Thyatira: The "Jezebel" Church

That we're going to look at today. It's probably more applicable to our time. Then any of them maybe except laodicea, which will be the last one that we're going to study. But really the state of the church that we the Church of our kind of reminds us of the church is in our world today and these churches. Now remember, not only did they represent their own time and place in historical situation, but it also serves as metaphors for the church today because the same things that were happening in the first second. Third, fourth, fifth, sixth seventh. We see happening today. We Face the same problems. So, let's let me give you a little caption of what we studied so far the church in Ephesus represented. The first century, Apostolic church, that's when the church began. So that's what Ephesus reminds us of him. And what was the problem with that Force us? Well, they had lost their first Love. So, they were so busy doing and serving and they're doing a lot of great things. They just forgot the relationship with Christ and they were just doing it out of a sense of Duty and obligation and not a sense of love, but that was a church at Ephesus. And then we looked at the church in Smyrna, which represented the second and third Century. That's when Christians were going through this horrible, persecution by the Roman government. And Smyrna was a suffering church and then last week, be looked at pergamus which represented remember we said Paramus was the compromising church. So that represents of the compromise of the corrupted church. That was eventually under Constantine who made Christianity, the religion of the Roman Empire and if you if you didn't get baptized or if you wouldn't Christian, he kill you and what kind of Christian would do that. So it was a corrupt Christianity. And that was beginning in the 4th centuries, but just remember all of these churches that I talked about, I mentioned the bad thing, but everything wasn't bad Christ. Had a lot of good things to say about him. I had a lot of strengths and so I think when we look at the church today, we can see same strengths and weaknesses. Also will today, we are going to the fourth church and that is the church at 5 attire attire and it suffered from something that I think that is very real today in our churches. So let's look at Revelation Chapter 2 and we're going to read starting verse 18 all the way down to verse 29. This may have been the most

I don't want to say it relevant but one of the minor churches that the letters were written to it, it really wasn't a big city or anything. So it'd be kind of flew under the radar but it's the longest letter to the seven churches. And so let's read and see what the Lord says about this church and the angel and to the angel of the Church of fire tower, right? This thing says the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brass. I know your Works. Love service Faith. Good thanks. And your patience. And as for your works, the last or more than the first, we'll talk about that a little later. All that is good. Marceline Mo my goodness. You never want to see that word. Nevertheless because, you know, now something bad coming. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you because you allow that woman, Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess to teach and seduce my servants to commit, sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality and she did not repent, indeed. I will cast her into a sickbed and Those who commit adultery with her into Great Tribulation unless they repent of their deeds. Now, watch this, I will kill her children.

Can you believe that the Lord is saying to the church to someone in the church? I will kill her children with death. And all the churches shall know that I am, he who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give the each one according to your works. Now, do you I say and to the rest in 5-hour, as many as do not have this Doctrine, as many as in the church that does not follow Jezebel who have not known, the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you, no other bird butthole fast. What you have till I come. And he who overcomes and keeps my works until the end to him. I will give power over the nation's and then reversed 2070 quote Psalm 29 he shall rule them with a rod of iron they shall be dashed in pieces like The Potter's vessels as I also have received from my father and I will give him the Morning Star. The people who overcome the hold fast to the Lord, in the midst of this devilish woman Jezebel in the church. He says, I will give you the Morningstar wonder what that is. So I can go ahead and tell you, it's Jesus Christ, because the Bible says in revelation 22, Jesus Christ is the bright and Morning Star. So he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches. Well, today's message, I've been titled The Jezebel Church. I mean, if you've got a child here that you named Jezebel I doubt many of you have you might you might pick Mary or you may pick Elizabeth or you made it Paul or Peter. But you are John, but you're not going to name your child. Jezebel not many people do, but we're going to talk more about that in just a moment. So the Jezebel Church, well, as always, let's keep with our outline. We've been doing, let's talk briefly about the destination Point. Number one, the destination of the letter five Tire. Don't have a whole lot to say about it, other than it was located in a valley between pergamus and Sardis. It had no high wall or any type of fortification, all it had was a Roman Garrison