Christ Rejects Compromised Devotion

Transcript

GRM 870
7/27/2003
Christ Rejects Compromised Devotion
Revelation 2:18-29
Gil Rugh

I want to direct your attention in your Bibles to the book of Revelation the 2nd chapter. We’ve been looking at some of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3. I’ve selected some of these churches we’ve not looked at together for some time. You wonder why I skipped, for example, the church at Smyrna. Well, we looked at more recently than we have some of these others. Looking at the churches that are addressed in Revelation 2 and 3 remind us again that the purposes and plans of God for salvation and for ministry representing Him in the world today center in the church. The church began in Acts chapter 2. In the Old Testament the people of God were the nation, Israel. They were the people that He had called together to represent Him and make Him known in the world. They are a people that yet have a great future as God in a future time will resume His program with the nation Israel and establish them as the key nation in all the world. Ultimately there will be a kingdom over which the Jewish Messiah will rule and reign. The nation Israel will be the nation above all nations.

But in the time period in which we live, we live in the day of the church of Jesus Christ. It began in Acts chapter 2; it will continue down until what is known as the rapture of the church when Jesus Christ comes in the air and bodily removes all true believers from the earth to meet Him in the air. Then He will resume His program with the nation Israel. A period of seven years will occur, climaxed with the return of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom.

During this period of time, it’s important we understand the significance of the church. I mean people from time to time will say oh yes, I’m a Christian. Where do you go to church? Well, I don’t go to any particular church. I pretty much study the Bible at home and I try to honor the Lord with my life and serve Him. You cannot honor the Lord with your life and serve Him apart from the ministry of His church. I Corinthians chapter 12 verse 13 says, “for by one spirit we have all been baptized into one body which is the body of Christ.” I Corinthians chapter 12, chapter 13 and chapter 14 develop the picture of the body of Christ, comparing it to the physical body. There are many parts—fingers, ears, feet and so on—each having unique characteristics and a unique function to play. But together they contribute and make one body which functions as a harmonious unit to accomplish its intended purposes. So, we have with the church.

Two aspects to the church. There is the universal church. That’s comprised of every person who has placed his faith in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior. No matter where they are, no matter what country, what nation, whatever. We call that the universal church. There is also the local church, and the local church is the manifestation, the visible representation of the church of Jesus Christ on the earth. The emphasis of the New Testament is on the local church. I could round off the figures, something like 190 of 212 or 14 references to the church in the New Testament are to the local church. For example, Paul writes his letters to the church at Corinth, to the church at Ephesus, to the church at Colossae—local churches. Now we come to the closing book of our New Testament where God is about to speak for the final time, that it might be written as the closing record. There is to be no more scripture received from God. A key part of this revelation is its address to the seven churches. In fact, the whole book of Revelation is addressed to the seven churches, and it’s the final unfolding of God’s prophetic program for the church and for the nation Israel and the establishing of His kingdom.

God intends that His church (and when I talk about His church I’m talking about local churches) be an accurate representation of Him in the world. Thus, purity and holiness are to be characteristic of the church. Each of these churches, there’s overlap in the message, but Christ didn’t write just one letter to be read in all the churches. He wrote individualized letters to each of these seven churches, and these seven obviously weren’t the only churches in the world. But they were selected by Him because they also will be representative of the church in His message to the church down through its history. When you come to the message to the church at Thyatira in Revelation chapter 2 beginning with verse 18, you’ll find that Christ is absolutely adamant that the church must maintain its purity in the world. It must represent Him as He is. Again, we’ll be reminded in this church, it’s not acceptable to Christ that the church do much of what He has called it to do. It must do all of what He has called it to do. It must be everything He says it is to be.

The church at Thyatira. The city of Thyatira is the smallest of the seven cities represented in chapters 2 and 3. In many ways it would be less significant than some of the other cities. It doesn’t have the commercial importance and influence that some of the other cities had. But it’s interesting to note Thyatira is the smallest of the seven cities mentioned in the letters to these churches but it receives the longest letter. The letter to the church at Thyatira is the longest letter. We’re going to highlight this letter. If there are some details, we overlook you can get the tapes from Sound Words because on another occasion I did a couple of studies in this letter. But we’re going to combine those and just do an overview of Thyatira today.

