Postcards from Patmos: Dear Thyatira

Transcript

JRS 7
08/07/2022
Postcards from Patmos: Dear Thyatira
Revelation 2: 18-29
Jesse Randolph

In May of this year, a church in Greenville, South Carolina hosted a community event, a fellowship event. In the press release leading up to the event, the church said this: “Trinity (the name of the church) is very proud to present “Drag Me to Church,” a drag show about church, faith, and God’s inclusive love. You’ll be endlessly entertained as The Lady [and I can’t say the lady’s name in mixed company] leads us through her unique style of worship which includes as many laughs as it does ‘Amens!’ Do not miss this rare opportunity to see a drag queen in church!” A meet and greet followed, no doubt with punch and cookies and photo ops. So that those who attended could proudly flood their social media feeds with rainbows and fishnet and mascara. Now, the church with which this South Carolina church identifies, to borrow a modern, cultural buzzword, is the Lutheran church. The church of Martin Luther. The church of Philip Melanchthon. The church of the 95 theses. The church where the 5 solas were born. But now, the Lutheran church has churches bearing its name, who are opening their doors to drag queens. Men dressed as women, flouting God’s perfect design for gender. Sashaying between pews where bibles were once read and upheld and revered. And ultimately, serving as Satan’s minions, as they lead herds of deceived churchgoers straight to hell. That was May.

In June of this year, Reverend Rebecca David Hensley, a pregnant minister in Texas -- wrap your head around that phrase -- said she felt “numbness, anxiety, anger, and heartbreak” over the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision. This, she-pastor then went on to say this, “My real immediate response… was thinking about my own pregnancy, and that we’re bringing a baby girl into this world and that it’s becoming an ever more frightening place for girls and women.” By the way, this Mrs. Hensley not only bears the title Reverend. She aspires to train waves of ministers, future ministers, in her denomination. According to her bio, she’s a PhD student whose “research interests involve intersectional feminist and liberative theologies.” The church with which Mrs. Hensley identifies is the Methodist church. The church which was founded by John Wesley. Who, along with his brother Charles Wesley and their mutual friend George Whitefield, during their studies at Oxford University in the UK, formed a group called the “Holy Club”. A title though, admittedly pretentious in its name, gives you a sense of where their sights were set, on reforming the Church of England from within.

Now though, churches bearing the Methodist name, whose initial leaders had this expressed desire for holiness and conformity to God’s word, is now ordaining women (in direct violation of scripture). And supporting a denomination that can’t decide what it believes about the horrors of abortion. And not only that, they are training future ministers within their denomination to be trained in things like “intersectional feminist and liberative theologies”. That was June.

In July of this year, just a couple of weeks ago, the Reverend Douglas J. Grace was officially ordained as an openly homosexual minister at a church called “Prince of Peace” in Pickerington, Ohio. The advice that he received from one of his spiritual mentors in his denomination was this, “If you’re going to be a peacemaker, you’ve got to be at peace with yourself!” And now, this minister, this supposed shepherd of the flock, this purported pastor, is now quoted as saying things like this, “It’s okay to be who you are.” Forget that the name of the church, “Prince of Peace”, a name used in scripture to describe Jesus Christ, signifies the war that man is in, in his natural, unregenerate state, against a holy God. Forget that the peace that we all need, is found at the cross of Jesus Christ. Forget that the only terms of peace that God will accept from rebellious mankind, is total surrender of one’s life to the Lord Jesus Christ, as they repent and believe in His gospel. No, this so-called homosexual pastor -- because he wants to fit in with the culture, rather than stand for Christ -- because he wants to pet his sin and indulge in his sin, rather than repent of his sin and kill his sin -- is now telling a bunch of unwitting pew-sitters, that it’s “okay to be who you are.”

The church with which the Reverend Grace identifies by the way, is the Presbyterian church, whose roots go all the way back to John Calvin and John Knox. Calvin, of course, was the great Genevan reformer. The author of the “Institutes of the Christian Religion.” A brilliant theologian and scholar in his own right. Knox was the great Scottish reformer. The vocal and vehement opponent of Mary Queen of Scots, the Catholic queen known as Bloody Mary. Knox’s famous line, for the sake of the gospel was, “Give me Scotland or I die!” Now though, what we have are churches bearing the Presbyterian name, not only buying into the culture’s normalization of homosexuality, they are now ordaining men, and women, who are themselves openly and unrepentantly homosexual, into so-called gospel ministry.

