Four of these churches are in Chapter two and three of them in chapter 3.
The first church we are going to look at…
I. THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS
Revelation 2:1-7
God chose these seven churches that were symbolic of the seven kinds of churches that were to exist in the future. One thing that caused Him to choose the ones He did was because of THEIR CHARACTERISTICS.
Illus: As you travel across America today you will find that all churches have similarities, yet, still, there are major differences also.
The first thing the Word of God reveals to us about the people in the church at Ephesus deals with...
I. THEIR LEADER.
In verse 1 we read, "Unto the angel (Pastor) of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;..."
This letter is addressed to the leader of the church. We read, "Unto the ANGEL of the church of Ephesus..."
WHO IS THE ANGEL HE IS TALKINIG ABOUT?
The angel that he is talking about is the pastor of these seven churches. The word angel here means messenger.
Notice, the word "angel" is singular, not plural. He is not addressing ALL seven church leaders, He is addressing the one leader of the church of Ephesus.
This letter is written to "...the ANGEL (Pastor) OF THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS..."
Illus: Sometimes people will ask, "How does a preacher know what to preach?" God tells him what to preach. God speaks TO HIM and THROUGH HIM. He is God's messenger.
Then notice, in the same verses John switches to the plural in verse 1 - "STARS." "...These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand..."
The stars here can be one of two things:
(1) It could be another word used for the seven pastors
(2) It could be another word used for the seven churches.
In either case God holds His church and His pastors in His right hand.
Often as a pastor in my prayers when I pray for this church, I remind myself this church is His church. Everything is in His hand.
That is, God holds ALL of His ministers in His hands if they are His ministers.
We have looked at THE LEADER of the church of Ephesus, but now let us look at…
II. THE CANDLESTICKS
Look at verse 1, where we read, "...who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks .."
The seven golden candlesticks represent the seven churches of Revelation.
What is a church?
Simply defined, it is: "A place where Christ has promised to meet with those who have come together because they love Him."
Look at Revelation 1:1 again, "...who walketh in the MIDST of the seven golden candlesticks."
That word MIDST is the same word we see in the promise in Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the MIDST of them."
John tells us about THE LEADER, and the SEVEN CANDLESTICS.
He also tells us about...
III. THEIR LABOR.
In verses 2-3 we read, "I KNOW thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
Look at the word "know" in verse 2; it means absolutely He has clear vision of knowing what is going on in the church today.
Illus: Most churches have business meetings once a month to let the people know what is going on financially and any problem that needs to be discussed.
But only God knows what is really going on any church!!!
He not only sees WHO PHYSICALLY ATTENDS HIS CHURCH, He KNOWS WHY THEY ARE ATTENDING HIS CHURCH.
Look as we read what the Lord said about them...
A. "I know thy works, and thy labour..."
We need to understand that the Lord is commending believers for their works.
He does not ask lost people to work for Him.
Why? Because, if He did, they would think they were earning their salvation by their good works.
We can not do one good deed to earn our salvation, we are saved by the grace of God only.
The Bible tells us BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH, IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS LEST ANY MAN SHOULD BOAST.
When who are saved by the grace of God get to heaven, HE IS GOING TO GET ALL THE PRAISE!!!
Our works is our rewards in heaven.
Ephesus were willing workers and they laboured for the Lord.
B. "I know...thy patience..."
This church Ephesus was located in this pagan land where the goddess Diana was supreme, the Christians encountered many problems, but God commended them because they were patient and did not throw up their hands and quit.
(1) "I know...how thou canst not bear them which are evil..."
Look at the phrase, "...canst not bear." The Ephesian Christians would not tolerate for a moment a preacher who would not preach the whole counsel of God’s Word.
(2) "I know...thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars."
Look at the words "tried them." They literally checked people out with the Word of God, and if they did not line up with God's Word, they dismissed them with their teachings.
(3)"I know...how thou...hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."
That is, as Christians we sometime get weary in the work of God, but we never weary of the Work of God.
The church of Ephesus suffered many difficulties, but they stood for the name of Christ.
But now let us look at…
IV. THEIR LEAVING.
So far, everything we read about this church seems to describe what seems to be a good church.
However, there was "a fly in their soup."
He looked into their hearts, in verse 4, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
It is possible to serve God every day of the week because it is routine, instead of serving Him out of love for Him.
