The church that allowed false teaching
Revelation 2:18-29

Intro:
Good morning.
If you were going on a vacation — would you go to Elgin, Illinois; Erie, Pennsylvania; or Ypsilanti, Michigan? They don’t sound like overly attractive towns; you probably wouldn’t choose them for your honeymoon. If you were to go there, you might not stay too long.

The next letter to a church in Revelation that we are going to look at is the letter to Thyatira, the smallest and least famous of those mentioned. However the problem they faced was far from unimportant. Thyatira’s significance as a city is that it was on the road connecting Pergamum with Sardis and was the gateway to Pergamum, the capital of the province. Its location was about 47 miles SW of Pergamum. Thyatira was an armed garrison, manned by a company of Macedonian troops, placed there as an outpost to protect Pergamum. There was a difficulty in that Thyatira was not capable of any prolonged defense. You see it lay in an open valley. There was no height that could be fortified; and all that Thyatira could ever hope to do was to fight a delaying action until Pergamum could prepare to meet the invaders.

Thyatira had no special religious significance. It was not a center of either Caesar or of Greek worship. They did have a local deity, and fortune-telling shrine, presided over by a female oracle called the Sambathe. No heavy threat of persecution hung over the Thyatiran Church as hung over the church at Pergamum.

From inscriptions discovered we learn that it had an extraordinary number of trade guilds. These guilds associated for the mutual profit and pleasure of the people employed in the trades. They were both business and social organization. There were guilds of workers in wool, leather, linen and bronze, makers of outer garments, dyers, potters, bakers and slave-dealers. We also know that the guilds held common meals. These would very often be held in a temple and even if not, they would begin and end with a formal sacrifice to the gods, and the meat eaten would be meat which had already been offered to idols. Further, it often happened that these communal meals were occasions of drunken partying and slack morality. To refuse to join one of these guilds would be much the same as to refuse to join a trade union today. It would put a person at a disadvantage since independent work was not as accepted by buyers.

We know from scripture in Acts 16:14-15 that Lydia was from Thyatira and that she was a business woman in the trade of dealing in purple.

Yet in spite of its small size Thyatira received the longest letter from the Lord. It’s a reminder that all churches, large and small, in big or small cities are important to Christ. Nobody can say, my church is too small, so Jesus doesn’t notice us.

