Sermon
#1213[1]
Title: Christ’s Letter to the Church at Thyatira
Text: Revelation 2:18-29
Reading: Office:
Ron Wood Auditorium: Merle Hart
Subject: The Church’s Attitude Toward Heresy
Date: Sunday Evening - December 17, 1995
Tape # S-7
Introduction:
Thyatira
was the home of Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened. It was a place of great
commerce, a city with many, many people passing through its streets every day.
Thyatira was a place of wealth and power. In that place of great commerce, the
trade unions (guilds) of the day were well organized and powerful: wool
workers, linen workers, tailors, leather craftsmen, tanners, potters, etc. All
were associated in business, in one way or another, with pagan idolatry. Each
guild had its own guardian god. The
situation there was like this: If you wanted to get ahead in business, you
had to belong to one of the unions, one of the trade guilds. If you belonged to
the guild, your membership implied that you worshipped its god. You would be
expected to eat the food offered to those gods at their pagan festivals. That
implied that you acknowledged that you had received the food from the gods.
After the feasts, base orgies would begin. You could not dare insult your peers
by walking out of their festivities!
NOTE: Our society has degenerated to the level of pagan
Roman culture to such a degree that even in churches wearing the name of Christ
fornication and adultery have become acceptable!
What
could a believer do in such circumstances? If he quit his union, he would lose
business. If he remained in the union, attended the immoral festivities, and
joined in the idolatrous fornications of pagan worship, he would be denying his
Lord and sinning against his conscience. God’s saints at Thyatira had to face
these kinds of problems everyday, much like some of you do.
There
was a prophetess in the church at Thyatira, called Jezebel, who claimed to have
a solution to the problem. She reasoned that if you would conquer satan, you must get to know him. You will never be
able to influence the idolaters if you condemn them and refuse to go along with
their religion. You do not have to deny Christ but you cannot expect to get
along in the world if you do not accept the world’s religion, or at least
accept it as an acceptable form of religion. After all, who are we to condemn
another man’s religion? You just cannot say that someone’s religion is false!
Sound familiar? By her cunning craftiness, this prophetess seduced many in the
church and persuaded them to commit fornication, not only spiritual
fornication, but literally to commit fornication in the name of religious
unity! That was the condition of the church at Thyatira.
Almost
all the old commentators suggest that this letter has reference to the rise of
papacy and the heretical, immoral doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic
Church. I have no tolerance for papacy. I am always ready to denounce it as
antichrist. Romanism is idolatry. It promotes immorality. And its doctrines are
nothing but heretical superstitions. But it is a grave mistake to limit this
letter to the church at Thyatira to the rise of Romanism. Like the other six
letters, this letter is addressed to us. It warns us of certain dangers the
church is sure to endure in any age. “He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
Proposition: In this letter our Lord warns every local church,
every pastor, and every one who professes faith in his name of the subtle and
damning influence of false religion.
Divisions: In this message I want to call your attention to
five things in this letter to the church at Thyatira.
1.
An Assuring Revelation
(v.18)
2.
An Acknowledged Regard
(v.19)
3.
An Alarming Reproof
(vv.20-23)
4.
An Assigned Responsibility
(vv.24-25)
5.
An Assured Reward (vv.26-29)
I. As the letter opens, our Lord Jesus makes An Assuring Revelation of himself
(v.18)
He
who walks in the midst of his churches and holds her pastors in his right hand
is himself “the Son of God, who hath his
eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass.” In times
of trouble and danger, nothing is more assuring to God’s saints than the
comforting knowledge of Christ’s presence. “The
Lord is at hand” both to observe and to protect his own.
A. Christ
addresses himself to the angel of the church at Thyatira.
As we
have seen repeatedly through the book of Revelation, the angel of the local
church is her pastor. He is God’s messenger to the church. You will notice that
in each church there is but one angel, one pastor, one messenger from God to
his people. It is his responsibility under God to instruct the people of God
and protect them from the many forms of false religion that arise. The means by
which he does this is the faithful preaching of the gospel, expounding holy
Scripture.
·
Ephesians 4:11-14
·
Acts 20:28-30
B. Christ
here identifies himself as the Son of God; and in doing so he is calling for us
both to trust him and to obey him.
He
who is the Head of the church is not some silly old man dressed up in a
sissified costume, but the Son of God himself, our Savior and our Lord. He
calls himself the “Son of Man” (1:13)
to assure us of his love and sympathy toward us. He calls himself the “Son of God” to assure us of his
sovereign, almighty power. Our Savior is God almighty, and he is a man touched
with the feeling of our infirmities.
1. His eyes are like a flame of fire.
He
has a piercing, penetrating, perfect knowledge and insight into all things and
all people. He searches the hearts and knows the motives of all actions. He
tries the reins and knows the principles of all people.
2. His feet are like fine brass.
As he
knows and judges all things with perfect wisdom. He rules all things and acts
with absolute strength and perfect steadiness. His works of providence are
deliberate and irrepressible
NOTE: These two things ought to encourage every faithful
pastor to remain loyal to Christ and the gospel of his grace: Christ knows all
things; and he has all power. Who or what shall we fear?