Ephesus was a working church but God’s Word tells us they have left their first love.
We have looked at:
• Their leaders
• The lampstand
• Their labor
• Their leaving
But now let us look at…
V. THE LESSON.
The lesson to be learned from the church of Ephesus, is that we can go through all the ritualism of worship and service, and still NOT LOVE THE LORD JESUS.
Jesus said to the church of Ephesus, and other churches that are like them, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Many churches love ritualism! They can go through a church service doing their rituals and not ever have God on their minds.
Illus: Have you ever talked with someone and their minds was a thousand miles away it seems. The whole time you are talking they have no idea what you are saying.
This is what many do, they come to church and they slip into this mode of what people are wearing and who is sitting beside so and so!
God told this church I have somewhat against you, you have left your first love.
God tells the church of Ephesus “…and I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
Remember the candle sticks are the seven churches. God is saying you can continue in this building that looks like a church building BUT I AM OUT OF HERE!!!
YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE!!!
But look at these closing remarks to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:6-7 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.
Who are the nicolaitanes?
• Who are they?
• What did they believe?
• Why does God hate them?
In its ecclesiastical setting, Nicolaitans means the bishops of the Church have gained a triumphal victory or conquest over the laity.
The Apostle Peter warned that those who were leaders among God's people were not to dominate over the faith of others but rather exhort them to do right.
1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not of constraint, but willingly, according to the will of God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.
Again, the Nicolaitans gained a triumphal victory or conquest over the laity.
When we come to church we do not check our brain at the front door!
Let me give you a couple of example:
(1) Remember this fellow call Jim Jones that gained control over his church in such a way, that the people of the church when they came to church they left their minds that they think with outside of the church doors.
Jim Jones was an American civil rights preacher, faith healer, and cult leader who conspired with his inner circle to direct a mass suicide and mass murder of his followers in his jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana.
Job of a minister is to preach the Word of God, not to take over the mind of the believers. He is also the leader of the flock but that does not mean he alone makes all the decisions.
Let me give you another example of the doctrine of the Nicolaitan.
(2) The entire top-down structure of the Catholic church, as well as many other churches and denominations, owes its survival to maintaining what the Nicolaitans taught. You hear them say, THE CHURCH TEACHES, not the WORD OF GOD TEACHES.
We can assume when they say the church teaches they are talking about the Word of God. But when you compare what their church teaches the Word of God does not teach what they teach.
The Nicolaitans are only referenced twice in Scripture, both of which are in Revelation.
(1) The first time they appear is in God's critique of the Ephesian church. He commends them by stating that they hated the works of these people that he also hates (Revelation 2:6).
(2) The doctrines of the Nicolaitenes is mention later in the church of Pergamos who allowed the false teachers in their church.
Conclusion:
When it comes to the church at Ephesus we have looked at:
I. I. THEIR LEADER
II. II. THE LAMPSTAND
III. Ill. THEIR LABOR
IV. THEIR LEAVING
V. THE LESSON
Now let us look at the next church in Revelation chapter two…
II. The church of Smyrna
Text: Revelation 2:8-11
Intro: You will notice that of the seven churches that John addressed, he gave the least space to the church of Smyrna. All he had to say about Smyrna he was able to cover in just four verses.
However, that church was a tremendous church, and the Lord did not have one bad thing to say about it!
The scripture tells us that the church of Smyrna was going through some very difficult times. The church of Smyrna is known as THE SUFFERING CHURCH.
When people are suffering, they do not need words of CONDEMNATION, they NEED WORDS OF COMFORT. The Lord, knowing this, had nothing harsh to say about them.
Let's look at...
I. THE CONTENTS.
In our study of the church at:
• Ephesus we established that Ephesus was one of the most exciting places on earth to live at that time on the coast line.
• But, Smyrna was one of the most lovely places. If you lived in Smyrna, you lived at the top of the social totem pole.
In the letter to the church of Ephesus it was mentioned that Ephesus was the "Queen city" of Asia.
But, there are those who felt that Smyrna was the "Queen city".
Illus: Smyrna was referred to by many as the "crown city," because it sat on the top of a beautiful hill, and as ships approached from the sea, the beautiful buildings looked like a crown on the top of that hill.