there to protect it. Here's what it did have. It was a bustling Trade Center, a lot of trading going on there. A lot of individuals with you can say personal business has a lot of money flowed through their all type of commercial Enterprises. And even though you can probably consider it, the least important of the city's, which Christ address these letters. Again, it received the longest letter. So the only time 5 tire is mentioned in the bible, outside of the Book of Revelation right here is in Acts 16 and there was a lady from fonterra and her name was Lydia. I don't know if you remember her in the Bible but she was a business woman. It says in Acts 16 that she was a dealer of purple cloth. So she was probably a seamstress or something like that and she traveled to Phillip I own business and there she met the Apostle Paul. And there she met heard the gospel. And she became a follower of Jesus and probably what happened. She was one of the founding members of the church at Phillipi and she likely return to thyateira and with the gospel and probably helped establish the church in 5 hours. That's the only time you'll read about fire tower in the entire Bible. So that's the destination of the letter. Let's look at the description number to the description of Christ. And we see that in the second part of first 18, I look what it says. This thing says, the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire and his feet. Like brass, let me give you three things that this talks about here. You see it right here, it talks about his authority, his awareness, and his anger. So he says he has eyes, like a famous, flaming fire feet like fine brass, these traits reveals. I believe about himself. They are these Trace always fit to the church that he's riding too cuz he describes himself differently to every Church. The problem in the Church of fire tire was not easily seen. Not always in plain sight, but because he has eyes, like a flame of fire. That means, it penetrates that God can penetrate he can look inside and know exactly what's in our hearts. Did, you know, that? He knows exactly what you think. Every moment of the day he knows because he can see, and he can see it plainly and notice how he refers himself here. These things says the son of God, That speaks of his divinity. He's trying to tell this church. This is God speaking. He didn't use the son of man like it's used most of the time in the New Testament. He says he's the son of God. So this kind of add some serious too serious to the situation in the Son of God speaks of his deity to. He says I have authority because I know exactly what's going on. And then the awareness, his eyes, flame of fire already mentioned that kind of refers to his moral judgment. He sees everything in perfect righteousness of the disciples were member of Jesus. They didn't understand everything, he taught her everything he said, but they didn't understand one thing. They knew that Jesus knew everything and all things. They knew that in the church that died Tire would not be successful in concealing their Sin from the Lord. So we see his authority The wireless but we also see his anger in this statement his feet like fine brass just write this down. Always remember this, when you see fine brass in the Bible is always a symbol for judgement. He is a judging God, brass is a symbol of judgment. This was meant to convey, to the church. Not only was he aware of their sin, but he was getting ready and prepared to judge their sin. And we already know that because we've read the scripture, so, the destination style, attire description, board's, Authority, awareness, and his anger. Let's go to number 3, And we're going to see the diagnosis of the church and we see it in vs. 19 and 20, I know you works. Love service faith and your patience. And ask for your work, the last more than the first. But never the last. I have a few things against you. What? Let's just stop right there. Let's look at the diagnosis of the church. And first of all, we see That it was a laboring church. What does the Bible say? I know your works. Now, a laboring church. They were active Church. They were doing things for the Lord. They wouldn't pass it. That word for that word works, there. I know your works in the word for service is the same Greek word we have for deacon. They were servants to their Community, which is what, you know, we want to be in our community here. We want to serve the people in the community so they were of a pointed like a deacon to serve the local congregation. This was a working laboring serving church. That's a good thing. They were labor in church. Now. Look what else it says. It says they were a loving. Sure, I know your works and then, he says, Love. Now, what's the word for love their agape? That's unconditional. Love what was the one thing missing from? The church of Ephesus. Love this church, at this church had love. They had that agape love this. Selfless unconditional love, they were holding steady, they were loving each other and loving the community. So we looking at this church, the diagnosis and as I look this church out here, First Baptist 25 tire there are serving working church and let me tell you something about time you go there they are friendly. They love the people at that church and they love their Community. What you want to be a part of that church? I would all right. Now, look at it. Labor in loving Church, they were a loyal Church. Look what it says says Works love service and then what faith? Well, he says, I know you are fake, but the Greek word behind faith is pissed off and