II. Our Lord displays An Acknowledged Regard for the faithfulness of his people.
The
Lord God promises to honor those who honor him (I Sam. 2:30). And here he
fulfills that promise. The Son of God here publicly commends the good works of
faithful men and women. (Read verse 19.)
This
commendation was not given by a stranger, nor even by a casual observer. It was
given by One who was well acquainted with them and with the principles upon
which they acted.
NOTE: While we must do nothing to honor the flesh and
promote pride, it is always proper to recognize and commend faithfulness. To do
so is but to follow the example of Christ himself. We should never neglect to
commend or show our appreciation for the good things people do for Christ, his
gospel, his church, or for us. Ingratitude is always inexcusable, even when it
hides behind the mask of spirituality.
In
this nineteenth verse our Savior names five specific works for which he
commended his saints at Thyatira.
A. They were
men and women of obvious charity.
This is a clear evidence of real grace. Those
who are born of God love Christ and love one another. Faith “worketh by love” (Gal. 5:6).
·
John 13:34-35
·
I Corinthians 13:1-3
·
I John 4:20-5:1
Love is more than a phony, candy coated smile. Love
is a thoughtful regard for and active pursuit of another person’s happiness and
well being.
B. The saints
at Thyatira were men and women of service to the gospel.
No doubt, they served one another in many
ways. But the word here seems to have a particular reference to the church’s
commitment to the ministry of the gospel. They were a missionary church,
committed to the spread of the gospel. With great diligence, they sacrificed
money, time, and labor, so that others might hear the gospel of the grace of
God
·
I Thessalonians 1:8
C. The people in this church demonstrated great faithfulness to Christ.
They were not lukewarm,
half-hearted religious professors, but faithful followers of Christ.
Faithfulness is the one thing God requires of his people, and the one thing all
his people give.
·
I Corinthians 4:2
D. They were patient, too.
Those who are most charitable, most diligent in the cause
of Christ, and most faithful in the things of God are likely to be the most
tried. But in their many trials they display patience. “Tribulation worketh patience” (Rom. 5:3). It cannot be learned any
other way. Patience is simply the peaceful, believing resignation of one’s
heart to the will of God.
·
Philippians 4:12
E. Added to all these things
our Lord commended the Thyatira saints for the fact that they steadily grew in devotion to him.
Their last works were better and more numerous than their
first. Others had left their first love and lost their first zeal. Not these
people! As they grew old, they grew wise. As they matured in years, they
matured in grace. As they declined in physical strength, they grew in spiritual
strength.
NOTE: These five things are
matters of constant concern and prayer to me. I want to...
·
Love my brethren.
·
Serve the cause of Christ.
·
Be faithful to my God.
·
Walk with patience before God and men.
·
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
III. In verses 20-23, our Lord sounds An Alarming Reproof to those who
embrace, or even show a tolerance for false religion.
This
reproof is not so much directed to the church itself as it is to the wicked
seducers within the church. Yet, the church itself was at fault. She is
reproved for her tolerance of false religion.
There
was within the church a woman who claimed to be a prophetess, a woman preacher.
No one dared assert the teachings of Scripture and reprove the abominable
practice. But our Lord called this woman, Jezebel. He compared her to Ahab’s
wicked wife, Jezebel, because she encouraged the patronage of false religion,
kindness to false prophets, and the acceptance of idolatry. She seduced God’s
servants to engage in the pagan festivities connected with idol worship,
including fornication! She did all this in the name of God, pretending all the
while that she was promoting the worship of Christ! And people believed her!
The
church in Thyatira was to be blamed in part for the spread of this wicked
woman’s heresy because they tolerated her and afforded her opportunity to
preach her damning doctrines.
·
They allowed a woman not only to teach, but also to preach, in direct
opposition to the Word of God (I Cor. 14:34-35; I Tim. 2:11-12).
·
By allowing her to spread her doctrine, and by embracing her as a
believer, this church became partaker with her in her evil deeds (II John
10-11).
A. If we
would be faithful to the souls of men and to the glory of God, false religion
and false prophets must be pointedly and plainly exposed by us.
We
preach a positive gospel. We endeavor to avoid being negative. But we must
never allow any room for the acceptance of any doctrine that is contrary to the
gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. The popular, accepted,
mainstream religion of our day is a religion of works. The vast majority of
religious denominations, respected religious leaders, and churches of our day,
local, national, and international, are unified in the essence of their
message. They all preach salvation by man, either by his works or by his will.
They are modern Jezebels, deceiving and seducing the souls of men. We have no
point of agreement with them. If what I preach to you is of God, they cannot
be. If what they preach is of God, I cannot be.
Illustration: The Campbellite
preacher - “We cannot both be saved.”
1.
They all deny the sovereignty of God in salvation. The Word of God
declares it (Rom. 9:11-16).
2.
They all deny the efficacy of Christ’s blood. The Scriptures proclaim
it (Gal. 3:13).
3.
They all deny the effectual power of the Holy Spirit in regeneration.
The gospel demands it.
4.
They must never be received, heard, embraced, or supported by the
people of God.
·
Galatians 1:6-8
·
Galatians 5:12
B. God will
destroy every false prophet and all who follow them, if they do not repent and
receive the love of the truth (vv.22-23).
There
is nothing more damning to the souls of men than Arminian, free will, works
religion. Those who are deceived by it shall be damned by it.
·
II Thessalonians 2:7-12
·
Matthew 7:15
C. The
purpose and design of Christ in destroying these wicked seducers is that his
elect may be both made manifest and instructed (v.23).
When
heresies come, God’s elect are made manifest by their adherence to the truth (I
Cor. 11:19). When false prophets are destroyed by the hand of God in judgment,
God gives instruction and reproof to all men.
1. God’s judgment upon the seducers of men reveals
his infallible knowledge of their hearts.
God knows the deceitful principles by which
they operate, the hypocrisy of their religion, and the motives of their
actions. And he will judge them accordingly.
2. God’s justice is impartial.
He
will give every false prophet the exact reward of his works. In the day of
judgment they will not be able to hide behind the name of Christ. Their
popularity will provide them no sanctuary.
·
Matthew 7:21-23
IV. In these dark days of
apostate religion our Lord lays before each of us An Assigned Responsibility (vv.24-25).
These false prophets call their doctrines the depths of theology. They love to dazzle
men with deep mysteries, and persuade
them that they have profound insight into the things of God. They love to talk
about prophetic mysteries, the nature of angels, the work of demons, and most
anything that intrigues the imagination.
Our Lord calls their deep
things “the depths of satan!” (Read II Corinthians 11:3.) False prophets
will always draw your attention away from Christ and the gospel of his grace.
Their mysteries are the mystery of iniquity, satanic delusions, and diabolical
doctrines. The gospel sets forth the mystery of godliness, which is Christ
crucified. Let us never be turned from
that...
·
As the Object of our Faith.
·
As the Theme of our Preaching.
·
As the Center of our Worship.
·
As the Motive of our Lives.
It is our responsibility to hold fast the
doctrine of Christ until he comes again. That is, first and foremost, above
everything else, the business of every local church.
·
II Timothy 1:9-13
·
Titus 1:9
That
form of sound words which we must hold fast can be summed up and set forth in
six brief statements.
1. God almighty is absolutely
sovereign over all things (Rom. 9:11-26).
2. All men and women, since the
sin and fall of our father Adam, are spiritually dead and totally depraved
(Rom. 5:12; 3:9-19).
3. God has an elect people in
the world, chosen from eternity, who must and shall be saved by his sovereign
operations of grace (II Thes. 2:13-14).
4. The Lord Jesus Christ died
for and redeemed all God’s elect, infallibly securing their everlasting
salvation by the satisfaction of divine justice on their behalf (Isa. 53:8-11;
Heb. 9:12).
5. God the Holy Spirit
regenerates, calls to life and faith in Christ, and preserves in grace all who
were chosen by God the Father and redeemed by God the Son, by his almighty,
effectual, irresistible grace (Ps. 65:4).
6. All who believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ shall persevere in faith, being preserved and kept unto eternal
glory by the grace and power of God (John 10:27-30).
When
Christ comes again, he will put an end to all heresy, and truth shall rein
triumphantly forever.
V. If we persevere in faith and hold fast the
doctrine of Christ, our Savior, the Son of God, promises us An Assured Reward (v.26-29).
Those
who overcome are those who hold on to Christ’s works, not their own. They shall
rule and rein with the Son of God forever.
A. We shall
rule with Christ over all our enemies.
All
who persevere in the faith of the gospel shall sit as kings with Christ upon
his throne and rule over all things with him forever.
·
Matthew 19:28
·
Luke 22:29
·
Revelation 3:21
·
Revelation 20:4
B. We who
believe shall sit with Christ in judgment over all his enemies
Fallen
angels, false prophets, every rebel to Christ’s throne, and satan himself shall
be judged and condemned by our Lord. And we shall be his witnesses in the
judgment.
·
I Corinthians 6:3
·
Hebrews 13:17
·
Psalm 2:8-9
C. Christ
will give us himself (all of himself!) forever (v.28).
He is
our souls’ eternal “morning star” (II
Pet. 1:19; Rev. 22:16). The day star which shall introduce us into the glorious
day of eternal bliss is Christ himself! He is our glory. He is our crown. He is
our heaven!
·
Psalm 73:25-26
Application:
1.
Ask God to give you a heart of diligence,
that you may serve Christ faithfully.
2.
Ask him to give you a heart of discernment,
that you may know truth from error.
3.
Ask the Lord to give you a heart of determination,
that you may persevere in the faith of the gospel, firm unto the end (Col.
1:21-23).