While it didn’t have the political significance or even the commercial significance perhaps that some of the other cities did, it was a commercial center. I want to say some things about that commercial situation in Thyatira that will be important for us in understanding some of the problems that the church at Thyatira was experiencing, and some of the things that led the church into compromise. That somehow the church had come to what they thought was an acceptable balance in living in the city that God placed them. This city was characterized by a multiplicity of trade guilds. Now the closest thing we have to a trade guild would be our unions today. You know if you’re a carpenter you belong to a carpenter’s union. Or another area of work, they have their own unions. Some parts of the country are more unionized than others. Whatever I say today I don’t want to be taken as pro or con union. I don’t even want into that. I’m going on vacation so I’m not saying anything about unions. It’s just the comparison so you can understand what were the trade guilds. In other words, they had trade guilds here for wool workers, linen workers, makers of your outer garments or clothes, dyers or those who would dye the garments, leather workers, potterers, bakers, slave dealers, bronze smiths. All of these had their own trade guilds. Remember Lydia from the book of Acts? In the city of Philippi in Acts chapter 16 we are told that she was from the city of Thyatira. Evidently had taken the business from Thyatira and set up an office, if you will, and was working in the city of Philippi.

Now the problem with these guilds, the problem we want to focus on, is they were centered around a certain deity. Each guild had its own god, its own deity. So, when you belong to that guild you were part of the worship of that god. They went hand in hand, and they would regularly have feasts. You know even today some of the unions, they call themselves what? A brotherhood, the brotherhood of electrical workers or the brotherhood…You know, trying to emphasize the family relationship. Well, here it is carried to the extreme. Each of these guilds had its own god, the god who helped the leather workers to prosper. When they would have these get togethers, the guild would meet, and they’d have a great feast. They would take the food and first offer it to the idol and then distribute it and the people would eat. In offering it to the idol they are acknowledging to this god, we have received this food and our blessings from you. Now we’re accepting it from you and eating it as part of our acknowledging you as our god.

Also involved in these guilds and this kind of worship was all kind of immorality. Immorality was part and parcel of the worship. You can see the pressure on believers. Somebody gets saved in the city of Thyatira. Now what? Can I remain a member of my trade guild? I mean I have to continue to make a living, I have to provide for my family. Well can I continue to worship this idol? Can I continue to partake of the feasts that honor this idol and recognize this idol as the source of our blessings? Can I indulge in the immoral practices that are associated? Now as we read a historical account like this that carries us back almost 2000 years, we’re quick to answer, oh absolutely not. But as we look at this, we find that the pressure that’s there is the same kind of pressure we experience today. As we’re under certain kinds of pressure as the church, we begin to look for ways that we might make the adjustment. Because after all we have to live in this world. After all we do have to make provision for our families. There has to be a balance. The church at Thyatira thought they had found a balance and tolerance. But it was one not acceptable to Jesus Christ.

We’ll begin the letter at verse 18 when Christ says, “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.” I’ve mentioned this before but if you take the time to read the seven letters in chapters 2 and 3, I think you’ll be impressed as I am. Jesus does not appear in this final manifestation to the church and to the churches in a warm, fuzzy, cozy kind of picture. You know He’s not here in a nice comfortable sweater with that aura of grandfatherly appearance. Just as I close the revelation, keep in mind there have been 2000 years and there have been no additions to this revelation. But He doesn’t appear in this grandfatherly way. In fact, He appears in a rather stern way, a very loving way. But this loving way conveys awe and reverence to those who come into His presence. Remember John was the well-loved apostle, the beloved apostle John, the one who reclined on His chest at the last supper. Yet in chapter 1 as he confronted the glory of the resurrected Christ he fell at His feet as a dead man, overwhelmed with the awe of the one in whose presence he was. If the church of Jesus Christ loses its perspective, we begin to think of Jesus Christ just as a good friend, and He is a dear friend, the one with whom we have an intimate relationship, but the one whom we must always stand in awe and reverence.