it can mean either fate or fateful Nest where you think about it. They're all so none of us. Anyway, people of Faith are usually what thankful if you have faith, you going to be faithful. So they were loyal, they were dependable and even mention that faithfulness was the chief requirement of a steward in 1st Corinthians chapter 4. And the people at 5 Tire had that trait, they were faithful. They had Faith, but they were faithful and doing and working. For the Lord, but not only that, they were a long-suffering church. He says, I know your worth love service, faith and your patience. What does that word mean? That we're patient? Literally means staying power under adverse circumstances, when the pain and pressure came to this church, the Christians and thought my tire stood firm and not a good trait to have. If you are, if you up for church, they were patient in Tribulation and then he says something in verse 19 and ask for your works. The last are more than the first. What is he talkin about there? That just means that the church as far as love and service in fate and patient. They were getting stronger as they went alone. They wouldn't dwindling down note. They were getting better and stronger. The more they were pressured by the world. The more faithful they became Is that true in your life? The more you were pressured by the world? No more faithful, you become Or do you become more tolerant? You say what, what do you use that word for? Because that's the problem that this church have Labor in church. They work, loving Church Agape, loyal Church. They were faithful a long-suffering Church. They were patient, but his, the problem they were a loose Church. You say, what do you mean by that? What? Look at it verse 20. Never Last have a few things against you because you allow that woman, Jezebel who calls herself, a prophetess, the teat and seduce, my servant to commit, sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to Idols. They were people in that church a woman in that church who had taken over and the people the leadership allowed her to do it and she brought sexual immorality and idolatry into the church. And the church did not do anything about it. Why? Because they were a church of Tolerance, What does our culture tell us to do today? You need to be what tolerant you need to be tolerant of gay marriage and homosexuality. You are a bigot. If you're not, we will counsel you. We, we will shut you up. If you say anything against that, you should tolerate any and everything. Because that's what love does that's what the culture tells us today. And we have many Church, many people standing up in churches this morning, Preaching an alternative gospel. I mean, it's everywhere, all around us and they do that because they have tolerated evil in their church and immorality and bad Theology and all the rest, they have tolerated that they wouldn't say anything to this woman. It happens everywhere. Well, let's let's move to number for the denunciation of the church. And here's the problem. I got four of them right here and let me just mention each. One of these very briefly because we need to see this for areas of danger, that Jesus here, addresses. And we must recognize this and win. If we ever see this, we need to confront it immediately. The sooner the better because the delay will always be deadly. All right, so here's number one. They had a personality problem and I want you to look at it in the first part of vs20. Never less. I have a few things against you because you allow that woman Jezebel. What do we learn from this? Well, number one. She was a powerful personality I didn't say she wasn't a man. It was a woman taking over in the church. She had built her own following and Kingdom. She was probably smart influential have a good personality and probably powerful in speech. It was easy to join somebody like that because they kind of make sense when they talk, but she was like The Jezebel of old. How many of you remember? The Jezebel the Old Testament? Anybody remember her? Well, she was the wife of old Wicked King. Ahab of he was being over the northern tribe of Israel. Her father was a priest and idolatrous caught that glorified, sexual immorality and Temple. Prostitutes. Can you believe that one or every Sunday? When you come to church? If we had prostitute standing out here in the parking lot. What would you think about that? Would not just be awful, but this is exact What happened in Jezebel brought this idolatry into her Union when she married Ahab, and they build a temple for the Canaanite. God is a straw and Jezebel destroyed had God prophets killed, and she had over 850 of her own, false prophet, but guess what her husband wouldn't do. He wouldn't confront her. He allowed her full rank. He was an evil King but she was a vile and Wicked Woman worse than a hap, but he was afraid and finally, Elijah had to go and and condemn. And you can read about that in 2nd Kings 9, but it was just an awful death. So, here's what happened. The spirit that we just talked about of Jezebel in the Old Testament, had infiltrated, the church at 5 Tower through a female prophetess. I doubt her name was Jezebel. I doubt that he's what is the Bible probably talkin about here. You allow that woman to the spirit of Jezebel but the Jezebel the Old Testament her thinking her way of doing things as infiltrated, the church is what they're saying here fo This I think is a valuable lesson for us in today's world. And you say, well what do you mean by that? We need, we can't forget this and I want you to listen carefully, anything or anyone.