I bring these very current events in these three denominations to the surface this morning, not to antagonize. Not to sensationalize. Not to get a rise. Not in a spirit of mockery. But rather, from a place of great concern. Great concern, hear me now, not only for those churches, but for ours.
As I consider where these churches have headed, these denominations have headed in recent decades, I can’t help but think of the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:12, when he says, “let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”

See, how do we ensure that a few generations from now, this church isn’t buckling to the cultural pressures of the day? How do we ensure that a few generations from now, we don’t have biblically disqualified men, or biblically disqualified women, up here teaching and preaching the word of God? How do we ensure that a few generations from now, this church isn’t converted into a bastion of liberal theology and idolatry? Or into a government building, or an ice rink, or a Super Target? Or even worse, a Kingdom Hall or a Roman Catholic Church? Luther and Wesley and Calvin and Knox surely would have been appalled over what is going on in the churches that bear their name today. Will Rugh and Randolph (and whoever succeeds me one day) be appalled over what’s happening at Indian Hills in the year 2092?

That brings us to our text for this morning, Revelation 2: 18-29. The Lord Jesus’s letter to the church at Thyatira. Revelation 2: 18-29, lets read God’s timeless and precious word. – “And to the angel,” messenger, “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: [and now the Lord Himself dictates the letter] ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bondservants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 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. 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. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep thinks of Satan, as they call them – I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 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; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ ”

Well, so far, in this “Postcards from Patmos” series, we’ve looked at three of the churches to whom Christ sent a letter, or what we call a postcard. And as we’ve seen, and only one of those churches was given a truly high mark. An “A” grade, you would say. And that was the church at Smyrna. The suffering church. We’ve seen that the church at Ephesus was the church that was theologically straight as an arrow, but lost it’s first love. We’ve seen that the church at Pergamum, last week, was the church that had compromised, and now was compromised.

This morning now, we come to the church at Thyatira. Which, like Ephesus and Pergamum, Christ will commend in certain ways. But He’s also going to criticize them in other ways. And as we’re about to see, this church, the church at Thyatira, was the tolerating church. Whereas the church at Pergamum’s chief flaw was that they were compromised and that they let false teachers in, the church at Thyatira, their chief flaw was that they were tolerant. They were tolerating of these false teachers, by letting them stay.

And as with the other letters to the churches that we’ve gone through so far, its important to set some of the context, by getting into the background of the city and the culture and the circumstances that these people in Thyatira found themselves in.

To start with, geographically, Thyatira was the smallest of the cities on Jesus’ mailing list. But interestingly, as you saw it took me so long to read it this morning, this is the longest of the seven letters. Thyatira sat on that same postal route that we’ve gone through in the past few messages. It was an inland city, sitting about 40 miles southeast of Pergamum. And if we were to put it again in our southeast Nebraska context: we’ve said that Ephesus would have been like Crete, Smyrna would have been like Seward, Pergamum would have been like Raymond. That would have made Thyatira like Waverly, like getting up toward Greenwood.

But unlike the cities we’ve looked at so far, Thyatira didn’t have all that much going for it. In fact, the ancient historian Pliny, dismissed Thyatira as being an “unimportant town.” It was sort of a dusty, little frontier town. A small, little armed garrison, whose main purpose was to protect and guard its more prestigious and important neighbor, Pergamum. And this little city paid its price for its role as the guardian of Pergamum. Because it was involved in several skirmishes over the years. In fact, over its several hundred-year history in the Roman Empire, this city, Thyatira, was conquered and destroyed and rebuilt several times.

In terms of its religiosity, the spiritual and religious landscape of the day, Thyatira was a bit different than the other cities that we’ve looked at. Unlike Ephesus and Pergamum and Smyrna, there really was no major, dominant, competing religious force in this city. For instance, there was no record of emperor worship taking place in Thyatira, as it was happening in other cities. This city did have a couple of other local idols though. One was name Tyremnus, who was deemed a low-level protector god of the city. There’s a record of him on the local coins that have been dug up, indicating that he is riding a horse and brandishing a battle axe and a club, protecting the city. The other local idol was a woman named Sambathe, who was a female oracle, or prophetess, who ran a fortune-telling shrine here in this city. That was about the extent of the religious makeup, at least that we have historically of Thyatira. It was not as religious a community as the other three cities that we’ve seen.

Commercially speaking, Thyatira would have been like your classic rust belt town here in the US. Like an Akron or a Youngstown, or an Erie or a Pittsburgh. It was an industrial town, which had many men and women involved in a variety of different trades. Like clothing and tanning and dying and pottery making. And of course, we know a bit about the industrious nature of this town from Acts 16 where we see a woman from Thyatira named Lydia, who was a dealer in purple fabrics. Another important thing to note about Thyatira, was its trade guilds, which somewhat matched the modern-day concept of the labor union. See, if you worked and lived in Thyatira, you would have belonged to one of these guilds that matched your trade. Tanners would join the tanners’ guild. Bronzesmiths would join the bronzesmiths’ guild. And so on. And why its important to bring up these guilds in Thyatira, is that each of these guilds had a patron deity. Who basically served as their good luck charm, who was basically supposed to make their profession and the careers of those in those guilds flourish. We’re going to get into those guilds just a little bit later.

