Church at Thyatira
Revelation 2:18-29
March 11, 2012
If you were going on a vacation — would you go to Elgin, Illinois; Erie, Pennsylvania; or Flint, Michigan? They don’t sound like overly attractive towns; you wouldn’t choose them for your honeymoon. If you were to go there, you wouldn’t want to stay too long.
As we take a look at the 4th of our 7 churches, Thyatira was the smallest and least famous; and was 47 miles SW of Pergamum. The city wasn’t famous like the other cities we’ve looked at. Thyatira was known for its trade guilds or unions. There were trade unions for carpenters, bronze workers, cobblers, potters, tanners, weavers, tent makers, and more. It was located on a major trade route which helped its economy.
And the most famous guilds were for the people who’s career was dying clothes certain colors—especially PURPLE. Acts 16:14 tells of a famous Thyatiran. Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth, who met Paul when he came to Philippi.
If you were a potter or metalworker, you joined a trade union that met at the local pagan temple. Along with the regular trade business came idol worship, drunkenness, and a great deal of sexual perversion. It was a package deal. You couldn’t say, “I want to be in this trade, but I’ll skip the idol worship.” That wouldn’t go in Thyatira.
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 care about us.
The letter begins with a description of Jesus ~ These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
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, well, that’s the image John wants the church to get. Jesus sees all that’s going on. His feet were like burnished bronze, describes his power and strength to execute judgement. The trade workers would have fully understood the power of Christ.
Jesus is letting the people of Thyatira know, listen to me, now!
First, we start with the praise. In many ways, this was the best of the churches we’ve looked at. Jesus said, I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
They had the good works of Ephesus along with the love they 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.”
Jesus wasn’t talking about the church calendar, 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.
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 were loving one another, caring for one another, they were helping, and at the same time, they were persevering through the persecution and hardship. Great praise from Jesus!!
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: 20 Nevertheless, 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 .
We have lots of questions 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. Jezebel was the daughter of a pagan king named Ethbaal. 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.
So, 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. With Jezebel you could have it all:
Salvation + idol worship. Jesus + idol sacrifice. Heaven + Guilt-free sex.
And you get to do all of it under the guise of being a “good Christian.” And I’m sure she had a loyal following.
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. 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.
Yet 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.
Whatever the reason, the church was going down a slippery and deadly slope to disaster. If this could happen there, it could happen anywhere.
But, Jesus wasn’t going to take it. Listen to His words ~ 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
22 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
23 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.
Let me tell you this, 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 and turn to God, away from her sinfulness.
For Jezebel, times up! But 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 on her faithful followers. If they don’t repent, if they don’t turn from their wickedness, they will be in the same situation as Jezebel . . . time will be up and they will greatly suffer.
After the suffering, Jesus tells us their fate, 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.
This is a tough one, today, isn’t it? Who picked this series, anyways?
Now Jesus has a word of encouragement for the church. For those who won’t give in to Jezebel, Jesus said, 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):
25 except to HOLD ON to what you have until I come.
The phrase “so-called deep secrets” 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.
False prophets love “deep secrets.” Don’t we love it when someone says, “Let me tell you a secret?” Why be stuck with the Bible when you can enter into a world of signs, omens and prophecies that give you insight into the “hidden world” that regular Christians don’t have?
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. And for the moment, they think they are! But those few moments of fun and pleasure will be replaced with what seems like 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 . . . Jesus!
Now, Jesus comes to the end and gives this promise to the church, for the ones who hold on . . . 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations –
27 that one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery - just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star.
Jesus says He 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.
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 First Church of Heinz 57 . . . then you’re viewed as a narrow-minded, intolerant bigot. And those are the 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, 3 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. (2 Tim 4:3-4)
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
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 its alright. It’s okay to be part of the unions 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. 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 we play that game too — don’t we?
We rationalize our way into compromise, which leads to sin. So, what have you been rationalizing lately? What are you 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. You can count on the evil one whispering to you: “You’re unhappy in this marriage and God doesn’t want you to be unhappy. It would be wrong for you to go through life being unhappy so you better leave. Or maybe, you can hook up with someone for some fun on the side, that will make it better.”
Pick your topic, and we can rationalize all we want!!
The Jezebels of today say, “You don’t need to obey God . . . You don’t need to stand up for God. He’s a big boy, isn’t He?
“You don’t have to give generously ... God doesn’t expect you to tithe in these economic times.
“What’s a little white lie, everyone does it. The big liars are the ones hurting others.
After what they did to you, you don’t need to forgive. They should rot!
It’s your body, you can do what you want with it, nobody can tell you!
Have you been living life like this? You worship the god of rationalization. You know what it’s like to hurt and feel pain. You see, there’s pain in sin, but there’s power, strength and freedom in forgiveness and obedience.
You may still have to live with the consequences of our past, but, you can have the burden of guilt lifted from your heart.
As Paul said ~ If anyone is in Christ, you are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (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?