They get your eyes off. Jesus is not of God. And I'm talking about people in the church. Anything or anyone who minimizes or changes the gospel is not of God. Anything or anyone that compromises biblical truth is not of God. I don't care how impressed that they are in their abilities, there or Tori their gift, their Visions, it makes no difference whatsoever. If it takes her eyes off, Jesus, if it's not biblically mandated in the Bible, if it is compromised, if it is tolerating evil, that is not of God out there who it is. If there's a pastor of a church member, it doesn't matter. They had a personality problem in this church, it was that woman Jezebel, she had taken over number two, An authority problem they had. Well course that one leads to the other if you have a personality cult Jezebel, it says here. And look how the Bible says in verse 20. Because you allow that woman Jezebel Who calls herself a prophetess. Here was a self-proclaimed leader. Never seen it. Someone like that you say was, I know, they're not elated, we'll just talk to him. They'll tell you there, if you want to know, if they're late or not, you talk to her self-proclaimed leader. Who said that she was a prophetess. God didn't say, it look what the Bible says, because you allow that woman who calls herself. What she calls herself that a self-proclaimed Prophet is, God didn't say that. Now, now let me say this, if you read the Bible, you'll find out that there is a legitimate gift of Prophecy. That involve women in the Bible, all you have to do is go and read, Anna, and Luke Phillips daughters, and ask Joel chapter 2. You go through, you go through there and read that, there's a legitimate gift of Prophecy for a woman. Have her this year was illegitimate. It was an inappropriate seizing up, our just due to roll ambition. I'm going to run this church and I'm going to do this and she was clever, I'm sure she was deceptive manipulative. Domineering scheming spiritually idolatry just a hateful, evil meme woman but they allowed her free reign in the church, they had a personality problem and Authority problem. Number three, They had a theology problem. Look what else it says. You allow this woman Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess to teach and seduce my servants. So they allowed her to stand up and petite. And I'm sure when she talked like all false teachers, she would always mix truth with error. You see if somebody just gets up here and just spits out are just one after the other. We can all notice that we can all see that, but when someone stands up and says, look Do y'all need Grace Church? Y'all need to rethink this thing about gay marriage and thing because, you know, God is the Bible says, God is love and God loves all people and we supposed to love all people if not just Man Loves a Woman and woman loves a man or man and wife. Love good enough. We love all people. All people should have a love man for man and woman. We should all love each other. This God is love us. What the Bible says? Well, people started hearing that and they said that sounds right. We should love everyone. You see is. So they meant truth with lies but it contains just enough truth that those who are kind of Salomon dador gullible, they fall for it. He says here that teaches and deceives my servant her doctor was attractive. It was seductive. It probably seemed like it was insightful. She may have been kind of deep and perceptive, she had a way of opening up the scriptures. That was kind of new and fresh to people, and I'm sure her teaching promised, freedom and things like that and prosperity in life. But what they did is they failed to exalt Jesus and it actually Dethrone Jesus from his rightful place. So she claimed to have the truth. But what she was doing, was peddling, a lie. God standard was perverted and friends. We never need to lose sight of the fact that Doctrine and theology matters in a church. What you teach and what you believe it matters in a church. So, truth is too easily compromised today and when is compromised, it is lost. So what they have personality problem Authority from the allergy problem, and then they had a moral problem. Look at the last part verse 20, seduce my service to do what commit, sexual immorality and eat things. Sacrificed to Idols, they probably came to the temple where the prostitutes work and they just got up with the prostitutes and things like that. Eating meat sacrificed to Idols, eating meat sacrifice. The other God, they didn't care, you know, and I'm sure Jesse, I'll probably sit. Look. You have to compartmentalize, honey. You have to combine the sacred and the secular, you know, if you're going to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, you have to make some allowances. I mean, that's what the people tell us today on occasion. You're going to have to compromise your convictions. I've had four people ask me.

If I would marry them.