He appears to the church at Thyatira and He says I am speaking; I am the Son of God. You know this is the only time in the book of Revelation that Jesus Christ is given this title, the Son of God. On several occasions there is a reference to God being His Father, which of course indicates that He is the Son of God. But this is the only time the title Son of God is used of Christ. In chapter 1 verse 13 Christ was called the Son of Man. Both the Son of Man and Son of God are Messianic titles, drawn from the Old Testament. The Son of Man emphasizes His humanity. The Son of God emphasizes His deity. He is both God and Man. Here He appears as the divine one, the Son of God. Note what aspects of His person are drawn from chapter 1. “He is the one who has eyes like a flame of fire. And His feet are like burnished bronze, bronze that glows and burns as it was in a furnace.” He is the one speaking... Those eyes are like flames of fire. He is all knowing and all wise. Nothing escapes His gaze. We talk about people, we say he had piercing eyes, it was like he was looking right through me, like they knew what I was thinking. Here He is with burning eyes, He knows us as we are, nothing escapes His gaze.

But these burning eyes are also eyes of judgment. That ties to the feet are like burnished bronze. Picturing judgment. Rather striking way to appear to the church, the church for whom you died, a church that is serving Him, that in many ways is honoring Him, a church that will be given a promise of ruling and reigning with Him in glory in the kingdom He will establish. But there is an awe here. We are in the presence of the Son of God, we are in the presence of the one whose eyes search and examine in judgment, whose feet are ready to carry out judgment.

Isaiah chapter 63, in the opening verses, the coming Messiah is pictured as trampling His enemies under foot; and the picture is like the grapes put in a wine bath. If you travel to Israel, they have archaeological sites and you can see some of these stone cut places where they would put the grapes in and the workers would bind up their garments, take off their sandals and get in there and they would tramp the grapes. Then out the side there is a spout, and the juice would run out and down. And in Isaiah 63 the Messiah is seen coming, trampling the grapes of God’s wrath, if you will, trampling the enemies of God. Their blood splashes up as the grape juice splattering His garments. This picture will also be drawn in Revelation chapter 19 verse 15 when Christ returns, and His enemies are crushed under His feet.

Now He appears to the church with feet that are glowing bronze? Again, it is a picture of awe. The church is reminded, He is the Lord of the church, the judge of the church. Because what happens as we lower our view of Christ, we begin to see Him just like a good friend and it’s give and take and we think as long as we are doing our best it will be okay. We’re doing awfully good in a lot of areas, and the fact that we may not be perfect and are not doing as good in other areas is no big deal. Now Christ appears before the church and not just to put His arms around us and give us a hug and say everything is okay. But He appears in this awesome way as the Son of God. Eyes like burning fire, feet like glowing bronze. An awesome picture.

Then He begins to address the church, “I know your works.” I know what you are doing, and it is good. The first part of what He has to say is good. You’ll note again the emphasis on works. The evangelical church today is struggling with this. Unbelievers are confused, they think they are going to get saved by their works. The Bible says that it’s not possible to be saved by your works and no one will be saved by their works; and that all our works are like filthy, polluted rags in the sight of God. Sad, pitiful that many people, many people going to church think that going to church, getting baptized, doing their best is going to make them acceptable to God. That cannot happen. The penalty for sin is death, not good works.

Then there are those who think they’ve come to a solution that we’re saved by grace through faith and works aren’t that important. You’ll note through these letters there is a constant emphasis on what we do. What we do is a revelation of what we are. So, Christ says I know your works, I know what you are doing, I want to commend you. He’s going to commend them in several areas. Your love. This is a church that had love. This is the first church in the list that has been commended for its love. The church at Ephesus, the first church, was condemned for lack of love, having lost their first love. Now we have the church at Thyatira, I know your works, I know your love. He’s not just talking about a feeling in their heart. The word here is the word that indicates a love that acts, that does what is right and best for others. Here is a church that was manifesting their salvation in the way they lived, they demonstrated love.

Your faith, the word can mean faith or faithful, and they go hand in hand. People who have genuine faith in Christ are faithful people. People who are faithful to Christ are people who have their faith in Him. I know your faith. Here is a church that is founded and rooted in Christ and walking with Him, have a testimony of believing and walking in light of their faith.