I. The letter begins with a description of Jesus: Revelation 2:18 – “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;”
a. The first thing I see is these words; “saith the Son of God”. This is completely clear. There is no doubt who is speaking. The Son of God.
b. “who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;” Do you recall this sort of description elsewhere? Check Revelation 1:14-15, and Daniel 10:6 when you have a moment.
i. God is telling the church His eyes are like blazing fire that sees all things and overlooks nothing. You know what it’s like when someone’s staring a hole through you, that’s the image I get from this. Jesus sees all that’s going on. Bright, penetrating vision; omniscient <om-nish-ent>, infinite awareness and insight, illuminating, consuming. Perhaps not the most comforting gaze to have upon you.
ii. His feet were like burnished bronze, describes his power and strength to execute judgment. The trade workers would have fully understood the power in this image of Christ.
iii. Jesus is letting the people of Thyatira know, listen to me, now!
II. First we read Jesus praise. In many ways, this was the best of the churches we’ve looked at. Jesus says in verse 19 – ‘I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” Paraphrased; I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
a. Jesus reminds the hearer that He knows their deeds. He knows their charity or love, the faith, or loyalty they have, the service they perform and their perseverance or patience.
b. They had the good works of Ephesus along with the love Ephesus lacked. They had the perseverance of Smyrna and the good theology of the majority of the church at Pergamum. Jesus even said, “You are doing more than you did at first.”
c. Jesus wasn’t talking about the church calendar, their plans. He’s telling the church, He’s proud of them, they’re growing in who He has called them to be. A group of faithful, powerful, courageous believers in Christ who are growing in faith and service.
d. How many churches today, ours included, will be given this message from our Lord? It’s very powerful praise from Jesus to the church. They were growing spiritually and this was evident in the work they were doing. They loved one another, cared for one another, they were helping, and at the same time, they were persevering through the persecution and hardship. Great praise from Jesus!!
e. In this great battle, the believers were standing strong in Christ! We need to think about how we are doing.
III. So, what was their shortcoming then? Revelation 2:20 - “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols”
a. In the King James there is the word Notwithstanding. In the NAS you will see it as that word “But”. We spoke last week of how that word can take the shine off of praise.
b. BUT . . . there was something else going on in the church. And it wasn’t good. Somehow in the midst of their growth they allowed an ungodly woman to rise to a place of enormous spiritual influence. Paraphrased verse 20: But, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
c. We have lots of questions here and not lots of answers. Who was this woman and how did she rise to prominence in an otherwise excellent congregation? Jesus refers to her as Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab from 1 Kings 16:29-33
i. Jezebel was the daughter of a pagan king named Ethbaal, king of Sidon. When she married Ahab, king of Israel, she led the entire nation to Baal worship. Under her influence, evil was perpetuated and Jezebel became a symbol for promiscuity which was rewarded. That’s a toxic mix which will destroy anything it touches.
ii. “which calleth herself a prophetess” So we are told she is self-proclaimed. What is a real prophet..? An inspired teacher. This person claims thus but it says “to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication” Evidently she is teaching something that causes Christ’s people to sin, to commit fornication. This could be literal… or metaphorical in the sense which in Scripture equates sexual immorality to spiritual infidelity. We understand that the church is the bride of Christ.
iii. How could such a woman come to power in the church? It most likely comes with the fact that she called herself a “prophetess.” By claiming to speak for God, she gained credibility with gullible, untaught Christians. She most likely combined a powerful personality with persuasive speech, a seductive smile, and a quick tongue to beat down her critics. She was extremely dangerous.
iv. With Jezebel you could have it all: Salvation + idol worship. Jesus + idol sacrifice. Heaven + Guilt-free sex.
v. And you get to do all of it under the guise of being a “good Christian.” I’m sure she had a loyal following.
d. In the church today, we need to beware of false prophets. People who say they have a special word from God, who make something sound better than it is. There are people who want us to believe in something that isn’t quite right. Yet they seem to justify the ends. We need to test the words of these so-called prophets and prophetesses with the word of God.
i. How could a church like this accept her? Maybe she was related to one of the church leaders and that gave her an easy in. Maybe the leaders feared that if they confronted her, she would split the church. Or maybe they hoped that by tolerating her, she would eventually go away. Or maybe they didn’t even realize what she was teaching.
ii. And perhaps like today there are those who are weak and still come to be entertained instead of instructed, and to be soothed by empty words instead of confronted with the offer of salvation. Let’s see, a place to be entertained, made to feel good, relax, unwind … kind of sounds like a club rather than a real Christian congregation doesn’t it…?
iii. Whatever the reason, the church was going down a slippery and deadly slope to disaster. If this could happen there, it could happen anywhere.
IV. But, Jesus isn’t going to accept it. Listen to His words in Revelation 2:21-23 - Here I’ll paraphrase “I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”
a. Let me note, God wants all people to come into a relationship with Him. He gives us time, but for some, time runs out – and time ran out for this Jezebel. Notice, she was given time, but she was unwilling to repent. She wouldn’t change her ways, turn to God, and away from her sinfulness. God is long suffering but there comes an end.
b. Thinking about this what are the implications…? Here is a member of the assembly in Thyatira, she KNOWS what the truth is, yet she is doing wrong. And not just committing a sin but teaching error causing others to follow her. Yet, she is given time to repent. Opportunity is given, time is given, but…
c. For Jezebel, times up! But notice there’s good news for her followers. They still had time to repent. Jezebel was beyond redemption. Her followers weren’t. Yet, time is running out for them too. If they didn’t repent, if they didn’t turn from their wickedness, they would be in the same situation as Jezebel . . . time will be up and they will greatly suffer.
d. Jesus tells us their fate. If they don’t repent, they will die. Then all the churches will finally get it, Jesus is serious about sin, because God can and will search our hearts, spirits and minds.
e. Some of these letters are tough for us today aren’t they? Who picked this series, anyway?
V. Jesus has a word of encouragement for the church. That is for those who won’t give in to Jezebel, Jesus said in Revelation 2:24-25 – “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.”
a. NAS uses the phrase “so-called deep secrets” and this gives us a clue to what was going on. Jezebel enticed her followers by promising them knowledge and experience that came through some combination of pagan ritual, Christian symbolism and sexual experimentation, all under the banner of learning “deep secrets” that other people don’t know. (Reminds me of Satan’s promise to Eve)
b. False prophets love “deep secrets don’t they?” People love it when someone says, “Let me tell you a secret!” Why be stuck with just the Bible when you can enter into a world of signs, omens and prophecies, enlightened revelations, that give you insight into the “hidden world” that regular, Bible reading Christians don’t have? Let me show you the hidden messages, the hidden signs.
c. So many fall for that same thing today. Not the plain, clear truth but something supposedly hidden and mysterious. I use the word fall here deliberately for that is what it is. A fall. It is not a fall you or I want to take.
d. Jesus has only one command to his faithful followers: HOLD ON! Don’t give into her seductive schemes. Don’t join those who follow her teachings. Sometimes it’s hard not to give in. It looks like they’re having all of the fun. They know all the secrets. And for the moment, they think they are the ones who have the fun and the knowledge! But those few moments of fun and pleasure will be replaced with an eternity of suffering. So, HOLD ON!! Use the spiritual resources you have. Use the power which is at your disposal, and that power and strength is . . . Christ!
VI. Then Jesus comes to the end and gives this promise to the church, for the ones who hold on . . . Revelation 2:26-28 – “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.”
a. Jesus is the morning star, the one who conquers and has all the power. 2,000 years ago the world crucified Jesus, but one day He will rule the world with an iron scepter as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. If we are faithful, we will share in His victory. And we will know Him for He is the One who lights up the heavens.