And they had been divorced, and two of them had lived together before. Mary Naughty married. One of them. And I won't marry anyone that does that. I will not do it. I will not compromise my conviction just because the world says it's right. I will not do that. If it makes people mad, I can't help it. But I said long ago. There's some things that I will not do and that is one of them and I certainly wouldn't marry two men or two women. Not going to do the. I'm not going to compromise. My faith. I'm not going to tolerate those things simply because what everybody else is doing it, and the world is the world is doing it. Okay, well let the world do it but I'm not going to do it but just be apart. That way. It won't hurt anything, Jesus understands and remember that you're free in Christ. If you have to do something that's not right, you can always ask for forgiveness, his grace is sufficient and not true. Yes, it is, his grace is sufficient, but of course she was wrong and this compromise and Toleration, set the Lord against his own church friends. Let me just say this and we'll move on when a church looks like the world.

You have a sick Church. When the church acts like the world. You have an impotent church with no power and when the church plays with the world you have an Unfaithful church. We don't want to play. We don't want to look like and we don't want to smell like well we want to reach the world with the gospel. That's what we want to do it. Anytime you go beyond that, you were either a sick, an impotent or an Unfaithful Church. Well let's go 2.5 quickly and will close this out. We want to look at the Declaration to the church. And let's look at it versus 21229. North said, I gave her time to repent or sexual immorality and she didn't repent. I'll cast you into sickbay and Those who commit adultery with her. In the Great Tribulation less, they were pain of their deeds, I'll kill her children with death and all the churches do know that I am. He is searching the minds and hearts, I will give to each one according to his Works. What is he saying here? While he has three messages, first of all, he's talking to Jezebel and her father's. That's the message to the cult. And number one, he says, I'm going to bring great distress on them. He says I have given them a chance to repent, but guess what they won't do it. Didn't got along. So he just has his people time and Diamond time and time to turn their life around and sometimes they do sometimes they won't. And he said, if you don't, I'll put you in bed, I'll put you in the sickbed. I'll give you a debilitating disease and I'll do that. You ever witness what you thought. Somebody a Christian had turned away from God and just living, just just out here crazy like and all of a sudden you see things bad starting to happen to him and you think to yourself and even though we're not to judge but you think yourself and I got the flu and something here even though it's not our place to say that we're friends, God is Holy and he's not going to allow rebellion in Forever, not forever. If you are Christian and you turn away from God and you just go out here and do it. He's long-suffering, and he may give you 10 15, 20, 30 years, I don't know, but he's not going to go forever and I seen God, take people off this Earth because they turned their back on him. He gave them time to repent but they would not do it was Hebrew. Say it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. It's a fearful thing. So he said, I'll put you in the sickbed and then he says, not only that, I'll kill your children. Are you like that now? This was all not just for the prophetess. It was all for those who were father. He said, I'll give you Great Tribulation and when he says I'll kill her children, was he talking about her physical children? Born out of adultery or is he talkin about her spiritual children, that were falling there? I don't know. But either way, he can do either one, he can do either one. I don't know which one he was talking about, but Christ was prepared to judge those who were associated with this immoral woman. So we had a message to the call but then he had a message to the Christians. There, look at it first. 24 and 25. Now, do you I say into the rest in Firetower? As many as do not have this. In other words they don't hold the doctor but yet they're still in the church who have not known the depths of Satan as they say I will put on, you know, the burden. He said I'm not going to put another burden on you but holdfast what you have till I come. He says hold fast those engaged that were not engaged with the cult, had not known the depths of Satan. Those who stood their ground Christ. Exhort them to just stand around a little longer. They refused to go along. They refused to take abroad or liberal or enlightened view of Doctrine. They knew what got infected. They kept it, they held to their convictions. They would not tolerate evil and they stood strong. That's exactly who God is looking for in his churches today. And many people think today, did you go out in this world? You say well, I don't drink and I don't smoke and I don't run around on my wife or husband. They'll look at you. Like you're crazy. I had a man tell me one time. He said, I've been married three times. He said every woman I've been married to he said I've been unfaithful to And when