I know your service, diakonos, deacon. We carry this word over in English, deacon, servant. I know your service. You wait on others, you serve others, you serve one another. You know in His evaluating them He is not primarily dealing with feelings. Now true the issue is the condition of their heart. He’ll mention this shortly. But if you have a genuine heart change it will be evident in the way you live, the way you act. I am concerned for deluded people who think well I’ve believed in my heart but they’re not living for the Lord. But they are somehow thinking because they have a certain kind of feeling in their heart they’re saved. Jesus said you’ll be judged by words. Why? Because out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What you say reveals what you are, what you do reveals what you are. The children of God manifest the character of God, they do the works of God. John 8, to the religious people of the day, you always do the deeds of your father, the devil.

Your service, your perseverance. When you go through these letters note the emphasis on perseverance. It appears again and again. It is a matter of commendation from Christ that we persevere. By very definition that means things are difficult, does it not? Someone says to you, how are you doing? You say I’m persevering. What? You’re keeping on but there is trouble, right? There’s trouble. I mean if things are going well and you’re feeling good, and you have lots of money and you’re relaxed you don’t say oh I’m persevering. You say things are going great. You persevere when things are difficult, there’s pressure. The Greek word is a compound word, it means to live under something. You persevere, you’re living under pressure, you’re living under difficulty.

Here’s a church that had perseverance. Need to remember that. Sometimes we get discouraged. We’re looking for something easier, something more enjoyable. We all want to enjoy life. Sometimes, you know, the service for the Lord seems to be difficult. Be of good cheer. It’s an opportunity for us to be commended by the Lord. I know your works; I know your perseverance. That’s commendable. He’s not done. “And that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” Remember the church at Ephesus? They left their first love, chapter 2 verse 5. Here is a church that was progressing and growing. You’re doing more, you’re doing better than you did. The things you’re doing now show maturity and growth. Here’s a church that is moving forward. They don’t have to do like the church at Ephesus, turn around and go back and see how well they did at the beginning and then pick up and start that process to get where they ought to be. Here is a church that’s continued on and they’re doing better now than they did at the beginning. What a great church.

“But I have this against you.” You know sometimes we get discouraged. People give us a compliment and they say but. I say I knew there was a catch. I knew they had a reason. They were just buttering me up so they could get to me. But you know there is a balance. Sometimes people say why do we have so much negative? Why do we talk about judgment? Look at this church. It’s a church doing well from what we’ve said in verse 19. There is the commendation. You know what He has to say negatively about this church? Verse 20, verse 21, verse 22, verse 23. Then in verse 24 we’ll get a word of encouragement. Verse 25 will be an exhortation. No matter how well we’re doing we need to be sure that if there are things that need work, we’d better do it.

I have this against you. Now he’s writing to the church at Thyatira. I have this against you, the church that is doing so well, that has good works, love, faith, service, perseverance and is doing more now than they did in the beginning. But I have this against you, you tolerate the woman, Jezebel. Again, we have the problem of putting up with things that we ought not to tolerate. You tolerate means to permit things, to allow things, to suffer things to happen, to let it go on, to tolerate. Here is a church that was doing so well but they were tolerating things, allowing things to go on that shouldn’t. Remember this has come up before. This is not new. This is an ongoing problem in the letters to the churches. The pressure is always on the church to compromise and sadly we are always looking for ways to compromise. Could we give on this?

What the church at Thyatira did was tolerate the woman, Jezebel. Now the name Jezebel has become infamous, even to today. Most parents don’t name their daughter Jezebel. Why? Well, the name has become synonymous with vileness, immorality, lewdness. I mean if you say to someone oh there’s so-and-so, she’s a Jezebel. That’s not a compliment. Everybody knows it’s not a compliment. What do they say? Why would you say that? They know you’ve made a terrible statement about them. Jezebel goes back to the Old Testament. We’re not going to go back there. I Kings chapter 16, chapter 18, II Kings chapter 9. You ought to go read about Jezebel. She became the wife of Ahab and Ahab was the king of Israel. She was a godless woman; she was a worshipper of Baal. She brought the worship of Baal into Israel. She personally financed and supported 400 prophets who represented Baal. She personally attempted to annihilate and have killed all the prophets of the true and living God in Israel. She was a godless woman. Her fate was to be eaten by the dogs and become dung on the ground, literally fulfilled in II Kings 9. She becomes the standard, if you will. So, when He says there’s a Jezebel, that’s not necessarily her name, but everybody knows what He’s talking about. They have a woman in this church that is being tolerated. She claims, note in verse 20, “she calls herself a prophetess, she teaches and leads my bondservants astray, so they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Now again we read this as a part of history, and we say how could that ever happen. A church that just receives such commendation from Christ and now we’re told this is a church that allows a woman who claims to be a prophetess, and there were prophetesses in the early church as there were prophets. She’s teaching and she’s so effective that even some of the bond servants of Christ, some believers are being confused and influenced by her teaching and getting involved in immorality.