• Smyrna got its name from its chief export which was a gum-like resin taken from a shrub that was very bitter. When Christ was born He was presented with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
• "Smyrna" comes from the word "myrrh."
Now, with THESE FACTS in mind, let us look at the church of Smyrna and see how the Smyrna Christians fit into that "Ritzy" society in which they lived.
II. THE CHURCH.
The letter was not written to the city of pastor, but to the church of Smyrna.
Why was it written to the church?
Because the people of the church could relate to the city that they lived in - a city that was proud of its culture, its beauty, its commercial wealth, and its social life.
It was a city where everyone was trying to climb the social ladder. The Lord had this to say to those people...
(1)Verse 8, "These things saith the first and the last..." In other words, everyone in Smyrna was trying so hard to be first on the social ladder.
(2)In verse 10, Christ said, "I will give thee a crown of life."
In other words God was saying, "Everyone in Smyrna thinks they are so rich and have so much to offer you - do not pay any attention to that crowd, I will give you a crown of life for your faithfulness." (Paraphrase)
Who would ever have thought that some of the cruelest things ever done to men, were done to Christians in that lovely place. These Christians were tortured for their faith.
People could tell the people of the Smyrna church were tremendous Christians, because of the "sweet aroma" that went up before the Lord as they were being "crushed" through persecution.
Why were they being persecuted. Two main reasons were...
A. Because of the simplicity of their worship.
Again, be reminded, Smyrna was a city for the affluent. The most beautiful, ornate architecture of the world at that time was there. In the city there were beautiful temples for worship, but the Christians met in homes, or quietly worshiped under trees, even in catacombs. Their simplicity of worship was more than the sophisticated Jews could handle. That was one reason they were being persecuted.
But, there is another, stronger, reason they persecuted them, it was...
B. Because of emperor worship.
Christians refused to participate in the EMPEROR WORSHIP.
What was EMPEROR WORSHIP?
Before you can understand EMPEROR WORSHIP, you have to understand a little about Roman government.
Often the heads of the Roman government were TYRANTS. The Roman government was one of the most VILE GOVERNMENTS that ever existed.
If we are going to get what we are supposed to get from this letter, we are going to have to see the Roman government the way the majority of the citizens of that day saw it.
What was their view of the Roman government?
They considered the Roman government to be their MESSIAH. How?
The Roman government became so strong that no one dared try to attack any of Rome's provinces.
• The people began to think, "We love this government so much, we will worship the spirit of the Roman empire."
• Then they concluded, "It is difficult to worship a spirit, so let us worship the personification of the spirit, who is the emperor.”
Out of patriotic pride they began to worship the emperor.
The Christian's refused to worship the emperor. They were simple minded, in that they stated, "We are Christians and we will bow only to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Their refusal caused...
III. THE CONFLICT.
When the Christians refused to bow, the people of Smyrna could not imagine anyone being so unthankful and unpatriotic as to live under such a marvelous government and not want to bow to the emperors.
Nevertheless, they took their stand and paid the price and the Lord had nothing but nice things to say to them.
The citizens of Smyrna lived in that affluent society and thought wealth was everything, and that they were better than everyone else, but God did not see them that way.
Look at what He tells His people in verse 9, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
In many of our churches we sing the song, "It Will Be Worth It All." When we see Jesus, everything we have ever had to suffer for the cause of Christ will be worth it. Look at...
IV. THE CROWN.
Jesus told them to continue to stand, because as they endured persecution, rewards were being laid up in heaven for them. In verse 10, Jesus said that one day He was going to give them, "...a crown of life."
Jesus said to the persecuted Christians, verse 10, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
They knew Who He was, but He reminded them anyway.
In verse 8 we read of Him, "...which was dead, and is alive." He said, (paraphrase) "Listen, they persecuted me, but death does not end it for us. I am alive again."
Now He says to us, "Because I live, ye shall live also."
Conclusion:
Polycarp, who was the great pastor of this church, was burned at the stake for his testimony. He was told he could save himself if he would only compromise and renounce his faith.
Here is what that great man of God said, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never wronged me. How then shall I blaspheme my King Who saved me?"
When it comes to the church of Smyrna, we have looked at:
I. I. THE CONTENTS.
II. THE CHURCH.
III. THE CONFLICT.
IV. THE CROWN.
We have looked at church of Smyrna but now let us look at…
III.THE CHURCH OF PERGAMOS
Text: Rev. 2:12-17
Intro: As we study these seven churches of Revelation, we can see that the Lord was always looking for something to compliment His church about.