For now, though, it’s sufficient to note that Thyatira was a hard-working town. They earned their living the old-fashioned way. To borrow a modern phrase, they had dirt underneath their fingernails. And it was into this town that the Lord at some point we know, as evidenced by the fact that it’s receiving this letter, established a church. We don’t have the exact date of when the church at Thyatira was established. But we do know, and all that we know, is what the book of Acts teaches us on this point.
Acts 19:10 says – “all who lived in Asia,” that includes Thyatira, “heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.”

So, that’s the background, that’s the context.

With that, let’s get back into our text, looking at verse 18, where we see the angel of the church in Thyatira being addressed here. It says: “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write:” As I’ve explained in the previous sermons in this series, that that word in your English bible, “angel”, is a transliteration of the Greek word “angelo,” which simply means “messenger.” And in the context of the seven letters that Jesus is addressing to these churches, the messenger to these churches, or the messengers of these churches, I would contend, would be the pastors of these churches. So, as I look at this text, I interpret this to be saying, “and to the pastor of the church in Thyatira write.”

And look who it is, who is writing to this church. Now, look how He identifies Himself in the second part of verse 18, it says, “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this.” See, there’s something unique and something interesting happening here. Christ here, in His glory, begins His letter to this church at Thyatira, by identifying Himself and introducing Himself as “the Son of God.” Now, interestingly, this is the only place in the book of Revelation, where Jesus Christ calls Himself the Son of God. He’s identified as the Son of Man in other places, but this is the one place we see Him identifying Himself, as the Son of God.

And what’s the significance of that? Well, Son of God is a title of Christ, which highlights His deity. And so, it seems He wanted the people here at Thyatira to know, that the One who is writing this letter to this church is God. A lot of churches back then, and a lot of churches in our day, say that they are receiving a word from God. A lot of churches then, and a lot of churches in our day, say they want to receive a word from God. Thyatira actually did receive a word from God! By referring to Himself here as the Son of God, the Lord is stressing His deity, His transcendence, His holiness. And as we’re about to see, His coming judgment. This heretofore sympathetic Savior is now going to reveal Himself to this church as the just Judge.

Next, we see some familiar descriptors for this One, who calls Himself the Son of God, as He prepares to give His evaluation of this church. First, the text says He has “eyes like a flame of fire.” And that’s a reference back to Revelation 1:14, where, in that vision that John received of the ascended and glorified Christ, the apostle John noted that “His eyes were like a flame of fire.” And the reference here to Christ’s fiery eyes is a reference to His divine omniscience. See, the Lord’s eyes are like penetrating laser beams. More powerful than the most powerful halogens or LEDs. They are able to cut through darkness brought about by sin and disobedience. They are able to reveal what’s behind the thickest masks of hypocrisy. They are able to search the most remote recesses and corners of the human, sinful, rebellious heart. There truly is nothing, that’s Hebrews 4:13, says that is “hidden from His sight.”

Whether it was in Thyatira in 95 A.D. or whether its now in Lincoln in the year 2022. The reality is that there is nothing the risen and ascended God-Man does not know about His churches. And for that matter, about each of the individuals who make up His churches. He knows those things about us that are good. He knows those things about us that are bad. He knows the good fruit. He knows the bad fruit. He looks right now upon each and every one of us and looks right into our hearts and knows exactly where our true affections lie. He knows what this past week has been like for everybody here in the room, no matter how much of a church face that we’re putting on this morning. He knows where we stumble. He saw every sin. He’s able to spot every one of those hearts that has truly turned to Him. And at the same time, He has no trouble spotting the phonies and the fakes and the hypocrites. “Our God,” Hebrews 12:29 says, “is a consuming fire.” And Jesus’ eyes, this text tells us, are ablaze with fire. And nothing escapes His fiery gaze.

With that, the focus of our text shifts from the Lord’s head, where His eyes are situated down to His feet. And it says, verse 18, “His feet are like burnished bronze.” See, bronze is a refined alloy. It’s made up of both copper and zinc. It’s a mixed metal. And it’s a metal that’s both pure and strong. So, what’s being portrayed here, with this reference to the burnished bronze feet, is Christ’s commitment to the church’s purity or her holiness. And also, it’s signifying that He has the strength needed to refine His church toward greater purity and greater holiness. Now with those same feet, we know that Christ will one day trample out His judgment on sin in the world. That’s Revelation 19:15, when “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God.” But for now, 1 Peter 4:17 says, judgment begins “with the household of God.” And so now, in the current church age, the Lord stands ready, this text is telling us, to trample out sin in His church.