How could the church put up with such a thing? Can you imagine a believing church that received the testimony from Christ that this had received, putting up with such a thing? But you stop and think about it. They’re in the city of Thyatira. The Bible says that if anyone does not support his own family, he is worse than an unbeliever. The Bible says that the man is responsible to care for his home and provide and so on. The Bible does say that the flesh profits nothing. The issue is not your physical body, the issue is your spiritual life and the condition of your heart. The flesh profits nothing. Jesus Himself taught that it’s not what you put in your mouth that defiles your body, it’s what comes out of your heart. Now think about it. You’ve become a believer, you’re in the city of Thyatira, there are no jobs for people who don’t become a member of the guild and all that’s involved. There are no schools for the kids to go to, there’s no social life, there are no friends for people who don’t become involved. Now a prophetess comes, and God has clarified what He means by these things. He intends you to live your life and make provision for your family in this city; and so, you understand, you can join the guild. Paul himself wrote an idol is nothing in the world; we all know that. The prophets said it’s just a piece of wood, just a piece of stone. It can neither do good nor bad. You go and join that guild and there’s an idol there and everybody bows down. You bow down with your physical body, but you don’t bow down with your heart. It’s only the heart that matters. You partake of the food but Paul… remember he said an idol’s nothing, so food offered to an idol doesn’t change its character. Immorality, well that’s part of the system here. Remember it’s not what you do with your physical body, it’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles the body. What your physical body does, but your heart is not in that. This is just a physical action you go through, but your heart is devoted to the Lord.

Now under the pressure of having responsibilities, having to eat and live, having kids that have to grow up in this environment, pretty soon the church is saying we can live with this. All of us don’t agree with it, but at least she claims that Jesus is the Savior and salvation is only by faith in Him. I mean we have people in evangelical churches who get tangled with health and wealth preachers. How did they do that? Because the health and wealth preacher tell them, look here are verses that say God intends you to be wealthy. He wants to bestow riches upon you. They’re feeling financial pressure, they look at somebody who seems to have done well, and pretty soon we’re looking for ways to compromise. What about immorality? Does the church of Jesus Christ look at immorality the same way it used to? Some churches claiming to be evangelical get torn apart when they try to exercise discipline on somebody who is in immorality. Why? Well, I just don’t think we have to do that. We may not all agree but we do not have to deal with it that way.

The church used to discipline for divorce, now some people say look I just think there are all kind of circumstances here we don’t want to get into. Let’s just concentrate on things that are our responsibility, and what? Pretty soon because the pressure builds from the world, we’re looking for ways to get along. We’re happy when it seems we have an alternative. I had a pastor call me this week over this very issue, discipline issue. They’re entangled with another evangelical church and the other evangelical church looking for a way not to have to confront discipline. They’re looking for a way to get this church to back off the discipline they exercise because no doubt that it’s a Biblical issue and discipline ought to be exercised; but maybe it’s just not something we ought to do now or have done. Pressure from the world. Church discipline is a problem everywhere, it’s a problem here. We can exercise discipline but when it gets to be a family member or a friend….Well you know I don’t know whether the church needs to get into their business, I don’t know whether……………

So, here’s Jezebel. The church has….Not everybody is following Jezebel, but they’ve decided to accept the live and let live. We’re not condoning what she teaches or what her followers practice, but we’re saying we don’t have to tear the church apart over it either. I know some good people who have accepted the teaching of Jezebel, and they still seem to be doing a lot of good in our church. Pretty soon we have reasons to what? Accept it. There’s a reason Christ put this in there. It’s not that it was going to pass out of any significance when the church at Thyatira passes off the scene. It’s because the church of Jesus Christ in 2003 would need to heed the message and the warning.

