The Church at Thyatira: Compromise Confronted
The Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsJesus confronts the compromise promoted by the false prophetess Jezebel.
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18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
INTRODUCTION:
A- The great sin of the church today is compromise
1- Many in the church advocate compromise to avoid offending anyone. The result is a lack of spiritual power.
2- Our forefathers (early believers and anabaptists) refused to compromise and were marked by spiritual power.
B- Compromise is costly:
1- Lot lost his family.
2- Solomon lost his promise.
3- Sampson lost his sight and life.
4- It costs the church her power because it destroys her witness.
C- Historical Background:
1- The city of Thyatira was founded by the Lydian kingdom and later captured by Seleucus, Alexander’s general. It then served as a border settlement to preserve his kingdom from Lysimacus, his rival to the west.
2- After the kingdom of Pergamum was founded (282 bc ), Thyatira became the borderline between Pergamum and the Syrians. The city was without natural defenses. It was not built on a hill and therefore was subject to repeated invasions. The strength of the city lay largely in its strategic location and also upon the fertility of the area surrounding it. Its inhabitants were descendants of Macedonian soldiers and retained much of their ancestors’ militancy. They made formidable defenders of the city.
3- When Rome defeated Antiochus in 189 bc , Thyatira was incorporated into the kingdom of Pergamum, Rome’s ally. Peace and prosperity followed. Under the Roman emperor Claudius (ad 41–54), Thyatira rose to new prominence and was permitted to issue its own coins. The emperor Hadrian included this city in his Middle East itinerary (ad 134), a hint of the importance of Thyatira in the 2nd century ad
4- Prosperity attracted many Jews to this area. Among the commercial activities of the city were textiles and bronze armor. The armorers were in a guild, like the silversmiths in Ephesus. A coin from the city reveals a smith hammering a helmet on an anvil, a reminder that in the letter to Thyatira the Son of God has eyes that glow like fire and his feet like white-hot metal (Rv 2:18). On the coin the coppersmith is the god Hephaestus. The first known Christian convert in Europe was a businesswoman from Thyatira named Lydia (Acts 16:14, 15, 40). She specialized in the costly purple garments which were exported from Thyatira to Macedonia. Here the purple dye, from the madder root, offered a much cheaper cloth to compete with costlier garments dyed with the expensive murex dye from Phoenicia.
I- THE COMMENDATION:
I- THE COMMENDATION:
(REVELATION 2:18-19)
18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
A- The source of the commendation: (Revelation 2:18)
A- The source of the commendation: (Revelation 2:18)
18 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:
1- The Person issuing the assessment is the Son of God. (υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ)
2- The Perception of the assessor is perfect. “eyes are like flames of fire” (τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ ὡς φλόγα πυρός)
(Ecclesiastes 12:14)
14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
3- The Power of the assessor is unlimited. “whose feet are like polished bronze” (οἱ πόδες αὐτοῦ ὅμοιοι χαλκολιβάνῳ·)
B- The substance of the commendation: (Revelation 2:19)
B- The substance of the commendation: (Revelation 2:19)
19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.
1- The motivation of the church’s actions:
a- Love (ἀγάπην)
(Luke 10:27)
27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
Love for Christ
Love for others
b- Faith (πίστιν= to believe to the extent of complete trust and reliance—‘to believe in, to have confidence in, to have faith in, to trust, faith, trust.’)
(Hebrews 11:6)
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
2- The movement of the church in action:
a- service (διακονίαν = to render assistance or help by performing certain duties, often of a humble or menial nature—‘to serve, to render service, to help, service, help.’)
b- stick-tuitive-ness “patient endurance” (ὑπομονήν= capacity to continue to bear up under difficult circumstances—‘endurance, being able to endure. )
3- The maturing of the church in both motivation and movement.
a- The church was growing and improving in all areas.
“I can see your constant improvement in all these things.”
(τὰ ἔργα σου τὰ ἔσχατα πλείονα τῶν πρώτων) Lit. “your last works are more than at first.”
How would you have to rate your spiritual growth?
How would your spiritual growth be assessed by the Lord?
II- THE CONDEMNATION:
II- THE CONDEMNATION:
(REVELATION 2:20-23)
20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
A- The complaint: The church was allowing a false teacher in the church to influence believers to compromise with the world. (Revelation 2:20-21)
A- The complaint: The church was allowing a false teacher in the church to influence believers to compromise with the world. (Revelation 2:20-21)
20 “But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.
21 I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.
1- She claimed to be a prophetess from God.
2- She led Christians to compromise morally with the pagans around them.
(1 Thess 4:3)
3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.
(1 Peter 1:15)
15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.
3- The Lord had sought to get her to repent and quit teaching her errors.
B- The condemnation: Judgement is coming. (Revelation 2:22-23 a)
B- The condemnation: Judgement is coming. (Revelation 2:22-23 a)
22 “Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
1- Jezebel and her followers will be judged.
a- Sickness
b- Death
C- The clarification of truth: Christ is the one who is in charge. (Revelation 2:23)
C- The clarification of truth: Christ is the one who is in charge. (Revelation 2:23)
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.
1- The objective of the judgment is that the churches will know who is Lord.
a- Christ is the one who searches out our thoughts and intentions of our hearts.
2- The operational fact that must be kept in mind:
a- The Lord rewards each of us based upon our deeds.
(Hebrews 11:6 b)
6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
III- THE COUNSEL:
III- THE COUNSEL:
(REVELATION 2:24-28)
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
A- The counsel of Christ is for those who have been faithful. (Revelation 2:24)
A- The counsel of Christ is for those who have been faithful. (Revelation 2:24)
24 “But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you
1- The counsel is for those who have remained to God’s truth and have not compromised biblical teachings.
2- The counsel is for those who have not compromised biblical living to fit in with the world.
(2 Corinthians 6:17-18)
17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
B- The counsel of Christ is encouragement to the faithful. (Revelation 2:25-28).
B- The counsel of Christ is encouragement to the faithful. (Revelation 2:25-28).
25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come.
26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.
27 They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.
28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!
1- Keep on living for Jesus until he returns!
2- Keep the end goal in view: Christ’s Kingdom!
3- Keep your eyes focused on Christ, himself!
CONCLUSION: