God's Message to the Seven Churches Part 4 - The Corrupted Church: Thyatira

Revelation chapters two and three, John was writing to seven churches and seven cities in Asia Minor, which is in the Western part of Turkey, as we have mentioned. These two were facing the battles of their day. They were facing some of them, very real physical persecution, affliction at the hand of the Romans and their fellow countrymen. Others were facing ridicule. Others were facing temptation.

Some were facing false teaching, and that is the primary issue that the Lord is addressing at the Church of Thyatira in this evening's message. So, we'll begin by reading the text. It's Revelation two eighteen to the end of the chapter and then we'll come back and we'll look at a few things a little bit closer. Revelation two eighteen, and unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write, these things saith the son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first.

Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest 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. And I gave her space to repent for her fornication, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the rains and hearts, and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden.

But that which have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh and keepeth my works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter shall they be broken to shivers, and 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. Let's take a moment to pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word, message to this church this evening. I pray Lord that it would impact our hearts and Lord that we would see how important it is to stay true to your word. Lord, to stay true to your will, to live a life that is pleasing unto you. Lord, we pray for others today that are in churches where false teaching is rampant and where immorality has become second nature. Lord, we thank you for the spirit that you have given us, for the word that you've given us, that we might know the truth, that it might set us free.

In Jesus Christ, our savior, for it's in Jesus name we do pray, amen. The city of Thyatira or Thyatira, not sure which is the proper pronunciation, is a trade center about 40 miles inland from Pergamos. Now, I do not have the map up this evening, but as we went up the coast, we started down at Ephesus, Pergamos was several miles north of Ephesus, Thyatira or Thyatira is 40 miles inland from Pergamos. It had recently grown into a thriving city, which was previously a military outpost at the intersection of two valleys. Originally, Thyatira was a military outpost that watched these valleys on which Roman roads had been built to protect the eastern side of Pergamos and other cities on the coast.

But eventually, over time, it grew into a thriving city by Jesus' day, and by the time that John wrote the letter. And a church there had been planted, probably an outgrowth again of the church at Ephesus, maybe through the church at Pergamos. The city worshipped particularly the pagan sun God. You might recognize the name Apollo, that was the Roman sun God. And they also worshipped others of course, and including the Roman Emperor, which as we have discussed was particularly the religion of Pergamos that was just 40 miles to the west.

It was known for its trade in several items, including black wool, bronze, and purple dye. Purple dye may perk your ears up a little bit. Let me read to you from Acts sixteen fourteen. It says, And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us, whose heart the Lord opened, and she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. As Paul came to the city of Philippi, in Greece, he met Lydia.

Lydia was a well-to-do merchant lady, who was from the city of Thyatira, and was a seller of purple. And so we have that connection between this city, which is in Turkey, and Lydia, who was across the Aegean over at Philippi in Northern Greece. So, not the only place that particular fact is mentioned in scripture. So, we have a few things about the city, but more importantly, we get here to the church and the description of Christ at the beginning of the message written for this church. At the beginning of each message to each church, John characterizes Christ in a different manner.

And usually the characterization is connected with the church and the city, also is most definitely connected with the message, the rest of the message that he will give. So it is unique to that purpose. In verse 18 it says, and to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, these things which saith the son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass. First of all, Jesus Christ is seen as the son of God, emphasizing his deity. He has eyes like a flame of fire and he has feet like fine brass.

This is not the only place in scripture that he is characterized in this manner. Daniel 10 in verse six says, His body also was like a barrel, that's a stone, and his face is the appearance of lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. That is Daniel's description description there. There. And so, we have not only here Jesus being characterized as having eyes like a flame of fire, but also Daniel does the same.

In this particular case, the sun God, Apollo, as we mentioned, was worshipped by the people of the city in particular. This was an example of man's defiance and their attempt to replace the true God with a vastly inferior and altogether powerless representation. I mentioned Romans one a minute ago, Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and they turned the likeness of God, they went from worshiping God, let me read this, I want to read it for you, I don't have it recorded here. Let me find it, just a moment. There we go.

Professing themselves wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four footed beasts, and creeping things. This is condemnation of mankind, who though having the knowledge of God in Romans one, always given enough time, turns away from God and turns to the worship of different kinds of idols. In this case, the idol is Apollo, he is the sun God. Therefore he is deemed to be hot and fiery and bright. But he is a poor copy of the true God, of the son of God, Jesus Christ, who has eyes like a flame of fire and feet as fine brass.