Conclusion: So, what do we learn from this letter? A couple of final points to take with us. The world makes many demands upon us. We’re expected to accept all ways of doing all things. Nothing is excluded. If you’re not willing to accept all ways to live, kind of like the First Church of Heinz 57 . . . then you’re viewed as a narrow-minded, intolerant bigot. And those are the relatively nice things that will be said about you.

The philosophy of the world is if it feels good, it must be good, so do it. If it feels right in your heart, then it’s alright. Remember what Paul told Timothy, The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. I paraphrased that. It was; 2 Timothy 4:3-4 – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

Myths, mysteries, hidden secrets.

It sure sounds like we’re living in that time . . . right now!

Can’t you imagine Jezebel saying ~ ‘You need to make a living and God doesn’t expect you to starve. Don’t be worried. God told me it’s alright. It’s okay to be part of the trade guilds and participate in the immoral and idolatrous worship they practice. Remember we live by grace, not the law.’

That all sounds great, doesn’t it? It’s enticing. After all, she knows more than I do. Today those that appear to be religious experts, televangelists, for example, must know more than me. And the sad fact is, we’re very good at rationalizing away our behavior, when we know it’s wrong. It’s like the man who was on a diet, but he wanted a donut, so bad he could taste it. He knew he shouldn’t have it, so he prayed, God, as I drive to the bakery, if there’s a parking space in front of the bakery, then I know you want me to have a donut.

So, he came to the bakery and sure enough, there was a parking space . . . on the 12th time around the block. We laugh, but do we play that game too?

We rationalize our way into compromise, which leads to sin. So, what have we been rationalizing lately? What are we tempted to rationalize away right now? I’m not kidding — — Jezebel’s voice isn’t silent in the 21st century any more than it was in the 1st. We can count on the evil one whispering to us. Perhaps something like this; “You’re unhappy in this marriage and God doesn’t want you to be unhappy. It would be wrong to go through life being unhappy so better leave. Or maybe, hook up with someone for some fun on the side, that will make it better.”

Pick your topic, and we can rationalize ‘till the cows come home and beyond!!

“You don’t have to give generously ... God doesn’t expect us to give more in these economic times.

“What’s a little white lie, everyone tells them. The big liars are the ones hurting others. Besides telling that lie was to protect somebody.

After what they did to me, I don’t need to forgive. They should rot!

It’s my body, I can do what I want with it. Nobody can tell me!

Have we been living life like this? Do we worship the god of rationalization? Do we rationalize things in the name of convenience? Have we numbed ourselves to the pain of sin? Oh yes, there’s pain in sin, but there’s power, strength and freedom in obedience and forgiveness.

We may still have to live with the consequences of our past, but, we can have the burden of guilt lifted from our heart.

And then we must remember that even if we like Thyatira were the most loving, faithful, serving, patient and growing church, there are those among us who are not going to be fully mature in Christ. We have a duty to help and protect those who are weaker from influences like this. We do it through education, encouragement, and when necessary through church discipline.

As Paul said ~ “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Think of it this way.
You can have Jezebel or you can have Jesus, but you can’t have them both.
Which do you want?

He loves you.
He came from heaven to save you.
He died on the cross for you.
He invites you to come to him.

If you are willing, you can be changed.
If you are willing, you can be made clean.
If you are willing, you can have a new start.

Are you willing?
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We learn from the New Testament how to be saved. We need to hear the word; believe in Jesus; repent of our sins; we must confess our belief that Jesus is the Son of God; and be baptized for the remission of our sins… If we follow these steps, the Lord adds us to His church.

Perhaps there is someone in the assembly today with the need to be buried with Christ in baptism. If you have never done these things, we urge you to do so today. If anyone has this need or desires the prayers of faithful Christians on their behalf, we encourage them to come forward while we stand and sing.

# 598

Reference Sermon
March 4, 2012