guilds than the great cities which received letters for Christ. For the Christians, belonging to a trade guild would call for moral and spiritual compromise, yet the guilds controlled the majority of jobs. • • • . • The Big Idea: Christians and the churches they belong to can at 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.’ the same time be full of love, faith, service and endurance while committing the sin of tolerating (allowing) deeply offensive sin to go unchecked in their midst. Christ says we need to repent of our toleration and either deal with the sin in our church or He will come in fierce judgment of it. Rewards are promised to those who “hold fast” to the end. Revelation 2:18-29 (ESV) 2 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 7 ETERNAL TRUTHS: 1. Because churches are comprised of broken people saved by Jesus, they are always a mixture of things which bring honor and dishonor to the Savior. 2. Jesus is our example of how to love sinners while calling them to stop their sinning. And, obviously, we need brothers and sisters to do the same for us. 3. The world believes that loving people means being tolerant of basically any and all choices they make. In God’s family we have a higher obligation and call than tolerance of sin. 4. We Christians need to always be on guard against spiritual deception, knowing that deception is often very close to truth. 5. Increasing in works, love, faith, service, and endurance is what the Father expects of us as His children. 6. Your true identity is found as a child of your Heavenly Father. As a child of the King, our obedience comes out of identity. 7. God’s rewards to the faithful children are remarkable: inheriting the Earth and eternity with the Son.