Now, right away, with the descriptors that are being used here -- the “Son of God,” with “eyes like a flame of fire,” with feet “like burnished bronze” -- this church, as the recipient of this letter at Thyatira, would have known that the tone of this letter overall is not going to be positive. It’s not going to be full of gold stars and “atta boys.” Rather, in the opening verses of this letter, words and symbols are being used which indicate that judgment is about to fall on this church, for its wayward and sinful ways. So, verse 18 represents the opening address from Christ to the church.

Next as we move on into verse 19, this marks the formal beginning of His letter to Thyatira. And, as He did with the previous churches, Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum, Christ begins this letter to Thyatira with these words of commendation. These words of affirmation. These words of encouragement. Look at verse 19, He says, “I know your deeds, and you love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” There are a few things to point out here from this verse.

One, is that the Greek word here He uses for know, “oidia,” again refers to perfect and comprehensive knowledge of a subject. Christ has total and absolute knowledge of what is happening here in Thyatira. As the omniscient Creator-God, He knows everything that’s happening in this church. There are no shadowy, dark corners in the sanctuary. There are no skeletons in the closet. There are no secrets. All is in the light, and all is done in the light.

Here’s the second thing. The church at Thyatira is given this fourfold commendation here by Christ. You saw it, they are commended for their love, faith, service, and perseverance. Now, note carefully, how these traits that Christ is highlighting here at Thyatira, compared to one of the previous churches in particular. See, the church at Thyatira had perseverance to start, “hupomene.” They were able to “bear up under.” They were remaining steadfast. They were remaining faithful under pressure. They were not giving up. Who else did we see that had perseverance? Ephesus. The church at Thyatira, it also says, has faith. Who else had faith, as demonstrated by their commitment, especially to sound doctrine? Ephesus. The church at Thyatira, it also said, had service, “diakonia,” the word from which we get our word “deacon”. Which carries with it the idea of being a servant, a table waiter. Who else had service, as modeled in their deeds? Ephesus.

But do you remember what the church at Ephesus was lacking? Remember what the church at Ephesus had lost? Love, their first love, their first love for Jesus Christ. Not Thyatira. No, Thyatira had all the positive attributes of the otherwise-strong church at Ephesus. But it says it had even more going on for it than Ephesus. It had something that Ephesus lacked. Love. Agape love. That self-sacrificial love most perfectly demonstrated by God, when He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to die for our sins.
“For God so loved,” egapesen, “the world,” John 3:16. Unlike the church at Ephesus, this church at Thyatira had love. They were still, unlike Ephesus, demonstrating some form of love for God and for one another.

So, Thyatira was, in many ways, a good church. A solid church. Not only was it a solid church though, it was a thriving church, and a growing church. And the Lord was blessing their faithful ministry. We see that at the end of verse 19. He says after He knows their deeds and love and faithful service and perseverance, He says, “and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.” Again, this is distinguishing the church at Thyatira from the church at Ephesus. Remember Revelation 2:5, the Lord called on Ephesus to “repent and do the deeds [they] did at first.” Not Thyatira. Thyatira, it seemed, to be firing on all cylinders, doing more and more for Christ. With the right heart for Christ. “All the more as [they saw] the day drawing near”, to borrow from Hebrews 10:25.

This church had it going on! Or so it seemed. As we’re about to see, while this letter starts with these words of encouragement, and this letter starts with such promise, it’s all downhill from here. Christ’s assessment of this church quickly goes from positive to negative. From sweet to sour. From commending to criticizing. There are some things in this church that are absolutely not right. There are some things in this church that are seriously problematic.

Look at verse 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.” Note that when the Lord says here, “But I have this against you.” We’re still in the immediate context of the Lord addressing an angelo, a messenger, a pastor, of this church at Thyatira. He’s directly addressing one of those stars, to use the term from Revelation 1:20, that He holds in His right hand. So, at a very high level, it’s the chief leader, or the messenger of the church who is here being rebuked by our Lord. And note what the Lord is saying. “I have this against you,” pastor, “that you tolerate the woman Jezebel.” Now, that word for tolerate, “apheis,” which comes from the Greek verb “aphiemi,” is actually the Greek term for “to forgive.” But in context here, it means “to permit, to allow,” you could even say “to look the other way.” You are responsible for shepherding the flock of God, pastor, 1 Peter 5:2. You are responsible for dealing with sin in your church, pastor, Matthew 18. You are responsible for refuting those who contradict sound doctrine, pastor, Titus 1:9. Yet you, pastor at Thyatira, you are tolerating such things. You are permitting such things. You are allowing such things. You’re asleep at the switch. But the Lord isn’t asleep, and He’s going to hold this church and its pastor accountable for his lack of care and concern.