In Romans 20 verse 12, we are told on the day of the great white throne judgment that the earth and the heavens, the sun included, will flee from the presence of the one who sits upon the throne to judge. That person is the son of God. Jesus Christ. In second Peter three ten, we're told that the earth and the heaven will burn up in the last day with fervent heat. Revelation 21 tells us that there will be no need of the sun in the new Jerusalem, for who is the light of the city?

Jesus Christ is the light of the city. The devil and man make poor copies and imitations to try to turn the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image like unto corruptible man, or like unto the heavenly celestial bodies, or the animals of the ground. This is a reminder to the people of this church that there is only one true God. All of these other gods and these idols are nothing. And they are powerless, and they only bring upon the people who worship them the judgment of the one whose eyes are truly like fire and feed as fine brass.

Not even the sun itself can compare to the brightness of Christ. His omniscient gaze burns through all to reveal the truth, the hidden things of the heart, and judges all mankind accordingly, he is not one to be trifled with. The bible says in Hebrews chapter four and in verse 12, For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit of the joints and marrow, and as the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The word of God we have in our hand this evening we can read, it is the written word. Jesus Christ, the son of God, is the living word, and he uses the word in his spirit to pierce even the darkest heart, to know the truth.

Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. David said in Psalm 139, that if I flee to the other side of the sea, there he sees and he knows me. If I ascend up into the heavens, there he sees and he knows me. If I descend into the grave or hell or Sheol, there he sees and he knows me. If I flee into the darkness, there he sees and knows me.

There is no escaping the gaze. Of the son of God. The true and living God. That brings us to verse 19, Revelation two nineteen. I know thy works, he said, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first.

His general characterization of the church is a good one. He praises them for their growth in these areas, for he says the last is greater than the what? First, therefore they're a growing church. They're growing in these areas. Today, oftentimes, people want to measure the success of a ministry in numbers, and though we would love to have more numbers, and we will proclaim and reach out to other people that we might grow the way that God judges this church is not the growth of numbers.

But the growth in these areas of spiritual maturity. He mentions here love or charity, both for the Lord and others, a truly compassionate church. This wasn't a dead church that didn't care. It was a church that cared, it cared about the Lord, it cared about others. It was a church that is praised for their service, their faithfulness and zeal for the service of the Lord and to one another was evident.

They were a serving church, They served one another. Exactly what we talked about this morning, a church should be doing, is serving one another. He praised them for their faith, their knowledge and understanding of the truth, their increasing trust in the Lord. They were growing in their faith. Paul prayed that these churches would grow in their faith.

And indeed this church was growing in their knowledge and understanding of the scripture. And as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of the scripture, we also grow in our trust and our faith in the Lord of the scripture, because it's through the study of the scripture, the knowledge and understanding of the scripture, that we get to know him better. They're praised for their patience, their endurance and perseverance in the face of persecution. These churches were facing a real uphill battle in the face of persecution, which was only going to get worse in the coming days. Rome was becoming more and more eager to stamp out Christianity.

That called people to put their faith and trust in and worship one God, Jesus Christ, and therefore, not the emperor. He praised them for their labor, their work, their selfless effort for the sake of the gospel. This was a growing church, and the Lord commended them for that. The Lord knows. He knows our love, our service, our faith, our patience, our labor.

He sees it, he knows it, he rewards it accordingly even if others do not see it or appreciate it. God does. And he rewards those who serve him. He has already rewarded us, by his grace, who are very undeserving. So we see the characterization of Christ, the commendation of the church, and now we see the condemnation.

This church had a problem, a problem which they had not taken care of, and God was now going to step in and take care of it himself. It is his church. Remember who is the head? Christ is the head. Christ was the one in the midst of the candles, the candlesticks represented by the churches, and it's his church.

He is zealous and jealous of his church. It belongs to him. In verse 20 it says, notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest 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. Their tolerance and inaction concerning the false prophetess in the church, which was corrupting many of the people, was what the condemnation that God had was. Their tolerance, the word here in the King James says, notwithstanding a few things because thou sufferest.