Isn’t it amazing when the church backs off its responsibility and begins to compromise, you don’t begin with a big compromise, you begin with the little steps. Then pretty soon you lose your heart for the conflict, the battle. You think look we tolerated it here, how can we do it here? Then pretty soon anything becomes acceptable and then we don’t want to hear what the Word of God says about the things we’ve found acceptable. Soon we have a church where the Word of God is not preached. I go to church to feel good, not to feel like I’m a guilty sinner and go away feeling bad. So pretty soon we’ve just rolled the church over and pretty soon everybody comes to church, everybody’s happy, everybody hears what they want to hear. We develop our social relationships and our contacts, and we go out and the Word of God is nothing.

What does Christ say? Verse 21, “I gave her time to repent, she does not want to repent of her immorality.” Here you see a matter. There is the grace of God we call common grace. God gives men and women, young people opportunity. I gave her time to repent. This has been going on for a while. This compromise in the church at Thyatira just didn’t arise. This has been going on over time and Christ has been aware of it from the beginning. That’s why the church is guilty for not having dealt with it. That’s why He says I have something against you. Now He’s addressing Jezebel and her followers, telling the church how He’s been dealing with this. “I gave her time to repent.” Why didn’t he intervene before? It was a time of grace. She doesn’t want to repent.

You know people always hide behind they can’t. Everybody is a victim today and that carries into the church. You know I can’t make my marriage work; I can’t get out of this immoral relationship, I can’t do what I’m supposed to do. Therefore, I am not responsible. You remember when you stand before the Son of God, the one with burning eyes, the one with glowing bronze feet there’ll be no excuses. I gave her time to repent, she doesn’t want to. That’s the way people are. They’ve heard the truth, they’ve heard the truth, they’ve heard the truth. The issue isn’t that they can’t, the issue is not that they want to and it’s just a struggle for them to. The flat-out issue is they don’t want to. Same issue in Romans chapter 1. They reject the truth, they hold down the truth in unrighteousness, they don’t want it to surface. She does not want to repent of her immorality. Why do people continue in their sin? Because they do not want to repent. That’s it. They are personally guilty. No one else, they are.

"Behold,” listen to this, pay attention, listen carefully. “I will throw her on a bed of sickness and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent of their deeds.” Literally we have here, “I will throw her on a bed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation.” My translation has inserted a bed of sickness. You’ll notice of sickness is in italics. The translators put that in to smooth it out. It may be a bed of sickness, but I think the context here I will throw her on a bed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation. In other words, I’m putting them into bed together, and everybody who is in bed together is going into tribulation. We talk about, we use it as a metaphor or a figure of speech. We say they’re in bed together. That doesn’t mean necessarily it’s sexual immorality. We can talk about something going on in the business world. We find there have been some behind-the-scenes shenanigans going on and they weren’t conducting business honestly because this person was…We’d say they were in bed together. That’s the picture. I’m going to throw her on a bed and everybody who gets in bed with her, committing adultery with her. Picture of their immorality and unfaithfulness. They’re going to be cast into great tribulation.

I take it in light of the context there is going to be tribulation for the church at Thyatira. But remember these churches are representative of the church and churches down through history. Where the book of Revelation is going to take us is to the great tribulation. In fact, this expression will be used in chapter 7, “the great tribulation.” Used in Matthew chapter 24, “great tribulation,” 24:15 I believe. So not only is the church at Thyatira facing impending doom, but it’s also a reminder to the church of the destiny of those who do not repent. The door is still open. Unless they repent of their deeds.

You’ll note the connection here. I mention this because many of you are aware in the evangelical church there’s an ongoing warfare over the issue of faith and works. I understand the Bible teaches true saving faith always results in a changed life. I cannot understand that there are those in the evangelical church that are saying, no, you can have saving faith in Christ and nothing in your life changes. You’ll note what she has to repent of here. Not having her heart right. Well, that’s obviously going to be there. But of her works, her deeds. Doesn’t mean you’re saved by doing different works. But true repentance, the recognition my sin is sin, I’m guilty. It is a change of mind and a change of life to turn from my sin to the Savior.