And what is it that this church had allowed to creep in? Better stated, who was it that this church had allowed to creep in? The answer is right there in verse 20, that “woman Jezebel.” Jezebel is the one who had crept in. Who was she? I don’t believe this woman’s name was actually Jezebel. I believe that at this point in history, parents had long ceased naming their daughters Jezebel. Rather, what I believe is happening here, as we see with the reference to Balaam in the letter to Pergamum, is that the Lord is using an actual account from the Old Testament, to show that several hundred years later, God’s people in the church were allowing the same errors to creep in and be repeated. So, though the name Jezebel would not have appeared on this woman’s birth certificate, the Lord intentionally links her to the Old Testament Jezebel, to make a point about the woman who was now wreaking spiritual havoc there in Thyatira.

So, to understand what the Lord is saying to Thyatira, and by extension to us, we need to spend a little time reviewing who this Old Testament Jezebel was. In fact, we have time I think, let’s go back to 1 Kings 16. As we’re turning over to 1Kings 16, let’s just put this out there. I don’t think this is a controversial statement. Jezebel was an awful woman. What Judas was in the New Testament, Jezebel was in the Old Testament. And she was married to Ahab. In fact, we’ll see a little bit of the story about Ahab, one of the many wicked kings of the north, during the period of the divided kingdom of Israel. And we’re going to see that now, 1 Kings 16:29. Just to get some of the context for what’s happening with Jezebel and also by extension, what’s happening later in Thyatira.

1 Kings 16:29, “Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel and Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an
altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus, Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” So, we’ll just leave it at that for time’s sake. Ahab was one of the wicked kings of the north. He was quite wicked in his own right. We see here from the text, that he supported and promoted false religion, namely that of false gods of the northern kingdom. But things only got worse for Ahab when he married Jezebel.

I’m going to lay out some biographical details for Jezebel. She was the daughter of this pagan king of Sidon named Eth-Ba’al. She worshiped Ba’al and she worshiped the Ashterah, which were the major male and female deities of the day. She practiced witchcraft. She personally supported hundreds of false prophets. She opposed God’s true prophet, Elijah. She stood for all that was wicked in the land and opposed all that was good. She truly was a terrible woman.

Perhaps the most memorable incident recorded in scripture in the life of Jezebel, you’ll remember it, was in 1 Kings 21. I’m not going to turn there right now, you’re welcome to do the study later, because it just would take all of the rest of our time this morning. But you’ll recall she comes across her husband, King Ahab, and he’s throwing a tantrum on his bed, because he can’t obtain Naboth’s vineyard. So, Jezebel sees her husband, and she sees him in his puddle of anger. And so she hatches this plot to have Naboth stoned to death, so that her husband could get the vineyard that he wanted for his birthday. (I added that last fact, I’m not sure if it was for his birthday. He was just having a tantrum.) And then, through this series of treacherous acts of lying and trickery and deceit, we see Naboth is eventually murdered. Because Jezebel had done his dirty work, Ahab got his vineyard. And Jezebel, we see, got a curse. Namely, it was declared in 1 Kings 21:23, that she would one day be eaten by dogs in Jezreel. And we see in 2 Kings 9:33-37, that’s exactly what happened. The curse was fulfilled. If there ever was a wicked woman profiled in scripture, it was Jezebel. She was a woman who brought sin and corruption to God’s people. She was a woman who brought idolatry and immorality to God’s people. And she was a woman who God eventually dealt with, by removing her from His people, and ultimately from the planet.

So, now Jesus here, getting back to Revelation 2, and getting back to our Thyatiran context, He’s bringing this image of evil Jezebel as he addresses this church. This woman, verse 20, Jezebel, it says, “calls herself a prophetess.” She called herself a spokesperson for God. However, the things she was saying, as this so-called spokeswoman, they weren’t lining up with what God had actually said. She wasn’t teaching the truth. Her lessons weren’t in keeping with God’s word. Rather, the text tells us in verse 20, that “she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray.” Like the Nicolaitans and like the Balaamites in Pergamum, like the many false prophets mentioned in 2 Peter and Jude and 1 John. This woman was leading people astray. And her doing so, as the next part of the verse indicates, had real consequences. It says, she “leads my bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” See, those who are under the sway of Jezebel in Thyatira, were being led astray, specifically into the area it says, of immorality and idolatry. They were being drawn into the pit. They were being sucked into the trap of two particular sins that God’s people have been plagued with for centuries. Immorality, idolatry.

