To The Church That Was Monogamously Challenged Series

If Jesus Passed a Note in Church, What Would It Say? (Part 4 of 7)

(Series of sermon content original to W. Herschel Ford)

To the Church That Was Monogamously Challenged

Rev. 2:18-29

Oct. 29, 2006 FBC, Chester Mike Fogerson, Pastor

Introduction:

A What if you received a note from the hand of God, & the note pointed out certain/specific sins you’d committed, & He told you what to do about them? You’d do exactly what the note said, right?

1 The Bible is God’s note to you, pointing out wrong & how to deal with it.

2 You must deal with the God who wrote this book (the 7 churches did & so do we).

B Review of the churches:

1 Ephesus: first love (remember, repent, repeat)

2 Smyrna: broke & blessed

3 Pergamum: overcomers in the devil’s neighborhood

4 Thyatira: smallest town, longest message

a Huge temple of Apollos, son of Zeus

b 45 miles due east of Pergamum, known for its wool, linen, apparel, dyed stuffs (Acts 16:14, Lydia), bronzeworks, leatherwork.

c Guild or labor union network. Each guild had its own patron deity, festivals, & seasonal festivities that included sexual revelries.

d The two most common threats of the early church were idolatry & immorality.

e Jezebel (History? Compare to Balaam)

aa Ahab’s wife

bb Baal fan

cc Promulgated idolatry throughout Israel

C "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 19 ’I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 20 ’But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 ’I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 ’Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 ’And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 ’But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25 ’Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. 26 ’He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also 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.’ Rev 2:18-29 (NASB)

1 Jesus told the faithful in Thyatira to stay faithful until He came (essence of the text in a sentence).

a The believer must stay faithfully committed to Jesus until rapture or their funeral (essence of the sermon in a sentence).

b I pray you will commit yourself to bringing unfaithful areas of your life into faithfulness by repenting (objective).

2 What in your life catches Jesus’ burning eyes first this morning? (Probing question)

a Let’s look at two promises Jesus makes that compel us to faithfully bring our entire lives under His lordship (transitional sentence).

b Pray

I The first promise Jesus made was "I know" "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:19 ’I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. (V. 18-19)

I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. (V. 23b)

A There was nothing that was not seen by Jesus’ flaming eyes.

1 He saw the good that the Thyatirian church was doing.

a Their work was twofold: love & faith

aa Love manifested itself in service (involved in ministry for the sake of others)

bb Faith manifested itself in steadfastness (handled the pressure)

cc He told them that they were better today than when they began.

b The true Christian, like Jesus, prefers to find good in the church.

aa Show me a person who speaks well of their church, & I’ll show you a person who is better than the one who is always criticizing the church.