I will kill her children with death, 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. You’ll note here the connection. What is going to happen here is going to be an example to other churches. All the churches will know that I am He. Now note what He does. I am He who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. You’ll note the connection of what goes on in your heart and mind, and what goes on in what you do. He’s the one who searches the minds and the hearts of the inner person. He gives to everyone according to their deeds. It’s a perfect judgment because He judges both the motives and the actions. There is always a perfect connection.

Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9 says “the heart is deceitful and desperately above all things. Who can know it?” Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 10 says “I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the minds. He knows the heart and the mind. Here Jesus Christ says I search the hearts and the minds, and I give according to the deeds. Judgment is coming. You know the church doesn’t take this seriously. We go on satisfied to have a general acceptance, we do a lot of good things, we tolerate things we shouldn’t. But that’s all right, we’re doing a lot of what God has called us to do; and we think the Lord is going to be happy.

“I say to you,” verse 24, “the rest who are in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching.” You’ll note we have a divided church here. I don’t know what the divide is, but you get the idea that the followers of Jezebel may be growing over time. But I want to say to the rest who are in Thyatira. I don’t get the idea as I read this that the followers of Jezebel were just one or two. Sin that is tolerated, false doctrine that is tolerated, it always grows. There are things that the evangelical church stood against as sin 50 years ago that are now just normal things. Nobody even addresses it. We mention psychology always as an example because it is so clear. I don’t even hear programs on Christian radio addressing the issue. None of the major publishers are even bringing out any books dealing with the Biblical doctrine of sanctification and how that opposes psychology and the whole counseling movement. Its leaders now are psychologist so-and-so and so-and-so and so-and-so. Everybody wants training as a counselor. Initially the church stood against it, opposing those who promoted it. Now just accept it, just the norm. It’s not even an issue we think of dealing with it. You wouldn’t hold that?

Verse 24, “But I say to the rest who are in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching who have not known,” note here, “the deep things of satan.” What in the world are people who are accepted into the evangelical church doing being involved in “the deep things of satan,” as they are called? People who think that they have “one-up” so to speak. Because we know these things from the inside. We haven’t compromised our heart, in our hearts and minds we’re devoted to the Lord. But you know we’re able to have a better ministry to these people because we’ve been involved with them in “the deep things of satan.” But our involvement has been purely physical, and the flesh profits nothing anyway. Let me speak to those who haven’t been involved in “the deep things of satan.” You understand the seriousness of the issue here. This is satan being involved, and these are the serious things of satan. The church is tolerating people who are dabbling in these kind of things?

Well, those of you who are not involved in these things, I place no other burden on you. No other burden than what? The one I’ve already placed. I have this against you, you tolerate these things. There is no other burden to place on you but to deal with it. The responsibility of the church is to clean house. There is no other burden. He’s not saying that all these other believers have apostatized here. You’ll note, we are accountable as a church, not only for keeping ourselves individually out of things, but for keeping the church out of things. Now we have to deal with this now. We don’t have an issue on the table, so to speak. You know what happens every time we get an issue on the table that has to be dealt with? There are some people who say I don’t think we have to deal with it, I don’t think we ought to. I think we have good people on the other side, let’s just recognize it as a difference of opinion among believers and go on with it. In other words, what? Let’s compromise. We can still each hold our own convictions and go on together. Jesus said to those who haven’t gotten involved in these things, “I don’t put any other burden on you.” Any other burden than what? What I just addressed; “I have something against you.” You tolerate, you put up with something that is intolerable to me. That’s the burden I put on you to deal with.

“Nevertheless, what you have hold fast until I come.” What they did, they did well. You know we like to swing from one side to the other. Oh, they’ve had too much emphasis on love and faith and service, they ought to not put so much into that but go here. No, you hold just as fast as you ever have onto the things I’ve commended. Never an excuse, well we’re not going to do this as well or as faithfully because we’re going to concentrate on this. You know what Christ expects of the church? That it does everything well, that it does everything that He has called and appointed them to do, because He gives us the enabling power to do all and everything, He calls us to do.