Let’s start with Idolatry. Idolatry is simply to elevate something or someone to a higher place of worship than God Himself. In biblical times, that might have meant Dagon, or Ba’al, or the Ashteroth, as we saw from the account of Ahab and Jezebel. Today, that might mean having a more regimented diet schedule and workout schedule than a devotional schedule. It might mean being more devoted to your kids’ sports schedules than regularly attending Sunday morning church services. It might mean devoting more time to your hobbies and toys and interests, than it is to sacrificially pour into the lives of other believers. Or to sacrificially share gospel truths with those who have not yet been reconciled to God though the gospel. Idolatry.

Immorality, simply put, is deviating from God’s holy standards. Pertaining to what we eat, what we drink, what we wear, what we say, who we associate with, who we befriend, who we sleep with. Immorality.

So, the Lord Himself here says that this woman in Thyatira, Jezebel, was teaching and leading His “bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” And how, especially was that happening? Well, we need to go back to the concept of the guilds that I mentioned earlier. See, guild membership in Thyatira at this time, was mandatory. And as I mentioned, each guild had its own patron deity. Its little magic rabbit’s foot, you could say. And let’s say you lived there in Thyatira, you’d been living this pagan life, up to the point the gospel reaches this city, and you’re a blacksmith there. And let’s say, you get saved, and now you publicly profess that Jesus is Lord. But now you’re still a part of this guild that worships this deity or this patron deity of the blacksmith’s guild. Well, that would put you in a bind. Because if you weren’t in a guild, you’d lose your job. And that’s where Jezebel came in. Because what she was doing, apparently, there in the church in Thyatira, was teaching people in the church, that you could stay in your preexisting trade guild, and you could worship the false gods of your trade guild. You could even return to your former bondage to paganism, all while still calling yourself a Christian. Of course, going all the way back to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, God has always called worship of false gods a sin. A sin that requires repentance.

And, as with any sin, as long as a person is still breathing, there is always opportunities to repent of that sin. And we see that in verse 21. Look at verse 21, these are the words of the Lord, “I gave her time to repent.” The Lord is saying here, “I was merciful, I was patient, I was slow to anger.” But then look at what comes next, “and she does not want to repent of her immorality.” See, a Christian is a repentant person. They admit their sin. They confess their sin. They raise their hand. They fall on their sword. They commit to never engaging again in that type of sin that entrapped them before. But if you call yourself a Christian, commit a sin, say you’ve repented, and go ahead and keep on engaging in that sin, you’re not living according to the way of Christ. Rather, you’re living according to the way of Jezebel. The Jezebel of Thyatira, she didn’t want to adopt or submit to Christ’s will. She wanted to do things her way, not the Lord’s way. She was a hard-hearted woman. Who ultimately didn’t care what was right or wrong. She didn’t care about seeking or serving God. She was self-centered. She was self-loving. And she was self-deceived.

And, now in verse 22, we’re going to see this rather shocking statement of what she’s about to get. “Behold,” the Lord say, “I will throw her on a bed of sickness.” The Lord here is saying, “She wants a bed of immorality? I’m actually going to throw her on a bed of sickness.” And we know, there have been many figures mentioned in the bible, whose sin did ultimately bring about their death. Korah, Lot’s wife, Aaron, Moses, Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-5, King Herod, who was eaten by worms for not giving God glory in Acts 12:21-23. Those even in Corinth who irreverently treated the Lord’s Table in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30. Now, that doesn’t mean (let’s not develop bad theology here) that next time you’re sick, it means that you’re in sin. We can’t paint with such broad strokes. But it can happen. And it did happen here with Jezebel in Thyatira. The Lord says, he was going to throw her on a “bed of sickness.”

Now, it’s not, you’ll note, just Jezebel who is going to be impacted here. As we’re about to see, she has associates, and they were going to be impacted, too. Look at the end of verse 22, He says, “Behold I will throw her,” meaning Jezebel, “on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation” That’s what He’s going to do with them. “Unless” it says, “they repent of her deeds.”
See, Jezebel had followers. Jezebel was an influencer. Jezebel had people who were looking to her example and following it, as they engaged in similar practices of spiritual immorality and adultery. And now, what the Lord’s word is telling us here, is that unless they turned their backs on the evil deeds of immorality and idolatry, that Jezebel had sucked them into, and turned their face to God instead, they would face the same tribulation that Jezebel did. Like Jezebel, they needed to repent, her followers did. Or else, like Jezebel, they would be thrown into that same bed of sickness.