We have too many today, in spite of the fact that the church has done so much good, who can only find bad things about God's church.
Look at some of the compliments, having to do with their faith, the Lord bestowed upon this church in Pergamos.
I. THE COMPLIMENTS OF THEIR FAITH.
The Lord complimented the church of Pergamos for... In verse 13 we read, "I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is..." Look at…
A. The circumstances of their faith.
They lived in Pergamos and God said that where they lived was "...even where Satan's seat is..."
There are some places that are more difficult to serve God than others. Why? Even in America the devil has set up his head quarters in some of these wicked towns.
But also we need to put to rest the idea that Satan is in hell.
In fact, it may shock you to hear this, but did you know that Satan has never been to hell yet? He actually will not be in hell until the time spoken of in the Revelation twenty.
But, look at what Christ said to the church that dwelt in such an evil environment. He said, "I know...where thou dwellest..." He wanted the church of Pergamos to understand that He knew how difficult it was for a Christian to live in such an evil place. He knew THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THEIR FAITH. He also knew of...
B. The courage of their faith. Look again at verse 13 where it says, "...and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith..."
In those very trying CIRCUMSTANCES, the Christians had the COURAGE to stand for the Lord.
We need to pray that we will have the courage that the Christians of Pergamos had.
And also, as we look at our text again, we see He knew of...
C. The conviction of their faith.
Again we read in verse 13, "...even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."
Perhaps there were others who were martyred also, but we know of one at least, by the name of Antipas.
The people of the early church knew that to be witnesses for Christ meant there was a good chance they would be martyred.
Illus: William Barclay said, "In the early church, to be a martyr and to be a witness were one and the same thing. The early believers knew exactly what it meant to become followers of Christ; it meant the commitment of all they were and had. It meant the possibility of death."
Antipas, who could have been the pastor of the church at Pergamos, was called upon by the Emperor to denounce his faith in Christ. "Antipas" translated means: "Against all."
When he refused to denounce his faith in Christ the Emperor would say, "Everyone is against you." Anitpas would answer, "I am against everyone!"
So far, in this message, we have talked about THE COMPLIMENTS OF THEIR FAITH, now let us look at...
D. THE CORRECTION OF THEIR FAITH.
The devil does not have one scheme for all churches. He knows what might cause one church to stumble might not work on the next church. He had found just the right bait that the church of Pergamos would fall for.
• With the church in Ephesus, Satan used one scheme to cause them to LEAVE THEIR FIRST LOVE.
• With the church of Smyrna, Satan used SUFFERINGS to try to keep them from serving the Lord. However that backfired! The more they suffered, the closer they seemed to get to the Lord.
But with the church of Pergamos Satan used compromise as a means of getting them out of the will of God. This church eventually COMPROMISED, and became the CORRUPTED CHURCH.
How...
-They began letting ministers preach who did not preach the Word of God.
-They began letting teachers teach who did not teach the Word of God.
It was a gradual process! They began to compromise true doctrine for false doctrine gradually. (sound familiar?)
II John, verse10, clearly states, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, RECEIVE HIM NOT into your house, neither bid him God speed."
Instead of rejecting the false teachers and their false teachings, they received them and became corrupted.
There is only one thing that can cure a CORRUPT CHURCH.
Look at Rev. 2, verse 12, "...These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges." The sharp sword represents the Word of God.
Illus: Listen, if a church has been CORRUPTED, the people can make all kinds of efforts to straighten it out, but there is only one thing - THE WORD OF GOD.
After the Lord said these nice things about the church of Pergamos, we read in verse 14, "But I have a few things against thee..." He had COMPLIMENTED them, now He wanted to CORRECT them because of...
E. The corruption of their faith. The Lord said they had been corrupted in two ways:
1. In verse 14 we read, "...because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
You cannot mix pure doctrine with false doctrine. If you do, you have a corrupted church.
This is the coruption of the catholic church. During the days of the Babylonians they said in order for us to bring people into our churches we need to allow some of the teachings of the Babylonians into our church. This is why you will find things:
• Rosary Bead
• Pergatory
But you can not find it in the scriptures.
Notice, the scripture tells us about they were taught to eat things sacrificed to idols.