Thou sufferest means you tolerate it. You tolerate this woman characterized by the name Jezebel, to continue to teach that which is false, to lead the people into fornication, and into idolatry. And therefore, God says, I have something against you, and this something will be dealt with. In most of the cases, to these churches, God says to the churches, there's something, now you deal with it. In this case, the time for them to deal with it evidently had already passed, and God said, okay, you haven't dealt with it, now I'm going to deal with it.

You know, it's always best for us to deal with things, because when it gets to the point where God has to deal with it, the judgment is usually great, and we will see that to be the case here. Who was Jezebel? Well, Jezebel is most likely a pseudonym given for this lady in the church. Thus, she is likened unto Jezebel of the Old Testament. Jezebel was the heathen wife of Ahab.

She was from Phoenicia. She was a worshipper of Baal, and she promoted Baal worship in Israel, and promiscuous living through her religion. She encouraged her husband to commit murder to get what he wanted. She sought to kill Elijah and the other prophets for daring to stand against her corruption. Let me read you a few verses from one Kings 21.

One Kings 21. All right. And verses twenty five and twenty six. But there was none like unto Ahab. Now, that's not a good thing.

No, this was not a good thing about Ahab. Which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. So, Ahab, King Ahab of Israel, Northern Israel, sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord. But the last phrase of the verse says, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. So Ahab sold himself to work wickedness, whom Jezebel his wife incited.

Is somebody trying to get a hold of me? I just keep hearing the phone ring. Anyway, so we have Ahab here mentioned and Jezebel his wife who incited him to do this wickedness. Verse 26, and he did very abominably in following idols according to all things as did the Amorites, who the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. So, as incited by Jezebel his wife, he did such terrible things in comparison to the Amorites which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

Back in Genesis, God said to Abraham, your descendants are going to serve another people for four hundred years. And then they're going to come back and they're going to conquer the land. Four, the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. God said to Abraham, the time of judgement on the Amorites is not yet. They have opportunity yet to turn, but in four hundred years, it's gonna be so bad when I bring my people back.

I will bring terrible judgment upon the people that inhabit this land, the Amorites, or we normally call them the Canaanites, because of their wickedness. You're not to leave any of them in the land, of course they did, and that led to corruption amongst the Israelites, as they did not eradicate all of them from the land. They did such terrible things as to sacrifice their newborn newborn infants to Molech, and to be tossed in the fire. And it says here, that the actions of Ahab and Jezebel were just as bad as the people that God judged, and had his people conquer and kill, so that they would not be infected with their doctrine. This is how terrible Ahab and Jezebel were.

This is how far they had turned the people of Israel away from the Lord to where the Israelites were practicing the very same heathen, wicked, vile perversions that the Amorites were before they came into the land. So, not a good person, neither Ahab nor Jezebel. And this lady here in Revelation two has been likened unto Jezebel. Like Jezebel of old, this prophetess and prominent member of the church was leading many people into idolatry and immorality. The two, you will find, are very often connected.

Idolatry and immorality. And leading them away from the worship of the true God. By introducing heathen doctrines and practices into the church, and here's the kicker, claiming God's support. She is called here, not just a false teacher, she is called a what? A prophetess.

Okay, now what does a prophetess do? Well, a prophet man or prophetess woman claims to get their information directly from who? Directly from God. So she was teaching heathen doctrines, she was encouraging heathen, immoral practices in the church, and she was claiming that she got the information, the instructions from God himself to do that. This is a common ploy of the devil.

Almost every cult that's out there started with a prophet or a prophetess who claimed to receive instruction directly from God, and use that as a tool to lead people away from the Lord. I've heard people ask, well, why don't you believe there's more of the word of God to be discovered? Well, many reasons. First of all, most of the people connected with writing the New Testament were connected with a particular group of people, they were called the apostles, those apostles passed away all by around January, so they're not around. Secondly, at the end of the last book of the New Testament, not just as it's placed in order in scripture, but as it was actually written, the last book says this, For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

So I think this is the finished what? The finished revelation. The finished word of God. I don't believe that applies only to the book of Revelation, it makes sense that it implies to the entirety of scripture. These prophets come along, they say, I, God has told me something brand new.

Watch out. They are not an embassy of the Lord, they are the embassy of the devil. And this Jezebel was doing, and in so doing she was inciting, as did her namesake Jezebel, the people to commit fornication. Now in some cases, fornication or adultery is used as a metaphor for idolatry and turning away or being unfaithful to God. But it mentions the two separately here in such a fashion, that it would seem that we're looking at two different things and not one the same.