And then look at verse 23. “And I will kill her children with pestilence.” Note who was going to receive the brunt of God’s punishment because of Jezebel’s wicked teachings there in Thyatira. It wasn’t the pastor, who had been called out by Jesus here, but received no further words of rebuke. It wasn’t Jezebel, she’s just thrown on this bed of sickness. It wasn’t her accomplices, it says they get tribulation. It was the next generations! To them, God says, “I will kill you,” Christ says, “with pestilence.” Now, the word here for pestilence in Greek is death. So, literally, what the Lord is saying here is, “I will kill her children with death.”

All of what was happening at Thyatira, ought to have led to some serious soul-searching there. But it also requires some serious soul-searching here. It forces us to ask the question, what do we tolerate in our church? Is it young adults engaged in sexual immorality? Is it believers dating unbelievers? Is it upside-down homes? Is it unbiblical views of manhood and womanhood? Is it drugs and alcohol? Is it lying and dishonesty? Is it anger? Is it pride? Is it gossip and backbiting and slander and spreading of strife? Is it materialism and earthly comforts? Is it wrong views of the priority of the church in one’s life? Is it disobedience to parents? Is it defiling and coarse speech? Is it the seven things the Lord hates, that we see in Proverbs 6? Is it the deeds of the flesh in Galatians 5? Where are the cracks of compromise? As we seek to love and serve one another. And minister the truth of God’s word to one another, we have to be willing to help our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. By being unwilling to compromise on sin. By being unwilling to be tolerant of sin. By being unwilling to look the other way.

See, what Jesus’ letter to Thyatira tells us, application-wise, is that if there is someone here -- who knows about your sin, who knows about your doublemindedness, who knows about your duplicity, who knows about your hard-heartedness, who knows about your hypocrisy -- and is tolerating it, they aren’t loving you. They are harboring you as you coddle your sin. And now both of you, and all of us, now run the risk of falling into the very trap that Jezebel and her crowd were in, there in Thyatira.

This is a serious passage, isn’t it? It really forces us to wrestle with the question, do I serve God with all of my heart and all of my soul and all of my strength? Or do I serve men? Am I interested in God’s will being done? Or am I more interested in my will being done? Am I interested in what pleases God? Or am I more interested in chasing down the pleasures of the world? The message to the church at Thyatira, and to all of us, is simple. Choose, then, this day, whom you will serve, Joshua 24:14

And why? Why would the Lord do what is being described in this letter? Why would He throw her on a bed of sickness? And why would He kill her children with pestilence? He tells us. He tells us in the second part of verse 23. He says, “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.” What the Lord does in Thyatira, to Jezebel and her followers -- what He does to churches like Thyatira in the present-day, to those who have the spirit of Jezebel -- having been sucked into the immorality and idolatry that she was promoting there in her city -- it’s a warning to all other churches. The ancient churches there in Asia Minor, and all other tolerating churches today, that the Lord’s judgment on those churches is coming. And it will be swift, and it will be justified, and it will be furious. This is a call to repentance. Knowing that the One who searches minds and hearts, as it says, the omniscient and omnipotent, and resurrected and ascended King of Glory it says, will be giving “to each one of you according to your deeds.”

But the letter doesn’t end there, does it? There’s still this other group in the church, we see in verses 24-25. He says, “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 burdens on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” What Christ here is saying is, “If you are a Christian here in Thyatira, I know that in this context there’s really just the one church you can go to.” There wasn’t an 84th Street in Thyatira. “I know you can just go to this one church. And I know you, faithful remnant, are not being swayed by Jezebel’s teaching. I know that you aren’t falling for Jezebel’s libertine teaching. You aren’t falling for, what the text calls, the deep things of Satan.”

Now, in context here, the deep things of Satan would be the teaching that God is indifferent to your disobedience and sin. That God is tolerant of your immorality. That God is ok with you clinging to the vestiges of your old, pagan way of life. That you can be ok with God, and yet live however you want.
The Lutheran church in South Carolina. The Presbyterian church in Ohio. The Methodist minister in Texas. Churches around the world that have been penetrated by false teaching and infected with theological liberalism. Each and every one of them is very much infected with the “deep things of Satan.”

But here in Thyatira, there was this group He calls – “the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching.” They recognize that when we’re saved for heaven, we’re also saved for holiness. They recognize that Jezebel’s teachings were wrong and in error, and they didn’t take the bait. And to this group, at the end of verse 24, Christ says, “I place no other burden on you.” And why would He? They were “getting it.”