Compromise with the world. In the letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus rebukes them for tolerating a prophetess who “misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols” (Revelation 2:20).
This is a different situation from what Paul was dealing with in Corinth. It seems that members of the church of Thyatira were partaking of the pagan “love feasts,” celebrated with gross immorality and feasting. These believers were not simply buying meat in the marketplace; they were actually attending idolatrous festivals and joining in the sin of the idolaters.
Look at verse 14 again to get the full story of this feast. "...because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
Here is a summary of the Bible’s teaching on eating meat sacrificed to idols:
Eating meat offered to an idol is not inherently wrong. Meat is not “defiled” because it was taken from a pagan sacrifice. God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17).
However, some Christians consider meat offered to an idol to be defiled, and for them it is, since they must follow their conscience. Their scruples should be respected by other Christians with a stronger conscience. Love dictates that all Christians make allowances for their weaker brothers.
What the church of Pergamos did. Instead of "trying" those who claimed to be apostles, as the church of Ephesus did, they compromised and began to accept their teaching.
WHAT IS THE DOCTRINE OF BALAAM?
Illus: To understand this, we have to go back to the Old Testament. There was a man who claimed to be a prophet and have an inside track to many gods he claimed existed, and, for a certain price, he was willing to use his influence for anyone who would pay him.
Well, Balac, the king of Moab, wanted to defeat Israel, so he hired this prophet to curse Israel.
But, every time he would curse them, they would prosper. He was not able to curse them, but he came up with a plan.
If he could not CURSE THEM, he could CORRUPT THEM! He did that by getting the women of Moab to marry the men of Israel.
Once they moved in, they began influencing the Jews to eat meat offered up to their idols, and eventually got them to serve their gods.
You see, Satan still does this today. Churches are CORRUPTED when false PREACHERS and TEACHERS are allowed to move in.
The Lord told the church at Pergamos that He had "somewhat" against them, because they had compromised and had accepted the doctrine of Balaam.
2. In verse 15 we read of the other thing that displeased the Lord. We read, "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate."
This is the second time John wrote about this group. Remember, the Lord commended the church of Ephesus by saying, "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." (Rev. 2:6)
• God said He hated what the Nicolaitans stood for and He commended the church of Ephesus because they also hated what that group stood for.
• But, the church of Pergamos COMPROMISED, and came to the place where they had allowed those who believed the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, to stay in their church.
The word Nicolaitan is not a translation, but a transliteration. It is two Greek words put together. "Nico," means: "To conquer," and "laitans," which is the word for laity.
God hated the "doctrine of the Nicolaitans," because they taught that the priests should rule over the people.
B. The cure of their faith.
In verse 16 we read, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."
Notice, the Lord said the reason they should "repent" was because...
1. God is not going to allow evil to prevail unnoticed. That is, He is not going to allow His church to be corrupted and stay that way.
He said that He would attack them, "...with the sword of my mouth."
2. He is not going to allow un-righteousness to prevail unnoticed.
He tells those who are truly saved, His church that have spiritual ears that if they will take a stand against the DOCTRINE OF BALAAM and the DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANS and not eat at their altars the bread offered up to their idols, He will do two things:
a. Look at verse 17, He addresses the backsliders in the church, "...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna..."
What did He mean by "hidden manna"?
Illus: To understand that, we have to go to the Old Testament. Remember when Israel was following the Lord out of the Egypt?
What did the Lord do?
When they were hungry, he fed them mysteriously with "hidden manna."
So often the devil says to us, "If you make a commitment to the Lord, how will you get by?" We might not know, but the Lord has "hidden manna" for those who are following Him.
b. Also, look at verse 17 again, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
Illus: When some fraternal organizations get ready to vote in new members, everyone is given a white marble and a black marble. When the basket is passed around to see if a certain person is eligible to join, each member puts in a white marble or a black marble. If one black marble is placed in the basket the person is not allowed entrance into this organization.
Many believe that the white stone that is given to the “overcomers” in verse 17, is a guarantee that the believer will not be blackballed in heaven.
Many have the mistaken idea, that every person who has joined a church is going to heaven, but notice that it says to those who are given the "white stone," "...and in the stone a NEW NAME written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
One of the glorious things about being saved is that we do not have to wonder or hope. We can know positively that we are children of God. No man knows the assurance we have in our hearts, but we know it.