“He who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end,” verse 26. The promise addressed in two way, “to him who overcomes.” I John 5, “who is he who overcomes but he who believes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. And he who keeps (or does) my deeds.” You’ll note it’s the one who believes in Christ and keeps on doing His work. There is no separation. You’re saved by grace through faith alone, but when you have placed your faith in Christ alone, by God’s grace you begin to live for Him. “To him who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds, the promise is given.” Not to the person who does one. Well, I work, I think I’m doing the work of the Lord. But are you an overcomer? Well, I think I’ve believed. Do you do the work of the Lord?

There is a promise given. “I will give him authority over the nations, He will 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.” We will join with Christ, this comes from Psalm 2 where the title Son of God came from, description of the Son of God that we saw in verse 18 that opened the letter. Psalm 2, and what? “He will rule them with a rod of iron, kiss the Son lest He be angry, and you perish from the way.” His enemies will be put under his feet as a footstool. When that kingdom is established, every overcomer, everyone who has kept the work of Christ will rule and reign with him in that glorious kingdom. “I will give Him the morning star.” Daniel chapter 12 verse 3 says that those “who are raised to reign with Christ will shine forth as the stars.” We will share in that glory that is His because we are His.

“He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This was the letter to the church at Thyatira. But all the churches better pay attention. The one who has an ear to hear what the Spirit says. There are people I can’t help, they don’t listen to the Spirit of God. I cannot teach them the Word of God. All I can be is a mouthpiece that the Spirit uses me, and the Spirit works in their heart to take the truth of God. Do you have an ear to hear what the Spirit says. What an awesome warning. He’s separating out in the church at Thyatira. If he wrote this to the church at Indian Hills in Lincoln, what would He say? “He who has an ear to hear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Indicating what? Not everybody attending that fellowship hears what the Spirit says. Not everyone is an overcomer, not everyone is destined for glory. But there’s a solemn opportunity. Believe the truth. People here have attended the church at Thyatira perhaps for years. If they’re not born again, they need to repent. The Spirit says come; the bride says come. It’s the closing invitation of the book of Revelation. Come, you’re hearing the Spirit, He’s saying come to Christ, believe in Him and turn from your sin. Young person, raised in a Christian home, repent, turn from your sin and come to Christ. Parent, grandparent. Oh, what would they think if they knew I wasn’t saved? It’s going to all come out anyway. The one with burning eyes and glowing bronze feet is going to reveal us as we are. There will be a celebration. I thought I was saved; I know I’m not. It’s been a charade; it’s been a game. Hear what the Spirit says, come. Leave your sin, bow before the Savior. Not asking you to join this church, not asking you to do a lot of good works. I’m telling you, you have to let go of your sin and take hold of Christ by faith and trust in Him alone. When you do you are cleansed from your sin and born into God’s family. You become part of the church and we as a church must remember what we are. We are the body of Christ. That supersedes family relationships, that supersedes human friendships. We must maintain purity of devotion to Him, not in one or two areas, but in all that He has called us to be.

Let’s pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the greatness of your grace. We acknowledge we are but vile, hell-deserving sinners who have been saved, not by our works but by your glorious grace. The works that we can now do that are pleasing to you, that reveal the beauty of your character are a result of your work of grace in our lives, a result of the ongoing work of your Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Lord, I pray that we might listen to what the Spirit says in this letter addressed to us through the church at Thyatira. Lord may we be faithful, may we maintain purity of devotion to you in our lives personally and in the life of this church. Lord we would take to heart the fact that this is a divided church. We know that not every single person who attends here has experienced your redeeming, saving grace. Lord only you can open blinded eyes. You’ve given time to repent but they do not want to repent. Lord, may they see their sinfulness today, their great need of you and indeed in true repentance turn from their sin to Jesus Christ. Thank you for salvation that is a free gift, thank you for the promise that some day we shall stand with Christ in His glorious kingdom to be completely identified with Him, to rule and reign over an earth that is subject to Him. We praise you in Christ’s name. Amen.