And then, look at verse 25. He says, “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.”
What the Lord is saying here is simply this, “Continue, as you have done, to resist this demonic teaching, these ‘deep things of Satan,’ persevere, hold fast, be faithful to the end.

And to those who “hold fast,” to “he who overcomes” it says in verse 26, meaning, as we’ve seen already, he who conquers, he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God, 1 John 5:5 -- for he, it says, “keeps My deeds until the end” verse 26. Now that means recognizing that good works are the fruit of salvation, not the root of salvation. You can look at Ephesians 2:8-10 and specifically 10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” But that’s the fruit of the root of salvation that’s mentioned being saved by grace through faith in Ephesians 2:8-9. For such people in Thyatira, for the global church throughout the centuries, look at what He promises them, in verses 26 and 27, for that faithful remnant. It says, “To Him I will give authority over the nations; 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.” That’s just as it sounds. A promise to those who endure. A promise to those who persevere. A promise to those who refuse to buy into the Jezebelian lies. That we will one day, in a future 1,000-year reign of Christ, here on the earth, rule over the nations with our Savior. As Christ has been given authority by the Father, it says, He will share authority with us, the text indicates, as He rules over those nations with a rod of iron.

And then He says something else to those who overcome, to those who persevere. Look at verse 28, “and I will give him the morning star.” Flip over with me to Revelation 22:16, on of the final verses of the inspired scriptures. Revelation 22:16, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” Do you see it? Jesus Himself is the morning star. So, as is true of each of the other letters, as is true of each of the other postcards, Jesus is promising these dear believers, there in Thyatira, Himself. We not only get to reign and rule one day in the kingdom with Him, with the King. We get the King Himself. An eternity with Him.

And then look at verse 29, the final word common to all the letters, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That phrase, he who has an ear to hear, is another way of saying listen up, pay attention, don’t tune this part out.” And what needs to be heard, is what this letter teaches, not only to the ancient church at Thyatira, but to all churches, all over the world, throughout the centuries. And that message is this, you can be a church that has historically been marked by love and faith and service and perseverance and deeds. But still have your wick snuffed out. That’s because you invited the world into your church. And not only that, not only did you let them in. You looked the other way and allowed them to stay, while worldly wisdom and false teaching ultimately choked out all the good that otherwise had been happening in that church.

As we close, I want you to be reminded that while Christ here, is addressing churches in these letters, He’s fundamentally addressing Christians. Because churches are made up of what? Christians.
The church is the sum of its parts. That was true in Ephesus, in Smyrna, and Pergamum. It was true in Thyatira. It is true here today at Indian Hills. And as I’m sure you all know, you and I have the ability, individually, to be on any given day, or in any given season, like the people in these churches. The churches that are being highlighted and described and called out here by Christ.
Some days we can be like Ephesus. Orthodox. We’ve got our doctrine dialed in but forgetting our first love. Other days we’re like Smyrna. Standing bold and suffering and persevering for Christ. Other days we’re like Pergamum. Compromising with the world, and now having a compromised witness. Other days we’re like Thyatira. Tolerating and turning a blind eye to sin and false teaching. Putting up with things that we ought not to. These letter then address us as a church, who we are combined. But they also address us as individual believers. Who we are today in our daily walks with the Lord. In which areas do we need to grow? In which areas do we need to be encouraged? In which areas do we need to repent?

I’ll close with the question I’ve asked many times in this series already. And will ask a few more times, if you put up with me. How are we doing?

Let’s pray. Our great and mighty God, we give You thanks this morning, for the truths of Your word. We give You thanks that You saw fit to send these letters, Lord Jesus to these seven churches, ancient churches across the globe, and many centuries before us. But they contain such rich and applicable and convicting truth. May we walk away from this place this morning, encouraged by those areas of our walk with You, that merit encouragement. Praise God for the faithful witness of Indian Hills over the century and the many dear people who have called this place its home. Praise God for the faithful witness that many will walk out here with today, as they seek to be ambassadors for Christ in this dark and twisted world. And God please, help us, by the power of the Spirit that lives in those who trust Christ. Help us to see where we fall short still. Help us to see where we are off course. Help us to see where we need to repent and follow a more faithful example and be a better and more faithful and bright witness for Christ. God, will You use Your word this morning, carve and convict, but ultimately comfort, knowing that we can’t do this by ourselves. It all is accomplished by the power of Jesus Christ, the power of His Spirit in us. That’s the only way that any of this change that we know might still need to happen, can be brought about. So, God, may we be found, ultimately on that last day, a faithful church. And may You be pleased with all that we do. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.