So the first commit fornication, I believe, means exactly what it says. To abandon biblical morality for lawless, licentious behavior. Probably adopting a false teaching of the day, that what was done with the physical body did not affect the condition of the soul, and therefore was inconsequential. One of the false teachings of that day, which was borrowed from Greek philosophers, people were teaching in the churches that all that matters is the soul, God saved the soul, so the body doesn't matter. So you can do whatever you want with your body, it's inconsequential because that does not affect the what?

The soul, doesn't matter. And so this was one of the false teachings of the day. It's obviously a false teaching because scripture begs to differ very clearly. Ephesians five:three, Paul writes, But fornication and uncleanness or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh or as fitting for saints. God has called us saints.

That word means holy one. We are the holy ones of God and it is not fitting for us to commit these acts. First Corinthians six, give me just a moment, I'm going turn to this one, in verses 18 through 20. Paul writes, Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body, but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's. Why did Paul write these words to the church at Corinth? Because they were struggling with this very same false doctrine, that all that mattered was the soul or the spirit and not the body, but Paul says Christ purchased not just your soul but also your what?

Body. You're bought with a price. Your body is the temple of what or who? What is your body the temple of? The Holy Spirit.

Therefore, God cares what we do with this body because it reflects reflects on him. Because when we take this body and do vile things with it, we are taking the holy spirit into something that is contrary to his very nature. We are bought with a price, therefore, Paul writes, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which both belong to who? Which both belong to God. First Thessalonians four:three and four, For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and in honor.

When it says that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, I believe the word vessel there is referring to our body. We are to possess it in sanctification and in honor. Unto whom? Unto the Lord, because it belongs to him. Do we see anything like this in the world in which we live today?

Yeah, we do. It, in the culture in which we live, not only is fornication, immorality, adultery accepted, it is almost applauded. It is celebrated today. In our entertainment industry, It is promoted. It is lifted up as an example to follow.

And in many cases, churches themselves have caved and fallen in line, not with the word of God, but with the culture of the world, and have fallen prey to the same doctrine. We are taught today that marriage is not important as long as you love one another, that's all that matters. Well, God begs to differ. Marriage is honorable and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers, anybody know the last three words? God will judge.

God says it matters to me. It doesn't, he doesn't care whether it matters to the US Supreme Court. He doesn't care whether it matters to the entertainment world. He doesn't care whether it matters to the state court. He doesn't care whether it matters to the church you go to, though it should.

It matters to who? It matters to him. And yet, many so called Christian churches today have swallowed the pill, have took the hook, that it doesn't matter anymore. If you ask people about their sin, a lot of times they'll say, Oh, well I'm pretty good. I don't steal and I don't hurt people and I'm not violent.

Oh, well, yeah, the person I'm living with I'm not married to, but that doesn't matter. And they don't even see that as a sin anymore. And some of those people are people that go to church nearly every week. This is a problem in our churches today, not just in the church of Thyatira. The second thing is that she had incited them to eat things sacrificed to idols.

So eating things sacrificed to idols likely also entailed participating in the worship of those idols. See, they had feasts and they would have these block parties or they would have these religious feasts and they would invite people to come out and it was a social gathering and if you didn't come to the social gathering, you were sort of, you know, outcast, you weren't part of the group. And so they would come to the feast, but at the feast what would they do? Well they would dedicate and sacrifice the meat to the what? To the idol.

And then everybody would eat. By attending such festivals and converting with the heathen, they over time would naturally be sucked into other heathen practices and beliefs. This is another ploy of the devil. This was another false teaching of this lady. Didn't matter what you did with your body, and it doesn't matter if you go to these feasts, it doesn't matter, God doesn't care.

God begs to differ. He does care. First commandment, thou shalt have no other gods before me. Second commandment, thou shalt not make any graven images. Thou shalt not bow down to them.

But in participating in these social gatherings that were also religious, eating this meat, this food, they were partaking, they were participating. First Corinthians fifteen thirty three, it says, Be not deceived, evil communications corrupt good manners. Paul did not condemn, in First Corinthians eight, the eating of meat which had been sacrificed to idols and then sold in the open market, but he certainly did not condone participating in pagan feasts, in worship of these idols. God must be God alone, or he is not truly your God at all. He must be God alone.