I told him, I'd never been unfaithful to my wife. He thought I was crazy. he said, I cannot believe that he said everybody plays around some He said everybody. I said, when I know everybody don't but that's the way the world thinks they think. Well, if you don't go out here and party and Carry On and do that but there's just something wrong that's just a nice. Just odd that you wouldn't do that, but it doesn't matter if it's odd to them or not. I will stay in the minority. If I know God is on my side. And if God is on your side, you're never in the minardi, you're in the majority. Don't matter. If it's just you and him against the world, you're in the majority cuz you have God on your side. So he had a message to depression. Stand firm had a message to the call. I'll kill you. he'll change, but then he had a message to the conquerors and I look at this as we close And he who overcomes, that's the ones who stand firm and keeps my works until the end him. I will give power over the nation. What he saying that person purses that show those people. Those Christians. Will one day rule the Earth, the nation? What in the world is he talking about? And then he says I will give him the Morning Star. Here's what he said. I'm going to give you power to rule, rule W. What does he mean? The nation's. This is a specific reference to when Christ comes back and sets up his Thousand-Year Reign on earth. When he comes back, he bringing Christians from heaven with him. And the Bible says that we will rule and Reign on with Christ on Earth for a thousand years, that's what he's talking about. So all of us Christians who are generally, a genuinely Christian, we're going to rule and reign with Christ during the millennial Reign and the responsibilities, that will be given during that. Now, listen carefully, the responsibilities did he gives you when you rule and reign in that period will be determined by how faithful you are on what you do on this earth. Now, That's what will give you the right to rule and Reign. How faithful us on Earth you are as followers of Christ and then of course rewards and responsibilities will be determined at the judgement seat of Christ. Will all stand for Christ at the judgment-seat. We're nowhere say we're going to have and has nothing to do with salvation but there is where he'll give us our rewards. And then after that, we'll come back with him, set up his Reign on Earth and we will rule with it. That's what he's talking about. I will give you, he says, I'll give you power over the nation's. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. We're going to roll with Christ one day, but then he says, I'll give you the Morning Star why I already told you who that was, that's Christ. So how do we receive when? Do we were see? I mean we perceive Christ is our savior, but when is he going to give us when we going to be with him forever at the Rapture of the church? When Christ comes back in the clouds and he raptures, the dead in Christ goes up, their Spirit goes up, meets their bodies, go up, meets their spirit. And they are at the Rapture of the church. That's when we will forever be with Jesus and see him face-to-face. He says, I will give him the Morning Star friends at the Lord. Don't come back soon. Most of us in this church this morning, We're going to fall asleep or is the Bible says fall asleep. We're going to die and be buried on this Earth. I mean that's that's just the fact but one day in the future, we will be awakened. When the bridegroom returns for his bride and all who have stood firm all who would not compromise all who would not tolerate evil in their own life or in their church, will meet the bright and Morning Star and we will dwell with him forever. That's exactly what he said that is our hope right there today of all of us who Faithfully live in Christ. So let the warnings and the promise is to the church that the attire Let It Be Your watch words. You write them big and straight on your heart. Satan is Alive and Well, and he'll do everything. He can to keep Christian from remaining faithful to the end. So as Christian men and women boys and girls and as a Christian Church let's say and determining our own heart, we will not compromise, we will not tolerate evil, God is a holy God. And one day, I'm going to spend eternity with him and I know what he expects from his church say, Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you, and praise. You. Love you today, Lord for your word and how it just touches and Prix our hearts. Or we just thank you today for this letter. Lord, it is so easy in the culture that we live in to, to compromise our convictions. To just be loose. Like this church was just for the sake of not arguing, just for the sake of keeping peace. Lord help us to understand what you expect out of your people. You expect us to be holy and Reverend and Lord, we can stand strong and we can stand firm but we can do it in a spirit of Love. Nor we can speak the truth in love and never compromise and never tolerate sin in our own lives or in the lives of our turkey. Lord help us to stand strong as we look forward to the day when we will rule and reign with you and live with Jesus forever in heaven because we will have the bright and Morning Star forest in, Christ's name. I pray. Amen. All right. Well, thank you for being here. Today, we don't have a