I want to ask you, do you know that you BELONG TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST! We can live at the doorsteps of hell and know we are children of God and are heaven bound.
Conclusion:
Concerning the church of Pergamos we have looked at…
I. THE COMPLIMENTS OF THEIR FAITH.
A. The circumstances of their faith.
B. The courage of their faith.
C. The conviction of their faith.
II. THE CORRECTION OF THEIR FAITH.
A. The corruption of their faith.
B. The cure of their faith.
We have looked at so far…
1) The church of Ephesus
2) The church of Smyrna
3) The church of Pergamos
And now let us look at…
IV. THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA
Text: Revelation 2:18-29
Intro: If you will notice, the churches all started off good, but we see a spiritual erosion in most of them over a period of time. The church of Thyatira was no exception. As Jesus spoke to this church, He paid her three compliments. His Word lets us know that...
1. It was a glowing church. In verse 19 we see these words, "I know thy works..." The church of Thyatira started out being full of good works. The people had that GLOW about them that made it apparent that they loved the Lord. They could not do enough for Him. For example,
2. It was a going church. We read these words in the middle of verse 19, "I know thy...charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works..." They did not just sit home and play scrabble, they were active in serving the Lord. They found those who needed help, and went from place to place helping them. Also...
3. It was a growing church. Anytime you find believers who are excited about the Lord Jesus, you will find a GROWING church.
But, as time went along, like many good churches, the church of Thyatira began to compromise.
We live in a world today where compromise has become a way of life.
The church of Thyatira compromised with the ungodly people around them. Let us look more closely at this church that compromised. Look at...
I. THE SOURCE.
In verse 20, we read, "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest (allow) 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."
The source of the problem was a wicked woman in the church. The Bible refers to her as Jezebel, because she was so much like the Old Testament Jezebel, who was one of the most vile women who ever lived.
She even set up the worship of Baal, and led God's people led away from Him. The Old Testament Jezebel combined the altar of Jehovah with the altar of Baal.
The woman who was causing the trouble in the church of Thyatira was mixing false teaching with Christianity, and was seducing many of God's servants.
-WHO WAS THE WOMAN? Notice, the Bible says she called herself a prophetess. God did not call her, she called herself. Evidently she felt this would gain her credibility.
-WHAT DID SHE DO?
God said she was allowed to TEACH and SEDUCE His servants to commit spiritual fornication and eat meat offered to idols.
No wonder the Lord appears in verse 18 with "...EYES LIKE UNTO A FLAME OF FIRE..." and "...HIS FEET ARE LIKE FINE BRASS;"
When people or Satan try to lure His bride away from Him, He is ready to step in and do what needs to be done to stop it, because that is something the Lord takes SERIOUSLY.
Look at...
II. THE STUBBORNNESS.
In verse 21 we read, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not."
We can all be thankful that God is not "hotheaded," like some people are. That is, God does not have "a short fuse." He is a patient God.
When anyone makes a vicious attack on God's church, God makes it clear that He does not expect us to condone the evil by associating with that person.
Look what He says, the same Bible that tells me to love you, and tells you to care for me, is the same Bible that tells me that when you oppose God's Word, I am to WITHDRAW, AVOID, NOT EAT WITH, REJECT and NOT RECEIVE YOU.
The best way I know of to get in trouble with God is to attack His church.
The Christians in Thyatira were stubborn, and would not get rid of that "Jezebel." Look at…
II. THEIR SENTENCE.
Look at verse 22 where we read, "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds."
Because they would not repent after God had given them sufficient time, He vowed to cast them into a bed of great tribulation.
Look at Rev. 2:23, where we read, "And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
The children that are mentioned in the church of Thyatira have been raised in the evil influence of Jezebel, because the adult Christians allowed her to remain among them.
He will give us time to make things right, but if we do not, he knows exactly what it takes to get our attention and when He does, verse 23 tells us, "...and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
Conclusion:
However, not everyone in the church of Thyatira was seduced by this "Jezebel" woman. In verses 24-29, He makes them this beautiful promise. "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. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
When it comes to the church of Thyatira we have looked at:
I.THE SOURCE - VERSE 20.
II.THEIR STUBBORNNESS - VERSE 21.
III.THEIR SENTENCE - VERSES 22-23.