Over and over again in the Old Testament, he said to Israel, if you go into idolatry rather than a blessing, you will receive a what? A curse. The thing which concerned the Lord the most was them staying true to him, and not worshiping other idols. Let's look at God's judgment, verses 21 through 23. It says, and I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not.

Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death, or pestilence, 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. God said, I'm going to step in, and I'm going to deal with this, which you have not. Having given opportunity to repent, which she refused, God's judgment was going to come upon her. Despite her wickedness, God had given her opportunity to repent.

Our God is a merciful God. He is a gracious God. He is not a god up there waiting for people to sin so that he can squash them. He is a god who loves them and wants to redeem them. But she would have none of repentance.

Therefore, she would be reduced to a bed of sickness, fittingly as it was in her bed which she practiced debauchery. There she would suffer unto her death. Galatians six, seven and eight, Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he what? Also reap.

She sowed the sin of fornication, she reaped the judgment of God and she suffered in that same bed for her sin. Those who forsook the way of the Lord to join her, God would likewise cause to suffer if they too refuse to repent as well. You can't say, well, I didn't know what I was doing. God says in Romans one, he says, they are without what? Excuse.

God says nonetheless, I will give them opportunity to repent, but if they do not, then they too will suffer judgment, tribulation, affliction. He goes on to say, and those who would continue to propagate her doctrine and practice, those are called here her children, God declared he would kill so that everyone would recognize God's hatred of fornication and idolatry. Is this the only place that God did that? Anybody remember Ananias and Sapphira? All they did was what?

All they did was lie. In the world in which we live today, lying is no longer considered a sin. That's justified in most people's minds, as long as you do it for a good reason. But Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead by God, because they lied to the Lord and they lied to the church. And they were used as an example, and because of God's judgment, public judgment upon Ananias and Sapphira, it says, the fear of the Lord came upon all the church.

What does that mean? That mean, the people of the church, the members the church paid attention and they got the message. God cares. God cares how we live. God cares what we do.

God is watching and judgment comes when we disobey the Lord. And you say, but I'm a Christian, I'm secure in Christ. You are from the fires of hell, but you're not from the chastening hand of God. In first Corinthians 11, there were people in the church at Corinth that God said they were had died because they were abusing the Lord's table. So, God brings judgement even on his children or chastening if we refuse to listen and to repent.

The church like the church in Corinth that didn't deal with the man in first Corinthians five who was sleeping with his mother, with his father's wife, wasn't dealing with Jezebel. And as Paul said to the church at Corinth, you should have already dealt with this. God says I will deal with this, and my judgment will be great. But you need to recognize that God cares about our faith, he also cares about our life, and how we live, our doctrine, and our church. The judgment was to be meted out here according to their deeds or their works.

Although we cannot be saved or justified by our deeds, we can be condemned by them. In Revelation 20, when they're brought, when those that have rejected Jesus Christ are brought before the great white throne judgment, what are they judged based upon? Their works. And by the judgment of their works, they will be cast in the lake of fire. Praise God that through Jesus Christ, we have been justified not by our works but by the law, By the blood of Jesus Christ our savior.

Therefore, Romans three twenty, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, preferred by the law is the knowledge of sin. And then finishing, verse 24, but under you I say, and under the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, 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. God says to the people, he said, you that have not fallen prey to this doctrine, you that have not practiced use, you that have stayed true to my word, I will not bring judgment upon you, but I exhort you and I challenge you and I command you, stay faithful to me and to my word. And if you do, he continues on. Verse 26, And he that overcometh and keepeth my works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations.

He shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my father. I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith under the churches. God says, if you stay faithful, you will be rewarded handsomely. The meek of the earth shall what?

The meek shall receive, shall inherit the earth. If we remain faithful to God, who of course remains faithful to us, we as his children will be greatly rewarded in his presence. Though we may be outcasts on earth now, we will one day rule and reign with him. Let's pray. Dear God, we thank you Lord for your word.

Pray Lord that we would recognize false teaching. We would not allow him. Enter into our church, or enter our own beliefs, lifestyle, and practice. Lord, help us to remain faithful. Lord, only by your grace can we do so.

Only as we compare the teachings of the world with the word of God, will we know the truth and be set free by it. We thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness to us. We thank you, Lord, for not judging us with the world, but saving us through Jesus Christ, our savior. Changing us to be more like you. Keeping us until that day when we will stand before you complete.

May we seek to honor and glorify you in all that we do this coming year. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.